Analyse and assess the factors behind the motivation of American Essay

Analyse and assess the factors behind the motivation of American soldiers in the Civil War - Essay Example In the reconstruction era most of the issues raised in the civil war were settled however, some of the issues remain unsolved but people got the solution of their major causes and problems1. The American Civil War has been regarded as one of the earliest industrial war fought in America. During the war mass produces weapons, railways, telegraphs streams and roadways were widely employed. It was also the deadliest war in the history of United States because over 620,000 soldiers were killed during the war and numbers of civilian casualties were also reported from all over the country. The war concluded with the desired outcomes for the North in term of termination of Confederacy and slavery. The demand of free men society was approved and all the slaves were freed from the slavery and were bestowed the rights to live freely in the country2. Factors behind the Motivation of Soldiers The identification of the factors behind the motivation of the soldiers to fight in the Civil war is an important issue that has been explored extensively by the historians and social scientists. The social and political situation of the country has been assessed in detail to understand the perspectives of people and soldiers. In addition to this, the letter, dairies and life stories of different soldiers participated in the war are also widely read and analyzed to understand their motive to take part in the war. Since, Civil War soldiers were the most literate soldiers in the war history they had strong intellectual base and thoughtful motivations behind their fight that they widely expressed through their letters and personal diaries3. Understanding the thinking style and direction of the Civil war soldiers is a complicated and challenging task that became easy by reading the diaries and letters of these soldiers. This understanding is very important to identify the factors that actually worked to motivate them at that time and to understand what the soldiers were thinking and feeli ng at the war time. Due to this reason, their personal writings have been regarded as most important source to list out the factor behind the motivation of soldiers during the civil war. The letters and dairies acted as major source to understand the thoughts and actions of the soldiers during the Civil war. On the basis of this analysis the historians and war experts have listed out numbers of factors that encouraged the soldiers to fight in the war. The American Civil War lasted for four years during which thousands of soldiers were dead but war was fueled by more soldiers came forward to take part in the war. There are several factors that motivated the soldiers to take part in the Civil war. Most of the soldiers participated in the Civil War were volunteer from the civilian life and they were not professional soldiers. They don’t have professional training of war but their motivation kept them fighting throughout the war just like the professionally trained soldiers. The motivation of the soldiers during the Civil war is a golden part of the political history of America because people were fighting for their cause with full dedication and potential. The traditional thoughts affirm that the soldiers were motivated to fight during the war by the factors like patriotism, ideology, religious issues and quest for glory however, the in depth studies have pointed out towards some close and real reasons

Medical Malpractice Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Medical Malpractice - Case Study Example The decision of the trial court was raised on appeal to the COURT OF APPEAL OF LOUISIANA, FOURTH CIRCUIT. The plaintiff, Sheila Webb, instituted the action in connection with the death of her son, Rodney Comeaux, the alleged victim of the medical malpractice. The main ground of the suit she filed was the negligence of the attending medical doctors and of the hospital appurtenant to the duty of the latter to closely monitor the said patient through its nursing staff. Rodney Comeaux died at the hospital on July 21, 1988. The defendants, on the other hand, were (a) the Tulane Medical Center Hospital where Rodney Comeaux was entered for confinement and diagnosis, and (b) a certain Dr. Abe Andes, a doctor of medicine supposedly specializing in hematology, who attended to the patient, decedent Rodney Comeaux. The civil complaint was filed with the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans which had original jurisdiction over the matter pursuant to the Rules for Louisiana District Courts. (TITLE II RULES FOR CIVIL PROCEEDINGS IN DISTRICT COURTS (EXCEPT FOR FAMILY AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS AND JUVENILE PROCEEDINGS. RULES FOR LOUISIANA DISTRICT COURTS. [internet]). After the decision was handed down by the trial court, the matters at issue were raised on appeal to the COURT OF APPEAL OF LOUISIANA, FOURTH CIRCUIT, which had appellate jurisdiction over the suit in accordance with the applicable procedures.(Rule 1-2. Title and Scope of Rules. UNIFORM RULES LOUISIANA COURTS OF APPEALS. THE STATE OF LOUISIANA COURT OF APPEAL FOURTH CIRCUIT. [internet]) The facts of the case Rodney Comeaux was full of complicated health problems since when he was young. Diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia at an early age of six months, Rodney was never in perfect health. Sickle Cell Anemia (or SCA for short) is a genetic abnormality in blood which is incurable. He had continuously suffered from pneumonia bouts and the anemia predicaments. During the month of June in 1988, Rodney, aged twenty three by then, complained of chest pains and stomach discomforts. He was brought to defendant Tulane Medical Center for admission. Dr. Abe Andes, the medical director of the hospital, attended to him. Released from the medical confinement on July 6, 1988, Rodney was prescribed an oral antibiotic called Keflex. He was advised to come back for an appointment with Dr. Andes on July 12 of that same year, specifically at two thirty in the afternoon of that date. Dr. Andes wrote down his findings as pulmonary infarction versus pneumonia. Before Dr. Andes, Rodney Comeaux was being treated at the SCA clinic by a certain Dr. Frempong, the the director of the said clinic. It was only in 1986 that Dr. Andes took over from Dr. Frempong. Hours before the designated visit on July 12, 1988, Rodney showed up at the SCA clinic where he complained of chest pain and request to meet Dr. Andes. The latter was then preoccupied attending to other patients who had prior

An evaluation of the suitability of the Istisna contract to financing Essay

An evaluation of the suitability of the Istisna contract to financing small enterprises - Essay Example These banks offer services based on religious teachings and laws. The banks continue to provide innovative financial products aimed at filling the existing gaps in the financial industry. These banks have used a philanthropic approach, adopted from Islamic teaching, to offer high quality services to customers. One of these approaches has been the Istisna contract. Based on the Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) this contract has transformed the banking industry immensely (Mahlknecht, 2009). The use of this contract may be enormously beneficial to people seeking comprehensive funding for small businesses. The contract and its use by Islamic banks The Istisna contract falls under the category of manufacturing contracts. It was created by the Islamic Financial Institution in line with the Istisna believes. The contract is strongly related to the shariah. In Arabic, the word Istisna means making a request to someone to build, construct or manufacture something for another. This contract is based on the principle meaning of the word. The contract, therefore, involves agreements for sale and purchase between two individuals. The items under discussion in the contract agreements of Istisna are non-existent. This can be termed as the greatest difference between the Istisna and other financial contracts within the industry (Warde, 2000). This has led to the identification of the Istisna as a exceptional sale agreement. Within the scope of the Istisna contract, the agreement is normally based on trust between the parties. The asset in the agreement normally has to be constructed or manufactured in a later date. The parties normally a gree on the date in which the finished product should be delivered. The process of creating an Istisna contract needs to be handled with considerable care. The Shariah law dictates that a commodity intended for sale must in the hands on the seller when the sale is being made (Mahlknecht, 2009). The seller must also posses the ownership of the product intended for sale. A product to be sold must also have been gained through acceptable means by the Islamic law. The Istisna contract, however, seems to offer a slightly different ideology. In the Istisna contract, the products being sold are normally, not in their final form. The core aspect of the contract becomes the religious values attached to the agreement. All elements of the contract are based upon trust and belief in the ability of the manufacturing party to deliver items. The quality and quantity of the product is expected to meet the agreed upon standards. In the contract, the parties agree on the specifications of the goods t o be manufactured as well as the date of completion of the manufacturing process. The cost price of the items can also be another element agreed upon by the contracting parties. All these elements are done through agreements made by the contracting parties. Within the scope of the Istisna contract, the Islamic financial institutions are requested by customers to manufacture a product. The product is manufactured by the financial institution on behalf of the customer. Upon completion of the construction, the product is then delivered to the customer for payment. Trust becomes essential as the customer may not be able to cater for the payment of the products delivered. An important note to make here is that the contract terms cannot be changed once they have been agreed upon. This becomes essential in ensuring that each party delivers its part of the bargain. Failure by either party, though, immediately makes the contract obsolete. The

An Efficient Manner in the Organization Case Study

An Efficient Manner in the Organization - Case Study Example From this discussion it is clear that  financial data in a company is of much consequence. In order to ensure accurate financial data collection and its correct use, the company must make sure that the IT function and Finance team collaborate and use the expertise of one another for better data and analysis. Both teams must be on the same page.  This study declares that another important aspect is to make it simple and understandable to the extent that all stakeholders of a particular kind of data know what to do with it; however, it should not be broken down so much that it loses the essence of its purpose. For this reason, metrics are very important. It is extremely important to note what is measured. Off the mark measures will waste time and money, force people into performing on wrong parameters, all rendering the collected data unusable. To give meaning to any meaningless collection of data and convert it into useful and interpretable information, it is imperative that key t ools and techniques are in place which a) collect the right kind and data and b) make the conversion into useful information easy.  The very first step in this process is to assess whether the data collected is important in the first place. Was the purpose of collecting data to answer an important business question such as sales figures, costing information, employee satisfaction, etc.?  To have efficiency in the overall system, it is important that the data collected is for a reason.

Life development Essay Example for Free

Life development Essay The aim of this research is to explore a married couples real life experiences and the possible influences that affect their life development. A qualitative thematic analysis was carried out on pre-existing material of three semi-structured interviews and a video. Two main themes were identified : Various Influences and Changeable. This analysis showed support for some research done regarding Eriksons development stages, Pecks contribution on later life, developmental contextualism and Bronfenbrenners theory. The findings suggest that life development is multi-facet. A reflexive analysis reviews some limitation on this analysis and recommendations are also made. INTRODUCTION Lifespan development is the one among different psychological perspectives. Psychologists are of different views on human development. Some of them split human development into different stages, some of them focus on the peoples later development, some are optimistic but some not, and some opined that our development are deterministic but also some do not think so. Erik Erikson has developed a theory named as Psychosocial in which he stated that there would be eight development stages from birth to later adulthood within our life. (Cooper Roth, 2002). The theory emphasised that our development is a product of the interaction between the society and individual; and our parents seems to play a key role in our early life. Erikson argued that everyone must develop throughout these eight stages. While treating later life as a relative stable period, Erikson neglect the room of change during the middle and old stages, to cope with this difficulty, Peck further subdivided these two stages into sub-stages. For middle age, Peck consider that we should acknowledge our loss of physical strength while also appreciate our gaining of wisdom, the main task within these stage is to redefine ones personality and personal relationship. Besides, individual should shift their emotional attachment to both the vertical and horizontal relationship, i. e. the death of parents and friendship (Cooper Roth, 2002). For old age, in order to cater the crisis of retirement, Peck argued that individual need to seek other meaningful activities, thus accepted by themselves that they are continually contribute to and valued by the society. Other approach on lifespan development is named as developmental contextualism. It emphasised that development of an individual cannot be seen as an isolated manner, rather, there are internal (e. g. physical fitness) and external (e. g. cultural and social) factors that influences ones development. These factors are referred as a level of explanation by psychologists, they comprise different variables, for instances, interpersonal influence, cultural influence, historical influence and etc. These variables would interact and change each other at the same or a different level of explanation which is known as dynamic interactionism. (Cooper Roth, 2002) In contrast to developmental contextualism, Bronfenbrenner is of different view. He argued that individuals are capable to determine their own development rather than simply constrained by internal and external influences. In his ecological theory of development, he suggested that individuals are actively interact with his or her environment during their development. According to the theory, it divided individual physical environment into four parts, i. e. micosystem, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem as well. The microsystem refers to ones immediate environment, includes social, symbolic and physical characteristics, e. g. personality, healths, values and expectations. The mesosystem describes two or more microsystems inhabited by the same person, e. g. family, work and marriage. Links that take place between two or more settings involving the individual is known as the exosystem, i. e. our community. The macrosystem illustrates the patterns of the aforesaid systems that characterize any given culture or society structures. (Cooper Roth, 2002) In view of the above approaches, it seems that human development are encompassed by different stages, with internal and external influences; and individuals are with ability to actively change it during the process of development. The purpose of this qualitative research is to see how a couple, Tony and Jo experienced their life and what influence to their development indeed. METHOD Three semi-structured interviews were conducted of a (an aging) couple, Tony and Jo. There is no information on the exact ages of the stakeholders, including the interviewees and the three interviewers. For teaching purposes, the process of the interviews were videotaped with the interviewees consent. The interviews touch topics of identity, separation and attachment and lifespan development. The first interview was conducted by a female researcher Jane who knew that couple for several years. A male researcher has conducted the second interview who knew none about that couple. The last interviewer was a female who asked them about their experiences on the first two interviews. The research was adopted analysing pre-existing materials. It assumed that the Open University of United Kingdom (OUUK) adhered strictly to the British psychological code of ethics such as obtaining informed written consent, addressing issues around confidentiality, protection of participants identities, permission to withdraw at any time and sufficient debriefing. (Miell, Phoenix Thomas, 2002). I am a Chinese male, a part-time psychology student (36 years of age) of the Open University of Hong Kong, and carried out a qualitative thematic analysis on transcripts and video provided by the OUUK. (see Appendix for the full annotated transcripts and an extracted video of the three interviews is also attached) The lifespan development research topic and question were selected and supplied by the OUUK (DSE 212, Method Booklet 5, pages 60 and 61). Familiarization of material was done by reading Chapter 1 in Book 2 (Cooper Roth, 2002). The next stage of the analysis involved my reading the transcripts several times noting significant points related to my chosen research topic. I then identified recurrent themes from the transcripts. Two main themes were identified and the data was condensed under these themes. This was achieved by photocopying the transcripts and highlighting each bit of the dialogue relating to the themes in different colour pens. Only the first two interviews were used in this research.

Alternate Energy Sources: An Analysis

Alternate Energy Sources: An Analysis Due to the predicted shortage of fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources, research is now looking at alternatives. These alternatives are known as renewable energy. Renewable energy effectively uses natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat, which can be naturally replenished. If the use of renewable energy isnt explored for future use, we may be living without appliances we take for granted today. For example, imagine a winter without a heater and a summer without air-conditioning, and day-to-day life without televisions, cars, washing machines, even lights. The earth could get to a stage where it was so severely scarred from people trying to find more energy sources, that the damage is irreversible. With the current consumption rate of non-renewable energy, this scenario may very well be the state of the planet in future years. Hence, this paper will explore the use of the alternate energy source, solar power for present and future use. The advantages and disadvantages of the energy source will be discussed, in relation to its technological, economical, viability factors. In doing so, the paper will attempt to prove that not only is solar energy as an alternate energy source better for the environment, but also verify that it is better for our economy in the long run. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 4 1.1 Overview of Solar Energy 4 1.2 Everyday Usage 6 2.0 Technological Viability 6 2.1 Efficiency 8 3.0 Environmental Sustainability 8 4.0 Economical 9 5.0 Conclusion 10 References 11 1.0 Introduction In todays climate of growing energy needs and increasing environmental concern, alternatives to the use of non-renewable and polluting fossil fuels have to be investigated. We have only really been looking at the possibility of solar power seriously for the past fifty years, and fossil run machines and power plants have been researched for the past century. In the journal article, Photovoltaics A Path to Sustainable Futures, Joshua M. Pierce states that since 1957, electricity demand in the US has increased by over 450% while the US population has increased by only 50%, which illustrates how the demand for electricity has grown.It has been estimated that we only have 50 to 70 years left of all fossil fuels at the current consumption rate. This is a scary figure, considering that as soon as 2050 there could be no more food to feed the industrialized machine. Something will have to change, its obvious, and renewable energy is the most logical answer . Green Peace India defines Renewable Energy as a sustainable energy source that comes from the natural environment that is perennial. Clean Renewable Energy are those, which do not contribute to any sort of emission harmful to lives such as radiation, carbon, or involve extractive processes, or which would cause large scale displacement of people or destruction of land and forest covers. (Green Peace India, 2009). In other words, renewable energy can be taken continuously from the natural environment and does not affect the normal activities in the biosphere. One such renewable energy source being considered for future use is solar energy. Photovoltaics, photo meaning light and voltaic meaning electricity, is one of the fastest growing solar energy technologies. Photovoltaic devices, or solar cells, use semiconductor material to directly convert sunlight into electricity. Overview Solar Energy Solar cells, primarily made of silicon, absorb sunlight which contains photons, the energy by-products of the nuclear reaction in the sun. The photons release electrons that are captured in the form of an electric current which is used as electricity. This is also known as the photoelectric effect. Solar energy is the oldest type of energy found on earth, as it is as old as the sun. Every second the world receives 95.8 trillion watts of power, (Pearce, 2002). That is well beyond the amount of power used in one day. It is unknown when humans began using solar energy to improve their lifestyles. As far as we know, people have always used the sun for growth, vision and warmth. Some of the first ancient cultures to use solar energy as heating were those from the deserts, and dry areas. (Goswami, 1997) It was however recorded that countries such as Egypt, Libya and Algeria would build thick walls of mud to protect them from their harsh climate. For example, during the hot days the wall would absorb the suns energy, leaving the huts cool, and during the night when temperature were much colder, the walls when emit the days heat inside. (Goswami, 1997) Throughout history people have experimented with the many uses of the suns power. In the 17th century, scientists in Europe began rediscovering the sun. When a French scientist proved that the suns rays could melt copper and fuse pieces of iron if concentrated and focused through a glass prism, people began to see the usable power of the sun. In the 1690s an Italian scientist invented a solar furnace that was so hot it could shatter a diamond, one of the hardest substances on earth (Goswami, 1997) Using the sun to produce energy was explore in greater lengths in the 19th century. During this time, an engineer named Frank Shuman, made a breakthrough. He built a plant that used black troughs covered in glass with a few inches of water. This was exposed to the sun, the water would become very hot, causing it to circulate and power an electric generator. He was able to find financial backers and built the worlds first solar electric power plant in Egypt. However, the Eastern Sun Power Company went out of business even though it was using free fuel. It didnt produce enough electricity for the area that it used, 14,000 sq. ft of sun-collecting land. (Pearce, 2002) In 1954 Bell Laboratories invented the first photovoltaic (or solar) cell, made from the semi-conductor silicon, and other elements. It was the first way to convert sunlight directly into electricity. These solar cells were chosen as the power source for the satellites in the 1960s, because they can be small and light, and dont need heavy batteries or other types of generating electricity. After NASA and other major researchers backed solar energy, the technology greatly improved. The first major use of solar cells, other than in satellite, were various emergency units and in remote areas where power lines couldnt be reached. (Energy Matters Pty Ltd). In these situations, it was more expensive to run power lines than to purchase the costly solar equipment. For example, in the high mountains of Papua New Guinea, where there is too much jungle for easy access, there are necessary telephone lines run by solar power and only visited for routine check-ups. 1.2 Everyday Usage Numerous devices for collecting solar energy and converting it into electricity have been developed throughout the years, and solar energy is now being used in a variety of ways. As well as supplying energy to residential homes and companies, they are popularly used in agriculture where they supply the power to pump water, prevent ice from forming on ponds where livestock drink, heating barns to keep animals from freezing, and temporary lighting. They are also used to operate electric dams in areas that cannot be supplied by power lines. Solar powered objects have started to appear quite commonly in many consumer items such as watches, radios, calculators, rechargeable batteries, flashlights, etc. The main attraction in these items is that you dont have to replace the batteries, which saves money in the long run. (International Solar Energy, 2006) 2.0 Technological Viability The time in which solar energy is available, is also the time we least need it least daytime. One disadvantage of solar power, according to International Solar Energy is its consistency and reliability. Solar-powered devices rely on the steady delivery photon to keep the electricity generating process going, as discussed previously. When the sun falls below the horizon at night, photons stop striking the solar panels and the power drops instantly. However, the improvement in technological advancement over the last few years, have seen the construction of a solution. As the suns energy cannot be stored for use another time, we need to convert the suns energy into an energy that can be stored. Due to this nature of solar energy, two components are required to have a functional solar energy generator. These two components are a collector and a storage unit. The collector collects the radiation that falls on it and converts a fraction of it to other forms of energy (either electricity and heat or heat alone). Solar collectors use reflective materials such as mirrors or lenses to concentrate the suns energy to provide heat energy which is then converted into electricity. This can be done in three ways. The first method is a trough systems which use curved mirrors to concentrate the suns heat onto a tube which contains a fluid, usually oil. The hot oil then boils water to produce steam which is used to generate electricity. Alternatively, mirrors in the shape of a dish can be also used to concentrate the suns heat onto a receiver. The latter transfers the solar energy to a heat engine, converting the heat into mechanical energy which drives a generator to produce electricity. This method is called the dish/engine system. A third method of concentrating the suns energy is through the use of power towers which provide a centralized power supply with the ability to store energy. These systems use a large array of mirrors, called heliostats. These heliostats concentrate the heat onto a receiver on top of the towers. The receiver contains a fluid that once heated can be used to produce steam which then turns a turbine to produce electricity.(Markvart Castaà ±er, 2003) The storage unit is required because of the non-constant nature of solar energy; at certain times only a very small amount of radiation will be received. At night or during heavy cloud cover, for example, the amount of energy produced by the collector will be quite small. The storage unit can hold the excess energy produced during the periods of maximum productivity, and release it when the productivity drops. One possible method of storing solar energy is by heating water that can be insulated. The water is heated by passing it through hollow panels. Black-coated steel plates are used because dark colours absorb heat more efficiently. However this method only supplies enough energy for activities such as washing and bathing. The solar panels generate low grade heat, that is, they generate low temperatures for the amount of heat needed in a day. Apparently, according to International Solar Energy Pty Ltd, in order to generate high Grade heat, intense enough to convert water into high-pressure steam which can then be used to turn electric generators there must be another method. The concentrated beams of sunlight are Collected in a device called a solar furnace, which acts on the same principles as a large magnifying glass. The solar furnace takes the sunlight from a large area and by the use of lenses and mirrors can focus the light into a very small area It was found that, a backup power supply is usually normally added, too, for the situations when the amount of energy required is greater than both what is being produced and what is stored in the container. An issue raised by International Solar Energy Pty Ltd, was that only regions with lots of sunlight are suitable for solar power generation. But this concern is currently being worked on as scientists have just recently invented a plastic solar cell that can convert solar energy to electrical energy even on a cloudy day. This plastic device, containing the first solar cells able to harness the suns invisible rays. Also, the researchers are holding this futuristic view that plastic solar panels could be laid across deserts to provide the entire planet with enough clean energy. Another solution to the issue of the inconsistent light is being researched right now by Arthur D. Little Inc. The suns rays are not constant on earth due to weather, location, and season. To avoid this scientists have envisioned huge solar powered space stations that would orbit the earth, capable of sustaining themselves for decades. (Committee on Aeronautical and Space Science, 2005). They would generate electricity by a vast array of mirrors on solar cells, and then the energy would be converted to micro-waves that could be beamed to earth and then distributed. These stations are estimated to be about 10 miles long, and some 23,000 miles above the earth. As far fetched as this seems, its actually theoretically possible, and may one day be our source of power. One flaw in the plan however, is that there is actually quite a lot of space debris floating around at high velocities. If this debris collided with the solar panels, as it invariably would, they would be damaged. How much, and at what price is still to be figured (Goswami, 1997) Another idea is the solar farm. It would be ideally located in desert regions where it is sunny almost every day. The farms would actually harvest sunshine, using flat plate collectors to absorb immense amounts of heat, which would in turn heat water. The heated water would turn giant turbines, and produce electricity. 3.0 Efficiency Solar cells, contain no moving parts, and have a working life of 20 30 years. According to Convincing the Home Builder to Build Solar Homes-Evaluation of the Passive Solar Workshop for Builders by S. Klein, they are reliable because they operate for a long time with practically no maintenance . Most of the photovoltaic cells on the market today operate at an efficiency of less than 15% ;that is, of all the radiation that falls upon them, less than 15% of it is converted to electricity. The maximum theoretical efficiency for a photovoltaic cell is only 32.3%, but at this efficiency, solar electricity is very economical. Most of our other forms of electricity generation are at a lower efficiency than this. Unfortunately, reality still lags behind theory and a 15% efficiency is not usually considered economical by most power companies, even if it is fine for toys and pocket calculators. Hope for bulk solar electricity should not be abandoned, however, for recent scientific advances have created a solar cell with an efficiency of 28.2% efficiency in the laboratory. This type of cell has not been field tested. If it maintains its efficiency in the uncontrolled environment of the outside world, and if it does not have a tendency to break down, it will be economical for power comp anies to build solar power facilities after all. 4.0 Environmental Sustainability It is estimated that the sunlight that falls on the surface of the earth in the time period of two weeks is equivalent in energy to all the energy stored in all the oil and natural gas and coal and other fuels that exist on, or under the earth (Markvart Castaà ±er, 2003) Solar power has two big advantages over fossil fuels. The first is in the fact that it is renewable; it is never going to run out. The second is its effect on the environment. According to Solar Heating Systems: Analysis and Design with the Sun-Pulse Method by Gordon F. Tully, solar cell systems do not harm the environment, as do conventional methods of power generation. The sun is an infinite source of energy and since its use for powering homes causes no damage to the environment. We should use the clean and silent energy source it to its maximum potential. As the primary element of construction of solar panels, silicon, is the second most common element on the planet. Therefore, there is very little environmental disturbance caused by the creation of solar panels. (Markvart Castaà ±er, 2003) While the burning of fossil fuels introduces many harmful pollutants into the atmosphere and contributes to environmental problems like global warming and acid rain, solar energy is completely non-polluting. While many acres of land must be destroyed to feed a fossil fuel energy plant its required fuel, the only land that must be destroyed for a solar energy plant is the land that it stands on. However, solar energy only causes environmental disruption if it is centralized and produced on a gigantic scale. At this scale, the production of solar energy would have some unpredictable negative environmental effects. If all the solar collectors were placed in one or just a few areas, they would probably have large effects on the local environment, and possibly have large effects on the world environment. Everything from changes in local rain conditions to another ice age has been predicted as a result of producing solar energy on this scale. The problem lies in the change of temperature and humidity near a solar panel; if the energy producing panels are kept non-centralized, they should not create the same local, mass temperature change that could have such bad effects on the environment. (Tully, 1981) In due course, solar power will reduce the emissions associated with power generation. Consistent with, Solar Heating Systems: Analysis and Design with the Sun-Pulse Method by Gordon F. Tully, with 1 million solar energy roofs are in place, could reduce carbon emissions equal to the annual emission from 850,000 cars. 5.0 Economical For many. fossil fuels are too available and cheap for the investment in solar energy to be worthwhile. Ironically, although the suns energy is free, the curse of solar power is that the techniques are always too expensive. (Green Peace, 2006) One major concern with solar power is cost-effectiveness. The silicone used for production , is one of the most readily available elements on earth. Nevertheless, the kind of grade silicon needed for solar cells is very expensive. It is grown in tall cylinders, and then cut in thin segments. The cutting process is wasteful and expensive (Pearce, 2002). A new product is polycrystalline silicon, which is grown in thin sheets and cut in squares. In Peter Lorenz, Dickon Pinner, and Thomas Seitz article The economics of solar power it states that Although polycrystalline is not as efficient as natural silicon, its significantly cheaper, and lowering the cost is one of the most important things in making solar energy practical. The initial cost of installing a solar power system is preventing current installation for these devices . The Australian Governments, and many others across the world had recognize this and are offering annual rebates and tax incentives to customers who install the systems in their homes. Consumers with solar power systems in their homes will save about 50-60% on their utility bills, (Energy Matters Pty Ltd). These savings will exceed the original cost of a system in about 10-12 years. After the initial cost is covered, the customer is still saving thousands of dollars in utilities compared to electricity and gas usage. As we burn more fossil fuels, the costs of electricity and gas would be subject to increase over the years. With solar powered home, monthly bills would stay about the same no matter how expensive electricity and gas become. The financial savings of solar-powered homes is an extra benefit for consumers who know that their homes are helping to preserve our environment. The great thing about solar power is that once youve paid for the system you dont have to worry about rising utility costs. Youre basically buying all your electricity at once. However, the cost is still a main factor to be considered. Arrays of rooftop solar panels capable of generating one kilowatt of electricity cost at least $7,500 even with the solar panels now costing about one-third of what they did a decade ago. (Lorenz, Pinner, Seitz, 2008) Still, the average household requires two to four times that much power, meaning that it would take about a $30,000 system to save about $15 per month for each kilowatt of power generated. It would take about 20 years until enough electricity would be generated to make up for the investment. (Energy Matters Pty Ltd). Despite the great cost of solar energy systems, people are still investing in them because of their obvious benefit to the environment and because once you have it installed, the energy is free. As technology improves, solar energy will become more economically feasible because the price of solar panels will go down. 6.0 Conclusion The number of advantages associated with using solar power for the future, greatly out way the disadvantages. Many of the issues explored throughout this paper are currently being research or have already solved, some of which show great promise for the future. Despite being currently still quite expensive, and showing negative effects to the environment if implemented in a large centralised scale, there is no doubt that solar energy will continue to grow and slowly replace the fossil-fuelled world around it .Besides the upcoming scarcity of fossil fuels, their highly pollutive nature makes solar energy a much healthier and wiser decision. The fear of exhausting all our resources has also spurred further development of alternative fuels, and created a greater interest in overcoming those disadvantages of solar power that remain. Technology changes rapidly, and the number of disadvantages of solar power that seemed virtually impossible only a few years ago are now relatively minor inconveniences. Hopefully, with continued this research, we will be in a place one day where we can directly rely on the sun for all our energy needs, and never have to use pollutant non renewable resources again. With an energy source like solar power, thats environmentally safe, capable of producing the raw power to satisfy the entire planets energy needs, we would be incredibly foolish not to use it.

Friendship in Knowles A Separate Peace :: A Separate Peace Essays

A Separate Peace - Friendship    We have all experienced friendship in our lives; some of these bonds were lasting and others were not.   A Separate Peace is a book that deals with the friendship of high school boys. These boys attend an all-boy’s school called Devon School.   It is said that: "Devon is sometimes considered the most beautiful school in New England."   "Devon was both scholarly and very athletic."   Devon is where Gene Forrester, Phineas (Finny) and Elwin (Leper) Lepellier attend school.   Author John Knowles sets the story during World War II.   This time period makes the boys have to think about which branch of the military they want to enlist in. The main focuses of this book are war, conformity or agreement, and friendship. War is a theme because throughout the book WWII encroaches on Finny and Gene’s separate peace. Conformity is a theme because Finny puts constant pressure on all the boys especially Gene to do rebellious things. They give into peer pressure and do things like jumping from trees even though that broke the rules. They wanted to go along with the crowd, and Finny represents the crowd.   Friendship is the most visible theme in the book and since friendship is based on mutual need, Finny and Gene are best friends.   Finny has things that Gene needs and Gene has things Finny needs.   I am going to explain the meaning of a separate peace to Leper Lepellier, Phineas, and Gene Forrester.   When we first meet Leper, he is one of the boys standing at the base of the jumping tree.   He is refusing to jump from the tree into the river.   He is bidding, "Bidding for an ally."   Leper would like to fit in by jumping from the tree, but Leper has his own separate peace so he doesn’t need to jump from the tree.   He   says he will make the initiation jump to join the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session but he never does.   When the other boys are shoveling snow off train tracks to help a train with soldiers get to the Army Base this "really brings the war home."  Ã‚   Instead of helping the other boys with the war effort, Leper goes cross country skiing to Beaver Dam.   Leper does this to get a separate peace from the reality of war.   Although Leper is the first to enlist in the army, he receives a section eight discharge.