Monday, January 27, 2020

Global Warming

Global Warming Two issues that worry many scientists are global warming and the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a natural process that keeps the earth at temperatures that are livable. What does the greenhouse effect have to do with global warming? When humans release gases into the air, the greenhouse effect will alter the temperature of the earth. More gases in the atmosphere means the earth will start to get warmer, and the result is global warming. On the other hand, if there was no greenhouse effect, the earth would be too cold for humans to comfortably exist. In order to talk about global warming, we must first learn what causes the greenhouse effect. The three most common greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane. Many of the suns rays are absorbed by water vapor. Water vapor is a natural atmospheric gas and it accounts for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“80 percent of natural greenhouse warming; the remaining 20 percent is due to other gasses that are present in very small amountsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Murck, Skinner, and Porter 488). A greenhouse gas known as carbon dioxide is the second biggest absorber of the suns heat rays. Humans affect the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in many ways. Every time fossil fuels are burned, more carbon dioxide is released into the air. Car exhaust emissions also increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, and more carbon dioxide means more heat rays being absorbed. This will cause the earths temperature to warm. Another greenhouse gas is methane. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Methane absorbs infrared radiation 25 times more effectively than carbon dioxide, making it an important greenhouse gas despite its relatively low concentrationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Murck, Skinner, and Porter 490). Many studies have been performed on how methane is released into the atmosphere. Results have shown that methane is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“generated by biological activity related to rice cultivation, leaks in domestic and industrial gas lines, and the digestive process of domestic livestock, especially cattleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Murck, Skinner, and Porter 490). The Environmental Media Services Organization has found that the greenhouse effect à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“could drive temperatures up as much as 6 degrees by the year 2100 an increase in heat comparable to the 10 degree warming that ended the last ice ageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Fast Facts). If a 10-degree warming was the factor that ended the last ice age, imagine what another warming could do. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Consider hydrology, for instance. Warm air holds more water vapor than cold air, so there is an increase in evaporation in dry areas, and hence more drought something that has been documented on every continent. Once that water is in the atmosphere, its going to come down somewhere and, indeed, we have seen the most dramatic flooding ever recorded in recent years. In 2004, 300 million humans, 1 in 20 of us, had to leave their homes for a week, a month, a year, or forever because of rising watersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (The Planet Speaks 124). Much of the gained water would be from melting icecap s in the ocean and melting glaciers on land. Coastal cities and islands could be wiped out. Global warming would not affect only humans; it would also affect sea life. This would happen because water temperatures would rise. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Corals are intolerant of temperatures just a few degrees warmer than usualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Fast Facts). There have been problems with corals dying out in the past few years because of increased water temperatures. Other marine life would probably migrate to warmer waters. The warm water would make them think they were in their natural habitat. A downfall to this unknown migration would be that food would become scarce in their new, unadapted habitat. An example is salmon; salmon are also sensitive to the temperature of the water. During the summer when the water is warm, salmon have a high metabolic rate. During the winter months, their metabolism slows down, which is good because less food is available at this time. With global warming and increased water temperatures, salmon would have a high metabolic rate longer each year. They woul d possibly eat all the available food and many salmon would die as a result. Global warming is already disturbing patterns of the circulation of seawater. Cold water moves along the sea floor toward the equator and warm water around the equator moves toward the poles across the surface of the ocean. This process is very important to the living of ocean species. This circulation process brings oxygenated water to the sea floor. If this process no longer happened, water along the sea floor would become depleted of the oxygen organisms need to surviveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Fast Facts). The resulting factor would be more death among deep-sea organisms. There are many negative environmental effects of global warming. Another effect is the fact that higher temperatures will lead to a change in the water cycle. Warmer temperatures will cause a greater amount of evaporation from lakes, rivers, streams, and oceans. In some areas this could be good, but in other areas it could be bad. In northern regions of the U.S., where we live, an increase in the temperature and the amount of rain could extend the growing season of crops. In turn, the farmers could make more money. It could also hurt some farmers though. There is a possibility that crops could get too much rain and crops could be killed. Certain areas would actually get less rain, which would lead to more droughts. Warm temperatures and wet weather would be the main result of global warming in certain areas, and warm temperatures and wet weather are factors that promote tropical storms. Thus, tropical storms would appear more often and with greater frequencies. More rain as a result of global warming will also force plant life and its species to adjust their location. Species migrate naturally, but scientists ay that global warming would cause them to migrate at a much faster rate. If the climate changes, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“some forest species in North America will shift by as much as 300 miles to the northà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Campaign to Stop Global Warming). Plants will also be forced to migrate. If one region is getting more rain than another, plants that need more rain that are on the border of these two regions will naturally begin migrating into the region that is getting more rain. A recent impact of global warming is that it is helping some diseases spread easier and to more people. Mosquitoes are a major carrier of deadly tropical diseases. These diseases are commonly known as malaria, cholera, and dengue fever. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Malaria outbreaks are usually confined to where the minimum winter temperature reaches no lower than 16 degrees Celsiusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (To Save Lives), according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature, an independent conservation organization. Scientists are beginning to notice that malaria outbreaks are occurring outside the normal areas and are attributing this to increased temperatures from global warming. States inside the U.S. have even had more cases of malaria. Summers in the U.S. are getting more hot and humid than usual, I can vow for this, and malaria mosquitoes thrive in hot and humid weather. Increased temperatures and more rain cause hot and humid weather and if the earth continues to get warmer, malaria will spread to even mor e new places. A study suggests that malaria transmissions would increase from 45% of the globe to 60% of the globe if atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases reach concentrations equivalent to a doubling of CO2 since the Industrial Revolution (Campaign to Stop Global Warming). Cholera and dengue fever also pose threats to new populations because they too are carried by mosquitoes that thrive in hot and humid weather. As with malaria, more cholera and dengue fever outbreaks are occurring because of migrating mosquitoes. These are the most dangerous effects of global warming right now because unlike all the other effects discussed, these diseases can kill humans within a two-week time and they can spread like wildfire. Global warming has become a major environmental problem in the last five years and it isnt getting any better. The small increases in temperature seem harmless, but they can do an enormous of damage to the earths ecosystem. Only a few degrees ended the last ice age, another warming like that could have a catastrophic effect on the earth and its creatures, including us. In order to stop global warming, much has to be done. The first thing to do to control the earths temperature is to lower the burning and/or the emissions of fossil fuels because that is the single most responsible cause of global warming. The downfall is that after the global warming process has started, it is very hard to reverse it. Global warming temperatures grow exponentially and we will have to create an answer for global warming sooner than people think. I dont know how to start the process of burning less fossil fuels. All I know is global warming has to be stopped if we want to keep living the way we do now. If it isnt stopped, the problems discussed in this paper will only get bigger and bigger and the ending result will ultimately be death. Works Cited à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Campaign to Stop Global Warming.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  State PIRGs (public interest research groups) Working Together. Mar. 2006. 4 Oct. 2007 http://www.pirg.org/enviro/global_w/fact.html. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Fast Facts.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Environmental Media Services. 10 July 2006. 23 Oct. 2007 http://www.ems.org/climate/sub2_climate.html. Murck, Barbara W., Brian J. Skinner, and Stephen C. Porter. Environmental Geology. New York: John Wiley Sons, 2004. 488-490. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Planet Speaks.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  The Wilson Quarterly 25.4 (Autumn 2006): 124. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“To Save Lives, Give Global Warming the Same Priority As Biological Weapons, Says WWF.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  WWF Global Network. 5 Nov. 1998. 27 Nov. 2006 http://www.panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=158.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Daisy and Tom Relationship in the Great Gatsby

Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, it is apparent that Daisy and Tom had an unstable relationship. Both Daisy and Tom came from affluent backgrounds and the upper class of society. Tom had a large ego and Daisy was in love with having a lavish and extravagant lifestyle. They were both consumed with money and everything that went along with being wealthy and having an upper class position in society. Their whole relationship was based upon money, not true love. Tom came from old money and was extremely wealthy. Daisy married Tom for his money and the lifestyle he was able to provide her with, not because she was truly in love with him.Daisy was an extremely selfish, materialistic and cold hearted person who was consumed by money. Both Tom and Daisy had an affair with another person outside their marriage in the novel. This showed their lack of true love and respect for each other. They were both aware that their spouse was having an affair, however, they both did not seem to care and came back to each other. Tom and Daisy both cared greatly about their image and how other people within their society perceived them. Tom and Daisy very much enjoyed having a high social status and being that wealthy couple that other people admired.This was part of the reason they stayed with each other even though they were not happy. It could have hurt their social status and people would have perceived them differently if they divorced. Tom and Daisy were both consumed with their image in society and how others perceived them. Tom and Daisy's relationship was solely based upon money and social status. Their relationship lacked true love, happiness and respect for one another. Daisy was just an object to Tom and Tom was just a man who could provide Daisy with the lavish and extravagant lifestyle that she was accustomed to.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

An Analysis of Frida Kahlo and Carmen Lomas Garza Essay

Cultural Versus Opportunities: An Analysis of Frida Kahlo And Carmen Lomas Garza Words 1,715 Both of these paintings show the love and desire to hold on to ones heritage and family traditions which is extremely important in Hispanic families. Both with vivid colors and images. In Kahlo’s â€Å"Self Portrait on the Border Line Between Mexico and the United States†, even though she is a Mexican woman living in a non-Mexican country, she is able to accept both sides and hold on to her own Mexican heritage and culture which it seems she preferred. In Garza’s â€Å"Camas Para Suenos†(Beds for Dreams), Garza is showing the love and closeness she had with her sister and how her mother allowed them to dream and reach after those dreams as they kept in touch with their heritage and culture which is evident in her work. Holding on to ones own culture is important. It should not be forgotten. It should be embraced and tought to ones own children. As Kahlo’s painting depicts, learning of others heritage and culture can be another way of embracing your own and learning to appreciate and discover it all over. The loss of culture can be devastating to the identity of nations and families. Brief facts about artist Frida Kahlo’s childhood and adult years introduce her complex life of the mind and spirit. Frida. ( Dec 4, 2002) The Christian Century from Fine Arts and Music Collection via Gale) The artwork evokes magical realism without attempting to imitate the gifted Mexican artist, who painted â€Å"what she sees in her heart, on top of what she sees with her eyes. † Kahlo’s Self Portrait on the Border Line Between Mexico and the United States, painted in 1932, is a very revealing work that gives a glimpse into the heart, mind, and soul of Kahlo herself. The painting speaks of the connection, or the lack thereof, between Mexico and the United States. It is a very subtle, yet amazingly powerful painting. Kahlo did this painting while she waited for her husband, Diego Rivera, to finish painting his mural in Detroit. During this time she suffered a traumatic miscarriage and was admitted to the Henry Ford hospital. She felt very lonely and isolated from life and all that she knew. This painting is an expression of how Kahlo viewed herself stuck somewhere in limbo, in a place far away from her beloved Mexican homeland. P 34(1) In the front, at the bottom, of each side of the painting lies roots. On the side that is connected with the United States the roots are actually cables or cords that come from some industrial object. The roots of these objects are black and take different shapes such as long and reaching or curled. They are clearly like industrial cords and are not necessarily reflective of anything that is natural. On the other side, the Mexican side, the roots are actual roots of plants that grow out like natural roots, reaching into the ground. What makes these roots significant, aside from their obvious differences, lies in the fact that one of the cords reaches down, and under Kahlo, touching the roots of another plant. That plant appears to have brown pods which could well represent how the industrial unnatural reality of the United States is smothering and killing all that is natural, and in this case Mexico as well. It is pervasive and dark in nature. This is further emphasized by the fact that Mexico’s roots are very natural and organic, whereas the United States’ roots are dark, and clearly manmade and unnatural. In this painting, show Kahlo wearing an dress that is very reminiscent of an American dress. It is a simple dress but it is pink and has many ruffles along the bottom of the skirt. In some ways it seems reflective of the Civil War era, without the presence of a powerful hoop skirt underneath, or perhaps a dress of the old West days in the United States. Whatever the case it is not a dress that is reflective of Kahlo but of the United States . In addition, in the hand that is facing towards Mexico Kahlo holds a Mexican flag. In the hand that is facing towards the United States she holds a cigarette. Her hands are crossed. This all suggests influences she likes, dislikes, and is perhaps confused by. She is, in this picture, part of both worlds and clearly the side that is relative to Mexico is patriotic and very Mexican in spirit. But the hand that holds a cigarette clearly speaks of the industrial and damaging nature of the United States, perhaps suggesting the negative influence the United States has on Mexico. As it pertains to religious icons or images there are no obvious religious images on the side with the United States. However, when one asks that question, regarding religious, one may well argue that industrialization, manufacturing, and smokestacks, is the religion of the United States. On the Mexican side are many references to the history and the religion of Mexico. There is what appears to be a goddess statue with two infants, a statue from ancient Aztec religions perhaps, and the ancient architectural elements of Mexico. The entire natural presentation of Mexico is offered in a religious nature, even incorporating a skull which could well relate to the Day of the Dead, a religious holiday for Mexico. The religion of the United States, in this case, would be mass production, destruction of the earth, and money. The fact that Kahlo is in the center of the painting does not suggest any common ground, but rather speaks, it would seem, of some internal struggle within Kahlo as she sees her nation influenced and perhaps destroyed by the United States. She is clearly a part of the United States and if one looks at her life one can see that her involvement with Diego clearly put her in close relationship with the dealings of the United States. But, she is clearly sending an image that indicates she is not happy with the United States and finds far more peace and beauty in Mexico, her home. Schjeldahl, P. (Nov 5, 2007) Kahlo is authentically a national treasure of Mexico, a country that her work expresses not merely as a culture but as a complete civilization, with profound roots in several pasts and with proper styles of modernity. P (92) In Carmen Lomas Garzas painting â€Å"Camas Para Suenos† (Beds for Dreams), two children can be spotted, sitting on the roof of their home, gazing up at the full moon. Beneath them in the bedroom, their mother is making the bed ready for the children to sleep in, and a crucifix can be seen hanging on the wall behind her. This image recalls a time of simplicity, where children can peacefully sit and star gaze, while their apron-wearing mothers make the beds in which they will sleep in. The image is portrayed through the scope of a child, and its message calls for Mexicans to remember their culture. Roback, D. (July 13, 1990). In the midst of racism and discrimination, Garza tries not to draw upon any of that; instead, she looks to the family for resolution Mexican-American Garza has generously afforded readers a glimpse of her cherished childhood in a poor rural Hispanic community. Her daily activities and fond memories are related in paintings . Of the painting Garza stated â€Å"My sister and I used to go up on the roof on summer nights and just stay there and talk about the stars and the constellations. We also talked about the future. I knew since I was 13 years old that I wanted to be an artist. And all those things that I dreamed of doing as an artist, I’m finally doing now. My mother was the one who inspired me to be an artist. She made up our beds to sleep in and have regular dreams, but she also laid out the bed for our dreams of the future. P 54(2) This painting was inspired by youthful conversations with her sister and their desire to become artists and focuses on the joyful memories of everyday life with her family. The two sisters, Garza being one, are sitting on the roof close to the moon and stars, sharing their dreams with on another. The fact that they were Mexicans, in the United States did not change the fact that they had dreams they wished to accomplish.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

The Financial Performance of Kraft and General Mills Essays

INTRODUCTION TO ACCOUNTING amp; FINANCE In this report, we will analyze the financial performance of two companies: Kraft and General Mills. They are global consumer foods companies that develop different packaged food products. The main goals of these companies are to meet consumers’ needs and preferences while generating superior returns by delivering consistent growth in sales and earnings, coupled with an attractive dividend yield. This report shows how each company meets their goals and which one is in better standing. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The report will give an overview of each company, an explanation of what type of companies we are analyzing, the purpose of each company in terms of its goals and objectives, the†¦show more content†¦Kraft Foods has 197 manufacturing facilities worldwide. Kraft Foods has several strategies for long-term success: building superior brand value, transforming their portfolio, expanding the global scale of the business, and driving out cost and assets. More product benefits means innovative packaging, consistent high quality, wide availability, and strong brand images. This way they can shift their product portfolio accordingly. In terms of global expansion, Kraft Foods is developing business in many international markets while concentrating especially on the fastest growing developing market around the world. General Mills is an international company, similar to Kraft, in the food processing industry. The brands General Mills sells include Betty Crocker, Haagen Dazs, Nestle, Yoplait, and Pillsbury. In 1990, Cereal Partners Worldwide was started by General Mills and Nestle as a joint venture to market breakfast cereals for Europe and America. The cereals that are distributed by Cereal Partners Worldwide are manufactured by both companies under the Nestle brand. General Mills merged with Pillsbury in 2001 so General Mills now manufactures many of the products that carry the Pillsbury name. In analyzing each company in itself, and against the other, we would most instantly benefit from acknowledging trends. These trends can be found on the left side of the attached list of calculated ratios. The terms â€Å"peak† and â€Å"dip† refer to ratios that noticeably peaked orShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Kraft Foods Inc.4016 Words   |  17 PagesAnalysis of Kraft Foods Inc. Executive Summary The following report is an evaluation of Kraft Foods Inc. from both an internal and external perspective using fundamental and technical analysis. Kraft Foods Inc. is a worldwide food company operating within the Packaged Foods industry. 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