River Rother Free Essays

We are visiting four different locations, on the 18th September 2009, along The River Rother. It is hoped that these locations will demonstrate the three main courses of a river; Upper Course, Middle Course and Lower course. The four locations that we will be visiting and carrying out our tests are: 1. We will write a custom essay sample on River Rother or any similar topic only for you Order Now Marley Lane, for the upper course (the source) 2. Sedlescombe, for the middle course 3. Bodiam, for the lower middle course 4. Rye Harbour, for the lower course (mouth) The purpose of the study is to find out if our hypothesis proven correct or not, ‘The River Rother includes all the physical features and land use of a typical river.’ Collecting data from each of the location hopefully will prove our hypothesis correct. The information that we need to collect from the three locations are; the width, depth and speed. To obtain these results we will be using a meter ruler, tape measure, clinometer and a dog biscuit. For some of the results that we are unable to get we will use a secondary source and we will compare our results to the results from text the books. The four locations that have been chosen are ideal for our study because they are close to the school, they show all the three stages of the rivers course and we are able to visit all the locations and get out tests done in one day. The River Rother, is 35 miles long, is a river flowing through the South East of England and runs though East Sussex and Kent. Its source is near Rotherfield which is in East Sussex, and its mouth is Rye Harbor, which is part of the English Channel. METHODOLOGY Width At a narrow point of the rivers course (Battle and Sedlescombe), we will use a meter ruler to measure the distance from one bank to other. At mid point (Bodiam), we will use a tape measurer crossing via a bridge. At the lower course (Rye), we will either estimate or use a secondary source. The hypothesis we expect to be proven correct that the width does get bigger as you carry on down the rivers course. Depth At Battle and Sedlescombe we will measure the river’s depth 5cm interval to find out the shape of the river channel. At Bodiam there is a bridge and at every meter we will measure the depth using a tape measure with a weight at the end to hold it down. At Rye we will use a secondary source because the river there is much to deep for us to measure. The hypothesis we expect to be proven correct that the depth does getting deeper as you carry on down the rivers course. Speed of River The method for collecting the speed of the river will be the same at all for locations. We will measure ten meter along the side of the river, drop a dog biscuit in at zero on the stopwatch, and time it to see how long it takes to get to the end of the ten meters. The hypothesis we expect to be proven correct that the speed does increase as you carry on down the rivers course. Photographs We will be taking photos as we walk round to show the type of land use that is there and the landscape to see if it is the same as a typical landscape. The landscape showed to be the same as a typical rivers landscape. The hypothesis we expect to be proven correct. Field Sketches We will be noting down features/land uses of the land as we walk around so we can later on make a Field Sketch, really get an idea of the land use in the area, and see if it is like a typical river lay out. The hypothesis we expect to be proven correct; the landscape forms a more U shape as you carry on down the rivers course. Observations As we are walking round, we will be noting down the land uses. Valley/Slope Profile In pairs, we will measure the valley sides and floor at the river and will measure the distance it is between each other gradient of slope and measure the angle using a Clinometer. In pairs we will stand at the top of the valley sides. The first person will pace out until the slope changes angle, we will note this and the person at the top of the slope will note down the reading of the angle change with the Clinometer. The second person will meet the first person and the will repeat this, until the other side of the valley. The hypothesis we expect to be proven correct that the valley does make a ‘V’ shape and closer you get to the mouth the ‘V’ shape turns into a ‘U’ shape. River Profile We will take the width measurement and depth measurement and create a cross section of the river for each location. Land Use Survey We will have an OS map of each location and use the keys to note down the land use. We will colour in the the land uses in different colour and after wards use a Ten by Ten grid (squared) and count up the number of square for each one and calculate the percentage out of a hundred for each one. We will then out this into a pie chart to show the percentages. The hypothesis we expect to be proven wrong for the land use to be the same as a typical river’s land use. WHAT I EXPECT TO FIND Upper Course (Battle, Marley Lane) At this stage of the river it should be every slow and narrow and shallow. There should be many obstructions in the way of the river. It is because of all these obstructions that the river is flowing slowly. There will be steep valley sides a, ‘V’, shaped valley and several waterfalls. There should be interlocking spurs. The land use should be over run by Pastoral Farmland and Woodland, Settlement. The volume should be small due to the large amount of obstructions and the shape of the valley which is due to the Interlocking Spurs (hard rock). Middle Course (Sedlescombe) The river should be wider than the upper course. The valley flor should be wider, faster flowing water and the volume should increase due to the change in the channel’s shape. The valley shape should start to change more like a ‘U’ shape. Pastoral Farmland and Woodland will dominate the land use. Lower Middle Course (Bodiam) The river has already started to widen so at this stage it is becoming even wider and the valley into a more pronounced ‘U’ shape. From this the river is much large and deeper and volume is larger. The river should now be flowing much faster because there are very little obstructions in the way. Pastoral and Arable Farmland should dominate the land use. Lower Course (Rye) This stage should have the largest depth of the whole river because it is a deep ‘U’ shape and the width is very wide. The speed as increased to its top speed because there is no obstructions in the way now and if there is every few. The main feature that should be found here is the mouth of the river that leads out to the Ocean. The flood plain is very large and the land use is all mainly Slat Marsh Land and Mud Flats so it unused and there is Industry. DATA ANALYSIS / INTERPRETATION Width The data that is being shown is the width of Battle, Sedlescombe, Bodiam and Rye. Rye had the largest width in between each bank leaving Battle the smallest. Ryes width was 2500cm; Bodiam had 1240cm, Sedlescombe 134cm and Battle 50cm. Rye has the largest width between each bank, this is because Rye is the lower course of the river and has no obstructions in the rivers path so it is the fastest flowing and erodes the banks faster. It is also the location where the mouth of the river, where it enters the sea. However, we did have to get this from a secondary source. Battle has the smallest width; this is because it is located in the upper course and the speed of the river here is at its slowest and is unable to erode the banks as freely as the lower course. The erosion found in the upper course is Vertical Erosion this is why in the upper course the river is shaped as a ‘V’. The most common type of erosion found in the middle course of the river is Lateral Erosion, which is why the river gets wider as you carry on further on down the river. The textbook theory from the textbook that the river gets bigger, in lateral erosion and vertical erosion, as you get near to the mouth of the river. Our hypothesis is proven correct for the width does act like a typical river. DATA ANALYSIS/INTERPRETATION Depth The data that shows the depth of Battle, Sedlescombe, Bodiam and Rye. From the upper course to the mouth the rivers depth got larger. Starting with Battle, which had the smallest depth of, only had 37cm, Sedlescombe with 50cm, Bodiam 97cm and Rye with the largest out of them with 400cm. The data for Battle may have been altered due to the heavy rain on the day, which may have caused erosion. However, previously very dry weather had led to low volume of water. The depth at Rye we have had to get from a secondary source due to the difficult fact that we are unable to measure. From the data, it shows very clearly that the rivers depth does increase as it goes along. This is due to the transportation of more water and material, which erodes vertically, this, is the act of it eroding downwards and laterally, which of it eroding across. The theory from the textbook agrees with our hypothesis and what we have found, the river does get bigger in lateral erosion and vertical erosion, as you draw nearer to the month of the river. DATA ANALYSIS/INTERPRETATION Speed The data shows that the River Rother picks up speed from Battle (Source) to Rye (Mouth). The speed of Battle was the slowest with 0.03m/ps, Sedlescombe 0.52m/ps, Bodiam 0.98m/ps and Rye with the fastest 1.72m/ps. The change in the speed is very noticeable when the river gets to Bodiam (lower middle course) the speed increases by 1.69m/ps. This is because this is the point of confluence (were two rivers meet).Battle and Sedlescombe are the tributary river from the River Brede, when a tributary river meet the speed and volume of the river increases. Because the volume increases that means there is more water in the river and from that there less obstructions in the way, so the river speed goes much faster. The theory from the textbook agrees with our hypothesis and what we have found, the river does get fast as you draw nearer to the mouth of the river. DATA ANALYSIS/INTERPRETATION Valley Profiles The valley at Battle is quite deep at the sides and not very deep in the middle. The shape is shaped like a ‘U’ but this maybe be because of the bridge that goes over the top of the river. Battle has a small valley that had been enlarged by the bridge. Therefore, this affected our results slightly but the valley was meant to be ‘V’ shaped. Sedlescombe is a lot flatter than Battle and it is wider. But we where only able to measure one side of the valley, so our interpretation is an estimate due to privet land but it still has the typical shape of a ‘U’ which is what we expected to find. Bodiam has a very wide valley floor and the valley slopes where at an angle making a rough ‘U’ shape like a typical river at this stage. Rye, we where unable to measure because the valley floor was too large. However, this is what we expected to find because it is the last stage of the river, the mouth. The theory from the textbooks is that the valley goes from a ‘V’ shape valley to a ‘U’ shape valley. This is due to hard rock being in the upper course of the river and because the high lands are mainly rock it is harder for the river to erode the away at the banks so it’s a narrow shape forming a ‘V’ shape but the river winds around the hard rock a pattern like a snake. As you carry on down the river the hard rock starts to get erode so what is left are interlocking spurs, these also erode over time crating a wider valley floor crating a ‘U’shape. The hypothesis is proven correct for the Valley Profile. How do I add the figures? DATA ANALYSIS/INTERPRETATION River Profiles The width for the three locations is as followed from smallest to the largest; Battle 55cm, Sedlescombe 130cm and Bodiam with 1200cm. Bodiam had the largest depth also with 150cm. This was we expected to find because it is in the middle lower course But this is possible to wrong because in the river were we measured there are pillars to hold the bridge up. So while measuring we may have measured off one of those by accident. In Sedlescombe the deepest point was 53cm which isn’t very deep but this is also expected because it is the upper lower course. The depth is possible to change here too though but only due to lateral erosion. In Battle we expected a shallow depth and we got a shallow depth with 5.5cm. When we took measurements of the river at the different points we put this information into a graph, the graph showed us the shape of the river at each location; Bodiam had long steep vertical banks and the river bed was flat with a few bumps and then back up forming an almost ‘U’ shape. Sedlescombe was more of a ‘V’ shape, the banks both went down at different angles to each other and the river bed had a lot more bumps. The two banks are at different angles this would be due to Lateral Erosion (which is erosion at outside of the bend) which is common in the middle course to form such features like Ox Bow Lakes. Battle was very shallow and lots of bumps along the bed and is hard to tell if it looked like a V shape. After comparing our graphs to a typical river to see if our hypothesis proven correct or not, ‘The River Rother includes all the physical features and land use of a typical river.’ It is proven that it does act like a typical river when it is compared. Evaluation – Conclusion From all our data that we have collected proves our hypothesis, ‘The River Rother includes all the physical features and land use of a typical river.’ Our hypothesis has got most typical physical features and land use of a normal typical river. For example; Width, the width of the river proved our hypothesis correct that the river does get bigger, in lateral erosion as you get near to the mouth of the river. Depth, the depth of the river proved our hypothesis correct that the river does get bigger, though vertical erosion, as you get near to the mouth of the river. Speed, the speed of the river proved our hypothesis correct that the river does get faster as you get nearer the mouth of the river. River Profile, the river profile went clearly from a V shape to a U as you carried on down the river nearer to the mouth. Vertical Erosion and Lateral Erosion cause this. Valley Profile, the valley profile also went clearly from a V shape to a U shape as you got nearer to the mouth of the river. So from our data our hypothesis is proven correct. However they are some parts of our data that does not agree with the typical river physical features. Like for example; Land Use, the land use around the four locations was proven to be wrong because at each location the land use was predicted different to what we found to really be their. Land Use, In Battle it was predicted we would find Hill Sheep Farming due to the steep land and large areas. But we found was Arable Farming mainly and lots of Settlement. Sedlescombe it was predicted we would find Arable Farming and Settlement. What we found was correct for this location. Bodiam was predicted that we would find it dominated by Arable Farming which is correct. Rye was expected us to find mainly Marsh Land and some Industry. What we found was mainly Marsh Land but also a lot of Industry and Lines of Communication. With that being the only thing that proves our hypothesis wrong against the several other facts that proves our hypothesis correct, The River Rother does includes all the physical features and land use of a typical river. Photo and Filed sketches Evaluation – Limitation After getting all of my results I am happy with what I ended up with because a large amount of the data agrees with our hypothesis, ‘The River Rother includes all the physical features and land use of a typical river.’ The land use is the only thing that went against our hypothesis but two of the locations were a tributary from the River Rother. And because Rye is such a large river we are unable to carry out our tests on it because we don’t have the resources so we have to get all the results from a secondary source, which could be either out of date or a bad estimate. All the data we collected could be improved for example; The measuring of the speed, instead of using a Dog Biscuit and counting till it got to a certain spot. We could have used a Flow Meter. We were only able to do the Dog biscuit test once because we only had one Dog Biscuit for each location and it kept getting caught on debris in the river; sticks, rocks, trees and other debris. In Sedlescombe there were too many trees to get an accurate result the dog biscuit kept getting caught so we had to use several leafs to get our results. If we had a Flow Meter the test would have been much easier to carry out and a lot more reliable. Measuring the depth in all three locations can change and be inaccurate, due to the amount of water volume at the time of the measurement. And for the fourth locations, Rye, we had to use a secondary source which could be wrong and out of date. Bodiam we could only measure one side, the other is an estimate so that can be wrong affect the results of the data. Also the pillars in the river that hold up the bridge, it is possible that we could have been measuring off one of those for our depth. Sedlescombe’s results were as good as we could get them. There was no interference other than the rocks in the water but they are natural so it’s possible. In Battle it was very easy to measure because at Battle the river was very shallow. So if there was any interference we could just easily move it out the way. The way that we could have improved measuring the depth would be getting a boat and sailing to the middle of the river and dropping a weight with a tap measure and making sure we don’t get any pillars. Finding the width of the river valley could all be wrong because in Rye we had to use a secondary source, in Bodiam we were only able to measure one side of the river valley due to what looked like privet land and us having to estimate what the other side, and finally Battle and Sedlescombe are both a tributary from the River Brede, so this could be a problem to our results because were meant to be collecting results from the River Rother and not the River Brede. The way we can improve all of this is by having different up to date sources and up to date equipment and measure more than once and take an average. For Sedlescombe how we measured the width was measuring across the bridge rather than measuring the river its self which means the bridge was probably wider than the river so this is a problem that can affect our results. The way we could have done this better is by getting two people down on either side of the river and measuring the length with a tape measure as close as we can. Battle is small enough to easily enough to have trustworthy measurements. The Valley Profile could have been improved a lot more by actually counting and measuring out our own individual steps instead of making all our steps the same with the same distance between each one. These problems could have easily been solved with a Meter Counter, counting our distance and adding up the distance we travelled accurately and correctly. And once we are back in the class room working out our meters into our own steps. This would have improved our data. Measuring the shape of the land with the clinometers wasn’t perfect because not everyone was the same high as their partner so the accuracy was off at that point as well as the clinometers steaming up from the temperature made it hard to read the angles. The day that we went to the four different locations to do our test to get our results wasn’t the best of days. The weeks before where hot and sunny causing evaporation, less water. Then the day and night before our trip it rained causing erosion and prevented us from doing most of the tests we needed to do correctly. It wasn’t a good temperature either causing the clinometers to steam up and unable to read the angles accurately enough for a good result. The rain also ruined my own paper with my results on it making me have to get other results that could be wrong. And people rushing the test because it would start to rain again made it possible that we skipped something important and get the wrong results. Our hypothesis, ‘The River Rother includes all the physical features and land use of a typical river.’ can be inaccurate because it isn’t being very clear to what kind of river it wants us to test for, ‘a typical river’ is there such thing? All rivers are going to be different whether its due to what part of a country they are in or the size of the river or even how much rain the river gets. But I think the main problem that makes our hypothesis inaccurate is not noting what country this typical river is from. A river in Africa is going to be different to a river in England because of the amount of rain fall, less rain less water in the river to clear the obstructions causing the river to have a smaller volume and slower speed. The land use would be completely different too; most of Africa is a LEDC (Less Economically Developed Country) so there wouldn’t be a large amount of Settlement and Industry around the mouth of the river. The weather conditions affect the comparisons too, for example; if there is a heat wave the river will lose a lot of water causing speed to slow and volume to drop, depth and width would change too. In England we usually expect rain so the rivers volume, speed, depth and width would all increase. The hypothesis should change to a more clearer, ‘The River Rother includes all the physical features and land use of a typical river in England’. Or something similar that is more targeted on a specific river. How to cite River Rother, Papers

Remedial Measures Suggested to Curb Arsenic Poisoning

Question: Discuss about theRemedial Measures Suggested to Curb Arsenic Poisoning. Answer: Introduction: Arsenic pollution in Australia is a growing concern in the context of soil and water pollution in Australia. The main reason that has resulted in the elevated level of arsenic in the groundwater level of Australia is the various kinds of anthropogenic activities. The anthropogenic activities that need the most important mention here are the mining activities conducted in Western Australia and Victoria. Other such activities include cultivation, industrialization and forestry contaminates soil and water. Arsenic contamination is considered a major concern because it directly affects the ecological cycle of different species such as fish, mammals and even human besides affecting trees (Machlachlan et al., 2016). Metalloid infection is a leading problem that often is unnoticed by the concerned authorities because of their assumptions of such pollution having minimalistic effects on the environment as harmful contaminants. Hazards: Arsenic infection has several health hazards. Some of them include formation of acute poisoning that may even lead to death. When the exposure occurs at a lower level, it may lead to abnormal production of red and white blood corpuscles (Abdul et al., 2015). Even damage to blood vessels also takes place. It also causes darkening of the skin and the appearance of small skin irritations like the occurrence of corns and warts that becomes visible on palms, soles and body. Disease: Due to various health hazards, arsenic pollution becomes responsible for the occurrence of skin cancer, cancer in the liver, urinary bladder and in the lungs. Exposure Pathway to Arsenic: Exposure to arsenic usually occurs by ingestion of foods such as meat, fish, poultry, shellfish and many others in the form of arsenobetaine and arsenocholine, which is sometimes called as fish arsenic. Moreover, well water is often found to be polluted by arsenic present in the bedrock area and is a leading problem globally. Occupational exposure to arsenic may result from inhalation of air contaminated by arsenic usually in the form of arsenic trioxide (Naujokos et al., 2013). These particles are deposited in the respiratory tract. Those particles deposited in the upper respiratory tract may reach the gastrointestinal tract by absorption when mucociliary clearance is done. In very less researches, one can find the skin to be a pathway of exposure. However, studies have shown that persons handling wood preserved with arsenic or handling arsenic acid may lead to exposure but such instances are very few. Risk Associated with Exposed Population: A variety of population may get exposed to arsenic population. The population consuming rice is found out by scientists to be mostly affected. Australian grown organic brown organic brown grain, medium brown grain and white rice were seen to have been contaminated with arsenic with concentration in each being 43823, 28703, and 28318 g kg(-1) dry weight respectively (Rahman et al., 2014). Here we see that both occupational exposure through improper hygiene of inhalation and ingestion not only affect the farmers but also may spread to the entire nation through consumption of the cereals. Arsenic is also found to exposed to populations residing close to cattle dip sights, mined land and also in the residential suburbs of the mineralization areas (Ng et al., 2013). People living in mining areas are also highly vulnerable to arsenic infection. These populations have higher risks associated with arsenic pollution leading to lung cancer, liver lesions, skin cancer and various painful warts and corns on the skin. Importance of Selected Disease: Cancer occurring in different organs like lungs, bladder, gastrointestinal tract and others is a growing concern in not only Australia but also in the entire world and in most cases it is not curable. Persons suffering from cancer suffer physically, emotionally and financially. Data collected in the year 2012 by the Victorian Cancer Registry and Geochemical geochemical data showed that arsenic content in the soil from gold mining sits estimated around 1.4 to 1857 mg/kg. A significant increase in the risk associated with cancer resulted from increased soil arsenic contamination and thereby increases the burden of the entire cancer statistics of the country (Cancer Council Australia, 2016). DPSEEA Framework The DPSEEA framework has been used in order to discuss the interventions, which will be formulated in order to reduce the risk of the exposed population of contracting the disease. The DPSEEA framework has a structure (given in figure 1), which involves an action, that requires to be taken based on the driving force. Figure 1: The DPSEEA framework as designed based on the arsenic population and the remediation techniques suggested. (Source: Created by the author) In this scenario, the action is referred to as the interventions that have to be taken to reduce the risk of exposure of arsenic among the population. A remediation model needs to be devised in order to reduce absorption of arsenic in the system. Background on the Issue Finally, concentrating mainly on the remedial aspect, it is necessary for reducing the threat that arsenic poisoning poses to the population. The local council should work towards preventing mining activities to take place in the particular area so that further contamination can stop. The local council should also make an effort to prevent the people engaging in forestry should not use arsenic as a preservation agent for the logs. Awareness needs to be created among the farmers who cultivate rice by flooding method. If rice is being cultivated in an area whose water table has been contaminated with arsenic, the roots results into adsorbing arsenic in the grain and the shoot as well. Several industrial runoffs open into a water body. These runoffs carry wastes that are contaminated with arsenic. It leads to the contamination of the water body. The local council should make sure that the industries in the area should work towards remediating the arsenic based wastes present in their ru noffs. Remedial Techniques Remedial technique that can be suggested for reducing the cultivation. As a remedial technique in respect to cultivation, it should be stopped in such areas where the spoil is contaminated with arsenic. To avoid this, hyper accumulator plants such as species of Pteris (for example, Pteris vittata) can be planted on such contaminated soils to cure the soil (Singh et al., 2015). At the industries in and around the area contaminated with arsenic, they can apply the technology of Alcan where activated alumina is used as sorptive filtration media. Iron doped carbon, activated alumina are the main composition of the adsorbents that can be used in the industries for radiation purpose (Onby et al., 2014). Sidko is a similar adsorbent, which uses granules of ferric hydroxide. The local council can also introduce an arsenic removal unit, which consists of adsorbents that will make use of coagulation, precipitation, and filtration based processes to remove arsenic (Sorlini, Gialdini Collivigna relli, 2014). The adsorbents can be made of READ-F, which is a Ethylenevinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) - borne hydrous cerium oxide. By growing awareness among the population, the addition of potassium as a supplement in the diet can reduce chances of cardiovascular troubles caused by arsenic trioxide (Huang et al., 2014). Conclusion Arsenic poisoning is a worrying issue for several nations in the world today. The poisoning is mostly caused by the adsorption of arsenic into the system, which results into causing several diseases. A prolonged accumulation of the arsenic in the soil and consequently, leading to the contamination of the water tables affects the eco system too, which ultimately leads to the eutrophication. In order to avoid such a situation, remediation techniques need to be applied to reduce the threat that arsenic poisoning poses for the population. Awareness also needs to be created among the people who are continuing to pollute the environment. Self-driven measures are expected on a governmental level to reduce the prevalence of arsenic poisoning among the population. References: Abdul, K. S. M., Jayasinghe, S. S., Chandana, E. P., Jayasumana, C., De Silva, P. M. C. (2015). Arsenic and human health effects: A review.Environmental toxicology and pharmacology,40(3), 828-846. Australia, C. (2016). Proven risk - Cancer Council Australia. Cancer.org.au. Retrieved 6 November 2016, from https://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/environmental-causes/proven-risk.html#j Huang, Y., Zhu, C., Yang, J., Nie, Y., Chen, C., Sun, D. (2014). Recent advances in bacterial cellulose.Cellulose,21(1), 1-30. MacLachlan, D. J., Budd, K., Connolly, J., Derrick, J., Penrose, L., Tobin, T. (2016). Arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead, mercury, molybdenum, selenium and zinc concentrations in liver, kidney and muscle in Australian sheep.Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. Naujokas, M. F., Anderson, B., Ahsan, H., Aposhian, H. V., Graziano, J. H., Thompson, C., Suk, W. A. (2013). The broad scope of health effects from chronic arsenic exposure: update on a worldwide public health problem.Environmental Health Perspectives (Online),121(3), 295. Ng, J. C., Noller, B. N., Bruce, S. L., Moore, M. (2013). Bioavailability of metals and arsenic at contaminated sites from cattle dips, mined land and naturally occurring mineralisation origins. In5th National Workshop on the Assessment of Site Contamination(pp. 163-181). NEPC Service Corporation. nnby, L., Svensson, C., Mbundi, L., Busquets, R., Cundy, A., Kirsebom, H. (2014). -Al 2 O 3-based nanocomposite adsorbents for arsenic (V) removal: assessing performance, toxicity and particle leakage.Science of the Total Environment,473, 207-214. Rahman, M. A., Rahman, M. M., Reichman, S. M., Lim, R. P., Naidu, R. (2014). Arsenic speciation in Australian-grown and imported rice on sale in Australia: implications for human health risk.Journal of agricultural and food chemistry,62(25), 6016-6024. Singh, S., Shrivastava, A., Barla, A., Bose, S. (2015). Isolation of arsenic-resistant bacteria from bengal delta sediments and their efficacy in arsenic removal from soil in association with Pteris vittata.Geomicrobiology Journal,32(8), 712-723. Sorlini, S., Gialdini, F., Collivignarelli, M. C. (2014). Survey on full-scale drinking water treatment plants for arsenic removal in Italy.Water Practice and Technology,9(1), 42-51.

African Masks Essay Example For Students

African Masks Essay CONTENTS 1. FIGURE LIST3 2. INTRODUCTION4 2. 1 Historical background and information 4 3. CONTEXT OF CEREMONIAL AFRICAN MASKING AND THE BASIC CHARACTERISTICS THEROF 6 3. 1 The Makishi Masquerades among the Chokwe and related people6 3. 2 Pwo Mask7 3. 3 The Ngidi and Makanda initiation Rites8 3. 4 Holo Mask9 3. 5 The Bambara tribe of Mali and the Chi Wara antelope Mask9 4. CONCLUSION11 5. BIBLIOGROPHY12 1. FIGURE LIST FigurePage Figure 1:Unknown Artist, Pwo Mask, Wood Carving, patina and plant material, 9. † x 10† x 10†, Private Collection, (Bastin, 1982:91). 7 Figure 2:Unknown Artist, Chi Wara antelope Mask, Wood Carving, plant material, horns, antelope skin, 9. 8† x 11† x 23. 5†, Private Collection, (Van Wyk, Garratt Stepan, 1998:88). 9 Figure 3:Unknown Artist, Chi Wara antelope Mask, Wood Carving, plant material, horns, antelope skin, 9. 8† x 11† x 10. 5†, Private Collection, (Chi Wara antelope mask. S. a. ). 10 2. INTRODUCTION It has been said that art in Africa is the visible expression of the invisible. We will write a custom essay on African Masks specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now With that in mind I will discuss and explain, with reference to the statement, the complex social role of the different types of masks used in traditional African societies. I will also explain the religious and political roles of these masks in the community. Through gathering information from books and electronic sources I will explain the context of ceremonial African masking and the basic characteristics thereof. I will do research on specific masks, their style and the purpose of their existence within their community. 2. 1 Historical background and information Masks are time and again depicted as the classic art form of Africa. If you look at the history of African masks, you will find that African masks can be traced back to long before the Palaeolithic times. African masks are being greatly hunted down by art lovers and collectors, as they are some of the most supreme art pieces in the art world today. The masks as it is normally seen in a western perspective, however, as a museum piece in a glass display case or hanging on a wall, is a single element artificially isolated from the context for which it was intended. In these masks, originally created for different masking ceremonies of different tribes you will find different types of materials such as leather, metal, fabric, organic materials and various types of wood. One example of this is the Chi Wara antelope mask of the Bambara culture of Mali, It is used in rituals associated with planting and harvesting. During celebrations like this, initiation ceremonies, war preparation and troubled times you can find a chosen person or an initiated dancer wearing these masks. The headpiece itself can have a range of greatly different significances depending on the precise local understanding of the spiritual agency involved in its performance. African masquerades are a highly complex and diverse range of cultural practices, few of which correspond closely to ideas associated with mask wearing in the West (African masks history and meaning, S. a. ; African art and architecture, 2001). Latest development and understanding of aesthetic principles, religious and ceremonial values, have brought about a grater insight into the ideas and moral values that African artists express in their art. Art is the expression or the application of creative skill and imagination, especially through a visual medium such as painting or sculpture. In the Oxford dictionary (2002:607) you will find the meaning of the word invisible to be something unable to be seen, either by nature or because of concealed. If you relate that in contents to the statement that African art is the visible expression of the invisible, you can say that African art, especially the making of masks in Africa, is not created for the sake of art, but that the creation of these special handcrafted objects go beyond the formal qualities that meets the eye. In this essay I am going to look at the Makishi Masquerades and the Transmission of knowledge among the Chokwe and related people together with the Pwo mask, the Bambara tribe of Mali and the Chi Wara antelope mask, and also at the role that the Holo mask plays in the Ngidi and Makanda initiation rites (African masks history and meaning, S. a. ; African art and architecture, 2001). 3. CONTEXT OF CEREMONIAL AFRICAN MASKING AND THE BASIC CHARACTERISTICS THEREOF 3. 1 The Makishi Masquerades among the Chokwe and related people The Chokwe are famous for art items produced to celebrate and legalize the royal court. The art objects can include elaborately carved stools and chairs used as thrones. Most of the sculptures are portraits, which represent the royal ancestry. Staffs, sceptres, and spears are among other implements sculpted to celebrate the court. Chokwe origin can perhaps be traced to the Mbuti and Pygmies. Between 1600 and 1850 they were under extensive influence from the Lunda states and were centrally located in Angola. In the second half of the 19th century though, substantial improvement of the trade routes between the Chokwe homelands and the Angolan coast led to increased trade of ivory and rubber. .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea , .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea .postImageUrl , .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea , .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea:hover , .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea:visited , .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea:active { border:0!important; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea:active , .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uabdbf81a37f8ca6d17d9b12e1a0b8cea:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Disability act in affect EssayWealth acquired from this allowed the Chokwe kingdom to develop, eventually overtaking the Lunda states that had held sway over them for so long. Their success was short-lived, however, the effects of overexpansion, disease, and colonialism resulted in the fragmentation of Chokwe power (Van Wyk, Garratt Stepan, 1998:67). The Chokwe related people of Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo engage their ancestors to endow them with spiritual or supernatural support for various human activities. If you look at male initiation in context, ancestral spirits may assume the form of masks to dramatize cosmological principles and assist in transmitting knowledge through generations. The Chokwe people perform over one hundred types of masked masquerades called the Makishi. Makishi represents the spirits of the deceased individuals that return to the world of the living to guide, assist and protect the members of the community (Van Wyk, Garratt Stepan, 1998:67). Makishi often serve to authorize and validate social and political institutions, which are generally perceived as the domain of women. The Makishi most often preformed in combination with the mukanda initiation of girls, but they may also appear during annual confirmatory ceremonies. Makishi performances bring to mind the cosmological precepts of the Chokwe and related people. Principles of social and political organisation are presented publically through mukanda masquerades. In these masquerades you will find male and female characters. One of the most important Makishi characters that you will find during initiation ceremonies represents the ideal woman that is called Pwo or Pwevo. The short steps characterize Pwo dances and sensuous hip movements, which are emphasized by a bustle, tied around the hips, consisting of a bundle of cloth, strings and rattling objects. Pwo perform sexual behaviours by pretending to have intercourse with a mortar or with a figure that she may rapidly form from earth in the preformed space. These dances are a type of sexual education, presented openly to stress the fertility of this female ancestor. To highlight her supernatural attributes as an ancestral, Pwo sometimes dances on stilts or performs acrobatically skits. In this masquerades a Pwo performer will wear the Pwo mask while holding a flywhisk and a rattle made form of tin can. The Pwo mask dancer dances with the women who clap and sings to musically accompany the performer. In the following paragraph I will explain the style and elements of the Pwo mask (Van Wyk, Garratt Stepan, 1998:67-68). 3. 2 Pwo Mask Figure 1: Unknown Artist, Pwo Mask, Wood Carving, patina and plant material, 9. 5† x 10† x 10†, Private Collection, (Bastin, 1982:91). The Pwo mask is a semi stylized wooden facemask with eyes that are usually elliptical in shape. The facemask is the most common mask found in Africa. The mask covers the face and has holes on the side. The eyes are half-closed and swollen eyelids are prolonged down to the centre of the concave eye-sockets. Sometimes the eyes are spherical and have horizontal slits. Occasionally the forehead has a carved headband. The ears are curved or else semi-circular with the tragus shown. The traditional scarification is usually engraved, cut away, incrusted or carved in relief. The Mask measures 9. 5 inches tall x 10 wide x 10 deep and the use of wood with cam wood powder and plant fibre for hair can be seen in the Pwo Mask (Figure 1). The mask has well defined and expressive facial features as well as a wonderful worm patina to the wood. The facial scarification below the eyes also represents tears. This mask represents Chokwe ideals of feminine beauty. The idealized features, subtle contours and refined lines formally convey the elegance of a celebrated female ancestor. The mask was not created by a artist, as it has no aesthetic value to the tribe as it is used for ceremonies and worship, but one can say that the mask was certainly created by a unknown Chokwe master craftsman (Bastin, 1982:90). 3. 3 The Ngidi and Makanda initiation rites The Holo of the democratic Republic of the Congo live in the Kizamba area. They occupy the region between the Suka-Mbundu Falls on the Kwango River. The Holo society is composed of a number of independent clans. One of the secrete rites of passage of the Holo tribe is that Holo women undergo a ritual initiation called Ngidi, which parallels Mukanda. Mukanda is the initiation ceremony of young boys. Ngidi brings together women of all ages, not only those who are pubescent. Apart from preparing young men and women for adult life, initiation institutes among the Holo operate as forces of social unity. (Van Wyk, Garratt Stepan, 1998:88). The initiation ceremony of the boys of the Holo tribe is called the Mukanda. The festivities that go with the Mukanda initiation ceremonies, like communal rejoicing and a great ritual dance, are held on the eve of the circumcision. The community dances until dawn. A Holo masked is carved as a helmet to fit securely over a performers head. On the occasion of this rite of passage for the boys of the Holo tribe, the initiates’ farewell feast, they are the centre of community. The Holo mask plays a huge role in the initiation of the boys. (Van Wyk, Garratt Stepan, 1998:67). 3. 4 Holo Mask The Holo mask seen in figure 2 is a wood carved helmet mask. A helmet mask is carved from one single piece of wood and is hollow to cover the whole face. It has carved out openings for the eyes, mouth and nose. .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f , .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f .postImageUrl , .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f , .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f:hover , .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f:visited , .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f:active { border:0!important; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f:active , .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua613c28011a40c608baf79abfd7b956f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Gospel of Mark Argumentative EssayA dancer puts on this mask before dancing at the initiation ceremonies of the Holo tribe. His whole body is covered with natural oil to serve as protection against evil spirits. (Van Wyk, Garratt Stepan, 1998:67). Figure 2: Unknown Artist, Chi Wara antelope Mask, Wood Carving, plant material, horns, antelope skin, 9. 8† x 11† x 23. 5†, Private Collection, (Van Wyk, Garratt Stepan, 1998:88). 3. 5 The Bambara tribe of Mali and the Chi Wara antelope Mask One of the largest ethnic and most dominant groups found mostly in the country of Mali is the Bambara culture. The Bambara live in the middle valley of the Niger River. The majority of the people of this culture are farmers. The most important crop for them is millet, but sorghum and groundnuts are also of high value to them as this is produced in high quantities. Maize, cassava, tobacco, and numerous other vegetables are grown in private gardens as well. As agriculture is so important to the people of the Bambara tribe, one of the religious traditions is to worship the Chi Wara in rituals associated with planting and harvesting. The Chi Wara was the Bambarian inventor of agriculture. Even though most Bambara declare to be Muslim, many people still follow their conventional beliefs in ancestor worship. The Bambara trust that the ancestral spirits may take on the forms of animals or even vegetables. In extraordinary ceremonies, the spirits are worshipped and presented with offerings of flour and water while the people taking part in this ceremony honours the Chi Wara through dancing while wearing the Chi Wara antelope mask as seen in Figure 3. pic] Figure 3: Unknown Artist, Chi Wara antelope Mask, Wood Carving, plant material, horns, antelope skin, 9. 8† x 11† x 10. 5†, Private Collection (Chi Wara antelope mask. S. a. ). The Chi Wara antelope mask is a semi- stylistic zoomorphic headdress, representing a fusion of antelope and anteater, and is danced in pairs to also honour champion farmers in the Bambara tribe. The headdress is carved out of wood and covered with antelope skin. The Chi Wara antelope mask consists of representations of animal heads. The oldest member of a family act as the negotiator between the living and the dead (Bambara, S. a. ). 4. CONCLUSION In Africa, art is not created for the sake of art. If you look at the different roles that art play in the different communities in Africa, you will find that the purpose of the art, especially the masks in Africa is created not by known artists, but by craftsmen. Also the style of their masks is not realistic but also not abstract. From an African point of view, works of art should be neither too rational nor conceptual. This is because of the lack of aesthetic value from the masks to them. In the above research you find that art is not for the beauty of art but created for the use of ancestral worship. If you look at the reason for the initial creation of African art, you will find that the art was created for religious, political and social events of communities and tribes. Thus one can state that African art is the visible expression of the invisible as were visible reveres to the creative mask, and were invisible reveres to the spiritual and ancestral worship of the African people. . BIBLIOGROPHY African art and architecture. 2001. In: Microsoft Encarta encyclopaedia (Deluxe) 2001 . African masks history and meaning. S. a. . Available from: http://www. rebirth. co. za/African masks history and meaning. htm . Bambara. S. a. . Available from: http://www. africaguide. com/culture/tribes/bambara. htm . BASTIN, M. 1982. La sculpture Tshokwe. France: Main et Francoise Chaffin. Chi Wara antelope mask. S . a. . Available from: http://www. controverscial. om/Antelo10. gif . South African Concise Oxford Dictionary. 2002. Southern Africa: Oxford University Press. VAN WYK, G. , GARRATT, K. , STEPAN, P. 1998. Chokwe, art and initiation among Chokwe and related peoples. New York: Prestel-Verlag, Munich. WordWeb. 2004. Available from: http://wordweb. info/ . Palaeolithic: The second part of the Stone Age beginning about 750,00 to 500,000 years BC and lasting until the end of the last ice age about 8,500 years B. C (WordWeb, 2004) Cosmological: Pertaining to the branch of astronomy dealing with the origin and history and structure and dynamics of the universe (WordWeb, 2004). Masquerade: A party of guests wearing costumes and masks (WordWeb, 2004). Zoomorphic: The attribution of animal forms or qualities to a god (WordWeb, 2004). African Masks Tshwane University of Technology Department of Fine and Applied Arts Art Theory 2 Assignment 1 Johann Claassens 209021536 2010

Sports & Physical Education Essays - Health Care, Medicine

Sports & Physical Education Physical Education is the basis of all sports. Throughout life we as Americans are exposed to physical education in elementary, secondary, and high school, therefore much of our athletic ability is due to our physical educational backgrounds. As in the theory of Existentialism our skills, values, etc., are all products of what we learned. Physical Education is a very important tool in helping the positive development of children in schools today. Any professional athlete today has probably had some sort of physical education in his/her life. Physical Education should be included in all schools and should be mandatory up until the last year of high school. Sports has probably been the best form of entertainment the world has ever experienced from the beginning of time. But, has sports been taken out of context? Being a professional athlete entitles one to be paid, but what about the programs that have been setup for college athletes. These particular programs allow alumni to "adopt" the student yea right! Colleges are becoming more and more corrupt and more restrictions should be put on them. Pragmatism states that individuals' experiences are achieved through experimentation, and one cannot fully criticize the colleges nor the students without being in their shoes, but my point of view is that professionals should be paid for their skills, not college athletes

Fire Essay Example

Fire Essay Example Fire Essay Fire Essay Essay Topic: To Build a Fire Name: Instructor: Course: Date: : Fire History of the Los Angeles Library There have been other central libraries within Los Angeles but the Los Angeles Central Library has had the longest staying power. Between 1875 and 1930, the building was at the center of several transformations from different locations, but the excellent architecture and planning ensure that the structure could tolerate floods, earthquakes and several arson attempts. Currently, its neighboring skyscrapers have eaten away at most of the library’s pools, lawns and other public spaces, they were unable swallow its miniature form out of downtown Los Angeles. These newly developed skyscrapers were erected thanks to the bought air rights above the library with the intention of exceeding height limitations and construct colossal buildings. The architect based his design of the Central Library on the design of the Nebraska State Capitol. The library was initially built in 1844 when the population of Los Angeles was fewer than 1,490 people, with a collection of donated volumes and some prized newspapers that were about 6 months old (Anthony 45). For many years, the city’s library remained a mobile achievement that migrated from donors’ location to a floor in City Hall. Some of the pioneer librarians that set the ground for the present state of the library include Mary Emily Foy, Mary Jones and Tessa Kelso who were all learned women that strengthened the role of education in the American society (Anthony 48). Initially, the Central Library was constructed in 1926 as a downtown Los Angeles tourist attraction site. It was constructed as the third largest communal library in the North America according to the volume of books and periodicals it contained. At first, simply called the Central Library, the structure was renamed the Los Angeles Central Library to commemorate the president of the Board of Library Commissioners, Rufus B. von KleinSmid. The main architect who was in charge of constructing the building, Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue intended the initial Los Angeles Central Library to imitate the structural fashion of prehistoric Egypt. The central tower was covered in a mosaic pyramid as well as other foreign aspects including snakes, extraterrestrial mosaics and sphinxes (Anthony 235). The Los Angeles Central Library is massive containing over 46,020 titles that are categorized exclusively as genealogy (Butler 19). The history and genealogy divisions are located in one wing for ease of research and access. Apart from this, the Central library also contains telephone directories, indexes and maps, newspapers on microfilm, city directories and census records. The library invested in a massive on-line database and specific items in the Electronic Neighborhood system that were accessible from members’ home computer for instance city directories. A large amount of the historical publications related to the San Fernando Valley that was under the Los Angeles Public Library system was delivered to the Central Library. The 1986 Central Library fire was one of the biggest library disasters that cost the stakeholders over $23 million in repairs and restocking of books (Isner 117). The fire was initially caused by an arsonist at around 10:50 am and the alarm bell was immediately triggered. This was followed by a quick evacuation of the staff and patrons within the building (Coates 38). When the first two fire companies showed up to the scene of the catastrophe, they assessed the situation and requested for more personnel and equipment. After seven hours of tough fire fighting, the flames were finally subdued by a combination of Los Angeles County Department and the city’s fire department. The hardworking members of the fire department were highly praised for their courage, valor, resolve and outstanding exertion in containing the fire that attacked the Los Angeles Central Library. No deaths or serious injuries were reported originating from the fire. Later, analysts estimated a loss of about $2.3 million to the building and about $21 million to its reading materials and equipment (Isner 26). More significantly, 83% of the entire worth of the building and publications were salvaged (Butler 67). There was a similar fire tragedy on September 3 within the same year that damaged the materials in the Music Department Reading Room (Butler 49). Reasons for the cause of the fire Various theories pointed toward a failed heroism act involving an arsonist who lit the fire and then failed to contain it. Instead, the flammable nature of the overwhelmed sixty-year-old building acted in a manner similar to a chimney starter. In a few moments, the ignited pages from the books became a moving barricade of flames that consumed very old books, newspapers and magazines. The fire was so scorching that it melted most of the steel ladders used to access books (Butler 15). The reasons for the fire disaster were numerous and interrelated in a way. First, the library had undergone a number of renovations. Therefore, the firefighters considered it a very cumbersome and precarious building. John Morris commented that despite the high risk of a fire occurring in most libraries, these structures were not installed with basic sprinklers tat would have stopped any fire immediately (Morris 78). This sprinkler technology had already been developed in the 1970s but it was not installed in the Los Angeles Central Library. Any fire outbreaks within the library would have to be dealt with using heavy hose stream that would obviously destroy most of the books. Sprinkler systems have the same ability to extinguish fires but their magnitude is negligible when compared to the destructive force of a fire hose (Morris 172). Besides the lack of sprinkler systems, the design of the building was vital in increasing the rate at which the fire spread (Coates 18). Inside the building held even more risks as only about 18% was visible and safe for the public. For any other materials that were not visible, a client had to issue a request slip and a clerk would recover the preferred material from the internal stacks. The internal stacks were tightly packed providing very slight headroom because of the internal stack design that was made up of several shelves that were six feet tall. Taking into consideration that the public area was roughly two floors together with the Science and Technology niche, the internal stacks were roughly six floors (Butler 423). The interior structural design of the library was a major cause of the prolonged fire. The multi-tiered stacks designed with vent openings between them were already assessed by fire protection experts as being precarious and risky elements. The efforts at traci ng the origin of the fire revealed that the gases and smoke from the fire rose up through the vents to the upper tiers. The extremely hot steel ladders and metal shelves made it even more difficult for firefighters to maneuver within the building (Coates 107). These flaws were noticed earlier in the usage of the building but obstacles such as the adoption of Proposition 13 policy and other minor issues created a common disinterest among the Los Angeles city officials who refused to finance the renovation. All these factors combined to create the perfect scenario for a major combustion to occur, as the library was filled to the maximum with flammable substances. However, in summary, the three major causes were narrowed down to ventilation complications, the over stacking of flammable material and absence of fire access points. The lack of ventilation created an oven-like environment that greatly increased the temperatures to about 2500 degrees Fahrenheit that stopped any firefighters from accessing the building (Isner 56). When questioned on the reason why there were no fire management equipment within their premises, the library administration responded by saying that false alarms would have activated sprinklers that would destroy the books. Despite this reason, the Fire Chief Donald Manning openly blamed the City Council and the library administration for paying no attention to twenty years of warnings that the ancient building was a fire risk (Mc Donald 45). The two major design errors that were mentioned as being responsible for the magnitude and destructiveness of the fire were the absence of sprinkler systems and outdated library stacks that rose through the building floors, setting the stage for increased burning in the event of a fire. On could not blame the failure of the alarm as the system worked accurately and summoned the firefighters immediately. With the amount f valuable material inside the library, it was difficult to understand why the city council and the library management failed to take training and gather more information on fire fighting, structural requirements and other safety measures. At least, the library management would have taken an assessment of the safety measures in other libraries such as Harvard that mounted barriers between floors. Damages caused About 18% of the total library’s holdings that could roughly translate into about 400,000 volumes were damaged with noteworthy smoke and water destruction done to the remaining works (Simmons 17). The library staff estimated a loss from the damage caused by water to about 700,000 copies while smoke damaged the rest of the remaining collection (Morris 22). The only section that was safely evacuated was the rare book collection besides a few significant collections that were destroyed. The biggest loss was awarded to the seismology collection that was destroyed by the flames. In the periodical section, the history, business and literature sections were destroyed. The fiction and non-fictional areas underwent minimum damage. Other collections that were destroyed include automobile repair manuals, cookbooks and art journals. Reports by various media houses indicated that the library faced a possible $150 million loss from the emergency fire, but the staff placed the loss to about $20million in building and volumes damage (Simmons 21). One contributory factor that greatly limited the losses from being larger was the acknowledgment and execution of salvage operations before the fire became uncontrollable. From the 1.4 million books that were kept in the library when the fire started, only about 352,000 were seriously damaged by fire and water (Morris 28). Some of the material that was destroyed included patents that were non-renewable such as the business community documents for innovations. Surprisingly, neither the building nor the books in it were covered by insurance. Changes caused by the fire By the late 1960s, it was apparent that the library was inadequate and insecure (Anthony 35). By that time, the book collections had doubled in number and the administration was facing possible environmental and electrical problems. It was evident that the library required a critical expansion, or relocation to a different location. In 1983, a plan was put into motion to enlarge and refurbish the library on its initial site because the city considered it a significant part of their history that would be preserved in the central part of the city. By 1985, an agreement and partnership among private and public stakeholders for financing had been developed. During the restoration process, care was taken to consider the compliance demands that were dictated by the Secretary of the interior department and those proposed by the domestic historic preservation interest groups. The other partners in the renovation process, Hardy Holzman Pieffer Associates duplicated design concepts from the ancient library for the modern wing, resulting in a consistent environment that amalgamated and considered does the old and the new generations. The Library was redesigned to reflect Los Angeles’ history and culture, as well as its prospects. The designers had the idea of incorporating technological innovations into the library making it easier for people to research for information. After the library fire of 1986, over 723,000 books were delivered to the freezer warehouse and were stored there for about two and a half years (Morris 16). This was the first step in the drying process that set new benchmarks, using a new procedure that took lesser time and produced better outcomes. In January, the last set of restored books was transported to the Los Angeles processing center indicating the end of the biggest book-drying project ever completed. Within four months, about 564,000 books that were damaged by water and smoke in the fire were processed in a complicated freeze-drying operation at California (Morris 17). Starting in September 1988, every week a consignment of books were delivered from the freezer warehouses to California, and then sent to the library. The drying process was running night and day and the project was completed before the 6-month deadline had reached (Morris 26). Measures installed to prevent future emergencies Since the emergency fire in 1986, the library established a sophisticated and financed â€Å"Save the Books† promotion, a system of dedicated volunteers, transformed corporate contribution for educational outreach, and a new comprehension of the importance of the physical surroundings. The most important change however was the increased relationship with other people’s experiences. The emergency fire attracted disaster and conservation experts from the Getty Conservation Institute and the Library of Congress to assist during the emergency. Their professional recommendations helped the library to maximize on the facilities in the new building to instill a different custom of operation. The Los Angeles Library sold its air rights to contractors in a bid to raise funds within their rehabilitation program. The money received from the sale of the rights was used to construct the U.S. Bank Tower (Library Tower) skyscraper. These efforts were made possible through the combined efforts of the mayor, Tom Bradley as well as personal and corporate contributions (Morris 66). The library was fitted with sprinklers and other disaster equipment and mitigation preparedness. The internal environment was also set up to maintain an appropriate temperature and humidity standards. The original building was renovated and refurbished to incorporate services needed to facilitate easier research demands by the patrons. The modern wing is the site of an impressive eight-story foyer that gives access to several separate departments that are rather welcoming and personal simultaneously. The improvements also included outdoor backyards having over foreign 160 trees of different specimens (Mc Donald 176). The public art program within Los Angeles allowed the library to commission art within the building and around the garden. The outdoor landscapers attempted to recreate a natural, spiritual and perhaps artistic setting that would contribute significantly toward improved intellectual activity and introspection in the middle of busy Los Angeles. Concerning security of the volumes and building, the management installed sophisticated book detection systems, video coverage and security officials to control the security standards within the library (Isner 187). Current state of the library The new renovated building was expanded to have a seating capacity of over 6 million people and could be accessed by over 21 million people within Los Angels and its surroundings. Currently, the library has changed its name from The Los Angeles Central Library to The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) but it is still being used by the city’s residents. Currently, the library is stocked with over six million copies making it is one of the largest publicly funded libraries globally. The system is administered by a Board of Library Commissioners that is directly chosen by the Los Angeles mayor. The new improved library had more advanced features and benefits for its members such as issuing free library cards to all interested California residents. Circulating books, periodicals, computer access and audiovisual materials are available to patrons. The Library’s Rare Books Department is located in its downtown Los Angeles location. There is an extensive selection of databases available to remote users who hold an LAPL library card. Examples include full-text databases of periodicals, business directories, and language learning tools. The library also revised their collections to include a stronger focus on regional content than most main city libraries. For instance, the library has a wide Californian collection and publications concerned with the history of western American. The rare book collection was reorganized to concentrate on expeditions and exploration, performing arts, costumes, natural history, patents, cooking and other important subjects to the Pacific countries. According to the New York Times (1989), the Los Angeles Central Library had resumed normal operations after three years of rigorous renovations and repairs to expand and make the library safer and more efficient in delivering services. The reopening will make available more books to the Los Angeles’ sixty-three branch libraries all of which depended on the Central Library to supply them with books. In the first floor lobby, renowned city artist, Rebee Petropoulos adorned the ceiling with an abundance of imagery, text and color. His creativity was to paint the ceiling with intertwined names of all Los Angeles novelists. The Thomas Bradley Wing was also extended and remodeled to increase it to eight stories. The reading rooms and stacks were aligned on either side of the walls. Enormous glazed terra cotta columns were designed toward one side. A report release by the American Library Association revealed that the general economic depression and high unemployment rates greatly affected the operation of major libraries including the Los Angels Public Library. For Los Angels Public Library, in 2011, there was a 10% increase in the library usage. The community within Los Angeles has also showed increased effort to provide financial support to maintain the library. For instance, they approved a $50 million budget specifically for the public library system (Mc Donald 126). Lessons learnt by the community An important lesson learnt was the importance of constant and adequate funding that was vital in keeping the library doors open. They realized that they should keep the library at the top of their priorities of public funding as well as public education. Community planners had been focusing on technology as the future of public education but this opinion was not shared by most of the community members. Even though all societies attempt to keep up with the technological changes, learners still needed an environment where they could access academic material and serene settings to understand their studies. A major allocation of the regional budget for the overhaul was awarded toward upgrading the technological systems, developing household delivery of library service and increasing the access points for the library patrons. These efforts have not driven away any patrons, and contrary to the predictions, even more people desire to access the library. However, even the Los Angeles Public Library took into consideration modern learning methods and systems such as the Internet. The community also realized the importance of maintaining a network of like-minded people in as far as the conservation of the library was concerned. To that extent, the community created the Bibliophiles organization that was responsible for acknowledging the contribution of people and groups who supported the maintenance of Central Library. Within the Bibliophiles organizations, members share information on the changes and decisions that concern the library. They also have annual meetings where all stakeholders are briefed on the library reports. These charitable trusts have contributed greatly in maintaining the library up to the present day (Mc Donald 336). Donations and current book stock After the reconstruction, the Los Angeles Public Library received numerous donations from different companies, individuals and groups to assist in restocking the lost academic material. The Photo Collection that was newly established within the library was a classical example of effective contribution by the community. The donors include media houses such as Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Security Pacific Bank (164). Conclusion The major emergency fire that burst out in April 1986 at the Los Angeles Central Library was so taxing that it took most of the safety and recovery staff in the city to quell it. The total number of officials and equipment used included more than 340 firefighters and nearly all other sectors of the city departments before it was slowed down. The difficult firefight used sixty fire fighting firms, one arson unit, nine paramedic ambulances, three aircraft, four salvaging businesses, two emergency air units and more than forty police squadrons and support staff. Concerning the future activities, the library is investing in coming up with new programming chances. The library premises have increased by over 32% but the human resource department has difficulties in employing new workers. One of the urgent issues affecting library operation is preservation of books and other tangible publications. The task of maintain the condition of over 2 million holdings from disasters and standard agin g without employing the services of a conservation department is quite difficult. The role of a library extends beyond issuing access to books to the public. It is also a secure storage facility for a large part of the nation’s history, heritage and culture. In order to achieve the latter task, a library must be fully equipped to handle all types of catastrophes. Granted, the Central Library during its time was not fully equipped with sophisticated systems to handle the fire. However, the library administration was negligent in the way that they managed the building to an extent that any small accident would have set off an uncontrollable fire. Previous citation on violation of fire codes were enough warning that such a catastrophe was waiting to happen. The experience was however important in stressing the need for disaster recovery plans that include training personnel, investment in storage and secure equipment as well as the best methods of mitigating destruction. Work Cited Anthony, Donald F. â€Å"Fire Strikes the Los Angeles Central Library.† Fire Command. 1986. Print. Butler, Randall R. Disaster at the Los Angeles Central Library: Fire and Recovery. San Marino, CA: Society of California Archivists, 1991. Print. Coates, Margaret. â€Å"Huge Loss in Library Fire: Central Library, Los Angeles, USA.† Fire Prevention. 1987. Print. Isner, Michael S. Fire Investigation Report: Central Library Fire, Los Angeles, California, April 29, 1986. Quincy, Mass: National Fire Protection Association, 1986. Print. Mc Donald, Patrick. Measure L Library Funding Election Results: Los Angeles Voters Approve Plan to Reopen 73 Shuttered Libraries. Law Weekly. 2011. Retrieved from http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/03/measure_l_la_libraries.php Morris, John. â€Å"Saving the Books.† Disaster Recovery Journal. 2 (4). 1989. Print. Simmons, Alan. â€Å"L.A. Library Fire Threatens 150 Million in Books.† American Fire Journal. 1986. Print.

Student's Musical Experience in the EKU Center Essay - 2

Student's Musical Experience in the EKU Center - Essay Example One song the reporter chooses is â€Å"Shortcut Home† by Dana Wilson composed in 1946. The tempo was very fast with a strong influence of the brass instruments. Heavy percussion was included. The tune then switched to something a little softer but then picked up speed again. It continued to go back and forth but the underlying tempo maintained a fast speed while some of the other instrument sections played over the top of it. The end was very powerful and most of the time it was played very loudly. Toward the end, the song had a sinister twist. There was more use of bells and the triangle at the end. â€Å"Shortcut Home† is a fanfare style song and each ensemble had its own special portion where it was featured within the song. The style was made of several different jazz styles. The music is profound in some areas and cascades until the final C Major chord. Hearing this song in person versus hearing songs in class was very arousing. There was just a vision that he coul d associate with how it made me feel. Since it is called â€Å"Shortcut Home† I think that it is a piece about someone who is frantic to get home and all of a sudden they find a shortcut, go scurrying, and then, at last, they are at home. The other song he chooses is â€Å"Cloudburst† by Eric Whitacre in 1970. It was interesting because it had audience participation. The music started out with the horns blaring at a slow pace, followed by woodwinds and then a short brief silence until all of the ensembles came together to perform. The sound of the cymbals would lead the first section to a climax. Then it was almost a dark thundercloud was lingering as the deeper brass instruments began to play their low haunting tune. Based on the slow tempo and the crashing cymbals, the reporter thinks that â€Å"Cloudburst† was about a thunderstorm. It was very soft and mellow at many points and then there would be a light crashing of the cymbals again.

Judaism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Judaism - Essay Example But what sets Judaism apart from other monotheistic faiths, like Islam and Christianity? Cunningham and Katzew clearly explained that Judaism acknowledges only the the Torah as a source of revelation. The Torah, in general, comprises the thorough description of God’s plan for hmanity. In their essay, Cunningham and Katzew provide an exploratory, analytical, and thorough description of the theology and tradition of Judaism. They provide an explanation of practices, values, and beliefs, theology as conveyed in mythological stories, and standards of symbolic act and rites. They also talk about scripture and revelation, God’s teachings, the series of tradition represented in the narrative of the oral and written Torah, and signs and representations in Judaism. But more importantly, Cunningham and Katzew take a courageous leap forward by arguing that none of the historical epochs can be dismissed from the shared processes between Christianity and Judaism. The authors support the assumption that the major monotheistic religions are