EQ Industrial Services (EQIS) Plant Explosion Research Paper

EQ Industrial Services (EQIS) Plant Explosion - Research Paper Example This threatened the lives of people residing near the plant, with evacuation of about 17,000 residents. After the accident, a majority of them had to seek medical attention as a result of the contamination. The plant is a handler of a variety of industrial waste, ranging from household chemicals like sulfur, fertilizer, pesticides and chlorine to paints and solvents. EQ Industrial Services, Inc. is an environmental service company founded in 1997, and is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It provides transportation, remediation, industrial cleaning including hazardous waste disposal and recycling, waste handling services including treatment and storage, and emergency services to its municipal and industrial clients. The explosion caused the evacuation of residents; and two weeks later, a chemical reaction exploded forcing emergency crews to evacuate businesses that were located near the plant. The reaction drum contained a solution of sodium metal that ignites on exposure to air or water. Reports claimed that the fumes from the reaction caused burning eyes, was because of chlorine exposure. Ironically, the State Department of Environment and Natural Resources had approved the company’s cleanup plan a day before. Following the accident, EQ Industrial was pinned down and asked to provide a written report on the cause of the explosion and the precautionary measures it had issued to the public. The Environmental Quality Company, which houses highly toxic chemicals, was also at the fire site. The presence of dangerous chemicals rendered fire fighters helpless, and they were forced to watch the flames die out on their own. The fire saw 18 people hospitalized, including nine residents who complained of respiratory distress and one fire fighter who experienced nausea and respiratory problems, and another eight law enforcement officers. This report will recount on the causes, effects and the recommendations associated with this kind of explosion, which was primarily believed to result from chlorine exposure. Symptoms of the victims of the accident as a result of chemical exposure Pulmonary edema and respiratory distresses are among the effects of inhaling high concentrations of chlorine in such an accident. Patients who are exposed to chlorine are prone to immediate onset of rapid breathing, rales, hemoptysis, wheezing or blue discoloration of the skin. Some patients may experience prolonged pulmonary injury resulting in collapse of the lungs and possible death. The lowest lethal concentration exposure is 430 ppm in 30 minutes duration. Reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) is a chemical irritant asthma that may results due to exposure to chlorine. The smaller diameter of children’s airways makes them more vulnerable to corrosive agents than adults - they are also vulnerable to gas due to their increased minute ventilation per kilogram and failure of evacuating exposed areas. Long-term exposure to chlorine can lead to cancer, teeth corrosion, flulike symptoms and a possibility of acquiring RADS. Pathophysiology of chlorine, which was e xposed in this accident Chlorine is a noncombustible gas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, with a characteristic greenish-yellow color. The effects of the upper and lower respiratory tract are as a result of chlorine’s solubility to water - this is what caused respiratory complains by some victims. This solubility characteristic cause prolonged exposure as it delays the onset of upper airways symptoms for a number of minutes. Moreover, chlorine is denser than air; therefore, it is near ground level, which increases

Organizational Behavior Principles Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Behavior Principles - Assignment Example The need for the division of work, narrow definitions of assigned duties and responsibilities, established rules, procedures and methods of work, can result in resistance to change (Dalziel, Schoonover, 1988). 2. If management employs formal communication, the selective perception of employees can become the main cause of resistance to change. It can lead to a biased view of a particular situation, which fits most comfortably into a person's own perception of reality, and can cause resistance to change. 3. Threats to power come from linear organization structure. Change may be seen as a threat to the power or influence of certain groups within the organization, such as their control over decisions, resources or information. For example, managers may resist the introduction of quality circles or worker-directors because they see this as increasing the role and influence of non-managerial staff, and a threat to the power in their own positions. Where a group of people has, over a period of time, established what they perceive as their 'territorial rights' they are likely to resist change. 4. Fear of changes in economic implications is typical for all types of organizations with informal communication patterns. People are likely to resist change which is perceived as reducing either directly or indirectly their pay or other rewards, requiring an increase in work for the same level of pay or acting as a threat to their job security. People tend to have established patterns of working and a vested interest in maintaining the status quo 5. Inconvenience or possible loss of freedom comes from matrix organizations and functional organizations grouping by task (each group does something different). If the change is seen as likely to prove inconvenient, make life more difficult, reduce freedom of action or result in increased control, there will be resistance. 6. In divisional organizations grouping by product and customer (each group does the same task but for different product and customer), the main cause of resistance to change is a habit. People tend to respond to situations in an established and accustomed manner. Habits may serve as a means of comfort and security, and as a guide for easy decision making (Dalziel, Schoonover, 1988). 7. Also, if there is a diverse workforce, there is a fear of redundancy and lower pay for old employees. There is a tendency for some people to find a sense of security in the past. In times of frustration or difficulty, or when faced with new or unfamiliar ideas or methods, people may reflect on the past.  

The Origins Of Opera

The Origins Of Opera ITALIAN OPERA is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was born in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous operas in Italian were written by foreign composers, including Handel, Gluck and Mozart. Works by native Italian composers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini, are amongst the most famous operas ever written and today are performed in opera houses across the world. Dafne by Jacopo Peri was the earliest composition considered opera, as understood today.[1] Peris works, however, did not arise out of a creative vacuum in the area of sung drama. An underlying prerequisite for the creation of opera proper was the practice of monody. Monody is the solo singing/setting of a dramatically conceived melody, designed to express the emotional content of the text it carries, which is accompanied by a relatively simple sequence of chords rather than other polyphonic parts. Italian composers began composing in this style late in the 16th century, and it grew in part from the long-standing practise of performing polyphonic madrigals with one singer accompanied by an instrumental rendition of the other parts, as well as the rising popularity of more popular, more homophonic vocal genres such as the frottola and the villanella. In these latter two genres, the increasing tendency was toward a more homophonic texture, with the top part featuring an elaborate, acti ve melody, and the lower ones (usually these were three-part compositions, as opposed to the four-or-more-part madrigal) a less active supporting structure. From this, it was only a small step to fully-fledged monody. All such works tended to set humanist poetry of a type that attempted to imitate Petrarch and his Trecento followers, another element of the periods tendency toward a desire for restoration of principles it associated with a mixed-up notion of antiquity. By the end of the 17th century some critics believed that a new, more elevated form of opera was necessary. Their ideas would give birth to a genre, opera seria (literally serious opera), which would become dominant in Italy and much of the rest of Europe until the late 1700s. The influence of this new attitude can be seen in the works of the composers Carlo Francesco Pollarolo and the enormously prolific Alessandro Scarlatti. During the eighteenth century artistic and cultural life in Italy was heavily influenced by the aesthetic and poetic ideals of the members of the Accademia dellArcadia. The Arcadian poets introduced many changes to serious music drama in Italian, including: the simplification of the plot the removal of comic elements the reduction of the number of arias a predilection for plots drawn from ancient Classical or modern French tragedy, in which the values of loyalty, friendship and virtue were extolled and the absolute power of the sovereign was celebrated By far the most successful librettist of the era was Pietro Metastasio and he maintained his prestige well into the 19th century. He belonged to the Arcadian Academy and was firmly in line with its theories. A libretto by Metastasio was often set by twenty or thirty different composers and audiences came to know the words of his dramas by heart. In the 1600s comic operas were produced only occasionally and no stable tradition was established. Only in the early years of the 18th century was the comic genre of opera buffa born in Naples and it began to spread throughout Italy after 1730. Opera buffa was distinguished from opera seria by numerous characteristics: the importance given to stage action and the consequent need for the music to follow the changes of the drama, emphasising the expressiveness of the words the choice of singers who were also excellent actors able to perform the drama convincingly a reduction in the use of scenery and stage machinery and in the number of orchestral players the use of a small cast of characters (at least in the short form of comic opera known as the intermezzo) and simple plots, a good example being Pergolesis La serva padrona libretti inspired by commedia dellarte, with realistic subjects, colloquial language and slang expressions as far as singing was concerned: the complete rejection of vocal virtuosity; a tendency to an incorrect pronunciation of the words; the frequent presence of rhythmic and melodic tics; the use of onomatopoiea and interjections. In the second half of the 18th century comic opera owed its success to the collaboration between the playwright Carlo Goldoni and the composer Baldassare Galuppi. Thanks to Galuppi, comic opera acquired much more dignity than it had during the days of the intermezzo. Operas were now divided into two or three acts, creating libretti for works of a substantially greater length, which differed significantly from those of the early 18th century in the complexity of their plots and the psychology of their characters. These now included some serious figures instead of exaggerated caricatures and the operas had plots which focussed on the conflict between the social classes as well as including self-referential ideas. Goldoni and Galuppis most famous work together is probably Il filosofo di campagna (1754). The collaboration between Goldoni and another famous composer Niccolà ² Piccinni produced another new genre: opera semiseria. This had two buffo characters, two nobles and two in between characters. The one-act farsa had a significant influence on the development of comic opera. This was a type of musical drama initially considered as a condensed version of a longer comic opera, but over time it became a genre in its own right. It was characterised by: vocal virtuosity; a more refined use of the orchestra; the great importance given to the production; the presence of misunderstandings and surprises in the course of the drama. Glucks reforms Opera seria had its weaknesses and critics; a taste for embellishment on behalf of the superbly trained singers, and the use of spectacle as a replacement for dramatic purity and unity drew attacks. Francesco Algarottis Essay on the Opera (1755) proved to be an inspiration for Christoph Willibald Glucks reforms. He advocated that opera seria had to return to basics and that all the various elements-music (both instrumental and vocal), ballet, and staging-must be subservient to the overriding drama. Several composers of the period, including Niccolà ² Jommelli and Tommaso Traetta, attempted to put these ideals into practice. The first to really succeed and to leave a permanent imprint upon the history of opera, however, was Gluck. Gluck tried to achieve a beautiful simplicity. This is illustrated in the first of his reform operas, Orfeo ed Euridice, where vocal lines lacking in the virtuosity of (say) Handels works are supported by simple harmonies and a notably richer-than-usual orc hestral presence throughout. Glucks reforms have had resonance throughout operatic history. Weber, Mozart and Wagner, in particular, were influenced by his ideals. Mozart, in many ways Glucks successor, combined a superb sense of drama, harmony, melody, and counterpoint to write a series of comedies, notably Cosà ¬ fan tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, and Don Giovanni (in collaboration with Lorenzo Da Ponte) which remain among the most-loved, popular and well-known operas today. But Mozarts contribution to opera seria was more mixed; by his time it was dying away, and in spite of such fine works as Idomeneo and La Clemenza di Tito, he would not succeed in bringing the art form back to life again. [edit] Instrumental music The dominance of opera in Italian music tends to overshadow the important area of instrumental music.[27] Historically, such music includes the vast array of sacred instrumental music, instrumental concertos, and orchestral music in the works of Andrea Gabrieli, Giovanni Gabrieli, Tomaso Albinoni, Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi, Luigi Boccherini, Luigi Cherubini and Domenico Scarlatti. (Even opera composers occasionally worked in other forms-Giuseppe Verdis String Quartet in E minor, for example. Even Donizetti, whose name is identified with the beginnings of Italian lyric opera, wrote 18 string quartets.) In the early 20th century, instrumental music began growing in importance, a process that started around 1904 with Giuseppe Martuccis Second Symphony, a work that Malipiero called the starting point of the renascence of non-operatic Italian music.[28] Several early composers from this era, such as Leone Sinigaglia, used native folk traditions. The early 20th century is also marked by the presence of a group of composers called the generazione dellottanta (generation of 1880), including Franco Alfano, Alfredo Casella, Gian Francesco Malipiero, Ildebrando Pizzetti, and Ottorino Respighi. These composers usually concentrated on writing instrumental works, rather than opera. Members of this generation were the dominant figures in Italian music after Puccinis death in 1924.[8] New organizations arose to promote Italian music, such as the Venice Festival of Contemporary Music and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Guido Gattis founding of the periodical il Piano and then La rassegna musicale also helped to promote a broader view of music than the political and social climate allowed. Most Italians, however, preferred more traditional pieces and established standards, and only a small audience sought new styles of experimental classical music.[

Sociohistorical context of UFO conspiracism Cold War tensions :: Essays Papers

Sociohistorical context of UFO conspiracism Cold War tensions More than one analyst (e.g. Jung 1991, Peebles 1996) has noted that UFOs, whatever their true age, only really took off as reports, folklore, and entertainment during the Cold War. They fit into a general pattern of tension and confusion concerning such things as national identity, global security, and human survival. Carl Jung, writing when the contactee phenomenon was reaching a crescendo, emphasized the "space messiah" theme in UFO reports and entertainment. Our more evolved elders were here to save us from ourselves. In the 1970s, abduction reports began to bring home the idea that alien contact may be more for the aliens' benefit than anything. And now, from its position at the heart of US ufology and its firm position in contemporary entertainment, alien abduction exerts an influence making an alien and/or government collusion plausible to many people. Themes of literature and movies Tensions from the great global political contest of the second half of this century formed the subject of much news and academic output, but were also at the core of a great deal of entertainment. We can see this in sci-fi movies from this era: "The Day the Earth Stood Still," in which nuclear weapons testing provokes stern warnings from our galactic neighbors; "This Island Earth," where Earth scientists are forced to help their alien counterparts in a losing battle against an unseen enemy; "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," interpreted as either a McCarthyite warning of Communist infiltration of a denunciation of McCarthyism; and even the many monster movies like "Them" with its giant ants, comments on the destructive effects of heedless technological tampering with nature. Science fiction was not alone in discussing fears about invasions from outside or betrayals within, but it was perhaps the most effective genre in projecting these fears onto the increasingly vast and impersonal s creen provided by scientific views of the cosmos. Actual cover-ups It also bears repeating that, during this period, public confidence in institutional authorities was repeatedly shaken, not least by several actual government cover-ups. Projects of questionable ethical or pragmatic import undertaken by various government agencies under the cloak of "national security" did not always remain secret. A few, like the notorious MK Ultra and Cointelpro psychological control programs, confirmed fears that the government was not above experimenting on its own citizens to achieve its goals. But there were also such exposed cover-ups as the Watergate break-in, the Iran-Contra exchanges, and the eventual confirmation that atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in Nevada had deadly effects on uninvolved citizens downwind.

Ancient Chinese Foods Essay

Now in order to live and be successful, you need to eat. The Ancient Chinese were/are very successful. They are also the longest civilization on Earth. So what was their stable food supply? The Ancient Chinese ate a variety of different foods. They ate rice, millet, fish, sorghum, wheat, pork, vegetables, fruits, and ginger. They ate the plant, fruit, and even the root! The Ancient Chinese used these ingredients to make porridge, tea, soups, etc. Specialization is another key to success. You have to have surpluses of food to specialize or master a trade/art. Now what food surpluses did they use to trade, and what did they trade for? The Ancient Chinese had surplus foods of rice, wheat, sorghum, millet, and barley which they used for trade. These 5 foods are a vital part of Ancient China’s food supply. Since they needed a lot of these, they planted and grew a lot. These led to surpluses. They used these surpluses to trade for toys (for the children), cotton, ivory, wool, gold, silver, etc. These items that they obtained from trade were traded through the Silk Roads. Now in order to grow the food for the living, you have to have tools to help you out. The Ancient Chinese had so many tools that they used so I probably can’t fit them on this paper. I’ll list a few. They used compasses, plows, harnesses, wheelbarrows, water wheels, harnesses, and crossbows. When the Ancient Chinese hunted, they probably used a compass and a crossbow. They probably used a compass to lead them back to a spot and a crossbow to shoot at game. When they were farming, they probably used plows, harnesses, and wheelbarrows. The Ancient Chinese probably used plows to turn the soil on their fields. The harnesses might have been used for horses to drag objects. Finally, the wheelbarrow might have been used to transports farming essentials. The Ancient Chinese used many tools to help them out. You’re probably wondering what they grew and how they grew it. Mostly they grew rice, millet, sorghum, wheat, soybeans, cucumbers, lemons, oranges, peaches, apricots, and ginger. Now, what were their techniques of growing these crops so successfully? They used crop rotation, fertilization with human manure, building levees, and planting in rows. Crop rotation is when you have several fields and each year you leave a few as fallow. This lets the fields â€Å"recharge†. For example, you have three fields. One year, field one and two are used to grow crops, while field three is recharging. The next year, you use fields two and three, while field one is recharging, and so on. This stabilizes the fields. Next, they used human manure fertilization. First of all, why didn’t they use animal manure? The Ancient Chinese didn’t have that much livestock. This increased the room for crops. Third, levees are important. The Huang He and the Yantze flooded annually. The water flooded the irrigation ditches which killed the crops. The levees served as dams. Finally, they planted in rows so that it would be convenient for them to water, organize, and weed them. The Ancient Chinese had many different strategies that they used to help them out.

Admissions for dental hygine

One book that has greatly influenced my philosophy in life is the Autobiography of Malcolm X: As told to Alex Haley.   I feel that this book has changed my perspective on a lot of things in life, particularly on the value of education.   Malcolm X, while known as a great spokesperson and an influential historical figure, battled against all odds to become the great person that he is today.The sacrifices that he made in order to make the world a better place to live in are greatly appreciated by today’s society.   All of that, he accomplished because he was able to educate himself in his later years.I was at one of the lowest points of my life and everything seemed so bleak.   I had given up on a lot of things in my life and was about to give up my schooling and pursue an alternative career instead.   I realized that Malcolm X was right.There is so much more that one can learn in life and there is no limit to what one can be as long as one approaches things with an op en mind and an eager attitude.   It was this same thinking that led me to pursue my education and the same thinking that brought me to the challenges that I soon had to face.The pursuit of education has never been easy for me.   Having decided that I was going to pursue my education, I had to come to grips with reality and face the responsibilities and challenges of studying.   Places, histories and events were usually destinations for Malcolm X as he read almost every book that he could find.For him, his homemade education had changed his life and he was certain that it could change the lives of others as well.   â€Å"I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life.†Ã‚   This is what has inspired me in the pursuit of my career and my education.Having been working as a Dental Assistant for the past 4  ½ years, I have come to realize realize that as the world continues to change and the workplace becomes more and more challenging and competitive, it becomes imperative for anyone looking for a successful career to not only have the drive to succeed but also the training and expertise to do so.I am not saying that I do not have the training and expertise at the moment but I do believe that there is still room for more.   The rich and diverse academic community at (insert name of school) will definitely be the perfect place for me to learn and be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.That is why I believe that this course is a crucial step for me.   My success and my accomplishments here will herald the beginning of the fulfillment of my personal and professional goals.   It is said that the one thing that nobody can ever take away from you is your education and that is the one thing that I plan to not only gain for myself but for others as well.Perhaps, one of the most influential events in my life that have pointed me in the direction of Dentistry is my passion for Dental Hygiene.   As such, this has prompted me to continue my studies in this field and eventually enter professional school and pursue a career as a dentist.   I feel that my direction in this course also has to do with my character and my strengths.My most important character strength, in my opinion, is my ability to adapt, accept and learn.   My drive to succeed has been fueled by the experienced that I had early on in life.   Growing up without many benefits in life, I was inspired by the perseverance and dedication that my parents showed.   This provided me with a closer view of what I need to accomplish at an academic level before venturing into private practice of my own, particularly in this highly competitive field.Pursuing my career in Dental Hygiene is just the first step in my plan.  Ã‚   I would like to have the opportunity to take a bigger role in making the world a better place to live.   My main philosophy in life is to lead by setting an example. I cannot expect others to do what I m yself would be willing to do but that does not mean that I cannot hope that others will see the example that I have shown them.This philosophy is one of the many forces that drive me to pursue my dream of pursuing this career and of becoming so much more in life.   The chance to help those who are less fortunate in life, the chance to help people like myself, the opportunity to be of service to humanity; these are the reasons why I have selected this as the profession that I will pursue; for, as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, â€Å"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 