Environmental Pollution by Cars Essay

Environmental issues have become a major concern in recent years. With global warming and climate change topping the agenda of many environmental groups and NGOs, it is hard for government as well as the general public to ignore the fact that our planet is changing rapidly. As a result of mass-scale industrialization and a rapid shift in lifestyles over the past century, the resources of our planet have been stretched to the limit. This situation will not only lead to a shortage of certain precious resources, including fresh water and food, in the years to come but will lead to a considerable rise in pollution. Carbon emissions produced by automobiles, airplanes and industrial equipment are the primary source of pollution world over. However, it is the consumption of energy by households and automobiles that make the major contribution towards the world’s carbon footprint (Cast 24). With United States being the largest economy and the most developed nation, it is no surprise that we are the largest polluters on earth. It is therefore imperative for us to lead by example and take some action in order to reduce our contribution towards global pollution. This essay will discuss whether it is possible to reduce fuel consumption by cars and if there are any alternative sources of energy for cars. (Cast 35) Fuel Consumption by Cars: As mentioned earlier, automobiles are one of the largest fuel consumers and therefore are a major contributor towards pollution. For this particular reason, environmental groups and even governments in some countries have been encouraging people to minimize the use of private transport and use other alternatives such as public transport, cycling, telecommuting etc (Cast 39). It should however be noted that not all alternatives to private transportation suit the needs of individuals and therefore it is very likely people will continue to use private transportation. A more practical approach towards the reduction of fuel consumption therefore will be to switch to relatively environmentally friendly sources of energy (Cast 39). The electric car has long been presented as a true alternative to the vehicles that use an internal combustion engine. It utilizes chemical energy stored in batteries and emits little or zero carbon. Not only are these vehicles environmentally friendly but is also fuel efficient. Proponents of electric vehicles also argue that the cost of producing electric vehicles is much lower than standard vehicles (Boschert 90). The only pitfall with electric cars is that currently there are only limited cars available in the market that can be considered purely electrical. Major automobile manufacturers have been accused of trying to block the progress on this front. It is also important to note that whatever progress has been made for the development of electric cars, there are not sophisticated enough models available in the market to meet the demands of the customers or to compete with the standard products. Until that level of sophistication is achieved, it will not be possible for the electrical car models to replace their standard counterparts. It should also be noted that to make a transition from an ICE vehicle dominated market to a zero-emission vehicle market, proper infrastructure for the supply of electrical batteries will have to be developed. (Boschert 97-102) The new breed of hybrid vehicles, introduced by some leading automobile manufacturers such as Toyota and Ford, is a rather practical solution to the problem. Not only they allow consumers to make a rather smooth transition from carbon fuel consumption to electric fuel but also offer the features and benefits offered by the standard models (Boschert 140). Hybrid electric vehicles are also more durable as compared to ICEs and are more energy efficient. Market statistics indicate that HEVs are a more favourable option as compared to pure electric vehicles. With Toyota and Honda leading the market in the HEV sector other major players are also entering this arena including Audi, Nissan, Lexus and Ford. It should however be noted that production of Hybrid vehicles is more costly and therefore they are more expensive. However, with countries introducing legislations concerning the environment and introducing subsidies for environmentally friendly vehicles, this is likely to change in the years to come. (Boschert 151) Criticism of ‘Green Cars’: Although, going green sounds to be the next big thing not only for car makers but also a number of other manufacturing organizations, there has been some level of opposition to this new wave of environmental obsession. Organizations tied to major oil revenues are one of the major opponent who argue that a radical shift to ‘greener’ cars will damage the economy and will lead to a considerable loss of jobs in certain sectors. It is also argued that electric vehicles or HEVs still have some environmental impact and are not completely emission-free as is usually argued. In addition to this, electric or hybrid cars are also more costly, hence making them an unfavourable choice for the consumer. (Boschert 211) Conclusion: The rapid change in our environment demands that we take immediate action. One of the areas that we need to address in this respect is to reduce the consumption of planet’s resources and to minimize the carbon footprint produced by us. As automobiles are one of the major producers of carbon emission, automobile manufacturers are investing considerable resources in development of environmentally friendly products.However, they still have a long way to go and a considerable level of development has to be made. Work Cited Cast, C. Vance. â€Å"Where Does Pollution Come From? † Barron’s Educational Series April, 1994. http://www. amazon. com/Where-Does-Pollution-Clever-Calvin/dp/0812015711/ref=sr_1_13? ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207538767&sr=8-13 Boschert, Sherry. â€Å"Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars that will Recharge America†, New Society Publishers December, 2006 http://www. amazon. com/Plug-Hybrids-CarsRechargeAmerica/dp/0865715718/ref=sr_1_8_s9_rk? ie=UTF8&s=books&s9r=8a585b4317a113eb0117a8105c020138&itemPosition=8&qid=1207538919&sr=1-8

Explain the theory of Virtue Ethics Essay

Aristotle originally introduced virtue Ethics to society in ancient Greek times. Virtue Ethics tells us that we should look at the character of the person instead of the actions or duties a person performs. Instead of concentrating on what is the right thing to do, virtue ethics asks how you can be a better person. Aristotle claims that leading a virtuous life is easy, and those who do, do so to be happy. Happiness is the ultimate goal for everyone in life. To become a better person, you must practice virtuous acts regularly. After a while, these acts will become routine and so the virtuous acts will be nothing more than everyday life and the person a virtuous person. Aristotle said that although virtues should become a habit we must never forget that we behave in such a way because it is right. For example, if a singer practices singing everyday, they will become better at it and used to doing it. This is the same as people who practice their virtues and soon automatically act in the right way, by practicing our skills we improve them, becoming happier. Virtues should not be an effort, but simply a part of everyone’s personality. Aristotle says that virtue is something that we acquire and are not just born with, people are not inherently good or bad, but become good or bad according to the habits they develop. Aristotle said that a virtue was a ‘Golden Mean’ in between to vices. These ‘Vices’ are two extremes of a scale at opposite ends, one of excess and one of deficiency. For example the vices would be shamelessness and shyness, and the virtue modesty. Another example of this would be rudeness and a sense of humour as the two vices and the virtue as wittiness. Such virtues must be cultivated, we must learn when to use certain virtues and to what extent, for example we must not ever use humour in excess to act like a fool, but at the same time we must also not pass into rudeness. Two philosophers, Anscombe and MacIntyre say that there has been a mistake in how virtues have been portrayed. The majority of people look at the actions a person does to judge whether they are virtuous or not. The way in which we behave provides an opportunity for others to judge our virtues and vices. This however is not right. People should look at the character within and  look at what the person believes is right and how they think they should help people instead of what they do to help. A famous example of a virtuous person is Mother Theresa. She helped millions of suffering people across the world and for this became well known as a virtuous person. There are hundreds of other virtuous people who would have liked to have helped but were unable to do so in such a huge way who are not considered as virtuous, but these people are just as virtuous but not recognised for it. Aristotle tells us that we are most likely to learn virtuous behaviour from watching others. If we experience others being kind to us and see the happiness it creates we are more likely to practice it then if we were just told to do it. For example, if we were told to be courageous we may occasionally stand up for small things that we disagree with, but if we see someone telling others off for not doing the right thing then we are more likely to not allow bad behaviour towards ourselves. Aristotle said that the best way of becoming virtuous was to follow in the footsteps of a virtuous person, e.g. Mother Theresa and do what they do. Virtue Ethics is relative; Aristotle recognised that virtues in one country may not be the same as virtues in another. He believed that there was no absolute platonic good beyond our world. As virtues have evolved through habits of society it is probable that different societies would deem different actions good or bad. However there is no difference between the virtues of a community and individuals within that community, the supreme happiness that Aristotle talks about is one for the community, and not just and individual. MacIntyre suggests that philosophy is too far removed from ordinary life and said that it is not good enough that philosophers spend their time debating the nature of ethical language or forming reasoned theories of morality in a way that is far removed from real people and real life. All actions are done in order to reach an aim. A successive series of actions are also for an aim, for example getting up in to morning to go to work, is to make money, is to feed our families is to go on nice holidays is to but them nice things etc. all ultimate aims is to make people happy, everything is subordinate to the supreme good, which is happiness. Everyone has  different ideas of what happiness is and different things all make different people happy, and Aristotle called this feeling of all round well being eudemonia. Therefore, Virtue Ethics concentrates on what a person is then what a person does. Its aim is to achieve something, which people genuinely want rather then being based on arguably incoherent ideas about the after-life. It is a system, which can be easily applied and understood by all. It fits into a variety of philosophies, and religions, which both do and don’t include God. However, there are a few problems with Virtue Ethics. Ones of these which has been pointed out by MacIntyre is that although a virtue is the ‘golden mean’ between two vices it cannot be applied to all virtues. Virtues such as promise keeping, loyalty, and compassion do not fall between any two vices and so Aristotle’s theory of this does not really work. Another problem with this theory is that it is of little help to people faced with a moral dilemma. It does not help them make a decision like other theories such a natural law or utilitarianism.

Prejudice and Discrimination Article

Prejudice and Discrimination Article Free Online Research Papers Everyone knows that each country will have some sort of prejudice and discrimination happening within the nation. Not every country will let the discrimination and discrimination among the people lead into such things as wars, segregation, political unrest, and poverty, while other countries cannot seem to do much to stop things from occurring. Today the discussion will be about the discrimination and prejudice which Black Africans and Colored face in South Africa as well as the different races and ethnicities within South Africa. Cultures, Races, and Ethnic Groups First we need to take a good look at the meaning of culture, race, and ethnicity to better understand how each goes together. Culture deals with the values, beliefs, behaviors, and material objects, which help, form a way of life for people. Race is when people are, categorized by the biological traits in which those in the society share, such as whites, African American, Asian, and others. Some might be classified as a ce rtain race due to traits such as the hair, skin color, facial features, or even body shape. Ethnicity is dealing with shared cultural heritage based on ancestors, language, and religions, which those people share. As we see these three things can go together, but they are also not alike in some ways as well. (Macionis, 2006) South Africa is comprised of many different languages, cultures, religions, and races. The nation consists of about â€Å"75 percent black, 14 percent white, 9 percent Colored, which is mixed racial heritage, and two percent Asian† as far as races go. (Knight and Mabunda, 2000) Then the races are divided out even more to form â€Å"ethnic groups with blacks being 5.6 million Xhosa, 5.3 million Zulu, and 4.2 million English† and â€Å"the 3.6 million Colored coming from many origins with a mixture of white, black and Asian ancestries† while the â€Å"6 million whites are about 3.6 million Afrikaner and 2.4 English heritages. Racism is the belief that one racial category is innately superior or inferior to another. There are many cases where one race has killed another race just because they were different. A race is a socially constructed category composed of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important. People may classify one another racially based on physical characteristics such as skin color, facial features, hair texture, and body shape. (Macionis, 2006). Race and ethnicity sometimes can be easily confused. The only way to clearly define the difference in the two is this: race refers to a person’s biological phenotype. Examples of races are Asian, African American, Indian, Caucasian, and so on. Ethnicity refers to a person’s cultural characteristics. Ethnicity is commonly defined by language, customs, or culture, common ancestors, and religion. Due to the countrys great ethnic diversity, South Africa has no single national culture. Ethnic and cultural assimilation have begun slowly to change this situation, but cultural differences still tend to correspond closely with racial ones, and each ethnic group may be identified with a more or less distinctive culture. At least 77% of South Africans are black Africans. Despite the effects of urbanization and westernization, (most black South Africans speak English or Afrikaans as well as an African mother tongue), the majority remain very poor and live rural and necessarily simple lives. Culture among black South Africans is consistent but by no means homogenous; marked distinctions can still be made along ethno-linguistic lines. South Africas policy of black economic empowerment (BEE) is not simply a moral initiative to redress the wrongs of the past. It is a pragmatic growth strategy that aims to realize the countrys full economic potential. In the decades before South Africa achieved democracy in 1994, the apartheid government systematically excluded African, Indian and colored people from meaningful participation in the countrys economy. This inevitably caused much poverty and suffering and a profoundly sick economy. The distortions in the economy eventually led to a crisis, started in the 1970s, when gross domestic product (GDP) growth fell to zero, and then hovered at about 3.4% in the 1980s. At a time when other developing economies with similar resources were growing, South Africa was stagnating. South African Colored culture is not easy to define as it refers to all people not categorized as white, black or Asian under racial classifications during apartheid. The first Colored people of South Africa were the slaves brought to the Cape after 1652 by the Dutch from the Dutch East Indies. The descendants of these people are sometimes referred to as Cape Malays. The South African Colored belief system of the descendants of slaves and exiled political prisoners brought here from the East by the Dutch is rooted in Islam. Among the political prisoners captured during their fight for freedom were holy men of noble birth who read secretly from the Koran to their people. (South African Tourism Research Site) The literature on transitional justice relates mechanisms such as truth commissions to the politics of negotiations. Such mechanisms are considered necessary to effect a smooth transition in circumstances where the institutions of the old order remain to a greater or lesser degree in place, yet are perceived as being unable or unwilling to facilitate the transition to a more democratic culture. In South Africa, as in many other emerging democracies, a crisis of legitimacy afflicted institutions such as the judiciary and security forces; they were thus seen as being constrained in their capacity to usher in a new order founded on democratic values especially for issues of accountability and prosecutions. Yet the need for these special transitional mechanisms implies a weakness or vulnerability in the new democracys ability to effectively affect the institutions of the old government and ensure political stability and peace. Thus in South Africa, for example, the amnesty provisio ns that formed one of the key planks of the TRC resulted from an effective refusal by the former apartheid governments security forces to guarantee peaceful elections without a reciprocal agreement by the premier liberation movement, the African National Congress (ANC), to provide some form of amnesty. Truth commissions are far from being merely a technical bridge between old and new; rather, they reflect the lines of ongoing contestation among and within opposing camps. The parliamentary debate that shaped the South African truth commission, for example, was extremely lengthy and heated, with the forces of the old order trying to limit the power and scope of the commission. Reference Page Macionis, 2006 Knight and Mabunda, 2000 South African Tourism Research Site The African National Congress (ANC Research Papers on Prejudice and Discrimination ArticleAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeWhere Wild and West Meet19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBringing Democracy to AfricaHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionHip-Hop is ArtAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThe Hockey GameQuebec and CanadaCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite Religion

Beauty When the Other Dancer is the Self

Beauty When the Other Dancer is the Self Context of the Essay This essay focuses on an essay that was written by Alice Walker. The essay focuses on the early part of her life as a child, a teenager and a young adult. During this time, she comes across a lot of challenges that affect her self-esteem, behaviour and relationship with herself and other members of the society.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, her life changes drastically with the changes in her self-consciousness and the manner in which she deals with these encounters. The main aim of this essay therefore is to critically analyze the essay with the help of supporting evidences and apply the lessons learned on real life situation. Presentation With the help of her essay, Walker is able to write her own autobiography of her early years of life. She begins the essay by presenting her early years of life. The year is 1947 and she is two and a half years old. Her mother is busy preparing them for the county fair that her father only wants to take three of his eight children. This is because the car that he will use to take the children to the fair only has room for three. Therefore, the one who look best or impress their father will get the chance. It is therefore the work of Alices mother to prepare all the eight children for her husband to pick the three. As they line up, Alice says, â€Å"Take me DaddyI am the prettiest† (Walker 442). Being the last-born and the prettiest girl, Alice is chosen together with two other children. As she continues with her essay, Alice also states that she was a bright child in both academic and performing arts. In 1950, she is picked again to give the Easter speech. Unlike the other children who stammer or forget their lines, Alice is fluent and eloquent. She also dresses magnificently and looks beautiful. People therefore cannot help but comment that, â€Å"That girl is a little mess† (Walker 442). As she grows older, she gets to be a tomboy and dress on a cowboy outfit just like her brothers. The go to watch western films together and play cowboy games with his brothers. Here, they pretend as if they are cowboys who are hunting down Indian cattle rustlers. However, things took a different turn when Alice reached 8 years of age. First, her father buys his brothers BB guns. Since she is a girl, her father cannot buy a gun for her. She therefore had to stick with the bow and arrow. This reduces her ranks in their playing games from a cowboy to an Indian.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Her brothers now shoot at her since she is an outlaw. From the tone of her voice, it is evident that she is not happy with her new character in the games (Walker 443). This is as a result of gender equality where females h ave always been viewed as a weaker sex in the society. Alices fate then becomes worse when one of his brothers shoot him with his BB gun. She is shot on the eye and develops a serious injury. Her brothers come up with a lie to cover up the story of the real incident. However, her parents soon find out the truth and by the time that she is taken to the doctor (almost a week later), it is too late to save her eye. She had developed a glob of white scar tissue on the spot where she was shot by her brothers BB gun. In addition, the eye cannot see at all. She becomes even more terrified when she hears the doctor saying, â€Å"If one is blind, the other will likely become blind too† (Walker 443). The white globe and being blind on one eye seems to affect the character and self-esteem of Alice. All through her life, Alice had used her beauty to gain her happiness. It is due to the fact that she was pretty that she was chosen by her father to go to the fair. It is also due to her bea uty that she was the best student in class and recited the Easter Sunday speech at ease. Now that she only has one eye and a white globe, she cannot stare at people. She separates herself from her other siblings and children. This is because, whenever she wants to interact with them, they normally comment on her eye. This really hurts her feelings. To make the matters worse, they have to move into a new county. The school that she goes to was once a prison and had an electric chair; this affects her thoughts and gives her nightmares. She is however forced to go back to her old church school where other children still make fun of her. One of them calls her, â€Å"the one eyed bitch† (Walker 443). At school, she begins to perform poorly. It is only one teacher who understands her and treats her with respect. During this time, her mother becomes very ill and she is afraid that she might die. In addition, her cousin comes to visit but since she has a low self-esteem, she hides. D uring all this time, Alice keeps on asking her family members if she had changed. They always tell her that she has not changed (Walker 443).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, when she is 14 years old, the white globe is removed from her eye. She is therefore able to stare at people again. She becomes a bright student in class and manages to get the love of his dreams. Towards the end of her essay, it is evident that she is a successful woman in life. She is even able to see the beauty of the desert before she completely goes blind. Her main fear is that her daughter, Rebecca will recent her for her disability but to her surprise, she stares at her on night and tell her, â€Å"Mommy, there is a world in your eye† (Walker 443). At this point, she realises that she has been resenting herself for all the wrong reasons. She is howev er glad that her daughter is not embarrassed by her physical disability. Analysis and significance of the Essay This essay presents how a small factor occurrence can change the life of an individual. There are many people who have been living normal lives but as a result of an injury, sickness or accidents, their lives have changed and their dreams have been shattered. This comes about as a result of a change in their lifestyles, character, self-esteem and relationship with other individuals. Alices life changed once she got an injury on her eye. Her beauty, which was her advantage in life, was shattered. When she used to pray at night, she did not pray for sight but for beauty (Walker 443). This therefore shows how much she valued her beauty. The same theory applies to individuals who value a specific part of their life and lose it. A good example is Magic Johnson of the LA Lakers. He was diagnosed with the HIV virus at the peak of his career. As a result, he had a difficult time a ccepting this fact. This made him retire from professional basketball. However, when he accepted his status and publicly announced it, he gained public support. He came back to the game and was chosen as an All Star player in 1996. It is therefore essential to believe in yourself no matter what. Work Cited Walker, Alice. In Search of Our Mothers Gardens: Womanist Prose. Michigan: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1983. Print

Growing and Maintaining Your Fig (Ficus Carica)

Growing and Maintaining Your Fig (Ficus Carica) Common fig (Ficus carica) is a small tree native to southwest Asia but widely planted in North America.  This edible fig is widely grown for its fruit and is commercially grown in the United States in California, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. The fig has been around since the dawn of civilization and was one of the first plants ever to be cultivated by humans. Fossilized figs dating to 9400-9200 BC were found in an early Neolithic village in the Jordan Valley. Archaeology expert Kris Hirst says figs were domesticated five thousand years earlier than millet or wheat. Taxonomy of the Common Fig Scientific name: Ficus caricaPronunciation: FIE-cussCommon name(s): Common fig. The name is very similar in French (figue), German (feige), Italian and Portuguese (figo).Family: Moraceae or mulberryUSDA hardiness zones: 7b through 11Origin: native to Western Asia but distributed by man throughout the Mediterranean region.Uses: Garden specimen; fruit tree; seed oil; latexAvailability: somewhat available, may have to go out of the region to find the tree. The North American Timeline and Spread There are no native temperate figs in the United States. Members of the fig family are located in tropical forests of the extreme southern portion of North America. The first documented fig tree brought to the New World was planted in Mexico in 1560. Figs were then introduced into California in 1769. Many varieties have since been imported from Europe and into the United States. The common fig reached Virginia and the eastern United States in 1669 and adapted well. From Virginia, fig planting and cultivation spread to the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Botanical Description Leaf: deciduous leaves are palmate, deeply divided into 3 to 7 main lobes, and irregularly toothed on the margins. The blade is up to 10 inches in length and width, fairly thick, rough on the upper surface, softly hairy on the underside. Flower: small and inconspicuous Trunk/bark/branches: droop as the tree grows, and will require pruning for clearance and weight reduction; Breakage: susceptible to breakage either at the crotch due to poor collar formation, or the wood itself is  weak and tends to break Propagation Fig trees have been raised from seed, even seeds extracted from commercial dried fruits. Ground or air-layering can be done satisfactorily, but the tree is most commonly propagated by cuttings of mature wood 2 to 3 years of age, 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick and 8 to 12 inches long. Planting must be done within 24 hours. The upper, slant cut end of the cutting should be treated with a sealant to protect it from disease, and the lower, flat, end with a root-promoting hormone. Common Varieties Celeste: a pear-shaped fruit with short neck and slender stalk. The fruit is small to medium and skin purplish-brown.Brown Turkey: broad-pyriform, usually without a neck. The fruit is medium to large and copper-colored. The main crop, begins in mid-July, is large.Brunswick: fruits of main crop are oblique-turbinate, mostly without neck. The fruit is of medium size, bronze or purple-brown.Marseilles: fruits of main crop round to oblate without a neck and on slender stalks. Figs in the Landscape Southern Living Magazine says that, in addition to being a delicious fruit, figs make beautiful trees in the Middle, Lower, Coastal, and Tropical South. Figs are versatile and easy to grow. They grow the perfect fruit, they love the heat, and the insects just seem to ignore them. You will have to share your tree with birds that flock in for a meal and partake of the fruits of your labor. This tree is a birders dream but a fruit pickers nightmare. Netting may be used to discourage fruit damage. Protection From Cold Figs cant stand temperatures that consistently fall below 0 degrees F. Still, you can actually get away with growing figs in colder climates if planted against a south-facing wall to benefit from the radiant heat. Figs also grow well and look great when espaliered against a wall. When temperatures dip below 15 degrees, mulch or cover trees with fabric. Protect the roots of container-growing figs by moving them indoors or transplant them to a frost-free area when temperatures fall below 20 degrees F. Avid fig growers in cold climates actually dig up the root ball, lay the tree in a mulching ditch and cover with their preferred compost/mulch. The Extraordinary Fruit What is commonly accepted as a figs fruit is technically a syconium with a fleshy, hollow receptacle with a small opening at the apex partly closed by small scales. This syconium may be obovoid, turbinate, or pear-shaped, 1 to 4 inches long, and varies in color from yellowish-green to copper, bronze, or dark-purple. Tiny flowers are massed on the inside wall. In the case of the common fig, the flowers are all female and need no pollination. Favorite Tips Where Do You Plant?: Figs require full sun all day to produce edible fruit. Fig trees will shade out anything growing beneath the canopy so nothing needs to be planted under the tree. Fig roots are abundant, traveling far beyond the tree canopy and will invade garden beds. How Do I Prune and Fertilize? Fig trees are productive with or without heavy pruning. It is essential only during the initial years. Trees should be trained with a low crown for fig collection and to avoid trunk-breaking limb weight. Since the crop is borne on terminals of previous years wood, once the tree form is established, avoid heavy winter pruning, which causes loss of the following years crop. It is better to prune immediately after the main crop is harvested, or with late-ripening cultivars, summer prune half the branches and prune the remainder the following summer. Regular fertilizing of figs is usually necessary only for potted trees or when they are grown on sandy soils. Excess nitrogen encourages foliage growth at the expense of fruit production. Any fruit that is produced often ripens improperly. Fertilize a fig tree if the branches grew less than a foot the previous year. Apply a total of 1/2 - 1 pound of actual nitrogen, divided into three or four applications beginning in late winter or early spring and ending in July. Fig Pests: From a Perdue University Report Fig trees are prone to attack by nematodes, but weve not found them a problem. Still, a heavy mulch will discourage many insects with the  proper application of nematicides. A common and widespread problem is leaf rust caused by Cerotelium fici. The disease brings about premature leaf fall and reduces fruit yields. It is most prevalent during rainy seasons. Leaf spot results from infection by Cylindrocladium scoparium or Cercospora fici. Fig mosaic is caused by a virus and is incurable. Affected trees must be destroyed.

Referee Report on a one of the starred readings Essay

Referee Report on a one of the starred readings - Essay Example mathematical and statistical analysis, the authors explored each of three possible explanations – cohort size, child endowment, or birth plannedness channels – and concluded that birth planning accounted for an extra 0.2 years or two to three months of schooling characteristically enjoyed by children born in auspicious years. The paper is well written. The authors described, with the use of a professional writing style that is simple and easy to understand, the topic and explained the purpose of the research clearly. They likewise were sufficiently objective in describing the limitations of the study, balancing the implications of the results and raising issues for further scientific investigation, such as the pervasiveness of superstition in influencing parental decisions for child bearing. Their grasp of Vietnamese culture is, in the absence of this reviewer’s prior knowledge on the subject, quite comprehensive, informational and fascinating. The diagrammatic approach in outlining the Vietnamese zodiac drives home the point that in Eastern cultures, many life-and-death decisions are determined by the stars. This may not sound scientific, but observing the fast economic growth rates and ongoing business successes of the developing Asian economies, it is easy to fall into the trap of questioning the wisdom of human decisions backed by millennia of experience. Do and Phung attempted to explain in a rational manner what seems like a sophisticated decision-making model based on Vietnamese culture’s reliance on the zodiac and linked this with the finding that large birth cohorts coincided with the auspicious years. They observed that, over the twenty-one years of the sample study, â€Å"auspicious† cohorts were schooled for 0.2 years more than the â€Å"non-auspicious† cohorts. Many economic research studies are based on statistics that researchers hope are reliable. The problem is that in most totalitarian governments, such as Vietnam’s, statistics

Underground space use with urban sustainability Essay

Underground space use with urban sustainability - Essay Example Underground Space Use with Urban Sustainability Moreover, city planners are faced with a huge task of ensuring that services in urban areas are not disrupted; despite the high number of people streaming to urban centers, the quality of life in cities has to remain unchanged. Moreover, today, there is increasing advocacy on sustainable developments especially with regard to built environment. With increasing awareness on the need to preserve the environment, people are demanding stringent sustainability measures in built environment. Therefore, city planners face a daunting task of deciding the best way to come up with city master plans that ensure sustainability. An approach that has remained untapped in the development of many cities; the approach  promises great opportunities for expansion of cities within sustainable limits is underground urban infrastructure development. Bobylev (2009, 1129) observed that, in order for investors to develop private housing, they require enough transport infrastructure and enough energy supply , which depends on the transport available in such cities. This calls for the need to have proper integration of urban infrastructure development and sustainable development in cities. Therefore, to ensure sustainability despite the growing of urban cities, underground urban development promises potential opportunities, if proper city master plans are prepared to highlight proper urban underground infrastructure designs. Chow et al (2) noted that the ability to maximize space in towns and urban cities would be the greatest challenge for engineers and architectures in the near future. One of the benefits of urban underground infrastructure is that it offers city planners opportunities and space to relocate infrastructure projects such as railway lines, roads, recreational facilities, stores, sports facilities among other amenities. The need for mass transportation services and modern infrastructural development requires new and innovative ways to use the available dwindling space in cities (Chow et al, 3). As a result, efficient use of underground space will ensure planners, developers, landowners and other parties have exciting and untapped opportunities to expand construction projects. Many cities have managed to save huge spaces by designing efficient underground master plans for their transport systems, which has helped not only in reducing congestion but also in maximizing utilization of space in cities. One of the best examples of the huge impacts of underground urban master plan is the London underground station, an underground facility that has managed not only to reduce traffic in the city but also has reshaped the city and utility of space to the best extent possible. The design and the emergence of the London underground station challenged the limits of engineering and city master planning across the globe. The station is an excellent benchmark of what would become of many cities in the future. Space is rapidly becoming scarce while demand for sustainability and the demand for transportation services have increased. Therefore, the London station is an excellent case of typical modernism (Wright, 2011). The tube as it is commonly known made it possible for people to travel between several stations within London at record speeds. As a result, people were no longer willing to live in the city but opted to live away from the city where they can spend a few minutes to get to London (Wright, 2011). T