The Dangers of Fossil Fuel Use :: Fossil Fuels Essays

The Dangers of Fossil Fuel Use Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines the term fossil fuel as â€Å"a fuel, as coal, oil, or natural gas, that is formed in the earth from plant or animal remains.† The major fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, and natural gases. Here in the United States, and all over the world, fossil fuel functions as an extremely beneficial resource. We use gas to fuel our cars and depend on electricity produced from coal and oil to heat and cool our homes. But, these positive aspects do not come without drawbacks. Environmental health, climate change, acid rain, and air pollution are among the top problems with fossil fuel production and consumption. (http://environment.about.com/library/weekly/aa050700.htm) Fossil fuel use creates severe impact on the environment in all stages of use: recovery, transportation, preparation/refining, storage, and end use. Recovery, the first stage is basically the process of coal mining. This includes the destruction of topsoil, and the risk of gushers or accidents. Also, recovery leads to discolored local creeks and rivers because of the acidic run-off of these waters (Lecture 3/11/02). Next, these resources must be transported all over the world, where they will go into the preparation and refining stage. During this stage, there is a risk that refuse or sludge will result from coal cleaning parts (Lecture 3/11/02). Also, air and water pollution may result from the process of petroleum refining, which involves the change of the chemical composition of petroleum to produce desirable chemicals and fuels. However, that means that the undesirable results are released to pollute the atmosphere. (Lecture 2/22/02) After being properly refined, the resources are stored. This stage may cause environmental problems such as gasoline leaks in underground tanks at gas stations. Finally, end use results in the release of pollutants from combustion. These pollutants include unburnt hydrocarbons, particulate matter, such as ash or soot, and sulfur and nitrogen oxides (Lecture 3/11/02). The combination of these pollutants often results in smog, a problem most pressing in California (http://www.sparetheair.org/). Major challenges exist concerning environmental problems with fossil fuel use. One challenge is to reduce fossil fuel use, in general, while also accommodating the increasing population and industrialization (Lecture 3/18/02). A second challenge is to remember to put human life before the need for industrialization. The National Resource Defense Council states that every year, some â€Å"64,000 people may die prematurely from cardiopulmonary causes linked to particulate air pollution".

How Our Society Depicts Gender Essay

Gender is a powerful force that has shaped humankind’s history and has remained a strongly divisive issue, influencing all facets of the society. The age-old sexist views against women are still evidently present and strong in today’s society. For instance, in the most recent elections in the United States, gender has played a major role, especially in the light of a good number of women joining the process, either as candidates, campaigners and advocates, or opinion leaders. Zernike, K. (2008), in a New York Times article entitled â€Å"Postfeminism and other fairy tales†, tackles the difficulties that women candidates faced amidst predominantly sex- and gender-biased electorate, and even the media. Gender in the Media The media today carries messages that are either shaped by or shaping the society. Curran, J. (2002) concludes that the media is a powerful and convenient vehicle which societal forces ride on to spread their messages, or to put forward their agenda and win support, and that what the media dominantly carries as messages are reflections of the society at large. What better way, then, to know how society depicts gender than by looking at the way media depicts it, through commercials, for instance. Take as an example Kelly Ripa’s Electrolux commercial, wherein the lady host is depicted as not only an efficient host doing a daily show among others, but also doing all household chores single-handedly. And Electrolux’s tagline â€Å"You can be more amazing† implies that although the woman, represented in the commercial by Ripa, has been juggling time and running around in her feat to efficiently serve her home while maintaining her professional life, can even do more, as if all those things she had been doing are still not enough for the woman to be admired. This depiction of a woman in this commercial does not strictly fall into any of the themes or categories explained by Goffman, as the commercial is already a mixture of various elements mentioned by Goffman, including the use of height differences, smile, elevation, etc. For instance, in a scene where Ripa drinks champagne with colleagues, her male counterparts are shown as much taller than she is, likewise her female colleague, who looks so distinctly like a male in her tailored suit and short hair. The scene sends a strong message that among them, Ripa is of lower rank, as symbolized by her short height relative to everybody else in the scene, her long blond hair and lighter colored suit. Therefore, as the one of lower rank and probably social status, Ripa has to run home to tuck her kids to bed. The use of the kitchen can easily be understood as the commercial is all about selling efficient kitchen and home appliances. However, it also gives a message that being a woman, Ripa must be efficient at home also, and must be able to respond to the kids’ needs at the exact moment that they need her. Overall, the message of the ad is clear – that a woman’s professional success does not really count, as her efficiency at home counts the most. Conclusion Contemporary society is no different from societies of centuries back. While there are several theories on gender which different groups adhere to depending on what is convenient to their beliefs and agenda (Butler, J. , 1988), it is undeniable that gender biases and prejudices have not really changed significantly despite all the efforts through the years. Society still holds a very limited perspective and myopic point of view on gender. Although formal institutions have been set to raise awareness of and promote gender equality, and various mechanisms have been established to eliminate gender biases and prejudices, there is still a prevalent culture of gender inequality. Biases against women, stereotyped as weak, domestic, naturally made for homecare, incapable of professional achievements, among others, still predominate society’s overall mantra – through the media, and even in the political, academic and social arenas. Indeed, as Butler quotes Simone de Beauvoir: â€Å"one is not born but rather becomes a woman,† (Beauvoir, 1986, as quoted by Butler, p. 519), society develops concepts, and in this case, creates the concept of a woman as society wants it to be: weak, domestic, only good for the home, among other stereotypes. As society depicts its women to be such, it should not expect, then, for its women to achieve more in life, it should not push its women to do impossible feats. The society better think of ways to take care of its women, however these women want to live their lives – limiting themselves in stereotypical women roles, or jumping out of the box and dare do what only men are expected to do. Works Cited Butler, Judith (1988), Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory, Theater Journal, Vol. 40, No. 4 (Dec. ,1988),pp. 519-531. Curran, James (2002), Media and Power illustrated edition, Routledge 2002. Zernike, Kate (2008), Posfeminism and other fairy tales, The Nation, New York Times, published 16 March 2008.a

What Is the Objective of Internet Censorship in Public...

Shawn Nephi Klaxx What is the objective of internet censorship in public schools? Is it effective and does it do more good than bad? When talking about internet censorship in schools, heated debates are always bound to arise on what they should block, how strict they should be, and if they should even be there. The topic of fettered or unfettered internet is a hot topic and can be both good and bad for education. When talking about something that sounds like such a small topic it is important to remember that everyday our lives and the internet are becoming more and more intertwined. Now phones and computers are almost always linked to the internet. In this ever evolving world that is becoming more and†¦show more content†¦Just like everything else there are laws that are placed on the internet and these laws are expected to be followed. When these laws are broken they can be punishable under two categories, Federal or International (being that it is a World Wide Web database(No one owns it)). It is important to teach students these laws and the consequences of breaking these laws. Because it is easier to teach a child something then to teach them as a grown adult. Teachers and parents alike argue that Internet filters should be applied but no one can come to an agreement on to what extent the strictness of these filters should be. â€Å"Congress, in 2000 enacted the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. The act provides three different types of funding; 1) aid to elementary and secondary schools; 2) Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants to States for support of public libraries; and 3) the E-rate program that provides technology discounts to schools and public libraries.† (â€Å"Children and the Internet† National Conference of State Legislation). 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