The Deadly Hazard of Avalanches

The Deadly Hazard of Avalanches Avalanches have always occurred in the mountainous regions of the world. With the growth of winter-time recreations, fatalities have been on the rise since the 1950s. Avalanches claim over 150 lives each year worldwide and hundreds more are injured or trapped following an avalanche. Ninety percent of all avalanches occur on moderate slopes with an angle of 30Â ° to 45Â ° (snow tends not to accumulate on steeper slopes). Avalanches occur when the gravity pushing the collection of snow at the top of the slope is greater than the strength of the snow itself. A change in temperature, a loud noise, or vibrations are all that are necessary to trigger one of these snowfalls that begin at a starting zone. The avalanche continues downslope along the track and ultimately the avalanche fans out and settles in the runout zone. What Country Gets the Most Avalanches? Internationally, the Alpine countries of France, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy experience the greatest number of avalanches and loss of life annually. The United States ranks fifth worldwide in avalanche danger. The states of Colorado, Alaska, and Utah are the most deadly. Avalanche Prevention and Control Avalanche prevention and mitigation involves a variety of methods. Snow fences are built to prevent the buildup of snow in starting zones, structures are built to stabilize snow. deflecting walls are built to divert avalanche flows away from buildings and even entire towns. Sheds build across roadways that pass through persistent avalanche paths can help to protect motorists from avalanches. Additionally, the reforestation of slopes with trees helps to prevent avalanches. Sometimes avalanche control experts actually desire to create smaller, controlled avalanches to prevent larger, uncontrolled ones. Percussion guns, explosives, and even artillery have been used to produce these controlled avalanches when people are kept away. Although a variety of recreationists spend time in snow-covered mountains - snowmobilers are those most often killed by avalanches in the U.S. Most avalanches in the U.S. occur during the months January, February, and March and on average, 17 are killed annually nationwide. Backcountry explorers are strongly advised to not only know how to identify avalanche hazard areas but also to carry an avalanche beacon/transceiver and a shovel in case of emergency.

The History of the Taj Mahal

The History of the Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal is a beautiful white marble mausoleum in the city of Agra, India. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces in the world  and is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Every year, the Taj Mahal receives visits from between four and six million tourists from all over the world.   Interestingly, less than 500,000 of those visitors are from overseas; the vast majority are from India itself. UNESCO has designated the building and its grounds as an official World Heritage Site, and there is much concern that the sheer volume of foot traffic may have a negative impact on this wonder of the world. Still, it is hard to blame people in India for wanting to see the Taj, since the growing middle class there finally has the time and leisure to visit their countrys great treasure. Why the Taj Mahal Was Built The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan  (r. 1628 - 1658) in honor of the Persian princess Mumtaz Mahal, his beloved third wife. She died in 1632 while bearing their fourteenth child, and Shah Jahan never really recovered from the loss. He poured his energy into designing and building the most beautiful tomb ever known for her, on the southern banks of the Yamuna River. It took some 20,000 artisans more than a decade to build the Taj Mahal complex. The white marble stone is inlaid with floral details carved from precious gems. In places, the stone is carved into delicate vined screens called pierce work so that visitors can see into the next chamber. All of the floors are inlaid with patterned stone, and incised painting in abstract designs adorns the walls. The artisans who did this incredible work were supervised by an entire committee of architects, headed by Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The cost in modern values was about 53 billion rupees ($827 million US).  Construction of the mausoleum was completed around 1648. The Taj Mahal Today The Taj Mahal is one of the loveliest buildings in the world, combining architectural elements from across the Muslim lands. Among the other works that inspired its design are the Gur-e Amir, or the Tomb of Timur, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Humayuns Tomb in Delhi; and the Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah in Agra. However, the Taj outshines all of these earlier mausoleums in its beauty and grace. Its name literally translates as Crown of Palaces. Shah Jahan was a member of the Mughal Dynasty, descended from Timur (Tamerlane) and from Genghis Khan.  His family ruled India from 1526 to 1857.  Unfortunately for Shah Jahan, and for India, the loss of Mumtaz Mahal and the construction of her amazing tomb utterly distracted Shah Jahan from the business of governing India.  He ended up being deposed and imprisoned by his own third son, the ruthless and intolerant Emperor Aurangzeb.  Shah Jahan ended his days under house arrest, lying in bed, gazing out at the white dome of the Taj Mahal.  His body was interred in the glorious building he had made, beside that of his beloved Mumtaz.

Equity and trusts Master Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Equity and trusts Master - Case Study Example However it is important the trust instrument must allow the property to be identified clearly. (The K-Zone - Certainty of Subject Matter) The transfer of five thousand shares in Echo Ltd to be held in Trust will be considered as valid trust property as has been decided in the case of Re Rose (1952)4. The fact that the transfer of the shares was not registered does not affect the creation of the trust covering the shares, as the legal presumption is that even when the settler has not done enough to effect a legal transfer the act of creating a trust including the shares as the trust property will constitute a trust. The transfer of some prime agricultural land from the farm which Andy will inherit under his father's will does not constitute a trust. This is due to the fact that the title to the property in the passes to Andy only on the death of his father when the will takes effect. As the subject matter of the trust is not certain there is no creation of any trust in respect of the agricultural land. This is the case of a 'future property' that the settler expects to obtain. Any attempt to create a trust of a future property will be considered as void as the setter does not have the right to transfer the title to the trustee (The K-Zone - Future Property) This issue is well settled in Re Ellenborough 19035. 3. Transfer of house property to Pat - On her marriage to Jonathan In this case when Andy creates a trust of the house property in favour of Pat on the condition that she marries Jonathan it gives rise to a case that a court of equity would compel Andy to constitute the Trust if he reneges on his commitment (The K-Zone - Marriage Consideration). However there are no specific case laws to prove that marriage consideration would still constitute a valid purpose for the creation of a trust for a modern court. But the existence of marriage consideration is attracted by the basic implication of 'unregistered conveyancing' which may require the transfer of title to Pat. 4. Transfer to Richard one of the house properties In Milroy v Lord 18626 there are three processes that must be carried out to recognize the transfer of any property as a valid gift. They are: An outright transfer of legal title to the beneficiary An outright transfer to trustees to hold on trust for the beneficiary or a self declaration trust The principle to be considered here is that the above three circumstances are mutually exclusive and the courts will not consider an imperfect gift as a trust or vice versa. The principle established in the case of Re Rose 1952 though has been made specifically applicable to transfer of shares can equally be

Griffith's theory of fracture Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Griffith's theory of fracture - Coursework Example Ceramics and Metals have different atomic structure and ionic bonding. Ceramic materials have both ionic and covalent bonds. Ionic bond is the one that keeps them brittle. Ionic bond is lose and no definite direction.The positive and negative ions are arranged and are held together by attraction created by each other of different charge. When stress is applied, ions slide past each other then goes to different directions; ions of the same charge bumps and trying to repel each other; causing the atoms to spread. The material then breaks. In metals, the atomic structure consist more positively charged ions on a flow of negatively charge electrons. The electrons allows the positive charge ions to slide and roll past each other without breaking the bond when a certain stress is applied. This causes the metal to be tough. 2) Glass in general has a low tensile strength. This lies entirely with the fact that glass is a solid lacking crystalline structure or namely amorphous solid. Amorphous solid has a moving structure of molecules and are not compact, this results to having a low tensile strength than of other solids. However, there are methods of somehow improving glass’s tensile strength, strengthening them. One is by soaking the glass into a bath of potassium nitrate solution on an about 400 to 450 degrees Celsius having. Potassium nitrate has larger molecule structure than of a common sodium nitrate molecule in the surface of the glass. The process will now replace the sodium nitrate on a glass by the potassium nitrate in the bath solution, leaving the glass having a thick layer and a hard wedge. This is called â€Å"chemical strengthening†. Another one is called â€Å"heat strengthening† where a glass surface is heated for about 1100-1500 degrees Fahrenheit then suddenly cooled. After suddenly cooling, the glass molecules compresses, thus having a thick and compressed layer than before. 3) Griffith’s equation steps directly not to the strength of a material but the fracture in it and how hard can it withstand a force before it collapses. Fracture is the propagation of a crack or a flaw across loaded or force-applied segment. Toughness is the property of a material to withstand fracture. Now glass has literally low resistance to fracture than steel has. In Griffith’s equation, you would get stress over strain or Young’s modulus of a material first then that you will determine its toughness. A glass generally has only 50-90 GPa. Its ability to resist fracture is very low compared of steel which has a stress over strain ratio of around 190 to 210 GPa. This makes steel as a more preferable material than glass. 4) Elastic deformation by definition is reversible. Meaning, the material will return to its original state when stressed and bending stress is no longer applied. Uniform plastic deformation is an irreversible deformation where the material strains uniformly upon stress. The material will not ret urn to its original state rather it cracks or ruptures when certain stress is strong enough for the material to withstand. Local plastic deformation or also known as â€Å"necking† differs from uniform plastic deformation by means of the strain applied. It is a mode of tensile deformation where relatively large amounts of strain localize disproportionately in a small region of the material. The localised portion of the material where there is a decrease in local area became the basis for â€Å"neck†. 5) In rubber elasticity the polymer chains of an elastomer coils at random at a relaxed state. On extension, the chains are stretched out, and their conformational entropy is reduced. This is the reason why a rubber material, when suddenly relaxed from extension, snaps back. This is the basis in an elasticity modulus of a material. The material is highly elastic when its stiffness and extension are balanced together. Stiffness is an extensive property of a material to resi st deformation. The high the stiffness can be the high the material’s extensions. 6) Thermosetting resin has a composition

Improved Management Decision Making Essay Example for Free

Improved Management Decision Making Essay Managers at all levels of a business are required to make decisions constantly. Whether it be at an often low risk operational level, or at high importance strategic level, precise analysis is essential, failure on doing so could end in disaster in businesss unforgiving world. Evidence of this can be seen in the strategic level of Dell management in 2004. A poor decision to enter the market with their DJ.Ditty MP3 player, Dell failed to address any strong marketing campaign along with failure to analyse stronger substitute products concluded in Dell discontinuing the product two years later in 2006. The decision made in the development of the product were likewise poor as rival companies such as Apple and Zens product features far overpowered Dells weak product. (Laubacher 2011). Simple research into Information Systems tells us they are able to display information that can lead us to answer questions we are often queried with. But often management decisions are not just simple rhetorical answers but strategic procedures that will aid the business in specific ways. In this essay I will assess the different methods of how IT based systems through the means of Information systems can aid management decisions or, if they do at all. (C.Lucas 1994)In his book information systems concepts for management, defines an IS as a set of organised procedures, that when executed, provides information to support organisation. The information is a tangible or intangible entity that serves to reduce uncertainty about some state or event. (Oz, Jones and Gowthorpe 2009) Back this definition up stating an IS system is a computer based set of hardware, software and telecommunications components, supported by people and procedures to process data and turn it into useful information. The information system can then be divided up into different subsystems with varying goals that help gear towards the organisations main goal. It is clear that ISs are significant in the day to day operation of a business. The fact that ISs can answer question is indisputable, but the process in which they answer them and the form of answers they give can be debated. Synergy defines the combined resource output exceeding the total output of the same resources if they were employed separately (Oz, Jones and Gowthorpe 2009). This theory can be stretched as far as the four stages of processing that an information system goes through. Input is the first stage of this process which is entered by the human. The next three stages include the processing of the IS system, these include changing and manipulating the data, extracting the information out of the information system and finally storing the information that the IS system has administered. This is a great example of synergy, the IS system calculates the data at a quicker and cheaper cost than if a human were to do it, but the IS system first needs input from an event or scenario from a human, this evidence of synergy. (C.Luckem 2002) Theory on complex event processing relates to this very well. He defines each business action (be this internal with staffing decisions or external with customers through sales) taking several stages of events to reach a final state and in todays technological driven domain ISs play a very Important role in each of these states. He relates to the use of ISs gathering and storing of data, sharing of information and the ability of systems to automate and often control components playing a vital part of CEP. ISs that relate to CEP are systems such as Supply Chain Management, according to (B.Handfield and L.Nichols 1999) Is a set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, and stores, so that merchandise is produced (often by computer aided design) and distributed at the right quantities, to the right locations, and at the right time, in order to minimize system wide costs while satisfying service level requirements It is easy to see how this can be related to management decision making, at each stage of a process with the use of SCM managers can stop the process and analyse production rates, therefore using IS systems to make a decision, which In the case of SCM means utilising every process so that wastage is at a minimum and costs remain low throughout production . Luckem further expresses that the use of IS systems in CEP does not function with remotely one source but needs both the Human and IS system to work collectively for any form of process to work accordingly. Although(Bider 2010) argues the reliability of information processed by ISs. He states that human error can often be the cause of incorrect data. This is not uncommon; often as information is filtered through the information map from department to department human error can cause faults. So an argument could be formed that managers can often put great analysis into ISs, but decisions can be made using the wrong output from the system. In relation to the four stages of processing, this output can then be stored incorrectly meaning any future decisions based on this first problem will not aid the answer process as the information will be incorrect. There are other types of systems that can significantly aid decision making DSSs or Decision Support Systems are systems that aid making decisions through the use of built in models. (Turban 1995) Defines it as an interactive, flexible, and adaptable computer-based information system, especially developed for supporting the solution of a non-structured management problem for improved decision making. It utilizes data, provides an easy-to-use interface, and allows for the decision maker’s own insights. DSSs are comprised of three modules data management, model management and dialog management or in profit terms (actual prior, possible sales, possible revenue, and possible profit). Using these modules DSSs helps find an ideal course of action, able to analyse and finally answer questions that are often asked upon humans, What if or How will this action impact revenue are example. DSSs are able to process raw data, and draw comparisons to generate information to aid a business decision. Although (Jensen, B.Lowry and Jeffery 2011) argue that the now more wide spread use of Decision Support Systems due to the increase in technology used in business today should not replace the decision making of a human. They argue that although It is often difficult for people to assess credibility correctly in face-to-face interactions but argue the use of DSSs cannot be used as an absolute decision making process The capability of face-to-face interactions is critical to effective communication and decision making. Their views can be seen as somewhat old fashioned when relating to decision making. Similar to DSSs are Strategic information systems. The root of this system is based upon Michael E. porters Concept of competitive advantage. This concept analyses the strategic steps a business undergoes to gain an advantage over its competitors. According to (E.Porter 1998), SIS works by enhancing opportunities through analysing competitors, recording seller patterns, identifying potential substitute products and finally retrieving information on keeping a healthy share in the businesss market. All of these should aid a business to create a competitive advantage through the means of SISs. The storing of data and analysis of this data is what managers will use to make decisions. In both the DSSs and SISs the analysis will often plan out a possible route in which the business may take to achieve its aims. It is then up to management to take these recommendations on board through adopting the ideas or not. IS used in the hierachary of a business are important to assess, at an operational level Systems used will be Transactional Process systems are Electronic point of sale, both of these systems allow managers to analyse structured data and draw conclusions for themselves, examples of this maybe the management of stock ordering to improve on wastage, or assessing what product sells at an appropriate time. These systems can then be assessed by the tactical level that may use the means of DSSs to assess new pricing strategies to adapt to the operational level through the help of DSSs but on the evidence of data outputted by TPSs or EPOS. The next and final stage will be the use of the systems at a strategic level. Strategic level will use DSSs and Executive information systems (similar to DSSs but often seen as more precise and concentrated form of system) along with unstructured data which occurs through the means of meetings, conversations and emails .Furthermore strategic level generally have access to IS of all subordinates ISs to help make decisions as well as ISs linked together with external commercial services, such as the latest stock prices and general business news are also common. It is clear that ISs aid management decisions, but in context of this it is important to assess the characteristics of the managers, as well of the management styles. For example managers that adopt an autocratic style of management will be less interested in staff well-being which may affect their reaction to support they receive through IS systems, meaning they may adopt any plans a DSS comes up with whether or not it has a negative effect on staff. Democratic style managers may rely heavily on the data produced from systems of their subordinate. When assessing the improvement of decision making through the means of ISs, I feel it is important to assess manager characteristics, it is clear that there are systems that aid the decision making process but as (Bider 2010) stated there can be human error caused through the input of a system which may lead to poor decision making. I feel steady analysis through each stage of the input process will allow data to be used correctly, therefore being pivotal in decision making process and consequently improving them. Bibliography B.HANDFIELD, Robert and L.NICHOLS, Ernest (1999). Introduction to Supply Chain Management. vol.1. 1st ed., Prentice Hall. Business Using IS , BIDER, IIia (2010). Enterprise, Business-Process and Information Systems Modeling. vol.50. 1st ed., Queensland, Springer. 364213050X. C.LUCAS, Henry (1994). Information systems concepts for management. 5 ed., indiana, Mitchell McGraw-Hill. 11. C.LUCKEM, David (2002). The Power of Events: An Introduction to Complex Event Processing in Distributed Enterprise Systems. 1 ed., Addison wesly. 1. E.PORTER, Michael (1998). Competitive advantage: creating and sustaining superior performance : with a new introduction. Havard, Simon and Schuster. JENSEN, Matthew, B.LOWRY, Paul and JEFFERY, Jenkins (2011). Effects of Automated and Participative Decision Support in Computer-Aided Credibility Assessment. Journal of management information syetems, 28 (1), 201-233. LAUBACHER, Robert (2011). Managing Corporate Reputation in the Blogosphere: The Case of Dell Com puter. Corporate Reputation Review, 14 (2), 133-144. OZ, JONES and GOWTHORPE (2009). Finacial and Management Informatoin. vol.2. London, Cengage Learning. TURBAN, Efriam (1995). Decision support, And what they do? In: Decision support and expert systems : management support systems. Englewood cliffs, Prentice Hall, p.576.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: essays research papers

To Kill A Mockingbird Many say that the central theme in the movie To Kill A Mockingbird is southern society and racism, but the central theme is the mockingbird, of which racism is a small part. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and father of two children living in Maycomb, Alabama, says: â€Å"they say that to kill a mockingbird is a sin because all the mockingbird does is sing for us all day.† The mockingbird symbolizes something or someone who is attacked by society unjustly, and that includes two characters. First, the mockingbird theme holds true for Tom Robinson. Tom is a black man who works as a field hand and is charged with raping a white girl and put on trial. Atticus defends Tom in the trial and makes it clear that Tom is innocent and even proves that someone else was responsible for the girl’s wounds: her father. Even though Atticus has proved Tom innocent, he is still declared guilty, put in jail, and sentenced to death. Another character, Boo Radley, also fits the mold of the mockingbird. Boo was probably just a normal boy who was unfortunately born to parents who weren’t the nicest in town and liked to keep to themselves. It was rumored that, as a child, Boo was cutting out articles in the newspaper for a scrapbook and when his father walked by, Boo plunged the scissor blades into Mr. Radley’s leg, took them out, and just kept cutting the newspaper like nothing had happened. From that point on, his parents kept him locked in the house. The whole town was convinced that he was something of a monster and came out at night peeking in peoples’ windows. It was even rumored that he wilted every flower he passed. Throughout the course of the book, Jem, Atticus’ son, finds little treasures in the hollow of the tree by their house: a watch, a ball of string, a spelling bee medal. When Jem is attacked by a drunken man one night, Boo Radley comes to his rescue and finally shows him self, and it is evident that he has been the one leaving the treasures in the tree in an effort to bond with Atticus’ children. Why are these innocent people being judged by society? Surprisingly, it’s the same reason that racism started: people whose lives were secure and comfortable started to become threatened by something different that might alter their lives and felt the need to remove the threat.

The India we want

In United States there is a term called the ‘Great American Dream'. Historian James Tortuous Adams defines it as ‘life should be richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to their ability or achievement. † We for sure do not want to copy this term but according to me the ‘Great Indian Dream' would be defined as ‘Everyone should be ranked according to ability, strive for innovation and invention, be happy and content but at the same time work for the progress of the country.India is a great country with a great potential. Its sheer massiveness has given it a big advantage in front of other countries that face a problem of human labor and area. It is truly said that ‘The citizen is the true treasure of the country. ‘ If the power of these citizens is put to good use there is no doubt that India can overcome all the problems it faces. Yes, India faces a number of problems and yes many of the effects are seen on the comm on people who form the major population of the country. However, imagine if these common people only come together, what mind of change they can bring.A large population of India is in its youth years and I believe that if the youth of the country begin to think over the current issues, find solutions and lead other people we will very soon be able to see the perfect India we picture in our minds. We can live to see the next generation happy and contented, we can live to see the â€Å"India we want! † While everyone will have their personalized perception of a happy India, the generalized ideas are the same In the India of our dreams; we can clearly visualize a lace where there is no poverty and sorrow.Although this dream can be made true through a lot of hard work and dedication let us talk from a more realistic point of view. In the perfect India we would all want the name and fame we deserve. We all see that sons and daughters of famous, rich businessmen get all the luxuri es and fame Just because of their family background. A student who deserves his place in a good, reputed college might lose his seat to a less deserving but rich student. This needs to change and that will only happen when we change our mindsets.Accumulation of money is necessary but only to a certain limit. So in the India of our dreams we would definitely like to be Judged on the basis of our ability and not on our father's bank balance. When we talk about a perfect India we cannot forget our oldest enemy- corruption. Ask anyone about the one thing that has slowed down Indian's progress and you are mostly likely to hear corruption. We Indians have a bad habit of blaming others. It is the same with corruption. We have now become so habituated to blame corruption as the root cause of all the miseries in our lives.Although it is true that we have corrupt politicians, it is we who elect them. If we get the opportunity to study and keep ourselves updated with the politics or rather the Government's policies we can question them as well as reform unjust policies. Education will also form capable candidates for various Jobs. Education will help us question everything we have to blindly follow from the age old customs to the unnecessary paperwork. I believe that education and the values of a person are the only tools which can eradicate corruption.