Technology and Happiness in Civilization and Its Discontents and Waitin

Technology and Happiness in Civilization and Its Discontents and Waiting for Godot Happiness is something most humans value above everything else. The various things in life that make us happy, such as family, friends, and cool cars, to name a few, are the very things we hold dearest to us and place the most value on. People fill their lives with things that please them to ease the gloom that comes as a result of the seemingly never-ending trials and tribulations of life. We gladly accept any amount of pleasure we can extract from the monotony of our daily lives, and we will do almost anything to achieve happiness. Throughout Civilization and Its Discontents, Freud talks about happiness-why we don't have it and how to attain it. He blames civilization for people's general unhappiness. Civilization is obsessed with technology, figuring out how the world works, and controlling nature. This focus on and excess of technology and science may have advantages, but it also has many disadvantages, the main one being unhappiness. Civilization hinders man's instinctual drives. Man is born with these innate drives, and when he is not able to fulfill them, he becomes miserable. There are restrictions placed on the members of a society through cultural norms and beliefs. All these things put together add up to an unhappy society. Freud believes that aggression is a primal instinct, and civilization thwarts this instinct, making man unhappy. Civilized society controls man's tendency toward aggression through rules and laws and the presence of authority. These mechanisms are put in place to guarantee safety and happiness for all individuals in a society. However, the necessity of suppressing the aggressive drive in m... ...r us, and we will become lazy. What are we going to do all day if we have machines to make meals for us, to do our laundry, and to clean our houses? We would do nothing. We would become like Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot-we would be doing nothing more than existing, which we have seen does not bring much happiness. The fact that happiness is valuable is proven when one takes a look at the various aspects of an individual's life. Each person surrounds him/herself with the people and things that bring him/her the most pleasure. Our happiness is so important to us that we will do almost anything to be happy. While many people believe that technological advancements can bring happiness, there are too many problems that come along with these advancements that in the long run do not bring happiness. Better technology does not equal more happiness.

Consumer Buying Behavior of Hybrid Vehicles Essay

Introduction 1 Background of the Study With the air pollution level rising day by day caused by the emission from conventional vehicles, many government bodies have put in effort to enforce emission control policy since the late of 1960, and it is becoming strict with the EURO committee being the leader until today, where their emission policy and grading system being accepted or referenced worldwide even in Malaysia. The grading system based of emission cleanliness as of today is from Euro 1 to Euro 6, where Euro 1 being the worst emission standard and Euro 6 being the environmental friendly. This is the scene where most modern vehicles are fitted with catalytic converter since late 1975, a simple device that can reduce the harmful emission such as un-burn hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide by converting them into cleaner substances such as oxygen and hydrogen through chemical catalyst effect within (Tony & Andrew, 2006). The effect of this is that the rise of the awareness of fuel efficiency, as many will further relate that if fuel efficiency can be increased, then the emission can be further improved, as well as to reduce wastage. Many automobile makers has since then began development of fuel efficient engine in order to make a stand, and consequently lead to the trend of Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). 2 Problem Statement However, emission is only one environmental factor as there is other factor which bothers a driver financial aspect, the fuel and its prices. No matter the fuel is expensive and cheap, if one can travel further with a given set amount of fuel, then one can certainly save him/her some money (Tony & Andrew, 2006). And back to the environmental area, fossil fuel is non-renewable energy resources and depletion is certainly inevitable. This is why in recent years, many western automobile makers started to look into building fuel efficient vehicles, by building fuel efficient engines through various ways, most notably by downsizing the engine displacement and compensate it with force induction such as low pressure turbocharger. The effect of this implementation is that using a smaller capacity engine but can achieve the power delivery of a high capacity engine, yet with lower fuel consumption. However back in the eastern automobile industry, where the Japanese being the leader they had something else in mind, not only they wanted fuel efficiency but at the same time they wished to maximize the go green concept. Henceforth they come up with the idea of hybrid vehicle, where in general terms a vehicle is powered by 2 sources of input, which is a normal internal combustion engine, supported by an additional electric motor which requires special battery pack. The advantages of this implementation is that the fuel consumption and emission is superior over the formal, while the drawback is the maintenance and cost of replacement for faulty battery pack is very expensive. With the hybrid being the hot trend now given the promising sales figures from European countries and the USA, generally the maintenance factor is not an issue for them, however in this research we need to find out the factors that influence a buyer into considering, buying a hybrid vehicle over here in Malaysia, as the hybrid trend is still very new here in Malaysia, generally starting on the year of 2006 where Honda introduces Civic Hybrid. However with the recent tax exemption on hybrid vehicles from the Malaysia government, the trend seems to be changing positively and now we have several models from Honda and Toyota to offer in response to the policy. 3 Research Objectives a) What are the factors that influence consumer into considering a hybrid vehicle? b) What are the factors that support consumer into buying a hybrid vehicle? c) What are the factors that consumer worries about when purchasing a hybrid vehicle? 4 Significance of the Study This study into the factors that affect the buying decision of hybrid vehicles in Malaysia could project the trend and acceptance of hybrid vehicles here in Malaysia. With that information, local automobile makers can consider into developing our own hybrid vehicles to offer the local markets a broader choice, as well as to stay competitive in the market. Additionally, this will be a good catalyst to spark off â€Å"Go Green† concept into consumers’ mind that is beneficial to the restoration and perseverance of the environment. 5 Scope of the Study In this research, we will first take a general look and introduction into both the low pressure force induction technology and the hybrid technology further then compare and contrast the pros and cons in detail. With both concept understood, we will begin to focus on the trend of hybrid vehicles here in Malaysia, finding out the factors that support or deter the acceptance of hybrid vehicle through questionnaire aimed at hybrid owners and potential hybrid owners, from then we can know what are the main factors and concern of buyer upon making a decision for a hybrid vehicle, and then conclude what can be done to further increase the acceptance level of hybrid vehicles. Literature Review According to Markel & Simpson (2006), the implementation of hybrid electric vehicles can effectively reduce petroleum consumption up to 30% when compared to conventional vehicle, however a fully plug-in hybrid electric vehicle shall be undergo development to further improve the savings and reduce the wastage, as current hybrid electric vehicles uses electric motor powered by battery pack to assist the engine, which is costly when one needs to replace, and it did not provide much desired power. The manufacturer can of course put in a bigger battery pack to punch out better power and durability, but with every 15% of improvement the cost is nearly doubled. This issue is also mentioned before way back in year 2001, where the development of hybrid vehicles began with the aim in providing a superior fuel efficiency vehicles with minimal wastage and pollutants emitted, in prior to address two major problems (Allella et al, 2001): a) Consumption of fuel : World petroleum reserves and residues are unlikely able to sustain against the ever growing necessity of consumption b) Pollution : Generally referred to the harmful emission that can damage the environmental health. The most common hybrid vehicle design is found within the famous Japanese automobile makers, respectively the Honda & the Toyota. The idea is to fit an electric motor powered by a battery pack that will recharge itself using the lost energy during the braking procedure, to assist a smaller capacity conventional engine in acceleration. With the motor assistant, the engine need not work and rev up that hard to get the vehicle moving therefore fuel consumption can be lowered. When certain conditions are met, the vehicles may also run solely on the electric motor itself most probably during low speed cruising. Putting the vehicle design aside, as stated by Kuo & Wang (2011), the disciplinary in driving, as well as the climate is major factor in reducing fuel consumption. Kuo & Wang pointed out that in countries that have tropical climate, such as those near to the equator, tend to have higher fuel consumption index compared to other countries with 4 seasons climate, this is mainly due to the fact that fuel burns better and more efficient when the air temperature is colder, as colder air is more dense and henceforth carries more oxygen molecules. Other than that, since the temperature is generally high throughout the year for tropical climate countries, drivers tend to switch on the air-conditioner (A/C) most of the time to withstand the hot weather, and A/C draws power from the engine to power up the compressor and cooling coil, therefore it results in loss of power from engine and leads to higher fuel consumption. On the disciplinary side, traveling below or way above the optimum speed of a vehicle, usually around 90KM/H to 110KM/H will affect the fuel consumption, where most drivers tend to speed when the chances arise. One should also try to plan their traveling route ahead, in order to avoid unnecessary traffic congestion which can result in poor fuel consumption, as start-stop driving proven to have 60% increased fuel consumption compared to smooth non-stop driving. This is generally experienced by most drivers that they can achieve better mileage if they travel on the highway often. Research Methodology 1 Theoretical Framework [pic] 2 Generation of Hypothesis Assume that a) H0 = Null Hypothesis (No relationship between IV & DV) b) H1 = Alternative Hypothesis (Significant relationship between IV & DV) |H1 |H0 – There is no relationship between maintenance and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | | |H1 – There is significant relationship between maintenance and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | |H2 |H0 – There is no relationship between fuel consumption and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | | |H1 – There is significant relationship between fuel consumption and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | |H3 |H0 – There is no relationship between tax exemption and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | | |H1 – There is significant relationship between tax exemption and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | |H4 |H0 – There is no relationship between personal view and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | | |H1 – There is significant relationship between personal view and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | Conclusion In conclusion, no matter it is partial hybrid or fully plug-in hybrid, the main objectives are to prolong the sustainability of petroleum through improved fuel consumption. By going green, the hybrid technology can also help in reducing wastage and guarantee cleaner emission that can contribute to better environmental health and quality. Therefore with all the benefits and savings, we should try to adopt and embrace the implementation of hybrid vehicles. However, there is still room for improvement given the hybrid technology is still new within a decade of time. Government should come out with policy that can help greatly in promoting the adaptation of this green technology. Reference: 1) Allella et al, (2001), Negative Log-gamma Distribution for Data Uncertainty Modeling in Reliability Analysis of Complex System Methodology and Robustness, International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Vol. 18, Napoli, Italy. 2) Allela et al, (2005), Optimal Reliability Allocation Under Uncertain Conditions With Application to Hybrid Vehicle Design [Online], International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Vol. 22, Napoli, Italy. Available from (www. emeraldinsight. com/0265-671X. htm) [Accessed June 6 2011] 3) Apaydin O.& Gonullu MT, (2008), Emission Control With Route Optimization In Solid Waste Collection Process, Vol. 33, Sadhana. 4) Davis S. & Diegel S, (2004), Transportation Energy Databook, 24th Edition. 5) Duval M, (2004), Advanced Batteries for Electric Drive Vehicles, EPRI. 6) Hirsch et al, (2005), Peaking of World Oil Production: Impracts, Risks, and Mitigation. 7) Kuo Y. & Wang CC, (2011), Optimizing the VRP by Minimizing Fuel Consumption [Online], International Journal of Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 22. Available from (www. emeraldinsight. com/1477-7835. htm) [Accessed 8 June 2011] 8) Markel T. & Simpson A, (2005), Energy Storage Considerations for Grid-Charged Hybrid Electric Vehicles, IEEE Vehicular Technologies Conference, Chicago, IL. 9) Markel T. & Simpson A, (2006), Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Energy Storage System Design [Online], National Renewable Energy Laboratory, available from (http://www. nrel. gov/vehiclesandfuels/vsa/pdfs/39614. pdf) [Accessed 8 June 2011].

Descartes methods of doubt Essay

?In this paper, I will be examining Rene Descartes’ reasons for doubting all of his beliefs. I will begin with Descartes’ first meditation, showing how he argues his reasons of doubt. Followed with Descartes’ second meditation, presenting the one piece of knowledge that Descartes finds irrefutable and explaining why he believes it to be so. Descartes formulates three different skepticisms while reflecting on a number of falsehoods he was led to believe throughout his life. Upon reflection, Descartes decides that he must establish a new foundation of beliefs, he declares, â€Å"I must once for all seriously undertake to rid myself of all the opinions which I formally accepted† (Descartes, p. 17). Descartes decides that if there is any reason to doubt one of his present beliefs, then the belief as a whole must be rejected. Descartes starts with his beliefs, which he has come to through his own senses. It is hard to doubt one’s own senses but Descartes acknowledges that even the most trusted senses have the ability to be deceitful. For example, when I look up at the sun it appears to be relatively small, but in reality the sun is much larger then I perceive it to be. Therefore, my sense of sight is not completely accurate, which then causes me to doubt my sense of sight. Unless the object in view is close at hand, then how could I possibly doubt that the object exists? Descartes finds reason for doubt even with objects up close. To argue this claim he formulates his dream hypothesis to prove that our senses can still be misleading even in cases like this, he states â€Å"I have in sleep deceived by similar illusions, and in dwelling carefully on this reflection I see so manifestly that there are no certain indications by which we may clearly distinguish wakefulness from sleep† (Descartes, p. 18). When Descartes’ senses fail in separating the two states, his trust in his senses are doubted because his senses cannot differentiate dreams from reality. It is this doubt that leads Descartes to the realization that beliefs derived from senses cannot be fully trusted, and in fact proves that there may not be any physical matter as all. Descartes dives even deeper into the role of senses in dreams, as well as art; stating â€Å"Things which are represented to us in sleep are like painted representations which can only have been formed as the counterpart of something real and true† (Descartes, p. 18). This shows that what we perceive to be real is the driving force behind our imagination. Furthermore, our dreams spawn from our imaginations’, which means that our dreams consist of only thing that we perceive to be real. Now looking back to what I previously stated, if our senses cannot be trusted to differentiate dreams from reality then how can I be sure that I’m not asleep at this very moment and that I am only dreaming of typing on a laptop. Aside from Descartes disbelief in his own senses, Descartes doubts the validity in sciences. Descartes justifies this uncertainty with his evil genius hypothesis; he says, â€Å"Some evil genius not less powerful than deceitful, has employed his whole energies in deceiving me† (Descartes, p. 19). This quote suggests, it is possible that our foundations of math and science are false, and that all beliefs may be deceptions. This skeptical hypothesis is arguably the most powerful of all skeptical hypothesizes. With this premise, doubt can be found in any belief that can be conceived and Descartes concludes that nothing has ever existed. After Descartes attempts to rid himself of all belief that he considers to be false he is left with to many doubts to forget, Descartes expresses his emotions by saying, â€Å"I had all of the sudden fallen into very deep water, I am so disconnected that I can neither make certain of setting my feet on the bottom, nor can I swim and so support myself on the surface. † (Descartes, p. 133). We can see the mixed emotions Descartes experiences with this statment. I believe that this disconcert stems from the fact that Descartes now doubts everything he knew and once believed to have validity. I also believe that it is this distress that led him to unearth the one piece of knowledge that he is unable to deny. After much thought, Descartes realizes that the only belief he cannot deny is that he himself exists. Descartes then states, â€Å"But there is some deceiver or other, very powerful and very cunning, who ever employs his ingenuity in deceiving me. Then without doubt I exist also if he deceives me† (Descartes, p. 134). This quote displays to me that Descartes knows that if he is able to be deceived, by whom ever it may be, then in fact he must exist because if he did not exist then he would not be able to be deceived. Therefore, Descartes finally finds validity in a belief, which he vitally needs at this time of conflicting thought upon all of his former beliefs. In conclusion, Descartes’ doubt in all of his believes is formed through his skeptical hypothesizes, beginning with senses are deceiving at a distance, which doubts sizes and shapes at a distance when perceived, but not up close. Following with his dream hypothesis, which can doubt things up close facilitated by the imagination, but cannot doubt truths of mathematics and sciences. Closing with the evil genius hypothesis, which is able to doubt mathematical facts such as a square having four sides, but this final hypothesis brings the one undisputable belief of existence.

Hip Hop’s Betrayal on Black Women Essay

In â€Å"Hip Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women†, McLune addresses the influence of hip hop’s choice of words towards African American women and females. McLune’s article is written in response to Powell’s opinions in â€Å"Notes of a Hip Hop Head†, along with various other hip hop artists, that black females are the leading cause of poverty and racism why black men undertake racism and poverty, as if women do not face these struggles from day to day. McLune disagrees with this remark and states that this is just one of many excuses that men use. McLune addresses an audience that is well educated along with informed with the different sexism opinions towards women in our society, though many men feel that some of their statements or opinions are not affecting women. Therefore, McLune’s article deserves to be recognized in PopMatters. With all the arguments and comebacks she had, â€Å"Hip Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women† should be considered for the top prizes for persuasive essays due to the problems that our African American society faces on a daily basis. The energy of McLune’s argument is its energetic appeal to African American women along with different races. Her argument implied that men want women to give in to them and accept the fact that they are being degraded, simply so that men can boost their confidence and masculinity: â€Å"It’s obvious that if these are the winning terms for our creativity, black women are ultimately the losers. And that’s exactly how these self-proclaimed players, thugs, and hip-hop intellectuals want us—on our backs and pledging allegiance to the hip hop nation. (Analytical Writing: A Guide to College Composition 300) McLune also covers the fact that even the hip hop artist â€Å"who have an underground and conscious force in hip hop— like Common, The Roots, Talib Kweli and others— remain inconsistent, apologetic, and even eager to join the mainstream player’s club† (297) She is bothered that they have yet to come forward and defend the women who are being belittled by the misogynistic hip-hop artist. By expressing this with the African American society of women who are ontinuously torched by the demanding words of men, McLune appeals strongly to all American women’s intellect of equality and respect. Women should not have to be judged by men and expect to be treated as if they owe anyone something, let alone have to be mistreated and belittled, if that were to be the case then men should be treated the same, therefore McLune’s audience, should understand that that is not how you define a black woman in any terms. This denotation to the silent cries supports for an emotional appeal to an example of the silent cries in African American women. As stated in the title, Powell is aware that black women are merely being betrayed in the hip-hop industry and simply states that the choice of words that hip-hop artist chose to rap about is simply â€Å"the ghetto blues, urban folk art, a cry out for help. † (298) and it is rubbing off on almost every man in our American society and giving them a different perspective of women all because women refuse to speak out and speak up. As a result, female rappers are often just as male-identified, violent, materialistic, and ignorant as their male peers. † (298). Over 100 years ago, women were not even allowed to vote, the closest they got to voting was sitting there and watching. They were not allowed to work, they were forced to be stay at home wives while their husbands went out and worked hard to provide for the family. They also didn’t h ave the opportunity to speak up for themselves, it was known as a man’s duty. As you see in â€Å"Hip Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women† McLune states that women still sit back in silence in accept the belittling words that men throw at them through their lyrics. Hip hop did not evolve from speaking down on females, it started out as a way suppress differences between two rivalries or to speak on behalf of shortcomings and mishaps in the past. This comes to question our audience why it is that hip hop has transformed into a way of lashing out a man’s anger towards a woman and how their imaginative character dreams to look at women. We can look at the past years when women were not given the opportunity to make their own decisions and to speak on behalf of themselves, also how and why did hip hop change its meaning behind music. McLune provides a great example to the female hip hop artist as to why they would chose to be viewed in the same eyes that the misogynistic hip hop male artist are viewed. Also as to why after so many years why is that men still have the upper hand. She does this by bringing up the point from Powell’s socioeconomic explanation for the sexism in hip-hop is a way to silence feminist critiques of the culture. It is to make an understanding of the misogynistic objectification of black women in hip-hop so elusive that we can’t grasp it long enough to wring the neck of its power over us (297). From this information, we can conclude that is very much true, because most females will accept the belittling comments rather than words of wisdom and motivation. Because McLune gives great appeals to the not only the African American society, but the various races, her article deserves to be one of the top prized persuasive essays in PopMatters. It can be used as an example to our upcoming generation of young men to not treat or speak down on a young lady as something they hear in a rap song. McLune’s article demonstrates why women, especially African American women should speak up and out regardless of what the outcome will be. Her argument would have been more effective have she spoke about all the other races seen in videos because it’s not just black females now.

Problems faced by the sugar industry Essay

Topic: Problems faced by the Sugar Industry in the British West Indies specifically Jamaica. Research Question: The problems faced by the Sugar Industry affected the British West Indies during the period of 1838-1876. In light of those problems to what extent did this result in the decline of sugar and the economic state of Jamaica. Rationale/ Aim It is believed that the problems faced by the sugar industry were caused due to the fact that the planters had a very negative and spiteful attitude towards the apprentices. Also these problems were caused due to the fact that now that the slaves became newly freed, they did not want to return to the estate work. Due to the abolition of slavery the sugar industry saw a rapid decline in the production of sugar. Reading and researching this topic sparked much interest in the researcher. To see that something so successful become unsuccessfully so quickly showed that anything is possible. The essay being done will hopefully give the researcher and society a better insight to the struggles in which the British Sugar Industry faced during the period of 1838-1876. Introduction Topic: Problems faced by the Sugar Industry in the British West Indies specifically Jamaica. Thesis statement: The problems that the sugar industry faced led to immense problems in the British West Indies. This essay examines the problems in which the sugar industry faced during the period of 1838-1876. The Planter’s in the British West Indies Acquired Large sums of money from the ever rowing and popular sugar industry. Due to the abolition of slavery in 1838; Labour that was needed for the production of  sugar decreased rapidly and so did the profitable income the planter’s once received. Soon because of the lack of labour estates became encumbered. There are specific factors that contributed to the problems that the sugar industry faced. These factors are; Capital, Labour, Technology and Free Trade. Labour:-Now that slavery was abolished, there was an increase in the price of slaves and this caused an uncompetitive rise in the price of sugar. Due to this labour became scarce and expensive. Some planter continued and hired ex-slaves to work for them and they had to pay them wages. These wages accounted for as much as two thirds of the total cost of production. Some slaves did not return back to the estate in which they worked on instead they got land for themselves and cultivated their own crops. This caused a number of territories to experience e a significant decline in the production of sugar in the first thirty (30) years of emancipation. These territories were:- Territories Percentage Reduction St. Vincent 25% British Guiana 40% Grenada 50% Jamaica Decreased three times the pre-emancipation level Capital: – The planters lacked capital in which they needed for wages and labour saving equipments and equipments. Up until the end of this period Majority of estates still used the same old techniques. The wage level was considerably high in territories where land was available and where peasantry was developing well. Two territories associated with this are: Trinidad and British Guiana who were in the expansion and establishment process. By 1854 a number of estates became encumbered due to the fact that the planter’s were filled with debt. The lack of capital forced them out of production because they could not repay their debts. Jamaica and Grenada had the highest amount of abandoned estates. The fact that these estates were encumbered their value fell tremendously. In some cases estates owed their taxes and because of this government workers could not be paid the salaries. Technology: – emancipation gave rise to the use of Machinery. Some of the planters tried items of machinery such as the centrifugal systems the plough, harrow and vacuum pans on their estates. Others introduced the railways. Trinidad, British Guiana and St. Kitts introduced steam mills. Also some planters being in debt could not be able to afford the machinery they needed for production. The enslaved also would abuse and destroy estate equipment which is known as industrial sabotage. Free Trade: – Before equalization there was no help to the West Indian interest. The price of sugar fell almost immediately from 33-25/10d per 50 kg. Due to the fact that the English would not lend money to any companies and banks that specialised in Caribbean issues, by 1847, 13 leading West Indian companies became bankrupt. The Planters Bank in Jamaica and the West Indian Bank both closed for good and because of these planters could not borrow money to cover their losses. Around 474 sugar and coffee plantations went out of business in Jamaica  between the years 1846 and 1852. By the year 1858 Grenada’s sugar production was half that of the last year of slavery and Montserrat, St Vincent and Tobago were two thirds. After the Equalization act was passed, Planters tried to reduce cost by cutting wages by half, to this the labourers did not sit still. Due to the many protests that were occurring on the planters’ estates they tried to compensate the workers for the loss of their earnings. CONCLUSION There were many problems in which the sugar industry faced and they had very negative effects on the Caribbean. These problems made the researcher realise that anything successful can really be unsuccessful and it doesn’t matter what time it is. Although the sugar went through a lot of problems after the year of 1876 and the planter’s were allowed to get immigrants to work for them on their estate, the sugar industry would try to make a comeback through this. BIBLIOGRAPHY www.notesmaster.com Caribbean Revision History for CxC- Peter Ashdown and Francis Humphreys Caribbean History: Foundations Bk1- Claypole, William and Robottom, John Caribbean History Theme Text Adjustments to Emancipation: 1838-1876- Veta Dawson

Radiation Exposure and Radiation Diasters Affecting Marshall Island Research Paper

Radiation Exposure and Radiation Diasters Affecting Marshall Island - Research Paper Example The effects of radiation while dealing with radioactive material were demonstrated. The guidelines and limits were not established since the experience with radiation exposure was not enough to come up with a standard. To test the weapons, Nevada desert was used and underground tests were conducted to prevent massive radiation from affecting the ecosystem. However, as the magnitude of the projects increased, the US required a testing ground to effectively analyze the capabilities of the much higher yield weapons. Marshall Islands were taken from Japan during the Second World War and were administrated by the US under United Nations Trust Territory. These islands in the Pacific consisted of small islets and atolls. They were chosen as a proving ground for the nuclear tests. A total of 67 tests were conducted between 1946 and 1958 (Ferraro & Andreatta, 2012, p. 62). These explosions were mostly atmospheric and changed the ecosystem of the area. The paper will take into account the effe cts of radiation exposure and the magnitude of disaster on the Marshall Islands. Early Tests Two main atolls were used as testing grounds, Bikini and Enewetak. They are separated by 300 kilometers. The population was evacuated to safe distance on other atolls in the region, almost 200 kilometers away from the test sites (Angelo, 2004, p. 388). Bikini atoll alone experienced a total yield of 42.2 megatons during twelve years of testing. From 1946 to 1951, nine tests took place; eight of these tests were atmospheric and the yields were in kilotons, the highest being 225 kilotons (Nuclear Claims Tribunal, 2013). During the period, the fallout was controlled and the population was kept at a safe distance. The effects of these explosions were local and limited to some extent, however, in 1952, the yield drastically increased and 10.4 megaton test was carried out as opposed to kilotons before. The test left a crater of about 1 kilometer in diameter and the area was highly contaminated wit h radiation (CTBTO Preparatory Commission, 2012). The tests contaminated the soil by turning into radioactive materials. Thermonuclear Test The magnitude of tests increased and in 1954, hydrogen or thermonuclear bomb was tested for the first time. The yield was miscalculated and the outcome was almost three times the expected yield (Robbins & Adams, 1985, p. 12). The explosion was rated at 15 megatons and considered to be the most powerful explosion by the US. Furthermore, the wind condition at the test day was towards the population settlement on other islands. These two factors caused extreme radiation exposure to the inhabitants. Even with this exposure the affected community was evacuated two days after the test. Immediate Effects The immediate effect of the test included skin burns and hair loss in many inhabitants on the islands. The nearest island was 150, whereas, the farthest, 570 kilometers from the test site; however, a Japanese fishing boat about 150 kilometers was the n earest to experience the fallout (Lessard, 1986, p. 5). Debris including radioactive soil from the blast was received by the boat and from a crew of 23, one member died. The islands, however, received shower of radioactive particles in the form of ash carried by the wind. About 250 people were directly exposed to the radiation by the radioactive debris. The exact radioactive dose received by the inhabitants could not be determined as the

Food labeling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Food labeling - Essay Example Even while conceding to the fact that most consumers probably do not read food labels and labels add to the cost of foods, there is a strong rationale for labelling. Food labelling provides consumers with a breakdown of the primary ingredients and composites contained in a food product and, of course, its calorific value. More recently, and as a result of growing health awareness, carbohydrate value was added to food labels (Charles, 2001). There are several reasons for the mandatory labelling of food products, the majority of which derive from the notion of the right to know and from health issues. As regards the first, consumers have a right to know the composition of the food products they are purchasing so that they can make an informed purchase decision. As regards the second, food labelling information is imperative for the millions who suffer allergies, have health issues or are required to adhere to a certain diet. In other words, the value and importance of labelling can har dly be overstated, especially when considering that allergies can be fatal. Therefore, there is a strong reason and specific purpose for mandatory food labelling but the question is whether or not the purpose of food labelling is satisfied. Although most all countries have f... According to Weirich (2007) some countries do not have national laws mandating food labelling while others have made the comprehensive listing of all ingredients and composites, a non-negotiable imperative. In the Middle East, and in compliance with both national laws and international standards, the nutritional information of foods is clearly stated on labels printed onto, and not stuck on, food packages. The mandated information is calorific value, nutritional value, ingredients and additives (Weirich, 2007). Laws in the United States have made the listing of all ingredients, additives, nutritional values and calorific value imperative. Again, labels are printed onto and not stuck on the packages for the purposes of avoiding any possibility of tampering with the labels (Weirich, 2007). The European Union has, by far, the most stringent of the food labelling policies. According to Summers (2007), EU food labelling policies mandate the inclusion of all information related to nutritional and calorific value, ingredients and additives and, importantly, a clear indication of whether any GM ingredients had entered into the making of the product in question (Summers, 2007). While much of the information printed onto these labels tends to escape the understanding of consumers as it is highly scientific, it is still important. Its importance stems from the fact that consumers who suffer from specific allergies will be able to, when reading the label, determine whether the food is safe for their consumption or not. Its importance is also due to the fact that food labelling provides diabetics and obese consumers with the information they need for the limitation of their intake of