Thursday, November 28, 2019

Bailey White Essays - Mama, Bailey, , Term Papers

Bailey White Adventures on the Way Back Home, and Quite a Year for Plums, author Bailey White offers readers an inviting refuge from our increasingly fast-paced society. Using humor, White transports the reader to the rural South, where the setting, the way of life, and the characters the reader meets contrast strikingly with life in the typical Northern city. Bailey White's South has a warm and hospitable atmosphere, a pleasant alternative to cold, bustling, Northern metropolitan centers. As a cousin of the Whites puts it when she calls from Philadelphia to announce she'll be visiting overnight, "?I've heard so much about Southern hospitality. Now I will be able to experience it for myself'" (Mama, 48). The language in Bailey White's writings also delights, especially her characters' manner of speaking, which contains many curious Southern expressions. My friends certainly would not say"persnickety" (Sleeping, 125), "doodlebugs" (Sleeping, 9), "junkets" (Mama, 60), describe a club as a "tough juke joint" (Mama, 3), or say, "?She sho' ain't gon' ride no ferry here'" (Mama, 62)! Located in South Georgia, in the backwoods, White's characters are allowed to do what they please without judgment from neighboring yuppies glaring down from their balconies. The village "...is a place where they are kind to one another and indulgent of eccentricities" (Publishers Weekly, 30 March 1998). The result is"endearing true stories about rural South Georgia" (Publishers Weekly, 1 March 1993) on subjects as quirky as bathtubs and Porsches on porches, backyard camping, and road-kill suppers. After remodeling their bathroom Bailey and Mama find that their bathtub won't fit in it anymore. Instead of installing a shower, they leave the bathtub on the porch. Bailey explains that "with the midsummer's afternoon breeze blowing through the high pine woods and the fragrance of the lilies, it's a lovely spot for a leisurely bath" (Mama, 25). Joining the bathtub on the porch is a 1958 Model 356 Speedster in original condition, because the driver refused to "?just park it out behind the garden with those two tractors and that thing that might have been a lawnmower'" (Mama, 21). When inspired, Mama can (and does) go camping in the wilderness. Bailey, however, doesn't have to worry about her aging mother alone on a trip: their backyard is wilderness enough for camping. "At night I could see a tiny glow from her fire. And just at dawn, if I went out to the edge of the pasture and listened very carefully I could barely hear her singing ?Meet Me in St. Louis'" (Mama, 38). Mama, whether camping or not, can get fast-food for dinner, Southern-style: road kill. White and Mama have "feasted not only doves, turkeys, and quail, but robins, squirrels, and, only once, a possum," but Bailey draws the line at snakes, even when her mom protests "?But it was still wiggling when I got there...Let's try it just this once. I have a white sauce with dill and mustard'" (Mama, 39). Despite the gourmet sauce, Bailey refuses to eat any animal her mom brings in without documentation--the model and tag number of the car that struck it--to assure her of a recent kill. While chronicling small-town culture, White manages to make me laugh out loud, which is quite a feat for an author. The comical scenes from the small town of Thomasville will not only produce laughter, but a longing to move to such a quaint village. Instead of going into the Instant Care Facility, a modern walk-in medical clinic, one can, as Mama did, take advice from "?surgeons, I'd say, from the amount of blood and brains on those white coats,'" who were actually butchers on their cigarette break (Mama, 23). The provincial aspects of life in Thomasville are evident in Plums, in the extent of interest and pride community members exhibit when Roger appears in a photograph in the April edition of the Agrisearch magazine. At the Pastime Restaurant the waitresses tape up Roger's picture next to the ?In Case of Choking' poster, Meade makes a mat for his picture out of construction paper left from her schoolteaching days, Hilma transposes Roger's image onto two color photos for an artistic effect, Eula puts the magazine photo on her refrigerator, and others prop it up on their windowsills (Plums, 4). The detail in Bailey White's stories come from her own experiences living in Thomasville, especially in her first two books, Mama and Sleeping, which are both autobiographical. "In my own town I know the story of every missing body part: an ear in an auto accident, a middle finger in

Monday, November 25, 2019

Advantages and Disadvantages of Waitrose Technology Essays

Advantages and Disadvantages of Waitrose Technology Essays Advantages and Disadvantages of Waitrose Technology Paper Advantages and Disadvantages of Waitrose Technology Paper The Handy scan (quick check) was brought into action in 1995 to improve till efficiency and other promotions. When we look at the handy scan (quick check) we can see that it seams very basic and simple to use and function. We can see that it can bring a lot of advantages internally and externally, but also disadvantages. Waitrose know that there are many advantages that can benefit the company internally. One of these advantages is that it will improve queuing times at the tills. This means that if more people have the handy scan (quick check) and are going around the store packing their shopping while they are shopping then it reduces the queuing times and provided a more customer efficient till service for other customers that are using the tills. Waitrose also know that many people dont like filling out surveys and carrying out market research. But the handy scan (quick check) acts as a way of carrying out market research for Waitrose, they do this by looking at the things that customers using the handy scan (quick check) buy and list what is being brought more or whats not. This is a good way of carrying out their market research but I think that this is a dishonest way because customers may not want to participate in market research, but they have no choice. Waitrose have placed a lot of trust in their customers to be honest in their shopping and scan every thing they place in their bags. Waitrose do this because they know that if the company place trust in the customer then they are building up a stronger customer relationship and customers like to feel valued, Waitrose know this so and thats why people come back to Waitrose because of the trust aspect. Another internal advantage is that the handy scan (quick check) cuts staffs from the tills into working somewhere were they are needed the most. Waitrose know that if one till can take 10 people and 10 people have the handy scan (quick check) then they have saved upon one member of staff to be place in the replenishments. Staff can be used where they are most needed. But there are advantages for the customer externally. The first advantage for the customer is that the customer can calculate their shopping while they are shopping. If they didnt have the handy scan (quick check) while shopping, as many people dont at the moment, they wouldnt be able to calculate how much they are spending is they are on a budget. But with the handy scan (quick check) they have control on the amount they spend. Many customers dont like spending to much time in the store, when they go shopping they want to be in and out thats why Waitrose brought in the handy scan (quick check), they did this so that the customer can limit the time spent shopping. Although the store would benefit from customers being in the store for one hour, Waitrose are placing the customers needs first, which a lot of supermarkets dont do. Waitrose are mostly interested in the customer efficiency and the store efficiency to make shopping for the customer as less painful as possible. A repeated external advantage for the customer is that the customer likes to feel trusted. The customer likes to feel that they are shopping in trust. Customers want to do their shopping and not queue, but I only see one problem, the problem is that if the customer is dishonest then Waitrose will fall in profit. One way that Waitrose beats this is by carrying out random bag searches. The key advantage for Waitrose is the fact that the system is completely wireless, communicating directly to the handy scan (quick check) PC over the RF network. The whole store design can be far more flexible because the need for cabling between the PC and the scanning rack is completely eradicated. Once an RF network is installed, it may be used for other equipment, providing the opportunity, for example, for additional temporary points-of-sale. Scanner racks can be mounted against a wall (not possible with batch handsets); and scanners do not need to be returned to the original location. In terms of service to customers, RF scanners have access to more information because they are not restricted to the product file downloaded to the batch scanner overnight. Information to customers given via the scanner may also be personalised to reflect data provided at time of registering for an account e. g. allergy sufferers can be alerted to traces of nuts in products they have scanned. Security (CCTV)- Introduced 1995 With this technology we couldnt really get a lot of information mainly because Waitrose feel this is a very private subject to discuss because they need to keep certain things private and confidential to the store in the interest of the customers and the staff. Waitrose in Surbiton is a big superstore and it would become very expensive to have security guards to cover the whole store. Waitrose have come up with a better idea, they have chosen to have CCTV (close circuit TV) covering the whole store. Waitrose have installed CCTV for the customers peace of mind and the stores peace of mind. Waitrose will always use CCTV for prosecuting someone who as been caught shoplifting because as we know the camera never lies. CCTV has saved the store a lot of money through not employing physical staff so the money that they are saving from security can be used in other parts of the store. CCTV comes in many shapes and sizes, as we know cameras are getting smaller and know cameras are getting small enough to hide. This is in Waitrose internally and customers externally benefit, because the store can catch more people thieving from inside the store be it products or personal belongings. Waitrose constantly are trying to look after their staff and customers, Waitrose have a policy of their employees and customers have the right to work and shop in safety and not in fear of being harmed or robbed. Electronic weighing scales With this technology there isnt really many advantages and disadvantages to the store internally or externally to the customers. The electronic weighing scales system was introduced in 1996 (when Waitrose in Surbiton was first introduced) to make the customers shopping more quicker and accurate, Waitrose also introduced the weighing scales because the old fashioned ones werent reliable enough and as the 20th century went on so did the stores technology. Waitrose knew that if they introduced electronic weighing scales then store efficiency ratings would rise and this is the main reasons why customers comeback to the store. There are a number of advantages and disadvantages affecting the store internally. One of these advantages is that it cuts queuing times. When they had their old system of the old weighing scales the till person would have to weigh the produce and type the code in to the till, now all the staff have to do is barcode the produce into the till and pass it on, this way of tilling is more efficient to the staff and customers. Another internal advantage is that it is quick. With the electronic weighing scales it saves time for till service and customer time. Another advantage is that with the old Weighing scales it used to round it up to the nearest whole number and this could mean that the store could be loosing money or making profit but now with the new electronic scales Waitrose can be guaranteed that they are not going to make a loss if anything they are going to make a profit mainly because they know that the electronic weighing scales are going to round it up to the nearest penny not down. But with advantages there comes disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that people could deceive the store by placing their first page upon the weighing scales, getting their first price and then adding more produces. This means that Waitrose losses out on profit, the only way that I see that Waitrose can battle this problem is by randomly weighing the products to see if the customer is being honest. But what are the advantages externally, the customer? Well there are many and the first one is that the customer feels responsible and this makes the customer come back. Another could be that it will save till services and queuing times because the customer isnt waiting for the till person to weigh the produce and then type the code in. Another would be that the customer can see what and how much they are spending on their shopping because the electronic scales gives out a sticker of the weight and price of the produce so that the customer can see what they are paying. But there are disadvantages externally. Customers who come into the store for the first time may not realise how to use the electronic weighing scales efficiently and safely. I think that if Waitrose are going to carry on with their technology then they may want to give demonstrations to people or new customers.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Peer Response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Peer Response - Assignment Example Thus, to do this, one full time authorized officer should be governing IT operations and requirements on a continuing basis. The detailed information regarding the recommended IT General Control (ITGC) and application controls were commendable. It was also valid that a CIO or a CISO should be assigned to govern the operations and security of the information systems in the agency. The accountable officer should possess the competencies and qualifications for identifying IT infrastructure requirements and undertake risk assessment management, as required. One strongly believes that investing in these control systems, assigning point persons (officers and staff), and designing policies and procedures that would manage and protect the agency’s database systems would be crucial in safeguarding the agencies assets and resources, as required. Every organization, regardless of the number of personnel, as long as information systems are used, should assign IT personnel and officers who would manage IT in the most effective manner. Management functions include planning, organizing, directing, and controlling all facets of the operations (IT) towards the achievement of organizational

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Analysis - Case Study Example From the first analysis and using the x-factor tool given to evaluate different possibilities it is observed that when the sales is at 422,733 million, the cost of goods sold is directly affected at 38% million , the cost of goods sold is directly affected at 38% million , the cost of goods sold is directly affected at 38% million. On the other hand, the cost of goods sold is directly affected at 38% to be 160,639 million. For a business to operate there are operating expenses that always has to be incurred. These include rent, internet, transport, flights, advertising, airtime among other things. These factors are consolidated into operating expenses which in this scenario is directly affected by sales at 50% meaning that half of the operating expenses are geared towards sales. As the sensitivity analysis tool suggest, when cost of goods sold is 35% of sales, the company runs into a profit of 28,787million but when the cost of goods sold is at 45% of sales the company runs into a debt of 2102 million. This happens since the company is having a lot of spending to increase sales. The breaking point ratio is at 44% of sales since no debt is made and the company has 987 excess cash for the company. Therefore the company should at least invest 200 million to offset this change. One of the assumptions made in this analysis is that interest expense is directly affected by the debt the company has. The second assumption is that the debt majorly consists of loan i.e. both long term and short term loans. Another assumption is that sales do not vary at this point and that incase it does, the effect is insignificant. In addition the current assets are also deemed a factor that affects debt and excess income in the company. There is also an assumption that total assets less total liability will give a balancing figure which will either result to a debt or an income. Moreover, we

Monday, November 18, 2019

Nursing Concept Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nursing Concept Analysis - Essay Example It is concerned with promoting, maintaining, and restoring health. Nurses are committed to the goal of promoting an optimal level of functioning for all individuals, families and groups, thereby contributing to the health of the nation. It determines health status of individuals, families, and populations and makes clinical decisions regarding the appropriate action to be taken. It is important that the nurse maintains the positions that aging is normal and is not related to disease. Age is a date in time and is influenced by many factors, including emotional and physical health, development stage, socioeconomic status, culture, and ethnicity. Ageism is a negative attitude based on age. It leads to discrimination in the care given to the older adults. The nurse who demonstrates negative attitudes may fear of his own aging process or be misinformed about aging and the health care need of the older adults. The care of the aged is provided mostly in institution. Care for an individual adult is delivered in a variety of quite different settings (e.g. privately run nursing home or government institution). The care of the aged is called clinical gerontology or geriatrics .Besides the needs and problems concerned with the psychology and physiology of aging the social aspect of aging a great challenge to the caring profession especially the nurse. Back This paper was done to explore the relationship between the dependency levels of older people who are part of the community nurse's caseload and the volume and nature of nursing input required. Background. Healthcare policy has consistently emphasized the reorientation of health services from hospital to community care. It is necessary to determine ways to use nursing resources appropriately to meet service needs of an increasing older population There are various approaches to address caring for the older adults. These are: 1) Family and welfare approach: Many of the aged are reluctant to go to institutions for the care of the aged. Thus family care is encouraged. 2) Medical approach: Many hospitals are now having special units for the care of the aged both in-patient and out-patient departments where health promotional and specific Nursing Concept Analysis 3 preventive measures such as health examination for early diagnosis and treatment are provided. 3) Community approach: The elders are encouraged to participate in activities that are beneficial to health and to avoid those that are injurious. These approaches would enhance trust of older adults to their environment especially to the nursing care involved. Dignity may be defined as a concept that relates to basic humanity. Dignity consists of inherent and external dimensions, which are common for all humans and at the same time are unique for each person, relating to social and cultural aspects. The attributes of preserving dignity are individualized care, control restored, respect, advocacy and sensitive listening. Method: In order to establish an appropriate nursing care for older adults, a quantitative study was conducted using the "Community Client Need Classification System". The community nursing team recorded the amount of care time spent with each individual client for over a 4-week period. Findings: They were assessed in low and high

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Mobile Phone And Battery Recycling In Mauritius Environmental Sciences Essay

Mobile Phone And Battery Recycling In Mauritius Environmental Sciences Essay The mobile phone industry, because of its desire to maintain high environmental standards, has voluntarily developed the Mobile Phone Industry Recycling Program. The program aims to ensure that potentially toxic components in mobile phones and batteries do not end up in landfill, but rather are recycled. Orange (Mauritius) and Mission Verte joint green initiative has launched a collection recycling campaign for old phones and wasted batteries. The aim was to reduce noxious liquid that may be released from the battery and cause harm to the environment for example contaminating the water in Mauritius while other parts of the phone will be recycled. Collection or disposable points will be situated in all Orange shop outlets across the island. For the period year 2007, according to the Central Statistics, Mauritius has imported a whopping   175,000 cellular phones while batteries 25 million batteries. In Mauritius, Orange has launched a national program to develop the recycling of mobile phones and batteries in partnership with BEM Enterprises Ltd, the Port Louis Citadelle Rotary Club and the Mission Verte association. Some 15 collection points have been set up at Orange stores. The collected equipment is grouped together and then transported to the BEM Enterprises sorting centre. Plastics and metals are routed to local recycling centres. Batteries, chargers and other electronic circuits for which there is no local processing channel are sent to Europe for recovery at approved recycling centres. BATTERY RECYCLING Most batteries contain heavy metals which is the main cause for environmental concern. Disposed of incorrectly, the heavy metals may leak into the ground when the battery erodes. This contributes to soil and water pollution and endangers wildlife. Some components in batteries can be toxic to fish and make them unfit for human consumption. Batteries contain a range of metals which can be reused as a secondary raw material. There are well-established methods for the recycling of most batteries containing lead, nickel-cadmium, nickel hydride and mercury. For some, such as newer nickel-hydride and lithium systems, recycling is still in the early stages. Mobile phone Battery recycling in UK It is estimated that in 2000, almost 19,000 tonnes of waste general purpose batteries and 113,000 tonnes of waste automotive batteries required disposal in the UK.    Currently, only a very small percentage of consumer disposable batteries are recycled (less than 2%) and most waste batteries are disposed of in landfill sites. The rate for recycling of consumer rechargeable batteries is estimated to be 5%.   The average household uses 21 batteries a year. The UK generates 20,000 30,000 tonnes of waste general purpose batteries every year, but less than 1,000 tonnes are recycled. Automotive batteries, on the other hand, are more routinely recycled in the UK, with a current recycling rate of approximately 90%.   They are collected at garages, scrap metal facilities and many civic amenity and recycling centres. Whilst the exact chemical make-up varies from type to type (see below), most batteries contain heavy metals, which are the main cause for environmental concern. When disposed of incorrectly, these heavy metals may leak into the ground when the battery casing corrodes.   This can contribute to soil and water pollution and endanger wildlife. Cadmium, for example, can be toxic to aquatic invertebrates and can bio-accumulate in fish, which damages ecosystems and makes them unfit for human consumption. Some batteries, such as button cell batteries, also contain mercury, which has similarly hazardous properties.   Mercury is no longer being used in the manufacture of non-rechargeable batteries, except button cells where it is a functional component, and the major European battery suppliers have been offering mercury-free disposable batteries since 1994. A number of valuable materials are used in the construction of mobile phones, and they contain components which, if carefully removed, can be used again, for example in electronic devices. Perhaps more importantly, some cell phones and their accessories contain substances that are amongst the 10 most dangerous known to man including Cadmium, Rhodium, Palladium, Beryllium and Lead Solder (Ref: Cellular Reclamation Ltd, Nov 2004) and most of this ends up in a land fill site or the sea. Now with so many convenient mobile phone recycling schemes around, theres no need for this and no excuse for not recycling your old phone % of material recycled all over the worldg-waste_recyc_material-m.gif Paper recycling Paper recycling is the process of recovering waste paper and remaking it into new paper products. There are three categories of paper that can be used as feedstocks for making recycled paper: mill broke, pre-consumer waste, and post-consumer waste. Mill broke is paper trimmings and other paper scrap from the manufacture of paper, and is recycled internally in a paper mill. Pre-consumer waste is material which left the paper mill but was discarded before it was ready for consumer use. Post-consumer waste is material discarded after consumer use, such as old corrugated containers (OCC), old magazines, old newspapers (ONP), office paper, old telephone directories, and residential mixed paper (RMP). Paper suitable for recycling is called scrap paper. The industrial process of removing printing ink from paperfibers of recycled paper to make deinked pulp is called deinking, an invention of the German jurist Justus Claproth. Water and air pollution The United States Environmental Protection Agencyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ½ (EPA) has found that recycling causes 35% less water pollution and 74% less air pollution than making virgin paper. Pulp mills can be sources of both air and water pollution, especially if they are producing bleached pulp. Modern mills produce considerably less pollution than those of a few decades ago. Recycling paper decreases the demand for virgin pulp and thus reduces the overall amount of air and water pollution associated with paper manufacture. Recycled pulp can be bleached with the same chemicals used to bleach virgin pulp, but hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydrosulfite are the most common bleaching agents. Recycled pulp, or paper made from it, is known as PCF (process chlorine free) if no chlorine-containing compounds were used in the recycling process. However, recycling mills may have polluting by-products, such as sludge. De-inking at Cross Pointes Miami, Ohio mill results in sludge weighing 22% of the weight of wastepaper recycled. Recycling facts and figures In the mid-19th century, there was an increased demand for books and writing material. Up to that time, paper manufacturers had used discarded linen rags for paper, but supply could not keep up with the increased demand. Books were bought at auctions for the purpose of recycling fiber content into new paper, at least in the United Kingdom, by the beginning of the 19th century. Internationally, about half of all recovered paper comes from converting losses (pre-consumer recycling), such as shavings and unsold periodicals; approximately one third comes from household or post-consumer waste. Some statistics on paper consumption: The average per capita paper use worldwide was 110  pounds (50  kg). It is estimated that 95% of business information is still stored on paper. [Source: International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) Discussion Paper (IIED, London, September 1996)] Recycling 1  short ton (0.91  t) of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7 thousand US gallons (26  m3) of water, 3  cubic yards (2.3  m3) of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil (84 US gal or 320  l), and 4,100  kilowatt-hours (15  GJ) of electricity enough energy to power the average American home for six months. Although paper is traditionally identified with reading and writing, communications has now been replaced by packaging as the single largest category of paper use at 41% of all paper used. 115 billion sheets of paper are used annually for personal computers. The average web user prints 28 pages daily. Most corrugated fiberboard boxes have over 25% recycled fibers. Some are 100% recycled fiber. This articles factual accuracy may be compromised because of out-of-date information. Paper recycling by region European Union Paper recovery in Europe has a long history and has grown into a mature organization. The European papermakers and converters work together to meet the requirements of the European Commission and national governments. Their aim is the reduction of the environmental impact of waste during manufacturing, converting/printing, collecting, sorting and recycling processes to ensure the optimal and environmentally sound recycling of used paper and board products. In 2004 the paper recycling rate in Europe was 54.6% or 45.5  million short tons (41.3  Mt). The recycling rate in Europe reached 64.5% in 2007, which confirms that the industry is on the path to meeting its voluntary target of 66% by 2010. Japan Municipal collections of paper for recycling are in place. However, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun (Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities), in 2008, eight paper manufacturers in Japan have admitted to intentionally mislabeling recycled paper products, exaggerating the amount of recycled paper used. United States of America Recycling has long been practiced in the United States. The history of paper recycling has several dates of importance: 1690: The first paper mill to use recycled linen was established by the Rittenhouse family. 1896: The first major recycling center was started by the Benedetto family in New York City, where they collected rags, newspaper, and trash with a pushcart. 1993: The first year when more paper was recycled than was buried in landfills. Today, over half of the material used to make paper is recovered waste. Paper products are the largest component of municipal solid waste, making up more than 40% of the composition of landfills. In 2006, a record 53.4% of the paper used in the US (or 53.5 million tons) was recovered for recycling. This is up from a 1990 recovery rate of 33.5%. The US paper industry has set a goal to recover 55 percent of all the paper used in the US by 2012. Paper packaging recovery, specific to paper products used by the packaging industry, was responsible for about 77% of packaging materials recycled with more than 24 million pounds recovered in 2005. By 1998, some 9,000 curbside programs and 12,000 recyclable drop-off centers had sprouted up across the US for recycles collection. As of 1999, 480 materials recovery facilities had been established to process the collected materials. In 2008, the global financial crisis resulted in the price of old newspapers to drop in the US from $130 to $40 per short ton ($140/t to $45/t) in October. Recycling Plastic Bottles ( UK ) Plastic bottles can be found almost anywhere on Earth. This attests to the fact of their usefulness and to the ease and low cost in making these items. Indeed plastic bottles are so useful that almost any liquid beverage or food product can be found being sold in plastic bottles. So why do we recycle? The practice of recovering scraps and waste plastic and reprocessing these materials into new products is called recycling. Recycling makes use of materials that are at the end of their useful lives which otherwise would be added to the waste stream and end up in landfills or (sadly) in the ocean and on our shores. Recycled plastic bottles are an indispensable and ubiquitous part of our lives. They are light in weight and almost unbreakable when used for their designed purpose. This is also the reason why plastics and plastic bottles account for a large part of the waste generated by our throwaway society. Plastic bottles are the most recycled plastic items but still the recycle rate is only about 24 percent.    What are the benefits to recycling plastic bottles? Conservation of Oil. When a ton of plastic bottles are recycled approximately 3.8 barrels of petroleum is saved.   Reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions. The substitution of recycled materials reduces the emission of greenhouse gases that are produced in the manufacturing of virgin materials. Saving of Landfill Space. Not having millions of plastic bottles in the landfill results in a saving of 6.7 cubic meters of landfill space that is at a premium right now. Plastic bottles also take an average of 500 years to biodegrade. Conservation of Energy. Water and soft drink bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate or PET.   Recycling of one pound of PET results in a saving of approximately 12,000 BTUs (British Thermal Units). Benefits of Reuse. Recycled bottles can provide an environmentally friendly source of materials for the manufacture of new products and substitutes recycle materials for virgin materials. Recycling Plastic Bottles / Is the Recycling of Plastic Bottles Economically Feasible? Up to the present there is still continuing discussion and debate over whether the recycling of plastic bottles is economically feasible. Local government units and municipalities largely see the fiscal benefits of recycling plastic bottles because of the savings in landfill space and reduced landfill costs. Statistics from a Technical University of Denmark study show that recycling is still the most efficient method to dispose of household waste in 83 percent of all cases. Critics of recycling often claim that more resources are wasted in recycling than is saved. However municipal recycling is still worthwhile if the net costs do not exceed the landfill or other disposal costs.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Psytrance and the Spirituality of Electronics :: Electronic Music

Psytrance and the Spirituality of Electronics Electronic music is generally broken into techno, house, trance, hardcore, breakbeat, and ambient music, along with affiliated smaller genres that float between categories, like trip-hop, electro, IDM, and others. Ambient is easily recognized by its separation from dancing, which is normally manifested in slower tempos and less distinct rhythms. Breakbeat (of which drum'n'bass makes up most of the faster genres, while there are slower genres as well) is distinguished by an emphasis on ways of dividing a bar of 4/4 time other than the standard one. (Notably, there is a focus on the second half of the third beat, though this comes about in various different beat patterns.) Hardcore (an important subset of which is called â€Å"happy hardcore†) is distinguished by its extremely fast tempos (generally over 160 bpm) in 4/4 time. House is distinguished by its focus on the second and fourth beats of 4/4, though it also shares many stylistic characteristics with disco, funk, and other popular musics, that help distinguish it from trance and techno. Of these, techno is generally not as fast (around 100-120 bpm) and tends to be more minimalistic, while trance is more melodic. House and trance are by far the most popular genres of electronica, though house tends to be more popular in clubs and trance more popular at the parties often known as â€Å"raves†.1 Within trance, psytrance is distinguished by its generally higher tempo (135-145 bpm), more focus on sixteenth notes and exotic scales, and most noticeably, through the use of general sounds other than percussion and pitched sounds. Stylistic traits2 Formal features: Tracks tend to be between 6 and 12 minutes long, with most clustering around 7 or 8 minutes. Most of the tracks begin with about 30 seconds of very atmospheric sounds. These introductions convey some suggestion of the beat (but definitely not the bass drum), but in the tracks I have analyzed here, they are more beat-less than usual, and last much longer than usual, since several are the first tracks of their albums. Sometimes, there is a return to this ambient sound at the end of the track, but it is generally not as long. Between this introduction and conclusion, the body of the track has two halves. The first introduces the major thematic material, while the second rearranges it, sometimes altering the bass. Most of the themes are eventually layered onto one another at the end of each of these halves, creating two climaxes.