Ship Accidents

ABSTRACT Safety may be defined as an acceptable state of risk by society. In this respect, for assessing the current safety level of ships, it is necessary to quantify the risk level of the operating world fleet, thus estimate and assess the basic contributors to risk, namely the frequency of maritime accidents and the extent of their consequences. As this paper deals with a systematic analysis of ship accidents in recent years and evaluates the current level of safety for the majority of ship subtypes present in the world fleet, namely, tankers, bulk carriers, containerships passenger and cruise ships, passenger Ro-Ro cargo vessels, Ro-Ro cargo ships, general cargo vessels, reefer ships, car carriers, fishing vessels, LNG and LPG carriers. Introduction The history of maritime transport is marked by ship accidents with partly disastrous consequences on human lives and impact on society and the marine environment. In response to these disastrous accidents, more and more new requirements and amendments of existing regulations for the safe maritime transport were introduced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as this paper gives an overview of the global safety level of all basic merchant ship types in terms of accidents' occurrence, frequencies and consequences. For each ship type, accidents occurred within the time period 1990-2012 are presented and analyzed with respect to the degree of accident severity, accident category and accident's geographic area, number of fatalities and total losses of ships. Furthermore, the total accident frequency and frequencies per main accident categories are given as well as comparative results among the different ship types. The ultimate goal of this investigation is the assessment of the relative safety level per ship type in order to identify those ship types that are more prone to marine accidents (per ship type), possible historical trends, and geographical areas, where accidents more often happen. Frequencies and basic consequences were investigated for the entire period of interest (i.e. 2012), as well as separately for the last decade of the studied period. The source of the analyzed accidental data is the IHS Sea-web ® database and the analysis pertains to the generic ship types as defined by the particular database; namely, Bulk carriers, Passenger and Cruise ships, Passenger Ro-Ro cargo vessels, Ro-Ro cargo ships, General Cargo vessels, Reefer ships, Car carriers, Fishing vessels, LNG and LPG carriers. The analysis of accident records was performed for the time period 1990-2012; we included those accidents associated with merchant passenger and cargo ships, regardless ship size, however built after 1980. Operational fleet at risk has been calculated from the Lloyd's Register of Shipping ® database for all the afore-mentioned ship types. The output of the particular calculations was compared with corresponding data from Clarkson's SIN ® and a rather good fit of the respective results was recorded. The presented results related to Cellular Containerships and Large Crude Oil tankers (greater than 60,000 DWT) are coming from two earlier completed research projects of NTUA, namely CONTIOPT (2011-2013) and SAFEDOR (2005-2009), as well as from internal NTUA research (Eliopoulou et al. 2012, 2013).

John Locke Short Introduction Essay

John Locke, who is widely known as the Father of Liberalism, is a great writer, philosopher and physician of the 17th century. He was born on 29 August 1632 and died on 28 October 1704 when he was 72. He was baptized on the same day as he was born. He was a gifted man and David Hume once described him as â€Å"wrote like a water-drinking local councilor, his style ungainly, his idioms commercial, his imagination puritanical, his humor labored, his purposes wholly practical. † As he is a talented thinker and uses different perspectives to see and think on certain things, he revolutionized the Theory of Mind to the world in his masterpiece, â€Å"An Essay Concerning Human Understanding†. On the other hand, he also developed the idea of liberty among people in society. His contributions to the world are incredible as his ideas of social contract and state of nature laid the theoretical foundation of the Constitutions of the United States of America. In Locke’s life, he came from a very intelligent and faithful Baptist family that gave him a good education and took him to a good school — Christ Church, Oxford. Though he studied medicine but not philosophy or other critical thinking courses, he met prominent people (e. g. Robert Boyle, Thomas Wills) who inspired him immensely in every perspective. One eminent scholar was Thomas Sydenham, who imposed a huge impact on the idea of how man accumulates knowledge. Thanks to Sydenham, Locke wrote one of his famous works – â€Å"An Essay Concerning Human Understanding†. Thomas Sydenham gave advice to Locke in treating Shaftesbury’s liver cancer. Locke realized in the file of Shaftesbury that knowledge in a book could be different from the circumstances Locke was facing. Hence, he raised the pivotal question in his essay: â€Å"Is the foundation of knowledge based on theory or experience? † This essay stimulated several fresh ideas to philosophers in the 17th century. One of the famous philosophers who were greatly influenced by Locke was David Hume, who described John Locke as a magnificent man. After Shaftesbury survived from the liver cancer, he became Lord Chancellor and led Locke to be involved in the field of politics. In the political struggle of Shaftesbury, Locke assisted him by writing another famous work – â€Å"Two Treatises of Government†. It is believed that the ideas mentioned in the essay were influenced by Hobbes’ thinking, but Locke never referred or mentioned the name of Hobbes. Locke countered the statements raised by Hobbes in the book of Leviathan that â€Å"everyone is living in terror† and â€Å"war of every man against every man†. Locke raised a counter statement that everyone is created equally and everyone in society has rights to fight for their life, freedom and property. To accomplish it, we shall hold together and grant greater power to protect ourselves. This also explains how civilization works. The original purpose of this piece is an argument to attack Shaftesbury’s opponents (supporters of Absolute Monarchy). However, the ideas of natural rights and a new reformation of government mentioned inside the essay are recognized as the most influential ideas on the political system in the 17th century. The basis of liberty was widely used by the founding fathers of the United States of America to write the American Declaration of Independence and the Constitutions. The influences of John Locke did not just stop in the 17th century. They still last today. Every time we hear about liberty and freedom, the basis of these concepts had been defined by Locke clearly. Besides, the issue of free religion which is still discussed nowadays was also originated by Locke. The theory of religious tolerance was one of the most controversial ideas during Locke’s lifetime. In this perspective, some historians even regarded the European War as the war between religions. In some statements made by Locke, he argued human knowledge was possibly false unless there was definite proof. By the same token, he considered that religion, which did not have clear proof, was possibly false. Because of this, religious tolerance was necessary. Religious tolerance is still being debated nowadays and it has greatly changed the outlook of modern society after this idea was promulgated. Locke’s life was a legend. He was born in a Baptist family and his writings are full of elements related to Christianity. From the statement of â€Å"All men are created equally†, it clearly shows Locke’s belief in the perspective of equality. Besides, he was also greatly influenced by the idea of knowledge. He questioned the fundamental of knowledge and questioned whether knowledge is true as always. I believe he wrote such ideas because of his experience in the treatment of Shaftesbury’s cancer that led him to start questioning that the things he had learned from the medical books were not really practical. Instead, to him, they were much more proper to be described as imaginary notions. From this perspective, he was inspired to write the essay concerning human understanding. Besides, Locke also influenced the world and created waves of revolutionary ideas in many fields. The great philosophers Voltaire and Rousseau were deeply inspired by Locke’s theories. Ultimately, Locke – Father of Liberalism – was not simply a gifted person born to be the father of liberalism, but also because of circumstances, situations which he encountered in his life to make him the father of liberalism.

Explain How a Working Relationship is Different From a Personal Relationship Essay

Outline What is Meant by Agreed Ways of working relationship Outcome 1 understand working relationships in social care settings 1.1 explain how a working relationship is different from a personal relationship There are many different personal relationships that we have within our lives and we act differently to each of those it may be from a family relationship or a work friendship. It is the same with our working relationship with the individuals that we meet, some over step boundaries and turn into friendships. In a working relationship you are in a relationship with someone because it is your job, where as a family or friend relationship is built upon a different reason. In our job we may also have relations between other professionals or work colleagues which is necessary as it is part of the job and in the interests to the people we care for. 1.2 describe different working relationships in social care setting In the role of the health and social care worker are many different working relationships. Worker Answers What are the four main working relationships: colleagues manager other professionals such as doctors or paramedics individuals we care for Individual’s family and friends. For each you develop a different type of working relationship and some will be more formal than others. You may not greet a visiting doctor the same way you may address a close friend, we must ensure that we maintain a professional manner at all times. Outcome 2 Understand the importance of working in ways that are agreed with the employer 2.1 Describe why it is important to adhere to the agreed scope of the job It  is important to stick to the scope of the job As this is what has been outlined for you to do and is the best form of working for yourself and others around you. The scope gives you information on what will be expected from you and your roles and responsibilities if you do not adhere to these then accidents may happen and further action can also be taken. Usually when an employer advertises a job the description will be there of what is expected: The responsibilities of the role Location of work Who supervises and who you may need to go to Any staff you may be responsible for It is also giving you the safest way you will be working which will not put anyone at harm or danger. 2.2 outline what is meant by agreed ways of working Our employer identifies what we are to do in our job description but sets out how it is done in the policies and procedures that you are given before starting work. Most companies have these policies in place: Equal opportunities – this sets out how the organisation ensures there is no discrimination in the Most companies have these policies in place: Equal opportunities – this sets out how the organisation ensures there is no discrimination in the work place Bullying and harassment – sets out how it is dealt with for the staff being bullied or bullying others Confidentiality – the steps that are taken when people’s information is not kept confidential and on a need to know basis Data protection – how information is handled and stored Supervision 0 how staff are given professional support and supervision Procedures also outline how to deal with disciplinary issues, allegations of abuse, managing risk, deal with grievance or death, respond to emergencies that we have in which supports us on how we work effectively and correctly which allows us to give the best level of care we can give to individuals. 2.3 explain the importance of full and up to date details of agreed ways of working Sometimes we may have changes within the policies or in the law which will always need to be changed immediately so we adhere to the correct ways of working. If we do not change or follow the new changes then further action can be taken or even be breaking the law, this can put yourself,  residents, colleagues and also the home at risk. Outcome 3 Understand the importance of working in partnership with others 3.1 explain why it is important to work in partnership with others Being able to do our job effectively we work with many different people that come together to deliver the best quality service we can provide, these partnerships matter in delivering good quality social care. This is because there are so many aspects involved in delivering a good quality of service that no one person or organisation can deliver alone. 3.2 explain ways of working that can help improve partnership working There are many steps we can take to ensure that any partnership is able to work effectively Communication – this is one of the most essential steps we take, in failing with effective communication can cause friction and instant dislike which may create an unhealthy relationship. We need to ensure we keep good communication so we pass on vital information which may contribute towards the care towards the individuals’. * Respect and value work of others – when others or you do not feel appreciated for the work they do it can make others down and Respect and value work of others – when others or you do not feel appreciated for the work they do it can make others down and fed up which may affect the way they work. Just by valuing and appreciating the things people do for others will make the work place a lot more happier and keep relationships from turning negative, each person brings different knowledge and skills which are helpful and useful for the smooth running of delivering a good level of care. * Making clear decisions – all involved should feel confident enough that the decisions being made within the team are following the agreed process. There should be Making clear decisions – all involved should feel confident enough that the decisions being made within the team are following the agreed process. There should be concern if not all involved feel some decisions are being taken outside the team and that not everyone is being involved. If there is an agreed procedure for making decisions it is usually best to use it to keep peace and relations positive. 3.3 identify skills and approaches needed for resolving conflicts A conflict can sometimes be quite aggressive in order to resolve these we must use a different range of skills and approaches to help maintain it from escalating. We can use good listening skills, communication skills, holdinginformation, also being diplomatic and analysing the situation. Our approach needs to be tactful and calm also good body language showing we are open and ready to help resolve the issue. 3.4 explain how and when to access support and advice about: Partnership working Resolving conflicts Works Cited Angipie. â€Å"Develop Work Relationships.† WikiHow, 6 Dec. 2016, www.wikihow.com/Develop-Work-Relationships. GSA and the Courts: a Working Relationship. Washington, D.C., The Administration, 1991. â€Å"Personal Relationships.† Personal Relationships, vol. 23, no. 1, 2016, doi:10.1111/pere.2016.23.issue-1. Stelck, Lisa, and Cheryl Newman. The Working Relationship: Management Strategies for Contemporary Couples. New York, Villard Books, 1986. â€Å"Workplace Relationships.† Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_relationships.

OPENING DOORS A study of the Read To A Child program in the South Bend Essay

OPENING DOORS A study of the Read To A Child program in the South Bend School Corporation - Essay Example It is unfortunate that 40 percent of all nine-year-olds score below the basic level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).Moreover, there is a continuing gap between white students and African-American and Hispanic students. While 69 percent of African-American and 64 percent of Hispanic students scored below basic in 1994, only 31 percent of white fourth graders did. This is caused due to various socio-economic conditions coupled with lack of background knowledge of phonemes or speech sounds to the children belonging to this community. This is the reason that several ambitious projects aimed at enabling a child to read at grade level have been initiated both by the government ('No Child Left Behind' and 'America Reads') and volunteering agencies. One such project initiated by South Bend Community School Corporation is "Read to a Child Program" with a mission to ensure that a child develop a love for reading and is able to read well and independently by the end of the third grade. Reading is not developmental or natural, but is learned and requires a lot of practice, caring environment, background knowledge and motivation not only to be provided by the school but also by all the care-givers, parents, grand- parents, relatives, other community members and volunteers. Children who fall behind at an early age (K and grade 1) fall further and further behind over time. Longitudinal studies show that of the children who are diagnosed as reading disabled in third grade, 74% remain disabled in ninth grade (Fletcher, et al., 1994; Shaywitz, Escobar, Shaywitz, Fletcher, & Makuch, 1992; Stanovich, 1986; Stanovich & Siegel, 1994). Treatment intervention research done at The National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) educational research program has shown that appropriate early direct instruction seems to be the best medicine for reading problem. The purpose of providing extra instructional time is to help children achieve levels of literacy that will enab le them to be successful through their school careers and beyond. This paper is meant to study the policies and practices and strategies being employed towards the target of achieving proficiency in reading by our young readers both by the government and volunteering agencies especially in South Block Community School Organization and how effective they have been in achieving the task at hand and what further improvement in the strategies and practices and learning designs are called for in order to make the programs more effective. Located in north-central Indiana, South Bend Community School Corporation is St. Joseph county's oldest and largest school corporation, and the fourth largest school corporation in Indiana and apart from traditional students, it caters to the needs of a significant number of special needs students and students coming from different ethnic background , resultantly the achievement gaps which are differences in the levels of learning among different demographic student subgroups because of their socio-economic conditions and exist nationally, are much wider here than anywhere else. The challenge of bringing these students at par with other students of the same

How modern portfolio theory can be used to manage the portfolio of Essay

How modern portfolio theory can be used to manage the portfolio of your own_ - Essay Example The pros barely edged the DJIA by a margin of 51 to 49 contests† (Investor Home, 2011). An investor simply parking their money in the Dow would have beaten the specific picks of the professionals about half the time, even without transaction costs or taxes. Even worse, later research found that the pros got a break due to the announcement effect of the stock (Liang, 1996). When the pros made an announcement, others invested naively, but these stocks later reversed quite quickly: When taking this into account, the pros did not beat the dartboard! And in the last year of the contest, the readers won slightly (Jasen, 2002). All of this seems to sink the idea of portfolio analysis: If the best pros in the world using the best techniques can't beat random chance, how can anyone? But modern portfolio tools have given investors, particularly newer ones, skills for constructing an asset portfolio that will beat out mutual funds and naive investment. The Failure of Mutual Funds It's not just professionals that struggle to create value. Mutual funds are also very bad at generating growth, and they have the advantage not only of many investors and many analysts but also time and a diverse portfolio! â€Å"By and large, what you're going to find is that very, very few active funds consistently match the performance of the various indexes over the long-term, much less beat them... Finding a fund that consistently beat its index is like looking for a needle in a haystack† (Distad, 2009). Distad's data shows that very few funds beat out the market over time. Further, he notes that many of these actively managed funds are highly unreliable in terms of their fidelity. 80% had performance history only going back a year, out of a random sample of almost 3500 funds! Investors need to construct their own portfolio, not just rely on mutual funds that have had a mixed record of success and have certainly suffered after events like Enron, WorldCom and the 2008 collapse. A ssets Chosen I chose two assets: Whole Foods (WFMI) and Nintendo (NTDOY.PK). I wanted to pick two assets, one of which was more of a growth asset and another which was an asset that produced products I was familiar with and that I knew something about the likely market response to. The goal for both was risk control first and growth second: That is, I wanted there to be a steadiness to the line, whether it was going horizontally or sloping upwards. I selected based off of a visual analysis of both companies over five years, then used iQfront's analysis to see what the statistics were, and was pleasantly surprised. Modern portfolio theory emphasizes that risk has to be measured based on the variance of the stock (Goetzmann, 2011). Indeed, the core idea is that a tangency line can be created that has a riskless asset used as a baseline for comparison where both risk-averse and risk-accepting investors could invest comfortably, a perfect middle ground (Goetzmann, 2011). But finding tha t perfect portfolio is difficult, because â€Å"a major difficulty in estimating an efficient frontier accurately is that errors grow as the number of assets increase. You cannot just dump all the means, std's and correlations for the world's assets into an optimizer and turn the crank† (Goetzmann, 2011). We will return to why analyzing risk this way is compelling since other forms of risk are so appallingly inaccurately determined (Danielsson, 2009). In any respect, while growth is easy to measure (just look at how it's

Emergency Response and Promoting Safety Research Paper

Emergency Response and Promoting Safety - Research Paper Example An emergency action plan is crucial because it reduces the number of casualties of a particular emergency. In this case, the severity of injuries is also reduced considerably. The plan also enhances swift evacuation of people and property, which is under threat. The response to an emergency helps calm down an overwrought situation to avoid further havoc. The innovative methods used to keep workers safe and healthy includes training on the response to emergencies. The other method used is continuous evaluation of the emergency plan instituted to grasp the strategies applied during the emergencies. The company can also offer to train the employees on the usage of workplace machines and equipment to reduce the probability of an accident. The methods are useful in a construction company in the sense that they ensure that they enable the employees to take precautions while working. According to Goetsch (2010), a construction company is prone to many risks including falling objects. The methods will ensure that the employees are aware of the guidelines for emergencies and the response actions required. The training carried out ensures that the team promptly responds to an emergency. Training also equips the workforce with proficient skills on safety and health standards. Safety in a construction company is important because machines do most of the construction activities. For that reason, there are high chances of machine accidents owing to power failure, machine faultiness, and employee carelessness. Incentive programs can be employed in a construction company in a bid to promote the safety of the employees (Goetsch, 2010). Incentive programs ensure that employees who complete their tasks without any injury receive rewards. The initiative will ensure that all construction employees work towards minimizing accidents.  

Information on DBMS of Microsoft SQL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information on DBMS of Microsoft SQL - Essay Example Other users can read and modify the record anytime while the main user is performing operations on the output displayed. Shared locks allow concurrent users to read data. They are released when the data is read. Exclusive locks do not allow concurrent transactions on the data. Update locks are used to prevent deadlock where if a transaction updates data, it becomes exclusive lock else shared lock. Intent locks signify which granular level the SQL server wants to acquire lock. This technique uses logs to record the updates. The update log defines a single write on the table. This log contains the identifier for the transaction, the data item, the old and the new value updated. Once a transaction performs a write, log record for it is created. This log helps in recovering the data. This method also uses log to record the data but the write action is deferred until the transaction is partially committed. Once the transaction partially commits, the data on the log is executed in deferred writes. In case the system crashes, the data on the log is ignored. Two page tables (Current page table and shadow page table) are maintained in this technique. Each time a write occurs in the current page, it points to a page in the disk and a copy of it is made in the shadow table. When a system crashes, data is recovered from shadow table. It is a point where all the transactions are updated to reflect the data in the log. This updates the data properly to all the transactions ensuring no conflicts occur. This checkpoint ensures that all the data is committed in the SQL

Literary analysis of the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Essay - 1

Literary analysis of the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams - Essay Example Toms expresses his frustrations through his drinking and attending the movies in the evenings in addition to writing and reading poetry at work. A good amount of the play centers on Laura, however. She is tremendously shy, to some extent due to her crippling disease (pleurosis). She wore a brace on her leg and walked with a limp spending a lot of her time fantasizing about her glass menagerie. One of the central concepts this story clearly projects is the notion that the memories of our youth influence our fantasies of the present which in turn protect us from the realities of the present. Tom explicitly affirms that this is memory play in his first words, the first words of the play: â€Å"The play is a memory† (I, 145). To promote that effect, Williams continues to permit Tom to detach himself out from the play from every so often to narrate particular events or ideas, bring the audience up to speed on what has occurred in the period between two of the scenes or make other remarks. In reciting how the impression of memory is achieved, Richard Vowles (1958) describes its dreamlike characteristics, â€Å"One scene dissolves into another. There is, indeed, almost a submarine quality about the play, the kind of poetic slow motion that becomes ballet and a breathless repression of feeling that belongs to everyone but Amanda† (54). Williams illustrates the way memory has functioned to form Tom’s impression of life, never allowing him the escape he sought after through the merchant marine by sustaining the concept that almost the entire play is a Tomâ €™s memory in clear focus by means of this otherworldly light. Laura lives in possibly the most evident life of illusion as she drifts through her existence ostensibly in a cloud of detachment. She connects classical music with a happier time in her life while she connects her time in school with the ‘thunder’ of her leg brace while she struggles into her music room. She â€Å"takes refuge in

Access to Health Care in Canada Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Access to Health Care in Canada - Research Paper Example These include personal as well as corporate taxes, sales taxes etc. Provinces have the power to charge a huge premium to Canadians to help in providing health care services.This does not mean that absence of a premium will limit access to necessary medical health services for an individual. The basics including public health care access to a family doctor, emergency care, basic hospital treatment, sanitation, guard and treatment of infectious diseases and related education. With assured access to public hospitals and physician services, each province can decide whether to cover supplementary benefits, like dental care and drug coverage (Duckett&Peetoom, 2013). A health card is issued to every enrolled Canadian with no involvement required in billing and reclaim. Dental and vision health care, physiotherapist, massage therapies, chiropractic treatments are not covered but insured by employers through private companies, physiotherapist, massage therapies and chiropractic treatments (Health Canada, 2012). Canadian health care policy, as of 1984, is established in respect to insured health services and extended health care services, which are provided under the provincial law after a full cash contribution (Fierlbeck, 2011). The principle of this law is to provide a health care system that is universally available to permanent residents, is without income barriers, has comprehensive coverage, is portable within Canada and elsewhere and is administered publicly. Currently, Canadian health policy focuses on Pandemic preparedness, immigration-caused diversities, aging, new biological advances and climate change (Fierlbeck, 2011). 1. Aboriginal health policy: Aboriginals’ lower health status is improved via provinces/territories and the Federal Government funds through Canadian health transfer (Fierlbeck, 2011). Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) helps strengthen the ability of disabled Aboriginal people to compete in the Canadian job market and providing various health-related home care services such as case management, nursing care, in-home respite care and personal care.

Computer Networking and Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Computer Networking and Management - Case Study Example figurations at the data center core switch enable functional areas within each department to operate as independent LANs regardless of their physical locations. Internet-enabled Client Applications The following typical applications are allowed by the security management team to access the Internet: 1. Web browsers (IE 7). 2. Email client (Outlook 2007). 3. Skype client; used for voice chat, instant messaging, video conferencing, and low-cost Internet telephony. These applications were found essential to facilitate immediate contact and collaboration across to other universities and research institutions. No other network applications are allowed access to the Internet. The above Internet clients operate at designated TCP ports, which are open but monitored and occasionally audited though the firewall, to ensure compliance with security and IT access policy set forth by the campus network management. Any other applications requiring access to university wide intranet resources achieve that through a web interface and therefore do not require having arbitrary ports open. Figure : screen shot of web browser, email client, and IM/IPT clients Servers Servers, central security appliances, and edge network appliances are all housed in a secure one-level data center, located within the same campus area. Servers are connected to the main access router via a 10Gbps optical Ethernet. Table 2 illustrates the server distribution, platforms, and functionality. Web server (Linux) 1 central server Hosts the intranet portals and internal applications Mail server (Exchange over Windows 2003) 1 central server Hosts all email accounts and archives Domain Controller (Windows 2003) 1 central server Manages DNS, DHCP, and Active Directory Antivirus server (Linux) 1 central server Manages... This document demonstrates the understanding of some major aspects of computer networking, over three distinct sections. Section 1 considered the internal network of the College of Engineering and presented detailed high level description of user, server, network, and security designs of the network and how it connects to the Internet and to the university core intranet. Section 2 examined the important topic of data encryption. Symmetric and asymmetric ciphers have been described and contrasted. Examples of each have been provided. Also, the use of encryption for message authentication in the form of digital signature and/or message authentication code was discussed and the two schemes were compared. Section 3 considered the topic of congestion control and avoidance for TCP/IP networks, which make the overall transport infrastructure of almost all today’s public and private data networks. Congestion control algorithms were discussed at a topical level and a comparative descri ption of three algorithms (Tahoe, Reno and Vegas) was provided. Section 3 concluded with describing the role of an HTTP proxy and the performance penalty it encounters due to the common use of database driven dynamic web content.

Nevada &import fossil fuels Essay Example for Free

Nevada import fossil fuels Essay I do not think that importation of fossil fuels can sustain the way of life of people Nevada for longer period of time. Firstly, the production of fossil fuels, as well as its use, has environmental disadvantages. As Nevada uses this kind of energy source, people will suffer from different ailments caused by the carbon dioxide produced while converting fossil fuel into energy. What is the use of energy if people will suffer from unhealthy environment? Secondly, fossil fuels take millions of years to be produced and it is non-renewable. Sooner or later, the sources will be depleted and the need to look for alternatives is a must. Second, what things do you think the state government can do to reduce dependence on fossil fuels? To reduce dependence on fossil fuels, the state government may try to pass policies that will encourage investors to create infrastructures that will be home to plants of renewable sources of energy like wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear and others. Third, identify 3 conservation techniques that we can do immediately as individuals to help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels? To decrement the amount of energy being used, the following are 3 conservation techniques that may be used: 1) Residents of the state should save energy being used at home. Home appliances and equipment should be turned off and unplugged when not in use. Also, if the weather is fine, they may not use their air-conditioning units. 2) Commercial buildings in the state should be designed to favor good natural ventilation and lighting. 3) Instead of using energy-burning vehicles in going to near places, people may try walking or riding bicycles. Finally, admit to whether you actually utilize any of these conservation methods! The aforementioned conservation methods are very practical. I utilize those methods without such a big effort. In simple ways, we can help the state reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Observation and Coaching Essay Example for Free

Observation and Coaching Essay Much about conversation depends on the rapport between the two parties. As Clutterback explains in his title; â€Å"Creating a Coaching Culture,† the quality of a relationship is determined by the rapport between the two parties in it. A good rapport implies a healthy relationship and therefore a learning conversation. Observations of people in conversation can reveal a great deal about the rapport between them and therefore an insight into the relationship they share. The tell-tell signs will be the body language of the parties in conversation as well as the brief moments of silence they share as part of their conversation. After all 55% of communication is done via our body language and facial expression (Albert Mehrabian – Best Practice in Performance Coaching). Though this task required the observation of the conversation of just a group, I must admit that I had to observer a number of groups in a number of settings before focusing on one. As I carried out these observations, the variations coupled with the literature on the subject brought out very many insights into the power of conversation and the enormity of the focus necessary, as a coach, to execute successfully, a learning dialogue. Staying in control is the ultimate goal and even when going down a slippery slope it is you who would have to determine how far down the slide goes. The Setting In my observations, I discovered that social environment in which the conversation takes place can have a great deal to do with the nature of the conversation. Cafes make for very fast light hearted conversations without much pause or reflection from either parties whilst parks and restaurants allowed for a slower pace of conversation with lots of moments of silence presumably accompanied by deep thought and reflection. The setting also shows disposition to certain types of body language expressed by the parties in conversation. Perhaps it is to do with the pace of the conversation or perhaps the social attributes of the environment. People I observe in parks and restaurants tend to demonstrate more closeness and rapport through their body language than those in cafes would. There were longer moments of eye contact, heavier body contact and more varied facial expressions. This is by no means a scientific conclusion on the impact of the conversational setting on the conversation we have as people but however a cue to pay greater attention to the setting of a coaching session with a coachee. I would imagine, the first step in taking control of the conversation is allowing the setting to be conducive to the objective of the coaching session. As I have noticed in the brief observations I have had, the right setting will allow for the right expressions from both parties and therefore facilitate the depth of the conversation. The danger however is to ignore the casual attributions which may then arise from the cultural dispositions of me as a coach and from the coachee as an individual towards their actions in relation to the environment. Casual Attributions in Conversation The reason why I would like to discuss this at this point is because it plays a lot in our reading, perception and judgement of conversation and particularly body language. The casual attribution theory discusses the reason for the judgement we make on why a person behaves or behaved the way they did. Psychological research on attribution has primarily studied the cause of another person’s behaviour. Attributions are ubiquitous in everyday life and as such are easily overlooked in our everyday conversations. As a coach, I believe it is very important to be acutely aware of the attributions we may place on a coachee’s behaviour or reactions and endeavour to keep an open and non-judgemental mind. This will allow our conversations to be much more forthcoming. Heider (1958) purports that perceivers (a role we would occupy as coaches) seek to attribute fleeting behaviour to stable dispositions. They tend to trace action to dispositions of the actor. In other words, a coach might be caught up in making judgements on the actions of the coachee based on the knowledge the coach has gained on the coachee as a person. This tendency was designated by Ross and Nisbett (1991) the fundamental attribution error. When I reflected on my preference to attribution, I noticed that I have a tendency to gravitate towards individualistic attribution tendencies. As a result to be a better coach it necessitates me to actively seek to balance this. Conversation is a two way process and therefore, awareness of the attributions that the coachee might be predisposed to will be vital. Sometimes the coachee’s action might be a reaction to your action(s) as a coach. It will be important to understand the coachee’s attribution tendencies thereby enabling you not only to manage your expressions (body language) but also to fully understand any actions by your coachee. Miller’s research in 1984 provided evidence that understanding of cultures is imperative in understanding the underlying reactions in conversation. Cultural psychology separates the cultures into individualistic and collectivist with both groups showing different tendencies of attribution. I therefore feel understanding your coachee’s background will be an important step towards achieving a learning conversation. Body Language and Rapport Alebert Merhabian’s theory suggests that when people have a rapport between them, they tend to have mirrored body language (Best Practice in Perfomance Coaching; Carol Wilson p129). This was explicit in my observations. I could tell when both parties exhibit mirrored body language such as leaning towards each other and laughing in tandem. This was a clear sign of the rapport between the parties, a significant indication of the intensity of the conversation. It is my belief that a good rapport between two parties in a conversation will make for easy listening enabling the listener to move up the levels of listening (Carol Wilson p21). The rapport between the two will aid in â€Å"cocooning† the conversation and allow for very minimal distraction. As a coach the objective will be to aim for intuitive listening thus developing a good rapport with the coachee is a step in the right direction. As Carol Wilson explains in her book – Best Practice in Performance Coaching – coaching only truly happens when we listen at higher levels i. e. intuitive listening. On the other hand, contrasting body language in a conversation can be indicative of a negative rapport between the parties in conversation. This might lead to a strained and unproductive conversation. Sometimes, it is necessary to stop and look at the underlying factors for the lack of rapport as opposed to â€Å"forcing† the situation by actively trying to mirror your coachee’s body language. This can at times go right down to the setting or environment or possibly the casual attributions tendencies of both individuals. Summary Conclusion Much has been written about communication and conversation. It remains a powerful tool in coaching and therefore the greater the understanding we have as coaches, the better we will be able to use the conversation tool in executing our duties. In this report, I have looked at the impact on communication and conversation of three different aspects and seen how I can better prepare myself as a coach. My observations were a great cue towards helping me understanding communication. To attain my ultimate goal of always remaining in control, there are a good number of things to take into consideration. A lot in this report has focussed on the non-verbal aspects of the communication process. During the observation, I remained a good distance from the target group and therefore could not match the verbal communication to the non-verbal patterns that I observed. I am intrigued to know what the relation between the two will be. Are words a reflection of feelings? Are we more likely to control our physical expressions to avoid â€Å"causing a scene† in a public place? Are we mostly acutely aware of our surroundings? These are questions to which we might have no answers but can be used as important guides in analysing and controlling conversation. I have learned a great deal from these observations to make me a better coach. It is very important to understand and interpret non verbal cues in conversation paying particular attention to our own personal attributions as coaches that we might bring into the relationship.

A Major Problem In Palm Oil Mill Effluent Engineering Essay

A Major Problem In Palm Oil Mill Effluent Engineering Essay In Malaysia, for example, 9.9 million tons of solids wastes consisting of empty fruit bunch , fibre and fruit shell and approximately 20 million tons of palm oil mill effluent (POME) are generated every year. In response to this, there has been increasing efforts to manage the wastes generated from mills. A major problem in Palm Oil Mill Effluent is their Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) characteristic in final discharge (waste water). BOD is a chemical procedure for determining how fast biological organisms use up oxygen (through degradation of organic material) in a body of water. COD is to determine the amount of organic pollutants found in surface water. The purpose of this study was to minimize the BOD and COD level in waste water treatment plant using the Sequencing Batch Reactor Process (SBR) system. The capability of treatment efficiency was proven during the system is widely used in other industry. As Malaysia forges ahead with its plan to become a fully developed nation, palm oil mills will have to adapt to various new challenges, including more stringent environmental regulation, labor shortage and competition from other lower cost palm oil producing countries. Basically milling technology has not changed in terms of developing a new sustainable and economics process to extract more oil and kernel. This may sound odd with so many new mills built and best time to incorporate new technology being to start on a green field. Anyway new technology has developed with concentrated on better mechanical handing, higher throughput, and more durable and reliable equipment with longer intervals between failure and renewal. The extraction of palm oil and kernel from the palm fruit is a commonly known in palm oil process. But this extraction process also produces a brown effluent which can devastate any aquatic life if dumped directly into our river. It is estimated that for every tone of palm oil produced, 2.5 tons of wastewater is generated. Thus, with Malaysias palm oil production is standing close to 8 million tons per annum , the amount of palm oil mill effluent ( POME ) generated would be equivalent to that of sewage discharged by a population of 22 million people Palm oil mill effluents are high volume liquid wastes which are non toxic but have an unpleasant odor. They are highly polluting. The Biological and Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD COD) of this effluent is very high and goes for the Total Nitrogen, Ammonia Nitrogen and Oil Grease. The effluent also acidic. The nature of raw effluent, it is hot, has a bad aroma and brown in color. An effluent with its quality and quantity were to be discharged into river, all aquatic life will perish. At present there are many methods to treat this raw effluent. The most common method of treatment being employed is the biological treatment. This method of treatment is by using a combine effect of the aerobic, anaerobic and facultative ponds; where at the end of the treated effluent is dumped into a river. Alternatives treatment methods have propped up in the recent past. In this case, proposed a method which involved Sequencing Batch reactor ( SBR ) Technology with aerated oxygen enriched air. The sequencing batch reactor (SBR) is a batch process for treating wastewater. This process is capable to minimized BOD and COD in a reactor. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Typical Flow Charts Typical Palm Oil Mill Schematic Flow Diagram As the palm oil industry grows rapidly, the number of palm oil mills also increases significantly especially in Malaysia. Therefore, one of the major problems arises from this industry is the large amount of wastes generated during the processes. Generally, operation of the palm oil mill generates many by-product and liquid waste which may pose a significant impact on the environment if they are not dealt with properly. The most common method is biological effluent treatment system (ponds). 2.2 Effluent Treatment Plant The function of the biological effluent treatment plant is to treat the mill liquid waste to levels within the prescribed limits set by the Department of Environment (D.O.E). The method of biological treatment in the mill is the anaerobic process. This process comprises three stages: The anaerobic digestion in the acidification phase The anaerobic digestion in the methanogenic phase The quiescent facultative stage of aerobic digestion. The complete anaerobic digestion or bio-degradation of the mill effluent is a complex operation as this process requires the acid forming organisms to grow in harmony with the methanogenic formers. Any imbalance of activities of these two organisms would upset the digestion process. The acid producing bacteria and their associated enzymes degrade most type of organic material into fatty acids. The methanogenic bacteria convert the soluble products of the acid produces into methane and carbon dioxide. The acidification stage is controlled to promote the growth of the acid formers. While in the second stage i.e. the methanogenic phase, the environment is optimum to form the methane formers. The biological effluent treatment plant in the mill comprises of the following: De-oiling tank 2 Acidification ponds 1 primary anaerobic pond 2 anaerobic maturation ponds 2 facultative ponds De- sludging facilities De-oiling tank/ sludge pit Sludge waste from this mill is pumped into the tank. The purpose of this tank is to trap remnants of free oil and permit solids to settle out. Solids settled here should be removed on a regular basis in order that working levels be maintained. Regular checks should be made and any trace of oil here must be removed. Acidification ponds There are 2 ponds and these are operated in parallel. The acidification stage is a very rapid process converting the organic components of the waste water into volatile fatty acids (vfa) and depresses the pH of the system. However recycling of the anaerobic liquor is done here for buffering i.e. Obtaining the desirable pH level Cooling to obtain the desired temperature Seeding i.e. introducing active organisms population The above is practiced at this stage to prepare the feed before entering into the anaerobic ponds. Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) here in each pond is 2 days Temperature: 35ËÅ ¡c 45ËÅ ¡c PH: 4.0 to 5.5 Vfa: 5000 mg/l Primary anaerobic In this stage the strictly anaerobic bacteria called methanogen converts the volatile acids to methane, CO2 and other trace gases. Destruction efficiencies are high here wherein from a high B.O.D. of 24,000mg/l B.O.D. levels of the supernatant at the pond outlet are reduced to 300mg/l. Temperature at Anaerobic 2 outlet is approx. 30-35ËÅ ¡c with a pH in the region of 5.5 to 6.5. Vfa=1000 to 2000 mg/l. Alkalinity = 1500 to 2000 mg/l. Anaerobic Maturation Pond This is a final step of the methanogenic anaerobic stage where further reduction of BOD is made possible. BOD at this stage is down to about 200mg/l . Temperature at the outlet end is 20 to 30ËÅ ¡c with a pH in the region of 7.0. Vfa is approximately 700mg/l and alkalinity above 1500mg/l. Facultative Ponds The use of anaerobic digestion alone would not be sufficient to meet the standards stipulated by DOE hence further treatment of effluent is necessary in the facultative. These facultative ponds are for quiescent aerobic respiration of the aerobically treated waste water. These 3 ponds are in series and in these ponds sufficient oxygenation to the waste water is introduced. The effluents after sedimentation in these ponds are allowed to discharge into the water course, with BOD levels below 110 ppm as required by the Dept. of Environment. Temperature at the outlet of the Facultative is 25 to 30ËÅ ¡c with a pH of 7.0 9.0. Vfa less than 100. Alkalinity in the region of 1000mg/l. De-sludging of the ponds The ponding system is operated at low rate with organic loading ranging from 0.2 to 0.35 kg BOD/cu.m/day. Because of the size and configuration of the ponds mixing is hardly adequate. Also the rising biogas will bring along with them fine suspend solids and therefore it is common to find islands of solids floating in the anaerobic pond. This often results in dead spots which will lead to short circuiting in the ponds. Undoubtedly it is very labor intensive to maintain the ponds in satisfactory condition at all times. It is also imperative to ensure that as little oil as possible be allowed into the ponds as the oil will agglomerate with the rising solids brought up by the biogas and from a scum which is difficult to remove. Due to the inadequate mixing by biogas, solids build up at the bottom of the ponds, especially the anaerobic ones. Excessive solids built up at the bottom of the ponds will reduce the effective design capacity and consequently shorten the hydraulic retention time. This will adversely affect the treatment efficiency of the system. In view of the above regular desludging of the ponds is a must. A de-sludging pond is made available for this purpose. Solids from the ponds are pumped using submersible pumps into this desludging pond and water liquid recycled while solids are left to dry out and subsequently removed. 2.3 Operation procedures Sludge pits / Fluming tank Supervisors / operators are to visually check the pit on a regular basis throughout processing and ensure that a trace of oil is recovered soonest possible. Also when excessive trace of oil is sighted, immediate measures must be taken to trace and arrest the source of this excessive oil loss. Schedule cleaning of the sludge pit and tanks must be instituted to remove solids / sands and any debris on a scheduled basis. Pumps in this area must be checked to be in good operating condition. Any faults or malfunction noticed must be reported for immediate repair. Buffering Ponds Ensure that recycling of anaerobic liquor is carried out as per instruction. Remove any solids scum / oil traces on a daily basis. Ensure free flow into and out of the ponds. Anaerobic ponds Monitor visually ponds bacteria for any signs of fouling. Solids removal should be carried on a regular basis. Ensure stirrer / mixers are operated as per instructions. Ensure that in flow and outlet discharge is proper and feed to downstream ponds is regulated as required. Facultative ponds Regulate final discharge as necessary. Ensure solids recycling where necessary. Desludging ponds Ensure that pumping of solids into the pond is monitored. Ensure that excessive liquid is recycled to the anaerobic ponds. 3.0 METHODOLOGY 3.2 Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) Technology Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) is an activated sludge biological treatment process. The process uses natural bacteria and when the bacteria are aerated, they grow and multiply using the organics or pollution as food. This purifies the wastewater before it is discharged to the environment. The process is managed in a fill and draw, or batch fashion. This process allows for exceptional flexibility and controls which results in a highly treated effluent that will not harm the environment when it is discharged. Generally the SBR process can be conveniently described in five distinct steps: Step 1: Fill/React The treatment Reactor contains bacteria or biomass that processes the wastewater. The cycle starts with the Reactor at least half full of activated sludge. When the wastewater enters the Reactor, air is intermittently supplied by a blower, to maintain an aerobic (air enriched) environment. The pollution in the wastewater is consumed by the biomass as food. The biomass grows and multiplies during this treatment process assuring the system is sustained for further treatment. This cycle of filling and intermittent aeration continues until the Reactor has filled. Step 2: React only During this step incoming wastewater is diverted to a second Reactor or is stored. The full Reactor is aerated or mixed continuously during this step. The React only step provides time for additional treatment or polishing of the wastewater to meet required discharged consents. The duration of the react only step is easily adjusted at the computerized control panel. Step 3: Settle The biomass in the Reactor must be separated from the treated liquid or supernatant, so there will be sufficient biomass remaining for treatment of the next batch of wastewater. In the SBR system the Reactor becomes the settling device or clarifier when all the pumps and blowers are turned off. This creates quiescent settling conditions to allow the biomass and the treated liquid to separate. After settling, the treated clarified liquid is discharged or decanted from the Reactor. Step 4: Decant The treated clarified liquid is discharged or decanted using pumps which have their intake located at the midpoint of the Reactor depth. This assures that any floating debris or settled biomass is not discharged from the Reactor. A non-return valve on the pump intake prevents the entry of solids into the Decant pump and piping during the aerated treatment steps. Step 5: Idle When the Reactor has decanted, and there is no wastewater waiting to be pumped to the Reactor enters an idle or waiting phase. In idle, with no wastewater load, it is not necessary to run the blowers at the same rate as during the filling stage. The blowers automatically reduce the volume of air at idle, saving energy. When the Reactor receives more wastewater, it automatically switches back to the Fill/React step, and the entire cycle repeats. Sludge waste Since the biomass continues to grow or increase in volume during each treatment cycle it is necessary to remove excess biomass from the Reactor on a regular basis. The biomass volume is always maintained below the pump intake and at the proper level by means of automatic sludge waste pumps. The excess biomass is pumped to the Trash Tank at the end head end of the plant where it is anaerobically (without air) decomposed. Regular sludge wasting ensures that enough biomass remains in the Reactor to treat the next batch of wastewater, but does not increase to the point where it would be pumped out of the reactor during the Decant cycle. 3.3 FLOCCULATION TREATMENT Raw effluent from facultative pond (last pond) is pump into vertical steel clarifier. Flocculation agent and pH correction agent is dose into the pipe line before entering clarifier to ease coagulation process. PRE AERATION The clarified raw effluent will over flow into the 1st holding tank. Filling is estimated for 3 hours. While in the holding tank, the raw effluent is subjected to pre aeration for 2 hours before transfer to the reactor tank. Pre-aeration is done through fine air bubbles passes through an array of disc type diffuser at tank base. SBR PROCESS The pre-aeration effluent from holding tank is transferred into the reactor tank via transfer pump. The SBR process inside the reactor tank will be control through a present time for 24 hours operation based on the following activity: Filling 3 hours Slow aeration 4 hours Fast aeration 10 hours Settling 2 hours Discharge 2 hours Filling Pre-aerated anaerobic liquid is pump from holding tank. During start up, seeding of bacteria is carried out. The quantity from of seeding is depending on the MLSS concentration in the reactor. Slow aeration While filling up of the pre-aerated anaerobic liquid half of the diffuser inside the reactor tank will activate, via control valve install at the distribution header. Fast aeration Filling completed and full aeration processes activate. Settling To allow solids and liquids are separated under true quiescent conditions. Discharge The treated or clarified supernatant is pump into a final treated effluent tank for storage. The excess sludge will settle and remain in the reactor tank. Desludging will depend on the MLSS concentration, not to exceed 20-30 % by ratio of the pre-aerated anaerobic liquid. This can be done by taking sample and allow to settle naturally. Standby The reactor tank is ready for the next batch. The treated water will overflow through a constant level flexible outlet into a transfer (clarified) water tank. The clarified water enters an activated carbon filter via booster pump, which act to polish the water before discharge out to river. At this stage the BOD level should be à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 20 ppm. A reject line is installed to return treated effluent into anaerobic pond if the BOD level exceeds 20 ppm. 3.4 NOPOL- diffuser The NOPOL system has a suitable diffuser for any wastewater application. Reliable construction The main component of the system is the NOPOL dual layer polyethylene disc. This has a thin fine top for maximum oxygen transfer efficiency. All deposits are easily removed by the formic acid. The NOPOL disc aeration system is ideal for all biological processes. An aeration system covering the entire bottom of the basin gives the desired oxygen content throughout. Mixing energy is evenly distributed throughout the basin. Uniform mixing prevents any sludge sedimentation. Adjustment range-volume of air per diffuser is wide enough for any load variation. The disc aeration system does not cool down the activated sludge or produce any harmful aerosols. 3.5 SBR system tank and pipe layout 4.0 ANALYSIS 4.1 A BASIC DESIGN OF SBR SYSTEM Capacity : 1080 m ³ / day Influent BOD: 200 ppm Discharge BOD: 20 ppm Basic design data Actual waste water quantity discharged from plant : 1080 m ³ / day ( max ) Design waste water quantity : 1080 m ³ / day or 45 m ³ / hour BOD : 200 mg / l COD (assume) : 300 mg / l PH : 7.2 Temperature : 26 ËÅ ¡c Suspended solids (assume) : 300 mg / l Oil grease (assume) : 20 mg / l Sequence of operation of SBR reactor tank No.1 or 2 Filling and slow aeration time : 8 hours Fast aeration time : 12 hours Settling time : 2 hours Discharge of treated effluent : 2 hours Sizing of tanks Based on the above operation sequence and the two trains of SBR tank operating alternatively, the sizes of the holding tank and reactor tanks are as follows: Holding tank Tank required : 1 unit Waste water flow rate : 45 m ³ / hour The retention time for the holding tank : 6 hours Volume of tank required : 270 m ³ Selected holding tank size is 8700 m Ø ÃÆ'- 7.62 m height Capacity : 400 m ³ Reactor tanks Wastewater flow rate : 45 m ³ / hour No of tanks required : 2 units Retention required for reactor vessel : 12 hour Volume of waste water in each reactor tank : 540 m ³ Volume of activated sludge to be retained in reactor tank : 20 % of the waste water Therefore required volume of reactor tank : 648 m ³ Selected reactor tank size is 11650 mm Ø ÃÆ'- 7.62 m height Capacity : 800 m ³ Calculation of air required for aeration at reactor tank Process utilized : Palm Oil Mill Effluent Type of waste : Industrial Design flow : 1080 m ³ / day BOD5 : design 200 mg / l = 216 kg / day Temperature of waste : 26 ËÅ ¡c Dissolved oxygen to be maintained in waste water ( CÃŽÂ » ) : 2.0 mg / l Oxygen to BOD5 ratio : 1.5 (assume) Oxygen required per hour : (216 ÃÆ'- 1.5) / 12 = 27 kg / hour Oxygenation capacity required per hour = 02 required per hour / correction factor Correction factor = ÃŽÂ ± [(ÃŽÂ ²) (Cà Ã†â€™) CÃŽÂ »] 1.024 (à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾-20)/ Cà Ã†â€™H20 Cà Ã†â€™ H20: oxygen solubility factor ÃŽÂ ± = 0.9 ÃŽÂ ² = 0.95 Cà Ã†â€™ at 26ËÅ ¡c at 200 ft elevation = 8.1 1.024 (à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾-20) at 26ËÅ ¡c = 1.153 CÃŽÂ » = 2 ppm Therefore, oxygenation capacity required per hour = 27 / 0.7289 = 37.04 kg / hour Density of air at 26ËÅ ¡c = 1.18 kg / m  ³ Volume of air required taking oxygen content in air is 20% by unit weight = (37.04ÃÆ'-5m ³/hr)/1.18 = 157 m ³ / hour Efficiency of aeration by using Nopol diffuser at 4m water dept = 18 % at 4m ³ / hr per unit Flow rate of air blower required = 157 m ³ / hr / 18 % = 872 m ³ / hr Use air blower = 900 m ³ / hr No. of diffuser required = 900 / 4 = 225 pcs Therefore, No. of diffuser installed per reactor = 225 (for 1080 m ³/day) operating at 12 hours Determination of number of diffusers per tank for holding tank The required aeration for waste water in holding tank is to ensure saturation concentration of oxygen dissolved in water. Based on temperature of 26ËÅ ¡c, the saturation concentration of oxygen in water is = 8.11 mg/l With influent flow rate = 45 m ³ / hour Total oxygen required = 364.9 g / hour Allow 20% extra air to ensure saturation, the actual aeration rate = 438 g / hour No. of diffusers at 1 m ³ / hour per unit at 18 % = 11 nos. No. of diffusers installed at holding tank for primary aeration and mixing to saturation point = 30 nos. (At 0.4 pc/m ² distribution density) Total diffuser used for 2 trains system = 510 nos. Selection of two ( 2 ) units of surface aerator Model = EEE FA- 1010 Specifications are enclosed. The application of these surface aerations installed at facultative pond is for: Proper mixing of the effluent before pumping to the effluent treatment plant To supply some aeration to the facultative pond so as to minimize the inlet BOD to the effluent plant and at the same time to improve the bacteria activity. Selection of one ( 1 ) unit activated carbon filter at treated effluent discharge point Dimension = 2420 mm Ø ÃÆ'- 1828 mm SL Surface area = 4.59 m ² Flow rate = 60 m ³ / hour Flow velocity = 13.0 m / hour Volume of activated carbon = 4.1 m ³ The activated carbon filter acts as a polishing filter for the final treated effluent. 5.0 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION A more responsible biological treatment process through a proven automated operation program responding on time every situation and alarm in a reactive way so that the plant performance can be maintained regardless of the operator attendance and equipment failure. Lower investment and recurrent cost, as secondary settling tanks and sludge return systems are not required. Lower space requirements. Better settling, as settling conditions in an SBR are Ideal while the sludge population changes towards better settle able micro-organisms. Improved effluent quality. Improved operational reliability. Hardly any or no smell problems. Better temperature control. Lower effluent COD and BOD. The batch nature process and high organic concentrations (feast) during Fill encourages the growth of organisms with high organic uptake rates. The famine period at the end of React encourages the utilization of recalcitrant organics. The combined effect of the feast and famine periods is the optimal removal of BOD and COD. Better settling sludge. The feast-famine conditions that naturally occur in each cycle promote the growth of floc-forming organisms and disfavor filamentous organisms, thereby eliminating the need for polymers. In a number of situations the application of an SBR system will thus result in lower investment as well as operational costs. Critical in this respect are the load and concentration of the wastewater, the design and the local situation. 6.0 SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER WORK At this study, Sequencing Batch Reactor process, raw effluent from facultative pond (last pond) is pump into clarifier in system. Thereby, the pond still need for this system due to oil recovery in first 2 ponds. In future study, the pond system which consumed a large area needs to remove. The wastewater from the mills, directly pump to SBR system tanks for further treatment. The new method for oil recovery in SBR system will be taken in action. The discharge water which in brownish color need to be analyze due to remove the color.

The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities for Students Essays -- Educ

It is important for adolescents to participate in extracurricular activities. Student who participate in these activities improve their academic scores and social life. Extracurricular activities can also help reduce many peer pressure related problems. â€Å"They enrich the lives of the students, their families and our communities. These activities create well rounded children who learn what their interests and talents are because they have been exposed to such opportunities† (Extracurricular Activities, Blogadmin). For most adolescents extracurricular activities should be required among what they do outside of school. What are extracurricular activities? Extracurricular activities are those sponsored by and usually held at school but are not part of the academic curriculum. There are usually many extracurricular activities available including team sports, such as soccer, baseball, basketball, and volleyball, and academic interests such as foreign language club, debate team, chess club, student government, student publications, 4-H Club, environmental clubs, choir, band, photography, politics, and business (Wells). There are activities for everybody so encourage adolescents to go try something, and they might turn up liking it. To get involved in these activities schools usually have a list of multiple activities that a student can be in (Dowshen). There might be a certain age that is required to be in activity, but there are endless amounts of things that adolescents can do (Dowshen). Money is one of the other big problems most kids think of when they want to go into an extracurricular activity. Most of the money that will need for the activity can be cut down by fundraising. If the money can’t be made by fundraising, sch... ...involved_school.html>. Hollrah, Rachel. â€Å"Extracurricular Activities.† 20 October 2014. . Levack, Nicholas A. â€Å"Can extracurricular activities help your child resist peer pressure?† Helium. 25 October 2014. . Needlman, Robert M.D. â€Å"Extracurricular Activities.† 26 August 2004. 25 October 2014. . Smith, Allison. â€Å"Extracurricular Activities.† University of Michigan. 25 October 2014. . Wells, Ken R. â€Å"Extracurricular activity.† Answers.com. 27 November 2004. Answer Corporation. 07 November 2014..

The Problem of Teenage Suicide :: Teenage Suicide Essays

The Problem of Teenage Suicide Most everyone at some time in his or her life will experience periods of anxiety, sadness, and despair. These are normal reactions to the pain of loss, rejection, or disappointment. Those with serious mental illnesses, however, often experience much more extreme reactions, reactions that can leave them mired in hopelessness. And when all hope is lost, some feel that suicide is the only solution. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, scientific evidence has shown that almost all people who take their own lives have a diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder, and the majority have more than one disorder. In other words, the feelings that often lead to suicide are highly treatable. That’s why it is imperative that we better understand the symptoms of the disorders and the behaviors that often accompany thoughts of suicide. With more knowledge, we can often prevent the devastation of losing a loved one. Now the eighth-leading cause of death overall in the U.S. and the third-leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years, suicide has become the subject of much recent focus. U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, for instance, recently announced his Call to Action to Prevent Suicide, 1999, an initiative intended to increase public awareness, promote intervention strategies, and enhance research. The media, too, has been paying very close attention to the subject of suicide, writing articles and books and running news stories. Suicide among our nation’s youth, a population very vulnerable to self-destructive emotions, has perhaps received the most discussion of late. Maybe this is because teenage suicide seems the most tragic—lives lost before they’ve even started. Yet, while all of this recent focus is good, it’s only the beginning. We cannot continue to lose so many lives unnecessarily. Some Basic Facts In 1996, more teenagers and young adults died of suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung disease combined. In 1996, suicide was the second-leading cause of death among college students, the third-leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 24 years, and the fourth- leading cause of death among those aged 10 to 14 years. From 1980 to 1996, the rate of suicide among African-American males aged 15 to 19 years increased by 105 percent. It is a hopeful sign that while the incidence of suicide among adolescents and young adults nearly tripled from 1965 to 1987, teen suicide rates in the past ten years have actually been declining, possibly due to increased recognition and treatment.

Music as Substance and Form in Grace Notes :: Grace Notes

Music as Substance and Form in Grace Notes In the novel Grace Notes by Bernard MacLaverty, Catherine's growth as an artist through the story provides both substance and form to the story. Early on in Catherine's life, she was taught and influenced by the people close to her. Miss Bingham was her first formal teacher. She taught Catherine things she seemed to have known beforehand: "Miss Bingham says it's all inside her head and all she has to do is draw it out" (99). Miss Bingham also gave Catherine her first manuscript jotter, taking her on her way to becoming a composer. Catherine's family was also a big influence. Granny Boyd taught Catherine songs they would sing in "the rounds of the kitchen" (145). In contrast to Miss Bingham and Granny Boyd, it seems as if her father wanted to have more control over her music interest. When listening to the Lambeg drums, her father called it "Sheer bloody bigotry" (258), yet Catherine thought it interesting with the complex rhythms. The strongest influences on Catherine, as with most children, come at an early age, and for Catherine this all happens in her home town. There are also outside influences on Catherine's development as an artist. Catherine first saw Huang Xiao Gang at a composition workshop at the university. Huang talked about "pre-hearing and inner hearing" (33), and other ways of thinking of music in very non-western methods. Catherine remembers the 'pre-hearing' and 'inner hearing' quite a few times later, when she has ideas about music. Catherine also learns while visiting the composer Anatoli Melnichuck in Kiev. She does not actually learn directly from Melnichuck, but learns about things when she is there. When she visits the Refectory church she hears the bells in the bell tower, making a reverberating "Tintinnabulation" (124). Catherine as well hears the monks in the church singing. The singing came without warning, "it was not sacred singing - there was a lightness to it" (125). The singing there at the Refectory church reminded her of Granny Boyd singing 'The Bell Doth Toll'. The outside influences in Catherine's life gave s ome contrast and some interesting aspects to her music. The influences and teachings in her life all come together to create Vernicle, which is played for the BBC at the end of the novel. Her music comes in two parts, like "the bilateral symmetry of a scallop shell" (273).

What Continues to Make Othello Worthy of Study

William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, ‘Othello’ written in approximately 1603, continues to be studied and appreciated even now in modern society, more than four hundred years after it was written. Apart from the obviousness of Shakespeare’s ability to use diction to draw in the audience, ‘Othello’ has many qualities which allow it to be interpreted and re-interpreted through time. It can relate to any audience and context because its varied themes, values and ideas, remain relevant to all societies making it possible for anyone to relate to ‘Othello’ on some level. This, along with Shakespeare’s depiction of common human emotions, and his ability to portray these in such a realistic manner continues to make ‘Othello’ worthy of critical study. The universality of Shakespeare’s themes are evident not only in ‘Othello’ but in almost all of his works. The most apparent theme in the text is that of jealousy. Iago importantly warns, ‘O, beware, my lord, of Jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on’ (act 3, scene 3). This warning is directed at Othello, but is also important for Roderigo and Iago himself. Although Iago could be called one of the most diabolical antagonist/villains in literature, his actions are spurred by such common human emotions; jealousy and greed. Jealousy acts as a great literary device in the text because it is an extremely universal emotion which almost all living creatures are capable of feeling, and this gives the audience an emotional attachment to the characters and plot. It allows the audience to feel sympathy for the characters. Othello’ plays with the jealous nature of the characters, such as Iago’s envy of power and position, along with his suspicions about his wife. These things encourage the plot, and initiate the series of events to unfold during the text. Through Iago, Shakespeare conveys the lengths to which a man will go to achieve his objective. Iago’s manipulativeness causes Othello to become a victim of unfounded jealousy, and this drives the entire plot. Furthermore, Iago’s hatred and jealousy is fueled by his racism. The audience is constantly reminded of Othello’s colouring through the character’s dialogue, motives and actions. Shakespeare creates vulgar visual imagery with the metaphor, â€Å"Very now, an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe. † (act 1, scene 1) . Unfortunately, racism and prejudice are common throughout history as minorities and groups are deemed lower than others, and this continues still to this day. Division and stereotyping of groups due to race, sex, sexuality and ability have existed through the ages, and unfortunately will continue to exist. Another discernible theme in ‘Othello’ is love. This emotion too is universal emotion, and the impulsiveness and compulsion to disobey family that love can generate is shown through Desdemona’s willingness to deliberately disobey her father in order to secretly marry Othello. Romance today is one of the most popular literary genres, and can be enjoyed by all ages, in all societies. Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ has been adapted to suit modern society such as in the film ‘O’, and interpreted in different media, including dramatical performances, opera, ballet, television shows and films. All of these provide different interpretations of the text and demonstrate the adaptability of ‘Othello’. Shakespeare’s poetic and beautiful language and his use of themes such as love, power, revenge, war and jealousy are timeless. His depiction of human ideas and paths of action are also timeless, as humans basic senses will remain the same. These factors, compounded with Shakespeare’s ability to continually challenge oncoming generations, both in the literature and dramatical sense, make ‘Othello’ timeless and worthy to continue to be studied in modern society and after.

Nz Fitness Industry

Within New Zealand a growing number of people are using the fitness industry as a convenient means of improving and maintaining their well-being. In recent times a market boom has taken place with more and more gyms being built throughout the country, and with them new business opportunities arising. One of the most renown gyms in New Zealand, Les Mills is an example of one of these modern business franchises.In the 43 years since Phillip Mills family started running their first Les Mills gym in New Zealand, the gym has since gone international with over 14,000 gyms now spread throughout 75 countries worldwide and an estimated net worth of (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ) (citation). It is estimated that in New Zealand alone the gym industry generated over (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ) in 2008 (citation). Along with the increase in gyms being established a large proportion of the fitness industry is now focusing on nutrition as an additional market for generating profit.This report serves to a nalyse and interpret both individual markets along with relevant figures, and will outline the potential future business prospects for investment or creating a new franchise in both markets. New Zealand has a large fitness industry as exercise has become a very important part of everyday life. Today’s gym goers are opting for low frills operators trading away high end services in favour of convenience, price and flexible contracts.With more than 10% of New Zealand’s population now seeing an exercise professional regularly, there is a total of 400,000 people on average seeing 1500 exercise professionals on a regular basis. (cited) Some of the top gyms in New Zealand are Les Mills, Next generation and Jetts. Les Mills has a competitive advantage of having fun while exercise via the fitness classes that are suitable for all ages and sizes, such as Body Combat. Les Mills is a large firm that has privately owned companies headquarters in Auckland only which are valued at $1 30 million.Les Mills believes that by 2020 they will open a further of 10 gyms in Auckland (cited Mills). The health and fitness market has been described as blandly premium as there is little deffirentiation between service offerings, indicating that there is opportunity for competitive advantage to be achieved through quality. In order to open a new franchise sufficient funds must be available. Competition exist with a newly opened Les Mills Britomart, which was set up with a total cost of $10 million dollars. Margins are very slim for smaller gyms, so would need to be a large player to be successful. Nz Fitness Industry Within New Zealand a growing number of people are using the fitness industry as a convenient means of improving and maintaining their well-being. In recent times a market boom has taken place with more and more gyms being built throughout the country, and with them new business opportunities arising. One of the most renown gyms in New Zealand, Les Mills is an example of one of these modern business franchises.In the 43 years since Phillip Mills family started running their first Les Mills gym in New Zealand, the gym has since gone international with over 14,000 gyms now spread throughout 75 countries worldwide and an estimated net worth of (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ) (citation). It is estimated that in New Zealand alone the gym industry generated over (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ) in 2008 (citation). Along with the increase in gyms being established a large proportion of the fitness industry is now focusing on nutrition as an additional market for generating profit.This report serves to a nalyse and interpret both individual markets along with relevant figures, and will outline the potential future business prospects for investment or creating a new franchise in both markets. New Zealand has a large fitness industry as exercise has become a very important part of everyday life. Today’s gym goers are opting for low frills operators trading away high end services in favour of convenience, price and flexible contracts.With more than 10% of New Zealand’s population now seeing an exercise professional regularly, there is a total of 400,000 people on average seeing 1500 exercise professionals on a regular basis. (cited) Some of the top gyms in New Zealand are Les Mills, Next generation and Jetts. Les Mills has a competitive advantage of having fun while exercise via the fitness classes that are suitable for all ages and sizes, such as Body Combat. Les Mills is a large firm that has privately owned companies headquarters in Auckland only which are valued at $1 30 million.Les Mills believes that by 2020 they will open a further of 10 gyms in Auckland (cited Mills). The health and fitness market has been described as blandly premium as there is little deffirentiation between service offerings, indicating that there is opportunity for competitive advantage to be achieved through quality. In order to open a new franchise sufficient funds must be available. Competition exist with a newly opened Les Mills Britomart, which was set up with a total cost of $10 million dollars. Margins are very slim for smaller gyms, so would need to be a large player to be successful.

Choctaw Indians

The tribe of Choctaw Indians was originally located in the southeastern part of the Mississippi, southwestern Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia. This name for this tribe of Indians is attributed to various sources, some of these are the Spanish word chato which means flat because the Choctaw used to flatten the foreheads of their male infants and Haccha, a name of the Pearl River with which these people were associated . These people believe that they originated from â€Å"Ninah Waya†, which is a sacred hill located near Nozapter, Mississippi.The name â€Å"Ninah Waya† means â€Å"Productive Mountain† and is often referred to as â€Å"The Mother Mound†. The â€Å"emergence myth† is a part of Choctaw history. These Indians are supposed to have belonged to the Muskhogean linguistic family. Initially they existed as very large groups, but were significantly reduced in numbers due to infected foreigners who spread a number of epidemic diseases amongst thes e hapless Indians. The other tribes in this linguistic family are Creeks, Chickasaws, Seminoles and Apalachi .In comparison to the Chickasaw and the Creek who were their age old enemies, the Choctaws were more democratic and less warlike. The Choctaws lived in wattle-and-daub homes. These homes had walls consisting of pole frames covered with mud and bark and a thatched roof. They were agrarian in general and in this aspect were unsurpassed in the entire Southeastern part of the U. S, and used simple tools to cultivate corn, beans, sweet potatoes, and tobacco.They were so proficient in this activity that they were in the enviable position of possessing surplus food which they bartered in order to obtain goods that they did not have. Moreover, they utilized blowguns, bows and arrows, spears and traps to hunt animals for food and pelts. Their trading capacity was so great that they traded on a very large scale with other tribes and in order to communicate with their customers they dev eloped a simple trade language. In order to transport merchandise and animals hunted by them they used dugout canoes.The Choctaws were fond of sport and it occupied an important part of their culture. Their variety of lacrosse, which was very popular amongst the eastern tribes was a very rough game played with a stick. This game was used to promote social gatherings, bring about settlement of disputes and to train the participants for warfare. The number of participants in this game would be in the hundreds and all sorts of violence like biting, belabouring and kicking were permitted. Not surprisingly, the participants would suffer serious and sometimes fatal injuries.The outcome of this game had so much importance attached to it that Choctaw priests used to offer prayers in order to have an effect on the result of the game . The Choctaws took to riding horses and using them as pack animals with the advent of the Europeans in the 16th century. They developed their own specialized ho rse breeds and raised cattle. The 18th and 19th centuries were witness to the forced migration of the Choctaws farther and farther west in order to circumvent clashes with the European settlers.Initially they allied with the French later on they worked as spies for the Americans in the American Revolution, which lasted from 1775 to 1783, and reported the activities of the British. In the War of 1812 they allied with the U. S and fought under General Andrew Jackson and they also fought against the Creek in the Creek War that lasted from 1813 to 1814. The universal belief was that the land occupied by the Indians had gold in it, accordingly President Jackson brought about legislation that required relocation of the Southeast Indian tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River.The first victims of this inhuman deed were the loyal Choctaws, who were made to shift their location to the Indian Territory, which is in Oklahoma under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Accordingly, as per the p rovisions of the 1830, Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek the Choctaw nations was forcibly relocated to South-eastern Oklahoma. The years from 1831 to 1834 saw these hapless Choctaws being subjected to a series of forced marches westward, which proved fatal for many of their numbers who succumbed to disease, hunger, exposure and attacks by bandits.Around twenty thousand Choctaws were shifted and only seven thousand survived this arduous journey notorious as the â€Å"The Trail of Tears†. The greed of the settlers was gratified to some extent by the year 1842 as most of the Choctaw lands had become the property of the settlers. Oklahoma, was chosen by the Choctaws as their promised land, because it was for the most part empty and was considered to be useless for any other purpose. However, this place proved to be very fertile and was utilized by them as an agricultural haven. The surviving Choctaws built a new city based on their agricultural genius.In the Indian Territory the Cho ctaw, the Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Seminole were collectively known as the Five Civilized Tribes, because they had organized governments with written constitutions and due to the fact that they had established public schools and newspapers. The Choctaw joined forces with the Confederacy during the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. Due to the ever increasing influx of non-Indian settlers, the Choctaws were unable to retain their lands, even in Oklahoma, where they had been ruthlessly relocated.Ironically, Oklahoma is a term invented by the Choctaw leader Allen Wright to connote red people and was initially used to denote the western half of the Indian Territory. The number of persons who identified themselves as Choctaw in the U. S. census of 2000 was approximately 87,000 and a further 71,000 identified themselves as having Choctaw blood. Federal trust lands are held by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma in the vicinity of Durant. Furthermore, the Mississippi Ban d of Choctaw Indians’ reservation is located near the Pearl River.Some Choctaw groups reside in Louisiana and what should be of encouragement to these hapless people, there has been a revival of traditional customs and unity between these groups since the 1950s . Women have traditionally been objects of veneration in the Choctaw culture. This honour has been accorded to them due their being the head of every family household and due to their being the caretakers of children and elders in the family. In legends these tribes are considered to be vegetarians and one of the Cherokee legends describes this epoch as the beginning of equality and mutual helpfulness between humans, plants and animals.Initially all three lived in harmony, however, with the passage of time, man became destructive and started to kill and eat some of the animals and in retaliation some of the animals invented diseases to limit the human population. True generosity was exhibited by only the plants, which provided not only food to man, but also medicine to cure these diseases . The historical evolution of the Choctaw makes one aware of their efforts in respect of economic development and the strong Tribal government which has resulted from such development.In the past, the Choctaw people had undergone several hardships like health problems and reliance upon the federal government for the bare necessities of life. However, subsequent to the year 1945, the situation has improved drastically and the strong tribal governmental leadership and appropriate planning have made the Choctaw people self reliant. With the improvement in employment and educational opportunities, availability of better housing and healthcare facilities a resurgence of the Choctaw community and their cultural arts has transpired and this has brought about betterment in their standard of living.The language of the Choctaws and their native culture are no longer threatened with extinction as they had been saved and st rengthened due to their efforts. At present Choctaw community can be considered to be a successful community. This is due to the fact that they not only preserved their culture but did so in the face of great adversity. The Choctaw Indian Reservation is spread across 35,000 acres of Tribal lands, which are located in ten counties of the Mississippi. The federal government is responsible for safeguarding these lands.These sites are Pearl River, Red Water, Bogue Chitto, Standing Pine, Tucker, Conehatta and Bogue Homa. The Tribal government is headquartered in Pearl River and is the largest of these lands. The Choctaws enjoy several traditional cultural activities in addition to those provided by modern society. Their artistic output comprises of hand woven baskets made from Mississippi swamp cane, beadwork, etc. They are also famous for their dances, cooking and sewing traditional apparel. In the modern world they are active in almost all fields of scientific and commercial endeavour. In contrast to the past, when they had been relegated to the background, these people can be assumed to have become a part of the fast paced and exciting American way of life. These people are highly creative and gifted and some of their special events, which enable them to congregate as a Choctaw community in order to commemorate their tribal traditions, are the annual Choctaw Indian Fair held in the month of July in the Choctaw Indian Reservation and the spring festivals of the Choctaw communities . Works Cited Page Ferguson, Bob.Choctaw Chronology. Retrieved from http://www. choctaw. org/history/chronology. htm on October 6, 2006 Rita Laws, WAS THE AMERICAN ABORIGINAL DIET VEGETARIAN? , retrieved from www. animalvoices. org/aboriginal. htm. on 06. 10. 2006. Retrieved from http://www. choctaw. org/culture/welcome. htm on 06. 10. 2006. Team Sports. Choctaw. Retrieved from http://www. cradleboard. org/cnat/resource/choctaw. htm on October 8, 2006 Waldman, Carl. â€Å"Choctaw. † Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Seventy-two

Daenerys The land was red and dead and parched, and good wood was hard to come by. Her foragers returned with gnarled cottonwoods, purple brush, sheaves of brown grass. They took the two straightest trees, hacked the limbs and branches from them, skinned off their bark, and split them, laying the logs in a square. Its center they filled with straw, brush, bark shavings, and bundles of dry grass. Rakharo chose a stallion from the small herd that remained to them; he was not the equal of Khal Drogo's red, but few horses were. In the center of the square, Aggo fed him a withered apple and dropped him in an instant with an axe blow between the eyes. Bound hand and foot, Mirri Maz Duur watched from the dust with disquiet in her black eyes. â€Å"It is not enough to kill a horse,† she told Dany. â€Å"By itself, the blood is nothing. You do not have the words to make a spell, nor the wisdom to find them. Do you think bloodmagic is a game for children? You call me maegi as if it were a curse, but all it means is wise. You are a child, with a child's ignorance. Whatever you mean to do, it will not work. Loose me from these bonds and I will help you.† â€Å"I am tired of the maegi's braying,† Dany told Jhogo. He took his whip to her, and after that the godswife kept silent. Over the carcass of the horse, they built a platform of hewn logs; trunks of smaller trees and limbs from the greater, and the thickest straightest branches they could find. They laid the wood east to west, from sunrise to sunset. On the platform they piled Khal Drogo's treasures: his great tent, his painted vests, his saddles and harness, the whip his father had given him when he came to manhood, the arakh he had used to slay Khal Ogo and his son, a mighty dragonbone bow. Aggo would have added the weapons Drogo's bloodriders had given Dany for bride gifts as well, but she forbade it. â€Å"Those are mine,† she told him, â€Å"and I mean to keep them.† Another layer of brush was piled about the khal's treasures, and bundles of dried grass scattered over them. Ser Jorah Mormont drew her aside as the sun was creeping toward its zenith. â€Å"Princess . . . † he began. â€Å"Why do you call me that?† Dany challenged him. â€Å"My brother Viserys was your king, was he not?† â€Å"He was, my lady.† â€Å"Viserys is dead. I am his heir, the last blood of House Targaryen. Whatever was his is mine now.† â€Å"My . . . queen,† Ser Jorah said, going to one knee. â€Å"My sword that was his is yours, Dacnerys. And my heart as well, that never belonged to your brother. I am only a knight, and I have nothing to offer you but exile, but I beg you, hear me. Let Khal Drogo go. You shall not be alone. I promise you, no man shall take you to Vaes Dothrak unless you wish to go. You need not join the dosh khaleen. Come east with me. Yi Ti, Qarth, the JadeSea, Asshai by the Shadow. We will see all the wonders yet unseen, and drink what wines the gods see fit to serve us. Please, Khaleesi. I know what you intend. Do not. Do not.† â€Å"I must,† Dany told him. She touched his face, fondly, sadly. â€Å"You do not understand.† â€Å"I understand that you loved him,† Ser Jorah said in a voice thick with despair. â€Å"I loved my lady wife once, yet I did not die with her. You are my queen, my sword is yours, but do not ask me to stand aside as you climb on Drogo's pyre. I will not watch you burn.† â€Å"Is that what you fear?† Dany kissed him lightly on his broad forehead. â€Å"I am not such a child as that, sweet ser.† â€Å"You do not mean to die with him? You swear it, my queen?† â€Å"I swear it,† she said in the Common Tongue of the Seven Kingdoms that by rights were hers. The third level of the platform was woven of branches no thicker than a finger, and covered with dry leaves and twigs. They laid them north to south, from ice to fire, and piled them high with soft cushions and sleeping silks. The sun had begun to lower toward the west by the time they were done. Dany called the Dothraki around her. Fewer than a hundred were left. How many had Aegon started with? she wondered. It did not matter. â€Å"You will be my khalasar,† she told them. â€Å"I see the faces of slaves. I free you. Take off your collars. Go if you wish, no one shall harm you. If you stay, it will be as brothers and sisters, husbands and wives.† The black eyes watched her, wary, expressionless. â€Å"I see the children, women, the wrinkled faces of the aged. I was a child yesterday. Today I am a woman. Tomorrow I will be old. To each of you I say, give me your hands and your hearts, and there will always be a place for you.† She turned to the three young warriors of her khas. â€Å"Jhogo, to you I give the silver-handled whip that was my bride gift, and name you ko, and ask your oath, that you will live and die as blood of my blood, riding at my side to keep me safe from harm.† Jhogo took the whip from her hands, but his face was confused. â€Å"Khaleesi, † he said hesitantly, â€Å"this is not done. It would shame me, to be bloodrider to a woman.† â€Å"Aggo,† Dany called, paying no heed to Jhogo's words. If I look back I am lost. â€Å"To you I give the dragonbone bow that was my bride gift.† It was double-curved, shiny black and exquisite, taller than she was. â€Å"I name you ko, and ask your oath, that you should live and die as blood of my blood, riding at my side to keep me safe from harm.† Aggo accepted the bow with lowered eyes. â€Å"I cannot say these words. Only a man can lead a khalasar or name a ko.† â€Å"Rakharo,† Dany said, turning away from the refusal, â€Å"you shall have the great arakh that was my bride gift, with hilt and blade chased in gold. And you too I name my ko, and ask that you live and die as blood of my blood, riding at my side to keep me safe from harm.† â€Å"You are khaleesi,† Rakharo said, taking the arakh. â€Å"I shall ride at your side to Vaes Dothrak beneath the Mother of Mountains, and keep you safe from harm until you take your place with the crones of the dosh khaleen. No more can I promise.† She nodded, as calmly as if she had not heard his answer, and turned to the last of her champions. â€Å"Ser Jorah Mormont,† she said, â€Å"first and greatest of my knights, I have no bride gift to give you, but I swear to you, one day you shall have from my hands a longsword like none the world has ever seen, dragon-forged and made of Valyrian steel. And I would ask for your oath as well.† â€Å"You have it, my queen,† Ser Jorah said, kneeling to lay his sword at her feet. â€Å"I vow to serve you, to obey you, to die for you if need be.† â€Å"Whatever may come?† â€Å"Whatever may come.† â€Å"I shall hold you to that oath. I pray you never regret the giving of it.† Dany lifted him to his feet. Stretching on her toes to reach his lips, she kissed the knight gently and said, â€Å"You are the first of my Queensguard.† She could feel the eyes of the khalasar on her as she entered her tent. The Dothraki were muttering and giving her strange sideways looks from the corners of their dark almond eyes. They thought her mad, Dany realized. Perhaps she was. She would know soon enough. If I look back I am lost. Her bath was scalding hot when Irri helped her into the tub, but Dany did not flinch or cry aloud. She liked the heat. It made her feel clean. Jhiqui had scented the water with the oils she had found in the market in Vaes Dothrak; the steam rose moist and fragrant. Doreah washed her hair and combed it out, working loose the mats and tangles. Irri scrubbed her back. Dany closed her eyes and let the smell and the warmth enfold her. She could feel the heat soaking through the soreness between her thighs. She shuddered when it entered her, and her pain and stiffness seemed to dissolve. She floated. When she was clean, her handmaids helped her from the water. Irri and Jhiqui fanned her dry, while Doreah brushed her hair until it fell like a river of liquid silver down her back. They scented her with spiceflower and cinnamon; a touch on each wrist, behind her ears, on the tips of her milk-heavy breasts. The last dab was for her sex. Irri's finger felt as light and cool as a lover's kiss as it slid softly up between her lips. Afterward, Dany sent them all away, so she might prepare Khal Drogo for his final ride into the night lands. She washed his body clean and brushed and oiled his hair, running her fingers through it for the last time, feeling the weight of it, remembering the first time she had touched it, the night of their wedding ride. His hair had never been cut. How many men could die with their hair uncut? She buried her face in it and inhaled the dark fragrance of the oils. He smelled like grass and warm earth, like smoke and semen and horses. He smelled like Drogo. Forgive me, sun of my life, she thought. Forgive me for all I have done and all I must do. I paid the price, my star, but it was too high, too high . . . Dany braided his hair and slid the silver rings onto his mustache and hung his bells one by one. So many bells, gold and silver and bronze. Bells so his enemies would hear him coming and grow weak with fear. She dressed him in horsehair leggings and high boots, buckling a belt heavy with gold and silver medallions about his waist. Over his scarred chest she slipped a painted vest, old and faded, the one Drogo had loved best. For herself she chose loose sandsilk trousers, sandals that laced halfway up her legs, and a vest like Drogo's. The sun was going down when she called them back to carry his body to the pyre. The Dothraki watched in silence as Jhogo and Aggo bore him from the tent. Dany walked behind them. They laid him down on his cushions and silks, his head toward the Mother of Mountains far to the northeast. â€Å"Oil,† she commanded, and they brought forth the jars and poured them over the pyre, soaking the silks and the brush and the bundles of dry grass, until the oil trickled from beneath the logs and the air was rich with fragrance. â€Å"Bring my eggs,† Dany commanded her handmaids. Something in her voice made them run. Ser Jorah took her arm. â€Å"My queen, Drogo will have no use for dragon's eggs in the night lands. Better to sell them in Asshai. Sell one and we can buy a ship to take us back to the Free Cities. Sell all three and you will be a wealthy woman all your days.† â€Å"They were not given to me to sell,† Dany told him. She climbed the pyre herself to place the eggs around her sun-and-stars. The black beside his heart, under his arm. The green beside his head, his braid coiled around it. The cream-and-gold down between his legs. When she kissed him for the last time, Dany could taste the sweetness of the oil on his lips. As she climbed down off the pyre, she noticed Mirri Maz Duur watching her. â€Å"You are mad,† the godswife said hoarsely. â€Å"Is it so far from madness to wisdom?† Dany asked. â€Å"Ser Jorah, take this maegi and bind her to the pyre.† â€Å"To the . . . my queen, no, hear me . . . â€Å" â€Å"Do as I say.† Still he hesitated, until her anger flared. â€Å"You swore to obey me, whatever might come. Rakharo, help him.† The godswife did not cry out as they dragged her to Khal Drogo's pyre and staked her down amidst his treasures. Dany poured the oil over the woman's head herself. â€Å"I thank you, Mirri Maz Duur,† she said, â€Å"for the lessons you have taught me.† â€Å"You will not hear me scream,† Mirri responded as the oil dripped from her hair and soaked her clothing. â€Å"I will,† Dany said, â€Å"but it is not your screams I want, only your life. I remember what you told me. Only death can pay for life.† Mirri Maz Duur opened her mouth, but made no reply. As she stepped away, Dany saw that the contempt was gone from the maegi's flat black eyes; in its place was something that might have been fear. Then there was nothing to be done but watch the sun and look for the first star. When a horselord dies, his horse is slain with him, so he might ride proud into the night lands. The bodies are burned beneath the open sky, and the khal rises on his fiery steed to take his place among the stars. The more fiercely the man burned in life, the brighter his star will shine in the darkness. Jhogo spied it first. â€Å"There,† he said in a hushed voice. Dany looked and saw it, low in the east. The first star was a comet, burning red. Bloodred; fire red; the dragon's tail. She could not have asked for a stronger sign. Dany took the torch from Aggo's hand and thrust it between the logs. The oil took the fire at once, the brush and dried grass a heartbeat later. Tiny flames went darting up the wood like swift red mice, skating over the oil and leaping from bark to branch to leaf. A rising heat puffed at her face, soft and sudden as a lover's breath, but in seconds it had grown too hot to bear. Dany stepped backward. The wood crackled, louder and louder. Mirri Maz Duur began to sing in a shrill, ululating voice. The flames whirled and writhed, racing each other up the platform. The dusk shimmered as the air itself seemed to liquefy from the heat. Dany heard logs spit and crack. The fires swept over Mirri Maz Duur. Her song grew louder, shriller . . . then she gasped, again and again, and her song became a shuddering wail, thin and high and full of agony. And now the flames reached her Drogo, and now they were all around him. His clothing took fire, and for an instant the khal was clad in wisps of floating orange silk and tendrils of curling smoke, grey and greasy. Dany's lips parted and she found herself holding her breath. Part of her wanted to go to him as Ser Jorah had feared, to rush into the flames to beg for his forgiveness and take him inside her one last time, the fire melting the flesh from their bones until they were as one, forever. She could smell the odor of burning flesh, no different than horseflesh roasting in a firepit. The pyre roared in the deepening dusk like some great beast, drowning out the fainter sound of Mirri Maz Duur's screaming and sending up long tongues of flame to lick at the belly of the night. As the smoke grew thicker, the Dothraki backed away, coughing. Huge orange gouts of fire unfurled their banners in that hellish wind, the logs hissing and cracking, glowing cinders rising on the smoke to float away into the dark like so many newborn fireflies. The heat beat at the air with great red wings, driving the Dothraki back, driving off even Mormont, but Dany stood her ground. She was the blood of the dragon, and the fire was in her. She had sensed the truth of it long ago, Dany thought as she took a step closer to the conflagration, but the brazier had not been hot enough. The flames writhed before her like the women who had danced at her wedding, whirling and singing and spinning their yellow and orange and crimson veils, fearsome to behold, yet lovely, so lovely, alive with heat. Dany opened her arms to them, her skin flushed and glowing. This is a wedding, too, she thought. Mirri Maz Duur had fallen silent. The godswife thought her a child, but children grow, and children learn. Another step, and Dany could feel the heat of the sand on the soles of her feet, even through her sandals. Sweat ran down her thighs and between her breasts and in rivulets over her cheeks, where tears had once run. Ser Jorah was shouting behind her, but he did not matter anymore, only the fire mattered. The flames were so beautiful, the loveliest things she had ever seen, each one a sorcerer robed in yellow and orange and scarlet, swirling long smoky cloaks. She saw crimson firelions and great yellow serpents and unicorns made of pale blue flame; she saw fish and foxes and monsters, wolves and bright birds and flowering trees, each more beautiful than the last. She saw a horse, a great grey stallion limned in smoke, its flowing mane a nimbus of blue flame. Yes, my love, my sun-and-stars, yes, mount now, ride now. Her vest had begun to smolder, so Dany shrugged it off and let it fall to the ground. The painted leather burst into sudden flame as she skipped closer to the fire, her breasts bare to the blaze, streams of milk flowing from her red and swollen nipples. Now, she thought, now, and for an instant she glimpsed Khal Drogo before her, mounted on his smoky stallion, a flaming lash in his hand. He smiled, and the whip snaked down at the pyre, hissing. She heard a crack, the sound of shattering stone. The platform of wood and brush and grass began to shift and collapse in upon itself. Bits of burning wood slid down at her, and Dany was showered with ash and cinders. And something else came crashing down, bouncing and rolling, to land at her feet; a chunk of curved rock, pale and veined with gold, broken and smoking. The roaring filled the world, yet dimly through the firefall Dany heard women shriek and children cry out in wonder. Only death can pay for life. And there came a second crack, loud and sharp as thunder, and the smoke stirred and whirled around her and the pyre shifted, the logs exploding as the fire touched their secret hearts. She heard the screams of frightened horses, and the voices of the Dothraki raised in shouts of fear and terror, and Ser Jorah calling her name and cursing. No, she wanted to shout to him, no, my good knight, do not fear for me. The fire is mine. I am Daenerys Stormborn, daughter of dragons, bride of dragons, mother of dragons, don't you see? Don't you SEE? With a belch of flame and smoke that reached thirty feet into the sky, the pyre collapsed and came down around her. Unafraid, Dany stepped forward into the firestorm, calling to her children. The third crack was as loud and sharp as the breaking of the world. When the fire died at last and the ground became cool enough to walk upon, Ser Jorah Mormont found her amidst the ashes, surrounded by blackened logs and bits of glowing ember and the burnt bones of man and woman and stallion. She was naked, covered with soot, her clothes turned to ash, her beautiful hair all crisped away . . . yet she was unhurt. The cream-and-gold dragon was suckling at her left breast, the green-and-bronze at the right. Her arms cradled them close. The black-and-scarlet beast was draped across her shoulders, its long sinuous neck coiled under her chin. When it saw Jorah, it raised its head and looked at him with eyes as red as coals. Wordless, the knight fell to his knees. The men of her khas came up behind him. Jhogo was the first to lay his arakh at her feet. â€Å"Blood of my blood,† he murmured, pushing his face to the smoking earth. â€Å"Blood of my blood,† she heard Aggo echo. â€Å"Blood of my blood,† Rakharo shouted. And after them came her handmaids, and then the others, all the Dothraki, men and women and children, and Dany had only to look at their eyes to know that they were hers now, today and tomorrow and forever, hers as they had never been Drogo's. As Daenerys Targaryen rose to her feet, her black hissed, pale smoke venting from its mouth and nostrils. The other two pulled away from her breasts and added their voices to the call, translucent wings unfolding and stirring the air, and for the first time in hundreds of years, the night came alive with the music of dragons. THE END