The Importance Of Being On Time Essay Example for Free

The Importance Of Being On Time Essay We are successful in life only when we make the best use of time. Time cannot be stopped, paused, or regained. Some point in life whether it be business related, or for leisure, someone or something will require you to be at a certain place at a given time. Punctuality could be the key to winning a contest, finalizing a business deal, or even keeping your job. We all as human beings have been late before, things happen, but constant lateness affects your dependability. If you are not dependable your opportunities for progression will start to decrease. The life of George Washington was characterized by a scrupulous regard for punctuality. When he asked a man to bring by some horses he was interested in buying at five in the morning, and the man arrived fifteen minutes late, he was told by the stable groom that the general had been waiting there at five, but had now moved on to other business, and that he wouldn’t be able to examine the horses again until the following week. When he told Congress that he’d meet with them at noon, he could almost always be found striding into the chamber just as the clock was striking twelve. Washington’s promptness extended to his mealtimes as well. He ate dinner each day at exactly 4 o’clock, and when he invited members of Congress to dine with him, and they arrived late, they were often surprised to find the president halfway done with his meal or even pushing back from the table. To his startled, tardy guest he would say, â€Å"We are punctual here. My cook never asks whether the company has arrived, but whether the hour has come.†( www.artofmanliness.com) George Washington was a perfect example on how important punctuality is, and what opportunities can be missed. For our first president, being on time was a way of showing respect to others, and he expected to be treated with the same level of respect in return. Although no longer live in an age of knickers and powdered wigs, but being pun ctual is just as important as it ever was. â€Å"Soldiers should be minutemen. Punctuality is one of the most valuable habits a soldier can possess.† Christopher Andrews said it the best, when it comes to punctuality in the army is your bread and butter. You could be the best soldier, but if you’re late all the time you can quickly be potrayed as something way less. Being punctual builds and reveals your discipline. The  punctual man shows that he can organize his time, that he pays attention to details, and that he can put aside this to do that ; he can set aside a pleasure to take care of business. The non punctual man shows he needs to be supervised, seems unprepared, and unprofessional. These things are all the things that could stop a soldier from progressing. It is like a domino effect, one consequence leads to another, and leads you down a trail of detriment. Something so simple as being on time can be the key to being allowed to go to a promotion board, or even staying in the military. If the conduct was constant, action may be intiated to separate you from the service. If you are involuntarily separted, you could receive an Honorable discharge, a general discharge, or under other than honorable conditions discharge. An honorable discharge is a separation with honor based on the quality of service, which meets the standards of acceptable conduct and performance of duty. A general discharge is a separation under honorable conditions , based on a military record being satisfactory but not sufficiently meritorious to warrant an honorable discharge. A discharge under other than honorable conditions is based upon a pattern of behavior of one or more acts or omissions that constitutes a significant departure from the conduct expected of a soldier. An honorable discharge may be awarded under any provisions. A general discharge may be awarded for separation under Chapter 5, Chapter 9, Chapter 13, or Chapter 14. An under othe than honorable conditions discharge may be awarded for separation under Chapter 14 for misconduct. If you receive an honorable discharge, you will be qualififed for most benefits resulting from military service. An involuntary honorable discharge, however will disqualify you from reenlistment for some period of time and may disqualify you from receiving transitional benefits. Also the Montgomery GI Bill you have not met other program requirements. If you receive a General discharge, you will be disqualified from reenlisting in the service for some period of time and you will be ineligible for some military and VA administered benefits, including the Montgomery GI bill. You may also face difficulty in obtaining civilian employment, as employers have a low regard for the General and Under Other Than Honorable conditions discharges. Although there are agencies to which you may apply to have the character of your discharge changed, it is  unlikely that any such applications will be successful. Time is the most influential factor in this world. It is abstract. Everything in this world is commanded and decided by time. Nobody can escape the hold of time. It is the time which gives us the opportunity to make use of it. Those who make best use of time and avail those opportunities grow and rise in life. Those who waste their time lag behind. They fail to make any mark in life. He is the wisest who makes the best use of time. He rises to the great heights who keep pace with the time. Time is very important, it should be managed as if each second , minute hour, day is money. After all time is money. If time isn’t important to you, remember its important to someone else. If you are late to something chances are you are wasting someone else’s time. Being late is a form of stealing. That’s a tough truth, but it’s a truth nonetheless. When you make others wait for you, you rob minutes from them that they’ll never get back. Time they could have turned into money, or simply used for the things important to them. In coming to meet you at the agreed upon hour, they may have made sacrifices – woken up early, cut short their workout, told their kid they couldn’t read a story together – and your lateness negates those sacrifices. If you wouldn’t think of taking ten dollars from another man’s wallet, you shouldn’t think of stealing ten minutes from him either. Being punctual shows you value time yourself, and thus wouldn’t think of depriving others of this precious, but limited resource. Even when you are not dealing with work related things being on time is still important to many people, family, and friends. Being late strains your relationships. When you’re late in meeting other people, it makes them feel under-valued, that whatever you couldn’t pull yourself away from was more important or that they didn’t mean enough to you to warrant allotting sufficient time to arrive on schedule. The guest who flies in to see you feels like a dope standing at the airport alone, your date feels awkward sitting at the restaurant by herself, and your child feels abandoned as she waits with her teacher for you to arrive, all the other children having already been picked up from school. This is not the first time you’ve heard that punctuality is important. It’s easy to understand how keeping our appointments and reporting on time is a  sign of respect. This is especially the case for improving employee productivity. If your leader keeps their word about meetings, deadlines and other time-sensitive promises, it’s easy to feel motivated to get things done. Failure to be prompt has consequences. When you are late or blow someone off entirely, you are telling them that your time is more important than theirs. Of course we should all be on time. And naturally, when circumstances pop up we should call ahead to say we are running late. Let’s put aside human psychology and Army mumbo jumbo for a moment, however, and talk about machinery. Time is an essential element in any working system. The spark plugs in an engine have to fire at exactly the right speed. A bridge can hold the weight of a million cars, as long as are spaced far enough apart. A clock quickly becomes useless if every second is not precisely one second long. All of these parameters are designed for increasing employee productivity. Time is important! Being late is like taking the oil out of a well run machine. It gums up the works, cranks up the heat, and causes things to break. When you are late to a doctor’s appointment, you may cause a domino effect that disrupts other patients. And when the doctor is running behind, you may end up waiting for ages thanks to overlapping ripples in the schedule. This problem applies to any business. Improvement is only possible if we recognize that failure to manage time affects everything.

Religious Views on Right to Die

Religious Views on Right to Die Julian Martin Public Policy: Right to Die The right to die is one of the most controversial topics addressed by government that has been interpreted into the state laws that have either debated the right or allowed it, however recently with the â€Å"Gonzales vs. Oregon† case where instead of the case being on constitutional grounds where it conflicts with the right of life, was put mainly on administrative law grounds which was shocking for many people. It helped reestablish the power of the â€Å"Death with Dignity Act†, which allows anyone who has a terminal disease to have the permission through voluntary help from a physician to be given lethal medications. The idea of ending someone’s life out of mercy for them with their permission has always been an idea that seems very favorable to those who know they will die and don’t want to suffer, but also of issue to other people especially concerning their religion. Some diseases such as several forms of cancer, Ebola, Creutzfeldt-jakob, AIDS, and others all have a form of pain it inflicts on people either cognitively or through actual unbearable pain that puts into the idea of allowing people to be able to kill themselves civilly and with dignity rather than have them suffer extensively and prolonging the inevitable. Most states, however, see the matter differently and do not allow for terminal patients to kill themselves through the careful attention of a physician who would administer the medications to them, for most argue that it conflicts with the freedom of life as it is protected through the first amendment of the constitution, and although many bills every year pass to enact the right to die in other states, most never are passed. Religion also comes into play when arguing to make the right to die nationwide as it conflicts according to parts of some religions. Christianity and Catholicism both recognize suicide as a form of sin and although it is assisted and done through careful procedures administered from physicians, it is mostly still seen as wrong through most church’s and Christian’s and Catholic’s views. Hinduism has varying points of view on assisted dying as they say it conflicts with the body and soul separating at separate times, along with it affecting both the doctor’s and the patients karma. Some religions, however, are actually very tolerant with the right and actually try to advocate for it to passed as a law, for example, Methodists recognize the right to die as a form of the individual’s freedom, Unitarian Universalists see it as the right of self-determination and allow it, and Evangelical believe it as a moral thing to do, so while most major religions wo uld not normally approve, other religions recognize it through morals. Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz also reveals the Jewish standing on the right to die and stresses that, the preservation of life, also known as pikuach nefesh in the Torah, is a very important thing that passes up basically all other commandments of the Torah. Breitowitz also explains that because as a Jewish belief, they believe in the soul rather than just the body, because they see the body as just a vessel for the person’s true spiritual essence. Judaism doesn’t accept the notion of sustaining life for longer than a human should be alive, because Judaism attempts to try and find a balance between the great mitzvah of prolonging life and the recognition that life may be unbearable or difficult as it’s said in the Torah. The Torah also states that the body and the life a person is not our own to do whatever with and with that, have no moral right to kill or hurt anyone else, or to hurt, kill, maim authorize another person to do those things to the person. Frank Pavone, the international Director for the organization â€Å"priests for life† states the Christian view on the right to die comes from the idea that their life is not truly there’s to own, including their death. Pavone states that although the body is in a sense the person’s possession as it was given to them by God, it is still not their body alone as they are not the source of their own existence and is accountable for it to God. With not truly owning the body, Christians do not have the right to claim they have a right to die because a right is a moral claim and that there is no claim on death, rather it has a claim on them and that to this idea, Christians don’t have the authority to prolong their life. Damien Keown, a professor of Buddhist ethics at Goldsmiths College in the University of London, expresses the Buddhist’s stand on the right to die and whether it should be legalized or not by stating that Buddhists generally oppose assisted suicide and euthanasia. This is due to the teachings that show the person that it is morally wrong to destroy human life, including one’s own, even if the intentians are just by attempting to end suffering, insteasd they are taught to have a great respect for life in general even if it is not being lived in an optimal way and by helping another or giving the authorization or being killed in a humane way, it affects both the doctor’s and the patients karma. Buddhists also believe that life really has no reason to be extended further than is required and that one should not go to any extrodinary lengths to try and preserve the life as all that matters is the spirit being in line with life and sustaining good morals and having go od karma. Ayman Shabana, a member of the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School, shows the Islamic point of view on rejecting the legalizing of the right to die by stating that the Islamic teachings condemn the idea physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia because Islam Teaches the idea that God alone and determines how long someone should live and when they should die, which leads to a general reluctance that any kind of idea to end life prematurely because it’s believed by many islams that those decisions should only be held only in the hands of God. The stand on the right to die is also influenced greatly by the belief that the suffering a terminal patient goes through is beneficial as there is a notion that the person has no idea whats good for them or not which leads to the traditional idea of the suffering viewed as a test of fate. The United Church of Christ, however, is one of the few minorities that support the passing of the right to die to be in all states, because according to Reverend Timothy Tutt, the senior minister at Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ, they are taught to believe that each and every single person approaches God on their own terms, including the end of life. Despite the minority groups and religions that do support the right to die as both a moral idea and decision, many major religions do not agree with the passing of any bill that would allow this method of death as it would violate their First Amendment right of religion and until the day that major religions such as Christianity or Judaism accept the idea, the right to die will never be seen in any other states other than the few that have already passed it.

Laos: Iu-Mein Culture and Ceremonies :: Asia Asian

Laos: Iu-Mein Culture and Ceremonies What is Iu-Mein? Not many people have heard of the ethnicity Iu-Mein. It is a dialect from Laos. One of the traditions that Iu-Mein's have are ceremonies. Ceremonies are done with the sacrificing of a pig or chicken. Certain people may call it weird, and animal rights folks would call it animal cruelty, but in our culture, it is for healing and to pay our respects to our ancestors. The ceremonies are very sacred and are done by a shaman. A shaman in our culture is someone who can speak to spirits like a witch doctor. A pig or chicken is sacrificed depending on whether the ceremony performed is large or small. The shaman sets up the table with incense, paper made with circle imprints (money for the spirits), and a tea set filled with blessed water. After the pig or chicken is cleaned, it is set on the table and the shaman starts chanting or calling down the spirit. With a chicken, the ceremony usually takes about thirty minutes to an hour; with a pig, it can take an hour to an hour and a half. Ceremonies in the Iu-Mein culture are part of our lives. They are done as often as they are needed, but at least once a year. There are different kinds of ceremonies done for healing when someone is sick, for good luck for the year, weddings, and for death. Iu-Mein's believe in both good and bad spirits. Whenever someone is sick, we believe it is due to a hungry spirit. Our ceremony with the pig or chicken is meant to please the spirit by feeding them, paying them by burning paper "money," and by giving them water. There are all kinds of spirits that can touch a person to make them sick, like parents, grandparents, or any relatives who have passed away. There is not much about Iu-Mein culture in our history books, but books have been written about the Iu-Mein people.

Order, Memory, and Anxiety in Borges Fiction :: Reading Memorize Memory Essays

Order, Memory, and Anxiety in Borges' Fiction The fundamental questions of how and why we read have an infinitude of answers, none of which entirely 'do the job', simply because they bear too closely upon the automatic, (and therefore, to us, secret) processes of the mind; the act of reading is too closely related to the act of living in the world for us to comprehend definitively. There are few writers who understand and exploit this primal link more persistently than Jorge Luis Borges. One of the ways in which he forces us to examine the parallels between reading and existing (I use the word 'force' because it is not always a pleasant confrontation) is through the thematic use of memory. I. Total Recall "It is because I forget that I read." -Roland Barthes, S/Z One of the most masterful treatments of the memory theme is in "Funes the Memorious", the brilliantly, (and somewhat absurdly), touching story of a man who cannot live under the strain of his natural and inescapable ability to remember everything perfectly. The story begins with the words "I recall", and immediately we are plunged into the realm of memory-we understand that what we are about to read is a semblance of a reminisence. Jon Stewart calls attention to the importance of the repetition of this verb in the opening paragraphs of the story: "The continual use of this verb clearly foreshadows the most important element of the character of Funes-his prodigious mnemonic powers: but there is more to it than this. Borges continually uses the same verb and with it brings together a number of scattered and seemingly chaotic memories that he has of Funes. The point of this repetition is to underscore his own impoverished memory of Funes." (p.74) But Stewart neglects to take this point to its logical and important conclusion; the narrator's 'impoverished memory' is not merely a foreshadowing of Funes' infinitely rich one-it comes to be, in fact, the necessary circumstance, and the subject of the story. Borges tells us that the story grew out of his own bouts of insomnia: "I remember that I used to lie down and try to forget everything, and that led me, inevitably, to remember everything. I imagined the books on the shelves, the clothes on the chair, and even my own body on the bed... and so, since I could not erase memory, I kept thinking of those things, and also thinking: if only I could forget, I would certainly be able to sleep.

Comparing Canterbury Tales, Burgermeisters Daughter and the Writings o

Image of Women in Canterbury Tales, Burgermeister's Daughter and the Writings of Thomas Aquinas    What was the predominant image of women and women's place in medieval society? A rather sexist or misogynistic view--by twentieth century standards of course--was prevalent among learned clerics. The writings of the theologian Thomas Aquinas typify this view. But although the religious of Europe's abbeys and universities dominate the written record of the period, Thomistic sexism was not the only view of women's proper role. In his Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer portrays women in a much more positive way, characterizing them as somewhat empowered. Actual historical events, such as the scandal and subsequent litigation revolving around Anna Buschler which Steven Ozment details in The Burgermeister's Daughter, suggest something of a compromise between these two literary extremes. While it is true that life was no utopia for medieval women, neither was life universally horrible or society thoroughly misogynistic.    The Church's views on women had deep scriptural roots. In his letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul writes "Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness" (1 Tim. 2:11). This view rests on the story of Eve's creation as a helper--not an equal--to man from the rib of Adam in Genesis. It also condemns Eve, and by association all women, for allowing the serpent to trick her into Original Sin. In Summa Theologica, Aquinas extends Paul's argument for female inferiority even farther: As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten, for the active force in the male seed tends to the production of a perfect likeness in the masculine sex; while the production of woman comes from defect i... ...quinas did not by themselves represent the views of society at large--although society by no means completely ignored them. Aquinas and Chaucer's Wife of Bath represent two extreme views of medieval women, while the real nature of women's condition in the period lay somewhere in the middle. Any 20th century ideas of wholesale female oppression in the middle ages are relativist "myths" which serve to glamorize the modern period rather than describe historical reality. Endnotes 1 By the 11th century, roughly two centuries before Aquinas, even parish priests had become generally celibate, suggesting the widespread adoption of this practice among clergy by the 13th century (Western Heritage, 190). 2 Interestingly, the knight's crime is rape, a crime against women. His quick punishment for the rape further highlights some security enjoyed by medieval women.

Lead In Drinking Water

Lead is a naturally occurring element present in the earth's crust. It is one of the most harmful environmental pollutants.   It has become difficult to control because of its wide usage. Over the years it is being used in gasoline, house paint and plumbing fixtures. Lead shows adverse effects when it builds up in the body. There are many ways in which humans are exposed to lead: through deteriorating paint, household dust, bare soil, air, drinking water, food, ceramics, home remedies, hair dyes and other cosmetics.Much of this lead is of microscopic size, invisible to the naked eye. In 1978, the federal government banned lead-based paint from housing. Though the amount of lead that is released into the environment each year has been greatly reduced by less use of leaded gas, starting in the mid-70s. Laws forbidding use of lead in house paint (1978) and lead in plumbing solder (1986) have helped as well. Still, lead can be a problem, especially in older homes.As a highly toxic meta l contaminant in drinking water, with public health threat lead received attention over the years. However, the old lead painted houses are the primary source of lead contamination. Water has a combination of things in it, when it reaches home for household purposes. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in the United States 1 out of every 11 children has a dangerous level of lead in the bloodstream. The elevated blood-lead levels can be due to the drinking water contaminated with lead, in spite of water being the rare primary source.Although there is no â€Å"safe† level of lead in water, the EPA has estimated that on average up to 20% of a child's total lead exposure can potentially be attributed to lead-contaminated water. Lead poisoning is dangerous for anyone of any age, but children are particularly vulnerable because of  the effects of lead poisoning on development. According to EPA, lead dosage that would have little effect on an adult can harm a small child.   Lead in drinking water can be a problem for infants whose diet consists of liquids-such as baby formula and juices mixed with water. Lead can be easily and more rapidly absorbed by children compared to the adults.Lead can cause a variety of adverse health effects when people are exposed to it at levels above the action level even for relatively short periods of time. The effects are the same whether it is breathed or swallowed. Very low levels of lead poisoning can cause reduced IQs‚ learning disabilities and behavioral problems such as hypertension and reduced attention span in children, and often these effects are life long and irreversible. Pregnant women and young children are at the greatest risk even with short-term, low level exposures. Overexposure to lead over time can have severe health effects that can last a lifetime.   Lead poisoning can cause damage to brain, kidneys, nervous system, and red blood cells. Children's brains and nervous systems ar e more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead, so they can have behavior and learning problems (such as hyperactivity), damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth, hearing problems and headaches.Because children are most vulnerable to adverse health effects from lead exposure, the adequacy of controls over lead in water supplies serving schools and child care facilities is particularly important. In adults it can cause reproductive problems, high blood pressure, digestive problems, nerve disorders, memory and concentration problems, muscle and joint pain.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC), Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (LPPP) in conjunction with the Office of Refugee Resettlement developed the Lead Poisoning Prevention in Newly Arrived Refugee Children tool kit in response to the increasing number of refugee children entering in the United States and subsequently developing elevated blood lead levels. CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Preven tion Program is committed to the Healthy People goal of eliminating elevated blood lead levels in children by 2010. CDC continues to assist state and local childhood lead poisoning prevention programs, to provide a scientific basis for policy decisions, and to ensure that health issues are addressed in decisions about housing and the environment.Other studies have shown that the intrusion of lead into the lens of the eye may cause protein conformational changes that decrease lens transparency. Now NIEHS grantee Howard Hu and colleagues at Harvard University have uncovered what could be another adverse health effect with global implications: cataracts. The researchers found that participants with high tibial lead were more than 2.5 times as likely to develop cataracts as men with low tibial lead (bone lead is a measure of long-term lead exposure). Blood lead levels, which are more indicative of short-term lead exposure, were not significantly associated with increased risk of catarac t development.The contamination occurs when the water is once out from the treatment plants to the individual residences.   The service lines that direct the water, certain types of plumbing materials, such as lead pipes, lead solder, brass faucets and some water meter components are responsible for the leaching of lead into drinking water. Hot water can cause the lead to leach out from lead-soldered copper pipes. The longer that water stays in pipes, the greater the exposure to lead.  Stray electrical currents from improperly grounded electrical outlets or equipment also may increase the level of lead in drinking water.Though the, Congress in1986 banned the use of solder containing more that 0.2% lead and restricted the lead content of faucets, pipes, and other plumbing materials the risk of lead contamination is not completely removed as â€Å"lead-free† plumbing may contain up to 8 percent lead. Lead in the air comes from industrial emissions. Lead deposits in soils ar ound roadways and streets from past emissions by automobiles using leaded gas, together with paint chips and lead paint dust. Lead may be found in some imported candies, medicines, dishes, toys, jewelry, and plastics.Under Safe Drinking Water Act law passed by Congress in 1974, EPA determined safe levels of chemicals in drinking water which do or may cause health problems. These non-enforceable levels, based solely on possible health risks and exposure, are called Maximum Contaminant Level Goals. The MCLG for lead has been set at zero because EPA believes this level of protection would not cause any of the potential health problemsResponsibility for ensuring safe drinking water is shared by EPA, the states, and, most importantly, local water systems. In general, EPA sets standards to protect drinking water quality and to ensure the proper operation and maintenance of public water systems.   EPA also oversees state implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and applicable regula tions where states have assumed primary responsibility for enforcement.The states ensure that local water systems meet EPA and state requirements, provide technical assistance, and take enforcement action, as necessary. In addition, the states collect information on the results of drinking water monitoring, among other things, and report the information to EPA. At the local level, public water systems operate and maintain their facilities in accordance with federal and state requirements, periodically test the drinking water to ensure that it meets quality standards, install needed treatments, and report required information to the states.Water system cannot directly detect and remove the lead contamination in drinking water as corrosion occurs in household lead pipes. To control lead and copper in drinking water, EPA implemented a regulation known as LCR (Lead and Copper Rule) or 1991 Rule in July 1991. The main aim of this program is to monitor the drinking water for the contamina tion and to educate the public to take precautions to protect their health when lead concentration (15 ppb) and copper concentration (0. 3 ppm) in water exceed their action level.The LCR even replace lead service lines used to carry water from the street to the home when elevated lead levels are continued even after anti-corrosion treatment. It is compulsory that that all public water supplies should abide these regulations to meet National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. EPA regulations require that child care centers operating their own water supplies test all drinking outlets for lead. The Maximum Contaminant Level Goal for lead is 0 ppb, the EPA action level for lead in drinking water is 15 ppb. GSA requires that corrective actions be taken when lead concentrations in drinking water exceed the 15 ppb action level.  EPA played a major key role in distributing a list of banned coolers and publishing and distributing guidance on detecting and remediating lead contamination in school drinking water supplies when the Congress banned the manufacture and sale of water coolers that were not lead-free under the Lead Contamination Control Act of 1988. In addition to it EPA ordered required states to establish programs to assist local agencies in testing and correcting for lead in water supplies in schools and child care facilities.In March 2005, EPA announced a Drinking Water Lead Reduction Plan to improve and clarify specific areas of the rule and the agency’s guidance materials. EPA proposed regulatory changes to the LCR in the following areas:Treatment Processes: To require that utilities notify states prior to changes in treatment so that states can provide direction or require additional monitoring. EPA will also revise existing guidance to help utilities maintain corrosion control while making treatment changes. Customer Awareness: To require that water utilities notify occupants of the results of any testing that occurs within a home or facility. EPA will also seek changes to allow states and utilities to provide customers with utility-specific advice on tap flushing to reduce lead levels.Lead Service Line Management: To ensure that service lines that test below the action level are re-evaluated after any major changes to treatment which could affect corrosion control.Lead in Schools: The agency will update and expand 1994 guidance on testing for lead in school drinking water. EPA will emphasize partnerships with other federal agencies, utilities and schools to protect children from lead in drinking water.Although EPA in cooperation with NSF International, state, and water industry officials succeeded in reducing lead levels by testing the water by lead rule. According to NSF, the extent to which lead leaches from products containing lead is not directly proportional to the level of lead used in any one alloy contained in the product. NSF identified several factors that contribute to the level of leaching, including the cor rosiveness of the water, lead content, the extent of the leaded surface area, and the process used to manufacture the product.Lead contamination in water can not be detected normally because one cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, Individuals who suspect the contamination of lead in their house, the only way to be sure of the amount of lead in their household water is to have it tested by a certified lab where water will be analyzed using the EPA's sampling and analysis procedures. While collecting water for analysis one should be sure to have a â€Å"first draw sample and a â€Å"fully flushed† sample. The first draw sample should be collected after water has sat undisturbed for at least six hours. The first draw sample should have the highest level of lead.The fully flushed sample should be collected after the water has been running from the tap for several minutes, at least until the water becomes noticeably cooler. This two-sample procedure indicates whe ther flushing the tap can reduce the lead to safe levels. Water testing is especially important for apartment dwellers, because flushing may not be effective in high-rise buildings with lead-soldered central piping.According to the Toxics Release Inventory, from 1987 to 1993 a total of nearly 144 million lbs of lead compounds were released to land and water by lead and copper smelting industries. When released to land, lead binds to soils and does not migrate to ground water. In water, it binds to sediments. It does not accumulate in fish, but does in some shellfish, such as musselsOne can temporarily reduce lead hazards by taking actions like repairing damaged painted surfaces and planting grass to cover soil with high lead levels. Appropriate precautions should be taken to prevent the contamination using specialized cleaning techniques that are effective in removing lead-contaminated dust. Cleaning should be done time to time in addition to a final cleanup at the end of the job. T hese actions (called â€Å"interim controls†) are not permanent solutions and will not eliminate all risks of exposure.Peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking lead-based paint is a hazard and needs immediate attention Lead from paint chips, and lead dust, both cause serious hazards. Lead dust can form when lead-based paint is dry scraped, dry sanded, or heated. Dust also forms when painted surfaces bump or rub together. Lead chips and dust can get on surfaces and objects that people touch. Settled lead dust can reenter the air when people vacuum, sweep, or walk through it.There are many ways to reduce lead exposure at home specially for children. Precautions should be taken to keep children away from chipping, peeling and flaking paint. Children should wash their hands before meals, snacks, nap time and bedtime and the areas where children play as dust-free as possible. Care should be taken to give clean pacifiers for infants to suck. Pacifiers often and pin them on a short ribbon to the child's shirt and children’s clothes clean by changing frequently. Stuffed animals and toys should be washed regularly.Lead contaminated water can be avoided to some extent by following simple measures. Hard water can actually offer some protection against lead contamination because mineral build-up on the inside of pipes reduces contact between water and the lead or solder.  Use only lead-free materials in all plumbing repairs or new faucets and pipes. Homes with plastic drinking water lines, which are glued rather than soldered, should not have problems with lead contamination from pipes. Before using water for drinking or cooking, run the cold water for a minute until it is as cold as it can get.   This will flush out the water that has been sitting around for awhile so lead concentration won't be as high.   Also, use only cold water for drinking and cooking since hot water dissolves lead more quickly than cold water.Some precaution can be taken to prev ent ourselves from continuous exposure. When renovating homes, Do not use a belt-sander, propane torch, heat gun, dry scraper, or dry sandpaper to remove lead-based paint. These actions create large amounts of lead dust and fumes. Federal law requires that contractors provide lead information to residents before renovating pre-1978 housing. Many houses and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contains lead (called lead-based paint). Landlords have to disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before leases take effect.Some of the activities that should be done to prevent lead contamination are:Create aerator (screen) cleaning maintenance schedule and clean debris from all accessible aerators frequently. Use only cold water for food and beverage preparation as hot will dissolve lead more quickly. Instruct the users to run the water before drinking. Regularly flush the piping system in the building. The degree to which flushing helps reduce lea d levels can also vary depending upon the age and condition of the plumbing and the corrosiveness of the water.Bottled water can be an expensive alternative but might be warranted if you expect or are aware of widespread contamination and flushing is not an option. If you use bottled water, be aware that it is not regulated by EPA but rather by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Reverse osmosis units are commercially available and can be effective in removing lead. Since these devices also tend to make the water corrosive, they should only be used when placed at water outlets. Electrical current may accelerate the corrosion of lead in piping materials. Existing wires already grounded to the water pipes can possibly be removed by a qualified electrician, and replaced by an alternative grounding system.Apart from the efforts of EPA and associated bodies, as general public we too have some responsibility in educating people towards the adverse effects of the lead contaminated water . We should discourage people from using materials that induce lead into the environment. Care should be taken that industrial effluents are not released into the water streams and any such incidence should be reported to the concerning authority.Reference:http://www.awwa.org/Advocacy/pressroom/lead.cfm

Critique of Stuff Is Not Salvation

Valued Possessions vs. Insignificant Desires Anna Quindlen, a novelist, social critic, and journalist wrote an intriguing essay â€Å"Stuff is Not Salvation† about the addiction of Americans, who splurge on materialistic items that have no real meaning. The ability to obtain credit is one of the main reasons to blame for society’s consumption epidemic. However, Quindlen feels the economic decline due to credit card debt is insignificant compared to the underlying issues of American’s binging problems. Quindlen’s essay gives excellent points regarding the differences in America’s typical shopping habits. Additionally, she mentions how people acquire all this â€Å"stuff† but seem to never realize, â€Å"why did I get this? †(501). Quindlen makes her audience visualize a world where we acquire our needs versus our meaningless desires. Yet, she fails to mention people who could live a life of happiness through the possessions they acquire. In summary, Quindlen supports her point of view with examples of American spending habits in the past decades of depression compared to now. She mentions Black Friday and how people become enthralled by cheap bargains (Quindlen 500-501). In Quindlen’s essay, she refers to an accident in which a worker at Walmart was trampled to death by a mob of shoppers and despite the horrific incident people kept shopping (500). With the U. S. depression, Black Friday brings hopes of more money spent, therefore a rise in the markets. The dream of an uplifted economy became unrealistic as people began to realize they could not afford their desirables, not even at a low cost. Today, Americans have an exorbitant amount of credit debt so they can acquire items that they want, without actually paying for them outright, for example, the Chatty Cathy doll Quindlen wanted in her childhood compared to the orange her dad received that had to be paid for (500-501). According to Quindlen, a family having less means they can appreciate possessions more and what they possess therefore has real meaning (502). Quindlen’s essay gives strong points about America’s addiction to consumption, the economic decline, and the necessities of life. There are plenty of examples that Quindlen gives to make her point across, that American’s spend money unwisely. For instance, in one of the examples, she mentions how every 16 months a person replaces a cell phone because it’s not as new anymore, and how toys are forgotten that eventually end up being junk (501). Quindlen then states the obvious â€Å"stuff does not bring salvation† (501). However, she lacks examples of cases where people’s wants actually provide the happiness they usually expect. Rich people, for example, have an extra sense of security because the worry and stress that belong to the poor is something the rich don’t have and don’t want. Plus, who wouldn’t want to afford desires such as not living pay check to pay check or putting their kid(s) through college? Sometimes not being able to afford these items can bring on depression or verbal abuse into a home. The reader’s would have a better understanding of the essay if she included some of these situations. Overall, Quindlen portrays her idea of happiness not being the materialistic things in life, but by the things that have true meaning. By true meaning, I believe she means items such as photographs that have a significant memory attached to it. She jokingly states, â€Å"Ask people what they would grab if their house were on fire, the way our national house is on fire right now. No one ever says it’s the tricked-up microwave they got at Wal-Mart† (502). She brings her essay together nicely by asserting examples from her childhood, the U. S. depression, and a family that is happy with what little they have. The essay brings belief to the reader that in today’s society many people spend money on things that end up being junk and take for granted the needs they should possess. People make investments that they later come to realize have lost their value because they did not really need it. Even though she made some valuable points in her essay, more than likely America will still make unnecessary expenditures. Therefore, with Quindlen’s idea that â€Å"stuff is not salvation,† there needs to be more examples shown of people who can afford their wants and with that they are still able to obtain happiness (501). She does however prove her point that the items we possess should have more of a priceless value rather than items we could live without. If stuff is not salvation why do so many of us seek more income to possess more items? This question is simple to answer with more research on people that don’t have the worries of the less-fortunate. Again, while we shouldn’t be materialistic, we shouldn’t just settle for less, nor should we be greedy and keep wanting more. Quindlen’s views made me reevaluate my spending habits and hopefully the next time I purchase something I can answer the question â€Å"Why did I get this? †(501). Ultimately, Quindlen’s essay is interesting and worth the read. WORD COUNT: 865 Work Cited Quindlen, Anna. â€Å"Stuff is Not Salvation. † Perspectives on Contemporary Issues: Readings Across the Disciplines. 6th ed. Ed. Katherine Anne Ackley. Boston: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2012. 500-02. Print.