Superfund Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Superfund - Research Paper Example The result is the superfund, specifically which is placing funding and aid to stop the toxins and chemicals from being dumped into various regions. The approach is one which is furthered by the pressured cleanups by corporations throughout the different regions. This paper will examine the approach which is being taken by the EPA and how this is linking to the superfund. Background of the Superfund The superfund was established in New York City in 1980. It consists of a program that is based on offering monetary support and initiatives to clean up toxic waste and chemicals that are hazardous around the area. The project began after it was noted that over 22,000 tons of toxic waste were dumped by Niagara Falls, New York, in the known Love Canal. The Love Canal was completed and purchased for the use of different environmental needs. However, corporations began to pile toxic waste and chemicals into the canal. After the inability to move the toxins, the corporations covered the canal a nd sold this to the city of New York for $1. After a certain period of time, an explosion resulted from the large amount of chemicals and toxins in the area. The Love Canal continues to be hazardous for the environmental area it surrounds and directly affects the land which one is in. The superfund was established to force companies to clean up these areas and to tax those who were not complying with the law. Today, over 1,000 sites have been cleaned with billions of dollars being spent. Over 70% of the funds are going to corporations that began to the toxic waste and chemical buildup. The money is combined with government initiatives and companies which are linked to the polluted sites (New York Times, 2011). The initiatives which began with the funds and the need to clean up various areas has continued with specific policies and procedures offered by the Environmental Protection Agency. The bill was originally introduced by a bipartisan leadership group of senators and passed by t he Senate with limiting measures for the cleanup. The House amended this and approved the final alternatives in 1980 through S.1341. However, it was also noted that the final bill and law was sidetracked and moved into different departments because of the other proposals taken earlier. In the Carter Administration, a similar bill was being passed, specifically which was based on toxic waste and oil spill cleanup. This bill had been bypassed during the time because of other political objectives which would not provide the right cleanup. The problem which arose then created Congress to approve the bill with limited measures from the past history, specifically to take care of the problem with the Love Canal without considering the overall task of the Superfund and the extra requirements and provisions from the final bill and law which would be passed. This has led to a variety of amendments as well as questions of responsibility, taxation and corporate responsibility linked to the main bill (Grad, 1982). The approach which was taken in 1980 and the outcomes have resulted in political economics that have become a part of the Superfund and initiatives which have been taken. The approach which is now being taken is to develop the activities as a space for the contaminated sites that are continuing to have waste, as opposed to being active in the continuous dumping of the

Cultural Diversity Essay -- School Education Diverse Essays

Cultural Diversity Children should be exposed to all segments of society. Youngsters learning with children of different races, nationalities, and religions tend to be more tolerant and accepting of individual differences. They learn customs, beliefs and rituals of classmates that maybe quite different from what they have been taught. Youngsters learning in an environment of diversity are well prepared to deal more effectively in society after they complete their education. A mutual respect and understanding of other cultures removes barriers and stereotypes. Individual differences need to be threatening. In fact, knowledge of other cultures helps a person realize and appreciate the similarities more than the differences. It is most important that the teacher is trained to teach about and respect individual differences. A diverse group of youngsters can add a great deal to the classroom environment. Interaction between children, handled effectively, can promote a climate of curiosity, mutual respect an d acceptance. Nina Rees addressed the topic of teaching styles at both public and private school systems. She suggested students achieve greater results in an environment in which competition and different religious and cultural backgrounds exist. (Rees 93). Although students may have a different religion, culture, race and socio-economic level, they all deserve an equally outstanding education. There is a national attempt to give parents the option of a public or a private education for their youngsters. "There is also such a thing as a Voucher System. In "PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, SPECIAL NEEDS, AND VOUCHER SYSTEMS- A GENERAL REVIEW OF BASIC PRINCIPLES," the author writes, "the idea of the voucher system is that parents ... ...iling grades coming from the students, they are remaining open and continue to be rewarded with extra funding. Viadero,D. Increased choice found to have modest impact on school improvement. Edweek. Retrieved October 7,2002 from Edweek.com Greene,J.P. (2001). The surprising consensus on school choice. Public interest,144,pp.19. Retrieved November 22,2002 from britannica.com Rees,N.S. School choice: a report card. World & I, 15 (9),pp.28. Retrieved November 23,2002 from britannica.com Private vs. public schools. www.internetcampus.com Public schools,private schools,special needs,and voucher systems. www.angelfire.com School choice programs: what?s happening in the states? www.heritage.org/schools/ Schoolreformers. www.schoolreformers.com Test scores: public vs. private schools. http://osx.soc.uh.edu/~bmoeller/kpftnews/092002story6.html Cultural Diversity Essay -- School Education Diverse Essays Cultural Diversity Children should be exposed to all segments of society. Youngsters learning with children of different races, nationalities, and religions tend to be more tolerant and accepting of individual differences. They learn customs, beliefs and rituals of classmates that maybe quite different from what they have been taught. Youngsters learning in an environment of diversity are well prepared to deal more effectively in society after they complete their education. A mutual respect and understanding of other cultures removes barriers and stereotypes. Individual differences need to be threatening. In fact, knowledge of other cultures helps a person realize and appreciate the similarities more than the differences. It is most important that the teacher is trained to teach about and respect individual differences. A diverse group of youngsters can add a great deal to the classroom environment. Interaction between children, handled effectively, can promote a climate of curiosity, mutual respect an d acceptance. Nina Rees addressed the topic of teaching styles at both public and private school systems. She suggested students achieve greater results in an environment in which competition and different religious and cultural backgrounds exist. (Rees 93). Although students may have a different religion, culture, race and socio-economic level, they all deserve an equally outstanding education. There is a national attempt to give parents the option of a public or a private education for their youngsters. "There is also such a thing as a Voucher System. In "PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, SPECIAL NEEDS, AND VOUCHER SYSTEMS- A GENERAL REVIEW OF BASIC PRINCIPLES," the author writes, "the idea of the voucher system is that parents ... ...iling grades coming from the students, they are remaining open and continue to be rewarded with extra funding. Viadero,D. Increased choice found to have modest impact on school improvement. Edweek. Retrieved October 7,2002 from Edweek.com Greene,J.P. (2001). The surprising consensus on school choice. Public interest,144,pp.19. Retrieved November 22,2002 from britannica.com Rees,N.S. School choice: a report card. World & I, 15 (9),pp.28. Retrieved November 23,2002 from britannica.com Private vs. public schools. www.internetcampus.com Public schools,private schools,special needs,and voucher systems. www.angelfire.com School choice programs: what?s happening in the states? www.heritage.org/schools/ Schoolreformers. www.schoolreformers.com Test scores: public vs. private schools. http://osx.soc.uh.edu/~bmoeller/kpftnews/092002story6.html

Performance Appraisal Essay

â€Å"Performance appraisal is the process through which employee performance is assessed, feedback is provided to the employee, and corrective action plans are designed† (Youssef, 2012). So basically, a performance appraisal is the process of evaluation workers’ performance in correlation with previously determined standards of the organization. Performance appraisals are one way of giving employees feedback about their performance at work; they record the employee’s performance to date, their potential and what they could work on to further benefit them. These appraisals do not only help them employee but they could benefit the organization as well in that it reflects on if the employee is right for the position (currently or in the future) and if the training the organization gives is sufficient for the employee. There are many advantages to performing appraisals. The records of these performance appraisals are kept for a period of time, they can be referenced and used to evaluate how an employee has improved over time, or if they have yet to improve or began to slack off. This gives an opportunity for a manager to pull an employee aside and praise them for their accomplishments or inform them what it is they need to improve on, managers can also determine whether or not an employee could benefit from further training. Employees can be given feedback while learning if their goals within the company have been fulfilled while setting up new goals for them to accomplish in the next year. Sometimes, expectations and policies can be difficult to understand; during feedback, one can take that opportunity to have clarity on policies and expectations and discuss matters that they want to discuss in private, such as ideas for improvement or issues they’ve had within the company or with fellow employees. Knowing that your performance will be appraised can serve as motivation to gain a reward for their hard work. There is potential for biases that need to be worked through to make sure everyone is given a fair opportunity. While it’s easy to compare one another, it’s imperative and difficult to resist comparing skills of one employee to another; if employees were compared to one another, it creates an unfair assessment of the employees. It’s crucial to set a standard to evaluate performance. Personality conflicts can influence judgment when assessing performance; this would cause an inaccurate assessment which would be unfair to the employee. Just because an employee is good at one thing, does not make them good at everything, and vice versa. One ruined project or miscommunication in direction does not mean the same thing will occur every time, or again even. There needs to be a minimum time-frame in which an employee’s performance should be assessed; it’s not fair for a manager that’s worked with an employee a time or two to fairly appraise them, a first impression can distort one’s image in either a positive or negative manner. It’s also necessary to appraise one on their entire performance, not just the most recent occurrences. Lifestyle choices should be left out of the appraisal process and should not be used for or against an employee. The primary objectives of an appraisal are – to assess past performance, to identify training needs, to set and agree on future objectives and standards, and to facilitate the achievement of these goals† (Youssef, 2012). Management by objectives includes an agreement between managers and their employees on the employee’s performance objectives for periodic review for the employee accomplishes said objectives. The effectiveness of a performance appraisal can be judged by its objectives. Understanding the strategic objectives can help one adjust to meet the needs of an organization. A timeline allows a manager and employee to make a plan for goals to be met, there must be deadlines and time periods assigned to each goal to ensure that they are met. An employee needs to show improvement, one that is not very productive and having issues with the company’s values and policies will not be around for a long period of time. Employees that are productive and possess talent that are imperative for the position will help with the company’s success and ensure they are able to withstand growth. Strategic planning is needed to determine the budget for current employees as well as future employees. Appraisal results reflect one’s character, development, how well one performs to the organization’s standards, as well as other strengths or weaknesses. In some organizations, these results may be used to determine if/which employees deserve recognition as well as awards such as a merit pay raise, a bonus and/or a promotion. These results can also determine which employees do not mesh with the organization and need to be let go, require counseling or further training or a demotion/decrease in pay. Performance appraisals can be a motivation to excel.

The Significance of Lighting, Blocking and Panning in...

In cinema, lighting, blocking and panning drastically influence what an audience will notice and take away from a scene. Orson Welles’s 1941 Citizen Kane has numerous examples of effectively using these aspects within mise-en-scà ¨ne, cinematography and editing to portray the importance of specific events and items in the film. The scene where Kane writes and then publishes his â€Å"Declaration of Principles† (37:42-39:42) in the New York Daily Inquirer after buying them focuses on important elements of the film, aiding the audience by combining lighting, blocking and panning to define significant roles and objects that further the movie as a whole. Mise-en-scà ¨ne, what the audience sees in a film, is crucial to the movie’s development.†¦show more content†¦A few cuts later he writes on the document right before handing it off to Sully, the lighting shows proud grins between all the faces present in the frame and also in the left of the frame has a n illuminated bottle of champagne to signify the accomplishment of the document’s exchange of hands. The effective lighting in each cut along with props allows the viewer to gather significance in the scene as a whole. Blocking, an attribute of cinematography, is used very effectively in this scene in part with both lighting and props. The positioning of each character tells a great deal as to their role in the movie as well as to the scene itself. The inclusion of chairs pays tribute to the lesser roles of both Leland and Bernstein. The two of them are sitting down almost entirely during the scene while Kane is standing the whole time, towering over them and allowing him and his document to be the most natural observation of the scene. To further the importance of both Kane and his paper, there is the inclusion of more props and blocking methods throughout the scene as well. For the majority of the scene, Kane is centered, representing his title as the newspaper’s owner. Even when moving to different locations during cuts, there are only brief moments when Kane and his document are not in the camera’s center focus. This being the case, the lighting does not illuminate him as much as the supporting cast. This is because he is the