Article in Africa Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

In Africa - Article Example e, director for African Humans Rights Watch, insists The government, and the industries and farmers themselves, need to do a lot more to protect people who live and work on farms. The workers undoubtedly have to deal with plague-like conditions in which pesticides are exposed, lack of accesses to toilets is hindered, drinking water is not available, and to efforts are conducted to protect the workers through a union. In addition, he worked with closely with another association that produced a report known as â€Å"Ripe with Abuse: Human Rights Conditions in South Africa’s Fruit and Wine Industries.† Undeniably, the farm workers have no say on regulations but continue to suffer drastically. No evidence has been found to document any actions that is taken by the government to protect these workers. Although South Africa has laws that guarantee wages, benefits, and housing conditions; one cannot refute the fact that these big companies continue to push these workers into m isery. The majority of the current and former farm workers interviewed about these conditions said they had been exposed to pesticides without adequate safety equipment. When farm workers are inflicted with sickness, they are not granted any sick days unless they present a medical certificate. Clearly, the government needs to address this issue in order to elevate living

To teach children about the prevention about spreading germs and the Essay

To teach children about the prevention about spreading germs and the cold and flu - Essay Example Since viruses are micro organisms, they cannot be seen with naked eyes. When the viruses of contagious diseases like cold and flu, enter our body, they reproduce rapidly and damage cells by secreting poisonous toxins. We become sick when healthy cells of our body are destroyed. Infection is the stage when the viruses invade our body and enter cells to start rapid reproduction process. The rapid multiplication produces a huge number of viruses which then destroy their host cells and cause diseases. The physical symptoms like sneeze, fever, cough, running nose etc. occur as a result of activation of antibodies and other such agents of the body’s immunity system that resist or fight the harmful foreign agents (viruses), resulting in physical symptoms The symptoms are indication that our body has started reacting to the invasion of foreign bodies and may need appropriate backup mechanisms like medicines to kill those germs. Working with a group of four children in the implementation and learning methods of the preventive measures was a whole new experience. The curiosity and enthusiasm of the children was contagious and implementing different measures of prevention turned out to be a great learning experience, which was full of fun. Initially washing hands became a big issue with the children but when their hands were put under the microscope and they saw micro organisms, they were quick to adopt this habit! Showing the presence of micro-organisms was a huge motivator for the children to take up and implement other preventive measures in their daily life. They also assured that all their friends and family members would also be informed about the need to wash hands not only as prevention against the infectious diseases but also for healthy living. Information about balanced diet had become a big debate but ultimately all the children agreed that they all

Design of Oil Storage Tanks

Design of Oil Storage Tanks Oil Storage Tanks 1-Introduction Storage tanks containing organic liquids, non organic liquids, vapours and gases are used in many industries. Most such tanks are designed and built in accordance with American Petroleum Institute API-650 specifications (1). These tanks can range in size from 2m to 60m diameter or more and are usually situated in containment basins so that spills will be contained if the tank ruptures. Storage tanks are commonly employed in industries involving petroleum production and refining, chemical and petrochemical manufacturing, bulk storage and transfer, and a variety of other industries consuming or producing liquids and vapours. 1.1-Types of storage tank There are basically there are eight types of liquid storage tanks, viz: (i)Fixed-Roof tanks (ii)External floating-roof tanks (iii)Internal floating-roof tanks (iv)Domed external floating-roof tanks (v)Horizontal tanks (vi)Pressure tanks (vii)Variable vapour-space tanks (viii)Liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanks The first four types of tank are cylindrical in shape with the central axis which is perpendicular to the ground. Such tanks are almost always employed above ground level. Horizontal trunks can be employed both below and above ground level. Pressure tanks are located above ground and are usually spherically shaped to provide the maximum strength to withstand high internal pressures. Variable vapour-space tanks can be spherical or cylindrical. A containment basin made of brick or concrete is normally built around tanks with a lining impervious to the stored material in order to contain spills that could cause fire, property damage or environmental contamination. The capacity of the basin should be at least equal to that of the largest tank plus ten percent of the sum of the capacities of others. Fixed Roof Tanks Fixed roof tanks are common in production facilities where it is required to store hydrocarbons with vapour pressures close to atmospheric pressure. A fixed-roof tank typically consists of a cylindrical steel shell with a dome-shaped or cone-shaped roof that is permanently fixed to the tank shell. Umbrella roofs are also common. Fixed roof tanks are used for storing very high flash-point liquids (e.g. fuel oil, water, bitumen etc.). They are generally fully welded and are now designed to be liquid and vapour tight, while older tanks with a riveted or bolted construction are not vapour tight. Fixed roof tanks are generally insulated to prevent the risk of clogging for some materials, heating coming via steam coils inside the tanks. Dome roofs are used for tanks with a storage pressure slightly higher than atmospheric. Fig 1. A Tank Farm showing a number of Fixed roof tanks Fig. 2. Typical domed fixed-roof tank Fig. 3 Umbrella fixed-roof tank The commonest fixed-roof design has a shallow cone roof with a single centre column and internal (or external) framing to provide support for the roof plates. This involves having rafters and girders pressed to the roof radius. Cone roofs are generally supported from the shell using trusses or rafters. For large cone-roof tanks columns and girders can be used to support the roof plates and rafters. Intermediate columns are used where the diameter is more than 37m. Designs may include a frangible roof joint (i.e. able to break into fragments when over-stressed) for added protection against a sudden increase in internal pressure. For this the design pressure limited is equivalent to the pressure of the total weight of the roof plates including structural rafters. If the storage pressures are going to exceed the capabilities of a cone-roof tant, then other fixed-roof designs such as the self-supporting dome roof or umbrella roof can be used. API Standard 650, (Appendix F) (1) designs permit internal pressures of up to 2.5 psig, depending on the tank diameter. For operating pressures of more than 2.5 psig, API Standard 620, (‘Design and Construction of Large, Low-Pressure Storage Tanks’) (2) has design procedures for internal pressures of up to 15 psig. Because of environmental concerns and to cut down on vapour losses designs tend to include internal floating decks in fixed roof tanks either at the time of construction or later as a retrofit (Fig 3). This has the advantages of both fixed and floating roof design. Fig. 3. Domed fixed-roof tank with inner floating roof and showing roof supports Emissions from fixed roof tanks vary depending on vessel capacity, utilization rate of the tank, vapour pressure of the stored liquid and the local atmospheric conditions. Losses of the stored product from evaporation can be large in fixed roof tanks – particularly for crude oil where vapours are released through the pressure vent valve. Losses are classed either as Breathing Losses or as Working Losses. Breathing losses occur when vapour expansion and contraction caused by changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure lead to the expulsion of vapor. This loss happens without any change to the liquid level in the tank. Working losses happen when the liquid level in the tank is increased. Fixed roof tanks are either freely vented or have a pressure/vacuum vent that allows the tank to operate at a slight internal vacuum or pressure. This stops the release of vapours when there are very small changes in pressure, temperature or to the liquid level. It is also possible to make t anks that are inert when there is a slightly positive gas pressure. Such tanks should have pressure-vacuum valves and when in use be purged with natural gas to remove air from the vapour space. Table 1 Advantages and disadvantages of different types of fixed-roof storage tanks (5) 2.1Gauge Hatches Fixed-roof tanks should have a gauge hatch in the roof which allows it to be opened quickly. This allows the operator rapid access to gauge the tank. Gauging comprised: measuring the volume of liquid in the tank finding out if water is present and, if so, measuring the height of the oil/water boundary sampling the material in the tank. determining the temperature of the liquid in the tank. The gauge hatch can be weighted so that it will work as a backup pressure or pressure-vacuum relief device to complement the primary pressure-vacuum valve. Fig 3 Typical gauge hatch Standards for the manual gauging of petroleum and its products are contained in the API Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards (3). 2.2Filling or pumping operations Routine tank filling and pumping will affect the vapour space in a fixed-roof tank. Removing product from the tank draws air into the vapour space, creating a hazard. During the holding period prior to refilling the tank, evaporative breathing losses are increased because of the larger volume of the vapor space. Adding product to the tank, increasing the volume of liquid, displaces the the mixture of air and product vapour via the tank vent, causing significant evaporative emissions. 2.3Gas blanketing systems If the vapour pressure of the product in the tank is low (below 10kPa), it is safe practice to use a freely ventilated fixed-roof tank. For production tanks or other applications where the vapour pressure of the incoming liquid is usually higher than atmospheric pressure at usual ambient temperatures, a gas blanketing system is needed to maintain positive tank pressure and minimise the risk of air being sucked into the tank vapour space. At times when there is no inflow of product, the tank breathing process could, by itself, lead to air being drawn into the tank through the pressure-vacuum valve, forming a potentially explosive mixture. A gas blanketing system needs a supply of natural gas and a pressure regulator that works to keep the tank pressure at the desired level. When the ambient temperatures increase causing the pressure inside the tank rise, the regulator closes. If pressure continues to rise, the pressure vent opens to relieve the internal pressure in the tank by venting vapours (blanket gas plus product vapour) to the atmosphere or to some vapour recovery process. A vacuum relief valve must still be used to protect the tank against a vacuum forming if the gas blanketing system should fail. 2.4Fire Exposure Out breathing, caused by exposure to fire, may exceed the design venting rate based on normal operating conditions. If that happens, the tank’s construction details determine whether additional venting is needed. On fixed-roof tanks, where the roof-shell attachment is constructed according to API Standard 650 (1), the roof-to-shell joint may be considered frangible, so that excessive internal pressure may cause it to fail before failure occurs in either the tank-shell joints or in the shell-to-bottom joint. In tanks built in this way, there is no need for addition emergency venting systems, as long as the tank is well away from other equipment and the loss of the roof in an emergency is acceptable. On tanks that do not have frangible joints, design procedures are given in API Standard 2000 (4) for calculating the necessary venting capacity for fire exposure. 2.5Containment Basin Fixed roof tanks are constructed insida a containment basin made of brick or concrete and with a lining that should be impervious to the liquid being stored to prevent spills that can cause fire, property damage or environmental contamination. The minimum capacity of the basin should equal the capacity of the largest tank plus 10% of the combined total capacity of any others. To contain a spill or to prevent some other emergency the basin walls must be able to withstand high pressures and also be resistant to the stored product. The basin drain valve is put into the outer side of the containment basin and must normally be kept closed to prevent possible leakage of any contaminant into the environment.

Death: The End or a New Beginning Essays -- Loss of Life, Perspective

What is death? Looking up the meaning in the dictionary would probably read â€Å"the loss of life† or â€Å"ceasing of all vital functions†. As human beings the word could mean one of many things depending on what you believe in. To most of humanity throughout history it meant the end of a life, to others a shortcut to avoid the inevitable, or even what might be the beginning of something new. Unfortunately, today in our modern time our conception of death has changed drastically throughout history. Many like you and me will never truly understand death’s true meaning unless experienced firsthand. â€Å"The subject of death is shrouded in mystery, folklore, and different meanings from every culture on this planet†. Although death should not be something to be feared, for it’s a natural part of life. Nevertheless it shouldn’t be taken lightly; it could happen to any of us at any moment, but it shouldn’t stop you from living your life to the fullest and making every last second count. â€Å"Throughout history, specific cultural contexts have always played a crucial role in how people perceived death. Different societies have held widely diverging views on the â€Å"breath of life† and on â€Å"how the soul left the body† at the time of death.† In the past, death was embraced and was believed to be caused by some sort of divine intervention. In ancient Egypt, Egyptians believed that preparing for their death will allow them to cross into the afterlife. It was popular amongst the people even the Pharos of Egypt would undergo a mummification process and be buried with their belongings to ensure their place in the afterlife. Many other cultures would perform similar or other rituals to hold on to their belief that death wasn’t the end. If they had a strong eno... ...ays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson. New York: Doubleday, 1997. Print. Bryan, Susan Montoya. "NM Ruling Will Allow Doctors to Help Patients Die." Santa Fe New Mexican. 14 Jan. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. http://sks.sirs.com. Wood, Daniel B. "When Does Life End? Two Emotional Cases Probe the Complexities." Christian Science Monitor. 19 Jan. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. http://sks.sirs.com "Death." Britannica School. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. . "Death Rite." Britannica School. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. . "Capital Punishment." Britannica School.Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. .

A Look at Life Before the Internet, and After the Internet Essay

Times have changed, drastically, especially when it comes to the Internet. From banking to dating and from research to shopping, the Internet provides us with such conveniences we rarely need to leave our homes. History should not be defined as B.C. and A.D.; it should be defined as B.I. (before the Internet) and A.I. (after the Internet). I am at an age that has allowed me to experience life with, and without, the Internet. My kids, however, have grown up with the Internet their whole lives. Internet was not an offered course when I attended high school; it is a requirement for 4thgraders at my youngest son’s school. The impact of the Internet on our everyday lives has been miraculous. We no longer have to wait in line at the bank, for the arrival of the newspaper or the 5:00 news on TV, or the phone line to clear to communicate with friends or family. Shopping does not necessarily mean driving to the mall and going to school does not necessarily mean attending classes on cam pus. We will examine some of the ways the Internet has changed our lives. Let usstart with banking. Before the Internet, banking meant having to wait for your statement to balance your checkbook; going into the bank to transfer funds; and paying your bills by writing checks. Nowadays you can access your bank account(s) online, and most are in real-time, which makebalancing your checkbook very simple. Banks also offer an online bill-pay service, which means you do nothave to write a check. The money transfers from your account directly to the company to which you owe money. Transferring money between accounts can be done online as well. Applying for a loan is another service offered by most banks’ websites, making it possible to receive an answer within minutes. Next, we will discuss the B.I. and A.I.forms of communication.A Look at Life Before the Internet, and After the Internet Times have changed, drastically, especially when it comes to the Internet. From banking to dating and from research to shopping, the Internet provides us with such conveniences we rarely need to leave our homes. History should not be defined as B.C. and A.D.; it should be defined as B.I. (before the Internet) and A.I. (after the Internet). I am at an age that has allowed me to experience life with, and without, the Internet. My kids, however, have grown up with the Internet their whole lives. Internet was not an offered course when I attended high school; it is a requirement for 4thgraders at my youngest son’s school. The impact of the Internet on  our everyday lives has been miraculous. We no longer have to wait in line at the bank, for the arrival of the newspaper or the 5:00 news on TV, or the phone line to clear to communicate with friends or family. Shopping does not necessarily mean driving to the mall and going to school does not necessarily mean attending classes on campus. We will examine some of the ways the Internet has changed our lives. Let usstart with banking. Before the Internet, banking meant having to wait for your statement to balance your checkbook; going into the bank to transfer funds; and paying your bills by writing checks. Nowadays you can access your bank account(s) online, and most a re in real-time, which makebalancing your checkbook very simple. Banks also offer an online bill-pay service, which means you do nothave to write a check. The money transfers from your account directly to the company to which you owe money. Transferring money between accounts can be done online as well. Applying for a loan is another service offered by most banks’ websites, making it possible to receive an answer within minutes. Next, we will discuss the B.I. and A.I.forms of communication.A Look at Life Before the Internet, and After the Internet Times have changed, drastically, especially when it comes to the Internet. From banking to dating and from research to shopping, the Internet provides us with such conveniences we rarely need to leave our homes. History should not be defined as B.C. and A.D.; it should be defined as B.I. (before the Internet) and A.I. (after the Internet). I am at an age that has allowed me to experience life with, and without, the Internet. My kids, however, have grown up with the Internet their whole lives. Internet was not an offered course when I attended high school; it is a requirement for 4thgraders at my youngest son’s school. The impact of the Internet on our everyday lives has been miraculous. We no longer have to wait in line at the bank, for the arrival of the newspaper or the 5:00 news on TV, or the phone line to clear to communicate with friends or family. Shopping does not necessarily mean driving to the mall and going to school does not necessarily mean attending classes on campus. We will examine some of the ways the Internet has changed our lives. Let usstart with banking. Before the Internet, banking meant having to wait for your statement to balance your checkbook; going into the bank to transfer funds; and paying your bills by writing checks. Nowadays you can access your bank account(s) online, and most are in real-time, which makebalancing your  checkbook very simple. Banks also offer an online bill-pay service, which means you do nothave to write a check. The money transfers from your account directly to the company to which you owe money. Transferring money between accounts can be done on line as well. Applying for a loan is another service offered by most banks’ websites, making it possible to receive an answer within minutes. Next, we will discuss the B.I. and A.I.forms of communication.

Bank of America Business Analysis

Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle sized market businesses and large corporations with a vast array of products and services. From multi-million dollar loans to thousands of ATM’s throughout the United States and overseas, Bank of America is among the world's leading wealth management companies’ and is a global leader in corporate business. Bank of America Business Capital provides asset-based credit facilities of $10 million or more throughout the United States, Canada and Europe for manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and service businesses. Bank of America is currently listed as number 5 on the Fortune Global 500 annual ranking of America’s largest corporations. However, they did not place within the top 100 of fortune 500 companies to work for in 2009 (CNN. com money magazine, 2009). Bank of America operates in more than 10 countries including regions in Europe, Asia, and Central and South America. With operations in such a wide range of selected countries Bank of America (BOA) has to deal with differing legal and cultural aspects which can relate to the amount of risk the management is willing to accept. This risk includes what is called systematic political risk. â€Å"As a rule, a country’s political processes do not treat foreign operations unfairly. If they did, few companies would hazard the investment† (Daniels et. al, p. 105, 2011). The differing market and legal systems, ranging from common law to theocratic law and a mixed system, etc could make room for trouble for BOA’s international business if the interpretation of the laws are not the same. Similarly, economic risk is the likelihood that certain events or changes in the economic status or a company or will cause drastic changes adversely affecting profits and other goals. The ability to measure and understand risk and determining which risk is acceptable is a key factor of success with any international business venture. This along with political risk will have to be managed forecasted effectively to judge the outcome of any changes to governmental, import, or export changes as they could affect the profits and or losses which could ultimately affect a company’s ability to repay a loan that was granted by BOA. Although the 2011 CFO Outlook reports that â€Å"U. S. companies overall are highly involved in foreign markets and are forecasting international sales growth in 2011† (2011 CFO Outlook), if I were a political consultant for BOA, I would highly caution them with respect to venturing into a country where they are not willing to accept our form of economic feasibility or where the GDP does not represent strength as it relates to longevity within the economy. It would be far too difficult to influence change within an entire culture just to add breadth to the organization. Furthermore, without the ability to measure and understand the end state of a cultural shift, the foreign business opportunity may be at risk of unacceptable losses especially where healthcare costs and costs of materials are concerned (2001 CFO Outlook). Bank of America is changing because its customers are changing. In the 2009 Financial Report Brian T. Moynihan, Chief Executive Officer and President of BOA said â€Å"There is nothing more important to our more than 280,000 Bank of America teammates and me than our belief that there’s a right way to do business — an approach that balances our responsibilities to all our stakeholders. This belief has guided our efforts as we’ve worked to help customers, clients and communities ride out the economic storm. † He also went on to say that the most pressing need is the overhaul of loan modifications. The pressing need for this is â€Å"to help families and businesses manage their monthly cash flow to get through the crisis. † However, BOA is making strides ahead of some of the other financial institutions. They repaid the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in December of 2009 although they reported a net loss applicable to common shareholders of $2. 2 billion (BOA 2009 Financial Report). This has proved to work fine for common law states but it would prove to be much more difficult in civil law or a mixed system and just about impossible in theocratic law system. BOA has a code of conduct or ethics as they call it as a significant part of their processes used to manage risk. They train their associates to mitigate risk and set high standards for their associates. This provides a framework for the associates to conduct themselves with the highest integrity in delivering products or services to their customers. â€Å"We instill a risk-conscious culture through communications, training, policies, procedures, and organizational roles and responsibilities. Additionally, we continue to strengthen the linkage between the associate performance management process and individual compensation to encourage associates to work toward enterprise-wide risk goals. † (Brian T. Moynihan, BOA 2009 Financial Report). This is vitally important for the company to extend these ethics to the workforce overseas as the importation and adoption of the headquarters mindset will ensure that host nation workers will also adhere to the higher standards associated with conducting business with BOA. It is just a good business practice to ensure that wherever you operate, you share the same vision that will foster success and continued best practices. Although I did not find any social programs during my research on BOA, I did notice when I was in Panama that they have Panamanian and American workers employed. I would presume to say that, just as in any working environment the management would establish some sort of informal program amongst its workers. And seeing how BOA strives with its code of ethics this could be not far from the truth as bonds are made as the people work together daily. In conclusion, BOA has done quite well for themselves and that is directly attributed to the high standard set by the corporate office and CEO Brian T. Moynihan. As one of the world banking leaders it would do them well to continue to look toward the future of expanding and exploring other joint ventures locally and internationally. They would do well to guide their investment strategy and actions by monitoring the consumer deposits, credit card services, and investment management as an indicator of the overall economic status and potential growth of their joint ventures. References http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2009/full_list/index.html