The Origin of Wildfires and How They Are Caused

It is interesting to note that, of the four billion years of earths existence, conditions were not conducive for spontaneous wildfire until the last 400 million years. A naturally-occurring atmospheric fire did not have the chemical elements available until major several earth changes occurred. The earliest life forms emerged without needing oxygen (anaerobic organisms) to live about 3.5 billion years ago and lived in a carbon dioxide based atmosphere. Life forms that needed oxygen in small amounts (aerobic) came much later in the form of photosynthesizing blue-green algae and ultimately changed the earths atmospheric balance toward oxygen and away from carbon dioxide (co2). Photosynthesis increasingly dominated earths biology by initially creating and continuously increasing the earths percentage of oxygen in the air. Green plant growth then exploded and aerobic respiration became the biologic catalyst for terrestrial life. Around 600 million years ago and during the Paleozoic, conditions for natural combustion started developing with increasing speed. Wildfire Chemistry Fire needs fuel, oxygen, and heat to ignite and spread. Wherever forests grow, the fuel for forest fires is provided mainly by continued biomass production along with the resulting fuel load  of that vegetative growth. Oxygen is created in abundance by the photosynthesizing process of living green organisms so it is all around us in the air. All that is needed then is a source of heat to provide the exact chemistry combinations for a flame. When these natural combustibles (in the form of wood, leaves, brush) reach 572 º, gas in the steam given off reacts with oxygen to reach its flash point with a burst of flame. This flame then preheats surrounding fuels. In turn, other fuels heat up and the fire grows and spreads. If this spreading process is not controlled, you have a wildfire or uncontrolled forest fire. Depending on the geographic condition of the site and the vegetative fuels present, you might call these brush fires, forest fires, sage field fires, grass fires, woods fires, peat fires, bush fires, wildland fires, or veld fires. How Do Forest Fires Start? Naturally caused forest fires are usually started by dry lightning where little to no rain accompanies a stormy weather disturbance. Lightning randomly strikes the earth an average of 100 times each second or 3 billion times every year and has caused some of the most notable wildland fire disasters  in the western United States. Most lightning strikes occur in the North American southeast and southwest. Because they often occur in isolated locations with limited access, lightning fires burn more acres than human-caused starts. The average 10-year total of U.S. wildfire acres burned and caused by humans is 1.9 million acres where  2.1 million acres burned are lightning-caused. Still, human fire activity is the primary cause of wildfires, with nearly ten times the start rate of natural starts. Most of these human-caused fires are accidental, usually caused by carelessness or inattention by campers, hikers, or others traveling through wildland or by debris and garbage burners. Some are intentionally set by arsonists. Some human-caused fires are started to reduce heavy fuel buildup and used as a forest management tool. This is called a controlled or prescribed burn and used for wildfire fire fuel reduction, wildlife habitat enhancement, and debris clearing. They are not included in the above statistics and ultimately reduce wildfire numbers by reducing conditions that contribute to wildfire and forest fires. How Does Wildland Fire Spread? The three primary classes of wildland fires are surface, crown, and ground fires. Each classification  intensity depends on the quantity and types of fuels involved and their moisture content. These conditions have an effect on fire intensity and will determine how fast the fire will spread. Surface fires typically burn readily but at a low intensity and partially consume the entire fuel layer while presenting little danger to mature trees and root systems. Fuel buildup over many years will increase intensity and especially when associated with drought, can become a rapidly spreading ground fire. Regular controlled fire or prescribed burning effectively reduces the fuel buildup leading to a damaging ground fire.Crown fires generally result from intense rising ground fire heat and occur in the higher sections of draping trees. The resulting ladder effect causes hot surface or ground fires to climb the fuels into the canopy. This can increase the chance for embers to blow and branches to fall into unburned areas and increase the spread the fire.Ground fires are the most infrequent type of fire but make for very intense blazes that can potentially destroy all vegetation and organic manner, leaving only bare earth. These largest fires actually create their own winds and weat her, increasing the flow of oxygen and feeding the fire.

The, 12 Angry Men, And Nasa s Challenger Disaster

â€Å"Speak your mind even if your voice shakes†, a quote made famous by Maggie Kuhn, is the foundation of how I conduct my life. While the fundamentals of being an open-minded, educated, and well-rounded individual involve considering the opinions of others and evaluating both sides of the argument, too often people become complacent and lose the ability to think for themselves. The common term that refers to this type of herd mentality is â€Å"sheeple†. The play, 12 Angry Men, and NASA’s Challenger disaster are two prime examples of the downfalls of groupthink. Below, I will discuss both the helpful and harmful aspects of groupthink surrounding both 12 Angry Men, and the Challenger disaster, as well as the effects of groupthink on today’s voting young adults. In the play, 12 Angry Men, the vote was 11-1 in favor of a guilty verdict in the case being tried. The one juror stood his ground, explained his theory as to why a guilty verdict could not be delivered, and was unwavering in his stance. The jurors went around the table twice, and ended with everyone siding with the original juror. As the deliberations played out and jurors were questioned, some jurors were not able to justify their guilty verdict, merely stating â€Å"It just is†. This statement shows the effect of the groupthink mentality, especially since one juror was considerably vocal and angered by the time being spent on deliberations. The logical discussions the other jurors had with one another displayed a positive aspectShow MoreRelatedProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 PagesCanada 118 Riverview Children s Hospital 124 The Evolution of Project Management at Quixtar 145 3 PROJECT MANAGEMENT CULTURES 151 Como Tool and Die (A) 153 Como Tool and Die (B) 157 Apache Metals, Inc. 160 Haller Specialty Manufacturing 162 The NF3 Project: Managing Cultural Differences 163 An International Project Manager s Day (A) 172 An International Project Manager s Day (B) (see handout provided by instructor) An International Project Manager s Day (C) (see handout provided byRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesManager, Production: Lisa Rinaldi Full-Service Project Management: Christian Holdener, S4Carlisle Publishing Services Composition: S4Carlisle Publishing Services Printer/Binder: Courier/Kendallville Cover Printer: Courier/Kendalville Text Font: 10.5/12 ITC New Baskerville Std Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on the appropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishingRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagestechnology installations that have not fulfilled their intended results has been that this effective integration with management innovation has not been implemented. 12 Feigenbaum−Feigenbaum: The Power of Management Capitol 1. New Management for Business Growth in a Demanding Economy Text  © The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2004 12 THE POWER OF MANAGEMENT CAPITAL Today’s leaders in digitizing their businesses recognize that information technology generates its full economic power only when

Scramble for Kenya Free Essays

Imperialism is defined as one country’s domination of the political, economic, and social life of another country. In Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, imperialism was present and growing. The main countries involved in the imperialism in Africa were the French, German, and Britain. We will write a custom essay sample on Scramble for Kenya or any similar topic only for you Order Now All of these countries were in a constant struggle to become the most powerful, to have the most riches, and control over high abundances of the natural resources in Africa. One region in particular being that of present day Kenya was desirable to the British. Although Britain’s reason’s to imperialize Kenya were selfish and harmful, in the long run Britain helped Kenya progress. On a quest to find natural resources in Kenya the Portuguese were among the first European settlers along the coast of Kenya. Up until the 19th century, very little was known about Kenya’s land beyond the coast until the arrival of the British who came and colonized Kenya. Kenya was under the control of British between the 19th century and mid 20th century. In the early 1800s, European powers began rushing to get a hold of unclaimed territories within areas of interest in Africa. Zanzibar and the interior of Eastern Africa caught the attention of both Germany and Britain. To avoid conflict, in 1886, Germany and Britain signed a treaty in which they agreed upon what lands they would pursue. Germany would take the coast of present day Tanzania and Britain had access to the area where Kenya and Uganda lie. 1 Britain was also interested in other areas in Southern Africa; however, the British were hesitant in accepting full responsibility for the region they had access to. The result was Britain allowing a commercial company, the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC), the right to administer and develop the eastern territory. The IBEAC was responsible for the land stretching from the eastern coast of Africa to Uganda all the way to the northwestern part to Lake Victoria. 2 The British settlers were particularly attracted to Kenya’s fertile highlands. Britain’s main interest in Kenya was not to control the local people, but to build a railway that would connect Uganda and Zanzibar, to the Indian Ocean. The railway was important for strategic and economic reasons. It was to be the main link that would connect Lake Victoria and Uganda. Uganda became a source of interest since the source of the Nile river was thought to be there. The construction of the railway led to immigration of people from India who were imported to work on the railway. In order to maintain control over the Kenyans, the British limited their education to practical skills for working on farms. The colonial government forced Kenyans to work. In 1901, the British imposed tax payments in every area that they controlled. In order to make room for the incoming British, indigenous agricultural peoples such as the Kikuyu and the Kampa were removed form their land and relocated. No longer allowed to farm on their own land, many Kenyans were forced to work for Europeans growing cash-crops. Wages for these workers were very low. Laws were also put in place by the colonial government that allowed employees to be fine or imprisoned if employers were not pleased with their work. It was these crimes, among other abuses, which gave rise to independence movements in Kenya which eventually liberated the country from the British. Discrimination, imposition of taxes, forced labor, and confiscated land caused friction between Kenyans and the colonial government. 4 The friction led to eventual resistance by Kenyans against the British rule. Rebellious groups were formed one of them being the Mau Mau. The Mau Mau was a rebellion group formed to oppose British rule from 1890 until 1960. They worked on plans to force the British to leave. The loss of European life is very little. The main victims of Mau Mau violence are other Kikuyu who refuse to support the cause. Among the Mau Mau themselves as many as 11,000 died in encounters with British forces. In 1929 one of the nationalist leaders, Jomo Kenyatta, was sent to England to negotiate on behalf of the Kikuyu community by presenting their concerns to the British government. In October 1952, there was a sudden outbreak of sabotage and assassination in Kenya. Kikuyu terrorists and their ritual oaths of loyalty to their secret organization reflect the customs of Jomo Kenyatta’s political group, the Kikuyu Central Association. The colonial government reacted immediately, declaring a state of emergency and arresting Jomo Kenyatta. Kenyatta was charged for planning the Mau Mau uprising, he was sentenced in March 1953 to seven years’ imprisonment. Jomo Kenyatta was still in detention as of 1960, but his colleagues elected him president of their newly formed political party, the Kenya African National Union. Kenyatta is finally released by the British in 1961. 5 In elections in May 1963, Kenya African National Union won the majority of the seats. Independence of Kenya was achieved in December 1963, with Kenyatta as prime minister. A year later, under a new constitution, Kenya becomes a republic. In 1964, Kenyatta was elected president. British imperialism changed Kenyan society in a number of ways. Large numbers of new peoples from different cultures took up residence in Kenya bringing in new ideas, missionaries brought about changes in religion, and land and labor practices changed. In addition to spreading their religion, missionaries also influenced and changed Kenyan culture in other ways. They established European style churches, schools, and hospitals which would have an ongoing impact upon the Kenyan people7. he cultural changes Kenya has undergone during the British imperialism has helped Kenya progress as a whole. How to cite Scramble for Kenya, Essay examples

Botanical Stories free essay sample

â€Å"I dont want to be a writer anymore!† I shouted. The outburst was triggered by an argument that I had been having with my father. It was one we had had several times before, but the message never seemed to get through to him, or anyone else. â€Å"What do you mean you dont want to be a writer anymore? You cant just stop being a writer. Thats just stupid,† my father said giving me an appalled look. â€Å"Youre a wonderful writer. Thats what youre going to be when you grow up.† His reply was firm. It was as if he had already decided what my future was going to be like. I ripped up the story I held in my hand and threw down my favorite, black, ball point pen. I glared at the pen laying lifelessly on the ground for a moment before my expression softened and I leaned down to pick it back up and slip it into my pocket. I was too frustrated at the moment to be heart broken about my ruined story, but later I would regret tearing it to shreds. Id written it for my dad. â€Å"Daddy,† I sighed exasperated. â€Å"I want to be a scientist. I want to be a botanist. I dont want to write. I dont want fame.† My father stared at me as if he was trying to understand the meaning behind my words. â€Å"A scientist?† he asked slowly, trying out the words. My parents did not really like the idea of my wanting to be a scientist at first. They thought that it was just going to be a phase. It was not a phase though. It is not. I love science and have loved it since my freshman year of high school. Although, the type of scientist I want to be has changed over the years, the basic idea has not. Ink runs through my veins. I love the sound of my pen decorating the page in letters, words, sentences, paragraphs. I love writing silly stories, scary stories, funny stories. I write to entertain myself and immediate family members and friends. I write for my younger brothers and sisters. I write to make them laugh, or cry or fear. I write so that I can see the reactions of my loved ones. I like when people love my stories and I even like when people hate my stories, because at least I know they have listened to it, or read it. But Writing is something that I do for fun. Botany is my passion. I love the idea of knowing exactly where my food comes from. I love the idea of growing my own food and being able to sustain myself. I love walking through my garden and seeing all of the plants that I have grown, the fruits of my labor. I have been interested in medicinal plants since I was fairly young. My mom is a nutritionist and has influenced my love of organic food and natural medicine. I have grown up with the idea that healthy food is good food. First and foremost, be true to your body, mind and soul. That was one of the values that my brothers, sisters and I grew up with. As a child, one of the things that I wanted to be when I grew up (directly after wanting to be a pig, because they are pink of course!) was just like my mom. But as the years have dragged on, my interests have changed and grown. I no longer wanted to be a pig, I wanted to be an astronaut, an astronomer, and finally, a botanist. My dream is to one day have my own small, sustainable community in the mountains. Of course, this is just a dream, and like most dreams it may not come true, I know this and accept it as an almost fact. But I still like to envision it. My dream seems so small and far away, but I have spent countless hours thinking and planning about how to make it become a reality. And although, I love the idea, I have also decided to start out a bit smaller. Instead of building my own sustainable community, I would like to help families below a certain income level, to grow organic food and sustain themselves. I would love to start some kind of non-profit organization because I am interested in helping people to become healthier in ways that are not expensive. I have heard a lot of people say that they would be more inclined to feed their families healthier food if it were not so expensive, but I think that it is important for people to know that not all healthy food tastes bad and is extremely expensive. Most people do not know that they can find healthy, nutritious food right in their own backyard. All it takes is a little knowledge about the botany in ones area, and they can pick a delicious salad out of something most people would consider weeds. A lot of people spend copious amounts of money on dandelion greens and mint, when these things can easily be found in the nearest park. Dandelions are not just weeds, they are a plant with extremely high nutritional value that most average Americans do not even know about. People are constantly mowing down and spraying these wonderful plants that are rich with nutrition. If you were poor, would you want to go spend money on a salad that you could just as easily find in your own backyard? If people who are struggling to figure out where their next meal were to come from, knew that there were so many alternatives right under their noses, they would be crawling around in the dirt everyday, picking those â€Å"weeds† that nobody else wants. I want to give people, who want one, a choice. I would like to help those who want to be helped. I want to give those who would not normally have one, an alternative as to what they put into their bodies. Our bodies are our most important and valuable tools. We should be treating them with the utmost respect and care. I want to be able to help other people, but I want to gain as much knowledge as I can before I do. I believe that I can use my skill of writing and my knowledge of plants to good use, possibly even write my own urban field guide to Colorados botany. It would be combining two of my favorite pass times together. I love creating stories, and I want to write to make my family and friends happy. But the study of plants is my passion, I want to use that study to help other people, not only my family, but those who really need the help.

Auburn GPA Calculator Essay Example

Auburn GPA Calculator Paper Auburn GPA calculator helps to count the average grade of a person trying to pick the higher educational institutions, which will enable them to get an education and built their future career. If you have decided to become a student if Auburn University, you will need to use Auburn University GPA calculator.   The Auburn University is one of the largest universities in the South of the USA. It occupies the place in the rating of 50 best American state universities. The proud of Auburn University is that students graduating from this higher educational institution become scientists and astronauts for NASA. The institution offers a variety of faculties. Here you can study the natural sciences, humanitarian sciences, and politics. Auburn University has developed a unique program that allows students to enter the first year and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to continue their studies at the American University.   The University provides students with many options for self -expression and self-development. There are about 300 organizations and clubs established. Regular concerts, cultural events, festivals, art and photo exhibitions, sports competitions and much more are held. Traditionally, the university has its own sports team Auburn Tigers. Auburn University GPA calculator GPA calculator Auburn is an app that is usually used by all potential students of the institution. To estimate the chances to become a member of the University, one needs to count all the results and achievements of different subjects and single out the average grade. GPA is a compulsory requirement. The admission committee demands this number from every person having a desire to occupy the place at the University. As is often the case one needs to calculate the number by himself. To make the life of a potential student easier, on the official page of the Auburn University a program was developed that helps to calculate the GPA. Auburn University GPA Calculator is a handy instrument allowing users to plan their future. A user has a chance to evaluate his opportunities. It is possible to compare the â€Å"what if† GPA with the rating of the last year and single out whether there will be a chance to enter the higher educational institution of a dream. It is better to calculate the â€Å"what if† GPA before the entering campaign to be able to change the marks for the better until the end of studies. Cumulative GPA calculator Auburn We will write a custom essay sample on Auburn GPA Calculator specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Auburn GPA Calculator specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Auburn GPA Calculator specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Cumulative GPA calculator Auburn allows calculating the average point of the students immediately. To receive a result, one needs to enter the official Auburn University page and fill in the necessary fields. Your task is to insert the name, of course, credit hours and â€Å"what if† grades. The program will calculate your GPA within a second, and you will have the result to compare with the previous year numbers and rating. Try to make the calculations when you still have time to change the marks for the better. It concerns students, whose scores are average or lower than average. They have to make an effort and receive A’s and B’s to be able to correspond to the level of knowledge allowing to get the place at the University of their dream. Make sure to consult the admission committee and ask about all the requirements to be able to prepare for entering campaign thoroughly.

The Pantheon essays

The Pantheon essays The Pantheon is the best preserved and one of the most impressive of all Roman buildings. It was constructed in AD 118-128 during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. The Pantheon was a temple to all the Olympic Gods, and the word pantheon is Greek for of all the gods. The Pantheon today is a remake of the original one, which was built by M. Vispanius Agrippa in 27 BC. A fire probably destroyed it. In AD 609, Pope Boniface VIII received the temple as a gift from the emperor of Byzantium. He converted it into a Christian church dedicated to Madonna and the martyrs. This is the reason for which it still stands today, avoiding destruction. The Pantheon is an immense round temple covered by a single dome, fronted by a transitional block and a traditional portico of eight Corinthian columns. The diametre of the hemispherical dome and cylinder is 43.2 metres. If the dome were a full sphere, the curve of the inner surface would just touch the floor; thus, a perfect sphere is contained, a symbolic reference to the temples dedication to all gods (pan (all) plus theos (god)=in the sphere of the heavens). Therefore, the dome has a radius of 26.6 metres and the cylinder has a height of 26.6 metres. The drum and dome are made of solid monolithic concrete, reinforced with bands of vitrified tile. The wall of the drum is 6.1 metres thick, and is hollowed out by a series of alternately rectangular curve niches or recesses. The only window in the building is a central oculus, 9.1 metres in diametre. Because the oculus is open to the sky, the floor is slightly concave with a drain at the center. The huge bronze doors (7 metres high) are the largest Roman doors to survive in place and remain in use. The portico is 33.5 metres in length and 18 metres deep. ...

Migrat workers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Migrat workers - Research Paper Example Such a person also qualifies to be a migrant worker. Nonetheless, migrant workers have been synonymous with the UN’s definition criterion, which is going to form the definitional basis for this expose. In effect, the expose elucidates about this indispensable issue of migrant workers while focusing on the UN’s definitional criteria. It is important to point out that the issue of migrant workers has been controversial in the contemporary society, which effectively ensured the UN’s intervention on the issue. In line with this, debate surrounding this controversial issue usually takes a sensitive perspective while unreliable and flawed statistics inform decisions and opinion in this issue, which creates a misconception. Unfortunately, it is evident that these misconceptions create strains in some areas where the issue of migrant workers is present. Hence, it has become a common occurrence to hear of natives accuse migrant workers of various issues with the main issu e being that migrant workers benefitted from services that were an entitlement of the locals. However, it is evident that weaknesses in the public administration system are to blame due to the failure to provide factual statistics and provide social amenities to the public in a reasonable manner (Legrain 2). The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association noted that industrialized nations faced a challenge regarding the approach to use while addressing the migrant workers issue. In line with this, the association cited numerous problems associated with these migrating groups and noted that the problems were political and social in nature. Importantly, the association identified the most common group of migrant workers as farm workers and noted that this group underwent a number of challenges while working in America. In this regard, The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association noted the group was lowly paid, uninsured and living under extremely dangerous conditions despite prov iding the country with an essential service. In 2008, the United States estimates of residents were approximately 293 million with 36 million people born from foreign countries out of which 10 million of them were unauthorized residents of the country (Census). On the other hand, Holmes noted the average age of migrant workers who worked in the agriculture sectors as below the age of 29 years. In addition, Holmes noted that only a few migrant workers who were more than 60 years worked in the agricultural sector of the country (448). On the other hand, the National Center for Farmworker Health estimates put 80 percent of women who worked in these farms as more likely to have been born in the U.S. with 34 percent of women having born in the country while their male counterparts working in these farms constituting of only 17 percent. In effect, this is proof that migrant workers played a significant role in the economy of the United States. Migrant workers play a prominent role in supp orting the economy of the United States. The National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council observed that, the U.S. government reaped more than $50 billion as taxes than the migrant workers in all levels of government in the U.S. (qtd. in National Immigration Law Center 2). In line with this, it is evident that the government would not have raised this amount if