Soil and Water Protection Essay Example for Free

Soil and Water Protection Essay Soil contamination or soil pollution is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals, or improper disposal of waste. The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (such as naphthalene and benzo (a) pyrene), solvents, pesticides, lead, and other heavy metals. Contamination is correlated with the degree of industrialization and intensity of chemical usage. The concern over soil contamination stems primarily from health risks, from direct contact with the contaminated soil, vapors from the contaminants, and from secondary contamination of water supplies within and underlying the soil. The main threats to soils are: extension of urbanization, acidification, accumulation of pollutants, nitrate in groundwater, loss of organic matter and deteriorating soil structure, soil compaction, and erosion. The latter is especially important in southern EC countries. Differences in the approaches adopted by different countries reflect differences in the nature and perceived seriousness of soil problems and the nature of the legislatory system. In particular, differences in the approaches of the Netherlands and the UK are discussed. The concept of ‘soil quality’ is discussed in relation to these two approaches. Suggestions are given for an ecologically based soil protection policy. This paper discusses current soil protection policies and their development in the EC, and the evolution of the associated concept of ‘soil quality’. It does not deal in any detail with the restoration of soils which have been degraded by the inadequacy of past policies or their implementation. Emphasis is given to northern EC countries because they have been especially active in the development of policies which protect land and soils. Some soil degradation processes are natural phenomena but they are exacerbated by all kinds of unsustainable human uses. Let us consider the main soil degradation processes in the European Union. Erosion: Water erosion affects 115 million hectares (ha) of soil, and wind erosion 42 million ha. The Mediterranean region is the most affected, but there is clear evidence that other parts of the 25 Member States (EU-25) also suffer significantly from this phenomenon. It is made worse by inappropriate farming techniques. Organic matter decline: Some 45% of soils in Europe have low or very low organic matter content. This is the case in particular in the South of Europe, but also in parts of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden. Organic matter is both an important soil constituent and the main source of food and energy for soil organisms. It is therefore of the basis for soil fertility. It also plays a crucial role in the structure of soil. Soil organisms feed on organic matter. Organic matter decline therefore leads to loss of soil biodiversity. Again, inappropriate agricultural practices accelerate this decline. Compaction: This is deterioration of the soil structure by mechanical pressure. It is made worse by excessive stocking rates (the density of animals grazing in a given surface) and the inappropriate use of heavy machinery. Salinisation: There is build-up of salt in some 3. 8 million ha of Europe’s soils. The regions most affected are Campania in Italy, the Ebro Valley in Spain, and the Great Alfold in Hungary. Stalinization is made worse by inappropriate irrigation and changes in vegetation. Landslides: Landslides occur most frequently in areas with highly erodible soils, clayey sub-soil, steep slopes, intense and abundant precipitation and land abandonment, such as in the Alpine and Mediterranean regions. To date, there is no data on the total area affected in the EU. Although they are natural phenomena, they are made worse by certain human activities. Landslides represent an increasing threat due to population growth, summer and winter tourism, and intensive land use. Contamination: Earlier industrialization and poor management practices have left a legacy of thousands of contaminated sites in Europe. There are an estimated 3. 5 million potentially contaminated sites in the whole of the Union, of which about 0. 5 million are expected to be actually contaminated and in need of remediation. Contaminants may accumulate to such an extent that they hamper soil functions. They may pollute groundwater and surface water and thus threaten drinking water supplies and aquatic ecosystems. Sealing: The permanent covering of soil (e. g. with roads or concrete) is the only intentional threat to soil. It affects 9% of the area of the EU and is made worse by urban and industrial sprawl and transport networks. It disrupts gas, water and energy flows and leads to irreversible loss of fertile soil. Several of these threats are exacerbated by the effects of climate change, which causes increases in temperature and extreme weather events. If some of these threats are combined, they may ultimately lead to desertification, which is mainly the result of different soil degradation processes partially associated with arid or sub-arid climatic conditions. The costs of soil degradation in the European Union are estimated at some â‚ ¬38 billion each year.

We Need a Constitutional Amendment to Protect the American Flag Essay

We Must Fight for the Constitutional Amendment to Protect the American Flag Free speech and the First Amendment rights do not give people lisence to desecrate a symbol of pride and freedom. It is not all right to protect those who let it burn, lighting up the sky with their hatred. It definitely is not acceptable to insult the men and women who fight every day to protect this nation by burning the symbol of their labors. Therefore, it is crucial that the Supreme Court pass the amendment to the Constitution to protect the flag of the US. When people see â€Å"Old Glory† flying, the experience should take their breath away. From the Omaha beaches in Normandy, where over three million soldiers stormed the German Nazis, to Iwo Jima, where the exhausted marines raised the proud flag, to the h...

Richard III: Power of Language and Own Villainy

Deformed in body and twisted in mind, Richard is in every way the dominant character of the play, to the extent that he is both the play’s protagonist and major villain. He is selfish, evil, corrupt, sadistic, and manipulative. His intelligence, political brilliance, and dazzling use of language keeps the audience fascinated and his subjects and rivals under his control. At the beginning of the play, it is made clear to the audience that Richard has no justification for seizing the throne. This is because England is obviously not oppressed or subject to tyranny as the lengthy civil war has just ended, and Richard’s oldest brother, King Edward IV, now sits on the throne. Richard himself, states that ‘All the clouds that loured upon our house’ (1. 1, 3), the house of York, has been dispelled by the ‘son of York’ (1. 1, 2), King Edward IV. However, Richard intends to upset the kingdom by seizing power for himself. He says that ‘since I cannot prove a lover to entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain’ (1. , 28). This simply means that since Richard was not made to be a lover, he has no use for peace, and will happily destroy peace with his crimes. This shows Richard’s unabashed enjoyment of his own villainy as he can so blithely toss aside all of the things that the rest of humanity cherishes. Richard III is an intense exploration of the psychology of evil, and that exploration is centred on the workings of Richard’s mind and the methods he uses to manipulate, control, and injure others for his own gain. Perhaps more than any other play by Shakespeare, the audience of Richard III experiences a complex, indefinite, and highly erratic relationship with the main character. Richard is clearly a villain as he declares outright in his very first speech that he intends to stop at nothing to achieve his ultimate goal of becoming king. However, despite his open allegiance to evil, he has such a charismatic and fascinating personality that, for much of the play, we are likely to sympathize with him, or are at least impressed by him. In this way, our relationship with Richard reflects the other characters’ relationships with him, conveying a powerful sense of the force of his personality. Even characters such as Lady Anne, who have an explicit knowledge of his wickedness, overlook his dishonesty and violent behaviour and allow themselves to be seduced by his brilliant wordplay, his skilful argumentation, and his relentless pursuit of his selfish desires. Richard’s long, fascinating soliloquys, in which he outlines his plans and gleefully confesses all his evil thoughts, are central to the audience’s experience of Richard. Shakespeare uses these soliloquys brilliantly to control the audience’s impression of Richard, enabling this manipulative protagonist to work his charm on the audience. In Act I, scene i, for example, Richard offers a pretext for his villainy towards others by pointing out that he is unloved, and that he is unloved because of his physical deformity. Richard himself is brutally honest about his appearance. He admits to being imperfectly shaped and blames premature birth for his condition. He knows that he is ‘not shaped for sportive tricks’ (1. 1, 14) and while others delight in ‘an amorous looking glass’ (1. , 14), his misshapen body creates a ‘shadow in the sun’ (1. 1, 26) that alienates him from others. Hence, Lady Anne calls Richard a ‘lump of foul deformity’ (1. 2, 57) in Act I, scene ii. This proves that Richard’s claim not only makes the other characters of the play seem like the villains for punishing him for his appearance, but also makes it easy for the audience to sympathize with Richard during the first scenes of the play and even hope that he will succeed despite his obvious villainy. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that Richard simply uses his deformity as a tool to gain the sympathy of others, including the audience. This is already noticeable in his very first speech as Richard seems to take a deliberate perverse delight in his outward shape. He chooses words such as, ‘cheated’, ‘deformed’, ‘unfinished’, ‘half made up’, ‘dogs bark’ at him as he passes by because of his ‘deformity’ to describe himself. Richard’s unabashed villainy is a much more natural part of his character than simple bitterness about his ugly body. Nevertheless, he still manages to use speech to win our trust, and he repeats this throughout his struggle to be crowned king. An interesting secondary theme of Richard III is the power of language, or the importance of language in achieving political power. Language may not always be a necessary instrument of power, but for Richard, it is a crucial weapon. As we have seen, it is with his extraordinary skills with words that allows him to ridicule, insult, taunt and deceive all who stand in his way to power. Richard’s skill with language and argument is what enables him to woo Lady Anne, have Clarence thrown in prison and blame the king for Clarence’s death, all at very little risk to himself. In conclusion, I feel Richard III’s unabashed enjoyment of both the power of language and his own villainy makes him a character worthy of both respect and admiration, and therefore I completely agree with this statement. This is because Richard’s unabashed power of language shows off the ingenious wit and intellectual cleverness of the character, actor and playwright, while his own villainy makes the play all the more fascinating and entertaining as his heinous acts become more chilling.

Immigrant Influence On Culture And Society - 1010 Words

The United States has been called different terms when describing immigration, the most popular term was â€Å"melting pot†, but lately the more politically correct term is â€Å"salad bowl†. The melting pot better describes American society because the cultures have blended together and became more accepting of each other. The history of immigration in the United States has been greatly shaped by immigrant influence on culture and society, the nation’s fluid immigration laws, and how incoming immigrants are perceived by the population of each era. Immigration in the U.S. has been greatly shaped by immigrant influence on culture and society. Immigration has had a huge influence on the American society, the first thing that comes to mind is the food. The United States has so many different kinds of foods because of immigration. As mentioned in The Influences of Immigrant Cultures on American Cuisine, â€Å"Primary among the influences has been the introduction of immigrant cultures into the â€Å"Great American Melting Pot† resulting in an eclectic cuisine unique in the world for its diversity and surprising homogeneity† (2011, 11) . All Immigration in the United States has been influenced by many cultures, for that it was called the â€Å"melting pot†. Today, the some scholars believe that the U.S’s population is more accurately described as a â€Å"salad bowl†. The term is changing because though the cultures in the U.S. are blended together, but the individual cultures are kept intact. Dr. M ahfouzShow MoreRelated Influences of Immigration on U.S. Provinces Essay1117 Words   |  5 PagesOver the years, immigrants influence the aspect of American life by shifting economic, political, and social policies due to their values and beliefs on these areas. 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