Fire Plant Explosion In West

Introduction According to state records, the plant was founded in 1962 by Emil Plasek whose name was common in a town founded by Czech immigrants. It was a grain storage and fertilizer distribution center for the farmers in the area with its stores on the periphery of a little town in a village of America.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Fire Plant Explosion In West specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Initially, the plant was known by the name ‘Texas Grain Storage, Inc.’ but it later changed to ‘West Fertilizer Company’ when it changed its ownership changed to Donald Adair in 2004 . Colleen and Tim say that daily activities of the plant were left to only 13 workers with the general manager Ted Uptmore Sr included. Fire Accident From Scott, Colleen and Tim, the fire accident occurred on the 17th April, 2013 killing 14 people and leaving more than 200 people with injuries. In addition, Hilary says that 75 homes were demolished, a nursing home, an apartment complex and middle school laid devastate, and West Fertilizer Company’s plant itself smashed . The Reuters records concerning Texas Department of State Health Services, which were not known to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), confirm that by the end of the previous year, the plant had 270 tons of ammonium nitrate in store. It is a mandatory requirement for fertilizer factories and stores to relay information to the DHS when more than 180kg of the material is in their stores. The plant did contrary to this as a person familiar with DHS operations said. According to him, the firm owning the West Fertilizer factory did not reveal information to DHS about the explosive nature of the fertilizer as it is mandated to. Bennie Thompson, (D-MS), ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, argued that the facility was known to contain chemicals exceeding the threshold amount to be regulated under the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Act (CFATS), yet they realized that DHS did not even know the plant’s existence until it blew up. In addition, Sam, the director of process safety center at Texas AM University says that if the necessary information is not availed to organizations such as DHS that regulate the handling and storage of ammonium nitrate, as evidenced in this case, then it will be impossible to ensure that the companies operate within the stipulated rules.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More No nation, society or person is invulnerable to the blow of disasters. Disasters, however, can be and have been prepared for, responded to, recovered from, and their effects mitigated to a certain degree (Haddow, Jane and Damon) Law Suits The plant faces two law suits filed in McLennan County district court accusing the company of negligence in the operation of its facility, creating an irrationally risky condition that led to the fire and explosion. The law suit was filed on the Friday of 19th by insurance companies on behalf of individuals, two churches, and businesses including a Chevrolet car dealer and a bakery . Hilary says that shortly after the April 17 explosion, The Schmidt Firm, a leading national plaintiffs’ law firm with headquarters in Dallas was one of the first to launch a webpage dubbed â€Å"If you or somebody you know was injured by the fertilizer plant blast in West, Texas, and get in touch with our lawyers immediately for a free case discussion†. Works Cited Forsyth, Jim. â€Å"HUFF SPOT: BUSINESS.† 23 April 2013. Texas Fertilizer Plant Owner Sued After Deadly Explosion. 25 April 2013. Haddow, George D., Jane A. Bullock, and Damon P. Coppola. Introduction to Emergency Management. NEW YORK: 2008 Print. Hylton, Hillary. â€Å"Times U.S.† 22 April 2013. After the Texas Explosion: A Firestor m of Lawsuits? 25 April 2013. Neuman, Scott. â€Å"The two way: BREAKING NEWS FROM NPR.† 22 April 2013. More Bodies Identified In Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion. 25 April 2013.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Fire Plant Explosion In West specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reuters. â€Å"US News.† 22 April 2013. Texas Fertilizer Plant Didn’t Heed Disclosure Rules Before Blast. 25 April 2013. This essay on Fire Plant Explosion In West was written and submitted by user Jerry Moore to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Works by James Fenimore Cooper and William Cullen Bryant †English Literature Essay

Works by James Fenimore Cooper and William Cullen Bryant – English Literature Essay Free Online Research Papers Works by James Fenimore Cooper and William Cullen Bryant English Literature Essay Upon reading works by James Fenimore Cooper it is clear that primeval wilderness scenery was used to capture the attention of his audience. The backdrops to stories as From the Pioneers, allowed for Cooper to introduce vivid and wild challenges to his characters. He was able to show his character’s achievements and flaws through their ability to overcome or fail in such unimaginable conditions. Characters like Natty Bumppo are created to show their life experiences in their physical description. He is an older man, now in his seventies, but of great height. His hair is now grey, his skin sunburned, and his body so thin he is thought to be emaciated. However, this is not the description of a broken man, but rather of a once physically powerful man who now wears his past struggles. His sunburned skin demonstrates that he does rest in preparation for death but rather he is still holding on to his fighting spirit and work ethic. What is most dramatic is that Cooper’s characters are venturing into a land that is actually now more inviting than it once was. This further develops the reader’s opinion of Bumppo as a determined settler of the wild frontier. One who has dedicated his life to this pursuit. This seemingly uninhabited mountain region, where even those who are skilled at horsemanship must be on constant watch, was previously a thousand times more harsh and dreary. Elizabeth Temple and other settlers however see this land as an opportunity and one that is full promise. Not the land of famine and hardships that one might perceive it to be. Cooper’s characters are driven by the hope that they will find and accumulate great wealth. They also feel as though the pain, famine, and disease they have experienced are simply apart of settling this rough territory. In their minds God is smiling down on them for their efforts and surely they will be rewarded for their suffering. In contrast to Cooper’s dreadful imagery there is that which William Cullen Bryant presents. Bryant gives the reader a romantic view of the West that would surely tug at the heart of whoever reads his work. Readers suffering from city life cling to the ideas that Bryant presents. No more overwhelming city noise and congestion that coincides with the rapid growth of east coast cities. The Prairies, a poem telling of a dream through westward prairie land gives the reader a look into the imagination of Bryant. Depictions of vast unchained farm land give the reader the chance to envision themselves gliding through high standing prairie grass and feeling the warm open air rush by them as they venture out to claim their new land. The character seeing Indian burial grounds tells the reader how quickly those things that we hold closest can vanish. Entire cultures, languages, tribes, religious practices, and even love, all gone, and perhaps unnoticed by the unobservant eye. In the last line of The Prairies, Bryant’s character awakes from his dream only to find himself in the wilderness alone. This contradiction to Cooper is quite telling of the wants and desires of an author like Bryant. Though in the poem the venturing man seems alone, he is surrounded by the past that created his present. He is far from lonely! His spirit knows that he is not in a famine struck land, but rather one with a rich history where the deer, the bee, and the ghosts of natives still live on. Research Papers on Works by James Fenimore Cooper and William Cullen Bryant - English Literature EssayMind TravelHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andWhere Wild and West MeetComparison: Letter from Birmingham and Crito19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Essay

Summarizing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summarizing - Essay Example These two groups arguably will have less to offer by way of industry experience, with possible implications on the perception and reality of the education quality from this revamped educator pool. The key thing is the study is in the culling of the perceptions of existing faculty and the student body tied to how important faculty experience in the industry is. The study findings are said to be relevant with regard to informing school planners and administrators on how best to keep the level of academic rigor high within their programs, with the perceptions being used as inputs in devising hiring programs for educators moving forward (Phelan, Mejia and Hertzman 2013). The study proponents listed down three objectives for the study. One is the determination of the importance faculty place on experience in the industry preceding the teaching phase. Two is the determination of how faculty perceives how important industry experience is to the teaching posts in different disciplines within the hospitality umbrella discipline. Three is the determination how related the industry experience of faculty member is to the importance placed on industry experience prior to the teaching phase (Phelan, Mejia and Hertzman 2013). II. Literature Review The literature review traces the roots of the hospitality field as an academic discipline and as a professional practice to the trainings that were given in the course of employees doing their work in restaurants as well as hotels. This vocational education gave rise to more structured educational programs that soon became full-fledged academic programs. Having its roots in practice, however, the hospitality academic education is seen as benefitting from the experience gained by educators in the field, doing the actual work, and then supplementing the experience with the academic rigor associated with structured educational programs that grant degrees. The problem lies precisely in the perceptions with regard to the lack of experien tial grounding in the industry for some of the academic practitioners and how that lack of experience leads to a disconnect between theory or academics and actual industry experience or practice. The literature review then goes on to examine studies relating to practices to bridge the divide between practice on the one hand and theory on the other, with the emphasis on improving learning outcomes by making sure that educators are properly grounded in substantial experience in the industry (Phelan, Mejia and Hertzman 2013). III. Methodology An online survey of 445 faculty in the hospitality discipline was conducted, with the survey being self-directed and the link to the survey being sent out via emails to the potential respondents, and out of that total population a total of 39.3 percent sent responses via email of their completed surveys. Of the respondents, just 4 percent had no prior industry experience in the hospitality field, and the respondents represented faculty in 18 diffe rent countries, with most of the respondents coming from the United States. The other represented countries in the survey are the following:

Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Book Review - Essay Example Huff then explicates how the reader can see through the smoke and to get to what really lies behind the mirror. "There is terror in numbers," writes Darrell Huff. His book aims to decipher the terror that lies beneath the world of averages, trends, graphs, and correlations. Huff sought to break through "the daze that follows the collision of statistics with the human mind.† The book remains relevant as an awakening for people unacquainted to delve deeper into the nonstop flow of numbers pouring from Madison Avenue, Wall Street, and everywhere else; where someone has a point to prove, a product to sell or an axe to grind. Darrell Huff investigates the breadth of every popularly used type of statistic, explores such things as the tabulation method, the interview technique, the sample study, or the way the outcomes are derived from the figures, and points up the infinite number of dodges which are used to deceive rather than inform. "The secret language of statistics, so appealing in a fact-minded culture, is employed to sensationalize, inflate, confuse, and oversimplify," warns Huff. On t he other hand, he said that we should not be terrorized by numbers. "The fact is that, despite its mathematical base, statistics is as much an art as it is a science." Synonymous to a lecturing father, he expects you to learn and ponder on something valuable from the book, and start applying it every day. Never be a sucker again, he cries! Seeing graphs illustrating numbers if properly done are very helpful in interpreting and analyzing data. And yet, truly deceiving if completed in a fishy fashion If you want to show statistical data, clearly and quickly. Draw a picture of it. When a graph is constructed with a y-axis that is numbered from 1 to 100 without skipping a unit, Huff explained, "Your ten percent looks like ten percent—an upward trend that is substantial but perhaps not overwhelming. That is very

Compare and contrast Essay Example for Free

Compare and contrast Essay People are always looking forward to their vacation period. There are many options where to choose. I think that the three most common places people choose for taking a vacation are the beach, mountain, and an amusement park. All three places offer a variety of fun activities. The beach offers activities that the mountain or amusement park cannot offer and vice versa. All three places are totally different. The purpose of this essay is to contrast the climate, types of activities and locations of beaches, mountains, and amusement parks. First of all, the three aspects I’m going to discuss about the mountains are climate, types of activities and location. Climate is always important in order to enjoy vacations. If a person dislikes cold weather, he or she might have a hard time in the mountains. The cold climate in the mountains is the first barrier to enjoying them. As I said before, many people don’t enjoy cold temperatures. The climate and the temperature of these zones are what determine the types of activities they offer. Snowboarding, mountain climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and skiing are some of the activities people can enjoy when going to the mountains. There are many regions that have mountains where people can go and have a great vacation. Canada is a country located in North America and full of mountain vacation sites. Inside Canada there are many interesting places where people can go and have fun. Second of all, the three aspects I’m going to discuss about the beach are climate, types of activities and location. Warm climate is one of the most important features that the beach has. Sun and fun are two words that describe the beach. The temperature in those places is always hot. The sea and the warm climate determine the activities that are available at the beach. People can swim, play volleyball, play soccer, and ride water bikes. In most of the coastal sites, there are discos and restaurants where people can dance or party throughout the night. Mexico offers many amazing coastal sites to visit. Acapulco and Cancun are two of the most beautiful and famous beaches in the world. Last but not the least, the three aspects I’m going to discuss about amusement parks are climate, types of activities and location. The climate for an amusement park is almost always hot. If a person doesn’t want to go home with sun burns then the amusement park would not be the place for them. Finally, it doesn’t matter what place a person decides to choose. The fun is 100% guaranteed. People often choose one of these three options to spend their vacations. Depending on what the person likes is what he or she will choose. I like amusement parks better than the mountains or the beach, but sometimes it is better to take a risk and try different places to enjoy.

ozone layer :: essays papers

ozone layer Summary of Learning of the Ozone Experience On the 16th of September 1987, negotiators meeting in Montreal finalized a landmark in international environmental diplomacy: the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer. The Successful Conclusion of the negotiations in Montreal was widely hailed at the time as a historic even. As the protocol was the most ambitious attempt ever to combat environmental degradation on a global scale. In the 10 years since that meeting in Montreal, the accord has set in motion myriad actions by national governments, international organizations, scientists, private enterprises, and individual consumers. The results are clear: by 1995, global production of the most significant ozone-depleting substance (ODS) the chlorine, containing chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) was down 76 percent from its peak in 1988. But three is a substantial lag between the time when emissions begin to decline and the point at which the ozone layer begins to recover, as it takes years for CFCs and other ozone-depleting compounds to reach the stratosphere, and some last for centuries once there. Yet it is clear that the Montreal Protocol ushered in a new era of environmental diplomacy. Although in some ways the ozone story is an inspiration, in other respects it is a cautionary tale. Since it’s beginning, the ozone experience has been characterized by a path breaking partnership between scientist and international policymakers. When CFCs were invented in the late twenties, they were viewed as wonder chemicals nontoxic, nonflammable, non-corrosive, and stable. The seeds of the Montreal Protocol were sown in 1974, when chemist Mario Molina and Sherwood Rowland at the University of California at Irvine published a landmark article in Nature. It hypothesized that the stability CFCs, while an asset for industrial applications, might prove deadly for the ozone layer. Yet the scientific process was initially slow to yield clear answers. Indeed, models in the early eighties suggested that CFCs would cause less severe ozone depletion than Molina and Rowland had initially hypothesized. Fortunately, the scientific collaboration initiated years earlier began to bear fruit. Two months after the Vienna agreement was reached, a scientific bombshell provided a much-needed jolt to protocol negotiations just then getting under way. The findings took the world by surprise: no such precipitous decline had been predicted by any atmosphere models. Ten years after the historic Montreal signing ceremony, the response to the protocol around the world has been substantial indeed.

How Fed Uses Open Market Operations Essay

Open market operations, which consist of purchases and sales of government securities, is the Federal Reserve’s conventional device for exercising monetary policy. Based on the Fed, the term monetary policy refers to the actions taken by a central bank to influence the availability and cost of money and credit and to help promote national economic goals (FederalReserve.gov). These securities transactions help dictate the federal funds rate (rate at which banks lend excess reserves to one another). The fed funds rate is significant to our economy because it somewhat controls the overall financial situation, affecting employment, output, and the overall level of prices. FOMC In 1913, the Federal Reserve Act was passed, giving the Fed authority for setting monetary policy. In 1935, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) was created. They are the board in charge of setting monetary policy for the Fed. THE FOMC implements the policies and also discloses them to the public. The board consists of 12 members that serve one-year terms on a â€Å"rotating basis†. They hold 8 scheduled meetings a year, and discuss economic and financial conditions, proper stances of monetary policy, and risk-assessments of things like price stability and sustainable economic growth (FederalReserve.gov). GOALS of MONETARY POLICY The two primary goals of monetary policy are to promote sustainable output and employment to the highest capacity and to promote price stability. Although monetary policy cannot affect these two things in the long run, it certainly can help influence them in the short-term. An example of this is interest rates. The Fed can lower interest rates to help raise demand and thus help to momentarily stimulate the economy. The problem with this, though, can be inflation. In the long run, attempting to fuel an economy beyond its capabilities will not help unemployment rates or output, but rather, just create more inflation, hurting economic growth. OPEN MARKET OPERATIONS: TOOL of MONETARY POLICY Open market operations are very useful in exercising monetary policy due to their relation with the total supply of balances at the Federal Reserve and the federal funds rate (Edwards, pg. 859). At the federal funds market, using the fed funds rate, depository institutions lend Federal Reserves balances to one another. The total amount of Federal Reserve balances that are available to these institutions is assessed via open market operations. These operations are aimed at either achieving a desired quantity of balances, or a desired price. The problem is that it is difficult to attain both, considering they negatively converse one another. According to Cheryl L. Edwards, of the Boards Division of Monetary Affairs: â€Å"The greater the emphasis on a quantity objective,   the more short-run changes in the demand for balances will influence the federal funds rate; conversely, the greater the emphasis on a funds-rate objective, the more shifts in demand will influence the quantity of Federal Reserve balances.† Throughout the years, the Fed has used both methods for open market operations. ADVANTAGES There are numerous reasons as to why the Fed uses open market operations to control monetary policy. First, the Fed has complete control over the type of open market operation and its size. Second, open market operations can be implemented quite hastily and without delays. They are also flexible, so the Fed can quickly reverse any mistakes. Lastly, the funds rate lets the FED adjust reserve balances when things past the Fed’s control cause reserves to rise and fall (Akhtar,1997). DISADVANTAGES With everything, there are advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages of open market operations relate to specific, isolated situations. For example, if the money market is not developed, the central bank can’t exert full control over the bank reserves(blurit.com). Also, if commercial banks have excess reserves but still use an easy lending policy, the sale of government securities will not have the intended effect of lowering cash reserves of the commercial banks. And if there is a return of notes from circulation, the securities sale might not be able to â€Å"reduce the cash reserves of member banks†. HOW FED USES OPEN MARKET OPERATIONS The Federal Reserve operates open market operations with primary dealers (government securities dealers that have a strong trading relationship with the Fed (newyorkfed.org). These dealers hold accounts at depository institutions, so when the Fed does funds transactions with the dealer at it’s bank, the transaction either adds to or takes away from the reserves in the banking system. Because of this, open market operations indirectly influence the fed funds rate. Changes to the fed funds rate ultimately have a powerful effect on other short-term rates. CONCLUSION In conclusion, open market operations have always been the most prominent of the three tools used in affecting monetary policy. In today’s technological and highly competitive financial environment, monetary policy can sometimes be difficult, but the Fed still accepts open market operations as the most essential way to control our policies. As Michael Akbar Akhtar, vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, explains: â€Å"Among the policy instruments used by the Federal Reserve, none is more important for adjusting bank reserves than open market operations, which add or drain reserves through purchases or sales of securities in the open market. Indeed, open market operations are, by far, the most powerful and flexible tool of monetary policy† BIBLIOGRAPHY – http://research.stlouisfed.org/aggreg/meeks.pdf. Understanding Open Market Operations, M.A. Akhtar. Federal Reserve Bank of NY, 1997. – http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/default.htm -http://www.newyorkfed.org/aboutthefed/fedpoint/fed32.html -http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/bulletin/1997/199711lead.PDF. Open Market Operations in the 1990’s, Cheryl L. Edwards. -http://www.blurtit.com/q696680.html