Learn How to Read a Barometer

Learn How to Read a Barometer A  barometer  is a device that reads atmospheric pressure. It is used to predict the weather by tracking atmospheric pressure changes resulting from the presence and movement of warmer and colder weather systems. If you are using an analog barometer at home or a digital barometer on your cell phone or other electronic devices in the U.S., you may see the barometric reading reported in inches of mercury (inHg). The International System of Units (SI unit) used worldwide is Pascals (Pa, which is approximately equal to 3386.389 times inHg), and meteorologists use the unit millibars (mb, or 33,864 times inHg). Heres how you read a barometer and what those readings mean in terms of changes in air pressure and what weather is headed your way. Atmospheric Pressure The air that surrounds the Earth creates atmospheric pressure. When you go up into the mountains or fly high in an airplane, the air is thinner and the pressure is lower. The air pressure at sea level at a temperature of 59 F (15 C) is one atmosphere (Atm), and it is the baseline reading for determining your relative pressure. Air pressure is also known as barometric pressure and it is measured using a device called a barometer. A rising barometer is one that indicates increasing air pressure; a falling barometer indicates decreasing air pressure. How Air Pressure Changes Changes in air pressure are also caused by the difference in air temperature above the Earth. Air temperature of masses is affected by what they are above: an air mass above continental landmasses has a different temperature than that above an ocean. Those differences create wind and cause pressure systems  to develop. The wind moves those pressure systems, and they in turn change as they pass over mountains, oceans, and other areas. The French scientist and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) discovered in the 17th century that air pressure decreases with height, and measuring air pressure changes at ground level at any one place can be related to daily weather changes. Often,  weather forecasters  refer to a storm or low-pressure area moving toward your region. As air rises, it cools and often condenses into clouds and precipitation. In high-pressure systems the air sinks toward the Earth and warms upward, leading to dry and fair weather. Changes in Barometric Pressure In general, the barometer can let you know if your immediate future will see clearing or stormy skies, or you are not likely to experience a change. When the air is dry, cool, and pleasant, the mercury or barometer reading rises.When it rises, it often means clear weather.When the air is warm and wet, the barometer reading falls.When the air pressure falls, it usually indicates some type of storm or wet weather is coming.If the barometer remains steady, there will be no immediate change in the weather. Predicting the Weather With the Barometer More specifically, a barometer with readings in inches of mercury (inHg) can be interpreted in this manner: If the reading is over 30.20 inHg (102268.9 Pa or 1022.689 mb): Rising or steady pressure means continued fair weather.Slowly falling pressure means fair weather.Rapidly falling pressure means cloudy and warmer conditions. If it falls between 29.80 and 30.20 (100914.4–102268.9 Pa or 1022.689–1009.144 mb): Rising or steady pressure means present conditions will continue.Slowly falling pressure means little change in the weather.Rapidly falling pressure means that rain is likely, or snow if it is cold enough. If the reading is under 29.80 (100914.4 Pa or 1009.144 mb): Rising or steady pressure indicates clearing and cooler weather.Slowly falling pressure indicates rainRapidly falling pressure indicates a storm is coming. Isobars on Weather Maps Weather researchers (called meteorologists) use a metric unit for pressure called a millibar and they define the average pressure of a given point at sea level and 59 F (15 C) as one atmosphere, or 1013.25 millibars. When a meteorologist points to a line on a weather map and refers to it as an isobar, she is referring to a line which connects points of equal atmospheric pressure. For example, a weather map will show a line connecting all points where the pressure is 996 mb (millibars) and a line below it where the pressure is 1000 mb. Points above the 1000 mb isobar have a lower pressure and points below that isobar have a higher pressure. That helps the meteorologist plot the coming changes in weather over the region.

French and Indian War - Campaigns of 1756-1757

French and Indian War - Campaigns of 1756-1757 Previous: French Indian War - Causes | French Indian War/Seven Years War: Overview | Next: 1758-1759: The Tide Turns Changes in Command In the wake of Major General Edward Braddocks death at the Battle of Monongahela in July 1755, command of British forces in North America passed to Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts. Unable to come to an accord with his commanders, he was replaced in January 1756, when the Duke of Newcastle, heading the British government, appointed Lord Loudoun to the post with Major General James Abercrombie as his second in command. Changes were also afoot to the north where Major General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, Marquis de Saint-Veran arrived in May with a small contingent of reinforcements and orders to assume overall command of French forces. This appointment angered the Marquis de Vaudreuil, governor of New France (Canada), as he had designs on the post. In the winter of 1756, prior to Montcalms arrival, Vaudreuil ordered a series of successful raids against the British supply lines leading to Fort Oswego. These destroyed large quantities of supplies and hampered British plans for campaigning on Lake Ontario later that year. Arriving in Albany, NY in July, Abercrombie proved a highly cautious commander and refused to take action without Loudouns approval. This was countered by Montcalm who proved highly aggressive. Moving to Fort Carillon on Lake Champlain he feinted an advance south before shifting west to conduct an attack on Fort Oswego. Moving against the fort in mid-August, he compelled its surrender and effectively eliminated the British presence on Lake Ontario. Shifting Alliances While fighting raged in the colonies, Newcastle sought to avoid a general conflict in Europe. Due to changing national interests on the Continent, the systems of alliances that had been in place for decades began to decay as each country sought to safeguard their interests. While Newcastle wished fight a decisive colonial war against the French, he was hampered by the need to protect the Electorate of Hanover which had ties to the British royal family. In seeking a new ally to guarantee the safety of Hanover, he found a willing partner in Prussia. A former British adversary, Prussia wished to retain the lands (namely Silesia) it had gained during the War of the Austrian Succession. Concerned about the possibility of a large alliance against his nation, King Frederick II (the Great) began making overtures to London in May 1755. Subsequent negotiations led to the Convention of Westminster which was signed on January 15, 1756. Defensive in nature, this agreement called for Prussia to pr otect Hanover from the French in exchange for the British withholding aid from Austria in any conflict over Silesia. A long-time ally of Britain, Austria was angered by the Convention and stepped up talks with France. Though reluctant to join with Austria, Louis XV agreed to a defensive alliance in the wake of increasing hostilities with Britain. Signed on May 1, 1756, the Treaty of Versailles saw the two nations agree to provide aid and troops should one be attacked by a third party. In addition, Austria agreed not to aid Britain in any colonial conflicts. Operating on the fringe of these talks was Russia which was eager to contain Prussian expansionism while also improving their position in Poland. While not a signatory of the treaty, Empress Elizabeths government was sympathetic to the French and Austrians. War is Declared While Newcastle worked to limit the conflict, the French moved to expand it. Forming a large force at Toulon, the French fleet began an attack on British-held Minorca in April 1756. In an effort to relieve the garrison, the Royal Navy dispatched a force to the area under the command of Admiral John Byng. Beset by delays and with ships in ill-repair, Byng reached Minorca and clashed with a French fleet of equal size on May 20. Though the action was inconclusive, Byngs ships took substantial damage and in a resulting council of war his officers agreed that the fleet should return to Gibraltar. Under increasing pressure, the British garrison on Minorca surrendered on May 28. In a tragic turn of events, Byng was charged with not doing his utmost to relieve the island and after a court-martial was executed. In response to the attack on Minorca, Britain officially declared war on May 17, nearly two years after the first shots in North America. Frederick Moves As war between Britain and France was formalized, Frederick became increasingly concerned about France, Austria, and Russian moving against Prussia. Alerted that Austria and Russia were mobilizing, he did likewise. In a preemptive move, Fredericks highly disciplined forces began an invasion of Saxony on August 29 which was aligned with his enemies. Catching the Saxons by surprise, he cornered their small army at Pirna. Moving to aid the Saxons, an Austrian army under Marshal Maximilian von Browne marched towards the border. Advancing to meet the enemy, Frederick attacked Browne at the Battle of Lobositz on October 1. In heavy fighting, the Prussians were able to compel the Austrians to retreat (Map). Though the Austrians continued attempts to relieve the Saxons they were in vain and the forces at Pirna surrendered two weeks later. Though Frederick had intended the invasion of Saxony to serve as a warning to his adversaries, it only worked to further unite them. The military events of 1756 effectively eliminated the hope that a large-scale war could be avoided. Accepting this inevitability, both sides began re-working their defensive alliances into ones that were more offensive in nature. Though already allied in spirit, Russia officially joined with France and Austria on January 11, 1757, when it became the third signatory of the Treaty of Versailles. Previous: French Indian War - Causes | French Indian War/Seven Years War: Overview | Next: 1758-1759: The Tide Turns Previous: French Indian War - Causes | French Indian War/Seven Years War: Overview | Next: 1758-1759: The Tide Turns British Setbacks in North America Largely inactive in 1756, Lord Loudoun remained inert through the opening months of 1757. In April he received orders to mount an expedition against the French fortress city of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. An important base for the French navy, the city also guarded the approaches to the Saint Lawrence River and the heartland of New France. Stripping troops from the New York frontier, he was able to assemble a strike force at Halifax by early July. While waiting for a Royal Navy squadron, Loudoun received intelligence that the French had massed 22 ships of the line and around 7,000 men at Louisbourg. Feeling that he lacked the numbers to defeat such a force, Loudoun abandoned the expedition and began returning his men to New York. While Loudoun was shifting men up and down the coast, the industrious Montcalm had moved to the offensive. Gathering around 8,000 regulars, militia, and Native American warriors, he pushed south across Lake George with the goal of taking Fort William Henry. Held by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Munro and 2,200 men, the fort possessed 17 guns. By August 3, Montcalm had surrounded the fort and laid siege. Though Munro requested aid from Fort Edward to the south it was not forthcoming as the commander there believed the French had around 12,000 men. Under heavy pressure, Munro was forced to surrender on August 9. Though Munros garrison was paroled and guaranteed safe conduct to Fort Edward, they were attacked by Montcalms Native Americans as they departed with over 100 men, women, and children killed. The defeat eliminated the British presence on Lake George. Defeat in Hanover With Fredericks incursion into Saxony the Treaty of Versailles was activated and the French began making preparations to strike Hanover and western Prussia. Informing the British of French intentions, Frederick estimated that the enemy would attack with around 50,000 men. Facing recruitment issues and war aims that called for a colonies-first approach, London did not wish to deploy large numbers of men to the Continent. As a result, Frederick suggested that the Hanoverian and Hessian forces that had been summoned to Britain earlier in the conflict be returned and augmented by Prussian and other German troops. This plan for an Army of Observation was agreed to and effectively saw the British pay for an army to defend Hanover that included no British soldiers. On March 30, 1757, the Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II, was assigned to lead the allied army. Opposing Cumberland were around 100,000 men under the direction of the Duc dEstrà ©es. In early April the French crossed the Rhine and pushed towards Wesel. As the dEstrà ©es moved, the French, Austrians, and Russians formalized the Second Treaty of Versailles which was an offensive agreement designed to crush Prussia. Outnumbered, Cumberland continued to fall back until early June when he attempted a stand at Brackwede. Flanked out of this position, the Army of Observation was compelled to retreat. Turning, Cumberland next assumed a strong defensive position at Hastenbeck. On July 26, the French attacked and after an intense, confused battle both sides withdrew. Having ceded most of Hanover in the course of the campaign, Cumberland felt compelled to enter into the Convention of Klosterzeven which de-mobilized his army and withdrew Hanover from the war (Map). This agreement proved highly unpopular with Frederick as it greatly weakened his western frontier. The defeat and convention effectively ended Cumberlands military career. In an effort to draw French troops away from the front, the Royal Navy planned attacks on the French coast. Assembling troops on the Isle of Wight, an attempt was made to raid Rochefort in September. While the Isle dAix was captured, word of French reinforcements in Rochefort led to the attack being abandoned. Frederick in Bohemia Having won a victory in Saxony the year before, Frederick looked to invade Bohemia in 1757 with the goal of crushing the Austrian army. Crossing the border with 116,000 men divided into four forces, Frederick drove on Prague where he met the Austrians who were commanded by Browne and Prince Charles of Lorraine. In a hard fought engagement, the Prussians drove the Austrians from the field and forced many to flee into the city. Having won in the field, Frederick laid siege to the city on May 29. In an effort to recover the situation, a new Austrian 30,000-man force led by Marshal Leopold von Daun was assembled to the east. Dispatching the Duke of Bevern to deal with Daun, Frederick soon followed with additional men. Meeting near Kolin on June 18, Daun defeated Frederick forcing the Prussians to abandon the siege of Prague and depart Bohemia (Map). Previous: French Indian War - Causes | French Indian War/Seven Years War: Overview | Next: 1758-1759: The Tide Turns Previous: French Indian War - Causes | French Indian War/Seven Years War: Overview | Next: 1758-1759: The Tide Turns Prussia Under Pressure Later that summer, Russian forces began to enter the fray. Receiving permission from the King of Poland, who was also the Elector of Saxony, the Russians were able to march across Poland to strike at the province of East Prussia. Advancing on a broad front, Field Marshal Stephen F. Apraksins 55,000-man army drove back Field Marshal Hans von Lehwaldt smaller 32,000-man force. As the Russian moved against the provincial capital of Kà ¶nigsberg, Lehwaldt launched an attack intended to strike the enemy on the march. In the resulting Battle of Gross-Jgersdorf on August 30, the Prussians were defeated and forced to retreat west into Pomerania. Despite occupying East Prussia, the Russians withdrew to Poland in October, a move which led to Apraksins removal. Having been ousted from Bohemia, Frederick was next required to meet a French threat from the west. Advancing with 42,000 men, Charles, Prince of Soubise, attacked into Brandenburg with a mixed French and German army. Leaving 30,000 men to protect Silesia, Frederick raced west with 22,000 men. On November 5, the two armies met at the Battle of Rossbach which saw Frederick win a decisive victory. In the fighting, the allied army lost around 10,000 men, while Prussian losses totaled 548 (Map). While Frederick was dealing with Soubise, Austrian forces began invading Silesia and defeated a Prussian army near Breslau. Utilizing interior lines, Frederick shifted 30,000 men east to confront the Austrians under Charles at Leuthen on December 5. Though outnumbered 2-to-1, Frederick was able to move around the Austrian right flank and, using a tactic known as oblique order, shattered the Austrian army. The Battle of Leuthen is generally considered Fredericks masterpiece and saw his army inflict losses totaling around 22,000 while only sustaining approximately 6,400. Having dealt with the major threats facing Prussia, Frederick returned north and defeated an incursion by the Swedes. In the process, Prussian troops occupied most of Swedish Pomerania. While the initiative rested with Frederick, the years battles had badly bled his armies and he needed to rest and refit. Faraway Fighting While fighting raged in Europe and North America it also spilled over to the more faraway outposts of the British and French Empires making the conflict the worlds first global war. In India, the two nations trading interests were represented by the French and English East India Companies. In asserting their power, both organizations built their own military forces and recruited additional sepoy units. In 1756, fighting began in Bengal after both sides began reinforcing their trading stations. This angered the local Nawab, Siraj-ud-Duala, who ordered military preparations to cease. The British refused and in a short time the Nawabs forces had seized the English East India Companys stations, including Calcutta. After taking Fort William in Calcutta, a large number of British prisoners were herded into a tiny prison. Dubbed the Black Hole of Calcutta, many died from heat exhaustion and being smothered. The English East India Company moved quickly to regain its position in Bengal and dispatched forces under Robert Clive from Madras. Carried by four ships of line commanded by Vice Admiral Charles Watson, Clives force re-took Calcutta and attacked Hooghly. After a brief battle with the Nawabs army on February 4, Clive was able to conclude a treaty which saw all British property returned. Concerned about growing British power in Bengal, the Nawab began corresponding with the French. At this same time, the badly outnumbered Clive began making deals with the Nawabs officers to overthrow him. On June 23, Clive moved to attack the Nawabs army which was now backed by French artillery. Meeting at the Battle of Plassey, Clive won a stunning victory when the conspirators forces remained out of the battle. The victory eliminated French influence in Bengal and the fighting shifted south. Previous: French Indian War - Causes | French Indian War/Seven Years War: Overview | Next: 1758-1759: The Tide Turns

The Impact of Apple's Branding Strategies on Customer Satisfaction and Essay

The Impact of Apple's Branding Strategies on Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty - Essay Example The paper analyzed the concept of branding by examining its models and the impact of branding strategies on customer satisfaction. Primary data was collected by conducting questionnaire research with Apple's customers. A total of 100 questionnaires were carried out with Apple's customers. The conclusions of this study are that Apple's brandings strategies play an important role in customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Apple's branding strategies have a positive impact on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. It is Apple's branding strategies that have contributed to generating value for customers, generating trust amongst customers and developing strong relationships between Apple and its customers. Apple's branding strategies have narrowed the gap between Apple and its customers. They have helped in improving the performance of the company. They have helped in generating positive attitudes about Apple's products amongst its customers. This study seeks to critically analy ze the branding strategies of the company Apple. Apple has been selected as it is a leading global telecommunications company whose branding strategies have been successful in getting the right message across to customers. Apple designs, manufactures and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. In 2014, Apple's market share was 20.4% in the global smartphone market. Apple was the market leader. It left behind its competitors, Samsung who had a market share of 19.9%, Lenovo whose market share was 6.6%. Apples competitors are Dell Inc., Fujitsu Limited, Hewlett-Packard Company, International Business Machines Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sony Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Research In Motion Limited, Microsoft Corporation, Acer Inc, LG Electronics, Inc., Google Inc, Merch ant Customer Exchange LLC, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd, Xiaomi Inc.

Using social media to manage personal knowledge and learning within a Case Study

Using social media to manage personal knowledge and learning within a Postgraduate Learning context - Case Study Example I am taking part in a Postgraduate Learning program in a business school in the North London area. Personal knowledge and learning scopes of this program will be developed through different means of social media. I will be able to gain the insight of Personal Knowledge Management or PKM, Knowledge Management or KM and different learning theories. Personal Knowledge Management is mainly a process that enhances the possibility of gaining more knowledge and managing the development of learning and knowledge (Cope and Kalantzis 332). I think that PKM will create contemporary knowledge among the students. According to my experience, social media policy of the higher education institutions is quite feasible in personal knowledge management. Knowledge management policies are highly adopted by the companies and educational institutions. I observed that knowledge of the teachers and experienced people are disseminated among the new recruits or the learners with a sound communication system (Costello 634). Knowledge management process is adopting innovative approach for the learners. I observed that KM process in the post graduation learning institutes helps in recognising the scope of education. Being one of the members of the post graduation learning institutions, I am able to evaluate various courses provided in the institutions.

Abortion Essay Example for Free

Abortion Essay The moral debate about abortion has focused on either the rights of the fetus or the rights of the mother. If the fetus has rights then abortion is immoral and not permissible. If the fetus does not have rights, then abortion is morally acceptable and permissible. If both the mother and the fetus have rights, then either the rights of the fetus have priority, or those of the mother have priority. If that didn’t complicate matters enough, we have those who argue that some fetuses have moral rights while others do not, making abortion sometimes morally permissible and sometimes morally impermissible. The purpose of this essay; to argue that abortion is either always morally permissible or it is always morally impermissible, it cannot be both at the same time. There are two main arguments concerning the morality of abortion. One relates to the moral status of the fetus – whatever that may be, and the other relates to the woman’s right to choose what happens to her body. The moral status of the fetus seems to determine whether or not it has a right to life. On the other hand, the woman’s right to choose raises concerns about whether or not abortion is always justified. Some arguments surrounding the abortion debate focus on the permissibility or impermissibility of abortion based on how the fetus was conceived – mainly rape. Pregnancies as the result of rape seem The main focus should be women who are unwillingly pregnant, because generally speaking they are the ones seeking abortions. There are rare exceptions, such as a woman who is willingly pregnant, but aborts the pregnancy because it is putting her own life at risk, but that is an entirely different argument and will not be discussed here. Instead, we will focus on unwanted pregnancies that are not endangering the life of the woman and how the moral permissibility of aborting these unwanted pregnancies should not rest on how the fetus was conceived.

Witchcraft and the Town of Groton in 1671 Essay -- History Historical

Elizabeth Knapp sat perched on a small three- legged stool in front of a roaring fire in the hall of her family's home as the last late October light faded through the yellowish oilpaper windows. The wind had already picked up a taste of the winter bite that the early Massachusetts Bay colonists had grown to despise, and tonight it whipped down the chimney of the eight foot wide fireplace with a shrill, devilish whistle, causing the shadows projected by the bayberry wax candles to shimmy and waver against the rough hewn rafters. Elizabeth drew her red knit hood tighter down over her head and huddled towards the hearth. Her mother, also named Elizabeth, watched her from farther back in darkness of the hall, where she was mending a pair of breeches. By December, she knew, the wind whipping down the chimney could cause the sap emerging from the burning logs to freeze solid. The temperatures would make many a grown man in town wish to curl up and sleep away the winter until rising temperatures and longer days made Groton, just hewn from the Massachusetts wilderness a few decades ago, hospitable once again. Despite the gathering winter she felt relieved to see that her sixteen- year old daughter, now her only child after the early death of her son James, was acting normal again. For the past fortnight the younger Elizabeth had been carrying herself in a strange manner. While walking along normally she would sometimes cry out. Last week she had shrieked at extremely inappropriate time in Sunday dinner and that day in church she had been overcome with irreverent laughter. She was always quick to offer a reasonable excuse to spare the swift punishment usually dispensed to children at the time, but the extravagance and immodes... ...essen the symptoms. Bearers invariably die 10 to 25 years after the onset. Chorics have been dubbed everything for saints (the Catholic church recognizes four) to witches since the sixteenth century. References: Butler, Caleb. History of the Town of Groton. Boston, 1848. Dow, George F. Everyday life in the Massachussetts Bay Colony, Soc. for Preservation of N.E. Antiques, 1935. Earle, Allice M. Customs and fashions in old New England. Scribner and Son, New York 1893. Greene, Samuel A., Groton in the Witchcraft Times, University Press, Cambridge, MA 1883, 29pp. Greene, Samuel A., ed. Early Records of the Town of Groton 1662- 1707, University Press, Cambridge, MA 1883, 186pp. May, Virginia, Groton Houses. Groton Historical Society, 1978. Okun, Michael S., The history of adult onset Chorea, at www.medinfo.ufl.edu/histmed/okun/slide1.html

Flooding in South Africa

Assignment GEO 234 D Sonnekus 2011042526 Flooding In South-Africa A Deeper Insight to What Happens Around Us [pic] Photo: Ivan Sonnekus 2012 Index Page Number 1. Introduction3 2. The Nature Of Flooding3 3. The Main Causes Of Flooding In South-Africa4 4. The Effect Of Development On Flood Hazards in SA5 5. The Effect Of The Economic Status Of People – Regarding Flood Hazards6 6. Conclusion7 7. Bibliography8 1. IntroductionFloods play a major role in our everyday lives, and how we react to the daily changing climate is of course our way of surviving our planetary conditions. Floods determine our building styles and play a very large role in the economy by means of devastating destruction and environmental engineer specialists in terms of flood prevention. The hydrological definition for a flood states that a flood is a rise in water level in a stream to a peak point where after the water level will recede at a slower rate (UNESCO-WMO 1974).  Control Key and Word – Text and Graphics.A flood event can be described as a flow of water in a stream constituting a distinct progressive rise, culminating into a crest, together with the recession that follows the crest (Linsley, 1942). In this Assignment I will be explaining some key features about flooding regarding a South-African point of view. 2. The Nature of Flooding. Floods can be broken down into different classes or divisions between different types of floods in this section I will explain the main flood types and their nature.Floods can be divided between major floods, minor floods and flash floods. Major Floods: In the event of a major flood the flooding is caused by the overflowing of rivers and dams by means of breaks in dikes, levees, dam walls and other protective structures; by uncontrollable releases of impounded water in reservoirs and by the accumulation of excessive runoff. In the case of a major flood the floodwaters will cover a wide spread contiguous area and will spread rapidly to ad joining areas of relatively lower elevations.The flooding will be deep in most parts of the total flooded area and there is a highly perceptible current as the flood spreads to a greater extent. [pic] Minor Floods: In the cause of a minor flood the inundation may or may not be due to overbanking. If there is no bank overflow, flooding happens due to the accumulation of excessive surface run-off in lower lying flat areas. In these cases flooding will mostly be restricted to flood plains along a river channel or low-lying areas or terrain depressions around the direct source of the flood.The flood water will be shallow and there may not be a perceptible flow apparent or present. Flash Floods: Flash floods is as the name states a flood that happens relatively quick, normally no more than 6 hours to a normal flooding time of 12 to 24 hours or longer. Flash floods is the result of a short concentration time of the drainage catchment or a steep river slope, this means that the precipitati on falling on a point in the catchment farthest from the river takes a very short time to reach the river itself and become a part of the stream flow.Thus the amount of flow will rapidly increase and the water level will rise, when the capasity of the river/stream is exceeded the channel overflows and the result is a flash flood. [pic] 3. The Main Causes of Flooding in SA. South Africa was subject to some intense floods over the last couple of years mainly as the result of cloud breaks and very heavy precipitation in very short time periods which leads to flooding of most small streams and rivers, what then leads to the larger rivers to flood.South Africa is also a victim of the Southern Oscillation which leads to El-Nino: dry conditions with high surface pressure and; La-Nina: low air surface pressure accompanied by cold and wet weather. See next page for simple diagram illustration [pic] As a result of the Earth surface temperature to keep on rising due to the greenhouse effect th e results being a more and more drastically changing macro climate which in turn leads to more rain and eventually will lead Earth into another Ice-Age but that is a topic for another day.The heavy rains on a constant basis keeps the rivers and dams full up to their limits so in the event of a heavy cloud break the already full rivers and dams cannot enclose all the extra water and all that water needs to go somewhere thus leading to floods, in most cases in South-Africa the floods will be flash floods. But there is also the chance of major floods in the form of a dam overflowing and then breaking the wall or even minor floods like in the December of 2012 the Ncandu River flowing through Newcastle KZN overreaches its banks and fills the Trim park with water at least 1-2 feet deep as the trim park is adjacent to the rivers. . The Effect of Development on Flood Hazards in SA Right around the world the population keeps growing at an alarming rate as the birth to mortality rate is not b alanced which leads to a world population always wanting and needing to expand city and/or town borders. In this case the chances are very good that eventually there will be building developments inside flood plains or lower laying terrain in the proximity of a dam or large volume of water.Thus the engineers of the modern world in developing countries like for instance South-Africa need to come up with new initiatives to improve building techniques to overcome the obstacle of flooding as the floods can be the cause of havoc among the inhabitants of developments within flood plains or beneath the flood level, and also cause a lot of structural and esthetic damage to a city or town. The MooiRivier Mall in Potchefstroom is a classic example of development within a flood hazard. The mall has been constructed on stilt type of tructures that allows the river to flow through underneath the mall but the engineers along with environmental specialists sought to come up with a few ingenious pl ans to prepare for floods of High hazard (1 in 20 years), medium flood hazards (1in 50 years) and low flood hazard (1 in 100 years) by means of designing a drop away wall where if a certain amount of water flows into a catchment a buoy lifts up and triggers a release on the wall which allows for the brick wall to fall down and allow water to flow into an drainage water way down to the central collection point at the bottom most point of the parking lot back into a stream (the release mechanism works on the same principal as a toilet bowls' float valve). The parking lot has also been designed on a slope (no flat parking) to act as a funnel leading water away from the mall or danger zone and down into a sub stream or channel. The Mall had a few good tests in the last 5 years of its existence and the engineers and environmental specialists did a good job to overcome the developing in a flood hazard obstacle (Jan-Albert Wessels. IAIA North-West, 2012. ) [pic] Picture: (Viljoen, MF. The Application of flood lines in land use controll. 2009) 5. The Effect of The Economic Status of People Regarding Flood Hazards.Flooding can and have caused a lot of damage in the past and will continue to do so as the macro climate will keep changing in favor of floods so all we can to do is to prepare ourselves and adapt to the changes of climate, floods cost the head of states and countries a great deal of money to develop in flood plains as well as being prepared to deal with any floods and the cleaning up there after. But it is not just the people on top that lose money, the people who actually live in the house that gets swept away or drive the car that rolls over or submerges, it is them that lead the most damage to their financial stance in life and 80% of the time it will be people from informal settlements or rural areas that lead the damage as they do not follow proper procedure to build their houses and then they build in areas of a high flood risk without them even knowin g.Thus the counties management somehow needs to get it under control as they have tried to do the in the past and actually still trying to do with regard to the housing subsidiary they offer to people of South-Africa. 6. Conclusion My conclusion regarding floods in South-Africa is that our main floods are flash floods that happen as result of heavy rains from the La-Nina time period of the Southern Oscillation, we as the people of our country need to stand together to make a difference in preventing people to build in dangerous high flood risk areas and also need to convince the children of today in developing countries to come up with fresh and new ideas to overcome development issues in flood risk areas. A countries economic development also greatly depends on its readiness for fighting disaster situations and keeping a disaster under control.A country like South-Africa can suffer great losses financially as result of floods that could have been prevented by means of making use of the right infrastructure on the key areas in developed areas as well as developing areas. Flooding is a natural occurrence and will never be fully under control but the minds of today can shape the ideas of tomorrow with that I leave my mark on the topic of flooding in South-Africa. [pic] 7. Bibliography †¢ Anonymous. 2012. Causes and types of floods. [Web: http://kidlat. pagasa. dost. gov. ph/genmet/floods/cause_types. html]. [Accessed: 14 March 2013] †¢ Department: provincial and local Government. 2009. National Disaster management centre. Flood awareness. PDF 5p. [Accessed: 15 March 2013] †¢ Anonymous. 2011.La Nina Influenced Flooding in South Africa. AccuWeather. [web: http://www. accuweather. com/en/weather-news/la-nina-influenced-flooding-in/44853]. [Accessed: 13 March 2013] †¢ SAPA. 2013. Floods Cause havoc across South Africa. Mail ; Guardian, Africa's best read. [web: http://mg. co. za/article/2013-01-20-floods-cause-havoc-across-south-africa]. [Accesse d: 15 March 2013] †¢ Anonymous. 2013. Definition and nature of flood. [web: http://kidlat. pagasa. dost. gov. ph/genmet/floods/def_nature. html]. [Accessed: 15 March 2013] †¢ SSC. 2011. The nature of flooding. Sunshine coast council, Queensland. [web: http://www. sunshinecoast. qld. gov. au/sitePage. cfm? code=flooding-nature]. Accessed: 13 March 2013] †¢ Department: Provincial and Local Government, Prof Viljoen. MF, Swiegers. C. 2009. The application of flood lines in land use control. Disaster reduction conference. [web: http://conferences. ufs. ac. za/dl/userfiles/Documents/00000/134_eng. pdf]. [Accessed: 14 March 2013] †¢ Times Live. (2011, February 2). [web: Urgent flood warning along Orange River. ] [Accessed February 14, 2011]. †¢ United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks. (2011, February 10). Southern Africa: Risk of food insecurity in wake of floods. IRIN News. [Accessed February 14, 2011. ] †¢ Anonymous. 2011. Floods in South Afr ica. Earth Observatory, NASA. [web: Flooding in South Africa FLOODING IN SOUTH AFRICA INTRODUCTION The aim of this assignment is to give background information about flooding in South Africa. These would be carried out through the means of research on journal entries, web research and different literatures. The nature of flooding, the main causes of flooding, the effect of development of flooding hazards and the effect of the economic status of people regarding flooding hazards will be taken into consideration. Definition of key terms Flooding An overflow of water onto normally dry land.The inundation of a normally dry area caused by rising water in an existing waterway, such as a river, stream, or drainage ditch. Pounding of water at or near the point where the rain fell. Flooding is a longer term event than flash flooding: it may last days or weeks (MRX webmaster, 2010). Flash flooding Flooding whereby it takes a very short period of time to form. In most cases flash floods few form and take place Nature of floods There are few places on Ear th where people need not be concerned about flooding due to their location.Rain is not the only impetus for flood even a broken dam wall can be the stimuli of a flood. A flood occurs when water overflows or inundates land that's normally dry. This can happen in a multitude of ways. Most common floods are when rivers or streams overflow their banks. Excessive rain, a ruptured dam or levee, rapid ice melting in the mountains, or even an unfortunately placed beaver dam can overwhelm a river and send it spreading over the adjacent land, called a floodplain. Coastal flooding occurs when a large storm or tsunami causes the sea to surge inland (National Geographic Society, 2011).Most floods take hours or days to develop, giving residents enough time to prepare or evacuate. Others happen quickly and with little warning. These flash floods can be extremely dangerous and cause major damage to the landscape and the habitants of such an area. Disaster specialists have various ways of classifyin g floods according to their likelihood of occurring and the intensity of the flood. A hundred-year flood, for example, is an extremely large, destructive event that would theoretically be expected to happen only once every century.But this is a theoretical number. In reality, this classification means there is a one-percent chance that such a flood could happen in any given year. Over recent decades, possibly due to global climate change, hundred-year floods have been occurring worldwide with frightening regularity (National Geographic Society, 2011) MAIN CAUSES OF FLOODING IN SOUTH AFRICA South Africa has been experiencing above average rainfall since December 2010 that has caused devastation on a scale the country has not seen in many years .This unusual weather pattern is caused by the La Nina effect, and the resulting floods have caused unprecedented disruption of services, displacement of people, loss of livelihoods and even worse, loss of life . it is reported that over 20, 00 0 people have been affected by floods and an estimated 40 people have died. A national state of disaster has been declared in 28 district municipalities in 7 provinces, with more affected areas being reported THE EFFECT OF DEVELOPMENT ON FLOOD HAZARDS IN SOUTH AFRICA. Floods caused havoc across South Africa .Heavy rain in a short period of time in the part of South Africa, caused more than hundreds of people to be homeless by heavy flooding. Floods caused many to seek refuge on rooftops and on trees. This catastrophe killed more than hundreds of people causing the death toll to rise. Recently these floods caused evacuation of the Kruger National, a game reserve in Northern South Africa. Floods also covered some farmlands and crops were killed as a result forcing farms to close. Most of the roads, dams and large buildings were damaged. Due to flooding some mines were forced to close, this the case of a coal mines in Limpopo. THE EFFECT OF THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF PEOPLE REGARDING FLOOD HAZARDS. Floods frequently causes major infrastructure damage of roads, railway lines, electricity supply systems, water supply and sewage disposal systems. Bribges over rivers are particularly exposed to damage and disruption of transportation systems follows. The economic effects of flooding are often greater than the flood itself. (Parker 2000) According to Parker (2000) because floods frequently destroy crops and livestock, food shortages are not uncommon in the aftermath.Floods may affect food availability in a number of ways. Food stocks may be damaged if storage areas are flooded. Serious flooding usually disrupts transportation of food deficit areas, particularly in towns, which are cut off from supply sources and have inadequate food stock. Impacts of flooding may hinder the economic growth and development that is the high cost of relief and recovery may adversely impact investment in infrastructure and other development activities in the area and in certain cases may crip ple the frail economy of the of the region.Recurrent flooding in a region may discourage long-term investments by the government and private sector alike. Lack of livehoods, combined with migration of skilled labour and inflation may have a negative impact on a region’s economic growth. Loss of resource can lead to high costs of goods and services, delaying its development programmes. (Drep operation international federation of Red Cross and crescent societies). Figure 2 three kid were during floods in Limpopo CONCLUSIONAs discussed under various perspectives, it is clear from the assignment that floods had adverse impact on the socio-economic status of livehoods for people in South Africa more especially the residents of Limpopo. It is also evident that there are varying underlying causes of floods i South Africa. Places near the flood event are the most susceptible to the dangers of the floods. Proximity of these places and poverty were identified as being the main cause of vulnerability of people REFERENCES Drep Operation International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, 1.February. 2011. MRX webmaster, 2010. National Weather Services. [Online] Available at: http://www. srh. noaa. gov/mrx/hydro/flooddef. php [Accessed 13 March 2013]. National Geographic Society, 2011. Natural Disasters: floods profile. [Online] Available at: http://environment. nationalgeographic. com/environment/natural-disasters/floods-profile/ [Accessed 12 March 2013]. Parker, J. D2000. floods. Tangler and Francis, National Academy Press, Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, Thailand. SAPA. 2013. Floods causes havoc across South Africa, Mail and Guardian, 20 January 2013.

Basic Accounting Assignment Essay

Generally Accepted   Principles, Balance sheet, Accounts receivable, Income statement, Debt, Liability, Double-entry bookkeeping system, Accounts payable 1- Explain the collecting, recording, classifying, summarizing, analyzing and reporting process of accounting. – Collecting:- Data obtained from various sources with the help of appropriate measures is called collection of data. – Recording:- Arranging the data into its chronological form is called recording of data. – Classifying:- Division of data according to nature of events is called classification of data. – Ledger is used for classifying transactions – Posting is the process of transferring transactions from journal to ledger. Summarizing:- This involves presenting the classified data in a manner which is understandable and useful to the management and other interested parties. Follow statements are prepared:- – Income statement – Balance Sheet – Cash flow statement – Analyzing:- The comparison of data in a business is called analyzing of data. For example, analyzing of present data with past data, or actual data w ith projected data. – Reporting:- Forwarding the results to financial users like chairman, directors, managers etc. is called reporting of data. – Discuss in detail the nature of accounts i. e. assets, expenses, liabilities, revenues and capital by giving examples. – Assets:- The resources of a business are called assets. They are of two types:- – Fixed Assets: Land, Building, Equipment, Vehicle etc. – Current Assets: Cash, cash at bank, A/c receivable, debtors, prepaid expenses. – Expenses:- The amount spent in a business with a view to gain profit in the future is called expense. Examples are rent expenses, salaries expenses, advertisement expenses etc. – Liabilities:- The financial responsibilities of the business for which it is liable are called liabilities. They are divided into two types:- – Fixed Liabilities (Bank Loan, Bonds Payable, Mortgage Payable. ) – Current Liabilities (Notes Payable, Unearned Income, Creditors. ) – Capital:- The amount of money invested by the owner in the business is called capital. – Revenue:- The incomes and the profits earned in the business through selling are called revenues. For example, Sales, Service revenue, Interest, commission earned. – Drawings:- The amount of money taken away by the proprietor for personal benefits is called Drawings. 3- Describe the accounting rule of debit and credit for accounts like assets, expenses, liabilities, revenues and capital. – Assets – Increase in Asset is debit. – Decrease in Asset is credit. – Liabilities – Increase in liabilities is credit. – Decrease in liabilities is debit. – Revenues – Increase in revenues is credit. – Decrease in revenues is debit. – Expenses – Increase in expense is debit. – Decrease in expense is credit. – Capital – Increase in capital is credit. – Decrease in capital is debit. – Select any twenty categories from the above and identify a transaction that will have the required effect on the business. 1- Purchased Goods on credit 25,000. 2- Gave services for cash 5,000. 3- Brought cash in business 65,000. 4- Adjusting entry of out standing salaries 9000. 5- Wa ges wrongly debited to Sales 400. 6- Salaries wrongly debited to Drawings 600. 7- Paid to accounts payable in cash 1500. 8- Goods returned by customer worth 650. 9- Withdrew cash for personal use 550

The Suez Canal essays

The Suez Canal essays Throughout the course of history, there was always an interest for a waterway that connected the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The idea remained up in the air until a man by the name of Ferdinand De Lesseps took control and set it into action. Lesseps was a man who desired progress. He proved to be a powerful regulator and did not stop for anything that got in his way. His yearn for the Suez project was a direct result of his inadequate life style. At the age of forty, he was unemployed, had no salary, and left with a small sum of money from his family. Lesseps searched for a way to become famous and rich at the same time by devising a plan that took place in Egypt. He recognized that ships traveling to Europe from Southern Asia (vice versa) had to circumnavigate around Africa, which was unnecessary. His goal then, was to connect the two seas, and two worlds. In addition to this, within the space of a few years, Lesseps had lost a career, a wife, and a child. He was left with two sons, a farm in central France, and a caring set of in-laws. He had a loving relationship with his family until this drastic event took place. While Lesseps was at a pivotal point in life, he decided to devote himself completely to the creation of the Suez Canal. Yet, one question remained; if Lesseps life had not wound into a downhill spiral, would he still have encompassed the intense determination illustrated in the novel? A man, who was unemployed, simply could not start a revolutionary one-hundred mile canal by himself. In need of much help, Lesseps turned to the Egyptian government for support. Although, there was question as to how Lesseps, a Frenchman, could even dream to acquire help from a different country to satisfy his vision. The answer lay in the hands of ruler Muhammad Alis son, Said, and his insatiable desire for eating. Members of Muhammads court carefully monitored Saids food intake...

Details of James Deans Death in a Car Accident

Details of James Dean's Death in a Car Accident In September 1955, actor James Dean was driving his brand-new Porsche 550 Spyder to an auto rally in Salinas, California, when he was involved in a head-on collision with a 1950 Ford Tudor. James Dean, only 24 years old, died in the crash. Although already famous for his role in East of Eden, his death and the release of Rebel Without a Cause caused James Dean to soar to cult status. James Dean, forever frozen as the talented, misunderstood, rebellious youth remains the symbol of teenage angst. Who Was James Dean? John Kobal Foundation/Contributor/Getty Images James Dean had appeared in a number of television shows before getting his big break in 1954 when he was chosen to play Cal Trask, the leading male role in the film East of Eden (1955). This was the only one of Deans films released before his death. Quickly following East of Eden, James Dean was signed to play Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), the film for which Dean is best remembered. Immediately following the filming for Rebel Without a Cause, Dean played the lead role in Giant (1956). Both of these films were released after Deans death. James Dean Raced Cars As Deans movie career began to take off, James Dean also started to race cars. In March 1955 Dean raced in the Palm Springs Road Races, and in May of that year he raced in the Minter Field Bakersfield race and the Santa Barbara Road Races. James Dean liked to go fast. In September 1955 Dean replaced his white Porsche 356 Super Speedster with a new, silver Porsche 550 Spyder. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images Dean had the car specialized by having the number 130 painted on both the front and back. Also painted on the back of the car was Little Bastard, Deans nickname given to him by friend Bill Hickman, who was Deans dialogue coach for Giant. The Accident On September 30, 1955, James Dean was driving his new Porsche 550 Spyder to an auto rally in Salinas, California, when the fatal accident occurred. Originally planning to tow the Porsche to the rally, Dean changed his mind at the last minute and decided to drive the Porsche instead. Dean and Rolf Wuetherich, Deans mechanic, rode in the Porsche. Following were photographer Sanford Roth and Bill Hickman, driving a Ford station wagon that had a trailer for the Spyder attached. En route to Salinas, Dean was pulled over by police officers near Bakersfield for speeding around 3:30 p.m. After being stopped, Dean and Wuetherich continued on their way. Two hours later, around 5:30 p.m., they were driving westbound on Highway 466 (now called State Route 46), when a 1950 Ford Tudor pulled out in front of them. 23-year-old Donald Turnupseed, the driver of the Ford Tudor, had been traveling east on Highway 466 and was attempting to make a left turn onto Highway 41. Unfortunately, Turnupseed had already started to make his turn before he saw the Porsche traveling quickly toward him. Without time to turn, the two cars smashed nearly head-on. The injuries among the three involved in the crash varied greatly. Turnupseed only received minor injuries from the accident. Rolf Wuetherich, the passenger in the Porsche, was lucky to be thrown from the Porsche. Although he suffered serious head injuries and a broken leg, he survived the crash. Dean, however, was killed in the accident. Dean was just 24 years old at the time of the wreck. Posthumous Academy Awards To this day, James Dean is the only person to receive two Academy Award nominations posthumously. In 1956, he was nominated posthumously for Best Leading Actor for his role in East of Eden. This was a historic first. In 1957, Dean was again posthumously nominated for Best Leading Actor, this time for his role in Giant. What Happened to Deans Smashed Car? Many Dean fans wonder what happened to the smashed Porsche. After the accident, the crumpled car was toured around the United States as part of a driver safety presentation. However, en route between two stops, the car disappeared. In 2005, Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois, offered $1 million to anyone who currently had the car. So far, the car has not resurfaced.

Corporate Strategy Master Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Corporate Strategy Master - Assignment Example By July 2008 as a consequence, major banks and other financial institutions around the world had reported losses reaching $435 billion. The problem on sub-prime mortgages was exacerbated by the steady depreciation of the US dollar, whose value against the euro, for example, crossed the $1.48 threshold in November 2007 to settle at $1.50 (Phillips, 2007). While the US Federal Reserve showed no intention of intervening to strengthen the dollar, banks stopped issuing covered bonds and the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) hit a premium for treasury bills not seen since the dark days of the first oil crisis in 1987. The continued weakening of the US currency gave banks and financial institutions little incentive to sell dollars, completing the scenario for rising global inflation. Such a climate of uncertainty in the global economy, specifically in the banking sector, serves as backdrop for this paper as it examines the corporate strategies by which HSBC Holdings plc, one of the worl d's largest banking and financial services organisations, can emerge a winner through the use of appropriate models and tools of analysis. HSBC Holdings plc is the mother company of a wide array of banks and financial institutions that include the HSBC plc in UK; the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corp. Ltd. and Hang Seng Bank Ltd. in Hong Kong; HSBC Finance in France; the Household International and HSBC Bank USA NA in the US; HSBC Bank in Brazil; Grupo Financiero HSBC in Mexico; and the HSBC Private Banking Holding (Suisse) SA in UK, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Monaco, Luxembourg, Singapore and Channel Islands. The Group's corporate strategy finds expression in the marketing pitch attached to its logo that proclaims HSBC as "the world's local bank." This campaign to differentiate the HSBC brand was launched in 1999 and started to guide all banking operations in 2005. The strategy projects HSBC as a financing institution with an international pedigree and world-class expertise, which sophistication is nonetheless used for the full benefit of the smallest local clients and their communities. In effect, the HSBC based its strat egy not only on product leadership and operational excellence but also on customer intimacy, the three value disciplines that drive corporate strategy (Green, 2003). That sort of makes the Group a high-street bank that serves low-end clients as a matter of preference. The banking clientele composed of ordinary people is a market segment usually identified in an RFM analysis to formulate a firm's corporate strategy. RFM stands for recency, frequency and monetary value and is often conducted to analyse customer behaviours and define market segments. In essence, RFM analysis asks how recent and frequent are the transactions done for a particular