Solar Energy Essay Example for Free

Solar Energy Essay |The increasing cost of energy and the reality of almost-depleted oil resources have driven man to discover alternative sources. And now, the human race has turned to the basic elements of nature by harnessing energy from wind, water, and the sun. Solar energy is a renewable form of energy and has been a major focus as an alternative source.   It offers promising potentials as a clean renewable form of energy but it also has its limitations. Sun, as our closest star, is practically an indirect and direct source of available energy here on Earth.    But it was only until recently that the potentials of solar energy appealed to society as it has been greatly improved through research and study. The sun’s energy originates from the nuclear reactions at its core where temperature reaches 15 millions  °C.   It reaches the Earth’s surface in form of light and heat and can be gained at 1Kw/ m2 under optimal conditions.   In order to use solar radiation there has to be a way to capture the energy.   Solar panels are invented to collect the sun’s energy and can de converted directly or indirectly  ¦to other forms of energy, such as heat and electricity.   Applications of solar energy can be for heating/cooling, electricity production, and chemical processes such as in solar detoxification technologies for cleaning water and air. There are many advantages of solar energy over other conventional forms.     As a renewable form of energy, the primary benefit of this is that it will never run out.   The sun provides unlimited supply of solar energy, and is virtually free after the user recovers the initial cost of installation.   The use of solar panels in homes does not need fuels and produces no waste or pollution.   The Clean Energy Ideas website further presented on the advantages of solar power that the only pollution that could be associated with this is may be during the production of the cell and transportation to ones home.   But by the time that it is installed, this solar power system has the total lack of pollution given off. Solar energy also has the ability to harness power in remote locations.   It has an advantage to bring electricity in the remote places on earth as long as the sun contains enough energy in that location. Mountain communities, for example, could benefit a lot from the electricity powered by solar energy as constructing conventional power lines in these places will be very difficult or near impossible due to expensive cost it would incur. Solar energy power system can be stand alone structures that do not require connection to power or natural gas grid. A major limitation of solar energy is its ability to collect and store energy so there is a constant power supply.   Since it cannot function at night when the sun’s power is not available or in places where the sun is not able to provide enough energy for the amount of energy needed for use, there are times that back up energy source is needed.   The irregular and variable manner that solar energy arrives on earth limits the use of this form of energy.   Large areas are also needed to collect it at a useful rate. In the United Kingdom, for example, where the country experiences not a very sunny climate, solar power is use only for low power application.   Jesse Ausebel of the of the Rockefeller University in New York in his article for the Indersciences International Journal of Nuclear Governance, Economy and Ecology, claims that renewable energy is not always green (Inderscience, 2007). He criticized solar power since a â€Å"photovoltaic solar cell plant would require painting black about than 150 square kilometers plus land for storage and retrieval to equal a 1000 MWe nuclear plant†. Since this form of   renewable energy involves vast infrastructure, such as concrete, steel, and access roads, Ausebel further added that As a Green, one of my credos is no new structures but renewables all involve ten times or more stuff per kilowatt as natural gas or nuclear, (Inderscience, 2007). The initial cost of installation of solar panels or building solar power stations can be very expensive, discouraging some of the could-be users of solar energy.   It has appealed mostly to the affluent members of society and environment advocates because buying and installing solar power equipment can cost $15,000 for an average-size home before any current starts to flow a John Greenwald wrote in his article for Time magazine (Greenwald, 1993). Advance studies and research, however, are trying to lower the cost of installation so that this could be accessible to more people.   The technology in harnessing the potentials of solar energy is getting better and cheaper with the passing years.   The price of photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight to electricity has fallen from $500 a watt in the 1960s to about $4 in the 1990s and companies are still finding ways to reduce the cost for residential use (Greenwald, 1993). As the technology is getting better, support from the federal government are also coming in.   Jimmy Carter earlier created tax breaks to spur solar development but this was later scrapped by Ronald Reagan who viewed this as meddling in the energy business, which impeded the development of renewable energy for about 10 years (Greenwald, 1993). With the current situation of our environment, however, the government and the society in general recognizes the need and benefit from developing and improving solar energy. The use of solar energy for electricity is not a farfetched idea as the technology has gone through vast improvements.   Researchers believe that solar energy is soon going to play a major role in electricity generation for the masses.   Production of this on a larger scale are being studied and improved. Budget allocations for these research and studies are being increased in countries around the world signifying that people are finally recognizing the advantages of this renewable form of energy. Energy is needed to spur human activities.   Solar energy indeed poses promising potentials in a society where conventional sources of energy are near depletion.   Undeniably, the solar energy has its limitations, but these are slowly and surely overcome with technological advances and it will not be for long when this energy form will be produced in a larger scale and cheaper rate accessible for homes around the globe. WORKS CITED:    Clean Energy Ideas. http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/solar_panels.html Greenwald, John. Here Comes the Sun. 18 October 1993. Time magazine. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,979413-3,00.html A Brief Introduction to Solar Energy. My Solar Power at Home. http://www.mysolarenergyathome.com/ Natural Resources Canada. Renewable Energy. http://canren.gc.ca/tech_appl/index.asp?CaId=5PgId=121 Renewable Energy Wrecks Environment, According To Researcher. Inderscience Publishers. 25 July 2007 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070724160209.htm

The American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death of a Salesman

The American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman is centered around one man trying to reach the American dream and taking his family along for the ride. The Loman's lives from beginning to end is a troubling story based on trying to become successful, or at least happy. Throughout their lives they encounter many problems and the end result is a tragic death caused by stupidity and the need to succeed. During his life Willy Loman caused his wife great pain by living a life not realizing what he could and couldn't do. Linda lived sad and pathetic days supporting Willy's unreachable goals. Being brought up in this world caused his children to lose their identity and put their futures in jeopardy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy lived everyday of his life trying to become successful, well-off salesman. His self-image that he portrayed to others was a lie and he was even able to deceive himself with it. He traveled around the country selling his merchandise and maybe when he was younger, he was able to sell a lot and everyone like him, but Willy was still stuck with this image in his head and it was the image he let everyone else know about. In truth, Willy was a senile salesman who was no longer able to work doing what he's done for a lifetime. When he reaches the point where he can no longer handle working, he doesn't realize it, he puts his life in danger as well a others just because he's pig-headed and doesn't understand that he has to give up on his dream. He complains about a lot of things that occur in everyday life, and usually he's the cause of the problems. When he has to pay for the repair bills on the fridge, he bitches a lot and bad mouths Charl ey for buying the one he should of bought. The car having to be repaired is only because he crashes it because he doesn't pay attention and/or is trying to commit suicide. Willy should have settled with what he had and made the best of things. He shouldn't have tied to compete with everyone and just made the best decision for him using intelligence and practicality. Many of Willy's problems were self-inflicted, the reason they were self-inflicted was because he wanted to live the American dream. If he had changed his standards or just have been content with his life, his life problems would have been limited in amount and proportion.

Reality TV a Poblem Essay

The Pop Culture phenomenon that is reality television has been expanding since its arrival in the early 1990’s. Reality TV is the newest television genre but not the weakest by far. After MTV launched the hit show Real World it was clear that realty TV is here to stay. Today reality television is bigger than ever any time of the day you can be sure that some sort of reality program is being aired on a network. Reality television has become so big that it has created whole television networks based around reality programing, networks such as Tru TV and E! Entertainment which is the mother network for hit shows such as Keeping up with the Kardashians and Girls Next Door. Despite the fact reality TV is very popular it can have negative effects on its viewers. Many media analysts believe although reality programing is entertaining it holds almost no redeeming social value whatsoever. When it comes to values of reality TV programs the only values that it seems to give people are su perficial or for profit. Reality TV’s foundation is their sense of vanity, even in shows like duck dynasty which is about a incredibly rich rural family living on a farm. Even though the show is about a red neck life style it doesn’t fail to show the wealth possessed by the family. Reality TV can often make an average person feel un average. When that average Joe tunes in to see three men in ugly beards (Duck Dynasty) spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on useless comities it can make him or her feel like their life isn’t good enough and that they too should be living like the people depicted on television. In the article Is reality T.V. so bad it’s good or just plain bad? By Sabrina Giancioppi she states â€Å"At face value, reality television is easily a reflection of everything that is wrong with society. The only thing worse than the housewives, bachelors, idols, kids from the shore, teen moms and toddlers, might just be those who tune in to watch these shows every week, fuelling our society’s great appetite for idiotism and humiliation (Giancioppi)† this shows that the possible reason for American’s over  indulgent us as Americans are so blinded by material objects and vanity that we often fail to acknowledge the great things our country has such has freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Many American’s have a mentality that is never satisfied we as a country seem to have a universal belief that nothing is ever good enough and reality television can be somewhat to blame. On reality TV we see rich house wives living a life of luxury and viewers think that if they are not doing these fabulous things like flying in private jets or going shopping for Bentley’s than we are not truly successful when success is based on one’s own perception n ot the perception of pop culture. Reality TV’s big demographic that it reaches out to is the teenager, because they are the ones usually watching the most television in the home ergo they are the best to appeal to. When a young mind of a teenager is exposed to unreal reality and scenarios depicted on reality programs such as Jersey Shore where a household of seven adults spend a summer on the New Jersey beach. The Show consists of drinking, partying, and copulation and was aired for over four years. Shows like Jersey Shore are bad for an older demographic let alone teens. When teens see shows like Jersey Shore it leaves an impression in their mind that this is what it is like to be an adult and they usually believe that because it is the only example they have seen. The problem with so many teenagers being engaged in reality TV programming is that it give false sense of life. When teens watch reality TV it more often than not makes them feel like they have a dull life. The show Laguna Beach: the real Orange County on MTV is about a local high school girl named Lauren Conrad and her clique of wealthy teen friends that live in Laguna Hills. In the show these kids have more problems and things going on than most adults. This is a prime example of how reality television can make a teens life seem awfully dull compared to the people’s on TV like Lauren Conrad who is constantly going to extravagant place and driving a sports car provided by her wealthy parents. Shows like Laguna Beach that are blatantly aimed to a younger audience should be showing kids and teens a role model and teach lessons that will help them in real scenarios rather than showing them a teenager and her friends alluring life filled with glamour that show lack of positive messages and no role models. Although reality shows can be  bad examples for kids and teens James Poniewozik of Time Magazine writes in his article titled â€Å"Why I Watch Reality TV With My Kids† he believes it is good to watch reality television with children and teens because it is the last type of family programming there is. In the article Poniewozik states â€Å"It’s no accident that many of the series I’ve mentioned are competition shows: like sports, it’s a genre that can appeal to kid and adult interests without denying either one. Most of these series are made for adults without any particular goal of being all-ages entertainment. But on their own terms, they reflect things that kids are interested in: competition, creation, performance. Maybe more important, they’re also a kind of structured introduction to the grownup world (Poniewozik)† the claim made by James reveals that there can be positive effects for kids and teens from watching reality shows if they choose to watch a particular show and watch it with their family, but this is not often the case. Usually the child or teen who is watching reality shows are watching with no parental guidance and choose to watch programs that are outrageous or most â€Å"grown up† show, they are not looking for the shows with least values not with the most. Being a teen that has gotten to see reality programming evolve to what it is now has shown me firsthand the lack of value the shows contain. In the Journal of Advertising Research authors Anthony Patino, Veltichka D. Kaltcheva and, Michael F. Smith write about the appeal of reality TV towards teenagers and preteens in the passage the authors state â€Å"With the number of hours spent in front of the television set increasing 6 percent annually (Nielsen Media Research, 2009) and the reality programming genre steadily growing, preteens and teens are more likely to be viewing reality programs. More important, there is evidence that young people emulate the behavior of reality stars (Patino, Kaltcheva, and Smith)†. This statement shows that teenagers are spending more time watching television and reality shows more and more. With the rise of teenage viewers in reality television it no wonder on why our youth seems to be growing up faster and faster. Now a days teenagers no longer want to stay kids for long they see these people on reality TV living an exciting life and they too want their life to be extravagant and exciting and they accomplish this by holding a semblance that depicts that of a reality TV star and doing things like holding  themselves to a higher caliber socially or do things they wouldn’t usually take part of like drinking or smoking but because they see these reality TV stars doing these things and thriving they too want that fame and success. Kids now a days are exposed to so much more grown up content mainly due to all the reality television that is going around. When my sister was younger probably in middle school she couldn’t get enough of MTV and VH1 reality shows from Jersey Shore to VH1’s competition shows like Flavor of Love and Bret Michaels Rock of Love. These type of shows were truly the definition of â€Å"Trash TV†; the shows consisted of a roller coaster of problems t hat at the times seemed enthralling. Shows like the ones my sister would watch made me feel like I was losing brain cells just by watching them, the shows had no plot, no good ideas, no good actors, no nothing. Now I don’t often watch reality television for multiple reasons the biggest simply being there is much better content on television. I would rather watch a such as Breaking Bad or Boardwalk Empire which contains a deep plot that calls for an engaged viewer and shows artistic traits such as cinematography, scoring and set design. Programs with a sense of meaning or artistic value seem more attractive than watching a group of people argue and stress over irrelevant situations. No matter who is watching reality TV or who isn’t they continue rise in popularity and spring out of nowhere by the masses. What makes these shows so attractive to all these viewers? Maybe it’s the enjoyment of seeing a stranger’s life play out in front of your eyes, or the convince of always being able to tune in and watch whether or not one saw last week’s episode. The best way to find out why audiences of reality TV get so enthralled with the programming is to interview with a fan of reality television shows. A super fan of reality shows that I know of is my sister Desirae Duran she is twenty-two years old, a junior in college, and has been watching reality television for as long as she can remember. The first questioned asked to Desirae was why do you like reality programs? Desirae said what she enjoys about reality shows is how they involve little effort from the viewer, when she watches reality shows she can be texting or on the internet on the same time and still understand what is happening in the episode unlike when she watches shows like CSI or Game of Thrones that require h er full attention. I then asked Desirae if she thinks reality  television has redeeming value in society. Her response to my question was rather surprising, she said that reality shows provide entertainment to people, that alone is enough for something to have redeeming value. Desirae then made a comparison to Game of Thrones and The Bachelor saying they both entertain her and fill her crave for good television. What my sister said about how entertainment is valuable is obvious and something I failed to realize and account for. I then asked Desirae a last question on why she thinks other people are so fascinated by reality TV and she gave me a short answer she said â€Å"people want what they can’t have and reality shows give them a taste of what they can’t have† This may be a key reason of why so many people enjoy watching shows about the rich and famous or maybe people just enjoy the entertainment aspect of the shows whatever it may be that attracts a viewers to reality televis ion the networks have no problem with it. It seems as if the only value that comes from reality television is the profit it provides television networks. One of the reasons why cable is flooded with reality programs is because they are so cheap for studios to make. If there is one thing television networks like ABC or NBC love more than a hit show it’s a hit show for the fraction of the price. In an article about the cost of reality television versus scripted television author Laura Jerpi of South University pulls information about reality programming from Scott Manville founder and president of TV Writers Vault in the article it states â€Å"An episode for a scripted series can be anywhere between a half-million and millions of dollars depending on the network and content involved,† in the article Manville also writes â€Å"budgets for reality shows can range from $100,000 to more than $500,000 per episode [depending on the network and content]†. With the amount of money being saved per episode it is no wonder why television is infested with reality shows. The dramatic drop in production cost in reality shows is due to an array of reasons. Reality TV often consist of one to no production sets, mediocre writers, a less than satisfactory director probably fresh out of film school and actors that work for less than an employee at Starbucks. Because of the low cost that goes into producing a reality show and the high profitability rate networks don’t mind having a surplus of them. The Failure of a reality has  far less risk than a failure of a Sit-com or prime time Drama because of the small cost and the large amount programs available so this lets studios and networks experiment with bizarre idea’s and unorthodox content. Reality TV is often called â€Å"Trash TV† mainly because of the lack of values it provides to the general audience. Reality shows fill a viewer’s head up with garbage content. Now a days when one channel surfs the overwhelming wave is the reality wave, reality programs have seemed to have gone to the point of no return. Shows like Jersey Shore and Laguna Beach will continue to thrive as long as people tune in to be passive and not active. It seems as if there are not enough hours in the day for reality television. Television use to be informative and artistic now all of those types of programs are being taken out to make room for reality shows aka â€Å"Trash TV†. If entertainment is considered a valuable commodity then I guess opium is John D Rockefeller. Work Cited Web articles -Giancioppi, Sabrina. â€Å"Pros and Cons: Reality Television | The Concordian.† The Concordian RSS. N.p., 09 Oct. 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. . -Jerpi, Laura. â€Å"Reality TV – Low Cost Programming That Produces High Ratings.† Reality TV – Low Cost Programming That Produces High Ratings. South University, Jan. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. Television shows – â€Å"A Black & White affair† Laguna Beach. MTV. KBXV. Orange County. 28 Sep. 2004. Television -â€Å"A New Family† Jersey Shore. MTV.KBXV. New Jersey. 03 Dec. 2009. Television Interview -Duran, Desirae. Personal interview. 2 December. 2013. Magazine article -Poniewozik, James. â€Å"Why I Watch Reality TV With My Kids.† Time 181.23 (2013): 54. Business Source Elite. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. Academic Journal -PATINO, ANTHONY, VELITCHKA D. KALTCHEVA, and MICHAEL F. SMITH. â€Å"The Appeal Of Reality Television For Teen And Pre-Teen Audiences.† Journal Of Advertising Research 51.1 (2011): 288-297. Business Source Elite. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.

Poverty And Its Effects On African Nation - 1353 Words

Poverty in Africa has strike the people living there extremely horrible. Africa is the second largest continent in the world. It holds about 1.1 million people, which is 15% of the world’s population. Poverty is about have not enough money to meet basic needs of living which includes food, clothing, and shelter. Being that Africa has a lack of the materials for a humans needs to have a role in society. Although over about 500 billion dollars is sent directly aid the African nation the money is being misused. A large percentage of the money that is sent is used to invest in weapons. This is caused by totalitarian regimes. Having large debts result in little to no money being used for social service, such as education, pensions or medical care. The African nation is pushing for debt relief, because they are unable to maintain payments. This problem does not affect other nations as much like Nigeria but it does take a toll on the smaller nations and the large debtor nations. Ther e are large amounts money being used in Africa for developments of mega projects. Ghana is the richest country in Africa, it obtained it independent after a few years later they had no foreign reserve. And which turned out to be a big waste. Africa has cheap labor available which has encourage inefficient agriculture and industrial practice that left the impoverished. The Republic of Nigeria population is more than 160 million, which is the largest in Africa and also a fast growingShow MoreRelatedThe University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin Essay1002 Words   |  5 Pages Global Poverty Naraly Rodriguez Dr. Davor Jedlicka Introduction to Sociology Fall B 2016 The University of Texas of the Permian Basin Essay Topic #3: Global Poverty â€Æ' Being poor can mean something to one individual compared to another. Whether it is not having clean water to drink or not being able to afford a new laptop. Poverty is very broad, without a single definition. Africa has the majority of the poorest countries in the world. With that being said, the overall African income levelsRead MoreHow Hiv / Aids Impacted A Nation1559 Words   |  7 Pagesburdened with health costs, and the overall demographic and future of Africa is changing as the youth are either contracting the virus or not able to attend school, hampering their employment options in the future. A nation specific micro level example of how HIV/AIDS impacts a nation was a study that was conducted in South Africa that determined the factual negative impact on their economy. They found these conclusions due to the HIV/AIDS disease: a lower labour force, lower productivity, a costRead More Poverty in Africa Essay example1470 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican nations regularly fall to the bottom of any list measuring economic activity, such as per capita income or per capita GDP, despite a wealth of natural resources. The bottom 25 spots of the United Nations (UN) quality of life index ar e regularly filled by African nations. In 2006, 34 of the 50 nations on the UN list of least developed countries are in Africa. In many nations, the per capita income is often less than $200 U.S. per year, with the vast majority of the population living on muchRead MoreDecline Of World Cotton Prices On Poverty1041 Words   |  5 Pagesworld cotton prices effects on poverty in West African cotton exporting countries rural poverty. Introduction Over 2001-2002, world cotton prices fell by almost 40% as a response to government subsidies in market-dominators Europe, China and the United States, a trend towards using synthetic fibres, and economic downturn decreasing the demand for garments. This paper will explain the price transmission between world cotton prices to the domestic prices in the West African ‘Cotton Four’ (‘C4’)Read MoreThe Need for Development in the African Continent Essay1550 Words   |  7 Pagescolonial era, the African continent has experienced numerous hardships on the pathway to economic and human development. High levels of poverty, disease, and inequality coupled with low levels of human development, education, and infrastructure has long gripped the continent and has stifled growth efforts (Gorton). An example of this extreme poverty lies in the African country of Uganda, where nearly 80% of its citizens could not afford food in 2012 (â€Å"Many in Developing Nations Struggle to AffordRead MoreTaking a Look at the China-Africa Relation1563 Words   |  6 PagesThere are many views on the importance of internal and external factors on economic development. From these conflicting views emerge theories on the effect of aid, investment and trade on economic growth––which, in current literature, suggests an ambiguous result. On the issue of aid, Pronk (2001) pointed out that aid can be seen as a catalyst rather than a primer mover, in the sense that aid is not a cause of development but a push or support to development. In the China-Africa relation, the roleRead MoreTourism in East Africa681 Words   |  3 Pagesbound as a community through a political treaty that came into effect on the 7th of July 2000 which ratified the establishment of the East African Community (Eac.int, 2014). Tourism receipts in developing countries can amount to more than 20 percent of the total value of exports which makes it a very significant pillar for these economies (Ondicho,2000,pp-49-70). Like all developing countries, the East African Community (EAC) member nations are dependent on the export of primary commodities whose pricesRead MoreThe Downfall Of The Black Experience1559 Words   |  7 Pagesto the suffering of the African American experience from the internal problems in African Americans communities; however, they neglect the external social constraints that African Americans have faces in America. African Americans have suffered oppression through social institution through factors such as Segregation, Racial Crimination, and Mass incarnation. The constraint of segregation was a way of social, political, and economical control over African Americans. African Americans are usually aRead MoreAfric The Cradle Of Mankind1571 Words   |  7 Pagesunderdeveloped, insubstanti al governance, and poor human progression which negatively affects continental growth and poverty reduction. These issues that Africa face cripples growth, political prosperity and economic independence. AFRICOM represents a fresh start for African nations to trade globally and provides military protection for these nations. In conclusion, Africa is a crippled nation unable to live independently and ineffective with foreign aid. Historically, Africa was called the CradleRead MoreWhy Is The Perception Of Africa Limited For Violence And Poverty?1490 Words   |  6 Pages A land tarnished by misfortune and poverty seems to be a general consensus of how Africa is depicted as a continent. Today, I challenge you to disregard all that you have been told about Africa and understand that it s rich culture and resources have been in place far before most civilizations in the Western Hemisphere. Most citizens in developed countries see starving children who suffer in Africa, pleading for donations, and associate the images they see with helplessness and draw an assumption