Businesses within the Small Business Administration (SBA) 8A Program Research Paper

Businesses within the Small Business Administration (SBA) 8A Program - Research Paper Example The Federal Government of U.S has, since a long time, actively promoted the socio-economic welfare of small businesses. It is for this particular reason that the Small Business Administration (SBA) was founded to ensure that small businesses have the business acumen and resources to survive and grow in the competitive marketplace. Several opportunities have been provided to small businesses, including the securing of no-bid contracts and granting of prime contracts. In recent years, the 8(a) business development program by SBA has gained a lot of attention owing to generous incentives and growth capabilities offered by the SBA for businesses that meet the criteria for this program. The 8A program was introduced by the SBA with the main objective of assisting and facilitating small and disadvantaged businesses so that they can compete in the competitive marketplace. The popular 8(a) Business Development program is specifically targeted towards small businesses that where individuals who are â€Å"socially and economically† disadvantaged own and control at least 51% of such businesses (Koprince, 2012). Accordingly, it helps such entrepreneurs to get accessibility to mainstream business in the American market. Furthermore, it helps harness the aspirations of entrepreneurs by securing government contracts for such businesses to help them grow. The 8(a) program is separated into two stages: the developmental 4 year period and the transitional 5 year period (SBA.gov). The 8(a) program offers several benefits for disadvantaged entrepreneurs. Firstly, the program entails the â€Å"sole-source† no-bid contract which implies that participant businesses shall not have to bid for contracts and shall be the sole providers of the products to be provided under the contractual agreement (SBA.gov). This holds true for contracts under $3.5 million worth of

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway Essay Example for Free

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway Essay Hemingway and the Struggle of Masculinity in WarMen in A Farewell to Arms and For Whom The Bell TollsThe name of Ernest Hemingway has long been associated with the idea of a strong, stubborn man who is very socially inept. In both A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls, we are introduced to an extremely cold, unfeeling character and we see how they evolve from one type of man into another. Frederic Henry and Robert Jordan are both Americans serving overseas in some conflict, Henry being in World War I and Jordan in the Spanish Civil War between the fascists and communists, and they originally see these conflicts as a way for them to prove their manhood. They soon realize that war is not meant for all people and that it should not be glorified. They either die for their new ideas or simply vanish from our world into a realm of nothingness. This transition needs to be analysed more closely in order for us to understand it better. In A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls, we see how the main character is, in the beginning, a cold and sometimes insensitive person who loves the idea of war. In Arms, we see how Henry is a calm, calculating man who tries to live up to the Western impression of how a man should act. In American history, men have tried to reassociate themselves with a deeper meaning of manhood as a way to prove to themselves that they are acting like a man should: A broad spectrum of American men soon came to view war as the only way to cure a hopelessly flagging national masculinity(Donnell para 35). In the beginning, Henry the confidence of a man who is able to survive anything by himself and not show any emotion about it. War itself is a glorious game to him that is a test of manhood, a way for him to prove himself to the world and still be able to walk away from it: Well, I knew I would not be killed. Not in this war. It did not have anything to do with me. It seemed no more dangerous to me than war in the movies (Arms Detzler 237). Henry is a man who thinks that he is unable to be harmed and tries to live a life that is morally correct while struggling through a chaotic world. The Austrian mountains around Henry are full of temptation(ie bawdy houses) and yet he never visits them. Also, he is surrounded by constant barrages of shellfire and wounded, since he is an ambulance driver, and never shows any emotion towards these men. To him, they are simply chess pieces and he is the ambulance that comes to take away the wounded from this  great game. In Tolls, the main character is an American teacher, Robert Jordan, who is fighting in the Spanish Civil War. He is only in the mountains because he sees war as a glorified game for men only. When he is confronted with a task, such as blowing up a bridge to slow down enemy troop movements, he does not think about it and only focusses on what he needs to do: He would not think about that. That was not his business. That was Golzs business. He had only one thing to do and that was what he should think about and he must think clearly and take everything as it came along, and not worry. To worry was as bad as to be afraid. It simply made things more difficult(Tolls 8). He distances himself from the men he may have to kill and dehumanises his actions, allowing him to succeed at his job without showing any emotion or weakness. Jordan sees war as a mans job and that women have no place in it. When he first meets Maria, he tries to hide his feelings for her. He says that she should not be in the mountains with the guerillas and tries to hide how he feels an attraction to her when he looks at her. Jordan sees his emotions as a weakness and buries them deep down inside of himself, only to have them rise up later on in the novel. In conclusion, both Henry and Jordan begin as calm, cool, calculating men struggling to prove to the world who they are. These men live by a strict code of honour, chivalry, honesty, and courage, allowing their soul to survive many tough times. They originally see a war as a way to prove themselves but this soon changes. Detzler 3Towards the middle of both Arms and Tolls, we see how both Jordan and Henry become confused and disoriented by the events around them. They are faced with tough choices and are forced to reevaluate their beliefs. In Arms, Henry is wounded during the Italian retreat and is sent back to a hospital for recovery. There, he sees his helplessness as a sign of his weakness and feels that he should not have been hurt. After recovery, he returns to the front but becomes trapped with few other men from his battle group. After the men refused to help him in their struggle to make it back, Henry shoots them at point blank range in an effort to encourage the men to work harder. After this, Henry himself is almost executed after being  mistaken for an Austrian. His near-death experience during his escape caused him to reassess his beliefs because he is beginning to see that men are not meant to try and slaughter each other. He flees the army and gives in to his desires to see Catherine, a sign that he is going back on his belief that a man should never show any emotion. Henry travels to Switzerland with Catherine and tries to live out a normal life there, but now he is a confused man struggling with internal demons about his actions: The war seemed as far away as the football games of some one elses college. But I knew from the papers that they were still fighting in the mountains. . . . (Arms 277). Henry still remembers the men that he left behind at the lines and still wishes to be with them, fighting against a common enemy and united through courage, bravery, and the desire to stay alive. In Tolls, Jordan struggles with his ideas of courage and bravery as he is faced with various situations leading up to the destruction of the bridge. At different times, he is tested by other men, such as when he is forced to kill an enemy soldier who is actually just a boy. This action causes Jordan to rethink how war should be fought: should it be a cruel, merciless battle between soldiers and civilians, or should the young and innocent be spared, even if it is a sign of weakness. Also, when El Sordo and his men are trapped by the Fascist Army, they are left alone Detzler 4to fend for themselves, as to not expose the revolutionaries true numbers. Jordan wishes to go and help them because they are his comrades, but if he is to that, then he would be killed because of what some would call courage and what others would call stupidity. He is faced with either death or living a life of shame. El Sordo himself thinks the same as Jordan, wanting to die a glorious death since he knows that he should want to run away from the Fascists: Dying was nothing and he had no picture of it nor fear of it in his mind. . . . Living was a hawk in the sky. Livng was an earthen jar of water in the dust of the threshing with the grain flailed out and the chaff blowing. (Tolls 313). El Sordo does not fear death because he accepts that it is an inevitable part of life. Both Henry and Jordan begin to have second thoughts of their long held beliefs that men should be cold, merciless soldiers and start to wonder if their new ideas about wanting to be afraid are the ones they should listen to guide their lives. At the end of the novels, both Henry and Jordan face death, either directly or indirectly caused by war, and try to cope with it. In Arms, Henry is faced with the death of his wife and child in Switzerland. During child birth, Catherine develops complications and needs to be heavily medicated to numb the pain. Their child is still-born and Catherine soon after dies from massive blood loss. The loss of Henrys wife forces him to think about how he has lived his life. He begins to wonder if it was worth it shooting those men for refusing to help him. He questions if he should have even joined the army in the first place. Henry even begins to think that perhaps the war is not some game and that even the innocent can be affected by it. He simply retreats back into his own thoughts because he cannot face the world anymore. Henry displays such self control that it cannot be healthy. He is trying to not show any weakness, an idea that he has always held to be true, even though he does not want to glorify war anymore: Such illustrious-control is a visible expression of the self-discipline, knowledge, skill, and poise a man must Detzler 5achieve-as well as the honesty, courage, persistence, and stoic endurance he must possess in order to confront the vicissitudes of his life and the inevitability of . . . death on his own terms and with honour (Miles para 9). Henry develops a strong resolution towards death and does not feel anymore that war, a vast death machine, should be promoted since it can hurt even the most innocent people in the world, such as unborn children. He then proceed to vanish from this world and become like a walking zombie, unable to move on with his life but unafraid of anything anymore that might threaten him since he has already lost what is most precious to him. In Arms, Jordan is faced with death at the end of the novel in many different ways. His friend Anselmo is killed during the bridge demolition while trying to protect Jordan. Anselmo himself did not like death but was willing to face God if it meant the completion of Jordans task. Jordan himself is gravely injured while trying to flee from the Fascists and resolves to take out as many as he can before he dies. Jordan does not show any weakness towards his friends, even though he is terrified and wants to run. Jordan changes from seeing death as something far away as something that affects  everyone. It is a chance for Jordan to redeem his past life and try to come to grips with how he sees death and war. He realizes that he has lived his life wrong and that the war that he is fighting in is not the one he thought he would be fighting for. Jordan originally thought that he was fighting to save the Spanish people from the Fascists but he eventually realized he was not fighting to save the people but rather to replace one corrupt leader for another. He then comes to accept that he will die soon and waits for his time on Earth to end, hoping to take an enemy with him when he goes:Dying is only bad when it takes a long time and hurts so much that it humilates you. . . . [T]here is something you can do yet. As long as you know what it is you have to do it. As long as you remember what it is you have to wait for that. Come on. Let them come. Let them come. Detzler 6Let them come! . . . And if if you wait and hold them up even a little while or just get the officer that may make all the difference (Tolls 468-470). To Jordan, death is an inevitable part of life and now he is dedicated to taking someone down with him. His part in war is over forever but he does not want to just fade away. He understands that war is glorious but if the next man is an enemy, that man is marked for death. Therefore, both Henry and Jordan come to understand death better and to know that war is not a glorious event. War is simply a big political game with the small people taking most of the fall. In conclusion, we see how both Henry and Jordan have changes brought about to their perceptions of war. They originally join their cause simply because it is something that all men were doing at that point in life. War was someplace that boys could go and become men. War was some far off land where men would run towards each other twice, shake hands and become friends again. Henry and Jordan soon see that war is nothing like this, with innocent people being killed simply because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Both men evolve from their original selves and change their ideas about life and death. Henry and Jordan lose a part of themselves during their battles, becoming better men in the end. They may be alone in the world but they are better men than they originally were: [T]he individual is on his own, like a Pilgrim walking into the unknown with  neither shelter or guidance, thrown upon his own resources, his strength, and his judgement. Hemingways style is the style of understatement since his hero is a hero of action, which is the human conditon (Hallengren para 17) These men, even though sometimes shallow, exhibit many qualities that both genders should live up to: honesty, courage bravery, morality, intelligence, affection, pride and sometimes sentimentality. These are the qualities that allow the two main characters to see through the fog of war and come to the basic conclusion: war is not meant for all people to be involved in and it should not Detzler 7be put up on a pedestal but rather looked upon with a logical mind. Even though peace is a lofty goal, it is very unlikely for humanity to succeed in achieving world peace. Until that day, war will be an everyday aspect to our lives and we need to step back and take another look at it. We need to stop viewing war as a big game and see it as a big political game, one that is not meant to help the little people, just like Henry and Jordan learned. Works Cited Donnel, Sean M.. Hemingways Short Fiction and the Crisis of Middle Class Masculinity. [Online] Available http://www.elcamino.edu/Faculty/sdonnell/hemingways_ masculinity.htm , May 12, 2006. Hallengren, Anders. A Case of Identity: Ernest Hemingway. [Online] Available http://nobelprize.org/literature/articles/hallengren/index.html , April 21, 2006. Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Charles Scribners Sons Publishing Company, 1957. . For Whom the Bell Tolls. New York: Charles Scribners Sons Publishing Company, 1968. Miles, Melvin C.. An Introductory Overview to Hemingway. [Online] Available http://www.elcamino.edu/Faculty/sdonnell/hemingway.htm , May 10, 2006.

River Water Pollution At Langkawi Island Environmental Sciences Essay

River Water Pollution At Langkawi Island Environmental Sciences Essay Increasing dearth of water in developing countries has made river water quality evaluation a relevant issue in recent years (Ongley, 1998). The surface water quality is a matter of serious concern today. Rivers due to their role in carrying off the municipal and industrial wastewater and run-off from agricultural land in their vast drainage basins are among the most vulnerable water bodies to pollution. The surface water quality in a region is largely determined both by the natural processes (precipitation rate, weathering processes, and soil erosion) and the anthropogenic influences viz. urban, industrial and agricultural activities and increasing exploitation of water resources (Carpenter et al., 1998 and Jarvie et al., 1998). Pollution of surface water with toxic chemicals and excess nutrients, resulting from storm water runoff, vadose zone leaching, and groundwater discharges, has been an issue of worldwide environmental concern. With an increased understanding of the importance of drinking water quality to public health and raw water quality to aquatic life, there is a great need to assess surface water quality (Campbell et al., 1993). APHA (1985), state that the use of water increases with growing population putting increasing strain in the water resources. In 1975, total global use of water was just under 4000 km3 per year, and this is expected to increase about 6000 km3 per year by the year 2000. Averaged on a global scaled, about 70% of this water is used in the agricultural sector, 20% by industry, and 10% for domestic purposes. Nowadays, there become a problem in finding adequate supplies of freshwater to meet our needs and maintaining its quality. Eventhough water availability is not a problem on a global scale, it may be a problem in finding high quality of freshwater at that required place in the required quantity. In Malaysia, 97% of water resources came from river. River can be defined as any natural stream of water that flows in a channel with defined banks. Malaysia is situated in between longitude 100 ° and 119 ° East and latitude 1 ° and 7 ° North covers a region on the subject of 329.733 km2 of land which include West Malaysia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak. The annual typical rainfall is 3000mm that contributes to a projected annual water resource of about 900 billion m3 (UNEP, 2002; FAO, 2005). Those rainfalls are stored in river, lake or either other water storage as water resources. The major water demand comes from irrigation for agricultural purposes as well as domestic and industry use (UNDP, 2005). Problem Statement As the important channel of substance cycle in biosphere, a whole river eco-system should have the functions of providing the food and water for living, industry and agriculture, amusement, shipping and commerce. Over the past century, it have been being seriously destroyed by various human activities including contaminant discharge, damming, solidifying riverside, destroying vegetation in the riparian zone and etc., resulting in deterioration of water environment, degradation of biological communities and riverbed atrophying. Therefore, the restoration and maintenance of healthy river ecosystems have become important objective of river management (Norris and Thoms, 1999). The development in Malaysia has lead to various kinds of environmental problems. Human activities such as industrialization, aquaculture activities, and urbanization caused a lot of pollution and damage the environment silently. According to the Department of Environment, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Malaysia, these activities can produce the anthropogenic pollutants and would be endangered the coastal environment (Chester and Stoner 1974; Ismail et al. 1993, 1995; Ismail and Idris 1996; Law and Singh 1991; Yap et al. 2002, 2003). The seriousness of heavy metals leads the marine environmental pollution to be recognized as a serious matter to human health concern. Industrial and agricultural activities were reported to be the leading potential source of the accumulation of pollutants in the aquatic environment including the sea (Freedman, 1989; Gà ¼mgà ¼m et al., 1994; Nimmo et al., 1998; Barlas, 1999; Tarra-Wahlberg et al., 2001; Akif et al., 2002; Jordao et al., 2002). The significance of Study Langkawi Island is one of the most attractive ecotourism spot in Malaysia with well diverse marine lives hence attracting thousands of tourists every year. To support the increasing number of tourist visiting the Langkawi Island, more development were made along the shore line such as hotels, resorts, jetties, shopping mall, and marine recreational facilities. This extensive type of development contributes to the direct impact on the productivity of the marine environment ecosystem and would cause pollution such as heavy metals pollution into the coastal and adjacent area (White, 1988). Langkawi is located in the northern west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, bordering the south of Thailand -off the coast of Kedah and is made up of 99 islands when the tide is high and 104 islands when the tide is low. The largest of the islands is Pulau Langkawi with an area of about 478.5 km2. Research on the geological resources and landscapes of Langkawi Islands has revealed the great geotourism potential of the island system. Comprising the oldest rocks and the most complete Paleozoic Mesozoic sequence of sedimentary formations, the Langkawi rocks tell the story of the beginning of the Malaysian Land. Diverse scientific records, fossil beds, geological structure and outstanding landforms further make Langkawi a living museum where visitors are able to directly experience a potential natural world heritage site. Conservation of geosites and geotopes are absolutely necessary, in the form of geological park, geological monument, protected site and beautiful landscape, to sustain its ecotourism activities (Ibrahim Komoo Kadderi Md Desa, 1989). Langkawi is one of the most beautiful islands group in Malaysia. Apart from having a distinct and unique morphological feature such as Machinchang ridge and karstic morphology in the limestone area, there are a lot of other interesting geological features. Among those are located in the already popular tourist sites, such as Pantai Pasir Hitam, Telaga Tujuh, Pantai Pasir Tengkorak, Telaga Air Hangat, Gunung Raya and Tasik Dayang Bunting. The geological features of those sites are described and is proposed to be made available in the pamphlet forms or placed at sites as geoinformation boards to increase the tourist geological understanding when they visit those sites. Apart from that, there are also many localities with interesting, as well as unique or rare geological features which are not easily found in other parts of Malaysia. All these localities are of very high potential to be promoted as new geotourism spots. Since the Langkawi Islands is very rich in either already popular o r potential geotourism localities, a number of geotourism trails is proposed. Each trail could be reach either by land or sea and may be visited in one day trip (Ibrahim Komoo Hamzah Mohamad, 1993). According to Ibrahim Komoo Kadderi Md Desa (1989), the rocks of Setul Formation are commonly found in the eastern part of Langkawi Island. Based on the change in strikes and dips of the bedding plane of the limestone, it is interpreted that the Setul Formation was folded regionally. Field observations indicate that the structures in the detrital members of the formation are more complicated than in the limestone. The limestone of this formation was faulted as well as folded. The well-known Kisap Thrust Fault was interpreted to play very important role in controlling the rock distributions in this area, which separates the Lower Paleozoic from the Upper Paleozoic rocks. Therefore, these study should be done as well as many human activities, directly or indirectly, lead to modification of the river and its basin which produce changes in the aquatic environment of the river water. Increased access to improved water sources has been a powerful factor in improving health and also in attracting the tourists visiting the Langkawi Island. On the other hand, it also may maintain the geological resources and landscapes of Langkawi Islands. Objectives The aims of this study are: To determine the concentration of selected ions for selected river water at Langkawi Island. To classify the water quality status at Langkawi Island based on water quality index (WQI). To evaluated the origin of pollution sources at Langkawi Island. Scope of Study This study involves the determination of selected ions (Na, K, Mg, Ca and Cl) by using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) at selected river in Langkawi Island. The research scope also extensive the classification of Langkawi river water status based on Water Quality Index (WQI) Formula by Department of Environment. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 The Hydrology Water is a vital element in human life and it is a renewable resource. According to Wan Ruslan (1994), water is essential for physiological existence, very much the same as every other living organism does and for many other purposes such as agricultural, recreational, industrial, hydroelectric power, navigational, propagation of fish and other aquatic life, irrigation, etc. Generally, water quality means the standards of water body especially river for any beneficial uses. Water quality with a better index value indicates cleaner water body. High water quality is suitable for man and animals consumption compared to the low water quality. Water quality refers to the characteristics of a water supply that will influence its suitability for a specific use, i.e. how well the water quality meets the needs of the consumer. Water quality status indicates the level of pollutant composition and thus relates to human activities (Anhar et al.1998; Mohd Kamil et al. 1997a; 1997b). Water quality for various types of water body varies with input loads, flow rate and quantity of water (Mohd Kamil1991; Wan Nor Azmin et al.1997). River is one of the important water sources and is classified polluted when there are changes in their chemical and physical characteristics that make it unsuitable for any objective and function (Azizi et al. 1997). Pollution standards for eac h water body usually evaluated by measuring the value of selected water quality parameters. These parameters can be categorized as physical, chemical and biological. 2.2 Water Scarcity Water has been dubbed the oil of the 21st century as its scarcity is increasingly felt globally. Over the last 50 years, the worlds population had risen by more than two-and-a-half times to about 6.4 billion. At the same time, however, the demand for fresh water went up by four times (UNEP, 2002). The United Nations predicted that at this rate, up to 7 billion people in 60 countries may possibly face water scarcity by the year 2050. Without access to clean water, not only would public health suffer because of poor hygiene and sanitation, agricultural and industrial activities could also get disrupted. A report by UNEP (2002) also state that similar stresses have also been felt on the water resources in Southeast Asia. This is because economic development had generated greater demand for water from different sectors such as agriculture, industry and domestic users. The situation is likely to worsen in the future. As the regional population is expected to rise by an additional 250 million by 2025, per capita water will fall from 10,000 m3 to 6,700 m3. These trends pose several important questions that policy-makers would have to address. 2.3 Water Pollution Commonly, water pollution is defined as physicochemical alteration in water that may gives effect to organisms (Chiras, 2001). These broadly take into account the variety of water sources including lakes, rivers, oceans, streams, and also groundwater. The sources of water pollution can be either natural (e. g. animal waste) or by human activities such as runoff of pesticides, herbicides, and feces from agricultural land (Lerner Lerner, 2009b). The majority of tropical islands have limited sources of freshwater, no surface water or streams and fully reliant on rainfall and groundwater recharge (Praveena et al., 2010). The inhabitants of these islands mostly depend on groundwater to meet their needs, particularly for drinking and tourism purposes. The demand for fresh water has been rising in response to the increase of activities and development in tourism sector (Singh and Gupta, 1999; Aris et al., 2007). Numerous islands are experiencing water anxiety at the current levels of groundwater extraction at an outstripping supply. The freshwater lens on islands may simply be overexploited or polluted and vulnerable to climate change, pressure of island resources and the related impacts to freshwater resources (Griggs and Peterson, 1993; Singh and Gupta, 1999; Climate Change, 2007). A report by EQR Malaysia in 2009 state that compared to 2008, there was a slight deterioration in river water quality. There was a reduction in a number of clean rivers compared with 2008. There were 306 clean rivers in 2009 as compared with 334 in 2008 while the number of slightly polluted rivers increased from 197 to 217. There was also an increased in the number of polluted rivers from 48 in 2008 to 54 in 2009. However, the quality of the marine environment with respect to coastal and estuarine areas was within normal variations compared with the Malaysian Marine Water Quality Criteria and Standard (MWQCS). Figure 2.1 shows the trend of the river water quality for several years. Figure 2.1 River water quality trend (DOE, 2009) 2.4 Water Pollution Sources The sources of water pollution can be categorized as point and non-point sources (DOE, 2009). Point sources include sewage treatment plants, manufacturing and agro-based industries, and animal farms. Non-point sources are mainly diffused sources such as agricultural activities and surface runoffs. EQR Malaysia 2009 by DOE state that in 2009, 20702 water pollution point sources were recorded. These comprise of manufacturing industries (9762:47.15%), sewage treatment plants (9676:46.74% inclusive of 736 Network Pump Stations), animal farms (769:3.72%) and agro-based industries (495:2.39%). Figure 2.2 shows the composition of water pollution sources by sector in 2009. Figure 2.2 Composition of water pollution sources by sector in 2009 (DOE, 2009). The decrease in the number of clean rivers were attributed to an increase in the number of polluting sources such as sewage treatment plants, manufacturing industries, and palm oil mills which contributed to high pollution loading. As in previous years, the major pollutants detected were BOD, NH3-N and SS. High BOD can be attributed to untreated or partially treated sewage and discharges from agro-based and manufacturing industries. The main sources of NH3-N were livestock farming and domestic sewage, whilst the sources of SS were from earthworks and land clearing activities (DOE, 2009). Freshwater resources in island currently have been increase in demand as it may simply be overexploited or polluted and vulnerable to climate change, pressure of island resources and the related impacts to freshwater resources (Griggs and Peterson, 1993; Singh and Gupta, 1999; Climate Change, 2007). The most significant and instantaneous consequences of climate change are increase in air temperature, increase in sea surface temperature, changes in rainfall (precipitation) patterns and more extreme weather conditions (Tompkins et al., 2005). Vulnerable to climate change has become more frequent in various countries in the recent decade and Malaysia is not excluded from this phenomenon. Effects of climate change will alter the global hydrological cycle in terms of distribution and accessibility of regional water capital. A warmer climate with its increased climate variability will increase the risk of floods and droughts (Climate Change, 2007; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 1997). Changes in rainfall during rainy season reveal the groundwater recharge, as a sensitive function of the climatic factors, local geology, topography and land use (Dragoni and Sukhija, 2008). The islands complex and dynamic system will response dynamically in variable and complex ways to climate change (Watson et al., 1998). Most research on the possible impacts of climate change to the hydrologic cycle has been directed at forecasting the potential impacts to surface water, river discharge and quality. Nevertheless, according to Mokhtar et al. (2008), to protect valuable water resources, one must understand the natural evolution of water chemistry under natural water circulation processes in mixture with knowledge about the background of the study area. This is crucial for the evaluation and protection of water resources and in the assessment of water quality for creating threshold ions composition in natural water. 2.5 Water Quality Index Water quality index (WQI) act as a marker of water quality change and be able to indicate the effects of these changes on potential water use. The WQI serves as the basis for environmental assessment of a waterway in relative to pollution load categorization and designation of classes of valuable uses as provided under the National Water Quality Standards (NWQS) (Table 2.1 Table 2.2). The Water Quality Index (WQI) consists of six (6) parameters which are Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH3-N), Suspended Solids (SS) and pH. Water classes and uses were shown in Table 2.3. SUB INDEX WATER QUALITY INDEX INDEX RANGE CLEAN SLIGHTLY POLLUTED POLLUTED BOD 91 100 80 90 0 79 NH3-N 92 100 71 91 0 70 SS 76 100 70 75 0 69 WQI 81 100 60 80 0 59 Table 2.1 Water Quality Classification Based On WQI (DOE, 2009) Table 2.2 DOE Water Quality Index Classification (DOE, 2009) PARAMETER UNIT CLASS I II III IV V NH3-N mg/l 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.9 0.9 2.7 >2.7 BOD mg/l 1 3 3 6 6 12 >12 COD mg/l 10 25 25 50 50 100 >100 DO mg/l >7 5 7 3 5 1 3 pH >7.0 6.0 7.0 5.0 6.0 >5.0 TSS mg/l 25 50 50 150 150 300 >300 WQI >92.7 76.5 92.7 51.9 76.5 31.0 51.9 Table 2.3 Water classes and Uses (DOE, 2009) CLASS USES Class I Conservation of natural environment. Water supply I Practically no treatment necessary. Fishery I Very sensitive aquatic species. Class IIA Water supply II Conventional treatment required. Fishery II Sensitive aquatic species. Class IIB Recreational use with body contact. Class III Water supply III Extensive treatment required. Fishery III Common, of economic value and tolerant species; livestock drinking. Class IV Irrigation. Class V None of the above. 2.6 Water Quality Index Parameter 2.6.1 Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Oxygen is essential to all forms of aquatic life, including those organisms responsible for the self-purification processes in natural waters. Low levels of DO are indicative of greater pollution in the river. Pollution can cause DO concentration to drop below the necessary level to maintain healthy biota (Radojevic Bashkin, 2006). DO can also be expressed in terms of percentage saturation, and levels less than 80 per cent saturation in drinking water can usually be detected by consumers as a result of poor odour and taste (Chapman, 1996). According to Laenen and Dunnette (1997), DO is a good indicator of the overall ecological health of a river. Although other indicators also signify general river health, an adequate supply of oxygen is essential for animal life. For many species of fish, DO levels below 6 mg/L for any length if time can be lethal. 2.6.2 Biochemical Oxygen demand (BOD) Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is the mass of dissolved molecular oxygen which is needed by microorganisms for the oxidation and conversion of organic substances in a sample (20 °C) of water under defined conditions and within a defined period of time (index n in days and hours) (Fresenius Schneider, 1988). Fresenius Schneider (1988) also state that standardized laboratory procedures are used to determine BOD by measuring the amount of oxygen consumed after incubating the sample in the dark at a specified temperature, which is usually 20 °C, for a specific period of time, usually five days. This gives rise to the commonly used term BOD5. BOD measurements are usually lower than COD measurements. Unpolluted water typically have BOD values of 2 mg/L O2 or less, whereas those receiving wastewaters may have values up to 10 mg/L O2 or more, particularly near to the point of wastewater discharge. Raw sewage has a BOD of about 600 mg/L O2, whereas treated sewage effluents have BOD values ranging from 20 to 100 mg/L O2 depending on the level of treatment applied. Industrial wastes may have BOD values up to 25,000 mg/L O2 (Chapman, 1996). 2.6.3 Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) is a measure of the oxygen equivalent of the organic matter in a water sample that is susceptible to oxidation by a strong chemical oxidant (e. g. dichromate). The COD is widely used as a measure of the susceptibility to oxidation of the organic and inorganic materials present in the water bodies and in the effluents from sewage and industrial plants. Correspondingly, it does not indicate the total organic carbon present since some organic compounds are not oxidized by the dichromate method whereas some inorganic compounds are oxidized. However, COD is a useful, rapidly measured, variable for many industrial wastes and has been in use for several decades (Chapman, 1996). 2.6.4 Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH3-N) The presence of ammonium ions in water is connected to the process of the biochemical decomposition of protein substances contained in household and industrial sewage (Chan, 2002). Ammonium ion is in equilibrium with dissolved oxygen in any aqueous solution. All nitrogen that exists either as ion or in equilibrium with NH3 is considered to be ammonia-nitrogen. The relative value for NH3 varies from 0.1 to 5.0% of total sum of ammonium and ammonia at typical pH value of 6-8 and temperature between 5-30 °C (Radojevic Bashkin, 2006). According to report by DOE (2009), the main sources of NH3-N were livestock farming and domestic sewage. 2.6.5 Suspended Solids (SS) Suspended solids are matter held in suspension in the water or wastewater and retained by a filter (Chan, 2002). The type and concentration of suspended solids controls the turbidity and transparency of the water. Suspended solids consist of silt, clay, fine particles of organic and inorganic matter, soluble organic compounds, plankton and other microscopic organisms. Such particles differ in size from approximately 10nm in diameter to 0.1mm in diameter (Chapman, 1996). 2.6.6 pH pH is important in natural waters and in water treatment. Aquatic organisms are sensitive to pH changes and require a pH of 6 to 9. The pH is an important variable in water quality assessment as it influences many biological and chemical processes within a water body and all processes associated with water supply and treatment. When measuring the effects of an effluent discharge, it can be used to assist determine the extent of the effluent plume in the water body. Generally, pH is a measure of the acid balance of a solution and is defined as the negative of the logarithm to the base 10 of hydrogen ion (H+) concentration. The pH scale runs from 1 to 14 (i.e. very acidic to very alkaline), with pH 7 representing a neutral condition. At any given temperature, pH (or the H+ activity) indicates the intensity of the acidic or basic character of a solution and is controlled by the dissolved chemical compounds and biochemical processes in the solution. In unpolluted waters, pH is principally controlled by the balance between the carbon dioxide, carbonate and bicarbonate ions as well as other natural compounds (e. g. humic and fulvic acids). Unpolluted water usually gives the neutral pH value or slightly alkaline. The natural acid-base balance of a water body can be affected by industrial effluents and atmospheric deposition of acid-forming substances. Changes in pH can indicate the presence of certain effluents, particularly when continuously measured and recorded, together with the conductivity of a water body. Variations in pH can be caused by the photosynthesis and respiration cycles of algae in eutrophic waters. The pH of most natural waters is between 6.0 to 8.5, although lower values can occur in dilute waters high in organic content, and higher values in eutrophic waters, groundwater brines and salt lakes (Chapman, 1996; Jonnalagadda et al., 2001). 2.7 Previous Study on River Water Quality Status Water Quality Index (WQI) value are inconsistent based on the activity and the sources of the impurity. A report by Yusoff Haron (1999), the study of river water quality status of Ayer Hitam Forest Selangor showed that the upstream water quality was better than the downstream river water quality throughout the phase of sampling. The study shows clearly that as the river flows from uninterrupted (upstream) to the distressed environment (downstream), the physicochemical characteristics vary and thus degrades the water quality status. The value of water quality index based on the DOE-WQI was in the ranged 89.6 99.8. Thus indicate that the water quality status within the vicinity fall under Class I and II. It reveals that there is a close relationship between the river water quality and the land use pattern within the vicinity of the sampling stations. Besides development activities, natural factors such as organic matter decomposition may also contribute and hence influence the river water quality in the study area. Refer to Suratman et al. (2005), river profile status in Ibai River Basin have value of WQI in between 65.0 85.4, which have been categorize under Class II with slightly polluted water status. The major activities that contribute to the decline of water quality are the contribution of domestic sewage from residential and from the small workshops. Table 2.4 below shows some previous study done by researchers on river water quality status at different location. Table 2.4 Previous study of WQI in Malaysia Study Area WQI Value

Plot Line Revealed in Act 1 of Shakespeare’s As You Like It :: Shakespeare As You Like It Essays

The opening scene of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, in which there is nothing light – hearted, is completely expository and contrived but fulfilling its function of revealing the plot line to the audience. The fact that Shakespeare uses this kind of dramatic technique in the first scene twice shows that he wants to make the wickedness of Oliver perfectly clear. The action starts when Orlando, the younger brother decides to rebel against the oppression of his older brother, who is treating him like a common pheasant. He tells Oliver: ‘The spirit of my father, which I think is within me, begins to mutiny against this servitude. I will no longer endure it, yet I know no wise remedy how to avoid it.’ Orlando’s complaints are completely justified, as Oliver is mean spirited and malicious in the treatment of Orlando, which the audience can clearly see from this opening scene. Oliver appears cold and distant when he speaks with Orlando: ‘Now, sir, what make you here?’ -And this contrasts greatly with the ‘sisterly bond’ between Rosalind and Celia. Orlando approaches Oliver with defiance and a confrontational attitude, arousing the audiences interest at this quarrel, and establishing his character: assertive, honest and bold, a character that every audience will like and take an interest in. Oliver also shows that he is adept in the wordplay matches the play holds. Orlando and Oliver exchange much verbal sparring in the first scene, including when Orlando seizes his brother by the throat, Oliver exclaims, ‘Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain?’ Orlando picks up the root meaning of these words, that he is a person of ignorable birth and replies, ‘I am no villain: I am the younger son of Sir Rowland de Boys; he was my father, and is thrice a villain that says such a father begot villains.’ Shakespeare uses an artful device to portray information to the audience by using the two quarrelling brothers. In Oliver’s soliloquy we can almost anticipate that he is planning something against Orlando: ‘I hope I shall see an end of him’ The opening scene begins with conflict and tension, which arouses interest in the audience. It also presents us with strong character interactions and strong feelings: jealousy, hatred and wickedness, all of which are appealing for anyone watching the play. The theme of injustice also entices the audience and the fact that Oliver is planning against his younger brother is particularly interesting.

Great Expectation Essay

Compare the filming techniques used in Pip’s first meeting with Miss Havisham with two adaptations of Charles Dickens’s â€Å"Great Expectations†Ã‚  The two film clips that this essay will be based on, and comparing, is a version by Julian Jarrold which appeared on TV screens in 1999 and a much older cinema appearance by David Lean from 1946. The first noticeable difference is that the earlier film is played in black and white and therefore has certain lighting limitations and, as a result of technological disadvantages, has limited camera shot availability. However, there are a number of useful factors available for analysis. Both films attempt to build up a sense of mystery and increasing tension all the way through the scenes and the task in hand is to focus in on all the different types of filming techniques used to do so. On the whole, the 1999 version is darker than the 1946 edition and this increases the tension factor. Each scene takes us from Pip entering Miss Havisham’s room to when he leaves and incorporates all of the insults and belittling from Miss Havisham and Estella, although even this is played differently in the two films; David Lean makes very obvious insults as though Estella is actually telling him he is lower than her yet in Jarrold’s version Estella either insults Pip to Miss Havisham or to herself in an undertone. There are six main techniques used by each director which this essay will analyse, they are: shot types and framing-how each camera shot affects the â€Å"mood† of the scene, camera angles and lens movement-how the camera is positioned and what bearing that has on the scene, editing, music and sound effects-the backing sounds and its effect on the viewer, costumes-what each actor is wearing and what it does for the characters personality/appearance, lighting and visual effects-how the light and dark areas of the screen portray different ideas. Firstly, there are a few similarities between both scene’s Shot types and framing/Camera angles and lens movements/Editing. The first is that both incorporate a long shot as Pip enters to show the huge room in front of him and show that this room really is intimidating as Pip looks tiny compared to the huge open space ahead. Secondly, both films show Pips reaction as a close up shot after the insults from Estella, this gives the viewer a real sense of pity for Pip and shows us what exactly is going through his mind at the time. The final similarity is as the game of cards unfolds, both films fade into the game to show a passing of time and both use an extreme close up to show us what is happening and, Miss Havisham is sat high on a chair in the middle, with Pip and Estella on the floor either side, with a medium shot, making Miss Havisham look very dominant and the children look almost patronised. The 1999 version has a lengthy amount of time when Pip is wondering around the room looking at certain objects, building up mystery and tension, which Jarrold misses out and skips from Pip entering straight to his conversation with Miss Havisham. This â€Å"added† section has a mixture of medium close ups, close ups and extreme close ups, but all the way through the shots are positioned a bit higher than Pip so it gives the audience the idea that somebody has a watchful eye on him, and this, to a certain extent, is almost creepy, certainly builds up mystery and also borderlines on scary. For example, when Pip is walking past the dummies the camera is high up so it is as though the viewers are looking through Miss Havisham’s eyes. The other main camera uses are when Pip sees Miss Havisham in the mirror, she looks virtually ghost like and it is almost scary, but just before she appears, its looks again as though he is being watched, and as Miss Havisham waves her arm to tell Pip to play, there is a close up of her arm to show her dominance and shortly after a close up of Pip’s face to show the confused reaction. This section of the scene is very clever camera work by Jarrold, and really does freak the audience out. Both films use shot types, framing, camera angles, lens movement and editing differently, but there a number of specific differences between the two. When the two films join back up, there are many different camera uses and consequences of such. In the 1946 version, there is a long shot as Pip walks up to Miss Havisham and a medium close up as they talk to one-another and as Pip advances further, the camera moves in an arc to keep him and Miss Havisham on the picture at the same time. When they are closer, it allows an even closer shot than before of their faces and therefore portrays both expressions and the reactions to each others expressions individually. An addition to this version of â€Å"Great Expectations† is how the camera zooms in on a cobweb covered bible to show the lost faith of Miss Havisham, and explain to the audience that something terrible has happened earlier in her life to make her do so. A two shot of Miss Havisham and Pip is on screen, and, as Estella joins the camera â€Å"slides† horizontally to follow her in. As Estella whispers in Miss Havisham’s ear there is a two shot to portray Miss Havisham’s expression. When Miss Havisham asks Pip his opinion of Estella he is made to whisper it in her ear but as he does so there is a medium close up showing all three expressions at the same time, i.e. Pip’s horror as Miss Havisham tells Estella what he has just said and Estella’s delight of hearing such approving words. As Pip approaches the gate to go home, there is another fade in to show more time has passed by. This can be compared with the 1999 version which has a much briefer conversation between Pip and Miss Havisham as much time is spent when Pip walks around, but, when Pip is whispering about Estella, the camera zooms in on Estella’s face to show her reaction after being praised by Pip. Finally, when Pip and Miss Havisham are talking, there is a two shot of them to show each reaction as each person says something.

Development Phase Essay

In our group we started to develop the life of Billy Johnson and his triumph to becoming a war hero. Billy is an over confidante young man whom decides to join the war due to all the advertisement and belief form his father. Billy is convinced by propaganda that war will bring him loads of girls, fame and fortune and is gullible enough to take the risk and put his life on the line for un-thought of consequences. Unfortunately for Billy, little does he know that this decision will lead him to his cowardly death in the depth of the war. In my group we focused on showing how serious war can be and how you can be extremely hyped up and all of a sudden, that hype is shattered at the sounds of bullets blazing overhead. We used many elements of drama to express and enhance our piece. We started off our piece by having the whole family at the dinner table and the father (Umar) hands out the notice to Billy (me). This automatically kick starts Billy’s thoughts of becoming a hero and makes himself believe that he is unstoppable. Billy’s mum (Zeynap) and his younger sister (Marion) are shocked at the thought of Billy going into war especially at a young age of 16. This scene develops many emotions because the family are shocked but also disappointed at the father for filling Billy’s head with false hope. This starts off the reality of war because people don’t think about the casualties war can bring upon us. In Billy’s eyes it is a chance to become a real man and prove his mother and sister wrong that he can succeed and become a war hero. To show the different emotions flowing through each characters mind, we used thought tracking. We used this technique because we felt it is the best way for a character to express their feelings. Each member of the family expressed how they felt about Billy going to war so it was a good idea because the audience could get some information about the current mood of each character. In the second scene Billy went over to his mate James’s (Umar) house to try and convince him to join the army as well. This scene shows how Billy is too over confidante at the thought of war and it makes James see that Billy has his head in the clouds. James tries to remind Billy how dangerous war can be but Billy is too consistent on becoming a war hero. After a matter of convincing, Billy eventually manages to get James to agree a chance to become famous and join Billy’s side on the battlefield. This scene shows how people can be peer-pressured into activities and how your friend’s word isn’t always correct than your gut feeling. In the third scene we have Billy and James signing up for war. This scene was rather interesting because you can clearly see that Billy is really excited but James is rather doubtful at the thought of survival. Billy has to lie about his age to get signed up but it doesn’t really matter to Billy because his cockiness seems to get the better of him as he lies through his teeth. When he sees how nervous James is he decides to wait and encourage James to sign up. Then as Billy urges James forward, James has a monologue, which explains to the audience that James only wants to help people, not kill them. I think that Umar played this part of the scene very well because he reaches out and really touch the audience with his emotions towards war. In the monologue James shows how he is scared and nervous about going to war and is really re-thinking signing up. Unfortunately for him Billy is too focused on getting them both to war so poor James doesn’t really have a chance to tell Billy his feelings. The forth scene was a very intense scene. This scene takes place on the boat, which our brave soldiers are heading off to war. We introduce a new character in this scene. Matthew (Zeynap) is a rather brave and confidante character, mostly a resemblance to Billy. Matthew approaches the free seat next to James but is rudely told to go away by a very frustrated James. Billy lets him sit down and Matthew and Billy begin to talk about how Great War will be. Then suddenly James snaps back to reality and starts to state the obvious about how dangerous war can and will be. Billy tries to calm James down but to no avail. This scene was very affective because the scene was quite to start of with then James starts to shout and it livens up the tempo. As James exits the scene, both Matthew and Billy are left awkwardly deep in their thoughts. In our fifth scene we were situated in a crosscutting dill-lemma. In one scene we had James and Billy back to back in the trenches showing how scared they were and how terrified they both looked. On the other hand we had the mother and little sister back at home thinking about the two boys and how reminding themselves how safe they will be. This scene helped to emprise our true emotions towards war and how war can literally make or break you. The family scene was focused on how positive the war will be and how both family members had full faith In Billy and his courage to succeed. The mother was reassuring the little daughter that Billy will be safe and he will come back a real man. Then we go and look at the two boys in the trenches. You can see that both of them are terrified at the thought of war and will become emotionally depressed. We tried to use the technique of limiting words to try and make the scene more affective because the audience would see my the facial gestures that these two boys are really terrified and may regret the thought of joining the war. Throughout this scene it is clear the audience that everybody is human and even the strongest soldier can even get scared at the sight of men screaming and dieing before their very own eyes. Our sixth scene was the most emotional and exciting scene. In the scene Billy falls to his cowardly death. We tried to make this scene as emotional and touching to the audience because they see the fear in Billy. This scene starts off by Billy asking his fellow soldiers, was it the right decision going to war. James shoots back at him by reminding Billy that this was all his idea and he should face the music. As the cornel (Marion) notifies that it’s time to shape up and head into the battlefield, every soldier holds their breath, and charges for what could be their last few minutes on this Earth. But then all the focus turns to a whining, shameless Billy Johnson. After all his courage able talk, Billy whimpers in the corner of the trench, unwilling to charge. His cornel shouts at Billy and tells him to get up immediately. Billy refuses and back talks. This shocking coward ness form a soldier leads to Billy’s cowardly death. This scene proves to the audience that even the most cockily people can be overpowered by fear. It made me really feel for Billy as I played this scene because his father encouraged him that war will make him a hero. It made me realise that Billy was just a young boy trying to impress his family and make a small difference in this world. As Billy’s life ends, the next scene shows the after shock of this disgusting news. Our final scene shows how the thought of never hearing a family members voice, touching their skin or even smelly their scent can make you wish death upon you. This scene was very emotional because you can see how upset and distraught the family’s reactions were towards Billy’s death. These sorts of moments will always be remembered as emotional crashes in out lives. It makes us realise that you got to hold onto and be grateful for what you have because you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. In this project I have learnt a lot about the affects of war, the ups and downs and most importantly the way the human mind functions. This play made me realise that not everything is as exciting or rewarding as it’s said to be and we should think fully through our decisions before we make them.