Labour market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Labour market - Essay Example Labour market flexibility refers to the ability and the willingness of labour to respond to changes in the market condition, including changes in the demand for work force and the wage rate. The labour market flexibility is an imperative aspect of how labour markets adjusts to supply and demand, it is therefore has a key role to the supply side of the macroeconomics. A flexible labour market is when firms are under fewer regulations concerning the labour force and therefore, can set their own wages, change their work hours and fire employees (Michie & Sheehan 2003, P.131). In contrast, a labour market with low flexibility is bound by some rules and regulations such as requirements from trade unions and minimum wage restrictions. It is good to note that, labour market institutions were seen to block the clear functions of the market by weakening the demand for work force, thus making it not attractive to hire workers by pushing up the wage or by distorting the labour supply, leading t o impairing the equilibrium of market function mechanism (Benner 2003, P.629). The most distinction of labour market flexibility is based on strategies companies use, and they can be grouped into four: External numerical flexibility, it refers to the number of workers from the external market or the adjustments of labour intake. It can be achieved by employing workers temporarily or on fixed contracts, therefore, the employer can hire and fire employees according to the company’s needs, by following the protection legislation. Internal numerical flexibility, it is achieved by adjusting schedules or working hours of workers employed in the firm. It includes part time, overtime and shifts. Functional flexibility, it is where the employees can be transferred to different tasks within the company, it mostly deals with organization of operations in a firm. Financial flexibility, it is where there are differences

Long Form Journalism writing ( see instruction) Article - 1

Long Form Journalism writing ( see instruction) - Article Example To some people, their extreme conviction and dedication in participating the church’s evangelical mission, and in thanksgiving to God seemed like a big mystery. Why are they doing it like a robot? Why are they giving too much dedication not just in thanksgiving God, but in attending all worship services and evangelical missions? In an interview with a church member, he replied, â€Å"we give much importance to our worship services because it is a duty God is waiting for us to fulfill. We have so many reasons to thank God. We were awakened from false teachings of our former religions, and we were given the right to belong to His chosen people in these last days. We doesn’t care even if we miss great opportunities, we doesn’t care even if we can’t report to our office work. What’s most important to us is that we could fulfill God’s given task to us. Our annual thanksgiving is another duty in praising God for all the blessings He is pouring on the entire church, and in the individual member’s lives. We treat everything as God’s gift: life, opportunities, peace, we could not achieve it on our own struggle. That is why we always cling to God, and we believe in His promise of eternal life.† From their issue of God’s Message, their magazine, published on May 2004. There is an article about the Brother Felix Manalo as God’s messenger. Looking backward to the history of the church, it has started in the Philippines by Bro. Felix Y. Manalo(1886-1963). Manalo was born on May 10, 1886, 10 years prior to the Philippine Revolution that ended the 400-year of Spanish colonialism. The church’s members believe that he is the fulfillment of biblical prophecies concerning God’s â€Å"chosen servant† from the â€Å"ends of the earth† mentioned in Is. 41:9-10 and the â€Å"angel ascending from the east† entrusted with the task of sealing the â€Å"servants of God† mentioned in Rev. 7:2-3. He was the eldest child of

Synthesis and Characterization of a New Aromatic Diamine

Synthesis and Characterization of a New Aromatic Diamine The synthesis and characterization of a new aromatic diamine, 2,5-bis-(aminopyridine-2-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (BAPO), containing pyridine and 1,3,4-oxadiazole moieties has been reported. An organophilic clay has been obtained via cation exchange reaction between the hydrochloride salt of BAPO and sodium montmorillonite (Na+-Mt‎). Basal space and thermal stability of this new modified organoclay were studied by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. High thermal stability of BAPO-Mt in compared with conventional montmorillonite modified with aliphatic long chain surfactants is shown. A series of organoclay/polyimide nanocomposites (CPN) consisting of BAPO and benzophenone-3,3,4,4-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) were also obtained by an in situ polymerization reaction followed by thermal imidization. Structural properties and thermal stability of the obtained CPNs were studied by XRD, TGA, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The glass transition temperature (Tg) is increased with respect to pristine PI for CPNs 1-3 wt.%. At high clay concentrations, the coagulation of organoclay particles results in a decrease in Tg. Based on the obtained results, CPN 1 wt.% showed the most improved thermal properties. 1. Introduction Polyimides (PI) have gained interests in both academia and industries due to their excellent thermal stability, good resistance toward organic solvents, and improved mechanical properties [1]. They have been have been applied widely in the areas of modern industries [2]. These super engineering plastics have found their way into aerospace, electrical/electronic applications [3], gas separation [4], cell processing, biochip design [5], coating, and composites [6-7]. However, some difficulties come from rigidity and poor solubility in processing of most PIs. Introduction of flexible ether and ester linkages between the aromatic rings of the main chain is an effective way to make these polymers more pliable [8]. In this regard, preparation of poly(ester-amide-imide)s [9], poly(ether amide imide)s [10], poly(amine–amide–imide)s [11] and poly(amide-imide)s [12] have been reported. It was shown that, the incorporation of rigid heterocyclic rings in the main chain of a synthetic polymer could provide excellent thermal and thermo-oxidative stability, which should be useful to decrease negative effects resulting from the introduction of flexible linkages mentioned above. Pyridine nucleolus, as a rigid symmetric aromatic ring, would contribute to the thermal stability, chemical stability, and retention of mechanical property of the resulting polymer at elevated temperature. Furthermore, the polarizability, resulting from the nitrogen atom i n the pyridine ring, could be suitable to improve their solubility in organic solvents [13]. Fujigaya et al. reported among the variety of polybenzimidazole derivatives, the pyridine-containing polymer is known to possess a better mechanical properties and significantly higher proton conductivity due to its higher acid doping ability [14]. On the other hand, it was known that, the thermal stability of polymers can be raised by the incorporation of 1,3,4-oxadiazole moieties into the polymer structure [15]. The outstanding thermal stability is ascribed to the electronic equivalency of the oxadiazole ring to the phenylene ring structure, which has high thermal-resistance [16]. Combination of inorganic materials with organic polymers is one the exciting topics that has been receiving increasing research attention during recent decades. Nanostructured hybrid materials showed wide potential applications in various areas such as in coatings [17], catalysis [18] and biotechnology [19], shape memory polymers [20], and fuel cells [21]. Organically modified sodium clay (Na+-Mt) has improved compatibility, hence higher efficiency of reinforcement, with the polymer matrix. It has been known that, the dispersion of small amounts reinforcing organoclay mineral with high-aspect ratios, such as layered silicate clays, can significantly enhance the properties of PI and its precursor poly(amic acid) (PAA). These improvements can include solvent resistance [22], ionic conductivity [23], enhanced fire retardance [24], increased corrosion protection [25], increased strength and heat resistance [26], decreased gas permeability [27], high moduli [28], and dielectric properties [29]. The enhancements in thermal and mechanical properties of polymer/clay nanocomposites (CPNs) are due to the lamellar structure of montmorillonite those results in high in-plane strength and stiffness, and a high aspect ratio [30-31]. The chemical structure of Na+-Mt consists of two fused silica tetrahedral sheets sandwich an edge-shared octahedral sheet of either aluminum or magnesium hydroxide [32]. The Ca2+ and Na+ ions adsorbed in the interlayer region are exchangeable with organic cations such as long chain alkyl ammonium [33-34]. These organoclays as compatibilizer may be suitable for polymer blends prepared with a low processing temperature. They have low thermal stability and start to decompose around 200 °C, whereas the melt-processing temperatures of most polymers are typically above 200 °C [35]. Furthermore, the preparation and processing of PI/organoclaynanocomposites is carried out at high temperatures, and the thermal decomposition of the long carbon chain of quaternary ammonium salts is inevitable. Thermal decomposition during processing can initiate/catalyze polymer degradation, in addition to a variety of undesirable effects during processing and in the final product [36-37]. To avoid the detrimental effects, modification of clay minerals with imidazolium [38] and phosphonium [39] salts have been noted. As another approach, using of aromatic amines and/or diamines, as swelling agents, has also been considered in the preparation of polyamide and polyimide (PI) nanocomposites [31, 36, 40-41]. Recently, we reported the synthesis of a new aromatic diamine, 2-(5-(3,5-diaminophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-yl)pyridine (POBD). Thermally stable poly(amide-imide)s [12], polyamides [42], polyimides [43], and PI/Clay nanocomposites [44] have been prepared using POBD. We noticed to the metal coordination ability of the 1,3,4-oxadiazole ring adjacent to 2-pyridyl group in designing POBD, Scheme 1. The ability of prepared hybrid materials for removal of the Co(II) ion have also been investigated [41, 45]. Thus, as part of our continuing efforts on the synthesis of polyimides with high thermal stability and metal ions coordination ability, in this work, we wish to report the synthesis and characterization of another designed aromatic monomer containing pyridine and 1,3,4-oxadiazole moieties. In this work, BAPO has been synthesized in four steps starting from 2-amino-6-methyl pyridine (1). The dihydrochloride salt of BAPO was used as a swelling agent for the modification of Na+-Mt. The novel modified organoclay (BAPO-Mt) was used in the preparation of PI/organoclay hybrids of BAPO/BTDA. Thermal stability of BAPO is higher than those for commonly used quaternary alkyl ammonium salts. Therefore, thermal degradation will be prevented during heat treatment needed for curing of poly(amic acid)s. The obtained films were studied by FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD, and SEM. The thermal properties were examined by TGA-DTA and DSC. 3. Results and discussion 3.1. Preparation of BAPO-modified organoclay The new diamine, BAPO 5, was synthesized in four steps. 2-Amino-6-methtypyridine 1 was acetylated with acetic anhydride, oxidized with potassium permanganate, and then alkaline hydrolyzed to give 6-amino-picolinic acid 4 [47]. Cyclo-dehydration to 4 with hydrazine sulfate in the presence of P2O5 in the mixture of POCl3 and concentrated phosphoric acid gave BAPO 5 in overall 20.0% yield (Scheme 2). The chemical structure of BAPO 5 was confirmed by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectrometry techniques. In the FT-IR spectrum, amino stretching vibrations observed at 3332 and 3202 cm-1. Vibration of C=N bonds of pyridine and oxadiazole rings appeared at 1575 and 1653 cm-1, respectively. The absorption band with medium intensity observed at 1273 cm-1 is related to vibration of C-N bond on the pyridine nucleolus. The amino protons also merged to appear as a broad singlet centered at 6.32 ppm in the 1H NMR spectrum. This peak was disappeared upon addition of D2O and a new peak related to HOD was appeared at 3.90 ppm. In the 13C NMR spectrum of BAPO (5) totally 6 signals observe that it is compatible with the desired structure, Figure 1. Molecular ion peak was observed as base peak in the mass spectra of BAPO, Figure 2. The ‎fragmentation pattern is shown in Scheme 3.‎ To prepare the organophilic clay (BAPO-Mt) via a cation exchange reaction, the Na+-Mt was initially mixed with a hydrochloride solution of the intercalating agent, BAPO 5. Scheme 4 presents a schematic drawing of the modification step. 3.2. Characterization of BAPO-Mt organoclay Figure 3 shows FT-IR spectra of BAPO, sodium montmorillonite, and BAPO-Mt. The spectrum of organoclay exhibits the characteristic bands of Mt and BAPO: N–H stretching at 3330 and 3206 cm-1, –C=N– stretching of the pyridine nucleolus at 1652 cm-1, –C=N– stretching of the oxadiazole ring at 1546 cm-1, stretching vibrations of the double bonds of the aromatic rings in BAPO at 1627 cm-1, and typical bands of montmorillonite at 1033 and 525 cm-1. Figure 4 presents wide XRD of BAPO-Mt and pristine clay. A strong peak is observed at 2à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  = 8.95 ° for Na+-Mt, corresponding to the (001) plane, indicating that the interlayer spacing (d001-spacing) of Na+-Mt is about 1.0 nm. The interlayer  ­d001spacing can be calculated from peak positions using Bragg’s law: nÃŽ » = 2d sin ÃŽ ¸, where ÃŽ » is the X-ray wavelength (1.5418 Ã…). The reà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ection peak of (001) in BAPO-Mt shifted to a lower diffraction angle at 6.90 °, corresponding to the larger d001-spacing (1.28 nm) than Na+-Mt. The replacement of sodium ions with the ammonium ions of BAPO seems to increase the d001-spacing of layered silicate. In general, a larger d001-spacing should assist the intercalation of the polymer chains and should also lead to better clay dispersion within the polymer matrix. Table 1 summarizes the diffraction peaks and the calculated d001-spacings of Na+-Mt and organophilic clays. The thermal treatment of pristine clay under nitrogen consists of two main stages. The first stage occurs from ambient temperature to 200 °C. In this step, free water molecules physically adsorbed on the external surfaces of crystals along with the hydrating water molecules around the exchangeable cation located inside the interlayer space are removed. The second stage is attributed to the dehydroxylation of the structural silanol units of the montmorillonite in the range of 200-700 °C. The temperature intervals of dehydration corresponding to these processes as well as the amount of water released depends on the nature of adsorbed cations and the hydration of the surface [50]. On the other hand, organically modified montmorillonite shows a four-step decomposition process. The vaporization of free water takes place at temperatures below 200 °C, while the surfactant’s decomposition occurs in the temperature range of 200–500 °C. Dehydroxylation of the structural s ilanol groups related to aluminosilicates occurs between 500–800 °C. The last step is the decomposition associated with the combustion reaction between organic carbon and inorganic oxygen [51]. The amount of loaded diamine can be estimated by TGA measurement. Figure 5 shows the TGA curves of the Na+-Mt, the BAPO-Mt, and BAOP. Pristine Na+-Mt contains a large quantity of water due to the intercalation of hydrated sodium (Na+) and hydrated calcium (Ca2+) cations inside the clay layers. These physically adsorbed water molecules are removed in the range from ambient temperature to 230 °C (ca. 3.81% weight loss). The virgin clay also undergoes a 6.36% weight loss within 230-598 °C related to dehydroxylation of the structural silanol units. Whereas, under the same condition BAPO-Mt shows a weight loss of about 10.6% within 230-598 °C related to surface dehydroxylation and thermal decomposition of the surfactant molecules within the organoclay galleries. The difference betwe en weight losses of Na+-Mt and BAOP-Mt within 230-598 °C (Δm = 4.24%) can be attributed to the weight of the loaded diamine. Therefore, the amount of loaded diamines (42.4 mg/g of clay) can be calculated from Eq. (1). Surface energy of Na+-Mt is lowered by the presence of the aromatic ammonium ions within the interlayer spacing. Therefore, the hydrophilic silicate surface transforms to an organophilic one. As seen in Figure 5, the thermal decomposition of the surfactant molecules occurs in two stags at 260 °C and 370 °C. These temperatures are higher than those of decomposition temperature of aliphatic long chain surfactants commonly used for modification of Na+-Mt, which occurs below 200 °C [52]. This study suggests that the BAPO-Mt can be used in the preparation of PI nanocomposites that need to be cured at elevated temperatures. The images obtained by SEM demonstrate significant changes on the surface of the BAPO-Mt. The Na+-Mt particles seem to be stuck together due to moisture (Figure 6a-b), but the organoclay particles are clearly separated in organically modified clay (Figure 6c,d). It seems that the hydrophilicity of the clay is reduced after modification reaction. This study is in accordance with TGA results. 3.4. Polymer Synthesis The present work reports the preparation and characterization of new polyimide CPNs. BAPO-Mt is used as the surfactant at different concentrations. Scheme 5 depicts the synthesis of the PI from the reaction of BAPO and BTDA through thermal dehydration of the poly(amic acid) intermediate. The FT-IR absorptions appearing at approximately 1786, 1727, 1366, 1094 and 722 cm-1 (Figure 7) indicate the presence of imide functional groups in the polyimide film [53]. The polyimide is also characterized by elemental analysis. The observed and calculated values for CHN analyses are in good agreement. Solubility test results (Table 2) show that the obtained PI is soluble in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature and in other polar aprotic solvents such as, dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) at boiling temperature of the solvents. For this experiment, about 0.01 g of the polymer sample was examined in 1 ml of solvent at room and at boiling temperature of the solvents. The inherent viscosity of the 0.125 and 0.25 g/dL solutions of the polyimide were 0.36 and 0.39 dL/g, respectively (measured at 25 ± 0.5 °C in DMSO). 3.5. Preparation and characterization of PI/BAPO-Mt CPNs The preparation and characterization of polyimide CPNs with different concentrations of organoclay are also investigated. Scheme 6 shows a procedure for the preparation of PI/BAPO-Mt CPNs by thermal imidization according to method described earlier [44-45]. Figure 8 presents XRD curves of BAPO-Mt, and PI films with various organoclay contents. The lack of any diffraction peak in the XRD patterns of CPNs 1 and 3 wt.%, at 2à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ± = 2-10 °, can be attributed to the possible formation of nanocomposites of exfoliated structure. A wide and week diffraction peak at 2à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ± = 6.62 ° was displayed by CPN 5%, equaling a d00-spacing of 1.33 nm for the layered silicates in the CPN. The shift to higher interlayer d00spacing with respect to BAPO-Mt (2à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  = 6.90 °, d001 = 1.28 nm) is due to the intercalation of the polymer within the organoclay galleries and the formation of an intercalated nanocomposite. Pure polyimide does not show any diffraction peak at 2à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ± = 2-10 °. The XRD data are summarized in Table 3. The glass transition temperature of the pure PI is observed at about 271.3 °C (measured by DSC), and the polymer does not show any melting endotherm. The decomposition of the polymer begins at 435.5 °C, and no thermal decomposition occurs below this temperature. To remove any adsorbed water, the polymer samples were heated to 150 °C and then cooled to room temperature prior DSC measurements. Figure 9 shows DSC curves of the PI and CPNs. The results are summarized in Table 4. As seen, the glass transition temperature increases dramatically from 271.3 °C for pure PI to 297.0 °C for CPN 1%. The restriction of the intercalated polymer chains within the clay galleries can be responsible for preventing segmental motions of the polymer chains [46]. However, further addition of organoclay up to 5 wt.% leads to a decrease in Tg. This decrease might be due to the aggregation of BAPO-Mt particles that reduces the interfacial interaction between organoclay and the PI matrix [47]. Both DSC and DTA methods show similar trends of changing in the Tg values upon increasing the organoclay content. Figure 10 shows TGA curves of the pure PI and CPNs. The results are given in Table 4. As seen thermo-gravimetery parameters such as temperature for %10 mass loss and initial thermal decomposition (TD) are increased for CPN 1%, remained almost unchanged in CPN 3%, and then decreased. Char yields are less influenced by the BAPO-Mt content. The drop in the thermal properties at high organoclay loading may be attributed to the better miscibility of polymer and organoclay phases at low organoclay concentrations. Like a superior insulator, the obtained multilayered carbonaceous silicate structure increase the total path of evaporation for small molecules produced during pyrolysis [24]. Based on DSC, DTA and TGA studies, it can conclude that CPN 1% has the most improved thermal properties. The morphology of the PI and CPN film surfaces was also studied be SEM. Some significant and interesting changes have been observed in the surface of CPN 1% with respect to virgin PI film, Figures 11a-d. As seen in the pictures, too many micro-cracks are observed in the background of both films, however, homogeneity of the film surface is increased in the CPN 1wt.%. Conclusion A new thermally stable organoclay has been prepared through the modification of Na+-Mt with BAPO. An X-ray diffraction study confirmed the intercalation of organic surfactant within the silicate layers. SEM images showed that some significant changes occurred on the surface of BAPO-Mt with respect to Na+-Mt, including a decrease in hydrophilicity. Furthermore, the high thermal stability of BAPO avoids pyrolysis during thermal imidization of poly(amic acid) intermediate. The preparation and characterization of new PI/BAPO-Mt CPNs with different contents of organoclay have also been investigated. CPNs 1-5% were prepared from the thermal imidization of a BAPO-Mt dispersion in a poly(amic acid) solution obtained from BAPO and BTDA. XRD patterns showed that exfoliated CPNs may be obtained with the organoclay content of 1-3 wt.%, but at higher clay loadings intercalated structure is significant. TGA-DTA and DSC measurements showed that Tg increases with increasing organoclay content loadin g to 1 wt.%, and then decrease thereafter. SEM images showed that CPNs 1% produces smoother film than that of the virgin polyimide.

Comparison of Federico García Lorcas Poems, Romance de la Pena Negra a

Comparison of Federico Garcà ­a Lorca's Poems, Romance de la Pena Negra and La Aurora Romance de la Pena Negra (Ballad of the Black Sorrow) was written by Lorca on the 30. July 1924 (Catedra:80). It was one of a collection of poems he entitled the Romancero Gitano (Gypsy Ballads) that, when published, was a huge success, among academics and the general public alike, making this book one of his most well known pieces of work. There are many reasons why the poems received such wide acclaim in terms of Lorca’s wider audience: It is clear that the ballad, with its simple, eight-syllable line rhyming structure makes for uncomplicated reading, in addition, the subject matter would have sparked general interest due to the mysterious nature of its gypsy protagonists, who had popularised the flamenco arts at the end of the 19th century, yet inspired a mixture of fear, loathing and admiration in Spain that all Spaniards would have recognised. The universal content of the poems is another reason for their popularity, they are rich in natural imagery, the moon, the sea and the mountains all appear frequently, as do themes of love, sexuality and death, making the poems easily accessible to all readers on a basic level. Critics and academics were just as appreciative of Lorca’s work, in it they were able to recognise his talent for fusion and innovation, for example, he combined the narrative ballad format with the lyrical (Harvard: 32) and harmoniously blended elements from the classics (influences from Greek mythology) (Catedra:79), the folkloric (the use of gypsy lore), and the most modern scientific thought of Freud and his theories regarding dreams and the subconscious. It is important that Lorca would choose the ballad to create h... ...r to give the coins being thrown at the abandoned children, the quality of furious swarms of wasps that, rather than helping, are actually attacking them. The contrasting images deployed by Lorca in these lines convert the traditional good associated with giving money into a form of torture; the money becomes a weapon and the act of giving money a lesson on morality. BIBLIOGRAPHY Carr, Raymond: â€Å"Spain 1808-1975† (2nd ed.) 1982, Oxford University Press/Clarendon Press â€Å"Federico Garcà ­a Lorca Conferencias I†, Alianza Editorial, S.A., Madrid 1984 Gaos, Vicente: â€Å"Antologà ­a del Grupo Poà ©tico de 1927† Ediciones Cà ¡tedra, S.A. 1981 Harvard, Robert G: â€Å"Federico Garcà ­a Lorca Gypsy Ballads – Romancero Gitano†, Aris & Phillips – Warminster – England. Salinas, Pedro: â€Å"Literatura Espaà ±ola Siglo XX† 1970, Alianza Editorial, S.A. Madrid http://witcombe.sbc.edu/modernism/

Upward Initial Velocity

1). A stone is dropped from rest from the top of a tall building, as Figure  2. 17  indicates. After 3. 00 s of free-fall, what is the  displacement  y  of the stone? | The stone, starting with zero velocity at the top of the building, is accelerated downward by gravity. | | Reasoning  Ã‚  The upward direction is chosen as the positive direction. The initial  velocity  v0  of the stone is zero, because the stone is dropped from rest. The  acceleration  due to gravity is negative, since it points downward in the negative direction. Solution | 2). After 3. 00 s of free-fall, what is the  velocity  v  of the stone? Solution 1).A football game customarily begins with a coin toss to determine who kicks off. The referee tosses the coin up with an initial  speed  of 5. 00 m/s. In the absence of air resistance, how high does the coin go above its point of release? Reasoning  Ã‚  The coin is given an upward initial velocity. But the  acceleration  due to gravity points downward. Since the  velocity  and acceleration point in opposite directions, the coin slows down as it moves upward. Eventually, the velocity of the coin becomes  v=0 m/s at the highest point. | At the start of a football game, a referee tosses a coin upward with an initial velocity of  v0=+5. 0 m/s. The velocity of the coin is momentarily zero when the coin reaches its maximum height. | Solution| 2). What is the total time the coin is in the air before returning to its release point? Reasoning  Ã‚  During the time the coin travels upward, gravity causes its  speed  to decrease to zero. On the way down, however, gravity causes the coin to regain the lost speed. Thus, the time for the coin to go up is equal to the time for it to come down. In other words, the total travel time is twice the time for the upward motion. With these data, we can use Equation   (v=v0+at) to find the upward travel time. Solution

Earth Liberation Front Essay

With over 600 criminal acts resulting to more than $100 million in property damages, the Earth Liberation Front has been dubbed as the most active and destructive domestic terrorist group in the United States by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Unlike international terrorism, mostly carried out by Muslim radicals seeking â€Å"Holy War† with America, domestic terrorism falls under the category of special interest extremists according to the FBI, the lead agency in counterterrorism. Special interest extremists conduct acts of politically motivated violence to force segments of society, including the general public, to change attitudes about issues considered important to their causes. These groups occupy the extreme fringes of animal rights, pro-life, environmental, antinuclear, and other movements (FBI, 1999, p. 20). The ELF conducts random economic sabotage by destroying facilities and industries involve in logging, genetic engineering, energy production and auto making to prevent the exploitation of the natural environment. The group believes that in order to preserve the earth’s ecological balance they have to tear down the U. S. capitalist economic system that continually abuses nature for profit. James F. Jarboe, FBI’s Domestic Terrorism Section Chief, testified in 2002 before the U. S. congress describing the ELF as the top domestic terror group which could become a serious threat to nuclear sites. In 2005, the U. S. Department of Homeland Security branded ELF as the most aggressive terrorist element among the radical environmental movement. Members, who call themselves â€Å"Elves†, engage in a new brand of hostility named eco-terrorism. They are committed to defend their cause by all means necessary through direct actions and revolutionary violence. Due to the autonomous nature of the movement with no formal chain of command, law enforcement agencies admitted that they have difficulty in infiltrating the group despite several major arrests and indictments. The FBI alleged that William C. Rodgers was the leader of the group. He was arrested in December 2005 but committed suicide while in jail using a plastic bag. ELF’s base of operation is mainly located in Canada, United Kingdom, and United States. Origin: ELF originated in 1992 in Brighton, England devoted to protect and save the environment. It was established by a more radical group of activists known as Earth First who thinks that criminal acts like economic sabotage would better advanced its cause rather than legal protests. The name was derived from another movement Animal Liberation Front (ALF) who likewise use the same method in promoting their ideals of liberating the animals from abuse. The two organizations forged alliance in 1997 and have claimed more than 1,200 criminal acts causing over $100 million in property damages for the past 15 years. Members employ illegal direct actions by using arson in confronting companies and practices they see as abusive and immoral. With such tactic they hope to impose economic loss or cripple business operations. ELF surfaced in America in 1996 by burning a U. S. Forest Service truck in Oregon’s Willamette National Forest and spray-painted the building with anti-logging slogans. Since then, ELF continued attacking big businesses year after year becoming the most wanted terrorist group. The movement is funded by wealthy benefactors and other allied organizations sympathetic to its cause like the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Organization, Ideology and Tactics: ELF is an underground movement with a decentralize structure. It is a loose network of small groups or individuals who sympathize with the movement. Anyone can be a member as long as he or she simply follows the ELF’s guidelines: to inflict maximum economic damage on those profiting from the destruction and exploitation of the natural environment, to reveal to, and to educate the public about the atrocities committed against the earth and all species that populate it and to take all necessary precautions against harming life (Rosebraugh, 2004, p. 18). The group is practically invisible with no official members, leaders or spokesperson. In this manner, they can continue to freely fight for their cause without the fear of being imprisoned and this practice has been proven to be very effective. The group is rooted in an ideology that considers all living organisms on earth possess moral rights and deserve equal care as the humans. In addition, the ELF also believes in deep ecology favoring the rollback of civilization and restoring the environment damaged by selfish interests brought about by the industrial age. This philosophy maintains that modernization has created endless injustices on the planet that will lead to the destruction of human existence on earth and the extinction of wildlife habitat. ELF recognizes that the environmental movement has failed to bring the message across and brought about changes in preserving the environment. The legal protests did not catch the attention of the public and the government but instead laws have encouraged many big businesses to profit from the exploitation of the earth’s natural resources. Members of the group believe that it is within their rights to protect the environment and enforce the natural law. They accomplish their mission in many innovative tactics or techniques. Their primary weapon is arson burning various properties, research laboratories, vehicles, equipment, and buildings. They would use crude incendiary devices like candles that are attached to a plastic jugs filled with gasoline. They use booby trapped letters with poisoned razor blades and issue death threats to exploiters. Members also engage in vandalism by spray painting their targets as well as break windows and glue locks. In addition, the ELF advocates â€Å"monkeywrenching,† a euphemism for acts of sabotage and property destruction against industries and other entities perceived to be damaging to the natural environment. â€Å"Monkeywrenching† includes tree spiking, arson, sabotage of logging or construction equipment, and other types of property destruction (FBI, 2002,  ¶10). Their main goal is merely to channel public attention to their cause and not kill people. So far of all the criminal acts the group committed there has been no single human casualty reported. The group has become effective in their campaign while eluding authorities because of its leaderless resistance. Leaderless resistance is a technique by which terrorist groups can carry out violent acts while reducing the risk of infiltration by law enforcement elements. The basic principle of leaderless resistance is that there is no centralized authority or chain-of-command. The various cells are linked by shared ideology but otherwise are autonomous, for the most part unconnected and unknown to each other (Leader & Probst, 2004, p. 2). Before an attack is executed, the group plans carefully its every move. Members would thoroughly study the target with video and photo surveillance, conduct intelligence gathering, and research the industry. In 2001, the ELF came out with a handbook entitled Setting Fires with Electrical Timers: An Earth Liberation Front Guide. The 37-page manual details how to assemble an Old-Fashioned Kitchen Timer and a SCR Digital Timer complete with instructions, tips, diagrams, materials, and tools needed. It advises members on the rules of a successful arson, where to place incendiary devices, and fuel requirements to burn down a building. Currently, ELF has launched a nationwide campaign of arson against genetic engineering and genetically modified organism activities. The group believes that these actions, genetically alternating life forms, are types of oppression and destruction. In its Illegal Incidents Report: A 25 Year History of Illegal Activities by Eco and Animal Extremists, the Foundation for Medical Research in Washington, D. C. noted that both ELF and its partner ALF were responsible for 529 attacks against research facilities, universities, drug discovery companies, and various organizations from 1981 to 2005. The assaults were made up of vandalism (45%), theft (23%), harassment (15%), arson (10%), and bombing (7%). According to U. S. law enforcement, radical environmentalism currently poses the most visible homegrown threat to the national security of the United States. As recently as June 2004, the FBI designated â€Å"eco-terrorism†Ã¢â‚¬â€the use of or threat to use violence in protest of harm inflicted on animals and the world’s biosphere—as the country’s number one militant challenge emanating from inside its own borders (Chalk, Hoffman, Reville, & Kasupski, 2006, p. 47). Criminal Activities: This shadowy movement has unprecedented record of criminal activities that continuously threaten American society and democracy. Their history of violence expands across the U. S. hitting various institutions such as government, private citizens, education, and other forms of development. In 1997, ELF burned down the Bureau of Land Management horse corral in Oregon and on the following year set fire on a ski resort in Vail, Colorado that resulted in $12 million in damages. The group set seven separate fires destroying three buildings and damaging four chairlifts. The FBI considered this event as the most destructive act of eco-terrorism in U. S. history. In 1999, ELF radicals were involved in the burning of an 8,000 square-foot structure of the Boise Cascade logging company in Monmouth, Oregon and the destruction of the Agricultural Hall of the Michigan State University. In September 8, 2001, the group burned a McDonald outlet in Tucson causing $500,000 in damages. In 2003, this extremist set fire on a housing complex that was under construction in San Diego knocking down a five-storey building and a 100-foot crane. The damage was estimated at $50 million. Six weeks later, they burned three other houses that were being built within the area. In addition, the ELF assaulted three car dealers in Southern California setting ablaze 40 Hummers and SUVs amounting to $2 million in damages. The group vandalized the cars by painting the words â€Å"Fat Lazy Americans†. They did the same in Los Angeles where 125 sport utility vehicles were also vandalized and burned inside auto dealer shops and along the neighborhood. According to FBI investigations the ELF were responsible for attacking vehicle dealerships and construction sites. In February 2005, the group burned down a new Pinewoods apartment complex in Sutter Creek, California with an incendiary device leaving a graffiti that said â€Å"We Will Win – ELF†. Five months after, the same group torched two homes that were under construction in Whatcom County, Washington causing $100,000 in damages to the other house while the other one was destroyed. They also vandalized and damaged a number of construction equipment. The arson campaign went on in 2006 with the burning of more houses. In Camano Island, Washington, the ELF set fire on a 9,600 square foot trophy house worth $3 million. In its official communication made in 1997, the ELF declared their struggle to free all species in the planet. We are the burning rage of this dying planet. The war of greed ravages the earth and species die out every day. ELF works to speed up the collapse of industry, to scare the rich, and to undermine the foundations of the state. We embrace social and deep ecology as a practical resistance movement. We have to show the enemy that we are serious about defending what is sacred. Together we have teeth and claws to match our dreams. Our greatest weapons are imagination and the ability to strike when least expected (Pickering, 2007, p. 10). Operation Backfire: In response to the attacks, the FBI initiated in 2004 Operation Backfire intended to investigate acts of terrorism by the ELF. It put together several independent investigation bodies from the agency’s Portland, Oregon field office and rounded up suspected eco-terrorists. Seven people were arrested in four different states. They were Stanislas Meyerhoff, Chelsea Gerlach, Daniel McGowan, Darren Thurston, Kevin Tubbs, William Rodgers, and Kendall Tankersley. In addition, five others were taken into custody namely Jonathan Paul, Josephine Overaker, Rebecca Rubin, Suzanne Savoie and Joseph Dibee. Federal prosecutors together with U. S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales indicted in 2006 11 suspects with 65 counts of conspiracy charges to commit arson in Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Colorado and California. Many of those apprehended turned informants for the government. The arrests and indictments were the outcome of a nine-year old investigation on the series of arsons in America where the ELF claimed responsibility. The operation is on going around the country. Those participating in the investigation besides the FBI are the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Eugene Police Department, the Portland Police Bureau, the Oregon State Police, the U. S. Forest Service, the U. S. Bureau of Land Management, the U. S. Department of Agriculture, the Oregon Department of Justice and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. Some of those arrested have been convicted of the crime in U. S. Federal Courts. They are as follows: Stanislas Meyerhoff – 13 years, Kevin Tubbs – 12 years 7 months, Chelsea Gerlach – 9 years, Kendall Tankersley – 3 years 10 months, Suzanne Savoie – 4 years 3 months, Darren Thurston – 3 years 1 month, Daniel McGowan – 7 years, Jonathan Paul – Sentencing in abeyance, Joyanna Zacher – 7 years 8 months and Nathan Block – 7 years 8 months (DOJ, 2007,  ¶4). Other suspects were released on bails while some were placed on restrictions pending their trial. A few decided to cooperate while the rest remain imprisoned. Operation backfire was highly criticized because of coercion and paid informants. Other sectors called the bold move unconstitutional but Atty. General Gonzales argued that such acts only constitute violent criminal activity, which may violate the right of every U. S. citizen. Conclusion Terrorist groups like the ELF are anti-progress and as long as development continues they will not stop their modus operandi in terrorizing the public and businesses, which already have incurred heavy losses. The scenario is extremely dangerous and alarming. It is imperative that authorities and intelligence organizations have to assess the threat and study the behavior of these terrorists who are becoming more advanced and knowledgeable in their strategies. There is a need for effective counterstrategies to detect and prevent acts of terror at the same time proper allocation of resources in order to efficiently combat these adversaries. As a loose organization, ELF could become even more dangerous because its members do not follow any rules. The group constantly poses great risk to the country’s democracy, endangers American lives and undermines the constitution that guarantees protection to the citizens. There is also possibility that such group could turn violence as a way of life and spread its corrupt ideals to the younger generation, which is already affected by media violence. For the government to combat this kind of domestic terrorism, it has to take more proactive actions in preventing further destructions to the economy. While doing so, its programs should remain within the framework of freedom without violating one’s constitutional rights. Authorities must strengthen their intelligence network to prevent arson attacks. Though the ELF has its right to voice their concerns, they must be contained and stopped immediately. References FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation). (1999). Terrorism in the United States 1999. Counterterrorism. 30 Years of Terrorism: A Special Retrospective Edition. Threat Assessment and Warning Unit Counterterrorism Division. Report. Federal Bureau of Investigation Rosebraugh, C. (2004). Burning Rage of a Dying Planet (P): Speaking for the Earth Liberation. Lantern Books, New York. Leader, S. H. & Probst, P. (2004). The Earth Liberation Front and Environmental Terrorism. Retrieved December 2, 2007, from http://cjc. delaware. gov/PDF/ELF%20ALF%20article. pdf Chalk, P. (2006). Trends in Terrorism: Threats to the United States and the Future of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. RAND monograph series. RAND Center for Terrorism Risk Management Policy. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA. ISBN: 0833038222 Pickering, L. J. (2007). Earth Liberation Front 1997-2002. Arissa Media Group; 2nd ed. , New York. FBI. (2002). Testimony of James F. Jarboe, Domestic Terrorism Section Chief, Counterterrorism Division, FBI Before the House Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health. http://www. fbi. gov/congress/congress02/jarboe021202. htm DOJ (Department of Justice). (2007). Final Sentencing Hearing Held in Case of Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and Animal Liberation Front for Acts of Eco-Terrorism in Five Western States. Press Release. Retrieved December 2, 2007, from http://portland. fbi. gov/dojpressrel/2007/elfsentencing080307. htm