Structural Features of Compare and Contrast Essay

Structural Features of Compare and Contrast Essay Persuasive essays are written to convince the target audience to share in a writer’s worldview. The writer can either decide to oppose or propose a topic. In each case, sound arguments have to be expressed to strengthen the topic. The writer has to deeply nurture understanding among readers. This is by stressing the reliability of the adopted standpoint and the unreliability of the countered standpoint. The thesis statement must also increase readers’ faith in the persuasive essay. A persuasive essay furnished with a strong thesis accomplishes the intended purpose. A strong thesis realizes the following: Gives readers a clear explanation of the essay’s key message. Ensures the essay retains rationality entirely. Below is a list of tips on writing a strong thesis for a persuasive essay. 1. Write a precise thesis A strong thesis informs readers of the purpose of the persuasive essay accurately. It adopts a thoughtful attitude in revealing arguments. The readers do not strain to understand what the writer is really talking about. A strong thesis example- online marketing has more power than traditional marketing methods because it overcomes geographical barriers in creating awareness about education opportunities in colleges. 2. Integrate an opinion A persuasive essay writing process requires expression of an authentic and sound opinion by a writer. Writers should write a thesis only if certain they have established a great opinion about the topic of concern. It is essential because a claim must be evident in the thesis. It should have the ability to be challenged by readers. Evaluating whether thesis statement has the potential to be challenged should be done. It is one way of finding out if strong thesis has been written. If it is discovered that the thesis is a mere presentation of facts that cannot be disputed, it is a sign of a weak thesis. 3. Include evidence Evidence is included to support a writer’s opinion in a thesis statement. Evidence adds weight to the thesis. It displays a writer’s wealth of information about the topic of discussion. When evidence is used, it is less difficult for a writer to persuade readers to accept his standpoint. The reader develop confidence in the topic which is sustained until the end. Sometimes a thesis can involve advancing an argument that readers are not conversant with. To maintain its credibility, evidence can be included and the claim made afterwards. Highlight the evidence first increases awareness among readers. They are able to establish to connect with the essay. 4. Address the why and how questions This is one technique of writing a strong thesis. It makes a thesis focused and practical. Failure to address either of these questions destabilizes the power of a thesis. The earlier example about online marketing and traditional marketing given in point number meets this requirement. It explains why online marketing is effective in contrast to the old-style marketing. The supremacy of a persuasive essay is not determined by how many arguments are advanced. It is the writing style that strengthens the arguments. One determinant that boosts the writing style is a well written thesis statement as explained in the aforementioned tips. Writers should continuously employ the tips to sway the mode of thinking of readers towards their perceptions.

Free Essays on The Myth Of Popular Participation

â€Å"The Myth of Popular Participation in the Revolutionary War† 1. On which side, if any, were your ancestors during the American Revolution? Why? Given your political ideas today, on which side would you probably have been? Why? I took the time to ask my family what they might know of where our ancestors would have stood when it came to the American Revolution and I was surprised by the information that I was able to acquire. My mother’s family was not part of this country until very recently. Her father was the first of his family o be born in the United States and her mother during world war two to become a United States citizen. The information however for my father’s side was more interesting it seems that not long ago his maternal aunt did a whole genealogy, prior to it become the fad it is today, and published it in a book. I was unable to find a copy of this book and the copy my grandmother had was in a very fragile state. I was able however to get some valuable information from them. It seems that one relative was either sent to the colonies or beheaded for be part of a party trying to over throw the crown. After that my relatives seems to show mostly as pro-Americans they even later o n founded their own town; Harrisburg, Indiana and became president William and Benjamin Harrison. My own feelings about the American Revolution tend to follow that of my father’s family. Though the country we live in today may not be what the revolutionists had in mind. It is something to be proud of and though we have a long road ahead of us it was worth the fight. 2. Why did the myth of a powerful, patriotic militia emerge? What kept it alive for so long? The myth of patriotic militia emerged because the image of â€Å"ordinary citizens† taking up arms to fend of the â€Å"horrible† redcoats was something to be honored and remembered. The country needed a way to appeal to the those â€Å"ordinary citizens.† Without their support ... Free Essays on The Myth Of Popular Participation Free Essays on The Myth Of Popular Participation â€Å"The Myth of Popular Participation in the Revolutionary War† 1. On which side, if any, were your ancestors during the American Revolution? Why? Given your political ideas today, on which side would you probably have been? Why? I took the time to ask my family what they might know of where our ancestors would have stood when it came to the American Revolution and I was surprised by the information that I was able to acquire. My mother’s family was not part of this country until very recently. Her father was the first of his family o be born in the United States and her mother during world war two to become a United States citizen. The information however for my father’s side was more interesting it seems that not long ago his maternal aunt did a whole genealogy, prior to it become the fad it is today, and published it in a book. I was unable to find a copy of this book and the copy my grandmother had was in a very fragile state. I was able however to get some valuable information from them. It seems that one relative was either sent to the colonies or beheaded for be part of a party trying to over throw the crown. After that my relatives seems to show mostly as pro-Americans they even later o n founded their own town; Harrisburg, Indiana and became president William and Benjamin Harrison. My own feelings about the American Revolution tend to follow that of my father’s family. Though the country we live in today may not be what the revolutionists had in mind. It is something to be proud of and though we have a long road ahead of us it was worth the fight. 2. Why did the myth of a powerful, patriotic militia emerge? What kept it alive for so long? The myth of patriotic militia emerged because the image of â€Å"ordinary citizens† taking up arms to fend of the â€Å"horrible† redcoats was something to be honored and remembered. The country needed a way to appeal to the those â€Å"ordinary citizens.† Without their support ...

Analysis of Heraldic Shield Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Heraldic Shield - Essay Example While designing, this heraldic shield I have thought on various dimensions of human personality. A heraldic shield usually represent, differ rent aspect of human personality like courage, honesty, beauty, grace and charisma. So, in order o reflect all these qualities, I chose couple of birds, animals, plant, tree, colors and a motto. I understand that every shield should represent rich message to people who view it. A heraldic shield is represents the vigor and pride of an organization, military unit or any other professional institution. Symbols and its interpretation First symbol on the shield is lion and it is an animal known as the king of the jungle and is popularly known for its royal status. Here the shield is held by lion because it is depicting the strength and royalty one needs to imbibe in their personality to build a good future. Lion is always bold in its attitude and every person must have the eagerness to learn from the lion to be bold in every facets of life. Lion als o portrays pride, protective nature and braveness. Seeing these qualities in Lion, one should learn to look up to lion and transform oneself into brave personality. In the same manner, other animal which is holding the shield is unicorn . First and foremost the white color of unicorn is a sign of chastity, purity and virginity. This gives a message to people that one need to be pure and virgin in thoughts . According to (Martin,2010)â€Å"To encounter a Unicorn, a person must find a place of true love in their heart. Unicorns have many traits and characteristics, and they mean many things to different people†. . In mythology, unicorn is a symbol of chivalry and it’s portrays the qualities of proud, untamable nature and unique status. Moreover the horn of unicorn resembles the weapon of Christ and one who has faith in Christianity. A unicorns also resembles a girls’ virginity and hence a girl should always maintain her purity Another beautiful symbol which is pro jected in the heraldic shield is Swan a heavenly bird. Swan is a bird which is said to be heavenly and popular for its beauty and elegance. This elegant nature of Swan conveys the message to the people to be elegant and gracious. The swan spread a symbolic message of love, grace and beauty to the people in total. A swan means appealing beauty, attractiveness and romance. Swan gives an idea to the people that one should always try to remain beautiful in and out and gracious like them. Swan has the strength of beautifying any environment it is in and this attribute of swan communicate to the people to remain calm and serene in any environment they are in. Another gracious bird which decorates the shield is peacock. It's a well-known fact that the peacock is the most beautiful bird on earth and it is known for its colorful and shiny feathers and dancing quality. When a peacock dances, everybody sways in the festive mood of the bird. As per (Augustine, 2012)â€Å"The characteristics of a peacock are extravagant, making it easy to differentiate between him, his female counterpart and other types of birds†. Here the peacock refers to the symbol of vanity and fanciness. It represents the core attribute of women, who is always craving for vanity and glamour. When it comes to the charm of my heraldic shield, it is enhanced by the inclusion of rose. Rose is one of the most beautiful plants in whole of earth because of its beauty and mesmerizing fragrance. Throughout the human history, very few flowers had the luck to be in the hearts of people forever. Rose is often connected to romance, heart, love and passion. A rose symbolizes the passion and desire a man have towards his love interest.  Ã‚  

Race and Gender Roles Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Race and Gender Roles - Movie Review Example The reflective lyrics makes Knowles envision herself in the role of her disregarding guy as is in the lyrics "I'd put myself first/ And make the rules as I go/ 'Cause I know that she'd be faithful/ Waitin' for me to come home." However, the wife is shown to be relentlessly trying to understand her husband and making excuses for him but it is never the other way around. It shows how a woman feels through the eyes of herself. It uses technique of making the man sit at home and act like a wife by running behind her all the time. If it were shot otherwise, the wife may not have looked as dismal and ignored as a husband did in this video. This fact not only shows the perspectives the society has long built up but also the insensitive attitude toward them. According to a review: "The lyrics are both a lament for misunderstanding between the genders and an indictment of the male side of relationships. It's a perfect follow up to the independent attitude of B'Day and lays the groundwork for another exploration of what it means to be a woman in the world today. The pain of experience is palpable counter-balanced somewhat by a sense of hope that progress can still be made." The video disregards any observable aspects race may have played in such a situation.

Evidential Markers in English The Word Apparently Assignment

Evidential Markers in English The Word Apparently - Assignment Example The word apparently is representative of an act of cognition because it demonstrates the speaker’s state of mind and conveys what he or she thinks, believes or even guesses based on information received or observed indirectly. As Briton (1996) explains, words demonstrating an act of cognition are generally associated with a mental construction of â€Å"evidential markers from verbs of cognition† which are â€Å"analogous to the development of hearsay, sensory, and inferential evidential from verbs of perception† which mean â€Å"hear, see, and feel† (p. 243). Therefore the word apparently is a construction of information observed by the speaker. The speaker is not conveying infinitive information, but rather an information that is not only indirect but open to challenge. From a cognition perspective, there is always the possibility that the speaker is misinformed or has erroneously interpreted information observed or overheard. The mode of knowing is obvious in the use of the word apparently. Implicitly, the speaker is not conveying direct knowledge of a fact but rather an inference is drawn from information. The use of the word apparently is demonstrative of the speaker’s unwillingness to commit to a definitive conclusion but rather a willingness to offer an interpretation or perception of the information received or observed (Brinton, 1996). The speaker limits the information to an inferential form and is thus manifesting a degree of uncertainty by using the word apparently and failing to assert unequivocally that the information observed or received can be conclusively stated. Faller (2002) describes what is known as the reportative marker. The reportative marker is relevant to the word apparently because it offers a contradictory stance on the part of the speaker.  

Analysis of Vietnams Energy Supply and Production

Analysis of Vietnams Energy Supply and Production Vietnams economy has expanded rapidly in recent years, with its real gross domestic product (GDP) growing 7.7% in 2004 and 8.4% in 2005. Growth is forecast at 8.0% in 2006. Vietnam has had Normal Trade Relations status with the United States since late 2001, with 2002 marking the first time Vietnam shipped more goods to the United States than to Japan. Despite rising exports, Vietnam currently runs a slight trade deficit, but is projected to begin having trade surpluses by 2007. Much of Vietnams large rural population relies heavily on non-commercial biomass energy sources such as wood, dung, and rice husks. As a result, Vietnams per capita commercial energy consumption ranks among the lowest in Asia. The countrys commercial energy consumption is predicted to rise in coming years, primarily due to increases in the use of natural gas. Vietnam claims ownership of a portion of the potentially hydrocarbon-rich Spratly Islands, as do the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, China, and Taiwan. Vietnam, China, and the Philippines agreed in March 2005 to conduct a joint seismic survey for potential oil and natural gas reserves in a portion of the disputed area. Vietnam also claims the Paracel Islands, which China first occupied in 1974. Oil: Vietnams Oil Production and Consumption, 1980-2005. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003, internal EIA estimates.). Enlarge: Vietnams Oil Production and Consumption, 1980-2005. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003, internal EIA estimates.) Vietnam has 600 million barrels of proven oil reserves, according to data from Oil and Gas Journal, but that total is likely to increase as exploration continues. Crude oil production averaged 370,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2005, down somewhat from the 403,000 bbl/d level achieved in 2004. Bach Ho (White Tiger), Rang Dong (Dawn), Hang Ngoc, Dai Hung (Big Bear), and Su Tu Den (Ruby) are the largest oil producing fields in the country. Although it is a significant oil producer, Vietnam remains reliant on imports of petroleum products due to a lack of refining capacity. Overall, Vietnam had net exports of 111,000 bbl/d of oil in 2005. Most of Vietnams crude oil is exported to refiners in Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. Vietnams largest oil producer is Vietsovpetro (VSP), a joint venture (JV) between PetroVietnam and Zarubezhneft of Russia. VSP operates Vietnams largest oil field, Bach Ho. Other foreign partners include ConocoPhillips, BP, Petronas, and Talisman Energy. Following the October 2003 commencement of drilling operations in the Su Tu Den (Black Lion) crude field, PetroVietnam reported increasing production volumes. PetroVietnams April 2003 discovery of an oil deposit in Dai Hung, estimated to have a capacity of 6,300 bbl/d, was expected to further increase Vietnamese production. The decline in production overall from 2004 to 2005 was primarily the result of declining production at the Bach Ho field. The planned development of several new oil fields in coming years is expected to increase Vietnamese production. A new well at Block 15-1s Su Tu Trang (White Lion) field flowed 8,682 bbl/d in early 2004 and is scheduled to be developed by 2008. In October 2004, Japanese oil companies Nippon Oil Exploration (35 percent interest), Idemitsu Kosan (35 percent), and Teikoku Oil (30 percent) announced plans to fund the development of Blocks 05.1b and 05.1c in the Nam Con Son Basin. Two months later, the Korean National Oil Corporation (KNOC), along with several Korean partners, finalized terms for the $300 million development of Block 11-2, which includes the Flying Orchid Field. PetroVietnam has a 25 percent interest in the joint venture. Exploration in Vietnam continues to yield new discoveries. In 2002, large oil and gas deposits were discovered in the Ca Ngu Vang (Golden Tuna) and Voi Trang (White Elephant) fields. SOCO Vietnam estimates that its Ca Ngu Vang well may contain up to 250 million barrels of oil. In July 2004, VSP discovered new stocks of oil in its Dragon field. Three months later, a joint venture comprised of American Technologies, Petronas, Singapore Petroleum, and PetroVietnam announced a 100-million-barrel oil discovery off Vietnams northeast coast. In September 2004, the Vietnamese government offered nine exploration blocks in the Phu Khanh basin off its southern coast. In November 2004, Japanese oil companies Nippon Oil Exploration, Idemitsu Kosan, and Teikoku Oil signed an agreement to explore in two offshore blocks southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. They plan to drill a test well in 2006 and complete exploration by 2007. In December 2004, Talisman Energy was awarded the right to conduct exploration in the Cuu Long Basin, and received additional acreage in an adjacent area in April 2005. ONGC of India was awarded drilling rights in the deepwater Block 127 in the Phu Khanh Basinoff Vietnams central coast in October 2005. ChevronTexaco also received acreage in the Phu Khanh Basin in the most recent round of awards, with an award for Block 122 in October 2005. PetroVietnams storage and transportation division, Petrolimex, recently completed a new oil storage facility in the central Khanh Hoa province. The depot is largest in the country, with a total storage capacity of 3.68 million barrels. Refining: Vietnam is in the process of building its first refinery. The $1.5 billion Dung Quat Refinery, located in Quang Ngai province, will have a crude distillation capacity of approximately 140,000 bbl/d. After several years of delays in financing the project, construction finally began in November 2005. Commercial operation of the refinery is expected to begin in early 2009. Vietnams distribution infrastructure is discontinuous, with the north and south of the country functioning largely as separate markets. Completion of the Dung Quat Refinery, located in the center of the country, should lead to greater interaction between the regions. A second refinery project is under consideration at Nghi Son, north of Hanoi in the Thanh Hoa province. The Vietnamese government has estimated the 150,000 bbl/d plant will cost $3 billion. In August 2004, Mitsubishi Corporation agreed to participate in building Nghi Son for completion in 2010. In December 2004, Vietnam contracted the International Business Company (IBC) of the British Virgin Islands to conduct a feasibility study for a third oil refinery, to be located at Vung Ro in the southern Phu Yen province. The Vietnamese government hopes to complete the refinery within 12 years. Natural Gas: Vietnams Oil Production and Consumption, 1980-2005. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003.). Enlarge: Vietnams Oil Production and Consumption, 1980-2005. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003.). Vietnam has proven gas reserves of 6.8 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), according to Oil and Gas Journal. Vietnams natural gas production and consumption have been rising rapidly since the late 1990s, with further increases expected as additional fields come onstream. Natural gas is currently produced entirely for domestic consumption. The Cuu Long basin offshore from the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam, a source of associated gas from oil production, is the largest Vietnamese natural gas production area. Only two fields in Vietnam have been developed specifically for their natural gas potential: Tien Hai, with a potential output of 1.76 million cubic feet per day (Mmcf/d); and Lan Tay/Lan Do of Nam Con Son, which began producing over 5 Mmcf/d in 2002. In the Nam Con Son Basin, a $565 million, 230-mile pipeline was completed in June 2002 connecting the Lan Tay and Lan Do fields to the mainland at Vung Tau. The Nam Con Son project consists of five subsea wells linked to a production platform and a pipeline leading to an onshore treatment plant. Gas is piped to three generating plants at the Phu My industrial complex, where electricity is provided primarily to areas surrounding Ho Chi Minh City. In December 2004, the Vietnamese government announced that output from Nam Con Son was expected to reach 88 billion cubic feet (Bcf), exceeding planned production by 90%. The project currently supplies the Phu My 1, Phu My 3, Phu My 2.1 power plants and the extended Phu My 2.1 plant. Phu My 2.2 will begin using output from the field soon thereafter. In December 2002, a consortium headed by Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) signed an agreement to install facilities to pump and supply 130 Mmcf/d of natural gas to Vietnam. The natural gas, located in the Rong Doi and Rong Doi Tay fields on Block 11-2 of the Nam Con Son Basin, is sold to PetroVietnam under a 23-year contract. PetroVietnam resells most this volume to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). Production at the fields began in mid-2005. In December 2004, KNOC and PetroVietnam signed agreements to further exploit natural gas in both Blocks 11 and 12. Construction of an additional pipeline to bring ashore natural gas from block 11 began in October 2005, and is scheduled for completion in October 2006. The Su Tu Den and Rang Dong oil fields, both of which have considerable Vietnamese reserves of associated natural gas, are located near the 62-mile pipeline from the Bach Ho field. An estimated 60 Mmcf/d of gas from the fields is earmarked for consumption in power plants in southern Vietnam. Both TotalFinaElf and ChevronTexaco (originally Unocal) have found natural gas in exploratory drilling of the Malay basin. Additionally, Talisman Energy has found natural gas at the Cai Nuoc field in block 46. The discovery is close to block PM-3-CAA, which straddles the maritime border with Malaysia, and is expected to contain up to 100 Bcf of recoverable gas reserves. A contract was awarded to McDermott International in March 2006 for construction of a 200-mile pipeline, which will transport natural gas from the PM3-CAA block to Ca Mau province in southern Vietnam. It is scheduled for completion in 2007. In December 2004, PetroVietnam announced that it was reconsidering the $70 million Phu My gas pipeline project from Phu My to Nhon Trach due to increased expenses associated with land costs in compensation areas. The pipeline was initially planned to transport associated gas from the Bach Ho and Rong fields for power generation. Coal: Vietnam contains coal reserves estimated at 165 million short tons (Mmst), the majority of which is anthracite. Production has increased dramatically over the last decade, with Vietnam producing over 18 Mmst in 2003. As a result, Vietnam exported a record 7 Mmst of coal, primarily to Japan and China, in 2003. Although Vietnam has historically relied on hydropower for electricity, it has recently promoted the construction of coal-fired power plants. Vinocoal plans to build eight coal-fueled thermal power plants with a total capacity of 2,900 megawatts (MW) by 2010. Six are currently in various stages of planning and construction. In December 2004, the Vietnamese government approved Vinacoals proposal to invest in a 200-MW, coal-fired thermal power plant in the Son Dong district. The plant is scheduled to begin operation in 2007. Coal-fired power plants are expected to eventually account for 25% of Vietnams total electricity production. The Vietnamese government estimates that 10.2 Mms t of coal is needed per year to meet increasing domestic demand, projected at 20,000 MW by 2010. Vietnam continues to exploit new coal reserves within its borders. In March 2003, a significant coal bed was discovered in the Red River Delta region of northern Vietnam. Vinacoal plans to use the reserve for thermal power plants. In October 2004, Vinacoal entered talks with Chinas Fujian Province Coal Industry Corporation to jointly exploit the Bac Coc Sau mine in the Quang Ninh province. Electricity: Vietnams Electricity Generation, 1980-2003. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003.). Enlarge: Vietnams Electricity Generation, 1980-2003. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003.). Although Vietnams per capita electricity consumption is among the lowest in Asia, demand has risen in recent years, straining the countrys limited generating capacity. Rapid commercial sector growth, population migration to major cities, and elevated living standards have all contributed to a growing demand for electricity. In 2003, Vietnam had a total electric generating capacity of 8.8 gigawatts (GW) and generated 39.7 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, of which 52 percent was hydropower. Electricity demand in Vietnam is forecast to grow 15 percent per year until 2010. Vietnam currently buys power from China to prevent shortages in the north, and plans to begin purchasing from Laos in 2008. The majority of thermal electricity generation in Vietnam depends on coal-fired plants, though natural gas use is expanding. EVNs Pha Lai is the largest coal-fired power project in Vietnam, with the second of two 300-MW units coming into service in 2003. In order to meet increased demand, construction or expansion is planned for 32 power stations (7,547 MW) before 2010. The state power company, Elà ©ctricità © of Vietnam (EVN), plans to commission 16 hydropower plants by 2010 and increased capacity at the Uong Bi coal-fired plant to 400 MW in 2005. Vinacoal also has plans to construct eight additional coal-fired power plants. Vietnam currently has five hydroelectric expansions underway. The countrys Son La project, which began construction in late 2005, is anticipated to have a generating capacity of 2,400 megawatts (MW) by 2012, will be the largest hydroelectric project in Vietnam when completed. In September 2004, construction began on the Ban Ve hydroelectric power plant, expected to begin operations in 2008. EVN began work on four additional hydroelectric projects in late 2004. The Dong Nai 3 and Dong Nai 4, both located in the Central Highlands region, are expected to be completed within four years and to provide approximately 520 MW of generating capacity. In December 2004, EVN began construction of the Se San 4 hydropower plant in the central highlands provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum. The plant is anticipated to have a capacity of 330 MW and to generate 1,390 million kWh per year. Vietnam also plans to build three additional plants in the region before 2010. In March 2004, EVN announced plans to spend $1.3 billion to build and refurbish power plants with a combined capacity of 1,510 MW. The projects include the combined cycle power plant Phu My 2.1, the hydroelectric facility Can Don, the Phu My 3 and Phu My 4 thermal plants, and Na Duong. Additional projects include the Song Ba Ha, Bac Binh, Se San 4, Dong Nai 3 and Dong Nai 4 hydrostations, the Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh extension, and the O Mon 600-MW thermal plant. The development of natural gas-fired plants in the Phu My complex of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau province has helped to offset Vietnams heavy reliance on hydropower, which can be vulnerable to disruption when monsoon rainfall is unusually low. In March 2003, the 720-MW Phu My 3 power plant commenced operations. The $450 million plant, owned by a consortium led by UKs BP, was Vietnams first foreign-invested, build-operate-transfer (BOT) project. EVN has contracted to purchase the output under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Mitsubishi received an award in February 2006 for the construction of a 330-MW natural gas-fired power plant in the southern Mekong delta. The plant will come online in early 2009, running initially on fuel oil, and switching to natural gas when pipeline infrastructure is completed. More foreign companies are beginning to enter the growing Vietnamese power market in the form of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) projects. EVN and a consortium including Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), Sumitomo, and Elà ©ctricità © de France (EdF) began BOT construction of the Mekong Deltas 715-MW Phu My 2-2 in January 2003. The plant is fueled by gas from Nam Con Son Basin. EVN plans to develop a national electricity grid by 2020 by patching together several regional grids. The countrys distribution infrastructure is poorly maintained, but has benefited from recent improvements. A North-South power cable transmits electricity from Vietnams largest generator, the Hoa Binh hydropower plant in the North, to large population centers in the South, linking the country into one electricity grid and helping alleviate electricity shortages in Ho Chi Minh City. The $56 million project was funded by the World Bank. Vietnam is considering the construction of a 500-KV, 188-mile power line from Pleiku to Danang city at a cost of $130 million. The Vietnamese government has estimated that an additional 9,300 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and 173,600 miles of medium- and low-voltage transmission lines will be necessary to accommodate new capacity by 2010. In September 2004, EVN announced plans to invest $330 million over five years to upgrade transmission lin es surrounding Hanoi. Vietnam plans to complete its first nuclear power plant by 2020 as an alternate means on meeting demand. In December 2004, the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology submitted a pre-feasibility study for the 2,000-megawatt (MW) nuclear plant to the National Assembly. Fossil Fuels Coal, Oil and Natural Gas: Where Fossil Fuels Come From: There are three major forms of fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas. All three were formed many hundreds of millions of years ago before the time of the dinosaurs hence the name fossil fuels. The age they were formed is called the Carboniferous Period. It was part of the Paleozoic Era. Carboniferous gets its name from carbon, the basic element in coal and other fossil fuels. The Carboniferous Period occurred from about 360 to 286 million years ago. At the time, the land was covered with swamps filled with huge trees, ferns and other large leafy plants, similar to the picture above. The water and seas were filled with algae the green stuff that forms on a stagnant pool of water. Algae is actually millions of very small plants. Some deposits of coal can be found during the time of the dinosaurs. For example, thin carbon layers can be found during the late Cretaceous Period (65 million years ago) the time of Tyrannosaurus Rex. But the main deposits of fossil fuels are from the Carboniferous Period. For more about the various geologic eras, go to www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/help/timeform.html. As the trees and plants died, they sank to the bottom of the swamps of oceans. They formed layers of a spongy material called peat. Over many hundreds of years, the peat was covered by sand and clay and other minerals, which turned into a type of rock called sedimentary. More and more rock piled on top of more rock, and it weighed more and more. It began to press down on the peat. The peat was squeezed and squeezed until the water came out of it and it eventually, over millions of years, it turned into coal, oil or petroleum, and natural gas. Coal: Coal is a hard, black colored rock-like substance. It is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and varying amounts of sulphur. There are three main types of coal anthracite, bituminous and lignite. Anthracite coal is the hardest and has more carbon, which gives it a higher energy content. Lignite is the softest and is low in carbon but high in hydrogen and oxygen content. Bituminous is in between. Today, the precursor to coal peat is still found in many countries and is also used as an energy source. The earliest known use of coal was in China. Coal from the Fu-shun mine in northeastern China may have been used to smelt copper as early as 3,000 years ago. The Chinese thought coal was a stone that could burn. Coal is found in many of the lower 48 states of U.S. and throughout the rest of the world. Coal is mined out of the ground using various methods. Some coal mines are dug by sinking vertical or horizontal shafts deep under ground, and coal miners travel by elevators or trains deep under ground to dig the coal. Other coal is mined in strip mines where huge steam shovels strip away the top layers above the coal. The layers are then restored after the coal is taken away. The coal is then shipped by train and boats and even in pipelines. In pipelines, the coal is ground up and mixed with water to make whats called a slurry. This is then pumped many miles through pipelines. At the other end, the coal is used to fuel power plants and other factories. Oil or Petroleum: Oil is another fossil fuel. It was also formed more than 300 million years ago. Some scientists say that tiny diatoms are the source of oil. Diatoms are sea creatures the Picture of oil formationsize of a pin head. They do one thing just like plants; they can convert sunlight directly into stored energy. Oil has been used for more than 5,000-6,000 years. The ancient Sumerians, Assyrians and Babylonians used crude oil and asphalt (pitch) collected from large seeps at Tuttul (modern-day Hit) on the Euphrates River. A seep is a place on the ground where the oil leaks up from below ground. The ancient Egyptians, used liquid oil as a medicine for wounds, and oil has been used in lamps to provide light. The Dead Sea, near the modern Country of Israel, used to be called Lake Asphaltites. The word asphalt was derived is from that term because of the lumps of gooey petroleum that were washed up on the lake shores from underwater seeps. In North America, Native Americans used blankets to skim oil off the surface of streams and lakes. They used oil as medicine and to make canoes water-proof. During the Revolutionary War, Native Americans taught George Washingtons troops how to treat frostbite with oil. As our country grew, the demand for oil continued to increase as a fuel for lamps. Petroleum oil began to replace whale oil in lamps because the price for whale oil was very high. During this time, most petroleum oil came from distilling coal into a liquid or by skimming it off of lakes just as the Native Americans did. Then on August 27, 1859, Edwin L. Drake (the man standing on the right in the black and white picture to the right), struck liquid oil at his well near Titusville, Pennsylvania. He found oil under ground and a way that could pump it to the surface. The well pumped the oil into barrels made out of wood. This method of drilling for oil is still being used today all over the world in areas where oil can be found below the surface. Oil and natural gas are found under ground between folds of rock and in areas of rock that are porous and contain the oils within the rock itself. The folds of rock were formed as the earth shifts and moves. Its similar to how a small, throw carpet will bunch up in places on the floor. To find oil and natural gas, companies drill through the earth to the deposits deep below the surface. The oil and natural gas are then pumped from below the ground by oil rigs (like in the picture). They then usually travel through pipelines or by ship. Oil is found in 18 of the 58 counties in California. Kern County, the County where Bakersfield is found, is one of the largest oil production places in the country. But we only get one-half of our oil from California wells. The rest comes from Alaska, and an increasing amount comes from other countries. In the entire U.S., more than 50 percent of all the oil we use comes from outside the countrymost of it from the Middle East. Oil is brought to California by large tanker ships. The petroleum or crude oil must be changed or refined into other products before it can be used. Refineries: Oil is stored in large tanks until it is sent to various places to be used. At oil refineries, crude oil is split into various types of products by heating the thick black oil. Oil is made into many different products fertilizers for farms, the clothes you wear, the toothbrush you use, the plastic bottle that holds your milk, the plastic pen that you write with. They all came from oil. There are thousands of other products that come from oil. Almost all plastic comes originally from oil. Can you think of some other things made from oil? The products include gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation or jet fuel, home heating oil, oil for ships and oil to burn in power plants to make electricity. Heres what a barrel of crude oil can make. In California, 74 percent of our oil is used for transportation cars, planes, trucks, buses and motorcycles. Well learn more about transportation energy in Chapter 18. Natural Gas: Sometime between 6,000 to 2,000 years BCE (Before the Common Era), the first discoveries of natural gas seeps were made in Iran. Many early writers described the natural petroleum seeps in the Middle East, especially in the Baku region of what is now Azerbaijan. The gas seeps, probably first ignited by lightning, provided the fuel for the eternal fires of the fire-worshiping religion of the ancient Persians. Natural gas is lighter than air. Natural gas is mostly made up of a gas called methane. Methane is a simple chemical compound that is made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Its chemical formula is CH4 one atom of carbon along with four atoms hydrogen. This gas is highly flammable. Natural gas is usually found near petroleum underground. It is pumped from below ground and travels in pipelines to storage areas. The next chapter looks at that pipeline system. Natural gas usually has no odor and you cant see it. Before it is sent to the pipelines and storage tanks, it is mixed with a chemical that gives a strong odor. The odor smells almost like rotten eggs. The odor makes it easy to smell if there is a leak. Energy Safety Note! If you smell that rotten egg smell in your house, tell your folks and get out of the house quickly. Dont turn on any lights or other electrical devices. A spark from a light switch can ignite the gas very easily. Go to a neighbors house and call 9-1-1 for emergency help. Saving Fossil Fuels: Fossil fuels take millions of years to make. We are using up the fuels that were made more than 300 million years ago before the time of the dinosaurs. Once they are gone they are gone. So, its best to not waste fossil fuels. They are not renewable; they cant really be made again. We can save fossil fuels by conserving energy. Natural Gas Distribution System: We learned in Chapter 8 that natural gas is a fossil fuel. It is a gaseous molecule thats made up of two atoms one carbon atom combined with four hydrogen atom. Its chemical formula is CH4. The picture on the right is a model of what the molecule could look like. Dont confuse natural gas with gasoline, which we call gas for short. Like oil, natural gas is found under ground and under the ocean floor. Wells are drilled to tap into natural gas reservoirs just like drilling for oil. Once a drill has hit an area that contains natural gas, it can be brought to the surface through pipes. The natural gas has to get from the wells to us. To do that, there is a huge network of pipelines that brings natural gas from the gas fields to us. Some of these pipes are two feet wide. Natural gas is sent in larger pipelines to power plants to make electricity or to factories because they use lots of gas. Bakeries use natural gas to heat ovens to bake bread, pies, pastries and cookies. Other businesses use natural gas for heating their buildings or heating water. From larger pipelines, the gas goes through smaller and smaller pipes to your neighborhood. In businesses and in your home, the natural gas must first pass through a meter, which measures the amount of fuel going into the building. A gas company worker reads the meter and the company will charge you for the amount of natural gas you used. In some homes, natural gas is used for cooking, heating water and heating the house in a furnace. In rural areas, where there are no natural gas pipelines, propane (another form of gas thats often made when oil is refined) or bottled gas is used instead of natural gas. Propane is also called LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas, is made up of methane and a mixture with other gases like butane. Propane turns to a liquid when it is placed under slight pressure. For regular natural gas to turn into a liquid, it has to be made very, very cold. Cars and trucks can also use natural gas as a transportation fuel, but they must carry special cylinder-like tanks to hold the fuel. When natural gas is burned to make heat or burned in a cars engine, it burns very cleanly. When you combine natural gas with oxygen (the process of combustion), you produce carbon dioxide and water vapor; plus the energy thats released in heat and light. Some impurities are contained in all natural gas. These include sulphur and butane and other chemicals. When burned, those impurities can create air pollution. The amount of pollution from natural gas is less than burning a more complex fuel like gasoline. Natural gas-powered cars are more than 90 percent cleaner than a gasoline-powered car. Thats why many people feel natural gas would be a good fuel for cars because it burns cleanly. Biomass Energy: Biomass is matter usually thought of as garbage. Some of it is just stuff lying around dead trees, tree branches, yard clippings, left-over crops, wood chips (like in the picture to the right), and bark and sawdust from lumber mills. It can even include used tires and livestock manure. Your trash, paper products that cant be recycled into other paper products, and other household waste are normally sent to the dump. Your trash contains some types of biomass that can be reused. Recycling biomass for fuel and other uses cuts down on the need for landfills to hold garbage. This stuff nobody seems to want can be used to produce electricity, heat, compost material or fuels. Composting material is decayed plant or food products mixed together in a compost pile and spread to help plants grow. California produces more than 60 million bone dry tons of biomass each year. Of this total, five million bone dry tons is now burned to make electricity. This is biomass from lumber mill wastes, urban wood waste, forest and agricultural residues and other feed stocks. If all of it was used, the 60 million tons of biomass in California could make close to 2,000 megawatts of electricity for Californias growing population and economy. Thats enough energy to make electricity for about two million homes! How biomass works is very simple. The waste wood, tree branches and other scraps are gathered together in big trucks. The trucks bring the waste from factories and from farms to a biomass power plant. Here the biomass is dumped into huge hoppers. This is then fed into a furnace where it is burned. The heat is used to boil water in the boiler, and the energy in the steam is used to turn turbines and generators . Biomass can also be tapped right at the landfill with burning waster products. When garbage decomposes, it gives off methane gas. Youll remember in chapters 8 and 9 that natural gas is made up of methane. Pipelines are put into the landfills and the methane gas can be collected. It is then used in power plants to make electricity. This type of biomass is called landfill gas. A similar thing can be done at animal feed lots. In places where lots of animals are raised, the animals like cattle, cows and even chickens produce manure. When manure decomposes, it also gives off methane gas similar to garbage. This gas can be burned right at the farm to make energy to run the farm. Using biomass can help reduce global warming compared to a fossil fuel-powered plant. Plants use and store carbon dioxide (CO2) when they grow. CO2 stored in the plant is released when th Analysis of Vietnams Energy Supply and Production Analysis of Vietnams Energy Supply and Production Vietnams economy has expanded rapidly in recent years, with its real gross domestic product (GDP) growing 7.7% in 2004 and 8.4% in 2005. Growth is forecast at 8.0% in 2006. Vietnam has had Normal Trade Relations status with the United States since late 2001, with 2002 marking the first time Vietnam shipped more goods to the United States than to Japan. Despite rising exports, Vietnam currently runs a slight trade deficit, but is projected to begin having trade surpluses by 2007. Much of Vietnams large rural population relies heavily on non-commercial biomass energy sources such as wood, dung, and rice husks. As a result, Vietnams per capita commercial energy consumption ranks among the lowest in Asia. The countrys commercial energy consumption is predicted to rise in coming years, primarily due to increases in the use of natural gas. Vietnam claims ownership of a portion of the potentially hydrocarbon-rich Spratly Islands, as do the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, China, and Taiwan. Vietnam, China, and the Philippines agreed in March 2005 to conduct a joint seismic survey for potential oil and natural gas reserves in a portion of the disputed area. Vietnam also claims the Paracel Islands, which China first occupied in 1974. Oil: Vietnams Oil Production and Consumption, 1980-2005. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003, internal EIA estimates.). Enlarge: Vietnams Oil Production and Consumption, 1980-2005. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003, internal EIA estimates.) Vietnam has 600 million barrels of proven oil reserves, according to data from Oil and Gas Journal, but that total is likely to increase as exploration continues. Crude oil production averaged 370,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2005, down somewhat from the 403,000 bbl/d level achieved in 2004. Bach Ho (White Tiger), Rang Dong (Dawn), Hang Ngoc, Dai Hung (Big Bear), and Su Tu Den (Ruby) are the largest oil producing fields in the country. Although it is a significant oil producer, Vietnam remains reliant on imports of petroleum products due to a lack of refining capacity. Overall, Vietnam had net exports of 111,000 bbl/d of oil in 2005. Most of Vietnams crude oil is exported to refiners in Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. Vietnams largest oil producer is Vietsovpetro (VSP), a joint venture (JV) between PetroVietnam and Zarubezhneft of Russia. VSP operates Vietnams largest oil field, Bach Ho. Other foreign partners include ConocoPhillips, BP, Petronas, and Talisman Energy. Following the October 2003 commencement of drilling operations in the Su Tu Den (Black Lion) crude field, PetroVietnam reported increasing production volumes. PetroVietnams April 2003 discovery of an oil deposit in Dai Hung, estimated to have a capacity of 6,300 bbl/d, was expected to further increase Vietnamese production. The decline in production overall from 2004 to 2005 was primarily the result of declining production at the Bach Ho field. The planned development of several new oil fields in coming years is expected to increase Vietnamese production. A new well at Block 15-1s Su Tu Trang (White Lion) field flowed 8,682 bbl/d in early 2004 and is scheduled to be developed by 2008. In October 2004, Japanese oil companies Nippon Oil Exploration (35 percent interest), Idemitsu Kosan (35 percent), and Teikoku Oil (30 percent) announced plans to fund the development of Blocks 05.1b and 05.1c in the Nam Con Son Basin. Two months later, the Korean National Oil Corporation (KNOC), along with several Korean partners, finalized terms for the $300 million development of Block 11-2, which includes the Flying Orchid Field. PetroVietnam has a 25 percent interest in the joint venture. Exploration in Vietnam continues to yield new discoveries. In 2002, large oil and gas deposits were discovered in the Ca Ngu Vang (Golden Tuna) and Voi Trang (White Elephant) fields. SOCO Vietnam estimates that its Ca Ngu Vang well may contain up to 250 million barrels of oil. In July 2004, VSP discovered new stocks of oil in its Dragon field. Three months later, a joint venture comprised of American Technologies, Petronas, Singapore Petroleum, and PetroVietnam announced a 100-million-barrel oil discovery off Vietnams northeast coast. In September 2004, the Vietnamese government offered nine exploration blocks in the Phu Khanh basin off its southern coast. In November 2004, Japanese oil companies Nippon Oil Exploration, Idemitsu Kosan, and Teikoku Oil signed an agreement to explore in two offshore blocks southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. They plan to drill a test well in 2006 and complete exploration by 2007. In December 2004, Talisman Energy was awarded the right to conduct exploration in the Cuu Long Basin, and received additional acreage in an adjacent area in April 2005. ONGC of India was awarded drilling rights in the deepwater Block 127 in the Phu Khanh Basinoff Vietnams central coast in October 2005. ChevronTexaco also received acreage in the Phu Khanh Basin in the most recent round of awards, with an award for Block 122 in October 2005. PetroVietnams storage and transportation division, Petrolimex, recently completed a new oil storage facility in the central Khanh Hoa province. The depot is largest in the country, with a total storage capacity of 3.68 million barrels. Refining: Vietnam is in the process of building its first refinery. The $1.5 billion Dung Quat Refinery, located in Quang Ngai province, will have a crude distillation capacity of approximately 140,000 bbl/d. After several years of delays in financing the project, construction finally began in November 2005. Commercial operation of the refinery is expected to begin in early 2009. Vietnams distribution infrastructure is discontinuous, with the north and south of the country functioning largely as separate markets. Completion of the Dung Quat Refinery, located in the center of the country, should lead to greater interaction between the regions. A second refinery project is under consideration at Nghi Son, north of Hanoi in the Thanh Hoa province. The Vietnamese government has estimated the 150,000 bbl/d plant will cost $3 billion. In August 2004, Mitsubishi Corporation agreed to participate in building Nghi Son for completion in 2010. In December 2004, Vietnam contracted the International Business Company (IBC) of the British Virgin Islands to conduct a feasibility study for a third oil refinery, to be located at Vung Ro in the southern Phu Yen province. The Vietnamese government hopes to complete the refinery within 12 years. Natural Gas: Vietnams Oil Production and Consumption, 1980-2005. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003.). Enlarge: Vietnams Oil Production and Consumption, 1980-2005. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003.). Vietnam has proven gas reserves of 6.8 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), according to Oil and Gas Journal. Vietnams natural gas production and consumption have been rising rapidly since the late 1990s, with further increases expected as additional fields come onstream. Natural gas is currently produced entirely for domestic consumption. The Cuu Long basin offshore from the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam, a source of associated gas from oil production, is the largest Vietnamese natural gas production area. Only two fields in Vietnam have been developed specifically for their natural gas potential: Tien Hai, with a potential output of 1.76 million cubic feet per day (Mmcf/d); and Lan Tay/Lan Do of Nam Con Son, which began producing over 5 Mmcf/d in 2002. In the Nam Con Son Basin, a $565 million, 230-mile pipeline was completed in June 2002 connecting the Lan Tay and Lan Do fields to the mainland at Vung Tau. The Nam Con Son project consists of five subsea wells linked to a production platform and a pipeline leading to an onshore treatment plant. Gas is piped to three generating plants at the Phu My industrial complex, where electricity is provided primarily to areas surrounding Ho Chi Minh City. In December 2004, the Vietnamese government announced that output from Nam Con Son was expected to reach 88 billion cubic feet (Bcf), exceeding planned production by 90%. The project currently supplies the Phu My 1, Phu My 3, Phu My 2.1 power plants and the extended Phu My 2.1 plant. Phu My 2.2 will begin using output from the field soon thereafter. In December 2002, a consortium headed by Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) signed an agreement to install facilities to pump and supply 130 Mmcf/d of natural gas to Vietnam. The natural gas, located in the Rong Doi and Rong Doi Tay fields on Block 11-2 of the Nam Con Son Basin, is sold to PetroVietnam under a 23-year contract. PetroVietnam resells most this volume to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). Production at the fields began in mid-2005. In December 2004, KNOC and PetroVietnam signed agreements to further exploit natural gas in both Blocks 11 and 12. Construction of an additional pipeline to bring ashore natural gas from block 11 began in October 2005, and is scheduled for completion in October 2006. The Su Tu Den and Rang Dong oil fields, both of which have considerable Vietnamese reserves of associated natural gas, are located near the 62-mile pipeline from the Bach Ho field. An estimated 60 Mmcf/d of gas from the fields is earmarked for consumption in power plants in southern Vietnam. Both TotalFinaElf and ChevronTexaco (originally Unocal) have found natural gas in exploratory drilling of the Malay basin. Additionally, Talisman Energy has found natural gas at the Cai Nuoc field in block 46. The discovery is close to block PM-3-CAA, which straddles the maritime border with Malaysia, and is expected to contain up to 100 Bcf of recoverable gas reserves. A contract was awarded to McDermott International in March 2006 for construction of a 200-mile pipeline, which will transport natural gas from the PM3-CAA block to Ca Mau province in southern Vietnam. It is scheduled for completion in 2007. In December 2004, PetroVietnam announced that it was reconsidering the $70 million Phu My gas pipeline project from Phu My to Nhon Trach due to increased expenses associated with land costs in compensation areas. The pipeline was initially planned to transport associated gas from the Bach Ho and Rong fields for power generation. Coal: Vietnam contains coal reserves estimated at 165 million short tons (Mmst), the majority of which is anthracite. Production has increased dramatically over the last decade, with Vietnam producing over 18 Mmst in 2003. As a result, Vietnam exported a record 7 Mmst of coal, primarily to Japan and China, in 2003. Although Vietnam has historically relied on hydropower for electricity, it has recently promoted the construction of coal-fired power plants. Vinocoal plans to build eight coal-fueled thermal power plants with a total capacity of 2,900 megawatts (MW) by 2010. Six are currently in various stages of planning and construction. In December 2004, the Vietnamese government approved Vinacoals proposal to invest in a 200-MW, coal-fired thermal power plant in the Son Dong district. The plant is scheduled to begin operation in 2007. Coal-fired power plants are expected to eventually account for 25% of Vietnams total electricity production. The Vietnamese government estimates that 10.2 Mms t of coal is needed per year to meet increasing domestic demand, projected at 20,000 MW by 2010. Vietnam continues to exploit new coal reserves within its borders. In March 2003, a significant coal bed was discovered in the Red River Delta region of northern Vietnam. Vinacoal plans to use the reserve for thermal power plants. In October 2004, Vinacoal entered talks with Chinas Fujian Province Coal Industry Corporation to jointly exploit the Bac Coc Sau mine in the Quang Ninh province. Electricity: Vietnams Electricity Generation, 1980-2003. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003.). Enlarge: Vietnams Electricity Generation, 1980-2003. (Source: EIA, International Energy Annual 2003.). Although Vietnams per capita electricity consumption is among the lowest in Asia, demand has risen in recent years, straining the countrys limited generating capacity. Rapid commercial sector growth, population migration to major cities, and elevated living standards have all contributed to a growing demand for electricity. In 2003, Vietnam had a total electric generating capacity of 8.8 gigawatts (GW) and generated 39.7 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, of which 52 percent was hydropower. Electricity demand in Vietnam is forecast to grow 15 percent per year until 2010. Vietnam currently buys power from China to prevent shortages in the north, and plans to begin purchasing from Laos in 2008. The majority of thermal electricity generation in Vietnam depends on coal-fired plants, though natural gas use is expanding. EVNs Pha Lai is the largest coal-fired power project in Vietnam, with the second of two 300-MW units coming into service in 2003. In order to meet increased demand, construction or expansion is planned for 32 power stations (7,547 MW) before 2010. The state power company, Elà ©ctricità © of Vietnam (EVN), plans to commission 16 hydropower plants by 2010 and increased capacity at the Uong Bi coal-fired plant to 400 MW in 2005. Vinacoal also has plans to construct eight additional coal-fired power plants. Vietnam currently has five hydroelectric expansions underway. The countrys Son La project, which began construction in late 2005, is anticipated to have a generating capacity of 2,400 megawatts (MW) by 2012, will be the largest hydroelectric project in Vietnam when completed. In September 2004, construction began on the Ban Ve hydroelectric power plant, expected to begin operations in 2008. EVN began work on four additional hydroelectric projects in late 2004. The Dong Nai 3 and Dong Nai 4, both located in the Central Highlands region, are expected to be completed within four years and to provide approximately 520 MW of generating capacity. In December 2004, EVN began construction of the Se San 4 hydropower plant in the central highlands provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum. The plant is anticipated to have a capacity of 330 MW and to generate 1,390 million kWh per year. Vietnam also plans to build three additional plants in the region before 2010. In March 2004, EVN announced plans to spend $1.3 billion to build and refurbish power plants with a combined capacity of 1,510 MW. The projects include the combined cycle power plant Phu My 2.1, the hydroelectric facility Can Don, the Phu My 3 and Phu My 4 thermal plants, and Na Duong. Additional projects include the Song Ba Ha, Bac Binh, Se San 4, Dong Nai 3 and Dong Nai 4 hydrostations, the Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh extension, and the O Mon 600-MW thermal plant. The development of natural gas-fired plants in the Phu My complex of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau province has helped to offset Vietnams heavy reliance on hydropower, which can be vulnerable to disruption when monsoon rainfall is unusually low. In March 2003, the 720-MW Phu My 3 power plant commenced operations. The $450 million plant, owned by a consortium led by UKs BP, was Vietnams first foreign-invested, build-operate-transfer (BOT) project. EVN has contracted to purchase the output under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Mitsubishi received an award in February 2006 for the construction of a 330-MW natural gas-fired power plant in the southern Mekong delta. The plant will come online in early 2009, running initially on fuel oil, and switching to natural gas when pipeline infrastructure is completed. More foreign companies are beginning to enter the growing Vietnamese power market in the form of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) projects. EVN and a consortium including Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), Sumitomo, and Elà ©ctricità © de France (EdF) began BOT construction of the Mekong Deltas 715-MW Phu My 2-2 in January 2003. The plant is fueled by gas from Nam Con Son Basin. EVN plans to develop a national electricity grid by 2020 by patching together several regional grids. The countrys distribution infrastructure is poorly maintained, but has benefited from recent improvements. A North-South power cable transmits electricity from Vietnams largest generator, the Hoa Binh hydropower plant in the North, to large population centers in the South, linking the country into one electricity grid and helping alleviate electricity shortages in Ho Chi Minh City. The $56 million project was funded by the World Bank. Vietnam is considering the construction of a 500-KV, 188-mile power line from Pleiku to Danang city at a cost of $130 million. The Vietnamese government has estimated that an additional 9,300 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and 173,600 miles of medium- and low-voltage transmission lines will be necessary to accommodate new capacity by 2010. In September 2004, EVN announced plans to invest $330 million over five years to upgrade transmission lin es surrounding Hanoi. Vietnam plans to complete its first nuclear power plant by 2020 as an alternate means on meeting demand. In December 2004, the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology submitted a pre-feasibility study for the 2,000-megawatt (MW) nuclear plant to the National Assembly. Fossil Fuels Coal, Oil and Natural Gas: Where Fossil Fuels Come From: There are three major forms of fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas. All three were formed many hundreds of millions of years ago before the time of the dinosaurs hence the name fossil fuels. The age they were formed is called the Carboniferous Period. It was part of the Paleozoic Era. Carboniferous gets its name from carbon, the basic element in coal and other fossil fuels. The Carboniferous Period occurred from about 360 to 286 million years ago. At the time, the land was covered with swamps filled with huge trees, ferns and other large leafy plants, similar to the picture above. The water and seas were filled with algae the green stuff that forms on a stagnant pool of water. Algae is actually millions of very small plants. Some deposits of coal can be found during the time of the dinosaurs. For example, thin carbon layers can be found during the late Cretaceous Period (65 million years ago) the time of Tyrannosaurus Rex. But the main deposits of fossil fuels are from the Carboniferous Period. For more about the various geologic eras, go to www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/help/timeform.html. As the trees and plants died, they sank to the bottom of the swamps of oceans. They formed layers of a spongy material called peat. Over many hundreds of years, the peat was covered by sand and clay and other minerals, which turned into a type of rock called sedimentary. More and more rock piled on top of more rock, and it weighed more and more. It began to press down on the peat. The peat was squeezed and squeezed until the water came out of it and it eventually, over millions of years, it turned into coal, oil or petroleum, and natural gas. Coal: Coal is a hard, black colored rock-like substance. It is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and varying amounts of sulphur. There are three main types of coal anthracite, bituminous and lignite. Anthracite coal is the hardest and has more carbon, which gives it a higher energy content. Lignite is the softest and is low in carbon but high in hydrogen and oxygen content. Bituminous is in between. Today, the precursor to coal peat is still found in many countries and is also used as an energy source. The earliest known use of coal was in China. Coal from the Fu-shun mine in northeastern China may have been used to smelt copper as early as 3,000 years ago. The Chinese thought coal was a stone that could burn. Coal is found in many of the lower 48 states of U.S. and throughout the rest of the world. Coal is mined out of the ground using various methods. Some coal mines are dug by sinking vertical or horizontal shafts deep under ground, and coal miners travel by elevators or trains deep under ground to dig the coal. Other coal is mined in strip mines where huge steam shovels strip away the top layers above the coal. The layers are then restored after the coal is taken away. The coal is then shipped by train and boats and even in pipelines. In pipelines, the coal is ground up and mixed with water to make whats called a slurry. This is then pumped many miles through pipelines. At the other end, the coal is used to fuel power plants and other factories. Oil or Petroleum: Oil is another fossil fuel. It was also formed more than 300 million years ago. Some scientists say that tiny diatoms are the source of oil. Diatoms are sea creatures the Picture of oil formationsize of a pin head. They do one thing just like plants; they can convert sunlight directly into stored energy. Oil has been used for more than 5,000-6,000 years. The ancient Sumerians, Assyrians and Babylonians used crude oil and asphalt (pitch) collected from large seeps at Tuttul (modern-day Hit) on the Euphrates River. A seep is a place on the ground where the oil leaks up from below ground. The ancient Egyptians, used liquid oil as a medicine for wounds, and oil has been used in lamps to provide light. The Dead Sea, near the modern Country of Israel, used to be called Lake Asphaltites. The word asphalt was derived is from that term because of the lumps of gooey petroleum that were washed up on the lake shores from underwater seeps. In North America, Native Americans used blankets to skim oil off the surface of streams and lakes. They used oil as medicine and to make canoes water-proof. During the Revolutionary War, Native Americans taught George Washingtons troops how to treat frostbite with oil. As our country grew, the demand for oil continued to increase as a fuel for lamps. Petroleum oil began to replace whale oil in lamps because the price for whale oil was very high. During this time, most petroleum oil came from distilling coal into a liquid or by skimming it off of lakes just as the Native Americans did. Then on August 27, 1859, Edwin L. Drake (the man standing on the right in the black and white picture to the right), struck liquid oil at his well near Titusville, Pennsylvania. He found oil under ground and a way that could pump it to the surface. The well pumped the oil into barrels made out of wood. This method of drilling for oil is still being used today all over the world in areas where oil can be found below the surface. Oil and natural gas are found under ground between folds of rock and in areas of rock that are porous and contain the oils within the rock itself. The folds of rock were formed as the earth shifts and moves. Its similar to how a small, throw carpet will bunch up in places on the floor. To find oil and natural gas, companies drill through the earth to the deposits deep below the surface. The oil and natural gas are then pumped from below the ground by oil rigs (like in the picture). They then usually travel through pipelines or by ship. Oil is found in 18 of the 58 counties in California. Kern County, the County where Bakersfield is found, is one of the largest oil production places in the country. But we only get one-half of our oil from California wells. The rest comes from Alaska, and an increasing amount comes from other countries. In the entire U.S., more than 50 percent of all the oil we use comes from outside the countrymost of it from the Middle East. Oil is brought to California by large tanker ships. The petroleum or crude oil must be changed or refined into other products before it can be used. Refineries: Oil is stored in large tanks until it is sent to various places to be used. At oil refineries, crude oil is split into various types of products by heating the thick black oil. Oil is made into many different products fertilizers for farms, the clothes you wear, the toothbrush you use, the plastic bottle that holds your milk, the plastic pen that you write with. They all came from oil. There are thousands of other products that come from oil. Almost all plastic comes originally from oil. Can you think of some other things made from oil? The products include gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation or jet fuel, home heating oil, oil for ships and oil to burn in power plants to make electricity. Heres what a barrel of crude oil can make. In California, 74 percent of our oil is used for transportation cars, planes, trucks, buses and motorcycles. Well learn more about transportation energy in Chapter 18. Natural Gas: Sometime between 6,000 to 2,000 years BCE (Before the Common Era), the first discoveries of natural gas seeps were made in Iran. Many early writers described the natural petroleum seeps in the Middle East, especially in the Baku region of what is now Azerbaijan. The gas seeps, probably first ignited by lightning, provided the fuel for the eternal fires of the fire-worshiping religion of the ancient Persians. Natural gas is lighter than air. Natural gas is mostly made up of a gas called methane. Methane is a simple chemical compound that is made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Its chemical formula is CH4 one atom of carbon along with four atoms hydrogen. This gas is highly flammable. Natural gas is usually found near petroleum underground. It is pumped from below ground and travels in pipelines to storage areas. The next chapter looks at that pipeline system. Natural gas usually has no odor and you cant see it. Before it is sent to the pipelines and storage tanks, it is mixed with a chemical that gives a strong odor. The odor smells almost like rotten eggs. The odor makes it easy to smell if there is a leak. Energy Safety Note! If you smell that rotten egg smell in your house, tell your folks and get out of the house quickly. Dont turn on any lights or other electrical devices. A spark from a light switch can ignite the gas very easily. Go to a neighbors house and call 9-1-1 for emergency help. Saving Fossil Fuels: Fossil fuels take millions of years to make. We are using up the fuels that were made more than 300 million years ago before the time of the dinosaurs. Once they are gone they are gone. So, its best to not waste fossil fuels. They are not renewable; they cant really be made again. We can save fossil fuels by conserving energy. Natural Gas Distribution System: We learned in Chapter 8 that natural gas is a fossil fuel. It is a gaseous molecule thats made up of two atoms one carbon atom combined with four hydrogen atom. Its chemical formula is CH4. The picture on the right is a model of what the molecule could look like. Dont confuse natural gas with gasoline, which we call gas for short. Like oil, natural gas is found under ground and under the ocean floor. Wells are drilled to tap into natural gas reservoirs just like drilling for oil. Once a drill has hit an area that contains natural gas, it can be brought to the surface through pipes. The natural gas has to get from the wells to us. To do that, there is a huge network of pipelines that brings natural gas from the gas fields to us. Some of these pipes are two feet wide. Natural gas is sent in larger pipelines to power plants to make electricity or to factories because they use lots of gas. Bakeries use natural gas to heat ovens to bake bread, pies, pastries and cookies. Other businesses use natural gas for heating their buildings or heating water. From larger pipelines, the gas goes through smaller and smaller pipes to your neighborhood. In businesses and in your home, the natural gas must first pass through a meter, which measures the amount of fuel going into the building. A gas company worker reads the meter and the company will charge you for the amount of natural gas you used. In some homes, natural gas is used for cooking, heating water and heating the house in a furnace. In rural areas, where there are no natural gas pipelines, propane (another form of gas thats often made when oil is refined) or bottled gas is used instead of natural gas. Propane is also called LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas, is made up of methane and a mixture with other gases like butane. Propane turns to a liquid when it is placed under slight pressure. For regular natural gas to turn into a liquid, it has to be made very, very cold. Cars and trucks can also use natural gas as a transportation fuel, but they must carry special cylinder-like tanks to hold the fuel. When natural gas is burned to make heat or burned in a cars engine, it burns very cleanly. When you combine natural gas with oxygen (the process of combustion), you produce carbon dioxide and water vapor; plus the energy thats released in heat and light. Some impurities are contained in all natural gas. These include sulphur and butane and other chemicals. When burned, those impurities can create air pollution. The amount of pollution from natural gas is less than burning a more complex fuel like gasoline. Natural gas-powered cars are more than 90 percent cleaner than a gasoline-powered car. Thats why many people feel natural gas would be a good fuel for cars because it burns cleanly. Biomass Energy: Biomass is matter usually thought of as garbage. Some of it is just stuff lying around dead trees, tree branches, yard clippings, left-over crops, wood chips (like in the picture to the right), and bark and sawdust from lumber mills. It can even include used tires and livestock manure. Your trash, paper products that cant be recycled into other paper products, and other household waste are normally sent to the dump. Your trash contains some types of biomass that can be reused. Recycling biomass for fuel and other uses cuts down on the need for landfills to hold garbage. This stuff nobody seems to want can be used to produce electricity, heat, compost material or fuels. Composting material is decayed plant or food products mixed together in a compost pile and spread to help plants grow. California produces more than 60 million bone dry tons of biomass each year. Of this total, five million bone dry tons is now burned to make electricity. This is biomass from lumber mill wastes, urban wood waste, forest and agricultural residues and other feed stocks. If all of it was used, the 60 million tons of biomass in California could make close to 2,000 megawatts of electricity for Californias growing population and economy. Thats enough energy to make electricity for about two million homes! How biomass works is very simple. The waste wood, tree branches and other scraps are gathered together in big trucks. The trucks bring the waste from factories and from farms to a biomass power plant. Here the biomass is dumped into huge hoppers. This is then fed into a furnace where it is burned. The heat is used to boil water in the boiler, and the energy in the steam is used to turn turbines and generators . Biomass can also be tapped right at the landfill with burning waster products. When garbage decomposes, it gives off methane gas. Youll remember in chapters 8 and 9 that natural gas is made up of methane. Pipelines are put into the landfills and the methane gas can be collected. It is then used in power plants to make electricity. This type of biomass is called landfill gas. A similar thing can be done at animal feed lots. In places where lots of animals are raised, the animals like cattle, cows and even chickens produce manure. When manure decomposes, it also gives off methane gas similar to garbage. This gas can be burned right at the farm to make energy to run the farm. Using biomass can help reduce global warming compared to a fossil fuel-powered plant. Plants use and store carbon dioxide (CO2) when they grow. CO2 stored in the plant is released when th

Views on the Topic of Reeds Book Forest Dweller, Forest Protectors Ess

Views on the Topic of Reed's Book Forest Dweller, Forest Protectors Many of the countries of South America have experienced severe balance of payments deficits. In order to encourage development and solve these problems, the governments have engaged in misguided and largely unsuccessful development projects in the rain forests. Ranchers have cleared the forests to raise cattle. Colonization projects have brought small farmers into regions that were once virgin forest. The farming practices that were developed in temperate regions are not very successful in these areas. The land is quickly depleted and the farmers and ranchers clear more forest. The authors of this article suggest that this pattern is not necessary. They explain that simply by following the models of sustainable resource extraction practiced by the indigenous people of the area, the resources of the rain forest can be utilized sustainably. The areas in which sustainable resource extraction is being investigated include gathered products, wild game, aquaculture, agriculture, and resource units. The authors explain each type of resource and touch on how each can be extracted sustainably with the help of indigenous models. For example, game animals could be taken from the forest sustainably if they were "cropped in a form of ‘semi-domestication’ in abandoned garden sites" (Posey, et al 1984). This would mimic the indigenous people such as the Guaranà ­ who are able to keep populations of important game animals artificially high when they allow them to eat food plants out of their gardens. If this model were followed, more animals could be hunted with less harm to the population. Agricultural practices of native peoples could also be copi... ... and used for meat in a sustainable way. I find this point to be highly controversial. Large mammals such as manatees are more vulnerable to over-hunting because their populations are not very dense. Many varieties of turtles are already endangered in the rain forests because there is too much sediment and pollution in the rivers. I don’t think that these species should be considered in sustainable hunting programs. Finally, some of the ideas of these authors, including gathering insects, organizing plantations of fruit bearing trees and keeping animals that eat the fruits on the land as a "game farm," and developing resource units seem a little bit far fetched. All of the ideas of this paper do, however, merit careful review. Any use of a rain forest that maintains the biodiversity and all allows the ecosystem to remain intact is better than clear cutting.

Social-Ecological Model Theory

A behavior I would like to modify or change would be the sexual activity of today’s youth. Focusing more on using protection, being safe, or abstinence if possible. We know that if you aren’t careful and using protection it is very easy to attain a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or a sexually transmitted disease (STD). I would use the social-ecological model theory to accomplish a prevention and promotional change in behaviors. The social-ecological model provides a framework for understanding the different influences and their relationships to one another. In the social-ecological model theory there are different stages or levels to your prevention or promotional program. The five stages or levels are: Individual, Relationship, Community, Societal, and Policy. Individual would be intrapersonal. Relationship would be interpersonal. Community would have institutional factors. Societal would have community factors. And Policy would local, state, and national laws and policies that contribute to the prevention of your program. The first level of the social-ecological model (SEM) theory is Individual or intrapersonal stage. It represents the individual who might be affected by a sexually transmitted infection. And the sexual prevention program aims to increase the individual's knowledge and influence his or her attitudes. You do so by providing, the need for STD testing, the intention to be tested, the risks and benefits of being tested, and access to affordable and convenient STD testing, diagnosis, and treatment. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) The second level of the SEM behavior theory is Relationship or interpersonal level. It represents STD prevention activities implemented at the interpersonal level. These activities are intended to facilitate individual behavior change by affecting social and cultural norms and overcoming individual-level barriers. Friends, family, health care providers, community health workers or promoters, and patient navigators represent potential sources of in terpersonal messages and support. Activities included are: providers making STD testing recommendations to their patients, patients receiving reminders about the need of regular STD testing, patient navigators helping to remove logistical and other barriers to screening. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) The third level of the SEM behavior theory is Community which has institutional factors. It represents STD prevention activities implemented at the organization level. These activities are intended to facilitate individual behavior change by influencing organizational systems and policies. Health care systems, employers or worksites, health care plans, local health departments, tribal urban health clinics, and professional organizations represent potential sources of organizational messages and support. At this level you would; promote the use of client and provider reminder systems, provide provider assessment and feedback on their performance, encourage the coverage and expansion of benefits for screening, adopt worksite policies that support preventive care. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) The fourth level of the SEM theory is Societal which has community factors. It represents STD prevention activities implemented at the community level. These activities are intended to facilitate individual behavior change by leveraging resources and participation of society-level institutions such as comprehensive abstinence coalitions, tribal health departments, media, and community advocacy groups, which represent potential sources of societal communication an d support. Several interventions appropriate for this level, includes: working with coalitions and collaborates to promote STD testing and expand resources, conducting public awareness and educational campaigns, collaborating with tribal health departments to expand STD screening. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) The final level is Policy. It represents STD prevention activities at the policy level. These activities involve interpreting and implementing existing policy. Federal, state, local, and tribal government agencies may support policies that promote healthy behavior, including screening. Some examples include: collaborating with coalitions to communicate policy decisions to the public (i. g. insurance mandates for STD testing), and translating local policies for community members (i. g. proclamation of a STD prevention awareness month). (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) Works Cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009, September 9). The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention. Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs. (2012, November 16). The Social Ecological Model. Olympia, Washington, United States.

How to Sustain Positive Changes In Your Marketing Team - CoSchedule

How to Sustain Positive Changes In Your Marketing Team Leading a marketing team to win feels amazing. Smashing goals is gratifying. But sustaining change in organizations thats the hard part. We marketers face a tall order. Not only do we have to make hyper growth happen, we have to do it every day. Every time we reach the summit of one goal, a taller one is just around the bend. Your boss: Did your team get 100 new leads last week? You: Yes! ðŸ˜Æ' Your boss: Nice work! But are you on track for 125 this week? You: Well, that escalated quickly 😠³ In short, our job is to start from zero and soar past last week. So, in this post Im going to share with you how to to sustain those positive changes (and results) in your marketing team. Youll learn: The key to putting your teams success on cruise control. How to develop a built-in mechanism for sustained results. Exactly why (and how) to keep your team hungry to win. PLUS, because youre awesome, Ive got something extra special for you If you wanna learn why over 8,000 marketing teams across the world choose to organize and execute their entire marketing strategy in one place Schedule a 30 minute marketing demo of right now. Youll see exactly how teams like Convince Convert, Smart Passive Income, and Campaign Monitor get amazing results with . Now, pick a time for your 1-on-1 marketing demo and lets get to it. How To Sustain Positive Changes In Your Marketing Team by @jordan_loftis via @Develop Smart Marketing Habits As A Team Riffing on Aristotle, former Patriots offensive linemen, Matt Light, said in his retirement remarks: â€Å"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.† We hear it here five thousand times a week. Just worry about yourself, not others, make it part of your routine. Keep striving to do it better and better. The excellence we all shared as an organization, teammates, friends, everyone else. It’s not just as an act, it’s a habit, it’s how we live our lives, what we try to do day-in and day-out. These words are wonderfully portable for anyone who cares about sustaining change in organizations. Whether youre a manager or team member, your teams success is your success. And thats where positive, team-based habits come in. How Habits Work (And Why It Matters) According to a study in the British Journal of General Practice, the wild world of healthcare shows us this, as well. Furthermore, even when patients successfully initiate the recommended changes, the gains are often transient because few of the traditional behaviour change strategies have built-in mechanisms for maintenance. Unless positive changes become engrained habits, achieving goals will become the exception rather than the rule. Unless positive changes become engrained habits, achieving goals will become the exception ratherThat same psychological study defines habits this way: actions that are triggered automatically in response to contextual cues that have been associated with their performance. For a marketer, this habit loop might look like this #1. Your Contextual Cue Your team is planning a new campaign. And you need to get everything organized 📠Ã‚  creative brief, 📄  landing pages, âÅ"‰ï ¸ Ã‚  email copy, âÅ" Ã¯ ¸ Ã‚  blog posts, 🙋†Ã¢â„¢â‚¬Ã¯ ¸  social media messages, 🎉  press releases, ðŸÅ' Ã‚  design assets, 🎠¯Ã‚  target metrics, 📈  analytics reports, 😠«Ã‚  and more Thats a lot of stuff. (And Im probably missing plenty of other things you do.) #2. Your Engrained Action So, be honest. Whats your go-to action given the contextual cue of planning a new marketing campaign? For tons of marketers, its pulling out ye olde spreadsheet! Everything gets a tab. Everyone gets access on your internal drive or Dropbox account. And in short order, chaos ensues. ^^^These are actual screenshots of spreadsheets, calendars, and systems customers have transitioned from over the years! Here at , we call this a symptom of makeshift marketing. Simply defined, makeshift marketing happens when disconnected tools and apps are mashed into one martech stack. In our experience, this is one of the most difficult traps (and series of habits) to break for marketers. But theres good news ahead! This step is complete when your automatic action (read habit) is completed. Then, one more thing happens. #3. Your Reward In his best-selling book,  The Power of Habit, author Charles Duhigg outlines a third piece to the habit puzzle: reward. The reward reinforces the habit loop. With every completion, the habit gets more powerful. In this case, the spreadsheet gives a sense of control, organization, and peace of mind. The problem is that it quickly becomes messy. Often, youll end up with spreadsheets to manage your spreadsheets! Your Habits Become Your Teams Habits The linchpin to sustaining changes in your organization, then, is leading the right habits so you get the right results consistently. Just imagine if your team smashed your marketing goals with the same frequency as brushing your teeth? ^^^ Thats habit 101. Lets talk about how to move from marketing mess To marketing mastery. According to research at UCL Epidemiology and Public Health, it takes an average of 21 – 66 days to lock a habit in place. To help your team, I suggest this 3-step approach. Begin with your teams goal and reverse engineer actions to achieve it. Establish a rhythm of accountability. Build out *at least* a 21-day habit roadmap for your team. #1. Begin With Your Teams Goal First things first, pull a Stephen Covey Begin with the end in mind. Start with your teams goal (or goals). Then reverse engineer the consistent actions your team must habitually take to get there. For example, lets imagine your team needs to grow social media engagement by 25% month-over-month across all channels. If I pull our Social Engagement Report in , I can get a quick overview of where we stand. Both for an aggregate average  and individual networks. From this baseline, you can reverse engineer your ideas, tests, and tactics to grow your engagement. But just as important, you can learn what your team must be doing  every week to keep engagement going up and to the right. Intense sprints will give your key metrics a lift in the near term. But its turning your highest-value actions into habits that help you win in the long term. For instance, if you learn that social images get a higher engagement on your social channels, the new habit should be that everything your team does has 3 – 5 promo images. (You can use visual storytelling frameworks like microcontent to do this with great results, by the way.) Or perhaps video does really well with your tribe. The new behavior to automate might become a Facebook live video promoting every new post you publish. Heres the anatomy: Contextual cue: Your team publishes new content. Action: The creator of the piece streams a Facebook live video sharing a short TL;DR version and a CTA. Reward: More social media engagement + referral traffic. Next Step For Sustaining Change In Your Organization: You might be wondering, How is this different than simply adding an item to your teams workflow? Its distinct because of its emphasis on engraining a behavior versus checking a box. For you, as the team leader, leveraging the power of habits  means automating behaviors. When you put the  right  things on autopilot, they move themselves ahead with little (or no) friction. #2. Build Accountability Into Your Teams Weekly Rhythm To do this means using the A word accountability. Accountability gets a bad rap. And thats because inherent is the threat of punishment. If youre accountable for your actions, youre responsible for their outcomes. If youre accountable for your actions, youre responsible for their outcomes.A multi-year study involving over 40,000 participants found: Accountability is incorrectly perceived as strictly consequential and almost entirely after-the-fact- 80% of those surveyed say feedback is something that happens to them only when things go wrong or not at all. Ouch. But what if accountability could be more positive than negative? It can. And it starts with ditching the word while leveraging the essence. Accountability is about: clarity, alignment of actions with goals, and enablement of the right behaviors. Sustaining Change In Your Organization With Clarity Another alarming stat from the accountability study is: 85% of survey participants indicated they werent even sure what their organizations are trying to achieve The quickest path to a homerun here is simple: be ultra clear with what results your team is after. Is there one overarching goal youre hell bent on achieving? Then talk about that. Every. Dang. Day. Is there a long-term goal supported by smaller, short-term goals? ^^^ This is the case for nearly every team Ive ever worked on. If this is true, then keep your short-term goals in perspective. Help your team see how they accomplish your overall mission. One of the best ways to do this is through twice-per-week numbers check in. Automating Clarity With Strategic Reporting If we stick with our social engagement example, heres what it could look like. With , you can automate key reports. So lets automate the social engagement report. (If you dont use , totally okay. You can still do this.) Navigate to your analytics tab, then choose  Social Engagement Report. Next, simply click on  the  Schedule Report button. Then add any team members or stakeholders who should see this report. Your progress will be automatically reported to everyone involved without you having to pull numbers yourself 🠤“ The key here is to keep your team focused on the goal even amidst the deluge of modern marketing. Keep your team focused on the goal even amidst the deluge of modern marketing.Sustaining Change In Your Organization With Alignment Of Actions And Goals Now comes the supercharging power of habits. By consistently performing the right actions, your team will move the needle in the right direction. As you keep the mission in front of your team, help them understand the best actions to take them there. One of the best places to do this is in your team meetings. And you can begin by having everyone answer this simple question: If you could only do one thing every day to achieve [team goal], what would it be? Have everyone answer the question. Then, ask them to explain why that action is so powerful. If you could only do one thing every day to achieve your goal, what would it be?Sustaining Change In Your Organization By Enabling The Right Behaviors And now, enable those positive behaviors with a third question: What roadblocks are there between you and consistently [taking desired action]? This is where you come in. As a team leader, you should be an obstacle bulldozer. Its tough enough to form new, positive habits. (And break negative ones while youre at it.) So clear the debris and get the crap out of the way. Clear the clutter between your team and their most critical actions. Then keep doing this. If your team is supposed to increase social engagement, and creating short promo videos to promote a piece is their desired activity, youd better make sure they arent stacked with a bunch of stuff that makes it impossible to get it done. Once your team is assigned a goal, make sure they arent stacked with a bunch of stuff that makes#3. Build Your 21-Day Habits Roadmap For Your Team To bring this all together, the best way forward is for you to get clear on what the next 21 working days should look like. Scientifically, it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days to establish a new habit, with the average being 66 days. So, you can go for the hail mary and push your team for 66 days Or 100 Or 254 if youd like. However, I suggest a quicker win: build a 21-day habits roadmap for your team. In one of my favorite startup books,  Lean Analytics,  authors Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz  explain the rationale for setting goal metrics, saying: [I]f you want to change behavior, your metric must be tied to the behavioral change you want. So focus the roadmap on the singular, most important behavior youd like to download into each team member. This can be super simple. They key here is to show your team that youre committed to helping them build this habit just as much as they should be. Create a Projects Checklist. Assign it to the right team member and set its completion date 21 days from now. Then, assign the appropriate actions. A clever way to start is by having each team member outline their own habit loop. How will they engrain this new high-value activity? They should define a cue, routine, and reward. Then, they should run through the habit loop  every day for the next 21 working days. This might look like: A 21-day video promotion campaign, Logging into, and using, a new software tool every day (HUGE win for onboarding your team to new tools), Or even writing a fresh social post every single day. Whatever it is, make sure you empower your team to make time each day.

Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman and The Crucible essays

Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman and The Crucible essays Arthur Miller, winner of many literary and dramatic awards, is an incredibly influential force in American drama. His plays deal with issues common to every society. He makes the audience face fault, weakness, and ignorance; subjects we would typical hide from. At the same time he emphasizes strength, human spirit, and familial love. Alice Griffin believes that Miller's plays are important internationally (xii). He belongs to an international theater rather than a regional theater (Heilman 170). His plays are staged and studied by students to understand American life in Russia, P and, Iceland, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Czech Republic, and China to name a few (Griffin xi). Miller's works thrived in England. The University of East Angelia named it's center the Arthur Miller Centre (Griffin 1). They can relate to the sense f identity, honor, recognition, and familial love (Griffin Preface). In a production in Beijing, Miller explained to a Chinese actor playing Biff the son's feelings of guilt and "painfully requited" love for his father, the actor understood as it is v y Chinese (Morath 79). The phenomenon of Death of a Salesman has been the same all over the world. Audiences all have a sense of their life story of their father, uncle, or brother (Griffin 35). In real life Miller had an Uncle Manny who had two sons ho were in competition with Miller and his brother. Manny ended his own life because he failed at business. Miller's personal history is demonstrated in his sensitive and passionate writing in Death of a Salesman (Griffin 41). The Crucible (1952) was originally intended to be called Those Familiar Spirits, referring to a spirit that a witch presumably sends out to torment her victims. However, the well area at the bottom of a blast furnace is known as the crucible, it is whe the molten steels collects being entirely broken down due to immense heat. Miller thought that this was a p...