Build a Better House - With Dirt

Build a Better House - With Dirt Tomorrows homes may be made of glass and steel- or they may resemble the shelters built by our prehistoric ancestors. Architects and engineers are taking a new look at ancient building techniques, including building with earth products. Imagine a magical building material. Its cheap, perhaps even free. Its plentiful everywhere, worldwide. Its strong enough to hold up under extreme weather conditions. Its inexpensive to heat and cool. And its so easy to use that workers can learn the necessary skills in a few hours. This miraculous substance isnt only cheap as dirt, it is dirt, and its winning new respect from architects, engineers, and designers. One look at the Great Wall of China will tell you how durable earthen construction can be. And, concerns for the environment and energy conservation make ordinary dirt look downright appealing. What does an earth house look like? Perhaps it will resemble the 400-year-old Taos Pueblo. Or, tomorrows earth homes may take on surprising new forms. Types of Earth Construction An earth house can be made in a variety of ways: AdobeRammed EarthCob (mud with straw)Compressed Earth BlocksStraw Bale (not really earth, but very organic) Or, the house may be made with concrete but earth sheltered underground . Learning the Craft How many people live or work in buildings constructed of earth? The folks at eartharchitecture.org estimate that 50% of the worlds population spend much of their time in earthen architecture. In a global market economy, its time that more developed nations take note of this statistic. Traditional adobe homes in the American Southwest have wooden beams and flat roofs, but Simone Swan and her students at the Adobe Alliance have discovered the African mode of construction, with arches and domes. The result? Beautiful, ultra-strong, and energy-efficient homes, echoing the adobe domes built along the Nile centuries ago and being built today like earth igloos in places like Namibie and Ghana in Africa. No one can argue with the environmental benefits of using mud and straw. But the ecological building movement does have critics. In an interview with The Independent, Patrick Hannay, from the Welsh School of Architecture, attacked the straw bale structures at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales. There would appear to be little aesthetic leadership here, Hannay said. But, you be the judge. Does responsible architecture have to be unsightly? Can a cob, straw bale, or earth sheltered home be attractive and comfortable? Would you like to live in one? Designing a More Beautiful Mud Hut The African earth igloos, however, come with a stigma. Because of primitive construction methods, mud huts have been associated with housing for the poor, even if building with mud is a proven architecture. The Nka Foundation is trying to change the mud hut image with an international competition. Nka, an African word for artistry, challenges designers to give these ancient building practices a modern aesthetic that is missing. The challenge outlined by the Nka Foundation is this: The challenge is to design a single-family unit of about 30 x 40 feet on a plot of 60 x 60 feet to be built by maximum use of earth and local labor in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The client of your design is the middle-income family in any township of your choice in the Ashanti Region. Total costs of constructing the design entry must not exceed $6,000; land value is excluded from this price point. The entry should serve as an example to the local people that mud architecture can be beautiful and durable. The need for this competition tells us several things: How something is built can have little to do with aesthetics. A home can be well-made but ugly.Attaining status through architecture is nothing new; creating an image transcends socio-economic class. Design and construction materials, the essential tools of architecture, have the power to make or break stigma. Architecture has a long history of design principles that often get lost through the years. Roman architect Vitruvius set a standard with 3 Rules of Architecture- Firmness, Commodity, and Delight. Heres hoping that earth igloo construction will rise to the level of being built with more beauty and delight. Learn More: Winners of the Mud House Design 2014 CompetitionTour a village of earth-walled homes in Loreto Bay, MexicoAdobe Mud: Building With Earth by Catherine Wanek, Mother Earth News, June/July 2009Earth Architecture by Ronald Rael, Princeton Architectural Press, 2010Earth Architecture in Iran: Earth Buildings, Mud Architecture, Sustainable Architecture, Rammed Earth, Mud Bricks by Hamed Niroumand, LAP, 2011Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings: Design and Construction by Paul Graham McHenry, Jr., University of Arizona Press, 1989 Sources: Architecture: A house made of straw by Nonie Niesewand, The Independent, May 24, 1999; eartharchitecture.org; 2014 Mud House Design Competition [accessed June 6, 2015]

The Impact of the Arab Spring on the Economy Term Paper

The Impact of the Arab Spring on the Economy - Term Paper Example The reasons that are attributable to the protests include rampant and endemic corruption by the ruling class and the suppression of the freedom of free speech in the countries. For instance, police brutality, extra-judicial imprisonment and limited political freedom due to dictatorial regimes were common in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. Demographic structural factors such as extreme poverty, a large number of uneducated youths and unemployment caused the violent protests in Tunisia. The rapid growth of the use of social networks and internet penetration in some countries allowed citizens to have new avenues of debate and arranging public demonstrations outside regime control. In some countries, interim military governments had to be established following the violent killings and ouster of the autocratic governments and subsequent instability. Some countries affected by the Arab Spring include Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Oman, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, Morocco, and Syria. According to the International Monetary Fund, the affected countries collectively incurred more than the US $ 56 billion in losses with about the US $ 35 being lost through inflation and rising business costs. The paper will discuss the impact of Arab spring in different economies (Anders 10). Protests against long-serving President Ben Ali were sparked by the acts of a young street vendor who set himself on fire due to continuous harassment by the police authorities. Though the President responded to the demonstrations through shutting down the internet, arresting the demonstrators, reshuffling his cabinet and promising more job creation, the protestors were eager to oust him out of office. Ben Ali was forced to flee the country to Saudi Arabia together with his close family.

Optical systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Optical systems - Essay Example These layers make them resistant to electrical and mechanical interferences. The refractive index feature makes plastic optics fibre multimode. The predecessor glass fibre come in single mode of step index or graded index profile. An illustrated diagram on how the two types guide the light is shown in appendix A figure 2. Three different light waves travel through the fiber. While the first one passes straight through the center of the core, the second mode passes at a steep angle and bounces back through the concept of total internal reflection. The third mode surpasses the critical angle, refracting into the cladding (www.fiberoptics4sale.com). The second mode is able to cover more distance than the first mode. These rays travel through a different paths, they thereby have different modes taking different time to reach. The variation so visible is termed as the dispersion, ultimately giving muddied signal at the receiving node. The output pulse varied against the input pulse. Increased index of refraction in the centre of the core leads to slowing down of the speed of some light rays, resulting in the rays to reach the receiving end at nearly about the same time, ultimately minimizing the dispersion and increase in the bandwidth (www.fiberoptics4sale.com).. Fibres work on concept of propagation of light, the light in a fiber-optic cable passes through the core of the fibre. At that time, if there are bends, it will result in reflection across the cladding .This concept is termed as total internal reflection. The part of light that skips through changes the direction on entering the outer layer due to refraction. Refraction occurs due to varying speeds and varying different refractive index (Wiley J,Ungear S (1990). Total internal reflection occurs (see appendix A figure 4 )when light passing through one material gets intact with a different

What is a revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is a revolution - Essay Example From whatever direction you approach it, revolution implies a need to consider the historical events before, during, and after a revolution. What were the precipitating factors that brought about the people’s call for change? How did they proceed to bring about the change? Did the change in fact accomplish the goals in the changes it brought about? There are many good examples of revolution to be considered; the French Revolution, the events of which began in 1787, when the call for change rang out among the French; and ended in 1799, with a new Constitution. Another famous revolution is the American Revolution, which lead to America’s independence from England. A revolution, which has not yet been identified as a revolution, and is one that, while it has been extensively discussed by notable authors and journalists such as Bernard Lewis, in his 2005 commentary entitled Freedom and Justice in the Modern Middle East; is perhaps better known as the War on Terrorism; is the Muslim Islamic revolution that has been ongoing since the time of the Prophet Mohammad (Lewis 1-26). â€Å"†¦Muslims – particularly those in the Middle East – have suffered new experiences that have transformed their vision of themselves and the world and reshaped the language in which they discuss it (1).† The experience of Muslims includes the occupation of Egypt by Napoleon, in 1798 (2). The social norms and French law that Napoleon brought with him and attempted to apply to Egypt’s Muslims, were in stark contrast to the laws of Islam (2). â€Å"The Koran,† Lewis writes, â€Å"for example, makes it clear that there is a duty of obedience: ‘Obey God, obey the Prophet, obey those who hold authority over you (6).’† The Koran also gives instructions concerning under what conditions, in case those conditions are not already made clear by the three previously cited dictates; by saying,

Learning Styles Is Significant To Student Nurses Nursing Essay

Learning Styles Is Significant To Student Nurses Nursing Essay In my own understanding, learning style is defined as how individuals prefer to learn or their steady way of responding and using stimuli in the aims of improving their learning. According to Keefe (1979) learning style is defined as the composition of cognitive, affective and psychological behaviour that serves as an indicator of how an individual perceives, interacts with and responds to the learning environment. There are numerous definitions to the perspective of learning style. Sims and Sims (1995) also stated that learning style helps in providing means for developing systematic understanding of how to absorb, retain and process the content of information. In difference, Moseley, Hall Ecclestone (2004) stated that the diverse experiences of individuals learning can be difficult to measure to how best an individuals learning styles is determined. This learning style has been majorly stated to allow individuals to learn through the experiences thereby helping different people to organise and manage their own learning (Goldfinch Hughes, 2007).Understanding learning styles supports student nurses in comprehending the value of learning and developing the skills needed to practice. It is important for an individual to know their learning style because it helps to build and produce effective team work as well as to strengthen self-confidence. Learning styles have been an aid to reflection as it helps nurses to reflect appropriately on the care of the patients. Without learning styles for nursing students, it can be quite challenging to reflect on a situation as reflection stages involve thinking and learning in order to produce a better outcome. OCarroll Park (2007) also stated that reflection has become a key learning tool for practice based professions such as nursing. This simply means nurses are expected to reflect at all times based on the kind of care that is given and also to reflect on any areas of improvement, and if the right care is given to the right patients to provide a good standard of care. According to Cottrell (2003) learning is a multi-faceted process involving an individuals learning history, the environment and the interaction in between. It is therefore based on the styles that are being used to acquire new knowledge and skills (Lesmes-Anel, Robinson Moody, 2001).Another use of understanding learning styles for student nurses is for strategy how to overcome problematic situations and also to be more competent when qualified. For example if a student nurse have knowledge about their learning style, they will be able to look for the environment that best suit them as an individuals and would be able to work effectively within a team and other interdisciplinary team successfully . Student nurses will also be able to target areas that need improvement by identifying the areas that are more difficult or a weakness so as to set up a strategy to deal with it for a better outcome, to get more out of education career and to be able to deliver good standard of care to patient. To sum up usefulness of knowing learning style to student nurses it makes learning stress-free, more effective and reduces the chance of anxiety. It also saves student nurses undertaking learning on a hit-and-miss basis, becoming an outstanding learner, increases flexibility and helps to learn from a wide variety of different understanding which can be recognized, informal, planned and unplanned. Learning styles will also enable student nurses to improve and develop learning skills. In addition, it increases awareness of how we learn, opens up the whole process to self-scrutiny and improvement. In Honey questionnaire (2006), the author identifies four learning preferences which are Activist, Reflector, Theorist and Pragmatist. My dominant learning style indicated to be a theorist in the formative work. The answer to the questionnaire also shows that my score was also strong for both pragmatist and reflector as a learning preference. While in activist learning style found a low score indicating underdevelopment of my learning style. According to Alghasham (2012) learners predominantly possess different strengths of learning preferences; therefore being dominant in one area does not ultimately imply weakness in the other areas. In the study by Lesmes-Anel, Robinson Moody (2001) found that learners are predominantly reflector-pragmatist compared with trainers as reflector-theorist. Being a theorist according to Honey questionnaire I learn most easily from activities where I have the chance to question and probe practice, I am also stretched by analysing a complex situation by working with people who ask searching for searching similar answers. I adapt and assimilate observations into complex and logically sound theories; I also think problems through stage- by-stage and tend to be perfectionists who like to fit things into a clear structure. The activities that allow a theorist to benefit from the learning process for me as a student nurse are situations where there is a chance to discover the association and the interrelationship between ideas, events and situations. For example, being a theorist allows me to learn best by contributing in class activities which means taking part in good effective communication and it has enabled me to seek for information by asking questions to stimulate others participation and also to understand the coherent and the assumptions of the theories. Conversely, the difficulty here is in the case where there are activities without background information or apparent purpose which will impair my learning and where I feel myself out of tune with other participants, for example when with lots of activist or people of lower intellectual competence. (Honey Mumford, 1986). Evaluating my learning style as an activist has indicated under-developed style in my learning. Having this style will improve my ability to experience new skills by working as an individual. I will have to develop the aspect of my weaker style which is activist to support my learning on the programme and in my career as a nurse by being able to learn from new experiences as learning needs; I will also be prepared to take risk by going outside the comfort zone of what is identified and experiment new and unfamiliar routine and developments. According to Heidari and Galvin (2003) activist learner is an action learning where the learner becomes independent in the learning process thereby contributing to the team. For this to be achieved increasing the independent learning and reduce my day to day routine work which In this case action plan requiring daily tasks will be applied. Honey and Mumford (1986) expressed a pragmatist learner learns best through existing activities that allows the individual to try out. This way learner has the tendency to have the opportunity to practice what they have learnt. In this case, being a pragmatist enable me to take part in activities by effort to follow instructions from lectures, colleagues, authors mentors and nurses on placement who have the theoretical and practical experience to share with. For example, during my first placement I had the opportunities to practice under supervision on how to take out cannulation using the Aseptic Non Touch Techniques (ANTT) to remove cannula and Nasogastric tube in both men and women. This assisted in building myself confidence I needed and also promotes self-regulation of clinical reasoning skills. On the other hand, Honey Mumford (2000) found that it can be difficult for the learner in situations where the learner cannot see significant reward from the activities. In this case, it will be best for me as a student nurse to link theory to practice by asking questions to clarify points being made to develop my understanding. Jasper (2003) expressed reflector as an individual who has the experiences of standing back and looking at a situation from different perspective. Having a high score as a reflector in the questionnaire, shows I will enjoy activities which involve watching, observing and listening to people during group discussion and lecturing session. There also the tendency to think about what has happened or learnt by relating new ideas or information to the past experience and then to examine them (Howatson-Jones, 2010). Learning as a reflector will enables me as a student nurse to be thoughtful and consider all possible areas and implications of obtaining detailed information before making decision (Honey Mumford, 1986). In conclusion learning style is beneficial for student nurses because it allows individuals to reflect on the past, present and future. It has also indicated my dominant learning style and I was able to identify my weaker style which has aided me to provide an action plan that will equip me to learn from a wide variety of experiences for me to be able to deliver good standard of care to patients now and in future. Annotated bibliography Jasper, M. (2003). Beginning reflective practice. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd. This book introduces what reflective practice is all about, importance of reflection, how to reflect both individually and with others, approach of individual learning as well as developing professional practice. It also demonstrates skills necessary for effective practice, benefits of successful reflection to pre-registration and on-going professional development portfolios. The book will also enable student nurses to develop the practical skills necessary to reach the standards for registration as practitioners and make an awareness of individual knowledge, skills and your limitations so as to be competent. Honey, P. Mumford, A. (2006). The learning style questionnaire. Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publication. This learning style questionnaire was given in class and the content of the book explain different definition of learning, focuses on learning styles preferences and helps to see how an awareness of our preferences can help to become more effective learner. It also helps identify our preferred styles and enhance our learning efficiency by guiding us towards learning opportunities that will best suit our partialities. The questionnaire also have 40 learning style question to answer and clarify individual preferred ways of learning so that discrete people will be in a better position to select experiences that suits their style. The book is as used to broaden people scope by strengthening underutilised styles and being able to write essay on how to develop an aspect of our weaker style to support individual learning on the programme. Madeline O Carroll Alistair P. (2007). Essential mental health nursing skills: Elsevier publications. This book will help individual to recognize the skills and resources that students already have and show how these can be developed into the essential skills needed for nursing in health practice environment. The book also identifies four essential skills that are essential to nursing practice and these skills are the ability to form therapeutic relationships, observations, taking on different roles and reflection. Part of the book section focuses on the process of care and provides background in which the essential skills is applied and also covers assessment, care delivery, communication, improving physical wellbeing and managing care. Howatson-Jones, L. (2010). Reflective practice in nursing. Exeter: Learning Matters. This book discussed what reflection is, benefit of reflection, it also state a valued accumulation to the transforming nursing practice and emphasis on reflective practice in the NMC standards for pre-registration nursing education. The book provides method for developing logical skills through different way of using personal and professional reflection for learning and developing as a practitioner. The book is an aid to reflect as well as ways to assimilate personal reflective insight and a means of helping to advance nursing knowledge in more diverse ways. Heidari, F. Galvin, K. (2003). Action learning group: Can they help students develop their knowledge and skills? Nurse Education in Practice, 3, 49-55. This article explain what reflection is, acknowledged three stages to promote reflection which one has to go through, it also indicates ways to help student nurses how to reflect that can be used once qualified and when training. The article also talk about the important of reflective practice as learning resources for education is growing and reflecting on their own personal development as well as sharing the improvement. To sum up the article states the aim of action learning groups (ALGs) and evaluates importance, weakness and strength of the book to student nurses. Lesmes-Anel, J., Robinson, G. Moody, S. (2001). Learning preferences and learning styles: a study of Wessex general practice registrars. British Journal of General Practice, 51, 559-564. This British journal of general practice states learning experiences generate during the year in practice and the aim of this journal are to determine for the general practice registrars the nature of their learning preferences, learning styles and relationships between them. The journal also introduces what learning styles is and how honey and Mumford questionnaire establish the learning styles of 63 general practice learners in their year of practice and how experienced trainers react very differently to identical learning experiences during the year in practice. Finally this journal describe activist as having experiences, reflector as reviewing experiences, theorist as concluding from experience and pragmatist as planning the next steps. REFRENCES Alghasham, A. A. (2012). Effect of students learning styles on classroom performance in problem-based learning. Medical teacher, 34 14-19. Coffield, F., Moseley, D., Hall, E. Ecclestone, K. (2004). Learning style and pedagogy in post-16 learning: a systematic and critical review. London: Learning skills research centre. Goldfinch, J. Hughes, M. (2007). Skills, learning stayles and success of first-year undergraduates. London: Sage Publications. Heidari, F. Galvin, K. (2003). Action learning group: Can they help students develop their knowledge and skills? Nurse Education in Practice, 3, 49-55. Honey, P. Mumford, A. (1986) Manual of Learning Styles. Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publication. Honey, P. Mumford, A. (2000). The learning style questionnaire. Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publication. Honey, P. Mumford, A. (2006). The learning style questionnaire. Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publication. Howatson-Jones, L. (2010). Reflective practice in nursing. Exeter: Learning Matters. Jasper, M. (2003). Beginning reflective practice. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd. Keefe, J. W. (1979). Learning style: an overview. In J. W. Keefe (eds.). Student learning style: Diagnosing and prescribing programs. Reston: NASSP. OCarroll, M Park, A. (2007). Essential mental health nursing skills: Elsevier publications.

Kurt Vonnegut’s Experience of Time Travel, War, and Death in Slaughterh

Slaughterhouse-Five is a stirring science-fiction book, which contains many interesting themes such as, space and time travel, philosophy on death, war, and aliens. In the novel Slaughterhouse-Five, The main character, Billy Pilgrim, is not in the first chapter. The author of this book, Kurt Vonnegut is the main character in this chapter (Harris). This book is written in a rather random order because Billy Pilgrim lived his life that way. In the novel Slaughterhouse-Five, the author’s imagination helps him get through reality by giving him the illusion that he is traveling through time and cannot die (Westbrook). Billy was a prisoner-of-war, but he continues with his normal life; he also believes that he was kid napped by aliens called Talfamadores (Peebles). These so called trips occur all through his life. He continues his life after serving in World War II by the occupation of optometry. He becomes rather wealthy but eventually dies. Giannone explains that there are three t hemes in Slaughterhouse-Five, which include, victory wins over death, the idea of no death, and the reader’s thoughts on the events of the book (Giannone). Billy Pilgrim has gained the ability to become unstuck in time. Billy went to sleep one night as an old man, and has woken up the next day as a driven young engaged man (Vonnegut 23). He has no control over where he is going to stop next in his lifetime, these trips are rather frightening (Vonnegut 23). In Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy thinks he is able to escape the present and time travel, but really, he is going back in time and seeing the bombings and other experiences (Vees-Gulani). In this novel, time is not chronological order, the time lapsed in this novel is very large, the time is made up of sma... ...Vol. 152. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. Shear, Walter. "Kurt Vonnegut: The Comic Fate of the Sensibility." The Feeling of Being: Sensibility in Postwar American Fiction. New York: Peter Lang, 2002. 215-239. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 212. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. Vees-Gulani, Susanne. "Diagnosing Billy Pilgrim: a psychiatric approach to Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five." CRITIQUE: Studies in Contemporary Fiction 44.2 (2003): 175+. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York, New York: Dell Publishing, 1991. Print. Westbrook, Perry D. "Kurt Vonnegut Jr.: Overview." Contemporary Novelists. Susan Windisch Brown. 6th ed. New York: St. James Press, 1996. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.

Marriage versus living together Essay

Marriage is considered to improve well- being and the health of the world’s population. Findings from researches indicate that, in general, married couples are healthier physically, happier, experience better mental health, live longer, feel more contented and rarely suffer from physical abuse (McGowan, 2006). However, impacts of living together before legal marriage which is known as premarital cohabiting are very detrimental. Cohabiting is associated with increased aggression and conflict thus increasing the probability of separation in later marriages. It is noted that direct negative effect is created by living in pre marital union on later marital stability whereby living together before marriage undermines the legality of formal marriages thus reducing the required marriage commitment. This results to shifting from one partner to another by cohabitants seeking for the ‘right partner thus an average cohabitant is considered in a lifetime to have several partners. Young people nowadays consider living together then marrying later instead of marring then live together (McGowan, 2006). It is noted that most of the people who decide to live together before marriage their communication skills with each other are very poor which most likely leads to separation. This is as a result of failure for the partners to discuss their concerns or personal problems since they don’t feel that their partner has a right to hear about them or it’s none of their business. In marriage, your partners concerns and problems are yours too hence the relationship is strengthened through effective communication. The reason why conflicts are difficult to resolve in people cohabiting is that, they try to use a kiss or hug instead of establishing the capacity to talk through them. Marriages are considered to be held together through trust, openness, spiritual intimacy, true friendship, and honesty which need effort and to stand the test of time in order to develop. Extra marital affairs are more likely to increase in people who cohabit before marriage. Premarital behaviour and attitudes concerned with sex continue even in marriage whereby the probability of partners cheating in marriage is high if they used to live together before marriage (McGowan, 2006). The reason behind it is that, cohabiting is not founded on lasting relationship but it is based on momentary romance. Romance without relationship is known as the brief most excellent encounter. However, marriage has excellent relationships built upon enjoying and knowing each ones partner not only on sexual but also on recreational, social, divine, openness and intellectual levels. This explains why always married partners have higher levels of loyalty regarding to faithfulness in marriage. Cohabiting is considered as a private business founded on an emotional bond whereby there is no hope for the future, no public obligation and no official decree of responsibility and love. The partners stay together so long as their self driven interests are met in the relationship otherwise the obligation of the relationship is a month to month leasing contract and one can quit anytime. On the other hand, marriage is more than a love agreement (McGowan, 2006). Marriage encompasses societal and legal responsibilities thus it’s a public event. It unites not only two people but also families and communities. That is the reason all newlyweds vow â€Å"till death do us part†. In summary, cohabiting is a marriage of convenience which can be disposed any time. Married couples have marriage of commitment which never comes to an end regardless of challenges experienced. Work cited McGowan, J. (2006). Marriage versus Living Together. USA: Oxford University Press.