Political Crisis Essays - Caricature, Cartoon, Editorial Cartoon

Political Crisis American political cartoons often follow the general displeasure of the government by the American people. They run the gamut from economics to foreign policy to the overwhelming popular topic of bureaucracy. As an avid reader of political cartoons on a daily basis I enjoy the humor and cynicism found within these forms of speech. Not only can they poke fun at politicians for their behavior, but, they often raise a strong sense of values and morals in the person that reads them. Whether a person agrees or disagrees with the way a certain topic is portrayed in the cartoon it accomplishes the artists goal of making their reader stop and ponder for a moment about the topic being covered and how it relates to them. From topics currently facing the United Nations, our federal government or current news events, the cartoonists use a medium that was once reserved for innocent humor and changes it so that it draws the readers attention (since it is a cartoon and people seem to enjoy reading the funnies), and makes a statement, whether direct or indirect, that often makes people speak about or try and change the topics outcome. Since the beginning of America political cartoons have often portrayed government officials as inept and sometimes just plain stupid. Politicians are very easy targets for the press and so become the subject of many daily papers editorial page cartoon. Although sometimes the cartoonist draws on current events and pay tribute to people who are often thought of with reverence. Take for example Charles Schultz, on the day following his death most cartoons as well as political cartoons payed homage to a person who is considered the greatest cartoonist of all time. Other cartoon strips showed their characters attending his funeral or missing him in some other way. While the most poignant political cartoon I remember about his death was by a cartoonist Mike Thompson of the Detroit free press. It showed Charlie Brown walking through the gates of heaven with an older man walking beside him and saying to him, ? Now, a few pointers about kicking a football?. The person walking with Charlie Brown was Tom Landry. Political cartoons stay on the pulse of current affairs and in doing so tries to draw the attention of their audience to the topic and nudges them to take some kind of action. So if you want to know about how a segment of America feels, turn to their editorials and read the political cartoon. Political Issues

Pa Element or Protactinium Facts

Pa Element or Protactinium Facts Protactinium is a radioactive element predicted to exist in 1871 by Mendeleev, although it was not discovered until 1917 or isolated until 1934. The element has atomic number 91 and element symbol Pa. Like most elements on the periodic table, protactinium is a silver-colored metal. However, the metal is dangerous to handle because it and its compounds are both toxic and radioactive. Here are useful and interesting Pa element facts: Name: Protactinium (previously brevium and then protoactinium, but the IUPAC shortened the name to protactinium in 1949 to make the element name easier to pronounce) Atomic Number: 91 Symbol: Pa Atomic Weight: 231.03588 Discovery: Fajans Gohring 1913; Fredrich Soddy, John Cranston, Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner 1917 (England/France). Dmitri Mendeleev predicted the existed of an element between thorium and uranium on the periodic table. However, the actinide group was not known at that time. William Crookes isolated protactinium from uranium in 1900, but he was unable to characterize it, so does not get credit for discovery. Protactinium was not isolated as a pure element until 1934 by  Aristid von Grosse. Electron Configuration: [Rn] 7s2 5f2 6d1 Word Origin: Greek protos, meaning first. Fajans and Gohring in 1913 named the element brevium, because the isotope they discovered, Pa-234, was short-lived. When Pa-231 was identified by Hahn and Meitner in 1918, the name protoactinium was adopted because this name was considered to be more consistent with the characteristics of the most abundant isotope (protactinium forms actinium when it radioactively decays). In 1949, the name protoactinium was shortened to protactinium. Isotopes: Protactinium has 13 isotopes. The most common isotope is Pa-231, which has a half-life of 32,500 years. The first isotope to be discovered was Pa-234, which was also called UX2. Pa-234 is a short-lived member of the naturally occurring U-238 decay series. The longer-lived isotope, Pa-231, was identified by Hahn and Meitner in 1918. Properties: The atomic weight of protactinium is 231.0359, its melting point is 1600 °C, specific gravity has been calculated to be 15.37, with a valence of 4 or 5. Protactinium has a bright metallic luster which is retained for a while in air. The element is superconductive below 1.4K. Several protactinium compounds are known, some of which are colored. Protactinium is an alpha emitter (5.0 MeV) and is a radiological hazard which requires special handling. Protactinium is one of the rarest and most expensive naturally occurring elements. Sources:  The element occurs in pitchblende to the extent of about 1 part Pa-231 to 10 million parts ore. In general, Pa only occurs at a concentration of a few parts per trillion in the Earths crust. While originally isolated from uranium ores, today protactinium is made as a fission intermediate in thorium high-temperature nuclear reactors. Other Interesting Protactinium Facts In solution, the 5 oxidation state quickly combines with hydroxide ions to form (radioactive) hydroxy-oxide solids that stick to the surface of the container.Protactinium has no stable isotopes.Handling of protactinium is similar to that of plutonium, due to its potent radioactivity.Even if it was not radioactive, protactinium would present a health risk because the element is also a toxic metal.The largest amount of protactinium obtained to date was 125 grams, which the Great Britain Atomic Energy Authority extracted from 60 tons of nuclear waste.Although protactinium has few uses aside from research purposes, it may be combined with the isotope thorium-230 to date marine sediments.The estimated cost of one gram of protactinium is about $280. Element Classification: Radioactive Rare Earth (Actinide) Density (g/cc): 15.37 Melting Point (K): 2113 Boiling Point (K): 4300 Appearance: silvery-white, radioactive metal Atomic Radius (pm): 161 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 15.0 Ionic Radius: 89 (5e) 113 (3e) Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.121 Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 16.7 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 481.2 Pauling Negativity Number: 1.5 Oxidation States: 5, 4 Lattice Structure: Tetragonal Lattice Constant (Ã…): 3.920 Sources Emsley, John (2011).  Natures building blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-960563-7.Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997).  Chemistry of the Elements  (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.Hammond, C. R. (2004). The Elements, in  Handbook of Chemistry and Physics  (81st ed.). CRC press. ISBN 978-0-8493-0485-9.Weast, Robert (1984).  CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4. Return to the Periodic Table

Bodily Effects of Hazardous Materials Research Paper

Bodily Effects of Hazardous Materials - Research Paper Example Some technologically advanced landfills also leak from time to time. The tanks used to store petroleum or chemicals can easily leak and catch fire. Tanks in the underground can weaken and leak their hazardous materials. There are many risks when transporting hazardous materials, for example, when trucks overturn or train crash. People can also dump hazardous materials in sewer systems, warehouses that are abandoned or remote areas, ditches to escape the costs of safe dumping. There are three routes of entry that hazardous materials enter into the body: ingestion, absorption, and inhalation (SYKLI, 2012). Health risks commonly linked with hazardous materials are grouped as acute and chronic. It is a must for one to get medical attention when one is exposed to harmful materials. Most of these exposures have treatment if one takes immediate action. Acute/ immediate effects result from a short-time exposure to hazardous substances. Some of the immediate warning signs include headaches, nausea, dizziness, skin, eye or respiratory damage or irritation, unconsciousness and even death. The most noticeable and common warning signs are skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. Occurrences of deaths are very rare, and the majority of these exposures can be treated if immediate attention is taken. Chronic/delayed effects occur after a long time exposure to hazardous materials. The exposure can also be very small over a lengthened period. The effects mainly target the liver and kidneys as all chemicals that get into the body pass through these organs. A perfect example of an unending health effect is called lung cancer from radon inhalation or cigarette smoke. There are some products that can cause large health risks, though used as directed. For instance, there are products taken off the market or banned due to their health or environmental risks, for example, those containing PCTs, PCBs, asbestos fibers, mercury, lead and arsenic