Thursday, November 28, 2019

Astro-Hoaxes You Shouldnt Take Seriously

Astro-Hoaxes You Shouldnt Take Seriously Every year we see stories about how Earth is going to be hit by an asteroid, or that Mars will be as big as the full Moon, or a NASA probe has found evidence of life on Mars. In fact, the list of astronomy hoaxes is never-ending. One way to find out whats really happening is to check out the debunking site Snopes. Their writers are usually on top of the latest stories, and not just in weird science. Earth as a Target: Maybe, but Not the Way You Think The recurring story about Earth and an incoming asteroid  usually shows up in the supermarket press, often with a projected date, but few other details. It almost always cites NASA, but doesnt name a scientist who is making the prediction. In addition, the story rarely mentions amateur astronomers and their observations. There are thousands of these people around the world watching the skies, and if an incoming asteroid were to be on a collision course with Earth, theyd see it (unless it was really quite small). It is true that NASA and a world-wide group of both professional and amateur observers are monitoring the space near Earth for any possible Earth-crossing asteroids. Those would be the most likely types of objects to pose a threat to our planet. Announcements of Earth-crossing or Earth-approaching asteroids would show up at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Near Earth Object Program web page. And  such objects are usually spotted pretty far in advance. The known Potentially Hazardous asteroids have very, very small chances of colliding with Earth in the next 100 years; its less than one tenth of one percent of a chance.  So, the answer to whether or not theres an asteroid homing in on Earth is No. Just no. And, for the record, supermarket tabloids are not scientific journals. Mars Will Be as Big as the Full Moon!   Of all the astronomy hoaxes to circulate on the web, the idea that Mars will look as big as the full Moon on some given date is one of the most inaccurate. The Moon lies 238,000 miles away from us; Mars never gets closer than 36 million miles. Theres no way they can look the same size, not unless Mars wants to get a lot closer to us, and if it did, it would be pretty catastrophic. The hoax began with a poorly worded email announcing that  Mars - as seen through a 75-power telescope - would look as big as the full Moon would look to the naked eye. This was supposed to occur in 2003, when Mars and Earth were closest to each other in their orbits (but still more than 34 million miles apart). Now, the same rumor comes around every year. No matter where we are in our orbits with respect to each other, Mars will look like a small point of light from Earth and the Moon will look big and lovely. NASA Is (Not) Hiding Life on Mars The red planet Mars currently has two working rovers on its surface:  Opportunity and Curiosity. They are sending back images of rocks, mountains, valleys, and craters. Those images are taken during daylight hours under all kinds of lighting conditions. Occasionally an image shows a rock in the shadows. Due to our propensity to see faces in rocks and clouds (a phenomenon called pareidolia), its sometimes easy to see a shadowy rock as a form, a crab, or a statue of a debutante. The infamous Face on Mars turned out to be a rocky bluff with shadows that looked like eyes and a mouth. It was a trick of light and shadow playing across rock outcrops and cliffs. Its like the Old Man of the Mountain in New Hampshire in the United States. It was a rock overhang that, from one angle, looked like an old mans profile. If you looked at it from another direction, it was just a rocky cliff. Now, because it cracked and crashed to the ground, its a pile of rock. There are already some pretty interesting things on Mars that science can tell us about, so theres no need to imagine fantastic creatures where only rocks exist. And, just because Mars scientists debunk the existence of a face or a rock that looks like a crab does not mean theyre hiding life on Mars. If they had found any shred of evidence of living beings on the red planet now (or in the past), it would be huge news. At least, thats what common sense tells us. And common sense is an important factor in doing science as well as exploring the universe.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

The mess gets worse at the Hanfords nuclear site

The mess gets worse at the Hanfords nuclear site Article review: The mess gets worse at the Hanford’s nuclear siteAdvertising We will write a custom essay sample on The mess gets worse at the Hanford’s nuclear site specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Introduction In order to understand the current issues concerning human resource management, it is necessary to review the safety management systems of companies. This analytical treatise attempts to explicitly review the article, â€Å"the mess gets worse at the Hanford’s nuclear site†, in order to identify the employees safety concerns in relation to OSHA and safety act. Article Summary Written by LaFlure on behalf of the NBC News, the article explores the safety concerns that have been raised by employees of the Hansford nuclear site owned by the government. The main safety concern identified by the employee included the exposure to toxic waste materials from the leaking tanks in the nuclear disposal units. I nstead of addressing the safety concern as stipulated in the OSHA act, the management of the Hansford nuclear site responded by dismissing the technical and research manager for raising the safety fear. According to the dismissed technical and research manager, the decision organ at the Hansford nuclear site ignored all the safety warnings he sounded. Instead, the senior management team responded by pushing aside the safety evaluation findings in the safety report. This action was against the OSHA rules which recommend investigation and appropriate action against any safety concerns. The decision exposed three hundred employees to health and safety risks, such as toxic wastes. Such exposure might have led to health complications such as cancer, skin, and lung infections (LaFlure, par 15).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Lesson learned The main purpose of safety man agement plan in any organization is to provide it with strategies and measures that empower the company to be able to consistently identify and manage health and safety risks, to reduce any potential for accident. The written safety management plan is important in ensuring that organizations comply with the numerous safety and health regulations stipulated by the OSHA act and other agencies that are responsible for governing safety and health at the workplace. Moreover, the safety management plan serves as a basis of the vital framework of organizational commitment to shared safety responsibilities among the administrators and employees. Unfortunately, the safety management plan was not proactively implemented at the Hanford nuclear site. The nuclear site must have dealt with the safety breach when the situation had deteriorated. Relation to course content As we learned in the class module, there are indispensable sets of safety plans that are reviewed, produced, and updated to ensu re continual safety of members of an organization. The safety management plans are developed to detail how the safety is going to be managed between the supervisors and the employees. However, in the case of the Hanford nuclear site, it failed to recognize safety at the individual level. Besides, occupational health and safety must be managed in a systematic way. However, the management of the system safety depends on the size and nature of an organization. It is important to identify the hazards, establish what might be the cause of the hazards, and assess the risks if necessary.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The mess gets worse at the Hanford’s nuclear site specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This process is vital in understanding the nature of the harm, its severity, and the likelihood of its reoccurring. Apparently, the nuclear site failed to recognize the hazards. Conclusion Risk control engagement is the most efficient measure to curb any possible hazard in work environment. Risk control assessments are done to ascertain that safety procedures are working as required by the OHS standards. The Hanford nuclear site must remain accountable to the employees’ safety concerns within the boundaries of the OSHA and safety act. LaFlure, Rebecca. The mess gets worse at the Hanford’s nuclear site. 18 Nov. 2013. Web. https://publicintegrity.org/national-security/the-mess-gets-worse-at-hanfords-nuclear-site/

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Hun Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Hun - Essay Example Similarly Ishtar’s lover Tammuz died and this lead Ishtar to visit the underworld during which she removed her attires at the gate and entered while naked. This is the source of many ancient depictions of Ishtar as a naked woman. Her figure, lips, and beauty assert her as the goddess of fertility, sex and love. As the goddess of fertility, Ishtar the Babylonians believed Ishtar controlled the menstrual cycle and birth. This made all humans subject to Ishtar as their mother god. Ishtar gave kings the authority to rule and her prowess is represented by a lioness and a woman holding bow and arrow. Astarte was the love goddess of the Armenians. When Tammuz died, Ishtar descended to the underworld and threatened to break down the doors. Her relationship with Ereshkigal, the queen of the underworld was strenuous and Ishtar was imprisoned and made sick (Bray 15). Since Ishtar was the god of sex, all sexual activity in the world halted during her stay in the underworld, asserting her authority among other gods. Additionally, Ishtar nursed Tammuz which is similar to Isis the Egyptian goddess who nursed Horus. This comparative mythology demonstrates the importance of goddess Ishtar in the ancient religions. Ishtar was part of a secondary astral triad together with Shamash and Sin, the gods of the sun and moon respectively. Ishtar was the protector of prostitutes and her temples featured temple prostitutes. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Ishtar is portrayed as a bad tempered lady who has been spoiled by her father. Ishtar asked Gilgamesh who was the king of Uruk to marry her but he refused since all the lovers Ishtar took ended up dead. Ishtar threatened her father the god Anu after Gilgamesh refused to marry her. This depicts Ishtar as a bully and her need to assert herself above other gods is clear. The goddess Ishtar has influenced modern day religions particularly Christianity. The Jews interacted with