Dioxin :: Essays Papers

Dioxin Out to Help, or Out to Hurt? Imagine yourself building a life in a neighborhood that has everything to offer: A playground for the children, a day care center, an elementary school, a hospital, and friendly people. Everything seems to be perfect until you find out that the hospital, noted for helping people overcome illness and other ailments, is in turn causing some of those health problems. This neighborhood is not so ideal anymore. You begin to ask yourself if there was something you could have done, something you should have known, but you just don't have the answers. You are not alone. Thousands of people are learning about the effects of dioxin in their neighborhoods all the time, and there is something everyone can do about it. For starters, pinpointing the source of the problem is essential. In this case, the dioxin is being emitted into the air, water, and soil by way of a hospital incinerator. However, this is not just an argument for the environment, it is an issue of morality as well. It is up to the people to take action and fight for their right to a clean, safe environment. The Cortland Memorial Hospital incinerator is a major producer of dioxin in the Cortland area, as are all hospital incinerators throughout the world (Gibbs 53). The Environmental Protection agency has estimated that roughly 53 percent of all dioxin is cause by medical waste being burned in the hospital incinerators, and most of this is unnecessary (55). Through much research and investigation, it has been discovered that much of this dioxin is coming from the improper disposal of ALL hospital waste. Pam Jenkins, a previous advocate to stop the amount of dioxin being released into the air by Cortland Hospital, shared some of her information with us about the disposal of the waste after it is generated by the hospital. She informed us that materials and products, which can be sent to the landfill, are in actuality, being burned right in the hospital incinerator. The fact that materials such as hospital bedding, IV bags, food waste, metals, plastics, and other hazardous materials a re being burned in the incinerator is affecting the neighborhoods surrounding the hospital because the smoke carries the toxins and deposits them all over. How is dioxin created in these incinerators, and how does it affect community citizens?

The Haunted Resort (English Creative Writing Coursework)

It was one o'clock when I finally arrived at the Marigold's Mansion Resort. I am so excited to be here, to get away from home and the office for a few days, even though I so am spooked out to be staying in this haunted hotel. But, like Susie advised, I can't keep writing websites about haunted hotels without actually staying in one and experiencing ghosts. So, this is it. My first haunted hotel. I was horrified at the sight of the man at the desk. His bushy eyebrows and grey, shaggy hair made him look as if he might be a werewolf. He told me that the hotel was originally the home of John and Mary Marigold, but it had to be rebuilt after it was burned down. Apparently, Mary decided to leave John and locked him out of the home and, furious, set fire to the house. I guess he thought burning the house down would force her to come out and see him, but she got stuck inside or something and couldn't save herself. He had to rush in to try and save her and they both died a â€Å"flaming agonizing death†, as the check-in guy said. The hotel was rebuilt to look like the original, with a steep roof and fancy architecture. The room is old-fashioned. Most of the furniture is wooden, like the doors, windows and even the toilet seat. It makes me feel at home, with blankets and pillows scattered around the room. Some old family photographs have even been left out on the desk, including a man with dark, sad-looking eyes and a weird fringe, hugging a laughing blonde, young girl. I quickly turned them over. It almost felt as if they were staring at me. Anyway, have to go to bed now. Hope I can find more evidence for the existence of ghosts tonight so I can finish writing the website and want to get up early to tour the hotel tomorrow morning at 8am. Report # 105 Date: 15th November 2008 Location: Marigold Mansions Resort Arrived at the resort at 1900 hours. The man at the desk looks like an actor from a bad horror movie and would not be surprised if he puts on a white sheet and runs around trying to scare guests at night. He gave me the background story – wife wants to leave husband, husband gets jealous and burns down house, and dies in romantic attempt to save wife. How scary. Looks like they have rebuilt the house, to look like the original one before it burnt down. It's Mock Tudor with steep pitched roofs and mullioned windows, looks quite pretty. This feels like all the other ‘haunted' hotels I have investigated – isolated, in the middle of nowhere, always ready to scare people. The room looks as if someone knitted it, with blankets and pillows everywhere. A pile of photographs on the desk – a bunch of smiling people. I guess it was designed to scare us, and give us the feeling that someone is watching us, but why chose cheery people, grinning to the camera? They look way more joyful than my own family. Pictures of a blonde, laughing woman, being hugged by another man who looks so gloomy seem way too happy to be in this gloomy, ‘haunted' room. Diary – 16th November, 2008 Last night was the night I had prepared myself for! Heard continuous knocking, but was too petrified to get up and open the door. The knocking grew louder but I just tried to ignore it. Pulled the covers over my head and that was when I heard a creak. I saw the door open and close. Questions formed in my mind. â€Å"Was the knocking the knocking of the man? Is he in the room?† Wonder if it was a fight between the ghost couple – the man trying to get in and the wife forcing him back out. Should add this to the website. The hotel is immense, with photos everywhere, nailed to the walls and doors. Got the creeps when looking at them. There are a lot of rooms in the resort, and all, except one, have wooden doors. According to the tour guide, the room with a steel door used to be the couple's bedroom, the only room not destroyed completely in the fire. After the disaster, no one has slept in the bed ever since. So, went in to explore, and since it was daylight, couldn't sense any ghosts lurking around. The bedroom is twice as big and neat as my own room back home and the walls inside are painted white, the bed looks very comfy and a cover white in colour with small pink roses sewn on was lying on top of the bed. It didn't seem as if John and Mary had slept in this room before. Report # 106 Date: 16th November 2008 Location: Marigold Mansions Resort Something that sounded like knocking could be heard last night. Was typing up the report when situation occurred. Immediately went to check whether the check-in guy was tapping on the door. I looked for hidden knockers or any gadgets that might be placed to produce the sound of a knock on a door. Found out later that it was the heating system with air trapped in it that was making the noise. Doors seemed to be opening and closing as well. It could be either the open window that caused the door to slam shut or the wood expanding and contracting repeatedly, not quite sure which. Old buildings often creak, and only superstitious people find it haunted. If I was meant to be scared because there was a ‘ghost', I was never afraid. Went out for a walk this morning, and enjoyed the bright sunshine. Breakfast was scrambled eggs with toast and there was cereal as well. Drank orange juice that tasted more like water. Next to the dining room was a door made of steel. Seems to be the only door that is not wooden. Opened it and saw a king-sized bed with two pillows and a duvet that looked as soft as silk. In the corner of the room was a wardrobe as tall as me. Could not open it. On the left side of the bed, there was another room. This door was made of a different type of wood – walnut wood, I'm assuming – than the other doors, which are made of old cherry wood. I opened the door and inside was a bathroom. It was like a proper hotel. It had a proper toilet made of shiny, white plastic and a shower, with a gold handle. The tap was gold too, and as I admired its beauty, I saw the word ‘Marigold' carved in the gold. Rich people†¦ Diary – 20th November, 2008 Yesterday night was one of the most horrifying nights I have ever experienced in my entire life! When I was in the shower, I saw a tall shadow outside, pacing backwards and forwards. It made me jump, my heart nearly leapt out of my body. I was so shocked I could feel myself shivering, and hid myself behind the curtains in the shower. Then, just when I was about to fall asleep last night, I heard voices. These voices sounded like someone was crying, not out of agony, but out of grief. The sound made every single piece of hair on my body stand upright, and for a few seconds I could not move or even breathe. I hid myself under the covers, panicking. Many pictures popped into my mind, ones of a man feeling guilty, trying his best to save someone. The voices never died down until the sun came out. Went out for a walk this morning, trying to forget last night's shock. When I reached the garden behind the resort, I saw a statue of a man. It felt as if he was staring at me, watching all of my moves. I dashed away immediately from the artificial man, kicking the scary feeling out of my mind. I walked towards the pond in front of the resort and saw some pretty ducklings as well as many fish swimming freely. Looking at these happy animals, the hotel did not seem as scary to me, in the day. Report #107 Date: 20th November 2008 Location: Marigold Mansions Resort Found it hard to sleep well last night. Saw shadows strolling outside. When I opened the door in curiosity, wanting to see who it was, no one was there. I looked left and right only to see that the shadow there a few seconds ago, had vanished. Looked for gadgets that make people hallucinate, to achieve the ‘haunted' effect. Thought over the scene in my mind – no one can run away as fast as that. Perhaps it was the shadow of a vehicle passing? Soon after, the wind began to blow really hard. I got up to shut the windows but the wind just blew harder, banging on the glass used to make the windows. Woke up at 1000 hours today. Noise finally died down at around 0535 hours. Lunch was spaghetti bolognaise which tasted quite diluted. There was a lot of spaghetti but a very small amount of sauce on top. After lunch, went upstairs for a look. Nothing interesting upstairs, just 13 identical guest rooms. Went outside for some fresh air and saw fish and ducks in a pond nearby – looks joyful, outside a ‘haunted' resort. Diary – 21st November, 2008 When I first arrived, I hoped to see a ghost. What a foolish thing to wish for! My dream turned into a nightmare last night. At midnight, suddenly a bright light from the old lamp on the desk began shining into my eyes. Seeing such an ancient lamp turn on unexpectedly, I screamed the loudest scream ever. I was so afraid. The sudden flame produced shadows across the room and for a second I saw a face, the face from the photographs. Was the ghost angry again, and trying to set something on fire? Then, I heard a heart pounding. It could've been mine, but it seemed quite far away, yet gradually getting louder. The lamp light grew brighter and a tall man with dark eyes was suddenly in front of me, holding a bright lamp. He dropped the lamp and a fire spread across the floor. The man moaned. He had a special fringe that I recognized from then photos on the desk. The fire began to burn the walls and I must have passed out because the next thing I remember that happened was waking up to a sunny morning, in a clean room. Report #108 Date: 21st November 2008 Location: Marigold Mansions Resort Am extremely puzzled. I need to get out of here. Went to bed at 2330 hours because I felt exhausted. At exactly 0000, a bright orange coloured light suddenly shone into my eyes. I opened my eyes, thinking it was the sun coming out, but the light seemed to be coming from an antique lamp. I checked before and there was no battery or electric cable supplying the lamp with electricity. Had to be honest I was frightened and could not understand what was making the lamp brighten? I was confused. This time, I had no answer to this situation. A moment later, I heard a loud and deafening scream. I know the noise could not be a gadget in this room because the sound seemed far away. Suddenly, the lamp fell on the floor and it seemed as if a fire was spreading. In the sudden bright light, I thought I saw a woman appear in front of the desk. She had blonde, wavy hair and was wearing a dress. I recognized her from the picture on the desk. Why was I imagining such things when I know ghosts do not even exist? Was I drugged? The more I think about it, the more confused I get. The woman in the picture must have sneaked into my room and set the trick up. But how? Something must be happening to me. Why can't I find a good explanation for this? Need to leave now and see a doctor before my condition gets worse.

The Development of Racism Essay - 1259 Words

The Development of Racism Slaverys twin legacies to the present are the social and economic inferiority it conferred upon blacks and the cultural racism it instilled in whites. Both continue to haunt our society. Therefore, treating slaverys enduring legacy is necessarily controversial. Unlike slavery, racism is not over yet. (Loewen 143) Racism can be defined as any set of beliefs, which classifies humanity into distinct collectives, defined in terms of natural and/or cultural attributes, and ranks these attributes in a hierarchy of superiority and inferiority (Blum 5). It can be directly linked to the past and still, centuries later, serves as a painful reminder that race continues to be one of the sharpest and deepest†¦show more content†¦A hierarchy of entire human groups developed. These groups were distinguished inherent characteristics, generally by physical appearance. Colonialism led to the classification of otherness. Others, meaning those peoples, who werent of European descent, were viewed as both religiously and culturally inferior. Europeans were now able to rationalize the enslavement and genocide (Chromsky 135) of the Native American savages in part because they were not Christians. In 1610, natives who were once referred to as ingenious, industrious, and quick of apprehension, were then described in the 1640s as being sloathfull and idle, vitious, melancholy, [and] slovenly (Loewen 124). By enslaving the native population, Columbus and the colonials of America were able to quickly and easily exploit the land. Whites would not allow Native Americans to acculturate because they were always regarded as aliens (Loewen 130). Indian slavery led directly to African slavery: the first blacks imported there, in 1638, were brought from the West Indies to be exchanged for Native Americans from Connecticut (Loewen 107). The first Europeans to come to the Americas were responsible for the earlyShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Of Racism : A Great Showing Of Development And Advancement Over Generations Essay2349 Words   |  10 PagesHistory has proven that humans have an inability to get out of their own way. When one considers the atrocities and painful terror that our world has seen from our own inhabitants, the question of development and purpose comes into play. For credit, humans are intelligent beings that have stood at the top of the totem pole as dominant figures in nature. Having the ability to birth children, solve complex problems, adapt to various situations, and build better environments to survive are all aspectsRead MoreRacism And The Australian Human Rights Commission1626 Words   |  7 PagesRacism, wherever it occurs, has damaging effects. 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