Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story Research Paper - 1

Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story - Research Paper Example Thus, Eudora Welty abruptly and effectively introduces the time of year (December) and the geographic location (the South) at the beginning section of the story, apart from identifying the main character, an old Negro woman (Phoenix Jackson). Setting plays a crucial role in Welty’s â€Å"A Worn Path† as it is effective in stimulating the reader’s imagination at the initial stage of the story. In fact, the opening five paragraphs of the story offer an introduction to the setting and the readers are carried away to the world of the narrative. â€Å"It was December—a bright frozen day in the early morning. Far out in the country there was an old Negro woman with her head tied red rag, coming along a path through the pinewoods. Her name was Phoenix Jackson.† (Welty, 1941). This is the way the author opens her story and a detailed description of the character follows in the succeeding sections. It is important to recognize that the setting of the story i s a rural, a cold, early morning in December in the South. A careful analysis of the setting of the story confirms that the storywriter effectively puts boundaries around the action when she introduces the South as the geographic location and December as the time of year in which the action occurs.

History of Mexican Revolution Essay Example for Free

History of Mexican Revolution Essay The novel transports readers to a ghost town on the desert plains in Mexico, and there it weaves together tales of passion, loss, and revenge. The village of Comala is populated by the wandering souls of former inhabitants, individuals not yet pure enough to enter heaven. Like the character Juan Preciado, who travels to Comala and suddenly finds himself confused, as readers we are not sure about what we see, hear, or understand. But the novel is enigmatic for other reasons. Since publication in 1955, the novel has come to define a style of writing in Mexico. Sparse language, echoes of orality, details heavy with meaning, and a fragmentary structure transformed the literary representation of rural life; instead of the social realism that had dominated in earlier decades, Rulfo created a quintessentially Mexican, modernist gothic.. The haunting effect of Pedro Paramo derives from the fitful story of Mexican modernity, a story that the novel tells in a way that more objective historical and sociological analyses cannot. As an aesthetic expression characterized by imaginative understanding, the novel explores Mexican social history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The decadent remnants of a quasi-feudal social order, violent revolutions, and a dramatic exodus from the countryside to the city all gave rise to ghost towns across Mexico. Pedro Paramo tells the stories of three main characters: Juan Preciado, Pedro Paramo, and Susana San Juan. From the point of view of Juan Preciado, the novel is the story of a sons search for identity and retribution. Juans mother, Dolores Preciado, was Pedro Paramos wife. Although he does not bear his fathers name, Juan is Pedros only legitimate son. Juan has returned to Comala to claim [j]ust whats ours, as he had earlier promised his dying mother. Juan Preciado guides readers into the ghost story as he encounters the lost souls of Comala, sees apparitions, hears voices, and eventually suspects that he too is dead. We see through Juans eyes and hear with his ears the voices of those buried in the cemetery, a reading experience that evokes the poetic obituaries of Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology (1915). Along with Juan Preciado, readers piece together these fragments of lives to construct an image of Comala and its demise. Interspersed among the fragments recounting Juans story are flashbacks to the biography of Pedro Paramo. Pedro is the son of landowners who have seen better days. He also loves a young girl, Susana San Juan, with a desire that consumes his life into adulthood. I came to Comala because I had been told that my father, a man named Pedro Paramo, lived there. —page 3 Although the story line in these biographical fragments follows a generally chronological order, the duration of time is strangely distorted; brief textual passages that may read like conversational exchanges sometimes condense large historical periods. Moreover, the third-person narrative voice oscillates between two discursive registers. On the one hand, poetic passages of interior monologue capture Pedros love for Susana and his sensuality; on the other, more exterior descriptions and dialogues represent a domineering rancher determined to amass wealth and possessions. Within this alternation between the first- and third-person narrative voices, readers must listen for another voice and reconstruct a third story, that of Susana San Juan. We overhear bits of her tale through the ears of Juan Preciado, listening with him to the complaints that Susana—in her restless death—gives forth in the cemetery of Comala. I was thinking of you, Susana. Of the green hills. Of when we used to fly kits in the windy season. We could hear the sounds of life from the town below; we were high above on the hill, playing out string to the wind. Help me Susana. And soft hands would tighten on mine. Let out more string. —page 12 Poetic sections evoke her passion for another man, Florencio, and Pedro never becomes the object of Susanas affection. Juan Preciado, Pedro Paramo, and Susana San Juan are all haunted by ghosts; in turn, they become ghosts who haunt the realities of others. They say that when people from there die and go to hell, they come back for a blanket. —page 6 Although as readers we have the sense of lives once lived by these characters, they emerge for us as phantasms, as partially known presences who are not immediately intelligible and who linger with inexplicable tenacity. Reading Pedro Paramo creates a transformative recognition of Mexicos move toward modernity in the early twentieth century; more than the objective lessons learned from social and cultural history, as a novel, Pedro Paramo produces a structure of feeling for readers that immerses us through the experience of haunting. As ghosts, Pedro, Susana, and Juan point outward to the social context of Mexico in the difficult movement toward modernization, toward social arrangements that never completely die as a newer social order is established. Pedros accumulation of land as a rancher harks back to the trends of capital accumulation during the benign dictatorship of President Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911). The Porfiriato strove to modernize the nation through the development of infrastructure and investment; it allowed for anomalies such as the creation of the Media Luna ranch and strong local power brokers such as Pedro Paramo who shared the interests of the elite and helped maintain a thinly veiled feudal social order. Within this context, Susana San Juan and other individuals murmur their complaints in ghostly whispers. Indeed, at one point, Rulfo planned to call the novel Los murmullos—the murmurs. Speaking in the streets of Comala, overheard in dreams, and groaning in the cemetery, these spectral murmurs bespeak a reality hidden beneath the facade of Porfirian progress. The Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920 gave expression to repressed peasants—the campesinos of rural Mexico—and put an end to the Porfiriato. Susana San Juan, in turn, reveals the repressed role of women in a patriarchal order. In this world women are chattel and ranch-owners can forcibly populate the countryside with bastard children by asserting feudal rights to the bodies of peasant women living on their lands. Peasant revolutionaries and Susana San Juan as well are all manipulated by Pedro Paramo. He can force events to keep them all in the places where he would have them, but he cannot control their desires and their pleasures. The peasants celebrate festivals, and after the revolution they eventually rebel again by participating in the Cristero Revolt of 1926-1929. Susana suffers guilt and remembers pleasure in evocative passages that underscore her erotic ties to Florencio, a man unknown to others in the novel, perhaps a dead soldier from the revolution, the man Pedro would have had to be in order to have Susanas love. The sky was crowded with fat, swollen stars. The moon had come out for a little while and then vanished. It was one of those sad moons that nobody looks at or even notices. It hung there for a little while, pale and disfigured, and then hid itself behind the mountains. -Juan Rulfo References Carol Clark DLugo, The Fragmented Novel in Mexico: The Politics of Form (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997), 70-81. Patrick Dove, Exigele lo nuestro: Deconstruction, Restitution and the Demand of Speech in Pedro Paramo, Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies 10. 1 (2001): 25-44,

Recall Crisis Of Toyota Motor Corporation

Recall Crisis Of Toyota Motor Corporation Enclosed is a copy of Recall Crisis of Toyota Motor Corporation. This report summarizes on the major causes of the Recall Crisis, its aftermath on the company and recommendations to help the company recover from the crisis. It describes the issues and problems which our company is facing while recalling automobiles with manufacturing defects. It also describes the customer concerns regarding their safety and future choice of Toyota for themselves. It also discusses how the crisis is posing threat on its reputation and market expansion strategies in future. This report implements some recommendations to overcome the crisis. The report presents detailed analysis of the causes of the various manufacturing defects in automobiles. Analysis helps to look deeply and elaborately into the reasons rather than only understanding their overview. The recommendations in the report emphasizes on adapting strategies which will help us to resume our brand image as one of the best regarded automobile brand in the world for quality and safety . It also included measures we need to follow to overcome the financial losses incurred during the crisis. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report provides detailed analysis and evaluations of the automobile recall crisis at Toyota Motor Corp Ltd during the year 2010 2011. It brings to focus the manufacturing defects which caused financial loss of around US $ 5.5 billion and setback to its brand image. Method of analysis used is secondary data research. Data was obtained from diverse sources to understand the affect of crisis in various sectors of market. The report seeks attention to the year 2009 2010, when accidents were initially reported in North America but eventually it spread to other countries in the world. The manufacturing defects caused sudden unintended acceleration making driver of the car lose the control. Initially the company considered floor mats as the only cause of the accidents but as more accidents were reported from other parts of Europe, it was understood that scenario is not as simple as it seemed and it needed detailed analysis. The major manufacturing defects identified were sticky gas pedals, floor mats and brake problems. The report has critical analysis of these key issues and problems and it explains the reasons of these defects. During the year 2009 2011 the company and its suppliers had suffered heavy monetary losses. Also Toyota is struggling to regain its brand value which has surpassed its 70 year old history. The report suggests possible measures that can be taken from immediate effect to help the company recover from the crisis. The company should setup small team to quickly research, design the fix and retest them . It should opt for software upgradation which would ensure drivers safety by forcefully shutting down the engine in the events of unpredictable manufacturing defects similar to unintended acceleration. Company also needs to have effective crisis management team and processes defined .Being a global company it is always at risk of some crisis so it should have defined process to follow during those times which would help minimise the after affects of the crisis . Also, future plans of rapid market expansion should be carefully designed in way that they secure its brand image alongside of market expansion. These recommendations if successfully implemented will be helpful to overcome the present crisis and also prepare the company to brave any future crisis. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to familiarise the Toyotas management group about the various issues which company is facing due to Recall crisis. The report is being presented to CEO of Toyota Group. The facts and figures provided in the report for recall crisis are part of secondary data information. This data is mostly the one which has been shared with public by social media since the crisis started. This report emphasises on the manufacturing defects in the top world class brands of Toyotas cars. These defects were brought into light only after many fatal accidents were reported across Europe. These sequence of events badly affected companys image and customers trust in its products. Delayed response and public interaction of made the situation worse. As the pressure mounted, in addition to the recall of millions of cars the production was stopped in the plants across the affected countries. The report also includes company background and its historical rise to be the largest company in the world. Management has been given recommendations and their corresponding implementations which will help company to get over the crisis and resume profitability. COMPANY BACKGROUND Toyota Motor Corporation is globally recognised as Automaker Market leader. In 2008 it overtook General Motors Corp to become worlds largest automaker with production of 4.8 million of cars and trucks. This is remarkable achievement for the organisation which survived Second World War and its after affects of severe economic crisis and resource scarcity. Toyotas uniquely designed management philosophy of Toyota Production System or TPS is the key contributor in its success. Toyota not only inspired the world with its innovative designs but also with its management philosophy .TPS has been adapted by many western companies. The company history is 70 years old, it was founded by Sakichi Toyoda in Japan in 1937. Toyota City, Aichi is the company headquarter, while its manufacturing business is distributed throughout the world in about 27 countries. Toyotas primary business segment is automotive design, manufacture and sales.It has also diversified in financial services and robotics segments. Initially small cars were the primary products with the first one launched in 1947 .During this time Toyota was battling with post war conditions while on the other side American companies were concentrating on manufacturing medium and large sized cars. In the following years Toyota focussed on innovation and technology and soon it started producing vehicles with conventional engine and hybrid engines. Its product line-up includes subcompact and compact cars, mini-vehicles, mid-size, luxury, sports and specialty cars, recreational and sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks, minivans, trucks and buses. Toyotas models like Toyota Prius, Camry, Corolla, Land cruisers, Lexus have established themselves as global brand image. Key Issues / Problems: In August 2009 Toyota Motor Corp had to recall 3.8 million vehicles in US after fatal accident of Lexus ES 350 was reported in South California .Initially the company reported it as a problem with ill fitting floor mats but by 2010 many more accidents were reported across US, Europe ,Canada and there were 13 separate recalls in all . During the initial investigation the company reported the cause to be incorrect installation of floor mats and announced recalling of floor mats on 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The company appealed customers to remove floor mats and dislodge them in trunk while the dealers were instructed to reinstall the floor mats so that they no longer interfered with gas pedals. But floor mats were not supposed to be the only manufacturing defects because in December 2009 Toyota Avalon crash was reported where floor mats were found in the trunk of car. Toyota announced the issue to be unrelated to floor mats and recalled another 2.3 million vehicles. In the next 5 days of recall announcement company had to shut down its five North American plants .This cost the company and its dealers loss in profit of $ 1.5 million every week. As the company looked into the possible causes of accidents in its products, it announced recall of many other models like Toyota Venza, Toyota Highlander and Pontiac Vibe. Vehicle Sales comparison graph 2006 -2010: Significant reduced sales from 2009-10 (Source:Toyota Annual Report ,2010,pg 36) Revenues by Market 2010: Significant reduction in revenue from North America and Europe region during 2009-10(Source:Toyota Annual Report ,2010,pg 39) The three key manufacturing defects which caused accidents due to sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota automobiles were: Accelerator pedals trapped by floor mats. Accelerator pedals with poor design problems causing them to stick. Prius brake problems. The accidents continued for next few months after the companys claim of having fixed floor- mat issues. Toyota realised the gravity of issue and in addition to recalling the vehicles of few models it was forced to shut down production of top 8 selling brands in US, Canada and Europe. The neglected responsibility by the Toyota groups leadership during the massive recall of cars tarnished its brand image. Toyota did not act responsibly towards the accidents. They considered the failure cause as just the floor mats and failed to look into other possibilities of the accidents. The alert notices were sent to the customers informing them of upcoming recall of vehicles to fix the unintended acceleration issue , but they titled the letters as No defects exist. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in US , governments arm for road safety, was investigating the fatal accident of Toyota vehicle and did not accept Toyotas approach of handling the crisis .It conducted major press release and called the companys steps as irresponsible and the floor mat cause as just a provisional step. Meanwhile media brought up some unknown facts for the public, they reported that there had been numerous complaints of unintended acceleration filed by the drivers in past decade. There were also reports of some lawsuits being settled for undisclosed amount of money. These investigations had been under NHTSA control with no reports or findings published for customers. For one of model of Toyota, Camry 2006, NHTSA had asked Toyota to look into issue which in turn Toyota delegated to its supplier. With new reporting of accidents of Toyota from 2009, NHTSA was pulled up for its soft support to the company and keeping the complaints of last 8 years under cover. Thus NHTSA came up offensively against the company while investigating the accidents happened in 2009 2010 and revealed its findings through public media. These sequence of events badly affected Toyotas reputation globally. Brand Finance worlds leading brand valuation consultancy downgraded Toyotas value from AAArating and a value of $ 12billion to A rating with value of $ 24 billion. (Cited http://blogs.motortrend.com/the-toyota-recalls-the-damage-control-finally-starts-2546.html, 3 December 2011) Future marketing and production of new innovative automobiles by Toyota Motor Corp is great concern. The company has to recover its lost trust before designing and launching new cars in market. Though the crisis was only related to Toyota, it affected the global automotive industry because it made the customers over concerned about their safety and they would no longer relate their security to brand image. The various issues and problems of Toyota Motor Corp are listed above in the report. I would like to address the key issues of the Toyotas recall crisis.These would be the manufacturing and quality defects, damage to brand image and unaccountability of the management. CRITICAL ANALYSIS In 1995 under the leadership of new president, Hiorshi Okuda, Toyota started new market expansion strategy called 2005 vision. The target was set to increase global market share from 7.3% in 1995 to 10% in decade but this was achieved in 1998 when it reached 9.7% .The target was extended to 15% in 2010. This is supported by Cole, E,R. (2011). What Really Happened to Toyota?.MIT Sloan Mnagement Review 52(4), 32. This new strategy was quite different from Toyotas traditional strategy in past decades. It focussed on providing quality product to its customers than to increase its sales and customer count. The expansion required involvement of more suppliers to provide auto parts .These new suppliers were mostly not from Japan and did not belong to companys usual supplier network. But the company was falling short of engineers who could supervise the products of new suppliers to see Toyota standards were still maintained. Toyota had over decades build strong supplier network and these suppliers were involved in product development to ensure that they are aware of quality standards Toyotas customers expected. To develop new designs contract engineers were roped in and 30% of global development work was done by them. Also design cycles were accelerated and time between exterior design approval and start of sales was compressed to less than 20 months. The new suppliers did not have opportunities to follow Toyota Way.Toyota Way is based on vision and values of Toyota like continuous improvement through innovation, respect for others and teamwork. The Product Complexity also causes quality issues and this is more common in automobile industry where demand for luxury products is growing .The automakers of luxury cars focus on continuous improvement of technology in every new product they launch. Other reasons for product complexity are stricter government regulations on emissions and fuel consumption, increased competition in the industry and high demand of comfortable luxury automobiles. Crisis Management: Organisations these days are well aware that crisis cannot be predicted and none of the companies can think of themselves to be resistant to crisis. Enron, 9/11, tsunami these provide examples of the various forms in which crisis can strike. Here comes the significance of Crisis Management Program .Ineffective handling of crisis by company severely affects its brand ,operation, finance performance and customer loyalty , in short it affects it reputation as whole. Crisis Communication is crucial part of Crisis Management Program. Absence or neglect of adequate communication during crisis leads to: Operational response breaks down Stakeholders do not get clear picture of what is happening and have confused and negative perceptions. Organisation can be perceived to be inept or criminally negligent. The slow leakage of information to customers is confusing and annoying to them and this happens when companies do not organise disclosure to their customers during crisis. Toyota Motor Corp during the recall crisis suffered huge setback on its reputation due to unorganised crisis management plan. During this time social media as part of their duty was updating the public regarding the recalls happening, models affected and risk to public safety. On the other hand Toyota was hesitant to address publicly the issues. Toyotas President , Akio Toyoda , took long time about six months to admit to its customers We are in Crisis in public apology. This delay caused major harm to companys reputation. During crisis consumers and other stakeholders like dealers ,vendors look for evidences that company is committed to resolve the issues , safeguard consumers interests and be interested to get back on track of growth .This elevates trust and confidence of stakeholders in the company . An example of effective crisis communication was noticed few years back during recall crisis of automaker Ford. 2000 cars were recalled of popular brand Explorer due to defective firestone tire which caused deadly crashes. Jacques Nasser , the then CEO of Ford communicated to his consumers directly through newspapers , TV advertisements etc. He briefed them about problem and also repeated the assurances that issue would be resolved soon .Accurate timing ,response and sincerity are vital for successful crisis management. In todays world of digital media, crisis communication needs to be spread out on all digital fronts social media, blogs and company websites. Toyota could have utilised popular social networks facebook and twitter. Thousands of its fans following on these channels could have been easily communicated by the organisation about the extent of crisis control and safety measures taken for consumers. CONCLUSION This report on Recall Crisis of Toyota Motor Corp can be summarised with key findings and their causes, followed by the recommendations and implementation plan. The findings show in the later period of year 2009 that various incidents were reported of fatal accidents in North America and Europe. These were caused basically due to either of three manufacturing errors -pedals trapped by floor mats , sticky pedals and brakes problems of Prius model. According to critical analysis of key issues in this report, there were various factors over the years which lead to manufacturing defects and ineffective crisis management. These factors had been ignored by the organisation as it focussed primarily on the vision of being leading automaker of the world. As the organisation expanded into new markets to increase its sales it did not keep up with its traditional policies also known as Toyota Way. The organisations negligence towards efficient crisis management system hampered its ability to effectively follow up on the accidents at appropriate time. The recommendations and implementation plan followed up in the report will help the organisation to recover its loses and also regain its brand image for future endeavours. RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Below are mentioned some recommendations I would like to provide, to help Toyota overcome the recall crisis, restore its brand image and recover losses by resuming its profitable production. Firstly, Toyota should find out the durable fix for sticky gas pedals for different models of its cars. Secondly, the company should preferably provide a software upgradation in its different existing models of automobiles and also the new upcoming models. Thirdly, Toyota should have functional risk management team or crisis management team. The company can also bond with other companies who provide support for crisis management. Toyota can outsource this operation to well acclaimed company. Lastly, Aggressive growth strategies should be well planned by the management. The above recommendations can be implemented in following ways: Toyota should setup small team to research and design the fixes for the issue. Team should include engineers, who have helped previously in designing various models at Toyota and the suppliers. Suppliers should work closely with the team so that they are aware of the processes to follow while designing autoparts. The company should ensure exhaustive test for the fixes before releasing it to consumer market. The software is to empower the drivers so that they have alternatives in situations of any failures in future. Some of automobile manufacturers are already using similar kind of softwares in electronic throttle bodies. Their purpose is to interrupt the flow of gasoline to engine when driver steps on pedal brakes while gas pedal is stuck. This will prevent fatality in case of similar manufacturing defects happen in future. Company can look to similar softwares already begin used by other major automakers in the world and then design / customise for their automobiles. The software upgradation is better than providing repairs for the sticky gas pedal because automobiles have thousands of components and usually the problems occurs due to interaction between different components .These are quite difficult to identify during their testing .So in case repairs are done to fix the issue by adding or removing some component parts , car will also have the upgraded software system which will allow to cut fuel supply if self intended acceleration occurs again with new repairs. It has been witnessed that most of the global historic crisis could not be predicted before its impact was actually realised. Crisis management team should include experts from all working domains of the company that is engineering, marketing, finance etc .The team members should be well trained to act decisively and quickly. Effective and timely actions are very important to recover from crisis. During the recall crisis Toyota interacted with public quite late while the social media was communicating daily with public on crisis follow up .This made the consumers doubt the company if it was really was concerned about their safety and also if company had any resolution for the crisis. While the company focuses on extensive market expansion globally and increasing production multiple times , it should also give equal importance to policies and strategies it had been following since decades. Quality and reliability were the two key things which had helped build Toyota in these many years but while it aimed to become top automaker in the world , not much importance was given to them. During the growth of an organisation its supplier chain is very crucial as its needed to join hands with new suppliers in new locations. Toyota should ensure the suppliers are familiar with its processes and standards as defined in Toyota Way.

Gulf War :: essays research papers

The United States was just in sending military aid to Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War. Kuwait was invaded by Saddam Hussein and taken over in six short hours due to the lack of strength in Kuwait’s Army. Once Hussein took control he seized Kuwait City, airports, army barracks, and oil fields. This left Kuwait helpless and in desperate need. Therefore, the U.S. invaded after, Hussein’s control of Kuwait for six months.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The U.S invaded for many reasons; Hussein was a threat and currently is to the Middle East as well as the world. He was beginning to build up an arsenal of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, which are very deadly and even dangerous to the environment. If they are used, they leave harmful waste for many years such as radiation or hazardous chemicals. He was also dumping oil from Kuwait into the Persian Gulf because he couldn’t sell it due to embargoes. This was an immediate threat to the environment. Hussein alone is a very dangerous man and one of the missions of the war was to kill him. However, we were unsuccessful, and today he is a huge threat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hussein’s control of Kuwait affected the U.S. economically. All of Kuwait’s oil was in Hussein’s power and the U.S. was unable to trade with him because of sanctions. Therefore, oil based product prices raised 50 percent due to the lack of oil and a high demand for it. The U.S. was also giving financial aid to the Middle East to help drive out Hussein. These attempts were hopeless which gave the U.S. even more reason to send military aid into Persian Gulf.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The final reason the U.S. sent military aid to the Persian Gulf was because of the lack of success of the UN. The UN made many resolutions and sanctions to drive Hussein out of Kuwait; however, he was not moving and nothing was happening. It took the U.S, to send in ground troops. Then other nations followed, and then Hussein was driven out. Although many nations helped by sending in ground troops, the U.

History of Fire Sprinklers Essay

Rome, 64 A. D. Emperor Nero watched in horror as the great city of Rome burned for six days and seven nights. Afterwards 70% of the city was left in smoldering ruins and devastation. (The Burning of Rome, 64 AD 1) Why the exact cause of the fire is unknown, we wonder if an effective sprinkler system could have prevented this incident and others like it. A city that was well known for their magnificent construction, architecture, and irrigation systems was almost completely destroyed by one incident. Many codes do not require a specific type of Automatic Sprinkler System. While the most common type found is the Wet Pipe System; Dry Pipe, Preaction, and Deluge Systems can be found in many different occupancy types. The two main purposes of automatic sprinkler systems are to extinguish fires and control the fire until appropriate personnel arrive to extinguish the fire. Automatic sprinkler systems are expected in all occupancy types, except residential, unless the hazard is not compatible with water. For these hazards there are several other types of suppression systems that can be installed to manage the incident. By installing an automatic sprinkler system, you increase life safety and property protection. What is the standard of sprinkler systems? The goal is to increase life safety and decrease property damage. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has been the leader in mandating standards and requirements when it comes to sprinkler systems. They have developed many standards that address the installation, inspection, and maintenance of sprinklers. Wet pipe systems are closed water systems attached to a piping system containing pressurized water at all times. This type of automatic sprinkler system is the most common type, and can be found in all most all occupancy types. Unless the potential of freezing pipes or other special conditions apply, this type of system will be encountered most frequently. The operation of this sprinkler system is very simple. The wet-pipe system consists of sprinkler heads attached to sprinkler supply lines that interlace the occupancy. When a fire first starts there is minimum heat generated. As the fire grows and the thermal layer is disturbed, heat rises to the targeted sprinkler heads. Depending on the rated temperature of the sprinkler head, a fusible disc or link melts from the heat and initiates the flow of water. While most fires are controlled by one or two sprinkler heads, in the case of fast moving fires more may be needed to control the fire. When water is flowed from the system, typically other things may happen. In all most all wet-pipe systems, there is some type of audible alarm activated at the standpipe. This will trigger other alarms in the building, and most of the time notifies an agency that will then notify the Fire Department of a water flow alarm or others like it. Dry pipe systems use air or nitrogen to keep the supply line pressurized at all times. This type of automatic sprinkler system is commonly found in the colder areas where the possibilities of freezing pipes are encountered. Dry-pipe systems provide the same adequate protection similar to wet-pipe systems. The piping is charged with air or nitrogen, and when a sprinkler head is activated the drop in the pressure opens a valve at the standpipe that allows water to flow into the systems. (Bahme 25) Just like the wet-pipe system, normally one or two sprinkler heads are needed to control the fire. There will also be an alarm that is activated notifying the appropriate agency to contact the Fire Department. At lest once a week the system should be tested to make sure that the air pressure within the piping is maintained. The third type of automatic sprinkler system is the Pre-action System. This type of system is a closed piping system that contains air, which may or may not be under pressure. When a fire occurs the fire detecting device signals the control valve to open charging the system. This type of system is usually used where the possibility of broken pipes and sprinkler heads may result. The most common places found include electrical rooms, computer rooms, and other areas that may house expensive equipment. There can be several types of pre-action system including a recycling system. This system is capable of charging the piping, discharging water, then cutting itself off. In the event that the fire rekindles, it can discharge again. It then has the ability to recycle the water. Deluge systems are much like Pre-action systems except that the sprinkler heads are open and the system is not charged. Similar to that of the pre-action systems, a fire detection device, usually a heat sensor, activates the discharge valve on the system. The difference is that the entire sprinkler component of the system is open; therefore the area that is activated is deluged in water. These types of automatic sprinkler system can be found where a high hazard of flammable liquid may be encountered. The most common place is aircraft hangars. Caution should be taken though; in confined spaces the oxygen level can be deficient when these systems are activated due to the copious amounts of water. Combined Dry-Pipe and Pre-action systems are composed of both the systems mentioned above. These systems have the dry pipe features with the pre-action features in the event the dry pipe portion fails. These systems are used when an area is too large to be covered by a dry pipe system. On the same note though, combined systems were originally developed for protection during cold climates. Long lines would be subject to freezing. These systems are commonly found when dealing with long piers. (Bahme 30) It is important to note this type of system is considered two independent systems. Testing requires individual standards for both type; consisting of the dry pipe system and the pre-action system. Limited water supply systems are those where supply water cannot be properly supplied to the occupancy. These systems consist of many wide range types and can be used as outside sprinklers and confined space sprinklers. Some research obtained shows that one type of limited water sprinkler type could be the antifreeze sprinkler system. This type of system is very uncommon and is normally not accepted and used in recent automatic sprinkler systems. In conclusion, there are several types of water sprinklers used in today’s management to help increase life safety and decrease property damage. By including detection devices and the correct sprinkler heads, these systems can mean the difference between life and death. The occupancy should have the correct automatic sprinkler system that will properly suppress the material relevant in that occupancy regardless of the type. The preferred automatic sprinkler system should all be able to notify the occupants, summon the correct agency to suppress the fire, sound alarms, supervise fire control, and initiated a wide variety of auxiliary functions involving environmental, utility, and process controls. (IFSTA 559)

Sycamore - Not Just a Planetree

Sycamore - Not Just a Planetree The sycamore tree (​Platanus occidentalis) is readily identifiable with broad, maplelike leaves and a trunk and limb complexion of mixed green, tan and cream. Some suggest it looks like camouflage. It is a member of one of the planets oldest clan of trees (Platanaceae) and paleobotanists have dated the family to be over 100 million years old. Living sycamore trees can reach ages of five hundred to six hundred years. The American sycamore or western planetree is North Americas largest native broadleaf tree and is often planted in yards and parks. Its hybridized cousin, the London planetree, adapts very well to urban living. The improved sycamore is New York Citys tallest street tree and is the most common tree in Brooklyn, New York. Champion The record American sycamore, according to The Urban Tree Book and the Big Tree Register, is 129 feet tall. This Jeromesville, Ohio tree has a limb spread that spans 105 feet and the trunk measures 49 feet in circumference. Threats Unfortunately, sycamore is susceptible to anthracnose fungus which makes leaves turn brown and contorts stem growth. Witches brooms or leafless sprout clusters form and grow along the limbs. Most urban plantings are of the hybrid London planetree because of its resistance to anthracnose. Habitat and Lifestyle The deciduous sycamore is fast growing and sun-loving, growing seventy feet in seventeen years on a good site. Very often it divides into two or more trunks near the ground and its massive branches form a wide-spreading, irregular crown. Mature trees usually develop hollow portions and areas of decay making them vulnerable to wind and ice. The outer bark peels away to create a mottled patchwork of tans, whites, grays, greens and sometimes yellows. The inner bark is usually smooth. The leaves are very large with 3 to 5 leaf lobes and are often 7 to 8 inches long and wide. Stalked unisexual flowers of both sexes appear on the same tree when leaves emerge. Fruits dangle from long stems and are aggregates of feathery seed nutlets (achenes). The tree is a very aggressive stump sprouter. Lore The tree was probably named by early colonists who noted a resemblance to the English sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus). The sycamore tree of the Bible is actually the sycamore fig (Ficus sycomorus).The tree is not very good for construction but is highly prized as butcher blocks.A hybrid developed from the American sycamore, called the London planetree, has become the urban tree of choice in North America and Europe.Sycamore seeds accompanied the lunar orbit of Apollo 14 in 1971 and were planted across from Philadelphias Independence Hall.