Editorial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Editorial - Essay Example ded party and thereby end the outbursts, the burning of Danish embassies in Muslim-dominated countries and the threats to national security of Denmark. However, the press in Denmark and in Europe, in general, are not budging. And the reason for that is freedom of expression! The cartoon may be offensive to the Islam faith, but the Muslims, while demanding respect for their faith, also need to understand press freedom, and more importantly, understand the meaning of the word â€Å"editorial.† The cartoon was printed as an editorial, and therefore, is solely the opinion of the artist, not necessarily the opinion of the entire publication or even the entire country of Denmark. The Danish government does not want to apologize on the part of the publication for respect freedom of expression in the country, despite the numerous protests and the boycott of Danish products that is affecting the businesses of some Danish companies. Muslims from the Middle East argue that the government is responsible because it could have stopped the publication of such offensive editorial or it could even punish the publication for doing so. In their mindset, this is most logical because in their countries, everything is controlled by the government – not excludin g the press. Again, press freedom is something that Muslims need to understand. They need to understand that the press only becomes effective if it acts separate from governments, corporations, political parties, and religions. It is a separate entity that needs to be critical, non-partisan and unbiased. It is with this kind of press freedom that society can improve itself. It should also be pointed out that the Muslim nations are not entirely innocent in terms of religious insensitivity. Many times have they published items that are considered offensive to Christians and Jews. It has also been a recurring scenario that every time that the Islam faith is offended, Muslims would go out on the streets in angry protests, with

Chicken Production Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Chicken Production - Case Study Example Furthermore, optimizing the design and performance decisive factor for facilities and equipment, as well as set up industry-wide guidelines (i.e., plan principles), will benefit the whole industry by civilizing efficiency of manufacturers (i.e., one design vs. multiple) and plummeting contamination and following product recalls. Leading characteristics of a diversity of classes, breeds and varieties of chickens; essential Mendalian concepts of legacy; the mechanism of qualitative and quantitative legacy; heritability of quantitative traits; objectives of poultry propagation for meat and egg production; systems of breeding plus their meaning; pure breed vs present day hybrid used for meat and egg production; the position of assortment in genetic development; assortment methods; culling and its meaning; factors pressure egg size and work of art; growth and sexual adulthood; ovary, The requirements plus specifications for poultry production buildings depends on which climatic area the production is situated in, and the kind of production. No doubt, day-old chicks from the hatchery are placed in the brooder rings upon influx. According to the expert analysis, broilers that have reached a known size may be given access to the whole barn. Furthermore, broiler chickens are kept in great, complete houses with a bottomless layer of litter (such as sawdust, chopped straw or shredded newspaper) on the floor. The grow-out stage lasts 35 - 45 days before the broilers reach market heaviness and is bring to the slaughterhouse (Parkhurst, C.R. and G.J. 1997). Principles of Building Construction Furthermore, every profitable poultry production is batch based characteristically 42 days or 12 months depending on production. Following each batch the birds are detached, the manure is detached and the buildings are cleaned and clean. Subsequent to a period of time, a latest batch is located in the building. Moreover, the building has routine feeding, watering, temperature control and airing systems. Buildings may be either of course ventilated (air alter due to wind) or automatically ventilated (where air is drawn into the buildings from side to side vents due to a unenthusiastic pressure created by means of wall fans that tire out inside air) Moreover, the production facilities are kept as stopped up units with strict control on access by employees and corporation. No doubt, eggs may be washed prior to sale, make waste water waste matter containing natural matter. Linked infrastructure ordinary to broilers and egg layers includes silos for feed think, manure storage space facilities and containers for deceased birds (Etches, R.J. 1996). Poultry Building Fabric Thermal Analysis To Planning For Reduced Production Costs If we analyzed then we come to know that personified energy varies extremely between poultry

US Justice Departments Case Against Microsoft

US Justice Departments Case Against Microsoft Explain how economic theories and evidence can help in understanding the US Justice Departments recent case against Microsoft, and in Microsofts defense against the accusations. The continuing legal case against Microsoft began initially in September 1996 when the Department of Justice claimed that Microsoft forced computer makers to take Internet Explorer. By January 1997, Microsoft controlled 85% of the operating systems market. By August 1997 Microsoft and Apple Computers had agreed to a $250 million collaboration over various products and programs including most definitively making Internet Explorer bundled with Apple computers as its default browser. Within the next two months the Department of Justice created a suit claiming that Microsoft violated its 1995 consent decree, disallowing Windows operating system to be tied to any other products. Thus beginning a four year roller coaster of trial and appeals leading to presumed wins and losses for both sides, concluding with a November 1, 2002 settlement, finally approved on June 30, 2004 in a U.S. appeals court, citing it is in the public’s interests. Throughout this case in many courtrooms and in front of numerous trial lawyers and judges a number of economic theories have been introduced and cited in the rulings for and against Microsoft. Beginning in December 1997 when Department of Justice Thomas Penfield Jackson, whom later was targeted as bias against Microsoft, stopped Microsoft from requiring the distribution of Internet Explorer with Windows 95 claiming theories of market â€Å"lock-in†, a spoke in the wheel of â€Å"path dependence†. Judge Jackson disputed that Microsoft Windows operating system owes the bulk of its market success to the high number of applications written for it. Also claiming â€Å"lock-in† theory in that Microsoft was barring applicants to enter the market despite the fact that consumer and product tests and reviews showed Windows continuously beating out IBM’s OS 2, which ironically was compatible with Windows and yes came with a browser and had numerous applications writt en for it. Jackson pushed to label Microsoft as going against the Sherman anti-trust laws by reducing Netscape’s market share to create a monopoly over the operating system markets claiming a viable case of â€Å"path dependence.† Path dependency is an argument that presumes that technology markets involve a danger of being â€Å"locked-in† to an inferior technology when subject to changes in the network as the better product is not always the winner and in fact winning and losing is highly based on sheer luck and past historical events. Once â€Å"locked-in† there is little opportunity to switch to the superior of the products as the costs of changing are made very high to protect the monopolistic company. There are many opponents to the theory of â€Å"path dependence† created by Brian W. Arthur. The major point of discrepancy is that Windows dominance throughout the operating system market was created by its economic efficiency and its position can be quickly eliminated with the introduction of system of better quality. Claims also include the caution that if â€Å"lock-in† theories are generally accepted the number of suits filed will increase drastically as many markets are subject to market effects and high seller concentration. This ultimately can be detrimental to the entire marketplace, damaging industry growth creating unsure investors with the inability to seek refuge within productivity effects on a scale base. According to the U.S. courts, Microsoft was establishing â€Å"barriers to entry† and therefore in need of priority anti-trust intervention. The fear being that regardless if a new entry to the market had a superior product to the Microsoft operating system, Microsoft would still ultimately dominate the marketplace as the costs to switch would be tremendous, lying entirely in the hands of the consumer, as all of Windows and each of its compatible applications would be rendered useless, thus creating a â€Å"lock-in† for Microsoft despite its inefficient capabilities. The example disputed throughout numerous debates was that of Macintosh would have been the better solution, however Linux despite being superior would be unable to overcome its â€Å"lock-in† position. The concluding solution: Judge Jackson rules on June 7, 2000, ordering Microsoft to break up and form two separate companies, one producing Windows operating system and the other to handle software app lications, including a barring from uniting for up to ten years. Again opponents to the â€Å"path dependence† claim that Microsoft’s dominance was in fact due to its superior products and a break up of the company would create a detrimental effect to welfare of technology, hampering innovation for years ahead. Bill Gates stated the break up would set Microsoft back some ten years. Also that the anti-trust laws cannot hold the same conditioning they did one hundred years ago over markets such as soy bean production as today’s high-tech markets are subject to rapid innovation and change that promotes aggressive behavior within the industry to stay ahead. This was the basis for the June 14, 2000 appeal by Microsoft over the District Court’s judgment. The appeals court ruled in favor of resisting Microsoft’s need to split into two companies but sided with the District Court in that Microsoft continually abused its monopoly standing within the software business. The major point in fact is that both courts presumably agreed that Microsoft’s success was largely attributed to luck and the â€Å"lock-in† effect coupled with switching costs stifling consumers, rather than pointing to its efficiency contributing to its success. The contradiction that was introduced by the appeals courts against the â€Å"lock-in† theory is that under the â€Å"lock-in† theory only a monopolistic break up could disrupt the network effect cycle and restore the deteriorated competition as cited by the district court. But if this â€Å"lock-in† theory were to hold strong then the appeals court decision to not separate Microsoft would ultimately contribute to its dominance. According to the Justice Department’s economic experts, the break up of Microsoft would create higher prices to accommodate both of the companies that would be trying to maximize profits by creating products that are complementary instead of the current production of a single product. In a surprise turn of events the ruling was turned in favor of Microsoft, claiming, as stated earlier, Jackson’s previous statements to journalists were sufficient evidence of his bias against Microsoft. The Supreme Court, on August 7, 2001, reversed the ruling that Microsoft was an illegal monopoly. On September 6, 2001 the Department of Justice states that it no longer seeks to pursue either the break up of Microsoft or the bundling issue at the center of the case. The next month followed with an approved settlement between the Department of Justice and Microsoft over anti-trust charges, however nine states still sought stricter infractions against Microsoft, seeking to have Internet Explorer placed within the public domain, along with other commitments including the ability of computer makers to remove some Windows features. Following lawsuits have followed, including suits by AOL Time Warner and Sun Microsystems, Inc., both settled through monetary resolve. Finally, on Jun e 30, 2004, the U.S. appeals court approved Microsoft’s settlement with the Justice Department, saying it is in the public’s interest. As the above stated is the path Microsoft has traveled to continue it process of continuing software market innovation, it is necessary to look at what allowed many companies and the justice system to confront and challenge Microsoft’s work ethic and productivity. To speak from the side of Microsoft, Microsoft dominates in software markets where reviews and evaluations show they have the best products and do not in markets where other products are superior. Also, under monopolistic practices traditional views of economics suggest that prices are maximized to maximize profits, however within all the markets where Microsoft has a substantial holding prices have fallen dramatically. Also, the â€Å"lock-in† theory stresses that technology industries get stuck with low quality products, but history shows that in high-tech markets, superior products eliminate inferior ones, as was the case with the superior Excel over Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Word over the inferior WordPerf ect. Reviews are the main contributor to the success of these products. Reviews gave landslide wins to both Excel and Word, where Microsoft Money was the inferior product to Quicken it failed. According to the Justice system these products carried â€Å"path dependence† that â€Å"locked-in† the inferior products (from which of these products the statement is directed is unclear) and therefore â€Å"locked-out† innovative newcomers. Examples of â€Å"lock-in† are products that become highly publicly used such as the telephone or VCR become the norm and consumers will relinquish from trying others products that vary from the standard. The antagonist to this is that the high-tech market changes so rapidly that competitive advantages have a short lifespan. Also, that consumers are able to handle the concept that if everyone knew another product was better and more efficient would not someone find a way to cut the costs to switch to the superior product. Evid ence clearly suggests that yes a single product leading to increasing returns for the company often dominates markets such as software markets, however its replacement often happens at a record speed when a product comes along that is clearly superior. Think of game play consoles; Nintendo GameCube was almost placed into extinction with the introduction of Playstation 2 and Microsoft Xbox, whose prominence will not be countered with the introduction of Xbox 360 and soon Playstation 3. To counter the anti -trust issue against Microsoft, economists have argued that Microsoft has neither raised its prices nor restricted the output of its products, both traditional elements within a monopoly. Microsoft, on the other hand, offers good quality products at prices that are attractive to consumers and this has lead to Microsoft’s large market share. The problem that lingers is why has a company that has made good products at good prices been placed under such large scrutiny. Three ideals that have allowed firms to be exposed are arbitrary law, perfect competition, and economic versus political power. The antitrust laws rely heavily on arbitrary language that reflects the arbitrary rulings within perfect competition. Consider pricing, if one sets its prices above it competitors it can be seen as trying to monopolize, setting prices below can reflect unfair competition or restraining trade and if prices are similar to that of competitors the charge can be a scheme to fix prices. Therefore regardless of any price you set you are in violation of the anti-trust laws. Who is prosecuted is ultimately up to the prosecutors and whom they see as firms that hold large market share or whom is enjoying large profits. Also under the anti-trust laws, the â€Å"essential services† doctrine states that ‘a product or service that becomes widely used and relied upon loses it private character and effectively becomes private property, to be shared with rivals and the government.’ Presumably the Windows operating system became a red mark under this doctrine. The unfortunate factor is that firms are penalized for making great products that are successful. Also, consider the charge that Microsoft held a monopolizing market share. This definition is subjective to the prosecutor as well. Microsoft holds approximately 5% of the worldwide market share, but has 50% of the PC software market and 80% of the software for Intel based PCs. What is the determining factor to decide where a Monopoly is created? The result is that Microsoft has been forced to self-regulate to avoid constant prosecution, and this is the path to slower innovation. Perfect competition is the ideal theory not on how competition actually works but instead on how it should work. Ideally every market should be saturated with a great number of firms and impending newcomers to the market, with each firm holding a small share of the market. Entrance into the market should be cost-free and no firm can change its pricing to change its market share and products should be indistinguishable. Under such profits are rendered non-existent as any profit would be considered an imperfect market and after covering costs the ideal situation is a firm showing a loss. This is in theory but in reality there is no industry that is like this as all of the entrants would decease due to a lack of the ability to survive. This ideal of perfect competition was one of the theories used to combat Microsoft. The concept of economic power versus political power is the ideal that many suits brought up as antitrust suits are contrived as revengeful plot to gain back market share that has been taken from the initiating party. Instead of creating products that are more efficient and more able to compete. The difference between economic and political power is that economic power is the power to create and produce using intellectual capability to achieve no successes, trading voluntarily to the advantage of all parties. While political power is power used to force and punish, involving physical aggrandizement used to overpower other parties. Microsoft is a leading cooperative producer flaunting only economic power. The powers that restrain them are not consumers, for which profit from Microsoft creating economical and efficient products, but instead the rivals bring suit not in the interest of the overall market but only in fear of losing even more share of the market. Traditional economic theory promotes that economic efficiency is derived from price and quality, which determine the outcome within the market. Though the court doesn’t mention the theory of path dependence explicitly, the evidence provided by the plaintiffs strictly resembles the elements enlisted under the Arthur theory. ‘The argument is that a positive feedback loop due to static economies of scale and demand-side network effects led to the so-called intractable ‘chicken-and-egg’ problem, which caused a ‘Microsoft-winner-take-all’ and a ‘Mac-OS/2-Linux-loser-gets-nothing’ solution. Microsoft is also blamed for being an inferior lock-in standard today due to positive feedback. There is no statement claiming that Microsoft gained its dominant market position simply by chance and was able to out do Apple in the battle for the predominance in the OS market in the mid 1980s. There’s also no explicit statement that Microsoft would have been an inferior technology inspired by early luck in comparison with its early competitors in the mid 1980s. Concerning the early technology selection problem during the standard battle between Microsoft and Apple, there’s no link with ARTHUR’s theory within the court’s argumentation. As a result, Microsoft is not explicitly blamed for having been an inferior solution in the past. But Microsoft is implicitly blamed for being an inferior lock-in standard today who gained its dominant market position in the past by positive feedback and whose predominance is protected by the applications barrier to entry. The court claims that Apple Macintosh, OS/2 and Linux haven’t been able to overcome the applications barrier to entry which implies that these alternative OSs are thought to be at least of the same or even of better quality than Windows because no competitor with worse quality could compete effectively with the incumbent. In this respe ct, the court argues completely according to ARTHUR’s theory that there’s almost no possibility to ‘unlock’ the Microsoft monopoly. The judge doesn’t mention explicitly the term ‘inferior lock-in monopoly’ but also demonstrates that Microsoft isn’t believed to survive due to superior product quality but simply by anti-competitive means, which protect and enhance the applications barrier to entry.’ (1a.) Fortunately, for the future innovations within the software market and the constant advance, Microsoft is free to create new efficient products at reasonable products for the future to come. That arbitrary economic theory almost crushed this opportunity and stalemated the innovation process speaks volumes about the need to produce legislation that can be accurately held accountable to guide all firms. Whether there need be strict rules to account for different markets and product types to discern between never changing marketplaces to industries that turnover a week at a time is left unclear. Regardless, Microsoft is not evil for creating a profit on an increasing returns agenda, that is what is available in markets that hold market share and volume advantages. References: JACKSON (1999), U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust-Division, p. 6. Ohios sad legacy of antitrust: John Sherman to Betty Montgomery By James A. Damaskweb, July 1998 Law and Economics of Microsoft vs. U.S. Department of Justice: New Paradigm for Antitrust in Network Markets or Inefficient Lock-In of Antitrust Policy? By Marc-Peter Radke Stuttgart-Hohenheim ISSN 1618-5358, 2001 www.findlaw.com Wired magazine issue 3.10: The More you Sell, the More you Sell. Law and Economics of Microsoft vs. U.S. Department of Justice New Paradigm for Antitrust in Network Markets or Inefficient Lock-In of Antitrust Policy? By Marc-Peter Radke, Nov. 2001 www.cnn.com

To Dance With The White Dog Essay -- Movie Film Movies Dance White Dog

To Dance With The White Dog When one is young in age, it is important for him or her to have a caretaker. It is important because there are many things that one cannot do at a young age, such as feeding or dressing one's self. In contrast, there are also many things that one cannot do at an old age, such as being the breadwinner of a family or going to the bathroom on one's own. In both stages of life one is usually helpless and dependent on others. This is why old age is usually considered one's second childhood. In the movie To Dance with the White Dog, Sam Peek had a hard time adjusting to his second childhood. He did not like the fact that he eventually would have to rely on his children Kate and Carrie to take care of him. After his wife Cora died, Sam's children felt it was their responsibility to take care of him. They believed that he was going senile because of the loss of his wife. He was used to being the caretaker of his family. So the mere thought of his children having to take care of him mad e him mad. Sam's second childhood was evident in the movie based on Terry Kay's novel To Dance with the White Dog. The movie played out Sam's stubbornness in accepting his children's desire to help him out in his day-to-day routine. Sam Peek was used to being the caretaker of his family. He made sure that they had clothes on their backs, food in their stomachs, and a smile on their face. Sam hated the fact that they thought being his caretaker was their role for him now. He never prepared himself for the fact that one day they would possibly take care of him the same way they would take care of their children. Throughout the movie Sam?... ...imagined that they would do the same for him one day. His daughters Kate and Carrie would treat him like a five year old. They would try to talk to him very slow because they thought he could not comprehend anything they were saying. Kate and Carrie believed that their father had an overly active imagination. They believed this because they could not see his white dog. Later on in the movie, Sam fell on the floor and the white dog ran around in the yard until someone came to help. That scene in the movie proved that Sam was not as crazy as they thought. Shortly after that, Sam was diagnosed with cancer. He put his stubbornness aside and let his children take care of him. At that point he really did not care, he only wanted to spend his last moments with his loving family. Works Cited: To Dance with the White Dog. Videocassette. Republic Pictures,1993, 103 min.

Play Hamlet vs. Mel Gibson’s movie version Essay

Performance Analysis of Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark† My performance analysis is based on Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark†. This production was directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starred Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, and Paul Scofield. In this production of Hamlet, the original old English is used. However, I noticed that any dialog that was too difficult to comprehend or too wordy was deleted from the scenes. Some of the scenes had also been altered. For example, In Act 2, Scene 1, the director has Polonius spy on Ophelia and Hamlet, and this is how he learns of Hamlet’s strange visit with his daughter and Hamlet’s madness. In the original text of Act 2, scene 1, Ophelia informs Polonius of Hamlet’s visit and his apparent madness. I believe the director chose to have Polonius spy on them to obtain this information, because the audience would observe for themselves just how mad Hamlet appears. It was also probably done to save time so that the movie wouldn’t drag. In Kenneth Branaugh’s version the movie is contained on two tapes, and his version was a little too slow moving for my taste. The lines 207-0 213 in Act 2, scene2, where Polonius has a lengthy monologue, also appears to have been cut from the script. In that same act the lines where Guildenstern and Rosencranz enter the scene have been moved to Act 3, Scene 1, a point directly after Hamlet’s â€Å"Mousetrap† play. There were also several other modifications to the placement of scenes in this play, including Shakespeare’s famous speech, â€Å"To be or not to be [†¦],† which had been moved to Act 1, scene 2. I believe all of these changes were made due to the advantageous nature of the film media. It was possible for the director to show several shots of different actors and events, shifting back and forth between scenes. This gave the effect of the scenes occurring simultaneously. Since these scenes appeared to have occurred at the same time in the movie, it probably made sense or seemed more effective to the director to move the scenes or acts around to what seemed the most logical point in the film. As a result of these modifications, I felt this version of Hamlet was more fast-paced and engaging. It did not drag. I appreciated this production over the other Hamlet films I have seen, because it was made more interesting through director’s shifting camera technique. The setting and costumes of this play were also historically accurate for that time period. And the lighting was well done -not too dark. As far as the actors go, Mel Gibson  gave an energetic interpretation of the melancholy Hamlet; and Glenn Close was so intense and very believable as Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. The other actors also performed their parts very well. In summary, I enjoyed this performance more than Kenneth Branaugh’s production, because I felt it was faster paced and more dynamic. I feel this effect was achieved through the director’s technique of shifting the camera between the actors and scenes to give the impression that events were occurring simultaneously. I also fee l Mel Gibson’s energetic performance and Glenn Close’s intense and realistic performance added a dynamic quality, which I have not seen in any other production of this play.

Noise Control/Radon

In the advent of technological advancements that we have today, we are not only given innovations that would make our lives easier, but also some risks and threats to our health and well-being. These health risks and threats can be considered as the negative side of these technological advancements, and these are usually in the form of pollution. Pollution on the other hand, can be classified into various types, usually depending on the aspect of the environment that they have a corresponding negative effect.These include air, water, and soil pollution. There are also some types of pollution which arises when there is an excessive amount of a naturally occurring substance or phenomenon, just like Radon Pollution and Noise Pollution. But between these two, it is the radon pollution that poses great risks, as it affects everyone in the country, with greater risks to those staying in their homes.Noise pollution is defined as â€Å"an unwanted, disturbing sound that causes a nuisance in the eye of the beholder (Nunez, 1998).† This is comprised by displeasing sounds created by human activity or by machines, and are known to disrupt the environment (Berglund & Lindvall, 1995). The leading cause of noise pollution today is from the transportation sources – the noise coming from the motor vehicles. In a person, the aspect greatly affected by noise pollution is the sense of hearing, which could lead to different responses from the affected one, including annoyance and other behavioral changes.Radon pollution on the other hand, is caused by naturally occurring processes. Even before man became aware of pollution and its effect on human health, Radon was already around the environment. It’s because Radon is a natural part of the atmosphere, and that it is continually being released by the earth, because it is the product of the radioactive decay of radioactive materials like Uranium and Thorium (Health Physics Society, 1997).The problem that results f rom this is when people build their homes on the Radon-releasing soil. Since it is a naturally occurring process, Radon will just continue to seep through the soil, supposedly going to the atmosphere. When homes are built however, the Radon tends to seep through the cracks in the basement, and will just be contained in our homes. Excessive Radon contents are known to cause respiratory problems like lung cancer, the second known cause for lung cancer deaths all over the country, next to smoking (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000).Radon pollution poses a greater health risk to the community, as compared to Noise pollution. This is because Radon release of the earth is a naturally occurring event, as compared to Noise creation. Having Radon in the environment is inevitable, that even our homes are not a safe place to stay if the matter is not taken seriously. Noise pollution is also relative to a person: what could be noisy to some people can be pleasing for others.Also, nois e pollution is slowly being suppressed by technology, like the hybrid cars being quieter as compared to normal-engine vehicles. But despite this, Radon pollution can be solved thru the people themselves. There are ways to protect homes from excessive Radon contents, like maintaining a sealed, well ventilated basement. Another is to regularly check the Radon contents in your home, a safety measure which is not costly and can be afforded by a normal household.As Radon pollution may continue to exist despite all the technological innovations present today, this doesn’t mean that people will forever be at risk because of it. Health risks can be averted by making sure that the people’s homes are protected from the seeping Radon gases. Spending a little for the family’s health would mean protecting them from fatal health risks.References:Berglund, B., & Lindvall, T. (1995). Community Noise.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.nonoise.org/library/whonoi se/whonoise.htmHealth Physics Society. (1997). Radon Fact Sheet.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.hps1.org/glossary/radon.htmNunez, D. G. (1998). Cause and Effects of Noise Pollution.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.dbc.uci.edu/~sustain/global/sensem/S98/Nunez/Noise.htmlU. S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2000). Radionuclides (including Radon, Radium and Uranium).  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.epa.gov/ttn/uatw/hlthef/radionuc.html Noise Control/Radon In the advent of technological advancements that we have today, we are not only given innovations that would make our lives easier, but also some risks and threats to our health and well-being. These health risks and threats can be considered as the negative side of these technological advancements, and these are usually in the form of pollution. Pollution on the other hand, can be classified into various types, usually depending on the aspect of the environment that they have a corresponding negative effect.These include air, water, and soil pollution. There are also some types of pollution which arises when there is an excessive amount of a naturally occurring substance or phenomenon, just like Radon Pollution and Noise Pollution. But between these two, it is the radon pollution that poses great risks, as it affects everyone in the country, with greater risks to those staying in their homes.Noise pollution is defined as â€Å"an unwanted, disturbing sound that causes a nuisance in the eye of the beholder (Nunez, 1998).† This is comprised by displeasing sounds created by human activity or by machines, and are known to disrupt the environment (Berglund & Lindvall, 1995). The leading cause of noise pollution today is from the transportation sources – the noise coming from the motor vehicles. In a person, the aspect greatly affected by noise pollution is the sense of hearing, which could lead to different responses from the affected one, including annoyance and other behavioral changes.Radon pollution on the other hand, is caused by naturally occurring processes. Even before man became aware of pollution and its effect on human health, Radon was already around the environment. It’s because Radon is a natural part of the atmosphere, and that it is continually being released by the earth, because it is the product of the radioactive decay of radioactive materials like Uranium and Thorium (Health Physics Society, 1997).The problem that results f rom this is when people build their homes on the Radon-releasing soil. Since it is a naturally occurring process, Radon will just continue to seep through the soil, supposedly going to the atmosphere. When homes are built however, the Radon tends to seep through the cracks in the basement, and will just be contained in our homes. Excessive Radon contents are known to cause respiratory problems like lung cancer, the second known cause for lung cancer deaths all over the country, next to smoking (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000).Radon pollution poses a greater health risk to the community, as compared to Noise pollution. This is because Radon release of the earth is a naturally occurring event, as compared to Noise creation. Having Radon in the environment is inevitable, that even our homes are not a safe place to stay if the matter is not taken seriously. Noise pollution is also relative to a person: what could be noisy to some people can be pleasing for others.Also, nois e pollution is slowly being suppressed by technology, like the hybrid cars being quieter as compared to normal-engine vehicles. But despite this, Radon pollution can be solved thru the people themselves. There are ways to protect homes from excessive Radon contents, like maintaining a sealed, well ventilated basement. Another is to regularly check the Radon contents in your home, a safety measure which is not costly and can be afforded by a normal household.As Radon pollution may continue to exist despite all the technological innovations present today, this doesn’t mean that people will forever be at risk because of it. Health risks can be averted by making sure that the people’s homes are protected from the seeping Radon gases. Spending a little for the family’s health would mean protecting them from fatal health risks.References:Berglund, B., & Lindvall, T. (1995). Community Noise.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.nonoise.org/library/whonoi se/whonoise.htmHealth Physics Society. (1997). Radon Fact Sheet.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.hps1.org/glossary/radon.htmNunez, D. G. (1998). Cause and Effects of Noise Pollution.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.dbc.uci.edu/~sustain/global/sensem/S98/Nunez/Noise.htmlU. S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2000). Radionuclides (including Radon, Radium and Uranium).  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.epa.gov/ttn/uatw/hlthef/radionuc.html