Design of Earthquake and Cyclone Proof House for Poor

Design of Earthquake and Cyclone Proof House for Poor Introduction Background The population of the world is constantly increasing; it currently lies at 6.7 billion people and is predicted to increase to 9.2 billion in the next forty years. Majority of this growth will occur in urban areas and it is predicted that by the year 2050 urban areas alone will contain 6.4 billion people (United Nations, 2008). This continuous growth of urban areas is known as urbanization and is mainly occurring in developing countries, in particular in the peri-urban regions (the outer fringes of larger towns/cities also known as slums, shanty towns or favelas depending on the region). Much of these peri-urban areas however are already highly populated with inadequate living conditions, therefore any increase in population is a major problem and in turn means an increase in poor housing, health and services (Mara, 2008). This report is going to specifically look at the peri-urban regions and housing of Latin America. Latin America is generally defined as those countries in the Americas where Spanish or Portuguese is spoken. This includes Mexico and the countries of Central America, South America and the Caribbean (Bumgarner, 2008), as shown in figure one. It currently has a combined population of approximately 590 million people, 470 million of this total are found in urban areas (United Nations, 2008). South America is the region of the world with the largest proportion of its population living in slums at 26% and these numbers continue to increase (SASI Group and Newman, 2006). Many of its countries are frequently subjected to natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and flooding. This is particularly due to the diverse topography of the region; oceans, mountains, rainforests, volcanoes and fault lines can all be found throughout the area (Bumgarner, 2008). â€Å"In addition, the twenty largest cities of Latin America are in areas with steep slopes, swamps, floodable land or seismic activity. As a result many of the regions worst disasters have hit cities† (World Bank, 2005). In 1985 Mexico City was hit by a major earthquake, killing approximately 9,500 people and thousands more were injured and left homeless. In 1970 an earthquake hit Peru that destroyed many areas in particular affecting cities such as Lima, Casma and Chimbote. In total 20,000 people died and major damage to the cities occurred, according to preliminary reports building collapses caused most of the fatalities. The worlds largest recorded earthquake hit Chile in 1960, thousands were killed or injured and over 2 million people were left homeless with $550 million of damage caused in Southern Chile alone (USGS, 2009). Other cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Caracas have seen major destruction through landslides (World Bank, 2005) and areas in Venezuela (such as Caracas) and Southern Brazil have been affected by cyclones. Hurricane Mitch tore across Central America and Southern Mexico in 1998 and left a path of destruction killing over 10,000 people and leaving millions more either homeless , missing or severely affected. The poor are put at particular risk from natural disasters because of the hazardous locations and poor quality of their dwellings (World Bank, 2005). As previously mentioned the living conditions of much of the urban population, in particular in the peri-urban regions is less than satisfactory, usually densely populated and often unfit for human habitation. Figures 1.2 and 1.3 below show images of peri-urban areas in Latin America, as can be seen the shelters are poorly made and very densely spaced. The social, physical and mental health of an individual is majorly influenced by the environment in which they live (Tinker, 2008) poor housing results in poor health and this is particularly evident in the peri-urban regions of Latin America for example the Neza Chalco Itza barrio of Mexico City and slums of Peru, Brazil and Chile. Many of the low-cost settlements are overcrowded and lack basic but vital amenities such as clean water, sanitation, access to work and shelter. This in turn leads to a high rate of disease and low life expectancies with many people dying at a young age. A major problem is poor sanitation and contaminated water supply resulting in faeco-oral diseases such as salmonellosis, viral diarrhoea (rotavirus) and cholera. Diarrhoea alone is a major problem in developing countries especially in children; killing 1.3 million children aged under five, globally, per year (Mara, 2008). Housing related diseases are also often of major concern, the poorly constructed shelters and overcrowding leads to many insect and rodent related diseases, such as plague and Chagas disease both of which often result in death. Aims And Objectives â€Å"Gaining access to housing that provides adequate shelter and physical safety is one of the greatest challenges confronting the urban poor. Most poor people live in informal housing, often located in marginal areas that are vulnerable to natural disasters and poorly served by public services or utilities.† (World Bank, 2005) This quote taken from the book â€Å"The Urban Poor in Latin America† published by the World Bank, perfectly describes the issues confronting the urban poor of Latin America. It highlights the main problems they face and summarizes the key objectives of this report. The initial brief of this report is to design a suitable house for the peri-urban poor of Latin America. It needs to be able to resist earthquake and cyclone forces but also be low cost and feasible for the local area. Listed below are the key aims of this report and these will help to ensure the final solution to the brief is met successfully. Gain an understanding of earthquakes and cyclones and their effects. Gain an understanding of existing earthquake and cyclone resistant designs. Ensure the final design is both earthquake and cyclone resistant. The design must be of low-cost and suitable for peri-urban regions. The design needs to provide adequate shelter which in turn will help to reduce housing related diseases. The design needs to provide a water source and adequate sanitation which in turn will help to reduce diseases. Throughout the world housing construction is increasing, including areas affected by natural hazards, such as cyclones and earthquakes. This increase in population increases the risks of structural damage and loss of life when natural disasters strike. Therefore to ensure that the number of fatalities and damage caused, in areas subject to hazards, are minimal, special precautions and design standards must be adopted (United Nations, 1975). This report will follow a specific structure in order to obtain an understanding of these precautions and design standards to ensure that the final design meets all the objectives. It will begin by analysing the title in more depth and collecting information that will help to establish the necessary details for designing a low cost earthquake and cyclone resistant house. Earthquakes â€Å"An earthquake is a spasm of ground shaking caused by a sudden release of energy in the earths lithosphere (i.e. the crust plus part of the upper mantle)† (Dowrick, 1987) â€Å"They are among the most destructive natural events [on the planet]† (BBC News, 2005). Causes, Type And Strength Earthquakes can vary significantly in their strength, way they are caused and effects they have on the surrounding landscape. They may originate from natural processes such as tectonic activity or human processes such as mining or bomb detonation. Some are very powerful causing large scale damage, injury and/or death whilst others are much weaker. As suggested by Bolt (2004) there are a number of different types of earthquake and it is useful to classify them in their mode of generation. Each type varies in their strength, how often they occur and level of hazard they pose. Earthquakes Generated Through Human Processes Collapse Earthquakes These relatively small earthquakes involve the collapse of underground mines or caverns. They may be generated through two different processes, either the roof collapses or mine bursting occurs. Mine burst is a process in which the stresses around the cavern or mine cause large pieces of rock to explosively fly off the underground rock face. Both processes induce seismic waves and thus ground shaking. Explosion Earthquakes When chemicals or nuclear devices are detonated they can cause the surrounding ground to shake significantly. When nuclear devices are detonated in boreholes beneath the ground enormous nuclear energy is released. This energy then vaporizes the surrounding rock and induces seismic waves and so can generate relatively significant earthquakes. Impact Earthquakes Although not so common these earthquakes are generated from the impact of meteorites on the Earths surface. They strike with such a powerful force that they can generate seismic waves, which travel great distances, such as the 1908 meteorite impact in Siberia that caused a moderately large earthquake. Earthquakes Generated Through Natural Processes Land Sliding Earthquakes Massive landslides can produce substantial earthquakes. For example in Peru, 1974, a large landslide triggered seismic waves comparable to a moderate earthquake. As the soil and rock falls with significant speed the movement is converted to seismic waves and thus an earthquake is generated. Volcanic Earthquakes These are simply earthquakes that occur in conjunction with volcanic activity. Earthquakes and volcanoes often accompany each other and both originate through tectonic forces. Sometimes however they do occur individually. Tectonic Earthquakes These are the most common type of earthquake. They are produced through various geological processes and are of great social significance because they pose the greatest hazard. The Earth is made up of a number of layers, the inner and outer core, mantle and the crust that ‘floats on top. The crust and upper mantle form a strong layer known as the lithosphere and this is broken up into a number of different plates that are moved in different directions through convection currents (BBC News, 2005). Convection currents are caused due to the heating of rock in the lower part of the mantle. As the temperature of the rock increases it becomes less dense and so begins to rise to the outer region of the mantle, the cooler higher density rock above sinks due to gravity. The cooler rock is then heated as it gets closer to the core of the earth and the rising hot rock cools as it moves further away. The process then continues in the same cycle over millions of years gradually moving the tectonic plates around on the surface. Figure 2.1 shows a diagram of the layers making up the earth and the convection currents and heat loss present. Subdivisions of the Earths interior and heat loss via convection in the mantle and outer core. The plates that make up the Earths surface are all interconnected much like a jigsaw, as shown by figure 2.1. As they are moved in different directions they are forced into or away from one another at their boundaries. It is at these plate boundaries that most earthquakes occur. Tectonic Plate Boundaries There are three main types of plate boundary each with different characteristics, (Platetectonics.com, 2005). 1. Convergent Boundaries: At these boundaries the two plates collide with one another. They are also known as destructive boundaries because the crust is destroyed as one plate is forced beneath the other, forming a subduction zone. There are three types of convergent boundary Oceanic-Oceanic, Continental-Oceanic and Continental-Continental. Oceanic-Oceanic: This involves two oceanic plates converging (e.g. The Pacific and Mariana Plates). A deep oceanic trench is then formed due to one of the plates sinking beneath the other. Often with this type of convergence volcanoes are formed below the ocean surface and over millions of years of eruptions they build up eventually to be exposed above the surface as volcanic islands usually in chains called island arcs. Figure 2.3 shows a diagram of oceanic-oceanic convergence. Oceanic-Continental: This involves an oceanic and continental plate colliding, the older and heavy oceanic plate then sinks below the continental forming a trench. An example of this is the Peru-Chile Trench (also known as the Atacama Trench) this is formed due to the oceanic Nazca Plate being subducted beneath the South American Plate. Often deep in the subduction zone the oceanic plate breaks up into smaller pieces and these pieces are locked in place for long periods of time then may suddenly move forming large earthquakes. Figure 2.4 shows a diagram of oceanic-continental convergence. Continental-Continental: This involves two continental plates, when the two plates collide neither is subducted because they both resist the downward motion. Instead they buckle upwards forming extensive mountain ranges such as the Himalayas, which continue to grow throughout millions of years of convergence. Figure 2.5 shows a diagram of continental-continental convergence. 2. Divergent Boundaries: At these boundaries the tectonic plates are pushed apart as convection currents move them in different directions. This process then leads to a large separation between the plates and new crust is formed as molten rock rises up from the Earths core, for this reason they are also known as constructive boundaries. The process can separate whole landmasses over millions of years, into two singular landmasses. This is currently happening throughout Iceland as the Eurasian and North American Plates diverge. 3. Transform-Fault Boundaries: This type of boundary also known as conservative plate boundaries involve two plates sliding past one another. For example the San Andreas Fault between the Pacific and North American Plates. As the plates move in different directions they grind against each other and the friction between them can build up and be released suddenly generating an earthquake. It is through the geological processes of convergence and divergence that earthquakes are generated. As the plates move elastic strain builds up in the crustal rock and when a fault ruptures the energy stored in the rocks is released, partly as heat, partly in cracking underground rocks, and partly as elastic waves. These waves are the earthquake (Bolt, 2003). This is the theory of elastic rebound; the elastic strain in a block of the Earths crust over a long period of time can suddenly be released by the movement along a fault, causing an earthquake (Eiby, 1967). Latin America lies upon five tectonic plates, the Cocos, Caribbean, Nazca, South American and Scotia plates. Together these plates converge and diverge generating many earthquakes throughout Latin America. Seismic Waves Although there is a number of ways that earthquakes may be generated the same kind of seismic waves are present in each quake. An earthquake emits its power as two main types of waves of energy these are body waves and surface waves. Both have different characteristics in the way they travel throughout the earth and damage they cause. Body Waves These waves travel through the inners layers of the earth, they arrive before the surface waves and are of a high frequency. There are two types of body wave, primary and secondary. Primary waves also known as P waves or compressional waves are the fastest type of wave they are able to travel through solid and fluid masses. This means they are the first to be felt during an earthquake, they cause particles to move backwards and forwards in a push and pull motion. Secondary waves or S waves are slower than primary and can only travel through solid masses. They are the second to be felt during an earthquake and cause particles to move in a side-to-side or up and down motion. Surface Waves These waves are only able to travel through the Earths outer crust. They have a lower frequency than body waves and arrive after. Although they are slower, nearly all damage caused from an earthquake is due to the surface waves. Like body waves there is two types of surface wave, Love and Rayleigh. Love waves named after A.E.H Love who predicted their existence in 1911 are the fastest type of surface wave and move particles in a side-to-side motion. Rayleigh waves named after Lord Rayleigh who predicted their existence in 1885 roll across the ground much like a wave in an ocean. They cause particles to move in a side-to-side or up and down motion. Majority of the shaking felt during an earthquake is from the Rayleigh waves (Michigan Tech, 2007). Strength When an earthquake occurs both types of wave are emitted as previously discussed, the strength of these waves however varies significantly with each earthquake and so the damage and effects each event has on the surrounding areas can be very different. The strength of an earthquake is defined in two ways, the intensity of the earthquake (i.e. the strength of shaking at any given place) and the magnitude of the earthquake (i.e. the actual size or total strength of the event). For each type of measurement a scale has been devised, these can then be used to determine the actual specifics of each earthquake. Intensity measures the severity of the seismic ground motion at a specific point (Dowrick, 1987). This is determined by the Modified Mercalli (MM) Scale, which is the most widely used scale for this type of measurement. It is composed of twelve increasing levels of intensity and at each level a type of response is listed for example damage to windows, people awakening or at higher levels, structures totally destroyed. Appendix A gives a detailed description of the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Magnitude measures the size of an earthquake at a specific point. It is established using seismographs, which record the various amplitude changes of the ground oscillations below. They record a zig-zag trace and this is then used to determine the magnitude which is found from the logarithm of the amplitude of waves recorded. The data recorded by a seismograph can be used to establish the time, location and magnitude of an earthquake (USGS, 2009). The Richter scale ranges from 3.5 and below up to 8 and above, the lower the value indicates a weaker earthquake and so higher indicates a much stronger one. The magnitude of the earthquake does not indicate damage however (the Mercalli scale is used for this) because a high magnitude earthquake may occur in a remote region therefore little damaged is caused, on the other hand a weaker event may occur in a densely populated region and thus the damage is greatly increased. Appendix B gives a detailed description of the Richter scale. Understanding the strength, causes and types of earthquake helps to determine appropriate designs for specific areas of the world. Latin America is in a region that is subjected to earthquakes of varying strengths from frequent occurring events of small magnitudes to much larger events of greater magnitudes and intensity. For example, more recently in Peru (2007) an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 occurred and in 1960 the largest earthquake to be recorded in the world to date, with a magnitude of 9.5, hit Chile. Therefore structures need to be designed to be able to resist forces of varying levels. Effects Of Earthquakes â€Å"Although a great deal is known about where earthquakes are likely, there is currently no reliable way to predict the days or months when an event will occur in any specific location† (Ludwin, 2004). Likewise the actual magnitude and intensity of an earthquake cannot be predicted and are only established once the event has taken place. For this reason it is important to know the effects of earthquakes on buildings and thus appropriate methods can be adopted during their design to ensure damage is minimized. When an earthquake occurs the ground is subjected to various types of seismic waves (as previously mentioned), these waves cause the ground to move in all directions. The most damaging effects on structures are from the horizontal movements of the ground because the majority of structures are designed to withstand vertical loads. Therefore when designing structures to resist earthquake forces the main effect of an earthquake is considered in terms of horizontal forces, similar to wind forces (Ambrose J. Vergun D, 1995). Each time a major earthquake occurs an advance in design technology can be made. This is because when an event occurs that results in major structural damage, the effects on the buildings in that area can be investigated. Buildings that have withstood the earthquake forces can be established and the design methods used for these particular buildings used again in the future. Other structures that have failed to withstand the earthquake forces can be investigated and the reason for their failure can be determined, improvements on their design can then be made. There are a number of hazards that arise from earthquakes and each has different damaging effects (Dowrick, 1987) Direct Movement of Structures This is due to the ground shaking beneath the structure, it can cause general destabilization of the building and various levels of damage. Ground Displacement Along a Fault As the ground moves, displacement along a fault may be caused. This in turn can lead to cracking of the ground, settlement of an area, land/mud slides and avalanches. Flooding, Fires, Gas Leaks When the ground moves various services and structures may be damaged, such as dams, underground piping, river levees and so on, this in turn can cause various types of disaster. Tsunamis The energy released during an earthquake can cause large tidal waves, which in turn can have devastating effects when they reach the mainland. Liquefaction When an earthquake is generated it may compact the soils beneath a building, this in turn causes an increase in pore water pressure and causes a loss in shear strength. The soil changes to a liquefied state, this process can have disastrous effects when it occurs below a building. These hazards in turn have two main physical consequences, death and injury to human beings and damage to the constructed and natural environments. The area is then affected socially and economically because of these physical effects. This can include, cost of damage, losses to businesses and cost of healthcare and aid. Financially and technically it is only possible to reduce these consequences (Dowrick, 1987) and design considerations (Section 4) must be made to ensure that they are reduced. Although there are a number of effects caused by earthquakes this report is specifically going to look at the effects on structures and how they influence the design. Tropical Cyclones Tropical cyclone is the generic name given to warm core, low pressure storm systems that develop over tropical or sub-tropical waters and have organized circulation (NWS JetStream, 2008). The warm central core makes them differ from mid-latitude cyclones and because of this warm-core structure the strongest winds occur at ground levels therefore having the potential to cause significant amounts of damage (Gray, 2003). These rapidly revolving winds can reach speeds of over 160mph and unleash 9 trillion litres of rain a day. They begin as tropical disturbances in warm ocean waters and their wind speeds increase as they are fed from the warm ocean waters. At wind speeds of 38mph they become known as tropical depressions, at 39mph and above they become known as tropical storms and are assigned a name (National Geographic, 2009). Once the system reaches wind speeds of 74mph and above they become classified as hurricanes, typhoons or cyclones depending on the region of the world they occur and can sustain these conditions for several days. In the Eastern Pacific and Atlantic they are known as hurricanes, Western Pacific as typhoons and Indian Ocean as cyclones. Therefore in Latin America they are referred to as hurricanes, during this report however the generic term tropical cyclones will be used (Tinker, 2008). Every year approximately 80 tropical cyclones occur, two thirds of which attain hurricane intensity and one eighth of this global total occur in the Atlantic alone (to the east of Latin America). Tropical cyclones have a significant effect on the globe. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) estimates from 1963-1992 tropical cyclones caused almost three times as much damage globally compared to earthquakes and influenced the lives of almost five times as many people. They also account for approximately 50% more deaths than earthquakes (Gray, 2003). Due to the significant impact that tropical cyclones have on the globe socially, economically and physically it is vital that their formation, characteristics and effects are clearly understood. This in turn can help to ensure structures are correctly designed to resist the forces that they may encounter during a cyclone. Cause, Structure And Strength Cause And Structure The conditions must be just right for a tropical cyclone to form, there are various trigger mechanisms required to transform more frequent storms and tropical depressions into significant tropical cyclones. Cyclones derive their energy from warm moist air, as warm water evaporates from tropical seas energy is transferred into the storm system. The energy is stored within the water vapour of the moist air, as it ascends and condenses the energy is released and causes large cumulus clouds and rain. As previously mentioned tropical cyclones begin as tropical disturbances (clusters of thunderstorms) over tropical waters, with a minimum temperature of 26 °C, they then begin to grow as energy is drawn from the ocean. Warm ocean waters heat the air above their surface, which in turn rises as a current of warm moist air, leaving an area of low pressure at the ocean surface. This low pressure causes trade winds to rush in and these along with the rotation of the Earth cause the storm to begin spinning around a cylinder of relatively still air known as the eye, (spinning clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the Northern, due to the rotation of the Earth). The rotating winds begin to ascend and release heat and moisture energy before beginning to descend. As heat and moisture energy is released the pressure begins to drop further and at higher altitudes, air then begins to rise faster to fill the area of low pressure and so the amount of warm air drawn from the s ea increases. Therefore the storm begins to increase in size and speed developing into a much higher intensity (wind speeds of 74mph and above) (BBC, 2009). Once a tropical cyclone has formed there are three main parts to the storm, the eye, eye wall and rain or feeder bands. Figure 3.1 and 3.2 show the structure of a tropical cyclone and the three sections present, each section has its own properties and effects on the storm and surrounding areas. The Eye this is located at the centre of the storm it is the calmest part with a low pressure and light winds no more than 15mph. Air descends in the eye clearing the skies of clouds and produces relatively calm conditions. It can range from 20-30 miles in diameter and usually develops when maximum sustained winds exceed 74mph. The Eye Wall is a complete or partial ring shaped wall of high velocity winds which surrounds the central eye. It consists of tall thunderstorms that produce the fastest and strongest winds and intense rains, making it the most destructive part of the storm. Feeder/Rain Bands these are the found at the outer regions of the storm they include bands of gusty winds and rain and indicate the first signs of a storm. They can spread over very large surrounding areas and so can increase the diameter of the storm to distances of 340 miles. Another feature associated with tropical cyclones is a storm surge. They are caused by the high speed winds and low pressures of a tropical cyclone, as the storm travels across the ocean the winds push water towards the shore. This surge of water then combines with the natural tide to increase the mean sea levels up to 18 feet or more. In turn this has a tremendous impact on coastal areas as large scale flooding occurs. It is the storm surge that causes the greatest loss of life (NOAA, 2007). Strength Tropical cyclones can vary significantly in size and strength, some may cause little structural damage or injury whilst others cause major destruction and death, such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998. It is therefore particularly important to be able to measure the scale of cyclones for both prediction purposes and prevention of loss of life and structural damage. The most widely used and recognised method of measurement for the intensity of tropical cyclones is the Saffir/Simpson scale. This scale was originally developed by Herbert S. Saffir in 1969 to measure the structural effects of tropical cyclones at different wind speeds ranging from 74mph to more than 155mph. It was then added to during the early 1970s by Robert Simpson the then-director of the National Hurricane Centre who also applied storm surge levels and central pressures to the scale (Saffir, 2003). The scale consists of five levels of intensity based on the wind speeds, structural damage and storm surge levels of a cyclone. Wind Speeds are sustained values of one-minute duration at elevations of 10m above the surface. Storm Surge values measured from mean sea level. Expected Structural Damage (NOAA, 2007) Category 1 No real damage to buildings. Damage to unanchored mobile homes and some damage to poorly constructed signs. Also, some coastal flooding and minor pier damage. Category 2 Some damage to doors, windows and roofing materials of buildings. Considerable damage to mobile homes. Flooding and damage to piers, small crafts in unprotected anchorages may break their moorings. Some trees blown down. Category 3 Some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings. Large trees blown down. Mobile homes and poorly built signs destroyed. Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures with larger structures damaged by floating debris. Terrain may be flooded well inland. Category 4 All trees, shrubs and signs blown down. More extensive curtain wall failures with some complete roof structure failure on small residences. Major erosion of beach areas and terrain may be flooded well inland. Category 5 Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. Flooding causes major damage to lower floors of all structures near the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas may be required. The scale shows the level of destruction cyclones are capable of and properties that they attain at different levels of intensity. Latin America has been subjected to storms of varying levels throughout history, from tropical storms and hurricanes of category 1 or 2 to much stronger and destructive hurricanes such as Hurricane Dean in 2007 and Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 both reaching a level of category 5. Therefore appropriate design methods need to be considered to ensure that the low-cost structure will be able to resist the forces associated with intensities of these levels. Although tropical cyclones can be predicted and an idea of their strength and location establis

Traits of a Good leader

Today we live in a modern world where change is the only constant. We are surrounded by uncertainty in our daily lives, whether it is personal or professional. It is important to understand that a leader has to be comfortable dealing with uncertainty and change. First it is important to understand who a leader is. At the most basic level, a leader is someone who guides or leads other people. In more detail, a leader is a strong individual who has a vision or a purpose.He or she also has the skills and dedication required to see this vision through, guiding others to elieve in this vision and implementing the plan so that the desired result is achieved. The authors of Leading the Way look at seven angles or attitudes that make a successful leader. If these seven blocks are considered and improved, one is sure to be a more effective leader. According to Leading the Way, the two basic foundations of leadership are individuality and insight. It is vital to understand these before one can succeed at being a leader.Individuality is ones personal identity. Who you really are, what you stand for, that is individuality. When it comes to leaders, one who displays a strong ndividuality be being himself or herself is a powerful personality who will be looked upto. Individuality means bringing ones personal experiences, values and beliefs to the table (Leading the Way. 40). It is good for a leader to have his or her unique style and to follow the values he or she believes in. Personal experience is one of the greatest strengths of individuality. Every individual has his or wealth of unique experiences.When a leader is proud of his or her individuality and displays it openly he or she is sure to be more effective. I am trying to implement this is my personal aily life by dissecting my own values and trying to see what makes me unique. I have found that I am a very open person, direct and emotionally expressive. I let my emotions guide me. This is who I am as an individual an d has played a large part in my success as well as failures. Being emotionally expressive at work has helped my team understand my passion for my work that I love what I do and that has greatly benefitted me.It has a negative impact on my relationships, so I am working on controlling my emotions to reduce emotional outbursts. I am a firm believe that it is lways better to be yourself no matter what. Ralph Waldo Emerson summarizes thus concept of individuality beautifully in the form of this quote: â€Å"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment†. The second foundation that is vital for a good leader is Insight. To the lay man, insight might simple mean understanding, or reexamining and then understanding.Leigh and Maynard break this down into three parts self awareness, understanding others, and seeing what is going on. In order to be insightful, one must be aware of imself or herself. Knowing your strengths as well as your flaws, seeing yourself and understanding who you really are is insight. A good leader is one who is completely aware of himself or herself, the positives and negatives. In order to be insightful, one her strengths, weaknesses? Really understanding others is a tough skill to master, but if a leader tries to understand his coworkers he will be more liked as well as a much more powerful leader.An insightful leader is also one who is aware of his surroundings and not Just looking, but â€Å"seeing† what is happening around him or her. I am trying to incorporate this in my daily life by questioning my own choices. I'm trying to understand why I do certain things, why I make certain decisions. Sitting down and thinking about my personal values, and the reasons why these are important to me has made me gain more insight into my own life. For example, I find that a value that is vital to me is trust.When I tried to understand why its so important and my number one val ue, I have realized that being let down in relationships has made me form trust issues. I am also trying harder to understand and appreciate others. Doing this is actually helping me strengthen relationships with loved ones. The next important leadership capability that Leigh and Maynard talk about is â€Å"initiate†. Being initiative means being proactive or action oriented. To initiate something is to start something or take the first step to begin something. This is a crucial quality that a good leader must possess.To take initiative the right way, one must put in a good deal of time and effort into researching the material, forming a way to approach it. Taking the required risks to begin something new, have the determination to follow it through. A good leader is a risk taker, but he or she is also ready to take responsibility for his or her actions. A good leader is willing to be held accountable for both failure as well as success. The leader often must be the one insti gating the task. He or she bears the major risk and should be ready to be accountable for it.Leadership is a powerful position, and as famous people have said â€Å"with great power comes great responsibility', this entails a leaders role too. In my everyday life, I am trying to take more initiative by taking on new tasks, and following through what I start. Sometimes a big mistake I make is procrastinating. Nowadays I am trying to begin and follow through my tasks. To take on new things, the results I am getting are a huge boost in my confidence. My coworker is also impressed that I am getting so much more done and asked me what my secret is!I have always been ready to face the results of my actions; so taking responsibility comes to me naturally. The fourth tool that a good leader should possess is the ability to engage and involve everyone to achieve the vision. A synonym for involve is to include. A good leader is an individual who engages his team, by empowering individuals. T he leader makes the individuals feel valued and important. He empowers the individuals through programs to develop their skills and through coaching and mentoring.The leader also receives constant feedback about himself or herself from people and improves his ways based on the criticism. When people feel important and included, then they are more motivated to deliver the best results. A good leader will work on engaging his employees. To incorporate this step into my daily life, I am trying to hear more opinions from people. Whether it was a team project I had for economics last eek where I was the team leader, I asked everyone for their ideas and we all worked together as a team. Respecting and gathering the opinions of others makes them energy to the task.Inspiration. It literally means to be motivated or moved emotionally to be creative and get a productive task done. A good leader is one who inspires people. An inspiring leader is one who taps into what really is his or her pers onal motivation and passion. He or she is passionate and expressive. The leader should have a clear larger than life vision, and be able to talk about this honestly. This vision should be omething that reaches people. People should believe in this vision and find the leader is genuine and passionate. Communication is also a crucial key to be inspiring.A good leader will have effective ways to communicate the vision and truly motivate people to believe in it and act on it. In my life, I am tapping into what own inspiration is. I find great sources of inspiration from quotes and success stories. I have started keeping a Journal of these inspiring thoughts and look at them when I need a push or motivation. â€Å"A good leader inspires others with confidence in him; a reat leader inspires them with confidence in themselves â€Å"- Anonymous. The sixth skill that a leader should possess is the ability to improvise.Improvising means being able to adapt. In an uncertain world, a leader s hould be able to face changes head on and adapt to them. To make things and situation work by compromising and improvising. A good leader needs to be flexible, as nothing is written in stone. In changing trying situations a leader has to be flexible and find a solution with the available resources. A leader has to be creative and innovative, to make things work along the way. When stuck in a challenging situation the leaders ability to be innovative and encouraging will define the success of the organization.In my daily life I find improvising difficult. When stuck with uncertainty, I am more focused on the problem than finding a solution. My goal is to try to improvise and work on finding solutions. Last week at work I had to file a report by the end of the day and my colleague called in sick. Normally I would have been worked up and focused on how tough it would be to accomplish this task alone. I tried to improvise by getting all the documentation done at work and then filing the report once I was ome so I could have it ready the next day.The seventh key to being a successful leader is the ability to implement plans. Implementation literally means putting into action. In order to implement, one must be action minded with a can-do attitude. A plan must be formed and the leader must follow it through with persistence and dedication. Feedback is an important aspect of implementing and a leader should encourage and give helpful feedback. The leader must also track the progress of the task and make sure that it is going smooth. Don't worry that people don't listen to you, but worry that they watch you.A leader should exhibit the model behavior that he or she receives from employees. The ability to implement and follow through is the only way to ensure success. I have started making sure that I follow through and complete any task I take on. I used to procrastinate a lot , but now I am trying on getting things done in a timely manner and also track the progress o f my tasks. An individual who wants to be the best possible leader should really work on improving these skills. Leadership is a way of life. A leader really makes a change and dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. â€Å"

The Undeniable Reality About Toefl Essay Topics 2012 That No One Is Sharing With You

The Undeniable Reality About Toefl Essay Topics 2012 That No One Is Sharing With You If people succeed, it is due to hard work. Other people would rather travel alone. The responses will be transmitted in and evaluated by four distinct people. Some people today feel your community would be a great place to track down the university. Things You Won't Like About Toefl Essay Topics 2012 and Things You Will Be conscious of the size it must be and get started writing the narrative essay outline. Don't attempt to make an essay by memorizing paragraphs on several topics before the test and then attempting to relate them to the topic you get, because the content won't be appropriate and you'll just get a very low score. If you are searching for descriptive essay examples here's a great one below. History and memory smithsonian site essay. Doing this will mean your paragraphs are short and under-developed. In every one of the 3 paragraphs, your very first sentence, known as the topic sentence, is going to be the point you're explaining from your thesis. To state your primary point, your very last sentence in the very first paragraph is crucial. So why don't you use that time for a different paragraph! Browsing our essay writing samples can offer you a good idea whether the standard of our essays is the quality you're looking for. If you're creating a database driven site you must be mindful. In our website the topics are grouped depending on their type. Attempt to prevent mentioning irrelevant for the topic details. The reader should ultimately be in a position to find the described image like they were looking at a painting or a photograph for the very first time. Really, for the majority of us it doesn't really matter in addition to the standard and services information provided via the webhost is a good deal more important. After discovering our website, you will no longer will need to bother friends and family with these kinds of requests. Here is an example, employing the word deli. As you pay for homework, we provide those options free of charge. Nevertheless, the topics will most likely be very similar overall. These topics may show up on your actual TOEFL. Don't hesitate to submit many essays. To be able to succeed on your TOEFL essay, you will need to understand what examiners search for in a well-written essay. A test fee is needed for the TOEFL iBT, and you will receive a score report for you and four institutions as a piece of that fee. In your case, for instance, although you might be completing many writing practice tests, if you've got no skilled feedback from a TOEFL mentor, you won't know whether you're improving. The Honest to Goodness Truth on Toefl Essay Topics 2012 You may be asked to compose an essay about technology, education, media, loved ones, or another subject. Getting creative and descriptive can at times be a challenge. In fact, the majority of us work a lot more hours than we would eessay to do the job. Watching television is bad for kids. Use transition words to produce your text coherent and simple to read. It's best if these important words in your topic sentences aren't just the exact words utilized in your introduction. Though you're getting ready for a test, you are still able to enjoy yourself. Use certain reasons to come up with your essay. It's also important your usage of grammar is powerful and consistent, even though it doesn't need to be perfect to find a top score. Each section should have a minumum of one separate paragraph. Learn what you have to change to be able to increase your score. Make a list of your principal points. A descriptive essay is a sort of essay which aims at aiding you to illustrate something to your reader in a manner they can see, feel, or hear what it is you're speaking about. If you're feeling overwhelmed just keep in mind that you're being tested on your capacity to comprehend and use the English language. If you only use a good deal of words and sentences which don't rea lly support the points you're making about the subject, or in case you develop empty ideas not about the subject, you're obtain a minimal score. There are two or three unique means by which you might structure an essay like, but the simplest one might be the very best. Toefl Essay Topics 2012 Explained Instead, you've got to think of your own subject from an enormous pool of possibilities. Use reasons and specific examples to back up your opinion. Use certain reasons and examples to back up your answer. Use reasons and specific examples to back up your answer.

Hall Surname Meaning and Origin

The Hall surname has several possible derivations, including geographic, descriptive, and occupational: A place name derived from various words for hall or spacious house, usually used to signify someone who lived in or worked in a large hall or manor house. From  the Middle English hall,  Old English heall, Middle High German halle and  Old Norse holl.From the Norse hale and Anglo-Saxon haele, meaning hero.Possibly an old Norse word for boulder, slope, thus meaning someone who lived on a slope.Possibly from the Norwegian hallr, meaning flint. Hall is the 30th most popular surname in the United States and the 20th most common in England. Surname Origin:  English, Scottish, Irish, German, Scandinavian Alternate Surname Spellings:  HALLE, HAALL, HAUL, HAULL, HAWL, HOLL Famous People With the Last Name HALL Lloyd Augustus Hall - Chemist and inventorDonald Hall - poetCharles Martin Hall - inventor of the aluminum manufacturing processJoyce Hall - founder of Hallmark CardsG. Stanley Hall - American psychologist;  established the concept of child psychology and founded Clark University.Arsenio Hall -  American actor, comedian, and first black late-night talk show host Genealogy Resources for the HALL Surname 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Common English Surnames Their MeaningsExplore the meanings and origins of the 100 most common English surnames. The Hall DNA ProjectOver 170 Hall descendants have donated their DNA toward the goal of learning more about Hall ancestors worldwide. The Hall Genealogy WebsiteThis site collects genealogy information related to HALL descendants worldwide, although the major focus is on Halls from the island of Great Britain. FamilySearch - HALL GenealogyFind records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Hall surname and its variations. HALL Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Hall surname. DistantCousin.com - HALL Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Hall. References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.