Coal
As the granddaughter of an Irish immigrant coal miner, I thought I knew everything there was to know about coal. I was wrong. After learning about coal rank, and the different types of coal mines, I gained a much deeper appreciation for the work of my grandfather.
Being from Tamaqua, I knew what anthracite coal was as soon as I could understand my Pappy’s ramblings. Among the Top 20 Signs You’re from the Coal Region, included “You think only God has the proper resume to take over after Joe Paterno leaves Penn State” (Top Ten). Another was “You’ve eaten coal candy” (who hasn’t?) (Top Ten). However, I know now that there are different types of coal mining techniques, such as underground mining, longwall mining and shaft mining. I also learned about the different types of underground mines, like shaft mines, slope mines, and drift mines. Shaft mines are usually the deepest type of coal mine. They use elevators to vertically transport workers and equipment to the level of the coal seam. Slope mines incline from the surface to a coal seam. Drift mines have entrances to coal seams from the hillside horizontally (UMWA). My Pappy, however, was a shaft miner.
I can now more easily identify with my Pappy’s old coal mining stories since he worked in a shaft mine, and I know now the general set-up of that type of mine. For instance, there are two shafts, the man shaft, and the air-shaft. Also, I learned about the different layers underground, like sandstone, shale, and limestone, before the coal seam appears. Decisions about what type of mine to construct depend on surrounding terrain and the depth of the coal (UMWA). In recent years, however, coal production has decreased in the Appalachian Region, causing plenty of Gaelic tantrums during the holidays. In 2003, Coal production in the Appalachian region declined, due to lawsuits, underground mine fires, geological problems, and depleted reserves (Annual…).
With my newfound knowledge of coal, coal mines, and coal production, I intend to have many more intelligent conversations with my Grandfather in the years to come.
A machine known as a dragline then digs into the rock to reveal the coal, the machines hollow out the tiers of coal and dump millions of overburden, the previous mountaintops, into constricted nearby valleys, thereby producing valley fills. Coal companies have covered over 1,200 miles of biologically crucial Appalachian headwaters streams.
Coal mines in these times were glorified death traps and collapsed. Often. Workers or their families were basically never compensated for anything, and even when they took things to court, essentially no court was sympathetic toward any coal miner or their family, and if their father or brother died, they were on their on for the rest of their life, often then forcing child boys to work if they weren’t already. Also, not many workers spoke proper english in the mines, so they could not read instruction signs, and by misuse of equipment, killing themselves and/or other
The Ludlow Massacre took place during one of the most violent labor struggles in United States history; while the strike ultimately ended after fourteen months it is remembered as a victory for the union, United Mine Workers of America (Walker, p. 67), and as a site of remembrance for the lives lost for the right to unionize. The Southern Colorado Coal fields were a great source for the coal used in railways and was a heavily industrialized area. They acted like self sustained cities, the power the companies had over the miners live was widespread. The most profitable coal operation was owned by the Rockefeller’s Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, despite the deplorable conditions of the min...
CF&I owned the land and the mines where the coal was supplied from, the majority of the workers that they h...
They previously made due on charcoal but with the ascending popularity of steam engines and furnaces there was a demand for coal. Improvements in the steam engine and development of factories by Arkwright and Watt further increased this growing demand of coal. Mining was extremely dangerous flooding, encounters with explosions from damp gas (explosive gas found deep in the earth) or poisons gas, and collapses were not uncommon. In an attempt to avoid these issues they set up ventilation and had young children called trappers open and close them so coal trucks could pass through. They also deemed it would protect the rest of the coal if an explosion were to occur.
The brains ability to adapt, and handle the lost of a sense is proof enough that the internet is changing people. However Oliver sacks author of “the minds eye”: proves to us that not all blind people or human beings in general are effect the same way by lose. Sacks talks about in his article that the human brain does not stop learning and evolving past a certain age. In fact it is the complete opposite: the human brain adapts over time to what ever circumstances that might challenge it. It is because of this finding that it is remarkable able that the blind are able to adapt with their disability. The same way Nicholas Carr author of “is Google making us stupid”; points out how the internet and technology in general is changing how human beings interact with everyday life. It is because of the internet Carr says that “now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text . The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle”(67). The influence technology has on Carr's mind might scare him, however with the knowledge Sacks has discovered it is possible to relate the loss of deep reading to blindness. Therefore if the brain is able to conform to the loss of sight the same could be said about the loss of deep reading. The blind have been shown to adapt to there new lack of vision; however, where does the adapting measures of the blind relate to Carr's argument about the ease of technology. Carr might fear deep reading and technological changes but Sacks shows that we might not really lose anything we just conform to a new approach. Technology does change you, but it ...
Many people view drug testing in schools as a good aspect of our school systems. Schools require random drug testing for students in sports. These rates show that random drug testing lower illegal substance use. A pro for random drug testing, can be that it helps regulate the use of drugs in our teenagers. If a teenager happens to test positive, the school and parents can take immediate action to stop the problem before it progresses. They can refer the student to a counselor or if needed to a rehab center. If students know they can be randomly tested, they can see this as a sign to get help. Drug testing can make schools safer and also lower the rates of drug use in schools.
Random testing is used more as a precaution to prevent students from taking the drugs and would eventually control the problem of student athletes taking drugs. Drug testing also has benefits to the student by encouraging them to become the best person and athlete they can be. Without drug testing, students are allowed to use illegal drugs as they please, which could potentially harm their body significantly. The advantages of illegal chemical testing in student athletes outweigh the disadvantages by a lot. Students should be pushed to their highest potential, and random drug testing in athletes can help do
In today’s society, everybody is encountered with drugs at least once. The reason for this is due to family, friends, or references in the media. Teenagers are often influenced by their peers to do drugs, and they need to be tested at their schools to prevent adolescents from partaking in this activity because the number of their peers will diminish. However, there are people who believe that testing students is against their constitutional rights. On the other hand, there are those who believe that it needs to be done to protect adolescents from using illegal drugs. Drug testing needs to take place in schools to protect all students from the physical and emotional toll on the body.
“A medical dictionary defines a drug as ‘any substance that when taken into the living organism may modify one or more of its functions’” (Newton 12). However, when speaking of drug testing for abuse a person is usually thinking about illegal drugs or drugs that can alter athletic performance in sporting events. Mandatory drug testing was not allowed in public schools until June 2002 when the Supreme Court allowed for public schools to do random drug testing (Carroll 23). This decision allowed for drug testing in all schools throughout the United States not just for athletes but also students who are in any activities within the school, for example clubs and competitive events (Carroll 23). Even though drug testing is now allowed by the Supreme Court many schools do not yet have mandatory drug test policies. Mandatory drug testing for high school athletes should be required because it decreases drug use in schools, is relatively inexpensive, and can prevent drug use and or abuse that can lead to a lifelong addiction.
The mine owners “worried.that the mines would have to be shut down unless water could be pumped out of the shafts.” “The engine successfully raised water from the bottom of deep mines.” (Siegel, 17) This saved the shutting down of the mines, which were essential to further the economy. Not only did the steam engine save the mines, it provided a method of mining that proved to be extremely quicker than the traditional techniques.
The natural resource that I am writing this paper on is coal. Coal is a cheap, dirty fossil fuel which we burn to create power. Coal is the most abundant in North America and in Russia, including the area around it. China also has a fairly good amount of coal in it too. Coal, like all of the other fossil fuels is nonrenewable and will eventually run out, in the not so near future. Coal is very important to many of the countries of the world. The countries that use the most coal are China, the United States, India, Russia, and Japan. These five countries “account for 76% of total global coal use.” (World Coal Association, 2014).
Ho Chi Minh’s father, Nguyen Sinh Huy, was a teacher and aspiring politician. Minh’s father refused to learn French despite it being required by the ruling French government. Because of Minh’s father’s reluctance to adhere to French rule, Nguyen Sinh Huy was unable to teach in French run schools. Nguyen Sinh Huy instead traveled around Vietnam offering peasants his services. Nguyen wrote letters for poor peasants and provided basic medical care for people in need. Nguyen’s work brought him into contact with the very poor of Vietnam’s society. Nguyen’s work in Vietnam also allowed him to witness the contrast in lifestyles faced by the poor peasants and the French elite who governed Vietnam. Minh’s father became a nationalist questioning the French’s rights to control Vietnam due to seeing such injustice first hand. Ho Chi Minh’s fathers’ stories gave Minh a glimpse of the poor conditions that were being faced by the people of his country at the hand of the French. Nguyen brought his children up to be nationalist. By the time Ho Chi Minh was a teen he had bought into his father’s nationalistic ideals. Ho Chi Minh believed that the people of Vietnam had the right to govern itself without the intervention of colonial
I’ve long been familiar with the concept of coal mines, but a common occurrence I was unfamiliar with previous to this class was the concept of coal mine fires, but it is a huge problem, both economically and environmentally.
In her book Coal A Human History, Barbara Freese states "The mundane mineral that built our global economyand even today powers our electrical plantshas also caused death, disease, and environmental destruction" (front flap) Today, coal provides for more than 55% of the electricity generated in the U.S. (Cullen, Robert Vol.272) Coal miners have had one of the most dangerous jobs in history before government regulation. Many miners had to work underground for 10 + hours a day and 6 days a week(Cobb, James "Coal") The number of deaths per year is the equivalent of a Titanic going down in the nation's coal fields each year (Turkington, Carol) According to James Cobb from the World Book Online Reference Center mine safety involves four main types of problems including accidents involving machinery, roof and rib failures, accumulations of gases and concentrations of coal dust.