Uranium Mining in New Mexico Essay Example for Free

Uranium Mining in New Mexico Essay Uranium mining and milling has potential economic benefits in creating jobs in the community, and sustaining the high demands of uranium all over the world. But economic factors should not be considered alone. As many people died and suffered from illnesses and diseases of uranium mining and radiation exposure, the proposal to build a new mining company is a great issue and concern for all community leaders and members to consider and debated upon. During the past years, nuclear power has started a debate regarding its potential benefits in the economy and as an alternative source of energy. Pro-nuclear arguments maintain that nuclear energy has less carbon intensity compared to fossil fuels which is detrimental to the environment. However, as details of true carbon analysis of nuclear energy remains unclear, the fundamental critical aspect of using nuclear energy remains to be a debate. This paper presents an analysis on uranium mining and milling in Crownpoint, New Mexico. In the vast Navajo Reservation, towards Crownpoint, approximately 3,000 people lives along the Continental Drive 100 miles northwest of Albuquerque. in the high desert of northwestern New Mexico, many Navajo communities live in isolated and scattered places. The area is surrounded by the color yellow dust of what characterized Crownpoint as a community. Uranium oxide which is highly used as a nuclear energy has been regarded as Crownpoint’s most abundant resource (Begay, 2008). Through the late 1940’s through the mid 1980’s, uranium is gathered from the place. Several mining companies already blasted and hauled truck loads of uranium in the place, and dried the mineral in piles in different areas across the American West. The Navajo tribe occupies areas over western New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. The center of the uranium mining is located in those areas and hundreds to thousands of Navajos has worked for the mines (KRQUE News Channel 13, 2008). Today, many abandoned mine places remain. The global production of uranium followed after several years of supplying nuclear weapon programs. Uranium is perceived as a finite resource. During the past years, the availability of uranium is limited, but when further exploration led to further discovery of resources, miners took the advantage of gathering the finite resources (KRQUE News Channel 13, 2008). However, the Crownpoint, New Mexico community has seen the consequences of uranium mining especially to the health problem emerging today. The degraded land is a result of mines closing in the area, however, as efforts to rehabilitate the area entails uranium gathering again, people are concerned for their safety (Shebala, 2008). Exposure to radiation brought by uranium mining and milling is compensated by the government. Uranium miners before the mining areas were closed are in their 70’s and 80’s, and are continuously seeking help from local community health officers to get diagnosed and treated for radiation exposure. During the 1950 to 1990, 500 uranium workers have died from lung cancer (Shebala, 2008). The persisting health problems brought by radiation exposure to uranium have affected the community until today. When the people inhales uranium dust and particles, the mineral stays in their lungs and release high doses of radiation. Uranium may be potential economically-beneficial resources which will help many people have jobs, and helps economy and other sectors in the society (Begay, 2008). However, with the increased and continuous negative effects of uranium mining proves harmful to the people living in the community, people remains to be against uranium mining. Attempts to renew the mining area Currently, there is a new effort to revive the uranium mining areas. The company Hydro Resources Incorporated, a sub company of the Uranium Resources Incorporated of Dallas, plans to use the mining area with a new system (KRQUE News Channel 13, 2008). The people remain to be divided on the issue of building a new mining company in the area. The new mining company will take over Crownpoint and nearby Church Rock. The company promised a new method to take care of the persistent groundwater problems in the community. The company promises the communities better and safer system by adopting a mining system called situ leach mining. The process involves mixing water, dissolved oxygen and sodium bicarbonate which will be then included in the underground uranium beds. The proposed new system will dissolve in the process and it can then be removed, dried and processed (KRQUE News Channel 13, 2008). However, issues and concern were raised in this proposal. The water in the new system will come from the Westwater Canyon Aquifer of Crownpoint, the main source of drinking water for the people in Crownpoint and other surrounding areas. The company planning to work in the site promises a uranium nuclear power industry which will create more job opportunities for the people and maintain safe drinking water. The communities expressed their great concern if the company will start another mining industry. For one, they were concern if the process of underground mining will affect the quality of their drinking water supply. If the process will pollute the drinking water system, they can be infected with serious diseases and health hazards. The Navajo people will become more vulnerable to kidney and other related disease due to poor water quality if the process will be adopted. Crownpoint has already complained about the contamination of uranium in their water supply. Navajo president Mr. Mitchell Capitan in the Crownpoint chapter strongly protests about this plan in the area. He argues that about 15,000 people from surrounding communities travel to their place to gather drinking water because their own water supply is poor. If the only quality water supply is contaminated, this will pose a serious series of problems (KRQUE News Channel 13, 2008). The uranium nuclear energy problem The uranium industry in Crownpoint has long been debated as an issue which relates to degradation of the environment and health problems. Uranium mining has significant economic resources, seen by companies as an opportunity to sustain global needs of the mineral. The uranium companies are strongly advocating that uranium mining will increase economic benefits and create jobs for the community. They also insist that uranium mining is not harming the environment. However, limited data and research does not guarantee this. Companies also failed in addressing key issues in the health of the community, making the community more concerned of their safety. Uranium mining may be beneficial to some extent in the economics of the community, but the issue is not dependent on the money and profit alone. Long-term problems must be addressed, including environmental costs in the energy and water consumption of the people. Crucial environmental aspects in uranium mining must be considered to understand the cycle of the options for the community. Activities in uranium mining and milling must be able to attend to the health care needs, concerns and issues to protect the welfare of the Crownpoint community. References: KRQUE News 13 (2008). â€Å"Uranium poised for N. M comeback. † KRQUE. Retrieved on April 20, 2008, from http://www. krqe. com/Global/SearchResults. asp? vendor=wssqu=uranium. Begay, Christine (2008). New Mexico is to Uranium as Saudi Arabia is to Oil. Viacom International Inc. Retrieved on April 20, 2008, from http://think. mtv. com/044FDFFFF0098990200170098D7E0/. Shebala, Marley (2008). MTV looks at opposing views of uranium. Navajo Times. Retrieved on April 20,2008,from http://www. navajotimes. com/entertainment/031308uranium. php.

Petty Lawsuits :: essays research papers

Are we Sueing for a Purpose? People today are not sueing to rectify matters. There is no purpose in lawsuits today. I believe everyone is out to get an easy buck through the judicial system. It is almost inevitable if people spill hot coffee on themselves that they will win a lawsuit against the company that served them that coffee. People believe that nothing is their fault and that someone (the defendant) should pay. The problem with the judicial system today is that people are sueing all the time and winning in court with ridiculous cases. Take this case in North Carolina for instance. A Dallas couple is sueing Kmart for $23 million dollars because some Kmart employees harassed and accused the Dallas couple of going through their garbage. The employees were fired and the Dallas couple sued for $23 million. Fortunately the couple didn’t receive all that money, there is a state law capping punitive damages which forced the judge to reduce it to $250 thousand dollars. The plaintiffs feel that they have been mistreated and that Kmart should reconcile with them by paying them off. The couple states at the end of court that â€Å"they believe us. That the most important thing, they believe us.† Obviously that is not the most important thing to them for they are trying to appeal the state law which caps their $23 million. And if that’s not greedy enough, the week before the jury awarded them $18,985 in compensatory damages. So the couple was awarded $268,985 for being accused over something as petty as going through a stores trash. Anyone can differentiate one fraudulent case from another. I understand that the Dallas couple is trying to clear their name from shame. But trying to appeal the already huge sum of money and going for more shows just how greedy these people really are. They got what they wanted, for the people to believe them. Everyone believes them now, and on top of that, they were awarded a nice some of money. There are people out there who really do deserve some kind of compensation for negligence, harassment, or anything else that might have gone wrong. For example, a Gastonia man who already has enough appeal to pity has yet another problem to deal with. He is a paraplegic who awoke to find a rat eating at his leg to the bone.

Bashing on TV by Michael Abernethy and Wonder Woman by Gloria Steinem Essay

At first glance, the articles Male -Bashing on TV by Michael Abernethy and Wonder Woman by Gloria Steinem would not seem similar at all. However, if you take a much closer look at these two articles you will see that they are similar in many ways as well as different in several others. Comparing and contrasting is import because it illustrates ideas about the article that we may not have noticed before. In the article Male-Bashing on TV, it discusses the use of media and the affect that it has on our society. This article’s purpose is to expose the way the media portrays men. The media describes men as sluggish, dumb, and no good. These views have an extreme way of impacting society today. Abernethy’s article reveals various television shows that have male characters in them suggesting that men are useless without women. According to Gender Issues in Advertising Language, â€Å"television portrayals that help create or reinforce negative stereotypes can lead to problems with self- image, self- concept, and personal aspirations. † In the article Wonder Woman we see how the comic super- hero Wonder Woman was a revelation for women around the world, and a new way to represent women. Although, the question seems to remain whether or not her character was symbolizing was something that negatively affected our society or helped women to identify themselves. This article also stresses the importance media and entertainment has on people and how these images help mold and shape the characters of people today. Wonder Woman was seen as an ideal independent and strong woman who never needed a man. Steinem exposes Wonder Woman as a character that was used to sway women into accepting women’s liberation. Steinem notes that, â€Å"women get a rare message of independence, of depending on themselves, not even on Wonder Woman. You saved yourselves, as she says in one of her inevitable morals at story’s end. I only showed you that you could. † These two articles have many similarities. For example, they both bring to attention the affect that media has on our society. People all around the world are looking to these shows/ characters and idolizing them. They are using exactly what the media â€Å"feeds† them to build their own beliefs and morals. Also, both of these articles expose important issues in the world many people seem to disregard or not notice. Male-Bashing on TV and Wonder Woman are both articles that expose the truth and the media for how it has an importance on how we, as humans, behave, believe, and interact with others. As well as the similarities, these two articles differ in many ways. Male- Bashing on TV discusses how men are portrayed on television and Wonder Woman talks about how women are identified as strong and independent. They almost are complete opposites . The article Male-Bashing on TV notes that men are described as nothing without women. They are looked at by society as pathetic and silly. In Wonder Woman it talks about how women do not need men, and how women are independent without them. It is almost amusing how these two articles use each other’s extreme stereotypes to make their points. In closing, I would say that comparing and contrasting really reveals how the author might have looked at the issue and also shows us, as readers, the differences and similarities between two articles. Despite the differences among these two articles, they are more similar than people may confer.

Norse Mythology And Norse Myths - 1210 Words

Who are the Norse gods and goddesses? Where do they come form? The Norse myths are very complex and interesting. Many people study the myths. The Vikings actually started Norse mythology. Norse mythology also known as the Scandinavian mythology, is a kind of religion that was and is still practiced by some of the people in the Scandinavian countries (Vikings) and northern parts of Germany(Norse for Smart People, McCoy,Dan,2012-2016). In the last few decades, the stories and culture of the Vikings have increasingly spread across the world. While in the middle age its believed that the Norse and people of Germatic origin before they were converted to Christianity, they had their own religion whish was very complex and sophisticated. Norse†¦show more content†¦Odin also sacrificed an eye at the Well of Mimir to gain wisdom. He later hangs himself on the World Tree, Yggdrasill to gain the knowledge and power of the Runes. He can travel to any realm within the nine Nordic worlds( Norse for Smart People, McCoy,Dan,2012-2016). Thor of the Aesir(Norse for Smart People, McCoy,Dan,2012-2016). The red headed God of Thunder and weather, powerful protection, inspiration, magical power, and the personal strength. Thor is the son of Odin, is the foremost of the Aesir, and rules over the realm called Thrundvang. He s the strongest of all gods and men, and is the protector of all Midgard. He wields the mighty hammer Mjollnir that causes light flashes. His battle car is drawn by two goats(Norse for Smart People, McCoy,Dan,2012-2016). He s married to Sir(goddess of harvest) and father to Pruor and Ullr. the oak is sacred to Thor. Baldur of the Aesir(Norse for Smart People, McCoy,Dan,2012-2016). The Bright One. His name mean Shining Day. Odins econd son, he s the god of Love, Light, Beauty, Loyalty, Innocence, and Rebirth. He s sacrificed at Midsummer, and is reborn at Yule(Norse for Smart People, McCoy,Dan,2012-2016). He s married to the goddess of Joy, Nanna, and is father to Forseti(god of Law and Justice). He was slain by his blind brother Hoor( the Blind God and the God of Blind Force) whose hand was guided by the evil