Saturday, January 25, 2020

Competition of Ports with the Panama Canal

Competition of Ports with the Panama Canal Strategies for Older Ports Len Edwards Towards the end of next year, the Panama Canal will open a third set of locks allowing larger ships to transfer the canal. These â€Å"super ships† called Post-Panamax ships will soon have easier access to the ports on the east coast, reducing the travel times for cargo from Asia. This has resulted in aggressive port expansion to accommodate these giants. Many ports have the available room for expansion to handle the influx of containers without many modifications of their operations. However, many older ports desire an expansion although they are limited on room for expansion. How can these cramped ports compete with larger ports in attracting increased cargo volumes in the near future? The first option for smaller ports with limited space is utilizing an off dock sorting area known as a satellite terminal. It is interesting to note that satellite terminal is only one of many terms describing the operation off-dock sorting areas; there seems to be no consensus on the terminology resulting in a wide range of terms including dry ports, inland terminals, inland ports, inland hubs, inland logistics centers, and inland freight villages (Rodrigue Notteboom, n.d., para. 4). The satellite terminal uses dedicated rail service form the dock to a secondary sorting facility further inland. The advantage to this system is the ability to handle the increased volume of container from Post –Panamax ships at ports with limited land for storage of the containers, in effect increasing the ports throughput in crowded urban environments. The containers are loaded onto waiting train shuttles without sorting by destination. The train then carried the containers to a secondary sort ing yard where the containers undergo further transferring to other trains by destination. Additionally the satellite terminals can service the trucking industry. Trucks deliver container to the satellite facility to be loaded on a rail car for delivery to the dock or a terminus inland. The synergy between the port and the satellite terminal creates a new type of maritime / land interface, which essentially results in a regionalized port (Rodrigue, n.d., para. 3). This type of operation is under the process of development at the Port of Baltimore. The rail company CSX, in hopes to attract more ships to the port, is considering a satellite facility 15 miles for the port. The rail line offers to deliver cheaper rates to shipping companies using the port and the devoted rail line. Another area for older ports to focus on is modernization of the existing infrastructure. Besides the amount of containers the port handles, focus should shift to offering specialized facilities at the ports, securing an advantage over larger ports. An example of this at the Port of Philadelphia is warehousing. In 2011 Philadelphia completed a warehouse for storing refrigerated freight, the 686,000-squarefoot building, the largest refrigerated building in North America. The idea was to link the world-class produce market with the premier perishables port in the United States. (O’Brien, 2013, para 17). Additionally, the ports looking to compete with larger ports must look at improving the infrastructure moving freight off the pier in an efficient and cost-competitive manner. The Port of Miami attacked this problem in three ways. First, they secured funding to improve rail lines serving the port, which included the rebuilding of rail bridges linking the port to the rail yard. Th ere are plans to construct three tracks capable of holding trains a half-mile long. Furthermore, the port invested in a new tunnel linking the port to the nearby interstate, while also upgrading surrounding roadways, offering the ability for trucks entering and leaving the port to bypass the congested downtown streets, the only other access to the port. The final piece of the project involved dredging the channel to a depth of 50 feet to accommodate Post-Panamax ships. With Miami’s three-pronged attack — tunnel, rail, and dredging — the port claims it will be able to make inroads into some of the markets that Savannah now dominates (Whitefield, 2012, para. 33). Moreover, Baltimore requires a redesign of the rail system leaving the port. The only rail tunnel leaving the port is 130 years old, lacking in the proper diameter to handle the modern double stack trains or tri-level auto racks. Without railroad redesign in Baltimore, its estimated that Maryland might ev en lose up to 50 percent of its container traffic to a port like Norfolk, Va. — the other East Coast port able to handle the larger ships — costing our region hundreds of jobs and tens of millions in economic activity and tax revenue (Sadowski, 2012, para. 8). One last alternative for crowded ports to compete besides the pervious mentioned options is entering strategic alliances with major shipping companies via a dedicated terminal. This alliance benefits both the ports and the maritime shipping company, this relationship requires a long-term agreement. For the shipping company it secures a port in a profitable location without having to compete with other shipping companies. As for the ports, the shipping company considers the port part of their supply chain, directing a majority of their ship to call upon the port even if there are ports closer or ports containing better facilities. For port authorities, dedicated terminals encourage the development of port facilities allowing them to push for more funding; it is also a useful strategy if there is competition between port terminals (Lun, Lai, Cheng, 2010, p. 182). The Port of Philadelphia remains proactive on attracting ships to their port; they have agents stationed across the world. Likewise, the Port of Baltimore in the late 1990’s attempted to attract two major shipping companies by offering lower dock rates and upgrading facilities around the port. Unfortunately, for Baltimore the shipping companies rejected their offer. Although, this reinforces the lengths that port will go to attract a dedicated shipping company. In conclusion, with the completion of the Panama Canal upgrades soon to be completed, the ports operating on the east coast now face a rush to prepare. The larger ports fare well in this situation, having the room for expansion and up to date infrastructure. The older ports in urban environments scramble to prepare a system to handle the increased demand. There are a few options to aid these ports, depending on the amount of funding available. Some ports like Baltimore are looking to move the sorting of containers to off-site location, depending on rail transportation to deliver the containers. On the other hand, some port authorities are improving the needed infrastructure to allow rapid movements of rail and trucks to and from the facility. Lastly, many ports are securing deals with shipping companies to lure them to make the older ports their main stops in America. This report discussed issues with east coast ports although these strategies are not limited to that area. They are e asily applied to struggling ports across the globe. References Lun, Y.H., Lai, K., Cheng, T.C. (2010).  Shipping and logistics management. London, England: Springer. OBrien, D. (2013, Summer). Pennsylvania’s Homeport: The Port Of Philadelphia.  Catalyst Magazine. Retrieved from http://http://digital.graphcompubs.com/article/Pennsylvania’s+Homeport:+The+Port+Of+Philadelphia+/1445490/0/article.html Rodrigue, J.P., Notteboom, T. (n.d.).  Inland Ports/Dry Ports. Retrieved August 6, 2014, from https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch4en/appl4en/ch4a4en.html Rodrigue, J.P. (n.d.).  The Insertion of a Satellite Terminal in Port Operations. Retrieved August9, 2014, from http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch4en/conc4en/agileport.html Sadowski, J.T. (2012, October 24). The port: Baltimores gateway to opportunity.  The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved from http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-10-24/news/bs-ed-port-20121024_1_port-expansion-cargo-activity-intermodal-facility Whitefield, M. (2012, November 18). Competition heats up as U.S. ports prepare for Panama Canal expansion.  Miami Herald, p.para. 33. Retrieved from http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/18/3104323/competition-heats-up-as-us-ports.html

Friday, January 17, 2020

Review of Young, Muslim and French Essay

There are many advantages and disadvantages of film documentaries which can help someone learn about pretty much any topic they want to. Some documentaries are based on scientific concrete facts while others are based on opinion and feelings like the documentary Young Muslim and French. One of the advantages of the documentary format is that unlike a book or article a documentary gives someone a visual image that can help to reinforce what the documentary is talking about. For example if talking about math one could see math problems and solutions which could help them to understand what is being talked about and with a documentary like the one we watched in class we got to actually see the person that was being focused on which plays more to emotions because unlike with reading getting to see an actual person gives a visual image instead of having to form one. We all know facts cannot be changed but opinions can be with the use of visuals that convey emotion. We could see that Manal felt very compelled to wear her headscarf and that without it she felt she was dishonoring her religion and God. One good example of visuals was when she was showing off her room and there was a big yellow Pokemon Pikachu on her bed that would not have been known if there was no visuals. This helps someone to see she is a regular teenage girls who is just trying to live her life that way she thinks is best. Another advantage is that we could actually hear Manal and others talk about their opinions. While this can be done in other formats like in a book it is again good to be able to see and hear someone talk about their feelings because it makes it more realistic and gives a more lasting effect to the subject that is being spoken about. You can also hear peoples tone of voice which can to convey emotion but also allows the viewers to get firsthand experience on how someone feels about something that cannot be experienced in another format with no sound. The story was personal to Manal. However, there are also limitations to the documentary format simply because a documentary is meant to be watched and can only contain so much detail because of time constraints. In Young Muslim and French we get to see very limited opinions on the subject because there simply isn’t enough time to interview every Muslim girl in the school to see what their feelings are. There is also no time to interview parents, all the teachers or government officials to see what they feel about the subject because if they did the documentary would be hours and hours longer than people would be willing to watch. Another disadvantage to the documentary format is there the is limited amount of information that can told again because of time constraints. Very little was said as to why there was a ban on head scarves but also was Muslim the only religion targeted or were Christian Crosses no longer allowed as well and how far did the school go to stop other religious items from being in school. Many issues were briefly mentioned such as teenagers not being able to get jobs, women only seeing women doctors and people being scared of Muslims but not much information was given on any one topic but a little information on lots of topics. This documentary helped me to better understand and even made known to me that there was a ban on headscarves in French schools because previously I had no knowledge of this at all. I also liked the fact that the documentary format gave images and I could see real people which to me made the topic more real and had a great impact on me. Had I read this in a book I probably wouldn’t have given it much thought even if the book or article was about Manal but seeing a person and their struggles to finish school and follow the religion they thought was right really made things feel real to me. I think what part of this subject would be better off in a book was more about Muslim religion overall and why the French government had a problem with religious symbols in school. I also would have liked to have known more about why no religious symbols were allowed all in school. I can understand wanting a separation of church and state because not everyone believes the same thing but I would like to know more about why it wasn’t even ok to wear a headscarf or a cross because it is not really effect anyone else and is a personal clothing choice. I also would have liked to have had the opinions of more people which would have been better suited for a book because books are generally much more in-depth that a documentary. Overall, there are many advantages of the documentary format because of the way visuals, sounds and people can be used. However, there are also disadvantages and things that can be better or more effectively explained in a book.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Policy Process Part 1 - 1591 Words

The Policy Process Part 1 The Policy Process Part I Tobacco use and the effects of second hand smoke have been an ongoing issue for many years. Looking at the attitude of the 1950’s and 1960’s when smoking was thought of as cool, suave, mature, etc., there has been a major turnaround in the way society looks at the use of tobacco. Now the issue is not just smoking and the damage to health that it causes, but now there is the additional awareness of what second hand smoke can do to individuals. It used to be commonplace to smoke in a hospital room and now due to the changes in the laws, smoking is not even allowed on the campus of a hospital. Many if not all large buildings including government buildings ban smoking in and around†¦show more content†¦The policy or bill may be reviewed by one or more committee depending on what is being proposed. Any policy or bill being presented must come from the legislature. Boundless (n.d.) notes that during the second reading the merits of the po licy or bill are considered and the results are reported back to the legislature where further amendments to the original presentation will be made if necessary. Once all changes have been made and the bill or policy is approved by the legislature then it may need to go up to the Executive for final approval before becoming a law. If it is vetoed the legislature does have the power to override the veto by what is called supermajority (Boundless, n.d.). The proposed policy or bill can be rejected by any branch along the process and many proposed bills and policies end up being rejected as not meeting one or more requirements along the way. Implementation Stage Boundess. (n.d.) notes that implementation is the process that moves an idea from being just a concept to becoming a reality. 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Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Should Drunk Drivers be Imprisoned on the First Offense - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1802 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/04/04 Category Society Essay Level High school Topics: Drunk Driving Essay Did you like this example? Should Drunk Drivers be Imprisoned on the First Offense? Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 29% of the total vehicle traffic fatalities in 2017, according to the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility. Drunk drivers should be imprisoned on the first offense, based on the severity and circumstances. According to Nave Law Firm, New York has one of the lowest arrest rates in proportion to its population (0.19%) but proves the trend that alcohol is responsible for 1/3 of all car crashes. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Should Drunk Drivers be Imprisoned on the First Offense?" essay for you Create order Stated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 1.5 million people were arrested in a given year for driving under the influence of alcohol. This means that one out of every 121 licensed drivers were arrested for drunk driving. (Drunk Driving Arrest Statistics 1) It is clear that based on statistics and state laws, driving while intoxicated is a serious issue that is continuing to grow. In New York and every other state, the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) level limit is 0.08%. This means that someone with a BAC of 0.08% or more is legally considered drunk, or intoxicated. There are several different alcohol violations in New York State. The first type of violation is Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), which is a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. There is also Aggravated DWI which is a BAC of .18 or higher. The next violation is Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol DWAI/Alcohol, which would classify as a BAC of more than .05 but less than .07. Your DWI penalties depend on factors such as your age, the substance impairing you, your drivers license, and whether you submitted to a chemical test (DUI and DWI in New York 2). According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, if you are younger than 21 years old and youre caught driving with a BAC of 0.02% or higher, youve broken New Yorks Zero Tolerance Law. If it is your first offense, you can receive a suspended license for six months, $125 civil penalty, $100 fee for suspension termination, possible enrollment in the New York Drinking Driver Program (DDP) and all the associated costs, and possible ignition interlock device installation and all associated costs. If it is your second offense, it is license revocation for 1 year or until you turn 21 years old, $125 civil penalty, $100 fee for suspension termination, possible enrollment in the DDP along with costs, and possible ignition interlock device installation. If you are over the age of 21 and are charged with DWAI/Alcohol as a first offense, it is license suspension for 90 days, a $300 to $500 fine, a minimum $250 annual assessment fine, for a total of $750 in fines over 3 years, up to 15 days in jail, and possible enrollment in the New York Drinking Driver Program. If you get a second DWAI/Alcohol charge in 5 years, you face license revocation for at least six months, a $500 to $750 fine, a minimum $250 annual assessment fine, for a total of $750 fines over 3 years, up to 30 days in jail, and possible enrollment in DDP. A charge of DWI as your first offense gives you a license revocation for six months, a $500 to $1,000 fine, a minimum $250 annual assessment fine, for a total of $750 in fines over 3 years, up to one year in jail, and possible enrollment in DDP. The penalties you face if you commit another DWI offense within 10 years of your first offense are license revocation for at least one year, a $1,000- $5,000 fine, a minimum $250 annual assessment fine for a total of $750 in fines over 3 years, up to 4 years in jail with a minimum of 5 days in jail or 30 days of community service, a class E felony, and possible enrollment in DDP (DUI and DWI in New York 4). In 2017, 10,874 people were killed in crashes involving a drunk driver, 29 percent of all fatalities (Alcohol Impaired Driving 1). As a nation, we spend $5.4 billion a week on alcohol, thats an average $36.56 per person, every week, or almost $2,000 a year on alcohol (Drunk Driving Stats 1). Drivers with prior DWI convictions are also overrepresented in fatal crashes and have a greater relative risk of fatal crash involvement. One study showed that about 3 percent of all licensed drivers had a prior arrest for DWI within the past three years, yet 12 percent of intoxicated drivers involved in fatal crashes had at least one prior DWI conviction in the past three years. That same study showed that intoxicated drivers with prior DWI convictions had 4.1 times the risk of being in a fatal crash as intoxicated drivers without prior DWIs. Another study showed that fatal crash risk increases with the number of prior DWI arrests (Repeat DWI Offenders in U.S. 1). Although drinking alcohol depends on factors such as weight, sex, and a persons metabolism, there is a general rule of thumb for the amount of alcohol consumed and BAC. According to Steven F. Groce, attorney at law, 2 standard drinks consumed during the first hour of drinking, will increase a persons level of blood alcohol concentration to approximately .05%. Most people wont realize how quickly their alcohol concentration will rise, even after one drink. If punishments were even tougher for drivers on the first offense, they wouldnt be as likely to continue to do it. Most people feel that they shouldnt receive a harsh punishment if it is their first offense, which ultimately leads them to do it again. Just because you are arrested doesnt mean you will be convicted. Receiving a fine or a license suspension does not send a message to people not to drink and drive. Drunk driving is a selfish act that not only puts the impaired driver at risk, but effects the lives of other innocent drivers. You often see stories in the news on fatal car accidents caused by drunk drivers where the lives of an innocent human being was taken due to a poor decision to drink and drive by someone else. One headline on ABC 7 News on October 3, 2018 was Calverton, Long Island (WABC)†The family of the Boy Scout killed by an alleged drunk driver on Long Island says the world has lost an amazing 12- year- old boy (Thorne 1). This was a drunk driver who chose to drive a car and hit a group of boy scouts walking on a sidewalk. Fox 8 News had a headline on October 22, 2018, Family mourns 4 people killed in suspected drunk driving crash (Dipiazza 1). This is another incidence where a man chose to drink and drive, run a stop sign, and crash into another car killing all four people. I have a personal experience on what drunk driving can do to people. Meghan Wood of 20 Christine Court had pled guilty to a seven-count indictment in connection with the death of Lisa Moray. Wood was driving on June 18, 2008 at 4:30 a.m. when her SUV ran off an entrance from leading from the Sprain Brook Parkway to the Cross-County Expressway, ran up an embankment and rolled over coming to rest on its wheels. Moray was pronounced dead at the scene. Woods blood alcohol level was .18 percent, more than double the legal limit (Driver in Vehicular Homicide Sentenced to Prison 1). Lisa Moray, my aunt, was in the car when her friend made the decision to drink and drive. A poor decision to drink and drive a car can be controlled, but the life of an innocent person cant be brought back. Drunk driving is a nationwide issue that is continuing to grow. With harsher laws and punishments, the number of fatalities and alcohol related incidents can be greatly reduced. With taxis, Uber, Lyft and any other type of public transportation, there is no reason to drink and drive. For every arrest made for driving while intoxicated (DWI), an estimated 500 to 2,000 drunk driving incidents go unpenalized, although more arrests are made for drunk driving in America than for any other offense and significant sums are spent on enforcement. Even doubling or quadrupling the number of arrests would leave the chance of arrest extremely small. With the possibility of getting caught so slim, it may seem that people would shrug off an effort by police to make more arrests (Preventing Drunk Driving 1). One way to be able to catch more drunk drivers on the road is increase sobriety checks. Law enforcement officials did a study to assess how two types of drinking- driving laws permitting sobriety checkpoints and prohibiting open containers of alcohol in motor vehicles are associated with drinking- driving and how enforcement efforts may affect these associations. They found that states with a sobriety checkpoint law, compared to those without a law, had 18.2% lower drinking- driving and states that conducted sobriety checks monthly had 40.6% lower drinking- driving (Traffic Injury Prevention 1). Even as a first offense, treatment or at least a few days in jail depending on a persons BAC should be given to prove how serious of a matter it is. Some of the time, most people will get away with drinking and driving if they didnt have too much. This leads them to continue to do it because they feel if they were able to do it the other times, they can do it again. According to Christine G. Holzmueller, Drunk Driving, the effects brought on by alcohol start to appear with a BAC of 0.02%. These effects include a loss of judgement and a decline in the drivers ability to quickly track moving objects or perform two tasks at a time. Once a persons BAC reaches 0.05, the risk of a fatal crash substantially increases. People dont realize one drink can have an effect on their ability to drive a car. Drinking and driving not only poses a threat to your life, it can affect many other things as well. You could lose your job, it can raise your insurance, your incident can be made public for others to know, and you will have to live with guilt for the rest of your life if you injure or kill someone. Athens High School seniors experienced first-hand the effects and consequences of drunk and distracted driving during a daylong drunk driving awareness event Wednesday, just a few days before many of them will go to prom (Pavlik- Hernandez 1). This was an event in Athens, Alabama where a number of law enforcement and medical services went to a high school to show students what goes on during a drunk driving accident. Actions like these help get the message across to young kids, and show them in depth what would happen in a situation like that. Ultimately, everyone knows drinking and driving is against the law. If you are willing to risk your life, and someone elses, you should have to face a harsh consequence for it, even if that is imprisonment. It is an ongoing problem that will continue unless the penalties become harsher. You can save your life, the lives of others, and the grief a family will go through in losing a loved one from a poor decision, just like my family has to.