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Environmental assessment is an integral part of governmental and organizational planning process. It is important that an elaborate program be tailored to evaluate the environmental impact of various projects.

When something is made a priority, it is by definition supposed to get better. Alas, this has not been the case with initiatives intended to improve adolescent literacy rates in recent years, and despite legislation…

Even when denoting truly violent offenders, demonization of any class of individual as being beyond redemption and/or devoid of humanity proves not only destructive, but wrong.

For those old enough to remember the extreme controversy surrounding his nomination process in the early 1990s, Clarence Thomas is undoubtedly one of the most well-known Justices currently sitting on the Supreme Court,…

NBC's hit reality show, the Biggest Loser is going into its tenth season this fall. The show focuses on obese people who are struggling with their weight (sometimes their entires lives) and desperate to finally lose it.

It is evident from the outward appearance and size of your home that style and making an impressive visual statement to visitors and passersby is a major consideration for you. To that end, I would suggest that you…

Virginia is situated midway between New York and Florida, Virginia is the gateway to the South. It is furthermore sometimes classified in the Mid-Atlantic area. The Commonwealth is surrounded by Washington, D.C., the…

Behavioral Changes: Reducing the Effects of Global Climate Change Introduction – What is Global Warming? The world's climate has been changing since the late 19th century and it has been changing dramatically for the past fifty years, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Temperatures are rising, glaciers are melting around the world, the ice cap in the Arctic is melting, ocean temperatures are slowly rising, sea levels are rising around the world, and there are dramatic changes being witnessed in the way the world's plants and animals are responding to the rise in temperatures. The EPA explains that the greenhouse effect is at the heart of the global warming issue. It is perfectly natural for the sun to heat the earth, and a good share of that heat is then trapped in the Earth's atmosphere by clouds (water vapor and carbon dioxide). However the activities of humans have added greenhouse gases to the atmosphere in heavy amounts, which has been one of the main drivers of global warming, the EPA continues. The burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas contribute mightily to excessive greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Those gases are trapped in the atmosphere and result in the fact that the earth's temperature has risen by 1.3°F over the last 100 years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an organizations founded by the United Nations that includes over 100 scientists from all parts of the world, presents frequent updated empirical data on the issue. The data from the IPCC that shows that the global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a "pre-industrial value of about 280 ppm (parts per million) to 379 ppm in 2005 (IPCC). The bottom line is – notwithstanding some media commentators and a few elected officials that have either been influenced by the right wing propaganda that denies global warming or are simply out of touch – global warming is very real. Global climate change has been proven through rigorous empirical research conducted by thousands of scientists worldwide, and global warming indeed poses an enormous threat to the planet.

Hurricane Katrina revealed to the American public that race and class are still issues which are alive and well in the United States of America. The images on television and other media modes revealed that a select segment of society was overwhelmingly affected by this natural disaster. In fact, many died simply because they were poor and African American. The adverse consequences they faced were a direct result of either actions or inactions directly related to their class and race; and, the two are inextricably intertwined and continue to effect the rebuilding of New Orleans to this day.

Public education provides for many things in one's life, such as improved social standing, an educated electorate, and a greater opportunity for citizens of a democratic society. Education is a marker for career…