Must-Read Books for New High School Graduates To Become Engaged Citizens.

Must-Read Books for New High School Graduates To Become Engaged Citizens. It’s that time of year when high school graduates walk across that stage and out into the world, whether that is straight into the workforce or perhaps onward to college. We asked Rioters to recommend books for new high school graduates to read and here’s what we came up with. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds A short book that can be read in one sitting, written in verse, about the epidemic of gun violence in America. This should absolutely be required reading for so many reasons, but most of all because Reynolds created a story that’s current with so many of the hallmarks we find in the classics that are taught over and over again. Our nation’s students are literally on the front lines of this widespread conflict and they deserve to have authors like Reynolds there to articulate what’s happening and open an avenue for discussion and understanding. Dana Lee Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks This might seem like an odd choice, since hooks’ intended audience are college teachers, but students can learn so much by considering education from the teacher’s perspective. Particularly in this collection of essays, where hooks explains how college professors need to be more subversive from leading discussions that confront class/race/gender differences to encouraging confessional narratives. Ultimately, she argues for a feminist classroom, and I think by reading this students can learn how they as students can engage with their professors and the question what they’re learning. I would recommend this for high school grads going off to college. Margaret Kingsbury So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo Leaving high school and heading into the adult world means that you are going to start being a part of more nuanced conversations on big topics, including the issue of race. This book is a particularly great resource for learning about your own privilege and about the complexities of this topic. Danielle Bourgon We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Let me start by saying yes, I recognize and disagree with the TERF-y nonsense that this author has said and it is not to be taken lightly. In regards to this book in particular, I think there are many things that every new adult should know about the society we live in and ways we treat and support each other. Feminism is for everyone and the earlier we can get that message across in someone’s life the better off society will be in the future. Patricia Elzie-Tuttle Travel as a Political Act by Rick Steves After high school, I was curious about the world outside of my hometown, but travel was just an abstract concept until I stumbled upon an opportunity to study abroad in college. Now I’m the biggest evangelist for travel after high school of anyone I know. In this book, Rick Steves talks about the why behind travel by going on the ground in different countries and examining perspectives that seem foreign to a lot of Americans. I think it’s a great book for anyone who hopes to travel abroad at any point, and for those who don’t, I think it will convince them why they should if they get a chance. If anything, just by reading the book, the reader gets to try on ideas from cultures all over the world, which will give them a broader perspective on their surroundings and the world at large. Emily Polson Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates Though only 150 pages, Between the World and Me is the most powerful book on race in America that I have ever read. I’m pretty sure my high school self would have struggled with it, because, yes, it’s heavy, and because there are so many layers to it, so much to unpack and exploreand that’s exactly why I think every high school graduate should read it. It’s the kind of book that teenagers should struggle with. Coates does something exceedingly rare: this book is written in stunningly beautiful prose, full of perfect sentences that took my breath away, and it is also incredibly smart and deeply relevant. It’s not a book written for white people, but it’s one that white people absolutely should read, and so teenagers of different races will have vastly different experiences reading it. That’s another reason this book should be required reading for high school grads: it will spark real, hard, and honest thought and conversation. Laura Sackton

Last Chance in Texas The Redemption of Criminal Youth

1. Name and quick summary of book: Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth, by John Hubner, follows Hubner as he observes the â€Å"worst of the worst† juvenile offenders at Giddings State School. This treatment program is truly a â€Å"last chance† for may of the adolescents there – their last chance to change the direction of their lives before ending up in jail. Hubner takes the reader through a gripping and emotional journey as the teenagers go through the Capitol Offenders group and delve into their past hurts, childhood years, and reasons that contributed to their involvement in crime. Each member of the group must tell their life story and crime story and relive them by observing both in a drama, as well as participating in†¦show more content†¦His mother was Hispanic and his father was Caucasian, which was a problem for his father’s parents, who talked him into divorcing Ronnie’s mother, despite the loving relations hip they had. Ronnie’s mother left the area after awhile and moved in with her sister, where she often left Ronnie and his brother while she went out with her drug addicted boyfriend. When his mother was gone, Ronnie’s aunt started abusing him and lying to his mother about it. One time Ronnie begged his mom to take him with her, and she allowed him to come. While at her boyfriends’ house, he witnessed a brutal stabbing that caused him to start fantasizing about doing the same thing to his aunt. After more abuse by his aunt, Ronnie’s mom finally takes the boys back to her parents house, but soon abandons them when Ronnie was only six. He took his anger out by being a bully at school, and started to beat up his younger brother. His mother came back occasionally, but never stayed. Ronnie went to visit her and her new boyfriend and was introduced to fighting by his mother’s new husband. Around the same time, he found his stepfather’s gun , which he used to threaten his brother. Ronnie would have killed his brother and himself if the gun had not misfired. After that incident, Ronnie bonded more with his stepfather, and even stayed with him when his mother left. He started hanging out with his step cousins and committing robberies withShow MoreRelatedHow to Treat Violent Young Offenders1007 Words   |  5 Pagesto receive treatment,it does more damage than good. For example, John Hubner’s(2005) book, Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth, describes how experimental treatments at the Giddings State School in Texas can change the lives of violent young offenders for the better. Giddings State School is a facility run by the Texas Youth Commission for those who have not only broken the law in Texas, but who are also considered to be â€Å"the worst of the worst† (p. xviii). This means that GiddingsRead MoreDeterminate Sentencing: Last Chance in Texas Essay1325 Words   |  6 Pagespostadjudication stage occurs to determine whether or not their adult sentence should be suspended or invoked (Belshaw et al, 2011). I personally do support utilizing the determinate sentencing for these offenders and believe that it would fail the criminal justice system not to utilize them. This is considered a heinous crime and they should not be shown leniency. At the age of 12-14, the juveniles know that murder is wrong, and the fact that this young man had to lose his life at the age of 19 overRead MoreCompassion Impacts Wayward Youth1619 Words   |  7 Pageswayward youths. However, politicians changed this with â€Å"tough on crime† policies for election. Many juvenile criminals became labeled as â€Å"superpredators† and were thus deemed beyond any help and were tried as adults. Fortunately, not everyone in the criminal system believes that juvenile criminals are beyond help. Some of the people that believe that there is hope for the juvenile criminal work in the Texas Youth Commission, in particular at Giddings State School or the last chance in Texas. ThisRead MoreLast Chance in Te xas Essay1052 Words   |  5 PagesHubner, John. (2005) Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth. New York, NY. Random House Inc. Last Chance in Texas is an eye opening look into the efforts of the juvenile justice system to rehabilitate youth offenders and integrate them back into society. The book chronicles the research of author John Hubner who heard about a facility in Texas that ran an aggressive and one of the most successful, treatment programs in America for violent young offenders. He was particularlyRead MoreThe Cell Door Slams Shut2636 Words   |  11 Pagesprisoners. It was not always this way, so how did this come to be? The criminal justice system changed drastically around 1970s as the country developed a tough-on-crime policy to fight drugs and the large increase in street violence. This policy joined forces with developing war on drugs, which had set minimum sentences for possessing certain drugs as well as other federal penalties in the 1950s. Consequently, the criminal justice system was transformed and incarceration skyrocketed. Prisons poppedRead MoreThe State Of Wisconsin Department Of Corrections2728 Words   |  11 Pagesrate in juveniles. Two programs that will be examined further are the Capital Offender Group that was implemented by Giddings State School in Texas, and the Juvenile Cognitive Intervention Program that was implemented by the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Description In John Hubner’s book, â€Å"Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of criminal Youth,† he recounts everything he saw and heard while he looked into how the program at Giddings State School worked. The program that was ran byRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pageseditions. I think this may even be my best book. The new Google and Starbucks cases should arouse keen student interest, and may even inspire another generation of entrepreneurs. A fair number of the older cases have faced significant changes in the last few years, for better or for worse, and these we have captured to add to learning insights. After so many years of investigating mistakes, and more recently successes also, it might seem a challenge to keep these new editions fresh and interesting

Carnival Harvard Case - 1548 Words

Alicia Trezza Zak Jones Carnival Cruise Lines 1. Conduct a SWOT analysis for Carnival: what are its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? In doing so, please evaluate its major competitors. Strengths - Carnival has 75 ships in its fleet and is continuing to brand the company as the â€Å"fun ships† - There are large barriers of entry into the cruise businesses. Ships are extremely costly and time consuming to build. - Carnival cruises provide a vacation that includes all activities, food, beverages and transportation to multiple destinations in one low price, appealing the budget friendly cruisers. - Carnival builds it ships specifically for entertainment and fun, the most important factors people are looking for when†¦show more content†¦With a variety of activities from rock climbing, pools, and casinos, Carnival trips have activities for everyone. Additionally, Carnival recognized the shift in cruise demographics from the start. In the 1970s, cruisers were generally older, however, there was a growing trend of young singles and young families taking cruises. Carnival developed cruises from the start with these new customers in mind. 3. In a succinct manner, state Carnivals value proposition? Carnival’s value proposition was to be a cheaper alternative to land vacations at all inclusive resorts while providing a variety of activities and destinations in one trip. Carnival was the â€Å"fun ship†, providing contemporary vacationing to first-time and repeat cruisers. Because customer retention is low, Carnival uses a more traditional style of marketing, focusing on the short-term customer. Each brand under the Carnival umbrella remained independent, especially in respect to sales and marketing. This encourages the sister brands to remain competitive with one another and market their unique value propositions. However, the brands worked together to drive synergies and economies of scale. 4. Currently Carnival is utilizing a mass marketing strategy. If they were to change tactics and implement a segmentation strategy, which segments should they focus on and why? What would you recommend they do: stick with the mass marketing strategy or switch to a segmentation strategy? If CarnivalShow MoreRelatedInfluence Of A Life By Richard Connell And Edgar Allan Poe1600 Words   |  7 PagesThe Influence of a Life Richard Connell and Edgar Allan Poe, two of the most famous authors at the time, are recognize by the different types of literature they wrote. Several of these pieces are still popular today. In many cases the life of the author can impact the different themes, or the techniques they use in their stories. Richard Connell’s and Edgar Allan Poe’s backgrounds reflects in the writing techniques they used to captivate their audience. Biography of Richard Connell The famous writerRead MoreCorporate Growth Strategy3674 Words   |  15 Pagesï » ¿Carnival Corporation Growth Strategy Academic Report on Strategic Management by Diana Romanova 100878 Strategy Communication EHM3.SC-02 December 10, 2012 Abstract The purpose of the report is to discuss the current strategy of the Carnival Corporation, the world leader in the cruise industry. Based on the external and internal situation analysis the new growth strategy is formulated. The recommendations on the strategy implementation and evaluation are provided by terms of the various strategicRead MoreCelebrity Cruises Case Study Essay1070 Words   |  5 PagesCruises, CDF Croisieres de France, and TUI Cruises (Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., 2012). Celebrity Cruises is situated in the premium market segment between luxury cruise lines such as Crystal Cruises and mass-market lines such as industry leader Carnival Cruise lines. Celebrity Cruises offers an upscale experience at an intelligent price with an added proposition of rejuvenation, enrichment, and connection (Frei, 2005). However, in the highly competitive cruise line industry, Celebrity’s market strategyRead MoreBook Review of The Return of Martin Guerre Essay822 Words   |  4 Pagescleverness evolved into an elaborate charade, a chance to start an entirely new life. Du Tilh didnt only want money, he wanted a fresh start, a chance to put his skills to good use and force a path for himself. Pansette was moving beyond the mask of the carnival player and the stratagems of the mere inheritance seeker to forge a new identity and a new life for himself in the village on the Leze. The thought of a family, as well as a decent inheritance must have sounded good to the peasant from Sajas. HoweverRead MoreCheating And The Test Of Cheating1340 Words   |  6 Pagestest in the foreseeable future; however, one will study very minimally and not dedicate much time to understand test material. This is done as the individual rather spend time doing something that will bring immediate delights such as going to the carnival or a party (Scirghi). Fast forward, the day of the test is near, and time is running out to study for the test. Next, the time has come to devise a series of strategies in preparation to conquer the test without being caught. There are manyRead MoreTest Answers1574 Words   |  7 PagesQuestion 1 1 out of 1 points Harvard professor Chris Argyris promoted the concepts of espoused theories of action and theories-of-use. Espoused theories of actions reflect what people say governs their behavior, while theories-of-use reflects how they actually behave. Selected Answer: True Question 2 1 out of 1 points The autocratic management style is most effective on: Selected Answer: routine work efforts Question 3 1 out of 1 points Read More Keats’ Love for Fanny Brawne in The Eve of St. Agnes Essay1167 Words   |  5 Pagessummer days—three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain† –John Keats to Fanny Brawne (Bate 538). As the colloquial phrase goes†¦behind every great man, lies a great woman, but in John Keats’ case, the woman is neither great nor his superior but inspires greatness in the Romantic poet. This woman calls herself Fanny Brawne. She was intellectually inferior to Keats, but her sprightly character added rich, sensuosity to his writing. John KeatsRead MoreEssay on The Culture of Heavy Metal Music Listeners Around the World:1870 Words   |  8 PagesEnglish speaking countries no one really knows). The interesting thing to see is when bands go and play in non-English speaking countries. The crowd will usually sing along word for word with the band in a language they don’t even speak (in some cases even drowning out the band); it is an incredible example of music transcending cultural barriers. A great example can be found in the video recording of the band Judas Priest playing Japan to a crowd of over 19,000 fans; when the camera focuses onRead MoreOlympics 201 6 Rio Summer Games2977 Words   |  12 Pagesmost beautiful cities in the world, with its picturistic scenery, and the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue situated high in the mountains, on Mt. Corcovado. Rio de Janeiro is mostly famous for its annual Carnival, easily one of the biggest and best parties on the planet. Even though Carnival won’t be taking place during the Summer Games, you’ll be enticed to take the full tour to experience Rio. It is a beautiful place full of history and culture that you can appreciate while you’re watching theRead MoreBrazil Beer Industry Essay5604 Words   |  23 Pagesamong the middle class. So successful have some micro-breweries been that they have forced some larger Brazilian breweries to rethink their production, leading to an improvement in the quality of some mass-produced labels. Beer Industry Case Study, week 3 2.2 Environment Licensing Consumer Buying Attitudes Brazil compared (Europe, America, Asia) leading to specific focus on UK and Scotland AmBev Merger The Organisational Environment can be defines as â€Å"all elements existing

Fast Food Restaurant Description Free Essays

Scene in a Fast Food Restaurant. I push through the crowds of young people hovering outside the automatic doors of Burger King, kicking the empty paper cups and bags out of my way. Stepping inside, the first thing that hits me is the sound. We will write a custom essay sample on Fast Food Restaurant Description or any similar topic only for you Order Now It crashes over me, engulfing me, drawing me in. I step closer, into the midst of it. To my left sit a young couple, anxiously feeding their toddler chicken nuggets dipped in tomato sauce. The two year old cries and whines, putting his hand up to his mouth as if to say ‘no, no more. ’ The group of young people to my right are laughing, shouting and flirting. One of the boys has stolen a girl’s milkshake and she leans across her friends, giggling happily, to try and snatch it back. I can hear the radio playing faintly. The newest, noisiest dance track struggles to be heard in the room full of people, resembling a school canteen. As I make my way upstairs I pass a smartly dressed businessman, holding a brown bag containing a burger, and his other hand to hold his drink. He has his mobile phone trapped between his ear and his shoulder and he jabbers away to his colleague about ‘redundancies’. An elderly woman, accompanied by two young, brightly dressed grandchildren, frowns at the man as she makes her way past, children in tow. The smell of the greasy, fatty burgers is overpowering now, and I can hardly breathe for the stench if freshly cooked French fries. They coat the floor, like a three-inch carpet, soft underfoot. I wonder why these restaurants even bother installing bins – nobody seems inclined to use them. Spotting no empty tables, I make my way back downstairs to order my food. I overtake the queue if people waiting for ‘veggie-burgers’ and order large fries and a chocolate milkshake. The young girl who serves me can’t be much older than myself, yet she looks older, more tired, world-weary. Her shoulder length hair hangs limp and greasy under her baseball cap, and her red t-shirt is stained with fat and fizzy drinks. The woman next to me has dropped her tray, and someone with a mop rushes to clean up the split cola, before anyone has a chance to fall in it. I smell the air, take a French fry out of the packet, pop it in my mouth and sigh. It tastes like grease, unhealthy and fattening. Looking around me, I decide to find a bench outside and, licking my lips in anticipation of my milkshake, I go in search of one. How to cite Fast Food Restaurant Description, Essays

South By Southwest Essays (779 words) - Mexico, Mexicans

South By Southwest Sociology 105 1. Title : South by Southwest : The Mexican-American and His Heritage 2. Author : John Tebbel and Ram?n E. Ruiz 3. Publisher : Zenith Books and Doubleday & Company Copyright 1969 4. Number of pages : 120 5. The setting of this story covers an immense number of years of conquering and colonization in the Southwest areas we now know as California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. It begins in the early 15 and 1600's, in a time when many important Spaniards, such as Juan Bautista de Anza (in 1775 he led the longest overland migration of a colony in North American history before Oregon), were moving into the Southwest in search of gold, silver, bread, and jobs. It also talks about the Indians, who were already living in the area we now know as Mexico, that did not get along real well with the Spaniards(Anglos) when they came in to invade their land. The two main Indian tribes of that time were the Mayas(a peaceful people who were interested in science, invented a calendar to grow maize, and were later believed to be wiped out by a great natural catastrophe), and the Aztecs(a powerful bloodthirsty tribe who feared no human only their gods). Next it went on to the 1800's and early 1 900's, when Mexico decided to fight the Spaniards for their independence. Finally, the book went on into the mid to late 1900's, where Mexico began to modernize and become a good neighbor to the United States. 6. The major conflict was between the Anglos and the Mexicans. It began with the Spaniards and the Indians(Aztecs) fighting over the Valley of Anahuac. The Spaniards(led by Cortez) ended up winning the battle over the Aztecs(led by Moctezuma). Due to the cruel and ruthless Spanish rule, a new social system was set up where the Spanish-born whites were the rulers, the Mexican-born whites were the aristocracy, and the Indians lived lives of poverty and slavery. Another class grew called mestizos(Mexican-Indian), and out of all these were the forces that created Mexico. Next, Mexico(led first by Padre Miguel Hidalgo, then by Jose Maria Morelos, and finally by a traitor D. Augustin de Iturbide) fought the Spaniards for their independence. The first two lost and were killed, but they ignited a spark that later led to victory with the help of Iturbide and his army. For a while Mexico was in chaos, but with the help of many leaders,(Benito Juarez, Porfirio Diaz, and Lazaro Cardenas to name a few) they were able to start making laws and bring Mexico to become a modern society, free from slavery and dictatorship. Now, like the rest of the world, Mexico is developing into an urban area with cities that are modern and spreading out in many directions. 7. I believe the theme of this story to be that although Mexico and the United States had very different histories, they have grown together. They share such a long border that they need to maintain a peaceful border, otherwise many problems can occur. Mexico and U.S. rely on each other for many important imports and exports. In many cases, other than a political one, the line that runs between Brownsville, Texas and San Diego, California is considered an invisible one. Many cross it often, as in some areas it is only a barbed wire fence or a river easily crossed. Also there is said to be about as many Mexican-Americans in the Southwest as there are in the Mexican states just south of the border, which makes it seem, in many ways, as if it is all one region. 8. The main characters were more groups than anything: the Spaniards, the Mexicans, the Indians, and the Anglos, however, there were some important ones' within the groups to be mentioned. These are: Cortez(the leader of the Spaniards when fighting the Aztecs), Moctezuma(the leader of the Aztecs), Padre Miguel Hidalgo, Jose Maria Morelos, and D. Augustin de Iturbide(leaders of Mexico in their revolution against the Spaniards), and Benito Juarez, Porfirio Diaz, and Lazaro Cardenas(all leaders of Mexico helping to organize and modernize Mexico). 9. I would recommend this book to many of my friends and relatives. I have many Mexican American relatives that

Using the Internet for Research, info about EIP Security essays

Using the Internet for Research, info about EIP Security essays As the economy becomes increasingly technology oriented, and an increasing number of customers begin to use the Internet for reasons other than searching, security becomes an extremely important issue. Customers demand satisfaction and security while transferring sensitive data, such as credit card numbers, and companies wish to provide this security blanket to them. The same problems can exist in the use of enterprise information portals and search engines. These company portals depend on the portals ability to keep sensitive data within its walls, while keeping unwanted users out. The ability of hackers and unwanted visitors to crack EIPs security has led to the affordability of security to plummet. The more sensitive information and data being transferred, the more security is needed. This leads to an increase in the money needed to provide this airtight security. Because of this, the MIS portal team has decided to concentrate on the security issues that currently exist in Enterprise Information Portals. I. While the team has seemed to excel in most areas of supportive communication and creative problem solving, problems have risen and do exist. Conceptual blocks, mental obstacles that restrict the way a problem is defined and limit the number of alternative solutions that might otherwise be considered, do exist within certain aspects of the group. The two main categories included information collection and attempts to solve the problem. Security issues within the information technology arena are constantly changing and evolving as old issues are being solved by companies and new ones are developing. Because it is an ever-changing industry, the best information on the topic can be found online. However, a major problem is collecting biased information. While the internet is a great research tool, many websites are written by industry professionals that work either for ...

Water Pollution Explained

Water Pollution Explained Water pollution is when water contains contaminants. In the context of environmental science, a contaminant is usually a substance which can be harmful to living things like plants or animals. Environmental contaminants can be the result of human activity, for example a by-product of manufacturing. However, they can also occur naturally, like radioactive isotopes, sediment, or animal waste. Because of how general the concept of pollution is, we can assume that polluted waters have been around even before humans were here. For example, a spring might have high sulfur levels, or a stream with a carcass in it would have been unfit for other animals to drink from. However, the number of polluted streams, rivers, and lakes multiplied rapidly as the human population increased, agricultural practices intensified, and industrial development spread. Important Sources of Pollution A number of human activities lead to water pollution harmful to aquatic life, aesthetics, recreation, and human health. The main sources of pollution can be organized in a few categories:   Land use. We have a heavy impact on the land: we cut forests, plow grasslands, build homes, pave roads. Land use activities intercept the water cycle during precipitation events and snowmelt. As water flows over the land and into streams, it picks up anything small enough to be carried away. Vegetation does an important job of holding back organic and mineral components of the soil, but clearing that vegetation means a lot of substances make it into streams, rivers, wetlands, and lakes, where they become contaminants.Impervious surfaces. Most man-made surfaces cannot absorb water like soil and roots would. Rooftops, parking lots, and paved roads allow rain and snowmelt runoff to flow with great speed and volume, picking up along the way heavy metals, oils, road salt, and other contaminants. The pollutants would otherwise have been absorbed by the soil and vegetation, where they would have been naturally broken down. Instead, they concentrate in runoff water, overwhelming the streamsà ¢â‚¬â„¢ capacity to process them. Agriculture. Common agricultural practices, like exposing soils to the elements, using fertilizers and pesticides, and concentrating livestock, routinely contribute to water pollution. Nutrient runoff, mostly phosphorus and nitrates, leads to algae blooms and other problems. Mismanagement of farm soils and livestock can also lead to significant soil erosion. Soil picked up by rain makes its way into streams where it becomes sediment pollution, with harmful consequences on aquatic life.Mining. Mine tailings are the piles of rock discarded after the valuable portion of the ore has been removed. Tailings can leach to surface and ground waters large amounts of contaminants, some occurring naturally in the waste rocks, others a product of the ore processing methods. Mining by-products are sometimes stored in impoundments as a slurry or sludge (for example, coal ash), and failure of the dams holding back these artificial ponds can lead to environmental disaster. Abandoned coal mines are a notorious source of acid mine drainage: water in flooded mines and in contact with mine tailings sometimes oxidizes sulfur-bearing rocks, and turns extremely acidic. Manufacturing. Industrial activities are a major source of water pollution. In the past, liquid waste was dumped directly into rivers, or put into toxic waste barrels which were then buried somewhere. Those barrels then deteriorated and leaked, resulting in heavily contaminated sites we are still dealing with today. In the United States, regulations now severely limit these practices, notably the 1972 Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation Recovery Act of 1976, and the Superfund Act of 1980. The release of toxic materials at industrial sites continues, either at levels below regulatory thresholds, or simply illegally. In addition, accidental spills occur all too frequently – for example with the recent West Virginia MCHM spill. In developing countries, pollution from industrial sources is still widespread and dangerous to human and ecosystem health.Energy sector. The extraction and transportation of fossil fuels, notably oil, is prone to spills that can have long lasting e ffects on aquatic systems. In addition, coal-fired power plants release large amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the air. When those contaminants dissolved in rain water and enter waterways, they significantly acidify rivers and lakes. Coal plants also emit mercury, a very toxic heavy metal, polluting lakes throughout the world and making fish unsafe to eat. The production of electricity through hydropower produces much less pollution, but still has some deleterious effects on aquatic ecosystems. Household practices. There are numerous actions we can take every day to prevent water pollution: avoid lawn pesticides, slow rainwater runoff, collect pet waste, properly dispose of household chemicals and medicine, avoid products with microbeads, attend to oil leaks on the mower or car, have the septic tank maintained and inspected.Thrash. A lot of trash persists in the environment, and plastic matter breaks down into harmful microplastics. Are Contaminants Always a Substance? Not always. For example, nuclear power plants use vast amounts of water to cool down the steam generator by the reactor and used to spin the turbines. The warm water is then released back into the river it was pumped from, creating a warm plume that affects downstream aquatic life.