Lightning and Your Safety

Lightning may not look much like static electricity, but actually they are similar. Both are sparks of electricity created through the attraction of unlike charges. The only difference is that static electricity creates a small spark, while lightning is a huge spark of electricity on a large scale.

For a spark to occur, it will need both a non-conductor and a conductor or two conductors with great differential resistance. These conditions include the rapid movement of tiny water particles in a storm. Certain conditions will cause enough static electricity buildup to cause a spark or lightning. Lightning is an extreme example of a spark. A spark is a stream of electrons jumping across an air gap, heating the air until it glows and expands.

In storm clouds, normally the cumulonimbus clouds, tiny particles in the cloud move around picking up positive or negative energy charges. Either smoke, dust or ice particles will determine the polarity. The positive charged particles will tend to be lighter and rise to the top of the cloud. The negative charged particles will tend to be heavier and will collect at the bottom of the cloud.

This buildup of charges will continue and charges will divide into opposing groups in the cloud. When the power of attraction between them gets too great, the particles discharge their energy at each other, completing a path for electricity to travel through the air. This flow of electricity is lightning.

Why there is the glow of lightning is because the air in between has resistance which heats up the air white-hot. Since air is a non-conductor of electricity, it does not readily let electrons pass through it. But when the attraction is great enough, some electrons will leave their cloud and fly to the other cloud. While they move through the air, they smash into and bounce off molecules or atoms that are in their way. This heat up the air white-hot and this is lightening. The thing is this: introduce high voltage into higher resistance, the voltage will reduce and the current will increase. High current is heat which can go up to 30,000 degree Celsius.

Back to the grouping of positive and negative charges in the clouds. At the bottom of the cloud are the negative charges. When the negatively charged particles have build up and lower enough to the ground, they begin to seek out positive charges from the ground below. The excess electrons create a channel of charged air called a leader that reaches down to the ground below. The leaders attract other charged ground-based channels called streamers, and this can pass through plants, buildings and yourself. When the stepped leader from the cloud meets a returning streamer from the ground, the path is ready. An electrical current called the return stroke, travels back up the path. This return stroke releases tremendous heat energy with bright light and thunder. There are several strokes in a single second. When enough electrons have made the jump to create equilibrium, the attraction is reduced and the flow stops. The spark quickly cools down and the air stops glowing. It is all over within a fraction of a second. A bolt of lightening travels at a speed of 160,000 km/h. In the case of static electricity it is a small spark and you may only feel a slight discomfort from the heat of the spark. But in the bolt of lightning, it can cause an enormous amount of damage to humans, animals, plants and buildings.

When air is heated it expands and contract when it cools. And because the spark happens so fast, the air expands and contracts very rapidly. When it contracts, the air slaps together. The noise you hear from a spark is just a snap, because it is on a small scale, whilst on the other hand, the sound of lightening is tremendous crash. This crash is called the thunder and because light travels faster than sound, thunder may seem to lag a moment from lightening. The way to protect yourself when there is lightening is to avoid holding metallic things because charges will always look for the shortest and easiest route to the ground. Check on your footwear and clothing - if the wear will give you excess of positive charges and the cloud right above is negatively charged, then you automatically become the ideal candidate to be struck. Recall the Central Africa case where eleven players of soccer in a football pitch all perished leaving intact the eleven players of the opposing team. Lighting can strike you out in the rain and you should not stand under a tree during a thunderstorm, in case the tree gets struck with lightning. And it is not a good idea to walk out in an open area with an umbrella, because if you are the highest object in the field, you may be a target for the lightning strike. Ensure that you install lightning rods in all your buildings and these rods should therefore be the highest parts of the structures. In case of very tall and wide buildings, the rods should not only the tallest points but also should be installed by the sides. Studies show that larger, rounded rods are more effective than sharp pointed rods contrary to the believe people have that static electricity is attracted more to a pointed end of the rod.

Air transport is today the safest means of transport. One of the greatest obstacles that will put the guys that operate aircrafts off is static electricity. A single report of thunder and the mission is abandoned until the thunder clears. When the aircraft is airborne, it collects charges from the surrounding air and clouds. To prevent excessive buildup of charges that would not only result in radio navigation difficulties but also can produce huge sparks that would instantaneously destroy the aircraft completely, an aircraft is installed with static wicks on the ailerons and tail feathers to return charged electrons so collected back to the surrounding air. Fueling an aircraft poses another risk due to static sparks. Fueling is in thousands of litres and is done at a very high rate and fumes do develop. To prevent static sparks, a formula based on pump rate, humidity and temperate is used to determine the amount of charges in the fuel. If the charge is high, the fuel is discharged. Whenever the aircraft land, the first thing you do before anything else is to discharge the plane body by using static discharge reels.

Where there is thunder there are strong convective cumulonimbus clouds. And talking about these rains bearing cumulonimbus clouds, whenever they come too low to the ground, they curl like mushroom with destructive freak winds of over 200 Km/h that will destroy trees, buildings, electric cables and ads boards. These really are thunderstorm downbursts and will usually last only for one or two minutes and it is all over leaving behind a trail of destruction and widespread power blackouts. These clouds have turbulences with strong updraft and downdraft forces. Aim your plane at those convective clouds and the updraft and downdraft forces will take control of your plane and all the souls in your plane will most likely have a sad ending.

New Online Children's Book: Old Narmaah-Cat's Secret Toy

If you are interested in new Children's Books on the scene – or you know somebody who is – then take a moment of your time to have a look at this charming little story: Old Narmaah-Cat's Secret Toy. It involves two characters, the Tiny Girl and Old Narmaah-Cat, who just can't seem to make a connection with each other... The Old Cat simply refuses to come out from his hiding place to play with her, while the Tiny Girl just can't figure out which toy Narmaah-Cat would be enticed with. She tries just about everything that a cat-afficianado could think of, and just about gives up on the idea. But then with a stroke of luck, something happens...

This story is full of large, colorful illustrations and is written in rhyming verse similar to the Dr. Seuss publications. The story font is in a large 'Times New Roman' and is very easy to read. Potential readership is geared towards children who are learning to read, and intermediate readers (3 to 9 years old) – plus, of course, their parents who are guaranteed a good laugh as well!

In addition to downloading the Children's eBook for a reasonable price, the package also includes a free Coloring Book download. The coloring book is based directly upon the story itself, and uses the same illustrations included in “Old Narmaah-Cat's Secret Toy”. Also, the coloring book uses captions beneath each image that offer both questions and suggestions as to what to draw, or how to color them, using the children's own imagination.

Fun for everybody, to say the least. You can find the main page here: www.storytimetanis.com

Teaching English in Overseas

English the only language that is comprehensively used as a most popular second language and also as an official language round-the-globe. More likely English is used widely in all Common-wealth countries such as India, Pakistan and South Africa, and in various other international organizations.

In fact, English has nevertheless gained an undisputed place as the lingua-franca of international education, business, science, politics and media in has stimulating millions and billions of people of races across the globe to learn this once marginal and insignificant language. The consequential worldwide boom in Teaching English has inspired many teachers to teach and spread the knowledge of English throughout the world.

However, it would foolish and incorrect to assume that just because you speak good English you are ready to start a career in teaching English in overseas and pack your bags and start coaching and training instantly.

Although it's very true that the growing popularity and fame of English language teaching has led to more professionalism within the ranks of English teachers. As a result, anybody who very seriously is interested in teaching English language in overseas usually has to enroll in a TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Certificate Course, in this course the native or non-native English Speakers with a good grasp and knowledge of English language will be authorized to teach English in overseas, and the one who is certified with this course they are in greater demands than the others without this certification, also they are highly paid.

Apart from this, there are many other such types of "Professional Teacher-Training Programs" that will help in teaching English in overseas. On the whole the dizzying array of all these certification courses that are available can be more intimidating, and can assist in teaching English Worldwide.

Thankfully, teaching English language is comparably a very flexible profession for you don't need any special business knowledge or so in teaching English even for other science or business students. The only thing until and unless you are extensively dedicated and enthusiastic you will succeed in finding a good job and familiarize yourself to a new life in a new country i.e. in overseas.

However, there are some basic requirements for teaching English in overseas. They are as follows:-

1) Age: In general, age is of least importance for a career in teaching English. You are eligible for taking up this job if you are anywhere between the ages of 18 and 80. 2) Education: A next important criterion is of course education. So, teachers should be at least a graduate. 3) Work Experience: This will be an added advantage.

Apart from these primary requirements teachers need to take care upon many other perspectives such as good and friendly approach towards the students, ability to inspire and motivate students, besides maintaining classroom atmosphere the teachers should inculcate many other sought-after qualities like adaptability, maturity and motivation.

In addition to all these above mentioned job skills, teaching English in overseas will surely help you grow personally. It is because living and working in other parts of the world can obviously give you self-sufficiency, maturity, and a more complete worldview. All these qualities will be assets for you all through the rest of your life.

If you are thinking of Teaching English abroad you'll find many useful tips at http://www.englishallover.com/