The Deadly Hazard of Avalanches

The Deadly Hazard of Avalanches Avalanches have always occurred in the mountainous regions of the world. With the growth of winter-time recreations, fatalities have been on the rise since the 1950s. Avalanches claim over 150 lives each year worldwide and hundreds more are injured or trapped following an avalanche. Ninety percent of all avalanches occur on moderate slopes with an angle of 30Â ° to 45Â ° (snow tends not to accumulate on steeper slopes). Avalanches occur when the gravity pushing the collection of snow at the top of the slope is greater than the strength of the snow itself. A change in temperature, a loud noise, or vibrations are all that are necessary to trigger one of these snowfalls that begin at a starting zone. The avalanche continues downslope along the track and ultimately the avalanche fans out and settles in the runout zone. What Country Gets the Most Avalanches? Internationally, the Alpine countries of France, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy experience the greatest number of avalanches and loss of life annually. The United States ranks fifth worldwide in avalanche danger. The states of Colorado, Alaska, and Utah are the most deadly. Avalanche Prevention and Control Avalanche prevention and mitigation involves a variety of methods. Snow fences are built to prevent the buildup of snow in starting zones, structures are built to stabilize snow. deflecting walls are built to divert avalanche flows away from buildings and even entire towns. Sheds build across roadways that pass through persistent avalanche paths can help to protect motorists from avalanches. Additionally, the reforestation of slopes with trees helps to prevent avalanches. Sometimes avalanche control experts actually desire to create smaller, controlled avalanches to prevent larger, uncontrolled ones. Percussion guns, explosives, and even artillery have been used to produce these controlled avalanches when people are kept away. Although a variety of recreationists spend time in snow-covered mountains - snowmobilers are those most often killed by avalanches in the U.S. Most avalanches in the U.S. occur during the months January, February, and March and on average, 17 are killed annually nationwide. Backcountry explorers are strongly advised to not only know how to identify avalanche hazard areas but also to carry an avalanche beacon/transceiver and a shovel in case of emergency.

25 Eponyms as Literary Wordplay

25 Eponyms as Literary Wordplay 25 Eponyms as Literary Wordplay 25 Eponyms as Literary Wordplay By Daniel Scocco Several DailyWritingTips.com posts have focused on, for example, phenomena and ideas named after people, and concepts or objects identified by the names of historical figures. This entry specifically suggests mythological, literary, and historical eponyms that may inspire you to employ such terms in fiction writing as cloaked allusions to characters or things. Think of these examples and others as akin to puns: A law firm named Bowler, Derby, Fedora, Stetson, and Trilby. (Maybe these will be names of characters in the upcoming film version of Lidsville, the early- ’70s Saturday-morning TV show about a land of sentient hats.) A star-crossed couple named Jeremiah, namesake of a pessimistic prophet from the Bible, and Cassandra, named after the Trojan woman blessed with the gift of prophecy but fated never to be believed. A maid named Abigail. (In Victorian England, house servants were routinely stripped of their birth names and assigned ones considered more pleasant for their employers to utter, and Abigail was a common moniker for a housemaid.) A vigilant or nosy neighbor named Argus, the name of the many-eyed monster of Greek mythology. A heavily burdened character named Atlas, after the Titan in Greek mythology charged with holding up the heavens. A place called the Augean Stables, named after the fabled stables of Augeas, the cleaning of which constituted one of the legendary twelve labors of Hercules. A spy’s contact code-named Baedeker, after the name of the popular guidebook series, or Cicerone, after a word for a sightseeing guide (in turn named after the Roman orator and statesman Cicero). A loud woman who’s always letting off steam named Calliope, after the strident steam-whistle instrument named in honor of the Greek muse of epic poetry. A tormented woman named Catherine Wheeler, named after the Catherine wheel, a rotating fireworks wheel in turn inspired by a Catholic saint tortured on a wheel. An elusive woman named Fata Morgana (or, more subtly, Morgan Fate), after the mirage phenomenon named for the Italian translation of the name of Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay (â€Å"fairy,† or â€Å"magician†). An extremely attractive person named Mickey Finn, after a slang term for a drugged drink. (The active ingredient is sometimes called â€Å"knockout drops.†) A ruminative character named Fletcher, after the health food faddist notorious for prescribing a quantifiable amount of chewing while eating. An energizing character named Galvani, after the scientist who studied the stimulating effects of electricity. A hapless company called Gordian Inc., named for the knot that could not be untied. (Alexander the Great reportedly solved the problem by severing the knot with his sword.) An unhelpful character named Hobson, after the stable owner who hired out any horse a customer wanted, as long as the one selected was next in line to be used (hence the oxymoronic expression â€Å"Hobson’s choice†). An arbiter named Hoyle, after the eponymous author of rules for card games (hence the nearly extinct expression â€Å"according to Hoyle†). A race car driver or reckless motorist named Jehu (after the biblical king of that name notorious for his wild charioteering). A drink named the Molotov cocktail, after the nickname for the bomb made from a bottle filled with inflammable liquid and ignited with a wick. (The bomb is in turn named after a Russian Communist politician.) An impostor named Pinchbeck, after the watchmaker whose created an inexpensive alloy resembling gold. Hundreds of eponyms are available for enlivening satirical or otherwise humorous prose. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. Had15 Great Word GamesHow to Punctuate Introductory Phrases