Global warming Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Global warming - Research Paper Example The high increase in temperatures has resulted in global warming, which has negatively affected the environment. Goldstein (2009) reports that the earth’s surface has experienced about 0.8% rise in temperature since 20th century. A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007 projected that the earth’s surface temperatures could increase from 1.1 to 2.9 oC in the 21st century (Goldstein, 2009). The increase is also expected to continue unless something is done to stop activities perceived to cause global warming. A report by the BBC also indicated that the world would be six and a half degrees warmer than it is today by the time a child born today reaches 80 years. Global warming has mainly been blamed on human activities taking place all over the world. However, many researchers have demonstrated that global warming is the result of greenhouse emissions into the environment. In this regard, scientists have shown that global warming occurs due to carbon emissions released into the environment, which blocks the ozone layer thereby preventing the sun’s light and heat from reaching the earth’s surface, notes Goldstein (2009). ... Research indicates that many countries in the world currently depend on fossil fuels as the main energy source. In fact, Victor (2011) reveals that more than 90% of energy all over the world currently comes from fossil fuel. According to Victor, the negative impacts of global warming are already being felt on the earth today. The impacts include persistent bush fires, glacial movements, perennial drought, flooding, typhoons and rising sea levels just to name but a few. However, since global warming is the direct result of human activities, it is viewed in an ethical angle. It is unethical for human beings to engage in activities that promote global warming. This is based on the fact that the consequences of global warming stretches beyond the good purposes for which the activities are meant. This paper will explain why I consider activities promoting global warming as being unethical. Global warming is indeed causing havoc in the world over. Its impacts are adversely affecting all na ture-human beings, oceans, forests, farms, mountains, and coasts among others. According to Fern (2003), the global warming caused by greenhouse emissions is a direct result of human activities such as burning of charcoals, industrialization, farming, the use of fossil fuel and other activities that release carbon into the atmosphere. Ethically, the most fundamental question we are often confronted with concerning particular environmental ethics pertains to the obligations we have regarded the natural environment (Keller, 2010). In this regard, if the conviction regarding the obligation is that we as human beings will suffer as a result of the failure to act appropriately, then this is regarded â€Å"anthropocentric,† which

Assessment Essay Example for Free

Assessment Essay 1:1 Functions of assessment Initial assessment- the starting part, used to decide what is known, what needs to be taught and what can be assessed. Formative assessment- this stage is where the learner is still in training and requires feedback on how they are progressing. Summative- used to judge completion. Whether you have passed or not. Holistic- clustering of assessments based on the grouping of a work role, rather than stand alone. Functions of assessment in training Identify the skill gap Design the training Deliver the training Plan the assessment Assess Feedback Either move on to the next part of training or go back and re do the previous assessment. This starts from the minute you get a new learner signed on. I do this by, setting out a training plan, giving the training, deciding with the learner when we both feel they are ready to be assessed and then do the assessment. With Sonya, she came from another salon where she had already done her level 2, she was about to be signed on to level 3. Before we got her signed on we done an assessment on a colour and a cut to make sure she was competent at level 2. 1:2 Key concepts and principles of assessment Reliability: By using the criteria and qualification and credit framework any assessor working independently should come to the same decision when assessing a learner. The learner should have been given the appropriate training and be competent to do the assessment. Validity: Is the work valid to the unit? The learner should be watched at all times to make sure the work is authentic. Assessments show us, what the learner is capable of and where further training would be required. It would also show if the learner needed any extra help. 1:3 Responsibilities of the assessor Make sure the candidates logbook is marked of when an assessment has been passed. Provide opportunities for assessment and make sure you book time out in your column. Be fair to all candidates, avoid any discrimination, comparing one against the other. Assess the learner against the national occupational standards and not your own opinion of what the standards should be. Consider the needs of the individual candidates; one might have a different learning style to the other. Learning difficulties should also be taken into account and help appropriate given where needed. Plan and assess assessments with candidates. Make sure learner and assessor think it is the right assessment to be done and that the learner is capable of doing the assessment. Place the learner under no undue pressure. If the candidate does not feel good about doing the assessment you should encourage them, if as an assessor you think they are capable of passing the assessment. But do not apply pressure as this could make the learner worry or feel stressed out by this. Check and ensure all the evidence is valid, authentic, current, sufficient and reliable. Make sure the work is valid to the unit and accurate, the learners own work, the work is consistent and of the appropriate nvq level criteria and is not a fluke. The work should also be current, i.e. if the learner has transferred salons and had some assessments already signed off you should make sure they are currently competent. Give constructive feedback. Using â€Å"complement sandwich† Positive comment Critical comment Positive comment Make sure you include the learner to give self assessment so you know how they think they have done. When giving your feedback always start with â€Å"how do you think you did?† Always give feedback promptly and record all assessment decisions and evidence clearly and fully so that everyone can always look back and see what has been said and done. Also in case there are any disagreements on the outcome you can look back at the records. Agree future action plans with the learner so that both the learner and assessor know what the next stage will be. Any discussions with the learner should be carried out in a professional manor. During meetings with the learner you should review the progress of assessment plans and determine where additional learning and training is required. I have recently had an issue with one of my trainee’s, she did not want to be taught anymore, and just wanted to be assessed on her cutting. She felt she had had enough training , although I didn’t. As she felt very strongly about this I allowed her to do a model we were going to use as training as an assessment, I did this so she would understand that she needs more training. Once she had completed the assessment I checked the cut, and explained to her where she had gone wrong, and also explained to her that with a little bit more practice she would be able to be assessed on models similar to what she had done and would be able to be marked off on them. She has agreed to have a little bit more training and agreed we will decide together in future when she will be assessed so as not to waste models. 1:4 Regulations and requirements relevant to assess hairdressing. Realistic working environment. Must develop realistic management procedures that incorporate a ‘salon image’. All assessments must be carried out under realistic commercial pressures and on paying clients. Assessments should be completed within the commercial timescale. Candidates must be able to achieve a realistic volume of work. The space per working area conforms to health and safety legislation. The range of services, professional tools, products, materials and equipment must be up to date and available for use. A reception area for clients to be greeted must be available. It must also include a payment facility. A retail facility must be provided.

The Lost Honor Killing For False Honor Criminology Essay

The Lost Honor Killing For False Honor Criminology Essay An honor killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community. Honor killings are directed mostly against women and girls, but have been extended to men. Qays bin Asim, ancient leader of Banu Tamim is credited by some historians as the first to kill children on the basis of honor. It is recorded that he murdered all of his daughters to prevent them from ever causing him any kind of dishonor. The perceived dishonor is normally the result of one of the following behaviors, or the suspicion of such behaviors: dressing in a manner unacceptable to the family or community, wanting to terminate or prevent an arranged marriage or desiring to marry by own choice, especially if to a member of a social group deemed inappropriate, engaging in heterosexual acts outside marriage and engaging in homosexual acts. Human Rights Watch defines honor killings as follows: Honor killings are acts of vengeance, usually death, committed by male family members against female family members, who are held to have brought dishonor upon the family. A woman can be targeted by (individuals within) her family for a variety of reasons, including: refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce-even from an abusive husband-or (allegedly) committing adultery. The mere perception that a woman has behaved in a way that dishonors her family is sufficient to trigger an attack on her life. Men can also be the victims of honor killings by members of the family of a woman with whom they are perceived to have an inappropriate relationship. The loose term honor killing applies to killing of both males and females in cultures that practice it. Some women who bridge social divides, publicly engage other communities, or adopt some of the customs or the religion of an outside group may be attacked. In countries that receive immigration, some otherwise low-status immigrant men and boys have asserted their dominant patriarchal status by inflicting honor killings on women family members who have participated in public life, for example in feminist and integration politics. Honor killing in India Terming love marriage as honor killing for families is a primitive thought. Even we talk about culture and tradition, then also just pick up the epic and you find that then also alliances happened only as love marriages. People here are just running after fake and rotten concepts, which actually have no meaning and gravity. Recently, there has been a spate of honor killings in the country and this has led the government to decide what laws should be put in place to stop this heinous crime. More than 1,000 young people in India have been done to death every year owing to Honor Killings linked to forced marriages and the country needs to introduce stringent legislation to deal firmly with these heinous crimes. Supreme Court has said the government must explain what it is doing to prevent honor killings. Taking note of the rise in honor crimes, the Supreme Court demanded responses from the federal government and state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Honor killing is the murder of any family member or social group member by other people due to the belief of perpetrators who feel that the murdered persons actions have brought dishonor upon the family or group. The loose term honor killing applies to killing of both males and fem ales in cultures that practice it. The most watched scenes of honor killing in our country are reflecting that this is a death that is awarded to a man or woman of the family for marrying against the parents wishes, having extramarital and premarital relationships, marrying within the same gotra (Brahmins use gotra for deciding marriages) or outside ones caste or marrying a cousin from a different caste. In fact we have had a tradition of honor killing. This tradition was first viewed in its most horrible form during the Partition of the country in between the years 1947 and 1950 when many women were forcefully killed so that family honor could be preserved. During the Partition, there were a lot of forced marriages which were causing women from India to marry men from Pakistan and vice-versa. And then there was a search to hunt down these women who were forced to marry a person from another country and another religion and when they returned home they were killed so that the family honor could be preserved and they w ere not declared social outcastes from their region. At that time, the influence of religion and social control was much greater and hence there were at least a couple of honor killings a day, if not more. The partition years can be seen to be the beginning of the tradition of honor killing on a large scale. The misconception about honor killing is that this is a practice that is limited to the rural areas. The truth is that it is spread over such a large geographical area that we cannot isolate honor killings to rural areas only, though one has to admit that majority of the killings take place in the rural areas. But it has also been seen recently that even the metropolitan cities like Delhi and Tamil Nadu are not safe from this crime because 5 honor killings were reported from Delhi and in Tamil Nadu; a daughter and son in law were killed due to marriage into the same gotra. The second misconception regarding honor killing is that it has religious roots. Even if a woman commits adultery, there have to be four male witnesses with good behavior and reputation to validate the charge. Furthermore only the State can carry out judicial punishments, but never an individual vigilante. So, we can clearly see that there is no religious backing or religious roots for this heinous crime. Reasons of honor killing Sociologists believe that the reason why honor killings continue to take place is because of the continued rigidity of the caste system. The fear of losing their caste status through which they gain many benefits makes them commit this heinous crime. The other reason why honor killings are taking place is because the mentality of people has not changed and they just cannot accept that marriages can take place in the same gotra or outside ones caste. The root of the cause for the increase in the number of honor killings is because the formal governance has not been able to reach the rural areas and as a result. Thus, this practice continues though it should have been removed by now. Honor killing in different states of India and communities Honor killings have been reported in northern regions of India, mainly in the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, as a result of people marrying without their familys acceptance, and sometimes for marrying outside their caste or religion. In contrast, honor killings are rare to non-existent in South India and the western Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. In some other parts of India, notably West Bengal, honor killings ceased about a century ago, largely due to the activism and influence of reformists such as Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Vidyasagar and Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Among Rajputs, marriages with members of other castes can provoke the killing of the married couple and immediate family members. This form of honor killing is attributed to Rajput culture and traditional views on the perceived purity of a lineage. The Indian state of Punjab has a large number of honor killings. According to data compiled by the Punjab Police, 34 honor killings were reported in the state between 2008 and 2010: 10 in 2008, 20 in 2009, and four in 2010. Haryana and Uttarakhand are also notorious for incidents of honor killing, mainly in the upper caste of society, among rajputs and jaats. Bhagalpur in the eastern Indian state of Bihar has also been notorious for honor killings. Recent cases include a 16-year-old girl, Imrana, from Bhojpur who was set on fire inside her house in a case of what the police called moral vigilantism. The victim had screamed for help for about 20 minutes before neighbours arrived, only to find her smouldering body. She was admitted to a local hospital, where she later died from her injuries. In May 2008, Jayvirsingh Bhadodiya shot his daughter Vandana Bhadodiya and struck her on the head with an axe. In June 2010 some incidents were reported even from Delhi. In a landmark judgment in March 2010, Karnal district court ordered the execution of five perpetrators of an honor killing in Kaithal, and imprisoning for life the khap (local caste-based council) chief who ordered the killings of Manoj Banwala (23) and Babli (19), a man and woman of the same clan who eloped and married in June 2007. Despite having been given police protection on court orders, they were kidnapped; their mutilated bodies were found a week later in an irrigation canal. Fight against honor crimes: A tale of five girls Mukesh Malik 28 Mukesh became eyesore of her family members when in 2006 she told about her wish for inter-caste marriage.I was jailed in my own house for three months, she said.According to Mukesh, her parents did not like her idea for an inter-caste marriage. Then, they started looking a boy of their choice for me but I preferred to leave the village, she added. A degree holder in mass communication, Mukesh joined a vernacular for her livelihood. Though, after some time she left the job and started working for a woman organization, AIDWA. On March 29, 2011, she finally married a journalist, who is not from her catse. Seema 25 Seemas brother Manoj alongwith his wife Babli were killed for marrying in the same gotra. A constable in Haryana police, Seema alongwith her mother is fighting for justice in the courts against the killers. They are pitted against khap panchayats across the region and the political establishment. She is living under police protection. Monika, 20 Monika, a graduation student of a Sonipat college, was reportedly married to Gaurav Saini of Delhi in 2009. In the documentary, Gaurav tells about Monicas struggle to lead an independent life and the subsequent problems their marriage faced since they belonged to different castes. Anjali Chahal, 24 Anjali sees education as a way to break out of the arranged marriage and domestic life her family wants for her. Her M.Phil thesis, on honour crimes, is her answer to the voice of tradition. Despite the proliferating educational standards and economic prosperity, the society and I say the civil society including the niche, where I come from, justify the killings in the name of so-called honor. My hunch is to unravel the underlying reasons and desires of the aggressiveness of this particular community in Haryana. Geetika, 20 Geetika, a student of Delhi University, directs a street play on honour crimes. She approaches the play keeping in mind her own need to question the belief systems she was heir to. Legal Terming the practice of khap panchayats of handing down punishment to couples who go for sagotra or inter-caste marriage as flagrant violation of the law, the Law Commission came up with a draft legislation which seeks to make such acts a non-bailable offence. The Home Ministry had made proposal to amend Sec 300 of the IPC to define honour killing as separate crime. Out of 28 states, 18 have responded with Haryana opposing any such move and states like UP, Delhi and Rajasthan supporting the idea. On 5  August 2010, in a Parliament session, Chidambaram proposed a bill that included public stripping of women and externment of young couples from villages and any act which is humiliating will be punished with severity' There is also a proposal to amend the Evidence Act, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Special Marriage Act to check the menace of honour killing through a draft bill The Indian Penal Code and Certain Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010, government sources told PTI. The law commission of India has said there is no need to alter the definition of murder under Section 300 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to deal with honour killings. The commission is prima facie of the view that there is no need for introducing a provision in Section 300 IPC in order to bring the so-called honour killings within the ambit of this provision, the panel said in a consultation paper. The motive behind killing a person does not furnish real justification to introduce a separate provision in Section 300. Probably, the addition of such a clause may create confusion and interpretational difficulties, The panel was particularly concerned in view of the reported proposal to shift the onus of proof in such cases from the prosecution to the defence i.e. the accused. This means the accused would be deemed guilty until he is able to prove his innocence during trial. The panel, however, agreed that there was a need to deal with the problem. In what could preempt such offences, the panel suggested that unlawful assembly of people for taking action in case of marriages against the mandate of the society should be made an offence punishable under law. In June 2010, scrutinizing the increasing number of honor killings, the Supreme Court of India issued notices to the Central Government and six states including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to take preventive measures against honor killings. Alarmed by the rise of honor killings, the Government planned to bring a bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament July 2010 to provide for deterrent punishment for honor killings International aspect of honor killing Its worth mentioning here that Honor Killing is not specifically related to India only. This is a practice that continues to be prevailing in North and South America, Africa, Turkey and many other countries. But the thing that has to be kept in mind is that the number of incidents relating to this crime is very low and there is a very strict punishment for committing this crime in other countries. Many womens groups in the Middle East and Southwest Asia suspect that more than 20,000 women are killed each year. Changing cultural and economic status of women has also been used to explain the occurrences of honor killings. Women in largely patriarchal cultures who have gained economic independence from their families go against their male-dominated culture. Some researchers argue that the shift towards greater responsibility for women and less for their fathers may cause their male family members to act in oppressive and sometimes violent manners in order to regain authority. This change of culture can also be seen to have an effect in Western cultures such as Britain where honor killings often arise from women seeking greater independence and adopting seemingly Western values. For women who trace their ancestry back to the Middle East or South Asia, wearing clothes that are considered Western, having a boyfriend, or refusing to accept an arranged marriage are all offenses that can and have led to an honor killing. Countries where the law is interpreted to allow men to kill female relatives in a premeditated effort as well as for crimes of passions, in flagrante delicto in the act of committing adultery, include: Haiti: Article 269 of the penal code states in the case of adultery as provided for in Article 284, the murder by a husband of his wife and/or her partner, immediately upon discovering them in flagrante delicto in the conjugal abode, is to be pardoned. Jordan: Part of article 340 of the Penal Code states that he who discovers his wife or one of his female relatives committing adultery and kills, wounds, or injures one of them, is exempted from any penalty. This has twice been put forward for cancellation by the government, but was retained by the Lower House of the Parliament, in 2003: a year in which at least seven honor killings took place. Article 98 of the Penal Code is often cited alongside Article 340 in cases of honor killings. Article 98 stipulates that a reduced sentence is applied to a person who kills another person in a fit of fury'. Countries that allow men to kill female relatives in flagrante delicto (but without premeditation) include: Syria: In 2009, Article 548 of the Syrian Law code was amended. Beforehand, the article waived any punishment for males who committed murder on a female family member for inappropriate sex acts. Article 548 states that He who catches his wife or one of his ascendants, descendants or sister committing adultery (flagrante delicto) or illegitimate sexual acts with another and he killed or injured one or both of them benefits from a reduced penalty, that should not be less than 2 years in prison in case of a killing. Article 192 states that a judge may opt for reduced punishments (such as short-term imprisonment) if the killing was done with an honorable intent. In addition to this, Article 242 says that a judge may reduce a sentence for murders that were done in rage and caused by an illegal act committed by the victim. Countries that allow husbands to kill only their wives in flagrante delicto (based upon the Napoleonic code) include: Morocco: Revisions to Moroccos criminal code in 2003 helped improve womens legal status by eliminating unequal sentencing in adultery cases. Article 418 of the penal code granted extenuating circumstances to a husband who kills, injures, or beats his wife and/or her partner, when catching them in flagrante delicto while committing adultery. While this article has not been repealed, the penalty for committing this crime is at least now the same for both genders. In two Latin American countries, similar laws were struck down over the past two decades: according to human rights lawyer Julie Mertus in Brazil, until 1991 wife killings were considered to be non-criminal honor killings; in just one year, nearly eight hundred husbands killed their wives. Similarly, in Colombia, until 1980, a husband legally could kill his wife for committing adultery. Countries where honor killing is not legal but is known to occur include: Italy: Article 133 and 62 of the Italian Penal Code offer the possibility of reduced sentencing and punishment for crimes that occur within the offenders cultural norms. In the case of honor killings and other honor related crimes, these articles could possibly allow for honor killing offenders to justify the murder with claims that the killing was done because of cultural traditions. Italian Parliament member, Souad Sbai, suggested in 2010 that Italy amend these articles so that honor killings do not have extra protection under Italian law. Turkey: In Turkey, persons found guilty of this crime are sentenced to life in prison. There are well documented cases, where Turkish courts have sentenced whole families to life imprisonment for an honor killing. The most recent was on January 13, 2009, where a Turkish Court sentenced five members of the same Kurdish family to life imprisonment for the honor killing of Naile Erdas, 16, who got pregnant as a result of rape. Pakistan: Honor killings are known as karo kari. The practice is supposed to be prosecuted under ordinary killing, but in practice police and prosecutors often ignore it. Often a man must simply claim the killing was for his honor and he will go free. Nilofar Bakhtiar, advisor to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, stated that in 2003, as many as 1,261 women were killed in honor killings. The Hudood Ordinances of Pakistan, enacted in 1979 by then ruler General Zia-ul-Haq, created laws that realigned Pakistani rule with Islamic law. The law had the effect of reducing the legal protections for women, especially regarding sex outside of the marriage. Women who made accusations of rape, after this law, were required to provide four male witnesses. If unable to do this, the alleged rape could not be prosecuted in the courts. Because the woman had admitted to sex outside of marriage, however, she could be punished for having sex outside of the marriage, a punishment that ranged from stoning to pu blic lashing. This law made it that much more risky for women to come forward with accusations of rape. In 2006, the Womens Protection Bill amended these Hudood Ordinances by removing four male witnesses as a requirement for rape allegations. On December 8, 2004, under international and domestic pressure, Pakistan enacted a law that made honor killings punishable by a prison term of seven years, or by the death penalty in the most extreme cases. Womens rights organizations were, however, wary of this law as it stops short of outlawing the practice of allowing killers to buy their freedom by paying compensation to the victims relatives. Womens rights groups claimed that in most cases it is the victims immediate relatives who are the killers, so inherently the new law is just whitewash. It did not alter the provisions whereby the accused could negotiate pardon with the victims family under the Islamic provisions. In March 2005 the Pakistani parliament rejected a bill which sought to s trengthen the law against the practice of honor killing. However, the bill was brought up again, and in November 2006, it passed. It is doubtful whether or not the law would actually help women. Egypt: A number of studies on honor crimes by The Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law, at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, includes one which reports on Egypts legal system, noting a gender bias in favor of men in general, and notably article 17 of the Penal Code: judicial discretion to allow reduced punishment in certain circumstance, often used in honor killings case. Conclusion What can we do to prevent such a thing from happening? Firstly, the mentality of the people has to change. And when we say that the mentality has to change, we mean to say that parents should accept their childrens wishes regarding marriage as it is they who have to lead a life with their life partners and if they are not satisfied with their life partner then they will lead a horrible married life which might even end in suicide. Parents might be right sometimes but killing own children in the name of honor doesnt leads to honor instead give birth to another crime. I would like to quote an example that if one cow is black in color, the other is brown, this one is white, another is black and whiteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦yet the milk from all of them is white in color. All are different paths to one destination. We live in a Universe and not Multi-verse. The man god created was not supposed to be divided and the discrimination in any form is the lowest understanding of life. Secondly, we need to have stricter laws to tackle these kinds of killings as this is a crime which cannot be pardoned because Humans do not have the right to write down death sentences of innocent fellow humans. Its alarming time and the need is toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Stir our soul, arouse our mind, the truth is awakening. Is there any justification? Does our Hindu Religion support such brutal acts? Well, who cares for the Dharma! Honor killing is related more too social clout and less to the religion. What is the Indian government doing then? It is yet to get acquainted with the changing reality! Even if it becomes, nothing is going to happen. The government structure remains vulnerable to the whims of power and muscles. Whats the solution then? Honor killing is going to be in full swing. At last I would like to pray, Into that HEAVEN OF FREEDOM, my FATHER, let my country awakeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦

The Clean Water Act Of 1977 :: The Clean Water Act

As swans drift with the current on a secluded lake in upper Canada they think not of the water they are in but of dreams of the past and wants for the future. On the other hand, seals off the coast of Northern California fear for their lives every day of humans exploiting their natural habitat. Many things can endanger water born animals, and most all of these come directly from humans. The pollutants of water come from many sources both close and far away from the water body itself. Wastes of humans are the major cause of pollution in the water, such materials include sewage, chemicals among other notable items. First, the composition water: water is odorless, tasteless and a transparent liquid. Though in large quantities water appears to have a bluish tint, it maintains the transparent tendency when observed in smaller quantities. Water covers approximately seventy percent of the Earth's surface in the solid and liquid form. Pollutants can be carried over a great distance by combin ing with evaporating moisture, forming clouds and then the wind taking the clouds to the larger body of water. This process is called acid rain and it is a major source of water pollution. Acid rain has been a problem since the Industrial Revolution, and has kept growing ever since. With acid rain moving over to a fresh water body, the plants and animals could experience pollution that they never had to deal with before and they could possibly die for the sudden change without them having time to adapt, if this is possible. Clean water involves seclusion of lakes and hoping the acid rain does not reach these pure water supplies. Another major source of contaminating clean water are oil spills and how destructively they blanket the shoreline they come in contact with. Although offshore drilling expeditions contribute some to the devastating outcome, oil tankers are the superior enemies toward the water. One estimate is that for every one million tons of petroleum shipped one ton is s pilled. The largest super tanker spill was in 1979 when 3.3 million barrels was spilled off the coast of France. The largest in the United States was the Exxon Valdez in the gulf of Alaska. On the night of March 24, 1989 the 987 foot Exxon Valdez ran aground in the gulf of Alaska spilling 260,000 barrels of oil. With the help of the forceful winds, the slick soon covered about 1,100 miles of shoreline, including many islands in the sound.

A Marxist Analysis of the Accra Mall

3rd December, 2012. Marxist analysis of the Accra Mall Marxist describes the power struggle between different social classes in society. Marxism is further explained by certain concepts, such as ideology and hegemony, base and superstructure and reification. Ideology is a set of ideas or viewpoints that one social class has of another which influences the way they behave towards each other while hegemony refers to the way people act based on the ideas or ideologies that they hold and act out regarding other classes.Base and superstructure refers to the system whereby the working class, which represents the majority of the people, is ruled by the few, the owners of the sources of production. Marxism in essence can be seen in all walks of life and in various parts of our society. The Accra mall in Greater Accra is one such place. The Accra Mall is more than just an avenue to shop. The Accra Mall is the place to see and be seen. It is strategically located at the very tip of the Spintex Road, at the Tetteh Quashie Roundabout, in close proximity to a number of hotels, high end residential apartments and corporate buildings.In essence the mall caters to a certain class of people; the affluent in the Ghanaian society. It contains about twenty or so shops with mostly overpriced goods. There is a food court located right in the middle of the shopping mall with a playground for children. The mall’s general ambience, of money, expensive food, high end clothing and a large parking lot, usually overcrowded with flashy and expensive cars gives one a good idea of what to expect in the mall.The air of spending is further heightened by the presence of the numerous automated teller machines (ATM) placed at one part the mall. The neighborhood and the mall in general gives a clear cut distinction of who they serve and who serves them- it caters for the rich and wealthy that are served by the working class or the poor. The large parking lot mentioned earlier, constantly has a greater ratio of flashy cars to a very small number of not so nice cars. Without a doubt, it is evident that the mall is frequented by the upper classmen, or those who can afford to drive them.The price tags does not encourage the lower class to frequent the place because the products or items sold at the mall are above the financial means of a person for instance, the price of a bottle of soda at Rhapsody’s, one of the restaurants is ludicrously expensive and hence caters to the high class or the middle class that can spend extravagantly. On the other hand a restaurant like Pizza Inn prices the goods somewhat moderately to cater to all the classes. Another case is of two supermarkets, Game and Shoprite. It is common to see people coming out Game with few items.In contrast, Shoprite prices their goods that most people could at least buy a cookie from their bakery or a little toy for their children or a plate of nicely decorated and somewhat tasty meals. The people in the m all fall into two categories, as society dictates; the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. The proletariat is made up of the janitors, the shop attendants, security guards and basically people who are not likely to spend in the mall. The other group, mainly made up of the business men and women, doctors and lawyers are mainly the customers; the proletariat.The shop attendants, the janitors and security guards depend on the purchasing and patronized services of the customers, in this case the bourgeoisie, to spend at the mall, so that they can earn money. The bourgeoisie are catered to by the proletariat at the mall. They serve them at the mall and are the people who work â€Å"behind the scenes† to make things the way they are for the bourgeoisie to enjoy. The proletariats on the other hand are employed by the bourgeoisie and depend on them for their livelihood. At the Accra Mall, there is a general reaction by the shop owners and the other people, based on the way people look.P eople are profiled into either whether they are of high class or a low class, in other words, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The society has a way of classifying people by the way they dress. If your clothes appear trendy or fashionable enough then you must be in the upper class. The proletariats on the other hand are looked down upon immediately because they are judged to be the lower class based on their dressing and are hence treated as potential shoplifters or people up to no good. Marxism permeates all areas of our society; healthcare, in education and in a number of other aspects of life. The Accra Mall is one such place.People of all sorts can be identified here, and there in lie the groups of the bourgeoisie and proletariat. There is a constant, somewhat passive struggle for power. While the bourgeoisie (the rich, upper class, wealthy customers) continue to revel in their spending and high end lifestyle, the proletariat (the janitors, the security guards and staff in g eneral) work long hours to try to attain a respectful position in life, to become like the bourgeoisie. As long as the society continues to go on in this manner, Marxist theory of power struggle will continue to be relevant in explaining such conflict.

Trinity University Admissions and Acceptance Rate

Trinity University Admissions and Acceptance Rate Founded in 1869, Trinity University is a small, private university with historic ties to the Presbyterian Church. The university occupies a 117-acre campus of red brick buildings overlooking San Antonio, Texas. Nearby colleges include University of the Incarnate Word  and St. Marys University. Students come from 45 states and 64 countries, and the college has an impressive 9 to 1 student / faculty ratio. Trinitys business programs are the most popular among the schools 47 majors, but the universitys strengths in the liberal arts and sciences earned the school a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. The university is largely residential with over three-quarters of students living on campus. In athletics, the Trinity Tigers compete in the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). Will you get in? Calculate your chances of getting in with this free tool from Cappex. Admissions Data (2016) Trinity University Acceptance Rate: 41  percentGPA, SAT and ACT graph for TrinityTest Scores: 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 580 / 690SAT Math: 580 / 680What these SAT numbers meanTop Texas colleges SAT comparisonACT Composite: 27 / 31ACT English: 26  / 33ACT Math: 26 / 30What these ACT numbers meanTop Texas colleges ACT comparison Enrollment (2016) Total Enrollment: 2,466  (2,298 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 47% Male / 53% Female98% Full-time Costs (2016-17) Tuition and Fees: $39,560Books: $1,000 (why so much?)Room and Board: $12,754Other Expenses: $1,400Total Cost: $54,714 Trinity University Financial Aid (2015 -16) Percentage of Students Receiving Aid: 98 percentPercentage of Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 96 percentLoans: 40  percentAverage Amount of AidGrants: $24,049Loans: $9,197 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors:  Accounting, Communication Studies, Economics, Engineering, English, Finance, History, Marketing, Political ScienceWhat major is right for you?  Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Graduation and Retention Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 89  percent4-Year Graduation Rate: 68 percent6-Year Graduation Rate: 77  percent Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Mens Sports:  Football, Track and Field, Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country, Swimming, TennisWomens Sports:  Swimming, Soccer, Cross Country, Track and Field, Volleyball, Tennis If You Like Trinity University, You May Also Like These Schools: Rice University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphBaylor University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTexas Christian University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTexas State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphSt Marys University: Profile  University of Houston: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTexas Tech University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Dallas: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphDuke University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphVanderbilt University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphStanford University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph Trinity University Mission Statement: see the complete mission statement at  trinity.edu/departments/academic_affairs/hb/histstr/mission.htm Trinity University is an independent co-educational university whose mission is excellence in the interrelated areas of teaching, research, and service. Trinity seeks to provide broad and intensive educational opportunities primarily to undergraduates in liberal arts and sciences, and in selected professional and pre-professional fields. It also offers a small number of selected high quality graduate programs. Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics

more than camping essays

more than camping essays Are teenager really different these days? I mean I was once a teenager, I must know. All I can remember about being a teenager were that bagging cloths were in, playing sports, and getting good grades for mom and dad. Life seemed simple, going to school and some mischief here there, but what I really wonder was is what kids do, feel, and think these days. Hoping to find some answers I attended a Hmong Seventh-Day Adventist Church camp meeting. The camp meeting includes about 30 teenagers with a good balance of both boys and girls. The age group that I focused on was 15 to 18 year olds. One good aspect of this study was that all the kids were Hmong, in which I was all the more interested in. My duty in the camp meeting was assisting instructors and helping with activities. In my position I able to do my so called one on one "counsel-chatting" with a couple of individuals. This included me chatting one to one with one individual one ideas or subjects and how they feel. In my study I split the ages into two groups, 15 to 16 and 17 to 18 year olds. This is due to the fact that I saw some differences in them. From there I then split the ages into boys and girls. "Boys will be boys" is what I've notice in the age group of boys from 15 to 16. The boys would stick to their little groups, in which made it all the more interesting. These boys seems to "just wanna have fun." One thing that I found interesting was that they want to have fun not to get in trouble, but to build friendships and enjoy eachothers company. Another thing was that the boys liked doing activities better with each and not with the girls and vice versa for the girls too. What is funny is that when they do get together I got that feeling of b ...

child labour in the 19th cent. essays

child labour in the 19th cent. essays The abuse and misuse of children being exploited in jobs has to be put to an end. Children of this century are no longer treated as the beauties of the world but are viewed as cheaply paid workers. Some employers are paying low wages or no wages at all, while others force children to work excessive hours. If the exploitation is severe enough, permanent physical, psychological, intellectual, social and moral damage, even death can result. A heartless attempt to gain wealth is costing America its children. To attack child labour in America, the causes, the conditions and the laws must be radically addressed. There are many reasons for America accepting child labour, the main cause being economic. Until now, the public has not been informed of the severity of the problem and have had no available statistics to inform people. During this time our strict puritan belief of hard work has justified the practice of child labour. As the number of factories has grown, the more people the factory owners need to tend to them. Since there is a lack of employers, they have to rely on the work of children. After the war when the South had fallen under the control of conservative Democrats, large social and economic problems remained. As the South was urged to build a new south and a solid industrial establishment, child labourers answered their calls. At first most people believed that employing children was beneficial to the community because it kept adolescents out of trouble , gave them maturity and provided some extra money for their families. Considering that most adult employee have be en replaced by children the working cycle has enlarged. The children of the poor are being forced by economic conditions to work. Housing is needed to accommodate the over-flow of workers since they cant afford their own accommodations. They have no choice but to live in company-owned housing built along wi ...

The Lottery (critical Analysis) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Lottery (critical Analysis) - Essay Example There is a great deal of irony in this story, situational irony, produced at the end of the story which leads to an unexpected turn of events. Throughout the story, Shirley continues to reinforce the quality and dimensions of relationships between the townsfolk, emphasizing how casual and well-acquainted everyone is with the dynamics of their family and personal lives. The author is setting the stage for the reader to make them believe that the final outcome of the lottery would be something insignificant, thus building dialogue that shows lack of concern about its meaning and a sort of indifference about the whole process which has apparently gone on for decades. The author uses foreshadowing in the story, especially early on when the children are gathering stones and piling them carefully, further guarding them in a protectionist method. Though it does not provide the type of symbolic cues necessary to determine what actually is involved with the lottery process, it does give subtle cues that the stones will somehow be involved in further dimensions of the story line. There is a great deal of symbolism used in the story, from well-detailed descriptions regarding the faded box, an object of scorn by some and seemingly unimportant to most. Though the box reinforces how long this lottery has been an active part of society, the disregard shown for the box attempts to make the reader believe that the lottery is something very minor in the town which explains its lack of upkeep over the years. Some of the dialogue between townsfolk also seems to indicate that they participate in the lottery as a form of obligation and through tradition, again fooling the reader to believe that the process will end with rather insignificant results. Using point of view from townspeople within their dialogue, the lottery is something with very minor consequences. â€Å"The most important quality of good fiction is the truth it tells – about humans and struggling

Why a Human Mind Seeks Attraction to a Beach Essay

Why a Human Mind Seeks Attraction to a Beach - Essay Example Every human mind is related with nature at a certain plane. And not a single person can ignore its mighty existence and unending influence on the mind and life of a man. Some people are attracted to mighty snow–capped mountains, some to green vales. Some minds get lost in the mystery of the woods and some lose their heart at the roaring waves of an ocean which crushes at the beach and to touch their feet. The beauty of a golden beach lying as a stretch on the bank of a sea or an ocean is always attractive for most of the people. It does not captivate the obscurity of woods and hardship of mountains. For a perfect destination to relax, rejuvenate and feel the mirth and warmth of life, beach is the best resort. It does not involve any physical hardship to stay or reach a beach. And the beauty of a beach is always more exploring with the progress in the hour clock. The color scheme of the stretch of land changes with the changing season. This glorifies the aura of the beach attra cting millions of tourist across the world every year. Thesis Statement This essay intends to analyze and explore the reasons why a human mind seeks attraction to a beach and tries to describe the beauty and blessings of nature bestowed upon this physical feature on earth. Beauty of a Beach To many people it might seem at the outset that a stretch of land covered with sand and rock cannot seem actually beautiful. However, to many others who have been attracted, enchanted and mesmerized with the glory, charm and enigma of a beach know that what fascinates them towards the stretch of land in reality. The golden sand dunes and the rocky cliffs situated at the shore of a vast water-body yielding magnificent and gigantic waves is a sight to watch from a considerable distance. The gigantic waves roar like thunder and then crush and efface on the banks. It seems that their mighty existence somewhere fall short, minor and tiny in front of the golden stretch of land (United Nations Education al, Scientific and Cultural Organization, â€Å"When Sand Dunes Have Been Destroyed†). The beach that is rocky or has cliffs is just another beautiful spectacle of nature. The waves evolving from the middle of the ocean, takes a magnificent aura before crushing down to the rocks and cliffs on the beach. It seems that those cliffs are the ring master of a circus taming a lion, making it ready for the show. The beast may roar, deny, show its magnanimity but before the rock-solid existence of the ring master and his agile hunter, the beast is ought to succumb and break down. The same spectacle evolves before the eyes of a person who stands at the rocky beach and watches the waves crushing down before the Rocky Mountains situated at the beach. The crushing of the waves produces beautiful foam which seems like some cluster of stray clouds on a blue sky. The poetic mind which operates above the mundane scientific theories of daily life perceives it as a reflection of the phenomena taking place up in the sky (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, â€Å"When Sand Dunes Have Been Destroyed†). Sunrise and sunset both occur with vivacity and grandeur at the beach. Sun and the sand play all through the day changing mood and color with the passing season. With its first ray the sun turns the beach into a casket of red light. The air gets warm slowly and the waves dance with the rays of the sun

Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative Essay - 1

Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence - Essay Example Lincoln learned through his experiences while working on a farm, splitting rails for fences and store-keeping at Illinois. He partook as a captain in the Black Hawk war which was fought between the Indian tribes and native white settlers during their westward expansion. His political career began with his appointment to the Illinois state legislature and later gaining an admission to the Illinois bar. This was soon followed by his marriage to Mary Todd and his subsequent election to the U.S. House of Representatives. They had four boys but tragedy struck and three of their children succumbed to illnesses and one son worked as an attorney and served as the President of Pullman Company. Despite many success as an attorney and several personal sorrows, Lincoln rose again with sheer determination to be nominated as the President of the Republican party in 1860 and went on to become President in the year 1861. His strong belief in equality among the citizens and the need for a successful democratic union assured him the presidency. This was soon followed by the civil war that attacked the Constitution of the United States. The northern and southern regions of the country were divided on the issue of slavery and as a result many southern states which supported slavery pulled out from the Union and formed a separate Confederate of States. However, President Lincoln assured the people that his primary responsibility was to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and that this would be the war’s primary motive. He undertook every possible measure at war time to preserve the Union and the victories gained in the battles provided the impetus for issuing the emancipation proclamation through which Lincoln freed all the slaves who sustained the war of the confederate. At the end of the war, Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg address wherein he upheld that the war paved the way for a new birth of freedom

Compare professional and non-professional correspondence Essay

Compare professional and non-professional correspondence - Essay Example One ought to speak slowly and clear in order for the listener to understand. Most importantly, one should use proper language and tone when addressing any person officially. One should e-mail a sergeant or sheriff in the formal way of writing a mail. This is because it is an official e-mail. Moreover, it should appear in the manner one writes a formal letter (Berlo, 2006). Therefore, there should be an address to the sergeant and the tone needs to be formal. Additionally, a sergeant or sheriff is a figure of authority and deserves the same level of communication as a sign of respect. Arguably, judicial communication is very formal. Therefore, when an individual meets a judge along the courthouse hallway, he or she is to take a bow. Additionally, one should address him or her as â€Å"your honor.† This is because it is the title given to the judge within the courtrooms. Moreover, judges differ and failure to bow could lead one to be in contempt of face. However, this depends on the judge. As a result, one needs to be on the safer

Police Brutality of the Mentally Ill Suspects Assignment

Police Brutality of the Mentally Ill Suspects - Assignment Example The policemen responsible for handling such cases will be observed discreetly as they work so that they may not change their treatment towards the mentally ill suspects. However, this kind of method raises some ethical concerns. Second, the research study could generate distrust to the participants such that future research on the subject would be difficult to obtain information or cooperation of the participants. Finally, the police did not agree to be studied at their workstations. Therefore, no consent was obtained for this exercise (Kothari, 2005). The hypothesis for the observation method would be: mentally ill suspects maltreatment by police decreases the quality of services. The independent and dependent variables respectively would be the police treatment and quality of services. Â  The sampling procedure that will be used is the convenience sampling. This is because not all the police within the station deal with the mentally ill suspects and, therefore, those who deal directly with the suspects are better placed to guide the research team into collecting adequate information. Another purpose for this is that the matter requires prompt action and, therefore, the sampling is fast and reliable for such a case. Limitations regarding validity and reliability of the study will include determining if the instrument used in the research will be accepted by the panelists who are going to fund the training. Second, would be determining if the results are valid such that the research can be replicated by other researchers and give the same results. Third, the research team is to determine the conclusions obtained after the study will match the reality on the ground ((Kothari, 2005). Â  

Political Parties Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Political Parties - Research Paper Example The normal people in the general population belong to this party electorate. These supporters or those who identify with a particular political party often show a strong tendency to vote for the candidate of that particular party. In addition, they register themselves as members of that party. These supporters tend to support all the policies of their political party blindly. There are various opinions among various scholars regarding party identification. While some opine that party identification is the result of people’s attachment to certain core political values, some others claim that party identification leads to political core values in an individual. In either way, political identification is an essential element in modern national politics. According to people like Green, palmquist, and Schickler, party identification is the sense of personal attachment one feels to a particular party as a result of the closeness he or she has to the social groups associated with tha t party (132). To illustrate, people often decide their political party taking into consideration how they feel about the social group which makes the base of that particular political party. The study by Goren proves that party identification is stable and rather long lasting (882). Admittedly, the first benefit of party identification is the proper representation of people’s requirements and their satisfaction. ... Secondly, though there is the claim that party identification leads to partisan politics, there is the counter argument that party identification leads to a greater degree of unity. For example, Larry shows that an individual’s value selection is greatly influenced by their party affiliation (122). That means a large chunk of population, which believes in a particular political party, tends to blindly support what the party propagates. It will help in reducing individual differences in opinion to a great extent. This is evident from Feldman’s report that party identification leads to greater voter turnout in elections (431). That means identification to a political party encourages participation in democratic process. As Fiorina opines, party identification is the best way to ensure effective running of democracies. For instance, such political parties are the only platform for candidates to reach the masses in a short time (89). Without the presence of parties, the ent ire system will be in chaos as so many candidates might turn up and the population will be divided into so many divisions based on the demands of each small section. Thus, political system becomes an important aspect of a successful democracy. Along with this, political parties play a great role in coordinated social interaction. Forgetting minor differences in individual perceptions, people gather under the banner of political parties and promote group survival and welfare activities instead of individual needs. Finally, in times of trouble and complex social situations, parties provide cues that guide people. Thus, party identification is an important element of party system and political participation, and these both are essential for democracy. 2. Developments in party Identification

Compare professional and non-professional correspondence Essay

Compare professional and non-professional correspondence - Essay Example One ought to speak slowly and clear in order for the listener to understand. Most importantly, one should use proper language and tone when addressing any person officially. One should e-mail a sergeant or sheriff in the formal way of writing a mail. This is because it is an official e-mail. Moreover, it should appear in the manner one writes a formal letter (Berlo, 2006). Therefore, there should be an address to the sergeant and the tone needs to be formal. Additionally, a sergeant or sheriff is a figure of authority and deserves the same level of communication as a sign of respect. Arguably, judicial communication is very formal. Therefore, when an individual meets a judge along the courthouse hallway, he or she is to take a bow. Additionally, one should address him or her as â€Å"your honor.† This is because it is the title given to the judge within the courtrooms. Moreover, judges differ and failure to bow could lead one to be in contempt of face. However, this depends on the judge. As a result, one needs to be on the safer

Political Parties Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Political Parties - Research Paper Example The normal people in the general population belong to this party electorate. These supporters or those who identify with a particular political party often show a strong tendency to vote for the candidate of that particular party. In addition, they register themselves as members of that party. These supporters tend to support all the policies of their political party blindly. There are various opinions among various scholars regarding party identification. While some opine that party identification is the result of people’s attachment to certain core political values, some others claim that party identification leads to political core values in an individual. In either way, political identification is an essential element in modern national politics. According to people like Green, palmquist, and Schickler, party identification is the sense of personal attachment one feels to a particular party as a result of the closeness he or she has to the social groups associated with tha t party (132). To illustrate, people often decide their political party taking into consideration how they feel about the social group which makes the base of that particular political party. The study by Goren proves that party identification is stable and rather long lasting (882). Admittedly, the first benefit of party identification is the proper representation of people’s requirements and their satisfaction. ... Secondly, though there is the claim that party identification leads to partisan politics, there is the counter argument that party identification leads to a greater degree of unity. For example, Larry shows that an individual’s value selection is greatly influenced by their party affiliation (122). That means a large chunk of population, which believes in a particular political party, tends to blindly support what the party propagates. It will help in reducing individual differences in opinion to a great extent. This is evident from Feldman’s report that party identification leads to greater voter turnout in elections (431). That means identification to a political party encourages participation in democratic process. As Fiorina opines, party identification is the best way to ensure effective running of democracies. For instance, such political parties are the only platform for candidates to reach the masses in a short time (89). Without the presence of parties, the ent ire system will be in chaos as so many candidates might turn up and the population will be divided into so many divisions based on the demands of each small section. Thus, political system becomes an important aspect of a successful democracy. Along with this, political parties play a great role in coordinated social interaction. Forgetting minor differences in individual perceptions, people gather under the banner of political parties and promote group survival and welfare activities instead of individual needs. Finally, in times of trouble and complex social situations, parties provide cues that guide people. Thus, party identification is an important element of party system and political participation, and these both are essential for democracy. 2. Developments in party Identification

Trends in Hiv Prevalence Essay Example for Free

Trends in Hiv Prevalence Essay ABSTRACT HIV prevalence in the world is becoming increasingly high. As of mid-1998, the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to spread unequally around the world. In many cities in sub-Saharan African countries more than a quarter of young and middle-aged adults are infected with HIV, whereas in most developed countries, the number of annual AIDS cases continues to decrease. The status and of HIV epidemics in most other areas of the world remains uncertain because of inadequate data on the prevalence of HIV-risk behaviours. Hence, this paper presentation seeks to examine the trends of HIV prevalence across the world taking all the continents into consideration. INTRODUCTION HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a lentivirus, and like all viruses of this type, it attacks the immune system. Lentiviruses are in turn part of a larger group of viruses known as retroviruses. The name lentivirus literally means slow virus because they take such a long time to produce any adverse effects in the body. They have been found in a number of different animals, including cats, sheep, horses and cattle. However, the most interesting lentivirus in terms of the investigation into the origins of HIV is the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) that affects monkeys, which is believed to be at least 32,000 years old. It is now generally accepted that HIV is a descendant of a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus because certain strains of SIVs bear a very close resemblance to HIV-1 and HIV-2, the two types of HIV. HIV-2 for example corresponds to SIVsm, a strain of the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus found in the sooty mangabey (also known as the White-collared monkey), which is indigenous to western Africa. The more virulent, pandemic strain of HIV, namely HIV-1, was until recently more difficult to place. Until 1999, the closest counterpart that had been identified was SIVcpz, the SIV found in chimpanzees. However, this virus still had certain significant differences from HIV There are a number of factors that may have contributed to the sudden spread of HIV, most of which occurred in the latter half of the twentieth century and these includes: * Blood Transfusion * Drug Use * Mother-to-Child Transfusion ORIGIN OF HIV The origin of AIDS and HIV has puzzled scientists ever since the illness first came to light in the early 1980s. For over twenty years it has been the subject of fierce debate and the cause of countless arguments, with everything from a promiscuous flight attendant to a suspect vaccine programme being blamed. The first recognized case of AIDS occurred in the USA in the early 1980s. A number of gay men in New York and California suddenly began to develop rare opportunistic infections and cancers that seemed stubbornly resistant to any treatment. At this time, AIDS did not yet have a name, but it quickly became obvious that all the men were suffering from a common syndrome. The discovery of HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, was made soon after. While some were initially resistant to acknowledge the connection (and indeed some remain so today), there is now clear evidence to prove that HIV causes AIDS. So, in order to find the source of AIDS, it is necessary to look for the origin of HIV, and find out how, when and where HIV first began to cause disease in humans. In February 1999 a group of researchers from the University of Alabama announced that they had found a type of SIVcpz that was almost identical to HIV-1. This particular strain was identified in a frozen sample taken from a captive member of the sub-group of chimpanzees known as Pan Troglodytes (P. t. troglodytes), which were once common in west-central Africa. The researchers (led by Paul Sharp of Nottingham University and Beatrice Hahn of the University of Alabama) made the discovery during the course of a 10-year long study into the origins of the virus. They claimed that this sample proved that chimpanzees were the source of HIV-1, and that the virus had at some point crossed species from chimps to humans. Their final findings were published two years later in Nature magazine. In this article, they concluded that wild chimps had been infected simultaneously with two different simian immunodeficiency viruses which had viral sex to form a third virus that could be passed on to other chimps and, more significantly, was capable of infecting humans and causing AIDS. These two different viruses were traced back to a SIV that infected red-capped mangabeys and one found in greater spot-nosed monkeys. They believe that the hybridisation took place inside chimps that had become infected with both strains of SIV after they hunted and killed the two smaller species of monkey. They also concluded that all three groups of HIV-1 namely Group M, N and O (see our strains and subtypes page for more information on these) came from the SIV found in P. t. troglodytes, and that each group represented a separate crossover event from chimps to humans. It has been known for a long time that certain viruses can pass between species. Indeed, the very fact that chimpanzees obtained SIV from two other species of primate shows just how easily this crossover can occur. As animals ourselves, we are just as susceptible. When a viral transfer between animals and humans takes place, it is known as zoonosis. The most commonly accepted theory on how zoonosis took place, and how SIV became HIV in humans is that of the hunter. In this scenario, SIVcpz was transferred to humans as a result of chimps being killed and eaten or their blood getting into cuts or wounds on the hunter. Normally the hunters body would have fought off SIV, but on a few occasions it adapted itself within its new human host and became HIV-1. The fact that there were several different early strains of HIV, each with a slightly different genetic make-up (the most common of which was HIV-1 group M), would support this theory: every time it passed from a chimpanzee to a man, it would have developed in a slightly different way within his body, and thus produced a slightly different strain. An article published in The Lancet in 20044 , also shows how retroviral transfer from primates to hunters is still occurring even today. In a sample of 1099 individuals in Cameroon, they discovered ten (1%) were infected with SFV (Simian Foamy Virus), an illness which, like SIV, was previously thought only to infect primates. All these infections were believed to have been acquired through the butchering and consumption of monkey and ape meat. Discoveries such as this have led to calls for an outright ban on bush meat hunting to prevent simian viruses being passed to humans. Others theories include: * The oral polio vaccine (OPV) theory * The contaminated needle theory * The colonialism theory * The conspiracy theory Four of the earliest known instances of HIV infection are as follows: * A plasma sample taken in 1959 from an adult male living in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. * A lymph node sample taken in 1960 from an adult female, also from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. * HIV found in tissue samples from an American teenager who died in St. Louis in 1969. A 1998 analysis of the plasma sample from 1959 suggested that HIV-1 was introduced into humans around the 1940s or the early 1950s.   In January 2000, the results of a new study16 suggested that the first case of HIV-1 infection occurred around 1931 in West Africa. This estimate (which had a 15 year margin of error) was based on a complex computer model of HIVs evolution. However, a study in 200817 dated the origin of HIV to between 1884 and 1924, much earlier than previous estimates. The researchers compared the viral sequence from 1959 (the oldest known HIV-1 specimen) to the newly discovered sequence from 1960. They found a significant genetic difference between them, demonstrating diversification of HIV-1 occurred long before the AIDS pandemic was recognised. The authors suggest a long history of the virus in Africa and call Kinshasa the â€Å"epicentre of the HIV/AIDS pandemic† in Central Africa. They propose the early spread of HIV was concurrent with the development of colonial cities, in which crowding of people increased opportunities for HIV transmission. If accurate, these findings imply that HIV existed before many scenarios (such as the OPV and conspiracy theories) suggest. Until recently, the origins of the HIV-2 virus had remained relatively unexplored. HIV-2 is thought to come from the SIV in Sooty Mangabeys rather than chimpanzees, but the crossover to humans is believed to have happened in a similar way (i.e. through the butchering and consumption of monkey meat). It is far rarer, significantly less infectious and progresses more slowly to AIDS than HIV-1. As a result, it infects far fewer people, and is mainly confined to a few countries in West Africa. In May 2003, a group of Belgian researchers published a report18 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. By analysing samples of the two different subtypes of HIV-2 (A and B) taken from infected individuals and SIV samples taken from sooty mangabeys, Dr Vandamme concluded that subtype A had passed into humans around 1940 and subtype B in 1945 (plus or minus 16 years or so). Her team of researchers also discovered that the virus had originated in Guinea-Bissau and that its spread was most likely precipitated by the independence war that took place in the country between 1963 and 1974 (Guinea-Bissau is a former Portuguese colony). Her theory was backed up by the fact that the first European cases of HIV-2 were discovered among Portuguese veterans of the war, many of whom had received blood transfusions or unsterile injections following injury, or had possibly had relationships with local women. TRENDS IN HIV PREVALENCE Since 2001, MEASURE Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) have included HIV testing in 31 countries. In 13 of these countries testing has been included in two surveys, which provides an opportunity to examine trends. However, trend data must be viewed with caution, as only some changes are statistically significant. Trends in HIV Prevalence In the charts below, changes in HIV prevalence that are statistically significant are marked with an asterisk and a star.   While it may appear that HIV prevalence has decreased in most countries, these decreases are only statistically significant in the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Tanzania, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. This means that in these countries, the change is large enough that it is unlikely that the decrease is due to chance alone; it probably represents true change in the HIV prevalence in the population. In some countries, such as Tanzania, the decrease is statistically significant for the population as a whole, and for men, but not for women. In Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe, HIV prevalence has decreased among both women and men. DHS surveys have not detected any change in HIV prevalence in Mali, Senegal, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Lesotho, or Zambia. What does this mean? Because HIV prevalence is a measure of all HIV infections in a population, a decrease in HIV prevalence could indicate that fewer people are becoming infected, and/or that more people with HIV have died in a population. Similarly, an increase in HIV prevalence could point to more new infections, and/or could indicate an increase in HIV-positive individuals living longer on anti-retroviral therapy. TRENDS IN HIV PREVALENCE IN ASIA PACIFIC REGION With over 60 percent if the worlds population, the Asia-Pacific Region presents a wide diversity of HIV-related risk environments, in terms of behavioural, political and cultural factors. Within the framework of this diversity, there has also been a wide range of HIV epidemics and responses, both across and within countries. It is not therefore possible to present a simple analysis of the actual and potential occurrence of HIV infection in this vast region. Our understanding of the HIV epidemic and its determinants in the Asia-Pacific Region has improved substantially over the past 3-5 years, as a number of countries have implemented comprehensive surveillance systems for HIV prevalence, and sexual and injecting risk behaviours. Despite these advances, a number of countries still have a limited capacity to assess the occurrence of HIV infection and related behaviours, and to monitor the impact of interventions. A recent factor of importance in the Asia-Pacific environment has been the economic tumult of the past year. While various predictions have been made of the potential impact on the HIV epidemic, it is not possible to state with any certainty whether their net effect will be to increase or decrease the incidence of risk behaviour or HIV transmission. Since extensive HIV transmission has been a very recent phenomenon in a number of Asia-Pacific countries, there has so far been little experience with the care and support of people with HIV-related illness. Apart from Australia, Thailand and Japan, few countries have a healthcare workforce, which is adequately prepared to care for substantial numbers of people developing HIV-related illness. Without simplifying too much, it is possible to classify the differing patterns of HIV transmission into broad categories, based on available surveillance data. In Australia and New Zealand, the virtually all HIV transmission has been through sex between men, and the incidence of transmission via this route has long been recognized as having declined substantially in the 1980s. In a few countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia and parts of Myanmar and India, heterosexual transmission has been extensive, mediated through large-scale sex industries but extending now to the regular partners of sex workers male clients. Some countries have HIV epidemics among injecting drug users (IDU) with limited associated heterosexual transmission. These include countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and some areas of India and China. Other countries have limited, but well documented spread of HIV infections, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. Several countries have not reported substantial numbers of HIV infection, but do not appear to have comprehensive, ongoing surveillance systems. Papua New Guinea, Pakistan and Bangladesh are countries which may have a substantial risk environment, and need to strengthen their surveillance activities. The analysis of HIV epidemic trends in the region becomes more meaningful when a focus is placed on populations whose cultural and social affinity and networks transcend geopolitical borders. A new geography of HIV/AIDS in the region then emerges that helps recognize the foci of intense HIV spread. These include large metropolitan areas in western and southern India (Mumbai, Chinnai); the India/Nepal border area; the larger Golden Triangle, which reaches out to northern Thailand, eastern Myanmar, but also encompasses the areas of Manipur in India and Yunnan in China; and the Mekong delta area, which includes Cambodia and southern Vietnam. To gain better understanding of the dynamics of HIV epidemics, factors of affinity between populations as well as mobility patterns must be explored and mapped out.

Fraunhofer Diffraction Experiment

Fraunhofer Diffraction Experiment INTRODUCTION Diffraction is one of the most important topics in optics, it refers to a spectacle which occurs when a wave encounters an obstacle or slit in its path. The wave will then bend around the edges or corners of the obstacle or aperture, into the region of a geometrical shadow of the obstacle. The Fraunhofer diffraction equation is used to model the diffraction of waves when the diffraction pattern is viewed at a long distance from the diffracting object, and also when it is viewed at the focal plane of an imaging lens. In contrast, the diffraction pattern created near the object, in the near field region, is given by the Fresnel diffraction equation. If the shadow of an object cast on a screen by a small source of light is examined, it is found that the boundary of the shadow is not sharp. The light is not propagated strictly in straight lines, and peculiar patterns are produced near the edges of the shadow, which depend on the size and shape of the object. This breaking up of the light, which occurs as it passes the object, is known as diffraction and the patterns observed are called diffraction patterns. The phenomena arise because of the natural wave nature of light. Apertures and objects produce a similar effect. In Fraunhofer diffraction, a parallel beam of light passes the diffracting object in question and the effects are observed in the focal plane of a lens placed behind it. From the diagram in FIG 1, AB represents a slit whose length is perpendicular to the plane of the paper given by the distance $d$, and which parallel beam of light passes through from left to right. Per Huygenss principle, each point in the slit must be considered as a source of secondary wavelets that spread out in all directions. Now the wavelets travelling straight forward along AC, BD, and so on, will arrive at the lens in phase and will produce strong constructive interference at point O. Secondary wavelets spreading out in a direction such as AE, BF, and so on will arrive at the lens with a phase difference between successive wavelets, and the effect at P will depend on whether this phase difference causes destructive interference or not. It will be noticed that there will always be a bright fringe at the centre of the diffraction pattern. The separation of the diffraction bands increases as the width of the slit is reduced; with a wide slit the bands are so close together that they are not readily noticeable. The separation also depends on the wavelength of light, being greater for longer wavelengths. In the case of the slit shown in the diagram, the first dark line at P is in a direction $theta$ such that BG is one wavelength, $lambda$. If d is the width of the slit, then $theta = lambda/d$. This is assuming the angle is so small then $sin(theta) approx theta$. EXPERIMENTS In these sets of experiments a low power (0.5 mW) Helium-neon laser is used as the source of light. The laser light produced by the laser used is coherent and parallel, but for these sets of experiments the beams diameter is far too small. To get around this problem a beam expander arrangement is set up in front of the laser source to expand the beam to a larger width before hitting the object being examined. From FIG 2 it can be seen that the biconcave lens A causes the beam to diverge, and appear to emerge from the point X in the focal plane of the lens A. If a second lens B with focal length $f_B$ and place it $f_B$ away from X as shown, the outputted laser light will be parallel again, but it will have a large width. The output of this beam is used to examine Fraunhofer diffraction patterns produced under various circumstances, viewing the resulting patterns on a white screen or with the use of a photodetector to detect beam intensity at varying locations. A good bit of time is spend aligning the laser to be as close to the center of the lenses as possible and therefore careful note is taken for where each position of the lenses stands are set, this will help with consistency between different days and if the apparatus is tampered with. The distance from the object being examined to the photodetector was kept at a constant $(0.53pm 0.01)m$ throughout all experiments carried out. SINGLE SLIT The first object to be examined is the simple single slit. Setting up a variable slit in the object path the slit width can be adjusted allowing investigation of slit width and intensity to be measured. The intensity distribution on the screen is given by the equation, The resulting laser beam from the beam expander passes through the single slit then through another lens to focus on a detector screen. Placing a white sheet of paper on this screen the maximas can easily be seen by eye allowing simple marks to be placed where they are. These marks then can be easily measured with a set of digital callipers, which have a measurement uncertainty of $pm$0.02mm for measurements less than 100mm and $pm$0.02mm for less than 200mmcite{digitalcalipers}. It is seen that for a varying single slit the separation of the diffraction bands increases as the width of the slit is reduced; with a wide slit the bands are so close together that they are not readily noticeable. This is as expected from the predicted theory. Using a single non-variable slit as the object, the resulting slit separation can be calculated. This is done by taking the measurements from the central maximum and plotting them against their order. This relation is given by Youngs equation,  where $y_m$ is the distance from the central maxima for the mth order fringe, $lambda$ is the wavelength of laser light used, $D$ is the distance from the object to the screen and $a$ is the slit width. Plotting the values of $y_m$ versus the corresponding order value $m$ the resulting line of best fit is the value of $frac{lambda D}{a}$, with the use of the known constant the value of $a$ can be determined. This calculation is easily done with MATLAB which would give a more accurate result than hand drawing a graph, using the function $nlinfit$ the error in the line of best fit can be obtained and thus the uncertainty in the measurement of the slit width. Each value for $y_m$ is taken multiple times to reduce reading uncertainty and also the marking of maxima on the paper is repeated to further reduce reading uncertainty. From measurements taken the calculated value for the slit width was found to be $(7.31pm 0.39)cdot10^{-5}m$, this agrees with typical values for a single slit which are in the order of Nano meters. At this point it was found that the photodetector didnt function properly. Trying to measure intensity it was seen that the measured value was negative. It was also not notable to see second and third maximas, just the central maxima could be clearly detectable. Many attempts were made to correct this, re alignment of the laser had very little effect. Ensuring the room was constantly dark to try to eliminate the background light was also tested, but again no improvement in the reading. It was decided to stop taking any measurements of the intensities for the remaining experiments. MULTIPLE SLITS An arrangement consisting of many parallel slits, of the same width and separated by equal distance is known as a Diffraction grating. When the spacing between the lines is of the order of the wavelength of light, then a noticeable deviation of the light is produced. The intensity of light can be adapted from one single slit to a generalisation for N number of slits, the distribution for N number of slits is given by, The $sin^2beta/beta^2$ term is describing the diffraction from each individual slit. While the $(sin^2(NY))/(sin^2(Y))$ describes the interference for the N slits, and so this gives a maximum and minimum where, Each diffraction grating was placed in the source holder one by one and the outputted diffraction patterns on the detector screen were observed. It was found to be that the second maxima were weaker as the number of slits on the source was increased and the central maxima became sharper. Grating with 6 slits was found to be the sharpest central image while the slit with only 2 was the weakest. ONE AND TWO DIMENSIONAL One dimensional gratings can now be used to examine the difference in slit width and to examine the difference in diffraction patterns observed, for this part there were three unknown one dimensional gratings to be examined. The gratings were loaded in one by one and marking the central maximum and other maximum observed on the screen the distances can be measured allowing slit width to be calculated. It was observed that the different gratings gave a different spread of maxima on the screen. For a one dimensional grating the measurements were repeated 3 times for three different gratings. The same method is used to calculate the slit distance as in the single slit experiment. The measurements for the gratings widths were found to be, $(6.90pm 0.51)cdot10^{-5}m$, $(2.37pm 0.46)cdot10^{-5}m$ and $(1.49pm 0.14)cdot10^{-5}m$. All these values lie within the expected range for a slit to diffract light. To measure the output of the two-dimensional grating we can model it as two one dimensional problems. Measuring the maxima in one direction then again in the other direction, these two can be compared and should be with in similar value is the grating is equally spaced in both directions. Results were found to be $(5.84pm 2.62)cdot10^{-5}m$ and $(5.24pm 2.62 CONCLUSION All parts of the experiments were carried out effectively and for all parts of the experiment data was collected and analysed. For a single slit of unknown width the calculated value for it was found to be $(7.31pm 0.39)cdot10^{-5}m$, which is in the right order of magnitude for a single slit resulting in light diffracting. Also observing multiple slits on a source was found to show that the second maxima were weaker as the number of slits on the source was increased and the central maxima became sharper. Finally, a one and two-dimensional grating was analysed to calculate wire separation. It was found for the one dimension samples the separation width was $(6.90pm 0.51)cdot10^{-5}m$, $(2.37pm 0.46)cdot10^{-5}m$ and $(1.49pm 0.14)cdot10^{-5}m$ and for the two dimensional it was found that in each directions the width was $(5.84pm 2.62)cdot10^{-5}m$ and $(5.24pm 2.62)cdot10^{-5}m$. Unfortunately, the photodetector did not work accordingly. The values obtained from one measurement did not match with values obtained later or on different days. Attempts were made to try and improve readings; keeping room constantly pitch black and realignment of the mirrors. It was decided to stop taking detector measurements.

Access Project :: essays research papers

MS ACCESS PROJECT The MS Access project is group oriented to allow individuals to exchange ideas and learn from each other. You will build an Access database to store stock, student, and investment information with data downloaded from the Internet and copied from other sources. Each group member starts with $10,000 in imaginary money which will be invested after the closing of the market on Friday 2/18/05, and will be sold at the closing bell on Friday 3/11/05. Each group member must invest all the group money in 2 different S&P 100 stocks. You cannot invest less than $1,000 per stock. The group that has earned the most money (or lost the least) at the end of the period will receive an extra 5 points for each group member. Group Composition Each group will consist of 4 to 5 members of same responsibilities that will equally share the workload. You will create your own groups in class. Each member of the group will be assigned the same grade unless otherwise shown in peer-evaluation. When it comes to peer-evaluation, the total group points will be divided among the members in your group, in which case you will be assigned a grade that will reflect your evaluation. This grade can be higher or lower than the group grade. Table Definitions and Table Data †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build a new database named MIS175G000.MDB, where 000 is your assigned group number. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Import all data from SP100Stocks worksheet in the SP100Stocks.xls Excel workbook into a new table in your database. The new table will be named Stocks. The primary key for this table is the Symbol field. After the Stocks table has been created, change the size of the Symbol field to 6 Text characters, the Stock Name field to 40 characters, and the EPS (Earnings Per Share) field to a currency with 3 decimal places. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build a new table named Groups with the following specifications: Field Name   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Data Type   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Key GroupNumber  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Text (4)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yes GroupName   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Text (50)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   GroupMeetings  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Memo   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Create a new record in the Groups table with your assigned group number, a group name of your choice and, in the GroupMeetings field, type the days and hours you have decided to meet. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build a new table named Members with the following specifications: Field Name   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Data Type   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Key GroupNumber  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Text (4)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MemberID  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  AutoNumber   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Yes FirstName   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Text(15)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   LastName  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Text(18)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   EmailAddress  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hyperlink  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Picture  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  OLE Object  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Major  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Text (5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   PhoneNumber  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Text  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You must define a mask for the Phone Number field.

Development of Tools Throughout Time Essay -- essays papers

Development of Tools Throughout Time Our world today has many different kinds of tools. I realized this when I was walking through The Home Depot a few weeks ago. On one isle are nails, and screws, the next isle there are power drills to go along with power saws and power sanders. Now imagine the world with no tools, no nails or screws. It would be pretty difficult to do most anything. We would have no houses to live in, no cars to travel to work in, and we would have no place of employment in which to work. Without tools our world would be nothing. This is the world our ancestors faced, and they had nothing but rocks and sticks. Homo Habilis had the challenge of being the first hominid with a larger brain, which allowed him to have the ability to do more things. With early hominids lacking size and strength to kill large animals they used certain objects to kill and devour these animals. This ultimately led to the development of tools. By 2.5 million years ago, a new human evolutionary trend had begun. The change to a upright bipedal posture, and existing flexibility at the shoulder, arms, and hands allowed hominids to carry and manipulate objects much more readily. Early hominids began to manipulate the physical world, inventing solutions to the problems of human existence. Instead of foraging, as do most primates, on a more or less individualistic basis for food sources, early hominids invented stone tools with which they could slay larger animals. This began a switch from scavenging to hunting as the main means by which meat was acquired. The earliest known tools yet discovered were found by Louis and Mary Leakey at Olduvai Gorge dating back to about two million years ago. They originally thought that these tools were made by the Australopithecus, but later determined that they were made by the Homo Habilis . The first tools found were classified as lower paleolithic tools. These tools belong to the Oldowan tool tradition. These tools which were opportunist in nature were characterized by an all-purpose generalized chopping tool. These were produced by removing a few flakes from a stone either by using another stone as a hammer or by striking a pebble against a large rock. Manufacturing tools this way is called the percussion method. Many of these tools were made out of quartz or lava; which were not the most common st... ...hominids we would have no understanding of any prehistoric life. Their technological advances helped us to create more efficient tools which allow us to research these ancient cultures. As one can see, we are presently expanding our modern tool kits every decade; so who is to say what technological advances will be made in the next several millennia's. Tools have evolved to influence, if not determine, human history. Bibliography Burenholt, Dr. Govan. The First Humans - Human Origins and History to 10,000 B.C. New York; Harper Collins Publishes. 1993 Haviland, William A. Anthropology - Ninth Edition Orlando ,Florida; Harcourt College Publishers. 2000 Johanson, Donald and Lenora. Ancestors New York; Villard Books. 1994 Leaky, Richard. Origin of Humankind New York; Harper Collins Publishers. 1994 Rowlett, Ralph M., Michael G. Davis, and Robert B. Grabe. Friendly Fire http://anthropology.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.discoveringarchaeology.com%2F0599toc%2F5feature3-fire.shtml Time-Life Books. The Human Dawn New Jersey; Time-Life Books. 1990 Wallbank, T. Walter. Civilization Past and Present New York; Harper Collins Publishers. 1992

Demographic Transitions in Germany

Demographic Passages Germany is one of the industrialised states that have undergone singular demographic and environmental passage, from phase one through to present five. Demographic passage refers to the procedure through which a state changes from a less industrialised society, with high birth and decease rates, to an industrialised society with low birth and decease rates ( Ewert, 2006 ) . Many states have undergone demographic passage including the United States of America, Canada, Italy, Russia, England and Germany ( Lucas, 2002 ) . The demographic passage to an industrialised society is instead damaging for the environment since industrialized societies tend to devour non-renewable resources, giving off pollution. These industrialised states besides have the largest ecological and C footmark relation to the non-industrialized states. The procedure of demographic passage nevertheless presents with lower birth and decease rates, which act as some of its advantages. For case, persons in industrialis ed states such as the United States of America have fewer kids which help to command the overall population size ( Ewert, 2006 ) . The intent of this essay is to depict the demographic and environmental timeline for Germany including the major historical alteration that caused the displacements, alterations in population size, increasing or diminishing birth and decease rates, and environmental impacts associated with the passage. Demographic passage involves five phases: Phase 1: High birth rate, high decease rate, low population size ; Stage 2: High birth rate, diminishing decease rate, increasing population size ; Stage 3: Decreasing birth rate, diminishing decease rate, increasing population size ; Stage 4: Low birth rate, low decease rate, high population size ; Stage 5: Low birth rate, low decease rate, population size diminishing. Basically, really few states have reached phase five of demographic passage ( The World at 7 Billion, 2011 ) . Germany is one of those states that have reached phase five and the causes of the ascertained alterations and environmental impacts are outlined below ; Phase 1: High birth rate, high decease rate, low population size Stage one of demographic passage occurred in Germany in the old ages between 1800 and 1900 ( Kitchen, 2011 ) . Major Historical Changes: At this clip, Germany is utilizing the Continental System and is defying Napoleon. The Prussian Reform Movement undertakes the military and educational reforms. The state is under Metternich and Catholicism together with Liberalism is going more outstanding. Changing Population Size:As a consequence of changeless wars traveling on in Germany through this period, the state records general population lessening. Bonaparte wants to go the swayer of the universe and German is seeking to defy. Birth and Death Ratess: The birth rates are low while the decease rates are high. Sing the political state of affairs of the state at this clip, twosomes are non giving birth as expected and many people are deceasing due to the wars. Environmental Impact: A batch of toxic gases are released into the ambiance as a consequence of the wars, thereby doing high environmental impact. The full population of Germany is affected in the procedure. Phase 2: High birth rate, diminishing decease rate, increasing population size Phase two of demographic passage occurred in Germany in the old ages between 1900 and 1950 ( Kitchen, 2011 ) . Major Historical Changes: There is a call for peace declaration and the Treaty of Versailles is signed to stop the First World War. The nation’s economic system faces Depression and the death of Parliamentary Democracy. The image of the adult female alterations and the adult females are encouraged to venture into assorted concerns. Initial stairss in Foreign Policy are witnesses as Germany embraces National Socialism and Modernity. Changing Population Size: As the state recovers from the First and the Second World Wars, an addition in population size occurs chiefly due to in-migration. The state is going more industrialised and many people are attracted to remain in Germany. Birth and Death Ratess: There are high birth rates and diminishing decease rates following the terminal of the Wars. Peace is easy shacking in the state and women’s rights are being fought for, therefore promoting adult females to bear kids one time more. Environmental Impact:Environmental impact is on the addition due to Industrialization. The state has recovered from the war and is now seeking to stabilise. Phase 3: Decreasing birth rate, diminishing decease rate, increasing population size Stage three of demographic passage occurred in Germany in the old ages between 1960 and 1980 ( Kitchen, 2011 ) . Major Historical Changes: Germany’s Federal Republic forges the Great Alliance of 1966 to 1969. The state confronts with the past and forms the Extra-Parliamentary Opposition. The Chancellorship of Willy Brandt is formalized ; this is followed by subsequent terrorist act in the state, coercing the federal authorities to turn to this issue. During this clip, Germany besides debates on the forging and use of Atomic Weapons. The West German Society undergoes a major transmutation during this clip. Changing Population Size: The population size is still relevantly low and changeless as Germans are seeking to set themselves into the New Germany. Peoples peculiarly aliens are still loath to hold lasting abode in the state. Birth and Death Ratess: The birth rates are still high and decease rates quickly diminishing. Environmental Impact: Industrialization has been embraced to the full and this is doing legion cases of pollution to the ambiance and the general society. Phase 4: Low birth rate, low decease rate, high population size Stage four of demographic passage occurred in Germany in the old ages between 1990 and 2009 ( The World at 7 Billion, 2011 ) . Major Historical Changes: The state welcomes technological promotions. The Berlin Wall is torn down and both East and West Germany reunified after their division in the class of the Cold War. The reunion of Germany brings about arguments over the nation’s yesteryear. Changing Population Size: The population size is on the addition as people have now become comfy plenty to settle in the state. Foreigners are besides puting in concerns though at a lower rate. Birth and Death Ratess: The birth rates have decreased and so has the decease rates. Womans have become more sceptered and are now capable of gaining their single income through employment. They are choosing to work foremost so hold kids when they are financially stable. Environmental Impact: The state is sing increased urbanisation every bit good as industrialisation. Pollution and toxic chemicals from industries and mills are doing challenges to the environment every bit good as the German community, as bulk of persons opt to fire fossil fuels for their day-to-day usage. Phase 5: Low birth rate, low decease rate, population size diminishing Stage five of demographic passage occurred in Germany in the old ages between 2010 and the present twenty-four hours ( Kitchen, 2011 ) . Major Historical Changes: The position of adult females has eventually been established where an estimated 95 % of German adult females are employed outside the place. Following the reunion of the state, the authorities has adapted Angela Merkel’s two Coalition authoritiess. Germany is presently economically stable thanks to globalisation and industrialisation that has seen it opening its markets and concerns to foreign states. Changing Population Size: Germany’s population size has late been on the addition as more and more persons are migrating to the state for concern or lasting residence. The current population size is predicted to increase in the coming old ages as people continue to settle in the state. Birth and Death Ratess: There are presently low birth rates every bit good as low decease rates in Germany. The low birth rates can be attributed to the freedom adult females have in this twenty-four hours and age, one where they can take non to bear kids but alternatively concentrate more on their hubbies and callings. The mean household now has one to two kids. Environmental Impact: The current high criterion of life that has been witnessed in Germany in the recent yesteryear has resulted in a big C footmark every bit good as high degrees of pollution. Environmentalists are doing attempts of raising awareness though more still needs to be done. The car industry for case Mercedes Benz has started fabricating environmentally-friendly vehicles normally known as intercrossed autos, to minimise the impact of pollution in the air caused by conventional autos. Mentions Allen, R.C. ( 2003 ) . Advancement and Poverty in Early Modern Europe.Economic History Review,56: 403 – 443. Ewert, U.C. ( 2006 ) . The Biological Standard of Living on the Decline: Episodes from Germany During Early Industrialization.European Review of Economic History, 10: 51- 88. Kitchen, M. ( 2011 ) .A History of Modern Germany: 1800 to the Present. 2neodymiumEdition. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. Lucas, R.E. , Jr. ( 2002 ) .Lectures on Economic Growth. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. The World at 7 Billion. ( 2011 ) .Germany: Beyond the Demographic Transition’s End. Retrieved, April 27 2014, from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.prb.org/Publications/Datasheets/2011/world-population-data-sheet/germany.aspx