International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

International Marketing - Essay Example It depends upon the quality of manufacturing and distribution of the products and services. In several cases, sales and acceptance of products depends on country of origin of those products. However, if a product’s country of Origin is UK then the product should avail high marker preference and customer demand as each and every person around the globe perceives that products of these regions are good in quality comparing to other global areas. On the other hand, foreign branding has an effective impact on the sales and acceptance of products. It is true that several organizations use foreign branding strategy in order to achieve significant market growth within the local market place. If an US based perfume manufacturing and distributing organizations develops its brand name in French style then the organization can develop potential customer base around the globe due to that specific foreign brand name. There are specific types of organizations that do not use local brand nam e for the home manufactured products. They use foreign brand name in order to attract the attention of target customers towards the product. 8A: Difference between COO and CE The Country of Origin (COO) is explained as the country where the product is manufactured in the process of production. The country of origin could be treated as the place of origin of the product or where the growth of the product has occurred before expansion. The country of origin is linked with the issues of product quality, customer service, credibility and loyalty. In case the product information is missing, COO could serve as an important clue for the information on product characteristic and the product performance.... This essay approves that development and image of a brand highly depends upon the country of origin of a product. It is true that all the countries around the globe do not follow similar manufacturing and distribution process. In addition to this, similar types of products of various countries s cannot be similar in terms of quality and service. The manufacturing industry in UK could be cited as an example that could take advantage of the aspect of customer ethnocentrism. The manufacturing industry in UK has slowed down after the global financial recession and is trailing in the list of developed countries across the world like USA, Japan, Germany, France and Italy. This is due to the weakness of major infrastructural facilities like the availability of labour, finance, etc. The high cost of labour, tightened parameter for lending would create shortage of source of finance. The higher cost and lesser volume of products would also urge the customers to look for alternative options. This report makes a conclusion that the topics that have been considered for the purpose of presentation have been studied and analyzed as given above. The various questions related to the topic on foreign branding, country of origin and customer ethnocentrism have explored in order to be fully prepared for the presentation of the topic. In both the presentations of week 7B and 8A, the arguments related to the topic have used to expand the topic under the theoretical framework. The examples related to the industry of the domestic market have been used to support the theoretical framework.

Sociology Asian Family Essay Example for Free

Sociology Asian Family Essay Myths about the Family Ever since the 1950s to this day, common discourse regarding the family, especially in the United States, has been based on Talcott Parsons’ (Parsons Bales, 1955) functionalism views. According to Parsons, the contemporary family form is the nuclear family composed of a breadwinner husband and a homemaker wife with their children. This particular family form emerged as a result of modernization and industrialization and displaced the extended family. This contemporary nuclear family is unctional in that the breadwinner provides for the instrumental needs of the family unit (food and shelter as well as other material needs) whereas the housewife provides for the expressive needs of the family unit (affective and emotional needs as well as socialization). As long as individuals perform their instrumental or expressive roles, the family is a functional unit that contributes to the stability of society as a whole. This gendered division of labor is therefore viewed as essential for the harmonious and orderly functioning of society. This view of the family is also called the male breadwinner model. This theoretical view became the dominant way of examining the family and family life and any deviation from the male breadwinner model is usually labeled a dysfunctional deviation. This is especially the case in the United States where Talcott Parsons’ brand of functionalism dominated social research until the 1960s. Social policies regarding the family are still designed with an eye to what is now considered the â€Å"traditional family,† such as policies encouraging single mothers to marry in order to get out of poverty through the re-creation of an intact nuclear family. Moreover, this model was not only generalized in the United States, it became the prism through which families around the world were seen as well. This view was especially promoted by William Goode (1963). In line with modernization theory, Goode postulated that as countries develop, extended families would be discarded to be replaced by the functional nuclear family, essential to modern society. The major problem with these functionalist views is that they are ideologies rather than derived from observable realities. The so-called traditional family, defined as the male breadwinner model, was an exceptional occurrence in the Western world after the Second World War, and it lasted only a few decades. In this sense, it is a socially invented tradition. Moreover, one of the main functions of ideologies is to maintain the status quo, thereby preserving privileges and maintaining oppressive social mechanisms. In this case, of course, the functional ideal is based on relegating women to the domestic sphere while proclaiming at the same time that expressive roles come more naturally to women and instrument roles more naturally to men. We have already examined how gender roles are socially constructed in our chapter on gender stratification. Also, the male breadwinner model of the family was only available to certain social classes (upper middle and above) as well as to the dominant racial group (whites). Finally, this ideological view of the family ignores cultural variations in family structures as well as the impact of changing socio-economic structures. This is what we turn to now. Family Systems Further evidence of the misleading and ideological nature of the functionalist the breadwinner model of the family is revealed by the variations in family structures across the globe. Using worldwide data, sociologist Goran Therborn (2004) identifies seven family systems, each with their specific regional social and cultural characteristics. According to Therborn, these different family systems do not have dynamics of their own but change based on external factors, such as modernization and globalization. Their inherent characteristics then make them more receptive or resistant to social change. * Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa (map source) comprises all the countries south of the Sahara desert and that are not considered part of North Africa. As previously mentioned, European colonization had a strong impact of African family structures. Nevertheless, the African family was always strongly based on kinship ties. Depending on the regions, the family structure may patrilineal or matrilineal but in any cases, male relatives exercise authority. According to Therborn (2004), a specific African norm is that of substitutability: in the context of mass polygyny, if a wife does not bear heirs or simply becomes undesirable to the lineage, she can be easily replaced or substituted by the husband taking another wife. Similarly, if a husband dies, he can be replaced by his brother. Another norm that involves fluidity in kinship structure is the mass practice of fostering, lending and borrowing children among kin when necessity demands it. This practice also underlines the idea that individuals belong to a wide kinship network and not a narrow-based family structure. * East Asia The East Asian family system (map source) includes Mongolia, China and Japan. The Chinese society is still dominated by Confucian beliefs. Such beliefs involve a concern for social order and stability through the subordination of individual wishes to collective and familial interests. Central to the Confucian view is the notion of filial piety, that is, the respect for elders as pillars of childrearing. In other words, the typical Chinese family is a strongly patriarchal and hierarchical arrangement based on the three rules of obedience: a daughter obeys her father, a married woman her husband, and a widow her son (Chen and He, 2005). As part of the collective outlook based on Confucianism, there are still a considerable number of households comprising three generations based on patrilineality (parents of the husband, husband and wife, and usually, one child). There is a strong emphasis on family interdependence which maintains the divorce rate at a low level. These traditional patterns are mixed, and sometimes conflict, with the Communist regime’s law mandating equality between men and women as well as with the rapid urbanization and modernization of the Chinese society and the import of western influence on intimate relationships. South Asia The South Asian family pattern (map source) – geographically including countries such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Burma – involves high fertility as well as extended family networks as well as strong religious influence (Laungani, 2005). Although not all family members live under the same roof, the Indian family system is extended in the sense that most social relationships and decisions take place within the network of relatives in the context of mostly Hindu religious norms. For instance, in India, the sacred nature of marriage creates a low divorce rate based on the economic and financial dependence of women as well as the strong social stigma associated with divorce, especially for women. The Indian family system is therefore strongly patriarchal supported by strong social norms that may cover up dreadful domestic situations. The Indian family is strictly hierarchical along age and gender lines. The caste system is still pervasive so that endogamy is still the norm, especially in rural areas (over 70% of Indians still live in villages). In order to preserve such endogamy, arranged marriages are still practiced whereby marriages are negotiated between the parents of the potential husband and wife. As with other family systems, the impact of globalization and the massive urbanization has strongly impacted the traditional South Asian system. * West Asia / North Africa The West Asia – North Africa system (map source) covers countries such as Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt in Africa, as well as the Middle East in Asia. This is the area commonly called the Muslim world because this is where Islam seems to exercise the most influence. In this system as well, collective family interests take precedence over personal preferences. Moreover, the concept of family honor is particularly strong. The behavior of each individual in a family reflects on the family honor and its standing in the community. It is in this family system that we find the practice of honor killing: the murder of female family members who are seen as having shamed the family and tarnished its honor, by being raped for instance or by not conforming to the dictates of family, tradition or religion. The fact that the victims of honor killings are women is another indicator of the extreme patriarchal nature of this family system which is centered on the strict control over the sexuality of women. This control can take the form of body cover, such as veiling, or of seclusion, whereby women are not allowed to interact with other men except under very restrictive conditions. This system also emphasizes high fertility with a strong preference for boys, especially in rural areas. The value of a woman is often based on her virginity prior to marriage and her fertility once married. Southeast Asia The Southeast Asian system (map source) – which includes countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Malaysia – enjoys religious diversity that comprises Muslim and Confucian populations whose marital and sexual norms have been relaxed under Buddhist influence and Malay customs (Therborn, 2004). For instance, in parts of Indonesia, Muslims do not follow the usual patriarchal family patterns. On the contrary, they observe matrilinearity. However, the great ethnic diversity of the Indonesian population generates some degree of extended family-enforced endogamy. Decisions on who can marry whom are made collectively (Sarwono, 2005). Similarly, Indonesia has a strong family planning program that emphasizes smaller families and the health of women through education and improvements in quality of life thanks to reproductive health clinics. In this sense, the status of Indonesian women is very advanced compared to other non-western family systems even though Indonesia is a largely Muslim country. * Creole America The Creole American system originated in the European colonization of the Americas and the Caribbean (which includes countries such as Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobaggo) and the development of the plantation economy largely based on slavery. This estate system of stratification involved a white European dominant culture with a patriarchal family system alongside black African, mulatto, and mestizo family patterns. The Creole family pattern is present throughout the Americas, including African American ghettos in the United States. According to Jaipaul Roopnarine et al. (2005), the Creole system in the  Caribbean is characterized by a large number of nonmarital unions where fathers and husbands are largely absent and women assume the most responsibility in childrearing. Such marital patterns come from the colonial economic system whereby African Caribbean men were forced to leave their families to work in mines or plantations. A value system developed whereby African masculinity was based on successive but temporary sexual relationships and motherhood became the utmost form of femininity. When men and women live together, it is usually in cohabiting or common law relationships that reproduce the traditional patriarchal division of labor. This family system is also characterized by child-shifting, that is, the passing of children to other relatives or acquaintances if the parents find themselves unable to take care of them. As a result, multiple women are involved in childhood socialization. * European And New World Settlements The Western European system and its New World Settlements (such as the United States and Canada, as well as some parts of Central and South America) has always been the least patriarchal of all family systems. Apart from the European monarchies and nobility where marriage was strictly family-controlled with limited individual choice, this system has been based on marriage by consent, supported by the Catholic Church (family pressure was not absent, to be sure, but it was not enshrined into the law). Neolocal pattern has prevented the practice of child marriage: newlyweds were expected to create their own household, something that required financial means. As a result, people tended to marry later and to decide on their own fertility within monogamous arrangements. The Western system is also the one characterized by dramatic changes over the past centuries, changes that are still going on today and define the contemporary supposed marriage and family â€Å"crisis. † Before industrialization, as in other parts of the world, marriage and family formation patterns were patriarchal and fulfilled economic (production) and political (alliance making) functions. With industrialization, families were stripped of these functions taken over by the market and the state. What were left to the families were emotional and social functions. This became known as the love-based male breadwinner model that persisted until the late 1960s. Since then, cultural and economic factors, such as increased women’s independence and entry into the workforce have shattered that model to replace it with a more egalitarian one, with a progressive acceptance of different family forms.

Housebreaking Puppies :: essays research papers

Puppies are warm and fuzzy creatures that need to be trained properly to use the bathroom in certain places. The problem is many people purchase puppies without educating their family on how to properly train them. The solution to this problem is to paper train your puppy. The owners need to understand that accidents do happen, and owners need to be patient and understanding about these accidents. Problems arise with housebreaking puppies. The problem is that puppies have little bladder control and want to relieve themselves at any given time. This is where the problem begins. Puppies will soil carpets, which goes through to the pad; and if not cleaned properly, the smell of the urine will be overbearing to the owner. Soiling of the owners carpet may cause them to replace the carpet which can be a big expense to the owner. The carpet needs to be cleaned thoroughly with an odor eliminating disinfectant. Ammonia products are not recommended since these may remind the puppy of its own urine smell. Regular household cleaners will mask the smell from humans, but not from the puppy. The cleaners usually attract the dog back to the same place. A veterinarian will usually recommend white vinegar and water rubbed over the area to help remove any stain or smell from the carpets  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paper training puppies can be a rewarding experience for both the owner and the puppy. The owner needs to pick a spot for the newspaper where he or she wants the puppy to relieve himself. The puppy needs to be placed on the paper after eating, playing, drinking, and waking up (Fogle, 1993, p. 36). Every few hours the puppy needs to be placed on the paper and say to them â€Å"go potty.† Eventually the puppy will understand after praise is given what â€Å"go potty† means. As much as puppies tend to eat and drink, and if the owner places them on the newspapers often enough, sooner or later the puppy will catch onto what is expected of them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The owner needs to be consistent with this process to reinforce the behavior that is desired. The biggest influence on how quickly a puppy becomes housebroken is how much time and effort the owner puts in. More input from the owner will speed up the time taken to become completely clean; less input will prolong the process (Bailey, 1995, p.

Archeozoic Era Essay

The Archeozoic Era stretches from about 3.8 billion to 2.5 billion years ago. Traditionally, the beginning of the Archean is defined to coincide with the oldest rocks discovered. As recent discoveries have pushed back the earliest dated rocks to about 4.0 billion years old, the beginning of the Archean has also been pushed back correspondingly. However, most texts still continue to date the beginning to 3.8 billion years ago. As the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) ended with the Hadean, the newly forming crust continued to stabilize, and eventually led to the creation of the continents. When the continents first appeared is still under debate. The Earth in this period was moderately warm. Although the sun was about 30% cooler than it is today, the geological activity of the earth was much higher, leading to a somewhat temperate climate. Most of the earth was covered with oceans. The atmosphere contained mostly methane and little to no oxygen; therefore it is considered a reducing atmosp here. Although recent discoveries may change this view, it is generally believed that life first evolved in the Archean. Some of the oldest fossils of life on Earth include the Apex Chert (3.465 billion years old) and stromatolites (3.45 billion years old) from Australia, and the Swaziland microfossils from Africa (also about 3.45 billion years old). Dating the oldest life forms is difficult. Stromatolite-like structures have been shown to be as old as 3.5 billion years, but it can be debated whether they were made by living organisms, or natural forces (hydrothermal vents). The earliest conclusive radiometric markers of life (such as O-12 uptake, or the first evidence of photosynthesis, for example), date to about 2.7 billion years old. However, it is widely believed that the first life appeared much earlier, possibly around the beginning of the Archean, around 3.8 billion years ago, or even in the Hadean. The earliest chemical markers of life are dated to about 3.8 billion years, but this is not the same as finding microfossils. [EDIT: the oldest conclusive evidence of life has been pushed back to ab out 3.43 billion years old, at Strelley Pool in Western Australia.] The first organisms were likely non-photosynthetic, utilizing methane, ammonia or sulfates for their energy needs. Photosynthesis became common with the cyanobacteria, perhaps as early as 3.5 billion years ago. The oxygen produced by these bacteria went into oxidizing rocks on the Earth and the iron in the oceans, so there was no increase in atmospheric oxygen for a very long time. Atmospheric oxygen did not begin to rise significantly until billions of years after photosynthesis first began. The Archean was the period in which continent formation first began. The surface of the Earth had started to solidify in the Hadean, with the presence of liquid water as early as 100 million years after the formation of the Earth. But the early crust was unstable, and was continually eroded, recycled and re melted. During the Archean these areas of land increased in size and during the middle Archean the first continent sized expanses of land first appeared. These proto continents no longer exist, but their remnants are sometimes found in cratons, areas of ancient rock that survive on some of the continental shields today. Cratons typically appear when the overlying rock (mostly volcanic igneous rock) is buried deep, but not deep enough to be re melted. Instead, the heat and pressure converts it into metamorphic rock. These are areas where the crust has thickened, with fresh igneous rock on top and metamorphic rock beneath (though folding of the crust can obscure this relationship). For reasons that are not well understood, there were extensive cratonization events towards the last third of the Archean, which have never been repeated in the history of the Earth. However, continents as we know them today, with continental plates and plate tectonics did not appear until the very end of the Archean. The Earth When the Archean began, the Earth’s heat flow was nearly three times higher than it is today, and it was still twice the current level at the transition from the Archean to the Proterozoic (2,500 Ma). The extra heat was the result of a mix of remnant heat from planetary accretion, heat from the formation of the Earth’s core, and heat produced by radioactive elements. Most surviving Archean rocks are metamorphic or igneous. Volcanic activity was considerably higher than today, with numerous lava eruptions, including unusual types such as komatiite. Granitic rocks predominate throughout the crystalline remnants of the surviving Archean crust. Examples include great melt sheets and voluminous plutonic masses of granite, diorite, layered intrusions, anorthosites and monzonites known as sanukitoids. The Earth of the early Archean may have supported a tectonic regime unlike that of the present. Some scientists argue that, because the Earth was much hotter, tectonic activity w as more vigorous than it is today, resulting in a much faster rate of recycling of crustal material. This may have prevented cratonisation and continent formation until the mantle cooled and convection slowed down. Others argue that the oceanic lithosphere was too buoyant to subduct, and that the rarity of Archean rocks is a function of erosion by subsequent tectonic events. The question of whether plate tectonic activity existed in the Archean is an active area of modern research. There are two schools of thought concerning the amount of continental crust that was present in the Archean. One school maintains that no large continents existed until late in the Archean: small protocontinents were the norm, prevented from coalescing into larger units by the high rate of geologic activity. The other school follows the teaching of Richard Armstrong, who argued that the continents grew to their present volume in the first 500 million years of Earth history and have maintained a near-constant ever since: throughout most of Earth history, recycling of continental material crust back to the mantle in subduction or collision zones balances crustal growth. Opinion is also divided about the mechanism of continental crustal growth. Those scientists who doubt that plate tectonics operated in the Archean argue that the felsic protocontinents formed at hotspots rather than subduction zones. Through a process called â€Å"sagduction†, which refers to partial melting in downward-directed diapirs, a variety of mafic magmas produce intermediate and felsic rocks.[citation needed] Others accept that granite formation in island arcs and convergent margins was part of the plate tectonic process, which has operated since at least the start of the Archean. An explanation for the general lack of Hadean rocks (older than 3800 Ma) is the efficiency of the processes that either cycled these rocks back into the mantle or effaced any isotopic record of their antiquity. All rocks in the continental crust are subject to metamorphism, partial melting and tectonic erosion during multiple orogenic events and the chance of survival at the surface decreases with increasing age. In addition, a period of intense meteorite bombardment in the period 4.0-3.8 Ga pulverized all rocks at the Earth’s surface during the period. The similar age of the oldest surviving rocks and the â€Å"late heavy bombardment† is thought to be not accidental Palaeoenvironment The Archean atmosphere is thought to have nearly lacked free oxygen. Astronomers think that the sun had about 70–75% of the present luminosity, yet temperatures appear to have been near modern levels even within 500 Ma of Earth’s formation, which is puzzling the faint young sun paradox. The presence of liquid water is evidenced by certain highly deformed gneisses produced by metamorphism of sedimentary protoliths. The equable temperatures may reflect the presence of larger amounts of greenhouse gases than later in the Earth’s history. Alternatively, Earth’s albedo may have been lower at the time, due to less land area and cloud cover. By the end of the Archaean c. 2500 Mya, plate tectonic activity may have been similar to that of the modern Earth. There are well-preserved sedimentary basins, and evidence of volcanic arcs, intracontinental rifts, continent-continent collisions and widespread globe-spanning orogenic events suggesting the assembly and destruction of one and perhaps several supercontinents. Liquid water was prevalent, and deep oceanic basins are known to have existed by the presence of banded iron formations, chert beds, chemical sediments and pillow basalts. Geology Although a few mineral grains are known that are Hadean, the oldest rock formations exposed on the surface of the Earth are Archean or slightly older. Archean rocks are known from Greenland, the Canadian Shield, the Baltic Shield, Scotland, India, Brazil, western Australia, and southern Africa. Although the first continents formed during this eon, rock of this age makes up only 7% of the world’s current cratons; even allowing for erosion and destruction of past formations, evidence suggests that continental crust equivalent to only 5-40% of the present amount formed during the Archean. In contrast to Proterozoic rocks, Archean rocks are often heavily metamorphized deep-water sediments, such as graywackes, mudstones, volcanic sediments, and banded iron formations. Carbonate rocks are rare, indicating that the oceans were more acidic due to dissolved carbon dioxide than during the Proterozoic. Greenstone belts are typical Archean formations, consisting of alternating units of metamorphosed mafic igneous and sedimentary rocks. The meta-igneous rocks were derived from volcanic island arcs, while the metasediments represent deep-sea sediments eroded from the neighboring island arcs and deposited in a forearc basin. Greenstone belts represent sutures between protocontinents Life during the Era Fossils of cyanobacterial mats (stromatolites, which were instrumental in creating the free oxygen in the atmosphere ) are found throughout the Archean, becoming especially common late in the eon, while a few probable bacterial fossils are known from chert beds. In addition to the domain Bacteria (once known as Eubacteria), microfossils of the domain Archaea have also been identified. Life was probably present throughout the Archean, but may have been limited to simple non-nucleated single-celled organisms, called Prokaryota There are no known eukaryotic fossils, though they might have evolved during the Archean without leaving any fossils.No fossil evidence has been discovered for ultramicroscopic intracellular replicators such as viruses. Eoarchean Period The earliest part of the Archean eon is known as the Eoarchean. We’ve defined it chronometrically as a 200 million year period from 3.8 to 3.6 billion years, although the earlier boundary (3.8 billion) is not universally recognized. Since the Archean begins roughly with the earliest known rocks, the beginning of the Eoarchean will vary, based on estimates of the ages of the oldest rocks currently known. The Eoarchean is best known through the Isua Greenstone Belt, which is the oldest known rock formation (3.8 – 3.7 billion years old). This area, located in southwestern Greenland, contains metamorphosed volcanic (mafic) and sedimentary rocks. Much of the belt is derived from basaltic and high-magnesium basaltic pillow lavas. During the Eoarchean, crust formation (which began in the Hadean) continued. Due to the cessation of LHB, some of this crust survived and became incorporated into continents, which formed much later. The earth was mostly covered with water, with volcanoes and volcanic islands emerging here and there. The oceans were green and acidic from dissolved iron compounds. They sky was orange from high concentrations of methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide. The climate was probably temperate. Earth produced about 3 times as much heat internally as it does today, which compensated for the dimmer sun, and made the earth intensely geoactive. Life first emerged during this period, if not earlier. The earliest life was probably based on methane or some similar chemistry. Paleoarchean Period The Paleoarchean is a 400 million year long period within the archean eon, dating from 3.6 to 3.2 billion years ago. There are no specific rocks layers that separate this level – it has been defined chronometrically. This era is very significant for the history of life on earth. Both archaea and eubacteria evolved during the paleoarchean, implying that the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) of all life of earth existed during this era. The oldest stromatolites date back to about 3.5 billion years, within the Paleoarchean. These were colonies of cyanobacteria, which are the only class of bacteria that produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis. They might not have been the oldest photosynthetic bacteria (some reports suggest that purple bacteria or rhodobacter developed photosynthesis first), but vast numbers of cyanobacteria were instrumental in changing the geology of earth and the evolution of life through the production of oxygen. Although cyanobacteria first started producing oxygen in this era, it is important to remember that no significant amounts of oxygen existed in the atmosphere at this time, because of vast quantities of oxidizable materials in the earth’s crust and the iron in the oceans, which absorbed any oxygen that was produced. Continent formation continued, with increasingly larger land masses emerging from the oceans. It has been proposed that the first super continent, Vaalbara, came into existence in this era, around 3.3 billion years ago (may have been as early as 3.6 billion years ago). This is based on the similarity in sedimentary sequences on the South African Kaapvaal craton and the West Australian Pilbara craton (hence the name vaal-bara). This theory is controversial, and if Vaalbara did exist, it had started to break up by about 2.8 billion years ago, shown by the diverging paleomagnetic history of these two cratons from that time on. Mesoarchean The Mesoarchean is another era that has been defined chronometrically, rather than geologically. This era covers the middle of the archean, from 3.2 to 2.8 billion years ago. The Mesoarchean continued the trends from the previous Paleoarchean era. Continent formation continued. Plate tectonics forced the separation of the Kaapvaal and Pilbara cratons, and the separation of these ancient parts of South Africa and Australia was complete by the end of the Mesoarchean, around 2.8 billion years ago. Another super continent that may have originated during the mesoarchean was Ur. This consisted of the South African Kaapvaal and West Australian Pilbara cratons (which were originally together in Vaalbara, but no longer contiguous now), plus the Indian Bhandara and Singhbhum cratons, and some regions of what is now the east Antarctica. It is believed that Ur survived for a very long time, joining with other cratons to later form Rodinia, and even later, Pangaea. Although life evolved much earlier, the first incontrovertible fossils appear from this period. Stromatolites were prevalent in coastal waters, with their cyanobacteria continuing to pump oxygen into the atmosphere. However, atmospheric oxygen levels remained very low, as the oxygen continued to be used up in oxidizing minerals on the earth’s crust and in the sea. All life from this period was consequently anaerobic. The oldest banded iron formations (BIFs) are dated to this period. BIFs are a type of sedimentary rock, consisting of layers of iron-rich minerals such as hematite and magnetite, alternating with iron-poor layers of shale and chert. It is believed that oxygen produced by the cyanobacteria precipitated out the iron (as oxides) which had previously been dissolved in the acidic oceans. The layering indicates a pattern of cyclical activity, showing oxygen â€Å"pulses†. It is unknown if these pulses corresponded to seasonal activity or some other factor. The formation of banded iron formations continued until as recently as 1.8 billion years ago, at which point it is presumed that most of the iron in the seas had already been precipitated out. There are some more recent formations, that were thought to represent events corresponding to local oxygen depletion (if oxygen is depleted, iron continues to wash into the sea through the rivers and accumulates in solution until the oxygen level rises again and it is precipitated). However, more recent research shows that this â€Å"local† oxygen depletion may have been global — the result of the â€Å"snowball earth† scenario where all life (including cyanobacteria) came close to extinction. Banded iron formations contain enormous amounts of oxygen, perhaps as much as 20 times the amount of oxygen present in the atmosphere today. Together with other such oxygen â€Å"sinks† they explain why it took so long for atmospheric oxygen levels to start rising after the appearance of the cyanobacteria. Neoarchean The last 300 million years of the Archean eon have been chronometrically classified as the Neoarchean, from about 2.8 billion years ago to 2.5 billion years ago. Many of the processes described earlier, that originated in the Mesoarchean, established themselves in the Neoarchean. Cyanobacteria started producing significant amounts of oxygen in this period. This eventually lead to the Oxygen Catastrophe during the early proterozoic, in which rising levels of oxygen poisoned much of the life that existed at the time. There is some evidence that life first colonized land during this period. There has been some evidence that microbes colonized some land masses as early as 2.75 billion years ago, but the thinking was that such colonization was very limited in scope and insignificant. However, more recently, evidence has started to accumulate that there may have been a large scale colonization of land by microbes, which broke down rocks to release sulfur and molybdenum that eventually washed into the oceans. This was thought unlikely because at the time there was no ozone layer (which appeared hundreds of millions of years later after the oxygen catastrophe, after oxygen levels had built up sufficiently in the atmosphere), so life on land was unprotected from UV rays. However, microbes may have lived deep within the rocks. During the Neoarchean, large continents first appeared on earth, with modern plate tectonics (with subduction zones, continental plates sliding over each other and the upwelling of lava to produce new crust where continental plates tore apart). The first large continents were formed (when we call previously existing continents such as Vaalbara or Ur â€Å"super continents† it’s not because of size — they were smaller than Australia — but because they were the only continents around). Certainly there was recycling of crust prior to this period (perhaps all the way back to the hadean), but earlier continents formed at hotspots over mantle plumes, rather than at subduction zones. Continents basically grow by getting lighter and tougher. Cyclic re-melting and reformation of rock through lava flows (igneous differentiation) gradually separates the lighter minerals, and allows the development of felsic rocks from mafic rocks. Lighter rocks are more buoyant, and resist recycling by floating over the liquid mantle. The archean ended about 2.5 million years ago, with the beginning of the proterozoic. This was the end of the period when mostly geological processes affected the surface of the Earth, and the beginning of the period when life started to play a significant part in what was happening on Earth.

Comparison of the Death Penalty: China vs United States Essay

The United States of America is one of the few countries that still impose death sentences regularly. The People’s Republic of China is also one of these countries. Both are similar in that they are among the top executing countries in the world. Yet they differ in many ways such as, types of crimes that are death penalty eligible, the number of people that are executed, trial processes, and methods of execution. I consider these to be the biggest differences between The People’s Republic of China and the United States of America. One of the most shocking things I came across when researching was the wide range of crimes punishable by death in China. The most shocking of which, is those of non-violent nature. A type of non-violent crime that is routinely charged as a capital crime is economic or â€Å"white-collar† crimes. In China’s Criminal Law, there are specific instances where economic crimes can be charged as capital crimes. In the article, â€Å"On Limiting and Abolishing the Death Penalty for Economic Crimes in China†, the author Bingzhi Zhao wrote, â€Å"it is normally specified in China’s Criminal Law that the death penalty is only applicable when the crime is ‘of a particularly enormous amount’ or ‘of a particularly severe nature’†1. A â€Å"particularly enormous amount† or â€Å"of a particularly sever nature† refers to the amount of money stolen or number of people â€Å"hurt† by the crime. What I consider to be a great parallel would be Bernie Madoff, who stole billions from investors and was sentences to 150 years in jail, which is the maximum sentence he could receive2. This leads me to believe if Bernie Madoff lived in China, he would’ve been executed. Although his crimes were particularly extreme in the amount of money he stole, he was not violent in any way shape or form. In America this simply has not happened in the last century. It is my personal belief that crimes other than murder shouldn’t be capital crimes, but I think it is plain wrong for a â€Å"white-collar† crime to be charged as a capital crime. There are even accounts of drug dealers and people who fund-raise illegal3. I personally know somebody arrested for dealing drugs, if he received a death sentence for his crime, it would be completely and utterly shocking. It is my belief that a non-violent crime shouldn’t be punished in a violent way. The People’s Republic of China use of capital punishment is shrouded in secrecy. In an article in the Washington Post, the author(s) writes, â€Å"The Chinese government has a long-standing policy of not commenting on the death penalty and keeps the number of executions secret†3. This rings true because it is impossible to find a true figure for executions in China. All figures that can be found are estimates. The Dui Hua Foundation estimates that China carried out 5,000 to 6,000 executions in the year 20073, while Amnesty International estimates there were at least 1,718 known executions in 2008 and also states that there are likely many more4. Amnesty International also states that in 2008 the United States of America executed a total of 37 people4. Using Amnesty International’s figures this means that the People’s Republic of China executed more than forty-six times more people than America. With populations of 1. 3 billion and 310 million (estimates), respectively, China executed at least 1 out of every 750,000, and the United States of America executed about 1 out of every 8,375,000 people. This adds up to China executing about 11 times as many people per capita than the United States. One must also keep in mind that the figure of China executing 1,718 is also the â€Å"at least† number; the Dui Hua foundation estimated 5,000-6,000 executions in one year alone. If China indeed executed 5,000, this would raise their per capita execution rate three times higher, to 33 times more executions per capita than America. While there are countries who execute more than the United States of America besides China, they aren’t countries that America would like to be placed with. In descending order the ten countries with the highest executions are, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Pakistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Afghanistan, North Korea, and Japan4. Interestingly enough, American soldiers have fought wars within the borders of six out of nine of these countries since World War II. The United States of America and China are the two most powerful countries in the world right now, yet they are in a list with the likes of under-developed countries like Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia. China kills enormous amounts of people as compared to every other country, and they also do so in a manner that the American Criminal Justice system would consider extremely unconstitutional. In the United States we use grand juries and/or preliminary hearings as a screening device to make sure there is enough evidence to go to trial, whereas in the People’s Republic of China, there is one person, called a Procurator, who screens cases5. This causes the decision to go to trial extremely unfair, because the standard of evidence in China is â€Å"sufficient† as opposed to American standard of â€Å"beyond a reasonable doubt†. Also in the case of a grand jury, there has to be more than one person agreeing the case can go to trial, whereas in China, just one person decides whether a case is trial worthy. The largest difference between the two countries processes however, is not the use or lack thereof grand juries, but the difference lies in how trials are conducted. China uses the Inquisitorial Model, where a judge dominates the questioning and debating, and a panel of judges, not regular citizens, decides facts and applies the laws5. This could either seem like a terrible idea, or a great idea. Keeping the same group of judges instead of a jury, there is a sense of consistency. There is no unfair jury selection like in the American system that can usually be based on picking people of certain races who are more likely to convict somebody of a certain race based on statistics. Yet at the same time, these men are judges and see all sorts of criminals, and are very likely to think that anybody arrested, is arrested for a just reason. These judges are also more likely to impose the law harshly, since they are government officials of a country whose government is known to violate numerous human rights. Another huge difference between the two nations lies within the appeals process. In China, not only can the accused appeal, but the Procurator can appeal as well if he or she feels that the sentencing wasn’t done correctly. The accused is only given 10 days to initially file an appeal. If the accused appeals and loses, his sentence can only be lessened, but if a Procurator appeals, the sentence can be made more severe. In the United States, only the accused may appeal, the prosecutor is unable5. This process of Procurators appealing could never happen in the United States, based on the Fifth Amendment. It would be considered â€Å"Double Jeopardy†, since even if a court (aside from the Supreme People’s Court) finds him innocent, the procurator may appeal for a new trial. All of these difference cause many more injustices in China than America. There are even more injustices in the Chinese system. Amnesty International states, â€Å"In China those facing capital charges do not receive fair trials. Failings include the lack of prompt access to lawyers, a lack of presumption of innocence, political interference in the judiciary and failure to exclude evidence extracted through torture†6. These â€Å"failings† pose a particular issue in China. One of the mentioned â€Å"failings† is lack of presumption of innocence. When a person in China is arrested, they are presumed guilty, and therefore a trial is almost only to prove his innocence, whereas in America we presume innocent until proven guilty and in trials, the prosecutor must prove guilt. Another â€Å"failing† is if the accused doesn’t get access to a lawyer quick enough, he could be put to death very rapidly because after a death sentence is approved; the execution is carried out within 7 days7. The United States of America has long stays on death row, which take a lot of effect out of the execution, but also gives the accused time to appeal, and file all sorts of motions and requests for clemency. Amnesty International also states that China uses information that is extracted through torture. While in the United States this does happen, it is never done so legally, and if a judge finds evidence was extracted through torture, that evidence in unusable. These factors; lack of access lawyers, unfair trial processes, and lack of presumption of innocence, all cause China’s capital punishment statutes to seem extremely unjust and I would think that quite often even Chinese citizens are unsure of the reliability of their own system, but then I remember that a lot of what the government does is shrouded in secrecy so citizens don’t really know. The general method of execution in The People’s Republic of China is single gunshot to the head. Although China officially uses Lethal Injection as an option, it is still not used as much as gunshot to the head. An article in USA Today about methods of execution states, â€Å"Prior to 1997, China’s main form of execution was shooting. According to a 1998 report from Amnesty International, the Chinese press reported 24 lethal-injection executions in that year, but the exact number is unknown†8. This quote to me shows, that they have started to use lethal injection, but one must remember that China regularly executes well over 1000 people, so 24 by lethal injection is a start, but not nearly a majority whereas in America lethal Injection is the main method. Under post-Furman statutes there have been 1,070 executions in the United States. 01 of these executions were by lethal injection, followed by 153 of them by electrocution9. Lethal Injection accounts for 84. 2% of American executions (American Statistics were as of April 12, 2007) whereas Lethal Injection in China only accounted for at most, 2. 5% in 1998. These figures may be from different years but 2. 5% versus 84. 2% is a huge difference. The reason China would use gunshot to the head, in my opinion, is it saves money. The Chinese trial and appeals process, which is very fast in nature, saves money compared to the long and drawn out American process. Add to that figure that executions are carried out within 7 days of sentencing10. The Chinese definitely spend nowhere near the figures that Americans spend on Death Row, since Chinese executions occur in less than 7 days post-sentencing. Although I am just speculating on cost savings since these figures cannot be found due to China’s secrecy on the subject of capital punishment. I think there is much to learn from the Chinese system when it comes to saving money and efficiency, although I strongly disagree with their lack of rights for defendants. While the differences outlined in this paper are not the only ones, they are the differences that I felt really separate the American and Chinese use of capital punishment. While the American government wastes tons of money on capital punishment, I think our higher standard of evidence and longer proceedings allow us to be surer that the right person is being executed, and although our system has many issues, I still would stand behind it over the system used in The People’s Republic of China.

Develop A Sustainable Tourism Industry In The Antarctic Tourism Essays

Develop A Sustainable Tourism Industry In The Antarctic Tourism Essays Develop A Sustainable Tourism Industry In The Antarctic Tourism Essay Develop A Sustainable Tourism Industry In The Antarctic Tourism Essay The intent of this paper is to make research of the touristry industry in Antarctica continent harmonizing to the research inquiry of How to develop a sustainable touristry industry in the Antarctic? It is a cardinal to hold cooperation from every organisation related to Antarctica touristry. Since the continent has been consider as fragile and being the most valuable topographic point to humankind for geographic expedition in many facets such as environmental issues. Furthermore, the direction in this part is rather interesting as there are no for good resident lifes, and seven states doing territory claims during the first half of twentieth century. In decision, the positions from circuit operators, tourers and the organisations that work closely to Antarctica are really of import to better and continue as the universe heritage site. Antarctica is the most stray continent that covers the underside of the Earth ; it is besides normally known as the South Pole . It is the coldest, windiest, highest and driest topographic point on Earth with no lasting dwellers populating at that place. Therefore, it is a challenge to research Antarctica because of the coldest conditions and beautiful scenery with ice covering all part, interesting local animate beings and works endurance in such country. Travel to Antarctica is one sort of escapade touristry and in the average clip, this can besides be education touristry as scientists from all over the universe semen to analyze the being and ecosystem. Antarctica is rather expensive to go to but most of the visitants find that their experiences are exceed their outlooks ( Alone Planet, 2010 ) . This paper besides points out about the negative impacts from touristry on Antarctic, particularly from human activities toward its environment and agencies of protecting it. Not merely in the Antarctic but besides all over the universe have concern been expressed about the clime alteration and planetary heating. Ozone depletion and thaw glaciers are the serious environmental jobs to this continent every bit good. We will see how touristry developments in the Antarctic happen and how to keep sustainable touristry in this part. There are no eating houses, theatres or shopping promenades, what attracts tourers to travel at that place. All of the information above can be found in this paper. Brief Information and Background about Antarctica Timeline History The ancient Greeks who foremost came up with the thought of this continent named Arktos have known about Antarctica since 350 B.C. , but they neer really went at that place. In the twelvemonth 1773, James Cook circumnavigated Antarctica that means he was the first individual to traverse the Antarctic circle. He made a remark: I make bold to declare that the universe will deduce no benefit from it ( cool Antarctica, 2001 ) . In 1820, the Antarctic continent was foremost seen by human eyes from three work forces whose separate ocean trips had been given recognition that twelvemonth. During the old ages 1840 to 1914 there were many historic trips from the travellers eager to research the continent and many trips failed and calamity happened such as a ship that sank and the crew perished because they could nt stand with the highly cold conditions. The first aeroplane flight was made by Sir George Hubert Wilkins in the twelvemonth 1928. December 1, 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was signed to set up the legal model for the direction of Antarctica. In 1991, 24 states signed an understanding that barred geographic expedition for oil or mineral sedimentation for 50 old ages ( Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1999 ) . Antarctica Geography, Wildlife and Flora Antarctica is centered on the geographical South Pole with 13.9 million square kilometres or about twice the size of Australia. For 1000000s of old ages snow and ice have built up, doing the continent wholly covered by an ice sheet comprises about 98 % of Antarctica s surface which is about 95 % of the universe s fresh H2O militias. The lowest temperatures can drop down every bit -89.6AÂ °C. Antarctica is ranked as the 5th largest of the seven continents. The continent lacks an autochthonal human population, but is place to 1000000s of penguins, sea birds, seals, giants and impermanent place to thousand of scientists and their support staff. The trademark wildlife of Antarctica is penguins with seven species, merely the male hatch individual egg for nine hebdomads on their pess. Penguins feed to a great extent on fish, calamari and crustaceans, its natural enemies are seals and slayer giants. Watching winging sea birds is one of the popular activities for tourers while rolling on the sail. The millstone is the largest winging sea bird with 4 metres wingspan. Other intriguing marine animate beings are South-polar seals, utilizing echo sounder for eating, chiefly on fish, calamari and krill ( a key species for Antarctic ecosystem ) . During the 19th and twentieth centuries, seals were to a great extent hunted for their teguments, pelt and oil, driving them about to extinction. Today, seals are protected by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals, which allows a little quota for scientific scrutiny. The biggest warm-blooded mammals on this continent are giants. They live their full lives in the H2O and has a lifetime between 20 and 40 old ages up to 80. Antarctica has been declared an international giant sanctuary with whaling activities closely monitored by the International Whaling Commission ( IWC ) ( South-polar Connection, 2010 ) . Many people may be confused and think that there are polar bears in Antarctica but it was incorrect because polar bears merely live in the North Pole. Because of the hostile clime, non many workss can turn good since merely about 2 % of Antarctica is ice-free. There are merely two native workss that can turn a grass and a shock absorber organizing pearlweed ( Torahs, 1989 ) . Mosss, hepatics and lichens are the greatest involvement to tourist for picture taking ( Bauer, 2001 ) as they add some colour to the part instead than white from the ice sheet. There are some steps to protect Antarctic wildlife and nature such as: Do non utilize aircraft, little boats to upset wildlife, either sea or land and do non do any loud noise to scare them. Do non feed, touch seals, penguins and birds or do anything to do them to change their behaviour. Do non damage workss or convey non-native workss or animate beings into the Antarctic. Tourism in Antarctica and its development Antarctica can be referred to a fragile and unknown continent ( Bauer, 2001 ) . The South-polar touristry industry began in the late fiftiess when Chile and Argentina took more than 500 riders to the South Shetland Islands. The universe first expedition ship called Lindblad Explorer was designed in 1969 for transporting tourers to the Antarctic ; this was in the period of modern sail industry. Since so, the figure of tourers has grown from a few hundred to more than 30,000 each twelvemonth as shown in figure 1 below. Tourism continues to spread out ; WTO ( 2000 ) prognosis estimated that about 1.56 billion tourers would get by the twelvemonth 2020. Figure 1: The statistics of tourers to Antarctica by nationality in 2008-2009 ( beginning: IAATO ) Large graduated table and uncontrolled touristry can hold a destructive impact on the continent s environment. Therefore, all of the transportation companies, travel bureaus, yachts and air operations have become members of International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators or IAATO founded in 1991 to advance and pattern safe and environmentally responsible action in the Antarctic ( IAATO, n.d. ) . No visa is required for going to Antarctica, but travellers have to look into with the circuit operator in instance they make Michigans at other states. Travel insurance is extremely recommended. Late October through early April is suited clip to go because it is the ice recede period, yearss are long up to 24 hours of daytime in December and January. The gateway ports to South-polar part include Valparaiso, Chile ; Ushuaia, Argentina and Invercargill / Bluff ; New Zealand ( Travel and Leisure, 2010 ) . Antarctica is an about wholly unaccessible finish with no land connexions or regular commercial flights. Therefore, the lone manner to see Antarctica is by fall ining a plan conducted by circuit operators: sails, yachts, over flights without landings. With the absence of a local Antarctic population, one interesting inquiry is ; Who will profit from South-polar touristry activities? In my sentiment, the 1 who will acquire the benefit from South-polar touristry is the circuit operator in the term of economic sciences but in the interim, the tourer will besides derive their truly dramatic experience where it can non be bought. As mentioned in the debut, going to Antarctica can be categorized as escapade and instruction touristry because of its geographics environing natural research labs for scientific research, which can non be done anyplace else on Earth. The research involves authorities bureaus, private industry, scientists and pupils from the university modules. The most interesting research falls among the undermentioned topics: geology, glaciology, oceanology, uranology, weather forecasting, atmospheric scientific disciplines, biological science and medical scientific discipline ( South-polar Connection, 2010 ) . Therefore, most of the tourers traveling to Antarctica are scientists and pupil groups to detect instance surveies and learn from existent experience. What make people want to see Antarctica one time in a life-time and what are the activities for the tourer while they are here will be described. Peoples who love escapade, challenge and want to research the extraordinary experience will be after their trip here. Gunn ( 1988 ) describes attractive force as on location topographic points in parts that non merely supply things for tourers to see and to make but besides offer the magnetic attraction for travel. The attractive forces is the most powerful constituent of supply side of touristry Here are the lists of tourer attractive forces in Antarctica ; Natural Attractions tourer can watch a great natural position from the tall mountains, monolithic glaciers, ice shelves, immense drifting icebergs, vegetation, sea bird, seals and penguins. Scientific Research Stations the popular Stationss for tourer are the Argentinean and Esperanza. Visits to scientific Stationss provide a opportunity to run into dwellers who spent long periods of their clip and have another chance to discourse and interchange their travel experience in this part. Historic Sites, Monuments and Huts where the adventurers left behind, the most often visited huts is the 1 built by Scott and Shackleton on Ross Island. One concern job is that excessively many visitants may damage the sites, therefore the 33 historic huts and sites are managed by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust and restrict for the maximal figure of visitants inside the huts and to guarantee that the figure is non exceeded ( Bauer, 2001 ) . Whaling Station Whaling has become unacceptable for environmentalists and these mammals are about nonextant, but Stationss such as Whalers Bay and Stromness are included in many sail paths. Traveling to Antarctica is risk-taking ; as a consequence, a professional circuit operator that prepares all the necessary equipment and eventuality program is recommended. Before be aftering to travel to Antarctica, the tourer should fix and cognize their capablenesss. Health check-up is indispensable, and thick apparels are really of import to maintain the organic structure warm. Bear in head that an accident can go on at any clip. Respect the ordinances purely such as do non walk onto glaciers, where you can fall into concealed crevasses. Environmental Impacts from Antarctica Tourism Many chief causes from the touristry can impact the ecosystem of Antarctica ; for illustration pollution through sewerage, fuels, oil, waste and noise from the transit and homo both tourers and scientists. Furthermore, debut of non-native dirts, workss and animate beings, or even travel on pes and perturbation of local bird or seal genteelness settlements besides cause an impact. This is a really serious job to the Earth as it may destruct nature and accumulate into a large issue. Hence, it is one of the circuit operator s duties to explicate, train and rede the tourers how they have to act during the trip. The information must incorporate clear, utile information of bash and make nt in Antarctica with the ground at the terminal so that the tourer will understand what will impact the environment if they break the regulations. Climate alteration involves human intercessions such as the emanations of nursery gases ; the experience from National Antarctic Programs over the two decennaries demonstrates that cut downing nursery gas emanations from human activities in Antarctica can give immense benefits to planetary environment. Besides all economic activities such as piscaries should be managed in a preventative manner. Harmonizing to the research, during the old ages 2004-2005 about 50,000 tourers traveled to Antarctica, therefore the norm of each individual emanation of CO2 was 4 dozenss during their stay, which normally lasted several months ( Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, 2009 ) . Glacier thaw and ozone depletion are major jobs to Antarctica as it affect the life animal. The chief cause is from planetary heating that accelerate the thaw of glaciers. Those effects include inordinate implosion therapy, rise in sea degree and habitat loss ( Buzzle, 2010 ) . Chlorofluorocarbon or CFC s found in aerosol sprays, air conditioning systems and iceboxs is a major cause of the devastation of the ozone bed over Antarctica. There is an stray part in the ambiance which had a round gesture called polar whirl and research workers believe that the gases will drift about 20-50 kilometers above the land towards Antarctica, therefore, making a large hole above ( thinkquest, 2010 ) . Furthermore, hapless visitants direction can do ecology harm such as stepping on the moss can impact its slow growth, upseting wildlife can impact their behaviour and their genteelness, rubbish and waste from the ships and sails can falsify the balance of ecology. Even an accident such as oil spill and chemical leak can hold a large impact, as it will take a long clip to vanish from the sea surface ( Gee, 2003 ) . Future prognosis for Antarctica in the twelvemonth 2100 are 33 % decrease of sea ice, all chief krill will see nutrient restrictions, and the figure of mike giant will be depleted by 5-30 % . A possible version is to protect the country and maintain stable sea ice, control human activities to minimise impact and to implement appropriate biosecurity steps. Antarctica plays an of import function in the Earth s clime system as the research is important for understanding planetary heating, in decision it need to be monitored closely for every activity happening in Antarctica. Regulation of South-polar Tourism under the Antarctic Treaty System Antarctica is different from any other topographic point in the universe ; it is a continent that is non owned by any state, organisation or single. The alone political state of affairs makes the direction of touristry activities here unlike any other tourer finishs. Seven states doing district claims in Antarctica: Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. The pact was signed on December 1, 1959 with a sum of 44 states subscribing the pact ; 7 claim district in Antarctica, 12 are Original Signatories and 27 are Advisory Parties ( Australian Antarctic Division, 2000 ) . The Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties ( ATCPs ) hold one-year meetings to discourse issues and do recommendations to each party s authorities for the direction of Antarctic personal businesss. The Treaty describes steps for regulations puting to each country for proper usage of the environment ( Australian Antarctic Division, 2000 ) . The chief aims of Treaty province that Antarctica is to be used for peaceable intents and prohibit for military activities or any arms, there are freedom for scientific research and scientific information sharing, radioactive and atomic stuffs are banned ( skwirk, 2010 ) . It is good to hold at least one organisation to command and be responsible for the distant land like Antarctica otherwise at that place would non hold been the land left until the present clip. U.S diplomats proposed spread outing the 50 old ages old of Antarctic Treaty System to include the limitations on touristry. The Obama disposal forcing the bounds on the size of sail ships sailing and the figure of riders bring to ashore to protect Antarctica s environment under international jurisprudence limitation on touristry. The intent is to minimise the accidental of marine oil spills to guarantee that the touristry is responsible in safety and environmentally ( fox intelligence, 2010 ) Figure 2.1: Antarctica Territorial Claims ( Source: Australia Antarctic Division ) Figure 2.2: Antarctica Seven Countries Territorial Claims Figure 2.1 shows the large image of the Antarctica and the Southern Ocean Territorial Claims by seven states where figure 2.2 shows the little image of those seven states claims for clearly illustrate. Not many topographic points in the Earth where at that place has neer been war, the environment is cleanly and to the full protected which is the topographic point where scientific research has full authorization such like Antarctica. Because of no original dweller in this part, there should be some authorities sector to run and supervise on it. The aims of the Treaty is to guarantee that the country is zone free for atomic trial and used the country for peaceable mission merely, to advance international scientific and to put aside disputes over territorial sovereignty. Is Tourism in Antarctica Sustainable? And how to develop a sustainable touristry industry in the Antarctic Over the past few decennaries, touristry industry is one of the universe s fastest turning industries. So far, Antarctica is one of a few countries in the universe that remained untouchable whereas the figure of tourers has been steadily increasing harmonizing to the statistics from the beginning of South-polar touristry in 1960s until now. The major environmental impact in Antarctic is from touristry ; therefore sustainable touristry has been introduced and integrated into this country. Sustainable Tourism is an effectual balance among economic, environmental and socio-cultural facets of touristry development to guarantee that there is less impact to the topographic point visited and to vouch long-run benefits for all community involved ( UNWTO, 2004 ) , including continue maintaining the natural resources for our following coevals to be seen every bit good as we have seen it today. Sustainability becomes the most often addressed in touristry during 1990s in order to keep, continue or reconstruct resources for touristry development that have the least negative impacts on the natural environments, to boot, this is more environmentally friendly sort of touristry ( Bauer, 2001 ) . The term sustainable development is now replacing the old word preservation. One sort of touristry that is the look of sustainable touristry development is called ecotourism ( Ritchie A ; Goeldner, 1994 ) , connoting that touristry development and resource protection can be compatible. During the advancement of touristry, ecotourism offers chance for fiscal support for resource protection ( Ziffer, 1989 ) . Does touristry in Antarctica autumn into ecotourism class? Since it offers travel experience with educational and out-of-door escapade. Ecotourism can specify as going to remote or natural countries to heighten understanding with grasp of environment and cultural heritage while avoiding impairment to stay the same status for others experiences ( Figgis, 1993 ) . Therefore, touristry in Antarctica could be one sort of ecotourism. The sustainable development end in Antarctica including the function of touristry that focused on finish instead than human development. It is believed that tourers who visit Antarctica could be spokesperson and go more active in protecting the continent because they have seen the existent scenario in forepart and would hold the feeling to continue this valuable district. One of the article study and interview with the circuit organiser and tourer about the overview of the Antarctica touristry in the hereafter, many of the interviewees believe that more ordinance is truly needed for efficaciously direction and besides the enforce restrictive policies should be issue. The manner to better the function of Antarctic Treaty System ( ATS ) for the ordinance of South-polar touristry is to set up a committee with the representatives from chief touristry states that reported to ATS ( Lamers, 2009 ) . Accreditation system set up has been suggested for touristry operators to vouch safe and for industry criterions ( Australia, 2004 ) . The issue of specific limitation and prohibition of the figure of tourers or ships sing Antarctica has been raised, but that would be hard because of political will and troubles of implementing as states might non desire to restrict their economical chances in such country. Although the general rules of South-polar touristry are accepted on environmental quality and human safety, in footings of future graduated table and the control of touristry development still in statement. Some sentiment seeing touristry as a harmless activity, which can make embassador of Antarctica against the annihilating actions that might go on in the hereafter. Second position sees touristry as a possible beginning of income for local stakeholder such as National Antarctic Program or NAPs. Third perspective sees that touristry is allowable every bit long as there is no negative impact to the environment ( Lamers, 2009 ) . The last position is a good decision due to the fact that travel with harmless to the nature is one sort of sustainable going therefore the clearly touristry policy towards Antarctica should be made all of a sudden. Planing with the solution is rather a good reappraisal in order to keep the last resources of the universe. Adaptation to the state of affairs is besides necessary, we must alter our life before we are force to make so ( Thomas, 2009 ) . How can sustainable touristry in Antarctica be achieved? It is non an answerability of any company, organisation or state but it need cooperation from everyone who involve in such concerns or topographic points such as the circuit operator, tourer, authorities or even the local who live near the tourer attractive force. Antarctica is the ultimate finish for anyone interested in natural history but it besides challenges those people who visit to believe loosely about our duties to all life on Earth. That s the position of Dr.Robert Lambert, a lector on Tourism and the Environment at The University of Nottingham, who has merely returned from the Antarctic as an perceiver for the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators ( IAATO ) ( Science Daily, 2008 ) . Hence, any rubbish should non be leave in the country to keep natural and undestroyed, the tourer should recognize that they are short-run visit, full responsible and ethical to environing environment is indispensable. Decision In order to pattern sustainable touristry in Antarctica, it should be clearly understood the construct that to be sustainable is to go with witting and profoundly understand the value of nature, be concerned and recognize the effects that might go on in the hereafter are non merely in a positive manner but besides in negative ways. The construct of sustainable touristry is wider range on economic sciences, environmental and socio-cultural whereas ecotourism is focus on environmental and ecological issues. In add-on, sustainable touristry is emphasize on autochthonal people, in this instance it mean the local zoology that live in Antarctica. The preservationist dying that in the hereafter Antarctica will be in the crisis of planetary heating which is the consequence from human activities that may do the zoology become nonextant. In add-on, the ozone depletion that makes the universe get higher temperature and do the glacier thaw is one of the possibilities for the disappearing of Anta rctica Continent in the following decennary. A large implosion therapy could go on as Antarctica has approximately 95 % of the universe s fresh H2O militias, therefore it is possibility consequence to the close placed states and besides to the universe. An active part to the community is one sort of sustainable touristry as some tourers might volunteer to assist make or continue the natural resources. The tourer who visit to the rare topographic point of the universe like Antarctica must be chesty and experience cherish that give a power to make something to assist advance or continue the cherished topographic point before it is excessively late to protect. They may give a contribution to the foundation, or compose a narrative on the cyberspace to portion their experience and their feeling sing the wonderland like Antarctica. This is another manner to show their purpose of how of import to continue and do it sustainable. Since the current universe is trusting on the cyber and cyberspace, the information seting should be trusty to avoid misinterpretation. To reply the research inquiry: How to develop a sustainable touristry industry in the Antarctic? will non be easy if there is a deficiency of cooperation from many sides or parties that have to associate and portion in South-polar touristry. Henceforth, the organisation that have influence in Antarctica such as the seven states that doing territory claims or Antarctic Treaty Consultative Party ( ATCP ) , International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators ( IAATO ) should hold an explicitly guideline to the refering parties. Updated ordinance and prohibition is important due to the universe has alteration and the old regulations may non follow with the new facing jobs. As the Antarctic touristry regulated by ATCP has been considered weak and excessively slow in execution procedure and decision-making ( Bastmeijer A ; Roura, 2004 ) , besides many ordinances are non lawfully mandatory ( Bastmeijer, 2003 ) hence transparently operation is really of import in the self-regulatory gove rnment. World Tourism Organisation ( WTO ) launched the rule of sustainable touristry and defined as: development that meets the demands of present tourers and host parts while protecting and heightening chances for the hereafter. It is envisaged as taking to direction of all resources in such a manner that economic, societal and aesthetic demands can be fulfilled while keeping cultural unity, indispensable ecological procedures, biological diverseness and life support systems ( WTO, 1993 ) . The success of a sustainable touristry development in the Antarctic should be uniting with the sustainable usage, resource preservation, economic development and variegation, larning about the natural and cultural environment ( Wylie, 1994 ) . Good beginnings of information and cognition are really of import in development since the tourers may non cognize profoundly approximately Antarctica as scientist, for that ground the tourers must hold utile information about the topographic point visit and cognize how to act during the trip. Such information is really critical to avoid the hazard of set uping an environment and ecosystem. Traveling with unhurt nature is the best solution to develop sustainable touristry since we can be appreciate the nature and at the same clip can maintain the same resources last long.

Europe in teh 1960s essays

Europe in teh 1960s essays Europe is an ever-changing landscape of culture and society. Many major advances in technology and knowledge were introduced to this scene in the nineteen-sixties. Political transformation took place in this decade as well as social and ethnic changes. The beginning of the Space Age marked scientific enhancements just as the second Vatican Council meeting was a sign of cultural attempts to bring a group up to date with the times. The building of the Berlin Wall signaled feuding between governments and their differences. The Space Age was inaugurated with the launching of Sputnik I on October 4, 1957. Yet astronautics originated in the early nineteenth century. As early as 1819 Konstantine E. Ziolkovsky, the founding father of Russian space science, predicted the of a space rocket employing liquid fuel and liquid oxygen capable of thrusting man into space. From 1957 to 1961, Russian spaceships were the first top carry live animals, to reach the vicinity of the moon and orbit the sun, and to photograph the far side of the moon. While America was reaching significant scientific progress, Russia clearly dominated the excitement of space exploration. In March of 1961, Premier Nikita Khrushchev announced that the Soviet Union would soon place a man in space. Within a few weeks, on April 12, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. The spaceship Vostok I weighed 10,395 pounds, orbited the globe in eighty-nine minutes at a top speed of seventeen thousand miles per hour. Gagarins journey was incredibly smooth. He reported writing a note, drinking, and eating. Reentry into Earths atmosphere, more rapid than anticipated marred his capsule, but Gagarin landed safely four hundred miles southeast of Moscow. The United States and Russia were both struggling for world prestige. This advance in exploration sparked the fire that would launch every spaceship following. It created a bloodless battle betw...

6 Signs Your Job Opportunity Might Be a Scam

6 Signs Your Job Opportunity Might Be a Scam Ever wondered if a job posting seems too good to be true? Chances are, if you feel like you see a tiny  warning flag, it’s probably there. Protect your identity, your money, your time, and your dignity by being on the lookout for the following signs of scam. 1. They contacted you.Always verify if the job posting finds you, rather than the other way around- particularly if the pay seems far too good to be true. Try to avoid searching on job sites that don’t have a privacy mechanism. You’ll be much less vulnerable to scammers.2. All details seem vague.Beware if the job requirements are very vague, as is the position description, like if there’s no mention of education or experience, just a few incredibly basic â€Å"requirements† to make it look more real- age, perhaps, or â€Å"access to the internet.† Real jobs will ask for very specific things.3. Their emails are unprofessional.If you receive correspondence from a potential job, and there are typos, misspellings, or other errors in style, don’t bother writing back. Capitalization should be standardized and professional. Punctuation and grammar should be utterly correct. Anything short of the highest standard of professionalism and you’re probably looking at a scam.4. Interviews are done via Yahoo or nonprofessional  chat.You can interview via Yahoo Instant Messenger? No thank you. In person or on the phone, or perhaps on Skype, is the preferred method. Yahoo IM should be a very clear red flag. If you are at all inclined to go through with the interview, make sure to research the organization vigorously beforehand to make sure it really exists.5. There’s no contact info.You get an email without any contact information, or from a personal address, there’s an issue. Most professionals will conduct all of their work and recruitment correspondence from their work email. If they don’t have one, be worried. Be worried also if you arenâ⠂¬â„¢t provided a phone number or a business address or web address- and extra worried if you Google them and turn up no results. If you do find a real company, but still feel sketched out about the contact, you’re well within your rights to call the company and verify that the person in question is an actual employee.6. They ask you for something out of the ordinary.Just run away the minute someone asks you for any sensitive personal information. Don’t ever give out your bank account- even if someone offers to send you jewels or funds from a foreign bank. And RUN  if they ask you for money. Never agree to pay for a credit report, or a background check, or software. Real jobs supply all this for you. And they review your resume and application gratis.Remember fake jobs can be lurking on social media, legitimate job sites, even under the name of legitimate companies. Your best defense is to keep your wits about you, and listen to your gut. If you get a funny feeling a bout a company, chances are you have some reason to.

Critically Analyse the extent to which the militarisation of Essay

Critically Analyse the extent to which the militarisation of humanitarian assistance has affected the way in which humanitarian agencies carry out their role in conflict affected countries - Essay Example Military activities are usually politically driven, and they follow the strategies laid out by their governments. On the other hand, aid organizations operate under impartiality and neutrality, but they rely on the military for security and provisions such as transportation. This affects their impartiality and neutrality since they might engage in some politically oriented missions. In the past, NGO workers have been used to gather intelligence for the military, which affects their functionality (Weiss, 1999). The government utilizes humanitarian relief aid to woo the local residents to provide information about the militants. In Iraq and Afghanistan, this strategy has been used to gather information regarding the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants (Aidan, 2010). Humanitarian aid can be defined as logical assistance, medical assistance, and food supplies to people caught up in a humanitarian crisis such as war or natural disaster. Several countries in the third world such as Congo, Sierra Leone, Syria, and Libya have experienced internal war due to political instability. The affected population in these regions requires protection and assistance, which is mostly provided by NGOs along military organizations such as NATO, United Nations, and African Union. Today’s conflicts disregard human life as well as the values of tolerance and human dignity, and the general population is usually targeted by warlords. The main aim of humanitarian aid is to assist every person without discrimination, respect human dignity, and pursue no other interest. In areas where the military is involved, some affected groups may be locked out due to political reasons. The military may also influence the process of aid provision depending on the cooperation by the locals. This cooperation gauged in terms of information the military receives from local residents regarding militant groups in the region. The involvement of the military in aid activities

Healthcare Provider Faith and Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Healthcare Provider Faith and Diversity - Essay Example The discussion of this paper can be useful to medical practitioners in handling patient from these two religions. The connection between religious practices and provision of health care services is significant and require particular attention. The need for medical practitioners to understand different religious beliefs and traditions has received growing amount of support from various believers worldwide. Christianity and Buddhism are the perfect examples of two religions with different beliefs concerning health care provision. Whereas Christians believe in home care, use of drugs, prayers among others, Buddhists believe in a peaceful mind, use of mantras, and modesty of health practitioners among others. Knowledge of these beliefs makes medical doctors and nurses better positioned to handle patients from either religious background. According to Roman Catholics, the prime reality is that there is God who has infinite wisdom, is transcendent, omniscient, sovereign, and the creator of the earth. Due to this, Christians believe in the power of prayers in healing the sick (James 5:15, King James Version). According to them, God channels the healing energy to the individual through prayers. In the case of prayers from religious leaders, they believe that God, through the priests, heals the sick. The priests anoint and give Holy Communion to the sick in the health facilities. This act benefits the sick since they receive both spiritual and medical healing. The implication of this belief for healthcare is that the healthcare providers believe that their work is to treat patients, but God is the one who heals the sick. Additionally, Roman Catholics through the scriptures of the Bible firmly believe and are hopeful that there is life after death (Molewyk et al., 2005). The church states that death is a transition from the real world to the spiritual realm. They believe dead Christians are destined to a quiet

Costa Rica Geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Costa Rica Geography - Essay Example Electronic products are one type of products exported by Costa Rica and it is mainly Intel products. Despite the bug plague, Costa Rica still remains as a major banana exporter. Lastly, although harvested by mostly Nicaraguan migrants, bananas are also another major export product from Costa Rica. Generally from the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica imports medicines. The country also imports petroleum products from other countries in order to finance its industrial operations. Lastly, Costa Rica also imports integrated circuits from other countries as many are needed in the emerging industries of the country. Despite the rich Spanish cultural heritage of the country, Costa Rica is beset with several problems and two are worth mentioning. The first issue, and probably the most important, is deforestation and the destruction of natural resources. There are only few laws to protect the flora and fauna in Costa Rica and many existing laws are not properly enforced. Another thing is that the country does not have a military force thus this poses as a risk for the country. Nevertheless, there is still good quality exports, an equally great tourism industry, and relatively low unemployment and poverty rates plus the beautiful land and water forms. That is still so much to be thankful for. Adams, Becket. â€Å"U.S. Unemployment Down to 6.6 Percent, Labor Participation at 35-Year Low.† 2014. The Blaze. 5 Feb 2014.

Development in Oil and Gas Retail industries Essay

Development in Oil and Gas Retail industries - Essay Example The standard for spot prices for crude oil is considered as Brent crude oil. The prices of crude oil in the Brent crude oil index have been varying from $100 to $115 since 2012. In this period the supply of the liquid fuel has increased in the countries of North America especially the USA and Canada. However there has been an equivalent drop in the production and sell of crude oil from countries of the North Africa and some countries in the Middle East. While increase in supply from USA and Canada have brought into the market an additional 4 million barrels per day of crude oil since 2008, supply disruption and outages in North Africa and Middle East have largely offset this effect and prevented the prices from falling down. It is estimated that unplanned oil production outages have caused an average of 2.7 million barrels per day over the past two years and another fact is that the outages have increased from 1.8 million barrels per day in 2012 to about 3.5 million barrels per day i n May 2014. The main outages have been caused by OPEC countries such as Libya and Iran and non-OPEC countries such as South Sudan and Syria. The most problematic factor and the riskiness of the matter is that it is very difficult to predict when the supplies will return to normal levels given the geopolitical tabulations that are going on in these countries. The demand for oil has remained on the lower side in the recent years and this has contributed to the oil prices remaining stable for a large part of the recent years. The demand growth from countries outside the OECD has slowed down due to the fact that economic growth in the countries such as China, India, and Brazil has decreased in the recent years. The slower growth in the economies of these countries has correspondingly seen a decrease in the demand of the liquid in comparison to the past two decades. The consumption of liquid had reached a peak of 50

The Marketing Mix and Key Stakeholder Groups for Ryanair Airline Assignment

The Marketing Mix and Key Stakeholder Groups for Ryanair Airline - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that in order to amplify the sustainability and reputation in this age of extreme aggressiveness, it is the stakeholders, who might present positive strategies and policies for the growth the organization. This is because, stakeholders are recognized as those individuals, in which the organization is entirely dependent over a long period of time. Moreover, varied types of internal motives and desires of these stakeholders get fulfilled due to the increase in the organizational productivity and profitability. Other than this, the stakeholders are those individuals, who get affected by the implementation of varied types of inventive activities by the organization. This section identifies the prime stakeholders of Ryanair Airline that offers significant impact and influence over organizational activities are employees, pressure groups, and shareholders. Employees: employees are considered as the internal stakeholders of an organization and pla y a very vital role in organizational improvement. This is because; it is the employees or the human resources of an organization that dedicates his or her total commitment so as to amplify his level of performance or goals. Similarly, the employees or human resources of Ryanair Airline might try to present effective attitude, behavior as well as services so as to satisfy the requirements of the customers. Only then, the reliability and trust of the customers over the hospitality of Ryanair Airlines might get enhanced that may improve the brand image and market share of the brand. Other than this, if the level of hospitality of the employees of Ryanair Airlines is extremely praise-worthy, then the range of customers might get increased that may amplify the profitability and productivity of the organization. However, in order to maintain such type of hospitality, the employees need to offer extensive training and development workshops so as to improve their communication skills and i ntelligence power. Apart from this, in order to make the employees as the most profitable assets of Ryanair, effective communication and participation system need to be implemented, at the time of developing any strategy or policy.

Development in Oil and Gas Retail industries Essay

Development in Oil and Gas Retail industries - Essay Example The standard for spot prices for crude oil is considered as Brent crude oil. The prices of crude oil in the Brent crude oil index have been varying from $100 to $115 since 2012. In this period the supply of the liquid fuel has increased in the countries of North America especially the USA and Canada. However there has been an equivalent drop in the production and sell of crude oil from countries of the North Africa and some countries in the Middle East. While increase in supply from USA and Canada have brought into the market an additional 4 million barrels per day of crude oil since 2008, supply disruption and outages in North Africa and Middle East have largely offset this effect and prevented the prices from falling down. It is estimated that unplanned oil production outages have caused an average of 2.7 million barrels per day over the past two years and another fact is that the outages have increased from 1.8 million barrels per day in 2012 to about 3.5 million barrels per day i n May 2014. The main outages have been caused by OPEC countries such as Libya and Iran and non-OPEC countries such as South Sudan and Syria. The most problematic factor and the riskiness of the matter is that it is very difficult to predict when the supplies will return to normal levels given the geopolitical tabulations that are going on in these countries. The demand for oil has remained on the lower side in the recent years and this has contributed to the oil prices remaining stable for a large part of the recent years. The demand growth from countries outside the OECD has slowed down due to the fact that economic growth in the countries such as China, India, and Brazil has decreased in the recent years. The slower growth in the economies of these countries has correspondingly seen a decrease in the demand of the liquid in comparison to the past two decades. The consumption of liquid had reached a peak of 50

International Culture and Ethics Research Paper

International Culture and Ethics - Research Paper Example There is need for individuals to develop intercultural cooperation skills that will enable them to cooperate with other people of different culture for is vital for survival. Business ethics refer to standards of moral behavior that relate to corporate as well as entrepreneurial situations while business culture refers to values, norms morals that are practiced by a group of people and they reflect their way of living or the way they do business. The two lead to expected behavior of people in an organization or as they do business. Since ethics suggest standard, it implies that they entail a legal aspect and violation of ethics can lead to legal ramification while violation of the business culture may not result to something so drastic. To individuals wanting to operate a business between different regions or countries there is need to compare the culture in your home country with that of the host country. In order to start an international business, individuals need to ask themselves some essential open ended questions and make a thorough research on the particular business and the countries to be involved. This is simply because it will require that the person functions in a foreign language. At first, it is quite in order to have a look at guides having articles on how to do business world wide and make deals on how to operate the business. This may require negotiating on the tactics to use, determining the value of connections required, use of business card and content, how to present oneself in meetings, language to use in promoting the business, adherence to company policy governing the type of business and get to know more of the business culture information. Secondly is to important to consider a prosperous entertainment which entails determining typical mealtimes for the day, best venues the business entertainment is to take place, acceptance or declination of invitations, gu idelines of hosting a social event and get to know more on business

Oedipus the King Essay Example for Free

Oedipus the King Essay In Sophocles Oedipus the King, the themes of fate and free will are very strong throughout the play. Only one, however, brought about Oedipus downfall and death. Both points could be argued to great effect. In ancient Greece, fate was considered to be a rudimentary part of daily life. Every aspect of life depended and was based upon fate (Nagle 100). It is common belief to assume that mankind does indeed have free will and each individual can decide the outcome of his or her life. Fate and free will both decide the fate of Oedipus the King. Both sides of the argument can be greatly supported. The Greeks believed in the idea that personality of the individual greatly affected his or her life (Nagle 120). Their personality was what decides their own free will. A wise man will make good decisions in his life; an ignorant and stubborn man wont be so fortunate. The character traits of a person have a certain positive or negative affect on the choices that he or she makes. For Oedipus, one of these attributes was the desire for knowledge and truth about his own existence. This driving force in the play led to the truth of his origin. This ties in with his own aspect of free will. His free will is based on his drive for knowledge. Throughout the entire play, Oedipus pushes Tiresias, Creon, Jocasta, the oracle, the messenger, and the shepherd for information regarding his beginnings. Each one of these characters in some way or form refused to give him a thorough answer. As he draws closer to the answer, another character tries to stop his journey. Oedipus continues moving onward even though others request he didnt. Oh no, listen to me, I beg you, dont do this. Listen to you? No more. I must know it all, see the truth at last (Sophocles 195). His desire for truth kept pushing him to continue his search, ultimately leading to his downfall. The entire time Oedipus had the capability to discontinue the plight. However he made the independent decision to continue. Another instance where choices directly linked Oedipus to the prophecy was at the crossroads. Oedipus demonstrates an important trait in his character, stubbornness. This trait is visible when Oedipus reacted to the man pushing him aside at the crossroads. the one shouldering me aside, the driver, I strike him in anger! . I killed them allevery mothers son! (Sophocles 189). In ancient times when a caravan was coming down the road they usually pushed you to the side. Oedipus didnt like this and flipped out, killing all of them. It was his stubbornness that caused this to happen. His personality led to the decision to kill the caravan and unknowingly, his father too. If he were a wise and content man, then his decision would have differed. When Oedipus defeated the Sphinx by solving the riddle, he could have refused to take the missing kings throne. He could have also declined to marry the former kings wife, unaware that the queen was his own mother. He accepted both of these without any regrets. If his decision was different it might have altered the course of events in the future. His personality made sure that the decisions went the way they did. These choices were made by Oedipus with his own free will, his own decisions. He didnt have to accept these gifts, but did none the less. These conclusions would lead to his own demise, but they were his own mistakes, not fate. Free will can also be found in the actions of Jocasta and Laius. The choices they made were not made by their own judgement, but rather reactions to a situation that neither of them was prepared to deal with. Upon hearing the prophecy that foretold the future sins in their household; they made a harsh decision out of fear. They had little Oedipus sent to die at the foothills of a mountain. This reaction seems very cruel, but back in ancient times it was very natural. Being that an oracle foretold the prophecy, Jocasta and Laius responded as any Greek parents would. They solved the problem by removing Oedipus from the equation, but in the end their decision wasnt the right one. This leaves the readers of the play to wonder what might have happened if Jocasta and Lauis never sent Oedipus to die as an infant. Would the prophecy still have taken place? It seems that it wouldnt have, because Oedipus wouldnt have engaged in the misled wandering after he left his adopted home. Oedipus would have had no reason to fulfill the prophecy, but that is another question that we dont know. On the other hand, if Oedipus didnt listen to the prophecy suggested to him in Corinth, he never would have returned to Thebes to carry out his destiny. All these instances can be looked at that free will was the deciding factor. Was it really? Fate can also be looked upon in every instance, equally a strong argument against free will. Oedipus desire for knowledge can also be looked at by the standpoint of fate. He was born with his own stubbornness. The Gods themselves made him that way and it can not be changed. No matter what his decisions were, their gift to him will lead to the path they gave him. He cant escape the fate the Gods have given him. He kept pushing farther and father, but it just led to his downfall. Nothing he could have done would have stopped that. The prophets make this clear in their prophecies throughout the text. All the premonitions they say come true. They cant be avoided because the Gods made you with your personality and it controls your life. Ultimately they control you. When Oedipus reaches the crossroads, it was fate that led to the events that took place. Short work, by god-with one blow of the staff (Sophocles 189). This quote reveals that the gods did play apart in the events that took place. Oedipus prophecy was to kill his own father. Unwillingly because of his stubbornness Oedipus struck down and did indeed kill his father. Because the gods gave him this trait, his fate was unavoidable. The traits of Oedipus would generate the right sequence of events that would eventually lead to his prophecy coming true. Oedipus personality was the cause of the events. His free will blended in with the fate given to him by the gods. All together it was fate that decided these actions. The prophecy given to Lauis and Jocasta is also another example of unavoidable fate. Even though it wasnt there own choices to get rid of their son, their reaction to the prophecy set up the events for the future. If they never sent Oedipus to die at the mountainside, he most likely never would have killed Lauis at the crossroads. Their reaction was to a message given to them by the Gods. The Gods dictated what was going to happen. They told the prophet to give out the prophecy. Leading to the vanquishing of little Oedipus. All along every action leads to ones fate in life. The greatest show of fate in the text is when Oedipus gauges his eyes out with the golden clips. He does this in reaction to the events that take place. Oedipus was aware that he alone was responsible for his actions and gauged his own eyes out. That is the free will standpoint on the issue. Oedipus was at the same time not responsible for his actions. The gods controlled his personality and therefore controlled the outcome of his life. If Oedipus realized this he might not have taken his own sight. The gods use their power to provoke humans free will. They were responsible for the demise of Oedipus, but in the same time convince the human that it was there fault. Free will and fate can be related to every aspect of Oedipus the King. The gods who control fate manipulate the thinking and concepts in humans free will. Ultimately fate is what overcomes all. It may not seem like it, but free will was given to mankind by the gods or God. So in turn the gods decide the fate of everybody when they created man. It was already decided and can not be changed. One can still argue the position that free will is more dominant, but if you relate to creation and how the gods made man, fate overcomes. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles made it clear to his fellow Greeks that mankind has the ability, even with prophecies and oracles, to make choices free from influence of divine forces. He also shows that fate does play a part in humans lives too. They tie into each other for a direct balance. Overall, fate is the divine power that controls free will and determines ones life.