The Ice Age Essays - Pleistocene, Mammoth, Permafrost, Tundra

The Ice Age Twenty thousand years ago during the time of the last ice age period, many colossal mammals roamed North America. They survived during the times when much of the earth was covered by immense large bodies of ice that buried forests, fields, and mountains, but rapidly became extinct after the ice began to retreat and melt. Since then the human race has introduced many different theories to explain the extinction of these large mammals. One theory stands above all and explains the truth of this mysterious disappearance. The Paleo Indians that entered North America from Asia, the climate change, soil, vegetation and water levels were all major factors in this extinction. The results of these factors left the biggest impact on the food chain of these animals. The domino-effect of all these factors is responsible for the extinction of the ice age mammals. Animals, like all other living organisms have a tendency to adapt to the environment in which they live. A cold climate favors large animals, since large animals have more body fat and lose heat at a slower rate then do smaller animals. That is why many of the mammals that lived during the ice age were enormous. These large animals consisted of ground sloths and armadillos which came northward from South America, and horses, saber-toothed cats, mammoths, antelopes, and muskoxen that crossed over the land bridge from Asia into North America. For the longest time fossils from many parts of North America were the only evidence that many of these large beasts had once roamed the land, but in the spring of 1846 an unbelievable event happened that brought the world a step closer to the mystery of this great extinction. A Russian explorer Benkendorf and his survey team from Russia were heading for the mouth of the Indigirka River in Siberia. When they reached the spot of their destination, the land had disappeared and everything had changed. Left behind was two miles wide of torn up land, and wild waters carrying rapidly masses of peat and loam. In the mixture of the mess they seemed to notice what was once one of the mammoths who roamed the earth during the ice ages. (Chorlton 53) Our patience was tried. At last, however, a huge black horrible mass bobbed up out of the water. We beheld a colossal elephants head, armed with mighty tusks, its long trunk waving uncannily in the water, as though seeking something it had lost. Breathless with astonishment, I beheld the monster hardly 12 feet away, with the white of his half-open eyes showing. 'A mammoth! A mammoth!' someone shouted. (Chorlton 54) An elephant with a body covered with thick fur about thirteen feet in height and fifteen in length with tusks eight feet long that curved outward at the end. It had a trunk six feet long and colossal legs one and a half feet thick. The beast was fat and well grown. The outer hair was like wool, very soft, warm and thick, it was definitely well protected from the cold.(Chorlton 54) Unfortunately the mammoth soon began to decay and was swept away by the rapid waters. This dramatic find brought the world face to face with one of the great mysteries of the ice age, the sudden extinction of the great colossal mammals. These large mammals at one time lived in peace and survived gracefully for thousands of years, they adapted to the cold climate and tundra surrounding them. With an adequate food chain and nothing to affect it they were bound to survive forever, but because of simple changes that eventually triggered many other factors these animals are extinct and will never be on this earth again. When the massive continental glaciers locked up great quantities of water, the sea levels lowered which exposed parts of the shallow sea floor, therefore, the Bering Strait did not exist. Eleven thousand, years ago many Paleo Indians were able to cross the land bridge between Asia and North American which enabled them to populate North America. The great amount of large animals attracted these people to the frozen waste lands. In all hunting that ends with the extermination of a species, the motivation is never hunger. Money, and the greed for it, have been the incentive. The savage does not know these, he hunts to eat and so is unable to decimate the big game to any important extent (Cornwall 117) The large mammals of North American were never exposed

Telemachus essays

Telemachus essays Telemachus is the son of the great king Odysseus. However, without a father there to lead and teach him Telemachus is lost in the world of manhood. Everyone says that Odysseus was a righteous, fair king and a hero. However, Telemachus has no proof of this. He has never seen his father and his grandfather has shunned the throne and turned to farming. The people of Ithaca seem to have a standard for Telemachus to reach since he is the son of a great hero. However, Telemachus is lost and confused. He is trying to find his true identity, but without a father-figure, he only has the imprudent suitors to which to turn. When Athena, their guardian goddess, takes the form of Mentes and goes to the palace of Odysseus, she finds Telemachus feasting with the suitors. When Athena comments on the resemblance of Telemachus to Odysseus, he responds by saying . . . Mother has always told me Im his son, its true, but I am not so certain (lines 249-250). Feeling deserted by his father, Telemachus dons the identity of the suitors the only role-models he has known. It seems that the suitors have even slightly turned him against his own father by pressing ideas into Telemachus head that his father has left him alone and died a shameful death after leaving Troy. While Athena is still prodding for information from Telemachus, he makes the comment of I would never have grieved so much about his death if hed gone down with comrades off in Troy. . . and hed have won his son great fame for years to come. . . hes left me tears and grief. (lines 274-82) The danger of the suitors corrupting Telemachus is obviously present in that statement. Telemachus has only seen disorder, destruction, and chaos in his palace. He does not know how to make peace or how to set right the ways of Ithaca. However, once...

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 243

Assignment Example A dollar can be strong or it can be weak. A strong dollar helps the export sector of countries around the world. A strong dollar is good when inflation is not a problem. Conversely, a weaker currency increases the purchasing power of the Americans. A strong dollar is a disadvantage to the policy makers. However the US benefits from a strong dollar because it does not depend on exports. The countries whose economies are not strong as compared to the US lose when the dollar becomes strong. This means that their currency is losing value. In conclusion, a floating exchange rate is the exchange rate where the currency is set by the forces of demand and supply. These forces are in the foreign exchange market. The floating exchange rate change freely and are determined in the forex market. There is a managed float currency exchange system. This system unlike the later is subject to interventions by the monetary authorities. It is not dependent on the forces of demand and supply. The government may have set objectives that it wants to achieve and it interferes with the forces of demand and supply in the managed float currency exchange system. (Devereux,

Macroeconomic Convergence, Financial Development and Economic Growth Coursework

Macroeconomic Convergence, Financial Development and Economic Growth - Coursework Example The theory of absolute convergence states that the growth level of countries initially varies due to the difference in their levels of capital. The second theory of conditional convergence states that each country has a steady state and they converge to their own level of the steady state. The paper focuses on the effect of convergence on China and the resultant financial development and economic growth in this country. Deep-down analysis of the fact that poor countries can catch up to the rich countries through the increase in the average rates of growth has been carried on for a proper understanding of this topic. The investigation of the way in which the financial development and economic growth of China helped it to reach the position equivalent to a developed country is considered for the purpose of review. The Solow swan model and laws of diminishing marginal utility are used to help in the process of interpretation of the topic in a simple and easy manner. The empirical evidence is laid down in the paper along with charts to facilitate the process of understanding. The idea of catch-up-effect or convergence in economics is based on the hypothesis that the per capita income of the poorer economies will tend to grow at a much faster rate than the richer ones. The resultant factor is the convergence of both the economies in terms of the per capita income. The financial functions control the investment and saving decisions, technological innovations and therefore economic growth (Shahbaz, Khan and Tahir, 2013). Classical theories: The Ricardian theory of production and growth are related to the law of variable proportion. The law states that if any factor of production is increased while keeping the other same with no technological changes, there can be an increase in the output but in diminishing rate. This increased output eventually approaches towards zero.

Berkeley provides (at least) two objections to Lockes Essay

Berkeley provides (at least) two objections to Lockes - Essay Example In his second Principle, Berkeley claims that objects must be perceived in order to exist, â€Å"for the existence of an idea consists in being perceived† (Berkeley 461). He bases this premise on the evidence that thoughts, passions and imaginative ideas cannot exist without a mind capable of perceiving them. â€Å"And (to me) it seems no less evident that the various sensations or ideas imprinted on the sense, however blended or combined together (that is, whatever objects they compose), cannot exist otherwise than in a mind perceiving them† (471). This goes directly against Locke’s concept of primary properties which are described as properties of an object that are true regardless of who perceives them or even whether they are perceived. Examples of primary properties include the object’s solidity, its figure, its relative motion to its surroundings and its quantity. In the example of a table, primary properties might include its hard surface and open a rea between the legs, its flat surface and height from the ground, its motionless status within the room and its singular status as an object. While Locke says that these things exist whether or not anyone perceives them, Berkeley suggests that none of these elements of the object can be true without someone first perceiving that they’re true. In this, he essentially applies Locke’s concepts of secondary properties to the entire object, eliminating primary properties. â€Å"In truth, the object and the sensation are the same thing and cannot therefore be abstracted from each other† (471). Another area in which Berkeley disagrees with Locke is in the characterization of our understanding. Locke indicates that our perceptions and experiences of the world are learned and shaped by our experiences of innate things that exist in the material world independently of perception while Berkeley

The IMF, World Bank and the Washington Consensus

The IMF, World Bank and the Washington Consensus The Washington Consensus was created in 1989 by John Williamson; it was used to describe the 10 policy prescriptions. The Washington Consensus was made to be the baseline of directions for countries, who are in need of assistance from international economic entities, for example the international Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Washington Consensus has been referenced many times; this has made it a general term of disparagement to those who go against the free market fundamentalism. (Williamson 1989) The ten points of the Washington Consensus were rather vague because they were to represent a baseline. The points included were, liberalizing foreign investment opportunities, keeping competitive exchange rates within the nation, privatizing enterprises run by the state, letting interest rates be handled by the market and remaining positive and moderate, strong legal guarantees for property rights, spending away from subsidies and to direct investments in infrastructure, education and health care, deregulation and reduce competition, except for consumer safety, environmental health and financial institutional stability. The last point raised is reforming the tax system to a broader tax base. (Williamson 1989) The Washington Consensus has resulted in limited success when it has been applied in nations which are suffering economic crisis. It has come under some criticism for a number of destabilisations for example the Argentinean crisis. John Williamson himself noted that the results have been disappointing upon implementation and how it could be improved and noted some of the flaws. John Williamson pointed out that the reason for failed results were that the Washington Consensus did not place any special measures on mechanisms for avoiding economic crisis. (Williamson 1989) People who opposed the ideas of the Washington Consensus believe that it represents exploitation of developing countries by developed countries. Some nations in Latin America have implemented policies which go directly against the Washington Consensus which resulted in good results in some occasions. Some socialist leaders like Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez and Nestor Kirchner have all spoken out against the Washington Consensus and implemented policies which have taken their nations to very different directions. (Reed 2007) Though other Latin American counties with governments of the left wing have in practice adopted the bulk of the policies included in Williamsons list but they often criticize the principles of market fundamentalism that they are often associated with. These policies have been promoted by the International Monetary Fund but have come under some criticism by US economists like Rodrik and Joseph Stiglitz. They have both challenged the fundamental policies of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the US treasury, Stiglitz called this a one size fits all action for individual economies. Joseph Stiglitz stated that the treatment that was suggested by the IMF is far too basic; he said the policies did not prioritise or look for side effects. (Reed 2007) The policies for the Washington Consensus were originally created as a response to the crisis that was happening in Latin America. In 2010, several nations from the area are now being led by socialists or other left wing governments. Some of the countries are campaigning for and have adopted some policies which are opposite to the Washington Consensus policies. Even though some nations in Latin America have left wing governments such as Chile, Peru and Brazil, they have still adopted most of the policies that are in the Washington Consensus, even though they go against the principle of market fundamentalism that on such occasions are associated with. (Reed 2007) There has been a lot of criticism about the Washington Consensus. Most of the criticism has been focused on the elimination of subsidies and on trade liberalisation. The criticism has been rather harsh towards the agriculture sector. Countries which have a substantial amount of natural resources, they have criticised the privatisation of industries exploiting these resources. Neo-Keynesian and post-Keynesian have both been very critical of the consensus and they have argued that the core policies were wrongly been laid out and are too inflexible to be successful. An example of this would be flexible labour laws were supposedly meant to create new job opportunities; economic evidence from Latin America has been largely inconclusive. Some critics have criticised that the policies do not take into account of the cultural and economic differences between the nations. They believe that these policies should be only implemented at times of economic growth and should not be implemented during economic crisis. (Naim 1999) Foreign Policy chief editor, Moises Naim, argued that there was no such consensus in the first place. Moises Naim had argued that there was and still is important differences between economists over what is the best and correct economic policy. This is the reason the idea of there being a consensus was also flawed. (Naim 1999) SOURCE: WORLD BANK and ECLAC As you can see from the chart above, it shows that Brazil and Latin America who have implemented the Washington Consensus from 1990-2004 have showed that the Economic Growth has dropped by more than half. East Asia economic growth has gone up and they have not implemented the Washington Consensus. This has shown that the Washington Consensus has had a considerable impact on the growth. East Asia did not follow the Washington Consensus policies in some important respects. They adopted strong industrial and government policies, as well as creating successful government enterprises. They were also slow to liberalise capital markets and trade. Such difference accounted for the performances between East Asia and Latin America, because of this there was faster and increased growth in East Asia. They also benefited from growth that was widely shared and became more stable except for the 1997 crisis where all the countries recovered quickly expect for Indonesia. (Franko 2007) SOURCE: ECLAC SOURCE: ECLAC The adoption of the Washington Consensus has had an immense impact on GDP per Capita. The GDP per Capita at the end of 2003 is -0.3 % and in the 1960s it was 2.6% The Washington Consensus policies had only produced very limited growth, but when growth occurred it was not equitably share. The Washington Consensus was at best indifferent, and at worst hostile, to specific ideas and policies that would have promoted equality. Unemployment rates have steadily been rising and the Washington Consensus has no impact on reducing unemployement rates. Critics of trade liberalisation such as Tariq Ali and Susan George, see that the Washington Consensus is a way to open up labour markets of underdeveloped economies so companies from developed nations can exploit this. Washington Consensus allows free movement of items across the borders, however labour is not allowed to move freely there are requirements like a work permit or a visa. This then creates a scenario which goods are manufactured by cheap labour in developing nations and then these good are exported to developed nations for a big mark-up. The criticism of this is that the underdeveloped economies workers remain poor, any pay rises that the workers may receive over the money they made before the trade liberalisation are then offset by inflation. Developed nations workers become unemployed because of work being moved offshore and the owners of the businesses become richer. (Reed 2007) Joseph Stiglitz believed that the Washington Consensus had proved that it was neither sufficient nor necessary to be successful for development. He believed that even if each of its policies made sense for specific nations at specific times it was still unsuccessful. Joseph Stiglitz said that any future consensus cannot be made just in Washington and that any new framework should provide tailored adaptation to particular circumstances that the nations are involved in. (Change, 2001) There has been a lot of criticism of the Washington Consensus policies; there has been evidence of their impact on health, which has led to the development of the post-Washington Consensus. The ideas and policies of the post-Washington Consensus aimed to: Create vertical and horizontal policy coherence Include the creation of enforceable codes and standards, and concessions to social welfare through targeted social safety nets Manage liberalized trade, finance and monetary systems Include firms and businesses in a Global Compact for Development and the PRSP process. Many supporters of the post-Washington Consensus believe it differs from the original ideas and fundamentals of the Washington Consensus. The main goal for the Washington Consensus was to make economic growth in development. The new post-Washington Consensus differed from this and moved away from the neo-liberal, market-friendly approach and places sustainable, egalitarian and democratic development at the heart of the agenda. The post-Washington Consensus is more focused on poverty, which supports and protects the poor and aims towards social spending on health and education. Some still argue that the original ideas of the Washington Consensus neo-liberal agenda still underpins the new ideas and policies of the post-Washington Consensus, referring to the social safety net aspects of the new policies are there to be an add-on to cope with market failures. (World Health Organisation 2010) Joseph Stiglitz believed that new framework was needed to guide us to stable, democratic, sustainable and equitable development. He also believed the framework should reform global economic architecture to promote efficiency, developing countries to focus on their goals and objectives, stability and equity among nations. The post-Washington Consensus looks at the importance of employment, and balanced roles of the government and markets. This would be completed by promoting and regulating markets, providing physical and institutional infrastructure and also by endorsing innovation, technology and education. (Change 2001) The Post-Washington Consensus recognises the importance of the a nation in open markets as well as more liberal policy environment. This approach sees the importance of avoiding state failure which needs institutional innovation and democratic governance. The Post-Washington Consensus sees the need to tackle inequality as well as poverty as their main objectives looking away from efficiency and growth objectives. An example would be that markets, themselves do not produce efficient outcomes when there is a changing of technology or the learning about markets. These processes are important in development and East Asian countries recognised this but the Washington consensus did not. In respect to all these points the Post-Washington Consensus is a more progressive approach to development compare to the Washington Consensus. (Onis and Senses, 2005) There has been criticism of the Post-Washington Consensus that it adopts a technocratic and narrow approach to markets in both a global and at national level. The Post-Washington Consensus sees existing power structures as pre-determined. This is the reason why it fails to tackle the asymmetries of power and the fundamental power relations that are between the classes at level of nation state, and also the powerful versus less strong nations in the economy. These issues would need to be tackled in order to get over development issues. (Onis and Senses, 2005) The IMF and the World bank have not welcomed the Post-Washington Consensus policies. The IMF went through a crisis with their identity straight after the Asian crisis and they have been trying to reform themselves. However the IMF has a restrictive understanding and viewpoint of what should be the foundations for the Post-Washington Consensus. This has had vital consequences because the IMF is an important player for crisis nations and emerging nations. (Onis and Senses, 2005) The criticisms that was given to the Washington Consensus by the newly designed Post-Washington Consensus has fallen short in terms of dealing with the main issues but the Post-Washington Consensus still has cracked the neoliberal approach, which may lead to new and fresh viable alternative. The jury is still out for the Post-Washington Consensus as a definitive viable alternative but together with flourishing other globalisation movements and alongside the background of growing distributional imbalances at every level, this would bring such a change to be an alternative option.

Charlie Chaplin :: essays research papers

When Charlie Chaplin was a little boy, a sheep escaped on its way to a slaughterhouse near where he lived. Charlie and other youngsters chased the sheep around, laughing and having fun. But when it was taken away, Charlie realized the sad finality of death and cried to his mother. That incident paved the way for the theme of Charlie’s future filmmaking career. Comedy mixed with pathos made perfect sense to him. He was also an everyman character, a lost soul, a wanderer - he embodied the American soul. He could be anyone. Chaplin was born Sir Charles Chaplin after his father on April sixteenth, 1989. His mother, Hannah Chaplin, was often put in mental houses and his brother Sydney and him were put into children’s workhouses. His father whom he almost never saw died of alcoholism. Charlie’s childhooCharlie directed and produced it. Its length is six reels, roughly an hour long. The Kid expertly showed Charlie’s use of pathos in his work, if perhaps too much pathos this time The Gold Rush. This 1925 film was a favorite of Chaplin’s. Charlie plays a lone prospector on a gold seeking quest in the Sierra Nevadas. Seeing shelter, he stumbles into a cabin where the villainous Black Larson lives. Black Larson doesn’t like this new guest and tells him to leave, rifle in hand. Charlie tries to leave, but a hilarious wind keeps blowing him back into the cabin. During this escapade in blows another luckier prospector, Big Jim McKay. Jim and Larson fight, and Larson goes off to find food for the trio. Meanwhile, the starving Charlie and Jim have the trademark meal of Charlie’s cooked boot. In this scene, Charlie eats the boot like it were a fine meal at a fine restaurant, twirling the laces around a fork like spaghetti. Later on they bid farewell, and Charlie finds a town with a love interest of his, Georgia. He invites her to a New Years Eve dinner, which she doesn’t come to. At the dinner, we see Charlie dozed off at the table, and he dreams that the Georgia came. Here is another trademark scene, the dance of the dinner rolls. Charlie spears two dinner rolls with his fork, and bowing his head down over them, he makes them dance and twirl. Big Jim shows up at the town now, and sees Charlie, telling him if he they find Black Larson’s cabin, they will find gold and be rich.

Human sexual behavior Essay

Sexual assault takes many forms including attacks such as rape or attempted contacts or threats. Usually a sexual assault occurs when someone touches you in a way, even through clothes, without that person’s consent. Some types of sexual assault include forced sexual intercourse, sodomy, or fondling and attempted rape. Sexual assault in any form is often a devastating acquaintances, friends, or family members. Assailants commit sexual assault through manipulation, pressure or tricks. Drinking and sexual assault, alcohol is often a contributing factor in sexual assault. A perpetrator may even buy a person drinks to intentionally increase the chances of being manipulate the senses and their judgment. Even if we pick up a danger sign or trust them. Tisa advisable to avoid having sex when you’ve had a lot to drink, because even if you have a condom, you’ll be much less likely to use it correctly and therefore face another consequence. Movies, television shows and music are full of sex. It seems that the world is all about sex. Parents and students both need to know what is happening in the worlds and among themselves. Talking about sex seems like a good way to begin by educating our children of the rights and wrong of such sexual activity. When it come to children being involved with sex; Now on child abuse cases, I believe that no single act such strong emotions as the act of child sexual abuse. Child molesters can not even find refuge in prisons where rapist and murderers are commonplace. These offenders are shut out in aspect of our society, yet there are no reasons as to the causes of this behavior. Sexual abuse of children is not new, and has not always been socially taboo. Back in the days it was a commonplace for adolescent males to be forced into sexual relationship with mature males. This behavior was normal and not objected to by the child’s parents but sex with children in the modern era is alive and well, the power of an older person is so great that their young victim often never tell of the horrors that they have experienced. It is just like the pedophiles who confessed that they insist that their behavior is not wrong. Because of the extreme sensitivity of this subject, research has been really difficult and quite hard to develop. In the case of the pedophiles in order for the community or society to go into further deepest they must first attempt to gain an understanding of WHY? Pedophiles can be classified into different categories by several issues, the most common of which are causation and victim-realtionship.Howerever; pedophiles can be separated by those who sexually abuse members of their own family and those who abuse non family members. The reasons rapists are going free is when will the men and woman of our world be able to live their lives without being raped by another person? I feel many men and woman are getting away with harming another person through sexual confrontation without their permission. Men as well as woman can be raped, but fewer men will the police about it they would rather keep it under because they are being criticized for being weak which are untrue. Both, men and woman are the scary thing is that there is a possibility that their cases will not be product of their rape kits are not being processed efficiently. These are the ones that are not being brought to trail. Going back to the Megan’s Law when people think of their neighbors, do they think of violent sex crimes? Many people have to deal with this everyday of life. There are no laws forcing people of a community when a sex crime offender moves into their town. Said to keep violent sex crimes offenders from staking again, but do we ask ourselves this questions? The answer all depends on the opinion of the person who is being asked. Many supporters of the Megan’s law say that the law is keeping some predators from striking again, but many critics says that the laws is unethical and many agreements come from that. This is another question proposed when the topic of sexual offenders brought up, is it breaking any of the amendments or is it necessary for co workers to know whether a sex crime offender is living in their neighbors. Are you a juvenile or an adult? Megan’s law makes this question very complicated. Some times we might think we are juvenile’s, but by law we can be and treated as an adult. At the age of 13, you can go to some health clinics and get some medical treatments and testing done without your parent’s permission, such as pregnancy, alcohol/drug, and sexual transmitted diseases. Most of the time, if you are under 18, you need your parents permission, unless you are married, or in the military. At 15 Â ½ you can get a special permit to drive with a legal guardian, but if you break a traffic law you are considered an adult if you commit crime, such as killing, drug related, rape, repeated offenses, or stealing a car. If you are under 18, and are picked up by a police officer and taken to juvenile court, a juvenile officer will decide how to handle your case. Then a juvenile judge hears the evidence with you and your parents. The judge studies the whole complete picture of you, and your crime, and then decides as to whether or not your case will be held in juvenile Court or in Adult Court. If your cases are held in Juvenile Court and you are found guilty, and since he has made a complete study of you and your case, he will be the one to decide how and what will happen to you. If you are tired as an adult and found guilty, naturally the punishment will be more severe.

A Guide to the History of Mongooses

A Guide to the History of Mongooses Mongooses are members of the Herpestidae family, and they are small carnivorous mammals with 34 separate species found in about 20 genera. As adults, they range in size from 1-6 kilograms (2 to 13 pounds) in weight, and their body lengths range between 23-75 centimeters (9 to 30 inches). They are primarily African in origin, although one genus is widespread throughout Asia and southern Europe, and several genera are found only on Madagascar. Recent research on domestication issues (in the English language academic press, anyway), has principally focused on the Egyptian or white-tailed mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon). The Egyptian mongoose (H. ichneumon) is a medium-sized mongoose, adults weighing about 2-4 kg (4-8 lb.), with a slender body, about 50-60 cm (9-24 in) long, and a tail about 45-60 cm (20-24 in) long. The fur is grizzled gray, with a markedly darker head and lower limbs. It has small, rounded ears, a pointed muzzle, and a tasseled tail. The mongoose has a generalized diet that includes small to medium-sized invertebrates such as rabbits, rodents, birds, and reptiles, and they have no objections to eating the carrion of larger mammals. Its modern distribution is all over Africa, in the Levant from the Sinai peninsula to southern Turkey and in Europe in the southwestern part of the Iberian peninsula. Mongooses and Human Beings The earliest Egyptian mongoose found at archaeological sites occupied by humans or our ancestors is at Laetoli, in Tanzania. H. ichneumon remains have also been recovered at several South African Middle Stone Age sites such as Klasies River, Nelson Bay, and Elandsfontein. In the Levant, it has been recovered from Natufian (12,500-10,200 BP) sites of el-Wad and Mount Carmel. In Africa, H. ichneumon has been identified in Holocene sites and in the early Neolithic site of Nabta Playa (11-9,000 cal BP) in Egypt. Other mongooses, specifically the Indian gray mongoose, H. edwardsi, are known from Chalcolithic sites in India (2600-1500 BC). A small H. edwardsii was recovered from the Harrappan civilization site of Lothal, ca 2300-1750 BC; mongooses appear in sculptures and associated with specific deities in both Indian and Egyptian cultures. None of these appearances necessarily represent domesticate animals. Domesticated Mongooses In fact, mongooses dont seem to have ever been domesticated in the true sense of the word. They dont require feeding: like cats, they are hunters and can get their own dinners. Like cats, they can mate with their wild cousins; like cats, given the opportunity, mongooses will return to the wild. There are no physical changes in mongooses over time which suggest some domestication process at work. But, also like cats, Egyptian mongooses can make great pets  if you catch them at an early age; and, also like cats, they are good at keeping the vermin down to a minimum: a useful trait for humans to exploit. The relationship between mongooses and people seems to have taken at least a step towards domestication in the New Kingdom of Egypt (1539-1075 BC). New Kingdom mummies of Egyptian mongooses were found at the 20th dynasty site of Bubastis, and in Roman period Dendereh and Abydos. In his Natural History written in the first century AD, Pliny the elder reported on a mongoose he saw in Egypt. It was almost certainly the expansion of the Islamic civilization that brought the Egyptian mongoose into southwestern Iberian peninsula, likely during the Umayyad dynasty (AD 661-750). Archaeological evidence indicates that prior to the eighth century AD, no mongooses were to be found in Europe more recently than the Pliocene. Early Specimens of Egyptian Mongoose in Europe One nearly complete H. ichneumon was found in the Cave of Nerja, Portugal. Nerja has several millennia of occupations, including an Islamic period occupation. The skull was recovered from the Las Fantasmas room in 1959, and although the cultural deposits in this room date to the latter Chalcolithic, AMS radiocarbon dates indicate that the animal went into the cave between the 6th and 8th centuries (885-40 RCYBP) and was trapped. An earlier discovery was four bones (cranium, pelvis and two complete right ulnae) recovered from the Muge Mesolithic period shell middens of central Portugal. Although Muge itself is securely dated to between 8000 AD 7600 cal BP, the mongoose bones themselves date to 780-970 cal AD, indicating that it too burrowed into early deposits where it died. Both of these discoveries support the intimation that Egyptian mongooses were brought into southwestern Iberia during the expansion of the Islamic civilization of the 6th-8th centuries AD, likely the Ummayad emirate of Cordoba, 756-929 AD. Sources Detry C, Bicho N, Fernandes H, and Fernandes C. 2011.  The Emirate of Cà ³rdoba (756–929 AD) and the introduction of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in Iberia: the remains from Muge, Portugal.  Journal of Archaeological Science  38(12):3518-3523.Encyclopedia of Life.  Herpestes. Accessed January 22, 2012Gaubert P, Machordom A, Morales A, Là ³pez-Bao JV, Veron G, Amin M, Barros T,  Basuony  M, Djagoun CAMS, San EDL et al. 2011.  Comparative phylogeography of two African carnivorans presumably introduced into Europe: disentangling natural versus human-mediated dispersal across the Strait of Gibraltar.  Journal of Biogeography  38(2):341-358.Palomares F, and Delibes M. 1993.  Social organization in the Egyptian mongoose: group size, spatial behaviour and inter-individual contacts in adults.  Animal Behaviour  45(5):917-925.Myers, P. 2000. Herpestidae (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed January 22, 2012 http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich. edu/site/accounts/information/Herpestidae.html.Riquelme-Cantala JA, Simà ³n-Vallejo MD, Palmqvist P, and Cortà ©s-Snchez M. 2008.  The oldest mongoose of Europe.  Journal of Archaeological Science 35(9):2471-2473. Ritchie EG, and Johnson CN. 2009.  Predator interactions, mesopredator release and biodiversity conservation.  Ecology Letters 12(9):982-998.Sarmento P, Cruz J, Eira C, and Fonseca C. 2011.  Modeling the occupancy of sympatric carnivorans in a Mediterranean ecosystem.  European Journal of Wildlife Research  57(1):119-131.van der Geer, A. 2008  Animals in Stone: Indian mammals sculptured through time.  Brill: Leiden.

The Meaning of Vive la France!

The Meaning of 'Vive la France!' Vive la France! is an expression used in France to show patriotism. It’s difficult to translate the term literally into English, but it generally means â€Å"long live France!† or â€Å"hurray for France!† The phrase has its roots in  Bastille Day, a  French national holiday commemorating the storming of the Bastille, which took place on July 14, 1789, and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Patriotic Phrase â€Å"Vive la France!† is mostly used by politicians, but you will also hear this patriotic expression bandied about during national celebrations, such as Bastille Day, around French elections, during sporting events, and, sadly, at times of crisis as a way to invoke patriotic feelings. La Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the monarchy in late 18th century France. By capturing the historic structure, the citizenry signaled  that it now held the power to rule the country. Bastille Day was declared a French national holiday on July 6, 1880, on politician Benjamin Raspails recommendation, when the  Third Republic  was firmly entrenched. The Third Republic was a period in France that lasted from 1870 to 1940. Bastille Day has such a strong signification for the French because the holiday symbolizes the birth of the republic. The related phrase Vive le 14 juillet! (literally â€Å"Long live the 14th of July!†) has been associated with the historic event for centuries. The key term in the phrase is vive,  an interjection that literally means long live. The Grammar Behind Vive la France French grammar can be tricky. The term vive  is no exception. Vive  comes from the irregular verb â€Å"vivre,† which means to live. Vive is the subjunctive. So, an example sentence might  be: Nous souhaitons, nous espà ©rons que la France vive longtemps, heureusement. This translates to: We hope that France will live for a long time, fortunately. Note, that the verb is vive and not viva, as in Viva Las Vegas, and it is pronounced veev, where the final e is silent. Other Uses for Vive The expression vive is very common in French to show enthusiasm for many different things, such as: Vive les vacances!   Hurray for the vacation! Vive les soldes! Hurray for the sales season! Vive moi! Yeah me! Vive  is also used in a number of other contexts that are not related to the famous phrase but still important in the French language. Examples include: On ne voyait à ¢me qui vive. There wasnt a living soul to be seen. Etre sur le qui-vive. To be on the alert. La vive- eau Spring tide Vivement Brusquely, sharply While the saying Vive la France is deeply rooted in French culture, history, and politics, the full slogan is generally invoked only on historical occasions and during political events. By contrast, the key term in the phrase, vive, is widely used by the French to express joy and happiness on many occasions. So, the next time youre in France (or find yourself among French-speakers who happen to use this famous phrase), impress them with your deep knowledge of French history. Source The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Bastille Day. Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Fear and Loathing on MySpace.com Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Fear and Loathing on MySpace.com - Essay Example But who is she hanging out with And who is lurking online in the shadows of MySpace leering at the profiles of these vulnerable tweens While some have hailed MySpace as the greatest social experiment of the century, others have called it a Sears and Roebuck catalogue for pedophiles. Social networking has forever altered the modern childhood relationship. This revolution has left our youngest children, ages 8-13, open to the threat of exploitation and for these kids MySpace is a dangerous space to be in. The greatest threat to these children who visit MySpace is the potential to be sexually solicited. A study conducted at the University of New Hampshire found that 1 in 5 children who have been online on a social network have experienced sexual solicitation (Mitchell, Finkelhor, and Wolak 3012). With the number of younger children creating a profile on MySpace skyrocketing1 this means millions of children are being exposed to this danger. As younger and younger children begin to logon and socialize, we put an age group at risk that are the least able to handle these abusive situations. Though MySpace requests that all users must be age 14 or older, younger and younger children are going online. ... Still, the children at risk get younger. A New Jersey Principal became concerned when "one of her 10-year-old students got an inappropriate message from "someone clearly an adult" ('"MySpace' Cadets"). This was on a school computer with close supervision. Younger children are able to deceive the registration process and could end up being molested or worse. The fact is that MySpace does not verify age and there is no way they can. The BBC reported in March 2006 that two men were arrested in the US over sex charges after they allegedly used MySpace to illegally contact their victims ("MySpace Tightens Age Restrictions"). One girl was just 11 years old. Though MySpace has made a token effort to tighten their age restrictions, they are well aware of the loopholes in security. They have even begun to warn teenagers of the danger. Recently, "the site introduced adverts warning teenagers about the dangers of sexual predators on the web" and the BBC contends that, "At the moment, MySpace has no way of verifying the age of users" ("MySpace Tightens Age Restrictions."). Currently there is not way to prevent an 8-year-old from registering as an 18-year-old. How easy is it for someone to pretend to be a different age or gender on MySpace According to computer security expert Richard Carlotti, anyone can do it. He says that MySpace currently uses the honor system and uses the information you supply it. He warns people that MySpace can never be safe for young children. He says, "If it is designed to be used by teen-agers, the security needs to be geared toward them, which means anyone with a 13 year old mind can subvert the system". The only way to increase the security is use biometric identification systems2 that are simply too expensive and

Questions for Consideration (7-8) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Questions for Consideration (7-8) - Assignment Example Since there is a similarity in the business operations irrespective of whether it is a small business or a large organization, then there should be no differential accounting. Furthermore, the introduction of differential account would lead to the formation of new accounting standard boards that would come up with the rules and regulations. This would require educating the auditors, financial analysts and accountants all over again. This would cost organizations a great deal of cash. Furthermore, there would be inconsistencies in financial records in case of dealings between the small companies and the large corporations. It would also not be cost effective for a private company that wants to go public since they would require changing a whole accounting system. In my opinion, the principles-based approach of coming up with accounting standards is better as compared to the rules-based approach. This is because the approach is not new to the U.S standard settings. Moreover, the approach has been in use for over 20 years thus financial departments of organizations are conversant with its framework. In addition, the principle-based method is detailed and precise for use. The approach also allows the developing of accounting from the conceptual framework ensuring a broad application and avoiding exceptions (Alexander and Britton 219). If the principle-based approach is universally adopted, there are several potential problems that may be experienced in the future. The increasingly detailed rules in the approach of the method would lead to accountants concentrating more on the required form rather than the substance of transactions. Furthermore, the required complex details of the method may lead to accountants structuring their business’s reports around the rules. This would lead to undesired accounting results (Alexander and Britton