Society’s Curiosity of the Unknown Essay Example for Free

Society’s Curiosity of the Unknown Essay Whenever I am walking home alone, I am always paranoid that something is going to happen to me. I start to think about all of the horrible possibilities that could occur and I always feel as if I am being followed or watched. Even walking in an empty parking lot to my car scares me because I have a fear of being abducted. I, along with most people, was raised to be cautious of things like that. I was taught to always think of the worst thing that can happen, to be safe and to prevent the worst from happening. I am scared of death because I do not know what will happen after that. American’s obsession with the dark side comes from the curiosity of death. This obsession came from the first death of a human being. That was when curiosity about death and the afterlife originated. People do not know what happens after death and we are interested to find out more. Americans today come across the dark side every day whether they realize it or not. Inquisitiveness about the dark side appears in books, movies, and television shows. The piece â€Å"Zombies: why are we so obsessed?† by Eric G. Wilson, refers to all of the zombie and vampire themed books, movies, and television shows in today’s society. â€Å"True Blood,† â€Å"The Walking Dead,† and â€Å"Twilight† are some very well-known examples he uses to capture our attention and also to answer the question why we are so obsessed with death. â€Å"Maybe our obsession with zombies is a reflection of our fear of a pandemic virus that will transform us into flesh-starved corpses. Or perhaps we are afraid of a global financial collapse that would result in cannibalistic hordes haunting burned-out cities,† (1) wrote Wilson. The author of this article does not even know the answer, but that is precisely the point, the answer to the afterlife will forever remain unknown. The answer to our obsession is simply mere curiosity about death and the afterlife. These shows are produced to entertain and meant to provide us some sort of relief to the lingering questions we ask ourselves every day, even though the answers are not concrete, whatsoever. Finding answers to these questions is why there are so many artistic pieces centered around the dark side which began the gothic era, circa mid 12th century. Edgar Allen Poe is one of the first American authors of gothic literature. The reason Poe’s writing is so intriguing is because it relates to society’s curiosity or apprehension of death. His writing is so interesting because any revulsion the reader has about death or the afterlife is diluted because they are experiencing death through someone else’s eyes and not their own. There is nothing more intriguing than the unknown of the afterlife. There seems to be some sort of an addiction to receiving any knowledge or vindications about death or the afterlife. We can get these answers from reading gothic literature such as this by Poe. Poes writing is popular because of how it relates to our fear of the unknown. Americans are often obsessed with the dark side of human nature which is a reflection of this fear. The Masque of the Red Death is one of the many famous pieces of gothic literature written by Poe. The short story takes place in Europe around the time of the 14th century where an epidemic of the Red Death, has killed off half of the population. Prince Prospero shut himself away in his castellated abbey with seven irregular rooms representing the seven stages of life. The most eastern room was light blue, emphasizing life and the subsequent rooms ranged from purple, green, orange, white, violet, and finally, the most western room was black. The black room symbolizes the gothic fear of the end of life. The sun rises in the blue east room, representing the beginning of the day and the beginning of life, and the sun sets in the black west room, signifying the end of the day or end of life. Prospero decides to invite the healthiest aristocrats to a masquerade ball in his castle. He and his guests foolishly feel safe and protected from the disease and death because the abbey is surrounded with â€Å"a strong and lofty wall with gates of iron.† Once inside, no one can escape and no one can get in. In the black room, there is unusual dà ©cor. There is an ebony clock, which symbolizes death. It chimes each hour to remind the partiers of the fear they have about the ending of their lives. The masqueraders were considered grotesque. Towards the end of the story, an uninvited guest representing the red death, who is dressed as a corpse, interrupts the party. This creature walks from room to room and past the guests to the black room, the most western room. No one goes near the shrouded man except Prince Prospero who is following him angrily and â€Å"he bore aloft a drawn dagger.† He confronts the red death. Shortly afterwards there is a scream and Prince Prospero falls to the floor dead. The figure stands in the shadow of a clock and the partiers realize that there is no life form behind this mask. When they realize that, one by one the guests start to die. Poe ends the story with the irony of death being inevitable as much as Prospero and the partiers tried to avoid it. When the ebony clock symbolizing death chimes every hour, the guests stop everything they are doing in order to reflect on death. â€Å"While the chimes of the clock rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation† (2) When the clock echoed its chimes, the people who were the most alive even took time to bring their activities to an end in order to think about death and what happens when their life ends. The oldest of the guests were confused, putting their hands on their heads to consider the lives they have lived and what would happen if and when it all concluded. The guests of the party focus on running away or avoiding death. They do not want to come into contact with it because they do not know what will happen to them. This is why when the clock chimes, everyone goes silent and dazes off trying to view their beliefs on what death would really be like. They also come to the realization when the clock chimes that someday, their lives will end. It is almost as if everybody goes through a tempora ry transformation when the clock echoes and chimes. They take a step back and face the reality that they cannot hide from death forever. However, when the clock stops echoing, these thoughts are diminished and everyone resumes their previous activities overlooking the thoughts they just had, as if nothing had even happened. The guests continue to party with laughter filling the room. Later towards midnight, which is also the end of the day, symbolizing the end of life, this masked stranger suspends the party. The partiers immediately go quiet when they come to this realization that there is something bizarre about this figure. â€Å"There were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2) The partiers discuss in a quiet manner what they think this unwelcoming intruder could represent out of curiosity . They do not gaze away from it, attempting to discover the true inscrutability of this unknown figure. At first the guests are disturbed that something like this would even occur in a ball that clearly reprimanded anything to do with death. They express disapproval and disgust when they first perceive this distinguishing character. However, they then begin to communicate to one another in a hushed tone what they think this craze may be. The guests do not fail to glance away or stop conversing endeavoring to figure out what this spiritual disposition represents out of their curiosity of the unidentified and the unknown. Poe’s gothic literature is not the only piece that represents society’s obsessive curiosity about death. William Faulkner is an American author of gothic literature in the 20th century that is also well known for his gothic writing style. Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily is a gothic horror story set in the antebellum South. The story is told in retrospect about a spinster named Emily Grierson. It begins and ends at her funeral and the narrator moves through her life from about the age of 30 until the age of 74. Emily is an eccentric aristocrat who lives with a very controlling father, who imprisons her in their home. At about the age of 30 her father dies but she is so eccentric and resistant to change that she refuses to accept his death for 3 days. â€Å"She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days† (3) Her father left her only the house, and no money. She is in denial of the fact and refuses to accept the deterioration of her social status. One day, Homer Barron, a northern construction foreman and self-proclaimed lifelong bachelor, comes into her life. In spite of the fact that she is penniless, she shows a condescending attitude toward him and feels that she is superior. â€Å"Because the ladies all said, â€Å"Of course Grierson would not think seriously of a northerner, a day laborer.†Ã¢â‚¬  (3) Eventually, she falls in love, but her love is expressed to Homer in the same way her father’s love was shown to her. Love equals control. Her tragic determination to keep Homer in her life and stop time leads her to murder the man. Years later when she dies at the age of 74, neighbors attend her funeral on the pretense of showing respect. However, it is their morbid curiosity that drives them to see her and her house. After her burial, the decomposed body of the entrapped Homer Barron is found in what appears to be a macabre bridal chamber and a grotesque shrine. Death and denial are recurring themes throughout the story. The death of the two men Emily loved most, her father and Homer, her denial of their deaths, her den ial of her diminished status, and finally, her own death weave through the story from beginning to end. Emily’s constant need for attention and approval lead her to be curious about not only death, but life as well. When she meets Homer in the story, she accepts carriage rides from him even when she hardly knows him and someone in her place typically would not associate with a northern laborer. An outcome of her father’s death is Emily’s newfound freedom and her birth of curiosity to what she has been missing out on in life. When she falls in love with Homer, she takes after her father and shows her affection peculiarly by controlling everything he does. Her cousins come to stay with Emily and as a result of this, Homer moves out. Emily then starts to relive her fear of being alone and deprived of attention. When Homer returns, Emily poisons him. Her curiosity about what her life would be like without him drives her to do this and he fear underscores her curiosity. To ensure that this never happens, she kills him. Curiosity about death appears throughout gothic lit erature from past to present but it appears in modern times too. Long Island Medium is a television program on TLC about a woman named Theresa Caputo, who supposedly can come into contact with the dead. The spirits speak to her to reassure those who were left behind of whatever concerns them. This provides closure to the people that have lost those loved ones. Long Island Medium is a well-liked show because it provides people with answers about those they have lost such as if they are okay, if they are in heaven, and what they are feeling. Curiosity about loved ones people have lost is the reason for the show’s popularity and it shows us how society is obsessed with the dark side. â€Å"I have been channeling spirit for 11 years now, and everyone wants to know what happens when they die,† says Caputo. In regular episodes of Long Island Medium, Theresa Caputo will be doing necessary daily activities and she will come into contact with the spirits. While at the supermarket, Caputo encounters two women and one of them has a baby in a st roller. She approaches them regularly. â€Å"My name is Theresa and I’m a medium,† she says with a smile on her face. She then goes on to the woman with the baby that she feels that there is energy between a mother and a father having a recognition and excitement towards the baby. She then goes on to ask the mother of the baby if her parents had died. The woman, Vanessa, from East Meadow, tells her story about how both her parents had passed away and she never got to say goodbye. â€Å"Just know that your dad is stepping forward along with your mom acknowledging the birth of your beautiful son,† she says politely. Vanessa smiles somewhat morosely and manages an â€Å"okay.† Caputo persists with telling Vanessa that her parents are watching over the baby by the rocking chair in the baby’s room. Vanessa’s mother’s spirit tells Caputo of the baby’s yellow room in their new house and Caputo says this to Vanessa. Vanessa and her Aunt smile a nd laugh in disbelief. â€Å"Just know that her soul is with you because she says you don’t feel her,† Caputo goes on. Vanessa said she never felt that her mother was with her spiritually. â€Å"I always say that. I can’t believe you just said that,† says Vanessa. â€Å"Your mother is leaning over and kissing you and saying that she’s proud of you and that you’re going to be an amazing mom.† Vanessa nods and begins to cry. It seemed as if she was waiting for some kind of answers for years. She was curious to find out vindications to how her parents were and what they thought of her. Almost every human being has experienced death in some way. An inference on why this show is so notorious is because of the human intellect that there is an afterlife, but it is just unknown. Society preys on any type of justification on what happens after death. There are other modern gothic shows on television that show society’s curiosity about the afterlife and the unknown, but in fictional forms. Pretty Little Liars is a show on ABC family about four girls who are trying to solve the mystery of the death of their closest friend Allison. Shortly after the confirmation of Allison’s death, all four girls start to get disturbing texts and messages from an anonymous person who calls themselves â€Å"A† Their deceased friend Allison was the only one they told all of their secrets to. They figured since she was dead that all of their secrets were safe. However, â€Å"A† knows everything there is to know about all four of the girls’ lives. Every situation that happens to them whether it is financial, romantic, or criminal, A is the first person to know about it. The girls reunite and figure out that they all receive these messages from A. They try to unfold the mystery behind A along with trying to configure the clandestine of their friend Allison’s death. They start to wonder if this A is really Allison and if she is still alive. Attempting to unravel this enigma leads them into life threatening positions which change their reputations and self-confidence. The obsession in finding out the unknown of what happened to their friend and what happens to them in the result of trying to solve this mystery is the consequences of their simple curiosity. In the beginning of this hit series, the girls’ beloved friend Allison, whom they confided in, mysteriously disappeared. Questioning of her disappearance was the uproar of the town. Shortly afterwards, the police found her dead body. When all of the girls start receiving the same, eerie text messages, with information that only Allison knew of them, they start to question if Allison is really dead, or if her spirit is within the messages. Their curiosity of the unknown leads them to questioning what really happened to their friend. If the inhuman had no sense of curiosity, they would not find themselves caught up in the drama an anonymous figure is trying to provoke. Their curiosity leads to this obsession of finding out everything there is to know about their friend’s death and what really happened to her. If society was not curious about the afterlife and death, we would not have all of these books, stories, television shows or movies revolving around the dark side. The essence of mystery is what attracts society to creating any source of material to find any information. Curiosity is simply in our nature. If there were no curiosity, billions of dollars would not be made in trying to provide people with some sort of answers to what they are seeking. Curiosity birthed America’s obsession with the dark side.

Tracing the Stars Essay Example for Free

Tracing the Stars Essay I. Introduction One of the biggest global brands in history is Converse, which stands for a casual and sports-oriented lifestyle popular among the young, and often with specific subcultures. Of its several lines, arguably the most recognized is the Chuck Taylor All-Stars or Chucks, which are combination canvas and rubber sneakers. First produced in 1917, these were originally known simply as the â€Å"All Star† until they were modified and endorsed by Chuck Taylor—one of the biggest basketball players of the time. To this day, the shoes carry Taylor’s signature and go by his name. Currently, the brand is no longer an entity on its own as Converse had been bought by Nike in 2003—thereby resulting in several physical and noticeable changes in the original design and make—yet is still a symbol of youth, vibrancy, and active lifestyle. II. From Basketball to Popular Culture The 1950s marked a landmark episode in the Chucks’ history as it made the successful shift from being exclusive to basketball to becoming part of American consciousness. The appeal of the shoes’ casual and affordable nature made it a status symbol for American teenagers, particularly when Hollywood actor James Dean made the white version part of his t-shirt-and-jeans image. Musicians ranging from rockers in the 1960s to 1980s punk rock artists emulated Dean’s choice, and started wearing Chucks as their uniform—particularly those in black canvas. Because of this growing popularity, Converse decided to add more colors and styles to the Chucks line. Currently, Chucks are still the shoes of choice of many young artists and celebrities; pop musician Avril Lavigne and actress Reese Witherspoon are just some of the personalities who prefer wearing the sneakers—with a particular preference of Lavigne for black ones—which echo the choices of legendary 1970s punk rocker Joey Ramone, who was never seen without a pair of well-worn black Chucks. Fashion designers and models have also been noted as being fans of the sneakers, owing to the rock-and-roll persona alluded to by a classic or trendy pair. III. Chucks in Sports In the midst of the shoes’ popularity among the younger set, Converse stayed true to its original intent for Chucks; during the decades of the 1960s and 70s, its move to add more colors to its classic line was also evident in the basketball industry. While this was not always met with complete approval by the athletes who wore them, the new hues definitely created yet another trend among the sport’s fans. However, the 1980s came and with it arrived the obsession for technology and new materials. The brands of Adidas, Reebok, and Pony arrived to take much of Converse’s basketball shoe business, and the inimitable Nike sealed the deal by having its basketball shoes endorsed by then-rookie Michael Jordan. This caused the decline of the Chucks brand in the sport, and by 1988 they were no longer the staple basketball shoes of serious athletes. Most of them now opted for the leather make and quality offered by other brands, which gave better support compared to the canvas body of the All-Stars. IV. Nike and Controversies Nike bought the brand in 2003, and immediately modified some of the signature details of Chucks—form material to design. The company enjoys a wildly popular following to this day, and is apparent in the use of high-profile athletes as endorsers in its multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns. But the reputation of Nike as a supporter of sweatshops set up in developing countries goes against the established image of Chucks associated with punk and left-wing ideologies—thereby forcing former Chucks patrons to shift to any of several Chucks imitations that are not produced through this kind of arrangement. V. Stepping Forward In a Pair of Chucks The enduring fame and existence of Chuck Taylor All-Stars is as permanent and unchanging as its classic design; materials may be altered, a few details may be added—but the concept remains the same. The future of Chucks may still be seen in the realm of the youth culture, through a role of greater relevance to the rest of the world. Using recyclable materials to produce a pair of Chucks may be one of the directions best for the brand, considering its tried-and-tested design principles. Environmental awareness should now be the focal point of the young and vibrant lifestyle it represents, which will also negate any bad impressions regarding its association with controversial Nike work processes. The time is right for Chucks to assume an image both traditional and innovative, without resorting to technology-related improvements. Ecology, rather than technology, is most apt for Chucks as it celebrates its hundredth anniversary this year, and as it represents the kind of mindset that has made it the shoe of choice of millions worldwide.

If global warming is a man-made disaster why have governments around the world failed to do very much about it?

If global warming is a man-made disaster why have governments around the world failed to do very much about it? One of the most important phenomena affecting nations in the 21st century is global warming. Global warming is defined generally as the progressive rise in average global temperatures caused by increased emissions of greenhouse gases, and is often referred to as the effect on the climate of human activities[1]. Though there have always been natural cycles of changing climate, global warming is considered to be man-made due to increased burning of fossil fuels and large-scale deforestation, which have led to a large increment in carbon dioxide emissions, coinciding with steadily rising temperatures[2]. Although efforts have been made to reduce the effects of global warming, governments around the world have failed to effectively tackle the issue. There are several reasons for this failure, including the problem of governing the commons, effects on the economy, as well as the difficulty in achieving global cooperation over the issue. This essay aims to discuss and analyse the main reas ons why governments have failed to successfully reduce global warming. One of the most fundamental reasons why very little has been achieved by governments in the effort to combat global warming lies with the difficulty of governing the commons. When a resource is not under jurisdiction of a single sovereign state, it is considered to be part of the commons, implying unrestricted access to anyone[3]. This means that no individual state has reason to preserve the resource, but rather to take as much of it for themselves as possible, usually leading to over exploitation[4]. The other issue with the commons is that they are often used as sinks for degraded waste products[5]. It is generally possible to solve this issue by allocating the commons into private ownership, thus creating incentives to preserve and manage them. However, this solution is not viable for the atmosphere because it is impossible to enclose, thus difficult to divide between states. As with any other resource that lacks ownership, the atmosphere becomes subject to the tragedy of the co mmons, but without the simple solution of private ownership. Therefore, it is difficult to negotiate an agreement over emission limits because states gain higher individual benefit than individual costs from increasing production, as the total cost of pollution is shared[6]. However, with the spread of globalisation, it is feasible that an increased awareness of a shared global space can increase states self-interest in protecting the environment. However, globalisation can in some ways be considered to be a reason for the limited success in curbing global warming. The relationship between the process of globalisation and the problem of environmental degradation is fairly complex, as though globalisation may raise the importance of protecting the commons, it may actually heighten the problem. Globalisation has lead to the spread of industry around the world, resulting in rising levels of production and consumption, which in turn leads to increased emissions[7]. The demand for open borders and free trade makes it more difficult for governments to enforce environmental regulations as firms are more able to evade them by moving to areas in which regulations do not exist or are lower[8]. The more difficult or complicated the regulation process is, the more unlikely governments are to succeed in lowering emissions. This has led to the argument that international trade is incompatible with environmental protection, as increased trad e and globalisation lead to further industrialisation, production and consumption, thus increasing global emissions, limiting governments ability to stop global warming. Governments may also have failed in successfully accounting for externalities of pollution (environmental and social damage) as pollution taxes and regulations have not been at a socially efficient level, thus leading to inefficiently high emissions[9]. However, many people argue that globalisation actually increases the efficiency of production, as long as markets take into account these externalities[10]. The spread of wealth and knowledge to new regions brought about by globalisation can also be argued to improve local environments due the facilitation of global awareness. Therefore, possibly a more viable explanation for the failure of governments in regulating global warming emerges from the potential economic costs of reducing production and consumption. It may not be in the national interests of states to reduce emissions, as this would involve limiting production by regulating emissions. Furthermore, reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases would involve regulation of energy, transport, agriculture, and industry, which are fundamental to modern economies[11]. Therefore, governments are reluctant to ban greenhouse gas emissions or to call for severe cuts as this could potentially have devastating effects on their economies, thus lowering living standards. Moreover, the cost of developing new technology and renewable energies to replace current production methods is vast, even though there are potential economic benefits from investing in alternative energy technologies[12]. Governments may therefore forego sustainability at the expense of economi c growth. However, probably the most important reason why governments have not succeeded in significantly reducing global warming is the difficulty in achieving global cooperation on the issue. Although the tragedy of the commons, globalisation and economic effects play a large role in the past failure in the reduction of global warming, most of these problems ultimately stem down to the lack of cooperation between states in dealing with the issue. Global warming is an issue that transcends national boundaries, involves irreversible damage to the environment, and affects all states, thus requiring international cooperation[13]. Many attempts have been made at reaching cooperation in the past, through numerous summits and meetings, and the creation of treaties and global institutions, such as the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Environment Program[14]. These attempts have had limited success in bringing the issue of global warming onto the global agenda. For example, the issue of governi ng global commons has been approached by creating a framework of mutually acceptable standards of behaviour, and the issue of economic costs for states has been tackled by setting global emission targets (Kyoto Protocol for example). However, regardless of these attempts, it has been impossible to forge global cooperation for several reasons. Firstly, international environmental meetings often serve many other political objectives, thus making it less likely that states will reach an understanding[15]. In conjunction, states may have conflicting national interests over political issues, the economy, trade policies, as well as the environment, making it difficult to forge a deal that adheres to each states needs. In addition, since international cooperation involves transboundary regulation, some have made claims that environmental action and new forms of global governance may be a threat to state sovereignty, thus further complicating cooperation[16]. Furthermore, it is important to consider the role of hegemons, especially the United States, in forging international cooperation. In recent years, the US has rejected many global efforts in environmental policymaking, withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol, challenging the need for new treaties and questioning the precautionary principle in environmental protection[17]. If the US fails to act on global warming by accepting emission limits or by taking environmental leadership, other nations will find it difficult to do so while still remaining economically competitive. Therefore, there are many reasons explaining why governments have failed to do so little about global warming, largely arising from the difficulty in global environmental cooperation. In my opinion, although governments around the world have failed to fully prevent the negative effects of global warming, there have been many achievements that have brought the world closer to successfully understanding how to do so. In many cases, environmental problems can be managed through cooperation in global institutions and treaties[18]. Despite USAs failure to ratify Kyoto, there is significant proof that emissions targets do work in slowing down global warming[19]. Furthermore, solutions such as tradable permits and carbon taxes have gone a long way in finding a market based solution to the problem of greenhouse gas emissions[20]. International action could be further encouraged by the acknowledgement of global warming as a national security risk, as environmental degradation leads to both internal and external conflicts by potentially deepening poverty cycles and leading to mass migration away from degraded areas[21]. By accentuating the security risks associated with gl obal warming, governments may be more inclined to act, as security issues are crucial to governing a state. Even though global warming is acknowledged as a man-made disaster, governments have failed to fully stop its effects. This can be attributed to the difficulty in governing the global commons, the spread of globalisation and the potential effects on the economy of cutting emissions, as well as the difficulty in reaching global cooperation in environmental policy. Governments still face the task of finding a socially optimal level of regulation, the difficulty of ensuring emission standards are met once a treaty has been signed[22], as well as managing the connections between climate change, security, and globalisation. However, if powerful nations take the lead in promoting environmental norms, and if states adopt a precautionary principle on global warming, international cooperation can potentially succeed in providing governance regimes for important global commons. Word count: 1500 Bibliography: Baylis, J. Smith, S. and Owens, P. (eds), The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, 4th Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press). Steans, J. and Pettiford, L. (2005), International Relations: Perspectives and Themes, 2nd Edition, (Harlow: Pearson Education). Krugman, P. Wells, R. Graddy, K. (2008), Economics; European Edition, (Worth Publishers). Cline, W. (1992), The Economics of Global Warming, (Institute for International Economics). Victor, D. (2001), The Collapse of the Kyoto Protocol and the Struggle to slow Global Warming, (Princeton University Press). Nordhaus, W. Boyer, J. (2000) Warming the World: Economic Models of Global Warming, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Hardin, G. (1998), Extensions of the Tragedy of the Commons, Science; New Series, 5634(280): 682-683 Barnett, J. (2003), Security and Climate Change, Global Environmental Change, 13(1): 7-17 Falkner, R. (2005), American Hegemony and the Global Environment, International Studies Review, 7(4): 585-599 Hersch, J. Viscusi, K. (2006), Allocating Responsibility for Failure of Global Warming Policies, Responses to Global Warming: The Law, Economics, and Science of Climate Change, 155(20): 1657-1694 Barrett, S. (1990), The Problem of Global Environmental Protection, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 6(1): 68-79 Robert, K. Basile, G. Kuehr, R. (2002) Strategic Sustainable Development Selection, Design and Synergies of Applied Tools, Journal of Cleaner Production, 10(3): 197-214 Houghton, J. (2005) Global Warming, Reports on the Progress of Physics, 68(1): 1343-1403 Flohn, H. (1980), Possible Climatic Consequences of a Man-made Global Warming United Nations Environment Programme, at: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Publications/Documents/RR-80-030.pdf [1] Houghton, J. (2005) Global Warming, Reports on the Progress of Physics, 68(1) p.1343 [2] Flohn, H. (1980), Possible Climatic Consequences of a Man-made Global Warming United Nations Environment Programme, at: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Publications/Documents/RR-80-030.pdf, (Date Accessed: 20/02/2010) [3] Hardin, G. (1998), Extensions of the Tragedy of the Commons, Science; New Series, 5634(280) p. 682 [4] Barrett, S. (1990), The Problem of Global Environmental Protection, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 6(1) p.68 [5] Baylis, J. Smith, S. and Owens, P. (eds), The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, 4th Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press) p.358 [6] Hardin, G. (1998), Extensions of the Tragedy of the Commons, Science; New Series, 5634(280) p. 683 [7] Baylis, J. Smith, S. and Owens, P. (eds), The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, 4th Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press) p.352 [8] Nordhaus, W. Boyer, J. (2000) Warming the World: Economic Models of Global Warming, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) p.3 [9] Hersch, J. Viscusi, K. (2006), Allocating Responsibility for Failure of Global Warming Policies, Responses to Global Warming: The Law, Economics, and Science of Climate Change, 155(20) p.1659 [10] Krugman, P. Wells, R. Graddy, K. (2008), Economics; European Edition, (Worth Publishers) p.483 [11] Baylis, J. Smith, S. and Owens, P. (eds), The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, 4th Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press) p.362 [12] Robert, K. Basile, G. Kuehr, R. (2002) Strategic Sustainable Development Selection, Design and Synergies of Applied Tools, Journal of Cleaner Production, 10(3) p.202 [13] Cline, W. (1992), The Economics of Global Warming, (Institute for International Economics) p.9 [14] Baylis, J. Smith, S. and Owens, P. (eds), The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, 4th Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press) p.356 [15] Houghton, J. (2005) Global Warming, Reports on the Progress of Physics, 68(1) p.1391 [16] Steans, J. and Pettiford, L. (2005), International Relations: Perspectives and Themes, 2nd Edition, (Harlow: Pearson Education) p.214 [17] Falkner, R. (2005), American Hegemony and the Global Environment, International Studies Review, 7(4) p.585 [18] Steans, J. and Pettiford, L. (2005), International Relations: Perspectives and Themes, 2nd Edition, (Harlow: Pearson Education) p.206 [19] Hersch, J. Viscusi, K. (2006), Allocating Responsibility for Failure of Global Warming Policies, Responses to Global Warming: The Law, Economics, and Science of Climate Change, 155(20) p.1662 [20] Krugman, P. Wells, R. Graddy, K. (2008), Economics; European Edition, (Worth Publishers) p.481 [21] Barnett, J. (2003), Security and Climate Change, Global Environmental Change, 13(1) p.10 [22] Victor, D. (2001), The Collapse of the Kyoto Protocol and the Struggle to slow Global Warming, (Princeton University Press) p.55

Why Parents Should Home School Essay example -- Essays Papers

Why Parents Should Home School When Americans think of education, they almost automatically think of public education. However, education in our public schools has been on a down slope for over twenty years now. This is because many parents today are deciding to home school their children. Although most people think that a public education is better, statistics and facts tend to show that home schooling is beneficial in more ways. Since the beginning of civilization, children have been learning in and with their families. Children learned how to survive and make a living through life with their families and in the community. Parent’s taught their children everything they needed to know or established them in private school or apprenticeships. Until about 150 years ago, this was considered the norm of society (Lahrson-Fisher 49). The term â€Å"home schooling† began to flourish in the 1970’s when it found a place in the dictionary. For many people, this was the only option because public schools were too far away to attend. There is over a fifteen percent rise in home schooled students each year. A majority of home schooled students are white middle-class families, but minorities are finding that this option is also better for their children (School Choice). It is estimated that there are currently two million children home schooled in the United States (School Choice). The number of children being home schooled increased from 32,804 in 2000 to 53,216 in 2003 (Brown 1). There are three basic reasons parents keeps their children out of public schools. First, they think that raising their children is their business and not the governments. Second, they enjoy being with their children and watching and helpin... ... admissions policies for children that are taught at home (School Choice). What was once looked down upon has become a popular alternative to public schooling. There various reasons why children should be home schooled. Children will have time for sporting activities, musical groups, church and youth organizations, field trips, volunteer opportunities, arts and crafts workshops, neighborhood activities and more. Home schooling provides time for family support of critical areas of social development: love, self-discipline, security, independence, and responsible use of freedoms (Lahrson-Fisher 24). Current statistics and facts show that home schooling is highly beneficial. Parents simply want is the best for their child. Through home schooling, this want can be met. In closing, home schooling offers numerous advantages and opportunities over public schools.

A view from the bridge is set in New York City in the 1950s. :: English Literature

A view from the bridge is set in New York City in the 1950s. Arthur Miller was born October 17th 1915 in New York City. His parents were both immigrants in the United States and were originally from Sicily. Arthur’s father had a successful business but it collapsed, along with the American economy as a whole, Following the Wall Street crash, as a result, Arthur had to work as a warehouseman in order to save his fees before he was able to go to Michigan University in 1934 to study Economics and History. I think he has the same background ‘The view from the bridge’. A view from the bridge is set in New York City in the 1950s, with a Sicilian background. Sicily is the home of all the characters which is an island in Italy. The characters change from old world Sicily to new world America in the book. Sicily had been invaded a lot of times by different countries, so this made the Sicilian people develop a culture of not talking or reporting to the authority, so the people of Sicily dealt with their own problems between their communities. Sicily was a very poor country after ww2 because Italy lost the war in 1948. A view from the bridge has a theme of old world Sicily and new world America, there is a lot of masculine and famine emotion between the characters. The characters brought their culture with them from Sicily to America and one of their main rules never to broken is don’t snitch to authority, the worst crime a Sicilian can do is snitch to the authority and Sicilians either kill the person for snitching or reject the person from the Sicilian community. I think the book evolved around the Sicilian culture. Incest is another theme of the book because Rodolfo and Catherine are in love even do there cousins , Eddie began to get attracted to Catherine who was his niece and other themes in this book is obsession, desire and control. Beatrice meant a lot at first to Eddie but when he was starting to loose Catherine, Beatrice knew that Eddie is attracted to Catherine in a different way from just family love but loved her in a sexual way; I think Beatrice became jealous of Catherine because Eddie was playing more attention to Catherine and forgot all about her, I think this challenged Eddies masculinity because he wasn’t performing in bed and controlling his marriage like a masculine man should do. I think the most dramatic scenes in the play is when Eddies masculinity is challenged and the Sicilian way of life is being

Embracing Rizalism as a Way of Life :: essays research papers

Embracing Rizalism as a Way of Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jose Rizal, a hero!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many of our youth today equate Rizal, the hero with martyrdom, death!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being a hero isn’t â€Å"cool†, this is for â€Å"freaks†. Jose Rizal is no longer â€Å"in†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Distinguished members of the board of judges, ladies and gentlemen –   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I don’t have to go into detailed account of dates, places and people in the biography of Pepe. No!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All literate Filipinos start their lesson in history with the stories of the boy from Calamba, Laguna.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rizal lived his life in an extraordinary way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I don’t need to make a deep analysis of his ideas in education, philosophy, religion, politics, human behavior, ethics, in society. No, I leave that to the scholars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What I choose to talk to you about is how I could live my life today with a little piece of Rizal in me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yes, I have to be in my own little way a mirror of what Rizal envisioned of every Filipino.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The youth is the hope of the fatherland. This is no longer a statement. It has become a challenge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Let us start with the simplest question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you are to choose between Cadbury chocolate or any other Swiss chocolates and the most popular Filipino brand, which would you choose?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chocnut, Nips, Cloud 9? â€Å"Yucky†, â€Å"cheap† or even â€Å"wa class†. We do not trust our local brands, we do not trust our fellow citizens, we do not love our own. This is not being a Rizal†¦   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rizal recognized clearly the social evils that hindered Filipinos to excel. Inferiority complex, cowardice, timidity, false pride, pervade the Filipino consciousness and contribute to the decay of the society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Today, our country is suffering from both physical and moral degradation. The tremendous problems have made us become too critical, disgusted, indifferent, hopeless. Where do we go? Do we just have to give up?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Cursed be those who have left my beloved homeland bleeding and torn†¦Ã¢â‚¬  says the Non- revolutionaries, a good short story I once read.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This is not being a Rizal!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, our country needs Filipinos who will live their lives in a â€Å"Rizal way†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, our country needs people who have the will to make Rizal happen once more in our times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, our country needs people who are persuasive and decisive to adopt Rizalism and to nurture it as an integral part of their person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, our country needs people who have the strength to complete and expand the works and wisdom of our Jose Rizal.

The Relationship Between Human Health and the Built Environment

Undertaking 1Built environment is straight associated with wellness of people populating, working and playing in them and has different impact on different age groups, therefore plays critical portion in human wellness. Increasing cost of wellness, instances of diabetes, fleshiness and other diseases, deficiency of exercising due to transport vehicles domination, easy fast nutrient and limited societal assemblages due to technological promotions adds to wellness jobs in Australia. New South Wales ( NSW ) section of wellness has proposed a wellness built environment plan ( HBEP ) , which focuses on redesigning and developing built environment to better overall wellness utilizing best in category patterns and policies. Evidence gathered by NSW section of wellness identified deficiency of physical activity, low quality nutrient and improper communicating between communities as the taking grounds behind wellness jobs. Paper focuses on how can these hazards be lowered by modifying the bui lt environment. HBEP plan focal points on how reinforced environment can be improved to better wellness. Discussion on benefits of increased physical activity on wellness were made along with the grounds on how reinforced environment alteration can actuate people to increase physical activity. Evidence has been provided on how political, economic, societal and policies related to construct environment can act upon physical activity positively. Critical analysis on how high residential denseness country in reinforced environment of society, distance to street markets, maintained pathwaies, along with little design elements alteration can increase degree of physical activity. A developing form in the constellation, urban arrangement, and renewing careers is one that explores how build environment helps the wellbeing issues of Australia. This position is focused around the idea that deficient eating methodological analysis and stationary life builds the danger for some unwellnesss, for illustration, cardiovascular illness, high blood pressure, colon malignance, kind 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, stalwartness, jitteriness and depression. An agreement now exists among wellbeing research workers, curative professionals and different experts that a dynamic life style lessens the danger for some ceaseless infections and/or encourages the effectual disposal of those illnesss. Inside this scene, the dynamic life development emerged a twosome of old ages prior to strike the stationary society issue. It focused on the betterment of a life style that incorporates physical action into twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours agendas, with the aim of aggregating negligibly 30 proceedingss of motion every twenty-four hours by sauntering, bicycling, working out, working in the pace, taking the steps, or take parting in some other sort of physical action. Further perceptual experience of people towards physical activity in reinforced environment was discussed and how this can be molded in support of physical activity utilizing built environment redevelopment policies was analyzed. HBEP plan besides considers built environment alteration for school and college substructures besides in order to do the new coevals accustomed with the importance of wellness every bit early as school. Overall research on societal ecological theoretical account is done sing the impact of policies related to society, political relations, built environment and economical on physical activity. Further a elaborate research on the impact of built environment on community strengthening was conducted and failings were found related to hapless self residential determination devising and carelessness of wellness variables in built environment which were so included in HBEP policy plan. Gap analysis between built environment impact on societal connexion amongst peopl e and community authorization was analyzed. HBEP policy considers bridging this spread through improved communicating between built environment section and wellness section of Australia. Paper besides reviews literatures the impact of advertisement of fast nutrients on their ingestion and how it leads to increases instances of diseases. It was found that there is no proper consideration of relationship between advertisement of bad nutrient and jobs originating due to ingestion of that nutrient. Evidence were found by NSW section of wellness that built environment of schools besides had no proviso of commanding advertisement of fast nutrients around school campuses. It was found that reinforced environment policy did non had any methodological analysis to see the impact of hapless nutrient handiness on the wellness. HBEP proposes a qualitative and quantitative survey to understand the relationship with nutrient in reinforced environment of schools and even residences and advance good nutrient within the environment. Exploration is needed on all parts of the based environment ‘s consequence on sound nourishment debut in Australia. While assorted immense graduated table surveies have been attempted appraising handiness of less than great nutriment, their consequences need to be farther investigated through complex quantitative and qualitative analysis. Advancement of an mixture of socially huffy geographic expedition embraced in diverse urban metropoliss and towns will allow more reliable generalisations to underpin attack. Further paper proposes that making a healthy built environment must be taken attention of critically through better communicating and apprehension, choice leading and relationship edifice. This paper unites a proof base of bing scrutiny to rede solid nature ‘s sod attacks and motions. It similarly helps to the identii ¬?cation of parts of geographic expedition in which reinforced environment policy deficiencies. The Survey ‘s cardinal message is that there is a solid relationship between persons ‘ well-being and built environment and this relationship is really complex. This paper talks about the undertakings, which need to considered in reinforced environment policy of Australia so that healthy environments can be built and jobs can be lowered.Social interaction are determiners of good wellnessThis statement was mentioned on page 75 of paper and was raised in order to better the societal interactions amongst community people so that reinforced environment can be socially healthy. I wholly agree with this statement in the context of the paper and otherwise. Social interactions improves information flow between people, which can be good for the socie ty as affairs like hapless nutrient around the built environment, cleanliness of workplace, residential society and other topographic points which can impact wellness. It will besides farther better the overall quality of physical and societal environment in communities therefore beef uping the good wellness. Majority of people who will profit from societal interaction are old age people who non so frequently acquire opportunities to socialise. Harmonizing to a study done by University of Rochester medical centre, people who frequently socialize more than other does, populate more and happy ( University of Rochester, 2014 ) . Apart from that, there are many wellness advantages of societal interaction, which are discussed below to farther back up the statement: –Frequently people who socially interact have low blood force per unit area degrees than people who do non interact frequently.Low hazard of Alzheimer’sCan assist one overcome solitariness and depression.Less or no hazard of malignant neoplastic disease and cardiovascular related jobs.Everybody needs to experience idolized and upheld peculiarly as we develop more seasoned. As we age, comrades truly might be line of lifes. Social interaction, offering, being in contact with other people who have dynamic, included lives gives populating a ground. Offer to comrades Plutos duplicate the delectations and separation the hurts. Vast, augmented households that were on a regular basis accessible for endorsing are presently less. The sum of one-person household units has expanded. Persons on a regular basis move a long manner from their households to work or vacate. In any instance remaining associated with household, comrades and exercisings has ne'er been more critical. A few surveies report fewer colds, lower circulatory strain and lower bosom rates in members with solid societal ties. Detail indicates that matrimony, possibly the strongest tie, adds old ages to future. Furthermore, self-destructi on, emotional instability and spirits maltreatment rates are much lower when persons interact socially on a higher degree ( Gold, 1999 ) . Another survey from the US recommends that societal coaction ought to be viewed as an indispensable component for turning lifetime, on a criterion with other wellbeing and lifestyle constituents, to the grade that low societal connexion hurts life span to the extent that liquor dependence and smoke, has more consequence than absence of activity, and is twice every bit destructive as fleshiness ( Louv, 2012 ) . Analysts at Brigham Young University ( BYU ) in Provo, Utah, directed a meta-examination of distributed surveies and found that holding societal ties with comrades, household, neighbours and associates can heighten our opportunities of endurance by 50 for every penny. You can read about their survey online in a paper distributed in the July issue of PLOS Medicine. Mentions: –Louv R. , 2012, Health benefits to kids from contact with the out-of-doorss and nature, [ Online ] , Available from: – hypertext transfer protocol: //www.childrenandnature.org/downloads/CNNHealthBenefits2012.pdf [ Accessed on 13th June, 2014 ]University of Rochester, 2014, Older grownups and importance of societal interaction, [ Online ] , Available from: – hypertext transfer protocol: //www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx? ContentTypeID=1 & A ; ContentID=4513 [ Accessed on 13ThursdayJune, 2014 ]Gold E. , 1999, Benefits of societal interaction, [ Online ] , Available from: – hypertext transfer protocol: //www.valueoptions.com/april06_newsletter/benefits_of_social_interactions.htm [ Accessed on 13th June,2014 ]