Select one country from the list below and evaluate the contribution Essay

Select one country from the list below and evaluate the contribution that remote sensing could make to measuring and monitoring - Essay Example Amongst the eight distinct MDGs, MDG 7 deals with environmental sustainability and is measured through a set of 10 indicators. The task of preserving the environment is extremely important for the achievement of other MDG goals such as education, economic development, equality and healthcare. For instance, Azmi (2010) notes that over a quarter of the epidemics and diseases reported worldwide result from environmental factors. Over 35% of all deaths in third world countries are caused from environmental disturbances. According to Hassan (2004), MDG 7 is sometimes misunderstood for its context and broader outlook and criticized for being disconnected from other issues such as farming and healthcare that seem to affect the poor. Bradford (2005) says that this is however not true since numerous studies have concluded that most of these problems are a direct result of environmental exploitation and the lack of sustainable practices and strategies to counter this decline. Researchers like Faure (2009) have carried out extensive studies on environmental impact and have concluded that most environmental disasters result from and are often accelerated by massive environmental degradation. For example, countries like Jordan are facing acute water shortage, energy deficiency and climate change due to rapid desertification of the countryside and global warming. Within the context of poverty reduction, environmental sustainability plays a pivotal role due to their widespread dependence on non-renewable sources of energy and unsustainable environmental practices. Wagstaff (2010) argues that the major obstacle to developing any environmental strategy is the measurement of the current trends in the local environment and cites the importance of technologies like remote sensing in monitoring any related initiatives. With over 65% of the population dependent on fisheries, agriculture and minerals, Jordan is a nation that is highly dependent on the environment for its economic gro wth (Mays, 2009). Thus, devising and tracking any environmental strategy for the country needs a holistic and wholesome approach and cannot rely on a person-to-person methodology. Remote sensing, the science of acquiring information on a geographical region from aerial satellites, encompasses numerous technologies that are capable of measuring anything from meteorology and terrain (minerals and other natural resources) to deforestation and desertification. This paper therefore describes the role of remote sensing in monitoring and measuring progress towards the MDG 7 in Jordan. Role of Remote Sensing The metrics and targets specified under MDG 7 help in determining the amount of conservation of a resource. In the case of Jordan, indicators 7.1 and 7.5 have been used to evaluate the total amount of land covered by forests and the percentage utilization of water resources available within the country (Joseph, 2010). While these indicators provide critical insights into a regionâ€℠¢s environmental stability, these resources are so widespread and diverse that it becomes to measure these metrics at the national level. Resources such as water and natural resources are also harnessed from underground sources and are highly difficult to estimate based on simple physical observation of the area. Moreover, ecosystems and inherent ecological processes are so intricate that it becomes difficult to use simple parameters to

Using material from item A and elsewher Essay Example for Free

Using material from item A and elsewher Essay Using material from item A and elsewhere, assess the view that the growth of religious fundamentalism is a reaction to globalisation As mentioned in item A ‘much has been written about the decline of religious beliefs and the secularisation of modern societies’ this states that the growth of fundamentalism represents a culture which tends to be a clash between the sacred an secular. Fundamentalism refers to ‘black and white’ thinking that opposes modernism or any sort of progressive beliefs about religion and social topics. Rejecting modern beliefs does not particularly make fundamentalist group violent. Whilst the item mentions ‘they reject modern interpretations o faith as having lost their ways because teachings have been watered down’ this supports the idea that fundamentalist groups tend to oppose anything that challenges their religious interpretations and opinions. There are various characteristics of fundamentalism; a sociologist Bruce indicates the fact that religious text are seen as perfect. Referring back to the item it suggests that ‘fundamentalism seek a return to a literal interpretation of their holy book and strict obedience to religious teachings’ this supports Bruce idea as such holy teaching must be read literally-be it the bible, quran or the torah for e.g. Homosexuality is seen to be a sin, and fundamentalist groups are strongly against this view. Although there are many holy teachings and beliefs, one consequence of this is that fundamentalism rejects religious pluralism; there can be but one literal truth. This reflects on the important implications for what school teach for e.g. in some Christian schools in USA, the obect the scientific explanations of creation. Another aspect of fundamentalist is there is a profound rejection of modern society. Living in the modern world is seen as problematic because of the variety of choice; including too much choice of religion, sexuality, lifestyle etc. As mentioned in the item ‘while fundamentalism may have views that differ greatly from the mainstream’ this supports the perception that fundamentalists reject the idea of choice and assert the value of tradition. Lastly, another characteristic is activism. Activism is strongly encouraged whereby fundamentalists are vocal in their struggle of good against evil. In their ways of active approach many fundamentalists resort to violence in bid to express both their hatred of modernity and the need for tradition values to return for all. Examples of extremist fundamentalism include the shooting of  Malala, bombing of abortion clinics, 9/11 etc, Islamic fundamentalists. Quoting from the item ‘some sociologists argue that one response to globalisation has been the growth of religious fundamentalists’ This was the central view of Giddens whom mentioned that globalisation has turned the whole planet earth into a ‘global village’ such that every point o n the planet is constant and lose touch with the rest of the world via electronic, satellite or telephone communication. This has had a huge impact on fundamentalism. There are clear examples of how globalisation has helped fundamentalist groups for e.g. Terrorist groups such al-qaeda have various websites to both communication members and grow in numbers. Depite the fact that fundamentalists are against modernity, they can be seen as hypocritical groups as they tend to use modern ways and technology to spread their views. Another clear example is represented by the Miss World beauty Pageant in Nigeria 2002 A ‘blasphemous’ article was published by a newspaper office suggesting the prophet Muhammed (pbuh) would have liked a Miss World Beauty Queen. This had raised riots by Muslim fundamentalists which claimed over 100 lives. Assessing the view that globalisation has a growing state of fundamentalists, if such articles were not published, would there be such a large scale of fundamentalist activity? However growth in fundamentalism can be due to other factors beside globalisation. A response to secularisation; once again Bruce identifies fundamentalism is caused by secularisation- he argues the decline in religion in modern society, combining the views of science and rationality, undermines traditional faiths which supports evidence from the item as it mentions ‘but fundamentalism seems to go against this trend’ and therefore this does not truly suggest that globalisation is the main reaction to the growth of fundamentalist groups. Almond et al agree secularisation and modernisation produces fundamentalist however implying that it is caused by facets such as low levels of education and high levels of inequality, economic problems displacement of people by war, and western resentment and hatred. This also ties in with such facts that fundamentalism is more likely to develop when; there is just one sacred perfect text which followers can argue, a religion must have a common enemy etc. Such aspects determine that globalisation is not the only factor, there are many other ways of fundamentalist groups increasing Another aspect may be certainty in a world of choice.  Fundamentalists groups tend to have an appeal to those who seek a moral anchor in a world of unlimited choice i.e. young people. Modernity creates a moral ambiguity- unaware of what to do and therefore leading to a profusion of choice and a lack of guidance. This verifies the idea that globalisation is not the only reason as to why fundamentalists is growing, but attracting people in other ways. Lastly, Karen Armstrongs view also supports the view that it is not due to globalization. She argues there is nothing in Islamic religion which tends to lead towards fundamentalist beliefs. Many Islamic leaders and followers are in favour of westernisation and modernisation. However her argument differs to many as she states that the west has tried to impose modernisation too rapidly in these countries and as a result, this has lead to mass resentment f the west by many Islamic populations in the world, thus encouraging Islamic fundamentalism. In conclusion, although gloablisation does play a major role as to why fundamentalist groups are promptly growing, we cannot assume this is the only way. Assessing the view of this, it does need to be taken into consideration that there are other elements which have an impact of fundamentalist groups vastly spreading such as secularisation, economic problems, certainty in a world of choice etc.

What Factors Affect the Rate of Evaporation of Water?

What Factors Affect the Rate of Evaporation of Water? Hubert Galan and Zafira Smith Introduction: Our testable question for this experiment is what factors affect the rate of evaporation of water. This testable question regards the different factors, such as the temperature surrounding the water being evaporation, the temperature of the water being evaporated, the temperature of the air surrounding the water being evaporated, the humidity of the air surrounding the water being evaporated. In order to test our question we will use a bowl of water and expose the bowl and the water inside of it, which would begin at a temperature of 30 degrees celsius, to many different conditions, such as heat lamps, and fans. In doing so we will exposing our bowl of water and water itself to the variety of different factors that we can assume are capable of affecting the rate of evaporation of our water, and by testing the each of these factors we will be able to determine which ones are actually influential to the rate of evaporation of the water being tested. Evaporation: Evaporation is when water changes form into gas. Evaporation is the main pathway that water moves from the liquid back into the water cycle as water vapor,(The Water Cycle: Evaporation). What this means is that gas or water vapors main way back into the water cycle is through evaporation, which shows the significance of it. More important information on evaporation is that energy is needed for evaporation to occur. The use of energy in evaporation is that energy breaks the bonds that hold water molecules together and which keeps the water in its liquid phase. Which is why water easily evaporates at a high temperature, because there is enough energy or heat needed to break those bonds. Evaporation is arguably the most important part of the water cycle. No evaporation would result in no rain, no rain equals no water for forest which provided the most essential gas for humans, oxygen. Overall without evaporation the effects would be destructive (Water and Global Change). What this shows is how important evaporation is in our world, and that without it we wont survive. For this reason my colleague and I are trying to answer the question what factors affect the rate of evaporation of water. Temperature: Water molecules are always moving, some molecules are hit by other molecules which cause them to gain speed. These molecules hitting each other cause the energy and the temperature to raise. Temperature is the average kinetic energy of the molecules. Slower moving molecules have a lower temperature(colder) while faster moving molecules have a higher temperature (hotter). The increasing temperature causes the water molecule bonds to break, which causes water molecules to turn into gas. The breaking of bonds of molecules is evaporation, it involves a change of state, from liquid to gas. The higher the temperature, the higher the rate of evaporation. When the temperature of water increases the water molecules gain more energy. When the water molecules temperature rises the water molecules start to move faster and thus evaporate faster. Basically the higher the temperature the higher the rate of evaporation (Factors Affecting the Rate of Evaporation). This is the most notable factor that affects rates of evaporation. The way we will test this is by having two bowls of water. One bowl will be exposed to normal conditions, while the other bowl will be exposed to a heat lamp. After twenty-four hours we will compare the mass of both bowls, and see if they change. After this we will conclude based on the data we received. Wind: Wind is the natural movement of air in any given direction. In order to test the effect of wind on the rate of evaporation of the bowl of water in our experiment we will use a fan and turn it onto the bowl of water being used. When evaporation occurs the water vapor from our bowl will be sitting just above the surface of the water in our bowl that has not yet been evaporated. When wind is added to the environment in which a body of water is in, the molecules of water vapor are rapidly moved from their resting position above the surface of the remaining water to the direction which the wind is facing. This rapid removal of molecules allows for rapid evaporation to occur because there is an increased amount space on the surface area of the remaining water which allow the water molecules to evaporate up. (How Does Wind Affect Evaporation?) This also means that with an increased speed of wind there will be an increased rate of evaporation, as the molecules sitting on the surface of a bod y of water will be removed and replaced and a quicker rate. Humidity: Humidity is that amount of water vapor in the surrounding atmosphere of a body of water, in our case the cup being used in our experiment. In order to test the effect that humidity has on water vapor in our experiment, we will put a lid over the the bowl of water we will be using for testing. Evaporation in an airtight container increases the amount of water vapor that is present in the air above the water in said container. When the amount of water vapor in the air above our water increases, there is more humidity because humidity is the amount of water in the surrounding atmosphere in a body of water. When humidity is high in the air, it is harder for water to evaporate, because the air is filled with water vapor. The air can not absorb an unlimited amount of water molecules, meaning that there will be a slower rate of evaporation. If the space that is located above the water becomes filled with water vapor, then a condensations happens to cause a balance. (Factors Affecting the Ra te of Evaporation). Condensation which is the opposite process of evaporation, is when water vapor converts to liquid, meaning that the evaporation taking place in our experiment would be countered by the condensation already occurring to the vapor within our closed cup of water. Hypothesis: If wind affects the rate of evaporation then our water will evaporate faster because wind increases the evaporation rate of water through removing the water vapor particles that will be resting above the rest of our remaining water( that has not yet been evaporated), making room for new molecules to rest in the same place. If humidity affects the rate of evaporation then our water will evaporate slower because when humidity is high, it becomes more difficult for water vapor molecules to enter their atmosphere, therefore leaving no space for more molecules and slowing the rate of evaporation of water. If temperature affects the rate of evaporation then our water will evaporate faster because when waters temperature is increased the water molecules gain more energy, which causes the molecules to move faster, break bonds faster and thus evaporate faster.*we have three hypothesis because we are trying to accurately test our questions with multiple factors in order to answer our testable question Work Cited The Water Cycle: Evaporation. Evaporation, The Water Cycle, from USGS Water-Science School. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016. Factors Affecting the Rate of Evaporation. Factors Affecting the Rate of Evaporation. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016. How Does Wind Affect Evaporation? Bright Hub. N.p., 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2016. Intermediate-Level Science Projects. Intermediate-Level Science Projects: What Factors Most Affect Evaporation? N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016. Water and Global Change. RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

Good Country People by Flannery OConnor Characterization as Theme Essay

Good Country People by Flannery OConnor Characterization as Theme The Depth of Hulga?s Despair Characterization is the most prevalent component used for the development of themes in Flannery O?Connor?s satirical short story ?Good Country People.? O?Connor artistically cultivates character development throughout her story as a means of creating multi-level themes that culminate in allegory. Although the themes are independent of each other, the characters are not; the development of one character is dependent upon the development of another. Each character?s feelings and behavior are influenced by the behavior of the others. Joy/Hulga, as the story?s main character, is the singly most significant character to the themes of this story. She is characterized as brilliant and academically sophisticated, yet naà ¯ve to the feelings and motivations of others. Ironically, Hulga has a Ph.D. in philosophy, yet she has a very narrow view of her world and no insight into other people?s true character. This contrast in Hulga?s character is the topic of one of the story?s themes: academic knowledge is not to be confused with common sense. O?Connor continues to establish theme through her characterization of Hulga. She describes Hulga as being cynical about the world and the people she knows. The irony here is that she sees these people as being simple ?country people,? she doesn?t see them as they actually are, full of hidden feelings and motivations. She views herself as superior to her mother, Mrs. Hopewell, and her mother?s tenant, Mrs. Freeman. Her opinion of the other characters as less than herself, because of their tendency to see their world through the eyes of southern women, limits Hulga?s interaction with them. She... ...cares for her and thus encourages her into letting down her guard and trusting him. This becomes Hulga?s downfall and the most important theme of O?Connor?s story: people aren?t always what they appear or ?you can?t judge a book by its cover.? Her narcissism allows Manley to talk her into removing her leg. He grabs it and runs off with it, but not before letting her know that he has played her for the fool. O?Connor?s comprehensive character development leads her readers into complacently judging Hulga as superior to the other characters in her story. She takes this a step further in her development of Manley Pointer as an innocent. Through this development, O?Connor lulls her readers into stereotyping the characters into the personas she wants them to see. Hulga?s epiphany is thematic. The ultimate irony is that not only is Hulga duped by Manley, her readers are too.

Against School Uniforms

All around the United States more and more schools and switching to the idea of school uniforms. Schools think that this uniform policy will help bring down crime rates, gangs, improve the schools over all academic achievement, and level out social discriminations among students. Although this theory may become true to someone who wants it to be true, other skeptics looking into this are finding that these positive influences from uniforms are merely misconceptions. Schools’ academic achievements are not influenced by the clothes that students have on their backs. Neither is the crime rate in that school. There were theories that gang members could sneak into schools by wearing that schools uniform and blending in with everyone. Some students are even saying that uniforms will not stop them from discriminating other kids since they still know who is rich and who is poor. Although our society thinks that forcing students to wear uniforms to school will cure all problems, they better think twice. School uniforms should not be allowed in public schools because they are not cost effective, they deprive students’ rights to express themselves, and lastly, they do not increase the status of the school who adopted the uniform policy. One of the reasons that school uniforms should not be allowed in schools because they are not cost effective. One reason why they are not cost effective is because some families cannot afford multiple uniforms, plus the clothes that students wear outside of school (Pakhare 1). Unlike the students who can afford three, four, or five uniforms, the poorer students’ one uniform will look worn out and used by mid-semester compared to everyone else (Stainburn 1). It will be easier to pick out the kids who cannot afford much. The social boundaries that uniforms were trying to get rid of will still occur with or without them (Cruz 47). The second reason behind why school uniforms are not cost effective is because schools think that having uniforms will cover up the fact that all students have a different amount of wealth, yet students still know who is rich and who is poor. Uniform pieces differ from one another. There are expensive pieces, and there are basic pieces (Chaika 1). The uniforms that students buy can set them apart on the social ladder at school; just as well as normal clothing can (1). Schools do not want kids â€Å"killing each other over designer jackets,† which is why they take in the uniform policy in the first place (1). Students who switch to different schools with uniforms frequently can be majorly impacted financially (1). Constantly buying new uniforms for those different schools can definitely drain that person’s money, thus not making school uniforms cost effective. In addition to school uniforms not being cost effective, they also deprive students of their right to freedom of expression. The first reason is that it violates the First Amendment. The First Amendment gives all citizens the right to freedom of expression and when schools make students all dress a certain way, then that takes away their right. It is unlawful to take away individuals’ freedoms since they have a right to those freedoms (â€Å"Current Events† 3). Any student who gets expelled or suspended for violating the dress code, say that it is blockading their right of free public education (Cook 1). The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said, â€Å"We think ordering school uniforms violates the First Amendment because it impacts on the freedom of expression† (3). Teachers also can be affected by this issue. They are the ones who have to put up with penalizing the students who break the dress code. A student in San Diego complained that â€Å"Teachers say they want us to be different, and then we all have to dress the same way† (3). Parents think that this policy is not a good idea, either. A parent in San Diego stated, â€Å"They have no right to make it mandatory. It’s against the rights of students and kids† (3). The second reason that school uniforms deprive students of their freedom of expression is that they make it harder for kids to find their identity in our modern society when they look exactly like everyone else (Cruz 46). As children grow up, they are supposed to make their own decisions while they learn from the mistakes they make, but the uniforms that the schools slap on kids is not a choice that they can decide on their own (47). The ACLU once stated, â€Å"Ban every individual expression and what you have left are not students, but soldiers† (47-48). This proves that each and every student’s right to freedom of expression is snatched away from them. The third and final reason why school uniforms should not be allowed in schools is that they do not improve the standards of a school. Some call it the ‘band-aid’ approach because instead of actually trying to solve the deeper issues in the school, they just mask all the problems by forcing students to wear uniforms (Cruz 43). One reason is that schools think that they will decrease the violence. They are mistaken because fights and other acts of misconduct will always happen in schools no matter what kind of clothes they wear (45). Students will always have grudges against other students and that will never change depending on the type of clothing they choose to wear. Uniforms cannot transform a bad student into a good one, they just dress them up to look like a good one (44). A student that created a problem before, will continue to create problems regardless of what they are wearing (Pakhare 1). Schools have socioeconomic groups that they want to break up in order to level out the social standards. One of those groups is gangs (2). Gangs are a growing problem in schools these days, but the clothes they wear in schools without uniform policies, can help others distinguish them from other students. If a school with gangs starts up the school uniform policy, it would be easier for gang members that are outside of the school, to sneak into that school to create some violence and mischief. Since everyone matches, you would not be able to distinguish a gang member from and actual student (Cruz 44). Another reason that school uniforms do not improve the standards of schools is that they do not improve school’s academic achievements. Studies have shown that uniforms had absolutely no correlation to test scores (Stainburn 1). Schools think that the sameness of everybody, because of the uniforms, will help students focus more on their studies, rather then what they look like. Although kids still find ways to discriminate one another, with or without uniforms, it still makes focusing on studies one hundred percent of the time difficult (1). Even in uniforms were in order, students will still stay distracted and will have to deal with daily discriminations (2). Schools have still found ways to improve academic achievements, which will incidentally improve their status, without the aid of uniforms (2). Because of the fact that school uniforms cost too much money, take away students’ rights, and do not increase a school’s reputation, they should not be required in schools. They do not have a useful purpose and there is no point of forcing students to wear them when they do not want to in the first place. It is only a matter of time before school districts realize how useless uniforms have become. Children that are forced to wear these uniforms do not like them, and neither to the parents that have to buy extra clothes that their kids only wear to school (Pakhare 1). It has been proven that there is little evidence to suggest a cause and effect relationship between the violence in school and the clothes that students wear (Cruz 45). Also, each and every student who is forced to wear a school uniform gets their right of freedom of expression taken away, which is consequently unconstitutional (â€Å"Current Events† 3). In conclusion to being against school uniforms being mandatory, they should be outlawed to all public schools since it has been proven that they are a tremendously horrible idea.

Experiment Newtons Second Essays

Experiment Newtons Second Essays Experiment Newtons Second Essay Experiment Newtons Second Essay Follow the instructions given above for each run, and record the values of the masses and the experimentally determined acceleration into the excel spreadsheet. Print out one or two typical graphs to include in your laboratory report. V). Measuring acceleration for MM MI constant, with different values of MI and MM 1. Choose initial values of MM and MI of 45 and 35 g respectively. Run the experiment, analyze ten velocity vs.. Mime graph, Ana determine ten acceleration. Record these results into a second excel spreadsheet, along with the values of MI and MM. 2. To obtain a total of five runs, increase each mass by 40 g, rerun the experiment, and record the results. The mass difference should remain the same. Thus, MI will take on values of 35, 75, 1 15, 155, and 195 g, while MM should have the values of 45, 85, 125, 165, and 205 g. VI). Analysis of the Results 1. Theory predicts that the acceleration is given by the net force divided by the total mass (see equations 4 and 5). Now, you should compare your experimentally determined acceleration with the theoretical prediction. To determine the theoretical prediction, create three new columns in the excel spreadsheets: one for the net accelerating force (MM -MI)g, one for the total mass (MI + MM), and one for the theoretically predicted acceleration: Acceleration = (Net accelerating force)/total mass 2. Create another column for the percent difference between the experimental and theoretical values of acceleration. 3. Another way to compare experimental and theoretical results is to plot the net force FINE vs.. The experimental acceleration. Equation (5) indicates that this should e a straight line with slope equal to the total mass. For the results obtained in part V, with the total mass constant, plot FINE versus experimental acceleration, and fit the graph with a straight line. Compare the slope of the line with the actual total mass (. 200 keg). What is the percent error? Print out this graph and include it in your laboratory report. 4. Theory predicts that when the net force is constant, the acceleration will vary inversely with total mass (see equation 5). For the data obtained in part V, with the mass difference held constant, plot the experimental acceleration versus mass. Approximate the data with a power law fit (y = c x n). Record the best fit values of c and n, and compare them with theoretical predictions based on equation 5. W). Include the Answers to These Questions in Your Laboratory Report 1 . How does the acceleration depend on the net accelerating force when the total mass is constant? 2. How does the acceleration depend on the total mass when the net force is constant? 3. What sources of experimental error most likely caused the differences you found Detente ATX Ana a I H WI) Clean up the area around you; put away the equipment and shut down the computer.