International Business Entry Modes

Introduction An international entry mode is an institutional agreement necessary for the entry of a company’s products, technology and human capital into a foreign country or market. The reluctance of firms to change entry modes once they are in place, and the difficulty involved in doing so, make the mode of entry decision a key strategic issue for firms operating in today’s rapidly internationalizing market place.The choice of mode will depend on internal characteristics (eg firm size, international experience) and external characteristics (eg the sociocultural distance between the host country and the home country) as well as the trade-off between desired mode characteristics (risk adverse, control and flexibility). The diagram below conveys 3 broad categories of modes of entry, and their fundamental trade offs.Further to the issues discussed above, no matter which of three of the export modes the manufacturer uses in a market, it is important to think about what lev el of ‘mindshare’ the manufacturer occupies in the mind of the export partner, as there has been a strong proven correlation between mindshare levels and how willing the export intermediary is to place on company brand in front of another, or how likely the intermediary is to defect. Good mind share will depend on scoring well across the three drivers of commitment and trust, collaboration and mutuality of interest & common purpose.  Control Key and Word – Text and Graphics.Export Modes Baring in mind the factors discussed above we will now review the different types of entry modes, beginning with export modes, as they are typically the modes used in initial entry to international markets, as they require a lower financial investment than other modes and can be viewed as a ‘toe in the water; for in experienced and smaller firms or where there may be risks (eg political, economic environmental) preventing FDI. The three major types of exporting are indirec t, direct and cooperative.Indirect export modes are modes in which the exporting manufacturer uses independent organizations located in a producer’s country, they include the use of an export buying agent, a broker, an export house, a trading company, or a piggyback. Indirect export modes may be appropriate for firms with limited- rather than long term- international expansion objectives. For example, if international sales are primarily used as a means of disposing of surplus production. The lack of contact with firms abroad will provide limited information to develop a plan for international expansion.In the use of such modes, there is limited control over the marketing mix (other than product). A direct export mode may be more appropriate in gaining a little more control, in which the manufacturer sells directly to an importer, agent or distributor in the foreign target market. The local party will bring the advantage of existing distribution networks, and will provide goo d local market knowledge. However, a company must be careful in entering into contracts as they can be difficult and costly to terminate, and can go wrong when there is a conflict in interests (e. . it may sell rivals goods or competing product lines). Similarly, there is a serious disincentive for the agent/distributor in that if it performs well and develops the market, it risks being replaced by a subsidiary of the principal. Intermediate modes As a firm gradually evolves towards more foreign based operations, Intermediate modes will become more suitable modes of entry. This will likely include firms possessing some sort of competitive advantage that are unable to exploit this advantage because of resource constraints.Intermediate modes take the form of contract manufacturing, licencing, franchising, a joint venture or a strategic alliance. Contract manufacturing- where manufacturing is contracted to an external foreign partner provides a low risk and potentially low cost mode of entry. Benetton and Ikea are a good example of companies who successfully rely on a contractual network of small overseas manufacturers. Benetton has over 80% of its production outsourced to 450 contractors (located in low cost production countries such as India and China).As a result of the money saved on labour, Benetton can sell products 20% cheaper, helping it to maintain a low cost position in comparison to competitors. Of course, this method may not be appropriate for every company as there is a loss of knowledge and intellectual property rights, and the transaction costs involved must also be considered. Licensing differs from contract manufacturing in that more value chain functions have been transferred to the licensee. In outsourcing production and downstream activities a licensor irm can concentrate on its core competences and therefore will remain technologically superior in its product development- for example Apple licenses its brand to manufacturers of accessory prod ucts, and the BBC licenses rights to broadcast TV shows around the world. However a lack of control over licensor operations and therefore quality may lead a company to use franchising (a sub variant of licensing) in which the franchisor gives a right to the franchisee against a payment, EG a right to use a total business concept/system, including the use of trademarks/brands, against some agreed royalty.Franchising not only provides a greater degree of control than licensing, but It can also be seen as low cost and low risk as the franchise are the ones investing in the necessary equipment and know-how. This entry mode has been seen to generate great successes for companies such as McDonalds who now franchises 25000 restaurants globally. However, it should be noted that there is still a lack of full control over franchisee’s operations, which can result in problems with cooperation, communications, quality control etc, and a risk of damage to the company’s internation al reputation if some franchisees underperform (‘’free-riding’’).Another intermediary mode that will allow greater control is a joint venture, in which 2 ‘parent’ companies create a new ‘child’ company. This high degree of control and local knowledge is a clear advantage of such an entry mode. The shared knowledge and resources gained through a JV as compared with wholly owned subsidiaries will bring many advantages such as economies of scale. However of course there is a loss of confidentiality and flexibility, and the use of double management will raise questions about how the company is split- 50/50?If 50/50, it is difficult for the board to make decisions, if at all! Hierarchical modes of entry allow the highest degree of control for a firm, while at the same time, the highest degree of risk as the firm completely owns and controls the foreign entry mode. To have a wholly owned subsidiary a firm can either acquire an existing company (acquisition) or build on its own operations from scratch (greenfield/brownfield investment). An acquisition will provide rapid entry, access to distribution channel, an existing customer base.This may be the only feasible way of establishing a base in the host country in saturated markets, or where there are substantial entry barrier and therefore little room for a new entrant. Of course, as with intermediary modes, there is the issue of contracts, negotiation and the different management styles between companies. If difficulties (eg no appropriate acquisition) are encountered with acquisitions, it may lead firms to prefer to establish greenfield (new facility) and brownfield (existing facilities) operations.Out of the two- greenfield is seen as an advantageous option because the new plant will involve the latest technology and equipment, avoiding the problem of trying to change the traditional practices of an established concern. Although this is a big investment for a com pany involving slow entry into the foreign market, the returns are long term and the firm has control over the entire operation. Conclusion It cannot be stated categorically which alternative is the best.There are many internal and external conditions which affect this choice and it should be emphasized that a manufacturer wanting to engage in global marketing may use more than one of these methods at the same time (Petersen and Welch, 2002). Such ‘mode packages’ may take the form of a concerted use of several operation modes in an integrated, complementary way. Zara is a good example of this- in markets where the hierarchical model is used, there is high growth potential and relative low sociocultural distance between the home country of Spain and target market.The intermediate modes (usually joint venture and franchising) are mainly used in countries where the sociocultural distance is relatively high. For example in 1999, Zara entered into a 50-50 JV with the German firm OTTO Versand, which had experience in the distribution sector and market knowledge in one of Europe’s largest markets, Germany. Whereas franchising is used by Zara in high risk countries which are socio-culturally distant or have small markets which allow sales forecast such as Andorra, Puerto Rico or the Philippines. International Business Entry Modes Introduction An international entry mode is an institutional agreement necessary for the entry of a company’s products, technology and human capital into a foreign country or market. The reluctance of firms to change entry modes once they are in place, and the difficulty involved in doing so, make the mode of entry decision a key strategic issue for firms operating in today’s rapidly internationalizing market place.The choice of mode will depend on internal characteristics (eg firm size, international experience) and external characteristics (eg the sociocultural distance between the host country and the home country) as well as the trade-off between desired mode characteristics (risk adverse, control and flexibility). The diagram below conveys 3 broad categories of modes of entry, and their fundamental trade offs.Further to the issues discussed above, no matter which of three of the export modes the manufacturer uses in a market, it is important to think about what lev el of ‘mindshare’ the manufacturer occupies in the mind of the export partner, as there has been a strong proven correlation between mindshare levels and how willing the export intermediary is to place on company brand in front of another, or how likely the intermediary is to defect. Good mind share will depend on scoring well across the three drivers of commitment and trust, collaboration and mutuality of interest & common purpose.  Control Key and Word – Text and Graphics.Export Modes Baring in mind the factors discussed above we will now review the different types of entry modes, beginning with export modes, as they are typically the modes used in initial entry to international markets, as they require a lower financial investment than other modes and can be viewed as a ‘toe in the water; for in experienced and smaller firms or where there may be risks (eg political, economic environmental) preventing FDI. The three major types of exporting are indirec t, direct and cooperative.Indirect export modes are modes in which the exporting manufacturer uses independent organizations located in a producer’s country, they include the use of an export buying agent, a broker, an export house, a trading company, or a piggyback. Indirect export modes may be appropriate for firms with limited- rather than long term- international expansion objectives. For example, if international sales are primarily used as a means of disposing of surplus production. The lack of contact with firms abroad will provide limited information to develop a plan for international expansion.In the use of such modes, there is limited control over the marketing mix (other than product). A direct export mode may be more appropriate in gaining a little more control, in which the manufacturer sells directly to an importer, agent or distributor in the foreign target market. The local party will bring the advantage of existing distribution networks, and will provide goo d local market knowledge. However, a company must be careful in entering into contracts as they can be difficult and costly to terminate, and can go wrong when there is a conflict in interests (e. . it may sell rivals goods or competing product lines). Similarly, there is a serious disincentive for the agent/distributor in that if it performs well and develops the market, it risks being replaced by a subsidiary of the principal. Intermediate modes As a firm gradually evolves towards more foreign based operations, Intermediate modes will become more suitable modes of entry. This will likely include firms possessing some sort of competitive advantage that are unable to exploit this advantage because of resource constraints.Intermediate modes take the form of contract manufacturing, licencing, franchising, a joint venture or a strategic alliance. Contract manufacturing- where manufacturing is contracted to an external foreign partner provides a low risk and potentially low cost mode of entry. Benetton and Ikea are a good example of companies who successfully rely on a contractual network of small overseas manufacturers. Benetton has over 80% of its production outsourced to 450 contractors (located in low cost production countries such as India and China).As a result of the money saved on labour, Benetton can sell products 20% cheaper, helping it to maintain a low cost position in comparison to competitors. Of course, this method may not be appropriate for every company as there is a loss of knowledge and intellectual property rights, and the transaction costs involved must also be considered. Licensing differs from contract manufacturing in that more value chain functions have been transferred to the licensee. In outsourcing production and downstream activities a licensor irm can concentrate on its core competences and therefore will remain technologically superior in its product development- for example Apple licenses its brand to manufacturers of accessory prod ucts, and the BBC licenses rights to broadcast TV shows around the world. However a lack of control over licensor operations and therefore quality may lead a company to use franchising (a sub variant of licensing) in which the franchisor gives a right to the franchisee against a payment, EG a right to use a total business concept/system, including the use of trademarks/brands, against some agreed royalty.Franchising not only provides a greater degree of control than licensing, but It can also be seen as low cost and low risk as the franchise are the ones investing in the necessary equipment and know-how. This entry mode has been seen to generate great successes for companies such as McDonalds who now franchises 25000 restaurants globally. However, it should be noted that there is still a lack of full control over franchisee’s operations, which can result in problems with cooperation, communications, quality control etc, and a risk of damage to the company’s internation al reputation if some franchisees underperform (‘’free-riding’’).Another intermediary mode that will allow greater control is a joint venture, in which 2 ‘parent’ companies create a new ‘child’ company. This high degree of control and local knowledge is a clear advantage of such an entry mode. The shared knowledge and resources gained through a JV as compared with wholly owned subsidiaries will bring many advantages such as economies of scale. However of course there is a loss of confidentiality and flexibility, and the use of double management will raise questions about how the company is split- 50/50?If 50/50, it is difficult for the board to make decisions, if at all! Hierarchical modes of entry allow the highest degree of control for a firm, while at the same time, the highest degree of risk as the firm completely owns and controls the foreign entry mode. To have a wholly owned subsidiary a firm can either acquire an existing company (acquisition) or build on its own operations from scratch (greenfield/brownfield investment). An acquisition will provide rapid entry, access to distribution channel, an existing customer base.This may be the only feasible way of establishing a base in the host country in saturated markets, or where there are substantial entry barrier and therefore little room for a new entrant. Of course, as with intermediary modes, there is the issue of contracts, negotiation and the different management styles between companies. If difficulties (eg no appropriate acquisition) are encountered with acquisitions, it may lead firms to prefer to establish greenfield (new facility) and brownfield (existing facilities) operations.Out of the two- greenfield is seen as an advantageous option because the new plant will involve the latest technology and equipment, avoiding the problem of trying to change the traditional practices of an established concern. Although this is a big investment for a com pany involving slow entry into the foreign market, the returns are long term and the firm has control over the entire operation. Conclusion It cannot be stated categorically which alternative is the best.There are many internal and external conditions which affect this choice and it should be emphasized that a manufacturer wanting to engage in global marketing may use more than one of these methods at the same time (Petersen and Welch, 2002). Such ‘mode packages’ may take the form of a concerted use of several operation modes in an integrated, complementary way. Zara is a good example of this- in markets where the hierarchical model is used, there is high growth potential and relative low sociocultural distance between the home country of Spain and target market.The intermediate modes (usually joint venture and franchising) are mainly used in countries where the sociocultural distance is relatively high. For example in 1999, Zara entered into a 50-50 JV with the German firm OTTO Versand, which had experience in the distribution sector and market knowledge in one of Europe’s largest markets, Germany. Whereas franchising is used by Zara in high risk countries which are socio-culturally distant or have small markets which allow sales forecast such as Andorra, Puerto Rico or the Philippines.

Why did the groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones have such a great impact during the 1960’s

The Beatles changed British Society. These changes were brought about by a band that made it very, very big. Popular music had gone through a revolution in the Late 1950's. People took advantage of the increased spending power of teenagers and bands like the Beatles produced lyrics in songs that people queued to buy. The music did not always change, just the same old brand new songs. The real breakthrough in music came in 1962 with an unlikely combination of individuals. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr had been performing together for a number of years. There had been various other members of the band, but the group did not get very far. In 1962 the change came about under the guidance of Brian Epstein, who became their manager and then transformed them from a talented, but undistinguishable act, into the most famous pop group in history. Epstein made the Beatles wear suits with non-lapels and cut their hair into pudding basin style. In so doing this he invented the Beatle Jacket and the Beatle hairstyle. The Beatles unlike many British performers at the time, wrote and performed their own music, this meant that they were able to create a unique style, which was a mixture of rhythm and blues, rock and roll and Tamala Motown. It was this that marked the Beatles out from so many of the performers that came before them. The last key individual was George Martin, who arranged and recorded the Beatles tracks. He produced the quality that ensured that they became instantly and overwhelming successful. More than anybody else the Beatles came to represent the Sixties. As Aaron Copland, the American composer of classical music remarked, â€Å"If you want to know about the sixties, play the music of the Beatles†. The important point being made there was that the Beatles did write music with real lyrics that caught the imagination of teenagers around the world, both reflecting and shaping the culture of the decade. They were all just normal lads who were brought up in the streets of Liverpool. John Lennon was brought up in an upper working class family. John was born in Oxford Street Maternity on October 9th 1940. His Auntie brought him up, as his father had disappeared. Four month's earlier Richard Starkey was born at 9 Madryn Street, Dingle in Liverpool. Richard was brought up in a lower working class. Early on in his life his mum and dad split up. Nearly a year later Paul McCartney is born in Walton Hospital, Rice Lane in Liverpool on the 18th June and he was brought up in a solid working class family. Paul then starts at Stockton Wood Primary. The baby of the group was finally born on the 24th February 1943 at 12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree in Liverpool. George Harrison starts at Liverpool institute. John Lennon was the smartest member of the group as a kid and could do anything he chose. All the band members were influenced as children, as each member were bought instruments; this meant homegrown talent was going to put Liverpool on the map. The influence of the Beatles went far beyond the music that they wrote and performed. Their clothes, hair, their accents, their offhand attitudes seemed to sum up the new age of the sixties. They seemed at first at least, just like the chap next door. Suddenly it became completely respectable to have an accent that did not come from the home county. For the first time ever, it came was fashionable to sound as if you came from Liverpool, or Newcastle or even Birmingham. The revolution became even more remarkable, after the Beatles came the ‘Mersey Sound', ‘Freddie and the Dreamers', ‘The Mersey Beats' and; ‘Gerry and the Pacemakers'. Brian Epstein successfully managed all of these bands. Then from Manchester there were the ‘Searchers' and the ‘Animals' from Newcastle. They all had number one hits with some easy going songs and some sung with real feeling. The impact of the Beatles upon teenagers was unbelievable. They were not just performers they became heroes. Soon the press followed on to this enormous fuss over the Beatles and made the phrase that the fans were involved in Beatlemania. They represented the victory of youth over old age, of new against old. They were the sixties. A few girls went to the Beatles concert in Cheltenham and they got us screaming. I don't remember much about the concert, just the noise Teenagers were influenced by lyrics, which started to change their way of thinking and the message changed. Every young person in the country wanted to be the Beatles, they were idolised were ever they went. Manufacturers soon realised the potential of the teenage market. The Beatles faces were plastered all over magazines. If the Beatles encouraged drugs, kids would follow, the Beatles lyrics were very powerful. For example the song lyrics in the song ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' openly suggested the use of LSD. The mischievous four of the sixties became the dope-smoking lads of 1965, and then the four took LSD in 1966-67 then even worse they took heroin in 1969. The Beatles themselves started to change dramatically. The clean-cut, cheerful boys of 1963 followed the weird and wonderful Maharishi, an Indian guru. They began to dress in psychedelic clothing, take drugs and adopt a more and more outlandish pose. The Beatles then really challenged family values. Innocent songs describing teenage love were replaced by peace anthems such as ‘All I Need Is Love' or drug influenced tracks like ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'. Worse still, in the eyes of some people, were the groups that followed them. The Rolling Stones started out as Beatles look-alikes, but soon developed a completely different style. Their lyrics were far more suggestive and the behaviour of the five grabbed a great deal of attention. Jagger and Richards were arrested for the possession of Marijuana- a response from the establishment that led even the times to describe it as ‘a butterfly being crushed under a wheel' Wider social changes were taking place. TV and Radio began broadcasting non-stop music. These were extremely popular with teenagers. Radio Caroline and Radio London had enormous following, as other radio stations didn't play much music. They set the scene for the radio stations that were to come. They were designed to appeal directly to young people. Television reacted more quickly to the changing styles of music. This was largely because it was a newer form of broadcasting and so was more ready to change. ITV began to broadcast ‘Ready Steady Go' and the BBC started ‘Top Of The Pops'. Both were overnight success stories and these accounts finally showed popular music. If some aspects of the sixties appeared to challenge society and existing ideas, the hippie movement seemed to reject it altogether. Some people took the movement very seriously. Others tried to balance the hippie movement with other commitments, but most simply rejected it altogether. To many people the most worrying aspect of the hippie movement was the way that its followers seemed to abandon responsibility. The emphasis on ‘Love and Peace', while harmless enough in many ways, came at the time when the west was being challenged by the Soviet Union. Not only did hippies appear to reject all forms of confrontation, but their behaviour suggested a weakening of society and the family in particular. In conclusion the impact of music in Britain changed the way we live today. The sixties took spending to a new level. Consumer goods became increasingly popular; this was mainly influenced by bands like the Beatles, who had their snapshot all over clothes to magazines. Lyrics had changed dramatically, and also the message had changed. Bands such as the Beatles promoted world peace. The Beatles helped boom Britain and this helped Britain to become a major force in pop music. I think the Beatles ended a new paragraph in British pop music.

Organizations and Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organizations and Behavior - Essay Example Organization theory is not quite prepared to confront this. Nevertheless, organizational knowledge, or the knowledge produced by managerial and organizational activities and events, is generated by the accumulation of distinct experiences of members in a particular organization and its environment. This organizational knowledge then made the possibilities for effective organizational structure, corporate culture, and management and leadership strategies (ibid). Therefore, in this paper, two different organizations, namely General Electric and Ford Motor will be compared and contrast using the various organizational theory. An in-depth look at these two organizations’ structure, corporate culture, and management and leadership approaches will also be included. Nonstop changes have become a normal occurrence for companies and their employees in the contemporary period’s cutthroat, competitive business world. During the recent years, several companies have endeavour into remarkable adjustments such as removing strata of management, streamlining techniques, motivating employees and laying off others, creating self-empowered work teams, and others. In periods as such, companies clearly need competent leadership strategies, yet particularly so at the highest level of the organization. Even though numerous of business adjustments happening nowadays might appear to most employees, a beaming model of the common idea of consistently changing an organization for improvement is the General Electric Corporation (GE), which experienced an extensive restructuring process commencing in the opening of the 1980s under the administration of their Chief Executive Officer (CEO), John F. Welch (Strohmeier, 1998). The most important leadership codes dev eloped by Welch at the time these changes can provide as a framework for other leaders confronting similar predicaments in their workplaces regardless of

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Art reflection - Essay Example I was particularly amazed by the traditional Indian exhibits, which were displayed on the walls of the museum. What amazed me most was a handmade craft of a man, which the Indians refer to as â€Å"Wild Man of the Woods.† The craft was made in 1900 and was in the past known as â€Å"Kwakiutl.† Willie Seaweed, an Indian carver who died in 1967, made the craft. This craft has played a major role in conserving the American Indian culture as well as conserving their natural history and anthropology. The craft has been preserved is an ethnographic pieces, which is an illustration of the culture in which the Indians associate themselves with. This craft amazed me more since it was new to me and I had not seen it before but I had read about it. This event has played a huge role in changing my perception about the traditional Indian lifestyles. I believed that the Indians were more interested in music and had no passion for other forms of art. However, this artwork alongside many other artworks, which I came across, has changed my view on traditional Indian lifestyles. I have developed more interest and an inquest of their

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Treatment of Schizophrenia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

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Geology of your hometown - Essay Example The city has four counties that are under its jurisdiction; these are Feeding, Feixi, Changfeng, and Lijiang. It also has one Sub County and four urban districts, Yaohai, Loyang, Shushan, and Baohe. Its development zones include Hefei economic and technological development area, Hefei pilot zone, and Hefei Chaohu economic development zone (Li).   Each region around Anhui province in China is unique. Hefei covers an expanse of an area of 11400 square kilometers with 37mertres above the sea level and an urban population of 7.52million people, with mandarin as a primary language spoken. It has longstanding historical traditions though it is greatly influenced by immigrant population. There is one developed Lake Known as Swan. It is next to a new build government building, and it is a beautiful place to have a picnic. The geological terrain offer an artificial beach which attracts many people especially during the summer. It has the largest number of consumer group and greatest potential for development. It is a city Center for politics, economy and culture, education, information, finance, commerce, and communication in Anhui province, China. It has the fastest growing economy because Chinese national government has given its local government funding for expansion and growth (Morris). Hefei is one of the most suitable places to live in due to its excellent public security and clean environment. In 2004, it was awarded the "China Excellent Living Environment Prize." In 2014, it was also awarded as an excellent green ecological city. The lake has wonderful scenery and many aquatic products (wu). Geology of Chaohu Lake has hot springs in it, which are rich in active mineral elements, and rare and beautiful flowers that grow in it. Hefei functions connect to national means of transportation in China with well-developed expressway network leading to all directions. Its airport owns over 30 domestic air routes and direct flights to Hong Kong, Fukuoka,

Influence of the development of low carbon infrastructure in future Essay - 1

Influence of the development of low carbon infrastructure in future - Essay Example s carbon emissions would mean that certain tradeoffs must be made between meeting the societal needs the way they were traditionally met, and achieving the new objective. In this respect, the Civil engineering profession has a role to play in developing structures that will be productive at the same rate as the traditional and current structures, may it be in terms of energy, safety or economic production, but which reduces the carbon emission to the lowest level possible. Carbon emission is an occurrence that is associated with every stage of the civil engineers project development work, starting from the design face, all the way to the construction, usage, maintenance and the dismantling of the infrastructure (ICE, 2011:7). Thus, the role of the civil engineers in the development of low carbon infrastructure must start right from the design face, until the structure is completed and put in use. Thus, these are the several ways through which the civil engineers can influence the dev elopment of low carbon infrastructure: The application of more carbon intensive technology during the construction face is one of the ways through which the civil engineers can contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions by the structure in its lifetime. This is because; the use of more carbon intensive means that there will be significantly reduced usage of carbon during the phase of usage of the infrastructure that has been developed (ICE, 2011:3). Therefore, considering the fact that the time span utilized in the development of an infrastructure is too short compared to the life time use of the infrastructure, it follows that the use of more carbon intensive during construction will help to reduce the overall future emission of the structure during its prolonged lifetime (ICE, 2011:4). Therefore, the greatest influence of the civil engineers in the development of the low carbon infrastructure can be realized at the project appraisal stage, which will help the civil engineer

Critical Response to The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay Example for Free

Critical Response to The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay From its ominous opening, to its dad ending, The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play driven by fear and desire, mirroring the McCarthy trials of the Communist hating 1950s. Though its set in 1692, the tone of the play and the themes of intolerance, hysteria, and ruined reputation were very prominently felt during 1953, when the play was published. The title, and the actual item of a crucible, suggests something seemingly solid melting away under immense stress. The hard structure of society in puritanical America and the spotless reputations of many good folk melt away to nothing in the fire of fear and trials caused by accusations of witchcraft. Miller uses the imagery of the crucible in the play also, in a quote from Mr. Danforth, We burn a hot fire here, it melts down all concealment, though what ends up being revealed is the fear and intolerance that control their society. The protagonist, John Proctor, has before the opening if the play had and ended an affair with the Antagonist, Abigail Williams. In this telling of the beginning of the witch trials, it is Abigails desire for revenge that leads the girls into the woods to perform a magic spell against Johns wife Elizabeth. It is dialogue between Abigail and John, and later dialogue of the confession of some of the girls, which reveals the affair between them and Abigails deep desire to have John back at any cost. John is attempting to right his wrong in the affair between himself and Abigail, but spurning her only causes more tension. When Abigail cannot easily win john back, and faces punishment for her actions in the woods, she turns the towns fear of witchcraft and the girls hysteria into her own device for revenge, at any cost. The playwright reveals the depth of his characters; Abigails ruthlessness, Johns remorse, and Elizabeths faith, through dialogue. Parentheticals within the text reveal ton e and motivation behind simple words said, from emotion words such as enraged to the simple act of a character folding their hands or sitting. Miller has worked in these small gestures and nuances in his lines, giving each character a subtext. The characters change as the plot progresses, Abigail goes from dismissing the girls hysteria to using it for her own ends to nearly buying into it herself, beating and hurting herself convinced that what she is doing will win John back and save them both. We see Abigails maniacal conviction in her own motivations in the scene between her and John alone in the forest.  Abigail is convinced John still wants her and will do anything, even accuse him of witchcraft in the end, to have John for herself and no one else. The conflict between Abigail and John mirrors the larger conflict of the play between the real truth and the truth society in its fear wants to believe. Abigail greed and covetousness is that of their society, and Johns struggle to do the right thing is the plight of the honest man within that society, caught by the tide of accusation. Each new action within the play such as the initial accusation, the meetings of Abigail and John, and the confession of Mary Warren drive the characters in different ways, and their reactions to those actions create a domino effect that further drives the plot and action of the play. THE CRUCIBLE does not have a happy conclusion, Abigail run away from the horror she has caused and John, along with many other honest people, dies at the hands of the supposed saviors of their society. But a play such as this, and the lesson it teaches, does not need a happy ending. In his play, Arthur Miller has held up a dark mirror to the society of that time and his own, showing how fear and intolerance can kill innocent people, and people who tout right and just motivations can be the real vehicles of destruction that they seek to stamp out. Source: Miller, Arthur. THE CRUCIBLE. Dramatist Play Service, 1982.

The Fundamental Role Of Concrete In Roman Architecture History Essay

The Fundamental Role Of Concrete In Roman Architecture History Essay The development of concrete in Roman style architecture was of great use in producing many world famous, monumental buildings that are representative of the Roman era. Not only did concrete provide a unique scheme in the production of Roman architecture, it was also a convenient and functional tool when other raw materials were unattainable. In this essay, I will discuss the development of concrete, concretes properties, surfacing techniques, concretes ease of use and labour requirements, and the construction of the famous Pantheon as a prominent example of the immense benefits of concrete to the Romans. Concrete was not invented by the Romans, but simply an adaptation of different mortar usages in earlier construction. MacDonald describes a mortar as, materials of mixed composition in a semi-fluid state at the time of construction. Because Romans didnt possess marble quarries like the Greeks, mortar became the practical alternative. Volcanic rock was the most common building material located in the Italian region, and was therefore, the most basic tool to create mortar, which would develop into useful concrete. As early as the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C., the observation of limestone walls with rock debris between each stone was made in Pompey. From this point onward, Roman concrete and mortar use became more and more prominent and by the late 3rd century B.C., Romans had improved the recipe of mortar to include lime and clay. When combined with different types of filling elements, also known as aggregates, as well as different types of facings, Roman mortars were able to create stro ng and dense walls. By the 1st century, the use of concrete is said to have been perfected by the Romans. In order for concrete to become a useful building technology, the properties of concrete must be carefully examined. The Romans used concrete for a wide variety of purposes. Concrete has been used in Roman buildings as strong base foundations, as well as in the highest vaults. In order to give structure and substance to mortar, aggregates, or stones of different sizes mixed into the mortar, were used. Not only did aggregates give mortar structure and substance by increasing the mortars mass, but they also helped to strengthen the building material. Aggregates were an essential part of concrete construction because they work together with mortar to defy crushing that can be caused by immense weights. This is clearly important when concrete was used as a foundation. Different types of stone were used to produce aggregates dependent upon the use of the concrete. For strong solid base foundations, heavier rock materials were used. In these types of foundation, aggregate was often times two thirds of the volume of the entire fabric. For lighter concrete forms, including high vaulting, lighter rock materials (such as pumice) were used. Debris from destroyed structures was also a common form of aggregate, including buildings and sculptures. Concrete is an indefinite, nearly fluid substance from the time that it is mixed to the time that it is set. Composed of lime, clay and aggregate, dry concrete is mixed with water, and this compound (opus caementicum) will harden into a solid mass. With this property in mind, Roman concrete construction was relatively simple. Generally wooden frames were set to pour the concrete mixture into and allow it to harden. Therefore, to produce this type of Roman architecture, both a mortar substance and a frame were necessary. Until Augustan times, the concrete used by Romans was a simple lime mortar. When limestone is burned, quicklime is produced. This quicklime is then slaked to produce calcium hydroxide, which is then mixed with sand. Once evaporated, calcium carbonate crystals are formed. These crystals are the fundamental bonding element of this basic concrete. Mixing more sand with the crystals increases the mortars strength because the crystals bind to coarse surfaces. A great benefit of concrete use was fireproofing buildings. By the late 2nd century B.C., a new kind of mortar came into existence that not only aided in fire proofing the structural design, but also in waterproofing it. Romans came across a type of volcanic ash near the city of Pozzuoli, Italy, which they used to create fine cement that reacts in a different manner than the simple lime mortar. This type of mortar is called pozzolana, and is also known as hydraulic cement. Pozzolana is composed of silicates and aluminates. When combined with lime, pozzolana forms a hydrated silicate of calcium. Comparatively, this combination of chemicals does not need to lose water through an evaporative process; it actually retains water into its structure. In doing so, pozzolana mortars can set in damp areas. This new found type of concrete was of great importance in waterproofing buildings. It helped to prevent decay and corrosion to buildings, allowing them to survive longer. Pozzolana is one of the most standard features of concrete in central Italy. To further aid the waterproofing of concrete, different types of stone facings were developed. Facings were originally used to protect the surfaces of concrete. Typically, facings of stone and other material were set into wet concrete to create a strong casing when the concrete dried. Facings are of valuable importance in dating buildings, and there are several different types that evolved over the centuries. During the late 2nd Century B.C., Opus Incertum, or concrete faced with small irregular shaped stones, was commonly seen. Concrete faced with small four sided stones in a definite pattern, called Opus Reticulatum, is dated shortly after 100 B.C. Opus Testaceum, concrete faced with brick, was found throughout the early empire until the 4th century B.C. Opus Mixtum is concrete facing characterized by a combination of brick and stone in a decorative pattern, and dated from the same period as the former. Principally, concrete facings were both practical and decorative, used for prot ection as well as ornamentation. For the Romans, using concrete in constructing buildings was just as convenient as it was practical. In terms of labour, the majority of workers necessary to complete any type of Roman structure did not need to be skilled or educated. Generally, the only highly skilled workers that were involved in the projects included the architect, the master masons and master carpenters. The tasks of mixing, carrying, hauling and pouring concrete were performed by rather unskilled labourers. This same demographic also fit into the category of creating forms into which the concrete would be poured. The timetables of such workers were scheduled around the drying of the concrete. It was certainly possible for Roman architecture to be built of stone, but this type of work would require labourers to dress the stones to exact dimensions, a more challenging task than that of concrete use. Because of this fact, the ease of using concrete made it a more prevalent type of building technology. Designed by Roman Emperor Hadrian, The Pantheon is a prime example of concrete use by the early Romans. Hadrian was known for advancement in the vaulted style, and The Pantheon exemplifies this style with its impressive concrete work. Work on The Pantheon began sometime between July of 118 A.D. and July of 119 A.D., and was completed between the years of 125 and 128 A.D. During the period of construction, concrete was used vastly. The Pantheon is built on a foundation of concrete, nearly 90 percent of the intermediate block and rotunda is made of concrete, and roughly 5,000 metric tons of concrete make up The Pantheons dome. As in many concrete buildings, The Pantheons construction was completed in levels, where different strengths of aggregate were used in each plane. The Pantheon is said to have five different layers of concrete with five separate types of aggregate. Naturally, the lowest level contains the densest and most cohesive aggregate. As the levels of concrete ascend, a lighter form of aggregate is used than the previous layer. The dome of The Pantheon is made of the lightest aggregate in the entire structure, pumice. The Pantheons major features were methodically configured. Carpenters were required to construct castings used to pour concrete for foundations. The rotunda walls were created by pouring a dense concrete and aggregate mixture into short, wide trenches. Once dried, more concrete was set atop the original trench in layers, until the dome terrace was reached. At this point, the dome had to be poured. The dome is one of the greatest features of The Pantheon. Again, the concrete that was used to create the dome was poured on to a wooden form built in a half sphere shape. The dome form was held in place with wooden struts and timber to allow a light aggregate concrete mixture to dry atop it. Castings of coffers, or sunken panels, were attached to the wooden form to create the domes intricate detail. As the dome was being poured, circular brick dams in the form of step-ring buttraces formed the domes exterior. Step upon step, concrete was poured until it reached the more nearly horizontal region of the dome, where tacky concrete was used. At the top most point, vertically set horizontal tiles finished the dome. As one of the greatest achievements of concrete work, The Pantheon represents the fundamental function of concrete in Roman Architecture. It is obvious that concrete played an essential role in the construction of Roman buildings. The development and adaptation of concrete in the Roman world was the most practical means of construction. Not only was concrete an available source of building material, constructing with concrete was also an uncomplicated and efficient technique. Fire and water proofing of Roman buildings were just a few of the practical functions that concrete provided. Concretes properties allowed for Roman architecture to survive throughout the centuries; because such a useful material was discovered and widely utilized, we are still able to view and study some of the worlds most brilliant structures.

Interference On Automatic And Controlled Cognitive Processing Tasks Psychology Essay

Interference On Automatic And Controlled Cognitive Processing Tasks Psychology Essay The effect of interference was explored during a modified Stroop experiment. This paper reports a study of the response times taken to complete a variation of the Stroop test; to determine whether automatic cognitive processes associated with reading interfere with controlled processes associated with colour naming tasks. It was found that naming ink colour was slower for a list of colour-related words than when neutral words were used, showing that interference does occur during an interaction of automatic and controlled cognitive processes. These findings are concurrent with previous empirical research which has shown that performance decreases when completing more than one task at a time. INTRODUCTION The senses receive a phenomenal amount of information from stimuli but it is understood that the brain has a limited capacity of resources available to process this information (Kahneman, cited by Edgar 2007). Attention is the fundamental cognitive process that mediates between what is sensed and perceived, this incorporates the selection and processing of some information and the disregard of. An important concept to consider is that by understanding cognitive processes such as attention and perception, inferences can be made about how behaviour may be affected (Edgar 2007). Within the attentional information processing framework, two distinct modes of cognitive functioning exist; controlled processing and automatic processing (Gross 2005, Edgar 2007). Schneider and Shiffrin (cited by Edgar 2007) distinguished several characteristics between controlled and automatic processing. Controlled processing demands heavily on attentional resources, is capacity-limited, slower and involves conscious directing of attention towards a task. In contrast, automatic processing makes little or no demands on attentional resources, is relatively fast, unaffected by capacity limitation and is not subject to conscious awareness (Gross 2005, Edgar 2007). The ability to perform tasks automatically is advantageous as it means there are still resources available for the processing of other tasks. Everyday experiences and laboratory experiments indicate that it is possible to perform two or more tasks simultaneously and efficiently (Edgar 2007), e.g. holding a conversation while cooking or driving. However Kahneman highlighted disadvantages, claiming that interference can occur when attempting more than one task at a time; each task is thought to compete for resources from a central processer (cited by Edgar 2007). For example it is not possible to read and hold a conversation at the same time. Posner and Boies also observed that despite simplification, performance may decrease when people perform more than one task at a time (cited by Edgar 2007). To explain, when a task such as reading is well learned and practised, it becomes automatic. The automaticity of reading is so powerful that it is difficult to avoid or change and this can interfere with ability to respond to other tasks such as naming colours (Edgar 2007). This is clearly demonstrated by the Stroop effect, a classic and robust phenomenon associated with cognition and reaction time (cited by Edgar 2007). In 1935 Stroop revealed that if a colour word was written in a conflicting colour (such as blue being written in red) participants would find it difficult to name the colour the words were written in (Gross 2005, Edgar 2007). The above research into automatic and controlled processing provides the motivation for conducting this experiment. The aim is to test whether interference will intrude on the cognitive processing during a variation of the Stroop Test. The words used in this experiment are manipulated to include a colour-related list (instead of actual colour words used by Stroop) and a neutral list. The research hypothesis is that it will take longer for participants to name the ink colour of the list of colour-related words than to name the ink colour of neutral words. This is a one-tailed hypothesis. The null hypothesis is that there will be no difference in the time that it takes for participants to name the ink colour for the lists of colour-related and neutral words. METHOD Design The experiment was conducted using a within-participants design. The independent variable comprised 2 conditions, a list of colour-related words (the experimental condition) and a list of neutral words (the control condition). The words were printed in different coloured ink, and each participant was required to name the ink colour of each word in both conditions. The dependant variable was the time taken to name the ink colour of the words in each condition. Response times for each condition were measured by the researcher using a stopwatch, and recorded to the nearest second. All participants were read the same standard instructions, and the conditions used were identical except for the manipulated variable; the actual words printed (colour-related/neutral words). To counterbalance for order effects the participants were given a number from 1 to 20, the odd numbered participants completed condition 1 followed by condition 2, and the even numbered participants completed condition 2 and then 1. Participants The sample included 20 participants; 16 were recruited by staff at The Open University and were colleagues, friends or family members. The remaining 4 were opportunistically recruited by the researcher; they were family members who volunteered. There were 10 males and 10 females ranging from 30 to 60 years old. All participants were naive to the hypothesis of the experiment but were briefed beforehand, signed a consent form, and were debriefed afterwards. Each participant had normal or corrected to normal vision, ability to distinguish colours, and ability to read and speak English. Materials The stimuli presented in each condition consisted of a list of 30 words, printed in two columns on a sheet of A4 paper. The experimental condition consisted of the following colour-related words; BLOOD, LEMON, GRASS, CARROT, PLUM and SKY, printed in a colour incongruent with the word (e.g. BLOOD was not printed in red ink, SKY was not printed in blue). The control condition consisted of the following neutral words; BLAME, LEDGE, GRADE, CAREER, PLAN and STY. Each word was printed five times in a random order; both conditions matched for corresponding words, and were printed in same ink colours, size, font and order (see Appendix 1 for both stimuli). Standard written instructions were used (see Appendix 2), and a consent form was completed by each participant (see Appendix 3). A digital stopwatch was used to measure response times, and all data collected were recorded on a response/data sheet (Appendix 4). Procedure Each participant was approached and asked to take part in an experiment, on the understanding that it was associated with naming ink colour of lists of words, as part of an investigation into cognitive processing, and to provide data for the researchers assignment. The participants were asked if they had any knowledge of the Stroop effect to determine naivety of the hypothesis. Once it was ascertained that those who agreed to participate were suitable for the experiment (with normal or corrected to normal vision, and ability to read and speak English, and distinguish colours), their written consent was obtained. Participants were tested individually; demographic data was recorded including age and sex, before the standard instructions in Appendix 2 were read out verbatim. These told the participant that they would be presented with a list of words, in two columns, that they should work through saying aloud the colour of ink each word is printed with. They were told to complete the ta sk as quickly as possible. An example was given and once each individual confirmed that they understood what they had to do, the first stimuli was placed face down on a desk. When the participant was ready it was turned over and the experimenter started the stopwatch. On completion of the last word the stopwatch was stopped and the time it took to complete the task was recorded to the nearest second on the response sheet. The second stimuli was then placed face down immediately and the procedure was repeated. The odd numbered participants completed Condition 1 then 2 and the even numbered participants completed Condition 2 then 1. After the response time was recorded for the second task, the participant was debriefed. They were informed about the nature of the Stroop effect and the differences between the two conditions. They were also given the opportunity to ask any questions, their anonymity was reiterated and they were thanked for their contribution. RESULTS The research hypothesis was that it will take longer for participants to name the ink colour of the words on the colour-related list than to name the ink colour of the list of neutral words. The time it took for each participant to complete the task was measured in seconds and recorded on a data sheet (see Appendix 4). Table 1 below shows the differences between mean response times and standard deviation for both conditions. The colour-related words condition took 2.9 seconds longer, on average, to complete than the neutral words condition. The standard deviation indicates that there is a greater dispersion of response times (in relation to the mean) in condition 1 than in condition 2. Further SPSS Descriptive Statistics output can be seen in Appendix 5. Table 1. Mean Response Time (in seconds) For Each Condition Condition Mean Response Time (in seconds) Standard Deviation Colour-related words (Condition 1) 24.15 5.304 Neutral words (Condition 2) 21.20 5.180 Inferential statistical analysis was conducted on the data, including a paired samples t-test (t (19) = 3.276; p = .002; d = 0.553), which showed that the differences between conditions were statistically significant and not due to sampling error (see Appendix 6 for SPSS inferential analysis output). As the effect size shows a difference of 0.5 standard deviation points, it was considered to be a medium sized effect (Cohen cited by DSE212 Course Team 2007, p172). Based on this analysis, the hypothesis was accepted and the null hypothesis was rejected. DISCUSSION The results of this experiment showed that there was a significant increase in the time taken to name the ink colour of the list of colour-related words compared with the list of neutral words. This was consistent with the Stroop effect and supports the experimental hypothesis of the study. Intrusion that resulted from interference is consistent with Kahnemans model, suggesting that if tasks compete for a single pool of resources interference occurs. It is also consistent with Schneider and Shiffrins descriptions of automatic processes and controlled processes (cited by Edgar 2007). As reading the colour-related words is automatic and unavoidable, controlled processing is required to remove the automatic colour-related word response and replace it with the correct verbal ink colour response. This takes extra processing time and explains the greater response times measured for the colour-related task. Automatic processing is relatively quick, and requires less mental effort than controlled processes that are comparatively slower and require greater conscious effort. This explains why reading is processed before the colour naming response is processed and verbalised. It was observed that the even-numbered participants who completed condition 2 first, had a very small mean difference in response times between both conditions compared with those who completed condition 1 first (this is graphically presented in Appendix 7). This shows that counterbalancing for order effects was an effective design. It would be interesting to explore this effect in a repeated but larger study of the same design; it is possible the participants completing the neutral word list first had developed a strategy for naming ink colours during the second condition, such as focusing on the first letter of a word, rather than reading the colour-related word automatically. This could be explored further in future. There were several limitations to the methodology of the experiment. Although the number of participants used for this study was effective in showing the predicted Stroop effect (for the population tested), the sample size was small and so there cannot be widespread comparison or generalisations. Also, the experiment itself was an unnatural situation and people are unlikely to find themselves in real life situations where they have to read out lists of words or colours. The experiment therefore also lacks ecological validity. Two of the researchers participants made mistakes by naming the wrong ink colour, of which they were unaware. Data was not collected during the experiment in relation to numbers of errors that occurred, but this could be considered in future, noting whether errors are corrected or not. A failure of conscious or controlled attention to notice errors has potential consequences in real life situations. The automaticity of reading has been a focal point of this experiment, but an alternative study could incorporate the use of printed numbers, instead of words to see if similar effects of interference occur with automaticity of recognising numbers as opposed to reading words. Also, while this experiment clearly demonstrates the effects of interference that Kahneman described, it offers no explanation for how tasks performed simultaneously can be done so effectively this is another area that could be explored in future research through dual-task experiments.

Roman Pantomime :: essays research papers

In assessment of the origins and nature of pantomime in ancient Rome, one will clearly see that the latter two factors are wide and varied. This is due to the collaborative nature of the art as a whole. With a close examination of archaeological, textual and representational evidence one will gain a precise understanding of how the origins, nature and type of audience of the pantomime are interrelated. One will additionally gain inisight into the widespread popularity of pantomime despite a general dislike towards drama in ancient Rome. Before one can begin to consider the origins of Roman pantomime, one must have a clear understanding of the nature of pantomime. This is due to the fact that the nature of the art is in most cases, directly related to its origins. Once the nature of the art has been established, one will clearly see the connection between the latter and it’s origins. The term pantomime, which was, introduced by the Italian Greeks referrs to the actor. The mimer of everything. The pantomime was considered a solo performer who wore a mask, and expressed himself through dance, but did not sing. Rather, a musical group or chorus accompanied the pantomime. This type of performance is usually likened to a ballet enactment with a mythical theme. The pantomime usually tended to appeal to higher tastes with its mythical themes but as Grimal implies, could also be comic and erotic. In his discussion of pantomime, Lucian of Samosata (ca. 125 – 180) notes that the pantomime represents the orator and the composer of declamations. Lucian claims that the success of the pantomime depends upon his skillful adadptation of language to character. It is considered that the pantomime had incredible versitality to show forth human character and passion in all their varieties. These qualities of the pantomime were praised by Lesbonax of Mytilene who called pantomimes ‘manual philosophers.’ Futher evidence of the versatility of the pantomime in showing emotion and character can be seen in the words of Timocrates: I know not what truth there may be in Plato’s analysis of the soul into the three elements of spirit, appetite and reason: but each of the three is admirably illustrated by the pantomime; he shows us the angry man, he shows us the lover, and he shows us every passion under the control of reason†¦ The pantomime was not only skillful in portraying human character, but additionally in embracing many other skills into a single embodiment.

Unjust Classification of Literature :: essays research papers

The Unjust Classification of Literature   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The content of literature has been criticized and classified throughout history. Occasionally, stories become known as immoral literature in the eyes of society. This can be damaging both to sales of the book and the reputation of the author. Kate Chopin wrote two stories that are examples of literature deemed immoral by society. â€Å"The storm† and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† were written and the end of the nineteenth century. A time without many liberal opinions towards literature, as well as civil rights. Often critics judge a piece of literature only on the literal meaning of the phrases inside, while ignoring the actual message from the author. Chopin’s two stories were criticized for the impression she gave of woman’s attitudes towards their husbands and marriage. Although her stories seem to contain women that do not respect marriage, the women actually have total love and respect for their husbands The misinterpretation of stor ies leads to the unjust classification of literature as immoral.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Storm† have different plots, but both convey a similar message from Chopin. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† was written about a wife ,Mrs. Mallard, who receives the sad news of her husbands death. She is flushed with conflicting emotions of sadness from the death, but also joy for the freedom from marriage that his death brings. A twist in the story takes place when she is confronted with her still living husband and she dies from the shock. Chopin wrote of a woman so caught up in married life, she forgot all of the liberties that she had sacrificed for the marriage. â€Å"The storm† tells of another wife, Calixta, living what was a normal life for a woman in the late nineteenth century. While her husband and son are kept inside a store by a passing storm, Calixta is greeted unexpectedly by an old boyfriend, Alcee. Spending time with Alcee releases feelings from Calixta that had been building up thr oughout her marriage. Calixta and Alcee give in to temptation, but never lose their sight of love for their families. Both stories suggest women in marriages sometimes feel imprisoned by the relationship and seek an outlet for their emotions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marriage is a sacred bond and should always be honored. Infidelity is the worst act that can be perpetrated on a significant other. The wife, Calixta, betrayed her family and the church by cheating on them.

Love, Sonnets and Songs :: Sonnet essays

Love, Sonnets and Songs.   Mary Wroth's prose romance, The Countess of Mountgomeries Urania, closely compares with her uncle, Sir Philip Sidney, 1593 edition The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia.   Wroth was undoubtedly following her uncle's lead by trying to emulate Astrophil and Stella.   Astrophil and Stella and Pamphilia to Amphilantus are both about being in love and they both have over one hundred sonnets and songs. After rereading both pieces, I was struck not by their similarities but by their differences.   For example, Stella is assertive and Pamphilia is passive.   Stella is truly bound by her love for Astrophil while Pamphilia cannot break herself free from the love she feels forAmphilantus.   Sidney creates a female beauty that retains her voice and speaks, whereas Wroth allows her woman to remain inactive and vulnerable.   However, Wroth no longer allows the female to be the object.   She gives the female a voice and she is now the speaking subject.   Pamphilia remains inactive and unfulfilled but very patient. A good question for the reader to ask oneself is why would Wroth not establish a strong female speaking subject like the one she was trying to imitate?   Wroth was the first woman writer in England to publish a romance and a sonnet sequence.   She was by no means conservative or cared about what people thought of her, which has been proved by the antics of her personal life.   So why not establish that same woman character/speaking voice in her prose?   I would like now to look at the similarities and differences of Stella and Pamphilia. First, Philip Sidney and his female character Stella.   Stella has a voice and does speak, however, she speaks in the songs and not the sonnets themselves.   We see in the first two lines in each stanza of the Eleventh Song, Stella speaking and Astrophil answering her. Who is it that this dark night Underneath my window plaineth? It is one who from they sight Being (ah) exiled, disdaineth Every other vulgar light. Because she is not granted a sonnet, the standpoint that women are not allowed a voice has some truth to it.   Another standpoint is the way the women are viewed.   Women are viewed by their physical aspects.   For example, in sonnet 7, the speaker states: When Nature make her chief work, Stella's eyes In color black why wrapped she beams so bright?

Pilgrim by Timothy Findley Essay

Pilgrim is introduced in the story in a strikingly interesting manner – a suicide attempt resulting to his death – a â€Å"temporary death† which only lasted for a few hours. From the beginning of the story which was supposed to be the end of the central character’s life, the character of Pilgrim presented a big mystery. Having failed to commit suicide, Pilgrim was though to be schizophrenic so he was placed in a clinic where he tells his astonishing story of how his life – or rather â€Å"lives† – spanned 4,000 years. The introduction of Pilgrim set the whole plot of the story. It introduced many mysterious questions that were seemingly illogical and irrational – Is Pilgrim really a madman or an immortal? Which side should the reader take – one who supports theories on psychological disorders or one that accepts the possible mysteries of life? Having lived â€Å"multiple lives†, why did Pilgrim want death? Such questions only show that Pilgrim was a very complex character – one that symbolized a wide selection of societal themes. Pilgrim, A challenge In the story, the character and nature of Pilgrim satisfied the intellectual and psychological challenge that Dr. Jung was looking for. The peculiar life of the supposed schizophrenic provokes many philosophical, spiritual, psychological, and scientific questions and these questions direct the action of the other characters. As they interact with Pilgrim, the other characters adapt his mythical makeup and doing so encourages them to question their own identity and their own real story of existence. As an effective and astounding mystery novel, this plot relation between the characters is also adapted by the readers. As one goes deep into the story, readers are encouraged to share with the questions of Pilgrim’s character. Findley and Pilgrim Pilgrim was a Timothy Findley character who presents all of author’s favorite themes. Findley loved to write about the past and history and that is probably why Pilgrim was depicted as a man who spanned several lives – not forward, but back to the past. This character also depicted isolation and war, though not literary. In the story, Pilgrim was seemingly â€Å"isolated† because he was one of a kind – the â€Å"immortal† supposedly who cannot die no matter how he tries to do so. Moreover, there was no other story character that showed support for Pilgrim’s claims. Logic demands story characters – and even the readers – to disregard what Pilgrim believes in. So, in that sense, he is alone, isolated, and is at war with himself and rationality. What’s more obvious here is the fact that Findley tries to evoke people to be more conscious with their own identity and sanity in the same way as Dr. Jung was after he examined the case of Pilgrim. Pilgrim was presented as â€Å"nothing† in the story – an ageless and genderless with no exact definition of himself other than the notion that he was a human being. However, that presentation also made him â€Å"everything† about the story – from how it began, how other characters behaved, how the readers will react, how the story will progress, and how the story will end. This character served as the â€Å"backbone† of the story, a character which summarizes the plot, setting, ideas, and themes that can be found or deduced from the novel. What does Pilgrim represent? â€Å"I have lived many times, Doctor Jung. Who knows, as Leda I might have been the mother of Helen–or, as Anne, the mother of Mary†¦. I was also crippled shepherd in thrall of Saint Teresa of Avila; an Irish stable boy and a maker of stained glass at Chartres†¦. I saw the first performance of Hamlet and the last performance of Moliere, the actor. I was a friend to Oscar Wilde and an enemy to Leonardo†¦. I am both male and female. I am ageless, and I have no access to death. † The character of Pilgrim can be interpreted in two opposing ways – from a psychological and irrational standpoint or following a mystical approach. Taking into account the view of another prime character in the story – Dr. Carl Jung, Pilgrim is a representation of the psyche or the â€Å"collective unconscious†. He is just a schizophrenic – who, because of his condition – seemingly had experienced different personalities which he himself concocted in his unconscious. The fact that he recognized that he had â€Å"multiple lives† implied that he has finally became in touch with consciousness after he has spent years imagining that he â€Å"lived† the lives of multiple personalities. This claim is supported by the fact that Pilgrim remembers nothing about being a child again after being â€Å"reborn† several times. Using the first line of reasoning, there is no point in analyzing the behavior and actions of the character because all of the irrational actions will only lead to the fact that he is psychologically ill. If Pilgrim is taken as a schizophrenic character then analyzing whether he is just or unjust is pointless because a mentally ill individual does not have a concrete concept of justice and righteousness nor is he capable of making the right decisions. On the other hand, if analyzed using a mythical standpoint, Pilgrim is taken as a special being – an immortal. If the concept of Pilgrim’s immortality is accepted, then the actions of the character can be further analyzed. Immortality, an illogical â€Å"ability† which is doubted but definitely aspired by many is presented as the key to the full understanding the complex persona of the character and the motivation he has for his actions. In the story, Pilgrim doesn’t talk and he exerts all of his efforts on committing suicide. His main goal is in contrast of what most people want to avoid – â€Å"to die†. To explain this willingness to die in this case, it should be noted that unlike normal human beings, Pilgrim has lived multiple lives. Pilgrim lived as both male and female for thousands of years. He has witnessed to some of the greatest events of human history and he was involved with many notable people who have shaped the world’s history and culture. Despite being part of the continuous evolution of the society, he also experience and endured the miseries of being a human being. And, based on that experience, his willingness to die implies that perhaps most of the aspects in human life were more wearying than pleasing. Pilgrim’s persona provides character to the novel The character of â€Å"Pilgrim† can be analyzed as what the term means – a journey. Pilgrim is society and Pilgrim’s life is human history – a mixture of ages, genders, values, and events that affected the evolution of the human life. As noted by Pilgrim, society has witnessed more hardships than progression – there were more revolutionary wars than radical advancements. So, it might be better if the society will end the changes that it had to endure. But, society cannot die – no matter what it does to destroy itself. Throughout the long human history, civilizations have been developed and destroyed by various factors but as represented by Pilgrim’s temporal deaths, these social groupings will always be born again. When the society is reborn, it then takes a new form – just like the new persona that Pilgrim develops each time he â€Å"lives again†. As such, in the same way that Pilgrim needs Dr. Jung – the society also needs logic and reasoning to â€Å"cure† the delusion of weariness and restore its willingness to exist no matter how hard it may be to live and live again. Reference: Timothy Findley, Pilgrim. New York. HarperCollins. 2000 (c1999). 486 pages.

Polar Bears Warming Up to Climate Change Essay

The way the earth’s climate has been changing is a very hot topic among scientists today.   Some believe it to be caused by the earth’s natural geothermal development and part of the normal change that the planet should be undergoing. Others contradict these claims by saying that man’s own inventions and improper use of fossil fuels has been aggravating the natural thermal changes.   Environmentalists further urge the general public to act towards helping preserve earth because man’s activities are not only lessening human survival but of his co-planetary habitants as well. Polar Bears’ Hierarchy in the Arctic Kingdom   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Polar bears are known to be the world’s largest land predator. (Briggs, 2003, par. 9) Adult females normally weigh 330 to 550 pounds but males can be as heavy as 775 to 1500 pounds. (Polar Bears International, 2008, par. 4)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Polar bears, as can be shown in the Food Chain Model below, are on top of the food chain in the arctic regions and feed on ringed seals and walruses. Polar Bear Beluga   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ringed Seal  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thick-Billed Murres  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Walrus Bowheaded Whale  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Arctic Cod  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Arctic Tern Zooplankton Source: Assignment Discovery School Lesson Plan, p. 3 Phytoplankton   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although humans have taken it upon themselves to care for their environment, sharing responsibility is not always easy. There used to be concerns between Norway and Russia, as to who should be responsible for the care of the Ursus maritimus or polar bear since they can be found in both countries.   A study made by Mette Mauritzen (2002) and her colleagues used satellite telemetry to obtain data from 105 female polar bears over a dozen of years and the results showed that the different subpopulations in the different locations are all part of one continuous polar bear population.   This means that both countries need to share management responsibility for the species. Global Warming and the Arctic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many scientists are saying that the current state of global warming is too fast.   Some say that it will only take around 50 years before the ice in the Arctic will melt while others say it may take around 100 years.   The length of time is irrelevant because the urgency of combating global warming can truly be seen with its predicted and already on-going effects. According to NASA Engineer Josefino C. Comiso (2003), his satellite observations show that the twenty year trend in situ surface temperature is eight times larger than the 100 year trend which means that the sea is warming much faster than normal. He also presumes that by the year 2050, the ice lying over the continental shelf would be displaced into the polar basin. Polar Bears and Global Warming   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to an article written by Eric Chivian (2001) entitled Environment and health:   Species loss and ecosystem disruption — the implications for human health,   global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, and the negative results of other man-made activities threaten biodiversity, but it is the degradation, reduction and fragmentation of habitats that is the greatest threat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to a very extensive study made by Andrew Derocher, Nicholas Lunn and Ian Stirling (2004) entitled Polar Bears in a Warming Climate, factors such as the decreasing area of Arctic Sea Ice, lessened multiyear ice, timing of ice formation or break-up, denning, movements of the bears on the sea ice, quantity of prey, human-polar bear interactions and pollution all combine to threaten the survival of the species. Arctic Sea Ice  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the IUCN/ Species Survival Commission Polar Bear Specialist Group (2002, pp. 21-35), polar bears have been able to occupy sea ice habitats throughout the Arctic with its population estimated at 21,500 to 25,000. Arctic Sea Ice are used by polar bears to transport themselves over the water to prey on seals.   Lessening the number of arctic ice would greatly affect the food resource of the species. Lessened Multiyear Ice  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to a previous report by Comiso (2002b cited in Derocher, 2004) the ice cover in the Arctic is already declining at the rate of 9% every ten years; which means that the ice may be all gone in just one hundred years. Since polar bears are fully dependent on their icy habitat, losing the ice can lead to their extinction. Timing of Ice Formation and its Break Up   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the basic things that will be affected by global warming would be the cycle of break-up and freezing of the annual ice in the arctic.   Some scientists believe that global warming affects the cycle by making the ice break up earlier annually while delaying its freeze. In Canada’s Western Hudson Bay, the annual ice break-up is observed to be occurring about 2.5 weeks earlier than 3 decades ago. (Stirling, et.al. cited in Derocher, 2004) This is important because when the ice breaks sooner, the polar bears have shortened time to feed on seals which can greatly affect the conditions of their bodies throughout the year.   Their bodies would not have been able to get enough of the fat they would need for their four-month fast.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to other studies previously done by Derocher and Stirling (1995b cited in Derocher, 2004), adult polar bears lose around .85 to .90 kilograms of body mass daily during fasts.   With the abrupt breaking of ice that would end feeding period earlier and the delayed freezing, polar bears will lose their weight abnormally due to the longer time they need to fast. Although it may seem trivial, this has a significant effect on the pregnant polar bears.   If these female pregnant polar bears fall beyond 189 kilograms of weight due to the long fasting period, chances of delivering the cub become nil. Denning   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Female polar bears have favorite places to den. To reach these places, the ice cycles should be regular to be able to help these bears reach their destinations on time. Also, with the ice melting and making the area farther to swim to, it is becoming difficult for polar bears to reach their favorite locations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are some subspecies that do may not be particular with their den locations because they are able to den on drifting multiyear ice.   These polar bears are currently able to raise the cubs well.   However, with global warming affecting the multiyear ice, these bears may have to be on the floating ice longer than necessary which means more energy wasted.   This can also be detrimental to the cubs which are not yet fully developed and equipped to weather the weary conditions. If this happens, then global warming will affect the population because of the cubs that can be lost due to the conditions mentioned.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For polar bear populations that prefer to go back to their maternity dens, another problem that could threaten their natural activity would be that while the planet warms, the flora and fauna in the area would also be drier making these prone to fire.   Warmer dens with fire-risks are not suitable for pregnant polar bears and their cubs. Movements of Polar Bears on the Sea Ice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Because of warmer sea temperatures and an increase in sea winds due to global warming, sea ice will thin easily and this may cause this major transportation for polar bears to become unstable or drift faster. If it moves much faster, the species would need to spend more energy in reaching their preferred locations. Although polar bears love to swim, using too much energy can also cause poor health and reproduction for the polar bears. Observations also note that polar bears move to land when sea ice quantity goes below half of its normal number. This could be because more energy is spent moving on top of drifting ice compared to walking on solid icy ground. A decrease in the number of sea ice drifting also lessens the opportunities to hunt for more prey. Availability of Prey   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A decrease in sea ice has its effects on the productivity of seals, which are the main food of polar bears.   Seals rely on sea ice for their maternity activities, lessening the quantity of sea ice drifting due to global warming will also lessen the population of seals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There were observations in 1979 that warmer temperatures and rain resulted to the easy uncovering of seal pup lairs that made it thrice easier for polar bears to catch them. (Hammil and Smith, 1991 cited in Derocher, 2004) If this can become a trend wherein in warmer temperatures will cause the earlier onset of rain which will wash away the protection of seal pups, then, it is also possible that the population of ringed seals will decline as newborns are given less chances of survival.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Polar bears rely on sea ice to be able to catch seals.   Lessening the number of sea ice would also decrease its opportunities to catch the prey.   Very few polar bears have been observed to have enough ability to catch its prey in open waters. The species may have more luck in getting their food when walrus or seals are hauled out on terrestrial habitats but only few individuals of the species are known to have this ability.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another aspect that needs to be discussed is the way the polar bears eat their prey.   The adult male polar bears prefer the blubber of their prey and usually leave much of the protein behind (Stirling and McEwan, 1975 cited in Derocher, 2004) for younger polar bears who are not yet good in catching prey.   With global warming altering the food sources and the way polar bears spend their energy, there will likely be less left-over food for the younger generations of cubs to eat which can decrease the population size. Human Bear Interactions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   So far, human and polar bear interactions have been relatively few because of the difference of habitat these species share.   However, if global warming will cause the ice to melt and lessen the current quantity of food, the bears may have to wander nearer human dwellings for their own chances of survival. However, this can be fatal for both species because humans may have to get rid of the polar bear for protection or else the bear will consider the human its prey.   More human interaction will also increase the polar bears’ exposure to pollutants which can affect its population. Remediation Program   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Polar bears have been under the protection of the different governments their habitats are found.   There are already laws in place to ban hunting except for scientific purposes and changes in marine transportation routes to lessen the pollution that can endanger the species.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, global warming is still an issue that can be better addressed by the public.   Although more and more advocates have been trying their best to cause enough awareness about the problem of greenhouse gases, a good remediation program for the polar bears would be dependent on a good program against global warming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The greenhouse effect of global warming is said to be caused by methane and carbon dioxide which form a layer in the atmosphere.   This layer keeps the heat being produced within the earth from going out of the planet under normal atmospheric circumstances. Carbon dioxide is a natural gas humans and animals excrete when they process oxygen while methane is released into the atmosphere when the earth is being dug up.   Polluted air from vehicles are also carbon dioxide emissions that hasten the greenhouse effect.   There are other sources of global warming such as the destruction of the ozone layer due to man’s use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), over population while decreasing tropical rain forests, etc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To help stunt the detrimental effects of global warming, people and governments must put aside financial gains and demerits because not only do the polar bears need to survive but man as well. There are already many programs being done by different environmentalists like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Humane Society of the United States and International fund for Animal Welfare to help lessen the threats on polar bear survival.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Global warming has already been addressed world-wide and one of the agreements that had never been fully implemented is the Kyoto Protocol.   Many countries including the United States and United Kingdom have signed and agreed to the terms of the bargain wherein the member governments will bring down their carbon dioxide emissions to levels safer for humans and other creatures alike.   According to the treaty, these nations would also exchange technologies that could help reverse the problems of global warming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the U.S. and other countries failed to implement it and continue to bypass the promises made during the planning of this pact.   Therefore, I believe that remediation programs are already in place but these need the sincerity of governments, especially the ones powerful economically, to succeed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beyond government efforts, individuals can truly help force governments to fulfill their environmental obligations by lobbying for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and other environmental issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 2006,   Julius Kenneth Ningu and his colleagues made a report on how the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was creating negative effects on Mexico’s environment. According to the report, the country had good environmental policies in place and the government was strict in implementing it until the agreement forced it into an economic crisis.   In just a few years, the government had to relax on its environmental policies to enable private corporations to weather the economic crisis and for the country to be able to meet the standards of the agreement.   By â€Å"2002, the costs of environmental degradation amounted to 65,934 million dollars but the expenses made to protect the environment was only 3,473 million dollars.† Governments must therefore also be forced to put into place stricter laws that would protect the environment (not only of their own country but of the countries they deal with for capital g rowth).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lessening use of fossil fuel is a must and the public must support the new inventions being made that would help decrease the problem of global warming. Spending more money on machines that produce cleaner air may be more expensive but worthwhile in terms of survival. Scientific Debates   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Polar bears are very cool in their own habitat and naà ¯ve to how scientists continually debate on whether they are going towards extinction or not. Some believe that climate change will not pose substantial problems with polar bear species survival while a relevant population in the scientific community believes that the melting of the ice in these mammals’ habitat will threaten their existence. The U.S. Senate has already debunked the idea that polar bears are going towards extinction because of reports that the polar bear population is at its highest peak as of the current years and that research already shows that the species can was able to withstand the interglacial   period which was much warmer . (US Senate, 2008) Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The survival of polar bears may not be a big issue as of the moment because it can actually be true that they can survive even worse temperatures.   However, global warming is not just an issue worth noting for polar bear survival but for human existence as well.   Governments must find the will to implement the laws that they already know are correct to be able to help all humans survive.   It is only through the sincere will of strong and economically stable governments that a cool change can really be met. References Assignment Discovery School   Lesson Plan. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/pdf/biomes_wildarctic/biomes_wildarc   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   tic.pdf. Briggs, H. (2003). Polar Bear ‘Extinct Within 100 Years.’ BBC News, Science/Nature. Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   April 2, 2008 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2642773.stm. Chivian, E. (2001). Environment and health: 7. Species loss and ecosystem disruption — the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   implications for human health. Canadian Medical Association Journal, Vol. 164 (3). 365-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   369. Comiso, J. (2003). Warming Trends in the Arctic from Clear Sky Satellite Observations. Journal   of Climate, Vol. (21), pp. 3498-3510. Derocher, A., Lunn, N.J. and Stirling, I. (2004). Polar Bears in a Warming Climate. Integrative   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and Comparative Biology 2004 44(2),163-176. IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group. (2002) In N. J. Lunn, S. Schliebe, and E. W. Born   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (eds.), Polar bears: Proceedings of the 13th Working Meeting of the IUCN Polar Bear   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K. Mauritzen, M., Derocher, A.E., Wiig, O., Belikov, S.E., Boltunov, A.N., Hansen, E., et.al.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (2002). Using satellite telemetry to define spatial population structure in polar bears in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the Norwegian and western Russian Arctic. Journal of Applied Ecology 39 (1) , 79–90. Ningu, J.K., Jacome, J.T., Silva Gomez, S.E. and Aviles, R.P. (2006). The Effects of North   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   America Free Trade Agreement on Mexican Environmental Policy (1994-2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   American Journal of Environmental Sciences Vol. 2(1). Pp. 5-8. Polar Bears International. (2008). About the Polar Bear. Retrieved April 2, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/bear-facts/about-the-polar-bear/ U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. (2008). U.S. Senate Report Debunks Polar Bear Extinction Fears. Retrieved April 2, 2008, from http://epw.senate.gov/public/ index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Facts&ContentRecord_id=cb2faa9c-802a-23ad-4bcc- 29bb94ceb993.