Field Trip Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Field Trip Journal - Essay Example I even found myself loving the class more and more, especially when we began discussing the textbook and the beach types. By the time we started going for the trips, I was already in love with Marine Biology. A number of field trips that we went during the semester made the class more fun and lively and indeed, I learnt a number of things during these trips. Here is my journal on the various field trips that we went to. On 9th March 2013, we visited the Cabrillo Marion Aquarium. We arrived at around midday. The professor and the tour guide showed us around the shore. He told us to take care and be watchful of the animals and avoid those that were likely to harm us. He insisted on the safety measures that he had taught us. We then started the trip, and looked at the various animals in the aquarium. The various marine animals in the aquarium include the Lion Nudibranchia, which is a soft bodied animal. I learnt that it normally sheds it after the larval stage. I found it quite confusin g with the sea slug, and could not tell where their difference lay. Bat star (Patiria miniata) has five arms with a centre disc which is very wide. I was able to identify the many colours that the animals had, which were green, purple, red, orange, yellow and brown. I found it rather funny that an animal could have so many colours. Among the rocks I could make out the Giant sea star, (Pisaster giganteus) especially due to its huge size and the length of its arms which were very long. I also saw the warty sea cucumber (Parastichopus parvimensis) and felt its soft body that was cylindrical in shape. Its skin was leathery and which is either reddish brown or yellow in colour. California spiny lobster scared me with the huge body and large antennae that protruded from its head. I wondered how it would feel like for the animal carrying such large antennae on its forehead, imagining that it must get tired at times. California moray eel looked so ugly to me, with the huge mouth and the roc k like body that made it appear uglier and disgusting to look at. After visiting the aquarium, I think that looking and observing these marine creatures in real person is very different from studying them in a textbook. I felt that they are living, with their funny features, and sometimes weird nature making me awe at their uniqueness. I would suggest to the Cabrillo marine aquarium to assign bigger tanks or separate them because they appear to be too squeezed and uncomfortable. The following trip was to the Marine Mammal Care Centre that was on the 20th March 2013. The centre is a rehabilitation place for various animals in California, especially those that are hurt and the ones that cannot properly look after themselves. I felt quite sorry for the ones that were really wounded. However, the attendants who were mostly volunteers made me feel compassionate about animals. Their devotion towards the animals made me look at animal kingdom in a different way. While some people kill anim als for food and others wound them, some take care of their mess. There were two animals that I greatly mistook for sea lions since I had not gotten much used to their differences apart from the textbook pictures. However, I realized from the sign on the cage that they were On 27th March 2013, we visited the Point Fermin. Our professor allowed us to go to up to the shore.

Adolf Hitler Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Adolf Hitler - Research Paper Example However, his rule ended following the U.S and Russia invasion that led to German defeat and unconditional surrender. After German’s defeat, Hitler committed suicide to avoid being captured and tried for crimes against humanity (Price 35). During his aggressive years, and in the quest to rule over Germany, Adolf left Vienna to settle in Munich but was coerced to return to Austria-Hungary. In the following year, he willingly joined the Bavarian army where he served during the First World War period. His war experiences influenced his thinking about the future of Germany. Following the end of world war one, Hitler took over the German Nationalist Socialist Party, which hoped, would propel him to power. He was an ambitious person who hoped to restructure and rebuild Germany following its humiliation in the First World War. In his program, Hitler aimed to build a racist German that could conquer a series of wars to expand people of German descent to the entire part of world and exclusively take control over it (Toland 51). Hitler believed that Germany had to fight wars all over the world in order to settle German people everywhere on the globe. In his quest for world domination, he started by invading Czechoslovakia, which was followed by a difficult against Britain and France. In his third war, he hoped to fight the Soviet Unions, which he thought would be easy and simple, and would offer raw materials particularly oil for the fourth war against the United States of America. Hitler assumed that the war against the United States of America would be simple because German would use super battle ships and planes that would hit the powerful U.S navy. Once he assumed power in German, all these plans and preparations were implemented but failed to bear fruits since enemies he perceived as weak and feeble fiercely repelled him. In 1938, Hitler invaded Poland and Czechoslovakia as a strategic position to attack France and

Water Quality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water Quality - Research Paper Example Different bodies set the standards for basing water quality measurements. The primary purpose for setting standards is protection of aquatic and human life. Standards The concerned organizations set different standards according to the varying uses of water (WHO 1). Environmental factors affect natural water bodies and environmental specialists work to identify sources of contamination. Many people usually associate the term â€Å"water quality† with contamination. Water quality, as a topic under discussion, is a complex subject since water cannot be separated from the ecology. The chief cause of water pollution on the globe is its use in industrial and commercial sectors of the economy. Untreated wastes from industries pose a significant threat to aquatic, as well as human life. Runoff water from agricultural activities also contaminates water. Parameters As stated earlier, standards for measuring water quality are set accordingly as uses of water vary. The intended use of wa ter, therefore, sets parameters for water quality. There is a focus on water treated for use in industries, by human beings or in the environment. Contaminants in untreated water intended for human use comprise of organic contaminants (chemical contaminants from industrial and petroleum use), inorganic contaminants (salts and metals), and microorganisms (bacteria and viruses). Water quality depends on bio network or ecology, as well as human uses of water. For example, water may be used to dispose sewage or industrial waste thereby affecting its quality (Kaul and Gautam 4). The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), established in 1970s, has set two types of standards to limit contaminants in tab water. These standards are primary, which regulate substances that are likely to harm health of people, and secondary. Secondary standards dwell on the qualities that have an effect on odor, appearance and taste. Drinking water may have low levels of contaminants which may not necessarily pose a threat to health. Municipal water systems in urban areas use water purification technology to treat water from the source before distributing for human use. The terms â€Å"hard† and â€Å"soft† water describe types of water needed for industrial or domestic use. Hard water contains minerals, for example, magnesium and calcium, which hamper effective washing abilities of soap. Soft water, on the other hand, does not have minerals and people prefer it for washing. Soft water is not healthy for human consumption since it lacks minerals needed by the body. Therefore, softening of hard water for human use is not advisable. Environmental water quality touches on surface water in oceans, rivers and lakes. The quality standards for such water vary due to flora and fauna, ecological conditions and intended human use (â€Å"Water quality targets online† 10). Toxic substances in water, needed for fishing, irrigation and industrial use, present risk to health. Plants irrigated with such water absorb toxins which get passed on along the chain as animals consume them. Toxins also have adverse effects on aquatic life. Water quality regulations set standards for protection of water, and establish provisions to guard against water contamination. Environmental scientists strive to preserve flora and fauna and focus on preservation of endangered kind and the health of people. Water quality sampling and testing There are numerous water quality indicators which shows that water quality as an area under discussion is multifaceted. Water exists in balance with the environment and, hence, experts make precise measurements of water quality on the source. Measurements of temperature, turbidity, conductivity, dissolved gases, and transparency depth (closely related to

Ethics approaches Essay Example for Free

Ethics approaches Essay Ethics approaches BY tealx021 Ethics in Communication After reading about the ethical considerations considering interpersonal and group communication, there are many similarities. The two differ in the sense of size. This leads to more considerations in the larger of the two, group communication, where there may be many different interpersonal relationships within the small group. However, for this analysis, like the book, I will focus on ethical considerations of the small group as a whole. Interpersonal relationships are unique in themselves, as each one is different han the next. One major ethical consideration in this context is fairness. When people are interdependent, or share mutuality, there are almost always issues of fairness or Justice that arise. These two issues are most commonly based off of individuals feelings and relational satisfaction. In our culture, this sense of Justice or fairness can be attributed to the distribution of rewards in proportion to each partners contributions. Relationships are often times weighed on costs and rewards. When this cost-reward system is unbalanced in relationships, we often see issues rise. Another major consideration in interpersonal relationships is privacy and autonomy, or openness and closeness. In communication, this comes down to self- disclosure. Issues can arise if one partner in the relationship is disclosing too much or too little about themselves, and there is an unbalance between the two relational partners. One major issue in relationships is Jealousy, which can stem from any of these ethical considerations. In small-group communication, there are a few unique ethical considerations that arise. One major issue in small groups is groupthink. Groupthink is the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility. Another unique ethical consideration is issues that involve symbolic convergence within in-groups and out- groups. Symbolic convergence can create or develop stereotypes or exclusion within and outside a small group setting. Small-group and interpersonal relationships do also share ethical issues in communication. One of these is the issue of responsibility, which can be constituted as individual responsibility or the other affects responsibility of the whole relationship, and each one. In small-groups, individual responsibility can be hampered by groupthink or Symbolic convergence. In interpersonal relationships, individual responsibility can be hampered by lack of fairness, or lack of interdependence based on self-disclosure. Much or this is based on context, but interpersonal and small group communication share these same ethical considerations. Many of these ethical issues surrounding interpersonal communication can be channeled well through dialogical ethics. Dialogical ethics involves approaching decisions by considering attitudes and behaviors, and illingness or ability of each participant to surrender ones self-interest. This involves having an open mind, and viewing you and the relational partner as equals, almost putting yourself in the other persons shoes, setting aside your perceptual interpersonal relationships. I can attribute this to my own experience, as I feel many of the arguments I have with friends or family members would be solved if we each put ourselves in each others shoes. A good approach to small-group communication is the virtue ethics approach. This approach puts a lot of emphasis on character, and oesnt put a set of rules in place that could potentially cause ethical issues involved in groupthink or stereotypes. This approach would hold people accountable based on character, and would promote creativity and good ideas within a small group. In my own experience in small-groups, everything comes down to virtue, including responsibility, prudence, etc. Many issues could be solved with this approach in a small group context. Both mentioned approaches would fit well in both interpersonal and group relationships, but I feel that I have placed them in their best-fit places.

The Current Climate Change Trend In Malaysia

The Current Climate Change Trend In Malaysia Climate change is rapidly increased and become very serious global issue. The emission and concentration of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases is affecting the increase in temperature, and thus leading to global warming. The world community is very concerned with the impacts of climate change and the current series of extreme weathers that could possibly affect the global climate systems. In developed countries such USA, Europe and Japan, their community are increasingly aware of and concerned about global climate change and supportive of a wide range of mitigation and adaptation policies. Unfortunately, we also still know very little about international public opinion or behavior regarding climate change, in large part because only a few multi-national surveys have included even a single question on the issue (Leiserowitz, Kates, Parris, 2005; Brechin, 2003). Large majorities worldwide believe that human activities are a significant cause of climate change, yet many continue to confuse and conflate global warming with depletion of the ozone layer, which in turn leads many to support ineffectual solutions, such as the banning of aerosol spray cans. Malaysia is one of the countries in the world which is experiencing a warming trend for the past few decades. According to IPCC in year 2001, the global land precipitation has raising about 2% since the early of the 20th century. They also reported in year 2007, the extremely hot temperature, heat waves and heavy precipitation events will contribute to become more frequent. In the past few years, the frequency of long dry period tended to be higher with significant increase in the mean and variability of the length of the dry spells. All the indices of wet in these areas show a decreasing trend. Increasing temperature with long dry periods would give variable result of weather and climate (Deni et al., 2008). According to INC, 2000; Malaysias temperature and rainfall are rapidly increasing between +0.6 to 3.4C and -1 to +32% in 60 years repetitively and the rise of sea level is about 13-94 cm within 100 years respectively. Thus, these will give impacts on water resources, coastal zone, public health, food supply, drainage, flooding, land slides, haze, typhoons, and others negative phenomenon that need national and international responses to face climate change. Realizing the importance of reducing and combating the impact of climate change and GHGs emissions, the Malaysian government has taken concerted efforts towards this issue by introducing the mitigation programs in the Ninth Malaysian Plan. 2.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT Malaysias desire to achieve the status of a developed country by the year 2020 will require rapid economic growth and expansion, especially in the urban, industrial and commercial sectors. Economic growth is guided by the principles of sustainable development. The extent to which sustainable development is achieved will ultimately depend on the ability of the country to monitor and manage the impacts of economic activities on the environment. NGOs continue to advocate national efforts to address such issues as the economics of climate change, the compilation and publication of timely data on GHG emissions, and projections of energy consumption by different end-users. Most Malaysian is not aware of the effects of global warming. Being in a hot climate country and most likely holed up in their air conditioned offices, most did not notice the changes in daily temperatures. Rising temperatures from global warming are creating violent storms in Malaysia for the past few years. A disaster caused by climate change or global warming could be defined as a serious disruption to the functioning of a community or a society causes widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources. Prediction about impact of climate change on public health are general, there are no specific region scenarios is available. Nevertheless, Malaysia can expect significant impact mainly because of its tropical weather with high rainfall and temperatures that make dangerous combinations for air factor, food diseases, and illness due to air pollution. In Malaysia public perception on climate change is not well documented. Hence, this objectives, want to discover the perception on climate change. With such poor understanding on structure in the climate system, people are likely to rely on the intuitive wait and see strategy that works well in a range of everyday tasks. 3.0 OBJECTIVES The purpose of this survey is to assess the public opinion, perception, and understanding regarding the current climate change trend in Malaysia. The objective includes:- 1. Public perception and awareness of the seriousness of climate change 2. The extent to which public informed about climate change. 3. To determine public attitudes towards the solution to climate change. 4.0 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY Public should be taught more about GHG that are held responsible for climate change issues. Since climate change is affecting evrything all over the world, thus, by having sufficient or extra understanding or more specifica, knowledge about this issue can be the most important way to adress our attention about it and the solution towards it. This research will contribute to public understanding about the current as well as future issue on climate change by providing information about the key point that should be seriously concentrate in environmental education effort. Climate change is widely recognized as the hottest issues on the current international environmental agenda. Climate change gives implications for many events such flood and water shortage, food supplies, human health, and social and political initiatives. Public awareness of environmental issues generally, many people lack understanding of the delicate interrelationships between man, and all species of animals and plants to climate change. There is quite small number of people that able to relate their daily activities to environmental harmless whether in the short and long term effects. Most of them only concern about the impacts of climate change without knowing the exactly causes of climate change. Since people generally have very basic knowledge about climate change, it is probable that many rely on the mass media as a primary source of information about this topic. The purpose of this research also to know the effectiveness of environmental regulation in Malaysia; hence this explanatory research which is a combination of literature review, data collection and interviews can be used to encourage the responsible bodies to formulate further solutions on the issues associated with climate change. 5.0 LITERATURE REVIEW a. Climate Change Issue on climate change arises as the increasing a number of tragedies and disaster phenomenon occurred in Malaysia. Kedah and Johor are the worst states that experienced floods recently. An analysis of temperature records in Malaysia shows a warming trend. For the assessment of the impacts of climate change on agriculture, forests, water resources, coastal resources, health and energy sectors, temperature changes ranging from +0.3Â °C to +4.5Â °C and rainfall changes ranging from -30% to +30% were used. Several fixed sea level rise scenarios within the range of 20-90 cm in 100 years were adopted for the assessment of impacts on coastal resources (INC, 2000). Every 10C temperature rise may cause 10% reduction in rice yields and prolonged drought conditions may adversely impact the current flooded rice ecosystem, putting national food security at greater risk (MOSTI, 2000). GHG emissions from sources and removal by sinks resulting from human (anthropogenic) activities have been estimated and included in the inventory. Natural processes lie outside the scope of the inventory. The sources and sinks were grouped under five categories, namely, energy, industrial processes, agriculture, land use change and forestry, and waste. According to NAHRIM, 2006 and Wan Azli et al., 2008, modeling results estimate that temperature in Malaysia may become warmer by mid and end of the century. A substantial increase in monthly rainfall over the North East Coastal region and decrease in monthly rainfall in West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia may be expected. Future river flows in several watersheds in East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia were simulated as increases in hydrologic extremes when compared with their historical level. Generally, Malaysia is considered as a free zone from climate related disaster. However, mild climate-disasters are quite frequent to happen lately. These refer to the occurrence of floods and droughts that caused significant socio-economic impacts to the nation while the occurrence of land slides due to excessive rainfall and strong winds happened at the hilly and the latter, at the coastal areas caused minimal damage. The floods incidence happened in the southern states of Malaysia, such as Negeri Sembilan and Johor. There are many obstacles remaining, including our limited understanding of the current status of Malaysian public opinion and the unknown potential for rapid social change to dramatically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions at a rate fast enough to forestall large-scale climate disruptions. Malaysias national policy on sustainable development is based on a balanced approach such that environment and development complement each other. While the past and existing national policies and initiatives may have indirectly addressed climate change concerns under the context of sustainable development, the need to formulate a dedicated climate change policy is increasingly recognized. Therefore, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Malaysia in collaboration with the Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, had conducted the Policy Study on Climate Change. The aim of the study was to develop a national policy and strategies on climate change in fostering sustainable development in Malaysia to meet the needs of the country and respond to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).The other stakeholder consultants regarding to climate change issue are Ministry of Science Technology and Ministry of Natu ral Resources and Environment, DOE, Ministry of Health and Institute of Medical Research, Environmental Protection Society of Malaysia, SIRIM, Maritime Institute Of Malaysia and Business Council for Sustainable Development. To address climate change issues, RMK9 initiates the following mitigation programs such: 1. Increase supply and utilization of alternative fuel such Renewable Energy. 2. By 2010, about 300 MW of RE is expected to be generated and conducted to the TNB Grid in Peninsular Malaysia and 5o MW to SESB Grid in Sabah 3. RE project utilizing municipal waste will be promoted 4. Encourage energy efficiency in industrial, building, and transport sectors. 5. Protect forest areas via sustainable forest management to ensure the forest areas are maintained as sink to GHG, i.e., CO2. 6. Conduct Coastal Vulnerability Index study 7. Implement coastline protection program 8. Implement flood mitigation program such as Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) Project 9. Undertake study to identify the relationship between the impacts of climate change and vector borne diseases. 5.0 Methodology The purpose of this study is to investigate public opinion, perception, and understanding regarding the current climate change, and to reach this aim, respondents will be selected randomly to fill questionnaire form which would be used to collect the data for this study. This chapter is to presents the methods used to achieve the objectives of the study. The study will be conduct in 2 areas in Johor Darul Takzim where in urban cities (Johor Bharu) and rural area (Segamat) to gather the information on the public understanding regarding the climate changes trends in Malaysia. A survey will be conduct to assess the public awareness regarding the current climate change in Malaysia. Questionnaires will distribute and the collection data will be use as primary data to know the level of public understanding regarding to this study. Method to Analyze Data SPSS is complete statistical software packages that used for analyzing dissertation and thesis data and can bring in dissertation data from any type of file for analysis. The package is mainly aimed at those that want to research problems and features a wide range of analytical functions. SPSS is performed to make tabulated dissertation charts, reports, plots of distributions and trends, and expressive statistics, and difficult statistical analysis making use of the data. Though SPSS appears like a very user-friendly statistical package since it is the easiest method to translate the data into SPSS; this significantly reduces the preliminary work needed to explore new data.

Link Between Islamophobia And Racism Cultural Studies Essay

Link Between Islamophobia And Racism Cultural Studies Essay Indeed, much literature is dedicated to question the (mis)appropriateness of Islamophobia as a labeller of phobia generated, presumably, from an increasingly visible presence of Islam / Muslims in the U.K. in recent years. 1,2,3 The case for / against Islamophobia, depending on which party holds argument, is, in fact, made blurry given the ambiguity of what constitutes a Muslim identity in the first place. 4 Considering potentially multiple identities of U.K. Muslims 5,6, contestation between and within concerned parties holds a fluid ground more so based on or as a result of fluidity of what makes up Islamophobia. This paper examines multilayered manipulations of Islamophobia as contested within a U.K context. The argument, first, discusses literature on race relations and immigration policies, more emphasis being laid on policies pertaining to Commonwealth subjects in Indian Subcontinent. An examination follows of how race-based (addressing ethnicity, assimilation and multicultural ism issues) as opposed to faith-based (addressing religious practices, rights, and interfaith relations) protections have much influenced and/or mixed up contestations over Islam, Muslims and, most importantly, Islamophobia, if any, within a U.K. context. Finally, Islamophobia is placed in a wider European context in which contestation over Islamophobia as such is connected to Continental debates on modern nation-states and multiculturalisms. Race, race relations and immigration policies Historically, Britain has received waves of immigrants of diverse descent for a multitude of reasons. Yet, post-World War II period, particularly during mid-1940s, 1950s and 1960s, witnessed unprecedented influx into major industrial cities for reconstruction efforts. 7,8 Up until late 1960s, no specific laws addressed inter-ethnic violence and conflict. Ironically, ex-colonies subjects were regarded, after all, as second class citizens. 9 Only when families of Asian (primarily Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi) works started to flood English cities and ports in what is referred to as chain immigration (i.e. residents invite close family members and friends and, once settled, relatives and friends invite their own families and friends) did local acts of ethnic violence give prominence to and raise public awareness on a national level of alien citizen status as part of British reality. 10 Still, post-World War II period is one characterised more by inflammatory statements made about nationals of non-British blood and descent 11 rather than about citizens whose allegiance to British values and way of life is questionable because of a different creed such as in case of South-Asians. Indicative of an increasingly racialised public discourse pertaining to immigrants and naturalised subjects is: When individuals like the Marquis of Salisbury spoke of maintaining the English way of life, they were not simply referring to economic or regional folk patterns, but explicitly to the preservation of the racial character of the English people. We have developing here a process of subjectification grounded in a racialised construction of the British Subject which excludes and includes people on the basis of race/skin colour. 12 Indeed, race remains a fundamental subtext of British hegemonic discourse during colonial era, in post-World War II period and beyond. For one, one staple justification for subjugation of nations, groups and individuals is race. 13 Further, in case of a South Asian minority, presumably British Subjects, race is invoked as a justification for inequalities at workplace, housing, education, let alone political rights. 14 In essence, race and racism essentialise subjects of racist acts. Similar to all hegemonic practices which maintain specific power relations within an overarching power structure, racism emphasises superior vs. Inferior duality in order not only to maintain existing power relations but also to morally justify excesses of inequalities. 15 In British context, South Asian workers predominantly from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh particularly during first mass immigration waves of 1940s, 1950s and 1960s were, like a gear fit into a larger wheel, brought in as props, imported, used, and returned. Initially, South Asians workers performed and acted as underdogs much to masters delight. Later, however, as familiarity of British System and Administration developed amongst workers of non-British blood, riots and protests became noise (racist) masters needed to work on. Thus, successive legislations regulating immigrants status within U.K. borders were, apparently, meant to control influx of immigrants and to align British Subjects along well-defined ethnic boundaries.16 As U.K.s ethnic makeup diversified over time and across localities, states insistence on ethnic markers between and within ethnic groups grew by leaps and bounds. The racism formula, endorsed by laws and working brilliantly in a colonial era and slightly so within borders during early days of mass immigration, turned out problematic if not unstabilising given growing pressures of growing minorities in pocket cities, minorities now capable of tipping vote balance. Ultimately, a multi-ethnic / multicultural society is not based on a goodwill, all-accommodating multiculturalism discourse one meant to acknowledge ethnic / racial / cultural differences per se by way of minority rights but, rather, one emphasizing ethnic markers for further state control. 17 In fact, state control, in so far as British Muslims are concerned, represents a clear instance not only of an ethnicity manipulated (at multiple layers of discourse in government, media, and education) but, further still, of an identity (i.e. BrMislim / BrAsian) manipulated (at just same layers) and hence fluidity of what constitutes Islam / Muslim and, probably in turn, Islamophobia. Understanding an emerging Islamophobia requires, however, an examination of evolution of race relations politics from one based on race to one based on faith. Race, faith, Islamophobia, and multiculturalism By definition, political discourse is one characterised by manipulation and is, largely, subject to voters sway in democracies. 18 Political Correctness (PC) is just one example of political machination. In essence, a politically correct expression is a euphemism meant (and, for that matter, meaning) less to fulfil felicity conditions required for an actionable statement and more as instrumental. Thus, British policies on race and ethnicity has marked a shift since installation of race relations acts of 1965 and 1968 19 from an emphasis on racial discrimination to an emphasis on religious extremism and bigotry as a basis for incrimination only selectively, excluding BrMuslims. Indeed, incitement to hatred based on affiliation to Islam is one major legal anomaly scholars continue to point out to. 19, 20 Interestedly, given papers purposes, racial discrimination against BrAsians has not, in fact, been eliminated by virtue of progress in legislation on racial relations but only diverted to another (unprotected by law) dimension, significant as is, of a BrAsian subjects identity. That is, being Muslim. That multilayered public discourse has, moreover, shifted from race to faith is indicative not of actionable (as opposed to pronounced) change but of power structure(s) embedded in race relations discourses in the U.K. Thus, in place of a racialised discourse based on BrAsian intrusion into Britishness, same racial group, now British Muslims, comes out as anti-British. Typical of a manipulative political discourse a game of labelling and re-labelling underprivileged, underrepresented groups (except in prisons) is enacted such that power relations as engineered, largely but not always by, state are maintained within and between different ethnicities in a multicultural community which is, Britain. Unsurprisingly, a set of composite metrics has been developed in order to measure Britishness. 21 That such metrics combine gauges of loyalties at intra-national (i.e. Britain), national (i.e. England, Scotland, etc), or local (e.g. Bradford) levels is, indeed, indicative of an ethnic identit y crisis, particularly so in case of BrAsians / BrMuslims. As a consequence, a group diverse as BrAsians / BrMuslims and framed as inassimilable 22 into wider and mainstream community is bundled up altogether, labelled and made alien. Islamophobia is, one argues, an expression of an anxiety over ethnicity identity. Indeed, Islamophobic sentiments are, upon close examination, aimed not at Islam per se but at Muslims. 23 In fact, literature repeatedly points out that people, rather than faith, is phobes trajectory. 23, 24,25 A broad overview of British media is indicative of who is meant and labelled: If you doubt whether Islamophobia exists in Britain, I [Gordon Conway, Head of Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia] suggest you spend a week reading, as I have done, a range of national and local papers. If you look for articles which refer to Muslims or to Islam you will find prejudiced and antagonistic comments, mostly subtle but sometimes blatant and crude. Where the media lead, many will follow. British Muslims suffer discrimination in their education and in the workplace. Acts of harassment and violence against Muslims are common. 26 Thus, Islamophobia, a label gaining currency in media and academia thanks to Runnymede Trusts much publicised report Islamophobia, a challenge for us all 27 has acquired such a canonical status as to render alternative neologisms unrepresentative of responses to Islam / Muslims. According to Halliday, Islamophobia indulges conformism and authority within Muslim communities. One cannot avoid the sense, in regard to work such as the Runnymede Report that the race relations world has yielded, for reasons of political [emphasis added] convenience, on this term. 28 Moreover, The use of Islamophobia also challenges the possibility of dialogue based on universal principles. It suggeststhat the solution lies in greater dialogue, bridge-building and respect for the other community, but this inevitably runs the risk of denying the right, or possibility, of criticisms of the practices of those with whom one is having the dialogue. Not only those who, on universal human rights grounds, object to elements in Islamic traditions and current rhetoric, but also those who challenge conservative readings from within, can more easily be classed as Islamophobes. 29 Thus, Islamophobia is employed in such a politically correct fashion such as to silence criticisms, on one hand, and to maintain good neighbourhood relations, on another. The former stance is framed, in right-leaning perspective, as militant, jihadist, terrorist, uncivil, anti-modern and anti-Western. 30 The latter is framed, in Islamist perspective, as accommodating, assimilative and hegemonic. In between is media, an arena for meaning-making and shifting perceptions. Alternatively, Islamophobia can be employed not as a politically correct euphemism in order to silence internal criticisms or to maintain law and order but, rather, to militate against an other. This could take a shape of dismantling politeness courtesies essential not for a politically correct dialogue but for one based on critical questioning. Still, Islamophobia could be further employed such as a cover up for supposedly hidden hegemonic agendas. 31 One peculiar shift for Islamophobia as contested within a U.K. context is how instead of imported aliens made citizens being instigators of hate, violence, unrest, and, ultimately terror an enemy within image is constructed and maintained such as to, apparently, pass Islamophobic sentiments, if any, from one generation onto another. 32 For some now increasingly most, credit to media rivers of actual blood running London streets following London 7/7 (Ã   la 9/11 codification) attacks are reminiscent of symbolic blood as invoked by Enoch Powell in his Birmingham speech in 1968: As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding. Like the Roman, I seem to see the River Tiber foaming with much blood. The tragic and intractable phenomenon [i.e. immigration] which we [emphasis added] watch with horror on the other side of the Atlantic, but which there is interwoven with the history and existence of the States itself, is coming upon us here by our own volition and our own neglect. 33 Unsurprisingly, Powells xenophobic pronouncements just as all xenophobic pronouncements -gain further inertia as an apparently self-fulfilling prophecy comes true. Admittedly, most, if not all, far-right politics tap into a well-rehearsed repertoire of phobias not least Islamophobia. Moreover, whole political careers are created and enhanced based on precautions from an other: now of colour, now of race, and now of different faith. Across Europe, ballot boxes speak volumes of Islamophobia tapped into as a final recourse against an imminent green menace within. 34,35 Islamophobia: European context Placed in a wider context, Islamophobia is not exclusive to U.K. As a matter of fact, for Europe in which U.K. is situated and to which it is historically affiliated Islamophobia is a common currency. Indeed, each European country has a distinctive narrative to tell of Islam / Muslims. Yet, for all differences, European nations especially former colonial powers share common narratives of home-grown terrorists and phobias. 36 Interestingly still is how European nation states follow a similar pattern of state controls over flow of (now particularly Muslim) immigrants as well as controls of modes of conducts of minorities within. 37 In fact, U.K.s, and for that matter Europes, current immigration laws and policies cannot be fully understood in isolation of European conception of nation-states. Historically, European nation-states evolved into democratic polities in which upholding order and rule of law required consistent policies. 38 As European countries grew increasingly into political, economic and scientific powerhouses, an increasing influx of immigrants required subtler means of control. Typically, in major European countries such as U.K. enacting multiculturalism policies meant, at least apparently in so far as actual practices are concerned, less room for truly diverse communities and more for accommodation, assimilation, and full integration of an increasing alien presence posing, allegedly, menaces to established European Enlightenment canonical values of reason and secularism. 39 Probably understandably, far-right currents in European politics manipulated political machinery inciting violence and hatred at times creating, only in voters minds, all sorts of phobias. The case for Islamophobia is one, consequently, which can be understood primarily based on power relations established and maintained in a wider power structure of Europe. This is particularly significant if one is to grasp global (i.e. Western) war on Islam, which is not. For all long-established and nourished power structures need a signifier, a marker, which, presumably , contains, defines, and tags an assumed other only to maintain law and order in an endless historical power struggle over hearts and minds. In conclusion, Islamophobia is, ultimately, a (mis)label slapped onto bottled up power relations within a marked power structure. In U.K. context, Islamophobia is used, as has been demonstrated, not to mark a shift in discursive practices towards a truly multicultural community but to maintain embedded power relations in which specific groups are assigned definite space within ethnic markers. Initially, race is used to maintain power structures but upon introduction of race acts and laws, subtler formers of control and manipulation are employed by which focus is shift from race per se to faith not as a creed but as another boundary of control.

Deforestation Essay -- Environment Pollution

Deforestation in China Deforestation has been a big problem in China to this day. Throughout its long history, China has gone through several cycles, from mild recovery to severe deforestation. When the Communists took over China in 1949, they introduced many new policies and programs to bring about economic and political changes; however, shifts in policies have led to program shifts in every field of China’s economy, including deforestation. Deforestation exercises a significant influence on the ecosystem, stimulating natural disasters, introducing negative environmental and climatic changes, and threatening biodiversity. Floods are among the most common consequences of deforestation. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), deforestation caused floods to occur every decade, and once every six years between 1921 and 1949, but once every two years in the 1980s. The situation has dramatically worsened since 1994, with the Yangtze flooding every year. Growing silting of rivers and lakes from the def orested lands in the Yangtze basin and encroachment on river beds by Chinese farmers resulted in record levels of floods in the summer of 1998. The building of The Three Gorges Dam is said to stop flooding greatly. As early as the 1950s deforestation in China attracted attention, but it was not until the 1960s that it assumed alarming proportions. The Land Reform of 1950 authorized state ownership of large forests and other types of land. The Cultural Revolution, which turned China upside down, also unfavorably affected its forests. The Ministry of Forestry, like most Chinese institutions and organizations almost ceased to exist during the Cultural Revolution. Decades of neglect resulted in excessive deforestation, impacti... ...is decreasing. In Tibet is has fallen from 9-5 percent, between the years 1950-1985; Yunnan 55-30 percent, 1950-1975; and in Sichuan, 30-65 percent, 1950-1998. Despite all the afforestation measures, heavy deforestation continues to plague China due to mismanagement, unclear policies, bureaucratic corruption, and ineffectiveness. Although recently, China has afforested a total area of 1.4 million hectares over the past two years, with another 13 million hectares of land reclaimed from desertification. The achievements come from a large afforestation project covering northern, northeastern and northwestern China. The project aims to form a shelter forest covering ten provinces, municipalities and self-governing regions. Finally, China plans to invest another 400 million Yuan, or more than 48 million US dollars in afforestation in these areas this year.