Desertification Essay -- essays research papers fc

The world’s drylands, contrary to popular misconceptions of being barren unproductive land, contain some of the most valuable and vital ecosystems on the planet. These dryland environments have surprising diversity and resiliency, supporting over two billion people, approximately thirty-five percent of the global population (UNEP, 2003). In fact, approximately seventy percent of Africans depend directly on drylands for their daily livelihood (UNEP, 2003). However, these precious and crucial areas are at a crossroad, endangered and threatened by the devastating process of desertification. There are over one hundred definitions for the term ‘desertification’, however the most widely used and current definition is as follows: desertification refers to the land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions due to human activities and climate variations, often leading to the permanent loss of soil productivity and the thinning out of the vegetative cover (U NCCD, 2003). It is important to note that desertification is not the expansion and contraction of deserts or hyper-arid territories, which grow and decrease both naturally and cyclically. French ecologist Louis Lavauden first used the term desertification in 1927 and French botanist Andre Aubreville, when witnessing the land degradation occurring in North and West Africa in 1949 popularized this term (Dregne, 242). The causes of desertification include overgrazing, overcultivation, deforestation and poor irrigation practices. Climatic variations, such as changes in wind speed, precipitation and temperature can influence or increase desertification rates, but they are not catalysts to the process- it is the exploitative actions of humans that trigger desertification (Glantz, 146). The most exploited area historically has been Africa. In the Sahel (transition zone between the Sahara and the Savanna) of West Africa during the period of 1968 to 1973, desertification was a main cause of the deaths of over 100,000 people and 12 million cattle, as well as the disruption of social organizations from villages to the national level (USGS, 1997). As a result of the catastrophic devastation in the Sahel, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held in Nairobi, Kenya in 1977, where an agreement was reached to eradicate desertification by the year 2000. Obviously this goal was not achi... ...esertification in Desert Margins.† 2002. . Smith, Olanrewaju, et al. â€Å"Desertification: Myths and Realities.† 10 June 1999. . Sweet, Lois. â€Å"Margins of Hope.† 26 May 1999. . Tiempo Climate. â€Å"Desertification and climate change.† 1993. . UNCCD: Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. â€Å"Knowledge Base.† 19 March 2003. . UNDP: United Nations Development Programme. â€Å"Drylands Development Centre.† 2003. . UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme. â€Å"Drylands.† 2003. USGS: United States Geological Survey. â€Å"Desertification.† 29 October 1997. . Warren, Andrew, et al. An assessment of desertification and land degradation in arid and semi-arid areas. London: International Institute for Environment and Development, 1988. Waser, Katherine. â€Å"The Convention to Combat Desertification Part 1: Africa and the Mediterranean.† 1996. . WHO Africa: World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa. â€Å"Malaria Control.† 19 October 2003. WHO Denmark: World Health Organization. â€Å"Desertification and drought greatly affects Africans’ health.† 10 December 2002. . Wu, Jianguo. Desertification. Phoenix: Arizona State University West, Department of Life Sciences, 2001.

Research Assignment Essay

To understand the what the advantages of a declarative language as opposed to a procedural language, we must understand the difference between the two. A procedural language such as FORTRAN or Cabal (There are more) give precise instructions that tell the computer what to do. In other words a procedural language is your basic â€Å"if-this, then-that†. Specific variables are defined that tell the CPU how to process information. It takes a programmer that knows the intimate details of how the code works to ensure that programs work the way they are supposed to. In a declarative language, language is used that in its simplest form, just makes sense. There is no intricate code that is confusing. One example in SQL would be creating tables: CREATE TABLE Employee. The user can create a simple table without having to know the inner workings of how the table is actually created. The advantage of declarative language is that it makes life so much easier for the everyday user to function in declarative programs without being a programmer. When a user types something in, the language just makes more sense to the everyday user and there is also plenty of information that can be found to aid in using declarative languages. Procedural language can have its advantages though. This is true for security reasons. This allows only those that are developing a program to know the inner workings of the program. In my opinion it is a good deterrent for unskilled persons to make modifications to programs that use procedural language. Cross joins are legitimate for several reasons. The main reason is to cut down the amount of information that the database is searching for. This also aids in increased performance. If cross joins were not allowed then the program would return much more information that is needed resulting in increased time to sort the data. This is example is two- fold; the database  would work harder to retrieve information and the person looking at the returned information would have to work harder to sort it. I could imagine persons that are making inquiries across a WAN connection via a VPN making an inquiry and needing that specific data quickly. If cross joins were not allowed then can one imagine how much data is being sent across the internet or how much bandwidth is being used? In addition to that idea what about the integrity of data that any given person has access too? Cross joins allow for increased productivity, less strain on the database resources and security filtering of information. References- http://www.academia.edu/306590/A_COMPARISON_OF_DECLARATIVE_AND_PROCEDURAL_CONSTRAINTS_IN_DATABASE_MANAGEMENT_SYSTEMShttp://www.teach- www.teach-ict.com/as_as_computing/ocr/H447/F453/3_3_6/types_language/miniweb/pg3.htm

That the environmental quality improves the further away from the CBD you go

That the environmental quality improves the further away from the CBD you go. Figure 6 shows how many penalty points each area scored for environmental quality. The Bewdley Road area had a good environmental quality; there was little noise, traffic or vandalism and easy access to the shops and schools. However because it is a terraced area there is very little open space or grassy area. Also across the road from the terraces there are several industrial premises as shown in Figure .All the residential squares scored between 6-15 points, which is good. Barnetts lane has an excellent environmental quality. The roads are lined with trees and grassed areas, the area is clean of undue noise or traffic and there is no sign of vandalism. There was a school in my study area, which showed the close proximity between the residential areas and the school. As you can see from the photos in Figures 30-33 the houses are part of the nice environment. Only one square gets any penalty points. Spennels as you would expect from an upmarket modern estate has an excellent environmental quality and gets absolutely no penalty points. The landscape is clean and well kept and there are plenty of grasses areas for recreational use or otherwise. The estate is self-contained with shops and a school shown in figures 16 and 17. In the corner of my study area there was a nature reserve that demonstrates the high quality environment in that area. Birchen coppice is not up to the standards of Spennels. The open spaces and grassed areas aren't as well kept and there are signs of litter and vandalism. There are shops and a school within the estate but nevertheless most of the area still scores 10 points from a possible 65, which isn't good for a residential area. This could be explained by the fact that it is an older council estate that isn't as well looked after and is also showing signs of ageing. This does support my hypothesis as the environmental quality does improve further away from the CBD, especially between Bewdley road and Spennels. I believe there is a link between environmental quality and age. More modern areas have been built to provide better environmental conditions so that people want to live there because otherwise nobody would want to live in a town now that there is good transport available to the masses. Older areas were built purely to house as many people as possible to work in their factories in the knowledge that people had to live there or they couldn't get to work. Hypothesis 2 That size and physical condition improve the further away from the CBD. The Bewdley road area was closest to the CBD and it also had the smallest buildings. It is all small terraced housing from the Victorian period. Many of the houses have been done up as development projects so they have a good physical condition. However due to the age of the buildings they aren't perfect and score between 5-8 points in the residential areas. The Barnetts lane area has larger semi-detached and detached houses in excellent physical condition. From the photos it is clear that the people who live here are prepared to spend a lot of money to maintain the physical condition of their properties. Spennels also has many large semi-detached and detached houses in excellent physical condition. The physical condition of the houses is very good as all the houses are modern and built to a high standard. The photos in Figures 14 and 15 show the range of houses on the estate and their high quality. Again no points are scored. However Birchen coppice wasn't in as good physical condition as Barnetts lane or Spennels. Again this can be explained by the fact that it is a council estate that was built a couple of decades ago and is quite old. It has an average score of 5 points for physical condition which isn't that bad. These results show the link between distance from the CBD and size effectively and support my hypothesis. There is also a general trend in the improvement of physical condition but it isn't as clearly defined as my other conclusions. There is also an obvious link between age and physical condition and that more modern buildings are in better physical condition. Hypothesis 3 That the CBD contains mainly commercial buildings. This is shown to be true in Figure 4, which clearly shows the dominant commercial sector. Figure 13 shows that 63% of the area is commercial. The other 37% is used for public buildings such as the town hall and doctors surgeries, open space for parking and there is currently a large area, almost 13%, which is vacant land being developed. This land is also being developed into more commercial properties including a large supermarket shown in Figure 40. Before the redevelopment there were large carpet factories on the land, almost in the very centre of the town, and this shows the shift in land use from industrial manufacturing to commercial. This demonstrates the successful redevelopment of brown field sites in favour of out of town green field sites. The vacant land isn't being turned into residential properties because it is too valuable as commercial land which companies will pay larger sums for. There is very little other vacant land in the centre for development so it is very sou ght after. My hypothesis is proved to be true. This is because commercial properties need to be in the centre of a settlement so their range and threshold is maximized and they have the largest possible sphere of influence. The constant flow of traffic around the centre and large numbers of pedestrians provide the huge potential markets that the commercial companies need to survive. Hypothesis 4 That the age of the buildings will decrease the further away from the CBD. The age of the buildings is not as clearly defined in figure 5 as I would have liked. The photos show the difference in age more clearly and it is obvious from them how much the ages vary. In the photos of Bewdley road there are plaques on which you can dates of when they were built, the house in the photo being 1986. These houses were all built in the Victorian era probably to house the workers that worked at the many carpet factories. The next furthest from the CBD is Barnetts lane which has a range of ages. Most are built inter-war or just after the Second World War. However there are also several very modern buildings from the nineties shown in Figure 33. Birchen coppice is a relatively old council estate built in the mid sixties. The photo in Figure 18 shows the basic semi detached houses typical of sixties estates. However it is far from the CBD. This could be explained by when it was built it may have been an out of town estate which has been amalgamated into the town as it has grown. Spennels is a modern estate built in the late eighties. The photos show the modern designs and styles and how similar they are across the range of properties. Today the estate is still growing slowly outwards. These results, except for Birchen coppice, support my hypothesis. Another possible explanation for the variation could be that Kidderminster spread faster southeastwards than southwestwards. Conclusion I believe that Kidderminster fits the nuclei model best, as there are distinctive land uses in small areas such as residential in the estates and industrial at Oldington. Kidderminster also takes ideas from the sector model in that it has residential and industrial sectors. However no town or city can exactly fit any model exactly, as they are just there to help us understand the world, not provide a definitive explanation. Models cannot account for every different physical factor of every different settlement. Land use in Kidderminster is changing drastically at the moment and there is huge urban redevelopment. Tesco and B&Q have both knocked down old industrial buildings and built huge superstores, as shown in Figures 38-41. Also a large commercial estate outside the CBD has been built which will draw people away from the CBD to shop in these larger developments. This shows how towns cannot possibly fit a model. Urban land use is a continuous process and I believe that Kidderminster is currently in a transition period from the old industrial past to the new commercial future.

College Student Essay

College life is changing for nearly every student. From meal plans and roommates to study abroad and college finances. College life can be a difficult thing to get used to and handle. There will be a lot of time where you doubt yourself and your decision. A lot of student became overwhelm by the requirement of college, the change that took place too fast. No matter how prepared you think you are for college, there are still of shock when you come and have to deal with responsible, the stress of school. and adapting to college campus. The most frequent complaint heard from college students is that their professors are out to fail them and ruin their chance at getting a career. But, what they need to understand is that the professors job is not to force you to do your work, they will not follow you home to make sure that you do what you have to in order to pass the class. Responsible,that seem to be the thing a lot of freshman students seem to lack. They think that they can get away with the same thing that they have been getting away with in high school, that their teacher will pressure them to do their homework and class works in order to pass the class. What they need to understand that they are paying for the education that they are getting, it is up to them if they choose to take it seriously or not. However, it is hard for some kids to go from a high school where their teacher would be on their back about the work their missing work to a college student where the professor would tell them what they need to do and it is up to them if they complete the work or not. On our defence, it hard sometime to go from having some one holding your hand to having to do everything on your own. In your first year of high school, the teacher tell you that they are not here to babysit anyone, they are here to prepare you for college. Yet,they would still hold student hand through the whole process and some can’t break through that phase and take responsible for their own success. what they should do if they are having a hard is to seek help, go see a tutor, work out a time management schedule for your self, and work on doing thing by your self. Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility. One of the great destroyers of college students is the belief that thing are very complex, and falling victim to stress. Stress in student happens when student are trying to adjust to college life, emotionally or mentally. Students today face many issues in their life that may clash with their college life like family problem, loss of employment, and school related issues. Student under a lot of stress can end up having depression which could cause student to believe that they are not living up to others expectation or their own expectation. Student end up giving up on their dream and getting some where in life and start doing poorly in school. Most students do not know how to handle the stress they have so they use alcohol, drugs or cheating as a stress reliever. It doesn’t get rid of the feeling you are having it only increase and get more complex until you can handle it no more. if you feel this way go see a student counslor , call a 24-hour help ling, or just find a good friend and tell them hoe you been feeling and together you can get the help you need. In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers. A majority student go out of state for their college experiences, the desire to get a degree at a university can be a rewarding experience but it can be a challenges to living on campus. For many it is the first time outside of the protection of their family’s security. Coming from parent that used to provide all they need and set the boundaries they went by. When they unleash to the life of a college student where the same life they used to live don’t apply any more. Some student take advantage of their new found freedom to try new thing like drinking, smoking, parties out with friend, wasting hundreds of dollar ruin their college years. Other fall under the pressure and fall prey to depression and bad thoughts. Taking advantage of your freedom can be in a good way like joining clubs, and spending your money wisely. If you new friend want you to join with them smoking and drinking then you need to get a new group if friend that would have a positive influences on you. The only time success occurs before work is in the dictionary. Too many student enter college thinking that theres nothing but good time, friendship, and a new change of direction. They soon come face to face with the challenges and struggles of college life. The challenge of having to take care of their education, having to depend on yourself for success. The struggle of feeling like you are a fail to everyone around you. The difficulty of getting used to all you used to know. They need to keep in their mind â€Å" Before you can work smart, you must work hard†. Opportunities don’t just happen, you need to create them.

Police Suicide

Police suicide is a thing for police that has become way too common. Police as a career is very difficult job that brings along many different stresses. It is a job that comes with a lot of things that you don’t want to think about. You see the problems in society that occur every day that not everyone wants to see, things from suicide to murders to just everyday crimes that people commit. Police officers have more things that they have to deal with than most other professions. It is one of the most stressful jobs to have. Police have a large amount of helplessness. Helplessness stemming from why things are happening and why they cannot control more of what happens. It is very stressful to see things that happen on a daily, makes arrests for it then see the sentences get reduced to almost nothing. When this happens the officer feels as though they are helpless and nothing they do is worth it. Repeat offenders bring this upon them the most seeing them over and over again come back to doing the same type of stuff that got them arrested in the first place. Another thing that may lead to police suicide is just everyday duties of the job that may take a turn for the worse. No person no matter if they are a cop or not does not want to shoot someone or take another one’s life. Taking someone else’s life is terrible and something that can stick with a police officer forever. A memory like that can stick in someone’s mind forever even if the reason they did it was justified it’s still something that is hard to get out of their mind. These reasons along with many others will lead police to believe that taking their life is better than having to deal with the issues that they have in the life from police work. Knowing that they took another life is something that cannot be chocked down very easily. Another terrible thing that they have to see is suicide. Seeing someone else take there life makes them think about doing it themselves.

Beauty and the Beast Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Beauty and the Beast - Research Paper Example The focus in this paper is on ‘Beauty and the Beast’ as probably one of the most unforgettable theme songs in one of the greatest Disney classics of all time. The movie has been well loved and is, to put simply, an enchanting treat to audiences that have seen it. The movie has offered a potent combination of romance and enough wit to ensnare viewers young, old and the young at heart. The nomination for an Oscar nomination is indeed a testimony to this film’s quality. In a nutshell, the film is about a love story between a somewhat free-spirited country girl named Belle yearning to escape the humdrum provincial life. There she is constantly pursued by a good looking albeit ignorant suitor by the name of Gaston. However, as fate would have it and more so to put the love story in motion, Belle’s father got stuck in the woods and then captured by the feared Beast. Being the heroine of the story, she valiantly switched places with her father. Thus, the Beauty me ets the Beast and the romance started though initially with a bit of distrust and a pinch of fear as Belle becomes somewhat a cross between a prisoner and a guest in the mystical mansion of Beast. There, she met even more strange things as there are different furniture that can speak. Interestingly though, these talking teapot, clock and candelabra became some sort of a bridge that connected the would be lovers. Slowly, the romance blossomed and after an altercation that nearly cost the Beast’s life, Belle’s true love for the otherwise hideous and feared creature broke the spell and out came a dashing prince. And, as the adage goes, they lived happily ever after. Main Body Barely even friends As mentioned, the two main characters were barely even friends when they met. In fact, since the presence of Belle in the Beast’s mansion or castle was merely the result of a prisoner swap, these two were even enemies. However, as love stories and animated features would ha ve it, these two became lovers in the end. Technically though, that is quite a stretch which can be expected from such a feature. After all, it is s fairy tale. And where there’s fairy tale, there is magic. And, maybe, love do comes with a bit of magic. Also, love comes with a desire to change oneself though this can careen dangerously to the darker side or climb further up to be a better person for the one that you love. Minow (2007) recognizes the unique quality of this film which holds the distinction of being the first ever animated film to be nominated to the Oscars. It was a lovely movie and though the shift from enemies to friends seem predictable, the story still did justice to the viewers by portraying a changing and improving image of the characters that seemed to be the critical factor for their romance to become possible. The two characters, Belle and the Beast, were initially cast against each other though despite the presence of a persistent suitor, Belle was ge nuinely single and is therefore open to romance. Although the plot seemed obvious because of the title, the movie did its part in showing the development of the characters own selves before developing a love for each other. It would be prudent to note that the hideous form of the Beast was a punishment from an otherwise wayward prince. Also, it can be seen that the imprisonment of Belle was likewise a watershed event in her life that has opened up herself to be more caring and sensitive to other people. In fact, getting to know Beast in a deeper sense can only be the possible explanation for such a beauty to fall for the beast (Minow 2007). A Beastly Beauty in itself The film itself was a romance in the making. Berardinelli (1991) argues that it was the best animated movie that was ever made. However, he concedes that the Lion King was by far the highest grossing Disney film, the story and cinematography coupled with the astounding soundtrack and musical has pushed the movie to grea t heights.

Should schools require their students to wear a school uniform Essay

Should schools require their students to wear a school uniform - Essay Example In this paper we will address the problems faced by schools and how they are dealing with these issues. Schools throughout the country have been experiencing discipline problems. One the one hand, a number of students have been harassed because of what they wear. It is no secret that students who cannot afford designer clothes and who do not wear the latest trends are belittled and made fun of. These students are ostracised and alienated by their peers. Additionally, they are called names because they wear second hand clothes and some experience bullying at the hands of peers that are more popular. On the other hand, a number of students who can afford expensive items have been attacked because they wear items other students covet. These students are beaten up and robbed. Another problem is that some students simply wear inappropriate clothing. How many times have we seen teenage girls wear extremely short skirts and revealing tops? How many times have we seen teenage boys wear baggy pants and exposed underwear? It has become increasingly common to see teenagers wear clothes that are too daring and clothes bearing inappropriate insignias. It is usual to see kids wear clothing bearing suggestive or offensive messages. Additionally, according to an article published by the education bug website, schools authorities have a difficult time identifying intruders who wander into school, for both students and intruders wear street clothes. This is a very serious matter, as outsiders could pose a grave threat to the students. One possible solution to these problems is to adopt school uniforms policies. According to an article published by the Education Bug website, the Long Beach Unified School District in California adopted a mandatory uniform policy in 1994, and the use of uniforms in public schools is growing, especially in elementary, middle and high school. According to the National Center of