Temperate, Torrid, and Frigid Zones

Temperate, Torrid, and Frigid Zones In one of the first attempts at climate classification, the ancient Greek scholar Aristotle hypothesized that the earth was divided into three types of climatic zones, each based on distance from the equator. Though we know that Aristotles theory was vastly oversimplified, it persists, unfortunately, to this day. Aristotles Theory Believing that the area near the equator was too hot for habitation, Aristotle dubbed the region from the Tropic of Cancer (23.5Â °) in the north, through the equator (0Â °), to the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5Â °) in the south as the Torrid Zone. Despite Aristotles beliefs, great civilizations arose in the Torrid Zone, such as those in Latin America, India, and Southeast Asia. Aristotle reasoned that the area north of the Arctic Circle (66.5Â ° north) and south of the Antarctic Circle (66.5Â ° south) was permanently frozen. He called this uninhabitable zone the Frigid Zone. We know that areas north of the Arctic Circle are indeed habitable. For instance, the worlds largest city north of the Arctic Circle, Murmansk, Russia, is home to almost half a million people. Due to months without sunlight, residents of the city live under artificial sunlight but yet the city still lies in the Frigid Zone. The only area that Aristotle believed was habitable and capable of allowing human civilization to flourish was the Temperate Zone. The two Temperate Zones were suggested to lie between the Tropics and the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. Aristotles belief that the Temperate Zone was the most habitable likely came from the fact that he lived in that zone. Since Then Since Aristotles time, others have attempted to classify regions of the earth based on climate and probably the most successful classification was that of German climatologist Wladimir Koppen. Koppens multiple-category classification system has been slightly modified since his final classification in 1936 but it is still the classification used most frequently and most widely accepted today.

Fatigue and Performance in Aviation Research Paper

Fatigue and Performance in Aviation - Research Paper Example The dizziness may make the pilots unresponsive for some time. If the pilots succumb to their fatigue, they end up sleeping; thus, causing accidents or going beyond their destinations. FAA has failed to enact proper regulations that would ensure that pilots get enough sleep in between their flights, especially for short flights. Most airlines give their pilots only 7 hours of which some are spent checking out and transit to hotels. This is not enough as it mostly leads to fatigue, and thus, lowers the performance of the aviation crew. Therefore, FAA should note that sleep is triggered by fatigue and to solve sleep among the pilots, FAA should review their rules to allow time for sleep and rest to their pilots. Increasing frequencies in aviation accidents have called for attention on the causes of these accidents. Several factors cause aircraft accidents. However, researchers have attributed aircraft accidents to pilot and crew failures of psychological or physiological nature. Psychologists argue on the result of biological and psychological factors on the crews and pilots management of the plane. Psychologists have considered fatigue and lack of sleep as the main factors responsible for aviation accidents. Because of the nature of flight schedules, crew finds little time to sleep or even have some sleep. Absence of sleep and rest influences the alertness and performance (Wiener 650). Pilot fatigue has had the upper hand on the aircraft accidents. Fatigue refers to a mental state characterized by reduced mental and physical performance resulting from workload or loss of sleep. Fatigue impairs human performance, and thus, has negative impacts on work among other day-to-day activities. Many aviation accidents have occurred because of the crews’ tiredness or sleep, which reduce their level of alertness; hence, inability to follow procedures and operations. Initially, pilots’ flight time for non-stop travels were

A perspective of modern labour relations Orange Business Services Research Paper

A perspective of modern labour relations Orange Business Services - Research Paper Example According to the research findings it can therefore be said that Charles Leadbeater one of the world’s leading authorities on innovation and creativity in organisations said, the primary role of organisations is to get work done. This necessitates that (1) organisations must motivate its people to work so that they contribute most effectively to the collective behaviour; (2) coordinate the collective output to ensure that it fits together and takes place in the right order; and (3) they must innovate continuously by learning, adapting and evolving with the demand of the environment in which they operate and explore opportunities for change. Yet experience dictates that this seemingly simple analogy: motivate; coordinate; innovate is in fact is most complex task for corporates across continents and commerce, some of which apparently are in the state of civil war. As old industrial world recipes of organisation, work and leadership are gradually becoming passà ©, organisations are innovating to find newer ways of motivating, coordinating and innovating simultaneously with more and more open and networked organisations. Wikipedia, Linux, eBay, YouTube, and many more organisations operating in that direction have raised questions on the concepts of traditional, top-down closed organisations. Organisations are now moving from highly collectivised and unionised environments to highly individualist entities bringing newer realities for labour relations. Amidst this, the author made an attempt to get the current perspective of labour relations in a successful multinational technology enterprise – Orange Business Services. The author interviewed unofficially the officials engaged in labour relations division. The objective was to understand how an old world enterprise such as French Telecom has evolved its labour relations to become one of most successful branded service provider worldwide. The choice of Orange business services was obvious as it is a glo bal leader in communication services with a highly technical workforce that are able to deliver coherent innovative services in spite of working in areas such as cloud and convergence where organisational hierarchies are difficult to prevail . Besides, Orange with a clientele of over 3700 multinational companies in the sphere of collaboration, customer relationship management, mobility, M2M and vertical solutions was a fit case for the study as the company is a recipient of many awards and accolades including the Best Global Operator award at the World Communications Award for four consecutive years (2006-2009) (the only company to have this); and the ‘World Class’ ranking for superior customer satisfaction for the tenth consecutive time (SITA, 2011). 2. Labour relations at Orange Business Services The author interviewed the Labour Relations Manager of Orange Business Services, by a prior appointment in their newly acquired premises where nearly over 2000 employees in v arious cadres were engaged. This office now housed all the employees which were working in three different parts of the city. However, the Labour Relations Manager agreed for this interview on an informal and anonymous basis. For the purpose of referencing, he advised to approach the company headquarters and obtain permission prior to interviewing. However, due to paucity of time and the requirement being largely to meet academic needs, the author went ahead with the interviews. Due to this

Vegetarianism Essay Example for Free

Vegetarianism Essay Our daily life routines mainly revolve around food and what are we going to eat. We wake up thinking about breakfast, lunch is a must, either at work or with friends, and of course dinner; the one thing we do not forget. Food and diets consume a lot of our thoughts. People nowadays are more aware of their health and habits. One of the types of diets that some follow is the vegetarian diet. Vegetarianism is mainly eating all types of food, but any animal related products. Vegetarians follow this kind of diet because they believe that killing animals to eat them cause many negative effects. The question here is, should people be vegetarian or not? Some are for and some are against this. However, in my opinion, I think people should not apply the vegetarian diet in their lives for more than one reason. Firstly, vegetarians’ main reason for their belief is that eating animals is killing them, and killing them is against animals’ right as animals feel fear before their death, which is unethical. However, eating meat is not unethical, it is the natural part of the cycle of life. Research shows that plants respond electrochemically to threats and may feel fear exactly as animals (D.Jensen, The Plants Respond: An Interview with Cleve Backster, The Sun, July 1997†¨). So, eating plants also lead to the threat of it, if they see it from this perspective. Every organism on earth exists for the sake of another organism. Secondly, some might think that vegetables and plants will save more food for hungry people rather than feeding them to the animals. Nevertheless, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that the world currently produces enough food for everybody, but many people do not have access to it. Therefore, it is not about the quantity of the food, it’s the way of distribution that causes the problem. Vegetarian diets can cause the death of animals too. To support this idea further, it was proven that about 52-77% of the animals, like rabbits and birds, get killed during the harvest process, they live in agriculture crop fields (S. Davis, 2003). Thus, cutting meats from your diet is not the solution. To wrap up, vegetarianism should not be a healthy habit for people. Animals are here for us to take advantage of, as well as plants and they are both living organisms. If you could live without both, then do it. At the end, they both feel and have emotions, so killing animals does not differ from killing plants. Moreover, it was proven that the hunger problem worldwide is the reason behind the availability of the food and not the quantity produced. Lastly, many other ways do kill animals, and cutting them from your diet will not protect them. I think people should not take vegetarianism as a life of style. Refrences: Derrick Jensen, The Plants Respond: An Interview with Cleve Backster, The Sun, July 1997 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Hunger: Frequently Asked Questions, www.fao.org (accessed Apr. 13, 2011) Steven L. Davis, The Least Harm Principle May Require That Humans Consume a Diet Containing Large Herbivores, Not a Vegan Diet, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 2003 http://vegetarian.procon.org/#

The Glass Ceiling for Women in the Workforce Essay -- Glass Ceiling, w

In America many groups have fought hard to gain equality in treatment, rights, and everyday living standards. Women are included amongst these groups. At one point in history women were not allowed to vote or carry the same positions as men in work. Due to amendments and affirmative action these hindrances for women have been abolished. What still remains to day is the inner struggle within jobs also known as glass ceilings? Glass ceilings are daily obstacles for most women in their jobs every day. As country of equal opportunity should we Americans continue to fight for more equality or accept the situation and be grateful for the change that has already come into place? What exactly is a glass ceiling and how were these ceilings put up in the first place? A glass ceiling defined by Webster is â€Å"an intangible barrier within the hierarchy of a company that prevents women from obtaining upper level positions† (Miriam - Webster’s†¦ 1). The first big controversy was that women were not being hired for positions offered to men. Women were expected to be homemakers, nurses, or teachers. Men argued that women were not educated enough. But due to affirmative action this changed too. Women were allowed and admitted to Universities. By bettering their educations they became more qualified for business positions. Working in corporate offices or as doctors was still an unheard of idea. Through much fighting this too changed and women were hired whether by choice of the employer or by new state regulations women were hired. Now that there is equality within the work field women are complaining about salaries or rates of pay. Wome n who are equally qualified for positions if not more qualified for positions are being p... ...e our children to be and expect more than we did, and teach them to live life as a person and not as a gender role. By the time they reach adulthood glass ceilings will fall. Why because girls would have been taught that they are equally capable and that equality is what is right. Works Cited Su, Sophia. Glass Ceilings: The Working Woman’s Guide to Overcome Them. 2002. Jobstreet, 1 Aug. 2002, Mapping Out a System to Shatter Glass Ceilings and Glass Walls. 2000. Advancing Women, 1 Aug. 2002, Miriam. Webster. Miriam – Webster’s Collegiate Dictinary. 1984. 1 Aug. 2002. Marger, Martin N. Social Inequalities: patterns and processes. 2nd ed. Michigan : Lansing, 1999.

Ernest Miller Hemingway

Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American author and journalist. His distinctive writing style, characterized by economy and understatement, influenced 20th-century fiction, as did his life of adventure and public image. He produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Hemingway's fiction was successful because the characters he presented exhibited authenticity that resonated with his audience. Many of his works are classics of American literature. He published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works during his lifetime; a further three novels, four collections of short stories, and three non-fiction works were published posthumously. Hemingway was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. After leaving high school he worked for a few months as a reporter for The Kansas City Star, before leaving for the Italian front to become an ambulance driver during World War I, which became the basis for his novel A Farewell to Arms. He was seriously wounded and returned home within the year. In 1922 Hemingway married Hadley Richardson, the first of his four wives, and the couple moved to Paris, where he worked as a foreign correspondent. During his time there he met and was influenced by modernist writers and artists of the 1920s expatriate community known as the â€Å"Lost Generation†. His first novel, The Sun Also Rises, was written in 1924. After divorcing Hadley Richardson in 1927 Hemingway married Pauline Pfeiffer; they divorced following Hemingway's return from covering the Spanish Civil War, after which he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls. Martha Gellhorn became his third wife in 1940, but he left her for Mary Welsh Hemingway after World War II, during which he was present at D-Day and the liberation of Paris. Shortly after the publication of The Old Man and the Sea in 1952 Hemingway went on safari to Africa, where he was almost killed in a plane crash that left him in pain or ill-health for much of the rest of his life. Hemingway had permanent residences in Key West, Florida, and Cuba during the 1930s and '40s, but in 1959 he moved from Cuba to Ketchum, Idaho, where he committed suicide in the summer of 1961. Elements of Fiction Plot, Setting, Character, Conflict, Symbol, and Point of View are the main elements which fiction writers use to develop a story and it’s Theme. Because literature is an art and not a science, it is impossible to specifically quantify any of these elements within any story or to guarantee that each will be present in any given story. Setting might be the most important element in one and almost nonexistent in another. Just as a Crime Scene Investigator cannot approach a crime scene look for a specific clue (e. g., shell casings), you as a reader cannot approach a story decide to look for a specific element, such as Symbol. To assume could blind you to important elements. Both the CSI team and you must examine the entire â€Å"area† carefully to determine what is present and how it is important. With that understanding, let’s examine the elements.

Child Witnesses Honest but Less Reliable

Children testifying in court are perceived to be more honest than adults, but their limited memory, communication skills, and greater suggestibility may make them less reliable witnesses than adults. The multi-disciplinary research, the first of its kind to examine judges perceptions of child witnesses, was led by Queens University Child and Family Law scholar Nick Bala. It addresses how judges assess the honesty and reliability of childrens court testimony, and how accurate their observations are. It also makes recommendations for how to train child protection professionals and judges to most effectively frame their questions to child witnesses. The research  has important implications for educating child-protection professionals, including judges. The findings are based on two related studies that merge traditional legal scholarship on childrens truth-telling, and a national survey of child-protection professionals that assesses perceptions of child witnesses and truth-telling, with judges responses to mock interviews. Assessing the credibility of witnesses; deciding how much to rely on their testimony; is central to the trial process, says Bala. The assessment of credibility is an inherently human and imprecise enterprise.â€Å" The research showed that social workers, other professionals working in child protection, and judges correctly identify children who are lying at only slightly above chance levels after watching mock interviews. Judges perform comparably to other justice system officials and significantly better than law students. Children Face Disadvantages While the mock interviews dont replicate the judges courtroom experience, the results show that judges are not human lie detectors, says Bala. The research also indicates that defense lawyers are more likely than prosecutors or others who work in the court system to ask children questions that are not appropriate to their developmental level. These questions use vocabulary, grammar or concepts that children could not reasonably be expected to understand. This leaves child witnesses at a disadvantage to respond honestly. Less Likely to Deceive The survey asked Canadian judges about their perceptions of child and adult witnesses on such issues as suggestibility, leading questions, memory, and perceptions of honesty in child witnesses. It found that children are perceived as: More susceptible to suggestibility during pre-court interviewsMore influenced by leading questionsLess likely than adults to intentionally set out to deceive during court testimony. Psychological Research on Child Witnesses According to psychological research, Bala summarizes that a childs memory improves with age. For example, at age four, children can accurately describe what happened to them as far back as two years. Also, even though older children and adults have better memories, they are more likely to give inaccurate information when recalling past events compared to younger children. Balas research also suggests that children and adults provide more details when asked specific questioned rather than open-ended questions. However, children usually try to answer these types of questions, by giving answers to the parts of the question that they understand. When this occurs, the childs answers could seem misleading. Using this knowledge to refine techniques when questioning children can help improve the accuracy and completeness of a childs answer. Bala says such techniques include, showing warmth and support to children, mimicking the vocabulary of the child, avoiding legal jargon, confirming meanings of words with children, limiting the use of yes/no questions and avoiding of abstract conceptual questions. It is also interesting to point out that when older children are repeatedly asked about an event, they tend to try to improve their description or provide additional information. However, younger children often assume being asked the same question means that their answer was wrong, so they sometimes change their answer entirely. Judges Need Training on How Children Should Be Questioned Funded by The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the research suggests that all new judges should be trained in how children should be questioned, and about the types of questions that children should be able to understand. Effective communication with children and developmentally appropriate questions which children can reasonably be expected to answer makes them far more reliable witnesses. To minimize the deterioration in childrens memories, the delay between the reporting of an offense and the trial should be shortened, the study also recommends. Several meetings between a child witness and the prosecutor before testifying will also help minimize a childs anxiety, the study notes. Source:  Judicial Assessment of the Credibility of Child Witnesses