The Rebel by Charlie Nguyens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Rebel by Charlie Nguyens - Essay Example Before 2002, foreign films were not allowed screening in movie theatres. The government revised its policy in 2002 and the private movie studios were given the green signal to carry out their work. This policy change brought new opportunities for independent movie producers to become commercially successful. By 2005, the private studios were seeing success in terms of production and distribution of movies but the commercial and independent moviemakers received no funding. The policy change seemed to lure for the expatriates who saw an opportunity in making films in Vietnam. Low-budget movie makers and technicians found the business profitable in the wake of increasing domestic disposable income. The expatriates especially jumped on the bandwagon. However, the moviemakers did not enjoy complete autonomy because the state policy determined the overall film production. The taste of the audience also governed the theme and movie genre. Betrayal and loyalty have turned out to be the two major themes in the Vietnamese film production history. The Rebel also portrays these themes, which are really relevant in the today’s Vietnam. Vietnam had remained at war for such a long time that it drained its economy and the much-needed liquidity. The country has either fought off invasions or engaged in wars with France, China, Japan, Cambodia and the US (Narkunas, p. 149). In 1979 Vietnam was fighting 1 million Chinese troops. The battle depleted Vietnamese economic resources and left it as one of the poorest countries in the world. It is inevitable that the theme of patriotism manifests itself in the Vietnamese film industry. The themes of betrayal and loyalty always almost always find its place in the screenplay of successful Vietnamese movies. The Rebel is based on the struggles of fighting the French occupation in Vietnam. The protagonists of the movie converse with his father about loyalty to the country.  Ã‚  

Ethics In Education Essay Example for Free

Ethics In Education Essay Abstract Education has ever been considered as one of the strongest foundations for any civilized society. The success of any Nation is largely attributed the way in which education system is built up. There is growing importance the world over these days to incorporate importance of ethical standards in education. Ethical standards in education contain basic principles, procedures and behavior patterns based on commitment to core values that are deeply rooted in education. An ethical education will pave a way to uplift educational standards which in turn will instill right values among students who will certainly create landmark in their career as well as life. ETHICS IN EDUCATION The Concept Of Ethics The definition of ethics is shaped by personal, societal and professional values, all of which are difficult to specify. Some stress the importance of society’s interests and others stress the interests of the individual. These conflicting viewpoints have dominated the discussion of ethics for a long time and may remain in the future as well. Thus, the term ‘ethics’ will have to be defined in this context. The word ‘ethics’ is derived from the Greek word ‘ethos’ (character) and Latin word ‘moras’ (customs). Taken together these two words define how individuals choose to interact with one another. Thus, ethics is about choices. It signifies how people act in order to make the ‘right’ choice and produce ‘good’ behavior. It encompasses the examination of principles, values and norms, the consideration of available choices to make the right decision and the strength of character to act in accordance with the decision. Hence, ethics, as a practical discipline, demands the acquisition of moral knowledge and the skills to properly apply such knowledge to the problems of daily life. Philosophical Theories of Ethics Decision making based on intuition or personal feeling does not always lead to the right course of action. Therefore, ethical decision making requires a criterion to ensure good judgment. The philosophical theories of ethics provide different and distinct criteria for good, right or moral judgment. Three prominent philosophical theories of ethics are utilitarianism, rights and justice. They are normative theories of ethics, which provide a principle or standard on how a person ought to behave towards others by considering the right and wrong of an action. These normative theories are divided into two broad classifications, consequential and non-consequential. Consequential theories define ‘good’ in terms of its consequences, and a best known example is theory of utilitarianism. In contrast, non-consequential theories define ‘good’ not by its consequences but by its intrinsic value and the best known examples are the rights and justice theories. These theories are described below. (a) The theory of utilitarianism According to this theory, the ethical alternative is the one that maximises good consequences over bad consequences. Jeremy Bentham, who is considered as the father of utilitarian ethics, defines utilitarianism as the greatest happiness principle (the principle of utility), which measures good and bad consequences in terms of happiness and pain. He wrote as follows in his book ‘An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation’: Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do. On the one hand the standard of right and wrong, chain of causes and effects, are fastened to their throne. They govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think. The terms ‘happiness’ and ‘pain’ have broad meaning and encompass all aspects of human welfare, including pleasure and sadness, health and sickness, satisfaction and disappointment, positive and negative emotions, achievement and failure and knowledge and ignorance. Applying the utilitarian principle is a procedural process involving five steps: (1) Define the problem; (2) Identify the stakeholders affected by the problem; (3) List the alternative courses of action for resolving the problem; (4) Identify and calculate the short- and long- term costs and benefits (pain and happiness) for each alternative course of action and (5) Select the course of action that yields greatest sum of benefits over costs for the greatest number of people. Thus, ethical conduct by accountants based on this theory leads to consideration of all possible consequences of a decision for all parties affected by it. This theory takes a pragmatic and common sense approach to ethics. Actions are right to the extent that they benefit people (i.e. actions, which produce more benefit than harm are right and those that do not are wrong). Thus, the cognitive process required for utilitarian decision making appears similar to the cost-benefit analysis that is normally applied in business decisions. However, there are important distinctions between the two concepts in relation to the nature of consequences, the measurability of the consequences and stakeholder analysis. (b) The theory of rights The theory of rights stems from the belief that people have an inherent worth as human beings that must be respected. Therefore, according to this theory, a good decision is one that respects the rights of others. Conversely, a decision is wrong to the extent that it violates another person’s rights. In general, the rights can be divided into two categories: (1) natural rights (rights that exist independently of any legal structure) and (2) Legal rights and contractual rights (rights that are created by social agreement). The natural rights are commonly known as human rights or constitutional rights. Among many natural rights, the right to the truth is important to the function of accounting. The users of financial statements have the right to truthful and accurate financial information when making choices on alternative investment strategies. This right imposes a moral obligation on the accountant and the reporting entity to prepare and issue, true and fair financial statements. On the other hand, legal and contractual rights are important in the accountant-employer and the accountant-client relationships. These contractual relationships mean that employers and clients have a legal right to expect professional and competent service from the accountants. In turn, the accountants have a corresponding legal duty to perform their tasks to the best of their ability within the constraints of their expertise. (c) The theory of justice Understanding this theory requires understanding various notions of justice. Generally, justice is described as fairness, which refers to the correlation between contribution and reward. However, fairness alone cannot define the term justice. There are also other forms of justice, which include equality (assumes that all people have equal worth), procedural justice (concerns with due process) and compensatory justice (addressed the loss from a wrongful act). However, a comprehensive theory incorporating these various domains of justice has yet to be developed. Thus, the focus of this paper is on the theory of justice, which is based on the principle of distributive justice. It focuses on how fairly one’s decisions distribute benefits and burdens among members of the group. Unjust distribution of benefits and burdens is an unjust act and an unjust act is a morally wrong act. Hence, under this theory, an ethical decision is one that produces the fairest overall distribution of b enefits and burdens. Ethics In Education Basically there are three parties involved in ethical education system namely students, teachers and administrators. Teacher, being the most important facet of ethical education, is the torch bearer to the change the whole scenario of education system. He is the one who could exemplify his ethical behavior in front of students. Students most of the time learn their behavior from their teachers. Right approach of teacher to teach the students inside the class room will make ever lasting impact on the minds of students. It goes without saying that the principle of ethical conduct lie at the core of teaching profession. The whole society can be remolded by administering ethical practices. Secondly, the responsibility for promoting ethics in higher education lies with the leadership of colleges and universities. Like most efforts at organizational change, the energy, financing, and inspiration must start at the top and must anticipate and verbalize a long term commitment to ethical goals . â€Å"Bottom-up† schemes for change are seldom successful since they lack the organizational influence to create a sustained, well supported plan of action. Ethics issues permeate every aspect of university life from admissions to the classroom, from hiring to curriculum development and from research to the athletic field. To alter the ethics culture in an institution of higher education (or any organization) requires the highest level of commitment and realistic consequences for deviations. (a) Verbal and written commitment of the university president/chancellor, board of trustees, alumni association, faculty and staff to the implementation of an ethics plan of action; (b) Verbal and written commitment of departments heads overseeing student recruiting and admissions policy to an ethics plan of action for their areas of concern. Some possible action items might include advertising that the student body is governed by a â€Å"honor code†, the violation of which could lead to disenrollment. The hallmark of the admissions policy would focus on the ethical selection of students to include cultural difference, gender and racial equalities, socio-economic factors, as well as, academic excellence. (c) Faculty hiring guidelines that would include a thorough â€Å"vetting† of the applicant’s qualifications and background as well as a written commitment by the applicant to fully support the ethics initiative; (d) Faculty members to commit to and undertake curriculum revisions that would include the ethical aspects of their particular discipline; (e) Students to commit to a dormitory, fraternity/sorority, off-campus life-style code ethics; (f) Faculty members to commit to ethical guidelines for the research into the publication of scholarly materials; (g) Faculty members to commit to a faculty-faculty, faculty-student ethical relationships guideline. Lastly, students are also expected to contribute maximally by behaving honestly to their work, duties and responsibilities. They should never restore to any malpractices during examination or any class work. Conclusion The writer has reviewed just a fraction of the literature available on the subject of ethics in the workplace. The literature for the most part, supports the notion that the ethical behavior is good, that ethical behavior is needed in the workplace, and that progress is possible in raising men and women above their more prurient interests. Based on the writer’s experience and discussions with university leaders, however, the notion of total commitment by all stakeholders as outlined in the sample plan is probably unlikely. Cries of academic freedom, unreasonable restraints and loss of flexibility would be echoed from the â€Å"bell towers† of academia in spite of the intrinsic â€Å"good† intentions of the plan. All this does not augur well for the â€Å"fast track† implementation of ethics at the university level or in the workplace. Instead, progress in changing individuals towards a more ethical vision of their personal and professional life will be a p lodding effort, characterized by small successes and small failures for a long time into the future. References American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (2010). The Code of Professional Conduct. Retrievedfromhttp://www.aicpa.org/research/standards/codeofconduct/downloadabledocuments/2010june1codeofprofessionalconduct.pdf Audi, R. (2007). Can utilitarianism be distributive? Maximization and distribution as criteria in managerial decisions. Business Ethics Quarterly, 17(4), 593-611. Baiman, S. Lewis, B. (1989). An experiment testing the behavioral equivalence ofstrategically equivalent employment contracts. Journal of Accounting Research, (27)1, 1-20. Bazerman, M.H. Banaji, M.R. (2004). The social psychology of ordinary ethical failures. Social Justice Research, 17, 111-15. Bentham, J. (1843). The works of Jeremy Bentham. Edinburgh, Scotland: John Bowring. Bird, F.B. Walters, J.A. (1989). Moral muteness. Californian Management Review, 73-88. Brenkert, G.G. (2010). The limits and prospects of business ethics. Business Ethics Quarterly, 20(4), 703-9. Burton, B.K. Goldsby, M.G. (2009) . The moral floor: A philosophical examination of the connection between ethics and business. Journal of Business Ethics, 91, 145-54. Caldwell, C. Clapham, S. (2003). Organizational trustworthiness: An internationalperspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 47(4), 349-64. Caldwell, C., Hayes, L.A., Long, D.T. (2010). Leadership, trustworthiness, and ethical stewardship. Journal of Business Ethics, 96(4), 497-512. ETHICS IN ACCOUNTING 30 Caldwell, C. Karri, R. (2005). Organizational governance and ethical systems: A covenantal approach to building trust. Journal of Business Ethics, 58(1), 249-59. Calhoun, C. (1995). Standing for something. The Journal of Philosophy, 92(5), 235-60. Carlopio, J. (2002). The best articles about leadership from the last ten years. BOSS Financial Review, 71-4.

Repeal Abortion Laws Now :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Repeal Abortion Laws Now Why do the abortion laws stay on the books? One reason is the apparent inability or unwillingness of those who advocate population limitation to see the connection. (This does not apply to Planned Parenthood-World Population, which in November, 1968, passed resolutions calling for repeal of the abortion laws in support of its declared policy of voluntary parenthood.) By 1968, almost all the major religious groups in the United States except the Roman Catholic Church were on record in favor of abortion-law reform or repeal. The American Baptist Convention and the Universalist/Unitarian Church came out for total repeal. And public opinion polls demonstrated that a majority of people, including a majority of the Catholics asked about the issue, favored at least some liberalization of the laws. But the opposition of the Catholic Church is potent and well organized. The Church holds that the fetus is "ensouled" at conception. In his encyclical Humanae Vitae in July of 1968, Pope Paul said, "We must once again declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun and above all, directly willed and procured abortion, even if for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as licit means of regulating birth." To this unequivocal statement--which is, of course, not the law in any American state, since all states permit abortion at least to save the life of the mother--the Pope adds an "Appeal to Public Authorities." He says, "To Rulers, who are those principally responsible for the common good, and who can do so much to safeguard moral customs, we say: Do not allow the morality of your people to be degraded; do not permit that by legal means practices contrary to the natural and divine law be introduced into that fundamental cell, the Family....May all responsible public authorities--as some are already doing so laudably--generously revive their efforts." I submit that insofar as this is an appeal to Catholic officials in this country, it must clearly be disregarded, because it is inconsistent with the laws of the land. By issuing such an "Appeal to Public Authorities," the Pope has placed in a very difficult position those Catholics who occupy public positions in this or in any country where separation of church and state is constitutionally or otherwise basically guaranteed. They must choose, for example, when it comes to abortion for the therapeutic reason even of saving the life of the woman between their obligations to their church and their obligations to their state.

The American Savior :: essays research papers

The American Savior   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   GRAHAM This story takes place in America at about 222B.C. It is about two friends who are torn apart by a young, and beautiful girl whose name is Kigan. Samuel, but was also known as Sam because all of his friends called him Sam for short. Sam was born in Thorton to Solomon and his wife but No one knows her name because Solomon was said to be With more than one woman at a time. Samuel grew up with Miracle, now you might wonder Where Miracle got such a name, Miracle got his name Because he was born dead not a heart beat or Breath in him, as preparations where made for His the miracle happened out of no where. Very slowly Miracle came to life like The sun breaking the darkness of night In the eastern sky at the break of dawn. His mother, Angel, and his father, Knight Where astounded for they had witnessed A miracle, so naturally that’s how Miracle Got his name. Sam and Miracle first met in The city of Crump. Both of the young boys Were in the city buying goods because at This time once a boy turned ten he was considered A man and he needed to be responsible And take care of things that needed to be done. Both boys were kept sheltered from the world by Their parents till now, so seeing the city for the first time Was a shocking experience for both, especially by Themselves. They met at a small deli in the city. They talked and decided that they should meet Again sometime and maybe play some games Together. The two boys met every other day in The city where they played together. They grew to Be best friends. Whenever you saw one of them you saw the other. They were inseparable, they went together like the land and the sea. One day Miracle brought his friend Kigan with him to the city and right away Sam fell in love with her and he treated her as if she were a diamond that had never been touched by human hands. He treated her so precious. The day came when a big festival Was going to be held in the city and Sam asked Kigan if she would join him. Kigan told Sam that she would love to join him but had no interest in him and that she was in love with Miracle. After hearing this, Sam was outraged and ran

Internet Impacts on Global Business Essay

There are lots of advantages for small business to do business on the Internet. Depends on the type of business, it is not necessary for everybody to do business on the Internet. Prior to the invention of the Internet, Large global firms could work on advances in accessing the newest technological information, exchanging information, and reaching international customers. The Internet can help diminish information asymmetry and permits small businesses to act like large global businesses. Firstly, small firms can instant access to any new technological advances that can help them compete with large firms. Secondly, the Internet can help small firms reduce communication costs to the large firms’ level in meeting with suppliers, customers, or employees all over the world. Thirdly, the Internet can help small firms to reach global market in low costs. Any potential customers in the world can interact with the companies through their websites no matter the companies are small or large, local or global. Although many small businesses have success in global market on the Internet, small business that have not yet gone online still needs to evaluate the effects of the Internet and understand whether or not an Internet presence is necessary. No having an Internet presence is not always dangerous for a company. For example, the company that services the customers in local community does not need to establish a website because it can touch customers in person. The privacy may be in danger on the Internet if the company has not enough resources for the security.

Critically analyse how the Global Energy Assessment pathways represent future socio-technological change in the energy system, focussing on the building sector. The WritePass Journal

Critically analyse how the Global Energy Assessment pathways represent future socio-technological change in the energy system, focussing on the building sector. Abstract Critically analyse how the Global Energy Assessment pathways represent future socio-technological change in the energy system, focussing on the building sector. the Global Energy Assessment (GEA) was therefore launched and a new global energy policy agenda was established (GEA Writing Team, 2012: 4). The GEA intended to change the way society uses and delivers energy in order to mitigate climate change. In doing so, it brings together hundreds of international researchers to provide an analysis of the current issues that exist and to identify the possible options that can be taken in tackling climate change. Technology options and policies are also included in the GEA and are considered vital in protecting the environment and maintaining sustainable development (GEA, 2014: 1). As noted by Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development: â€Å"The long-term effects of climate change threaten to undermine progress in reducing global poverty† (Department for International Development, 2011: 3). This is the main reason why the UK is committed to helping developing countries adapt to climate change in a positive way by ensu ring that they take up low carbon growth and effectively tackle deforestation. This study will therefore examine some of the Global Energy Assessment pathways, by focusing on the building sector, in order to consider the effects these will have upon the energy system in the future. Socio-Technological Change in the Energy System In order for climate change to be tackled effectively, socio-technological changes are needed within the energy system. This can be ascertained by reviewing the different sectors which impact the environment and then considering what socio-technological changes are required. The building sector has a significant impact upon the environment because of the fact that it accounts for one-third of the planets total energy use (Global Alliance, 2012: 1). Technological improvements to buildings are therefore a cost-effective way of mitigating climate change. By using existing proven technologies we have the ability right to â€Å"reduce energy consumption in new and existing buildings by 30-50 percent at extremely low or no cost, and usually at negative cost (Global Alliance, 2012: 1). Increased building efficiency is therefore the future for the building sector because not only do greener buildings help to promote sustainability but they are also better for the consumer in that they are m ore comfortable and cheaper to maintain (NAR, 2014: 1). The pathways for transition that have been explored in the GEA therefore need to be followed if the building sector is to become more energy efficient. This is important given that GHG emissions are expected to nearly double by the year 2030 under a high-growth development scenario (Metz et al; 2007: 6). The GEA supports sustainability in the building sector by helping decisions makers address the challenges associated with building development (CCCSEP, 2012: 1). Energy Efficiency Barriers in the Building Sector   The building sector can contribute to tackling climate change through socio-technological change in the energy system, yet there are many barriers towards improved efficiency in this sector. One of the main barriers that exists is a lack of technical, economic and general knowledge about the energy sector. Not only does this knowledge gap apply to consumers but it also applies to building designers, architects and politicians (Urge-Vorsatz, 2012: 702). Because of this lack of knowledge, it is very difficult for many of the technologies and practices that exist in this area to be implemented. Furthermore, although energy efficient practices are considered cost effective, they are not being widely adopted due to the high initial start-up costs. The high upfront costs are thus discouraging, especially when there is a lack of knowledge that exists in this area and unless greater awareness is provided, it is unlikely that the GEA pathways will have much of an influence in the future. Mark et failures also provide barriers to energy efficiency because of the failures in the way the market operates (Urge-Vorsatz, 2012: 702). Such flaws prevent the trade-off between energy efficiency investments and energy saving benefits. Behavioural barriers are also a problem for energy efficiency in the building sector as the behaviours of individuals and companies may be difficult to change. For example, individuals may fail to turn the lights off in their homes, whilst organisations may fail to identify energy saving opportunities, especially if they do   not benefit directly from them. An example of this can be seen in relation to green leases since these are one of the main pathways to energy efficiency. Green leases thus impose obligations on landlords and tenants to achieve targets for energy consumption. This ensures that the energy use of commercial buildings is minimised through â€Å"better measurement, greater awareness and systematic management† (All Party Urban Development Group, 2008: 2). There are a number of different green lease shades which represent different commitments to the green agenda: light green leases represent a modest commitment to the agenda, whilst dark green leases reflect a much more serious commitment (Bright, 2008: 158). Regardless of the benefits green leases have on the environment, however, they are not being used as much as they should. This is largely the result of the â€Å"conventional relationship between the landlord (as building owner) and tenant (as occupier)† which generally neglects â€Å"environmental co nsiderations† (Hinnells et al; 2008, 1). The extent to which green leases represent future socio-technological change in the energy system is therefore unclear and it seems that further changes are required if a more robust system is to be implemented. Green leases should be used more frequently than they are at present, yet it is questionable whether this is likely to happen given that â€Å"change may be rapid, disruptive and challenging (Hinnells et al; 2008: 1). Bright believes that capital investment will allow for more efficient equipment to be introduced that will allow for better energy savings to be made (Bright, 2008: 158). This will encourage landlords and tenants to enter into a green lease if they can identify the real benefits that are associated with them. Consequently, it is evident when looking at green leases that one of the main barriers towards improved energy efficiency is the lack of awareness that exists. In order to remove this barrier to energy efficiency, campaigns and sector learning networks could be introduced in order to increase the current awareness of GEA’s (Carbon Trust, 2005: 16). Furthermore, actions could also be taken that raise the attention of building owners such as; tax incentives and low interest loans (Rezendes, 1994: 41). This will allow greater access to energy efficient equipment and will encourage individuals to take advantage of the opportunities that are available. Another barrier towards energy efficiency in the building sector is transaction costs and the limited availability of capital. Because building owners do not generally have spare capital available to make their buildings more energy efficient, they are less likely to take the GEA pathways into consideration (Ecofys, 2012: 3). Furthermore, as has been pointed out; â€Å"financial barriers to the penetration of energy efficiency and building integrated distributed generated technologies include factors that increase the investments costs and/or decrease savings resulting from the improvement† (Urge-Vorsatz, 2012: 698). Arguably, building owners are unlikely to make energy efficient changes if they are not also cost-effective despite the fact that the equipment is more efficient. This could also be rectified through tax incentives and low interest loans, yet economic instruments could also be introduced that reduce the overall costs of the equipment. Energy prices could also be increased so that going green would be more of an incentive than it is at present. This is because, unless there are significant cost benefits of becoming more energy efficient, it is unlikely that individuals will be actively encouraged to do so. Market misalignment is another barrier that prevents â€Å"the consistent trade-off between specific energy-efficient investment and the societal energy-saving benefits† (The Carbon Trust, 2005: 16). An example of this can be seen in relation to tenant-landlord relationships where companies have no direct control over the premises and so are reluctant to invest in energy effi ciency. This barrier could be overcome through the provision of split-incentives. This would encourage landlords to become more energy efficient if they were being incentivised to do so. If the GEA pathways are implemented, the environment will benefit significantly from this and the passivhaus standard will be applied in the building sector. This standard is the robust approach to building design which seeks to minimise the heating demand of buildings by building houses that have exceptional thermal performance (Passivhaus, 2011: 1). Unless it is less costly for builders to employ the passivhaus standard, there will be no incentive for them to do so as they will not benefit from the reduced energy savings. GEA Pathways for the Energy Efficiency Transition Because of how important it is to protect the environment, it is necessary that the multiple objectives outlined in the GEA are being met through environmental control. The main objective of the GEA pathways is to understand the combination of measures, time scales and costs that are needed to transform the energy system. In understanding this, however, it is necessary to first identify the energy efficiency barriers that exist so that appropriate measures can be implemented to alleviate them. Reducing thermal energy use is achievable through a number of different pathways such as; best practice in building design, construction and operation; the elimination of energy poverty; the increase of living space and economic development ((Urge-Vorsatz, 2012: 703). Before these pathways can be incorporated, it will be necessary to for significant investments to be made as well as the introduction of new appliances and technology and discounted energy saving costs. Because this will require h igh start-up costs, increased knowledge of the GEA pathway benefits will be needed so that individuals and organisations will be incentivised to adopt such pathways. Hence, many approaches have already been implemented to manage pollution-generating processes (Stuart, 2006: 1), yet it cannot be said that the obligations placed upon individuals under the   Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the EU’s Council Directive 96/61/EC to control the environment are being realised (McEldowney and McEldowney, 2010: 48). This is likely to be the result of market failures and behavioural barriers since individuals and organisations may not be able to identify when an energy saving opportunity arises.   Nevertheless, since the Climate Change Act 2008 was first enacted various mitigation and adaption strategies have been introduced, such as the Government’s ‘Green Deal’. The objective of this deal was to limit greenhouse gas emissions so that the increase of global temperature could be decreased. The Green Deal has been considered a welcoming development because of the fact that it has enabled the energy efficiency of many households and businesses to be improve â€Å"without consuming so much energy and wasting so much money† (DEEC, 2010: 1). This is beneficial for consumers and is likely to reduce the initial startup costs. The Green Deal is also effective in increasing the awareness of energy saving benefits, which is likely to remove any subsisting behavioral barriers. Conversely, it has been argued that the implementation of the GEA pathways may actually lead to further energy use, through the so-called rebound effect (Gillingham et al, 2013: 474). Although the GEA have identified the possible re-bound effect the implementation of their pathways may have, it seems as though little consideration has been given to this (GEA, 2012: 1573). Accordingly, it cannot be said that the barriers to energy efficiency have been given much thought and unless the behaviour of individuals and organisations change, it is unlikely that the GEA pathways will have much of an impact in the future.   There are both direct and indirect rebound effects that are likely to occur. The direct rebound effect happens when people consume more energy as a result of the low costs, and the indirect rebound effect happens when people use savings from lower energy costs to spend on other energy intensive activities (Sorrell, 2010: 636). In view of this, is thereby essential that re bound effects are taken into consideration when evaluating how beneficial energy efficiency really is. As noted by Giillingham et al; however: Empirical evidence indicates that the direct rebound effect will dominate in the near term at around 10-30 per cent (2013: 476). Regardless of this, it was also pointed out that rebound effects are not necessarily bad since the overall well-being of society will be improved as a result. Therefore, even if the re-bound effect does not lead to a significant reduction in energy use, societal well-being will be improved. It is unclear whether the target of 80 per cent emission reductions by 2050 will be achieved since there are a number of different changes that need to be implemented in order for the barriers to energy efficiency to be overcome (Bell and McGillivray, 2008: 531). In effect, whilst many implementations have been made towards establishing a sustainable future in the energy sector, the extent to which these have proven successful re mains largely unclear. If the barriers to energy efficiency are removed and the GEA pathways are followed, there is a possibility that the emission reductions will be reduced by 2050, yet it remains to be seen whether this will be by 80 per cent. This is because as put by Riahi et al; although the GEA pathways have shown that such a transformation is possible, the task remains and ambitious and will require rapid introduction of policies and fundamental policy changes that lead to coordinated efforts to integrate global concerns (2012: 1300). Consequently, the barriers to energy efficiency will need to be overcome before the GEA pathways can be implemented, yet this is likely to prove extremely complex. Increased awareness would be the first step as this will lead to behavioural changes that will ensure the GEA pathways are being adopted. Conclusion Overall, whilst there are a number of different GEA pathways that are intended to make effective socio-technological changes in the energy system, the extent to which these will prove successful remains unclear. This is because, whilst many of the pathways are considered effective ways of creating an environmentally friendly energy system, it cannot be said that the current mechanisms are being employed by all. This is evidenced by the introduction of green leases, which are aimed at establishing energy efficient ways of occupying commercial property. Whilst these leases do seem rather beneficial to both landlords and tenants, their place in the market has not yet been established. The lack of incentives may be one reason for this, which signifies how further benefits ought to be made available. In addition, the future of the mitigation and adaption strategies that have been implemented into the building sector is also unclear because of the fact organisations do not always co-operat e in the implementation of such strategies. The re-bound effect is also not being given enough consideration and thus needs to be taken into account when analysing the GEA pathways. Consequently, in order to maintain sustainable development and minimise climate change, it is vital that the GEA pathways are being promoted a lot more so that the impact the building sector has on the environment can be minimised, yet in doing so the re-bound effect should be taken into account in order to ensure that a more realistic approach is undertaken References All Party Urban Development Group., (2008). Greening UK Cities Buildings; Improving the Energy Efficiency of Our Offices, Shops and Factories. A Report Delivered by the Officers, (2008), centreforcities.org/assets/files/APUDG4.pdf 20 March 2014. Bell, S. and McGillivray, D. (2008). Environmental Law, 7th edn Oxford University Press. Bright, S., (2008). Going Green. 158 New Law Journal 1135, Issue 7333. CCCSEP. (2012) ‘Global Energy Assessment: Energy-Efficient Building Modelling Scenarios’ Centre for Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Policy, Centre European University, https://3csep.ceu.hu/projects/global-energy-assessment-energy-efficient-building-modelling-scenarios 29 March 2014. DEEC. (2010). ‘What is the Green Deal?’ (2010) The Department for Energy Climate Energy, decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/consumers/green_deal/green_deal.aspx Accessed 20 March 2014. Department for International Development. (2011) Tackling Climate Change, Reducing Poverty, UK International Climate Fund, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48217/3389-uk-international-climate-fund-brochure.pdf Accessed 19 March, 2014. Dowden, M., (2008). Property/Landlord Tenant: Contentious Carbon? 158 New Law Journal 1707, Issue 7348. Ecofys. (2012) ‘The Benefits of Energy Efficiency – Why Wait?’ Sustainable Energy for Everyone, ecofys.com/files/files/ecofys_2012_the-benefits-of-energy-efficiency-why-wait.pdf Accessed 30 March 2014. Gillingham, K. Kotchen, M. J. Rapson, D. S. and Wagner, G. (2013) The Rebound Effect and Energy Efficiency Policy Yale University School of Forestry Environmental Studies, [Online] Available: yale.edu/gillingham/ReboundEffectLongForm.pdf [03 April, 2014]. Global Alliance. (2012) Why Buildings, Global L-eadership in our Built Environment, globealliance.org/Libraries/Resources/Climate_Change_and_Buildings_Overview.sflb.ashx Accessed 20 March 2014. Global Energy Assessment (GEA) Writing Team. (2012) Global Energy Assessment, Towards a Sustainable Future, New York: Cambridge University press. Global Energy Assessment (GEA). (2014) Global Energy Assessment International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, globalenergyassessment.org/ Accessed 19 March 2014. Hinnells, M., Bright, S., Langley, A., Woodford, L., Schiellerup, P., and Bosteels, T., (2008). McEldowney, J. and McEldowney, S. (2010) Environmental Law, 1st edition Longman. NAR. (2014) What is Green Building National Association of Realtors, greenresourcecouncil.org/green-resources/what-green-building Accessed 14 March 2014. Passivhaus. (2011) The Passivhaus Standard [Online] Available: passivhaus.org.uk/standard.jsp?id=122 [03 April 2014]. Rezendes, V, S. (1994) Geothermal Energy, DIANE Publishing. Riahi, K., et al; (2012) Global Energy Assessment, Chapter 17, [Online] Available: iiasa.ac.at/web/home/research/Flagship-Projects/Global-Energy-Assessment/GEA_Chapter17_pathways_lowres.pdf [03 April 2014]. Sorrell, S. J. (2010) Dimitropoulus, The Rebound Effect: Microeconomic Definitions, Limitations and Extensions Ecological Economics, 65(3): 636-649. Stuart, R. (2006) ‘Command and Control Regulation’, The Encyclopaedia of Earth, eoearth.org/article/Command_and_control_regulation Accessed 20 March 2014. The Carbon Trust. (2005) ‘The UK Climate Change Programme: Potential Evolution for Business and the Public Sector’ Making Business Sense of Climate Change, carbontrust.com/media/84912/ctc518-uk-climate-change-programme-potential-evolution.pdf Accessed 29 March 2014. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DEEC). (2014) What we do, Gov.uk, https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change Accessed 20 March 2014. The Greening of Commercial Leases. Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1747108 20 March 2014. James, R., (2010). Not Easy Being Green. Property Law Journal 22, hilldickinson.com/pdf/Property%20Law%20Journal%20-%20green%20leases%20-%20Richard%20James%20Hill%20Dickinson%20LLP%20.pdf 20 March 2014. King, V., (2009). Is My Lease Green? 32 Company’s Secretary Review 24, Issue 24. LRCI., (2009). Guidance: Green Commercial Leases. Low Carbon Research Institute Convergence Programme, lcri.org.uk/images/pdfs/green%20leases%20guidance.pdf 20 March 2014. Urge-Vorsatz, D. (2012) ‘Energy End Use: Buildings’ iiasa.ac.at/web/home/research/Flagship-Projects/Global-Energy-Assessment/GEA_CHapter10_buildings_lowres.pdf Accessed 29 March 2014.

How the uneven distribution of land and oceans across the Earth affects climate and vegetation both at global and regional scales. The WritePass Journal

How the uneven distribution of land and oceans across the Earth affects climate and vegetation both at global and regional scales. Introduction How the uneven distribution of land and oceans across the Earth affects climate and vegetation both at global and regional scales. IntroductionFactual InformationReferencesConclusionRelated Introduction This report considers why the uneven distribution of land and oceans across the Earth affects climate and vegetation both at global and regional scales.   It also looks at atmospheric and ocean circulation. Because Earth is always at a tilt, there is an uneven latitudinal input of solar radiation.   This causes the world’s seasons and the force causing heat transport from the equator towards the poles, known as the atmospheric heat balance.   The uneven and unequal distribution of Earth’s land and oceans causes there to be moisture circulation in order to maintain balance.   Their distribution determines large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns.   Their dissimilar heat capacities, with Oceans having a much greater capacity relative to land, drives continental-scale convective atmosphere transport.   Factual Information The heating of the warmer equatorial regions and the cooling of the colder polar regions generates the kinetic energy for the motion of air parcels in the atmosphere and fluid parcels in the ocean.   The land and ocean distribution on the Earth’s surface provides additional forcing functions for the atmospheric and oceanic motions, in part due to longitudinal asymmetry in heating due to different thermal properties of land and ocean, and in part due to mechanical effects of the mountain barriers.   The radiation energy falling over the oceans and the land surfaces evaporates the water which later condenses and releases latent heat of condensation in the atmosphere.   Latent heat can cause the rising air to be warmer than surrounding air, so it continues to rise.   The greater the moisture content of rising air, the more latent heat is released to drive convective uplift, which contributes to the intense thunderstorms and deep boundary layer in the wet tropics. Surface air rises most strongly at the equator because of the intense equatorial heating and the large amount of latent heat released as this moist air rises and condenses.   This air rises until it reaches the tropopause. Ocean circulation plays a critical role in Earth’s climate system.  Ã‚   On average, ocean circulation accounts for 40% of the latitudinal heat transfer from the equator to the poles, with the remaining 60% of heat transfer occurring through the atmosphere.   The ocean is the dominant heat transporter in the tropics and the atmosphere plays the stronger role at mid-latitudes.   The surface current of the oceans are driven by surface winds and therefore show global patterns. At the global scale, consistent patterns of air flow can be seen at the Earths surface and within its upper atmosphere.   Global winds develop because of latitudinal variations in atmospheric pressure.   However, these differences in pressure are not just the result of the differential heating of the Earths surface.   At approximately 30 degrees North and South latitude, the subtropical high pressure zone forms because of the presence of descending air from the upper atmosphere.   The sub-polar lows, located at about 60 degrees North and South latitude, develop because of the dynamic interaction of cold polar air with warm moist subtropical air masses.   This interaction causes frontal lifting and the development of cyclonic storms. Surface winds move from areas of high pressure to low pressure.   The course of this movement is also altered by the influence of Coriolis force causing the development of the trade winds (0 to 30 degrees N and S), the westerlies (30 to 60 deg rees N and S) and the polar easterlies (60 to 90 degrees N and S).   Upper atmosphere winds are generally poleward and westerly direction.   Their development is related to the presence of the Hadley, Ferrel and Polar circulation cells in the North and South hemisphere. Hadley-Ferrel Model. google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=lakeeriewx.com/Meteo241/ResearchTopicTwo/Images/HadleyCell.gifimgrefurl Because the Earth is a sphere, more solar energy arrives for a given surface area in the tropics than at higher latitudes, where sunlight strikes the atmosphere at a lower angle.   Energy is transported from the equatorial areas to higher latitudes via atmospheric and oceanic circulations, including storm systems.   Energy is also required to evaporate water from the sea or land surface, and this energy, called latent heat, is released when water vapour condenses in clouds. The atmosphere directly affects life on Earth by supplying the gases for the respiration of vegetation and animals and by moving water from oceanic regions to be deposited in liquid or solid form on land.   The atmosphere also shelters life on Earth from the extreme and potentially harmful effects of direct solar radiation. The oceans are most important because of their tremendous heat storage potential and their ability to distribute that heat horizontally.   The composition and motion of the water in the hydrosphere sustains a rich and diverse life system. The exchange of gases and heat between oceans and atmosphere determines the physical properties and composition of both these sub-systems and is one of the primary climate processes. Vegetation covers a considerable portion of the earth and has an effect on weather and climate.   Vegetation influences both  albedo of the earth and the amount of water vapor and carbon dioxide in the air. Vegetation includes all plants from tropical forests to grassy meadows  and cropland.   All types of plants play a  role in both the water cycle and the earth’s energy balance. Water is necessary to sustaining life on Earth, and helps tie together the Earths lands, oceans, and atmosphere into an integrated system. Precipitation, evaporation, freezing and melting and condensation are all part of the hydrological cycle a never-ending global process of water circulation from clouds to land, to the ocean, and back to the clouds.   This cycling of water is intimately linked with energy exchanges among the atmosphere, ocean, and land that determine the Earths climate and cause much of natural climate variability. Heating determines where the ocean evaporates, and the amount of evaporation. nc-climate.ncsu.edu/edu/k12/.Vegetation The biosphere and atmosphere are a coupled to one another. Climatic state variables, such as temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation affect the physiological functioning of vegetation, the architecture of plant communities, and soil properties. In return, the functional type and extent of vegetation influences the state of the atmosphere. The Kà ¶ppen Climate Classification System is the most widely used for classifying the worlds climates.   Kà ¶ppen divided the Earths surface into climatic regions that generally coincided with world patterns of vegetation and soils. The Kà ¶ppen system recognizes five major climate types based on the annual and monthly averages of temperature and precipitation. A Moist Tropical Climates are known for their high temperatures year round and for their large amount of year round rain. B Dry Climates are characterized by little rain and a huge daily temperature range. Two subgroups, S semiarid or steppe, and W arid or desert, are used with the B climates. C In Humid Middle Latitude Climates land/water differences play a large part. These climates have warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. D Continental Climates can be found in the interior regions of large land masses. Total precipitation is not very high and seasonal temperatures vary widely. E Cold Climates describe this climate type perfectly. These climates are part of areas where permanent ice and tundra are always present. Only about four months of the year have above freezing temperatures. References Blij, H. (2000). Geography: realms regions and concepts 2000(9th). New York: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Gabler, R. (1993). Essentials of physical geography(4th). New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. Hobbs, J. (2006). Essentials of world regional geography(5th). Canada: Thomson Books/Cole Matt Rosenberg. (2007). About: Geography [Online]. http://geography.about.com/od/physicalgeography/a/koppen.htm [2007, April 14] The most important plant-related variables, that affect the state of the atmosphere, include albedo, aerodynamic roughness, leaf area, canopy height and surface resistance to trace gas exchange.   Vegetation include boreal and temperate forests, tropical forests, chaparral, grasslands, savanna woodlands and wetlands, as they span a spectrum of plant canopy attributes. Conclusion From this report of the climate system, we can conclude that we must understand how Earth, with its atmosphere, greenhouse gases, ocean, life, winds, and currents all interact to produce our climate.   The ocean is one big part of the earth system. The ocean, atmosphere, land and vegetation are all connected through the climate system. Changes in various aspects of the climate system, such as the size of ice sheets, the type and distribution of vegetation or the temperature of the atmosphere or ocean will influence the large-scale circulation features of the atmosphere and oceans. There are many feedback mechanisms in the climate system that can either amplify (‘positive feedback’) or diminish (‘negative feedback’) the effects of a change in climate forcing.   Ã‚  For example, as rising concentrations of greenhouse gases warm Earth’s climate, snow and ice begin to melt.   This melting reveals darker land and water surfaces that were beneath the snow and ice, and these darker surfaces absorb more of the Sun’s heat, causing more warming, which causes more melting, and so on, in a self-reinforcing cycle. This feedback loop, known as the ‘ice-albedo feedback’, amplifies the initial warming caused by rising levels of greenhouse gases.

Steps In Purchasing A Mobile Home Essay Example

Steps In Purchasing A Mobile Home Essay Example Steps In Purchasing A Mobile Home Essay Steps In Purchasing A Mobile Home Essay Steps In Purchasing A Mobile Home There are a variety of steps involved in purchasing land and a mobile home. From clearing land to landscaping requires many hours of hard work. You will be faced with obstacles and financial situations that you will have to over come in order to make a house a home. The first step in buying a home is to decide where to live; most mobile home dealers only sell the mobile homes. It is normally up to the buyer to find their own land. Once the land is located, it is time to arrange for a construction loan to pay for all the necessary additional expenses. It is not just buying the home, but all the other steps that are such a hassle. This is where hard work is involved. First find a home that is suitable for your needs. It is the buyer?s decision how to finance the mobile home. The buyer has several options. They can self finance the expenses or rely on another company to take care of securing financing. In approximately thirty days the financer can get the loan approved and closed. The next step is preparing the land. Once the buyer decides on their home, land, mobile, water, needs, feet, three, placed, should, septic, once, hundred, cost, additional, work, trim, tank, system, step, runners, ready, perk, next, installed, driveway, concrete, buyer, been, twelve, skirted, out, make, lines, involved, inches

Argueing Causes for the Rural Brain Drain in America Research Paper

Argueing Causes for the Rural Brain Drain in America - Research Paper Example This dilemma generates a rural school issue and a consequential community challenge. This paper will focus on the viable financial grounds for America’s rural brain drain as is exposed in the book â€Å"Hollowing out the Middle†. By so doing it will discuss the argument that going to college causes financial weight being put on people to a level that hometown monetary cannot provide good employment to make them go back. It will also discuss the benefit of routing a career via the military to gain complimentary vocational training and an experience in life and how the family traditions play a role. Maria J. Kefalas and Patrick J. Carr in their book â€Å"Hollowing out the Middle† maintain that many young adults who are gifted are departing small towns in the countryside while variations in production and farming have absconded the economic environment bleaker for the people who do not (Chomek par. 11). According to about 200 interviews in Northeast Iowa that were carried out with over 30 people from a town of 2,000 with a farm and factory, Kefalas and Carr consider that exporting young adults is resulting in the population being â€Å"hollowed out† and coming to an end. The results of the interview proved that 40 percent of the people who were interviewed were classified as â€Å"stayers†. These are mostly the working-class children who strived economically; another 20 percent were â€Å"achievers† who were bound by the colleges. Another 10 percent of the interviewers were grouped as seekers who enrolled in the military, and the remaining were grouped as â€Å"returners† who came home in the end (Waters et al. 34). Among the returners is a small group who are classified as the professionals sometimes referred to as high fliers. Kefalas and Carr insist that the small town contribute to their downfall by forcing the best and clever young adults to depart, and by

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Oleanna - Essay Example Their speech is a conditioned reflex accompanied by prejudgement of each other’s thoughts, which hinders communication. When Carol enters John’s office and presents his case, he gladly receives him as one of the needy students who have come for assistance. He abandons everything he was doing and sits to listen to the innocent college girl who wants to raise her grades. Several attempts by John to explain to Carol how she needs to study do not yield up anything because of the break up in communication. At one point, Carol misquotes John to have called her stupid. She twists words to have another meaning, which depicts her character. In their conversation Carol and John use words like â€Å"what,† â€Å"I don’t understand,† â€Å"I don’t know what you are saying.† Carol and John are seeking of each other’s conversation meaning that they do not seem to understand one another. At one point, Carol thinks that â€Å"terms of art† have another meaning. On seeking for the meaning from John who had used it, he states that he does not know. With these unclear messages, you hear either Carol or John nodding in agreement or responding to what the other is saying. All this is bound to misinterpretation. For instance, according to Mamet, After attempts to help Carol fails, Carol sobs deeply and John places his hand on her to comfort her. Carol throws his hand off her and she interprets this as a sexual harassment. Their conversation is interrupted by Johns wife who needs him at home and Carol Promises to come to the office the second time. The following day carol comes to John’s office with bills that show that she has filed a case with the tenure committee that John sexually harassed her. Professor’s noble efforts to help carol had been turned into something offensive. John could not understand such a misinterpretation and decided to sort things out with Carol, which only makes things worse. What the professor had though

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Experience of Pine Point - Assignment Example The PinPoint narrative is mostly similar to the traditional documentary formats. It is expository. Expository documentary formats have voiceovers accompanied by videos or images that counterpoint or prove a point. In the Pine Point documentary, for example, under the title ‘Ends and Odds’, there is man’s voice describing the features of the town of Pine Point. There is then a video showing these features as the voice speaks. The videos and the images that are shown during the voiceovers provide evidence of the features and activities of Pine Point. The Pine Point documentary also has observational mode sessions. The observational mode is where there are no voiceovers, no interviews, the documentary maker is not shown, and the subject pretends that he or she is not being filmed. Under the title ‘town’, this mode of documentation is evident. There are just video shots of the location. The documentary is also similar to a book format. At the end of the p resentation, it is indicated that the documentary was meant to be a book. Even so, from the beginning to the end, one can recognize the introduction and the chapters which are typical of book writing or academic reports. 3. What did the experience make you feel about the town? I feel confused because I do not understand how a whole town could just vanish. In one of the chapters, a Pine Pointer revisited the town and found out that not much had changed. The houses were still there. This could only mean that the lost town story is fiction.

Term Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Assignment - Term Paper Example To ensure this, medical professionals have to understand the role and importance of informed consent, and apply it in their treatment and research processes. Informed consent is important as it helps patients to make their independent decisions about their treatment, and helps research participants to decide independently whether to participate in a research, without being coerced (Carmen and Joffe WEB). This paper discusses the importance of informed consent in medical treatment and research, as well as the different ethical issues arising in the course of informed consent in medical treatment and research. The concept of informed consent can be traced to different disciplines, including law, medicine, and philosophy. Consent to treatment is traced to law, while consent to research can be traced to ethical codes and administrative regulations. Informed consent has important moral and practical influence on the practice of medical treatment. This draws on the principle of autonomy, a nd the fact that a patient must be availed the opportunity to make their own independent decisions about the treatment offered to them. Similarly, in medical research, the participants are not coerced to participate. Medical treatment is therapeutic, unlike medical research, which is non-therapeutic, therefore, research participants are expected to participate voluntarily, since the research findings might not benefit them directly, but the patients in future. This is different from medical treatment, where the treatment benefits the patients directly. Nonetheless, in both cases, it is important to employ informed consent as a sign of respect for the individuals involved (Carmen and Joffe WEB). According to the Evans (WEB), the physician must avail all necessary information concerning the treatment procedure in order for this to be regarded as informed consent. This information will help the patient to make their judgement and settle for a right decision. In medical treatment, the i nformation must include the risks the patient is exposed to by the specific medical procedure, as well as the outcome of the medical procedure and the other alternatives, which might be useful to the patient. In medical research, the participants must be informed about the purpose of the research and its usefulness to the discipline. This information leads to an informed decision by the patients and research participants. In addition, before pronouncing the informed consent, a physician must ensure that he or she understands the concerns of their patient, before starting to act on the patient’s decision. Physicians should not assume and make decisions for these patients, instead, a physician should take the necessary steps to ensure that those patients, who are poor communicators or those with speaking inabilities get to understand the consent information in order to participate wholly in decision-making concerning their treatment (Caroline 417). This applies to medical resea rch too, where coercion is considered unethical. On the other hand, informed consent in medical research and experimentation is equally important for both the medical researcher and the subject, who might be the patients or other healthy individuals. In some cases, a patient might require an innovative kind of treatment, which goes beyond the normal diagnosis and prescription. Such innovative or experimental treatment

Comparative Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparative Culture - Essay Example As Corrigan et al. (2003) suggest, one of the founding principles of this Constitution is that there will be no official state religion. The first amendment to the Constitution clearly states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . ". Thus there is no official "American" religion, nor can the practice of any religion be banned. While more than 80% of the American population profess to be Christian, there are literally hundreds of religions practices freely in America (Corrigan, 2003). While many Americans accept religious belief as a guiding precept within their lives there is, in general, a great deal of tolerance regarding the practice of opposing beliefs. America was in part founded and populated by successive groups of people who were escaping religious persecution in their home countries, and thus tolerance is ingrained within even the most devout believers of one faith or another (Shea, 2003). In contrast, more than 95% of Iraqis are Muslim. This figure alone might suggest that religion could be used as a unifying force within a country that appears on the surface to be hopelessly fragmented. Unfortunately this is not the case. Iraq is divided between three different religious blocs: the Sunni, the Shia and the Kurds. For many years the mutual antipathy between these three groups was kept essentially frozen by the dictatorial, brutal regime of Sadaam Hussein. This situation has changed with the American invasion of Iraq and the subsequent fragmentation of the country into rival factions, often based upon religion. Thus many Iraqis feel more allegiance to their religious group than they do to the country of Iraq. They feel Sunni, Shia or Kurd in a deeper way than they identify themselves as Iraqi. The Sunni were in the minority, but were privileged with this Hussein regime as he was a Sunni. The Sunni now find themselves virtually powerless (Algar, 2004). The Shia enjoy a majority position as far as numbers and have a number of charismatic religious leaders, but they are torn by internal strife. Thus many Iraqis essentially want a secular society based upon some version of Western democracy, while the more theocratic elements in all three of the major groups would like to see a theocracy built up. In many ways religion in Iraq is presently being used, both intentionally and unintentionally, as a catalyst for violence. Al Quaida deliberately uses its supposed fight for Muslim values against the West as a potent recruiting tool for new fighters. Both Sunni and Shia forces have killed one another in the name of defending their own particular brand of Islam. The Kurds seek independence at least partially based upon religious difference. To conclude, religion is an important aspect of life in both America and Iraq. But because the one is a stable, powerful country and the other one a region essentially on the brink of civil war, the comparison ends there. __________________________________________ Works Cited Algar, Hamid. Religion and Politics in Iraq: Shiite Clerics Between Quietism and Resiustance. Pustaka, New York: 2004. Corrigan, John. Hudson, Winthrop. Religion in America. Prentice-Hall, New

Term Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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The ultimate nightmare Essay Example for Free

The ultimate nightmare Essay I lay down and waited for the soothing blanket of sleep shroud me. A few seconds later the anticipated blackness of slumber settled in†¦ Suddenly, the deafening noise of the alarm clock woke me up with a startling jolt. It seemed as though I had fallen asleep mere seconds ago and as I groggily looked around something did not seem right. The room looked the same as it did before I went to sleep. In the bright orange light that seemed to come from hells keep itself, shown through the flimsy curtains from the eerily noiseless street behind our house I could see that nothing was amiss. Nothing that I could notice straight away that is. As I got up from my bed, I saw that my sister was not in hers. I looked around once more, as the feeling of peculiar alarm and angst worked from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I was at once perturbed and shaken as I saw that the room was clean, severely clean. There was naught on the tables, or in the wardrobe, not dust nor a shadow of the things that had been there and as I turned to look at the alarm clock, I was only more agitated to find the side table to be glimmeringly spotless. As the twisted black feeling of fear grew, I knew I had to go through the entire house. Having no idea of what time it was; except that it was dark; sinister as any night in a horror movie outside, I went through each and every room in our house only to find all of them stripped bare, like a newborn baby, from the ceiling to the floor. It was as though it had taken hours for me to do that, for me to find all my families things, my family, itself to have, disappeared like they had never existed in the first place. The fear that had been lit now consumed me like a wild fire. That this dream like situation that seemed to go on for hours only fed it. The fact that I now knew this was not reality but a horrifying nightmare did not seem any less daunting than if a dragon breathing fire had been placed in front of me. For this was my ultimate nightmare, to be left alone with not a thing in the world but worse than that that there was no one for me to go to. I could not do anything but wait in the spine-tingling prison like dream, wait for someone to wake me up, when, the shrill voice of the alarm sought me out,  again†¦

Human Colony On Mars By 2023 Marketing Essay

Human Colony On Mars By 2023 Marketing Essay In March 2011 Bas Lansdorp came one step closer to his dream: Creating a manned mission to Mars, by founding Mars One. Mars One is a public company with a clear vision: taking humanity to Mars in 2023 and establishing a permanent settlement. The Mars colony would present a breakthrough in mankind exploration of outer space and would set a starting point for potentially invaluable research, all of this while broadcasting live the life on Mars in the form of a reality TV show. After more than 18 months of self-funding, Mars One has attracted its very first sponsors. At the same time it has also sparked media interest as well as raised certain doubts about its mission and feasibility. The initial investment by early sponsors has marked the next step for the company initiating the funding stage. This is merely a drop of water into an ocean as the costs of only the first mission are estimated to be 6 billion of dollars. Therefore the main concern on Bas Landorps mind is how to ensure the future financing of Mars One and if his business strategy will hold. Overview The founders Bas Lansdorp, M.Sc., Co-Founder General Director Bas is a 35 year old entrepreneur. He studied a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in the Twente University in 2003. After his studies, he worked for five years at Delft University of Technology. Later, in 2008, he founded Ampyx Power in order to develop a new, viable method of generating wind energy. Bas sold his shares Ampyx in 2011 and started working full time in Mars One, Bass dream for many years. Lansdorp says that he has been thinking about the colonization of mars for at least 15 years, since when he was still in University. In 2007, he revised the idea and began making more serious calculations. I knew this idea would be possible, but I just didnt know how to finance it he says. After some brainstorming, Lansdorp turned to Paul Rà ¶mer, the producer and creator of the internationally successful Big Brother reality TV series for financial advice. After hearing the technical plans for the mission, Rà ¶mer told him funding should be no problem if we create the biggest media event ever around it. This endeavor is an incredible challenge, overwhelming at times and a bit scary. But we press on. I believe the human exploration and habitation of Mars is imperative, the next giant leap for humankind. Arno A. Wielders, M.Sc., Co-Founder Technical Director Arno studied Master of Science in Physics in the University of Amsterdam and graduated in 1997. After that, he started working for the Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, to work at the Dutch Space Program in the Very Large Telescope Interferometer Delay Line project. By 2002 he finished his advanced graduate research, TWAIO certificate and began working as a scientist at the Space Department of TNO TPD in Delft. There, he worked in the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), a project that was developed by the NASA agency. In 2005 he founded Space Horizon and did a pre-feasibility study of a suborbital spaceport on the Dutch island of Curacao. He worked for the European Space Agency (ESA), performing in the following capacities: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Instrument scientist for BepiColombo (mission to the planet Mercury) science team (2005-2007). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Payload study manager for Cross Scale mission studies, a constellation of satellites orbiting the Earth for magnetosphere research (2007-2009). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Payload study manager for a mission to Jupiter (2009-2011). In addition, Arno co-founded the Mars Society Nederland, an organization with the objective to promote a human mission to the Red planet. Nowadays he volunteers for the Planetary Society and organizes, with the Netherlands Association for Spaceflight special events related to the space. At the moment, he divides his time between Mars One and working at the European Space Technology. I believe mankind is destined to be a multi-planet species, to move beyond the confines of our home planet. To work with Mars One is to be a living part of this incredible undertaking. Mars One Project: Mission Mars One is a private, apolitical organization. It is the Mission Objective of Mars One to establish a human settlement on the planet Mars in 2023. Mars One plans to accomplish this through the integration of existing technologies developed by aerospace corporations who have demonstrated expertise in space travel. Vision of Mars One Mars One believes the human exploration of the solar system is greater than the ambition of a single corporation or achievement of an individual nation. Mars exploration offers an opportunity to celebrate what a united humanity may accomplish. As with the Apollo Moon landings, a human mission to Mars will inspire generations to believe that all things are possible, that anything can be achieved. Mars One believes it is not only possible, but imperative that we establish a permanent outpost on Mars in order to accelerate our understanding of the formation of the solar system, the origins of life, and of equal importance, our place in the universe. Where it would otherwise be too costly for a single corporation and too risky for a solitary government agency, Mars One intends through the integration of existing technologies to succeed in establishing the first human settlement on Mars by April 2023. Schedule: 2013: The first 40 astronauts will be selected; a replica of the settlement will be built for training purposes. 2014: The first communication satellite will be produced. 2016: A supply mission will be launched with 2500 kilograms of spare parts, solar photovoltaic panels, and general supplies in a modified SpaceX Dragon. 2018: An exploration vehicle will be launched to pick the location of the settlement. 2021: Six additional Dragon capsules and another rover will be launched with two living units, two life support units and two supply units. 2022: A SpaceX Falcon Heavy will launch with the first group of four colonists. 2023: The first colonists will arrive on Mars in a modified Dragon capsule. 2025: A second group of four colonists will arrive. 2033: The colony will reach 20 settlers. The Technology Mars One has developed a plan to establish a settlement on Mars by 2023. This plan is built upon existing technologies available from proven suppliers. Mars One is not an aerospace company and will not manufacture mission hardware. All equipment will be developed by third party suppliers and integrated in established facilities. The fully equipped mission is comprised of the following, primary hardware components as stated in Mars One website: Launcher: This is the rocket used to take payloads from Earth launch into Earth orbit or to Mars. Mars Transit Vehicle: Is a vehicle responsible for transporting the astronauts to Mars, and consists of two propellant stages, a landing module and living quarters. Lander: The Lander will be used for 5 functions: Life Support Unit: A Lander that contains the systems for the generation of energy, water and breathable air within the settlement. Supply Unit: A Lander that contains food, spare parts and other smaller components. Living Unit: This Unit is a Lander that is outfitted with a special inflatable section. After reaching the surface of Mars, this allows it to create a large living space for humans. Human Lander: This is the unit which carries the astronauts to the surface of Mars. Rover Lander: This is the unit which carries the rovers to the surface of Mars. Rover: The Rover is a semi-autonomous, solar-electric powered exploration and construction vehicle used to explore the surface of Mars in search of the most suitable location for the settlement, for transport of large hardware components (in a tractor-like fashion), and then general assembly. Mars Suit: protects astronauts from extreme temperatures, the very thin, non-breathable atmosphere, and otherwise harmful radiation. Communications system: The communications system transmits the video streams from Mars to the communication satellite in Mars orbit and back to Earth. (Essential for communication between Earth and Mars as well as vital for broadcasting reality TV show) A new era in Space Industry The development of the space industry according to Elon Musk (CEO of the private owned company SpaceX) can be resembled to the one of the internet. They both were, at a first stage, governmental initiatives created to enhance the mankind frontiers. But it was only until the arrival of private owned and commercial companies that they developed their real potential. Mr. Musk believes that what is going to happen with the space industry in the upcoming years is going to be similar to what happened with the internet in the 90s. Reaching high grow rates and becoming more accessible for the general public. In May 2012, the company SpaceX launched the first private owned cargo delivery for the international space station. The falcon rocket successfully sent more than 500Kg of food and supplies to the ISS departing from Cape Canaveral, FL. For many analysts this was a milestone for the entire space industry and for the mankind itself. Nasas administrator Charles Bolden said: Today marks the beginning of a new era in exploration The significance of this day cannot be overstated; a private company has launched a spacecraft to the International Space Stationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This certainly opens the gates for other commercial companies to build space vessels and successfully execute space missions. DVBDSA Major Challenges: The main technical difficulties of the mission to mars come from the return trip; it implies the necessity of a fully operational vehicle capable of escaping the gravitational field of mars, with enough fuel and supplies for a 7 month trip to earth, and capable of landing on earth or assembling to the international space station. All of these are huge barriers that have stopped humans from going to mars. Why is going to Mars so expensive? Mainly its the distance from Earth. At its closest point in orbit, Mars lies 35 million miles away from us, necessitating a journey of many months, whereas reaching the Moon requires just a few days flight. On top of this, Mars has a surface gravity that, though only 38 percent of Earths, is much greater than the Moons. It takes a lot of fuel to blast off Mars and get back home. If the propellant has to be transported there from Earth, costs of a launching soar. Without some radical improvements in technology, the prospects for sending astronauts on a round-trip to Mars any time soon are slim, whatever the presidential rhetoric. -Paul Davies (New York Times interview, 2004) The health conditions of the cosmonauts are also a constraint for a long trip to mars. Since the gravity in mars is only 38% of the gravity of earth, after some time, the human body adapts itself top the new environment loosing osseous density and strength in the muscles. If a person stays for too long on that environment, it would be impossible for its body to readapt to earths conditions again. Skepticism and doubts A challenge of this kind is expected to raise all kinds of doubts and skepticism, and so it is in this case. First of all, the tight schedule that Mars One has defined seems to be a huge barrier for some people, that argue that 11 years wont be enough to find and assemble all the pieces of the puzzle that are missing. In this group of people belongs Dr. Robert Zubrin, founder of the Mars Society, an international space advocacy non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars. Dr. Zubrin is also skeptical about the sponsorships and fundraising of the project; he stated to the Business Insider Magazine: I dont think the business plan closes it. Were going to go to Mars, we need billions of dollars, and were going to make up the revenue with advertising and media rights and so on. You might be able to make up some of the money that way, but I dont think that anyone who is interested in making money is going to invest on that basis invest in this really risky proposition, and if youre lucky youll break even? That doesnt fly. Theres also another group of people that after hearing about Mars One plans, think that this is just a hoax to gain public attention and make money with marketing. Bas Landorp has responded to this: The problem with proving something is not a hoax is that people who are behind a hoax would answer in exactly the same way. This is a huge potential hazard for the company, as if they want to raise the money needed, they will have to prove to potential investors that it is not a scam. Status Report The Working Plan In 2011, the founding members of the Mars One team started planning for the colonization of planet Mars. In the first year the completion of feasibility study has been achieved, and contacts have been made with experts from space agencies around the globe and private aerospace companies. Written letters of interest in support of the Mars One plan were received. The analysis conducted by Mars One has included technical, financial, social-psychological and ethical components. Mars One team is looking in to possible location for its training facilities that will resemble the surface of Mars, Gobi desert and Sahara are being considered. Concise Road map for Mars One mission has been laid out. Human settlement on Mars in 2023 has been carefully thought of as the planetary positions and the respective distance from Earth to Mars presents a key factor for the voyage. European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia have estimated that the Mission to Mars and back would cost more than 20 billion dollars. Bas Lansdopr and the team behind Mars One have calculated that their Mission to Mars will cost 6 billion dollars. This high drop of cost compared to global space agencies estimate, comes at a price. For Mars One to be feasible, the mission to Mars is planned as a one way trip. This means that anyone going to Mars with Mars One will have to be prepared to stay on Mars potentially for the rest of their lives. One way trip to planet Mars is not a novel idea, as it has been a topic of discussions for some time in space exploration circles. However this is the very first time someone suggested it as an actual proposition and part of their business plan. Forming the team In 2011 and begining2012, Lansdorp and Wielders placed the groundwork for Mars One through the development of associations with private aerospace corporations, researchers and industry experts who are now moving to support the Mars One initiative. Bas and Arno have formed the competent team of experts in various fields to carry out Mars One mission. The team behind Mars One next to Bas Lansdorp (Co-Founder General Director) and Arno A. Wielders (Co-Founder Technical Director) consists of (Appendix A): Bryan Versteeg (Mission Concept Artist), Suzanne Flinkenflà ¶gel (Director of Communications), Kai Staats (Director of Business Development) and the newest team member since 4. October 2012. Norbert Kraft (Medical Director). Mars One has relayed the support of various industry and scientific experts who bring real-world experience to Mars One. At the moment there are nine of them and their number is rising. Tanja Masson-Zwaan (Deputy Director of the International Institute of Air and Space Law at Leiden University and President of the International Institute of Space Law) Brian Enke (Senior Space Research Analyst at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, USA) Prof. Pascale Ehrenfreund (Lead investigator with the NASA Astrobiology Institute) Dr. Gino Ormeno (Seasoned Aviation Medical Examiner with long history of cooperation with NASA) Dr. Raye Kass (Professor of Applied Human Sciences at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada; involved in numerous space research projects around the globe) Steve Carsey (UK television executive with a reputation for creating and producing various showsn on BBC, Chanal 5, Sky One, FOX) Prof. Thais Russomano (MD, PhD, Brazil, Aerospace Medicine, Space Physiology and Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, and Telemedicine eHealth research and development) Dr. Christopher P. McKay (Planetary Scientist with the Space Science Division of NASA Ames) Dr. John D. Rummel (Director of East Carolina Universitys (ECUs) Institute for Coastal Science and Policy and chairman of COSPARs Panel on Planetary Protection). At the same time Mars One has managed to attract attention of few notable persons in form of Mars One ambassadors. Most known are Prof. Dr. Gerardt Hooft (Nobel Prize winning theoretical physicist), Paul Rà ¶mer (The co-creator and very first producer of the The Big Donor Show and Big Brother), Mary Roach (American worldwide published author, specializing in popular science), Dr. Gerard Blaauw (Chairman of the Netherlands Space Society), Prof. Dr. Ir. Boudewijn Ambrosius (Chairman of Astrodynamics and Space Missions at TU Delft), Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (Fellow Researcher at Institute of Space Science National University of Malaysia UKM, orthopedic surgeon and astronaut). Contacting the suppliers Mars One has visited several major aerospace companies around the world to discuss their plan and the hardware components needed for the mission. For each component they have found at least one potential supplier. Mars One has visited the companies outlined below (Appendix B) and has received letters of interest from them. Astrobotic Technology Inc. is a Pittsburgh based company that is pioneering affordable planetary access and mobility solutions. ILC Dover is the forerunner in the soft goods industry for current and near term space  programs and advocate for commercial space activities across the globe. MDA Corporation  is a worldwide provider of information systems and is an established provider of custom space systems to government and commercial markets internationally, from earth orbiting infrastructure and spacecraft servicing to deep space and planetary exploration. Paragon Space Development Corporation provides environmental controls for extreme and hazardous environments. Space Exploration Technologies has developed a family of launch vehicles and spacecraft that increase reliability and reduce the cost of both manned and unmanned space transportation. Surrey Satellite Technology is the worldwide leader in the construction of small satellites. Thales Alenia Space has an enduring history in building habitable systems and has successfully developed a large number of pressurized elements for the International Space Station. Sponsorship Mars One has only received initial sponsorship money so far. With most of the corporate sponsorship funds they will finance the conceptual design studies provided by the aerospace suppliers. Sponsors for Mars One include(Appendix D): Byte Internet (Dutch internet service provider), VBC Notarissen (Dutch law firm), MeetIn (Dutch consulting company), New-Energy.tv (Dutch web station), Dejan SEO (Australian search engine optimization company), Interpidrd (small new Engineering company based in USA) and Adknowledge( the U.S. based fourth largest advertiser marketplace). Online presence Mars One has made its debut in online sphere with creation of Mars One website (www.mars-one.com). The website provides the information about Mars One and serves as a portal for Mars exploration enthusiasts. It also includes an online shop that sells Mars One merchandise (in form of shirts, posters and coffee mugs). The revenues from sale are spent on funding the Mars Mission. With the launch of Mars One website the promotional introduction video has been released and was seen by more than one million viewers in the first four months. Case Problem Bas and the Mars One team face an extraordinary task; they have 11 years to make a human colony on Mars. In that time they need to acquire the resources, and convince the investors as well as the global community that their plan is real and feasible. They will face high risks, uncertainty, all kind of complications and possibly competition. In the history of mankind, there have been several cases of almost unachievable endeavors, from the construction of the Pyramids to the Columbus trip to America and the Apollo missions to the Moon. Funding this kind of projects has always presented a major difficulty, especially now in this case, since the aerospace industry is shifting from governmental run organizations to private sector. Regular mechanisms of financing and funding companies may not apply to a business of this kind, Banks are not expected to lend money for these projects, and Venture capitalists Business Angels generally focus on sectors with less risk. Therefore, Bas and his team have to come up with a new plan for gathering funds, attracting investors and guaranteeing a net cash flow of US6Bn in the next years in order to execute successfully the plan. Imagine that you are Bas Lansdorp. Try to reevaluate your strategic plan. Focus on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of Mars One. Furthermore think how would you raise the funds necessary to make this project a reality? What potential investors would you contact and what models of financing would you pursue? How would you convince the public that Mars One isnt a practical joke or marketing trick and assure the potential financiers that Mars One presents a sound business opportunity? Appendices Appendix A: The rest of Mars One team Bryan Versteeg, Mission Concept Artist Bryan Versteeg has worked for over 20 years in the graphics industry, specifically 15 years as a conceptual artist in the architectural and engineering fields. For the past six years, Bryan has worked as an independent artist and in 2011 founded Spacehabs.com in order to focus on the conceptual visualization for space exploration. Bryan is responsible for all the animations and illustrations on the Mars One website. Suzanne Flinkenflà ¶gel, M.A., Director of Communications Suzanne graduated in 2005 in International Business Communications and Spanish at the University of Nijmegen. Suzanne brings to Mars One her working knowledge and experience in online marketing, social media and web analytics. Before Mars One Suzanne worked as a Marketing Manager for Dutch hosting provider Byte Internet. In her spare time, she works as a voluntary coach at the 1%Club, a crowd-sourcing platform that connects smart development projects with people, funds, and knowledge around the world. Kai Staats, Director of Business Development Kai Staats comes to Mars One with extensive experience in business development, mission critical systems development, and professional writing. Staats was for ten years the founder and CEO of Terra Soft Solutions, the former developer of Yellow Dog Linux for the PowerPC architecture. In this capacity, he led his team to develop supercomputing systems built upon Apple, IBM, and Sony computers for the United States Departments of Energy and Defense, NASA, top-tier university labs, and commercial entities in the tele-communications, defense, life sciences, and research arenas. Terra Soft systems were used to process images from the Mars rovers, to conduct real-time sonar imaging on-board the U.S. submarines, to train both military and commercial pilots, and conduct bioinformatics research. Norbert Kraft, M.D., Medical Director Norbert Kraft, M.D., USA. Dr. Kraft received the 2010 Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in the Psychological and Psychiatric Aspects of Aerospace Medicine. He has over 17 years of experience in aviation and aerospace research and development. His primary area of expertise is developing physiological and psychological countermeasures to combat the negative effects of long-duration spaceflight. Dr. Krafts experiences span Europe, Asia, and the United States, where he has worked for several international space agencies, including the Russian Space Agency and the Japanese Space Agency. Appendix B: Potential Suppliers to Mars One Astrobotic Technology Inc. is a Pittsburgh based company that is pioneering affordable planetary access and mobility solutions that promise to spark a new era of exploration, science, tourism, resource utilization and mining in the solar system. Astrobotic is flying a mission to the moons pole in 2015 to find water ice. ILC Dover is the forerunner in the soft goods industry for current and near term space  programs and is very supportive of commercial space activities across the globe. ILC Dover is one of the few  companies in the world that can claim to have products on both the Moon and on Mars. They have contributed to the Apollo spacesuits and the three-airbag landing systems that helped land the NASA rovers on Mars surface. MDA Corporation  is a worldwide provider of information systems and is an established provider of custom space systems to government and commercial markets internationally, from earth orbiting infrastructure and spacecraft servicing to deep space and planetary exploration. Provider of the robotic systems aboard the Space Shuttle and Space Station as well as robotic systems and science instruments successfully operating on the surface of Mars , MDAs exploration heritage traces back over three decades of human spaceflight and Mars exploration. Today MDA supports US, Canadian, European, Russian, Japanese and commercial space programs from operating units across Canada, the US and Europe. Paragon Space Development Corporation provides environmental controls for extreme and hazardous environments. Paragon designs, builds, tests and operates premier life support systems and leading thermal control products for astronauts,  contaminated water divers, and other extreme environment adventurers, as well as for unmanned space and terrestrial applications. Space Exploration Technologies has developed a family of launch vehicles and spacecraft that increase reliability and reduce the cost of both manned and unmanned space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. As the first rockets developed in the 21st century, the Falcon series take advantage of the latest technologies, as well as 50 years of lessons learned in the aerospace industry. SpaceX is demonstrating that through simplicity, both reliability and low cost can be achieved in commercial space flight. Surrey Satellite Technology is the worldwide leader in the construction of small satellites. The British company provides a range of affordable satellite solutions to a variety of customers in the fields of Earth observation, science, technology demonstration, telecommunications and navigation. Thales Alenia Space has an enduring history in building habitable systems and has successfully developed a large number of pressurized elements for the International Space Station, including Node 2 3, Cupola, Columbus and ATV Cargo Carriers. Thales is also currently developing the pressurized cargo carriers for the Orbital Cygnus vehicle in the frame of the NASA Commercial Resupply Services initiative. Appendix C: Initial Mars One sponsors Byte Internet is a hosting provider with a strong emphasis on service and technology and focuses on professionals (web designers or companies). Byte was founded in 1999 and in recent years has grown very rapidly. (www.byte.nl) VBC Notarissen is an independent Dutch law firm with 3 branches. They have more than 70 employees in their offices in Amersfoort, Barneveld and Nijkerk. (www.vbcnotarissen.nl) MeetIn is a Dutch consulting company, established in 2004 by Dirk Aleven and is located in Utrecht, the Netherlands. New Energy.TV is an Dutch independent portal and internet station which focuses at the long-term process towards a sustainable energy supply in the Netherlands. Founding Partners are: Roelf van Til Productions and New Energy Works. The web station began on 1 January 2006. Dejan SEO is in a nutshell an Australian search engine optimization company. They have provided professional marketing services to a diverse clientele since 2001. Founded in Brisbane, the companys initial focus was providing consulting services for other marketing firms. Starting in 2008, Dejan SEO began offering search engine optimization services directly to the public as part of the newly-formed corporation SEO Pty Ltd. The company expanded internationally in 2009 opening two European offices and forming a business partnership in the United States.   Intrepid research development is an engineering company in the USA, Pittsburgh area founded in 2011 by two Penn State honors graduates, Timothy Baxter and Joshua Vogel. They focus on optimizing research development and providing consultancy and services to other companies. Adknowledge, the fourth largest advertiser marketplace, specializes in performance-based marketing solutions that help make the long tail web accessible to search engine advertisers. Since its founding in 2004, Adknowledge has grown organically and through acquisitions, including Miva, Super Rewards and Hydra, became the largest privately-owned internet advertising network. In 2011 Adknowledge raised over $200 million in debt and equity financing to fuel its growth.