Factors Affecting Academic Interest Essay Example for Free

Factors Affecting Academic Interest Essay A NOAA (AOML) in situ pCO2 sensor (SAMI-CO2), attached to a Coral Reef Early Warning System station in Discovery Bay, Jamaica, utilized in conducting ocean acidification studies near coral reef areas Australia Main article: Environmental threats to the Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the worlds largest coral reef system.[46][47][48][49] The reef is located in the Coral Sea. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Particular environmental pressures include runoff, salinity fluctuations, climate change, cyclic crown-of-thorns outbreaks, overfishing, and spills or improper ballast discharge. Southeast Asia See also: Southeast Asia coral reefs Southeast Asian coral reefs are at risk from damaging fishing practices (such as cyanide and blast fishing), overfishing, sedimentation, pollution and bleaching. Activities including education, regulation and the establishment of marine protected areas help protect these reefs. Indonesia Indonesia is home to one third of the worlds corals covering nearly 85,000 square kilometres (33,000 sq mi) and one quarter of its fish species. Indonesias coral reefs are located in the heart of the Coral Triangle and have fallen victim to destructive fishing, tourism and bleaching. Data from 414 reef monitoring stations in 2000 found that only 6% are in excellent condition, while 24% are in good condition, and approximately 70% are in poor to fair condition.[50] Philippines In 2007, Reef Check, the worlds largest reef conservation organization, stated that only 5% of Philippines 27,000 square kilometres (10,000 sq mi) of coral reef are in excellent condition: Tubbataha Reef, Marine Park in Palawan, Apo Island in Negros Oriental, Apo Reef in Puerto Galera, Mindoro, andVerde Island Passage off Batangas. Philippine coral reefs is Asias second largest.[51] Taiwan Coral reefs in Taiwan are being threatened by human population growth. Many corals are affected by untreated sewage and souvenir-hunting tourists, not knowing that this practice destroys habitat and causes disease. Many corals have turned black from disease off Taiwans southeast coast.[52]- Indonesia Indonesia has 2,915,000 square kilometers of marine area. The reef area is 51,020 square kilometers. Of that amount, 82% of it is at risk. Indonesia holds 17% of the worlds total coral reef areas. Blast fishing, which has been illegal since 1985 still goes on today, along with cyanide fishing (1995). Another factor that is hurting the coral reefs in Indonesia is the amount of coral that they export. They are the worlds largest exporter of corals, exporting about 500 tons of coral per year.[16] COREMAP is helping Indonesia with their destruction of corals by working in 9 of the 32 provinces. They want to: 1. Heighten law enforcement to protect coral reefs; 2. Establish coral reef monitoring and information systems, in order to conduct research on the status of coral reefs and more effectively disseminate that information to stakeholder groups; 3. Develop community-based management systems and increase public participation in coral reef resource management; 4. Increase institutional capacity and strengthen inter-institutional coordination in planning and implementing policy that affects coral reef management, and; 5. Enhance public knowledge of the importance of coral reef and motivate people to actively participate in the management and sustainable use of coral reefs. Philippines The Philippines, with more than 7,000 islands and warm ocean waters, surround about 26,000 square kilometers of coral reef. [3] These coral reefs have recently brought the attention of beneficial economic uses to the Philippines government.[4] Benefits of Coral Reefs in Philippines 1. Coral reefs break the waves from the chance of eroding the coastline of the islands; [5] 2. Protection of Communities: â€Å"the reefs act as buffer zones† meaning they decrease the power of typhoons and hurricanes as they approach the Philippine Islands; [6] 3. Economic Benefits: Fishing off the coral reefs, profits from tourism, for example, Diving tours and snorkeling areas on the shallow reefs. These economic benefits create many new jobs and profitable opportunities to the country. State For the past 50 years, the proportion of degraded reefs in Indonesia increased from 10 to 50%. From 1989 to 2000 reefs with over 50% live coral cover declined from 36 to 29%. Western Indonesia, which is more developed and holds the majority of the nations population, faces the greatest threats to its coral reefs. Surveys concluded that reef condition improves from west to east. The percentage of reefs in good or excellent condition (live coral cover of 50% or more) is 23% in western Indonesia versus 45% in eastern Indonesia. 65% of surveys taken from the Maluku islands had evidence of bomb damage. In addition, reefs affected by land-based pollution (i.e. sediment discharge into reefs by deforestation, industry, sewage, and fertilizer) show 30-50% less diversity at depths of three meters and 40-60% less diversity at 10 meters in comparison to pristine reefs. The 1997-1998 el Nino event triggered widespread bleaching in Indonesia, with western and west-central Indonesia most affected. Bleaching was recorded in East Sumatra, Java, Bali, and Lombok. In the Seribu Islands northwest of Jakarta, 90-95% of coral reef from the reef flat down to 25 meters died. Two years later, the Seribu Islands significantly recovered, with live coral cover of 20-30% (2000). Coral reefs in Indonesia are located near Java (Batavia), Nusa Dua, Jakarta and Saribu. [8] 30% of the Philippines coral reefs are dead while 39% are dying. The news isnt all bad: Establishment of the Sumilon Island marine reserve has resulted in a marked comeback of fish in adjacent areas. Along with the establishment of the Sumilon Island marine reserve, there is hope for the Philippines via boosts in ecotourism. In recent years, local Filipino governments have discovered that fishing is not the only economic benefit the reefs can provide. They are confident that with a spread of ecotourism, even local fishermen will reap the financial benefits of this economic sector. A surge in coral reef conservation education is helping the tourism sector provide information to tourists on how to preserve the coral reefs while they enjoy the beauty and serenity of the reefs.[17]The Philippines ecotourism sector is unfortunately stifled at this time due to a limited budget and there are approximately 7,000 islands to patrol for destructive fishing techniques.[8] [9]. Destructive fishing techniques are thought to be the largest contributor to reef degradation in the Philippines. The first ever mass-bleaching event in the Philippines was reported in 1998-99. It began at Batangas, off Luzon, in June 1998 and then proceeded nearly clockwise around the Philippines, correlating with anomalous sea-surface temperatures. Most reefs of northern Luzon, west Palawan, the Visayas, and parts of Mindanao were affected. Subsequent mortalities were highly variable, with decreases in live coral cover ranging from 0.7 to 46 percent and up to 80 percent in Bolinao. Recent surveys in 1997 found a low percentage of reefs to be in excellent condition. They found only 4 percent of Philippine reefs in excellent condition (i.e., over 75 percent hard or soft coral cover), 28 percent in good condition (50-75 percent coral cover), 42 percent in fair condition (25-50 percent coral cover), and 27 percent in poor condition (less than 25 percent coral cover). The Visayas have experienced the most significant decline in coral cover, exhibiting an average of only 11 percent hard coral cover. [10] A study in the early 90s revealed that coral reefs are damaged by a variety of human activities such as household sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural chemicals from land that are washed to the sea. [11] This was a new finding for the time period in which it was widely believed that the main damage to coral reefs was causes by oil spills or from pollution dumped by ships. This survey was concentrated on SE Asia mainly because it was believed that coral reefs in this region were at great threat of extinction if continued to be unmanaged. In the last thirty years climate change has had the most harmful effect on corals. (Hughes) Currently one of the major issues the Indonesian government is dealing with is climate change. (CIA Worldfactbook) When the ocean warms such as in El Nino, coral bleaching occurs, which kills the coral. (Hughes) The reefs are incredibly important to the economy and people of Southeast Asia. The reefs bring in $1.6 billion a year through fishing, employment, and the tourist industry. (Reefs at Risk in Southeast Asia Key Findings 2002) Today, the coral reefs located in the Philippines and Indonesia are in great danger. Fishermen are constantly practising dangerous methods such as blast fishing and dynamite fishing. These practices prove to be detrimental to the coral reefs as well as the marine life in the surrounding areas. Because of the dangerous methods, fish that are usually near the coral reefs are no longer there any more. Two of these fish are Groupers and snappers. According to David Nockels it was only seven years ago that 30% of the reefs were dead in this region and many more were dying Marine protected areas Amongst the many proposed solutions to the problems plaguing coral reefs in Southeast Asia is the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs). Currently marine protected areas make up around 8% of the area of Southeast Asian coral reefs.[26] The World Commission on Protected Areas [12], amongst other groups, has been active in establishing MPAs in Southeast Asia. However, the success rate of MPAs in Southeast Asia is low, with an estimated 14% of MPAs rated effectively managed.[30] [13] This rate reflects the difficulty of implementing MPAs. Moreover, it shows that much work is still needed to make MPAs successful in Southeast Asia. IUCN has defined an MPA as â€Å"any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment†.[31] In other words, an MPA is a marine area in which the water column and all the life that exists in it are protected through laws. These laws restrict certain practices within the MPA, which can differ per MPA. Marine protected areas, in sum, provide a marine sanctuary which can foster an increase in marine biodiversity.[32] (See also: [14]). This increased biodiversity is though to be able to carry over to the non-protected surrounding areas in which fishing can take place. This is important for a number of reasons. In the Southeast Asian context, especially amongst the islands of the Philippines and Indonesia, the sea and people are very much interconnected. As mentioned, the sea provides both a source of income and source of food for the people. In the Philippines, for example, 67% of protein food consumption comes from fish and fish products. Additionally, roughly one million people in the Philippines are employed in the fishing industry.[33] Increased fish stocks resulting from marine protected areas only add to the solutions needed to revitalize Southeast Asian economies, life systems, and coral reefs. In addition, the LMMA (Locally-Managed Marine Area) Network is another organization that takes part in the Southeast Asia marine conservation. Similar to the MPA, the LMMA also provides protection areas in the sea. However, according to the definition above, an LMMA is an example of an MPA because an MPA includes a large space within and close by the area. The LMMA involves members from around the world, and the communities within the managed areas. The goal of LMMA is to allow members and local communities to learn the uses of protected resources.[15] Due to the massive destruction of coral reefs in Southeast Asia, the LMMA has established two areas in Eastern Indonesia: Padaido Islands, Biak, West Papua, and Southern Ambon Island and the Moluccas Islands; and various areas in the Philippines. With the help of the LMMAs, the local communities would learn to preserve their marine goods, and be able to maintain for longer years. Gradually, the communities will accommodate bigger and healthier fish. [16] There are an estimated 400 MPAs in the Philippines. Of the 400 only 16% have yielded an increase in bio-diversity. The high failure rate is due to poor management and a lack of regulation.[34]Despite the numerous failures there have been successes. One of the best known areas is Apo island where a small community has effectively managed an MPA since the mid 1980s. The Apo MPA includes a ban on detrimental fishing practices and a no-take zone covering 10% of their reef. Apos reef has thrived giving hope to Philippine reefs.[35] Contributions for management The state of the coral reefs in the Philippines and Indonesia are depleting with every blink of an eye. It is to no one’s surprise that the Philippines have lost more than 80% since the 1920s. In Indonesia it is a little better due to the some drastic actions made by the government. On December 6, 2002 the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a US$33 million loan in order to save what is the rest of these important organisms. Over fishing, illegal fishing methods, and overpopulation have all contributed to the decline of the coral reefs both in the Philippines and Indonesia. Along with the loan the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Project (Phase II), the second part of a three phase plan has given us all hope in restoring coral reefs in this part of the region. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries will oversee the whole entire project with a due date of June 30, 2009. If it all goes according to plan the fishing industry will be the benefited the most. However, government action is not always necessary to manage reefs. When the community dependent on the resources provided by coral works together to save and restore the fish population, the results can be very good. The community managed reefs of Apo Island, located in the southern Philippines, known worldwide for its success. The waters around Apo Island are home to about 650 species of fish and 400 species of corals. The waters of Apo Island were not always this full of life. Fishing is the major occupation on the island, and even those who do not fish, rely on the catch for their protein. So when a fishermans catch began shortening, after years of unregulated fishing, it was very easy for them to resort to destructive methods of fishing,such as blast fishing and cyanide fishing, to get by. These methods almost led to the end of the already dwindling fish stocks. The community began, through education and widespread involvement, the process of making these practices socially unacceptable.[36] People began patrolling the waters in a small area with the intention of allowing fish to flourish and repopulate and then spill over into areas that had been fished out. This informal establishment of a sanctuary was first met with a lot of resistance, eventually though, after seeing the obvious improvements, the island community and local council were able to formalize the sanctuary in 1985, three years after it started. This formalization extended the sanctuary to water surrounding the island up to 500 meters from the shore and declaring a portion a no-take fish sanctuary.[37] To manage the coral reefs effectively to preserve what is left of the beautiful natural resource, individual people must unite. If the marine ornamentals trade is to successfully turn around and begin to sustain more live fish, certain people must perform their jobs to the fullest. Firstly, there if lobbyists are responsible about the issue, they will provide healthy animals, maintain healthy reefs, sustain reef animal populations, and adequately compensate fishing communities for their efforts. Also, responsible industry operators must minimize animal mortality and habitat impacts and focus on animal health and quality collection practices. The problem with this method, though, is that merely trust and word of mouth arent enough. If we are to legitimately depleting the coral reefs in Southeast Asia, we must set international standards.

Catherine des Roches Epistle To Her Mother :: Catherine Roches Epistle Letter Essays

Catherine des Roches' "Epistle To Her Mother" The "Epistle To Her Mother" by Catherine des Roches of Poitiers discusses the very close and dear relationship that exists between mother and daughter. In this letter, the daughter gives a very detailed and vibrant description of the closeness and respect that she shares with her mother. She also reveals her thankfulness to her mother for all that her mother has bestowed upon her. She does this by taking a vow of silence at the end of the letter, which will allow her mother to live a longer and fuller life. In the letter, she wrote, "Since he [the Samian] wishes to speak, I will be silent, Mother, after humbly beseeching Divine Mercy that it please Him lengthen and prosper your days so that you may live a long life as example of the graces of Heaven" (Roches 254). In this letter, Catherine des Roches states facts and details by addressing many parallel points in an easy to read manner. Catherine des Roches does a very good job of consistently using parallel points that contribute to her effectiveness in getting her point across. This means of description allows the reader to grasp the depth of her gratitude and love that she holds for her mother. In the "Epistle To Her Mother," Catherine des Roches uses a very definite pattern of imagery, which includes her use of many mythological figures and activities as references to describe her mother and the relationship that they share. Catherine des Roches also refers to things such as the earth and nature. An example of this is when she says, "You quickened me as Prometheus, the earth which he himself formed" (Roches 253). In this letter, there is also a strong appeal to the senses with the use of words such as luminosity and illumines. Catherine des Roches wrote, "And just as the body in all its proportions, and the shadow in its width cannot be seen without light, so the brilliant luminosity of your mind illumines for us the narrow path where I pray" (Roches 253). According to The Oxford English Dictionary, luminosity means shedding light and illumines means to light up or to enlighten spiritually. These two words are very strong and appeal to the senses to a great degree.

Rhetorical Analysis on Thoreau’s Walden-Chapter33

Rhetorical Analysis-â€Å"Reading† in Walden Walden is a personal essay of Henry David Thoreau, as he goes into wood and writes his personal experiences by immersing himself in nature. By detaching himself from the society, Thoreau tried to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. His thoughts of understanding society or finding the â€Å"truth† are discussed on the third chapter â€Å"Reading. † This chapter constitutes a description of what Thoreau has gained from reading and an exhortation that the reader should seek for the vein of spiritual truth.Thoreau discusses the benefits of classical literature then argues that people of Concord should focus on adult’s education. He moans that most of the educated men in Concord disregard the classics of English literature and argues that townspeople should have spent money on building Lyceum instead of a townhouse. By using dichotomies, Thoreau differentiates himself from t he townspeople, and then he strengthens his argument by deifying the work of great poets.Thoreau’s studying of classical literature or his attempt to find the truths is prevalent in chapter â€Å"Reading†, but his thoughts are especially well-presented in the first paragraph of the chapter. Thoreau begins his paragraph with personal thoughts saying if men were more deliberate in choosing their pursuits, they would all become â€Å"students† and observers,† because that it is in their â€Å"nature† and â€Å"destiny. † By choosing scientific words, such as â€Å"observers†, â€Å"students†, and â€Å"nature† to describe his personal thoughts, Thoreau risks charges of elitism.Science is a study of nature and it is based on observation and experiment, whereas philosophy and literature is a study based on personal thoughts and insights. This is contrast to what other most writers argue. Most other writers and philosophers arg ue that while it is possible to think we know the truth in a situation, it is impossible to be certain. Since we cannot be certain of the truth, it is very difficult or even impossible to define what the â€Å"truth† is.However by stating that literature and philosophy can be answered in a definite way like science, Thoreau implicitly tells the readers that he is following the â€Å"right† track as other great poets have followed. This elitism is recurrent throughout in Walden, as he states the difference between great literature and the common reader later in this chapter. Thoreau contemplates that most people learn to read only for convenience and they are only satisfied with one great book, the Bible. He even ridicules the townspeople by comparing them to four years old children with a copy of Cinderella.It is possible that Thoreau purposely used the techniques in a planned way. If Thoreau had bluntly blamed the educated man in Concord from the beginning, his reader s, whom are mostly likely educated men from Concord or elsewhere, would have undoubtedly been offended. On the next sentence, Thoreau continues his assertion by introducing the theme of immortality through literature. Once again, he defies the work of great poets by stating that â€Å"we are mortal, †¦ but in dealing with truth, we are immortal. †(94, Thoreau) Thoreau implies that by writing or publishing great works, one can achieve immortality with his work.To further understand Thoreau’s concept on mortality, one must understand his background first. Walden was written in1845, three years after his beloved brother John, an amateur ornithologist. Suffering from his brother’s loss, Thoreau went to woods and started his career as a writer by writing Walden. Faced with the death of his brother, Thoreau probably needed to find an answer for mortality and Walden is his attempt to immortalize himself through writing. Continuing from mortality, Thoreau uses anot her metaphor, divinity. Thoreau mentions about Egyptian and Hindu philosophers and their divinity.It is interesting to see that Thoreau uses other religions, instead of using Christianity. It was written in mid-nineteenth century, and the traditional Christian beliefs were starting to crumble. Thoreau, coming from New England where Puritan religion is prevalent, would of course be familiar with Christianity and Bible. Other evidences in this paragraph also suggest that Thoreau was affected by this. As I mentioned on the last paragraph, Thoreau mentions about immortality and afterlife, which cannot be achieved in Christianity.Another example is the use of word â€Å"veil† in this paragraph. Throeau states â€Å"still the trembling robe remains raised, and I gaze upon as fresh a glory as he did. †(94, Thoreau) When people first think of Veil in religion, most people would think of Muslim women wearing hijabs, but considering that this was written in mid-nineteenth centur y, Thoreau probably was not considering Muslim. In fact, covering the hair is also religious commandment for Christian Women and it was meant to shield women’s hair from eyes of sinful men.Human beings can only perceive the divine through their senses in Christianity belief, while Thoreau, as a transcendentalist, suggests a more spiritual way to connect with divine by reading great literature. Thoreau then concludes this paragraph with a resemblance statement of great literature’s immortality. He says â€Å"That time which we really improve, or which is improvable, is neither past, present, nor future. †(94,Thoreau) Again he mentions immortality of the great literature and he is stating that these works are the â€Å"truth. Thoreau does not contemplate townspeople in this paragraph as much as the rest of chapter. Instead he focuses praising the great poets and even defies their work. This is part of his effort to convince readers his argument before he can crit icize other townspeople. By doing this, he wishes for townspeople to become more educated. He wishes that Concord spend money on arts and education as patrons in European nobles, but only finds that townspeople are spending money on farming and trade. By using dichotomy between townspeople and the great poets, he successfully distinguishes himself from townspeople.Then by using metaphors and comparison with Christianity, Thoreau asserts his opinion on education and tells his thoughts on finding the â€Å"truth. † By boldly putting himself to the same position as the other great poets, Thoreau successfully shows his strong will on reforming education. Yet, he risks his essay for elitism by simply stating that townspeople don’t care much about the literature and thus must be not interested in finding the truth. ? Work cited. 1. Henry David Thoreau, Walden. New York: The Modern Library, 1992. Print. 2. Walden Pond state Reservation

Nushu, a Woman-Only Language of China

Nushu or Nu Shu means, literally, â€Å"woman’s writing† in Chinese.   The script was developed by peasant women in Hunan Province, China, and used in Jiangyong county, but probably also in nearby Daoxian and Jianghua counties.   It nearly became extinct before its very recent discovery.   The oldest items are from the very early 20th century, though the language is assumed to have much older roots. The script was often used in embroidery, calligraphy and handicrafts created by women.   It is found written on paper (including letters, written poetry and on objects such as fans) and embroidered on fabric (including on quilts, aprons, scarves, handkerchiefs).   Objects were often buried with women or were burned. While sometimes characterized as a language, it might better be considered a script, as the underlying language was the same local dialect used also by the men in the area, and usually by the men written in Hanzi characters. Nushu, like other Chinese characters, is written in columns, with characters running from top to bottom in each column and columns written from the right to the left.   Chinese researchers count between 1000 and 1500 characters in the script, including variants for the same pronunciation and function; Orie Endo (below) has concluded that there are about 550 distinct characters in the script.   Chinese characters are usually ideograms (representing ideas or words); Nushu characters are mostly phonograms (representing sounds) with some ideograms.   Four types of strokes make u the characters: dots, horizontals, verticals and arcs. According to Chinese sources, Gog Zhebing, a teacher in South Central China, and linguistics professor Yan Xuejiong, discovered calligraphy used in the Jiangyong prefecture.   In another version of the discovery, an old man, Zhou Shuoyi, brought it to attention, preserving a poem from ten generations back in his family and beginning to study the writing in the 1950s.   The Cultural Revolution, he said, interrupted his studies, and his 1982 book brought it to the attention of others. The script was well known locally as â€Å"woman’s writing† or nà ¼shu  but it had not before come to the attention of linguists, or at least of academia. At that time, about a dozen women survived who understood and could write Nushu. Japanese professor Orie Endo of Bunkyo University in Japan has been studying Nushu since the 1990s. She was first exposed to the existence of the language by a Japanese linguistics researcher, Toshiyuki Obata, and then learned more in China at Beijing University from Professor Prof. Zhao Li-ming.   Zhao and Endo traveled to Jiang Yong and interviewed elderly women to find people who could read and write the language. Orie Endo: 1999 research report (English): Endangered System of Women’s Writing from Hunan China (presented at the Association of Asian Studies Conference, March, 1999.Orie Endo: Nushu in 2011, including information on a Japanese-made documentary â€Å"The Chinese Women’s Script for Writing Sorrow.† The area where it has been used is one where the Han people and the Yao people have lived and intermixed, including intermarriage and mixing of cultures.   It was also an area, historically, of good climate and successful agriculture. The culture in the area was, like most of China, male-dominated for centuries, and women were not permitted an education.   There was a tradition of â€Å"sworn sisters,† women who were not biologically related but who committed to friendship.   In traditional Chinese marriage, exogamy was practiced: a bride joined her husband’s family, and would have to move, sometimes far away, not seeing her birth family again or only rarely. The new brides were thus under the control of their husbands and mothers-in-law after they married.   Their names did not become part of genealogies. Many of the Nushu writings are poetic, written in a structured style, and were written about marriage, including about the sorrow of separation. Other writings are letters from women to women, as they found, through this female-only script, a way to keep in communication with their female friends.   Most express feelings and many are about sorrow and misfortune. Because it was secret, with no references to it found in documents or genealogies, and many of the writings buried with the women who possessed the writings, it’s not authoritatively known when the script began.   Some scholars in China accept the script not as a separate language but as a variant on Hanzi characters. Others believe it may have been a remnant of a now-lost script of eastern China. Nushu declined in the 1920s when reformers and revolutionaries began to expand education to include women and to raise women’s status. While some of the older women attempted to teach the script to their daughters and granddaughters, most did not consider it valuable and did not learn.   Thus, fewer and fewer women could preserve the custom. The Nà ¼shu Culture Research Center in China was created to document and study Nushu and the culture around it, and to publicize its existence.   A dictionary of 1,800 characters including variants was created by Zhuo Shuoyi in 2003; it also includes notes on grammar.   At least 100 manuscripts are known outside of China. An exhibition in China that opened in April, 2004, focused on Nushu. †¢Ã‚  China to reveal female-specific language to public - Peoples Daily, English Edition