Juxtaposing Viewpoints on Genetic Species Revival Essay -- genetic engi

Though it may seem that the issue of species revival through a means of genetic science is a modern idea, similar arguments throughout the past also hold relevance to the modern issue of genetic species revival. To better understand the issue as it becomes more prevalent, it is important to examen different perspectives that span many centuries time, generating new insight on the issue. Examining different perspectives on the perceived human influences on species extinction vs. natural law and lack of adaptability, and give a determination on the ethical implications to society and ecology from the above arguments and philosophies from each viewpoint. Through these key statements, the arguments on genetic species revival can be effectively argued. The premise of the entire argument for and against genetic species revival rests with either the belief in human influences on species, or natural law. Human influences as a cause for species extinction is a recent idea which author Carl Zimmer gives a his main reason for favoring genetic species revival. â€Å"If we’re talking about species we drove extinct, then I think we have an obligation to try to do this† (Zimmer 451). In the authors opinion, human influences trump natural law, which he would consider to be an outdated and non-effective way of looking at how species become extinct. Therefore, because natural law is only a way of looking at how species become extinct, it is not a solution to species extinction. Thus, genetic species revival is the only way which human influences can be combated and the problem of species extinction can be solved. True, human influences may be a new idea ascribed as reason to species extinction. Yet Charles Darwin, an 19th century natural b... ...ophies from each viewpoint. From these statements, the issue of genetic species revival can be argued and a real and ethical solution to the issue derived. Works Cited Darwin, Charles, and David Quammen. On the Origin of Species. New York: Sterling, ! ! 2008. Print.! Leakey, Richard E., and Roger Lewin. The Sixth Extinction: Biodiversity and Its ! ! ! Survival. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1996. Print.! "Marcus Tullius Cicero Quotes." Marcus Tullius Cicero. European Graduate School ! ! EGS, 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.! Parry, Roland L. "Ancient Beasts Roam Spain's Wilderness." NewsDaily.com. Agence ! ! France Presse, 02 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. ! Zimmer, Carl. "Bringing Them Back to Life." Good Reasons With Contemporary ! ! ! Arguments. 6th ed. Ed. Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer. San Francisco: Pearson, ! ! 2014. 445-451. Pearson eText. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.!

MBA Admissions Essays - The Island :: MBA College Admissions Essays

There were no tropical bands, smiling islanders, or readily available sun tan lotions. There were, however, three gentlemen dressed in army fatigue sporting rifles and an unhappy disposition. Margarita Island looked more like the stage for a military coup than a vacation paradise. What awaited us on the small plot of land 20 miles north of the Venezuelan coast was a run-down hotel, Porto Fino Mare. Arriving with seven classmates from school and a plane full of American tourists, it felt as if the island's population had doubled with our arrival. We tried to make the best of a bad situation, after all, there was still an abundance of blue sky and crystal clear ocean. Although all seven of us attended the same school, we were still just acquaintances. By the third night on the island we made a rotting bamboo table our source of entertainment. Sitting around that table, we were forced to occupy ourselves with something novel, conversation. At first, dialogue sounded like group therapy. Where are you from? What brings you to this island tonight? Over time, however, our discussion shifted to deeper waters. Some of my classmates knew that I had been running an internet company, but nobody knew exactly what or how I was doing it. I explained about the two books I had written and went into detail about how I was using the internet as a marketing tool. I talked about the weird looks I received from peers, while printing out thousands of pages in the school library. Â   My friends seemed genuinely interested in how I could manage a successful company, but what happened next surprised me. My normally reserved school acquaintances became enthralled. They started offering new ideas and directions for my business.

Environment on Darfur After the Conflict Essay

The world has experienced a lot of conflicts for quite a long time throughout history. All the time there is a conflict, the damages caused is mostly documented in terms of how many casualties have been reported, and the impact it has caused on the economy. It is however rare to hear people talking on the effects these conflicts can have on the natural environment or which steps have been taken to protect the natural environment from such conflicts. The natural environment for a long time has been a silent victim of the conflicts that occurs either locally or internationally leaving the repercussions to be felt for quite some time. In many cases, the impact the war and other conflicts have been having on the environment has been generally very devastating. There are many pollutants that are released in the environment during the war which can end up affecting the natural resources. On the other hand, there are other natural resources that are depleted during the conflict leaving the environment at a worse position. A major problem is that most of the current conflicts are witnessed in the developing countries which do not have the economic capacity to deal with the environmental problems hence causing a major setback. Africa has had quite long cases of civil wars some which started during the colonial period and still taking place to now. These countries have been mostly been fighting over the borders which were drawn by the colonial powers for their on interests. Most of the wars taking place in Africa are as a cause of fighting for natural resources such as fertile farming land or water. Due to the long history of these civil wars in Africa, it is difficult to know exactly what these conflicts have caused to the environment. However, looking at the rate of the loss of biodiversity in the affected regions, it can be easy to realize how serious the situation has left the damage to the environment. Darfur Conflict and the Impact It Has Caused on the Environment Southern Sudan has witnessed along civil war that has caused many nations through the United Nations body and the African unity to try and broker peace in the region and bring things to the normal situation. The conflict that is being witnessed in the region right now is considered as a war between the different ethnic and tribal lines (IRIN, para 2). The sides that are mostly conflicting are the government’s military and the Janjaweed group. There are other rebel groups that have also made the situation to be worse. The major cause of the war in Sudan has been attributed to fighting for water between the Baggara nomads who moved to the south, a region mostly occupied by the farming communities to search for water. This conflict has led to many casualties being reported throughout. Despite putting in place a government of national unity, and increasing the presence of the African Union Peace keepers, the situation has not improved in any way (Borger, para 2). There have been many reasons given as a source to the Darfur conflict, though the major reasons have been cited to be the increasing population which the current natural resources can not hold, hence making these people to fight for the scarce resources. On the other hand, there have been claims that the conflict is as a result of the Arab dominants intention to wipe out the black Africans. This has even made the United States to refer to this as a form of genocide in the area. Whichever the cause of the war, it has caused so many untold damages. The focus on this conflict has always been the number of people who have died in the region, or the number of those displaced. It is important that people’s life and welfare is put first. This is what has been the major concern of many bodies, organizations and other nations. However, like many other conflicts, little concern has put on what effect this conflict is causing to the environment (AP, para 6). As earlier argued, the war in Sudan was triggered by the environmental problems which led to the communities to fight over scarce resources. It is however a worrying trend that the continued conflict is further endangering the environment that is supposed to support the whole population. The environment has been made worse by this conflict and made the land to become uninhabitable. This means that the tension between the conflicting communities gets to be more intense when it occurs that the natural resources are not going to support all of them as expected (Beyrer, & Pizer pp 67). Environmental degradation in Darfur has been on the rise due to the continued conflict. It means that the conflict that started as a result of the environmental problems is being escalated by destroying the environment further. The issues in Sudan over the environment indicate how complex the environmental matters can be in the causing breach to peace. This region has witnessed the decreased cases of traditional methods of environmental management systems, and in some places being disregarded completely. The conflict over resources in Darfur was at a local level but expanded to national level where political and economic marginalization was heightened. Ethnic differences have contributed to making the matters worse to the situation. Therefore, despite having the political and economic factors leading to the problems in Darfur, the major issue surrounds natural resources (de Montesquiou, para 8). The Sudanese Arabs moved to the south to look for pasture for their animals due to the prolonged drought that was experienced in their regions. This led to them conflicting with the black farmers whose land the Arabs were grazing on. The grazing of the animals on the farming land worsened the situation as there was increased soil erosion which made land to be poor for farming. When the black farmers realized that the Khartoum government was indifferent in solving the matter, they rebelled against them. By rebelling, the people started to fight destroying many manmade and natural resources that were on the way (Borger, para 7). When the nomads inhabited the farming areas, they started to cut down the trees. To the farmers, the cut trees were very important as they provided shade for their crops and holding together the soil to avoid erosion. Due to the conflict of interest, these important natural resources were destroyed as they were caught in between the fighting. With no trees cover, the problem of lack of rainfall becomes even heightened, which is a big trouble to both the farmers and the nomads since they cannot be able to get rain that is important for the crops and animals respectively. Due to the bare land caused by the cutting of the trees, it has become harder for the farmers at the refugee camps to go back to their homes as they can not carry out any meaningful activities to such bare lands. With this kind of the situation, it becomes difficult to control human suffering without further harm to the environment (HPN, para 3) Many people have been killed in the conflict while millions of others have been living in the camps after being left homeless. At the camps, the refugees need to be given their basic needs. Water is a very important commodity that no human beings can do without. In fact as argued throughout, the conflict has been surrounding fighting for water resources. Therefore, while at the camps, the refugees have to be provided with water. This has led to the humanitarian organizations to dig boreholes to help the refugees get water. Considering that the land in Darfur is largely dominated by hard rocks, it means that the rains that fall in the short season mostly wash away, hence, the boreholes depends on the underground reserves. Considering the rate at which the reserves are being used, it is tough to imagine the consequences that await the Darfur people when the reserves will finally be depleted. The situation might lead to the refugees being moved to another region that can support them. There are already some areas that have reported the drying up of the boreholes. Apart from water, the refugees also need other resources for their daily work. There have been many trees that have been cut by the refugees near the camps to provide them with firewood. The trees are also cut and used to construct and reinforce the makeshift houses of the refugees. This implies that trees are being used at a higher rate than they are being replaced. There are some refugees who are involved in some economic activities. The common economic activity that the refugees are involved with is making mud bricks. The refugees are involved with this activity mostly because it does not need skilled labor, and the materials are readily available. A lot of water is usually used in the making of the bricks. A lot of water is used considering the dryness on most of the camp soils. Furthermore, since the refugees want to make a lot of money, they try to make as many bricks as possible. The more work they do, the many materials are required. The areas that the soil for making the bricks is dug usually leaves many holes indicating the rate at which the soil is being depleted. The formation of a layer of soil takes many years, however, the refugees depletes many layers in a very short time. It is very bad to notice that the fertile soils that can be used for agricultural production is actually used for the making bricks. These soils can not be replenished in the short run as it is being depleted. In the areas that the refugees remove the soils to make the bricks, they leave the tree roots exposed which contributes to the wilting of the trees (Homer-Dixon, pp 19). Therefore, this still adds the woes the refuges already have. Furthermore, since to make the bricks requires a lot of water, it means that the refugees have to compete on how to use the water for the domestic work and the production of the bricks. In the end, the action contributes to the hastened depletion of the water resources. The bricks cannot be complete if they have not been burnt in the kiln. The kiln requires using a lot of firewood. This means several trees have to be felled to be used in the kiln. One kiln can take as many as 35 trees for the bricks to be ready. This shows the impact this single activity can have on the important natural resources. There have been increased sand dunes in the areas that had once been covered by trees just a few years ago. This is all because of the refugees activities in trying to earn a living. Most of the dams in Sudan are drying and having a lot of sedimentation as a result of deforestation. Many dams have lost their holding capacity due to these reasons (HPN, para 8). Once the war comes to an end as is presupposed, the refugees will have to go back to their homes to start a new life. They will first need to rebuild their damaged homes, which will basically require that they cut more trees to build these homes. Considering the already cut trees in their former homes, there are therefore no trees left behind to cater for their needs. This implies the building materials will have to be sourced somewhere else, which automatically will be increasing the base of the damage to other regions. Having realized the impact the conflict is leading to the refugees affecting the environment, especially on trees, several organizations like the US aid have helped the refugees to design the cooking stoves that uses a completely reduced amount of fuel as a way of the saving the environment. This stoves though taken as a move to save the environment, it has a big impact on the social and cultural life (de Montesquiou, para 11). Since the conflict is between two ethnic groups with two distinct lifestyles, each group undertakes an activity that they think will destroy the other. For instance, the nomads usually graze their animals on the farmers’ crops. This leaves the farmers with nothing as their crops are destroyed by the animals. On the other hand, the farmers on their side burn the grazing lands for the nomads. This is even a worse action to take as it does not only affect the nomads in terms of lacking food, but it affects the farmers themselves in that the burning of the ground destroys the important living organisms that are found in the soil which helps in improving the soil fertility. This means that the soil is left unproductive which will affect both the nomads and the farmers in the long run. Furthermore, the nomads are used to grazing their animals and moving from one region to another after the feeds in that area have reduced. However, due to the conflict, the migration routes for the nomads were blocked by the farmers. This made it impossible for the nomads to move from one region to another with their animals, hence meaning overgrazing in one region. The overgrazed areas will generally have very poor production as there will be increased soil erosion (Homer-Dixon, pp 29). In general, humanitarian issues are usually given much priority over the environment as a short term solution to any crisis. Therefore, whatever actions that are taken by the involved bodies do not give much or even any consideration to the environment. For instance, when the refugee camps are set up, it is aimed at providing security and a better life to the refugees. No consideration is put on what activities the refugees are going to carry out that might affect the environment whether in the long or short run. This is being evidenced by the number of boreholes drying up in various refugee camps (HPN, para 16). There are hundreds of thousands of the Darfur refugees who have been granted asylum in Chad. The Chadian locals are thus forced to compete for the natural resources in their territory with the refugees. Putting in mind the activities the refugees are engaged with, and the major aims of the organization that are associated with the taking care of the refugees which are just humanitarian care, the refugees can have a very big impact on the environment of the host country. The refugees in the camps hopes for someday to go back home. This implies they cannot have long term projects that will help in the development and taking care of the region that has granted them asylum. This might make them to be at loggerheads with the host country and thus be denied the asylum (Gouroukoun, para 7). Furthermore, as the refugees enter the Chadian soil, it is not guaranteed that they have their safety. The Janjaweed have been following the refugees in their camps attacking them. This has also posed danger to the Chadian nationals making them to move closer to where there is security in their country. In essence, the Chadian people are not even free in their own land because of hosting the refugees. As the Chadian moves to the place they feel is more secure, they also cause congestion and constraint to the resources that are supposed to host them. There are many other effects that the conflict has caused to the environment. As the conflict rages on, both sides are heavily armed. The weapons used to attack one group leave a lot of damages to the environment. For instance, there have been many crops, homesteads and the grazing grounds for each group that have been burnt by the opposing group. The oils and chemicals used to burn these properties, and the residue of the burnt products find their ways into the water bodies contaminating them. This on the other hand affects the lives in the water bodies. Furthermore, as the crisis continues, weapons used like bombs have continued to pollute the environment and their effect left in the environment for along time affecting the quality of life. It is very difficult to find crops growing in a region that has experienced a battle field. This is because of the effect that the weapons and chemicals used in the process have on the environment. It is common to find that the areas that had been bombed can not sustain any agricultural activity. It thus means that as the communities fight over the scarce natural resources and keep on destroying them during the fight, it only helps in escalating the problem they are already facing (Homer-Dixon, pp 41). The Janjaweed and the other militias in the Darfur conflict are always in the hideout. Most of the hideouts are in the forests. This implies that they have to depend so much on the forests for their own needs. For instance, they have to cut down the trees to use for fuel, hunt wild animals for food, and all these activities upsets the natural environment settings. There are many regions that used to be occupied by trees and wild animals like the elephants and the antelopes but when looked at now are bare because of the activities that have been taking place in the regions. Conclusion The Darfur crisis has actually been said to have started for over three decades ago. However, it only escalated in 2003 when the current crisis became out of control. The major cause of the war has been attributed to lack of enough natural resources. The problem is that because the fights were due to the protection and the need to acquire more natural resources, it is ironical that the same resources are being destroyed. In essence, this seems to increase the problems already faced. This has created the vicious cycle of the war in the Darfur region. Therefore, unless the concerned bodies look for a way of dealing with the problem of these natural resources, it is not possible to stop this war despite the many peace agreements that might be signed by the leaders of the region. Work Cited AP. Darfur conflict worsens environment, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://platform. blogs. com/passionofthepresent/2007/06/darfur-conflict. html. Beyrer, Chris & Pizer, Hank. Public Health and Human Rights: Evidence-based Approaches; ISBN 0801886465, JHU Press, 2007. Borger, Julian. Darfur conflict heralds era of wars triggered by climate change, UN report warns, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. guardian. co. uk/environment/2007/jun/23/sudan. climatechange. de Montesquiou, Alfred. Darfur violence leaves environmental scars, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/19357602/. IRIN. SUDAN: Climate change – only one cause among many for Darfur conflict, 2007. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. globalsecurity. org/military/library/news/2007/06/mil-070628-irin03. htm. Gouroukoun. Chadians Increasingly Feel Impact of Darfur Conflict, 2006. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. voanews. com/english/archive/2006-04/2006-04-21-voa44. cfm. Homer-Dixon, F. Thomas. Environment, Scarcity, and Violence; ISBN 0691089795, Princeton University Press, 2001. HPN. Environmental degradation and conflict in Darfur: implications for peace and recovery, 2008. Retrieved on October 29, 2008 from http://www. alertnet. org/thenews/newsdesk/HPN/10adb58d76337a4eb2b436c319bf427e. htm.

Most Dangerous Game

The Most Dangerous Game† are examples of foil characters with two very different personlaties as well as characteristics. These two characters are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Zaroff is the hunter and Rainsford is the prey in this story. Also, General Zaroff has very unethical ideas and hobbies. This is very different from Rainsford's humane beliefs. Lastly, Zaroff is far more ostentatious compared to Rainsford, who is more resourceful with his hunting experience.It is clear that their character traits differ greatly. To begin, Zaroff and Rainsford have two very different roles in â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†. General Zaroff is perceived as the hunter and Rainsford is the prey. Zaroff presents a â€Å"game† where the two characters hunt each other. Although Rainsford wins this â€Å"game†, Zaroff is known as the hunter. This is because he is known for hunting humans. He has also never lost this â€Å"game† to any of his other opponents. Rains ford is seen as the prey (prior to him winning) because he is against hunting humans and considers it murder.He also appears to be afraid of Zaroff in he beginning. † I wish to leave this island at once† (Connel 175). This represents his fear. Knowing this, it is automatically assumed that Zaroff will hunt and kill Rainsford. To continue, the two characters are considered foils because they have different beliefs and morals. General Zaroff is open about his hobby of hunting humans. He even ridicules Rainsford by saying that he â€Å"harbors romantic ideas about the value of human life† (Connel 172). On the other hand, Rainsford's character hunts animals. He considers it murder to hunt human beings.Zaroffs reason for hunting humans is hat they are able to reason with the hunter, therefore making it more of a challenge to hunt them. One possible reason for this difference of morals are the nationality of the two men. General Zaroff is Russian while Rainsford is Amer ican. This could explain the difference because the culture and lifestyle of the two countries could cause its citizens to act in certain ways. Additionally, Zaroff and Rainsford are foil characters because of their behavior and character. In the story General Zaroff is ostentatious while Rainsford is more resourceful.Zaroff shows off his home and lifestyle when Rainsford is there. He also appears bossy in the story. He orders around Ivan and seems to brag about the people he is training in his basement. This might also be a reason that Zaroff loses the â€Å"game†. â€Å"‘To date I have not lost,' he said† (Connel 174). He underestimates Rainsford's abilities and is too confident about himself. He is sure that he will win the game. Rainsford is considered resourceful because he uses features of the forest to build traps for Zaroff and his dogs multiple times in the story. He also uses his Knowledge 0T nuntlng to create a trall tnats OITTlcult to Tollow Dy Laron. RalnsTora relies on his talents while Zaroff seems to rely on other sources such as the hounds. In conclusion, General Zaroff and Rainsford represent foil characters in â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†. They are two extremely different people with different beliefs and traits. Zaroffs character is an amoral one who likes to hunt humans. His character is also depicted as the showy and arrogant hunter. Rainsford on the other hand is ethical compared to Zaroff. He is also seen as the prey of the story. General Zaroff and Rainsford are very obvious examples of foil characters. Most Dangerous Game The Most Dangerous Game† are examples of foil characters with two very different personlaties as well as characteristics. These two characters are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Zaroff is the hunter and Rainsford is the prey in this story. Also, General Zaroff has very unethical ideas and hobbies. This is very different from Rainsford's humane beliefs. Lastly, Zaroff is far more ostentatious compared to Rainsford, who is more resourceful with his hunting experience.It is clear that their character traits differ greatly. To begin, Zaroff and Rainsford have two very different roles in â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†. General Zaroff is perceived as the hunter and Rainsford is the prey. Zaroff presents a â€Å"game† where the two characters hunt each other. Although Rainsford wins this â€Å"game†, Zaroff is known as the hunter. This is because he is known for hunting humans. He has also never lost this â€Å"game† to any of his other opponents. Rains ford is seen as the prey (prior to him winning) because he is against hunting humans and considers it murder.He also appears to be afraid of Zaroff in he beginning. † I wish to leave this island at once† (Connel 175). This represents his fear. Knowing this, it is automatically assumed that Zaroff will hunt and kill Rainsford. To continue, the two characters are considered foils because they have different beliefs and morals. General Zaroff is open about his hobby of hunting humans. He even ridicules Rainsford by saying that he â€Å"harbors romantic ideas about the value of human life† (Connel 172). On the other hand, Rainsford's character hunts animals. He considers it murder to hunt human beings.Zaroffs reason for hunting humans is hat they are able to reason with the hunter, therefore making it more of a challenge to hunt them. One possible reason for this difference of morals are the nationality of the two men. General Zaroff is Russian while Rainsford is Amer ican. This could explain the difference because the culture and lifestyle of the two countries could cause its citizens to act in certain ways. Additionally, Zaroff and Rainsford are foil characters because of their behavior and character. In the story General Zaroff is ostentatious while Rainsford is more resourceful.Zaroff shows off his home and lifestyle when Rainsford is there. He also appears bossy in the story. He orders around Ivan and seems to brag about the people he is training in his basement. This might also be a reason that Zaroff loses the â€Å"game†. â€Å"‘To date I have not lost,' he said† (Connel 174). He underestimates Rainsford's abilities and is too confident about himself. He is sure that he will win the game. Rainsford is considered resourceful because he uses features of the forest to build traps for Zaroff and his dogs multiple times in the story. He also uses his Knowledge 0T nuntlng to create a trall tnats OITTlcult to Tollow Dy Laron. RalnsTora relies on his talents while Zaroff seems to rely on other sources such as the hounds. In conclusion, General Zaroff and Rainsford represent foil characters in â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†. They are two extremely different people with different beliefs and traits. Zaroffs character is an amoral one who likes to hunt humans. His character is also depicted as the showy and arrogant hunter. Rainsford on the other hand is ethical compared to Zaroff. He is also seen as the prey of the story. General Zaroff and Rainsford are very obvious examples of foil characters.

Geography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Geography - Assignment Example The country I have chosen to discus is Estonia which is officially called the Republic of Estonia. Gulf of Finland borders it on the north, Baltic Sea lies on the west; it shares a border with Latvia on the south and to the east lies the Russian Federation. One of the primary centripetal forces acting on Estonia is the Estonian Language, which is very closely linked with Finnish and thus Estonians are Finnic people. Another centripetal force that acts on Estonia is Music; the Estonians have a tradition of â€Å"Estonian Song Festivals which emerged during that Estonian National Awakening in 1969. Presently, it is one of the largest amateur choral events world-over, and generally a choir comprises of about 18,000 people. Centripetal force acting on Estonia is the Estonian Constitution which guarantees absolute religious freedom, clear distinction between state and religion, the individual privacy in religious practices and affiliations. This leads for Estonia to have one of the highe st levels of irreligious individuals, the highest percentage is of religious followers is that of is Evangelical Lutheranism which has only 14.8% followers in the Estonian population. Estonia also possesses a very well-built information technology sector, it is also measured as the most â€Å"wired† and advanced country in the entire Europe in light of e-Government of Estonia. Estonia is expected to receive 3.4 billion Euros in the next few years which will be invested in the energy sector, economic and local development and welfare activities. The cultural indicators of language and music will also continue to bind the Estonian people, so I predict that these initiatives will boost the Estonian economy I the next ten years. The centrifugal forces acting on Estonia are in terms if their main industry and the impact they are having on the environment. Environmentally conscious individuals as well as the Estonian Government are very

Summary of The Pentateuch (From SOURCES GIVEN by me) Essay

Summary of The Pentateuch (From SOURCES GIVEN by me) - Essay Example These instructions are less explicit than the law sections of the books, and as such are open to interpretation. Despite the fact that these first five books of the Bible are known as the "five books of Moses", he is not considered the sole author. This label is more of a Jewish tradition; however the sections which are considered by Biblical scholars to be the oldest are also thought to have been authored by Moses. These sections include Exodus 21-23, the "Book of the Covenant" (Exodus 24-28), Numbers 33, Deuteronomy 5-21, and the Ten Commandments. Overall, it may be more accurate to say that the creation of the Pentateuch was inspired by Moses rather than it actually having been written by him. The Pentateuch is thought to be a compilation of documents created at different times in the history of the Israelites. The Pentateuch as it is known today was not compiled earlier than the fifth century B.C.E. There are a number of opinions concerning the date of origin of Pentateuch documents; the most widely accepted of these was formulated by Julius Wellhausen in the nineteenth century. According to this theory, a document known as "J" (Jahwist) is the oldest known written source, written in the ninth century B.C.E. The "E" document (Elohist) was written in the eighth century, and these two sources were edited into one in the seventh century. Deuteronomy dates from 621 B.C.E. and was added in the sixth century. Around 400 B.C.E., the last document, known as the Priestly Work, was added. Alternative theories include the possibility that the J document is actually the youngest of the four rather than the oldest. Recent work has developed theories on the intent of the authors of these works. Overall, it is thought that the main intent was to use their presentations of Israel's traditional history to convey important messages. For example, the Jahwist document addresses the "age of Solomon" and urges Israelites to live in accordance with the commands of Abraham of Genesis. The Elohist document urges Israelites to shun foreign cults, the book of Deuteronomy emphasizes the importance of the unity of Israel, and the Priestly Work emphasizes the authenticity of Israel's religious and cultural traditions. Another analytical technique is a "form-critical" approach which examines the literary forms (for example moral story, saga, or tale) of the books to determine their role in every day life. This approach reconstructs the historical background in which the documents were written. An analysis by Martin Noth detected five major themes of the Pentateuch: God's promise to the Israelites, their exodus from Egypt, their time spent in the wilderness, the giving of God's law, and His guidance in the Israelites new land. A third technique which examines oral composition and transmission of the Pentateuch writings questions the idea of the Pentateuch as a primarily written document. The book of Genesis can be seen as an oral composition which reflects several different influences (due to differences in representation and small discrepancies in detail). Themes The last four books of the Pentateuch, which follow Moses from birth to death, are part of a strong narrative theme. However, to regard the Pentateuch as

United States Coast Guard Maritime law enforcement seizure of boats, Research Paper

United States Coast Guard Maritime law enforcement seizure of boats, weapons, and contraband - Research Paper Example The paper reflects the role of the Coast Guard of US which enquires, inspects and searches the waters for the violators of United States maritime laws including traffickers of drugs, arms and to prevent illegal human migration. Introduction The United States have entered into a number of counter-narcotics agreements with different countries. In total there are 25 countries which have a law enforcing agreement including 3 countries that entered into the agreement after the completion of military installation in the Panama Canal in 2000. The countries include many of the Latin American countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela etc. The agreements are based on a number of clauses and allow the coast guards different degree of freedom to enforce the maritime counter-narcotics laws of the United States. According to the ship-boarding provisions the authorities of United States can take quick permission from the other countries for the coast guards to search a vessel for illegal trafficking. In some cases no permission are required from the respective countries to board and search the vessel. Most of the countries except El Salvador, Netherlands Antilles and Aruba and Turks and Caicos have this agreement with the United States. According to the ship-rider provision the coast guards can position officers on the vessels of the countries. Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Venezuela are the only countries that do not have an agreement of ship-riding with the United States. Pursuit provision has given the Coast Guards the ability to chase a vessel or aircraft into the territories of different country or search their vessel in the absence of available vessel or aircrafts of the country. All the countries have agreed on this provision except for Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Turks and Ca icos and Venezuela (United States Government Accountability Office, 2005, pp. 39-40). Role of Coast Guard Coast Guard is one of the premier forces for the enforcement of laws and has a high number of arrests and seizures each year (Roach, Smith, 1996, p. 491). The following table shows the removal statistics of Coast Guard Drug removal (year wise) in pounds United States Coast Guard, 2011 Narcotics One of the major duties of the United States coast guard is to identify and interdict the drugs smuggled through water mainly by the small sea vessels. Near the coastal areas the coast guards ensure the enforcement of drug laws in collaboration with the United States Customs Service. Further away into the ocean the US coast guards are the primary force responsible for enduring the drug laws. The major regions of duty of the force rest in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and in the region of South Florida. In the former two areas the force looks out for mother ships that transfer their ca rgo to the smaller boats which carry it to the coasts. Apart from the drugs the other items of marine trafficking are arms and illegal human transport. The United States coast guards also carry out regular missions to prevent these kinds of trafficking. The force also ensures that the United States marine reserves like fisheries and other reserves are protected from the outsiders. Often the vessels of transport are seized by the force (Kash, Cross, 1987, 34-35; University of Virginia). In 1994, 28 vessels were seized by the United States Coast Guards which is a sharp decline from the previous year’s trends. Most of these vessels were carrying large