Animals :: Environment, Natural Disasters, Extinction

We all studied the extinction of dinosaurs in middle school. We know that, two hundred fifty million years ago, more than 90% of the planet species became extinct. There have been five major mass extinctions during the life history of planet earth. Scientists now agree that we are experiencing a sixth major extinction. The big difference between the older events and now is, â€Å"unlike earlier extinctions, this one results from the work of a single species, Homo sapiens. We are relentlessly taking over the planet, laying it to waste and eliminating most of our fellow species† (Coyne 1). We should care about this man-made extinction for a lot of reasons, including the interconnectedness of life, our moral obligation to take care of our planet, and even economic factors. In the past, extinctions were caused by natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions during the Permian period, and asteroid impact during the Cretaceous extinction. These major events caused global warming by increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, and shut down photosynthesis by blocking sunlight with a huge cloud of debris. Both of these catastrophes altered the Earth’s climate radically, which caused the extinctions (Campbell 521-522). The current extinction is not being caused by natural factors, but by us. â€Å"Rates of species extinction have increased rapidly since the early Holocene epoch, chiefly due to activities of humans; further acceleration of extinction rates began approximately 1600 AD, with the onset of accelerated human population growth and expanded scope of agriculture† (Hogan 1). We have caused this destruction by overfishing/hunting, destroying habitats, increasing global warming with fossil fuels and pollution, and a general disregard for the res t of the life on Earth (Coyne 1). For many years it was thought that humans had hunted the Wooly Mammoth to extinction. It has been found that â€Å"the wooly mammoth went extinct primarily because of habitat loss due to changes in temperature, while human hunting acted as the final straw† (â€Å"Climate Change and Human Hunting Combine To Drive The Woolly Mammoth Extinct† 1). Animals have been hunted for food, trophies, medicines, and souvenirs. Many of the endangered species are targets, such as the Chinese tiger, which has been hunted for medical use over the last 1000 years (Hogan 3). Overfishing has caused the populations of large fish to be only 10% of the levels found in 1950.

The Mexican Drug War and Its Consequences

The Mexican Drug War and Its Consequences Despite President Felipe Calderon’s good intentions and determination to eliminate the drug cartels in Mexico, the Mexican government has not been able to stop the drug cartel’s operations (smuggling drugs, people and weapons to and from the USA) for many reasons. The drug cartels have proven to be powerful, well connected politically, well trained, well- armed, and manipulation of the masses. Therefore, it has been impossible for the Mexican government to stop cartels like La Familia from operating, and now the cartels have become a problem for the Unites States too.The Mexican cartels have proven to be unstoppable for the Mexican government. President of Mexico Felipe Calderon’s decision to send fifty thousand soldiers and twenty thousand federal police has not been enough to stop the cartel’s indiscriminate killings. According to the University of San Diego Trans-Border Institute of Analysis and Data, since Janu ary of 2007, 28,228 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico (Sandiego. edu). Going muscle to muscle with the cartels has proven to be the wrong decision. Sending all those troops and federal police has only served to increases the death toll.Cartels like La Familia are well armed and trained. According to intelligence, members of La Familia must complete three to six month training camp in Michoacan, conducted by ex-members of the Colombian or Mexican Special Forces. La Familia uses equipment, weapons, and uniforms similar to those of the Federal Investigations Agency, therefore operating without being detected in cities and on highways (La Familia Michoacana fact sheet, DEA). It is a fact that La Familia is well armed with weapons that come from the United States.La Familia has the connections and the money to buy these weapons; Calderon continues to send more troops to combat the cartel, but this military effort will not work. La Familia cannot be stopped since they kn ow how to manipulate the masses, by threats and targeting opposing citizens, and this makes the situation even worse for the Mexican government as they try to obtain help from citizens to capture the leaders. La familia has won the loyalty of many people through political and Christian beliefs, but mostly through intimidation.In the article â€Å"Silver or Lead,† we can see how a regional official named Veronica Medina has selective hearing in favor of La Familia. Medina is clearly in favor of La Familia even though she works for the Mexican government. It could be quite possible that Medina is on La Familia’s payroll. La Familia is known to win favors by offering monetary rewards. La Familia also intimidates people with violence; they take over a town and tell the mayor, â€Å"We want to work here. There will be no trouble, no crime, no drunkenness, nothing. † Then, they enforce their rules.Mayors are usually paid for their hospitality. It is silver or Lead (Fi nnegan 48). How can regional officials decline? Since they are substantially underpaid and their lives are threatened, they are almost forced if they don’t they face almost certain death at the hands of the cartel. As long as the Mexican government continues with this plan of combatting cartel, it will never see the end of the cartel. Mexico is a traditional Catholic country; most of the Catholics practicing in North America live in Mexico. La Familia uses this religious fervor to gain the sympathy of the people’s town.La Familia knows they will gain sympathy and new people who want to work for them if their organization somehow shows they are Christian believers. La Familia wants people to think that they only kill those who have committed a crime. According to William Finnegan â€Å"La Familia doesn’t kill for money, it doesn’t kill women, it doesn’t kill innocent people–only those who deserve to die. Everyone should know: this is divine justice† (Finnegan 40). These words were actually written on a sign left by La Familia at one of their assassination sites. Their propaganda implies the need for divine justice.They are trying every way possible to make people believe they are doing God’s work. The Mexican church has not said anything about it, and there are people who are led to believe that perhaps some of the violent works of the La Familia are necessary and maybe even justified. La Familia’s smuggling business has a big negative effect on America society and economy. Since La Familia is willing to pay the exorbitant amounts of money for necessary costly weapons, it entices Americans into breaking the law by getting involved in the illegally sales of arms.In February 2007, drug cartels gunmen attacked two offices of the Guerrero state attorney general’s office in the resort town of Acapulco, killing four officers and three secretaries. One of the rifles used in the attack was traced bac k to the United States (guns without borders). Federal agents say about 90 percent of the 12000 pistols and rifles that the Mexican authorities recovered from drug dealers in the United States are mostly from Texas and Arizona (McKinley 1). Every gun smuggler captured is sent to prison, and the government has to house him and fed him, costing taxpayers thousands of dollars a year.Drug addiction costs the U. S. billions in health care. According to the 2008 National Survey of Drug Use and Health, approximately three million Americans 12 or older initiated the use of an illicit drug. That is nearly 8000 people per day (2008 national survey of drug and health). More than half of all people arrested in the United States test positive for illegal drugs. Drug use is closely connected to robbery and property crime. Substances abused led directly to the death of 38000 Americans (Executive Office of the President of the United States).The drug cartels are clearly affecting America Society an d their economy. The U. S. government needs to work harder to implement regulations on its side of the border. The Mexican government has tried almost everything, but it has not been successful. If the Mexican Government continues with the same approach to the drug cartel problems ultimately the drug cartels will overturn the government. Mexico is a civilized nation, and will not likely go to civil war over the drug cartels; still nobody has tried to take the drastic measures needed. La Familia is more brutal. La Familia is more motivated to keep their power than the government is to stop them; consequently they are impossible to stop.Works Cited Executive Office of the President of the United States. Web. 7. Nov. 2010 â€Å"Guns Without Borders† The New York Times. Web. 6. Nov. 2010 James Mckinley, â€Å"U. S. Stymied as Guns Flow to Mexican Cartels†, The New York Times, April 15, 2009 â€Å"La Familia Michoacana Fact Sheet†, DEA. Web. 5. Nov. 2010 Sandiego. ed u. Web. 6. Nov. 2010 William Finnegan, â€Å"Silver or Lead†, The New Yorker, May 31, 2010, 40, 48 2008 National Survey of Drug Use and Health. Web. 6. Nov. 2010

Frankenstein, By Mary Shelley - 931 Words

In Frankenstein, nature and anatomy are linked, and through an innate reaction, these differences are rejected. Despite the monster language skills, passion, and cognizance, society rejects him due to his ugly form. Several differences between Frankenstein and his monstrous creation exits, but at the same time parallels do. However, Victor is accepted by the society and the monster is rejected. Victor’s and the monster’s problematic childhood, both result in their mutual destruction. The idea of conforming to the society that rejects him seems unfit. The monster, in particular, is an outcast from society, and the reader empathizes with his subsequent rage of being outcast. His isolation allows for the realization that an â€Å"increase of knowledge only discovered to [him] more clearly what a wretched outcast† he is (Shelley 145). Even though the novel Frankenstein focuses on the cultural struggles of society during Shelley’s lifetime, the Enlightenment, a n intellectual movement during the time of the novel, focuses on trying to question our own perceptions, whether it be accepting an idea or a person or a monster that is â€Å"shunned and hated by all mankind†; the ideas of the Enlightenment fail to reflect on the society of Frankenstein (156). After looking at the monster, people come to an instant realization about his internal qualities. Although judgment of internal qualities is believed to be based off those qualities, the judgment of external appearance masks the judgment ofShow MoreRelatedFrankenstein, By Mary Shelley1650 Words   |  7 Pagesbook of Frankenstein does one just think of a mythical science fiction book that really has no meaning? Frankenstein can have numerous meanings depending on how a person perceives it. Frankenstein can be analyzed into many themes; some say religion, feminism, or scientific symbolization, it all depends on ones own perception. When one analyzes further into Mary Shelly’s l ife and then interprets the novel it is obvious that is a sociological theme. One can simply assume that Mary Shelley creates FrankensteinRead MoreFrankenstein by Mary Shelley1093 Words   |  4 Pagesfaster than man can contend with. That argument is the premises, moral, and plot base for Mary Shelleys tale Frankenstein. On the other hand, J. Michael Bishops, essay Enemies of Promise   on the other hand promotes and boast sciences achievements. However, Mary Shelley presents her point of view subtly yet very dramatically, which is much more effective than that of J. Michael Bishop. The dramatic story Shelley creates becomes a part of the reader, therefore holding the readers attention. ShelleysRead MoreMary Shelley Frankenstein859 Words   |  4 Pages Mary Shelley The Creature in Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus† needs a companionship as every ordinary human. Every man needs a woman, who will able to share moments of happiness and sadness, a woman who will be able to share thoughts and of course a woman who will be able to love a man. In this case the Creature needs a bride. But the problem is that the Creature from the â€Å"Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus† is not a human. SoRead MoreFrankenstein, by Mary Shelley1138 Words   |  5 PagesIs Frankenstein a man, whose ambition led to a disaster; or a monster, which created a life with disregard for the human race? Frankenstein, in my opinion, was the monster not the life that he had created. Frankenstein never admitted to his family what he had done, never admitted responsibility for his actions. He might as well have killed Elizabeth, William, Justine, and Clerval with his own hand. The so called â€Å"Monster† only wanted companionship; he did not want to murder those people. TheRead MoreFrankenstein, By Mary Shelley1325 Words   |  6 PagesI have been informed that you are pushing to remove the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley from the school curriculum. I’ve decided to write to you and explain why I believe that you are misinformed, and in fact, why this is a huge importance to the students of today. Frankenstein is a classic which recounts the life and horrors of Victor Frankenstein, as told through a series of letters and narrations. His obsession with the natural world and science brings him to a state of mind which ultimatelyRead MoreFrankenstein, By Mary Shelley1580 Words   |  7 PagesFrankenstein by Mary Shelley is a sci-fi novel written during the Romantic Movement in Britain’s early nineteenth century. The movement was stimulated by the French Revolution, Industrial Revolution and in reaction against the emphasis on reason in eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosophy (The Romantic Movement, 2014 ). Mary Shelley’s husband, Percy Shelley was also a romantic poet during the movement. Shelley’s novel is evidently influenced by her relationship with her husband, which is illustratedRead MoreFrankenstein by Mary Shelley739 Words   |  3 Pagesinterconnections of humanity, nature, and divinity (â€Å"Romanticism 1†). English Romanticism being trendy in Europe, people would vent their outlooks onto their personal fiction works such as Mary Shelley. Shelley uses vivid creativity and romantic elements to create one of her admired novels, Frankenstein. In Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, most of the characters prove their compassion for mankind, prove their rejection of technology and science, and prove their involvement in a romantic quest. These several characteristicsRead MoreFrankenstein, By Mary Shelley1040 Words   |  5 Pages In 1818, a book titled Frankenstein was published anonymously, mysteriously dedicated to William Godwin, a prominent journal ist and political philosopher of his time. The immediate reviews of the novel were mixed, most edging towards critical, although no one knew who the book was written by. However, while Frankenstein failed to gain popularity immediately, no one had any idea the lasting impact this novel would have on the world. Despite the lukewarm reception at its debut, it soon proved to beRead MoreFrankenstein, by Mary Shelley1078 Words   |  5 PagesMary Shelley’s Frankenstein has undoubtedly withstood the test of time. Frankenstein’s direct association with fundamental Gothic literature is extremely renowned. However, the novel’s originality is derived from the foundational thematic values found within the relationship (or lack there of) between Victor Frankenstein and the monster he had created, in combination with a fascinatingly captivating plot. Understandably, Frankenstein can often be associated with a multitude of concepts; however,Read MoreFrankenstein, By Mary She lley1532 Words   |  7 PagesLike any author, especially one who created a new genre, there will be criticism, and Shelley is no exception. Shelley received criticism surrounding Frankenstein not only because she was a female writer, but because of her writing style. Originally, Frankenstein was published anonymously and was thought that her husband, Percy Shelley, wrote it (â€Å"Mary Shelley Biography† 2016). Shelley may have published Frankenstein anonymously because â€Å"’women understood that they got a â€Å"better hearing† if it was thought