Extinction of Dinosaurs due to Asteroid Impact Essay -- Exploratory Es

Extinction of Dinosaurs due to Asteroid Impact Nobody knows for sure exactly how the dinosaurs became extinct. However scientists have speculated for decades about possible events that caused the dinosaurs to die out. Possibilities range from asteroids, to volcanoes, to climate changes. One of the more popular or well-known extinction theories involves the belief that an asteroid struck the Earth, causing devastating effects, and triggering mass extinctions around the end of the Cretaceous period. The asteroid impact extinction theory began in 1980 with Luis and Walter Alvarez, a father and son team. They theorized that an asteroid struck the Earth at the close of the Cretaceous period, causing devastating effects and mass extinctions (Botzer 2004). Then, in the early 1990s, Alan Hildebrand, an associate professor at the University of Calgary, discovered the Chicxulub crater on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. This crater was 186 miles in diameter and six miles deep, and it was created when an asteroid hit the Earth approximately sixty-five million years ago. This asteroid is said to have strike the Earth with a force of 100 million to 300 million megatons of TNT (Recer 1993). With the discovery of the crater came the theory that this particular asteroid killed the dinosaurs and caused other mass extinctions. It was believed that the impact of the asteroid increased temperatures to above 20,000 degrees, sent massive tidal waves and earthquakes across the Earth, and fill ed the atmosphere with dust and chemicals, which blocked the sun. It was then hypothesized that the blocking of the sun led to drastic climate changes, allowing the Earth to cool, and creating a climate too cold for the warm-blooded dinosaurs (Re... ...me 300,000 years after the impact. We still don’t know for sure what happened to the dinosaurs, and there is a possibility that we never will know. However, several signs indicate that the Chicxulub asteroid probably created conditions that begin the decline of the dinosaurs. This was most likely followed by a second large impact, or several smaller impacts that caused drastic changes in the environment and resulted in the mass extinction. Works Cited Botzer, Angela. â€Å"That Asteroid Didn’t Kill Dinosaurs, Study Says.† National Geographic News. 9 Mar 2004. 31 Mar 2004 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news Keller, Gerta, et al. â€Å"Chicxulub Impact Predates the K-T Boundary Mass Extinction.† PNAS Online. 2 Mar 2004. 5 Apr. 2004 http://www.pnas.org/cgi Recer, Paul. â€Å"Crater Theory: Big Space Rock Did in Dinosaurs.† Times 17 Sep. 1993: National.

Gladwell Power of Context Analysis

Gladwell Power of Context Analysis Common belief in todays society would most likely base an individuals behavior on factors such as genes, upbringing, personal convictions, a persons history, personality, etc. These factors seem like reasonable and logical conclusions, but which is most significant? Is there anything missing? Malcolm Gladwell, a writer for The New Yorker and author of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference, has a special desire to come up with an answer to this question.In the chapter â€Å"The Power of Context: Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York City Crime† Gladwell examines this interesting question and comes up with an answer of his own. According to Gladwell the different conclusions listed above do play a role in determining how one behaves but are not the most significant factors. Gladwell believes that the immediate environment has the most significant influence on ones behavior, also referred to as his Power of Context theory.Although Gladwell understands that this theory might sound a bit crazy to most he stands by his belief by offering different means, both directly and indirectly, to help persuade his readers into accepting this â€Å"radical idea†. Gladwell presents a number of different studies which help substantiate his claim. He begins the chapter by discussing the transformation of the New York City subway system that took place in the late 1980’s. In the years leading into the transformation conditions on the subway were extremely poor with crime rates at a all time high.The Broken Window Theory, based on the same premise as the Power of Context according to Gladwell, was put into effect resulting in a dramatic decrease in the crime rate. Another study, held at Stanford University, examined what causes prisons to be such a nasty place; â€Å"was it because prisons are full of nasty people, or was it because prisons are such nasty environments that they make the people nas ty? † This study concluded that certain situations are powerful enough to â€Å"overwhelm people’s inherent predispositions. In other words, the participant’s surroundings caused what we consider mentally healthy people to crack and break down. In addition to the previous two studies mentioned, Gladwell also cites another study conducted by Princeton University. This study suggested that what you hold in your heart and your thoughts are less important in guiding your behavior than the immediate context; disproving the idea that personal convictions guide the way one behaves. Evidence is effective in Gladwells effort to convince readers that the immediate environment influences behavior significantly, but is not his only means in doing so.In addition to providing evidence to validate his claim, Gladwell also employs the use of rhetorical strategies. Rhetorical strategies are efforts made by an author to help persuade their readers into accepting their main argume nt. Recognizing such strategies is crucial when effectively examining and analyzing texts because it gives readers the power to decide how they choose to respond to an authors (Gladwells) view. Without this valuable knowledge readers are more susceptible of falling victim to this strategy and are more willingly ready to accept his claim.With that being said, it is essential to recognize the rhetorical strategies used by Gladwell to properly examine and evaluate his argument. In an effort to sway reader into accepting his claim Gladwell links his Power of Context Theory with the Broken Windows Theory. Gladwell makes the decision to connect one another when discussing the success of the Broken Window theory in the transformation the New York subway system; asserting that they â€Å"are one and the same. Gladwell understood that he was likely to meet much opposition in respects to his claim, especially from those who do not believe the environment plays a role in determining ones beha vior. A majority of people would concur that other factors play a much more significant role when determining behavior; as he himself even acknowledges his claim to be a â€Å"radical idea. † Such resistance would greatly threaten Gladwells attempt in persuading his readers. Gladwell attempts to undermine opposition by linking his theory to another, one in which has already been proven to be successful.Doing so not only allows Gladwells audience to see his theory applied in real life situations but also helps build credibility to his claim as well. This strategy is quite clever in his attempt to persuade the reader; without doing so his audience would likely still have some doubts regarding his claim and whether or not changing the environment plays a key role in shaping personality. Evaluating this strategy leads to the conclusion that showcasing the relationship between the Broken Window theory and Gladwells claim helps better his chance of persuading his readers.Another pe rsuasive strategy used by Gladwell is citing scientific evidence from different prestigious universities around the country. Gladwell discusses studies including the prison study done at Stanford and the Good Samaritan study done at Princeton as well. Gladwell anticipated that many people would not accept such a â€Å"radical idea† if he was the only one who has working to prove his claim to be true. By citing such universities Gladwell effectively removes the opposition from those who might not believe this is an important topic and would simply ask, â€Å"Who cares? By stating these major universities held studies it helps persuade readers that this topic is not only important in the academic community but to a degree also to be important to our country as a whole. Gladwell understands most of his readers are assumedly intelligent so citing such information might help sway the hesitant into believers. Essentially, Gladwell implies that his claim is one of great importance without coming right out and saying it.Without doing so many people would stick with their convictions and hold the belief that this topic is not one of any importance; leading to a rejection of his claim all together. Finally, another strategy used by Gladwell in his text was acknowledging other factors indeed play a role in influencing ones behavior. Gladwell does so after citing both studies done at the different universities, stating in one instance â€Å"This does not mean that our inner psychological states and personal histories are not important in explaining ones behavior. By acknowledging other factors as playing a role he avoids the resistance of those who believe that those factors are the only factors that influence our behavior. Gladwell refers to his idea as being hard to accept on numerous different occasions throughout his text, leading one to believe he anticipated resistance from those who had trouble accepting his claim about environment playing the biggest role in influencing behavior. This aspect of the text increases reader’s likelihood of accepting Gladwells claim because it shows that he is not rejecting common belief, but adding his take on it.Rejecting a person’s belief will not only anger them but also decrease any chance at getting them to accept your argument. Gladwell understands this fact and hopes to avoid this problem by agreeing with what he assumed his readers would be feeling. If Gladwell decided not to do so I belief he would face a bigger challenge in changing the way people think about behavior and might not have been as successful in his attempt to persuade his readers. As evident throughout this essay, Gladwell offers different means, both direct and indirect, to help persuade readers into accepting his claim.Gladwells direct use of evidence sets a solid foundation on which he can place his argument that the environment significantly influences ones behavior. Providing evidence helps substantiate his arg ument while his use of different rhetorical strategies assists his efforts in persuading his readers to accept it. Identifying such strategies is beneficial because it allows you to make an informed and educated decision on whether or not you agree with Gladwells c

Free Will vs. Determination (East of Eden)

Freewill vs. Determinism Good vs. Evil What makes a decision evil is when it is made completely with regard to others. What makes a decision good is when the person who made it can look back and feel like what he choose was wholly right. It is completely up to a person whether or not they take others into consideration or even decide to look back long enough to care, just like it is up to that person to choose where they go in life. Whether it’s up the â€Å"good path† or down the â€Å"evil path†Ã‚  isn’t predetermined by god, your bloodlines, or anything else.Kate chooses her life and decided not to care what others thought or felt and just did what she pleased. Caleb at first was convinced that he did bad thing because of what his mother was, that he would be evil because of her. Sam Hamilton was thought of being bad or evil when he came to Salinas due to the fact that he was Irish and he proved to be one of the kindest characters in the book. Sam would most likely be considered good by anyone who became acquainted with him. Even though he didn't do things they same way as those around him, he did what he looked back on as being right or good in his mind.He made choices and didn’t let his circumstances rule his life. Even though he was poor and lived on infertile land he worked and tried to change things. He tried to make them the best that he could. When at that time most people believed that the Irish were belligerent drunks that were only good at stealing American jobs and wives. Sam Hamilton changed their views, as Louis told Adam when he brought him up to meet Sam, â€Å"he’s a fine worker, and a good blacksmith. † Not only was he a fine worker when it came to inventing things and blacksmithing but he worked at helping others.As Adam â€Å"drew into himself†Ã‚  Sam tried his hardest to help him, â€Å"go through the motions,† and finally he ended up having to punch him and insult him to get the man out of his stupor. This violence, which was against his character, should how much he cared for others and Adam. Now if he follows the stereotype set for him he wouldn't have been the great person that we had read about in the book, he had the free will to make himself what he was. Now Kate would have to be the nearly the exact opposite of Sam. She is one of the best characters to illustrate the concept of good and vil. For most of here life Cathy did things that were evil because she thought that, â€Å"in the whole world there's only evil and folly,† so she had no problems embracing it. But just because she did embrace it and did so many bad things doesn't mean she was purely evil. She did towards the end of the book care about what someone thought about her, â€Å"she knew that she didn't want Aron to know. † And in that little time where he dreamed of Aron meeting her as a respectable lady in New York shows that at least one person’s opinion mattered to her.Kate just wasn't extremely pressured by what was expected of her in her circumstances. She in fact thought it better to defy others expectation, like when her parents wanted her to be a teacher, or when Adam tried to make her into the perfect wife. There were many times where she could have settled into a comfortable spot that others determined she fit into but she liked using her free will and choosing where she was going to go. Caleb is something slightly different than his mother, which I'm sure he and everyone else who read the book was happy to find out.He wanted to be able to look back on his actions and not be ashamed of what he had done. He hated doing the evil things so much when he was young that he prayed for the lord to help him â€Å"not be mean. † If determinism was solely true than he probably would have ended up being just as wicked as Kate, like Adam had worried when Cal was a baby. Lee helped a lot in keeping Caleb from following his worst expectatio ns and seeing that he did have a choice in the matter. That just because he had his mothers blood in him didn't mean he was filled with evil, as Lee said, â€Å"Whatever you do, it will be you who do it—not your mother. And I think that is exactly right. Kate wouldn't have felt the guilt like Cal did when his brother had died, nor would she have asked Adam for forgiveness. Nothing Caleb did was because of who his mom was. As Steinbeck says, there is only one story in the world; I have to say that I see his point. While good and evil are still a little abstract to from my point of view, it does seem that every story we hear has to do with it. It deals with the characters struggle to determine which side is evil and which side is good and than choosing between the two.With Cathy it seems she could only see the evil and therefore the choice was an easy one for her because she saw no other. Cal was luckier, or I guess some could say unluckier, because he could see both choices r ather clearly and in the end it seemed he was breaking away from the dark side. Now saying that I agree with Steinbeck’s point of view pretty much answers the question on what I think when it comes to free will versus determinism. To have to choice whether you lean towards a certain side you have to exert some version of your own free will either a little or a lot, either way you do.

Hyundai Mission Statement and Goals Essay

I have chosen the Hyundai Company to work with during this course. When I was reviewing their mission statement I saw that they really commit themselves to a lot of accomplishments. Their mission statement is as follows: At Hyundai, we commit ourselves to the accomplishment of the following goals: * To give equal consideration and opportunity to all individuals seeking a partnership with us in securing a Hyundai dealership. We will continue to strive to become the premier franchise with the broadest minority representation possible. To provide equal opportunity to all suppliers and vendors seeking to do business with our company. Our selection of business partners will always be predicated upon our duty to provide our customers with safe, quality and affordable automobiles. * To continue to be committed to the philanthropic sharing of our profits to promote community development and improvement (focusing on the education and health of young people), protect our environment, and implement programs to improve understanding and respect within our society. To expand our brand image by committing funds and effort to communicate a clear and accurate portrayal of our products, services and company values to all of our customers, regardless of their demographic status. * To hire and retain an executive management and employee staff based on equal participation and opportunity for all, regardless of race, gender, age, national origin, religion, or any other legally protected characteristic. To solicit the advice and wise counsel of nationally recognized persons of achievement and character to assist us in fulfilling our goals. Hyundai mission statement acts as more than just a lot of words on a piece of paper. The mission statement is a vital tool that helps to keep everyone at Hyundai on the same page working towards the same goal. This mission statement also identifies Hyundai and how they are going to be able to meet the goals of their clientele. Hyundai mission statement was designed and inspired to assist with the internal efficiencies like commitment from the staff and loyalty by customers and vendors. The mission statement can be used to help redirect the company when and if needed once you ask yourself a few questions. 1. Where are we today? 2. Where do we wish to arrive, and when? 3. How do we get from here to there? Once these questions are answered they should go back to the mission statement and review what their goals were from the beginning and begin to set new goals to help get the company back on track. This will help them to begin to create some strategic planning. This will also help them find the internal strengths and weaknesses as well as the external opportunities and threats. If the mission statement does not assist with the goals and strategy planning they may need to revamp the mission statement to include the internal and external dimensions. Times change and with that being said sometimes what use to work may not work at this time so making changes may need to take place.

Mashreq Bank (Employee Empowerment) Research Paper

Mashreq Bank (Employee Empowerment) - Research Paper Example ..........................................10 2.1 Variables of Research......................................10 2.2 Hypothesis.......................................................11 2.3 Schematic Diagram †¦.....................................12 2.4 Methodology....................................................12 2.5 Sample †¦........................................................12 2.6 Data Collection................................................12 2.7 Data Analysis and Interpretation......................13 2.8 Generalizability................................................13 3.0 Findings........................................................................15 3.1 Results..............................................................15 3.2 Major Inferences...............................................17 3.3 Recommendations.............................................20 Conclusion †¦.....................................................................20 Referen ces †¦......................................................................21 Appendix.............................................................................22 Executive Summary This paper examines the problems with employee empowerment in Mashreq Bank, an Emirati bank. The paper undertakes a thorough literature review and conducts a survey to identify the actual cause of the the problem with employee empowerment. ... search recommends that the board of directors should be encouraged to take a critical look at this issue and support in making reforms by restructuring the bank and encouraging participation of subordinates. 1.0 Introduction This research deliverable is about employment issues in Mashreq Bank. It is structured in three main components. The first part provides an insight into the bank and its problem and formulates the research questions. The second part focuses on the research design and methodology to initiate an inquiry into the problem The third part provides the findings of the research and the study. It gives a detailed account of the the study and the conclusions that were arrived through the study. 1.1 Background of Mashreq Bank Mashreq Bank was opened in the United Arab Emirates in 1967 (Mashreq Bank Overview, 2012). It has served millions of customers since its inception over 40 years ago. The bank continues to operate with its headquarters in Dubai, the growing commercial c enter and geostrategic location of the Persian-Gulf region. Mashreq Bank has branches in Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the Indian-Subcontinent. It has ambitions of expanding further and providing Islamic-oriented banking services in the Middle East and around the world. Mashreq Bank's core competency lies in the fact that it provides its customers with modern products and innovative services. This is evidenced by the fact that it maintains high technological facilities and well trained staff members who continue to provide world-class services to customers of the bank. In 2011, Mashreq Bank made a net profit of 803 million Arab Emirate Dirham. This was from a working capital of 4.4 billion Arab Emirate Dirham and a total asset base of over 84 billion Arab Emirate Dirham [the average

System and databases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

System and databases - Essay Example The details of the venue should be kept for record purposes. Presenters should be paid upon completion of the conference. It is important for the staff to check if the conference was run for the first-time or repeated because the presenters are paid higher fees for the first-time conference as they have to write the material for it. The details of payment, such as, amount, method etc. should be recorded, and a pay slip for the presenter. A record of the payment should be kept for tax and other purposes. ii. Define the Business System Option which you think is best for the organisation, taking all factors into consideration. It is not necessary to give a detailed technical specification or precise costing. The reasons for the recommendation should be clearly stated and the implications for the organisation fully explored. However all points should be directly relevant to the organisation and expressed as concisely as possible. Marks will be deducted if the answer has many vague generalisations about the benefits of IT. The users can forward their suggestions about new topics through the website, hence, eliminating the need for consulting or contacting organizations and delegates over the phone or in person on regular basis. Once users are able to include their nominations for potential topics and companies are able to offer their sponsorship through the website, it would be also possible for the system to automatically determine the feasibility of conferences for setup. This option will increase the productivity of the research department to the great extent. The system shall list down appropriate presenters for the conference on the basis of their experience, education, or any specified criteria. This would allow the Production department to select the suitable presenter in less period of time. The system shall keep a check on unpaid invoices and shall be able to generate

What does Sartre mean by the claim existence procedes essence Essay

What does Sartre mean by the claim existence procedes essence - Essay Example Moreover, the word can be interpreted as meaning that not every item that matches its essence. A good example is that the essence of a bicycle is that it has two wheels and people cycle on it. However, one might have a bicycle with three wheels or that no one cycle on it. Hence, the real details of a specific bicycle make its existence. Besides, depending on the cultural practices of a particular group of people, what one culture can define to be good does not necessarily have to be good or complete with the other group for the item or object of judgment may differ (Sayer 24). When analyzing something it is vital to consider its existence before examining its qualities. Essence being an aspect of human life should be dealt with after the basic fact that is existence is critically considered. Even, though Sartre asserts that we need first to think about the mystery of a man very existence, this statement does not underrate existence and therefore, essence comes after existence (Sayre 25). In conclusion, a personality is built by the choice a person engages in not by exact purpose or predetermined model. Since humankind is unbounded hence one can define him/herself (Sayer 27). This means that in life, one is responsible in shaping his or her character and achievement one aspires to get. Sartre claims that the real thing becomes essentially after something is made to exist or manufactured. Therefore for something to be of the essence it must first have to exist but not