Isotopes in archeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Isotopes in archeology - Essay Example Isotopes are classified into two groups, stable or unstable isotopes, stable isotopes are considered such because of the non-dynamic nature of their proton neutron relationship they do not disintegrate or decay, while unstable isotopes, on the other hand, are known as radioactive isotopes. They are characterized by an unstable proton-neutron combination, in the process of decaying; they emit various types of radiation such as gamma, beta, and alpha, depending on the creation process, ranging from Cosmogenic, to radioactive isotopes. Both classes of isotopes have a wide range of uses in various disciplines such as medicine, agriculture, and geology just to mention a few. This paper focuses on the uses of isotopes in archeology and examines the various uses of isotopes in archeological research, their advantages disadvantages, and alternative techniques. Radio carbon dating One of the most essential functions or radioisotopes is in the determination of the age of archeological especial ly the remains of once living organism which could have died thousands of years ago. This has been used to back up written and historical data in a range of disciplines such as history, evolution and religion. ... The archeologists hence measure the ratio of carbon in the organisms and compare it to the radioactivity of carbon 14 left in the organism (Van der Merwe, 1982). In this way, scientists have been able to determine, and with considerable success, the ages of many plants and animal matter that have been excavated in archeological sites. The main advantage of carbon 14 dating is that is economical, and when done properly after considering all the factors involved, it can produce results that are very accurate. However, it has got some limitations in that if the subject being aged has been in existence for over 50,000 years, it begins to lose accuracy since the carbon isotopes become too small for effective measurement. Besides, environmental changes due to natural or man-made courses such as atomic bombs and nuclear testing has varied the amounts of carbon in the atmosphere making it difficult to come up with accurate results (Van der Merwe, 1982). A new method is, however, being develo ped AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) to counterman these short comings since it can derive more accurate dates from smaller samples of carbon for radio carbon dating. Determination of Geological location Using Strontium (Sr), which is an isotope found in human bones, archeologists can determine the geographical history of humans i.e. where past civilizations have been, their migration and settlement pasts and patterns can be deduced form these isotopes (Bentley, 2006). The strontium isotopes are ideal for this since they act like geochemical signatures, the body takes up the isotopes from the soil through the consumption of plant or animals which have consumed the same plants. The strontium hence embeds itself into the local food chain and substitutes some of calcium in the

War Prayer Response Essay Example for Free

War Prayer Response Essay God does not choose sides. The word, choose, is listed in the dictionary as â€Å"to pick by preference.† God has no preferences. He has an all knowing and understanding, compassionate heart, which is free of any illusory appeals. God only serves the beings on earth so as to teach them about themselves. Self-actualization is the only thing that can bring humans into full control over ourselves. Humans often do not understand what it is they hope for; if they were to fully understand the implications of it, they would be unable to continue to stand for the wrong doings they wished to be. This is observed in, Mark Twain’s, War Prayer. In the short story, War Prayer, a messenger of god is sent to explain exactly what a mass of people is praying. The people use euphemisms, seemingly unknowingly, in their chants to ask God for victory in the Philippines, during the Spanish American war. The hymns contained phrases such as â€Å" thunder thy clarion and lighting thy sword.† After the messenger speaks the true meaning of the words, the prayer becomes a romanticized and misrepresented portrayal of the true nature of war. At the very end of the messenger’s address, to the people, he asks them, â€Å"Ye have prayed it, if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the most high awaits.† The people respond, or rather lack there of, with silence. The messenger is later thought to be a lunatic. Though God tried to explain to them their actions, they failed to see the truth and benevolent power than enveloped the words. The one who knows, sees, and understands all granted the opportunity of a second chance, and the humans once again took the opportunity for granted. God does not choose sides; he gives those who he wishes to learn the opportunity to do so for themselves.

The Ratification of the Constitution :: American History

The Ratification of the Constitution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1787, the Constitution was created to replace the Articles of Confederation, because it was felt that the Articles weren’t sufficient for running the country. However, the Constitution was not very well liked by everyone .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The constitution created was very much liked by the majority of the country. This included the farmers, the merchants, the mechanics, and other of the common people. However, there were those who were very important people in the revolution who felt that the Constitution would not work, most notably Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine, who felt they were the backbone of the revolution. Those who opposed the Constitution were deemed anti-federalists. This Constitution decreased the power of the states with less people in it, like Rhode Island... The anti-federalists, which also including George Mason, George Clinton, James Monroe, Samuel Adams, Elbridge Gerry, Robert Yates, Samuel Chase, and Luther Martin, believed that a republican form of government could work on a national scale. They also did not feel that the rights of the individual were properly or sufficiently protected by the new Constitution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Constitution that was created had a strong central government and weak state governments. The anti-federalists believed in weak central and strong state governments, as the way it was in The Articles of Confederation. They thought that if the Government got all of the power, they would lose their rights and freedoms. This makes sense, because if the people making the rules live relatively close to you, they will be able to judge better than a house of representatives or a president who is 1000 miles away. They also remembered that from their experiences as British colonists, a federal government can tax, and can tax the people highly. One more reason that they didn’t like it is because it didn’t contain a Bill of Rights, so it is hard to judge what rights this government is going to give you.

Political Corruption Essay

Politics are the heart and sole of the American government. Without representatives in our government the people would not have a say. Although the American public has a say, does it really count? The fact of the matter is, the corruption and sleaziness involved in politics can shade the public’s outcry and their voices will not be heard. As Americans, we need to be selective in who we elect to office. As my political cartoon portrays, America is being run by corporations instead of officials. Still no change to this problem has been made. Over the last few years, the issue of corruption (the abuse of public office for private gain) has attracted renewed interest, both among academics and policymakers. There are a number of reasons why this topic has come under recent inspection. Corruption scandals have toppled governments in both major industrial countries and developing countries. In the transition countries, the shift from command economies to free market economies has cre ated massive opportunities for the appropriation of rents, excessive profits, wealthy entrepreneurs and has often been accompanied by a change from a â€Å"well-organized† system of corruption to a more chaotic and toxic one. With the end of the cold war, donor countries have placed less emphasis on political considerations in distributing foreign aid among developing countries and have paid more attention to cases in which aid funds have been misused and have not reached the poor. Corruption is now being dragged into corporations. As campaigns are now in more and more need of money, the wealthy corporations such as Exxon Mobile and Goldman Sachs, have begun running the government by helping to elect state and federal officials. With this power corporations can begin to take advantage of democracy and begin to pass laws that will benefit their company. In history many scandals involving corruption have existed, it is a prominent problem for the United States and anyplace where power can be sought out. Human nature drags us into these problems due to the lust for power and there isn’t a clear solution only temporary ones. Corruption, dishonest, stealing, bribery, fraud and deception are all synonyms for what corporate funding has made of our government. Despite the reformation and establishment of freedom our government has made, the effects of corporate corruption have ruined our portrayal as a country of freedom and equality. Political cartoons are often necessary to embellish what is wrong in America. The wrongdoings are exaggerated and  catch the reader’s attention to attempt to pass along a message. The corruption depicted in this particular cartoon helps show the American public that the corporations are negatively portraying society. The leadership within our government now belongs to the multi-million dollar corporations that fund our senators, representatives and even ties to our president, Barack Obama, exist. Corporations now go shopping at the â€Å"Congressman, Senators and Beyond† to try and fund the most likely candidate to win and supply them with what they want. Recently a scandal involving our own governor, Rod Blagojevich, and Tony Rezko, has shown that corruption exists and threatens American democracy. Elected officials are intended to represent the public. With corrupt official the American public will not trust the government nor be properly represented. Kickbacks from the local and federal government, although easier to detect compared to the past, are the major source of corruption. Rezko and other entrepreneurs involving public facilities, seek out politicians, to grant them permits. The corporations charge double the actual cost and keep the rest for themselves. This is how many of elected officials gain corporate funding. As the cartoon shows, corporations are really the controls behind the congressmen while he is only a â€Å"figure head† for the company. The argument facing corporate sponsorships in campaigns is that this helps to keep normal people from sponsoring the politicians in return for job positions. This way of gaining campaign money originated from the Spoils System during the 1800’s. Politicians promised jobs to people that generously donated money to their campaign and strongly represented the nominee. This was somewhat working until a president, Grover Cleveland, was shot from a deranged campaign donor that didn’t receive a job. The Spoils System was removed and the idea of corporations donating to nominees was put into pl ace. Although this solved the general public from being upset about noon-appointments, it created a large scale of corruption and dishonesty within our government. The development of corporate corruption has deterred the common public but still, employees and friends within the company end up on state boards and under governmental jobs anyhow. So the solution of corporate donations has not worked at all. Not only has this â€Å"solution† developed a negative portrayal of American democracy, it has also slowed down the progress of our governmental officials in completing  important issues. The development of corruption has burdened non-corrupt congressman and has created a goose hunt for the federal government and its programs. The real attention needs to be on internal affairs and international relations. Conclusion: Corruption within our government means more than this single cartoon can portray but still reveals change is needed. The change needs to come swiftly and in a harsh manner in order to maintain our democratic, â€Å"American Dream† portrayal. As the government moves onto international affairs and problems facing our economy, corruption needs to have a set limit. Donations need to be limited and their control over politics needs to be put to a stop. As President Obama’s inaugural speech dictated, â€Å"A New Birth of Freedom,† [from corruption] must be brought forward.

Nine Dragons Paper Essay

How does Mrs Cheung think? What does she believe in when it comes to building her business? It is interesting to read how NPD gained its’ success through the waste or trash of the United States and Europe. I think this is right in line with how Mrs Cheung thinks; she wants to be ahead of all her competitors and gain every competitive advantage possible. By utilizing the paper waste of higher quality products in the US and Europe, she was able to bring this quality back to China where it was non-existent. As you can see in the reading as well, Mrs Cheung believes in rapid expansion to maximize revenue opportunity and that long term profits will come from taking on a lot of debt. But even as she said when speaking about the economic crisis: â€Å"Now the waves are so big, even some rocks are being washed away.† The economic crisis of 2008 did not only affect the small companies, but also the large and profitable ones like Nine Paper Dragons. How would you summarize the company’s financial status? How does it reflect the business development goals and strategies employed by Mrs Cheung? I would summarize the company’s financial status as struggling at the point this article was written. The company’s unsecured notes were rated as BBB- in April, 2008 and downgraded even lower to BB+ in October of 2008. On top of that, even though the company had a successful IPO in March of 2006, the debt accumulated after this IPO really hurt the company when the financial crisis hit in 2008. This demonstrates Mrs Cheung’s vision to take chances and be the market trend setter for her industry. It appeared though that she spread herself too thin through expansion and also through the large amount of debt she accumulated. Is NDP in trouble? How would you answer differ if you were an existing shareholder, potential investor, or analyst? Yes NDP is in trouble, In September 2007 NDP was at the peak of record share price HK$26.But in 2008 the share price of NDP started falling down and the company also announced they would delay of Rmb1.5 billion for the next 2009 fiscal year and they predicted the paperboard market would rebound but nothing great happen according to the market and they also said they would prepay $100 million of an existing $350 million. But according to the rating agencies the company market health is weak and being an existing shareholder, investor, or an analyst I would go with the rating agencies because they are expert in the share market and on the other hand the company itself issued profit warning, sales, profit forecast downward. And since company has an $350 million loan out which company said they would prepay $100 million to the bank and still on the balance amount the interest would keep on increasing and it means the debt of the company is increasing and even many bank’s have stopped answering there calls. As said by morgan Stanley the company earnings growth is based on expansion plans if they don’t expand it will effect the company target and growth.