From Lullus to Cognitive Semantics: The Evolution of a Theory of Semantic Fields :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

From Lullus to Cognitive Semantics: The Evolution of a Theory of Semantic Fields ABSTRACT: The domain of cognitive semantics-insofar as it deals with semantic neighborhood and semantic fields-is discussed from a historical perspective. I choose four distinct stages in the evolution in philosophy of language: Raymundus Lullus and his Ars Magna (14th century); Giodano Bruno and his artificial memory system (16th century); Charles Sanders Peirce and his diagrammatic logic (19th century); and, Kurt Lewin and his topological psychology (20th century). Their proposals furnish steps toward a kind of space-oriented model of semantic neighborhood and semantic fields. Linguistic developments since 1920 (field linguistics) and more recently in cognitive semantics are compared to the evolution in the frame of philosophy as put forth above. The result is that we criticize cognitive semantics insofar as the field does not reflect the philosophical work done since Raymundus Lullus, which is highly relevant for contemporary cognitive science. Introduction Although field-semantics was only created at the beginning of the 20th century, some of its major features have precursors dating back to antiquity. Two disciplines have contributed to it: logic on the one hand and models of the world / cosmology on the other hand. My specific concern will be the rise of a space-orientated concept of a semantic field because, as the word "field" indicates, the ideas of dimensionality (one two- or multi-dimensionality) lies at the heart of the image-schema "field" in its theoretical use. 1 The circular fields of Llull The first systematic spatial organization of lexical items (their concepts) was put forward by Raymundus Lullus (Ramà ³n Llull: 1232-1314). All conceptual systems of his Ars Magna are arranged in a linear order with (normally) nine segments. Since the extremes of this 'belt' are joined, we have a circular field. Every concept has two neighbours, and by adding specific figures (triangles, squares, etc.) one can join three, four, etc. concepts to create a sub-network. The concepts of an area of knowledge may be organized into a set of such nine-tuple 'fields'. On top of all the more specific conceptual fields (arrays of nine concepts), stands a universal field, which contains those qualities of God that are at the origin of all further entities and their concepts. The semantic system has an ontological and metaphysical foundation in the tradition of Aristotelian and medieval logic. The idea that concepts/words form linear arrays, that the extremes may be glued together, and that a hierarchy of such arrays exists, is a first realization of 'field-semantics'.

Caffeine in Athletics Essays -- Nutrition Sports Health Essays

Caffeine in Athletics The world’s most popular drug is legal, inexpensive, and believed to amplify workouts. It supposedly motivates athletes and helps them stay alert and focused while also boosting physical endurance by twenty to fifty percent. This stimulant is found naturally in sixty-three plants and is consumed by eighty percent of Americans. This white, bitter, crystalline substance is known as caffeine, and is commonly consumed in efforts to enhance athletic ability (http://gopher1.bu.edu/COHIS/substance/caffeine/about.htm). Caffeine is a very popular stimulant among athletes because most believe that it provides energy, increases alertness, and quickens reaction time. When in beverage form, caffeine reaches all body tissues within five minutes of ingestion. However, peak blood levels are reached in thirty minutes. Therefore, many cyclists consume a cup of coffee half an hour before short races begin. Others drink a bottle of coke diluted with water during the last half of longer races (http://www.roble.net/marquis/caffeine). The use of caffeine is controversial in the sports world, because it is a stimulant. In fact, the UCI forbids drinking caffeine in large quantities prior to competitions. But, why is there such a desire amongst athletes to consume this drug? Are its results really that effective? To answer these questions one must investigate how caffeine works. How does it affect the body? The exact process by which it affects the body is unknown. It is suspected that caffeine affects the nervous system by altering the perception of effort and exciting the neurons responsible for contracting muscles. It may also be accountable for causing more fat and less... ...1. Kaminsky, Martin, and Whaley (1998) Caffeine consumption habits do not influence the exercise blood pressure response following caffeine ingestion. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 38, 53-8. Pasman, van Baak, Jeukendrup, and de Haan (1995) The effect of different dosages of caffeine on endurance performance time. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 16, 225-30. Tarnolpolsky (1994) Caffeine and endurance performance. Sports Medicine, 18, 109-25. Wemple, Lamb, and McKeever (1997) Caffeine vs caffeine-free sports drinks: effects on urine production at rest and during prolonged exercise. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 18, 40-6. William (1991) Caffeine, neuromuscular function and high-intensity exercise performance. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 31, 481- 9.

Illustrate to audiences Essay

This is the scene in which the confrontation between Maggie and Hobson in takes place in the living room. Prior to this scene Maggie has informed Hobson that she is â€Å"Going to marry Willie†. Hobson does not want Maggie to get married but he doesn’t mind Vickey and Alice getting married because they are of less use around the shop and home. Hobson does not want Maggie to get a husband because he is selfish. Maggie is the daughter that is the most businesslike and helps him with the shop regularly. If Maggie were to marry, Hobson would have to do some proper work in the shop. This scene starts with Maggie speaking to Hobson saying â€Å"You and l’ull be straight with one another, father. I’m not a fool and you’re not a fool, and things may as well be put in their places as left untidy†. Here Maggie is very direct in speaking and this is signposting to the audience that there is going to be a confrontation.  Hobson replies with indignation by saying â€Å"You can’t have Willie Mossop. Why, lass, his father was a workhouse brat†. This is an example of the class differences again as Hobson is a shopkeeper and Willie is one of the working class. Willie had come from a poor background and the penniless poor like his father were taken to these workhouses and put to ‘use’. To this Maggie replies â€Å"It’s news to me we’re snobs in Salford. This line would have been humorous to audiences of the past and present because Salford has always been a working town. Hobson is here concerned about his image within the community and about what his friends will think of him in the Moonrakers. Hobson illustrates these thoughts when he says â€Å"I’d be the laughing-stock of the place if I allowed it. I won’t have it, Maggie†. Hobson then tries to justify his stance by adding â€Å"It’s hardly decent at your time of life†. One aspect in which audiences of the past would react differently to audiences of the present is when Hobson says â€Å"It’s hardly decent at your time of life† (Maggie is only 30). However, at the time this book was written people married an awful lot younger, mainly because the average life expectancy back then was a lot younger. Whereas in our days people marry at this age and older still. Therefore, audiences of past and present would react differently. An audience of the past may have thought this comment was amusing, however, an audience of the present may not think it was such a big deal and may also look on it from Maggie’s point of view as a demoralizing comment. However, Hobson’s selfish snobbish ways would make audiences of both past and present want Maggie to marry Willie just to spite Hobson for his pathetic behaviour. An audience of the past would have found Maggie’s next line â€Å"And now I’ll tell you my terms† amusing because it is an example of role reversal because in those days the man was the master and was in charge and he was the one who laid down the terms and rules.  Maggie then goes on to state her terms, telling her father how much she believes her and Willie should be paid. To this Hobson replies, â€Å"Do you think I’m made of brass?† – brass is colloquialism for money. This line would have been amusing to an audience of the past because this is how the people in the streets in that area spoke like and they would be able to associate to it. A present audience may also have found this line amusing, however, some may not have understood it. Hobson tries to reassert his authority by shouting â€Å"I’ll show you what I propose, Maggie†. He then lifts up the trap door and shouts â€Å"Will Mossop!† He then unbuckles his belt and says to Maggie â€Å"I cannot leather you, my lass. You’re female, and exempt, but I can leather him†. Audiences of the present would be quite shocked by this behaviour as it is not a part of modern, civilized society any more. Such violence is frowned upon in our day. However, in the past, audiences would have been familiar with the term a good leathering, it would have been a regular occurrence. Therefore, they may have found this amusing rather than shocking. Hobson continues to try to assert his authority when he says to Willie â€Å"You’ve fallen on misfortune. Love’s led you astray†. He then says, â€Å"I don’t bear Malice, but we must beat the love from your body†. However, this backfires on Hobson when Willie says â€Å"You’ll not beat love in me†. Audiences of the past would have enjoyed this repliance because it is the little man against the boss and in those days the boss had all authority. Willie goes on to aggravate Hobson even more when he says â€Å"I’m none wanting thy Maggie, it’s her that’s after me, but I’ll tell you this, Mr Hobson: If you touch me with that belt, I’ll take her quick, aye, and stick to her like glue†. Again, audiences of the past would have enjoyed this because it is the little man against the all-powerful boss. Present audiences would have enjoyed this too because it would have illustrated Willies determination and independence. After being struck with the belt by Hobson for his remarks, Willie then says to Maggie out of rage â€Å"I’ve none kissed you yet. I shirked before. But, by gum, I’ll kiss you now†. He then kisses Maggie, not with passion but with temper. Audiences of past and present would have enjoyed this part because it is a bit of romantic comedy and Willie is standing up to Hobson, who doesn’t know what to do next. Also, from this scene, audiences of past and present would have observed that Maggie and Willie are sensible, practical and have a mature way of thinking. These characters would make Hobson’s anti-social behaviour more noticeable to the audiences. Finally, carrying on in his new found self-confidence, Willie adds â€Å"And if Mr Hobson raises up that strap again, I’ll do more. I’ll walk straight out of shop with thee and us two ‘ull set up for ourselves. Audiences of the past and present would have enjoyed this scene because not only is Hobson shocked by what Willie has said (Hobson stands in amazed indecision) but Willie is also shocked by the confidence he showed when he stood up to Hobson. Scene Four  The final section of the play I will examine is Act Three, pages 44 – 47.  This section follows on from a scene in which Hobson, drunk from a night in the Moonrakers, fell down a pub cellar and woke up to find he had received a fine for trespassing. Upon this charge Hobson goes to Maggie’s house on her wedding day, in the hope of some help from her.  In this section the roles of Maggie and Hobson are totally reversed. In this scene, Maggie is instead the one who is in charge, while Hobson has to take a more reserved, subservient stance; as he feels that his future is in her hands. This scene begins with a knock on the door and Hobson shouting â€Å"Are you in, Maggie?† Vickey, Maggie’s sister proclaims, â€Å"It’s father!† in a terrified voice. Albert, who is Vickey’s fianc, then adds â€Å"Oh, Lord†, whereas Maggie simply says, â€Å"What’s the matter? Are you afraid of him?† This would inform the audience that there may be a confrontational moment ahead.  Maggie soon takes charge of the situation by telling everybody, except Willie to go into the bedroom and that she’ll shout them before he’s gone. To this order Vickey then says â€Å"But we don’t want-â€Å", to which Maggie interrupts â€Å"Is this your house or mine?† and Vickey answers, â€Å"It’s your cellar†. Maggie then replies by saying â€Å"And I’m in charge of it†. Both audiences of the past and of the present would have found Vickey’s line amusing where she gets back at Maggie by illustrating the stark contrast of a house to a cellar. They also would have been amused by the fact that Maggie reasserts herself (I’m in charge of it) although she says to Willie you’re gaffer here whilst ordering him to sit down. Hobson is then invited in by Willie, who is now in the role of the master of the house. Audiences of the past and the present would have found it amusing when Maggie says, â€Å"You can sit down for five minutes, father. That sofa ‘ull bear your weight†. This line would also illustrate to audiences that Maggie is not threatened by Hobson and makes light of his arrival.  Maggie again shows that she is in charge when Willie says to Hobson â€Å"A piece of pork pie† and Hobson replies groaningly â€Å"Pork pie!† To this reply, Maggie pulls Hobson up sharply by saying â€Å"You’ll be sociable now you’re here, I hope†. Audiences of the past would have appreciated this amusing line because Maggie is pulling her father up sharp and she is in control in a commanding authority. Maggie’s authority is further displayed when she says to Hobson â€Å"Happen a piece of wedding cake ‘ull do you good†. Eating the cake Hobson shudders saying â€Å"It’s sweet† to which Maggie replies â€Å"That’s natural in cake†. Audiences of the past and present would have found this humorous because Hobson enjoys a drink, and being an alcoholic he cannot tolerate sweet things. This is made even more amusing when Maggie pushes the cake towards him and says, â€Å"Then there’s your cake, and you can eat it†, to which Hobson pushes the cake away but Maggie pushes it back again, giving Hobson no choice but to eat it, to which Hobson replies â€Å"You’re a hard woman† as he eats the cake and, as illustrated in the film Maggie watches over him as he eats it. This scene where Maggie forces Hobson to eat the cake would have been amusing to audiences past and present as well as viewed as something significant to all audiences as Maggie has already said â€Å"I’ve a wish to see my father sitting at my table eating my wedding cake on my wedding-day. Conclusion Harold Brighouse’s play Hobson’s Choice is a valuable document of what English society was like in 1915 (when it was written) and 1880 (when it takes place). I believe the play provides us with an important and useful insight to what society was like in those days in Britain as it provides us with an insight into the varying classes of people, how they were treated and their attitudes towards others. In Hobson’s Choice, Maggie, the daughter of Hobson, marries against her fathers wishes much to Hobson’s discomfort and dismay. There are similar themes such as this in modern society today, which are in some ways related to this theme illustrated in Hobson’s Choice. For example, members of families sometimes run away from home in the hope of being with someone who they would otherwise not be able to be with under their parents influence, or to simply escape from a home in which they feel much discomfort in. Also, just like in Hobson’s Choice, children in modern society today marry against their parent’s wishes in order to be with someone. I think audiences of the past and the present would have reacted similar and would have found the play humorous as it shows the underdog or the person who had nothing, Willie winning against someone who had everything, a shop owner and a pillar of society, Hobson. In Hobson’s Choice, Willie was a member of the poorer people and it was obvious that there was a barrier between him, who worked in a cellar, and those such as Hobson who owned the shop. However, today this barrier between the rich and the poor still exists more than ever, so it is clear that some things haven’t changed. I personally enjoyed Hobson’s Choice as I found it amusing throughout and it was an interesting and enjoyable story the way it illustrated what Salford was like in those days and how people were treated according to their class. My favourite parts of the story were probably when Willie stood up to Hobson under Maggie’s watchful eye and walked out of the shop with her, much to Hobson’s amazement, and when Maggie told Willie that he was the man for her and he sat down complete shock and amazement. If I was in the audience I would have enjoyed these parts because they are some of the most amusing parts of the play, mainly because of the way Willie acts. For example, it is amusing when Willie is shocked by the prospect of marriage and he sits down mopping his brow and says in a shocked voice, â€Å"I’m feeling queer-like† – this is highly amusing as the poor man is taken back. In the play Maggie comes across as the strongest character and somebody whom feminists within today’s society would be able to identify. Although in the era when the play set Maggie would have been a very unusual character. The character I would be most sympathetic with in the play would be Willie. This is because he is controlled throughout the play and he was the one who seemed to receive the most punishment, such as when Hobson tries to strike him with a belt for taking up with Maggie, even though he did not do the taking up. However, he would be the character I admire the most because of the way he didn’t give under the pressure of Hobson and stuck by Maggie.

Article Review Lyme Disease Essay

The World Health Organization defines â€Å"Health education as any combination of learning experiences designed to help individuals and communities improve their health, by increasing their knowledge or influencing their attitudes† (WHO, 2012, p. 2). The best weapon in preventing a disease outbreak is community action and education. Articles are published to provide valuable information regarding past and present disease trends. The following paper summarizes three articles regarding the prevalence of Lyme disease, its effect on the people, and the community health response. Lyme Disease & History Lyme disease is a bacterial infection carried by black-legged ticks, commonly referred to as deer ticks. At any stage in their lives the deer ticks will latch onto and feed from a human and therefore transmit the disease to their host. Some symptoms are often unnoticed or ignored, but if diagnosed early it is easily cured. Lyme disease was first noted as a â€Å"dermatologic lesion in humans in the late 1800s in a Scandinavian medical journal. The Lyme arthritis outbreak in Old Lyme, Connecticut that put Lyme disease on the cover of Time Magazine occurred in 1975. The first cases of canine Lyme were recognized in the 1980s† (Piesman, 2012, 30). Community Effects â€Å"More cases of Lyme disease are reported than any other vector-borne disease in the United States. There were 29,959 confirmed cases and 8509 probable cases of Lyme disease in the United States in 2009† (CDC, 2012, p. 1) Once Lyme disease was primarily diagnosed around the Mid-Atlantic and New England states; however, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is concerned, because it is now â€Å"endemic (prevalent) in the Northeast and much of the North Central United States including Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Pennsylvania† (Smith, 2011, p. 1). Community Response Research on Lyme disease has been initiated by local and state governments or provided for by funding from the U.S. Department of Public Health and Human Services (HHS). The research includes aspects of the potential control of the spread of the disease including prevention, detection, treatment, and vaccine development. Even though a plethora of research exists, the community is slow to adopt many of the safe practices on a macro scale. Home owners are reluctant to spend personal income on tick abatement products even in highly endemic areas. Conclusion These articles relate to the growing concern for the endemic levels of the occurrence of Lyme disease and the community response. Although treatable the best course of action is to influence the attitudes of the community by developing a partnership between the community and public health initiatives. The CDC hopes through community health education and the adoption of preventative measures the prevalence of Lyme disease will be significantly reduced. References CDC. (2012). It’s spring: Time to prevent Lyme disease. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/Features/LymeDisease/. Piesman, J. (2012). Prevention of tick-borne diseases. Journal Of Environmental Health, 74(10), 30. Smith, P. (2011). Lyme disease appears on the rise. Retrieved from The Seattle Times: Health Section: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2014752683_lyme14.html. World Health Organization. (2011). Retrieved April 24, 2011, from Health Education: http://www.who.int/topics/health_education/en/. Content 60

Analysis of Emma Lazarus’ The New Colossus

Analysis of Emma Lazarus' Statue of Liberty Poem X Maxwell Wallace Maxwell Wallace has been a professional freelance copywriter since 1999. His work has appeared in numerous print and online publications. An avid surfer, Wallace enjoys writing about travel and outdoor activities throughout the world. He holds a Bachelor of Science in communication and journalism from Suffolk University, Boston. â€Å"The New Colossus† is a sonnet by the late American poet, Emma Lazarus (1849-1887). . Significance * In 1903, â€Å"The New Colossus† achieved exceptional notoriety and perdurable fame when the last four lines of the piece were engraved on a large bronze plaque underneath the Statue of Liberty, located on Ellis Island in New York, New York. About the Author * Considered by her contemporaries as a dignitary of American letters, Emma Lazarus was one of the first successful Jewish-American authors in history. The New Colossus† exemplifies many common themes found in her c atalog of work, most notably sympathy for emigrants seeking exile from harsh regimes and those who enduring prejudice — both of which were commonplace during her lifetime. History * Construction on the Statue of Liberty was completed in 1886, however the pedestal of the statue remained unfinished for some time. Lazarus wrote the piece in conjunction with a movement by a group of New York artists and writers who were trying to raise money for the pedestal's completion. Considerations * The poem describes the millions of immigrants who had already passed through Ellis Island, as well as lauding those who had yet to make the journey. Significance * The images of freedom and redemption in â€Å"The New Colossus† only further solidified the feelings of hope and rebirth experienced by immigrants who passed through Ellis Island

Manufacturing Technology Essay

The automated systems was best said on my end. Transfer machines, cell phones and other automated devices are used to set a communication establishment upon anyone. It’s all about producing faster and having more efficiency in the industrial world. They also help reduce costs such as a bank you have ATM’s rather than having a clerk or 2 handling your withdrawals and deposits. You also have development of apps. These apps can take pictures of your checks and deposit them from there. Also manage your accounts with transfers and payments. It’s claimed that many human interactions really don’t require the human touch to it, which is true. Transfers of virtual products and or cash don’t need to be manually human handled. The article has been developed this year, which defiantly will have a fair and accurate perspective on the manufacturing technology that we have in mind now. Timings, R., & Wilkinson, S. (2000). Manufacturing Technology (2nd ed.). 1061-2890, Harlow, Essex: Longman. In this book we come across specific detail about percentage-wise wholes in how much costs were reduced at the time of the startup in manufacturing technology. It claimed that all manufacturing technology orders dropped 20.4% at the start of its creation and then suddenly rose 9.8% later that year. Every year since then there’s been a 3% up raise since the start of it all. Having it being written 15 years ago I am heavily against this book, just due to the fact of how much our technology has advanced. The book shows how transfer machines are being held against in the workload and reducing the efficiency of work from its employees which is just a big key factor in communication. With the advancement in technology this has got to be a joke. Almost all technology is set in touch screen adaptations, faster ram processors, and larger memories to keep companies moving and cost efficient. Blaedel, K. L. â€Å"SciTech Connect: Manufacturing Technology.† SciTech Connect: Manufacturing Technology. USDOE, 1 Feb. 1997. Web. 20 Jan. 2015. This set article claims that there are 4 projects that led to the main movement of manufacturing technology. It details exactly how they got to developing such a vast movement at the time which we could easily set apart from our age having it being published over 10 years ago. It shows exactly how to â€Å"develop an understanding of fundamental fabrication process†. Heap, J. (2004). International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management (Vol. 57, pp. 156-176). Bradford, England: Emerald Group. This book had several findings of out SME’s had an early development progress against productivity and performance management throughout different AMT’s. It shows the different effects in management and what manners they had at the time to reduce operation costs and team efficiency. Acquisition of Manufacturing Technology. (2013). MENA Report, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1419103734?accountid=27203 Throughout this article we the write to see what acquisitions were involved to establish the different types of manufacturing technology in our more recent industry. Our updated technologies have claimed to make our recent years more cost efficient and productive by over 150%! I am all up with this article because it has its cited facts and it’s only 2 years from our current date, so this would be my most supported article just due to the date it was created. Milgrom, P., & Roberts, J. (1990). The Economics of Modern Manufacturing: Technology, strategy, and organization. The American Economic Review, 511-528. In this scholarly article, we learn the economics of modern manufacturing and what came with the update at the time and how it was processed and underwent a revolution. The scholarly article stated that the â€Å"mass production model is being replaced by a vision of a flexible multiproduct firm that emphasizes quality and speedy response to market conditions while utilizing technologically advanced equipment and new forms of organization.† This was the start of a new branch in observing what could be replaced and updated with technology. I do enjoy seeing the central difference of how technology has shaped the workplace with time. Doms, M., Dunne, T., & Roberts, M. J. (1995). The Role of Technology Use in the Survival and Growth of Manufacturing Plants. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 13(4), 523-542. In this scholarly article, we come to distinguish the relationship between principal strength, how we use to come across the usage of manufacturing technology and what growth rates it came with. It stated that the main findings at the time had a mindset of higher progression rates against technology would have a far less development and production failure. Tracey, M., Vonderembse, M. A., & Lim, J. S. (1999). Manufacturing Technology and Strategy Formulation: Keys to Enhancing Competitiveness and Improving Performance. Journal of Operations Management, 17(4), 411-428. When coming across this article we see how the main set of technology was set and how that generation at the time had evolved it into a more competitive and healthier implement. As stated, â€Å"Linear Structural Equation Analysis results show that the relationships between a firm’s practices in these two areas and its competitive capabilities are found to be statistically significant and positive†, which shows me they had their own strategic role in which they followed to test out their performance and which ways they could use to improve the marketing satisfaction. Shepherd, D. A., Mcdermott, C., & Stock, G. N. (2000). Advanced Manufacturing Technology. Journal of High Technology Management Research, 11(1), 19-33. doi:10.1016/S1047- 8310(00)00019-5 We come to the instruction of AMT’s and how their benefits improved our workload and consumer satisfaction. This article shows the specific studies in how AMT’s were tested and outweighed the beneficial manufacturing firms in all over the world. The flexibility and higher efficiency claims from them outsourced many operational downfalls to provide advantage across the marketplace. Cho, K. (1993). Manufacturing Technology in Korea. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 12(3), 216-222. doi:10.1016/0278-6125(93)90331-M Set across this article we have a different perspective having most of us live in the United States. With 32 set studies across this article it has been set that they have had an establishment of implementing local manufacturers across the nation with the support of  educational programs in technology and engineering. A different set perspective against the U.S. showing us how other countries had a different goal with maintaining manufacturing technology. Anonymous. (2011, ). TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING HEALTH CARE. Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) This article was interesting to me to see the perspective of how manufacturing technology affected the health care industry. With 2 new hospitals opening up in other countries, hospitals have set out ads over the radio and television to help drivers understand the dangers of texting while driving and the rising amount of drivers ending up in the hospital from being distracted behind the wheel. I did enjoy reading this because I do commute 80 miles a day to work on the highway and easily see how much people are distracted behind the wheel. I wouldn’t know this new advancement in technology has caused such an uprise in car accidents, enough to open new hospitals around the world.

Rainforest Preservation

Rainforest Tribe Awareness Rainforests have been on this planet for four hundred million years. They help out the earth by producing oxygen and disposing of carbon dioxide for our planet. By sucking up all of the carbon dioxide, the pollution on the planet is a lot lower than what it could be. The rainforests help maintain a balanced climate and without them global warming would increase. They hold many species of plants and animals and by destroying them we are killing possible cures to diseases as well as endangered animals we never knew existed.Companies and corporations, however, are taking down these rainforests at the rate of six thousand acres a day. At a progression like that how are we supposed to keep rainforests alive on this planet? The companies use the extra space from the newly harvested trees for cattle farms. Shockingly, the trees taken from the rainforest are mostly sold to the United Sates for hard wood flooring. Probably the most startling part about destroying ra inforests, however, is that we are killing the native and primitive tribes that still exist there.The indigenous tribes of the Amazon Rainforest have lived there since ancient times and are the most primitive group of people still alive in the twenty first century. Normal traditional tribes say to preserve the nature that’s in the forest and learn from what it has to teach us. Is desolating the rainforests and taking the native tribes land and using it as flooring in our homes ethical? I believe that something so unique and special needs to be preserved and cherished and not used for something so impractical.Even though rainforests are harvested for lumber and turned into cattle fields which can make an abundance of money, rainforests should not be destroyed because of the people that are living in them will die and suffer which is not tolerable because they are human beings as well and we can learn a lot from them about archaic times. First, Indians definitely want to mainta in their isolation from the real world, especially the tribes in Peru. When civilized people try to communicate with them I can imagine that they become seriously confused. They’ve never seen cameras, hiking boots or backpacks.Some tribes have never even heard the English language before. For these groups of Indians to survive in future generations, the Peruvian Government needs to stop the logging and destruction of the land that is on the Indians property. If this continues and the rainforest in Peru becomes completely annihilated, then chances are we are also wiping out the Indian tribes. Leaving these Indians in isolation seems like the best idea to me. As of right now, the tribes live as if it were the primitive days when cave men were just starting to evolve.Some tribes are so primitive that they still only use sticks and rocks as there tools to make everything with. For example, instead of wearing brand name material clothes they make all of it themselves, including to ols, baskets and so on just out of leaves, sticks and straw. They are very slow evolving tribes. Some only just discovered the wheel which is amazing and is proof to how primitive they are. They are so old fashioned that they don’t even have a number system besides one and two. Time is another fascinating item in indigenous Indian history. Their sense of time is extremely close to civilized nations.As of today, even the United States uses the Mayan calendar up to a point. It’s interesting to see how different cultures evolve and how some became highly advanced while others still live in the stone ages. â€Å"The men make bow and arrow, used for hunting and protection against threats to their people (Section 2 Freddy). † Since there is no such thing as a hospital for them, the rainforest is their main medical cabinet. They use whatever they can in the rainforest to survive. Also, many people are beginning to mention how the problem and the solution to rainforest destruction are both economic.The Rainforest is being destroyed for things like timber, cattle, and agriculture, but those things cannot sustain people for very long, so there is no point in taking them anyway. By destroying the rainforest it is affecting the people who live there. Other people make comments like â€Å"if the Government is giving a good reason not to destroy the rainforest then it could be saved, but as of right now it looks like we are on a road of destruction (Section 1 Company Information). † The local tribes of the rainforest harvest medicinal plants, fruits, nuts and oils and sell them to local places for some money.By destroying the rainforest you are in turn hurting the people that thrive off of it. If we continue to destroy the rainforest we may destroy an extremely important plant that the tribes use to cure an illness. We still need to find the cure for AIDS, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease. â€Å"Scientists predict that since t he number of acres lost is so huge that around 130 species of plants and animals become extinct every single day. This means that we have probably already lost cures to diseases and illness’s (Section 1 Company Information). A tribe called the Yanomami smoke a hallucinogenic drug called yopo. Yopo is made up of leaves and vines and grinded together to be smoked. â€Å"Smoking it is painful at first until the hallucinogen kicks in (Hands around the World). † The Yanomami make up dances to what they are seeing and believe it is the spirit world. Dancing and rituals are very important to the Yanomami. They dance about their past, future, and to tell stories. How these people are more in touch with nature instead of electronics, like most civilized groups of people are baffles me.In the 1990’s, there was a survival campaign after half a tribe of Nahua indigenous Indians were wiped out due to Peru continuously going into the rainforest for oil exploration, logging, a nd natural resource extraction. Thankfully, the campaign seemed to work quite well. However, since the campaign, the Indians are safe and away from people. As long as the government recognizes that they have to help these people by stopping the destruction of rainforests then everything should work out in the end. Jeff Tollefson is a reporter for the Nature Magazine.He travels around to different places including rainforests to report to people about what is going on there. On several occasions, Tollefson has visited the Amazon Rainforest to report on it. When he first visited it he reported on deforestation. He concluded that â€Å"deforestation causes fifteen percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and seventy five percent of Brazil's (Section Deforestation). † Fortunately, a new law came around that says that land owners have to keep forest on eighty percent of the land. They will however, give exemptions to smaller land owners.Jeff adds that â€Å"if people donâ€℠¢t obey the law that there may be a new wave of deforestation (Section Law). † This could definitely lead to future problems, for example, killing off native tribes that live around the area that is being destroyed. Luckily, Brazil has begun a new Forest Code which now is being enforced very strictly. According to the new and updated code, trees can’t be cut down on property that is owned by the government. This is going to be very helpful for any tribe living in the forest, as long as the code is followed. Nevertheless, people are still not obeying it, which is unfortunate.Keeping people from cutting down Amazon Rainforest trees should become one of Brazil’s main goals. If they can accomplish that then we can keep tribes, plants, and animals from going extinct and lower greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. As of right now, Brazil is working on a plan to keep the Amazon Rainforest safe and out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, Brazil, along with fifteen other countries have been given proposals and ideas by people who want to keep the rainforest from being destroyed, however, these proposals contradict what Brazil is already doing. Brazil is becoming an economic superpower by harvesting lumber and timber from the forests’ (Rhett Butler). † They are in between deciding whether they should stop cutting down trees all together or not. A professor at University of Colorado named William Boyd said that â€Å"Brazil is not interested in giving industrialized countries cheap carbon credits from protecting the Amazon if they are not going to stop building coal-fired power plants (Rhett Butler). † Boyd works for REDD, a company that is cutting down the Amazon trees.REDD says that they are aware that by cutting down these trees my pose a possible threat to a climate change. Brazil did release a plan recently to reduce deforestation emissions by seventy percent. The plan went into affected in 1996 and stopped in 2005. To f und this program the President of Brazil planned on using donations from people and companies. So far the plan has worked really well. â€Å"Emissions are down from over half of what they were (Rhett Butler). † This means that deforestation is getting reduced some as well. Since emissions are down, tribes in the forest will not be suffering as much as they used to.Amazingly, the Amazon Rainforest used to have many Indians and tribes, but unfortunately due to colonization, diseases, and forced labor these tribes have been diminished from what they used to be. There are around two hundred indigenous tribes are still left in the Amazon Rainforest, with one hundred and eighty of them speaking a different language. Despite their differences, most of these tribes come together every year in the summer to celebrate their dead in a festival called the Kuarap. During this festival the Indians dance, practice rituals and games.Depending on the tribe leader, some outsiders are allowed t o view this amazing festival. The Kuarup is held within the rainforest, so if the rainforest is gone where are they supposed to have it? Something that is so sacred to these people could just vanish in an instant if we keep demolishing the rainforest. Fortunately, the indigenous tribe’s numbers are increasing slightly. Recent studies have shown that this is because the Brazilian Government has issued a single policy that states to just leave the tribes alone as they wish. Apparently it seems to be helping since their numbers are cumulating.The Brazilian Government is deciding on whether to set up an Indigenous Protected Area in which all the tribes can live without having to deal with outsiders. This brings up the question, is that a good idea? Having all the tribes in a confined space could cause problems between them due to territory and things like that. Also, many of the tribes are dangerous and will attack if they feel threatened by an outsider. â€Å"The population wit hin an Indian tribe can vary from two hundred to thirty thousand†, which just shows that you do not want to mess with a large group. The Indians are not afraid to kidnap if they have to.And this has happened before. There is a novel called Yanoa? ma: The Narrative of a White Girl Kidnapped by Amazonian Indians. This book is a story of a girl, Helena Valero, that got kidnapped by the Yanoama Indians who live in the Amazon rainforest. â€Å"The girl was captured when she was twelve because she and her father were attacked by the Indians (Valero pg 23). † They accidentally came upon a large group and took Helena as almost a â€Å"prize won† of some sorts. Throughout the book Helena goes through some extremely tough times in which she would sometimes rather die than be stuck in her hard situation.Once she got the chance, however, Helena escaped. She decided, however, not to go back to civilization since it had been such a long amount of time. â€Å"She lived by hers elf in the forest for seven months before she came across another tribe where she met her first husband Fusiwe†, who was the leader of the tribe. After a good amount of time had passed, Helena had a few sons with Fusiwe, but â€Å"their love was cut short because Fusiwe died. † A fellow tribe member wanted his leader position and was faster and stronger than him so murdered him.After his death her life was under threat because the new tribe leader believed that her sons would grow up and take advantage of their father’s old position. Once again poor Helena had to leave her home and find somewhere else. Luckily she was accepted quickly into another tribe who was more peaceful then the last. She remarried and had another two children. This time however, her new husband mistreated her so she decided to move back with society. After moving back with the civilized people â€Å"no one took care of her because of how changed and different she was. She may have had whit e skin on the outside, but her behavior was nowhere near acceptable to other people. Since she was in this situation she would starve a lot of the time because she had no money to buy food for herself. Eventually, Helena came to the conclusion that living with the Indians would be better then living with the society, so she decided to head back into the jungle to find her old tribe. â€Å"After forty years of living with them, she became old and blind. † Helena became very respected by her fellow Indians once she was in her older years. Her journey was unbelievable and made her a strong person.Helena came to love the rainforest and made the right decision by going back. Protecting the rainforest may not have been one of her goals; however she did protect it without noticing. By getting kidnapped this made others daunted and distressed to go back into the rainforest. Since no one was setting foot in the forest it was untouched for awhile, keeping it safe. As of right now, howe ver, it seems there are many ways to get into the forest without people knowing. For example, some products made out of the rainforest wood are pointless little gift boxes that can easily be lost or stolen.There’s websites up at this very moment that are selling patio furniture and arbours, which keep you from the shade. I find this extremely ironic because don’t rainforest trees already keep you from the shade? So why cut them down? There is a brighter side to this entire situation. Of course since it costs big bucks to get these trees brought into the United States, selling them at high prices isn’t a problem. This is helpful because this means that only rich folk with lots of money and no respect for the Earth will buy anything like arbours or patio furniture made of rainforest wood.In fact the process of cutting down rainforests isn’t pretty either. Bulldozing down all those trees won’t help anything. I believe that there is a solution to cutti ng down trees and harming the nature and people who live there. As of now to help the rainforest you can donate, join a group or even a campaign to try and help out. One of the biggest and first campaigns to â€Å"Save the Rainforest† was done in the nineties and was because of the fast food place, Burger King. The man Paul Chandler was one of the main credible men for this campaign.Burger King was importing beef from tropical areas and once the news found out it was all over. â€Å"Sales drastically dropped and Burger King cancelled thirty-five million dollars worth of beef contracts (Section About RAN). † By getting the media involved people began to notice the rainforest again. More protests started and other fast food restaurants were checked to see where their beef was coming from. This was a huge step in starting to help rainforests and soon another huge step will come. Paul is visiting Brazil and is against all the logging that they are doing and is attempting t o start another campaign.Preserving the rainforest is one of the most important things we can do. Since the Amazon Rainforest is so far away, helping it from the United States does seem problematic. However, I think there are a few solutions to helping it. On my own time, I decided to help my community pick up liter along the highway. Picking up liter along a highway was quite an experience. I ended up picking up liter with my church because they have a community service program. I decided to work with this church because I used to go to it all the time when I lived at home with my parents.My supervisor was my Pastor John Buchner. I asked him what he thought of me doing this to help the tribes in the Amazon Rainforest and his response was â€Å"I think it’s a great idea to do something like this to help, not only your community but also the rainforest. It’s spreading awareness about an issue that I had never really considered. † Littering our planet with McDonal d’s bags and beer cans isn’t the right thing to do. I believe that littering is an effective way to help clean the environment because it makes our planet cleaner and not looking so trashy.Although, if everyone did their own part in the first place and just didn’t liter at all, then we wouldn’t have to worry about littering, however this is not a realistic option. We will just have to pick up the liter that we see around. I have learned that many inconsiderate people liter and they don’t think about how it’s harming the Earth. Likewise, many people are killing the rainforest which is harming the Earth more than people realize. If we continue littering like this our planet will be destroyed, including the rainforests.Future generations are going to pay for the inconsiderate people who have been littering. I feel like it’s easy to not liter. All you need to do is find a trashcan. A few things came to my attention while on this experienc e. For example, once everyone realizes what they have done to the planet it will most likely be too late to fix things, just like once the rainforest is gone it will be too late to fix things. Rainforests have been on this planet for four hundred million years. They support the life that lives on this planet we call home.By destroying and obliterating hundreds of thousands of acres a day of rainforests, we are killing things we have yet to discover and that’s just a shame. Animals, plants and people all live on this planet together and rainforests support all of them by providing oxygen, food, shelter, medicine and many other things. Rainforest’s hold keys to many ancient civilizations because of all the tribes that still live within the forests. We can learn many things from these civilizations and that’s why I think they should be protected and saved because if we don’t attempt to save them now then they will be gone when we need them most.Overall, I be lieve that there are multiple ways to save the rainforest tribes from becoming obliterated. We still have so much to learn from them about our past so we need to preserve them for as long as we can. The newly updated forest code which prevents people from cutting down government owned rainforest property is going to keep tribes safe, together and out of harm’s way. When civilized people come onto indigenous Indian land, the Indians get afraid and attack them because of how past intruders have treated them. At least this new code will help keep the Indians alive for a longer period of time.Instead of buying rainforest hardwood floors from the United States, people should donate that money to organizations like REDD and RAN that will actually use that money to help save the tribes in the rainforest. We need to fight for these rainforests because they have so much to teach us. Helena, the girl captured by the Yanomami tribe, left the rainforest only to decide that she missed it and wanted to go back. However, if we kill off the last of the rainforest and its people then there is no going back and no second chances. This would be devastation to our planet.If suddenly twenty percent of the world’s oxygen was gone then the existence of many things would disappear around the world. Plus, the rainforest produces many medicines for ill people. There are still a number of plants that have not been discovered in the rainforest and maybe one of those plants will cure cancer. Keeping the rainforest and the indigenous people who live there alive is an amazing goal and not possible to do on my own. If we want to keep the people who live in the rainforests alive, then were going to all have to work together to keep our planet healthy and help people understand why we need them so badly.Work Cited Butler, Rhett A. â€Å"Brazil's Plan to save the Amazon Rainforest. † Conservation and Environmental Science News. 2 June 2009. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. . â€Å"Compa ny Information. † Wealth of the Rainforest. Carson City, NV, 1996. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. . Freddy. â€Å"Tribes of the Amazon Rainforest. † HotelClub Hotel and Travel Blog. 20 Sept. 2007. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. . â€Å"Our Mission and History. † Rainforest Action Network.Web. 11 Apr. 2012. . Valero, Helena, and Ettore Biocca. Yanoa? ma: The Narrative of a White Girl Kidnapped by Amazonian Indians. New York: Dutton, 1970. Print. â€Å"Hands Around the World. † Native American Indian Cultures. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. . Tollefson, Jeff. â€Å"Paying to Save the Rainforests. † University of Northern Colorado Libraries The Source Catalog. Nature Publishing Group. Web. 03 Feb. 2012. http://0- search. proquest. com. source. unco. edu/docview/204495428/abstract>.