A Research Proposal to Counter the Implications of Sustained Global Warming

Global warming is one of the most serious challenges facing the world today.Defined as â€Å"an increase in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, especially a sustained increase sufficient to cause climate change,† it poses a significant risk to the overall climatic condition and the world population in general. Substantial scientific evidence proves that a marked rise in the global average temperatures by more than 2 °C above pre-industrial levels poses a significant threat to natural ecosystems.A sustained temperate increase of this magnitude may cause a considerable melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, resulting in a distinct global sea level rise of up to several feet. Scientists fear that such climate change is hazardous to many life forms and predict that this could potentially cause entire species to be wiped out.Consequences of Global WarmingSeveral studies, not just in the recent times attest to this fact. It is projected that tempe rature rises if allowed to continue may many species stranded and unable to adapt to the swiftly changing conditions. It has been indicated that the coral reefs are prone to bleach and may be destroyed in circumstances of persistent warming.Other climatic changes of global warming include frequent storms and dangerous hurricanes, and unexpected or sudden variations in the weather including deadly heat waves, drought and wildfire.Several anomalies are known to develop that impact tropical precipitation under global warming. It has been shown that a significant fall in moisture levels is induced by the warmer tropospheric temperature and therefore precipitation is decreased. The variation in the gross moist stability is a potential factor that causes discrepancies in the predicted regional tropical precipitation (Chou, & Neelin, 2004).Statistical Evidence and AnalysisWhen the Kyoto Protocol came into force in 2005 Greenpeace, the attempt was lauded as a positive sign of environmental sensitization. There was now a price to be paid for causing climate pollution – penalties for polluters. The dreams of a ‘low-carbon economy had been born.Two years later, however, projections show that the European Union has fallen woefully short of its targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, from the committed 8 per cent cut from the 1990 levels by year 2012. Estimating based on current measures and policies by 2010 the emissions will fall by a mere 0.6% below 1990 levels (Clogherty 2007).Several studies indicate that the concentration of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere at or below 450 parts per million CO2-equivalent would halve the chances of a global temperature rise above a 2 °C average.

Stolen Valor Act

Why can't we try to deter willful misrepresentations of fact by a modest fine, at least, if they create direct harm to others? Lies to those evaluating your credentials may do direct harm to others. If one lies to gain a job, something which seems to happen with increasing frequency, isn’t it a direct harm to others? Or, how about false representing as having received any credentials for something? The Stolen Valor Act of 2005, signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 20, 2006,[1] was a U. S. law that broadened the provisions of previous U. S. aw addressing the unauthorized wear, manufacture, or sale of any military decorations and medals. The law made it a federal misdemeanor to falsely represent oneself as having received any U. S. military decoration or medal. If convicted, defendants might have been imprisoned for up to six months, unless the decoration lied about is the Medal of Honor, in which case imprisonment could have been up to one year (Wikipedia). I personally don’t have any family members in the military, but I know friends who are in the military and I know they would be highly offended if someone falsely represented themselves to be a member of the military.Those men and women who serve our country risk their lives and have put work into whatever credentials they have earned and it is a great disrespect for anyone to falsely give oneself credit for something they have not earned. The purpose of the Act was to strengthen the provisions of federal law by broadening its scope and strengthening penalties. Specific new provisions in the Act included: †¢granting more authority to federal law enforcement officers; †¢broadening the law to cover false claims whereas previously an overt act had to be committed; †¢covering the mailing and shipping of medals; and protecting the reputation and meaning of military heroism medals. The Act made it illegal for unauthorized persons to wear, buy, sell, barter, trade, or manufacture â€Å"any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the armed forces of the United States, or any of the service medals or badges awarded to the members of such forces. † In the 18 months after the act was enacted, the Chicago Tribune estimated there were twenty prosecutions. The number increased as awareness of the law spread (Wikipedia).The number of prosecutions continued to increase. Therefore, it was very clear that this was a tremendous issue and that the Stolen Valor Act was serving its purpose. Unfortunately, the majority disagreed saying that there is no proof that lying about medals degrades the value and honor of those who have actually earned those medals. Who could possibly agree to this? Well, government lawyers argued that lies about military medals are false statements that have no value and hence no first Amendment protection.On Thursday September 13, 2012, the U. S. House of Representatives passed a new version of the Stolen Valor Act. The f irst version of the Stolen Valor Act was struck down by the Supreme Court as a violation of the First Amendment. The bill focuses not on people who lie about having medals they didn't earn, but on any profits they make from lying about the medals, which is essentially criminal fraud. Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nevada) sponsored the new bill. His office issued a release saying the bill passed by a vote of 410-3.Heck said in a floor speech that the bill would survive judicial review because it resolves the â€Å"constitutional issues by clearly defining that the objective of the law is to target and punish those who misrepresent the alleged service with the intent of profiting personally or financially. † The bill targets those who falsely claim to have earned certain major military decorations, including the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Silver Star, Purple Heart or a medal signifying you served in combat (CNNPolitics).In 2007, there was a cas e against a man named Xavier Alvarez who was an elected member of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District Board in Pomona, California. Alvarez said at a public water district board meeting that he was a retired Marine, had been â€Å"wounded many times,† and had been â€Å"awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor† in 1987(NBCNews). However, he never served in the United States armed forces. Alvarez argued that his false statements were protected by the first Amendment right of free speech.Regardless, of his freedom of speech or anyone’s, no one should be giving the right to lie about something so serious especially, if it dishonors the men and women who serve for us and our country. I believe that there should be a law protecting military members against people like Alvarez. Unfortunately, the majority opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy said, â€Å"The remedy for speech that is false is speech that is true. This is the ordinary course in a free society. He a lso quoted from the famous dissent by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in the 1919 Abrams decision: â€Å"The best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market. Some false statements are inevitable if there is to be an open and vigorous expression of views in public and private conversation, expression the First Amendment seeks to guarantee† (NBCNews). Kennedy might have a point, but I strongly disagree and believe it is unethical period.Moreover, the government shouldn’t allow anyone to make false statements of any kind if it disrespects their country and their people. This act has definitely been a long debate for some of us with reasoned arguments on both sides. In my view it’s unethical and it should have not been struck down by the Supreme Court. Yes, we live in a country with freedom of speech, but this has abused such privilege. So why not punish someone when they’ve abused such privilege?

Western Civilization and the Greeks

There were many contributions to western civilization from the Ancient Greeks. Many roots of the civilization we have today can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks. They made long lasting contributions in the areas of art, architecture, philosophy, math, drama, and science. If the intelligent thinkers of the Ancient Greeks such as, Socrates, Aristotle,and Hippocrates never challenged the way Greeks lived many of the ideas we have today would have never been established. The Greeks made contributions in modern day art, architecture and philosophy. †The unexamined life is not worth living. (Document #1) This was a quote spoken by Socrates, an Ancient Greek philosopher. He was suggesting by this quote that if you don’t look at life in a different perspective why bother living it. â€Å"Since human reason is the most godlike part of human nature†¦ † (Document #2) This was a quote spoken by Aristotle, and Ancient Greek Philosopher. He believed about human nature that making deals or reasoning was the best human quality and separated us from others. â€Å"Nor do I think your orders were so strong that you, a mortal man, could overrun the gods‘ unwritten and unfailing laws†¦ (Document #6) This was an except from Sophocles‘ play Antigone. The values expressed in this play are that the gods are more powerful then humans and that the gods law are not written down but overpower written human law. The picture of the Parthenon in document #7 shows how specific features of that building influenced Western Civilization. The pillars and the shape of the building showed a sense of power and the actual architecture used in the Parthenon is still used today in places like the White House and Lincoln Monument. The picture of The Discus Thrower sculpture in document #8 reveals things about Greek values and shows an olympic event that is still used in modern times. This statue shows that the Greeks were very athletic people. The olympics sill influence p[people today by bring a competition throughout the countries of the world like a peaceful war. The Greeks also made contributions in modern day science, math, and government. â€Å"As for social standing, advancement is open to everyone, according to ability. † (Document #3) This was an excerpt from Pericles‘ Funeral Oration. In this, Pericles is describing the perks and benefits of aving a Democracy. He was hoping for all citizens to prosper because of this new government. â€Å"I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such [advice]†¦ † (Document #4) This was a excerpt from Hypocrites, an Ancient Greek doctor and philosopher, Hippocratic Oath. In this he was promising to always give the bes t treatment to anyone that seeks help. This is still used by doctors today. â€Å"Proposition 15, THEOREM: If two straight lines cut one another, the vertical, or opposite, angles shall be equal. † (Document #5) This was an excerpt from Euclid’s Elements. Euclid was an Ancient Greek Mathematician. His impact on modern day is that his ideas are the basis for our geometry/math. There were many contributions to western civilization from the Ancient Greeks. The Greeks have made contributions in many areas such as art architecture, philosophy, science, math, and government. Many roots of modern day ideas can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks. Mainly back to the philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle and the mathematician Euclid. If these people never would have though differently and looked at life from a different perspective then many ideas we live by today may not be present.

The Persistence of Memory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Persistence of Memory - Essay Example The painting is best known for its surrealistic elements and can appear to be irrational, unsettling, paradoxical or even nonsensical. But beneath the veneer of this confusion lies its aesthetic merit and conceptual integrity. In the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) where it is currently displayed, it is placed alongside The Disintegration of Persistence of Memory, which was painted twenty years later and meant to be a revision of the earlier work. It is interesting to note that in the intervening period the Second World War happened, which significantly altered Dalis understanding of reality. Also, in the years between 1931 and 1954, Albert Einsteins General Theory of Relativity would become highly acclaimed. This had a profound effect on artists and intellectuals of the time, including Salvador Dali. In this context, it is instructive to study Dalis watches as a manifestation of such theoretical physics concepts as the time-space continuum, time-warp, etc. This internal transformation in the artists understanding of physical reality would manifest itself in his later works. Hence a comparative study of The Persistence of Memory and its revised version would not only give insights into the mind of the artist but also the evolving geo-political realities and scientific discoveries of the twentieth century. It is due to aforementioned special qualities of the work that I chose it for my 3D project. Moreover, I took it up as a challenge to replicate disfigured pocket watches shown in the painting. But this task is not easy due to certain reasons. For example, creating soft watches in 2D is relatively easier than in 3D, for it is easier for the 2D artist to suspend laws of physics in favor of the idea he projects. Further, it is not always feasible to replicate in 3D what was depicted in 2D. I took inspiration from the fact that Dali himself had overcome these challenges in