Latar belakang kawasan kajian

Latar belakang kawasan kajian 3.1 PENGENALAN Dalam bab ini, perkara yang dibincangkan adalah tentang latar belakang kawasan kajian dan aspek yang berkaitan dengan pembangunan lokasi kajian, penduduk, sosio-ekonomi, guna tanah, perindustrian dan lain-lain. Dalam bab ini, isu kesan perindustrian seperti pencemaran dibincangkan. Bab ini, pembaca akan memahami secara lebih mendalam tentang kawasan kajian. dengan mengetahui secara lebih mendalam latar belakang kawasan kajian, penkaji akan dapat memahami dan menerangkan secara menyeluruh tentang kawasan kajian. 3.2 PEMBANGUNAN DI MALAYSIA Pembangunan adalah sesuatu aspek yang penting dan sentiasa diutamakan oleh kebanyakan negara yang sedang membangun dan negara maju. Di Malaysia, pembangunan adalah satu agenda penting yang diberi keutamaan kerana Malaysia adalah sebuah negara yang sedang membangun. Pembangunan di sini bermaksud pembangunan ekonomi, politik, sosial, dan lain-lain. Jika dilihat kembali sejarah Zaman Batu Awal, manusia sudah mula berusaha mencipta peralatan-peralatan dan pengangkutan untuk memudahkan kehidupan mereka. Secara lahiriah, setiap manusia sudah pasti ingin mengecapi pembangunan dan pemodenan serta gaya hidup yang mudah dan berkualiti. Oleh itu, kita tidak dapat menghalang pembangunan sesebuah negara. Di kebanyakan negara maju dan negara sedang membangun, pembangunan ekonomi adalah sesuatu yang paling penting dan sentiasa diutamakan. Revolusi perindustrian adalah salah satu agen dan pemangkin kepada pembangunan ekonomi sesebuah negara. Revolusi perindustrian di Malaysia telah bemula sejak tahun 1970-an lagi. Revolusi perindustrian ini adalah salah satu langkah mencapai Wawasan 2020. Usaha mencapai Wawasan 2020 terbukti dengan pembangunan sektor perindustrian, pertanian, perumahan dan sebagainya. Setiap negeri di Malaysia mempunyai kawasan Perindustriannya sendiri. Contohnya, Shah Alam (Selangor), Mergong (Kedah) dan lain-lain. 3.2 PEMBANGUNAN DI KEDAH   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Negeri Kedah merupakan salah sebuah negeri daripada 14 negeri yang terdapat di Malaysia. Negeri Kedah terletak di utara Semenanjung Malaysia. Lokasi negeri Kedah adalah bersempadanan dengan 3 negeri dah 1 negara iaitu Perlis (Barat Laut), Pulau pinang (Barat Daya), Perak (Selatan) dan Thailand (Utara). Kedah Darul Aman merupakan sebuah negeri di Semenanjung Malaysia yang kaya dengan hasil pertanian. Kedah mempunyai keluasan lebih kurang 9,426km ². Kedah terletak di Utara semenanjung Malaysia yang berhadapan dengan Selat Melaka. Kedah merupakan salah sebuah negeri Agraria (pertanian) yang mempunyai banyak kawasan pertanian padi serta perkampungan nelayan. Negeri Kedah juga dikenali sebagai negeri Jelapang Padi kerana hasil pertanian padi yang banyak. Perindustrian membawa kepada pertumbuhan penduduk dan wujudnya banyak bandar-bandar baru. Kawasan perindustrian biasanya mempunyai tahap kepadatan penduduk yang sangat tinggi. Berdasarkan bancian pada tahun 2003, Kedah mempunyai populasi penduduk sebanyak 1,778,188 orang. Daripada itu, populasi penduduk yang berbangsa Melayu adalah kaum terbesar dengan 75%, diikuti kaum Cina iaitu sebanyak 15%, kaum India sebanyak 7%, Bukan warganegara sebanyak 1.6%, lain-lain kaum sebanyak 1.4%. Negeri Kedah terbahagi kepada 9 buah daerah yang kecil. Daerah-daerah tersebut adalah Daerah Kubang Pasu, Daerah Padang Terap, Daerah Yan, Daerah Pendang, Daerah Kuala Muda, Daerah Sik, Daerah Baling, Daerah Kulim dan Daerah Alor Setar. Di setiap daerah ini, terdapat aktiviti-aktiviti ekonomi yang dijalankan oleh penduduk tempatan. Sebagai contoh, aktiviti ekonomi yang dijalankan di Daerah Pendang adalah pertanian padi basah, Revolusi Perindustrian di Kedah tertumpu di Kulim dan Mergong. Pembangunan perindustrian ini semakin rancak dan membesar. Semakin banyak kilang dibina berhampiran dengan kawasan perumahan, pusat rekreasi dan sungai. Pembangunan yang tidak terancang boleh mendatangkan masalah manusia dan alam sekitar. 3.3 LATAR BELAKANG KAWASAN MERGONG   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Negeri Kedah Darul Aman mempunyai 11 buah daerah. Daerah Kota Setar adalah ibu negeri Kedah. Terdapat 34 buah mukim dalam daerah Kota Setar. Salah sebuah mukim yang terdapat dalam Daerah Kota Setar adalah Mergong. Mergong adalah salah sebuah mukim yang sangat terkenal dan menjadi tumpuan penduduk. Kawasan Mergong ini adalah sebuah kawasan perindustrian. Sebelum pembinaan kawasan perindustrian ini, kawasan ini kurang menjadi tumpuan penduduk. Apabila kawasan ini dibangunkan menjadi kawasan perindustrian yang utama di Kedah, kawasan ini mula didiami penduduk. Ini kerana terdapatnya peluang pekerjaan yang banyak dalam sektor perindustrian serta jaringan pengangkutan yang dimajukan. Ini telah menyebabkan pertambahan penduduk di kawasan Mergong semakin meningkat. Daerah Kota Setar sudah lama wujud. Mengikut sejarah, daerah kota setar telah wujud sejak awal abad ke-16. Daerah Kota Setar ini telah berkembang pesat dan akhirnya diishtiharkan sebagai Bandaraya Alor Setar pada 21 Disember 2003. Daerah Kota Setar ini mempunyai keluasan 666 km ². Kawasan perindustrian Mergong ini meliputi 60.45 hektar daripada jumlah keluasan daerah Kota Setar. 3.4 CIRI-CIRI FIZIKAL Bagi melihat ciri-ciri fizikal kawasan perindustrian Mergong, pengkaji telah mengenalpasti ciri-ciri bentuk muka bumi, iklim dan cuaca, tumbuh-tumbuhan semulajadi serta saliran dan perparitan di Daerah Kota Setar. 3.4.1 Bentuk Muka Bumi : Kawasan daerah Kota Setar terdiri daripada kawasan tanah pamah yang landai. Dianggarkan sebanyak 85% daripada kawasan di Daerah Kota Setar adalah kawasan tanah pamah. Di kawasan tanah pamah ini, pelbagai jenis aktiviti dijalankan seperti, perindustrian, perniagaan, kawasan pentadbiran, kawasan perumahan, kawasan bandar, kawasan pertanian dan lain-lain. Kawasan tanah pamah sangat sesuai dibangunkan sebagai pusat bandar dan pembinaan sistem pengangkutan yang baik. Daerah Kota Setar disaliri oleh 3 buah anak sungai iaitu Sungai Mempelam, Sungai Gunung Sali, dan Sungai Alor Terus. Kawasan tanah pamah yang luas ini juga telah mempengaruhi kegiatan ekonomi penduduk. Contohnya, kawasan tanah pamah yang luas dan subur serta sistem saliran yang baik telah membolehkan kebanyak penduduk menjalankan kegiatan pertanian. Terdapat sedikit kawasan tanah tinggi di daerah Kota Setar. Kawasan tanah tinggi ini adalah kawasan di sekeliling Gunung Kerian. Kawasan di Gunung Kerian ini mempunyai kepadatan penduduk yang rendah serta sistem jalan raya yang kurang baik. 3.4.2 Cuaca dan Iklim : Malaysia terletak berhampiran dengan garisan Khatulistiwa. Kedudukan ini menentukan jenis iklim yang dialami oleh sesebuah negara. Oleh itu, Kedah mengalami iklim Khatulistiwa atau iklim Hutan Hujan Tropika. Iklim jenis ini tidak mengalami musim panas atau musim sejuk yang nyata. Ini bermaksud, Malaysia mengalami panas dan lembap sepanjang tahun. Jumlah hujan atau nilai kerpasan minimum yang dicatat sekurang-kurangnya 60mm. Selain itu, perubahan suhu harian adalah antara 2 °C (36 °F) dan 5 °C (41 °F).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jumlah hujan yang turun di Alor Setar adalah mengikut musim dan masa. Jangkaan jumlah hujan sebulan di Alor Setar pada Januari dan Februari adalah kurang daripada 80mm. Keadaan ini adalah kerana keadaan cuaca yang sangat kering. Bermula dari bulan Mac hingga Oktober, jumlah hujan yang turun mula meningkat. Jumlah hujan yang turun pada masa ini adalah sebanyak 110-160mm. Pada bulan November, jumlah hujan yang turun meningkat iaitu antara 150-250mm. Pada masa ini, rebut petir diiringi dengan hujan lebat berlaku dengan kerap pada sebelah petang. Pada bulan disember pula, jumlah hujan mula berkurangan iaitu kurang daripada 150mm. Selain itu, hujan di kawasan iklim Khatulistiwa mempunyai adalah lebat iaitu hujan perolakan. Kedah terletak di pantai barat Semenanjung Malaysia dan di bahagian utara yang berhampiran dengan Negara Thailand. Thailand dan kawasan sekitarnya mengalami iklim Monsun Tropika. Ini menyebabkan negeri Perlis dan Kedah mengalami sedikit ciri iklim Monsun Tropika. Ini menyebabkan sesetengah kawasan di Negeri Kedah mempunyai perbezaan suhu yang ketara. Oleh itu, tumbuh-tumbuhan yang sesuai ditanam di bumi Kedah dengan iklim khatulistiwa adalah padi basah, kelapa sawit, getah, dan lain-lain. 3.4.3 Tumbuh-Tumbuhan Semulajadi : Iklim dan cuaca merupakan faktor yang sangat penting mempengaruhi jenis tanaman atau tumbuh-tumbuhan yang terdapat di sesuatu kawasan. Di daerah Kota Setar, tumbuhan yang sesuai ditanam adalah padi basah. Ini kerana tanah di daerah Alor Setar ini adalah tanih jenis alluvium. Tanih ini sangat sesuai untuk pertanian. Selain itu, tanaman yang sesuai adalah pelbagai jenis sayur-sayuran. Sebelum Malaysia mencapai kemerdekaan, kawasan di daerah ini telah digunakan untuk pertanian padi basah. Petani-petani di kawasan ini kebanyakannya telah menjual tanah pertanian mereka untuk tujuan pembangunan seperti pembinaan kawasan perindustrian. Segelintir petani sahaja yang masih meneruskan aktiviti pertanian mereka kerana mereka masih mencintai tanah pusaka mereka. Ini menyebabkan petani-petani itu menerima pelbagai kesan daripada perindustrian yang juga terdapat di kawasan tersebut. Antara tanaman lain yang terdapat di kawasan ini adalah pokok pisang, getah dan lain-lain. 3.4.4 Sistem Perparitan dan Saliran: Kawasan Mergong ini disaliri oleh 3 cawangan daripada Sungai Kedah iaitu Sungai Mempelam, Sungai Gunung Sali, dan Sungai Alor Terus yang saling berhubung antara satu sama lain. Ketiga-tiga sungai ini bermula dan bersambung dengan Sungai Kedah. Sungai Mempelam melalui kawasan perindustrian Mergong dan kawasan kediaman Kampung Mempelam. Sungai Gunung Sali merentasi kawasan perindustrian Mergong 1 dan Mergong 2. Sungai Alor Terus juga mengairi kawasan di pinggir kawasan perindustrian Mergong 1 dan Mergong 2 tetapi lebih banyak dilalui kawasan perniagaan di sekitar Mergong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Daerah Kota Setar juga disaliri oleh terusan yang terkanal iaitu Terusan Wan Mat Saman. Terusan ini merupakan terusan yang terpanjang di Malaysia. Terusan sepanjang 36 km ini telah dibina pada tahun 1885. Terusan ini menghubungkan Sungai Kedah di Alor Setar hingga ke Kaki Gunung Jerai di Gurun iaitu di selatan Kedah. Terusan Wan Mat Saman ini berfungsi ini mengairi kawasan pertanian padi di Kedah. 3.5 KEPENDUDUKAN Negeri Kedah mempunyai bilangan penduduk yang sederhana padat. Mengikut data daripada Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia, jumlah penduduk Kedah pada tahun 2009 adalah seramai 2 juta orang. Daripada angka ini, jumlah penduduk di Daerah Kota Setar mencatat bilangan penduduk yang paling ramai. Jumlah penduduk di Daerah Kota Setar adalah seramai 429,900 orang penduduk. Daripada jumlah ini, seramai 214,100 orang adalah lelaki dan 215,800 orang adalah perempuan. Mergong adalah salah sebuah mukim yang terdapat dalam Daerah Kota Setar. Jumlah penduduk di mukim Mergong ini adalah seramai 20,300 orang iaitu 10,100 adalah lelaki dan 10,200 adalah perempuan. Bilangan penduduk di kawasan Mergong ini didapati meningkat berbanding pada tahun 2000. Pertambahan penduduk ini adlah disebabkan pembinaan kawasan perindustrian Mergong. Apabila kawasan perindustrian Mergong dibina, kawasan ini menjadi tumpuan penduduk kerana pertambahan kemudahan jaringan jalan raya dan wujudnya banyak peluang pekerjaan. Oleh itu, terdapat pertambahan penduduk di kawasan Mergong ini. 3.6 KEGIATAN EKONOMI Di Daerah Alor Setar, terdapat pelbagai aktiviti ekonomi yang dijalankan oleh penduduk setempat. Antara aktiviti-aktiviti ekonomi yang dijalankan adalah seperti pertanian, perindustrian, perniagaan dan lain-lain. 3.6.1 Pertanian Sebelum kawasan Mergong ini dibangunkan sebagai kawasan perindustrian, kawasan ini adalah kawasan pertanian padi basah. Kawasan ini diusahakan oleh petani-petani tempatan di tanah pusaka. Pada mulanya, kawasan pertanian di Mergong ini adalah sangat luas. Apabila kawasan ini hendak dibangunkan dan dimajukan sebagai kawasan perindustrian, kebanyakkan tanah-tanah pertanian itu dibeli oleh pemilik-pemilik kilang. Ini kerana kebanyakkan golongan yang tiggal di kawasan Mergong pada ketika ini adalah golongan muda. Apabila kawasan ini dibina kilang dan dimajukan, guna tanah kawasan ini telah berubah daripada pertanian kepada perindustrian. Pada masa sekarang, masih terdapat sebilangan kecil tanah yang masih digunakan sebagai pertanian. Kawasan ini diusahakan oleh sebilangan kecil petani yang kebanyakkannya adalah golongan tua yang sangat mencintai alam sekitar. Apabila kawasan ini digunakan untuk pertanian, kawasan ini akan mengalami masalah kerana tanah pertanian ini adalah berhampiran dengan kawasan perindustrian. Tahap kesuburan tanih pertanian ini agak terjejas berikutan kesan daripada pembinaan kawasan perindustrian di kawasan ini. Sungai Kedah yang menyaliri kawasan pertanian ini tercemar dengan sisa daripada kilang. Ini memberi kesan negatif kepada kegiatan pertanian di kawasan ini. 3.6.2. Industri Kilang Mukim Mergong merupakan sebuah kawasan pertanian yang luas dan subur. Kawasan Mergong ini sangat subur kerana kedudukannya adalah berhampiran dengan Sungai Kedah yang melalui kawasan ini. Mergong kemudiannya dibangunkan sebagai kawasan perindustrian yang utama di Kedah. Di kawasan perindustrian ini, terdapat banyak kilang yang terdiri daripada pelbagai jenis perindustrian. Terdapat 3 jenis industri di kawasan Mergong ini iaitu industri ringan, industri sederhana dan industri berat. Industri ringan di kawasan ini adalah kilang-kilang pembuatan bahan-bahan makanan seperti industri keropok, gula-gula dan sebagainya. Kilang-kilang yang berasaskan industri ringan ini adalah paling banyak di kawasan Mergong ini. Industri sederhana pula mempunyai bilangan yang kedua terbanyak di kawasan Perindustrian Mergong. Antara contoh-contoh kilang yang berasaskan industri sederhana adalah kilang pakaian, kilang perabot, kilang pembuatan kicap, kilang papan kilang pembuatan roti dan sebagainya. Kategori industri ketiga adalah industri berat. Bilangan industri berat kawasan Mergong adalah paling sedikit. Walaupun bilangan industri berat ini adalah sedikit, tetapi kilang-kilang industri berat inilah yang telah menjadi titik permulaan kepada pembukaan kawasan Perindustrian Mergong ini. Antara kilang yang paling awal di buka di kawasan Perindustrian Mergong ini adalah Kilang Sime Tyres iaitu kilang pembuatan tayar yang terkenal. Antara kilang kilang lain yang mengusahakan industri berat adalah kilang beras, kilang pembuatan cecair nitrogen, kilang simen, kilang pembuatan tayar kenderaan berat, kilang pembuatan kapal dan bot-bot kecil, bengkel membaiki kereta. Berdasarkan kepada laporan MBAS (2000), terdapat lebih 600 buah kilang di kawasan ini. Kilang-kilang yang terdiri daripada pelbagai jenis dan ketegori. Antara jenis industri yang utama di kawasan Mergong ini adalah industri ringan, industri pembuatan dan perkhidmatan serta industri berat. Kawasan perindustrian Mergong ini menyediakan lebih kurang 40,000 peluang pekerjaan kepada penduduk. 3.6.3 Perniagaan :   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kawasan Mergong ini adalah sebuah kawasan yang sangat berhampiran dengan pusat bandar iaitu Bandaraya Alor Setar. Di kawasan Mergong ini, terdapat pelbagai aktiviti ekonomi. Antara aktiviti ekonomi yang utama di kawasan ini adalah aktiviti perniagaan. Aktiviti perniagaan adalah satu aktiviti ekonomi yang penting kerana ia akan menjana pendapat penduduk setempat yang berniaga. Selain itu, ia juga akan menyumbang kepada pendapatan dan menjana ekonomi negeri Kedah. Perniagaan adalah antara aktiviti yang penting kerana ia akan membawa kepada pertumbuhan penduduk di kawasan tersebut. Secara lahiriah, manusia memang suka akan kemajuan serta kawasan ekonomi seperti pusat bandar berbanding kawasan pedalaman yang kurang aktiviti perniagaan. Terdapat pelbagai jenis aktiviti perniagaan di mukim Mergong ini. Antaranya adalah perniagaan makanan, pakaian, tekstil, barang kemas, kedai menjual kereta dan motosikal, hotel, motel, kedai perabot, kedai papan. Selain itu, di kawasan Mergong juga terdapat ‘Hipermarket yang terkenal iaitu TESCO. Oleh itu, kawasan ini menjadi sebuah kawasan yang terkenal dengan pelbagai aktiviti perniagaan. 3.7 GUNA TANAH Secara keselurahannya, guna tanah di Mergong adalah lebih kepada kegiatan ekonomi seperti perindustrian, perniagaan, pertanian dan lain-lain. Kebanyakan kawasan telah dibangunkan untuk tujuan ekonomi. Kegiatan ekonomi ini adalah sangat penting kerana ia menyediakan peluang pekerjaan kepada penduduk setempat. Selain itu, penduduk dapat meningkatkan taraf sosio-ekonomi penduduk. Antaranya adalah kawasan perindustrian Mergong. Kawasan perindustrian Mergong adalah sebuah kawasan yang luas. Ia meliputi lebih 600 buah kilang di kawasan ini. Kawasan perindustrian Mergong ini terbahagi kepada 2 fasa iaitu fasa 1 dan Fasa 2. Oleh itu, kawasan perindustrian Mergong ini merupakan sebuah tapak yang sangat luas dengan melibatkan pelbagai kegiatan perindustrian di kawasan tersebut. Terdapat pelbagai jenis industri di Mergong iaitu industri ringan, industri sederhana dan industri berat. Antara contoh industri ringan adalah kilang-kilang membuat bahan makanan seperti gula-gula, keropok dan lain-lain. Contoh industri sederhana pula adalah kilang papan, kilang perabot, kilang kayu, kilang kapas, kilang kicap, kilang pakaian, dan pelbagai jenis kilang lain. Contoh industri berat yang terdpat di kawasan perindustrian Mergong adalah kilang Sime Tyres, kilang simen, kilang besi dan keluli dan lain lain. Aktiviti kilang di kawasan perindustrian ini membawa pelbagai kesan terhada p penduduk dan alam sekitar. Kesan-kesan daripada perindustrian ini akan dibincang dalam bab 4 dan bab 5. Guna tanah untuk kawasan perumahan adalah terhad. Kawasan Mergong ini yang pada asalnya adalah kawasan pertanian merupakan kawasan tumpuan penduduk. Pada masa sekarang, kawasan ini telah dibangunkan menjadi bandar dan pusat perindustrian. Oleh itu, tanah yang digunakan untuk tujuan perumahan menjadi semakin kurang. Walaupun kawasan ini merupakan kawasan tumpuan penduduk, kawasan perumahan ini adalah terhad di sebahagian kawasan sahaja. Ini kerana kebanyakan kawasan telah dibangunkan menjadi pusat ekonomi seperti bandar dan sebagainya. Kawasan Mergong ini mempunyai jumlah penduduk yang ramai kerana terdapatnya peluang pekerjaan yang banyak serta taraf hidup penduduknya juga tinggi. Oleh itu, penduduk di kawasan Mergong ini kebanyakannya adalah penduduk yang baru berpindah ke kawasan itu. Ini kerana, kawasan perumahan di Mergong ini boleh dianggap sangat baru. Oleh kerana kawasan Mergong tidak mempunyai tanah yang mencukupi untuk perumahan, rumah-rumah yang dibina adalah rumah jenis fl at. Ini adalah kerana masalah kekurangan tanah dan bilangan penduduknya yang ramai. Di kawasan Mergong, terdapat beberapa sekolah yang dibina. Antaranya adalah Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Mergong, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Mergong, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman (STAR) dan Sekolah Menengah Agama Kedah. Sekolah-sekolah ini terletak berhampiran dengan kawasan perumahan. Semua sekolah ini adalah antara sekolah-sekolah yang utama dan terkenal di Kedah. Selain itu, di kawasan Mergong juga terdapat kawasan pertanian. Pada mulanya kawasan pertanian ini merupakan kawasan pertanian sangat luas. Kawasan pertanian ini ditanam dengan padi basah. Apabila kawasan mergong mula dibangunkan, tanah-tanah pertanian tersebut diubah kepada pembangunan kawasan perindustrian. tanah-tanah pertanian itu dibeli dan di ambil alih oleh kerajaan dan syarikat-syarikat swasta yang inging menggunakan tanah tersebut. Oleh itu, kawasan pertanian di Mergong mula berkurangan. Guna tanah lain di kawasan Mergong ini adalah pembinaan kemudahan Perhentian Bas Ekspres di Alor Setar iaitu Perhentian Shahab Perdana. Semua bas yang datang ke Alor Setar dari pelbagai tempat seperti dari Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh dan sebagainya akan berhenti di perhentian ini. BANK, TESCO, SEK RENDAH, SEK, MENENGAH, UNIVERSITY INSANIAH,PASAR BORONG, PUSAT FUTSAL, PUSAT KESIHATAN MERGONG, PEJABAT PENDIDIKAN DAERAH KOTA SETAR, KOMPLEKS PENERANGAN DI SHAHAB PERDANA,HOTEL/MOTEL, PUSAT PENJUALAN KERETA, PEJABAT JPJ 3.8 PEMBANGUNAN DAERAH MERGONG 3.9 KEMUDAHAN-KEMUDAHAN INFRASTRUKTUR 3.9.1 Bekalan Elektrik 3.9.2 Bekalan Air 3.9.3 Hubungan telefon 3.9.4Hospital dan Kemudahan Kesihatan 3.9.5 Lain-lain Kemudahan 3.10 SISTEM PENGANGKUTAN 3.11 KESIMPULAN http://images.google.com.my/imglanding?q=map%20kedahimgurl= http://www.about-malaysia.com/kedah/images/map-kedah.gifimgrefurl=http://www.about-malaysia.com/kedah/usg=__UgDwddpNj3b9l5tme89hXaCYaQg=h=212w=206sz=6hl=enum=1itbs=1tbnid=G49LrsUsXtHK3M:tbnh=106tbnw=103prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmap%2Bkedah%26start%3D36%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1start=44um=1sa=Nndsp=18tbs=isch:1#tbnid=G49LrsUsXtHK3Mstart=48

A Safe Society Going Risky Sociology Essay

A Safe Society Going Risky Sociology Essay Nothing worth having in life is ever attained without taking risk (Nansen, 1927 p36). Nansen; a great Arctic Explorer and Nobel peace prize winner said this in his speech about the human need for excitement. Not only this man, but up to 50% of Norwegian people are willing to take risks in life (Norwegian national survey, 2003). The number of people participating in extreme sports seems to be growing (sportbusiness.com, xtremesport4u.com), as is the number of championships in these sports. It seems there is more news about extreme sports and there are more advertisements. An example of a recent risk taking event that made the news in the Netherlands is a thirteen year old girl who wishes to sail around the world on her own. The news of this girl became prime news and many different institutions interfered with the girls plan. The Dutch child protection tried to stop her. Eventually they succeeded; the girl was not allowed to execute her plan by court order. The example in the last paragraph shows a paradox; the contrast in risk-seeking behavior and the risk avoidance or risk minimization in national policies. Modern policies are aimed on risk avoidance, all risks should be minimized (Beck YEAR, Giddens YEAR, Breivik YEAR). Modern societies do this very obviously. Clear examples; bridges, car, airplanes, nuclear reactors, elevators, toys and electrical devices, all should be safe. People all need to behave according to guidelines (i.e. laws) if you do not you will end up in jail. Different kind of examples but good examples nevertheless are an organizer of a raft event was sued for being negligent when in 2007 two young women died when their raft slipped of a dam, insurance companies giving a discount on their insurance if enough smoke detectors and other safety equipment is present in a house, or the building of gas stations outside of urban areas and dozen more examples could be given. What these different exemplifies is a seemed tensi on between the deeply rooted need for excitement on one hand and the risk avoidance policies by societies nowadays. Where could this seemed tension come from? Elias and dunning (YEAR) write in their book -Quest for Excitement: Sport and Leisure in the Civilizing Process- that modern society constitutes of routines and relative lack of risk. The comparison is made between Greek wrestlers and Roman boxers to modern ones in order to exemplify the extraordinary violence permissible in antiquity and the soft and rule controlled society of present time. There are also empirical data which raise questions about the theory that the quest for the excitement of sports is an escape from the routines of modern life. This data shows a difference between the ‘richer and the ‘poorer side of society. Poorer, more often the most routinized people (i.e. factory workers), seem less prone to look for excitement in sports than the less routinized richer people of society. On the contrary of this empirical data that thrill seeking, risk taking, sensation seeking and all other synonyms of people looking for excitement has been found to be a personality trait and therefore has genetic roots. The genes involved in this trait are closely related to major personality dimensions like extraversion and psychoticism (Eysenck Eysenck, 1977). A paper by Fulker, Eysenck, Zuckermann (1980) discards sensation seeking almost as a disease. ‘Sensation seeking was found to relate to both extraversion and psychoticism but not to neuroticism. The general pattern of relationships to other trait tests suggests that sensation seekers are impulsive extraverts, but not necessarily neurotic or anxious (Fulker et al., 1980 p262). There does not seem to be an at hand answer to the question: Does a safety-orientated society make people want to look for excitement in for example extreme sports? This is the research question for this paper. We hypothesize that a safety orientated society makes people want to look for excitement in for example extreme sports. This paper is a review of articles present about the raised topic and will try to get an insight in if, why and how people are looking for excitement nowadays. In the first chapter we described what we mean by a safety orientated society. In the second a definition is given of excitement and in the thirth excitement is related to risk. The fourth chapter explores whether extreme sports are truly sports. In paragraph one this is done from the perspective of autonomy, and in paragraph two from institutional embeddedness as proposed bij Tamboer Steenbergen (2007). Chapter five gives an answer to the question why people participate in extreme sport. The last chapter mentions in what way extreme sports are influenced bij our safety orientated society. In the conclusion we give answer to our main question. We do this literature study as an assignment of the Sport and Society course as a part of the Master Human Movement Sciences but the outcome of this paper could be meaningful to others interested in the human need for excitement. 1. A safety-orientated society As mentioned in the introduction the safety-orientated society does play a major part this research. Many examples have been given of this supposed risk avoidance society. But what is it and is the society that different than we world we lived in, in the past? Ulrich Beck, a respected sociologist, wrote about the risk society in 1998 (Beck, 1998; Kelman, 2003). Beck describes a risk society as risk avoiding because everything in daily live seem to be focused on risk. Society wants to know everything about risk and want to avoid every risk. All risks should be controllable, calculable and predictable. In other words each task, each product or each activity is at least statistical analyzed for hazards. Although this definition is useful to understand the term ‘risk society Beck and Giddens decided in a collaboration paper to extend the term risk society into six parameters of risk society. Every parameter is interconnected. The parameters are: the omnipresence of risk, risk is ev erywhere. At the very core reflexive modernity is characterized by an awareness of living in a society of increasing vulnerability to the unpredictable, unfamiliar and unprecedented risks manufactured by modern science and technology. Different understandings of risk, the proliferation of the risk definitions, the reflexive orientation to risk and risk and trust. These six parameters make the definition is more comprehensive, because †¦ Besides this cooperation between Giddens and Beck they did not agree completely. Giddens didnt settle with the first short definition. He insisted that ‘risk is not the same as hazard or danger. Risks refer to hazards that are actively assessed in relation to future possibilities (Giddens, 1999). Further contributions of the definition of risk have been made by Wells, Douglas, Luhmann, Joffe and Fox. They represent different disciplinary approaches to risk. To mention all these different approaches would be beyond the purpose of this paper . But the scope of the different authors may be clear. Modern society is a risk society because societies are focused on risk. Although we completely understand the point of view of the different authors we strongly believe that society is, for the same reasons as proposed by the authors, focused on creating a safe society. The reason why we chose for this contrast is based on our point of view. We have a propensity to look at this society as a safety-orientated society, because we feel that societies aim on safety. From this save society we look into the risks of extreme sports. This contributes to the contrast between these factors. Hereby we presume that a person who starts doing extreme sports started his live in this safety-orientated society (i.e. a predictable and therefore maybe boring society). The people who step out of the safety-orientated society to participate in an extreme sport; what are they looking for? 2. Excitement Zuckermann (1983 and 1994) wrote that some sports activities might provide a method by which sensation seekers satisfy their appetite for excitement. Potgieter and Bisschof took it a little further and proposed that sensation seekers are not interested in low risk and low excitement activities such as marathon running (Potgieter, Bisschof 1990). But what is this need for excitement? This chapter will provide a definition for the need of excitement and explain the sub factors that come forward from this definition. In his paper Sensation seeking: Beyond the optimal level of arousal Zuckerman provides a definition which fits seamless in this paper. He states the need for excitement as: ‘Look for excitement is a trait defined by the need for varied, novel, and complex sensations and experiences and the willingness to take physical and social risks for the sake of such experience(Zuckerman 1979, p.10). Between 1979 and the present there has been done much research on this topic. Other researchers added some dimensions and that is why (Zuckerman 1994, p.26) came with a new definition for looking for excitement: ‘sensation seeking is a trait defined by the seeking of varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences, and the willingness to take physical, social, legal and financial risks for the sake of such experience. Although this better defined definition there was still the need to define it into four sub factors which are: Thrill and Adventure seeking represents the desire to engage in sports or other physically risky activities that provide unusual sensations of speed or defiance of gravity, such as scuba diving or skiing. Experience seeking involves seeking of novel sensations and experience through the mind and senses, as arousing music, even psychedelic drugs, art and travel. Disinhibition describes the seeking sensations through drinking, partying, gambling and sexual variety. Items of this scale indicate seeking of stimulation through other persons. Boredom susceptibility items indicate intolerance for repetitive experience of any kind including routine work and boring people. 3. Excitement related to risk Can we relate look for excitement to risk? Is it a relation? Or can you have excitement without taking risks? If you relate excitement to extreme sport you can answer this question with yes. Besides this perspective, (Highhouse 1996) showed a view from the perspective of society. He uppers that risk could also be taken by threats and opportunities. Threats are related to loss and opportunities are related to gain. (Highhouse 1996) Present an interesting empirical study. This study concludes that people want to take risks but there is a clear leverage beneficial to threats. This basically means that i.e. Program A 400 people will die. Program B 1/3 probability that nobody will die 2/3 probability that 600 people will die. According to Highhouse people will chose for program A. The results typically reveal a framing effect with choices involving gains revealing more risk aversion. The example shows that not always excitement can be related to risk. This test clearly showed that people are risk avoidance. They dont grap the excitement to win 400 lives in fact they chose for not loosing another 200 people. According to (Zuckerman) sensation seeking is always related to risk he wrote biosocial trait of sensation seeking as a predictor of risk-taking behavior. There are good reasons for this as the sensation-seeking motive can illuminate why some people take risks and others do not, and several studies have shown the validity of the concept in this field. Zuckerman related to this concept , behavioral expressions of sensation seeking have not only been found in various kinds of risk-taking behaviors such as driving habits, gambling, health, financial activities, alcohol and drug use, sexual behavior and sports but the trait was found to be also involved in vocational preferences and choices, jobs satisfaction, social; premarital and marital relationships, eating habits and food preferences, creativity, humor, fantasy, media and art preferences and social attitudes. This list of Zuckerman covers all the four sub factors of the definition ‘look for excitement. 4. Extreme sports Many philosophers have askes themselves the questions: ‘what makes sport sport? and ‘what makes sports populair? Like ‘normal or ‘mainstream (Rinehart, 2005) sports, ‘alternative or ‘extreme sports are described by the use of these words while they are never clearly defined. In literature there has not yet been a comprehensive definition, although some have tried. Tamboer Steenbergen (2004) have proposed that sports can be seen from two different perspectives: from its autonomy and from its institutional embeddedness. For the use of this paper the difference between sports and extreme sports is explored by using these perspectives. Extreme sport and its autonomy Bernard Suits describes sport as similar to game and play, and he came up with the following definition (Meier, 1988): ‘to play a game is to engage in an activity directed towards bringing about a specific state of affairs (1), using only means permitted by rules (2), where the rules prohibit more efficient in favor of less efficient means (3), and where such rules are accepted just because they make possible such activity (4). This somewhat philosophic definition can be clarified by an extreme sport example. In downhill mountainbiking a competitor has to follow a specified set out course (1), he is only allowed to use a mountainbike which is approved by the competition organization (2), the course set out by the organization is more difficult than the easiest way down (3) but all competitors apply to these rules because this is the game/sport they are playing Meier (1988) wanted to distinguish sport from game and added a fifth element to the definitions. This fifth element is the demonstration of physical skill. Extreme sports can even better be described by this definition (i.e. think of all the extreme sports with a jury like halfpipe snowboarding, skateboarding, BMX, freestyle windsurfing), but there remain some characteristics which could make extreme sports different from other sports. Most sports that people call extreme are associated with taking (physical) risk. Extreme sports are about the mastering of a skill (Willig, 2008) to overcome the risks mostly caused or provided by the environment. Mastering a skill is highly individual and this makes extreme sports very indivually aimed sports. There is not even a need for an opponent in most cases because it is about the person mastering a skill or overcoming the dangers of the environment, the environment can be seen as the opponent. In extreme sport there are less rules then in many other sport. The natural surroundings make obstacles. This makes the second element in Suits definition of sports less appropriate for extreme sports (i.e. offpiste skiing or snowboarding this is often the most efficient way down). The risk that is associated with extreme sports could be a factor that makes these sports more exciting or more sensational than other sports (or other activities). Also the environment in which these sports take place can account for the feeling of excitement and therefore be a reason to do an extreme sport. Extreme sports and its institutional embeddedness The national and international championships that are organized for many kinds of extreme sports show that there is an institutional embeddedness. Mountainbiking and windsurfing are even at the Olympic sports and are regularly seen on TV. According to Rinehart (2003) extreme sport is mostly developed by young people who are looking for excitement. After this first phase entrepreneurs starting to get in the sport by two ways: firstly businesses develop gear and products, which reduce the risk of an extreme sport. And secondly the sport becomes popular by magazines and TV programs. The results of entrepreneurs who enter the extreme sport is that it becomes popular in general and possible to do for the safe society. A second distinction between extreme sport and a mainstream sport is that the persons who are doing extreme sports aligning themselves with sport in addition to a lifestyle. Which again opens a new market for business ventures and entrepreneurs i.e. clothes and drinks such a s Red bull. These institutions want something to say about the sport. They all profit when extreme sports becomes bigger. There will be more media attention, more sponsors, and more people to buy their products. Extreme sport is highly dependent on expensive material, so as for instance in cycling good material is a never ending business. Could this be the reason for the problem Elias and Dunning proposed? As mentioned in the introduction extreme sports are often done by the ‘richer members of society. This is easily explained by the highly dependence of expensive materials. The members that can afford to escape the routinized boring society. Extreme sport is surrounded by the concept of lifestyle. Extreme sport is not just participating in the sport activity but also in de kind of life that is a part of this sport. In many of these sports, but for instance bicycle motorcross (BMX) and surfing, ‘chilling is a part of the lifestyle. This lifestyle can be seen in de clothe s that people wear, the drinks, the shoes, sunglasses and caps or scarfs. 5. Participation in extreme sports Because it seems extreme sport has become very populair but is also associated with risk (for physical harm or even death) there is the question: ‘Why do people want to participate in extreme sport? Extreme sport seems to distinquish themselves from other sport because of the risk involved. Could it be possible that participators do so because of the risk? And do they need this in order to escape our (boring) safety-orientated society? Taking risk is associated with thrill- and sensation-seeking behavior. This would mean that people are taking risk because of the excitement that comes with it. As mentioned before, in Zuckermans definition of sensation risk-taking behavior is not an essential part, people are only willing to take the risk to experience the sensation. It is possible to experience excitement without risk. Whether people want to experience excitement with or without risk is dependent from the situation. Highhouse (1996) showed risk is perceived as an opportunity when in a loss position, but as a threat when in a gain position. Perceptions of threat or opportunity could have effects on risk taking (Highhouse, 1996). Catar (2006) proposes there is a difference between real risk and perceived risk. Real risk a numerical estimation of the likelihood of an event and perceived risk is influenced by cultural factors. In adventure tourism (activities like bungeejumping, raften, paragliding, etc.) 94% of the participants found there was a very low or non-existent possibility for los, which ment that almost everybody thought the activity was without risk (Catar, 2006). Besides this, the participants evaluate the activities in relation tot the risk of everyday experiences, like driving a car at high speed (Catar, 2006). There can be concluded that de perceivement of risk is dependent on situational factors, and that people do not seek risk but the experience of sensation. Catar (2006) states: ‘Although participants are safe in this knowledge of an outcome, there is no knowlegde as to what the experience might feel like, which is where the attraction really lies. This experience might be so different from everyday experiences, and in combination with an outstanding environmental view the reason for people to participate in extreme sport. At this point rises the question wheter extreme sport is still extreme without the risks involved. And do the experience and environment make extreme sport different from other sports? There are also empirical data which raise questions about the theory that the quest for the excitement of sports is an escape from the routines of modern life. If this is the case, and it certainly seems plausible, how can we explain the well-attested fact that the advantaged rather than the disadvantaged members of society are more likely to do and to watch sports? In other words, those whose lives are least routinized, e.g., professionals, are more likely to seek excitement in sports than those whose lives are most routinized, e.g., factory workers. Perhaps the answer lies in the kinds of sports that are popular with different groups of people. Before people participate in new activities there are two very important elements that must be met. First, people have to be aware of the existence of the activity and the possibility to participate. And, secondly, people have to be in the circumstances that it is possible for them to participate in terms of time, skill, and money. Most extreme sports are quite new and many people are probably unaware of the existence of these activities. By television, advertisments, and stories from friends they become acquinted with the new sports. But before people decide to take part in these sports they have to be in de right circumstances to do so. Most material is very expensive, and there are many sports that cannot be done anywhere. For mountainbiking their have to be tracks or a natural environment, for skiing snowy mountains are needed, for surfing their have to be big waves etc. People who are looking for these circumstances can probably be called sensation-seekers. Donnelly (2006) point out that the way in which research has been done on extreme sports often only includes the core participants. Their mode of participation has come to be called ‘authentic in contrast to the participation of so-called wannabes, posers and nonparticipants. Their relationship with extreme sport is a commercial one. The identification with extreme sport relies for a big part on the adoption of the related lifestyle (Donnelly, 2006). This points out what big influence media, advertisements and groups have on people. And it shows that there are very different kinds of people who participate in extreme sport. Of course this is also the reason why there isnt a simple answer to the question why people do extreme sport. Extreme sport may be so popular in contrast to other sport because most participants are attracted to the lifestyle, the products and may not even be practising the sport itself. 6. Are extreme sports under influence of the safety-orientated society? It could be concluded from chapter 5 that there is a safety-orientated society because people are looking for safety. It is not only our society, but people arent looking for the risk of death of great physical harm. When there are many people who want to take part in extreme sports, safety has to be guaranteed. But when extreme sport becomes safer, there will be more people who want to take part. It seems extreme sport has a very succesfull image which has been made by media and companies. Advertisements and the way the media shows extreme sport make it sound very exciting. But these sports also have a lifestyle that is known as chilling and relaxing. Not only the sport itself but also the special places to go for participating in that sport make it also special and exciting. In this way extreme sport mirrors our safety orientated society. Because the risks have decreased, and physical safety is assured, people can seek their needed thrills and sensation in extreme sport. Conclusion Does a safety-orientated society make people want to look for excitement in for example extreme sports? Our safety-orientated society makes it possible for all kinds of people to seek excitement in extreme sports. Implications Government: If you want excitement then please do an extreme sport instead of experimenting drugs and alcohol because being physically active keeps you healthy and thats safe! References Donnelly, M. (2006). Studying extreme sports: beyond the core participants. Journal of sport and social issues, 30, 219 Elias, N. Dunning, E. (1986). Quest for Excitement: Sport and Leisure in the Civilizing Process. Oxford, Basil Blackwell Fulker, Eysenck Zuckerman, M. (1980). A Genetic and Environmental Analysis JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 14, 261-281 Highhouse, S. Yuce, P. (1996). Perspectives, perceptions, and risk-taking behavior. Organizational behavior and human decision processes, 65, 159-167 http://www.xtremesport4u.com/extreme-sport/extreme-sport-growing-in-popularity/ http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/143916/surge-in-popularity-of-extreme-sports Meier, K.V. (1988). Triad Trickery: Playing With Sport and Games. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, XV, 11-30. Nansen (1927) ‘Adventure, in G. Breivik, THE QUEST FOR EXCITEMENT AND THE SAFE SOCIETY, journ. Safety science Potgieter, J., Bisschoff, F., 1990. Sensation seeking among medium and low risk sports. Perceptual and Motor Skills 71, 1203_/1206. Stranger, M. (1999). The aesthetics of risk. A study of surfing. International review for the sociology of sport, 34 (3), 265-276 Tamboer, J. Steenbergen, J. (2004). Sportfilosofie. Nederland, Budel: Uitgeverij DAMON. Willig, C. (2008). A phenomenological investigation of the experience of taking part in extreme sports. Journal of health psychology, 13, 690 Zuckerman, M., 1983. Sensation seeking and sports. Personality and Individual Differences 4, 285_/292. Zuckerman, M., 1994. Behavioral Expression and Biosocial Bases of Sensation Seeking. Cambridge University Press, New York. Zuckerman, M. (1979): Sensation seeking: Beyond the optimal level of arousal. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Ruch, W. Zuckerman M. ( ). Sensation seeking in adolescence. 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Local Involvement :: Development, Farmers

One main issue about local involvement is how to integrate participatory principles in the present dominant top-down hierarchical extension system in developing countries. In the study about participatory extension approach in Vietnam, Minh et al. (2000) examine the potential and challenges to scale up several new participatory principles (participatory-based training methods, interactive training sessions, group-based sharing experience, practical learning, and learning-by-doing process) in the existing supply-driven extension system. They found that by the help of external support, the approach has been proved to be successful to be applied in farmer level. In order to institutionalize this approach, they recommend using a stepwise procedure, in which it must be initiated by identifying the core problems of the existing extension system and the capacities and then gradually introducing the innovations rather than giving them on the whole. Other issue about local involvement is how to integrate farmers’ innovation into wider existing formal institutional system. Tchawa et al. (2002) assess the Participatory Technology Development in Cameroon, in which they institute that such an innovation may be effectively adopted by the various social actors involved in it, even though it requires difficult learning process difficult at the beginning of the implementation. Taking the case of soil and water conservation, this participatory approach integrating indigenous practices and modern agricultural innovations using the techniques of informal and formal learning (pp. 206-211) However, one study showed that collaboration that involving farmers must be accomplished carefully because of the possibility of social bias. The study of collaborative research-extension plans conducted in Iran indicate that the joint plans, although able to promote collaboration between extension workers and researchers, and extension workers and farmers, the results of this study indicate that such a cooperation plan may be more adaptive to larger-scale farmer segments than the smaller ones. (Movahedi et al., 2007). (pp.304-309Â ¬) Other social segment that should be considered is the young farmers. Auta et al. (2010), in the study of Nigerian youth farmers, argue that the youth needs agricultural trainings as well as more access to agricultural inputs and services to enable them participate in agricultural activities continuously, particularly under scarcity of food availability. Other focal extension issue in developing countries is about partnership among agricultural actors. In the study of cost-sharing scheme, as part of relationship reform between government and farmers extension service, Ozor et al., 2007) found that both farmers and extension workers hold positive perceptions regarding this new partnership scheme; 80.

A Fools Payment Essay -- essays papers

A Fools Payment A Fool’s Payment In the short story, â€Å"The Necklace,† a greedy and selfish woman brings financial ruin upon herself and her husband. They go from a comfortable lifestyle in a slightly shabby apartment to an impoverished existence in an attic apartment. Mathilde Loisel was born to a lower middle class French family, but she wished that she could have of noble birth. Her longing for a better life caused her great grief. When she could have been happy with her situation in life, instead she would dream of a grand home and wealthy, dignified friends. When she borrowed a diamond necklace from a friend and lost it at an elegant party, she brought downfall to her husband and herself. Not only does Guy de Maupassant use the necklace as a vehicle for the hard times that the Loisels had to endure, but he also uses it as a symbol to teach a lesson about the repercussions of greed, ruin, and regret. To begin with, Maupassant displayed the necklace as everything that Mathilde had ever desired. The necklace was â€Å"†¦superb†¦and [Mathilde’s] heart throbbed with desire for it† (Maupassant 6). Mathilde had her choice of â€Å"†¦bracelets,†¦a pearl necklace,†¦a Venetian cross of finely worked gold and gems† (Maupassant 6), but instead she chose to take the most expensive and finest looking bauble in her friend’s jewel box. The diamond necklace revealed to the reader that Mathilde no only wanted the finest things, but she also wanted the most luxurious and expensive ones to be...

Baboons :: essays papers

Baboons Baboons belong to the Old World monkey family, Cercopithecidae. They are found in Africa, south of the Sahara as well as in the Saudi Arabia desert (Class Notes 6/12/01). There are five subspecies of baboons including the hamadryas, the Guinea, the yellow, the chacma, and the olive baboons. BABOONS AND THEIR HABITAT The baboon is the most widespread primate in Africa. Well-known for their remarkable ability to adapt, baboons can be found in a variety of habitats, ranging from semi-desert to rainforest, and from coastal areas to mountains. Their adaptability also extends to their feeding habits — baboons will eat just about anything. The baboon's diet includes a wide variety of plants, of which they eat every part: leaves, fruit, buds, flowers, roots, bulbs, tubers, seeds, shoots, bark and even sap. As for meat, these resourceful monkeys will eat insects, shellfish, small reptiles and amphibians, rodents, birds, fish, eggs and even young antelope or livestock. Several kinds of baboons live in Africa and southwestern Arabia. These include the hamadryas baboon, which lives on plains and rocky hills of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and eastern Africa near the Red Sea, and the chacma baboon, which inhabits rocky regions and open woodlands in southern Africa. Olive baboons inhabit the Kekopey cattle ranch located near the town of Gilgil, Kenya. â€Å"The central part of the ranch consists of open grassland studded with occasional patches of bushy shrub, scattered thornbush, and small groves of giant fever trees† (Smuts 17). They eat a wide variety of foods including insects, flowers, leaves, fruits of bushes and herbs, and most significant of all, the grass itself. â€Å"Baboons eat the green blades of grass during the rainy seasons and dig for corms-the underground storage organ of sedge grasses-when the ranch is dry† (Smuts 17-18). They can carry food in pouches inside their cheeks. Probably the most serious predators of baboons are the large carnivores such as cheetahs and leopards. Baboons live mostly on the ground but sleep in such places as trees or cliffs. â€Å"Throughout Africa baboons achieve some protection from nocturnal predators by sleeping in tall trees or on cliffs (Smuts 19). Usually each troop sleeps on a different cliff, but occasionally two troops will share a single sleeping site. In addition to the predators previously mentioned, baboons share their range with antelope as well as other large mammals including zebra, warthog, jackals, and African buffalo.

Bullying Essay Essay

Bullying is when someone causes verbal, social, cyber, or physical harm to another; this is an often repeated and habitual behavior. A victim of bullying often socially lower than the bully and is less powerful. Reasons for such behaviour can include differences in race, class, sex, age and ability. Bullying can cause lots of emotional pain to the victim and change the way they feel, think, or act. Victims of bullying are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims according to studies by Yale University. In this paper, I will discuss the effects of bullying, the bully’s point of view and how we can join together to eliminate bullying once and for all. Most people who get bullied are too scared to fight back. They give the bully the reaction he or she wants and the bully is encouraged to continue what he/she is doing. We need to stand up to bullies although this may seem terrifying. We need to build up the courage. Students need to be educated on bullying. Studies show that more than half the people in Canada don’t stand up to bullying and 80% have been bystanders at one point or another. The only way to stop bullying is to work together even if you are not a victim because you may be next. Many people bully other either knowingly or unknowingly. Putting other people down helps bullies feel better about themselves. This is because they have probably been victims of bullying themselves. Lowering others’ self esteem boosts theirs and makes them feel less miserable. This is not a very good method to boost your self-esteem and bullies don’t feel better for long. At least one in three adolescents in Canada have reported being bullied recently. Bullying has adverse effects on victims in terms of health and self esteem. Victims may not want to go to school and, if they do, may not be able to focus as a result of depression. Bullying is very harmful to the mind and if it becomes a long-term thing it may even lead to suicidal thoughts. If youngsters aren’t taught about bullying, they may not know how to fight back and fall into deep depression. Even worse, they could become  bullies. In this essay, I have analyzed the harmful effects bullying can have, why bullying happens and how it can be avoided. It is a big deal to make others feel small.

Global Warming or Global Warning? Essay

One of the controversial issues in the United States in particular and in the world in general is global warming. A polemic has been going on whether the concept of global warming is real or not, and some believe that the phenomenon is caused by human activities while other denies that assertion. Whether we believe in it or not, global warming is now a well known concept in our society. Encyclopedia Britannica states that global warming is â€Å"an increase in the global average surface temperature resulting from an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide, methane, and certain other trace gases in the atmosphere. † In a simple version, the planet temperature is rising due to chemical reactions occurring in the nature. Is this assertion true? And what are the factors that favor the happening of chemical reactions? Although the Earth’s temperature increase is a natural phenomenon, several other catalyzers participate to speed up the natural reaction, including human activity. According to Global Warming Newspaper Archives, tens of thousands years ago, the Earth was covered by a layer of ice, and that time was called the â€Å"Ice Age. † As the planet temperature began to rise, the whole layer of ice disappeared giving place to the â€Å"Little Ice Age† characterized by extreme cold and harsh conditions in poles and in uplands. The French mathematician and physicist Jean Baptist Joseph Fourier was the first to introduce the concept of global warming in 1824 when he noticed that the planet temperature was increasing. Fourier brought up the â€Å"Greenhouse effect† theory which explains how â€Å"carbon dioxide traps heat in the Earths atmosphere† (Global Warming Newspaper Archives). In 1950, Guy Stewart Callendar the British engineer supported the â€Å"greenhouse effect† and warned about the seriousness of global warming which led to the beginning of the environmental activism. Several predictions on the future of the Earth came up pushing the United Nations to hold an environmental conference in 1992 where countries were asked to engage themselves to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Since the effects of the 1992 Conference weren’t significant, the United Nations created the Kyoto Protocol the first international commitment to fight against global warming. 125 countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, but the United States the world largest greenhouse gases producer never signed for the global climate treaty. Global warming is a well understood concept because it is a reality. The change of the average weather condition of the planet in a long period of time is a strong indicator of the global warming phenomenon. This change usually concerns the temperature in particular, sea level, and natural phenomena in the second place. In the American Meteorological Society Bulletin, an Arctic sea ice extend average chart shows that from 1961 to 1990, for July-September and April-June, the ice extend has decreased. These periods correspond to the hottest period of the year. However, for October to December and January-March, the ice extend did not change even tough it had been subject of fluctuation over the years. The decreased of ice extend in the two first time period proves that the ice in the Arctic sea is melting. Scientifically, a material change is state from solid to liquid if it is exposed to an increase of ambient temperature. Another chart from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report shows the global average temperature of -0. 3 degree Celsius in 1850 and 14. 5 degree Celsius in 2000; the global average sea level of -125 millimeters in 1870 and 55 millimeters in 2000. The same chart also shows the decrease of Northern hemisphere snow cover from 37 million of kilometer square in 1925 to 35 million of kilometer square in 2000. These results clearly shows that the world is warmer than before, pole ice is melting, and sea level is going up shrinking at the same time the area of the living ground. Global warming is a reality daily noticeable. After recognizing the existence of global warming, many people believe that human activities are the main cause of the whole situation. According to MacMillan Social Science Library global warming is characterized by the fact that â€Å"certain gases trap heat from the sun in the earths atmosphere through a process known as the greenhouse effect which occurs naturally. † The greenhouse effect is a cyclic process that allows the Earth to stay warm and livable for beings when occurring naturally. It becomes a problem when human activities such as burning of hydrocarbons, use of chemical fertilizers, and decomposition of certain waste material pollute the atmosphere and increased the volume of greenhouse gases. Since the industrialization era started, human had been producing waste, and gases through his factories. The emission of gases is more observable in industrialized countries. Gases liberated in the atmosphere by the industries participate in the greenhouse gases scenario. The most known greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and water vapor. The carbon dioxide is known as a gas that absorbs infrared radiation. An increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to more energy absorption and accompany with an increase in planet’s temperature. According to the article â€Å"How Global Warming†, The World Watch Institute affirms that the world carbon dioxide emissions have increased from 1 billion tons in 1900 to 7 billion tons in 1995. The result of that is the increase of the Earth temperature from 14. 5 degrees Celsius in 1860 to 15. 3 degrees Celsius in 1985. Nitrous oxide produces by fertilizers and methane gas result of waste decomposition have the same energy absorbing quality as the carbon dioxide. Although humans don’t produce a huge amount of nitrous oxide, methane gas is abundantly produced on Earth. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in a chart in page 15 of the report presents the increased of the methane emissions from 750 ppb in 1900 to 1750 ppb in 2000 (â€Å"Climate Change 2007†). These indicators significantly accredit the fact that mankind activities gravely impact the global warming effect. Some people don’t believe that global warming is real. The skeptics of global warming say that the increase of the world temperature as an argument in favor of pro global warming is a fallacy, because global warming is a natural phenomenon. So, global warming is not an environmental problem. The fact that scientists don’t have a consensus on global warming issue entertains the polemic. â€Å"The IPCC report is not evidence of a scientific consensus on global warming† (â€Å"Global Warming is Not a Serious Threat†). The Heartland Institute a con global warming organization says that â€Å"NASA released a study in October 2007 demonstrating that the recent decline in Arctic sea ice is due to unusual localized wind patterns rather than global warming † (Taylor). It means that the predictions and results on the gravity of global warming are not true because an official report of the NASA contradicts former assertion. Heartland Institute even affirms that â€Å"The December 2005 issue of Journal of Glaciology reports that the Greenland ice sheet is growing rather than shrinking† (Taylor). For con global warming, the topic is still a theory; it is not a fact yet because scientific research shows the contradiction on the subject. Global warming is not caused by human activities. Environmentalists have exaggerated the dangers of fossil fuels use predicting the â€Å"apocalypse. † Global warming advocates utilize the topic for political reasons. In the United Kingdom, Al Gore â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† is banned from school projection without disclaimer because of misleading and factual errors contain in the film. The British High Court believes that the film is too partisan and political. Jonathan Adler in False Apocalypse says that â€Å"William Gray of Colorado State University, one of the foremost hurricane experts in the world, insists that any increase in hurricane activity during the last few years is the result of natural variability, not human-induced climate change. † Those who believe that hurricanes are the result of global warming can learn that human activities have nothing to do with what happened in New Orleans, in Florida or in Texas. Natural disasters occurring in these days are not related to global warming; instead, they are inexplicable and remain a mystery since their causes are natural. Most of the scientific predictive effects of global warming did not occur. For instance, in 1995, Robert Shope, a virologist and director of Yale University Arbovirus Research Unit predicted an epidemical spread of yellow fever and cholera in North America due to temperature risings (Taubes). This disaster never happened even though the world temperature has risen. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reveals that human activities are the cause of an excessive amount of greenhouse gases release in the atmosphere; instead, Sallie Baliunas and Willie Soon, researchers from the George C. Marshall Institute say that â€Å"Most of the warming of the last 100 years has natural causes as its explanation. ` This is another board of researchers which confirms that the heating of the blue planet is not due to human activities, but by natural phenomena. President Bill Clinton says, â€Å"The overwhelming balance of evidence and scientific opinion is that it is no longer a theory but now a fact that global warming is for real. ` Base on different arguments from pro and con global warming â€Å"theory†, one can understand that pro global warming arguments weigh than con’s opinions. The fact that global warming skeptics acknowledge the existence of global warming is an important sign of the reality of the problem. Their arguments to prove that global warming does not exist are not convincing, and moreover they are based on refutation of pro global warming ideas. Global warming advocates clearly explain the correlation between the Earth’s temperature increase and human being actions. Before the industrial era, the world was less polluted than it is now. Emission of gases and decomposition of waste gravely pollute the atmosphere. The result of it is hotter summers, lesser snow in winters, and sometimes unpredictable weather especially here in the Metropolitan Area. Furthermore, car engine emission and inspection procedures have been put in place in order to reduce pollution which indicates that the government is aware of the fact that global warming is caused by human activities. The green seal logo is now given to business organizations that respect and practice waste recycling. This demarche shows the overwhelming concern for human’s survival in a planet in danger. Global warming is real for global warming advocates, and it is a misleading notion for con global warming advocates. Arguments from both sides of the aisle lead to a convincing opinion from global warming advocates. The world is confronted to a major menace called global warming; it is a global warning for humanity to consider the danger of the phenomenon and to get ready to fight it by reducing our waste, recycling in a daily basis, and to come up with an appropriate energy consuming policy that will help to keep our world safer and livable for future generations.