Management of Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

Management of Change - Essay Example Even though change is necessary for organization to achieve set targets employees do not necessarily embrace these changes, as they want to stick to the workplace rituals and habits developed over a period. Considering that change within the organization must be reflected in the values, norms and habits of human resource within the organization, this report presents the recent change in my own organization called Yadlink Solutions Company. For the purpose of this report, I will use an organization Yadlink Solutions as the main reference in the case study. Yadlink Solutions is a company that operates print newspaper businesses and an online business directory services in United Arab Emirates. The operations of the organization are made possible through the establishment of sales branches in various locations around the UAE with employees being over 1000. The organization was in 2007 to provide a range of services to its customers especially in the age of information technology development where services such as online news and magazine for a search engine, email services, maps, news, stock market updates, and coffee shop services, update on traffic, real estate contents, weather forecasts and web-based recruitment. These services have been offered based on the organization’s strategic positioning to take advantage of the continued shift in information consumption with many people choosing digital forms of source s of information instead of printed newspapers and magazines. Therefore, it became necessary that businesses in the area of mass communicating move from reliance on sales generated from print media to embracing the digital age. The change in Yadlink was necessitated by the need to introduce a culture, values and structure that have been aligned to meet the strategic growth goals that would further improve the market share

The Development of American Colonies Essay Example for Free

The Development of American Colonies Essay Since the discovery of the New World by European powers, the newly established European settlements on American soil varied from region to region. Two such regions were The Chesapeake and The New England regions. Although both were settled vastly by the English people the societies they formed were different. These differences were due to a few factors. The factors include motivation for migration, geography, social, political and economical structures of the settlements. These factors are what contributed to the variations seen in the societies formed by settlers of distinct regions. In the 1600s life in Great Britain was no too pleasant for certain groups of people. The farming population of England was pushed off their land by landlords who began enclosing areas for pasture of animals such as sheep needed to maintain the increasing woolen industry of England. The landless farmers swarmed into cities such as London and Bristol. The cities became overpopulated and unemployment rates soared. People were desperate for jobs. In the 1600s a system called primogeniture was practiced in England. The system ensured that all inheritance went to the oldest son in the family. Younger sons of aristocratic families were left without inheritance where eager to find prosperity of their own. Such people looking for profit decided to try their luck in the New World. The motivation of these people was mostly personal profit. For those of elite origin escaping primogeniture was also a motivation. Another motive which stimulated these courageous people was finding a better route to the Indies which a few competing European powers were also seeking. The leadership was provided by a popular monarch Queen Elizabeth, and the financing by Virginia Joint Stock Company. In 1607 a group of Englishmen set out and settled James Town which became a colony in the Chesapeake region. The first band of settlers was all males, although later shipments of people did include a small fraction of women. This trend could be seen in Document C which contains a list of passengers headed for Virginia in 1635.The passage to the New World was rough and people died in its pursuit. The geography in the Chesapeake region was different from that in England. The hot climate provided for diseases such as malaria to which the English people were not immune. These diseases  killed off many of the colonists. The soil was fertile; the woods full of game and fish was present in the ocean. Yet many of the emigrating men were gentlemen who were not accustomed to work and therefore did not know how to take advantage of these resources. Other colonists spent time searching for gold instead of focusing on survival and the starving time came into being. The colonists died in large numbers of malnutrition and starvation and disease. The colony survived due to the leadership provided by Capitan John Smith. His theory of Those who shall not work shall not eat caused some discipline within the men. As stated in Document F by Captain John Smith the colonists faced hard times. They died of cold and hunger. Captain Smith explained in the document that getting colonists to work was troublesome. Those who hunted gold got others involved and the men wasted time instead of gathering food. Capitan Smith realizing such starvation sent out a ship to summon supplies for the next year. The two councilor that were present in the colony to maintain law and order made friends with the sailors and wanted to sail back to England thus causing Smith trouble to prevent such from happening. Such unruly colonists owed a large part of their survival to Capitan Smith. He made relation with the local Indians and their leader Powhatans aided the colonists in obtaining food. When another shipment of people arrived amongst them was leader Lord de la Warr. He held a harsh military rule and made trouble with the local Indians whom the colonists raided for food. A war was started yet peace came to be when colonists by the name of John Rolfe married the Powhatan princess named Pocahontas. The economy of the colonies improved when John Rolfe perfected tobacco growing. Tobacco was a profitable crop yet it required labor and vast areas of land to grow it upon. Tobacco exhausted soil and the English were forced to press upon Indian Territory to find more land for Tobacco growing. These actions caused Indians to rebel. Another series of Anglo- Powhatans wars was launched and a large number of colonists killed including John Rolfe.  Yet the English won and the peace settlement required the Indians to be uprooted and moved away form the white settlements. These were the origins of reservation systems which later came into being. Tobacco being a profitable crop, plantation system was developed for its growth. Such plantations required labor and the use of the Headright came into being. The system included the use of people called indentured servants. Indentured servants singed contracts and volunteered their labor as slaves for a set number of years in return for passage fair to the New World provided by their master. They were further promised their freedom dues which included a small piece of land, clothing, and a few barrels of corn upon the termination of their indenture. The indentured servants were promised much yet the promises were not always kept. The land they were given was on Indian Territory and caused Indian attacks. Further the land was second rate and not much crops could be grown on such land. The indentures thus faced poverty at the end of their indenture. These conditions caused the indentures to rebel. Bacons rebellion occurred in 1653 and consisted of angry indentures rebelling against the rich land owners who were backed by Governor Berkley or the area. Ideas of the rebellion are vividly described in Document H which explains how wealth was unjustly and unevenly distributed among the landowning population leaving the others including freed indentures to poverty. Another colony in the Chesapeake region was Maryland founded by Lord Baltimore as a haven for Catholics. The economy of the colony also largely depended on the growth and exportation of tobacco and thus also needed labor The Chesapeake region which had connections to the Caribbean saw the black slavery that occurred there and adopted it for the work on plantation. African servants were easier to maintain and control with the use of the Adopted Barbados slave codes. Virginia colony set up a form of government called the House of Burgesses which was a small parliament which governed the colony. Yet the southern colonies were surrounded by enemies of other nations such as the Dutch and  the Spanish in Florida. Government was not always able to defend the colony form such invaders. As Stated in Document G where Governor Berkley explained the colonial inability to defend itself form the Dutch which whom they were forced to share the continent. These attacks of foreigners had to be curbed and controlled by Virginias government. Societies were hard to form in the Chesapeake colonies. The areas were spread out and the establishment of schools and churches was difficult. There was still a shortage of females present in the region. Thus a large number of men could not find a wife and start a family. The few unstable families reproduced slowly compared with the New England Colonies. High mortality rate of men enabled women to have power and inherit their husbands property to support themselves and their children upon becoming a widow. Such were the factors that formed the societies in the Chesapeake colonies. English puritan separatist who believed the Anglican Church was corrupt suffered much prejudice for their religious beliefs. They moved to Holland where they became increasingly aware of the Dutchification of their children, their loss of English language and customs and adoption of Dutch culture. These people wanted a place where they could freely practice their religion while remaining fully English in speech and culture and traditions. Puritans secured a charter form the Virginia Joint Stock company and were supposed to land in James town, yet they sailed off coast and landed in Plymouth. The motivation of these people included mostly religious purposes and the worry of the Dutchification of their children. They thus came in families to settle and stay. These puritans strongly believed in hard work and survival. Only one person died on their passage over. As the list of passengers bound for New England is examined in Document B a trend of women men and children coming as families could be seen. Among the religious motives of the Puritans was the idea of building a perfect holy society that would be an example to all others. Jonathan Winthrop, the founder of the Massachusetts Bay colony. Expressed his desire to build a holy city on a hill blessed by god in Document A. Geography was another factor which influenced the development of the  colonies. New England soil was rocky therefore the families did small subsistence farming in contrast to the export economy sustained in the south. The New England region had access to the ocean therefore fishing and whaling was pursued. The woody region contributed to, much of the lumber used in shipbuilding. The local Indians of the region seemed to be previously wiped out by an epidemic leaving shelters and cleared fields for European settlements. The Wampanoag tribe in the settlement helped the puritans survive by introducing corn and other to them. The colony thus celebrated their first Thanksgiving Day with the Harvest brought about in the fall. The Governmental structure of the colonies was set up before the puritans left the ship to settle New England. The Mayflower Compact was drawn on the ship and was an agreement signed by the male passengers to form a self governing body ruled by majority in the settlements which they were about to established. As could be seen in Document D the Mayflower compact was the first form of the colonies agreement toward the common goal of survival. The government later set up in the colonies was a theocracy. The church was supported by a state tax yet the clergy officials were not able to hold office. Town meetings were administered in which decisions were made by a vote of majority. An assembly called the General Court was elected by free adult puritan males. The General Court made the decisions such as tax and wage regulations in the colonies. In Document E could be examined to see how the General Court assembly controlled prices and wages. Document E is a good example how theocratic even the General Court was often referring to god to prove their point or justify a cause. Outcasts were removed by the government such as minister Roger Williams. Roger Williams was and extreme puritan separatist believed that the puritan church established in the new world further needed reform. He thought that He believed that the Indians of the region were mistreated and deserved better land. Roger Williams was expelled from Massachusetts Bay colony and went further to est. the Rhode Island colony which offered complete religious freedom, no tax supported church and sheltered outcasts such as Anne Hutchinson. Anne Hutchinson also went to defy the puritan theology  claiming that there was no predestination a belief cherished by the puritans. She was exiled and sent to the Rhode Island colony. The economy of the colonies rested largely upon shipbuilding for the British army. Production of products such as tar and rosin were valued by the English navy and were paid well for. Bostons geographical location on a seaport made it a center of trade and commerce, which was a profitable position. Colonies like Rhode Island which often half slave auctions profited from such occurrences. Fishing and export of codfish also sustained the economics of the colonies. Finally the social structure of the New England colonies was different from the southern Chesapeake colonies. The New Englanders formed towns and communities. Education was important many of the colonists had to be literate in order to read the bible. Institutions such as Harvard University were established to train young men for clergy. The families in New England were stable and fertile. They reproduced well and the population grew. As the population grew other colonies such as Connecticut Valley and New Haven colonies were added to the New England region. These colonies were similar expect for Rhode Island colony and later established Quaker Pennsylvania. The Massachusetts colonies even formed a confederation called the New England Confederation with the Connecticut colonies whose purpose was to protect the colonies and was ruled by a voting majority of representatives. In conclusion the variations in geographical, economical, social, political, and motivational factors contributed to the diverse societies formed by people of common English origin. These factors affected the largely the mentality and the way of life of the people residing in these New England and the Chesapeake regions. The differences in the aspects of society mentioned above are what gave the colonies of different regions their distinct characteristics. Bibliography: Bailey, Thomas, and David Kennedy. The American Pageant. 10th. Lexington Massachusetts: D.C. Health and company, 1994.

Art. 121 of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea

Art. 121 of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea Discuss the interpretation of Art. 121 of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea after the decision in PCA-Case N ° 2013-19, Philippines vs China. Are there general conclusions to be drawn which can assist in other similar disputes around the world? Siderakos Panourgias Introduction On the 22nd of January 2013, the Republic of Philippines commenced, under Annex VII to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an arbitration procedure against the Peoples Republic of China. The dispute concerned the South China Sea and is mainly known as the South China Sea Arbitration (PCA case number 2013-19). The arbitration was made before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). The Republic of Philippines claimed the violation of the UNCLOS Convention as long as historic rights, the source of maritime entitlements, the status of certain maritime features in the South China Sea were concerned and also doubted the lawfulness of specific actions by the Republic of China in the specific area. In particular, Chinas rights were disputed over specific islands (island formations within the nine-dash line). However, China denied to accept the arbitration and did not participate in the whole procedure as it did not recognize the jurisdiction of the PCA in the spec ific case. Area of Interest The South China Sea is a sea in the west Pacific Ocean and covers an approximate area of 3.5 million km ². From north, it is surrounded by the mainland of China, Taiwan and Vietnam, from west there is Philippines, Malaysia and Sumatra and from south there is Borneo. Within this sea there are island and reef formations, from which the most important are the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, Pratas, the Natuna Islands and Scarborough Shoal (fig. 1). The wider area of the South China Sea is very unique and interesting because annually, approximately one third of the global maritime traffic goes through these waters. The fishing stocks of the area are massive. Moreover, Japan and South Korea rely mainly on the South China Sea for their fuel and material supply and their trading, too. It is also believed by scientists that underneath the seabed, it contains huge reserves of natural gas and oil. In addition, the South China Sea is the area which contains highly considerable, ree f ecosystems of high biodiversity importance. All the factors mentioned above have obviously transformed the South China Sea into a very conflicting area with essential, economic and geostrategic benefits for decades now. Main Historical Background The general dispute over the South China Sea has begun many years ago, from the decade of 1940s after the WWII. More specific, in 1947 the Republic of China (Taiwan) published a map of the South China Sea with an eleven-dash line area, which included many island formations that claimed to be under its sovereignty. Two of the dashes at the Gulf of Tonkin were later removed in 1949, when the Communist Party of China took over the mainland of China, forming the famous nine-dash line area in the South China Sea (Wu Shicun, 2013). In 1951, Japan renounced all claims to the Spartly Islands of the Republic of China (Taiwan). As a result, the Chinese government proceeded to a specific declaration, reestablishing Chinas sovereignty over the wider area of the South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands. The Philippines, from their side, based their claim for the sovereignty over the Spartly Islands to the geographical proximity. Over the years, many events escalated the dispute. One of these was in 1956 when the President of the Philippines, Tomas Cloma and a group of his people, settled on the islands, even stole the national flag of China from the Taiping Island, and declared the islands as a protectorate of the Philippines with the name of Freedomland. A couple of months later he returned Chinas flag to the Chinese embassy in Manila and wrote a letter apologizing and claiming that he would not proceed to any similar actions in the future. In the 1970s, some countries began to invade and occupy islands and reefs in the Spratly Islands. The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) from its side claimed that it was entitled to the Paracel and Spratly Islands because they were seen as integral parts of the Ming dynasty. The Republic of China (Taiwan) took control of the Taiping Island (the largest one in the island formation) since 1946. Vietnam claimed that the islands have belonged to it since the 17th century, using historical documents of ownership as evidence. Hanoi began to occupy the westernmost islands during this period. In the early 1970s, Malaysia joined the dispute by claiming the islands nearest to it. Brunei also extended its exclusive economic zone and claimed Louisa Reef. Discussion The dispute, as mentioned in the introduction, begun in 2013 when Philippines started a tribunal arbitration with the PRC, complaining about the legality of specific actions in the South China Sea, the legal basis of maritime rights and entitlements in the specific region and the status of certain geographic features. The basis, on which this arbitration and all its results must stand, is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Philippines accused PRC that the historical rights over the Spratly Islands had no serious evidence, it was responsible for artificial-constructed islands that ruined the natural environment and also for the over-exploitation of the South China Sea from Chinese fishermen under its permission and tolerance. UNCLOS The UNCLOS is a convention that was signed in 1982. Both the Philippines and the PRC are members of it, having it ratified in May 1984 and June 1996, respectively. The most basic and essential aim of this Convention was the desire of the States Parties to settle, in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation, all issues relating to the law of the sea and aware of the historic significance of this Convention as an important contribution to the maintenance of peace, justice and progress for all peoples of the world (UNCLOS). The Convention was ratified by the number of 168 States. In its articles, a very wide range of issues are being analyzed. A small listing of them includes territorial and internal waters, transit and innocent passage of ships, to Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Continental Shelf and sovereignty on resources. More specifically, it provides the coastal States the framework in order to establish the zones and their limits, in which they exercise their national jurisdiction. Moreover, in the Convention, a specific organization is authorized in order to resolve peacefully any dispute that will arise between States in the future. This organization is the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). The PCA was the organization that Philippines asked for its tribunal arbitration in the case of the South China Sea, using the Annex VII of the Convention. The most relevant, with our case, zones are the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Continental Shelf, the High Seas and the Area. However, the PCA was not responsible and of course could not address the sovereignty over land territories, in particular over the Spratly Islands or the Scarborough Shoal. A matter that was clearly stated in the South China Sea Arbitration Award of 12 July 2016. Article 121 Interpretation In this report, the article that has more importance is the article 121. According to the UNCLOS, the article 121 states that: 1. An island is a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high tide. 2. Except as provided for in paragraph 3, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf of an island are determined in accordance with the provisions of this Convention applicable to other land territory. 3. Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf. The three paragraphs of the article 121 mentioned exactly as in the Convention above, play a major role in the arrangement of the jurisdictions and sovereignties all over the world, as long as there are waters and islands in them. Firstly, paragraph 1 states with great clearance the definition of the island. A naturally formed area of land, surrounded by waterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ automatically excludes everything that is artificially created. No artificial-constructed islands can be considered as natural. As a result, artificial islands cannot have any maritime zones around them (contiguous zone, EEZ, continental shelf etc.). The only zone that they can legally have is a safety zone that cannot extend to more than 500 meters from its outer edges. The purposes of this safety zone are completely for maritime safety reasons. Moreover, if an artificial island can be officially proved to be a maritime danger according to the international maritime safety standards due to abandoning or misuse, it will be completely removed on its whole. (unclos article 60) Secondly, in paragraph 2 it is clearly stated that natural-formed islands have all the legal maritime zones around them as all other land territories do. A very strong statement, that designates many rights but also obligations to the sovereign State as long as the maritime zones are concerned and all their characteristics. Thirdly, paragraph 3 gives the most important statement from the whole article. That is that any small island (rock) with no human habitation or economic life can have no EEZ. A statement that is both clear and logical, because having a small island with an oil platform, a casino or a military base on it, does not automatically make it a real island with an Exclusive Economic Zone. The human habitation could not be supported by its own powers and the economic life cannot be developed on a social basis. If a fact like this could be legal, that would extend the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the owning State 200 nautical miles even further into the ocean, interfering with other coastal States rights and jurisdictions. Chinas interpretation over Article 121 It was inevitable that Chinas interpretation over the article 121 would raise many objections from its side. The most important matter for China, that it referred to many times officially, was the Japanese Oki-no-Tori-shima rock. Oki-no-Tori-shima is an atoll, located in the western Pacific Ocean between Okinawa and the Northern Mariana Islands, of which only two small portions naturally protrude above water at high tide.(Award) Under that definition, and following directly the directions of the Article 121 (3), China denied the existence of continental shelf of the Oki-no-Tori-shima rock as it cannot sustain human habitation or economic life on its own. A rock that is currently under Japanese sovereignty and jurisdiction. A general acceptance of the non-existence of the continental shelf of the current rock, would automatically reduce the Japanese rights in the specific area by two hundred nautical miles. A huge area with many benefits, both social and economic, as it affects both the local life of people fishing in this area but also the exploitation of possible deposits in the seabed. A possibility, supported by many scientists and theories, which could easily bring in enormous amounts of profits to the owning State. Furthermore, China claims sovereignty both on the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal. Its actions imply that China considers Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Dao in Chinese) as a fully entitled island, naturally formed and with all the following maritime zones around it. Such actions (e.g. the banning of fishing north of 12 ° North latitude and the objection in petroleum surveys and concessions in the area) specifically signifies Chinas thoughts and considerations over the Scarborough Island in the wider area and its rights and jurisdictions on it. Tribunals decisions The CPA reached adjudication, mainly rejecting any claims of China in the South China Sea by historic title. Furthermore, in accordance to Article 121, the CPA did not recognize the Mischief Reef and Second Thomas Shoal as naturally formed islands. Therefore, these low-tide elevations cannot generate maritime zones around them. Also, it declared that Subi Reef, Gaven Reef (South), Hughes Reef, Scarborough Shoal, Gaven Reef (North), McKennan Reef, Johnson Reef, Cuarteron Reef, and Fiery Cross Reef are not islands that can sustain human habitation or economic life, so they do not have the right of any maritime zone. Finally, it declared that the Mischief Reef and Second Thomas Shoal are within the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of the Philippines. In general, as seen above, the CPA did not recognize any sovereign rights or jurisdictions of China related to the nine-dash line area, claiming that this area is completely contrary to the UNCLOS and has no legality. It also stated the breach of Chinas obligations amongst environmental protection of the area and its biodiversity, and also illegal prevention of traditional fishing in the area from the fishermen of the State of Philippines. Similar disputes around the world As described above, from the dispute of the South China Sea between the PRC and the Philippines many general conclusions were made. These conclusions can be easily used in similar disputes around the world, however proper attention must be paid as each situation has its own unique parameters. Such areas are many; two of the most famous are the Aegean Sea and the Caribbean Sea. In the Aegean Sea, Greece and Turkey have disputes that have started many decades before. These disputes include sovereign rights and jurisdictions over islands in the Aegean and the right of Search And Rescue (SAR) operations in its waters. In the Caribbean Sea there is a dispute along the neighboring States about the environmental protection of the area and the general maritime safety. Firstly, the main conclusion from the South China Sea that is very useful to concentrate on is the fact that an adjudication from which one of the two States does not take part in, is considered to be non applicable. From the moment that China does not recognize the award of the PCA and its jurisdiction, no real facts and results can be expected in the region rather than a continuous conflict with unexpected incidents or accidents. So, almost in every similar case around the world, it is almost for sure that there will never be a unanimous agreement from all the sides of the dispute in order to reach a peaceful and cooperative agreement. For example, in the Aegean Sea, Turkey has been claiming (mainly under the presidency of Recep Tayyip ErdoÄÅ ¸an) that many islands are Turkish. The Greek government obviously does not accept that, referring to the UNCLOS and the Treaty of Lausanne, claiming that all Turkeys claims are illegal. As a result, Turkey has never accepted to discuss o ver the conventions and treaties mentioned above, as it serves its own aims and rights in the region of the Aegean Sea. Secondly, another main conclusion is the fact that no artificial islands can be considered to be natural. Therefore, they cannot have any maritime zones around them. This forbids the right to any State that builds an artificial island to claim any jurisdiction or sovereign right around the waters of the island, which could possibly collide to another neighboring States continental shelf from its mainland or a natural island with human habitation and developed economic life on it. Finally, the existence of a rock just emerging over the surface of the sea does not constitute a land, capable of having continental shelf or exclusive economic zone. A conclusion that can be very useful in many disputes around the world and could force many States to reconsider their continental shelves and EEZs. Conclusion In conclusion, the case of the Philippines against the Peoples Republic of China over the South China Sea is very interesting and its award and conclusions are very useful for the whole world and the society of the international maritime law. The articles of the UNCLOS Convention were strictly followed by the CPA, reestablishing Philippines rights and jurisdictions on specific regions of the wider area. Moreover, it recognized the illegal actions of China in the area, concerning the protection of the marine environment and the actions against the fishermen of other neighboring States. Although these conclusions can be used for the interpretation and analysis of other similar cases and disputes around the world (e.g. the Aegean Sea, the Caribbean Sea), many other factors must be taken into consideration for the final outcome. Factors such as the general geographic status of the area, the already signed Conventions or Treaties of the conflicting States and the geostrategic importance o f the area, can completely alter the final outcome of the dispute. In addition, special organizations must be formed in order to resolve similar disputes. Organizations that will be globally accepted, with representatives from all the binding States. It must never be forgotten that a dispute over an area with great profits and benefits, can easily end up in a combat clash with many casualties from both sides. An undesirable outcome that does not promote peace in the world between States, one of the most fundamental principles of the UNCLOS. Figure 1: Map of the South China Sea, including the nine-dash line area      Ã‚  

Alice in Wonderland Essay -- essays papers

Alice in Wonderland In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll tells an entertaining story about a young girl’s adventures in a strange â€Å"Wonderland.† This novel represents a typical girl’s struggle to break away from adult control and receive a desired freedom from their absurd society. Although the novel was written during the Victorian age and many of the events of the story are based on Victorian society, children today also feel the suffocation of adult control and a society without morals. Carroll uses symbolism and various scenes throughout the novel to show the reader the freedom that Alice strives to achieve as well as how she tries to break away from the domination and conformity. The first scene in which Alice’s struggle to break away from adult control and Victorian England’s society is in Chapter 1. After falling into the rabbit hole, Alice finds herself lost in a corridor with many locked doors. The doors being locked represents Alice being controlled by society. The reader can see Alice’s struggle to break away from this control when, finding a key, she searches right away for the door that it fits in. She finds that it fits a very small door and when she unlocks it, Alice first sees â€Å"the garden.† She believes it to be the â€Å"loveliest garden you ever saw† and â€Å"longed to get out of the dark hall, and wander about among those bright flowers and those cool fountains...† Alice’s strong desire to enter the garden is clearly evident. After trying everything she can think of to get into the garden, Alice finally realizes that she is not yet able to enter it and breaks down in tears. Not being able to get into the â€Å"lovely garden,† which represents a place Alice can be away from... ...an society, it was not considered proper etiquette to raise your voice to anyone, whether you are an adult or not. Alice rebels against the rules of the Victorian culture by expressing herself in such a manner. Free in the garden, Alice defies the Queen when she tries to execute her. It is then that Alice realized she must act against society or it would control her. Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a paradoxical novel that represents a typical child’s struggle to break away adult society’s beliefs and rules. It is shown in three vital scenes of the novel how Alice struggles to enter the lovely garden of â€Å"Wonderland,† which represents a freedom from society’s rules and regulations. Alice did understand until the closing of the novel that society cannot be changed and to get away from it, you have to change yourself and rebel against it.

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 32

Matt watched in horror as the phantom shook Damon like a rag dol . Elena spun around to lock eyes with Matt and Bonnie. â€Å"We have to save him,† she whispered, a fierce determination on her face, and immediately took off running, shoving her way through the piles of ash. Matt figured that if Damon, with al his vampire strength and fighting skil s honed over the centuries, was so completely helpless in the hands of this phantom – and jeez, with the way it was yanking him back and forth now, his head real y was going to pop off – then Matt, Bonnie, and Elena had less than a snowbal ‘s chance in hel of making any difference to this fight. The only real question would be whether the phantom would kil them, too. And the truth was that Matt didn't even like Damon, not one tiny little bit. Sure, Damon had helped save Fel ‘s Church from Katherine and Klaus, and from the kitsune demons, but he was stil a murderous, sarcastic, unrepentant, cocky, arrogant, nasty, usual y unpleasant vampire. Damon had undoubtedly hurt more people than he had helped over his long life, even if you generously credited him with saving every single resident of Fel ‘s Church. And he always cal ed Matt â€Å"Mutt,† pretending that he couldn't remember his actual name, which was completely infuriating. As Damon meant it to be. Stil , Elena loved Damon. For whatever reason. Probably the same inexplicable reason that regular girls loved regular old bad boys, Matt suspected. A dyed-in-the-wool good guy, he'd never seen the appeal himself. But Elena did. And Damon was part of the team, sort of, and you didn't leave your teammates to get decapitated by demon icewomen on ash-blanketed moons in other dimensions without at least doing your best to put up a fight. Not even if you didn't like them at al . Matt ran after Elena, and Bonnie fol owed. When they reached the phantom, Elena was already scrabbling at the icy blue hand clutched around Damon's throat, trying to pry its fingers up enough to slip her own underneath. The phantom barely glanced at her. Matt gave an inward sigh at the hopelessness of it al and swung a powerful roundhouse blow toward the phantom's stomach. Before his fist could connect, his target turned from ice to swirling, intangible mist, and his punch passed right through the phantom. Thrown off balance, Matt staggered and fel into the phantom's now-vaporous torso. It was like fal ing into a freezing-cold river of sewage. A numbing chil and a horrible, sickening smel washed over Matt. He pul ed back out of the mist, nauseous and shivering but upright. He blinked dazedly around. Elena was grappling with the phantom's fingers, scratching and yanking, and the phantom watched her with a kind of distant amusement, not the least bit alarmed or discomforted by the girl's efforts. Then it moved, so quickly Matt saw only a blur of bluish green, sending Elena flying, her arms and legs flailing, into a heap of ash. She scrambled to her feet immediately, blood trickling from her hairline, leaving red tracks through the ash that now coated her skin. Bonnie was trying, too: She'd worked her way around behind the phantom and was hitting and kicking at it. Mostly, her feet and fists swung harmlessly right through the phantom's mist, but occasional y a blow would connect with the more solid ice. These blows seemed like they were total y ineffective, though: Matt couldn't tel whether the phantom had even noticed Bonnie was attacking it. Veins were bulging out of Damon's face and neck, and he hung from the phantom's hand. The flesh of his neck was white around the stretched tendons. Superpowered strong old vampire or not, Damon was hurting. Matt tossed up a prayer in the direction of whatever saint looked after people pursuing hopeless causes, and threw himself back into the fight. There was blackness. And then there was pain, and the darkness reddened, then cleared, and Damon could see once more. The phantom – that bitch of a phantom – was holding him by the neck, and her skin was so cold, so cold it burned everywhere it touched him. He couldn't move. But he could see Elena standing below him. Beautiful Elena, covered in ash, streaked with blood, her teeth bared and her eyes flashing like a warrior goddess. His heart swel ed with love and fear. The brave little redbird and the boy Mutt fought beside her. Please, he wanted to say. Don't try to save me. Run. Elena, you have to run. But he couldn't move, couldn't speak. Then the phantom shifted her stance and, as Damon watched, Elena stopped her attack and clutched at her stomach, grimacing in pain. Matt and Bonnie were holding themselves as wel , their faces pale and strained, their mouths open in screams. With a wail, Bonnie col apsed. Oh no, Damon thought with a bolt of horror. Not Elena. Not the redbird. Not for me. Then suddenly, a gusting wind swirled around him, and he was flung from the phantom's grip. There was a roaring in his ears and a stinging in his eyes. Looking around, he saw Bonnie and Elena, their long hair flying around them wildly; Matt, his arms pinwheeling; and the phantom, its glass-green face for once startled instead of knowing. Tornado, Damon thought vaguely, and then, Gateway, and he realized he was being thrown upward, back into the darkness once more. The wind was howling at a deafening pitch now, and Stefan had to raise his voice to a shout to even hear himself over it. He had to keep both hands clamped down on the book – it was being pul ed out of his hands as if something alive and very strong were consciously trying to yank it away. â€Å"Mihi adi. Te voco. Necesse est tibi parere,† Stefan said. â€Å"Come to me. I summon you. You must obey.† That was the end of the summoning spel in Latin. The next part was the banishing spel , which would be in English. Of course, the phantom would have to actual y be there for that part of the spel to be effective. The wind whipping through the garage grew even stronger. Outside, thunder rumbled. Stefan watched the innermost circle, deep in the shadows of the garage, but there was nothing there. The unnatural wind was beginning to let up. Panic rose in his chest. Had they failed? He glanced anxiously at Alaric and Meredith, then at Mrs. Flowers, but none of them were looking at him, staring transfixed at the circle. Stefan looked back into it, hoping against hope. But there was nothing there. Wait. There was the faintest movement of something, right in the center of the circle, the tiniest flash of blue-green light, and along with it came a chil . Not like the cold wind that had spun through the garage, but more like an icy breath – inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale – slow and steady and freezing cold, right from that one spot. The glimmer widened, deepened, darkened, and suddenly what Stefan was looking at shifted and changed from an amorphous glimmer to a woman. An icy, misty, giant woman tinted in shades of blue and green. Inside her chest was a deep red rose, its stem a solid mass of thorns. Meredith and Celia let out audible gasps. Mrs. Flowers stared calmly, while Alaric's jaw had dropped. This must be the jealousy phantom. Stefan had always thought of jealousy as burning hot. Fiery kisses, fiery anger. But anger, lust, envy, al the things that made up jealousy, could be cold, too, and he had no doubt that they had the right phantom. Stefan noticed al these things about the phantom and forgot them again in a split second, because it wasn't just the ice-woman who materialized at the center of the circle. Confused, weeping, staggering, streaked with ash and mud, three humans had appeared there as wel . His beautiful, elegant Elena, caked in grime, her golden hair tangled and matted, lines of blood running down her face. Delicate little Bonnie, tearstained and pale as milk, but with an expression of fury as she kicked and clawed at the phantom. And al -American, always reliable Matt, dusty and disheveled, turning to peer out at them with a peculiarly blank expression, as if simply wondering what fresh hel he'd landed in now. And then one more person, a fourth figure wobbling and gasping, the last to shimmer into view. For a moment, Stefan didn't recognize him – couldn't recognize him, because this man wasn't supposed to exist anymore. Instead he just felt like a hauntingly familiar stranger. The stranger put his hands to his throat protectively and looked out of the circle, straight at Stefan. Through a bloody, swol en lip and bruised slits of eyes, the ghost of a bril iant smile appeared, and the gears of Stefan's mind slotted into place and began to turn again at last. Damon. Stefan was so flabbergasted he didn't know what to feel at first. Then, deep within him, a slow warmth spread with the realization that his brother was back. The last piece left of al his strange history was here once again. Stefan wasn't alone. Stefan took a step forward toward the edge of the diagram, holding his breath. â€Å"Damon?† he said softly, wonderingly. Jealousy snapped its head toward him, and Stefan was pinned to his spot by its glassy cold gaze. â€Å"He came back before, you know,† it said conversational y, and its voice chil ed Stefan as if ice water had been thrown in his face. â€Å"He just didn't want you to know so he could have Elena al to himself. He's been lurking around, lying low, playing tricks like he always does.† Jealousy was undoubtedly feminine, and its cool observational tone reminded Stefan of the little voice that sometimes spoke from the back of his mind, cal ing out his darkest and most shameful thoughts. Could the others even hear it? Or was it speaking straight into his mind? He risked a glance around. They al – Meredith, Celia, Alaric, Mrs. Flowers – stood stil as statues, staring at Jealousy. Behind them, the makeshift beds lay empty. When the three sleepers' astral forms had entered the circle with the phantom, their bodies must have somehow joined them, making them solid within the inner circle. â€Å"He came to Elena,† the phantom taunted. â€Å"He kept his resurrection a secret from you so that he could pursue her. Damon didn't worry for a moment about how you felt about his death. And while you were busy mourning him, he was busy visiting Elena's bedroom.† Stefan reeled backward. â€Å"He always wants what you have, and you know it,† the phantom continued, its translucent lips curving in a smile. â€Å"It's been true since you were mortals. Remember how he came home from university and stole Katherine away from you? He used al his charms on her, just because he knew you loved her. Even with the smal things: If you had a toy, he'd take it. If you wanted a horse, he'd ride it. If there was a piece of meat on the platter between you, he'd take it even if he wasn't hungry, just so you wouldn't get it.† Stefan shook his head slowly from side to side, again feeling too slow, like he had once again missed the important moment. Damon had been visiting Elena? When he had cried on her shoulder about his fal en brother, had Elena known Damon was alive? â€Å"But you thought you could trust Elena, didn't you, Stefan?† Elena turned to stare at him, her cheeks pale beneath their coating of ash. She looked sick and apprehensive. â€Å"No, Stefan – † Elena started to say, but the phantom went swiftly on, its words soothingly spoken poison. Stefan knew what it was doing. He wasn't a fool. Yet he felt himself nodding, agreeing, a slow red anger rising inside him despite his more rational self's struggle against it. â€Å"Elena kept his secret from you, Stefan. She knew you were in pain and that knowing Damon was alive would have eased that suffering, but stil she kept silent, because Damon asked her to, and what Damon wanted was more important than helping you. Elena's always wanted both of the Salvatore brothers. It's funny, real y, Stefan, how you're never quite enough for the women you love. This isn't the first time Elena's chosen Damon over you, is it?† Elena shook her head, but Stefan could barely see her through the tide of fury and misery rising up inside him. â€Å"Secrets and lies,† the phantom went on merrily, with an icy tinkling laugh, â€Å"and foolish Stefan Salvatore always a few steps behind. You've known al along there was something between Elena and Damon that you weren't part of, Stefan, and yet you would never have suspected she'd betray you for him.† Damon seemed to snap out of his daze, as if suddenly hearing the phantom for the first time. His brows drew into a heavy frown and he slowly turned his head to stare at it. He opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, something in Stefan broke, and before Damon could issue whatever denial or taunt was on the tip of his tongue, Stefan lunged forward with a shout of rage, plunging straight through the chalked diagram. Faster than the human eye could fol ow, Stefan knocked Damon backward out of the circle and threw him against the far wal of the garage.

Comparison of Works by Stephen Crane and Allan Poe

Comparison of Works by Stephen Crane and Allan Poe Stephen Crane and Allan Poe are among the most famous authors in the world. They focus on different issues affecting the society in their works. A comparison of the stories written by the two authors portrays Crane as a better writer. He addresses realism in his stories hence the readers find it easy to relate with the stories. In addition, he focuses on factual information by telling stories that depict the real living conditions of people.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of Works by Stephen Crane and Allan Poe specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although Crane’s stories are imaginary, the reader can picture houses and the community in ‘The Monster’ or the town of Yellow Sky in ‘The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky.’ He vividly describes the living conditions of the people in Bowery and Manhattan. He also presents a clear description of emotions in Maggie the Girl of the Streets and the The Open Boat. The quote â€Å"Formidable women, with uncombed hair and disordered dress, gossiped while leaning on railings, or screamed in frantic quarrels† indicates the realistic nature of the stories written by Poe. This statement from page 7 describes the real situation as it was. Crane has written many stories about literary naturalism. In stories such as ‘The Monster,’ he portrays an imaginary situation since the story is fictional. He acknowledges the imagination in the story by saying, The realism is painful; one blushes for mankind.† The factors described in the stories affect the characters negatively. For instance, some of them get unrewarding jobs while others die. His works depict naturalism which can be compared with realism in the sense that realism strongly opposes idealized romance. Crane is a great naturalist who tells interesting stories that go beyond their genre. Men in his stories are portrayed as people who struggle with many f actors in a destructive world. One of the qualities that make him an outstanding author is the use of imagery in his stories. The images in his works make him a respected literary impressionist. In ‘The Blue Hotel,’ Crane brings out the issue of naturalism and community very well. He tells the story of five men making up a small community in a palace hotel. They share basic necessities such as warmth and shelter but they are threatened by nature.Advertising Looking for essay on comparative literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although they satisfy their needs, they are not able to control the needs due to the influence of civilization. He also explains naturalism by portraying Swede as a character who is controlled by the environment and nature. Allan Poe presents unrealistic ideas in ‘The black Cat’ when he writes, I knew myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take it s flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fiber of my frame. His Gothic works are too imaginary such that it is not easy to see the reality in them. In the ‘The Pit,’ Poe explains an unrealistic situation by saying, I was sick- sick unto death with that long agony. He was anxious about death and nobody is anxious about death in a real world. The works of Allan Poe are not as appealing as those of Crane since he is a controversial writer. He is widely known for his ability in writing gothic literature. Many readers are interested in literature that deals with issues affecting human beings in their daily lives. This is not represented in the stories of Allen Poe since most of them revolve around the supernatural. In his stories, he seems fascinated with death especially of women. His works invoke feelings of horror due to constant reference to death. In general, the stories of Crane are better than those of Allan since Crane deals with realistic issues that affect human beings in their lives.

Juvenile Punishment essays

Juvenile Punishment essays A serious question has been posed as to whether or not children should be treated as adults when they commit serious crimes. Unfortunately, no one knows the answer. Each case should be handled based on its own facts and circumstances surrounding the crime that was committed. Should we as society allow children to commit serious crimes and get away with them? Are the parents the ones who should be held responsible? Should we allow a 15 year old who has committed murder to run free through our neighborhoods and schools? What punishment should a juvenile receive for raping their next-door neighbor? The juvenile crime problem is not a new issue; it has been on the rise for a long time. With the FBI reporting a nearly fourfold increase in the murder arrest rate of people under 17 from 1965 to 1992, juvenile justice reform has become a national obsession. (Matza 1) People are now looking at what should be done about this problem, when they should have thought about that long ago. New laws are being passed everyday and new programs put into place to try to lower the numbers of crimes committed by juveniles, but how many are really working? Juveniles who commit serious crimes should receive more serious punishments. Some of the children come from abusive homes and a person could say this is part of the problem. However, should we blame the parents or punish the parents for the actions of their children? Some people argue that children are not mature enough to be held accountable for their actions. The fact that they were mature enough to commit the crime in the first place says that they are mature enough to take responsibility for their actions. Some say that children are not capable of understanding and do not develop mentally until between the ages of 18 and 21. So how are juveniles allowed to drive if this is the case? Serious crimes should receive serious punishments regardless of whom or how old the per...

Ray! essays

Ray! essays My African American is Ray Charles, Ray Charles is one of the greatest R Ray Charles Robinson was born in September 23, 1930, He grew up in Albany, Georgia and was raised in Greenville, Florida. At age Six, Ray Charles suffered from Glaucoma after traumatically watching his brother drown in a washtub his mom used for laundry, because of this he started to lose his site. At the age of Seven he attended St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind from 1937 to 1945 where he learned Piano, Clarinet, and Alto Sax, He also learned how to read and write music in braile In 1948 he was Seventeen and took 600 dollars of savings and moved to Seattle, where he formed the Maxim Trio who had a major hit called Confession Blues. During this time in Seattle he began using Heroin. Later Ray Charles made Ray Charles Enterprises, he recorded many songs of his there, like I cant stop loving you Born to Lose and many more. Later in 1986 he was inducted to the Rock Ray Charles overcame many obstacles like when he started using heroin in 1948, and especially him losing his site at the age of six, learning to play piano clarinet and alto sax, and learning to read Braile and write music in Braile is just amazing, I cant realate to any of these but to overcome a lot of these things is just amazing. Ray charles didnt really do anything controversial but he did use heroin in 1948, he did appear in many movies and later dropped his contract. My opinion on Ray Charles is that he is a great and influential African American, he has influenced many people in his life and ...

Journalism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journalism - Assignment Example According to U.S embassy in Bangkok â€Å"U.S. citizens are encouraged to maintain a heightened awareness when out in public; be alert for unattended packages/bags in public/crowded places and report any suspicious behavior to the nearest law enforcement personnel† (Embassy of the United States, 2012, web). However, Thailand citizens living in Bangkok have more to worry than any other persons do. The residents have taken every precaution to ensure that nothing takes them by surprise. A close interview with Thanyarat, a Bangkok resident perhaps tells the magnitude of the issue at hand â€Å"my family and I have taken the warning seriously and have done every efforts to avoid unnecessary movements. Although the government has promised to heighten security measures, I feel that it is important for us as citizens to take extreme precaution too.† Thanyarat who witnessed the Malaysia-Thailand border attack has every reason to be afraid. He claimed that his family survived miraculously from the car bomb attacks and would not want the same to happen again. Although a good number of residents are scared, some are not and have total confidence in the security measures provided by the government. Malik, a businessperson in the heart of Bangkok is has confidence in the security measures provided by the government but has changed his lifestyle. â€Å"I am scared too since I work in the primary target area. However, I have been forced to change my daily routine for safety purposes.† Thai defense minister Yuthasak Sasiprapa said that the possible targets were synagogues and the Israeli embassy. Bangkoks popular Khao San Road was also flagged as another possible target. This terror threat comes amidst the strained relationship between Iran and the U.S government over suspicious nuclear program activities. Hezbollah is claimed to be supported by Iran and Syria albeit indirectly. Thai’s deputy Prime Minister Chalerm

Future of Natural Gas in the Mediterranean Basin Essay

Future of Natural Gas in the Mediterranean Basin - Essay Example Shale gas is obtained from shale, a sedimentary rock, and in the past decade has become an important source of natural gas in the United States and Canada. North Africa possesses massive oil and gas reserves, viewed as strategically vital because of their proximity to European consumers across the Mediterranean Sea. "In terms of natural gas reserves, Algeria, Libya and Egypt contain the majority of the regional resource, except that Algeria is the main site of the reserves. Algeria is the eighth largest country worldwide in terms of proven gas reserves. Algeria possesses the majority of the gas resource at around 159 trillion ft3, followed by Egypt with 58.5 trillion ft3and Libya at 54.38 trillion ft3. Proved gas reserves have grown significantly over the past decade, with the most significant new finds in Egypt. Egypt joined the ranks of LNG exporters in 2005" (Yamaguchi, 2009) These African countries have an edge over their Russian counterparts in terms of supplies of gas to these southern European countries. The Russian companies are far away from southern European countries as compared to these African countries. In future the supply from these African countries will continue to cater to the demand of the Mediterranean region. These African countries are also encouraging foreign investments in this sector. With demand in the southern European countries rising each year, more and more European companies are entering into collaborations with the North African companies in all the segments including upstream, midstream and downstream. With these investments, new gas field are being found, more pipelines are being constructed in the Mediterranean region. On combustion, natural gas produces less harmful gases as compared to the petroleum products. For this reason, the future demand for natural gas is increasing with every passing year. In the Mediterranean region as well, this demand is expected to grow in the coming years. Europe does not have reserves which can cater to its 100% demand. Hence southern European countries are dependent on North African countries for their gas requirement. In the last decade, shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States and Canada. There are speculations that shale gas may be present in other parts of the world as well. Very recently, the United States has also offered to help other nations in determining whether they have natural gas resources trapped in shale rock. This is a good move from the Government of the United States but the whole process of finding out reserves, taking out gas from shale rocks, bringing this to market; all this will take time. The countries around the world are looking at this shale gas with suspect eyes because of the technology required to extract gas from rocks. Solar energy is increasingly becoming a big source of energy supply to the ever increasing demand for energy in the European countries. North African countries have huge deserted lands where huge solar plants can be installed and energy could be supplied to Mediterranean region. But the question is, is this feasible enough It has been proved that solar power is much costlier than the power

What legal protection is given to archaeological sites in Britain To Essay

What legal protection is given to archaeological sites in Britain To what extent are these measures effective in safeguarding their future - Essay Example ise in order to preserve the heritage of the country because it understands that it is the only evidence of the pre-historic periods that existed and ensures that the legislation to meet these needs are properly carried out. The Ancient Monument Protections Act of 1882 was first imposed by the British parliament as a protective measure for all archaeological sites in Britain. The sites include ancient buildings, monuments, caves etc. The Protection for Military Remains Act of 1986 takes care of vehicles, vessels and other aircraft. The Archaeological Heritage Management also known as the Archaeological Resource Management is instrumental in conserving and managing the ancient archaeological sites of Britain. Their chief focus relates to the preservation, age and the use of the different archaeological resources available to us. In lieu of modern planning and development that poses a threat to the archaeological sites, the Archaeological Source Management Department devise ways and means of mitigating the adverse impact it could have on archaeological sites. In assessing the physical condition of any archaeological site, modern methodology and techniques are used to analyze, monitor and document the exte nt of deterioration and try to find the best means to preserve or conserve these ancient sites. In this essay we will attempt to look at the legislation that governs the conservation of archaeological sites and monuments so that we gain a better understanding of how important such laws are to the cause of preserving them. In Scotland alone, there are about 70,000 monuments and sites that are presently preserved under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The Secretary of State for Scotland plays a major role in the planning system. The local authorities are also responsible for the preservation and safeguarding of such archaeological sites and contribute towards the economy by helping with landscaping and other amenities for development of

Cameron and Obama Show Unity on Afghanistan Essay

Cameron and Obama Show Unity on Afghanistan - Essay Example Hoffman describes the terrorist groups as â€Å"rational actors† who are terrorizing for gaining political power. The same was exercized by Israel in 1946 to get a separate homeland from Palestinians. They massacred 91 people and terrorized them to seek political power. Today, although the president Obama is much stick on his footings to take tough measures against Iran for its nuclear programme but what keeps him bound is the approaching elections. Because US is not yet ready to trigger guns against Iran because she has a strong opinion from the public that they should not opt for any war further after the bitter experience of Afghanistan and Iraq. US is holding back its terrorist policies yet for the gain of political power as it can turn the masses against him. The game that every terrorist plays is for the gain of power and politics, so are doing the big political powers like US and Britain. The expression of totalitarianism in Afghanistan and Libya has been a phenomenon o f much concern for the world. Because the power US and its allies have expressed in terms of gaining world peace is outrageous. But definitely the definition of terrorism differs for every one. Although the USA is showing terror in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya but it is not viewed as terrorist in that critical term of terror as Al-Qaeda or Osama bin Laden is being viewed. The meeting between US and Britain affirm that Hoffman was right in explaing the terorism as a ‘globalized factor’. It has emerged from its historial roots to contemporay dilemma. 9/11 attacks, existence of Al-Qaeda and nuclear programme of Iran have united the globe against terrorists who are moving ahead to get their objectives. Hoffman is of the idea that the fears disseminated and political gains of terrorist have enabled the two adversaries of the past to merge together. British once set white house at fire, today US and Britain are allies against their common adversaries like Al-Qaeda who attacked US on 9/11 and Britain on 7/7. Terrorism was once a tool for only some small terrorist organizations but today it has gained popularity on state level. Now states like US, Britain, France are waging wars against the groups like Al-Qaeda etc. Hoffman gives one of the definitions of terrorism as, â€Å"the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear through violence or the threat of violence in the pursuit of political change (p.40). It seems quite fit to the current political situations where nation states are working for their specific political gains and change policy. As United States policy on Libya and Syria differs. The US used all possible means and measures to bring the political change in Libya while with reference to Syria; we see a clear cut diversion in US policies. The use of violence and threat that was exercised in Libya, completely complies with the new definitions of terrorism by Hoffman. The states use the tools of threat and violence to get political changes of their own choices. â€Å"When we see what’s happening on television, our natural instinct is to act† was the statement by Obama that enables us to relate the link between terrorism and media as viewed by Hoffman who said, â€Å"

Unit 2 Science DB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 2 Science DB - Essay Example In the years 1981-2002, over 60% of the anticancer drugs on the market were produced from the genetic resources of our biodiverse plants and animals (Newman, Cragg & Snader 2003 p.1022). Biological diversity exists everywhere on the planet. However, the degree of diversity can be severely impacted by natural events and human interaction. Some of the most biodiverse ecosystems are the tropical rainforests of South America, Asia, and Africa. These locations have felt the effects of human impact and have been rendered far less diverse than in past centuries. Humans have deforested the Amazon basin for logging, cattle ranching, and agribusiness (Urquhart et al. n.d.). Genetic diversity is vital to the health of an ecosystem and the loss of biodiversity in this region is an alarm to the sustainability of human existence. When a natural disaster or human impact damages an ecosystem, this damage spreads to affect other parts of the ecology. The loss of a single species can lead to the loss of others that use it as a food supply. The habitat may be taken over by a species that suddenly loses a natural predator. The organisms responsible for feeding, fertilizing, and recycli ng our planet can be lost because of small changes to their environment. Biodiversity is essential for the future of humans on this planet. The minor changes in farming methods, development, pesticides, and herbicides can have a lasting and disastrous effect on our food supply. Alterations to rainforests can affect the weather and climate of the planet (NASA). Introduction of non-native species, such as the Salt Cedar in the western U.S,"[...] may have significant negative effects on water resources" (Invasive species 2005). To assure this does not happen, we need to measure our actions and limit the destruction to our environment. Technology, such as NASAs satellite that monitors invasive plants, should be supported (Invasive species 2005). Globalization makes

The Consequences of World War I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Consequences of World War I - Essay Example Although that might not get you a very high grade on a history test, many modern scholars perceive WWII as a continuation of WWI, just after a short reprieve. The First World War is often remembered as one of the bloodiest of wars fought; bloodier than what was experienced during the American Civil War. In fact, it is fair to say that no one is Europe, Asia, and the United States, nor the rest of the world, believed that this war would be so destructive, caused so much death, or last so long (Keylor 1). The events of WWI and those that occurred directly after led to consequences that changed the societal structures, national economies, and, ultimately, led to the start of WWII 20 years later. History Prior to WWI the United States had not been involved in any wars since the turn of the century. Things in Europe were going quite differently. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of the Austrian Emperor, along with his wife while vacationing had outraged the Austrians. Serbia was held responsible. However, while waiting to be certain that they had the support and backing of Germany, gave the Serbians time to guarantee the backing and support of Russia. War was declared, approximately a month later, in July of 1914. The Central Powers included Germany, Austrio-Hungary, and Turkey opposing the Allies, which included Russia, France, Serbia, Great Britain, Japan, Belgium, and later the United States (Keylor 1). Trench warfare began. However, it was not long before troops and financing began to dwindle. It was not until 1917 that the United States entered and declared war on Germany. This was a direct reaction to the German’s sinking the British Ship the Lusitania, which killed a number of American passengers, and a telegram sent by Germany offering Untied States lands to Mexico if they would join them in opposing the United States. The war would rage throughout until 1919. In total, More than 9 million sailors, soldiers, and pilots were killed, 5 million civilians were caught in the crossfire of war, and then another 7 million men returned home injured and/or permanently disabled. There were also huge costs involved in the length of the world, billions of dollars spent across the 28 different countries (Mintz 1). Discussion The consequences of WWI saw the United States begin to rise as dominate economic and political power in the world, mostly because many of the nations of Europe were so depleted. For Europeans the consequences were quite harsh. The political, economic, and social orders of European society, in some cases, came â€Å"crashing down.† It saw the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Germany, Austrio-Hungary, and Russian empires (Keylor 1). New nations were emerging as borders began to change, ethnic tensions were heightening, and an inability to recover from the losses suffered due to the war. As a response many leaders sought to establish a â€Å"new international system† that would help repair damage in Europe and lead to a more productive future for all of the nations. Delegates from these nations met in Paris, France in 1919 to discuss the â€Å"Treaty of Versailles.† However, the major powers, in the treaty discussions were left to Britain, France, Italy, and the United States. It was during this time that the â€Å"league of Nations† was established which would ideally aid in preventing other armed warfare in the future. Although, Germany felt slighted by the treaty, but did not lose territory and therefore signed the treaty. Also, many felt that the Germans were responsible for the majority of WWI, and therefore cost them dearly. Ultimately, the United State

Cameron and Obama Show Unity on Afghanistan Essay

Cameron and Obama Show Unity on Afghanistan - Essay Example Hoffman describes the terrorist groups as â€Å"rational actors† who are terrorizing for gaining political power. The same was exercized by Israel in 1946 to get a separate homeland from Palestinians. They massacred 91 people and terrorized them to seek political power. Today, although the president Obama is much stick on his footings to take tough measures against Iran for its nuclear programme but what keeps him bound is the approaching elections. Because US is not yet ready to trigger guns against Iran because she has a strong opinion from the public that they should not opt for any war further after the bitter experience of Afghanistan and Iraq. US is holding back its terrorist policies yet for the gain of political power as it can turn the masses against him. The game that every terrorist plays is for the gain of power and politics, so are doing the big political powers like US and Britain. The expression of totalitarianism in Afghanistan and Libya has been a phenomenon o f much concern for the world. Because the power US and its allies have expressed in terms of gaining world peace is outrageous. But definitely the definition of terrorism differs for every one. Although the USA is showing terror in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya but it is not viewed as terrorist in that critical term of terror as Al-Qaeda or Osama bin Laden is being viewed. The meeting between US and Britain affirm that Hoffman was right in explaing the terorism as a ‘globalized factor’. It has emerged from its historial roots to contemporay dilemma. 9/11 attacks, existence of Al-Qaeda and nuclear programme of Iran have united the globe against terrorists who are moving ahead to get their objectives. Hoffman is of the idea that the fears disseminated and political gains of terrorist have enabled the two adversaries of the past to merge together. British once set white house at fire, today US and Britain are allies against their common adversaries like Al-Qaeda who attacked US on 9/11 and Britain on 7/7. Terrorism was once a tool for only some small terrorist organizations but today it has gained popularity on state level. Now states like US, Britain, France are waging wars against the groups like Al-Qaeda etc. Hoffman gives one of the definitions of terrorism as, â€Å"the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear through violence or the threat of violence in the pursuit of political change (p.40). It seems quite fit to the current political situations where nation states are working for their specific political gains and change policy. As United States policy on Libya and Syria differs. The US used all possible means and measures to bring the political change in Libya while with reference to Syria; we see a clear cut diversion in US policies. The use of violence and threat that was exercised in Libya, completely complies with the new definitions of terrorism by Hoffman. The states use the tools of threat and violence to get political changes of their own choices. â€Å"When we see what’s happening on television, our natural instinct is to act† was the statement by Obama that enables us to relate the link between terrorism and media as viewed by Hoffman who said, â€Å"

The Consequences of World War I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Consequences of World War I - Essay Example Although that might not get you a very high grade on a history test, many modern scholars perceive WWII as a continuation of WWI, just after a short reprieve. The First World War is often remembered as one of the bloodiest of wars fought; bloodier than what was experienced during the American Civil War. In fact, it is fair to say that no one is Europe, Asia, and the United States, nor the rest of the world, believed that this war would be so destructive, caused so much death, or last so long (Keylor 1). The events of WWI and those that occurred directly after led to consequences that changed the societal structures, national economies, and, ultimately, led to the start of WWII 20 years later. History Prior to WWI the United States had not been involved in any wars since the turn of the century. Things in Europe were going quite differently. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of the Austrian Emperor, along with his wife while vacationing had outraged the Austrians. Serbia was held responsible. However, while waiting to be certain that they had the support and backing of Germany, gave the Serbians time to guarantee the backing and support of Russia. War was declared, approximately a month later, in July of 1914. The Central Powers included Germany, Austrio-Hungary, and Turkey opposing the Allies, which included Russia, France, Serbia, Great Britain, Japan, Belgium, and later the United States (Keylor 1). Trench warfare began. However, it was not long before troops and financing began to dwindle. It was not until 1917 that the United States entered and declared war on Germany. This was a direct reaction to the German’s sinking the British Ship the Lusitania, which killed a number of American passengers, and a telegram sent by Germany offering Untied States lands to Mexico if they would join them in opposing the United States. The war would rage throughout until 1919. In total, More than 9 million sailors, soldiers, and pilots were killed, 5 million civilians were caught in the crossfire of war, and then another 7 million men returned home injured and/or permanently disabled. There were also huge costs involved in the length of the world, billions of dollars spent across the 28 different countries (Mintz 1). Discussion The consequences of WWI saw the United States begin to rise as dominate economic and political power in the world, mostly because many of the nations of Europe were so depleted. For Europeans the consequences were quite harsh. The political, economic, and social orders of European society, in some cases, came â€Å"crashing down.† It saw the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Germany, Austrio-Hungary, and Russian empires (Keylor 1). New nations were emerging as borders began to change, ethnic tensions were heightening, and an inability to recover from the losses suffered due to the war. As a response many leaders sought to establish a â€Å"new international system† that would help repair damage in Europe and lead to a more productive future for all of the nations. Delegates from these nations met in Paris, France in 1919 to discuss the â€Å"Treaty of Versailles.† However, the major powers, in the treaty discussions were left to Britain, France, Italy, and the United States. It was during this time that the â€Å"league of Nations† was established which would ideally aid in preventing other armed warfare in the future. Although, Germany felt slighted by the treaty, but did not lose territory and therefore signed the treaty. Also, many felt that the Germans were responsible for the majority of WWI, and therefore cost them dearly. Ultimately, the United State

Logic bombs Essay Example for Free

Logic bombs Essay With the advent of information communication technology which has greatly helped in solving uncountable problems in all domains of human life all over the world, it has also come with its problems. Globally, the term cyber crime has gained unimaginable popularity because of its harm to all segments of human life. Cyber crime has not been defined in statutes/acts of parliament in many countries apart from a few developed countries which have some sections in their constitutions addressing this kind of emerging crime. The idea of cyber crime is not absolutely different from the other types of normal crimes. A crime is defined in the laws of land as the conduct which results to violation of the law and it is counterbalanced by the sanction of the state. The conduct may be an act or omission. Crime has been in existence through out human history and it is an economic and social phenomenon. It is a concept in the legal field which has the sanction of the law . Crime can also be referred to as an offence. It is an act which is legally wrong and can be pursued by criminal proceedings which can result to penalty (http://www. cybercrimelaw. net/content/cybercrime. html). Cyber crime basically refers to any criminal activity that involves the use of computer as a tool or a target. There are many kinds of unlawful activities that can be done via computer and they include: email spoofing, cyber deformation, sale of illegal articles, forgery, cyber stalking, online gambling, and intellectual property theft. The criminal cases where the computer is used as a target include: access to computer, computer system, or computer networks without permission , stealing of information in electronic form, logic bombs, Trojan attacks, internet time theft, email bombing, salami attacks, stealing computer system, web jacking, physical destruction of the computer and data diddling (http://cybercrime. planetindia. net/intro. htm). Cyber crime is as result of various reasons and they are as follows: Firstly, it is due to ability of the computer to store data in a very small space. Computers are designed in a very unique way such that they can store a lot of information in a very small space within it. This makes it possible to retrieve the information with a lot of ease. This is done using either virtual or physical medium. Secondly, it is very easy to access the information. This is usually due to the fact that the technology employed in protecting a computer from unauthorized access is very complex and is prone to human errors. This poses the main challenge in the protection of a computer. The security systems can be penetrated through using different technologies like the use of key loggers implanted logic bombs, retina imagers and sophisticated voice recorders which usually dupe and trick the biometric system and cross the firewalls thus entering into the security system being used in the computer. The third reason is that the working of a computer is very complex and involves the use of an operating system that uses millions and millions of codes to store information and execute commands. Since all these is designed by humans whose mind is liable to memory lapses, the cyber criminals uses this one as an opportunity to distort the codes and gain access to the computer operating system. The fourth reason is because of negligence. It is evident that human behavior is often characterized by negligence. As a result of this, it is likely that while installing guarding programs, this negligence might occur thus giving the cyber criminals an opportunity for accessing the computer operation system (http://www. cybercrimelaw. net/content/cybercrime. html). From the previous experiences, it is notable that cyber crimes are done by various groups of people in the community. Some of this groups are justified depending on the intention of what they are doing in the cyber. These groups include children and adolescents at the age of 6-18 years. This group is normally active and inquisitive and therefore tend to be very curious to explore and know beyond what they are not aware of in life. This makes them to engage in these types of crimes. In addition, this group likes being popular and achieving unique things something which predisposes them to this kind of delinquency. The second category consists of organized hackers who form groups with a defined goal which may be settling political scores or to gaining competitive edge in the business world. The third and the last group consist of professional hackers/crackers. This are cyber criminals who are out to make money by using their expertise to damage other people’s information systems. They are often hired to crack the sites of competitors or rivals and access vital information related to their organizational, production, marketing and operational strategies. The fourth group in some instances is composed of dissatisfied employees. In this case, the employees may have been sacked or demoted or denied a higher position or may be underpaid and they use cyber rimes as away of revenging (http://www. crime-research. org/analytics/702/). There are various forms of unlawful activities that are done via the computers and they include: unauthorized access to computer systems or net works which is popularly known as hacking. This involves the use of sophisticated technology to penetrate to the computer systems. Theft of information from electronic devices or in electronics is another form of cyber crime. These electronic gadgets include hard disks and removable computer devices. This form of crime is done by interfering with the data in the devices through virtual medium. Email bombing is also another common crime. It involves sending of emails to an individual or organization in bulk such that they derail the functioning or crashing of the computer system. Data diddling is also a form of cyber crime and is conducted before the raw data is processed by the computer. Here, the data is altered prior to being processed and then this is followed by changing it back after the processing. Closely related to this are the salami attacks. These are cyber crimes that are common in financial organizations and they are done with an aim of committing financial crime. It involves the alteration of the computer systems slightly such that the damages go unnoticed. Denial of service which is overstretching of victims computer system with a lot of work than it can handle is also a cyber crime that has been identified. This overstretching of computer leads to its crash. The frequent disturbing viruses and worms are forms of cyber crimes. The difference between the two is that while viruses need a file to attach to, alter and delete. The worms do not need this and they just use all the available space in the memory of the computer. The other forms include: the unauthorized soft wares known as Trojans, logic bombs, and internet time theft which involves stealing of another persons time for browsing which is done by getting the password and login ID. Lastly, is the web hijacking which is involves use of technology to access and gain control of another person’s website and mutilating or changing the information in it. This cyber crime is usually done to people who are looking for money or want to politically destroy their rivals (http://www. usdoj. gov/criminal/cybercrime/). As it is widely known, prevention is better than cure and the same case applies in cyber crimes . The fundamental preventive measure uses the 5P strategy to control and prevent this crime. The 5P stands for prevention, preservation, precaution, protection and perseverance. In addition, one should put the following in mind so as to prevent cyber crime. Firstly, avoid revealing personal information at the cyber, do not sent photographs online and stop chatting to unfamiliar people over the net. Elsewhere, web servers for the public must be separated from the internal corporate network. Always update your antivirus and keep back ups of your information in the computer in other devices, use of firewalls. Additionally, do not ever send your credit card number to any site that is insecure and the use intrusion detection gadget may also help significantly. In conclusion therefore, since humans are rationally thinking, there is no way in which cyber crimes can be completely eliminated from the cyber space. What is most important in this case is to develop very stringent laws to protect the people from the effects of cyber crime and also sensitizing the people to observe morals while embracing the world of information communication technology

Theories of Satellite Imagery and Fractal Concepts

Theories of Satellite Imagery and Fractal Concepts Introduction Many applications based on using satellite imagery in a quantitative fashion require classification of image regions into a number of relevant categories or distinguishable classes. Classification is a means of complementing retrieval. Satellite image classification is a clustering method based on image features, the classification results are represented by visualization techniques [Ant05]. Fractal geometry provides a suitable textural image classification framework by studying the nature irregularity shapes in the image, since it allows to easily describing such fractal images. The fractal geometry can recognize small image segment that characterized by its spectral uniformity, this necessitate first to segment the image before the classification. The main characteristics of fractal images are that they are continuous but not differentiable that allows showing the fine details at any arbitrarily small scale [Iod95]. This chapter presents an introduction to the fundamentals of satellite imagery and fractal concepts: Satellite imagery includes a brief description to the satellite imagery technology that useful to understand the main characteristics of satellite images. Whereas, the fractal concepts are mentioned to explain some regards when considering the fractal geometry techniques in digital image processing. Fractal characterizations are discussed to show the fractal features may found in satellite images. Also, some interested fractal measurements are mentioned to be applied on satellite images for purpose of classification. Later, the interested techniques of image segmentation and classification are given. Satellite Imagery Satellites are greatly used in remote sensing imagery, they have several unique characteristics enable to remote sense the Earths surface [Pan96]. The satellite senses electromagnetic energy at different wavelengths reflected by objects to produce the satellite images as shown in Figure (2.1). Visible satellite images are made of satellite signals received by visible channels that senses reflected solar radiation. Visible imagery is available only during daylight since it produced by reflected sunlight. The major advantage of using the visible imagery is due to it can gives higher resolution images than other imagery bands, so smaller features can be distinguished with visible imagery. The problem faces visible imagery is that clouds are shown white, while land and water surfaces are shaded. Clouds are Earths atmosphere, which absorb and reflect incoming solar radiation and leads to hide the fine details of the Earth surface under consideration [San04]. The two primary sensor types in the satellite are the optical and radar. Optical sensors are concerned with the imaging by visible and infrared radiation. While the radar sensors use microwaves to create an image, which enable the sensor to see through clouds and in night. In addition, multi-spectral, hyper-spectral and multi-polarization sensors are operated at different bands to improve the detection of objects under the sea or ground. Table (2.1) presents characteristics of the most popular optical satellites [ERD13]. Table (1.1) The most Popular optical satellites [ERD13] Satellite Mission life Spatial resolution (m) Panchromatic Multispectral Hyperspectral IRS 1988 / 03 0.80 73.00 Landsat 7 1999 / 07 15.00 30.00 60.00 IKONOS 1999 / 09 1.00 4.00 RapidEye 1999 / 12 5.00 ASTER 1999 / 12 15.00 30.00 – 90.00 MODIS 1999 / 12 250.00 500 1000 EROS 2000 / 12 0.50 – 0.90 QuickBird 2001 / 10 0.61 2.40 SPOT 5 2002 / 02 2.50 – 5.00 10.00 OrbView-3 2003 / 09 1.00 4.00 ALOS 2006 / 06 10.00 WorldView-1 2007 / 09 0.40 GeoEye-1 2008 / 09 0.41 1.65 WorldView-2 2009 / 06 0.41 1.80 Pleiades 2011 / 07 0.50 1.00 Many satellite imagery platforms are designed to follow an orbit determined by the direction from north to the south of the Earth, which is conjunct to the Earths rotation (from the west to east of the Earth). This setting of satellites allows them to cover most of the Earths surface (The coverage is called swath) over a certain period of time. More details about the satellite orbit and swath are given in the following subsections [Asr89]: Satellite Orbit Orbit is the path followed by a satellite. Satellite orbits are determined according to the capability and objective of carried sensors. The selection of orbit is depending on altitude, orientation, and rotation of the satellite relative to the Earth. Geostationary satellites revolve at speeds are matching the rotation of the Earth at altitudes of approximately 36000 km as Figure (2.2-a) shows. This makes the satellites to observe and collect information continuously over the considered areas. The common types of such orbits are found in weather and communications satellites. Whereas, most of satellite imagery are set to be used the near polar orbits, which indicates that the satellite moves northward along one side of Earth and then toward the southern pole on the second half of its orbit as Figure (2.2-b) shows. This trajectory is called ascending and descending passes, which are clearly shown in Figure (2.2-c). Moreover, there are sun-synchronous satellite orbits that cover each a rea on the Earths surface at a constant local time of day called local sun time. The ascending pass of sun-synchronous satellite is almost covers the shadowed side of the Earth while the descending pass is covering the sunlit side. This motion credits same illumination conditions when imaging specific area in periodic seasons over successive years [Pan96]. Swath Swath is imaged area on the surface of the Earth when the satellite around revolves, as Figure (2.3) shows. Swath covers an area is varying between tens and hundreds of kilometers wide. When the satellite rotates about the Earth from pole to pole, it seems to be shifted westward due to the rotation of the Earth (from west to east). This motion enables the satellite swath to cover a new area at each successive pass. The satellites orbit and Earths rotation work together to make complete coverage of the Earths surface when completing one orbital cycle. In near polar orbits, areas at high latitudes will be imaged more frequently than that ling at equatorial zone, this is due to the overlapping occurred in adjacent swaths when the orbit paths come closer together near the poles [Cam02]. If the satellites orbit start with any randomly selected pass, then the orbit cycle will be completed at the time when the satellite retraces its path, this is happen when the same point on the Earths surface become directly below the satellite (such point is called the nadir point) for a second time. The exact time period of the orbital cycle will vary at each satellite. Such that, the time interval required for the satellite to complete its orbital cycle is not the same as the revisit period [Sab97]. Satellite Image Scanning The satellite scanning produces digital images using detectors to measure the brightness of reflected electromagnetic energy. The scanner employs a detector with a narrow field of view which sweeps across the terrain, the parallel scan lines are combined together to produce an image as Figure (2.4) shows [Add10]. The most widely type used scanners is across-track (such as a Whiskbroom used in Quick Bird satellite), which uses rotating mirrors to scan the Earths surface from side to side perpendicular to the direction of the sensor platform. The function of rotating mirrors is redirecting the reflected light to be focused at the sensor detector(s). In such case, the moving mirrors create spatial distortions that can be corrected by processing the received data before delivering the image data into the user. The most significant advantage of whiskbroom scanner is the fewer sensor detectors that keeping data calibration. Another type of scanner is the along-track scanner (such as the pu sh broom scanner used in Spot satellite) that does not use rotating mirrors, it uses a sensor detectors are arranged in a rows called a linear array. Instead of scanning from side to side as the sensor system moves forward, the one dimensional sensor array captures the scanned line at once. Furthermore, some recent scanners are step stare based scanners, they contain two-dimensional arrays in rows and columns for each band. It is important to mention that the push broom scanner is smaller, lighter, and less complex due to fewer moving parts than whiskbroom scanner. Also push broom scanner gives better radiometric and spatial resolution. A major disadvantage of push broom scanner is the calibration that required due to a large number of detectors found in the sensor system [Bui93]. A multi-spectral scanner is a space borne remote sensing system that simultaneously acquires images of the same scene at different wavelengths. The sensors of a multi-spectral scanner are normally working in specific parts of the spectral range from 0.35ÃŽ ¼m up to 14ÃŽ ¼m. These specific parts of the spectrum in which remote sensing observation are made, are called bands or channels. The number of bands or channels varies largely from system to another [Add10]. Two important advantages of multi-spectral scanning are [Lil04]: Objects at the surface of the earth have varying reflection behavior through the optical spectrum; they can be recognized and/or identified more easily using several spectral bands than using just one band. A large number of objects do not reflect radiation very well in the visible part of the spectrum. Remote sensing observations outside the visible wavelengths or in combination with observations in the visible spectrum produce a much more contrasting image, which is helpful to identify objects or to determine their condition. Satellite Image Resolution Image resolution is the capability of sensor to observe the smallest object clearly with distinct boundaries. Resolution is often referred to count pixels in digital image. Usually, the pixel resolution is described by set of two positive integer numbers, where the first number is the width of the image (i.e. number of pixel columns) and the second is the height of the image (i.e. number of pixel rows). Whereas, the cite resolution is the total count of pixels in the image, which typically given in megapixels, and can be calculated by multiplying width by height of the image and then dividing by one million as Figure (2.5) shows [Zho10]. In satellite imagery, ground resolution indicates the Ground Sample Distance (GSD) that refers to the size of ground area covered by one pixel. For an image of 0.6m ground resolution, each pixel records an average reflected color of area 0.6m by 0.6m. The fewer meter per pixel, the higher the resolution of the image. The particular ground resolution is an important parameter when taking vertical aerial images. Satellites of various ground resolutions are listed in Table (2.2) [ERD13]. In addition to GSD, there are four types of resolution when discussing satellite imagery, they are: spatial, spectral, radiometric, and temporal. More details about each one are given in the following subsections [Ren99]: Table (2.2) Most interest satellite features [ERD13] Feature QuickBird Landsat -7 GeoEye -1 IKONOS WorldView -2 Pleiades GSD 0.61m 15m 0.41m 1m 0.5m 0.5m Swath width 16.5 km 185km 15km 13km 16.4km 20km Multispectral Yes yes yes yes yes yes Revisit time 3-4 days 16 days 2-3 days 1-3 days 2-3 days 2-3 days Spatial Resolution The discrimination of image details is depending on the spatial resolution of the sensor, which refers to the ability of detecting the smallest possible feature in the image. Spatial resolution of sensors depends primarily on their Instantaneous Field of View (IFOV).The IFOV is related to the angular cone of visibility of the sensor that determines the ground are seen from a given altitude at one particular moment in time. The size of the viewed area is determined by multiplying the IFOV by the distance from the sensor to ground. This ground area is called the cell resolution and determines the maximum spatial resolution of the sensor [Sab97]. Spectral Resolution Many remote sensing systems use several separate wavelength ranges at various spectral resolutions when imaging the ground areas. These are referred to as multi-spectral sensors. Advanced multi-spectral sensors called hyperspectral sensors, which detect hundreds of very narrow spectral bands in the visible, near-infrared and mid-infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The use of spectral resolution improve the informatic store of specific ground area since there are very high spectral resolution facilitates leads to fine discrimination between different targets based on their spectral response when using each narrow bands [Lil04]. Radiometric Resolution The radiometric characteristics describe the actual information of image contents. Radiometric resolution is the sensitivity of the sensor to the magnitude of the electromagnetic energy that describes its ability to discriminate little differences in the energy. The finer radiometric resolution of sensors the more sensitive for detecting small differences in reflected or emitted energy [Bui93]. Digitally, radiometric resolution is the number of bits comprising each pixel in the image, which indicates the brightness level of current pixel. Brightness levels are digitally represented by a positive numbers varies from 0 to a selected power of 2. The available maximum brightness level depends on the number of bits used to represent the recorded energy. Thus, if the sensor uses 8bits for data recording, then there are 28=256 digital values are available within the range from 0 to 255 [San04]. Temporal Resolution Temporal resolution is related to the revisit period of a satellite sensor. The temporal resolution is the period of a remote sensing system that images the same area appeared at the same viewing angle for second time. The actual temporal resolution is typically measured by days, it depends on three factors: satellite capabilities, swath overlapping, and latitude. The ability of image collection in same area at different periods is an important element for applying remote sensing data. Spectral characteristics of given areas may change over the time and these changes can be detected by collecting and comparing multi-temporal images. When imaging on a continuing basis at different times, change on the Earth surface whether they are naturally occurring or induced by humans can be monitored [Lev99]. Fractal Theory In the 1970s, Benoit B. Mandelbrot introduced his discovery as a new field of mathematics named as fractal geometry (from Latin fractus, i.e. irregular fragmented). He claimed that the fractal geometry would provide a useful tool to explain a variety of naturally occurring phenomena [Man83]. A fundamental characteristic of fractal objects is that their measured metric properties such as length or area are a function of the scale of measurement [Sun06]. Mandelbrots fractal geometry is the best approximation and the most widely used successful mathematical model [Man88]. Fractal objects can be found everywhere in nature such as coastlines, fern trees, snowflakes, clouds and mountains. Self-similarity is one of the most important properties of fractals, invariant scale, and non-integer dimension [Man83]. Fractal geometry is not concerned with the explicit shape of objects. Instead, fractal geometry identifies the value that quantifies the shape of the objects surface by the fractal dimension DF. For example, a line is commonly thought of as 1D object, a plane as a 2D object, and a prism as a 3D object. All these dimensions have integer values. However, the surfaces of many natural objects cannot be described with an integer value, such objects are said to have a fractional dimension. According to Mandelbrot, the fractal can be defined as â€Å"A rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be subdivided in parts, each is (at least approximately) a reduced size copy of the whole†. In term of Mathematics, fractal can be defined as â€Å"A set of points whose fractal dimension exceeds its topological dimension† [Man83]. Fractal geometry uses the fractal features to describe the irregular or fragmented shapes of natural features as well as other complex objects that the tra ditional Euclidean geometry fails to analyze [Ana11].