The Natural History of the Galapagos Islands

The Natural History of the Galapagos Islands: The Galà ¡pagos Islands are a wonder of nature. Located off the coast of Ecuador, these remote islands have been called â€Å"evolution’s laboratory† because their remoteness, isolation from one another and different ecological zones have allowed plant and animal species to adapt and evolve undisturbed. The Galapagos Islands have a long and interesting natural history. The Birth of the Islands: The Galapagos Islands were created by volcanic activity deep in the Earths crust under the ocean. Like Hawaii, the Galapagos Islands were formed by what geologists call a hot spot. Basically, a hot spot is a place in the Earths core which is much hotter than usual. As the plates making up the Earths crust move over the hot spot, it essentially burns a hole in them, creating volcanoes. These volcanoes rise up out of the sea, forming islands: the lava stone they produce shapes the topography of the islands. The Galapagos Hot Spot: In Galapagos, the Earth’s crust is moving from west to east over the hot spot. Therefore, the islands that are furthest to the east, such as San Cristà ³bal, are the oldest: they were formed many thousands of years ago. Because these older islands are no longer over the hot spot, they are no longer volcanically active. Meanwhile, islands in the western part of the archipelago, such as Isabela and Fernandina, were created only recently, geologically speaking. They are still over the hot spot and still very active volcanically. As the islands move away from the hot spot, they tend to wear down and become smaller. Animals Arrive to Galapagos: The islands are home to many species of birds and reptiles but relatively few native insects and mammals. The reason for this is simple: it’s not easy for most animals to get there. Birds, of course, can fly there. Other Galapagos animals were washed there on vegetation rafts. For example, an iguana might fall into a river, cling to a fallen branch and get swept out to sea, arriving to the islands after days or weeks. Surviving at sea for such a long time is easier for a reptile than it is for a mammal. For this reason, the large herbivores on the islands are reptiles like tortoises and iguanas, not mammals like goats and horses. Animals Evolve: Over the course of thousands of years, animals will change to fit their environment and adapt to any existing â€Å"vacancy† in a particular ecological zone. Take the famous Darwin’s finches of Galapagos. Long ago, a single finch found its way to Galapagos, where it laid eggs which would eventually hatch into a small finch colony. Over the years, fourteen different sub-species of finch have evolved there. Some of them hop on the ground and eat seeds, some stay in trees and eat insects. The finches changed to fit in where there was not already some other animal or bird eating the available food or using the available nesting sites. Arrival of Humans: The arrival of humans to the Galapagos Islands shattered the delicate ecological balance that had reigned there for ages. The islands were first discovered in 1535 but for a long time they were ignored. In the 1800s, the Ecuadorian government began settling the islands. When Charles Darwin made his famous visit to Galapagos in 1835, there was already a penal colony there. Humans were very destructive in Galapagos, mostly because of predation of Galapagos species and introduction of new species. During the nineteenth century, whaling ships and pirates took tortoises for food, wiping out the Floreana Island subspecies completely and pushing others to the brink of extinction. Introduced Species: The worst damage done by humans was the introduction of new species into Galapagos. Some animals, such as goats, were released intentionally onto the islands. Others, such as rats, were brought by man unknowingly. Dozens of animal species previously unknown in the islands were suddenly turned loose there with disastrous results. Cats and dogs eat birds, iguanas and baby tortoises. Goats can strip an area clean of vegetation, leaving no food for other animals. Plants brought for food, such as the blackberry, muscled out native species. Introduced species constitute one of the gravest dangers for the Galapagos ecosystems. Other Human Problems: Introducing animals was not the only damage humans have done to Galapagos. Boats, cars and homes cause pollution, further damaging the environment. Fishing is supposedly controlled in the islands, but many make their living by illicitly fishing for sharks, sea cucumbers and lobsters out of season or beyond catch limits: this illegal activity had a great negative impact on the marine ecosystem. Roads, boats and airplanes disturb mating grounds. Solving Galapagos’ Natural Problems: The park rangers and staff of the Charles Darwin Research Station have been working for years to reverse the effects of human impact on Galapagos, and they’ve been seeing results. Feral goats, once a major problem, have been eliminated from several islands. The numbers of wild cats, dogs and pigs are also declining. The National Park has taken on the ambitious goal of eradicating introduced rats from the islands. Although activities like tourism and fishing are still taking their toll on the islands, optimists feel that the islands are in better shape than they have been for years. Source: Jackson, Michael H. Galapagos: a Natural History. Calgary: the Universityof Calgary Press, 1993.

The Perversion of Religion Essays - 522 Words

Im not a tremendously religious person. I dont attend religious services, I dont say prayers before bedtime (or much of any other time), I dont read a section of my holy book on a regular schedule... you get the picture. The closest Id come to claiming a personal faith is to call myself a sort of armchair Daoist. And yet I find myself deeply offended by those who profane their own professed faith... the Jim Bakkers, Osama Bin Ladens, Paul Shanleys of the world. They seem like a special category of scum in the swirling pool of humanity. I may question the existence of a sentient God, but I cannot abide someone who claims to follow him and then violates the very tenets of the faith they claim to hold dear. To me the very†¦show more content†¦There are realms of existence beyond his control, and sometimes he simply needs help. How many of us would feel a great weight lifted off our shoulders if we admitted the same need to our spouses or friends? When someone writes a holy book or creates an inspired artwork, they are opening a private window onto their vision of mankinds higher potential. While most creation myths say man was created in a Gods image, what populates holy writings and artwork more than images of holy figures rendered in mans image? (Perhaps only as a function of mankinds limited imagination, but nonetheless an inspiration towards higher goals, no?) To see jaded, self-serving or megalomaniacal manipulations of one of humankinds purest impulses really deeply offends me. Its like using the Mona Lisa in a McDonalds commercial. Its the ultimate hypocrisy. To see someone claim belief in the loving ideals of Christianity, and then publicly verbally assault those who believe differently, or charismatically swindle the elderly out of their money, or rape and abuse their youngest parishioners... To see Islamic leaders, followers of the faith that almost single-handedly preserved the wisdom of the ancient world throughout the Dark Ages, who shepherded and protected the holy lands through bloody medieval crusades, now turn to repression of modern knowledge and culture and bloody international terrorism... ToShow MoreRelated Freedom from Religion: Perversion of the U.S. Constitution Essay2416 Words   |  10 PagesEnlightenment and spurred on by their own experiences in the perils of tyrannical oppression. Thus the preservation of America’s sacred freedoms has been the result of a strict adherence to the forefathers’ insights. It stands to reason, then, that the perversion of these freedoms would be the result of a deviation from the original intents of the Constitution’s framers. An attack on any amendment or clause of the Constitution is an attack on the whole. Such an attack has begun to deteriorate religiousRead MoreThe Religion Of Matthew Lewis s The Monk1225 Words   |  5 PagesPerversion of Religion in Matthew Lewis’s The Monk Matthew Lewis’s The Monk, published in 1796, depicts the Catholic Church in Madrid as the victim of religious perversion caused by the pride and lust of its leaders. The events of the novel, including the monk Ambrosio’s surrender to temptation, leading to the rape and murder of innocent Antonia, as well as Agnes’s imprisonment by the vain Prioress of St. Clare’s Convent, serve to emphasize the lack of true religious devotion in the city of MadridRead MoreAn Analysis Of Frederick Douglass s The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Essay1284 Words   |  6 Pagesmore of a contentious issue than it already is. 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Most popular religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) have religious text or proclamation that has been either misinterpreted or used incorrectly to justify the indecency and perversion of homosexuality. Religious views and homosexuality can also be related to cultural bias. Read MoreThe Good, the Bad and the Perverse549 Words   |  2 Pagesis immoral or moral in different situations. The actual meaning of perversion is an alteration or corruption of an original cau se, meaning or state. A perversion takes something from being originally good, to then being bad. Good or bad, a perversion has no connection to morality. A type of perversion is a sexual perversion. Different religions, a persons attitude towards things; may probably have different ideas on perversion. Any action that brings sexual pleasure, but has little or no chance

FDRs new deal Essay Example For Students

FDRs new deal Essay When President took office in March of 1932 he had an idea of a plan, which would have to develop over time, which was the New Deal for the American People. He believed that if this plan went through, it would solve the problem of the Great Depression and restore the American economy. President Roosevelts New Deal that took time to develop included programs that would help the unemployed get jobs, social security issues such as welfare, and housing and agricultural recovery. Roosevelt also included programs to help the banking system. President Roosevelts New Deal failed to restore the economy as Roosevelt had hoped it would, but in turn it helped the people that suffered the most from the Great Depression by giving the hope and confidence they needed. President Roosevelt was by far the most active president we have had, even though little progress was made. His first accomplishment when he took office was restoring the confidence people had lost in the banking system. He did not solve the problems of the banking system, but he did come up with the Emergency Banking Relief Act of 1933. This act gave power to the government to control some of the banking systems and also allowed them to re-open financially secure banks. The Glass-Stbagall Banking Reform Act, which forbade banks to invest customers money into the stock market. President Roosevelt also tried to better the economy by causing inflation. Inflation would cause an increase in prices and businesses would make more profit and the economy would boom. The new production caused an increase in the need of workers, thus causing the unemployment rate to decrease. One way the New Deal was able to give jobs to the jobless was via the Civilian Conservation Corps. This program gave jobs to civilians between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five; they were planting trees, building dams, and stopping the erosion of the soil. By August of 1933, 300,000 men were at work. Roosevelt also aided the farmers through the Agricultural Adjustment Act. This act helped farmers meet their mortgages, which went hand in hand with the Home Owners Loan Corporation. Through these acts the government used millions of dollars to try to relieve farmers economic crises. But by doing this, Roosevelt caused an increase in the national debt. President Roosevelt also helped strengthen the policies for the building of houses. Roosevelt set up the Federal Housing Administration in hopes that he would stimulate the housing industry, which went in conjunction with the United States Housing Authority, which gave government loans for low-cost construction. But the New Deal failed to accomplish what it had in mind, FDR hoped that the people would support it and be happy, but the people were more worried about their social security. The social security of the people had more importance than housing. The Social Security Act of 1935 provided security for the elderly. The elderly were to receive money that was taken from employees. This meant that when employees retired, the money that had been taken away from them would be given to them in turn. Although it seemed that the New Deal was helping people; it did not. The money was basically going in a cycle and not going directly to aid them in their crisis time, the young workers woul d have to wait to get their money and so they were not being helped in their time of need. Overall it seemed that the New Deal was helping the economy, but it was a never-ending cycle where that no one could take advantage until an ample amount of time had passed. It did not aid them when they needed it. The national debt stood at an enormous figure of $19,487,000,000 and rose to $40,440,000,000 by 1939. America had become a handout state that instead of leading to prosperity only stood for unlimited spending. The New Deal gave confidence to the people but did little to get rid of the problems the economy faced. .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d , .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d .postImageUrl , .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d , .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d:hover , .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d:visited , .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d:active { border:0!important; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d:active , .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u47ae03fc057a399bc610363c5874d37d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Braham Stoker's Dracula Draculas EssayBibliography:

Marketing aspect free essay sample

The management of Head’s Up is moderately efficient. They have accommodating and friendly personnel who provides the needs of their customers wherein they will ask what services they want to avail and instantly accommodate them. They have well equipped facilities and modern equipment that pave the way for more efficient ways of providing services for the customer’s convenience. E. SUPPLIERS The business supplier is from Luzon specifically Manila where they are exclusively supplying the treatments and medicines as well as other needs that they have to Head’s Up. Atty. Raymond said that they paid high to their supplier for exclusively purposes wherein they have a stall for the products that the supplier has at Ever Mall building 2nd floor. F. MARKETING MIX Place One of the most important aspects to consider for a business is its location. Wherein there are number of factors that need to be considered these are the customer needs and the employee needs such as customer convenience, parking, and accessibility. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing aspect or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Head’s Up is located at 21 Silliman Avenue, Dumaguete City. Head’s Up location is considered as a strategic location knowing the fact that it is near to its target market which are the young professional, students, the foreigners and the walk-ins. Service Head’s Up being in a beauty industry offer the utmost service to the customers for it is the reason for its existence to give customer a great service and convenience that would give its customers a reason to come back. Promotion Promotion of a business establishment is important for it helps in positioning its image to its target market. Advertisement of an establishment is one way to garner publicity; Heads Up was launch in Metro Post newspaper and was later introduced in Negros Chronicles News and tied-up Radio station here in the City. Other than that Atty. Raymond told us that nothing more is effective to the word of mouth to its customers. Price The rates of their services are based on the price of the treatments and other medicines they use and also the services are priced in such a way that they compare themselves to the rates of their competitors. Head’s Up also offer 10% off to all services to its VIP cardholders and they also have happy hours to their SPA services specifically the Full Body Massage from 2pm-6pm wherein the price differ from its regular rate. Since one of their target markets are the students they also offer a student price range which is cheaper than the regular price. While in barbershop services they have this â€Å"Blowout† day every Tuesday wherein they price their haircut service half to its existing price. The following are the services and their corresponding rates of Head’s Up Barbershop, Salon and Spa. G. COMPETITOR’S ANALYSIS Competitive analysis plays a vital component in every business which made the owner aware the competition happening between its competitors. The following are one of the competitors of Heads Up Barbershop, Salon and Spa: Carlo Reyes Beauty Salon located at Perdices Street, Dumaguete City Cuttin’ Loose Hair Nail Studio located at Portal West Bldg. Silliman Avenue, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. Art Box located at Sta. Rosa Street, Dumaguete City. David Salon located in front of Spanish Heritage San Jan Street, Dumaguete City Jade Spa Massage located at San Jose Street, Dumaguete City Grand Royal Spa located 2nd floor RM Building, North National Highway, Bantayan, Dumaguete City. These are the establishments which are considered the most competitive in the Beauty Industry and Spa industry wherein these businesses have already establish a name towards to their respective services.