Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Global Warming - Essay Example Scientific reports claim that the very origin of global warming was somewhere in mid-20th century. They argue that that during and around 1970s, environmental degradation was on the rise. The rise in degradation resulted in huge concentration of carbon in the atmosphere which eventually rose into a universal issue. With different agencies and organizations such as United Nations Environmental Program and Intergovernmental for Climate Change all scrambling for the publicity brought about by global warming, the issue soon scaled to an international problem. Skeptical science, however, disagrees with this claim, arguing that environmental degradation and global warming are natural and can only be stopped through natural practices.Scientific reports claim that the very origin of global warming was somewhere in mid-20th century. They argue that that during and around 1970s, environmental degradation was on the rise. The rise in degradation resulted in huge concentration of carbon in the a tmosphere which eventually rose into a universal issue. With different agencies and organizations such as United Nations Environmental Program and Intergovernmental for Climate Change all scrambling for the publicity brought about by global warming, the issue soon scaled to an international problem. Skeptical science, however, disagrees with this claim, arguing that environmental degradation and global warming are natural and can only be stopped through natural practices.   Media, organizations and agencies use conflicting ideas. The conflicting ideas merge into one to create a problem. Giving different data about the same information all from reputable sources, for instance stirs restlessness. People tend to look for more information in this case. In the midst of the confusion of looking for a new idea, people easily believe whatever is talked more about and that has direct effects on them. For instance, as the IPCC report 2013 claim that global warming reduced amicably, skeptica l science argues that the decade between 2000 to2009 was the hottest. People believed IPCC since the arguments from skeptical science did not directly affect their health.Global warming can just be an avenue through which the whole environmentalists strive to keep standard environmental conditions.  

The scope and limitations of Reiss text typology

The scope and limitations of Reiss text typology Reiss translation-oriented text-typology provides a systematic approach to translation. More interestingly, it approaches translation at the text level. This essay will examine Reiss typology with focus on Parting the Waters, published in National Geographic, a monthly magazine that borders on science, geography, history and culture. REISS TEXT-TYPOLOGY Reiss sees translation as an act of communication whereby the translator acts as a medium (secondary sender). This presupposes that a message has to be passed across, from a primary source to a target receiver. The major media are the source language and the target language. The aim here is to produce a target language text that is functionally equivalent to the source language text (Reiss 2000:160). This means the source text should be the consultative point for the translator. In order to achieve this functional equivalence, Reiss proposes a functional approach of text-typology. This approach takes into account the major communicative function of a source text as a basis for translating into the target text. In other words, a target text that does not have the same function as the source text is not entirely a translation, but what Reiss calls transfer. Reiss text-typology includes a two-phase approach in translating a text: Phase of analysis and phase of reverbalization. The analy sis phase basically involves establishing the text type, genre and style (linguistic form).The phase of analysis is the most important as that is what would inform the translation method to employ. Text-type of Parting the Waters Reiss identifies three text-types according to their communicative function namely: the informative type (communication of content), the expressive type (communication of artistically organised content) and the operative type (communication of content with a persuasive character). There is another hyper-type which she calls the audio-medial text type. This is more of a super-ordinate term for the other three and does not concern the text in question since it is a written text. Parting the Waters can be seen chiefly as an informative text type; first given the context of the text: magazine and second because it gives factual information about a place: Korea, and the geographical events that take place there. The translation strategy recommended in this case by Reiss should thus focus on conveying content. Text variety of Parting the Waters This stage has to do with the conventions of structure and language adopted by the text. However, Reiss explains that they may differ according to different cultures. The importance of this is to be able to find a functionally equivalent convention in the target text culture. In this light, Parting the Waters is a kind of popular scientific text. This suggests also that it seeks a wider audience other than scientists. This leads to the final stage of analysis: style. Style in Parting the Waters The final stage of analysis has to do with detailed semantic, syntactic and pragmatic analysis of the language use (Reiss, 2000:166). Ordinarily, one would expect that when a text is an informative type, even the language used should be such that it is aimed only at giving facts. But that is often not the case, as Reiss herself admits, not in one single language do form and function show a 1:1 relation (2000:166). Hence, looking at the text, one would find a similar occurrence. The text has expressive language such as the internal rhymes: tides, divine, divide; of 15 feet. There is also an allusion to a biblical story: not divine interventions, an expression that answers the presupposition in the title itself Parting the Waters. Reiss thus considers this stage of analysis the most important, as the translator is faced with a decisive battle on what would inform the translation: the language or the function of the text. At this point, Reiss posits that if using an equivalent language style may weigh on the content of the text, then the translator should stick to the predominant function of the text. Translating Parting the Waters to Yorà ¹bà ¡: limitations Taking into consideration the content-focused function of the text, the translator is expected to employ a method that would achieve the same function as that of the target text by translating according to the sense and meaning (Reiss 2000:167). This suggests that the meaning conveyed by the target text should be equivalent to the meaning in the source text. Being a popular science text, and specifically about geography, Parting the Waters has terms such as peninsula, southwestern, mile, width, feet, and spring. While some of them might have some kind of equivalence (i.e. peninsula, mile width), a climatic description like spring poses a problem because Yorà ¹bà ¡ neither has a word nor group of words for it. This is basically due to the different weather conditions. The question is: what should the translator convey here? This is important because spring as used in the text plays a major role in the content; by telling us when an event takes place. The only alternative here would be to replace the word with the time of the year this season occurs in Korea. The problem with this is that it might change the meaning, as the sense of season is different from the calendar year. To solve this translation problem, the translator could adopt Nidas gloss translation of formal equivalence, that is, the use of footnotes in order to make the text fully comprehensible (Nida 2000:129). What this means is that Reiss method is not sufficient to solve this translation problem. The expression divine interventions in the text makes allusion to a biblical story about the Red Sea. This could be because the author had a target audience in mind and presumes they know about the story in the Bible. Although this can also be linked to the use of expressive language, it is however difficult to ignore the fact that this type of language use plays a role in the text- to maintain the interest of the reader. If the original audience for the source text were specialists, there is doubt as to whether expressive language would have been used at all, since all that would be needed are facts. The question is whether or not to include it in the translation. The answer to this is dependent on another question: who are the audience? Sacrificing the expressive form might change the text to an entirely scientific or historic one. This means a different readership, as it may not appeal to a common reader. The problem here is that Reiss method overlooks the fact there is an address ee for even an informative text type. She acknowledges this only in the text variety stage. However, communication itself is not complete without a receiver, in this case the readers. The title, Parting the Waters, also draws attention. It first makes the reader think of the biblical story of the Red Sea, and then makes a reader assume that is what the text is about. But this effect can only be achieved based on a shared knowledge between the author and the reader about the biblical story of the Red Sea. This assumption too must have been informed by the fact that the author had an audience in mind. However, the author quickly attends to this curiosity and possible misconception by the following opening sentence Tides, not divine interventions, divide Unfortunately, the target language (Yorà ¹bà ¡) audience is a mixture of different religions. In this text the title performs an expressive function, but that is not to say its predominant function is expressive. Since it is an informative text, one would expect again that the title would be informed by the major content being conveyed. But this is not the case. Moreover, attractive titles seem to be a common featu re of this genre. This is also a common feature of Yorà ¹bà ¡ magazines (Salawu 2004:100). The question here is: since content is the aim, should the target title be informed by the content alone and leave the use of expressive language? This of course is possible, as Reiss already advises on ignoring such language use especially if it will weigh on the content. Thus the translation can simply have à pa-Õnà   Ã’kun Korea which means The Path between Korean Waters. The consequence of this however is that it might not appeal to the wider audience except a few, specialists. This brings up again the question: who are the audience? Reiss considers this an appropriate factor only when the function of the target text is different from the source text (Reiss 2000:170). What her typology fails to recognise is that both source and target texts can have the same function (as in the case of Parting the Waters) but different addressees. CONCLUSION While Reiss translation-oriented text-typology provides a systematic method of approaching a translation task, it does not provide a complete solution to some problems in English to Yorà ¹bà ¡ translation of Parting the Waters. This suggests that it is not absolute that a text function will provide a translation strategy. Fawcett (1997: 107) makes this same point: There is simply no necessary link between text function and translation strategy. Just because we have identified a text functiondoes not mean that we are led inexorably to any logical or translation-scientific imperative to take this function as an overriding parameter to which we subordinate our translation decisions. (Fawcett 1997, p.107) This further suggests that other translation theories are valid and useful to the extent to which they proffer a solution to a translation problem.

Poor Qulity in the Home Construction Market :: Residential Housing Real Estate

With low finance rates more Americans are purchasing homes than ever before, but the quality of these mass constructed homes is dropping. Imagine breaking your back for ten years to save up for your first home and losing it all and more because your home fell victim to a fire. This is a common example of what may happen when a house is poorly constructed. Home builders are disregarding the much needed safety regulations when calculating their budgets. In the construction business time is money, and when time is an issue sacrifices are often made. It is these sacrifices that are lowering the standards of building within the home-building industry, costing Americans millions annually due to property losses and repair costs. Foundations are cracking due to poor engineering and rushed pouring processes, and homes are burning as if they were mere piles of kindling due to faulty wiring and the disregard of general fire precaution. A problem that has become increasingly more prevalent the l ast couple of years is the loss of property due to natural disasters. Regulations and guidelines have been developed and introduced into the construction industry to aid in preventing the destruction of homes in such a crisis. The devastation these natural disasters may cause accounts for billions annually but can drastically be reduced with stricter enforcement of precautionary measures outlined in construction regulation codes. Who should be held accountable? Maybe we should penalize the construction companies for ignoring what may seem like insignificant precautionary measures in order to complete projects on time and within budget. Or should we turn to the bigger picture and question the state or national level regulation agencies for their slacking enforcement and infrequent development of these imperative regulatory codes? Where ever the problem originates from, it needs to be resolved before the appeal of being an American homeowner loses its prestige. More importantly, homeo wners are at a financial and physical risk because safety and quality control has lost its priority. Purchasing a home is many times one of the most important investments a person or family may encounter. Most commonly homes are financed over periods ranging from ten to twenty years, but in some cases this is ample time for the integrity of poorly constructed homes to deteriorate beyond repair. This raises much concern within state regulatory agencies that overlook the lacking quality in thousands of homes built annually. Agencies such as the Texas Department of Regulation and Licensing and OSHA provide strict guidelines covering many different aspects of construction in order to insure quality and safety throughout the industry.

The Happiest Experience in My Life

I have gained many experiences . There were good and bad experiences . All these experiences have made me more matured and wiser . The most exiting experience I gained was when my father brought my family to Egypt to further his studies . We lived there for six years. During our stay in Egypt, there were many happy experiences. When I arrived in Egypt ,I was seven years old and I couldn’t speak even a word of Arabic . My mother comforted me by saying everything was going to be alright and I would able to assimilate . My father sent me and my siblings to school everyday in our first and second year there . My school was just a walking distance from my home, but we had to cross a busy road . It took us about fifteen minutes to reach the school. My siblings and I went to school without any knowledge of the Arabic language . The first day in school was a miserable day . Everything was different . I could not communicate as I could not undestand Arabic . The girls were friendly but some of them were rough and tough . My first week of school was filled with tears as I was always being bullied by them . As the day passed and my Arabic got bhetter ,the girls who always bullied me became my best friends . There were three of them , Yasmin , Heba and Nada . Actually they were all very kind . We were in the same class from year one to year five . The three girls were very clever ,they easily got full mark or 98% marks for their Mathematics and Arabic language ,but not me . Most Egyptian students work really hard in their studies . I found it difficult to compete . On our third until sixth year in Egypt,my siblings and I went to school by bus . It was also the most exiting experience . The bus was cramped with students ; all like sardines in a tin . Vis was transported back into time when the pharoahs of Egypt ruled the land . The pyramids were enormous and certainly deserved being crowned as one of the seven wonders of the world . The green sea and huge waves of the Maditerranean sea felt like heaven on earth . It was such bliss to be building sandcastles on the white sand . Living in Egypt for six years was really wonderful . Each holiday was spent visiting historical sites and places around Egypt . We have even been to the top of mount Sinai to witness the rise of the morning sun . The view was spectacular and humbling. The beauty of the moment will forever be etched like a drawing in my mind . I will always remember the six years I spent in Egypt fondly in my mind . The moments were the best I ever experienced and I will always treasure them .

Nelson Mandela’s Leadership Essay

In a racially divided South Africa, Nelson Mandela emerged as a great leader. He joined the African National Congress (ANC) to lead a movement whose main goal is to eradicate apartheid. (Racial separation). He promoted peaceful protests to meet that goal; however, when the ruling party banned the ANC, he set a military wing within the ANC to take the resistance against the Apartheid to a new level where he had no choice other than using violence. His actions landed him in prison for nearly three decades. He led secret negotiations with the ruling party while he was in prison aimed at dismantling the apartheid policies. Such negotiations, which resulted in his release in 1990, went on years later to bring an end to Apartheid. In 1994, he became the first black president of South Africa, forming a multiethnic government to oversee the country’s transition to a new era of democracy (1). In 1999, he decided to retire from politics, but has not retired yet from promoting peace and social justice in South Africa as well as around the world. So, Nelson Mandela stood out as a great leader due to his leadership styles, his charismatic leadership, ethical leadership and his leadership power. Leadership attitudes and styles of Nelson Mandela: Nelson Mandela developed â€Å"a strong relationship-oriented behavior, which contributed to his participative leadership style† (2). He learned from his guardian, when he was observing him presiding over tribal meetings, to listen to all sides of argument before venturing his opinion. It was his firsthand experience of how to lead from behind (9). He always remembers the regent’s axiom. He said:† A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.†(Long walk to freedom3). Mandela’s leadership success is attributed to his use of consensus. He inspired his followers and gained their commitment to fight in the sake of abolishing apartheid when he was the leader of the ANC. He used the same participative leadership as president by forming a multiethnic government that includes the people who tortured him for 27 years. Throughout his battle against apartheid and helping to bring democracy to South Africa, Mandela adopted a democratic leadership style. According to  Johnson and Johnson (2006), â€Å"Democratic leaders set policies through group discussion and decision, encouraging and helping group members to interact, requesting the cooperation of others† (4). Mandela believed in the value of the democratic process, even though he did not always initially agree with the results. Some of his unsuccessful pursuits included when he tried during his imprisonment to have prisoners addressed more respectfully by guards, and later when he attempted to have the national voting age lowered to 14 (4). Charismatic leadership: Nelson Mandela influential power stems largely from his charismatic leadership characterized by a compelling vision for the future, his willingness to take a risk for the sake of the well-being of his country, and the sense of forgiveness he demonstrated towards his enemy. Nelson Mandela was a visionary leader who articulated an idealized vision of a future that is significantly better than the present. He envisioned a South Africa where apartheid would finally abolished and everyone should live without worrying to be discriminated against based on race or color. It was this vision of a free and democratic South Africa that sustained him through the darkest days in prison. The same vision has changed the governance in South Africa and made him the first black president of South Africa. Due to the same vision South Africa became the first African country to host the world soccer cup in 2010. He inspired people by his courage and passion. Mandela knew that the risk he was taking was enormous, and the consequences could be devastating to him as well to the well-being of his family. He took the risk of setting a military wing within the ANC to combat the oppressive regime knowing that he will be the first one that the ruling party would target After becoming a president in 1994, he decided to forgive the people who tortured him for nearly three decades. Through this act, he demonstrated the the kind of charismatic qualities he possessed. . Mandela acquired the respect and love of many citizens upon his release from prison, as it was inspiring to the nation that someone could â€Å"emerge from such hardship and humiliation and talk of forgiveness and reconciliation with the enemies who caused†¦suffering† (5). He used his servant leadership style to promote peace outside South Africa; he promoted reconciliation over retaliation to pave the way for progress and prosperity in the neighboring African countries. (6) Ethical leadership Mandela had strong ethical values through having a heart and soul of leadership by consistently promoting peaceful protests rather resorting to violence. From an early age, he was inspired to study law with the intention of defending black South Africans against the ruling party’s unfair treatment. Nelson Mandela as a lawyer voluntarily represented many detainees under the ANC. (Denenberg, 1995). (7) Leadership power Specialized skills and knowledge gave Mandela expert power to be an influential figure. He graduated with law degree and huge political experiences gained when he was the leader of ANC. He utilized his knowledge to communicate with others prisoners who viewed him as a reference for any course of action within the prison such as hunger strike to get better living conditions.(8) Also, Mandela inspired his followers by utilizing referent power, which was closely linked to his traits of trustworthiness and integrity. With his own lofty personality of charismatic leader, skills and knowledge, Mandela become a famous figure, which brought him a â€Å"prestige power† that he uses to promote social justice all over the world such as raising charities to overcome the poverty. Conclusion: Nelson Mandela lived up to his quotation when he said: â€Å"it is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is a danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership†. It’s clear that Mandela stood in favor of involving his followers in the decision making process. He was always endeavored to listen to what each person has to say before he gives his opinion, which is often a consensus of what he heard in the conversation. That’s how he led from behind. He took the front and put his life as well as the life of his family at risk to free the black South African from the oppression of a white minority regime. Because he understood that unless that risk is taken, the unfair treatment against the native South African will continue forever. Works Cited 5- Bill Clinton & Archbishop Desmond TuTu, 2006, Mandela: The authorized portrait, Andrews Mcmeel Publishing, Kansas City 1-Denenberg, Barry. Nelson Mandela: No easy walk to freedom. New York: Scholastic Inc, 2005. Print. 6- Denenberg, Barry. Nelson Mandela: No easy walk to freedom. New York: Scholastic Inc, 2005. Print 3-Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, F.P. (2006). Joining together group theory and group skills (9th Ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 8-le, thai. â€Å"leadership style: Nelson Mandela Vs. Adolf Hitler†. Articlecell. Articlecell,n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. 7-Mandela, N (1965) No Easy Walk to Freedom. Penguin Books Ltd, London, England. 2-â€Å"Nelson Mandela – Biography†. Nobelprize.org. 27 Mar 2013 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1993/mandela-bio.html 4-Stengel, Richard. â€Å"Mandela: His 8 Lessons of leadership†.Time.com. â€Å"N.p.† 09 July.2008.Web. 25 Mar. 2013.