Category: Discovery

Introduction

It is a common practice for drivers worldwide to roll down their mirrors as they reproach their fellow drivers, which occurs more when there is a traffic jam. During my childhood when I was in my first grade, my uncle used to drop me to school. During rush hours when traffic jam was beginning to build up, he would roll down his mirror and yell abusive words to other drivers. At one time, my uncle exchanged insulting words with a driver whose car almost hit my uncles, and a fight broke up.

Since I have grown older, I rarely come across adults abusing each other in public than when I was young. It is a good idea that adults realize that they should be role models to children. In addition, they should always be polite when handling children. This is because children pick up habits and words from adults. However, speaking swearwords is a habit that is common among majority children. Often, children use insulting language whenever they feel upset by a condition or a person (Sexism In English: Embodiment And Language, Nilsen).

It is worth reflecting on offensive language and realize that people, who use abusive and insulting language, use it on nearly all their common expressions. Sometimes individuals utter abusive language to themselves as a way of venting their frustration and anger. This paper aims at exploring the nature of offensive language and the forbidding circumstances and reasons.

Main Body

In the light of this discussion, the following articles are essential; What Is, And Isnt, In a Word written by Jesse Sheidlower, Four-Letter Words Can Hurt You: Barbara Lawrence, and Sexism In English: Embodiment And Language: Alleen Pace Nilsen. There are three aspects linked to the nature of offensive language. First, Lawrence regards offensive language as a gender infringement particularly on women.

It results from sexual activity, human organs and functions, and insulting ways. Secondly, dissemination of portions of offensive language is by individuals who have no evidence for etymological meaning. Third, offensive language has roots in cultures and individuals habituated to residing with abusive language. The effort towards stopping use of offensive language is not an individual, but the political and human power.

In support of this, Lawrence (140) argues offensive language is the source and function of the words themselves (Four-Letter Words Can Hurt You, Lawrence). A wide array of offensive language revolves around functions and human organs. They are usually obscene words, which denigrate women. Lawrence (139) asserts It is the language used to describe sexual activity, such as copulate and intercourse. Moreover, the words are neither tabooed in print publication nor conversation. Equally, the words earthy, rich, and strong, describe sexual activity better during normal conversations (Four-Letter Words Can Hurt You, Lawrence).

This brings forth another vital point; offensive language not only degenerate womens natural human function openly. It also relates to the functions and organs of men, such as testes, to suggest the vital interaction between females and males. Conversely, Lawrence (141) acknowledges that offensive language has maligned on woman biological identity, their individual and heir humanness (Four-Letter Words Can Hurt You, Lawrence).

For instance, people who deal with pornography like utilizing piece of the tail so as to opaque human functions and organs. According to the dictionary, the words piece of tail refers to sexual intercourse slang. In this case, pornographers use the slang to elaborate the discrepancy between the birth canal and anal outlet in women. Lawrence is against the idea of using offensive language, which disgraces and depreciates women. Lawrence establishes why many religions, nationalities and women care about the use of offensive language on women. Measures should be put in place so as to rescue women from this predicament.

In the light of this discussion, it should be noted that the sexual pejoratives predicament is not a concern for women only. Women movements alone are too small to solve the predicament. Women Liberation Movements require human help and support. Women Liberation Movements are the sources of curious attention from people. This leads to various discussions in regards to whether the offensive language makes women feel hurt, offensive language sources and whether women are extremely sensitive to reflect on the offensive language. It is worth noting that women become the fair game and topic of discussion in the Liberation movements.

Women have made immense efforts to resist utilizing offensive language; however, their efforts are never successful. Words such as spice, kike and coon used in offensive language, and which degrade women, may start denigrating countries, culture and males. Then, offensive language would be viewed as being a critical predicament, and the society would consider the issue a valuable question.

In order to stop the obscene words used on women, the power from a small group is inadequate. There is a need to incorporate various politics, religions, ethnicities, race, age, and gender. For instance, the Native Americans consider the word squaw as offensive, and it originates from the obscenity associated with the female genitalia. The Native Americans proposed that the name be changed, but their efforts were in vain.

Considering that the Native Americans are an extremely small group, other people excluded from the group could not decipher why the Native Americans persisted so much on the word. If people feel that such a word is an insult to their personality, the word may not be used for naming anything. Moreover, Sheidlower (57) asserts that as a result of the civil rights movements which were prevalent in the 1967, the political power in America changed the word Nigger to Negro. This is because the power people have more consideration for the word Nigger as opposed to Squaw among the Native Americans.

According to Sheidlower (23), political power influences the name given. It is possible to forbid obscene words (What Is, And Isnt, In a Word, Sheidlower). Furthermore, the denotation of obscene words can be transformed. The history of the word and etymological word usage are irrelevant; what matters are the human and political powers. Hence, it is worthy emphasizing that some offensive language words are downplayed and used randomly by some people. However, human and political powers maximize the use of these words since they believe that the obscene words will catch the attention of their listeners.

As mentioned earlier, offensive language has roots in the function and sources of the words. Some people use some words and consider them offensive, whereas in the real sense, they are not offensive. For instance, although the word squaw is offensive, its etymological meaning is woman.

The following are instances when inoffensive words may be offensive; abbreviated words, derived words, in foreign language and via peoples consciousness. For instance, the word gyp comes from Gyps since majority people consider the Gypsy personality as dishonest. The words Poppycock possesses an abusive meaning and originates from a foreign word which means dork, and used as an offensive slang. It is therefore, worth noting that the offensive language imposed on some words promulgated by individuals, and their etymological meaning does not prove their offensive meaning.

In addition, offensive language forms an integral part in the life of people, and constitutes part of their culture. People often reside with offensive language, and do not realize the damage it bears on women. The integration of offensive language in cultures results in female life coerces and paired sex discrimination. According to Nielsen (151), the Afghan culture has a proverb that states if you see an old man, sit down and take a lesson; if you see an old woman, throw a stone (Sexism in English: Embodiment and Language, Nilsen). It is difficult to comprehend why Afghan people respect mens speech, and make no efforts to listen to the ideas women have. As a result, the Afghan women have lost social status and voice as a result of sex discrimination (Sheidlower).

In order to ensure that offensive language ends, it is imperative to scrutinize the culture. Offensive language affects peoples behavior and thinking. Nilsens study purposes at proving that the sexism propagated on women is prevalent in minds. She proposes that sexism offensive language can be stopped if people are keen on their thoughts and assumptions (Sexism in English: Embodiment and Language, Nilsen).

Conclusion

From the foregoing discussion, it is evident that the nature of offensive language lies in the insulting concept of the natural human function. People have a tendency to distort inoffensive language and spread this, resulting to offensive language. However, it is worth noting that offensive language has roots in peoples culture and life. A single gender or person has no ability to forbid offensive language. A small groups power is inadequate. There is a need for people from various politics, countries, race and cultures to unite so as to end offensive language.

Works Cited

Lawrence, Barbara. Four- Letter Words Can Hurt You. 2010. Web.

Nilsen, Alleen. Sexism in English: Embodiment and Language. 2012. Web.

Sheidlower, Jesse. What Is, And Isnt, In a Word. 2001. Web.

Introduction

It is a common practice for drivers worldwide to roll down their mirrors as they reproach their fellow drivers, which occurs more when there is a traffic jam. During my childhood when I was in my first grade, my uncle used to drop me to school. During rush hours when traffic jam was beginning to build up, he would roll down his mirror and yell abusive words to other drivers. At one time, my uncle exchanged insulting words with a driver whose car almost hit my uncles, and a fight broke up.

Since I have grown older, I rarely come across adults abusing each other in public than when I was young. It is a good idea that adults realize that they should be role models to children. In addition, they should always be polite when handling children. This is because children pick up habits and words from adults. However, speaking swearwords is a habit that is common among majority children. Often, children use insulting language whenever they feel upset by a condition or a person (Sexism In English: Embodiment And Language, Nilsen).

It is worth reflecting on offensive language and realize that people, who use abusive and insulting language, use it on nearly all their common expressions. Sometimes individuals utter abusive language to themselves as a way of venting their frustration and anger. This paper aims at exploring the nature of offensive language and the forbidding circumstances and reasons.

Main Body

In the light of this discussion, the following articles are essential; What Is, And Isnt, In a Word written by Jesse Sheidlower, Four-Letter Words Can Hurt You: Barbara Lawrence, and Sexism In English: Embodiment And Language: Alleen Pace Nilsen. There are three aspects linked to the nature of offensive language. First, Lawrence regards offensive language as a gender infringement particularly on women.

It results from sexual activity, human organs and functions, and insulting ways. Secondly, dissemination of portions of offensive language is by individuals who have no evidence for etymological meaning. Third, offensive language has roots in cultures and individuals habituated to residing with abusive language. The effort towards stopping use of offensive language is not an individual, but the political and human power.

In support of this, Lawrence (140) argues offensive language is the source and function of the words themselves (Four-Letter Words Can Hurt You, Lawrence). A wide array of offensive language revolves around functions and human organs. They are usually obscene words, which denigrate women. Lawrence (139) asserts It is the language used to describe sexual activity, such as copulate and intercourse. Moreover, the words are neither tabooed in print publication nor conversation. Equally, the words earthy, rich, and strong, describe sexual activity better during normal conversations (Four-Letter Words Can Hurt You, Lawrence).

This brings forth another vital point; offensive language not only degenerate womens natural human function openly. It also relates to the functions and organs of men, such as testes, to suggest the vital interaction between females and males. Conversely, Lawrence (141) acknowledges that offensive language has maligned on woman biological identity, their individual and heir humanness (Four-Letter Words Can Hurt You, Lawrence).

For instance, people who deal with pornography like utilizing piece of the tail so as to opaque human functions and organs. According to the dictionary, the words piece of tail refers to sexual intercourse slang. In this case, pornographers use the slang to elaborate the discrepancy between the birth canal and anal outlet in women. Lawrence is against the idea of using offensive language, which disgraces and depreciates women. Lawrence establishes why many religions, nationalities and women care about the use of offensive language on women. Measures should be put in place so as to rescue women from this predicament.

In the light of this discussion, it should be noted that the sexual pejoratives predicament is not a concern for women only. Women movements alone are too small to solve the predicament. Women Liberation Movements require human help and support. Women Liberation Movements are the sources of curious attention from people. This leads to various discussions in regards to whether the offensive language makes women feel hurt, offensive language sources and whether women are extremely sensitive to reflect on the offensive language. It is worth noting that women become the fair game and topic of discussion in the Liberation movements.

Women have made immense efforts to resist utilizing offensive language; however, their efforts are never successful. Words such as spice, kike and coon used in offensive language, and which degrade women, may start denigrating countries, culture and males. Then, offensive language would be viewed as being a critical predicament, and the society would consider the issue a valuable question.

In order to stop the obscene words used on women, the power from a small group is inadequate. There is a need to incorporate various politics, religions, ethnicities, race, age, and gender. For instance, the Native Americans consider the word squaw as offensive, and it originates from the obscenity associated with the female genitalia. The Native Americans proposed that the name be changed, but their efforts were in vain.

Considering that the Native Americans are an extremely small group, other people excluded from the group could not decipher why the Native Americans persisted so much on the word. If people feel that such a word is an insult to their personality, the word may not be used for naming anything. Moreover, Sheidlower (57) asserts that as a result of the civil rights movements which were prevalent in the 1967, the political power in America changed the word Nigger to Negro. This is because the power people have more consideration for the word Nigger as opposed to Squaw among the Native Americans.

According to Sheidlower (23), political power influences the name given. It is possible to forbid obscene words (What Is, And Isnt, In a Word, Sheidlower). Furthermore, the denotation of obscene words can be transformed. The history of the word and etymological word usage are irrelevant; what matters are the human and political powers. Hence, it is worthy emphasizing that some offensive language words are downplayed and used randomly by some people. However, human and political powers maximize the use of these words since they believe that the obscene words will catch the attention of their listeners.

As mentioned earlier, offensive language has roots in the function and sources of the words. Some people use some words and consider them offensive, whereas in the real sense, they are not offensive. For instance, although the word squaw is offensive, its etymological meaning is woman.

The following are instances when inoffensive words may be offensive; abbreviated words, derived words, in foreign language and via peoples consciousness. For instance, the word gyp comes from Gyps since majority people consider the Gypsy personality as dishonest. The words Poppycock possesses an abusive meaning and originates from a foreign word which means dork, and used as an offensive slang. It is therefore, worth noting that the offensive language imposed on some words promulgated by individuals, and their etymological meaning does not prove their offensive meaning.

In addition, offensive language forms an integral part in the life of people, and constitutes part of their culture. People often reside with offensive language, and do not realize the damage it bears on women. The integration of offensive language in cultures results in female life coerces and paired sex discrimination. According to Nielsen (151), the Afghan culture has a proverb that states if you see an old man, sit down and take a lesson; if you see an old woman, throw a stone (Sexism in English: Embodiment and Language, Nilsen). It is difficult to comprehend why Afghan people respect mens speech, and make no efforts to listen to the ideas women have. As a result, the Afghan women have lost social status and voice as a result of sex discrimination (Sheidlower).

In order to ensure that offensive language ends, it is imperative to scrutinize the culture. Offensive language affects peoples behavior and thinking. Nilsens study purposes at proving that the sexism propagated on women is prevalent in minds. She proposes that sexism offensive language can be stopped if people are keen on their thoughts and assumptions (Sexism in English: Embodiment and Language, Nilsen).

Conclusion

From the foregoing discussion, it is evident that the nature of offensive language lies in the insulting concept of the natural human function. People have a tendency to distort inoffensive language and spread this, resulting to offensive language. However, it is worth noting that offensive language has roots in peoples culture and life. A single gender or person has no ability to forbid offensive language. A small groups power is inadequate. There is a need for people from various politics, countries, race and cultures to unite so as to end offensive language.

Works Cited

Lawrence, Barbara. Four- Letter Words Can Hurt You. 2010. Web.

Nilsen, Alleen. Sexism in English: Embodiment and Language. 2012. Web.

Sheidlower, Jesse. What Is, And Isnt, In a Word. 2001. Web.

Introduction

Age of Discovery or Exploration involves a period approximately from the 15^th century to the 18^th century of the history of European civilization. It implied a great desire to explore new lands and expand the territories of states, which prompted journeys and the discovery of sea routes (The Age of Discovery). It resulted in charting previously unknown islands and seas, trading development, territorial expansion, founding colonies, and elaborating new technologies (The Age of Discovery). It is undeniable that the Age of Discovery implies a significant number of changes in the lifestyle and possibilities of the population (The Age of Discovery). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to outline the major causes, which prompted people to start exploring new sea routes actively in the 15^th century.

Inability to Trade with West

The first considerable motive, which prompted Europeans to explore new lands, regarded their inability to establish stable trading relationships with the West. The reason for it was Turkish intervention, which implied Byzantium occupation (Jowitt). It blocked the trading way from Europe to Western lands (Jowitt). The flow of Western goods delivered to Europe was rapidly reduced, though Europeans needed these products (Jowitt). In addition, it was an important way of earning money. For this reason, there was a need to explore new lands.

The Lack of Gold as a Monetary Metal

Large amounts of gold were sent to the West, though the economic development of Europe required more money. The major development direction was the growth of goods production and trade. People hoped to find gold in Western countries, which were rich in gold and jewelry (Briney). Europeans dreamt of reaching India and Africa, perceiving them as wealthy countries (The Age of Discovery). Despite the fact that others owed the gold, Europeans were determined and courageous enough to garb it (The Age of Discovery). For this reason, groups of small ships, which may be considered large boats now, intervened in the whole country.

Scientific Progress and Shipbuilding Development

However, a single desire is not enough in order to realize aminations plans. Fortunately, in the 15^th century, the shipbuilding industry became developed, which allowed Europeans to sail far away from their native lands. In this period, new construction of ships, namely a carvel, was elaborated (The Age of Discovery). The keel and sails allowed people to move forward despite side wind (The Age of Discovery). In addition, apart from a compass, an astrolabe was utilized for defining latitude. By this time, significant progress had been achieved in the field of geography. A theory of spherical Earth was widespread, which admitted the idea of reaching India by moving both East and West (Briney; The Age of Discovery). All these factors allowed Europeans to conduct long journeys for far distances.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it may be noted that a range of economic causes prompted Medieval Europeans to conduct sea routes over far distances. Their trading routes with Western lands were restricted significantly, which result in a lack of products and losing a source of making money. As they were in need of gold, they have expectations of rich lands, which they dreamt of intervening in. In addition, they had an excellent opportunity to release their ambitions due to appropriate scientific progress, which also regarded the shipbuilding industry. All these factors prompted Europeans to explore new lands, resulting in considerable territory expansion and active development.

References

Briney, Amanda. A Brief History of the Age of Exploration.ThoughtCo. 2020. Web.

Jowitt, Claire, et al. The Routledge Companion to Marine and Maritime Worlds 1400-1800. Routledge, 2020.

The Age of Discovery. Lumen. n.d. Web.

In Christopher Columbuss Letter of Discovery the author provides a detailed account of the discovery of the first islands and the relationship between the Spaniards and Indians. He notes that since the plan of the serene king involves the conversion of the Indians to the Christian faith, it will be useful for him to know that most of the Indians speak the same language and understand each other well. While openly speaking about the plans of the crown, Columbus is cynical or perhaps ironic about the idea of a providential plan to spread the Christian religion in America. Columbus also explains that Indians are not idolaters, but believe that all gifts come from heaven. He describes them as kind, innocent, gullible, generous, simple-minded, non-aggressive people.

Handsome Lakes How America Was Discovered presents a different perspective on the discovery of America and the subsequent decision to spread the Christian religion. First of all, the author emphasizes that Jesus Christ was crucified by white people, hinting at the absurdity of the joy of repentance for the Indians. Handsome Lake also introduces the character of a handsome man who seduces first the priest of the Queen of Spain, and then Columbus to go to America to bring their cards, money, violin, whiskey, and blood corruption. The unknown young priest refuses, seeing that this is the temptation of the devil, but Columbus agrees. Handsome Lake redefines the idea of Christianizing America and ends the story with the result that even the devil repented of giving such advice to Columbus.

Thus, these two texts are not contradictory; the authors honestly represent the intentions of Europeans towards America, although the Handsome Lake does it more grotesquely and from the position of Indians, not Europeans. At the same time, Columbus includes in his letter good wishes to the king and the blessings given by Christ to Europeans to receive a new land. Still, it is obvious to the reader that these blessings are nothing more than a figure of speech, and Columbus understands and demonstrates this.

Work Cited

Columbus, Cristopher. Letter of discovery. VIVA, 1493. Web.

Introduction

World history is made of various narratives of global events and experiences that attempt to explain mans shared past while at the same time trying to create an image of the modern world from a historical context. Such events indicate how world people came together through an integrative process, and also highlight various differences among them. The Columbian Exchange, Age of Discovery and Atlantic Slave Trade are great examples of such events marking world history.

Columbian Exchange

The term Columbian exchange was coined to describe a very significant event in global history that led to massive changes in the agriculture, ecology and culture of most parts of the world. Columbian exchange stems from Christopher Columbus first voyage in 1492 that launched a new era of widespread contact between Europe and other parts of the world. This event impacted nearly every society in the world, resulting in very destructive diseases that almost wiped off many cultures. Through the exchange, there was also massive circulation of new types of crops and livestock. European visiting the new worlds brought along their crops and in the process also introduced weed seed to the new soils. The burning and clearing of flora for cultivation greatly disrupted the ecosystem (Cosby 1, 47-48, 66).

Crops such as potatoes and maize became very important in both Europe and Asia while peanuts, tobacco, cotton and coffee flourished in West Africa. Other crops like white potatoes. Manioc, sweet potatoes and maize found their way to Europe. Animals were also exchanged across different world locations with sheep, goats, cattle and horses which were previously unknown in the Americas finding their way there. The Americas were sparsely populated and offered good ground for ranching. But such creatures as cattle, chicken, black rats and mosquitoes also came along with germs that were strange in these lands and with them came new diseases like measles, influenza, yellow fever, malaria and smallpox. Smallpox was the most infectious disease to attack Native Americans, wiping out large populations. European explorers also suffered new world diseases like Chagas and venereal syphilis (Cosby 47-48, 66, 77, 113, 211, 218-219)

Age of Discovery

The age of discovery refers to a period in world history stretching between the 15^th and 17^th centuries, during which European explorers crisscrossed the major oceans of the world acquiring un-paralled knowledge about other parts of the globe that had little been known to them. Through long distance voyaging, these explorers discovered vast areas such as Africa, North America and Asia. But these explorers did not experience empty new lands in most of the parts that they visited but instead encountered long-established and complex societies that were quite different from those back in Europe. Before Columbus travels at around 100 A.D, Scandnavian Vikings had however already crossed the North Atlantic and landed in the Newfoundland of the Americas, although they did not establish permanent presence there (Arnold 1-2).

Earlier attempts had therefore been made to explore other lands and the age of discovery was the outcome of cultural, technological and economic developments that Europeans had been nurturing since the 11^th and 12^th centuries. Daring men like Columbus, Prince Henry, Vasco da Gama, Pizarro and Cortes only accelerated the pace of an already nurtured course and simply helped to determine the direction and character of discovery. The whole of Europe led by Italy had a significant role to play in the age of discovery by producing expertise in cartography and navigation, financial backing and ready markets for the goods that the voyagers brought back from their travels. New trade routes were opened and by the 20^th century, European exploration and conquest had become a global phenomenon (Arnold 59  61).

Atlantic Slave Trade

Slave regimes had also existed in medieval Europe and African states where North African Muslim traders had sold slaves as peasant labor force in the gradually expanding economy especially in the Mediterranean region. Towards the end of the 15^th century, the Western Hemisphere was opened up to European conquest and sugar production was introduced in the Atlantic Islands leading to a new and very important use of slave labor. The Portuguese intermingled with the North African slave traders to start trading in African slaves making these slaves the first inhabitants of the New World and Atlantic Islands (Klein 7, 10-13).

Spaniards exercised the most rapid conquest of America and generated enormous wealth in such a way that Spaniards were the first Europeans to import African slaves to Mexico and Peru through the Atlantic Slave trade. Crops such as grapes and sugar were proofing profitable in places like Peru and together with the development of Potosi silver increased the demand for slave labor. Between 1580 and 1640, Spanish and Portuguese crowns were unified giving the Portuguese full access to the Spanish markets in America. African slaves were also used in gold mines as well as cattle ranches. But their most important role was in the cities of the new continental empire where they pre-dominated skilled trades like clothing, metalworking, printing, silver-smithing and construction (Klein 21-23; Landers & Robinson 33, 87).

The Atlantic slave trade was largely influenced by categorization of the West African region on the basis of religious or ethnic backgrounds. There was a strong tendency to justify slavery under religious and legal precedents that recognized race and ethnicity as determining factors for legitimacy. Muslims for example enslaved freeborn Muslims captured after the religious jihad wars. Political struggles also led to enslavement with many people being captured as slaves after civil wars (Landers & Robinson 18-23).

Conclusion

World history could not have been without such events and as history rolled on, one event led to another. The age of discovery led to the conquest of new lands that in turn required massive cheap labor to develop. Slave trade became a good source of such labor leading to the Atlantic slave trade. Different parts of the world were also opened up to new trade that led to exchange of crops, animals and diseases as people settled in new lands. All these events led to changes in the world ecosystem whose impact has stretched out into modern times.

Works Cited

Arnold, David. The Age of Discovery, 1400-1600. London, UK: Routledge, 2002.

Klein, Herbert S. The Atlantic Slave Trade. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Landers, Jane and Robinson Barry. Slaves, subjects, and subversives: blacks in colonial Latin America. Albuquerque, NM: UNM Press, 2006.

Introduction

Albert Einstein is one of the most influential figures in history of humanity. His works not only in physics but also in philosophy have been of great influence and have also stirred controversy to the world today as when they were written. Arguments have been put forward that he has been of greater influence than fellow historical figures as Michael Faraday, Copernicus, Isaac Newton and even Galileo. He was deeply critical of not only the issue of religion, but on the supernatural being (God) as well.

Albert Einstein was had a deep conviction of the natural that he could not reconcile himself with the possible existence of a super natural being whose existence cannot be proved.

As such he proclaimed that man would be limited if he was constrained by any thoughts of reward and punishment after this life and that natural events can only be influenced by natural laws rather than a super natural being ( Einstein 1930; Space and Motion para. 3. It is his contributions in physics however that Albert Einstein has managed to attain immeasurable influence not only to modern physicist but also to those scientists who lived during his time.

Other than philosophy, Albert Einstein was also attracted to world politics especially after the discovery that German scientists were planning to develop an atomic bomb. Albert Einstein wrote to the then US president Franklin D. Roosevelt asking him to invest in research into nuclear energy as a counter measure to the dangerous atomic energy (Kupper para. 4).

Einstein discovery in the field of physical reality have yielded more influence to the world of physics especially in the discipline of physical reality than any other person work. Over the years, scientists and researchers from every corner of the globe have hailed his theory of relativity as the only practical explanation of the physical world today. This contribution is what sets Albert Einstein apart from the other physicists (Bibliography shelf para. 5).

Analysis

Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany in March 14, 1879. Despite the fact that he had as slow start in life, nonetheless, he progressively moved towards scientific stardom and in his various works, such as the theory of relativity, the Brownian motion and the movement of light led him to win many accolades and a lot of recognition, including the 1921 Nobel peace prize for physics (Highfield and Carter 21).

Einstein dedicated his life to physics and all through his life he worked tirelessly to make many discoveries in the field. As a result, Albert Einstein may rightly be regarded as the father of physics. He is one of the most accomplished physicist as well as philosopher of modern times (The Nobel Foundation para. 2).

Albert Einstein is a scientist who lived before his time. His discoveries were so advanced that it took several years before the relevant technology was developed to physically prove his theories as valid. His theses were initially rejected and as he noted later, they needed an intelligent mind to conceptualize them by thinking beyond the ordinary natural experiences.

One of his greatest theories in physics was the theory of relative motion. I the theory he endeavored to explain the relationship between time and space. The theory lead him to create the world most famous equation E=MC2. This theory had several principles.

The special theory of relativity involved in the studying the travel of light. It claims, Light always travels through empty space at the speed of light and thus constant despite the time and space (Kupper para. 3). This means that time and space are not constant and depend on the relative motion of the observer and the object in motion.

As such when an observer is stationary, the object in motion seems to get smaller and takes a longer time to cover given space and that every thing seems normal when the observer is moving at the same speed as the object. Thus, the rest energy of an object is equal to the mass of the object and the velocity of light.

Thus mass can be termed as the measure of the amount of energy within an object. This concludes that even the smallest of object are made up of big amounts of stored energy. It is this theory that shed the light on nuclear technology.

Einstein moved to explain the composition of light and state that light was made up of particles as opposed to the claims by other scientist of the time that light is made up of waves. He experimented and proved that light was made up of photons and that each photon is responsible for pushing an electron provided that the photon has enough energy to do the work. His continued research on the project revealed the theory of radiation, which eventually leads to the development of laser light.

Other than these two principles, Einstein intended to generalize the theory of relative motion especially regarding the relationship between matter and space. He proved that matter influences the shape of space while space responds to matter by influencing its sense of direction. As such, this principle of relativity concludes that when light passes near a very huge object it can be bent. This theory was proved several years later by observation of the total eclipse in Australia.

Einsteins discoveries have not only been proved in the natural phenomena but also lead to technological advancement in the modern world. At the time he conceived them they seemed impossible, as there was no technology to prove their validity. This led to mass criticism from some of the renowned scientists of the time. However, later with the advent and growth of science and technology his ideas has held scientific truths as well as foundations for further research and discoveries.

What historians and/or biographers say about Einstein

Some of the earliest critics and opposers of his work included former friends and scientific research fellows who out of political convictions differed with him especially at the onset of the World War 1. Philip Lenard and Johannes stark are some of his earlier critics who claimed that his scientific views were too socialist as opposed to the communism that was spreading to Germany at that time.

They opposed classical physics especially Einstein theory on relative motion as too theoretical and statistical and lacking any practical dimension. In its place, the two anti-Semitic scientists proposed the German brand of physics as the true branch of physics as it was practical. These views were contained in Philip Lenard book titled German Physics that rejected Einsteins relative motion as well as his other theories in physics as too Jewish and theoretical (Kupper para. 5).

Farrell (2006) states that the criticism of eieteins relative motion started immediately the physicist published his paper on the subject in 1916. Critics argued according to Farrell (2006) that relativity objected the Newtonian ideal of absolutism in time and space. As s such Albert Michelson despite designing a failed experiment on the existence of aether was bold enough to differ with Einstein face to face. Michelson argued that aether was responsible for the travelling of light in paces as well as the relationship between matter and space.

He supported Newtons theory that matter and time were absolute and could not change. Thus, Michelson concludes that Einstein relativity was a fallacy. One of the modern scientists Neil Ashby agrees with Michelson partly but nonetheless, he has also argued that the relationship between time space and matter can be attributed to gravity and varying speed of the object in motion.

To add to this debate, Farrell (2006) explains that anti-relativity scientist argue that Einstein had manipulated some statistical information in this experiment but as Carroll Alley, one of Einsteins colleagues and students explained, it was inaccurate to claim that Einstein manipulated information.

On the other hand, Carroll Alley has also noted that Einstein knew that some of the data he was using in the experiments was different from Newtons proven statistics but that Einstein was not following Newtons theory. In this case, the data in question is the perihelion figure of mercury and many scientists agree that it would be impossible to conduct any experiment involving the figure without making special assumptions.

Separately, Kupper (2011) has credited Einstein with the research and development of the hypotheses of the theory of quatuam physics and that it was hi original thought at the time. However, Pais (18) explains that Einstein himself congratulated a group of young physicists who he called quantum physicist for their effort in research work in quantum mechanics.

Pais (19) further explains that the works of this young generation did not yield much result and as such he stated his solitary journey towards further studies and at some point criticized quantum physicist. Kupper (2011) continues to explain that Einstein had made great contribution to the theory of quantum mechanics but Pais (1982) states that Einstein failed in his attempts to advance the theory and so is all other physicist after him.

Thus Kupper (2011) explains it the present physics would have presented Einstein with the synthesis of his general relativity and the quantum theory the discussion with him would have been easier (Pais 18) and that to date the sysnmtheseis is riddled with conceptual and technical difficulties.

Thus, the efforts made by Einstein have been discredited a great deal. While Kupper (para. 5), credits Einstein with the experimenting and making the theory of relative motion, Pais (19) explains that this theory has failed in many cases because Einstein was interested in statistical and theoretical physics from an early age and thus any of works of physics was just theoretical and only provided statistical data, thus largely impractical.

The differences in the criticism leveled against Einstein from a historical perspective rise from the fact that technology has advanced so much and thus it is possible now to conduct further research into the subject. Modern scientists have the necessary tools that they require in order to conduct accurate studies on any subject. As a result, their criticism is founded on studies as opposed to their political views only.

At the time Einstein published his work there was a lot of political heat in Europe especially y in German which was under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. Most of the physicist then such as Lenard started to overtly support Hitler and his political views. As such, there started emerging ideological difference in the scientific world as influenced by politics. In this particular case, Einstein found himself losing a friend whom he had grown close to over the years.

In fact, some of his friends such as Lenard termed his scientific brand as too Jewish, theoretical and thus impractical. This opposition to his work especially the theory of relative motion was not out of scientific research but mainly on grounds of the existing political differences. Suffice to say that Einstein had overtly held socialist views and refused to change his politics to accommodate communism. As such he renounced his citizenship of Germany and conveniently moved to America where he became a citizen.

While politics played a role in the criticism then, on the other hand, Farrell (para. 2) argues that most of then anti relativism critics have some knowledge of science and thus their criticism is not founded on political views. Farrell concludes that that the criticisms leveled against Albert Einstein by the anti relativism group is mainly based on academic discourse but more so on academics ignorance as they do not hold the same pedigree as Einstein.

Albert Einstein is a scientist who is regarded as having lived way ahead of his time. This is evident in the many theories that he developed, and which still remains relevant even today. His discoveries were so advanced that it took several years before the relevant technology was developed to physically prove his theories as valid.

Works Cited

Bibliography shelf. Short biography of Albert Einstein. 2010. Web.

Farrrell, John. Was Einstein a fake? Cosmos magazine. 2006. Web.

Highfield, Roger and Carter, Paul. The Private Lives of Albert Einstein. London: Faber and Faber, 1993. Print.

Kupper, Henry. Einstein. 2010. Web.

Nobelprize. Albert Einstein- Biography. Nobelprize. 2010. Web.

Pais, Andrew. The subtle is the lord: the science and the life of Albert Einstein. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982. Print.

Space and Motion. Introduction: Pantheist Religion of Albert Einstein. Space and motion. 2006. Web.

Introduction

Huntingtons disease is also referred to as Huntingtons chorea which is an inherited disorder affecting an individuals brain. It mainly affects the affected persons personality, memory capabilities and mood changes.

Physical control may be lost as well with most of these symptoms progressing as the disease advances. Basic symptoms appear at a later age of around forty years. It involves damage of the nerve cells resulting to weakening of some segments of the human brain. This disease is not curable and it causes mental disabilities in the patients and their families may suffer emotional and financial problems (Kennard, 2006, p. 1)

Causes of the disease

Huntingtons disease is passed from mother to her unborn child due to mutations from the normal gene. Genes are the basic biological units of life and heredity. A single mutation forms an abnormal gene which alone is enough to cause this disease. All genes are made up of either DNA or RNA but not both. Both DNA and RNA are spirally shaped molecules made up of two base pairs.

The four bases, adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine always form specific pairs which later combine to form messages in the form of codes. The unique and specific combination of these base pairs in each gene specifies the particular functions of the genes. All human beings have 23 pairs of chromosomes where the genes are arranged. Each pair of chromosomes consists of one chromosome from the mother and the other from the father.

Half of the chromosome pair is similar to the other half with the exception of the sex chromosome where a female has two X chromosomes while a male has an X and a Y chromosome. Huntingtons disease is produced by mutation of the gene that is located on the 4^th of the 22 chromosomes that are not sex-linked. Since the sex chromosomes are not involved in the production of this disease, both men and women are equally susceptible to Huntingtons disease (Kennard, 2006, p. 1)

Developmental course of the disease

The gene that causes hunintons disease is dominant which means that only one mutated gene from either parent is required to produce the disease. The mutation accountable for Huntingtons disease involves a minor DNA sequence on chromosome four of the 22 autosomal chromosomes.

The defect occurs when the normal base sequence, CAG is repeated severally (Chial, 2008, p. 1). Soon after the defect occurs, symptoms start appearing. The initial symptoms of Huntingtons disease are variable in different individuals. However, it is common in all patients for the disease to advance faster if initial symptoms had appeared early. An individual first experiences mood swings and gets irritated for no particular reason.

The person may not notice these early symptoms but the family members do. The affected person feels depressed and lacks the will and general lack of interest in almost everything. In some individuals, these symptoms may reduce as the disease advances while in others, they may continue accompanied by sudden violent disturbances. Due to the memory loss associated with Huntingtons disease, the patient may experience trouble learning new things and in performing basic tasks such as driving.

Remembering usual things and making decisions becomes a problem as well. Others may change their handwriting and lose their ability to comprehend. Other individuals experience uncontrolled movement of fingers and feet which often get more vigorous when the affected person is anxious (McHenry, 2010, p. 1).

Complications of the disease

Untreated Huntingtons disease eventually results to loss of balance which is characterized by the patient falling more often when walking. With time, it reaches a point where individuals are unable to eat, talk or even recognize their family members. Inability to eat definitely results to health risks due to lack of balanced diet and essential nutrients of the body.

Treatment

Currently, there is no treatment that can stop or even slow the disease. The main idea of treatment is basically the management of the signs and effects of the disease. Medications have been produced to ease the spontaneous movements and disturbing disorders although some patients may experience certain side effects such as drowsiness and nausea during which they should terminate the use of that particular medicine.

Patients experiencing psychological symptoms are recommended to use anti-depressant medications. Besides medical assistance, physical therapy is necessary to help keep balance and build strength for walking and other activities. The time spend during exercise also helps in reduce depression as the patient gets pre occupied.

Medical specialist have recommended the use of care givers to assist in helping such patients especially where one has a lot of chores and other things to take care of. This is because the patients require extra attention and they may also need the use of long-time facilities. Huntingtons disease cannot be prevented since it occurs naturally through inheritance.

The disease is also not curable and therefore patients should be given all the support they need from family members as well as the society. However, scientists have recently found out that there are some synthetic chemicals that can interfere with the production of protein and prevent human cells from producing mutated molecules that result to development of the disease (McHenry, 2010, p. 1).

Conclusion

Huntingtons disease is a very serious disease since it affects the brain which is the centre of all human activities. However, since it cannot be cured or prevented due to its inheritability, patients of the disease should focus on maintaining the symptoms associated with it off course with the help and support of family members.

Reference List

Chial, H. (2008). Huntingtons Disease: The Discovery of the Huntingtons Gene. Web.

Kennard, C. (2006). Huntingtons Disease. Web.

McHenry, R. (2010). Learning About Huntingtons Disease. Web.

Introduction: The Discovery of Oil in Sudan and What It Entails

According to the current set of regulations adopted in Sudan, approved in 2010, and used as the guidelines for the oil-and-gas financial strategies ever since the companies working in the identified industry are tax-exempt (Sudan, 2012). The identified peculiarity of the Sudan regulations implies that the company operating in the target environment is going to enjoy a plethora of opportunities for resource allocation.

Indeed, since entrepreneurship will not be subjected to taxation, the current financial assets can be distributed so that the latest and the most efficient equipment could be purchased (Mitchell, Marcel, and Mitchell, 2012). Furthermore, the money can and should be invested in the staffs professional and personal development. The acquisition of technical skills needed to operate the machinery and leadership abilities required to supervise the crucial processes and increase quality rates will have to be considered as the primary course of entrepreneurships development.

Specifically, the existing options must be identified and assessed carefully. For this purpose, the use of a decision tree as the key tool in determining the most profitable solutions ought to be considered. By definition, the application of the decision tree model will help define which of the suggested solutions will lead to the greatest profit and the smallest number of losses (EY, 2014).

Apart from the use of the decision tree model, one should also undertake an extensive analysis of the target market. An exhaustive evaluation of the Sudan oil market and its current trends will provide a foil for the choice of the promotion campaign, the strategy for allocating resources, etc. Furthermore, the risks to which the organization will be exposed in the Sudan oil market environment will be defined and managed appropriately (Galli, Armstrong and Jehl, 1999).

Essential Players to Be Considered in Contract Negotiations

When considering the people that are going to play a crucial role in the success of the venture, one must mention the members of the Sudan government. As stressed above, the oil-producing industry is tax-exempt in Sudan; however, the rates of the governmental involvement in the process of corporate decision-making processes, as well as its influence on the choices that are made by the participants, are rather large. For instance, a recent report has shown that the state authorities have the right to call a moratorium on oil contracts (Global Witness, 2014). Therefore, it will be necessary to include the Sudan government into the list of the primary stakeholders.

The organization and its members are going to be another important stakeholder in the identified scenario. Indeed, the revenues of the firm and the financial wellbeing of its leaders, members, and employees hinge on the success of the venture. Thus, the entrepreneurship and the people contributing to its success should be considered as another set of stakeholders. The effects that the choices made in the course of negotiations will have on the parties involved are of especially great significance to the company (Roek and Delobbe, 2012).

Finally, the firms partners, including the current and the future ones, have to be incorporated in the range of players to be considered when carrying out negotiations. Since the needs of all parties involved must be taken into account, it is imperative to evaluate the effects that the firms choices will have on its business partners. For example, the strategy of allocating available financial resources needs to be reconsidered so that the company could operate successfully in the Sudan market (i.e., purchasing the necessary equipment, hiring and training the staff, creating an elaborate promotion campaign to attract prospective customers and investors, etc.).

Fiscal Regimes and Systems to Apply: Sudans Taxation System

As stressed above, the current Sudan taxation system does not imply that the companies operating in the oil and gas industry should be eligible for any form of taxes to the state. Because the organization will not pay taxes to the state authorities, the entrepreneurship is expected to grow rapidly in the target environment. As recent statistical data shows, the crude oil production industry has been delivering rather impressive results over the past few years (Cust and Harding, 2013).

Although the record of the previous decade does not show the tendency for the production rates to increase, the levels of crude oil processing have been comparatively stable except for the 2012 crisis (see Fig. 1 below). Therefore, the absence of taxes will serve as the premise for designing a flexible financial strategy that will help address the possible threats in the target market. Furthermore, the fact that the company will not have to deal with state taxes means that the financial resources can be used to improve the quality of the product.

Ensuring the Fair Share: the Government and Its Control over the Production

As stressed above, the state authorities are going to play an active part in the process of supervising the companys essential transactions, as well as making decisions related to the design of the financial strategy, the legal issues, etc. However, the fair share that the government is going to have in the project may be minor.

In fact, a recent analysis of the issues that the oil industry is exposed to in the identified area shows that the process of ensuring the fair share is going to be rather tricky: The CPA period witnessed repeated claims  by the Southern Sudanese regional government and by international NGOs  that South Sudan was being cheated of its fair share of the oil revenue (James, 2015, p. 32).

On the one hand, the negative experience that the state authorities have had so far may become the driving force behind enhancing the current system of state control and, therefore, making sure that no instances of financial fraud should occur in the future. On the other hand, the change in the use of control systems and the state fiscal policies does not come easily. Thus, the organization may be exposed to a range of risks and burdened with an array of obligations, the need to ensure the fair share for the state being the primary one.

Possible Taxation Issues: The Peculiarities of the Sudan Policies

Even though the oil-producing organizations are legally exempt from taxation, they may be put under the consistent supervision of the related organizations. As stressed above, the state authorities are concerned with the threat of being deprived of their fair share of the firms revenues and the overall profit delivered by the SMEs operating in the oil industry environment. Therefore, the company will be exposed to a rather rigid control. Specifically, the supervision of the essential transactions by the Central Bank of the state, as well as regular public auditing, needs to be brought up among the crucial elements of the state policies on oil and gas producing organizations (Harding, 2012).

Herein lies the significance of clarity as the foundation for the corporate policies. Seeing that the threat of corporate fraud is rather high in the organization operating in an extremely profitable industry such as oil and gas (Sidahmed, 2016), it will be crucial to make sure that all corporate processes should be completely transparent. Thus, the possibility of corporate fraud will be reduced significantly (Larsen, Dimaano and Pido, 2014).

The transparency-based policy will prove especially successful when the organization will be subjected to a range of audits. The financial control executed over the corporate processes may trigger dire consequences for the firm unless every single stage of the transactions is fully clear. Therefore, despite being seemingly harsh, the regulations provided by the Sudan authorities guard the organizations operating in the oil and gas industry from being exposed to the threat of internal fraud.

Working in the context of the oil and gas industry, especially in the highly competitive market of Sudan, is an evidently challenging task. To create prerequisites for successful development, the members of the firm must carry out a scrupulous analysis of the specifics of the state fiscal system. Even though Sudan seems to offer a perfect environment for the organization to grow in, the focus on audits and consistent supervision may hamper the progress of the entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, the absence of taxation can be viewed as the platform for building a rigid and flexible cost allocation strategy that will help incorporate the principles of sustainability into the companys design.

Reference List

Cust, J. and Harding, T. (2013) Oil in South Sudan Implications from international experience.

EY (2014) Global oil and gas tax guide 2014.

Galli, A. G., Armstrong, M. and Jehl, B. (1999) Comparison of three methods for evaluating oil projects, Journal of Petroleum Technology, 51(10), pp. 4449.

Global Witness. (2014) South Sudan: The call for a moratorium on new oil contracts.

Harding, T. (2012) The fiscal challenge of South Sudan.

James, L. M. (2015) Fields of control: oil and (in)security in Sudan and South Sudan.

Larsen, R. K., Dimaano, F. and Pido, M. P. (2014) The emerging oil palm agro-industry in Palawan, the Philippines: Livelihoods, environment and corporate accountability.

Mitchell, J., Marcel, V. and Mitchell, B. (2012) What next for the oil and gas industry?

Roek, R. E. and Delobbe, N. (2012) Do environmental CSR initiatives serve organizations legitimacy in the oil industry? Exploring employees reactions through organizational identification theory, Journal of Business Ethics, 110(4), pp. 397-412.

Sidahmed, A. (2016) Pursuing transparency in Sudans oil industry.

Sudan. (2012)

Trading Economics. (2016) Sudan crude oil production.

To discover humanity, it is important to determine how their interactions affect their culture and their relations. The degree of influence is mostly affected by the extent of interaction and how friendly the two groups were to one another. To conduct a comparison on cultural influence and integration between the American and the Africans with that of the China and India, it is important to know how the groups interacted and responded to one another.

In case the response or the interaction was poor, it is hard to have a comprehensive influence between the two groups involved. This is supported by the fact that a group of individuals will copy each other if they developed a liking at the initial levels of interaction. Hence, it is important to look at the legacies left by the encounters and interactions of cultures to present day.

Some of the influences traced into the interaction between the cultures vary from social lifestyle, economics, political to the general use of language (Smith, 1992, p. 498). The interaction between the Americans who are referred to as the westerners had massive effect on the culture of Africans more than among the Indians and China as a result of the resistance they subjected to the interaction.

To begin with, lifestyle changed because of the interaction between the Americans and the Africans; this created social classes that fell under color and social responsibility (Smith, 1992, p. 498). There was stratification among the blacks; the blacks were considered as slaves. The black slaves did not have any rights as compared to their white masters.

Presently, it has created the discrimination experienced in some of the states that are regarded as white dominated or black dominated states (Lipsitz, 1995, p. 397). The other social effect brought about the interaction between the whites and the blacks was the social stratification. Historically, there are groups of individuals who were considered noble; they were made judges, rulers of the land as well as opinion makers.

The idea was positively taken up by the Africans; it can be explained by the present fight for power and positions in Africa and America (Lipsitz, 1995, p. 397). This is very different in India and China; Chinese and Indians resisted interaction between the westerners that would have changed their culture. The resistance has maintained their social norms and formats without compromising their integrities.

Another example of the legacies left by the degree of interaction between the westerners and the Africans is the spread of Christianity. In Africa, Christianity has spread to the most interior regions as fueled by the interaction experienced between the Americans and the natives (Smith, 1992, p. 498). This can be contrasted to the present spread of Christianity in India and China. The variance in the degree Christianity could be due to the resistance to cultural integration between the westerners and natives of China and India.

The degree of interaction between westerners and the Africans can be shown by the economy (Stearns, 2003, p. 212). Most of the African countries rely on the western countries to maintain their economies. This is as a result of African countries considering trading with Americans and disregarding their region inter-trade (Stearns, 2003, p. 212).

Trading continuously built American economy at the expense of the African economies. This is different when compared to the Asian economy; the economy basically relies on fellow Asian countries to keep it running and reliable (Lipsitz, 1995, p. 398). This is also explained by the fact that India and China were resistant to adopting the western lifestyle and cultures.

The influence of the integration spreads deep to languages used; most of the African countries colonized by the westerners have English as their official languages (Stearns, 2003, p. 214). The language is taught in classes as the second language to most of the African countries. This is contrasted to the fact that China and India do not recognize English as an official language.

Despite the differences, political structures in Africa, China, India and American cuts across board regardless of the degree of interaction and integration. All the regions show respect to the rulers of the land and hold the position with dignity. In addition, the citizens elect representatives to represent them in government.

In conclusion, the higher the degree of interaction between cultures so does the legacies left behind. Since China and India resisted interactions and changing of their cultures; hence there are fewer influences that have left their traditions intact and original. Africa was most affected by deep interactions they had with the westerners.

References

Lipsitz, G. (1995). The possessive investment in whiteness: Racialized social democracy and the White problem in American studies. American Quarterly, 47(3), 396-387.

Smith, T. W. (1992). Changing racial labels: From colored to Negro to Black to African American. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 56(4), 496-514.

Stearns, P. N. (2003). Western civilization in world history. New York, NY: Routledge.

Introduction

The genuine potential of the oil sand resources in Alberta lies in the enhancement of balanced economic growth and development in the region and the country without negating gains made in other aspects of human and other life in the region and in the world. Energy is an important resource in the world in powering the activities and operations humans engage in to promote their welfare and that of the world.

The world demand for energy has increased phenomenally over the past century, driven by such factors as a high rate of world population growth and increased economic activity and trade (Timilsina 5). This demand has precipitated the need for other sources of energy besides the conventional ones, and the optimum exploitation of the existent ones in order to satisfy this demand. The oil sand in Alberta presents an opportunity to supplement available energy in the world.

The exploitation of oil sands in Alberta presents an opportunity for the government and citizens of the region to promote their own, and the worlds, welfare through the satisfaction of demand for energy, enhancing economic growth and development through enabling the provision of income and powering economic activity.

The reason why we need to display interest in this issue is that exploitation of oil sand resources in the Alberta region poses certain dangers to the welfare necessary in human, plant, and animal life, the earth environment, and to future generations.

It is therefore necessary for the government and other stakeholders in the region to consider all these aspects in their exploitation activities on the resource, to promote welfare from all these dimensions in a balanced manner. This is especially so given that oil sand exploitation differs from that of more conventional oil in its requirement of higher application of technology that has the potential to harm the above elements of welfare in the society and the world.

The argument of this study is the realization of full potential from the resource which includes lack of resources and technology to enhance processes and facilities to promote this welfare, and the force of demand for energy in the world, which drives the need to exploit the resource for financial gains (Andrew 5).

These renders the concerns for socioeconomic and environmental welfare less important for the society and the government, although it has significant impact on the welfare of human, plant, and animal life, the earth environment, and future generations.

Oil Sand in Alberta: The Potential

Oil sand, or bituminous sand, is a kind of petroleum deposit that contains a mixture of natural clay soil, sand, and water. The oil sand contains a type of petroleum called bitumen, and features a high level of viscosity that causes it to flow extremely slowly.

Oil sands are common in various parts of the world, but they occur in exceptionally huge quantities in the South American country of Venezuela and in Canada. In Canada, the oil sand appears in semi-solid and almost solid forms, largely because of the low temperature environments in reservoirs. It is thick, heavy, and sticky.

There is need to raise its temperature through heating, or to dilute it through mixing it with lighter compounds, in order to make it flow. The resource requires additional treatment before it is ready for processing for energy production. Oil sand has received recognition as a source of oil for energy only recently: it is an unconventional source. This is because its nature, as described above, made it difficult in the past, in terms of both technology and economic profitability, to extract oil for use in the provision of energy.

Advancements in technology and the rise in the prices of oil made these limitations less significant. In the modern times, there exists technology to extract oil from the resource relatively easily and profitably, given the high prices of oil in the world market. The high demand for oil in the world market has also made efforts to exploit all potential oil resources attractive for governments in the world.

The process of exploitation of oil from oil sand however presents a major challenge for the welfare of the world and its population. This is because extraction involves processes such as refinery and injection of steam that result in 200-400% higher emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than that in production from ordinary oil (Timilsina 6).

Production and Related Issues

Oil sands constitute a huge, but unconventional, source of oil energy. Oil sands, as mentioned above, are an unconventional source of oil, because of the technological limitations and unprofitably low prices that existed in the past. These conditions made exploitation of oil sand uneconomical.

Technological developments and high increases in the price of oil have however made the exploitation of oil sand as a resource in the provision of energy possible. The process of extraction of oil from oil sands involves heavy use of technology, especially because the sand has to undergo upgrading to make it suitable for refinery for the production of various oil products. Unlike conventional oil that requires direct drilling to allow the flow of crude oil into a reservoir, oil sand exploration requires the application of strip mining techniques.

There is need for the reduction of the level of viscosity the oil sand, through raising the temperature of the environment or applying suitable solvents. Raising the temperature of the oil sand environment involves injection of hot air or steam. This process of upgrading requires the application of huge amounts of water and energy, up to four times higher than that applicable for conventional oil (Percy 6). This is necessary for the process of production to feature appropriate levels of efficiency.

The process of upgrading consists of three main stages: the first stage involves the separation of oil from water, unwanted physical waste materials, and sand. The second stage involves purification of crude oil, through the processes of hydrodenitrogenation, hydrodesulfurization, and hydrodemetalization, while the third involves hydrogenation. These three stages consume water and energy in huge amounts, and result in the emission of high levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

A major challenge for the oil production process in Alberta is the utilization of resources to procure catalysts used in the upgrading procedure, as they lose efficiency with usage. Canada is the only country with oil sand endowment to possess large scale and efficient technology for such a process (Percy 9). Production in other oil sand-endowed countries such as Venezuela and Russia is not as developed and large scale as in Alberta.

Various socioeconomic and environment issues surround the production of oil from oil sands in Alberta. These issues emanate from the challenges of the production process and the strategies that the exploitation process employs in an attempt to overcome them and to realize economical, quality, and efficient levels of production.

This is in a bid to promote the welfare of the Canadian community and nation. The governments of Canada and Alberta, particularly the energy authorities, need to address these issues if the region, government, and citizens of Alberta are to realize the full potential of the oil sand resources. This is because these issues limit the extent to which the attempts to promote the welfare of the citizens, region, and country are successful.

Socioeconomic issues include limitations of the efficiency and profitability of the process of exploitation, while environmental issues include the effects this exploitation has on land, air, water, global climate change, and marine life. The health of the environment is a key component of the welfare of the community. Realization of the potential of the oil sand resources involves achieving the greatest level of benefits from the resource without negation of gains in other aspects of human and earth welfare.

This implies exploitation of the oil sand resources in Alberta to achieve economic growth and development for all individuals in the region, while also controlling negative effects of such exploitation on such aspects of human and earths life as the health of individuals, suitable life conditions for all life in various environments, and the welfare of future generations. Realization of some of these objectives without regard to others will constitute a deficiency in the realization of this welfare (Kamwe 18).

There is therefore need for a balanced approach in the utilization of oil sand resources in Alberta with respect to these elements in order to realize the genuine full potential of the resource in promoting human welfare.

Oil Sand in Alberta: Socioeconomic Issues and Measures

The oil sand resources in Alberta provide a significant source of employment in Canada and the region of Alberta. In 2008, the resource played a major role in the energy sectors 28% contribution to Albertas C$ 290b GDP. This applied through direct employment and sales of production. The activities of mining and extraction of such resources as gas and oil accounted for the employment of 145,000 units of labour in the region.

The potential of the Alberta oil sands in promoting economic growth and development is evident in this analysis. The huge number of employed personnel in the mines and oil production, coupled with the revenues of organizations trading in the oil export business to other countries, presents the region of Alberta and the Canadian nation with the opportunity to improve the standards of living significantly. The individuals employed in these economic activities gain regular income with which they are able to meet their needs.

The government and the region of Alberta in general gain through the widening of the tax base. Higher government revenue from taxes on both income and expenditure because of this employment increases the level of government funds that could apply in the provision of public infrastructure such as health, housing, security, education, transport and communication infrastructure, et cetera (Ezra 2).

This ensures a higher level of availability of such public services, in terms of both quantity and quality, to the citizen in the region, which improves their welfare.

Conclusion

The future of the industry is very bright, with projected investments in the industry. Alberta has indeed been a beneficiary of new projects every year with hopes of becoming the global kingpin in energy supply.

There are initiatives to enhance the use of Carbon Capture and Storage Fund and come up with appropriate laws that ensure environmentally viable oil production in the Alberta province and its surroundings (June Warren). The energy ministry in the country has been in the forefront seeking to promote innovations in the energy department.

Works Cited

Andrew, Nikiforuk. Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent. New York: Greystone Books. 2009. Print.

Ezra, Levant. Ethical Oil: The case for Canadas Oil. New York: McClelland & Stewart Limited. 2011. Print.

June Warren- Nickles. Energy Group. Oil Sands Review: The Unconventional Oil Authority Journal. 1 (1). Canada. Web.

Kamwe, Offei Awuah. Dynamic Modeling of Cable Shovel-formation Interactions: For Efficient Oil Sands excavation. Germany: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing. 2006. Print.

Percy, Kevin. Alberta Oil Sands: Energy, Industry and the Environment. Oxford: Newnes, 2012. Print.

Timilsina, Govinda. Economic Impacts of Albertas Oil Sands. New York: Unesco-IHE. 2005. Print.