Maintaining Natural Ecosystem Essay Example for Free

Maintaining Natural Ecosystem Essay The ecosystem is composed of all living (biotic) organisms functioning together with the non-living (abiotic) organisms in the environment. Ecosystem is very important in the lives of the human beings because it provides the needs of the people. Biodiversity in the ecosystem holds distinct advantages so that the ecosystem will function properly. Biodiversity increases the resilience in ecosystem, thus it is important that the ecosystem is being well taken cared of. Nowadays, through the massive development in the field of science and technology, the protection and maintenance of our ecosystem took a backseat. The consequences of national development are reflected in the current state of the planets ecosystem. Most of the countries put a rather bigger emphasis on the development of their economy and technology while dislodging the importance of keeping the ecosystem stable. Human actions are the most fundamental part in studying the changes in the ecosystem. The actions and development hastened by human beings are the critical factors that have contributed to the adverse changes and degradation of the planets environment. Thus, if this issue is not addressed properly, the risks of environmental destruction shall increase at the most alarming stage. This brings into light the importance of gaining the knowledge on how to conserve and preserve our environment. There is no exemption on who should gain awareness and responsibility in maintaining the natural ecosystem stable. Conservation and preservation of the ecosystem, though both are equally important, are two different agendas. Conservation entails â€Å"sustainable use and management of natural resources† (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). On the other hand, preservation of the ecosystem is an attempt to maintain untouched environmental resources of the planet in its current condition (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). Both processes are important in order to protect the ecosystem from further human destruction. Though these two differ in the objectives, both are aimed at keeping the ecosystem stable and functioning. Conservation of the Ecosystem There are different ways of conserving the natural resources in our ecosystem. Natural resources are either renewable or non renewable, as such, conservationists campaign for several methods on how to help conserve the environment. Forest reserves like trees are renewable resources. These can be conserved by making sure that trees are not totally consumed before they can be replaced (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). As such, environmentalist groups conduct â€Å"green† projects which are aimed towards reforestation. On the other hand, the conservation of non-renewable resources are also equally important. Non-renewable resources include the environments fossil reserves. Fossil fuels are distinctively important in the economy, and thus, people must learn how to conserve it in such a manner that the future generations will still have enough resources left to serve their needs. In addition, forests and natural habitats should also be conserved. Biodiversity is dependent on natural habitats like rain forests. Such habitats provide the world with food and wood stocks that are important to world consumption (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). And as such, conservation of these resources is very delicate to the progress of humankind. In this light, there have been agreements signed in order to ensure the conservation of the ecosystem. These agreements across different countries are expected to come up with development planning, which shall minimize the utilization of resources from the environment without a distinct strategy on how to replenish the resources. Forests and natural habitats are being restored in order to create an avenue for the continuation of biodiversity. As such, species in the ecosystem are also given ample protection for illegal hunting and consumption to ensure genetic diversity. And most importantly, people must learn the how to employ sustainable use in any forms of natural resources present (â€Å"Agreement on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources† 1985). Preservation of the Ecosystem The massive technological development and expansion of industries in the world have caused the planets natural ecosystem to shrink and diminish. Industrial expansion has driven away natural habitats and natural landforms which over time have been developed to cater the needs of capitalist expansion and development. Lands were being developed to become industrial sites, tourist spots, sites for housing projects and other human development programs (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000) Thus, in order to commit towards the preservation of the ecosystem, interagency environmental management initiatives are being done to assure this goal. In line with this, state governments have agreed to provide protection under the law in order to ensure that natural habitats and landscapes are being protected from land conversion projects. To ensure this, natural habitats and important ecological sites within a country are being mapped, including land formations and water systems. These areas are being given strong protection and are maintained by government agencies that are entrusted to provide protection and maintenance programs in environmental sites. Values of Maintaining Ecosystems The planets ecosystem is one of the most important gift given to the human race. The economic growth of every country relies on the abundance of the natural resources endowed within their territory. Every person existing in the world owes his or her development and the privileges he or she receives to the gifts provided to the people through the rich natural resources we have. Thus, every means of protecting, preserving and conserving it should be given ample importance and priority. References â€Å"Agreement on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. † (1985). Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from http://www. aseansec. org/1490. htm Conservation and Preservation. (2000). Encyclopedia of the Atmospheric Environment. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from

The Sistine Madonna in the Royal Gallery at Dresden, Saxony Essay

The Sistine Madonna in the Royal Gallery at Dresden, Saxony The most beautiful picture in the world is the Sistine Madonna in the Royal Gallery at Dresden, Saxony. It was painted by Raphael as an altar-piece for a church in Piacenza, Italy. In a far corner of the great Palace of Art it is now placed, probably to remain until the colors shall fade. It is the only picture in the room. The figures are of life size. When that room is entered all voices are hushed, and all merriment silenced. The place is as holy as a church. In the centre of the canvas is the Virgin Mother with a young, almost girlish face or surpassing loveliness. In her eyes affection and wonder are blended, and the features and the figure are the most spiritual and beautiful in the world's art. I have wondered where Raphael found that face. It is not voluptuous like the Italian, nor heavy like the German, nor light like the French, nor cold like the women of more northern nations. It is the ideal woman's face for all nations and ages, and yet it is typical of none. In the Mother's arms is the Divine Child, with those strange, far-away-looking eyes that casual visitors so little understand—eyes that even in babyhood seem reading the future, and beginning to see the greatness of the world's sorrow. Kneeling on one side, below them, is St. Sixtus, the nearest perfect of all pictures of strong and venerable age that was ever painted; on the other side Santa Barbara, only less beautif...

How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife Essay

My brother Leon was returning to Nagrebcan from far away Manila, bringing home his young bride who had been born and had grown up in the big city. Father would not accept her for a daughter-in-law unless he taught her worthy to live in Nagrebcan. Father devised an ingenious way to find out, and waited for the result. She stepped down from the carretela of Ca Celin with a quick, delicate grace. She was lovely. She was tall. She looked up to my brother with a smile, and her forehead was on a level with his mouth â€Å"You are Baldo. † She said and placed her hand lightly on my shoulder. Her nails were long, but they were not painted. She was fragrant like a morning when papayas are in bloom. And a small dimple appeared momentarily high up on her cheek. â€Å"And this is Labang, of whom I have heard so much. † She held the wrist of one hand with the other and looked at Labang, and Labang never stopped chewing his cud. He swallowed and brought up to his mouth more cud, and the sound of his inside was like a drum. I laid a hand on Labang’s massive neck and said to her: â€Å"You may scratch his forehead now. â€Å"She hesitated and I saw that her eyes were on the long curving horns. But she came and touched Labang’s forehead with her long fingers, and Labang never stopped chewing his cud except that his big eyes were half closed. And by and by, she was scratching his forehead very daintly. My brother Leon put down the two trunks on the grassy side of the road. He paid Ca Celin twice the usual fare from the station to the edge of Nagrebcan. Then he was standing beside us, and she turned to him eagerly. I watched Ca Celin, where he stood in front of his horse, and he ran his fingers through its forelock and could not keep his eyes away from her. Maria—â€Å" my brother Leon said. Read more:  How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife by Manuel Arguilla Essay He did not say Maring. He did not say Mayang. I knew then that he had always called her Maria; and in my mind I said, â€Å"Maria,† and it was a beautiful name. †Yes,Noel† Now where did she get that name? I pondered the matter quietly to myself, thinking Father might not like it. But it was only the name of my brother Leon said backwards, and it sounded much better that way. â€Å"There is Nagrebcan, Maria† my brother said gesturing widely toward the west. She moved close to him. And after a while she said quietly: You love Nagrebcan, don’t you, Noel? Ca Celin drove away hi-yi-ing to his horse loudly. At the bend of the camino real where the big duhat tree grew, he rattled the handle of his braided rattan whip against the spokes of the wheel. We stood alone on the roadside. The sun was in our eyes, for it was dipping into the bright sea. The sky was wide deep and very blue above us; but along the saw-tooth rim of the Katayaghan hills to the southwest flamed huge masses of clouds. Before us the fields swam in a golden haze through which floated big purple and red and yellow bubbles when I looked at the sinking sun. Labang’s white coat, which I had washed and brushed that morning with coconut husk, glistened like beaten cotton under the lamplight and his horns appeared tipped with fire. He faced the sun and from his mouth came a call so loud and vibrant that the earth seemed to tremble underfoot. And far way in the middle of the fields a cow lowed soflty in answer. â€Å"Hitch him to the cart, Baldo,† my brother Leon said, laughing and she laughed with him a bit uncertainly, and I saw he had put his arms around her shoulders. â€Å"Why does he make that sound? † she asked. â€Å"I have never heard the like of it. † â€Å"There is not another like it,† my brother Leon said. I have yet to hear another bull call like Labang. In all the world there is no other bull like him. † She was smiling at him, and I stopped in the act of tying the vinca across Labang’s neck to the opposite end of the yoke, because her teeth was very white, her eyes were so full of laughter, and there was a small dimple high up on her right cheek. â€Å"If you continue to talk about him like that, either I shall fall in love with him or become very jealous. † My brother Leon laughed and she laughed and they looked at each other and it seemed to me there was a world of laughter between them and in them. I climbed into the cart over the wheel and Labang would have bolted for he was always like that, but I kept firm hold on his rope. He was restless and would not stand still. , so that ny brother Leon had to say â€Å"Labang† again, my brother Leon lifted the trunks into the cart, placing the smaller one on top. She looked down once on her high heeled shoes, then she gave her left hand to my brother Leon, placed a foot on the hub of the wheel, and in one breath she had swung into the cart. Oh, the fragrance of her! But Labang was fairly dancing with impatience and it was all I could do to keep him from running away. Give us the rope, Baldo,† my brother Leon said. â€Å" Maria , set on the hay and hold on to anything. † Then he put a foot on the left shaft and that instant Labang leaped forward. My brother Leon laughed as he drew himself up to the top of the side of the cart and made the slack of the rope hiss above the back of Labang. The wind whistled against my cheeks and the rattling of the wheels on the pebbly road echoed in my ears. She sat up straight on the bottom of the cart, legs bent together to one side, her skirt spread over them so that only the toes and the heels of her shoes were visible. Her eyes were on my brother Leon’s back; I saw the wind on her hair. When Labang slowed down, my brother Leon handed me the rope. I knelt on the straw inside the cart and pulled on the rope until Labang was merely shuffling along, then I made him turn around. â€Å"What is it you have forgotten now, Baldo? † my brother Leon said. I did not say anything but tickled with my fingers the rump of Labang; and away we went back to where I had in hitched and waited for them. The sun had sunk and down from the wooded sides of the Katayaghan hills shadows were stealing into the fields. When I sent Labang down the deep cut that would take us to the dry bed of the Waig, which could be used as a path to our place during the dry season, my brother Leon laid a hand on my shoulder and said sternly: â€Å"Who told you to drive through the fields tonight? â€Å"His hand was heavy on my shoulder, but I did not look at him or utter a word until we were on the rocky bottom of the Waig. â€Å"Baldo, you fool, answer me before I lay the rope of Labang on you. Why do you follow the Waig instead of the Camino real? † His fingers bit into my shoulder. â€Å"Father- he told me to follow the Waig tonight, Manong. Swiftly his hand fell away from my shoulder and he reached for the rope of Labang. Then my brother Leon laughed, and he sat back, and laughing still, he said: â€Å"And I suppose Father also told you to hitch Labang to the cart and meet us with him instead of the Castano and the calesa. † Without waiting forn me to answer, he turned to her and said, â€Å"Maria, why do you think Father should do that, now? † He laughed and added, â€Å"Have you ever seen so many stars before? † I looked back and they were sitting side by side, leaning against the trunks, hands clasped across the knees. Seemingly but a man’s height above the tops of the steep banks of the Waig, hung the stars. But in the deep gorge the shadows had fallen heavily, and even the white of Labang’s coat was chirped from their homes in the cracks in the banks. The thick, unpleasant smell of dangla bushes and cooling sun-heated earth mingled with the clean, sharp scent of arrais roots exposed to the night air and of the hay inside the cart. â€Å"Look, Noel, yonder is our star! † Deep surprise and gladness were in her voice. Very low in the west, almost touching the ragged edge of the bank, was the star, the biggest and brightest in the sky. I have been looking at it,† my brother Leon said. â€Å"Do you remember how I would tell you that when you want to see stars you must come to Nagrebcan? †. â€Å"Yes, Noel,† she said. â€Å"Look at it she murmured, half to herself. â€Å"It is so many times bigger than it was at Ermita beach. †The air here is clean and free of dust smoke. † So it is Noel,† she said,drawing a long breath. â€Å"Making fun of me, Maria? â€Å"She laughed then, and they laughed together and she took my brother Leon’s hand and put it against her face. I stopped Labang, climbed down, and lighted the lantern that hung from the cart, and my heart sang. Now the shadows took fright and did not crowd so near. Clumps of andadasi and arias flashed into view and quickly disappeared as we passed by. Ahead, the elongated shadow of Labang bobbled up and down and swayed drunkenly from side to side, for the lantern rocked jerkily with the cart. â€Å"Have we far to go yet, Noel? † she asked. â€Å"Ask Baldo,† my brother Leon said,†we have been neglecting him. † â€Å"I am asking you, Baldo,†she said. Without looking back, I answered, picking my words slowly: â€Å"Soon we will get out of the Waig and pass into the fields. After the fields is home – Manang. â€Å"So near already. † I did not say anything more, because I did not know what to make of the tone of her voice as she said her last words. All the laughter seemed to have gone out of her. I waited for my brother Leon to say something, but he was not saying anything. Suddenly he broke out into song and the song was â€Å"Sky Sown with Stars† –the same that he and father sang when he cut hay in the fields of nights before he went away to study. He must have taught her the song because she joined him, and her voice flowed into him like a gentle stream meeting a stronger one. And each time the wheel encountered a big rock, a voice would catch in her throat, but my brother Leon would sing on, until, laughing softly, she would join him again. Then we were climbing out into the fields, and through the spokes of the wheels the light of the lantern mocked the shadows. Labang quickened his steps. The jolting became more frequent and painful as we crossed the low dikes. â€Å"But it is so very wide here,† she said. The light of the stars broke and scattered the darkness so that one could see far on every side, though indistinctly. You miss the houses, and the cars, and the people and the noise, don’t you? † My brother Leon stopped singing. â€Å"Yes, but in a different way. I am glad they are not here. † With difficulty, I turned Labang to the left, for he wanted to go straight on. He was breathing hard, but I knew he was more thirsty than tired. In a little while , we drove up the grassy side onto the camino real. â€Å"-you see,† my brother Leon was explaining, â€Å"the camino real curves around the foot of the Katayaghan hills and passes by our house. We drove through the fields, because- but I’ll be asking father as soon as we get home† â€Å"Noel,† she said. Yes, Maria. † â€Å"I am afraid. He may not like me. † â€Å"Does that worry you still, Maria? † my brother said. â€Å"From the way you talk, he might be an ogre, for all the world. Except when his leg that was wounded in the revolution is troubling him, Father is the mildest tempered, gentlest man I know. † We came to the house of Lacay Julian and I spoke to Labang loudly, but Moning did not come to the window, so I surmised she must be eating with the rest of her fam ily. And I thought of the food being made ready at home and my mouth watered. We met the twins, Urong and Celin, and I said â€Å" Hoy,† calling them by name. And they shouted back and asked if my brother Leon and his wife were with me. And my brother Leon shouted to them and then told me to make Labang run; their answers were lost in the noise of the wheels. I stopped Labang on the road before our house and would have gotten down, but my brother Leon took the rope and told me to stay in the cart. He turned Labang into the open gate and we dashed into our yard. I thought we would crash into the bole of the camachile tree, but my brother Leon reined in Labang in time. There was light downstairs in the kitchen, and Mother stood in the doorway, and I could see her smiling shyly. My brother Leon was helping Maria over the wheel. The first words that fell from his lips after he had kissed Mother’s hand were: â€Å"Father – where is he? † â€Å"He is in his room upstairs,† Mother said, her face becoming serious. â€Å"His leg is bothering him again. † I did not hear anything more because I had to go back to the cart to unhitch Labang. But I had hardly tied him under the barn when I heard Father calling me. I met my brother Leon going to bring up the trunks. As I passed through the kitchen, there were Mother and my sister Aurelia and Maria, and it seemed to me they were crying, all of them. There was no light in Father’s room. There was no movement. He sat in the big armchair by the eastern window, and a star shone directly though it. He was smoking, but he removed the roll of tobacco from his mouth when he saw me. He laid it carefully on the windowsill before speaking. â€Å"Did you meet anybody on the way? † â€Å"No, Father,† I said. â€Å"Nobody passes through the Waig at night. † He reached for his roll of tobacco and hitched himself up in the chair. â€Å"She is very beautiful, Father. â€Å"Was she afraid of Labang? † My father had not raised his voice, but the room seemed to resound with it. And again I saw her eyes on the long curving horns and the arm off my brother Leon around her shoulders. â€Å"No, Father, she was not afraid. † â€Å"On the way-â€Å"â€Å"She looked at the stars, Father And Manong Leon sang. † â€Å"What did he sing? † â€Å"Sky Sown with Stars. † She sang with him. He was silent again. I could hear the low voices of Mother and my sister Aurelia downstairs. There was also the voice of my brother Leon, and I thought that Father’s voice must have been like it when he was young. He had laid the roll of tobacco on the windowsill once more. I watched the smoke waver faintly upward from the lighted end and vanish slowly into the night outside. The door opened and my brother Leon and Maria came in. â€Å"Have you watered Labang? † Father spoke to me. I told him that Labang was resting yet under the barn. â€Å"It is time you watered him, my son. † My father said. I looked at Maria and she was lovely. She was tall. Beside my brother Leon, she was tall and very still. Then I went out, and in the darkened hall the fragrance of her was like a morning when papayas are in bloom.

Famous Pirates in Books and Movies

The fictional pirates of todays books and movies dont have much to do with the real-life buccaneers who sailed the seas centuries ago! Here are some of the most famous pirates of fiction, with their historical accuracy thrown in for good measure. Long John Silver Where he appears: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, and subsequently countless books, movies, TV shows, video games, etc. Robert Newton played him several times in the 1950s: his language and dialect are responsible for the pirate speak so popular today (Arrrr, matey!). He is an important character in the TV show Black Sails as well.Description: Long John Silver was a charming rogue. Young Jim Hawkins and his friends set out to find a great treasure: they hire a ship and crew, including the one-legged Silver. Silver is at first a loyal ally, but soon his treachery is discovered as he attempts to steal the ship and the treasure. Silver is one of the great all-time literary characters and arguably the best-known fictional pirate ever. In Black Sails, Silver is clever and opportunistic.Accuracy: Long John Silver is surprisingly accurate. Like many pirates, he had lost a limb in battle somewhere: this would have entitled him to extra loot under most pirate articles. Also like ma ny crippled pirates, he became a ships cook. His treachery and ability to switch sides back and forth mark him as a true pirate. He was quartermaster under the notorious Captain Flint: it was said that Silver was the only man Flint feared. This is accurate as well, as the quartermaster was the second-most important post on a pirate ship and an important check on the captains power. Captain Jack Sparrow Where he appears: The Pirates of the Caribbean movies and all sorts of other Disney commercial tie-ins: video games, toys, books, etc.Description: Captain Jack Sparrow, as played by actor Johnny Depp, is a lovable rogue who can switch sides in a heartbeat but always seems to wind up on the side of the good guys. Sparrow is charming and slick and can talk himself into and out of trouble quite easily. He has a deep attachment to piracy and to being captain of a pirate ship.Accuracy: Captain Jack Sparrow is not very historically accurate. He is said to be a leading member of the Brethren Court, a confederation of pirates. While there was a loose organization in the late seventeenth century called the Brethren of the Coast, its members were buccaneers and privateers, not pirates. Pirates rarely worked together and even robbed one another at times. Captain Jacks preference for weapons such as pistols and sabers is accurate. His ability to use his wits instead of brute force was a hallmark of some, but not many pirates: Howell Davis and Bartholomew Roberts are two examples. Other aspects of his character, such as turning undead as part of an Aztec curse, are of course nonsense. Captain Hook Where he appears: Captain Hook is the main antagonist of Peter Pan. He made his first appearance in J.M. Barries 1904 play Peter Pan, or, the boy who wouldnt grow up. He has appeared in just about everything related to Peter Pan since including movies, books, cartoons, video games, etc.Description: Hook is a handsome pirate who dresses in fancy clothes. He has a hook in place of one hand since losing the hand to Peter in a sword fight. Peter fed the hand to a hungry crocodile, which now follows Hook around hoping to eat the rest of him. Lord of the pirate village in Neverland, Hook is clever, wicked and cruel.Accuracy: Hook is not terribly accurate, and in fact has spread certain myths about pirates. He is constantly looking to make Peter, the lost boys or any other enemy walk the plank. This myth is now commonly associated with pirates largely because of Hooks popularity, although very few pirate crews ever forced someone to walk the plank. Hooks for hands are also now a popular par t of pirate Halloween costumes, although there are no famous historical pirates who ever wore one. Dread Pirate Roberts Where he appears: Dread Pirate Roberts is a character in the 1973 novel The Princess Bride and the 1987 movie of the same name.Description: Roberts is a very fearsome pirate who terrorizes the seas. It is revealed, however, that Roberts (who wears a mask) is not one but several men who have handed the name down to a series of successors. Each Dread Pirate Roberts retires when wealthy after training his replacement. Westley, the hero of the book and movie, was Dread Pirate Roberts for a while before leaving to seek Princess Buttercup, his true love.Accuracy: Very little. There is no record of pirates franchising their name or doing anything for true love, unless their true love of gold and plunder counts. Just about the only thing historically accurate is the name, a nod to Bartholomew Roberts, the greatest pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy. Still, the book and movie are a lot of fun!