Popular Religion And Popular Culture Religion Essay

Popular Religion And Popular Culture Religion Essay Popular religion and popular culture in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries can also be understood by the way in which individuals and groups belonging to the mainstream religion engage their faith. Expressions of popular religion can often be at considerable variance from what is officially supposed to be deemed as sacred. In this respect, popular religion absorbs many attributes of human experience that might be looked down on by purveyors of traditional religion. Amongst various aspects of American life, contemporary popular religion can be best identified in regards of Hollywood films, pop music, popular literature, comic books, and the Internet. The evolution of Hollywood films involving religious themes has been rooted largely in the biblical epic. As a popular genre during the 1950s and 1960s, key examples of these epic religious films include The Robe (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), King of Kings(1961), and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) among others. These films usually had huge cinematic scale, massive production budgets and box-office celebrities such as Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Max Von Sydow, Charlton Heston, Deborah Kerr, and Yul Brynner. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, there were numerous horror films with religious themes, most notably Rosemarys Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973), and The Omen (1976). In Rosemarys Baby, a young, innocent Manhattan housewife is deceived by a coven of witches into giving birth to the eponymous child who is actually the son of Satan. The Exorcist was a horror film that dealt with a young girls demonic possession and her wealthy mothers desperate attempts to rescue her daughter through an exorcism by two Catholic priests. Serving as the pinnacle of the demon child movies of the era, The Omen is the story of a wealthy diplomats family unknowingly adopting a child who is actually the Antichrist foretold in the Book of Revelation. Representing an interesting blend of story elements from both Rosemarys Baby and The Exorcist, The Omen spawned several sequels as well as a remake. There are a great variety of Jesus movies that have made their way to the silver screen. In 1961, MGMs release of King of Kings (a remake of Cecil B. DeMilles 1927 film of the same title) was the first attempt by a major film studio to produce a religious epic in which the Christ Event was its main focus. That movie was followed years later other cinematic renditions of Jesus such as The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), the musical Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Passion of the Christ (2004), and most recently The Color of the Cross (2006). By illustration, Martin Scorseses The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) portrays the last days of Jesus Christ as he is tempted by Satan by glimpses of what life might have been like had Jesus not been crucified including marrying and making love with Mary Magdalene. Based on Nikos Kazantzakis 1960 novel of the same name, the movies main point is that Jesus, while free from human sin, might have still been v ulnerable to all manners of temptation that humans face, including doubt, fearful reluctance, lustful yearning, and regret. By confronting and ultimately conquering all of humanitys weaknesses, Jesus struggled to do Gods will while never surrendering to earthly temptations. At the films end, Christ finally rejects all temptations and the film concludes with the crucifixion. As can be imagined, this film generated a considerable deal of controversy due to its subject matter. The Passion of the Christ (2004) is a film co-written, co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson. According to Gibson, the films primary source material is derived from the Christs passion narratives found in the four synoptic Gospels despite taking creative liberties of incorporating quotes and images from both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. While deliberately mirroring traditional representations of the Passion in visual art, the film recounts depiction of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, particularly the arrest, trial, torture, and crucifixion of Jesus. In spite of criticism regarding the extreme violence, historical inaccuracy, and perceived anti-Semitic references, the overwhelming success of the studios marketing campaign amongst Catholics and evangelical Christians helped the film set numerous box-office records simultaneously. Having earned roughly $400 million, The Passion of the Christ holds the record for the most pre-release ticket sales and the highe st-grossing R-rated film in U.S. history as well as the highest-grossing religious film worldwide. Furthermore, because the films dialogue is entirely spoken in Aramaic, Latin, and Hebrew with English subtitles, The Passion of the Christ is also the highest grossing non-English language film to date. While many religious films since the 1950s were typically based on Christian stories, other films have been based in other religious traditions. For instance, The Message (Mohammed: The Messenger of God) (1976) based upon Islamic history and stirred great controversy upon its release. The film depicts the historic moment when the prophet Mohammed receives the Word from Allah during the 7th century A.D. in the Middle East still dominated by polytheism. After this fateful event, Mohammed begins sending his messengers to proclaim the basic teachings and tenets of Islam throughout the Middle East. The films production was complicated by the fact that, according to the teachings of the Quran, neither any likenesses can be shown of the prophet Mohammed and his extended family nor the image and voice of God ever be depicted in any medium. To overcome this challenge, the lead role of Mohammed was as an absent protagonist while the character of Mohammeds uncle served as a replacement for Moha mmed who alternately uttered lines and listened off-screen to a voice the audience never heard to avoid the heresy of depicting images of either Allah or Mohammed. Filmmakers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen have wrestled with issues of Jewish film representations. Two of the Coen brothers films, Barton Fink (1991) and The Big Lebowski (1998), are especially noteworthy for their diverse abundance of overtly albeit offbeat Jewish characters. The Coens brothers have been accused of depicting anti-Jewish ethnic stereotypes in their numerous films such as Bernie the Shmatte, a cravenly duplicitous hustler, in their third feature film, Millers Crossing (1990). However, their film A Serious Man (2009) is a remarkably provocative and poignant portrayal of Jewish American experience during the 1960s culled from their childhood memories of growing up in St. Louis Park, a suburban Jewish community south of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Drawing heavily from the cultural tradition of Ashkenazic Judaism, the film centers on the Job-like professional and private plights of Larry Gopnik, a physics professor undergoing a crisis of faith. Struggling to make sense of his ruin ed life, Gopnik desperately seeking metaphysical advice and spiritual guidance from three rabbis to become a person of substance. Ultimately the film grapples with theological issues pertaining to the human suffering in ways that strive to reconcile the spiritual and the absurd. Popular Religion and Popular Music The emergence of popular music is one of Americas greatest cultural achievements and since the mid-20th century has had several inspired practitioners whose lives and recordings in the music industry that helped energize the American society by defining a new outlook where the sacred and the secular coexisted within the mainstream. For example, Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee as one of five children belonging to Rev. C. L. Franklin, a famous Baptist minister, and Barbara Siggers Franklin, a singer and pianist. Franklins parents had a troubled relationship and separated for the final time when Aretha was six, leaving her and her siblings to be raised by their paternal grandmother, Rachel Franklin. During her childhood, the home was regularly visited by many of her fathers famous friends including Clara Ward, Sam Cooke, and Mahalia Jackson. In the presence of such gospel music legends, Franklins talents both as a self-taught piano prodigy and a gifted singer with an extr aordinary vocal range became apparent by the time she entered her teens. As noted in her autobiography, Franklin stated that her early gospel singing was patterned after Albertina Walker. Although early motherhood nearly derailed Franklins gospel career, once she decided to return to singing professionally as a pop musician rather than a gospel artist. When she signed a contract with Atlantic Records and began working with legendary RB producer Jerry Wexler to incorporate a more gospel element into Franklins evolving musical sound. By the end of the 1960s, Franklins designation as the reining Queen of Soul was clearly established. Although most of her albums were best sellers during this era, the release of Amazing Grace (1972) eventually sold over two million copies in the United States and has been hailed as the best-selling gospel album of all time. Marking a triumphant return to her gospel roots, the songs on Amazing Grace were recorded live at New Temple Missionary Baptist Chur ch in Los Angeles, California alongside her father as well as gospel legend and family friend Rev. James Cleveland with backing vocals by the Southern California Community Choir in January 1972. In the late 1970s, Bob Dylan became a born-again Christian and released two albums of Christian gospel music: Slow Train Coming (1979) and Saved (1980). When working on Slow Train Coming with Jerry Wexler, the veteran RB producer, Dylan had started to evangelize to him during the recording. Wexler replied: Bob, youre dealing with a sixty-two-year old Jewish atheist. Lets just make an album. The album won Dylan a Grammy Award as Best Male Vocalist for the song Gotta Serve Somebody. When touring from the fall of 1979 through the spring of 1980, Dylan would not play any of his older, secular works. Realizing that there was considerably vocal backlash to his embrace of Christianity by some of his fans and fellow musicians, Dylan frequently delivered declarations of his faith from the stage. Another iconic figure in the realm of popular music that underwent deep religious conversion was the country music legend Johnny Cash.  Rediscovering his Christian faith in the early 1970s, Cash recalled taking an altar call at Rev. Jimmy Rodgers Snows Evangel Temple, a small church in Nashville, TN because, unlike many larger churches, he said that the pastor and congregation treated like just a regular parishioner and not a celebrity. His friendship with famed Christian minister Billy Graham led to the production of The Gospel Road, a film about the life of Jesus, that Cash both co-wrote and narrated. The decade saw his religious conviction deepening, and he made many evangelical appearances on Billy Graham Crusades around the world. In 1986, Cash published his only novel, Man in White, a book about Sauls conversion into the Apostle Paul. In 1990, Cash also recorded Johnny Cash Reads The Complete New Testament. Matisyahu is an American Hasidic Jewish reggae musician renowned blending traditional Jewish themes within reggae, alternative rock, electronica, and hip hop sounds. Matisyahu was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania as Matthew Paul Miller on June 30, 1979. His family eventually relocated to White Plains, New York where he was raised as a Reconstructionist Jew. While Matisyahu was an ardent music lover, he attended Hebrew school at Bet Am Shalom, a synagogue located in White Plains. At the age of sixteen, Matisyahu participated in a semester-long immersion program at the Alexander Muss High School in Hod Hasharon, Israel that allowed him deeper exploration of his Jewish heritage. This overall experience affected his feelings towards Judaism so greatly that he eventually adopted Orthodox Jewish lifestyle by becoming a Baal Teshuva by 2001. Initially he found his way to the Carlebach Shul on the West Side of Manhattan. Matisyahu then found his way to Chabad of Washington Square. From 200 1 until 2007, Matisyahu was affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. Shortly after his embrace of hasidism, Matisyahu began studying Torah at Hadar Hatorah, a yeshiva for returnees to Judaism As one example of his devotion, he will not perform in concert on Friday nights in faithful observance of the Jewish Sabbath. He later recounted such diverse influences as Phish, Bob Marley and the Wailers, God Street Wine and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach among his musical inspirations. There is a proliferation of musical genres that represent a variety of religious backgrounds from Stryper (a Christian heavy metal band) to Creed (a Christian alternative / hard rock band) to the Kominas (a Punjabi taqwacore-Islamic hardcore punk rock-group) to A Tribe Called Quest (an African American hip-hop group predominantly composed of Sunni Muslim converts). In the 1980s,  Stryper was a Christian heavy metal band from Orange County, California, USA. The name Stryper derives from Isaiah 53:5 (KJV):But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. The scriptural reference is also part of Strypers logo on most of their releases. (They also incorporate stripes into most of their outfits and their logo.) Once the band embraced the name of Stryper, drummer Robert Sweet created a acronym which is: Salvation Through Redemption, Yielding Peace, Encouragement, and Righteousness. Not only did Stryper enjoy great mainstream success during the latter half of the 1980s, they are pioneers in the mainstream popularization of Christian metal music and even achieved a Grammy Award nomination. Stryper eventually broke up in 1992, which also marked the waning popularity of heavy metal as a musical genre. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Creed was a popular, multi-platinum selling American alternative / post-grunge rock band from Tallahassee, Florida often identified as a Christian rock band. The band was never signed to a contemporary Christian music label, did not perform in Christian music venues and never got any widespread regular play on Christian radio, Creeds first three albums focused on themes of Christian faith and spirituality. Themes within their song titles such as Higher, My Sacrifice, Whats This Life For, My Own Prison, With Arms Wide Open, and One Last Breath the bands lyrics allude to Christian theology although they frequently refuted the Christian label. Similar to the Christian rock movement, The Kominas (whose name means bastards in Punjabi) are a Taqwacore punk band hailing from the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. The Muslim punk trio consisting of Basim Usmani, Shahjehan Khan, and Adam Brierly rock out with songs titles of Dishoom, Baby or Sharia Law in the USA. One of the Kominas best known songs, Rumi was a Homo, a protest song against homophobia within the American Muslim community, was featured in Skidmore Colleges Music Against Hatred concert. Written mainly by Usmani, the bands lyrics are clever, sometimes thought-provoking commentaries on racial profiling, foreign policy, and religious faith. The Kominas critically acclaimed debut album, Wild Nights in Guantanamo Bay, was released in March 2008.As a fusion of punk, metal, and Bhangra folk music The band uses the term Bollywood Muslim punk in order to describe their sound. The music and imagery typically draws from anti-colonial movements, Moghul art, American related to Islam, such as Moorish Science Temple, Five Percenters (an offshoot of the Nation of Islam), and Desi culture, Punjabi folklore, Sufi saints from Punjab, Hinduism, and Bollywood cinema. Formed in the late 1980s, A Tribe Called Quest was an African American hip hop group consisting of rapper/producer Q-Tip (Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, formerly Jonathan Davis), rapper Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor), and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad that explored Sunni Islam. They released five albums in ten years, the first three of which were both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. By 1996, lead rapper Q-Tip underwent a deepy religious awakening and, upon spiritual guidance from his friend, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, soon converted to Islam. While on tour, Q-Tips friend introduced him to a talented young producer from Detroit named Jay Dee (also known as J Dilla). Immediately taking the newcomer under his wing, Q-tip and the rest of Tribe agreed to form a production unit with Jay Dee. The group named their production company The Ummah (meaning community, nation, or brotherhood in Arabic) because Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad were devout Muslims. In addition to producing A Tribe Called Quests final two studio albums, the Ummah served as a music production collective that provided backing tracks for a wide array of RB and hip hop artists. Although the group officially disbanded in 1998 and Jay Dee death in 2006of a blood disease, their innovative blend of hip hop and jazz has left an indelible imprint upon hip hop music. Popular Religion in Popular Literature In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins novel Left Behind: A Novel of the Earths Last Days officially launched a best-selling fictional series of 18 Christian-themed thrillers. It was narrative form to a specific apocalyptic reading of the Bible, particularly the Book of Revelation. This novel has received largely favorable reactions from the late Jerry Falwell and other leading figures in the Evangelical Christian community who generally approved of how the authors represented the millennial / apocalyptic themes within Christian theology in a worldly language that was also commercially viable within the entertainment industry. The interpretation of Revelation, as presented in the Left Behind series, also encourages a largely individualistic approach to eschatology and salvation that eschews any responsibility for performing good deeds or evangelizing. Regardless of such criticism, the overall sales for Left Behind series has surpassed 65 million copies and has also inspired several movies, graphic novels, CDs, a video game and a Left Behind series for teenagers. Similarly, author Dan Browns best-selling novels also include historical themes and Christianity as recurring motifs, and as a result, have generated controversy. Browns first novel, Angels Demons (2000) is bestselling mystery-thriller novel focused on fictional Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdons quest to uncover the mysteries of the Illuminati and to unravel a plot to destroy Vatican City by detonating antimatter. The book portrays a historical conflict between the Illuminati and the Roman Catholic Church as a contest between science and religion. Browns subsequent novel, The Da Vinci Code (2003) also examines ancient history, conspiracy theories of secret societies, religious symbolism, and classic architecture. Combining the detective, thriller, and conspiracy fiction genres, The Da Vinci Code provoked popular interest in speculation concerning the historic roots of Christianity. Despite being flatly denounced by many Christian denominations as a dishonest attack on t he Roman Catholic Church rife with historical and scientific inaccuracy, The Da Vinci Code is a worldwide bestseller that had sold roughly 80 million copies that has been translated into 44 languages. Popular Religion in Comic Books There are numerous examples of popular religion being utilized in the world of comic books and graphic novels. For instance, the DC Vertigo Comic book series Preacher chronicled the fictional exploits of Jesse Custer, a small town pastor in Annville, Texas who is experiencing an extraordinary crisis of faith. After Genesis, a creature described as the supernatural spawn of the inexplicable coupling between an angel and a demon, accidentally takes possession of him, Custer becomes a hybrid human-divine being that potentially wields enough power to ultimately rival even God. Inhabited by this spiritual force composed of both pure goodness and pure evil, the comic book portrays the title character of the comic book arguably becomes the most powerful being in existence. Tragically, this realization results in a disaster that turns his church to rubble and killed his entire congregation. Spurred by his highly developed sense of morality and a strong sense of purpose, the comic book illust rates Custers paranormal adventures as he treks across the United States in a quest to find God for himself both figuratively and literally. Following a trend within American comic books during the 1960s and 1970s very much akin to the Death of God theological movement, Preacher alludes to a God that has abandoned creation and thus has left humanity to its own devices for better or worse. During its publication from 1995 to 2000, Preacher was a controversial comic book series renowned by some and reviled by others for both its dark and frequently violent humor as well as its unabashed treatment of religious and supernatural themes. Since the 1970s, there have been several characters that accentuate various dimensions of spiritual practices prevalent throughout the African diaspora. A particularly notable example of an African American supernatural superhero named Brother Voodoo who appeared in a variety of comic books published by Marvel Comics during the 1970s. Returning to his native Port-au-Prince, Haiti after more than a decade of education and practice as a psychologist in the United States, Jericho Drumm assumes the alter ego of Brother Voodoo possesses numerous superhuman and mystical powers such as easily entering into a trance-like state in which his skin becomes impervious to burning and other forms of pain as well as being able to control flame and lower life forms; these are all power that the comic book creators attribute to the characters mastery of mystical rituals derived from the loa, the spirit-gods of Haitian vodou. As an attempt to introduce a character with a very unique ethnic, cultural, a nd religious background, Brother Voodoo was later followed by other figures in the Marvel pantheon of characters such as the female Captain Marvel whose alter ego, Monica Rambeau, hailed from the Creole religiosity of contemporary New Orleans or the character of Storm (aka Ororo Monroe) from the X-Men series whose backstory harkens to being an East African hailed as a demi-goddess because of her mutant ability to control the weather. While these are certainly not the first or only comic book characters of African descent to be introduced, these creations were attempts to merge issues of race and religion in interesting ways. Moving in a considerable different vein, the central figure in DC Vertigo Comics series Hellblazer is a character named John Constantine who pursues a mysterious life as a streetwise detective who frequently crosses the supernatural boundaries between heaven and hell in order to confronting various dangers of an occult nature in the ordinary world. As a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, hedonistic cynic arguably working for the greater good, Constantine usually triumphs through guile, deceit and misdirection. At the end of his exploits, he typically makes more enemies in the process of resolving a particular conflict than the opponents he originally intends to defeat. Even though depicted as a duplicitous individual, the narrative shows Constantine to be a well-connected person who is supremely adept at making friends and has a wide array of otherworldly contacts and nefarious allies at his disposal. Consequently, the overarching narrative reveals Constantine to be a compassionate and occ asionally heroic figure struggling to overcome the influence of heaven and hell upon an otherwise unsuspecting humanity. In other words, the protagonist of Hellblazer serves as a fictional incarnation of the humanist anti-hero as a trickster of sorts. As such, this book is highly indicative of a trend in mainstream comic books that has been quite popular amongst comic book creators and fans alike wherein the mortal characters such as Constantine are imbued with an agnostic spiritual worldview over and above a sense of moral ambiguity as they unapologetically grapple with seemingly insurmountable hazards both mundane and arcane. On the whole, while there is no dearth of evidence of popular religion at work in comic books and graphic novels, there is presently a shortage dearth of academic research and discussion on the matter. Popular Religion and the Internet One of the most exceptional transformations in the emergence of popular religion in the latter half of the twentieth century has been the burgeoning presence of religion appearing on the Internet. From the mid-1990s to present, an exponential number of churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have a firm foothold within cyberspace. Towards this end, there are numerous websites such as Streaming Faith.com and Beliefnet.com connect innumerable Christian communities nationally and internationally via the Internet with the increasing prospect of connecting with other religious groups in a virtual fashion. Since the inception and widespread use of the Internet in the 1990s, online Christian resources have tended to dominate religious themed content to date. This has been of particular importance given the presumption that most Internet users hailed from North America or Western Europe, regions deemed predominantly Christian. This assumed dominance has shifted due to the increasing level of Internet access and literacy by populations in the developing nations of the global South, most notably in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Even though it is highly unlikely that the worlds religions ever will be fully and equally represented in cyberspace, the democratic impulse of the World Wide Web will cause the demographics to begin reflecting the religious diversity among a growing array of internet users worldwide. Moreover, for those members of faith communities that are relatively small and geographically isolated from a traditional house of worship, the World Wide Web provides these practitioners an alternate means of interaction and connection. By virtue of having Internet access, adherents of such faith traditions can receive update information about their religion, obtain latest spiritual resources, and engage in communications with other faithful believers. There are a variety of religious websites such as Torah Net (www.torah.net), Allaahuakbar Net (www.allaahuakb ar.net), Gospel Communications Network (www.gospel.com), Gateways to Buddhism (www.dharmanet.org) and The Witches Voice (www.witchvox.org) are religious oriented news and networking web resources that serve as lively examples of popular religion. See also Celebrity Culture; Electronic Church; Internet; Literature; Contemporary; Lived Religion; Pluralism; Popular Religion and Popular Culture entries; Radio; Spirituality: Contemporary Trends; Television; Visual Culture entries. Juan Floyd-Thomas

Organisational Study at Bhel

Organisational Study At Bhel Organization Study EDN INTERNSHIP REPORT ON ORGANISATIONAL STUDY AT BHARATH HEAVY ELECTRICALS LIMITED& MICROSCOPIC STUDY OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT & CONTROLING Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of The M. B. A Course of Bangalore University Submitted By Veeresh (REGD. NO. 05XQCM6106) Under the Guidance and supervision Of Prof. Sumithra Sreenath M. P. Birla Institute of Management Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Bangalore-560001 2006-07 M P Birla Institute of Mgmt 1 Organization Study EDN DECLARATION I here by declare that the â€Å"Internship report on Organization study & Microscopic Study on Quality Management & Controlling† at BHARATH HEAVY ELECTRICAL LIMITED, Bangalore is a record of independent work carried out by me, towards partial fulfillment of the requirements for MBA course of Bangalore University at M . P. Birla Institute of Management. This has not been submitted in part or full towards any other degree or Diploma. Date: Place: Bangalore Veeresh 05XQCM6106 M P Birla Institute of Mgmt 2 Organization Study EDN PRINCIPAL’S CERTIFICATE This is to certify that this report entitled â€Å"An Internship Report on Organization study & Microscopic Study on Quality Management & Controlling† at BHARATH HEAVY ELECTRICAL LIMITED, Bangalore has been prepared by Veeresh bearing register number 05QXCM6106 under the guidance and supervision of Professor Sumithra Sreenath of MP Birla Institute of Management, Bangalore Place: Bangalore Date: Dr. N. S. Malavalli (Principal) M P Birla Institute of Mgmt 3 Organization Study EDN GUIDE CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the report entitled â€Å"An Internship Report on Organization study & Microscopic Study on Quality Management & Controlling† at BHARATH HEAVY ELECTRICAL LIMITED, Bangalore done by Veeresh bearing registration No. 05 XQCM6106 is a bonafide work done carried under my guidance during the academic year 2006-2007 in partial fulfillment of†¦

Ecological Interaction Of Humans And Reptiles Environmental Sciences Essay

Ecological interaction is the relation between species that live together in a community ; specifically, the consequence an person of one species may exercise on an person of another species. Reptiles and amphibious vehicles seems non to play a really important function in the sustainability of human life on Earth but deeper research into the functions of these beings indicates that they are of importance. There are assorted ecological menaces which can impact reptilians. Habitat loss and devastation is a major ecological issue impacting reptilian species. Habitat loss is widely recognized as the taking menace to planetary biodiversity. While hard to specifically categorise, habitat loss take topographic points on an overlapping scope from small-scale to large-scale and from absolute devastation to subtle debasement. There are many factors which contribute to this phenomena. Activities such as excavation, logging, switching cultivation and glade of secret plans of land can present menace to the natural home grounds of many herpes. This promotes migration of species from one country to another therefore cut downing the diverseness of the country. Climate alteration is another deduction which can act upon the lives of herpes and reptilians. Climate alteration responses will be influenced by a figure of factors: ( 1 ) expected alterations and incompatibility in local environmental and habitat conditions ; ( 2 ) the phenology ( clocking ) of life-requisite activities ; ( 3 ) interactions with emerging pathogens and invasive species ; and ( 4 ) interactions with other environmental stressors ( e.g. , chemicals ) . Over the short term ( e.g. , yearly ) , the interaction of these factors will find generative success rates and endurance to metabolism. Over the long term, the regularity and extent of utmost temperature and precipitation events will probably act upon the continuity of local populations, distribution capablenesss and therefore the construction of meta-populations on the landscape. Alternation in air and H2O temperature, precipitation, and the hydro period ( Carey and Alexander 2003 ) tends to impact amphibious and reptilian species since they are extremely sensitive to and react strongly to these alterations. This is due to them being poikilotherms ; their organic structure temperature depends on most favourable environmental status. Amphibians require aquatic and damp home ground for puting egg and larval development and station metamorphous life phases severally. Amphibians are more likely to see lower endurance rate to metabolism as the temperature warms and variableness of H2O proceed. Speciess related with passing Waterss, such as low pools and jumping watercourses may be preponderantly susceptible to altered precipitation forms. Temperatures outside of their thermic optima will besides do physiological emphasiss. Some reptile species exhibit temperature-dependent sex finding during egg incubation that could be influenced by alterations and variableness in planetary climate.Because of their affinities to aquatic home grounds and their little size, amphibious vehicles typically have comparatively little place scopes and low dispersion rates. Reptiles are more nomadic and have a greater ability to defy the expected drier and warmer conditions. However, because cardinal home grounds and species scopes have already been altered and fragmented by human usage and development, the physical tracts to link animate beings with suited home grounds ( e.g. , upwards in latitude or lift ) may non be. Direct ecological interactions between herpes includes: niche differenciation ( resource breakdown ) , predation and competition. Niche differenciationrefers to the procedure by which natural choice thrusts viing species into different forms of resource usage or different niches. This causes one coinage to partition resource with another so that one does non wholly out compete the other, accordingly coexistence is achieved through the distinction of their realized ecological niches. Niche partitioning may non happen if there is sufficient geographic and ecological infinite for beings to spread out into. A typical illustration of resource breakdown is shown by the Anolis lizards in the tropical rain forest. Although they portion common nutrient demands – chiefly insect, they evade competition by shacking in different parts of the rain forest. Some live on the foliage litter floor while others live on fly-by-night subdivisions, thereby avoiding competition over nutrient in those subdivisions of the forest. Resourse breakdown is a type of niche distinction. Resource partitioning occurs when biological species require different parts of the same resource.Human interactions with amphibious populations.Human existences have impacted about on every life animal on Earth both straight and indirectly. Worlds have interacted with amphibious vehicles since antiquity. Some of these exchanges are direct and easy understood while other connexions are more hard to spot. Human activity has caused the disappearing of many carnal species, the deceases and diseases of others and as a consequence, pose major a menace to the Earth ‘s biodiversity. Due to human interactions, many at that place has been dramatic diminutions in amphibious populations, including population clangs and mass localised extinctions, have been noted since the 1980s from locations all over the universe. These diminutions are perceived as one of the most critical menaces to planetary biodiversity, and several causes are believed to be involved, including, over exploiataion, pollution and chemical usage, habitat devastation and alteration, clime alteration, and increased ultraviolet-B radiation ( UV-B ) . Human interactions can be direct and indirect. Direct interactions with amphibious vehicles: this involves straight taking species of amphibious vehicles which includes toads, frogs, salamanders, triton and utilizing them for commercial and economic intents. One direct human interaction is over development. As with many other resources that worlds consume and over exploit, Amphibious species are no exclusion. Frogs are commercially of import for their nutrient value. The legs of some Rana catesbeiana species are in heavy demand in China, Europe ( particularly France ) and in parts of the United States, particularly Louisiana. The worldwide crop is an estimated 200 million Rana catesbeianas ( about 10,000 metric dozenss ) yearly. Major Rana catesbeiana providers include Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, and Japan, with about 80 million collected each twelvemonth from rice Fieldss in Bangladesh entirely. As a consequence, populations have fallen drastically from inordinate development ( Economic and Ecologic Importance of Amphibians: Investigating the Connections Between Amphibians and Humans ) hypertext transfer protocol: //www.suite101.com/content/amphibianhuman-interactions-a179036 # ixzz15aCfnKk6 ) In add-on, many amphibious species are removed from the natural state to be used as pets, and to provide biological markets. This development of species has besides lead to mass diminution of amphibious populations. Indirect human interactions: these include all the activities that human existences do to change the environment, which intern affects all carnal populations and planetary biodiversity. The current planetary loss of species is a procedure generated by the activities of worlds. As we modify our environment for our ain terminals, it is clear that the devastation of the home grounds of other species leads straight to their disappearing. Indirect human interactions, that has lead to mass diminution includes: Water quality factors ( chiefly caused by pollution and chemical usage ) : Many H2O ways are polluted by human activities particularly agricultural and industrial activities. These pollutants contaminate the H2O ways that many amphibious vehicles use as home grounds and since amphibious vehicles have permeable, open tegument and eggs that may readily absorb toxic substances from the environment. Their eggs are laid in H2O or in damp countries, and their larvae ( polliwogs ) are aquatic. Because amphibious vehicles are closely tied to an aquatic environment, the quality of the H2O in which they live can impact their growing, development, and endurance. Because pollutants, waterborne pathogens, and planetary environmental alterations can all affect H2O quality, these factors can in bend affect amphibious vehicles. Conversely, amphibious vehicles are of import indexs of H2O quality, and are considered a lookout species, intending that what affects amphibious vehicles soon may impact other carnal species in the hereafter. Acidification. A figure of surveies have shown that acidification of fresh H2O ( that is, a decrease in pH to acidic degrees ) via acid rain, acid snowmelt, or other manners of pollution are harmful to amphibious growing and development. Some species are more tolerant of acid conditions than others. Therefore, depending on the species, the sum of sourness, and other environmental variables, amphibious vehicles may see developmental malformations and increased mortality due to acidification. Acidification potentially affects amphibious populations and the communities in which amphibious vehicles live. For illustration, some populations of frogs in Britain have likely been reduced by H2O acidification. Salamander populations in Colorado seem to hold declined because of increased acidification during snowmelt. Several surveies have shown that acidification of the H2O can impact competition and predation between amphibious vehicles. Therefore, the larvae of some frog species may hold increased survival rates under acerb conditions because their salamander marauders show reduced predation at low pH. Nitrates and Nitrites. Many chemical merchandises used in agribusiness and industry pollute aquatic home grounds, doing potentially terrible harm to ecosystems. For illustration, the addition in concentration of nitrate in surface H2O on agricultural land due to legion beginnings may be risky to many species of fish, Toxic Substances. Merely as amphibious species display fluctuation in sensitiveness to nitrate-related compounds, they besides show fluctuation in tolerance to other toxic substances that may be found in H2O. Insecticides such as organophosphates, carbonates, and man-made pyrethroids, which are used chiefly in harvest production, have a broad array of effects on amphibious vehicles. Depending on the concentrations used and the species involved, some of these substances may be deadly, may impact growing and development, or may impact metabolism. Habitat alteration change and atomization. Habitat alteration or devastation includes the building of substructure and roads, excavation and logging activities etc. and is one of the most dramatic issues impacting amphibious species worldwide. As amphibious vehicles by and large need aquatic and tellurian home grounds to last, menaces to either home ground can impact populations. Hence, amphibious vehicles may be more vulnerable to habitat alteration than beings that merely necessitate one home ground type. Large scale clime alterations may farther be modifying aquatic home grounds, forestalling amphibious vehicles from engendering wholly. Climate alteration Anthropogenic planetary heating has unambiguously exerted a major consequence on amphibious diminutions. For illustration, in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a series of remarkably warm old ages led to the mass disappearings of the Monteverde Harlequin toad and the Golden Toad. ( decline_in_amphibian _populations.com ) . An increased degree of cloud screen, which has warmed the darks and cooled down daytime temperatures in an effort to command planetary heating, has been blamed for easing the growing and proliferation of the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ( the causative agent of the fungous infection chytridiomycosis. Chytridiomycosis or Chytrid Fungus is an epizootic and a major subscriber to the diminution of amphibious populations around the universe, endangering many species with extinction. This fungus is a planetary emerging amphibious pathogen which is turn outing to be one of the worst craniate infective diseases found so far. It is doing a immense sum of extinction and disease within amphibious populations. More than 100 species of amphibious vehicles are known to be affected by the chytrid fungus ( Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ) . Some are really susceptible and die rapidly while others which are more immune are bearers of the pathogen. This disease is already credited with pass overing out toads and frogs in big Numberss in Australia and South America. ( decline_in_amphibian _populations.com ) The increased temperature caused by planetary heating has besides caused the disappearing of many species from progressively hot home grounds. The rise in sea degrees which causes attendant implosion therapy and devastation of home ground has besides lead to extinction of some species. Ultra violet radiation Degrees of UV-B radiation in the ambiance have risen significantly over the past few decennaries, due to stratospheric ozone depletion and clime alteration. Research workers have found that UV-B radiation can kill amphibious vehicles straight, cause sublethal effects such as slowed growing rates and immune disfunction. The sum of harm depends upon the life phase, the species type and other environmental parametric quantities. Salamanders and toads that produce less photolyase, an enzyme that counteracts DNA harm from UVB, are more susceptible to the effects of loss of the ozone bed. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation may non kill a peculiar species or life phase but may do terrible harm to it.

Call Of The Wild By Jack London - 1386 Words

Two of Jack London’s most famous stories are Call of the Wild and To Build a Fire. Call of the Wild is a novel about a dog named Buck, who is stolen away from his home in California and sold in Canada to become a member in a dog sled team. Then Buck learns the law of club and fang, and he becomes the leader of his team and eventually breaks away from captivity to become a wild dog roaming forest. To Build a Fire, on the other hand, is a short story about a man who is traveling through Canada in very cold temperatures. His hands and feet go numb, and he falls through the river. In the end he freezes to death. Both Call of the Wild and To Build a Fire have some things in common, but they also have a lot between them, as you will see soon. One of the main things that these two stories have in common is their setting - their physical setting, to be exact. (This might actually be from part of Jack London’s experiences, when he went to the Yukon to search for gold. This sentence seems kind of out of place. What do you think? )Both Buck and the unnamed man are set into a hostile, foreign environment (which one goes first, hostile or foreign?) full of biting coldness and rough trails. â€Å"Another lesson. So that was the way they did it, eh? Buck confidently selected a spot, and with much fuss and waste effort proceeded to dig a hole for himself. In a trice the heat from his body filled the confined space and he was asleep.† When Buck was in California, he had no need of worrying aboutShow MoreRelatedJack London: The Call Of The Wild550 Words   |  2 Pages Jack London: The Call Of The Wild Well the main character is buck. He was born on a judge’s ranch in Mexico. He was the king of the ranch, everyone loved him. Them one day a gardener took him for a walk, and he was sold. He fought the man that bought him; he was stuffed in a cage. Buck is a huge half breed saint Bernard, and Scottish shepherd. He Is sent to Alaska and sold for a sled dog. He goes through several different owners. The story takes place in the late 1800’s, during the gold rushRead MoreCall Of The Wild By Jack London1448 Words   |  6 PagesCall of the Wild is a novella written by Jack London that is ironic about life and the way we look at it. We look at life as humans and other things are just living in our world, that nothing else has a say in the world because we do not speak the same languages. Example of this is how we â€Å"own† dogs, cats, horses, etc; we do not â€Å"own† them, they are their own being with goals of their own. We may not be able to understand what they are saying or what they are thinking, but as London explains throughoutRead MoreThe Call Of The Wild By Jack London802 Words   |  4 PagesThe novel The Call of the Wild is written by Jack London. The novel is known as an adventure fiction; it is known as an adventure fiction because it is based on an adventure by London, but is put into a fictional reading. This novel is told about a dog and his life struggles, but it is based on an adventure taken by London. This novel is important to us because it gives us an insight on how important it is to fight for what you want, and defend your place in life. The theme of this novel is to workRead MoreThe Call Of The Wild By Jack London1396 Words   |  6 PagesThe Call of the Wild is a novel by Jack London, and is a very interesting fiction novel that contains elements of happiness, sadness, failure, and triumph(with a hint of anger). This book shows the strong bond between man and beast, and helps the reader understand the strong loves shared(and lost). This book can show how change affects someone, and how it can affect the people around them. This book has a lot of important morals, which can teach the reader patience, sorrow, and true compassion. TheRead MoreJack London and His Call of the Wild1150 Words   |  5 Pagesof the parts of his nature that were deeper than he, going back into the womb of Time. - Jack London, The C all of the Wild, Ch. 3 (Jack London Quotes). This quote summarizes the success of Jack London’s writing career in one simple sentence. London’s success and inspiration for his naturalist style can be accredited to the way in which he was raised, and his experiences during his lifetime. Jack London, was born John Griffith Chaney on January 12, 1876 near San Francisco, California. His motherRead MoreThe Call of the Wild, by Jack London985 Words   |  4 PagesLondon introduces the only other companion for the man on the trip, the dog—a native husky with a heavy coat of fur, which has adapted to survive the dangers of the cold wilderness. Unlike the man, the dog does not have a â€Å"sharp consciousness of a condition of very cold such as was in the man’s brain,† but instead the â€Å"brute had its instinct† (London 630). London contrasts the man’s intelligence with dog’s instinct, which doesn’t use human measurements to show temperature. The man pities the dogRead MoreThe Call of the Wild by Jack London Essay1143 Words   |  5 PagesThe Call of the Wild by Jack London The title of the book is The Call of the Wild and was written by Jack London in 1903. He was the son of an Irish-American astrologer and his mother was Flora Wellman, the odd one out of a well to do family. They lived a life of poverty in Pennsylvania. Jack read a lot and at the age of fifteen left home and travelled around North America as a tramp. On charges of vagrancy, he spent 30 days in prison. After educating himself he managedRead MoreSummary Of The Call Of The Wild By Jack London1908 Words   |  8 Pages Ms. Stone English 10 H 11 November 2016 Journal Entry #1: The Call Of The Wild, by Jack London 1. Section Summary A large dog, named Buck, lives on a big estate in the heart of Santa Clara Valley. While in the midst a famous gold rush in Klondike, Canada, many men need sled dogs to get around on the snow. Buck does not realize the great fear that he is in while living during this time. Manuel, a gardener on the estate that Buck lives on, gambles Buck to another man and loses. Buck beginsRead MoreAnalysis Of Jack London s The Call Of The Wild 1306 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferent literary movements. Authors choose the writing style they want, and whether or not to be in a movement. Jack London was one of these authors. He chose to be a part of the naturalism movement. Naturalism is a literary movement with the belief that humans and animals being shaped by their environment. He then chose to use indirect discourse in one of his most popular books The Call of the Wild. Free Indirect Discourse is when the reader knows the thoughts of the main character while having a thirdRead MoreWilderness in Ca ll of the Wild by Jack London Essay573 Words   |  3 PagesSymbolism Many of the characters in The Call of the Wild symbolize specific qualities. One example of this is Mercedes. She represents greed and being spoiled. Mercedes enters the wilderness clueless to what toll it will take on her. â€Å"†Undreamed of!† cried Mercedes, throwing up her hands in dainty dismay† (73). This quote shows that she was expecting (and hoping) for a more pampered way of life out in the Klondike. Mercedes could also represent the unpreparedness of most of the people going to