australia Essay -- essays research papers

*Geography* Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. It lies in the Southern Hemisphere between 11 ° and 44 ° south latitude and 113 ° and 154 ° east longitude. The entire area of land is about the same size as the continental United States, or about one and a half times the size of Europe. The mainland of Australia has an area of 2,967,909 square miles. The country is divided into six states: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia. The geological activity that created the country’s mountains, plains, and rivers ceased millions of years ago. Earthquakes are very rare and the last volcanic eruption occurred more than 5,000 years ago. The highest mountain in Australia, Mount Kosciusko, is only 7,310 feet above sea level. *Climate*   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Australia experiences a wide variety of climates. In the north, the continent’s immense interior gives way to hot, wet monsoonal tropical regions. The southeast coast, where most of Australia’s population lives, is cooler and drier. The southwest is very hot and dry in the summer, but milder and wetter in the winter. The climate is very similar to the Mediterranean countries of Europe, or to California. Summer temperatures in Australia can soar over 104 °, but the costal regions are cooler due to offshore breezes. Because of the heat and lack of rain, bushfires rage through the tinder-dry landscape, destroying half a million acres of forest and grassland every year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The hot temperatures of the inland coupled with the lack of rain mean that 70% of Australia receives less than 20 inches of rain a year, making it the world’s driest continent. Farming is difficult in these areas, but not impossible, thanks to artesian water and the construction of many irrigation schemes. *People*   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first inhabitants were people belonging to the Australoid group, who probably originated from Southeast Asia. These people traveled to the Australian continent about 40,000 years ago. A short while later, Aborigines landed in canoes and rafts on the north coast of Australia and then moved southward across the rest of the continent. Aborigines were nomads living in family clans, each with its own territory where it could camp, hunt, and fish. The Aborigines brought two useful items from their original homela... ...sp;  Ã‚  Ã‚  The exchange rate of a US dollar to an Australian dollar is as follows: 1 US dollar = 1.94 Australian dollars. *Economy*   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in nature resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value of total exports, so that a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increases exports of manufactured goods, but competition in international markets continues to be severe. While Australia has suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the early 1990s and during the recent financial problems in East Asia, the economy had expanded at a solid 4% annual growth pace in the last five years. Growth in 2002 will depend on key international commodity prices, the extent of recovery in nearby Asian economies, and the strength of US and European markets.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

The Rio Olympics 2016

Maxwell Britton October 11, 2012 Anth 210 Writing Assignment 1 Olympics Games 2016 The excitement that the city of Rio experimented upon the announcement of hosting the 2016 Olympic games appears to have been short lived. The descent of excitement began once drug traffickers shot down a police helicopter. The government responded by heightening the crackdown on the city slums of the favelas. As a result many of the favelas in Rio are now under police control (Jazeera).The questions we are now asked is if the coming Olympics provided the motive for the increased importance that have been placed on controlling drug trafficking while also disguising as a strategy and justification to clean up the favelas of Rio? Or are the Olympics irrelevant and merely a beneficiary of the crackdown? It seems to me that the upcoming events in which the city of Rio have been presented with have become overwhelming. The Olympics are a very sacred event to host and having the honor to do such is a major r esponsibility (Watson).With this I do believe that the Olympics are the primary motive for the government’s actions. The Olympics routinely bring hundreds of thousands of tourists to the host city and this is something that the city of Rio wants to take advantage of in showing off their city to the world (Watson). This is why I believe the government has decided to intensify their police presence in the favelas as a tactic to clean up and make their city more appealing.The outcome of this has left thousands of individuals killed or imprisoned by the government. The favelas are where the majority of drug trafficking takes place as many times they are controlled and run by the gangs. As a solution the military police have gone in and taken over, resulting in thousands of deaths. It’s reported by the Human Rights Watch that the police of Rio and Sao Paolo have killed over 11,000 people since 2003.When a reporter discussed these findings by the Human Rights Watch with the head of Rio security; Jose Beltrame, the findings weren’t denied and instead attributed to the difficulties faced by the police of Rio. However, when asked about the Human Rights Activists who claim there are additional killings by the police he was quick to respond. According to Beltrame these reports are always similar and are preconceived opinions that are not based on reason, as they don’t understand the reality of Rio.The actuality, he explains, is there are areas in Rio that are dominated by criminal gangs equipped with assault rifles that the police are facing (Jazeera). Although it’s too difficult to determine which side is right, it is clear that too many lives are being taken. In conclusion I think it’s a positive thing for the city to put effort into controlling drug trafficking and also something that has been long due. However, it appears that many innocent individuals are being affected by these government actions and in some cases even been killed.I think the government needs to take a strong look at the approach they have taken and determine if this is benefiting their city in the long run or it is a short-term solution for the Olympics. Bibliography Jazeera, Al. â€Å"Rio: Olympic City. † Aljazeera . Fault Lines , 01/2010. Web. 12 Oct 2012. . Watson, Connie. â€Å"Can roughed-up Rio be ready for the 2016 Olympics?. † CBSnews. N. p. , 08/2012. Web. 12 Oct 2012. .

The Song of Roland and Christianity - 1483 Words

Song of Roland and Christianity The Song of Roland is indeed a Christian poem. Of this, there is no question. However, it is a medieval version of Christianity that it presents, and not one that would be something familiar to the early Christians or to the actual followers of Jesus of Nazareth. By the time the Song of Roland was written, Christianity had changed drastically from its early days. Instead of being a mild, humble, and peaceful group of persecuted people who were outside the norms of society (Pearson 2009, 221), Christianity had become powerful. It had become accepted as the official religion of most of Europe, and the idea to convert others by force had become an attractive one. The people of the Middle Ages took Jesuss command to go out and become fishers of men (meaning to bring the word of God and the message of Jesus to whoever they could) to mean to go out and forcibly capture those men and make them convert or die. Christianity had become more violent than the religion of peace that it was when it began. The Song of Roland reflects this. If there is one thing the Song of Roland is, it is a product of its times. It was written around the time of the first Crusade, when the Christian people of Europe were eager to go out and reclaim the lands where Jesus had lived and secure them for Christianity. The Middle East, where Jesus had lived, was ruled by Muslims at this time, and that was just not acceptable to European Christians. Armed warfare wasShow MoreRelatedEssay about Christendom and The Song of Roland1119 Words   |  5 PagesThe Song of Roland is the oldest epic poem in French, written by an anonymous poet, composed in between late eleven century to twelfth century. This epic poetry holds an important place in the history of France and invention of Christendom. The Song of Roland is a cultural artifact that takes us to the journey of Medieval Europe, when religion becomes an important element for the formation of proto-Europe. Religion plays a crucial role in The Song of Roland and becomes the reason of criticis m. SomeRead MoreThe Middle Ages Essay1695 Words   |  7 PagesThe Song of Roland is the Emblem of the Middle Ages The Middle Ages was an era of invasions. It was a dark time in England and across Europe. Where Islam was taking over, the crusades had to take action against that and spread Christianity instead. Values and beliefs were driven from the church. On the other hand, Feudalism, which stands for â€Å"the power of the land† was taking over. 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