Iraq War Essay Example for Free

Iraq War Essay The Iraq war is also known as the Occupation of Iraq and it started on 20th March 2003, the war was spearheaded by the United States of America which was also backed by the U. K. There were other countries that had small forces in the invasion but they did not have many troops as compared to the US and the Britain, these countries included Australia, Poland, Denmark and Spain. This invasion marked the beginning of the current Iraq war. The major reason for the invasion was to end the Saddam regime which was believed to be supporting terrorist activities, it was also aimed at disarming Iraq which was said to be in possession of weapons of mass destruction and the last reason for the invasion was to free the people of Iraq from the dictatorship of Saddam (Allen, Mike and Juliet, 2002). The trigger of the war is said to have been the failure of Iraq to disarm itself of the biological, chemical and nuclear weapons that the US and its allies said were a threat to the world peace. Some of the traditional allies of the United States opposed the war and argued that there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; some of these countries were Germany, France and Canada. The invasion started with an air strike at the Presidential palace which was later followed by attacks on the southern side of Iraq. The coalition forces operated from a point near the Kuwait-Iraq border. The Iraq war is said to have caused very many protests all over the world with the largest protest in Rome where more than three million people protested against the war. The United States-Turkish relationship was greatly affected by what preceded the aftermath of the war on Iraq. For the last Fifty years there has been a very good Turkish-American partnership which can be seen in the efforts that the two countries have made in Korea, Kosovo and Bosnia. In the year 1999 when President Clinton visited Turkey after an earthquake he described their relationship as a very strategic partnership and there was a lot of support fir the partnership between the two nations. The strong partnership began to deteriorate in March 2003 when the US was almost attacking Iraq. The effect of this was felt when the Turkish parliament rejected the request by the US to allow the US troops to go through Turkey just before the war started. Most people in Turkey were against the war with 95% of the whole population being against the war and this forced the government to reject the US request although it was seen as a loss to the Turkish government as it lost a lot of grants and loans that would have come with the agreement. Although the Turkey government wants to renew the relationship with the United States there is a feeling that the instability that was caused by the war on the Turkish border with the Northern Iraq has caused a lot of damage to the Turkish tourism industry. The Iraq war caused the relationship that existed between the US and the Turkish government to be highly affected. The US sees Turkey as a very important country because it is a country with a makority of Muslims but it has exercised a successful democracy, Turkey is also a link between the Central Asia and the Europe in matters relating to energy and Turkey has also played a major part as a broker in the Middle East. The effort of the US government to encourage the Turkish government to form good relations with the Iraqis was greatly affected after the war due to the instability that exists in the Northern Iraq region. The Iraq war also led to an alarming increase in the anti-American slogans among the Turks because of the instability in Turkey that was as a result of the Iraq war. The Iraq war resulted in a lot of strain between the Turkish government and the US but this can be put on hold by the US allowing Turkey to perform a Major role in the reconstruction of Iraq. The other area that was greatly affected by the war is the education sector in Turkey, students from Turkey no longer wants to socialize with the Americans and the Europeans after the war (Council on foreign relations, 2003). The other major effect of the war in Iraq is that it created fear in the Arab countries and most of these countries no longer trust the US or the UK. Most of the Arab countries felt that Iraq was only the first country in what they referred to as the domino effect of democracy and they believe that with the successful introduction of democracy in Iraq there will be more attacks in the Middle East with the aim of installing democracy. This has caused the Arab countries to live in fear of attacks from the US and the UK and therefore they end up arming themselves and at the same time carrying out jihads. The war has also created very high sensitivity in Iran about the regional involvement of the U. S in the country and they believe that those people in the Islamic republic are surrounded by a number of countries which are allies to the U. S and this has caused a lot of fear to the people in the Arab countries. The other major effect that the war has had is that it has led to the collapse of the strong relationship that existed between the United States and the U. K and Syria. This has been attributed to the fact that it is feared that Iraq transferred its weapons of mass destruction to Syria when it was about to be attacked by the coalition forces, this has resulted to a lot of tension in Syria for the fear that the country may be attacked by the coalition forces in search of the weapons of mass destruction. The other major effect of the war on Iraq has been in Saudi Arabia, there have been fears of a military attack against Saudi Arabia and also the increased pressure from the United States of America on Saudi Arabia to collaborate in the war against terrorism. The Saudi-U. S relations have been less than ideal in the current days and this made the Saudis think that the Bush administration was using its military force in Iraq so as to influence something from the Saudis. There has been a great deal of uncertainty in the Arab countries with the people thinking that because of the success of the military action on Iraq the United States and its allies may use the same on most of the Arab countries. The other major effect of the war was that there were increased cases of terrorism activities in the U.  S and the U. K when the war against Iraq was declared, this was because the Arab countries were opposed to the war and because they could not convince the U. S and the U. K not to attack Iraq they opted for terrorist activities. The attack against Iraq was also aimed at bringing out the link between the 9/11 bombing in U. S and the Saddam regime but this was not evident and therefore most of the Iraqis felt that the attack was simply to impose a government that was created by the United States and its allies. Baghdad and Damascus are towns in Iraq that are filled with terrorists of the old days but there was no evidence to link these people to the 9/11 bombing in U. S. and this clearly indicated that those who lost their lives in Iraq during the war were not the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks (Leslie, 2004). Muslims all over the world had at first opposed the attack by Al Qaeda on U. S, but this was then reversed when the U. S attacked Iraq and triggered more chaos from the Arab communities. As a result of the war on Iraq moderate Muslims began to support anyone who is out to defend the Muslim land and the values of the Islam religion against any group of people aimed at crashing the Muslims. Due to this the relationship that was there especially in Iraq and Palestine between the U. S and the U. K and the Muslims was greatly affected as the Muslims thought that the U. S and the U. K were out to bring to an end their religion. The war in Iraq has resulted in more bitterness and instability in Iraq as more young Muslims are coming up with a form of jihad that is more volatile than it used to be in the past. The American policy makers have very little appreciation on how their military actions in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan is causing a lot of radicals in the Muslims opinions and also creating very many radical groups that are aimed at fighting for the sake of their faith. This has caused a very poor perception of the citizens of the Arab countries in that they are seen as terrorists just because of being an Arab. The relationship between students from Arab countries and those from the United States or the U. K has also been affected by this perception (Fawaz, 2006). The civil unrest that was experienced in Iraq had very major effects on the relation of the U. S and U. K and the neighbouring countries of Iraq. The problems that the neighbours of Iraq are facing will continue even with a steady improvement of the situation in Iraq and the situation would be worse if the situation in Iraq deteriorates. The most dangerous effect of the Iraq war would be due to sectarian and ethnic conflicts in Iraq. The sectarian hatred that may arise in Iraq will lead to civil unrest in Iraq and this would also affect the countries that are neighbouring Iraq. These countries would then in turn blame the U. S and its allies because they caused the war in Iraq. The Iraq people and its allies felt that they would not be welcomed in the United States in case they face any disasters in their countries and this also broke the relationship that was there between the Arab countries and the United States. This can be seen during the war because those Iraqis that were affected by the war were put in refugee camps and treated in a very inhuman way. The other major effect of the war on the relation of the Arab and the U. S and U. K was that there were reduced tourism activities between these nations for the fear of terrorism (Andrew, 2008). The war against Iraq also had an effect on the global terrorism and contrary to what George Bush and Tony Blair argued it is evident that the war brought about increased global terrorism. This is evident in that the number of people killed in jihad attacks has increased steadily from the time when the Iraq war started. The Iraq war is also seen to have caused an increase in the spread of the Al Qaeda activities in the Arab countries with the reason that they are out to fight for the Muslims all over the world. The increase in the Al Qaeda activities has caused a lot of insecurity in most of the Arab countries and this is attributed to the war against Iraq and therefore the Arabs find the U. S and the U. K as countries that are out to cause more problems in their countries (Kim and Patrick, 2007). When asked for the reasons for the U.  S attack against Iraq most of the citizens of the Arab nations like Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Jordan give three most common answers. Of these most of the Arabs think that the United States was out to acquire oil reserves in Iraq and protect Israel, but the most astonishing answer given by citizens in the Arab nations is that they were out to weaken the Muslim community. This has led to break down of the relationship that existed between the Arab nations and the U. S and U. K. as the Arabs see the U. S and the U.  K as people who are out to weaken them. The broad perception of the U. S military attack against the Muslim world is that there has been a collapse in the confidence that the Arab nations had on the United States and the U. K. Before the failure of the U. S backed peace talks between Israel and Palestine in 2000 that were mediated by President Clinton, around 60% of the people interviewed in Saudi said that they had confidence in the United States but this ceased with the attack by United States against Iraq in 2003. Lack of trust in the U. S and the U.  K meant that there would be no negotiations that were headed by the two countries in the Arab countries because without trust negotiation does not make any sense at all. The other factor that led to the failure of the relation between the Arab nations and the United States is because of the insistence of the Bush administration on democracy in the Arab nations. They argued that instilling democracy in the Arab nations would greatly increase security in the world, but this was not the case because after the formation of a democratic government in Iraq there have been increased attacks in Iraq by jihads (Kevin, 2005). The war against Iraq also brought about some economic and emotional effects in the Arab nations. The Arab nations felt that they had the responsibility of supporting their fellow Muslims who were suffering in Iraq and therefore they dedicated a lot of resources to the Iraqis, was it not for the war that had been sparked by the United States and the U. K the Arab nations argue that they would have used these resources for their own developments. The Arabs also feel that they were weakened by the war on Iraq in that America took control of the oil wells in Iraq indicating that the Americans were not aimed at imposing a democratic system of government in Iraq but they were out to capture the oil wells in Iraq (Bruno, 2007). In the past five years four and a half million people have left Iraq as refugees, this has therefore put a lot of pressure on the neighbouring countries in that they have to care for the refugees. The neighbouring countries to Iraq have therefore broken the strong relationship that they had with the United States and the U.  K because they term them as the major cause of the problem they are currently facing. Security in the countries around Iraq has also deteriorated due to the fact that terrorists are heading to the neighbouring countries from where they launch their attacks claiming to be fighting for the Muslim religion. The Arab nations feel that the war against Iraq has led to congestion in the Iraq hospitals due to the many casualties that have to be treated in the hospitals and at the same time the hospitals lack qualified personnel and equipments to treat all the casualties. This has made the United States and the U.  K be seen as very inhuman hence collapse of the relation between them and the Arab nations (Robert, 2005). The other major decline in the relations between Arabs and U. S and U. K can be seen in the area of trade. After the war on Iraq was declared the Arab nations reduced their trade with the two major countries that spearheaded the war. This caused a rise in the price of oil which is the major product of the Arab nations. The Arabs also felt that the war on Iraq caused an increase in the Cross border terrorism due to the large number of refugees who flew the war torn Iraq. These acts of terrorism that the neighbouring countries suffered from made them lose the trust they had on the Americans and the people of U. K. There was also the issue of trans-national crime that came with the refugees from Iraq. Tourism activities were also greatly affected in the Arab countries because people from the U. S and the U. K feared travelling to Arab countries because of the increased acts of terrorism that had hit the whole world. The Arabs also developed a very bad perception for the Americans and the people of U.  K; they viewed these people as oppressors of the Muslim community. This had a great effect in those U. S and U. K citizens that were living in Arab countries with some of them having to be forced to go back to their home countries due to fear of being attacked by jihads. The U. S and U. K relation with the Arab countries declined due to the war and this forced some of the U. S or U. K organizations that were based in the Arab countries to return back to their home countries. This shows that business ties between the Arabs and the U. S and U. K were declining.

Cave Paintings Essays -- essays research papers

The Cave of Lascaux and Cave Art   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cave paintings might possibly be the oldest known form of communication that exists today. Cave paintings date back to a period of time called the Paleolithic Age. The Paleolithic Age took place from 40,000 to 10,000 B.C. Prehistoric Age is divided into three parts: Paleolithic being the earliest, Mesolithic being the middle at 10,000 B.C. and Neolithic Age being the latest at 8,000 B.C. During the Paleolithic Age it is believed that the cave paintings at Lascaux, France were created.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lascaux, is located in the south central, western corner of France. In 1940 this cave was believed to be found by a group of four boys from Montignac, France and a dog while out walking through the woods. Allegedly the dog fell into the cave and would not answer the owners call. The boys came up to what appeared to be a dark rock but as they got closer they realized they was not the case, it was a cave. The boys entered in an attempt to find the dog and discovered one of the most important cave paintings now known to man. Lascaux quickly became a heavy tourist spot and was forced to be closed in 1963 due to the damage being caused by human beings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Lascaux this elegant cave painting is comprised of almost six hundred figures of different animals. The cave art at Lascaux is comprised of horses, bison, cattle and hinds as suggested by the Columbia Encyclopedia in its article Paleolithic Art. It is suggested that the art â€Å"may have a ritual significance to hunting†. (Columbia) These animal paintings in the cave vary in size but the bulls specifically range from thirteen to sixteen feet long.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is believed that these particular cave works were created sometime around 13,000 B.C. and have remained, for the most part, completely intact. This date is only hypothetical being that the process of dating these cave paintings is slightly inaccurate and limited. As talked about on the Lascaux Cave Official Website â€Å"the range of methods and tools used to date the cave art is somewhat limited, partly because the figures are not in a position favorable to stratigraphic dating most of the time and also because of the nature of the material used†. (Lascaux 11/25/04) Another identical method uses the pigment, which was found on the ground, to ... ...g these paintings. In researching this topic the student learned of the three prehistoric eras and what significance each had to later civilization. This student also learned of the possibility of a scaffolding and/or complex form that was designed to allow a person to paint on the upper wall or ceiling of a cave. This student also found it very interesting how the human body can break down these paintings and how it is hard for even scholars to gain entrance to these places. I think that these cave paintings paved the way for future art with ideas of ritual, creativity, preservation and expression. I feel that the people of this time were extremely intelligent in the fact that they were able to grasp some idea of preservation so these paintings could be viewed for years to come. I also feel that these people showed intelligence in a supreme being. If indeed these paintings are created as a ritual for their hunt then maybe they believed that if they perform this ritual this supreme being will provide them with a prosperous hunt. This topic I found very interesting and informative. Studying this topic really brought light to the existence of art even in the prehistoric culture.

Introduction of Policing

The duties, functions and responsibilities of local state law enforcement agencies are done by the police department. And this consists of patrolling, administrative, training and technical support. There is also arresting of law violators, performing routine patrol, investigation of crimes, enforcing traffic laws, providing traffic and crowd control at parades, public events and issuing special license and permits. One major thing is upholding the law and preventing crime.And last but not least is to protect and serve our people. The duties, functions and responsibilities of the state law enforcement agencies are done by the Highway patrol mainly. And this consists of dealing with growing crime in non-urban are of the country. This is linked with politics and urban and country corruption. They also provide escort and body guard services to the governor and any other type of governor. They also provide security for the property that they live in. Also look into arson and investigatio ns of homicides.They patrol small towns and state highways, regulate traffic and crimes from crossing the borders of different jurisdiction and prevent crime. And which, the state laws are being enforced. The major differences between Local and state law enforcement agencies are pretty much there jurisdiction, certain crimes that they work on, staffing and support. The local police stay with in their jurisdiction and if for some reasons it becomes a state’s job it is handed over. They also try and prevent any type of overlapping.The three federal law enforcement agencies that I found interesting to talk about are FBI, CIA and the DEA. FBI: Federal Burial of Investigations, Upholds law of the United States, they look at state and local laws and investigates federal crimes and prosecutes within federal law. They also prosecute and investigate fugitives. Also they investigate bombings, mail fraud, kidnapping and serial killers. CIA: The Central Intelligence Agency, national secu rity for the United States which is Presidency protection, special intelligence work including other countries.The CIA pretty much works for the President of The United States. To collect, evaluate and decimate foreign intelligence to assist the president and senior U. S. Government. Also does policy makers in making decisions when it comes to national security. DEA: Drug Enforcement Agency, Enforces the United States governments laws and regulations regarding controlled substances. Responsibilities are to identify arrest and successfully prosecute offenders. Also evolved in investigation of drug trafficking. This was an interesting check point assignment and very educational.

Project Management Integration Framework

Financial risk management can be defined as the definitive sourcing of practical guidance on market management and credit risk. It can be subdivided into two parts, which are, the macro and the micro risk management. There are a number of differences between the two risk management approaches. For example, in macro risk management, there is application of technology to alleviate financial risks or losses. This procedure can be done by focusing on the risk management of a firm – an approach which is unmistakable but takes a lot of time.The major tool used in this undertaking is the use of ‘stress test’ upon portfolios which analyzes the joint force of the wider set of risks in meaningful ways. This process provides more information about the risk and provides an opportunity for diligent analysis (Dash, 2004). Even though the risk usually has been notified to the management, the total risk that is inbuilt into the system is not discarded. The concentration on the fi nancial system thus changes the risk profile in the industry. The risk profile becomes unpredictable and can thus cause serious effects in the business economy.On the other hand, while executing macro risk management, one requires shifting from the notion that the stability of a system is a consequence of the accuracy of individual components. Modern risk managers thus focus on the development of the tools to evaluate the possibility of credit deals which may result in the collapse of the firm. The transmission of risks within a firm may thus result in distress with its associates. Through this strategy, the risk managers can scrutinize how negative financial shocks, such as capital outflows, can negatively magnify a sector’s risk.This approach helps them to design and alleviate the risk by adjusting the chief fiscal surplus so as to relieve the shocks. Managers thus have the opportunity to grade their policies. To take precaution on macro risk management, the management shou ld therefore involve the staff who are always involved in the testing of the continuity plans and who are aware of the plans. In addition, this technique helps managers to examine other firms’ strategies which have been proven successful.Managers will also analyze others’ methods which they can successfully adapt into their circumstances. Conversely, in micro risk management, one starts by providing a general background of financial risk management which illustrates how the risk arose in the firm. This information explores the key concepts used in past risk management and provides a way to curb its reappearance. One thus discovers the main concepts used in risk management and can thus articulate them through well-known financial disasters of the past.One can also devise ways to avoid the risks. This technique allows managers the opportunity to devise the methods to be used to manage the market risk and how to forward it, spot it, and other mechanisms of identifying the risk. This provides a detailed analysis of the models used in pricing the risks and how each model can be used to determine and control risk. After this, the financial risk management will round up the scrutiny and the lessons on the risk management portfolio which gives a firm a clear understanding of the risk and its management.Through this, one can automate audits and susceptible management throughout the running of the firm. Subsequently, the collected automates accessed are then used to control all assets in the firm followed by their testing to identify the most vulnerable risks which may reappear in the firm. This activity provides the most effective way to detect and curb a micro risk at its initial appearance. Reference Dash, J. W. (2004). Quantitative finance and risk management: A physicist's approach. Toh Tuck Link, Singapore: World Scientific. Project Management Integration Framework There are three main components that must be fulfilled by a project for it to be truly successful; it must be completed within the set budget, schedule and deliver the expected outcome and quality. If one of these components is not met, even if the project is completed, then the project cannot be said to be successful. Project failure is common and may result from various reasons; one of these reasons is that, the project may actually be impossible. Take for example the failure of the Apollo program, which was American spaceship that landed the first man in moon.This project ran well from the year 1969 up to 1975. Apollo 13 failure of oxygen tank and the Apollo 204 tragedy, which led to loss of lives shows that the mission could no longer be safe as planned. Furthermore, the objectives of the project were impossible to be achieved since the main goal was to find out if human beings could survive in the moon and live comfortably or even in any other planet apart from earth. Incompeten t management is another common reason that may lead to project failure. A good example is the disappearing warehouse project for a Software company in the nation.The warehouse varnished not only from the physical view but in watchful eyes of a retailer who was well known in the system of automated distribution. Software glitch somehow had erased the existence of the warehouse and thus goods destined to that warehouse were diverted to other routes where as the goods in that warehouse for a certain time languished. Employees at that missing warehouse kept quiet in that time since they were receiving their pay. As the software glitch was noticed, the warehouse was then sold off and the senior management requested the employees to be quiet on the episode.This led to the failure of that software project. Finally over-constrained is another reason that leads to their failure. Football clubs are good examples. Wenger, the Arsenal club manger had a plan to make the club to continue performi ng well and win all the trophies. This continued for some time but failed. This football club traces its failure at that period due to over-constrains in the management as well as in the players. This club since then has not been able to win trophies despite its continuous shines in the frequent years before.

Give reasons for your answer showing that you have considered more than one point of view in your answer Essays

Give reasons for your answer showing that you have considered more than one point of view in your answer Essays Give reasons for your answer showing that you have considered more than one point of view in your answer Essay Give reasons for your answer showing that you have considered more than one point of view in your answer Essay Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer showing that you have considered more than one point of view in your answer.This is a very difficult question to answer, as it is a very complex subject. The law in Britain disallows for euthanasia however it is legal for abortion to take place. Killing has always been seen as immoral. (Genesis 27) Thou shalt not kill.In the story of creation God built up the world in seven days. He made plants and animals to serve us. Its whole point is to show to us that we get life from God and that we must respect and be thankful for the gift we have been given.Despite this there are many occasions were people feel that euthanasia and abortion are necessary. Euthanasia is a gentle or easy death and is used to show compassion to those who are in incredible pain. E.g. Diane Pretty is a sufferer or motor neurone disease. She is currently fighting for the right for her husband to kill her without him getting imprisoned after wards. Since she caug ht the disease the condition of her life has deteriorated immensely. She is now in a wheelchair, her limbs do not work and she has to be fed through a tube. She is in a lot of pain however her intellectual abilities and he capacity to make decisions is unimpaired. This woman is an adult that should be allowed to make decisions for herself. It must be causing her much physical and mental distress the pain she is going through, waiting for the time when her lungs will collapse and she will suffocate to death.Euthanasia is an easier way out for her. She will be able to die with dignity and her family will no longer have to watch her suffer any longer. But if she was to use euthanasia legally it would path the way for others to do so as well, and could even lead on to involuntary euthanasia. It has occurred in the past that patients that have been written off by doctors have recovered fully. People when they are in a lot of pain make decision that they dont really mean because they are not thinking straight. Many patients who would have decided to opt for euthanasia are relieved now that it wasnt made legal because they are now living a better quality of life than they ever were. Some feel that the pain they went through made them stronger and a better person, as it was a time for them to reflect on the way that were living their life.For abortion- having a baby can be stressful, especially if it is an unwanted one. If there is a chance that having the baby would physically harm the mother then some believe that it is justifiable to terminate the babys life. However God does everything for a reason. It could be time for the mother to die and the baby to go and live a fruitful life. It can also be justified to have an abortion if the baby is going to be born seriously disabled, however Stephen Hawkin is an example of a man who has still managed to achieve great success despite his serious disability.If a woman was rapped and left pregnant it would be a very hard de cision to keep the child. It wasnt her fault for having an unwanted child, and it would be understandable for her to have an abortion. If the baby was spared its life then it could be left with living a life of resentment, but we also have to remember that it is not the babys fault as well.I have a very open minded opinion when it comes to euthanasia however I do not endorse it. I understand that being left in the situation were euthanasia is an option is very difficult and I would hate to be the one to make a decision concerning it. If someone who was close to me was ill, and dying was the only way of alleviating their pain and it was their definite choice then I would probably fight to help his or her cause. However I do believe that involuntary euthanasia is wrong and that it is the same as committing a murder no matter how much the person who has done it believes it to be an act of mercy.My opinion on abortion is much stronger. I believe abortion on demand is very wrong. Contrac eptives are not hard to get and if those involved are thought responsible enough to have sex then they are also responsible enough to look after the child. Unfortunately this is not always the case. However there is another option of adoption. Many young parents who cannot have children would love an opportunity to raise a child and call it their own. This I believe is a much better decision. I do have more sympathy for girls who have been rapped and left pregnant but I believe that it would be better for the baby to be given up for adoption, as it was not the babys fault to begin with. I have reservations about babies who are endangering the life of the mother. I think a course of action should be taken up with doctors to decide what is best. If there was no chance of the baby living without the mother then abortion is ok as it is better to save one live than lose two.So to summarise my opinion I think that Euthanasia is more acceptable than abortion. As euthanasia is the taking of your own life, if the person is really so determined to die then I say let them and end their suffering. Abortion however is the taking of someone elses life and is not acceptable but I do have reservations about it.

How to Be Become a Rock Collector

How to Be Become a Rock Collector I like to collect rocks, and so do many other people I know. While you can purchase rock collecting starter kits, rock collecting is a great free activity. Its a fun excuse to go out into nature, many rock collectors like to travel to different places in order to collect different types of rocks. Some rock collectors like to learn all about the rocks they collect, while some base their collection on looks. What kind of collector are you? The Rock Collecting Types I think of a rock collector as someone who compiles rock and mineral specimens as an end in itself. Rock collectors come in a couple of  models: The rockhound is the most familiar: someone who enjoys hunting for unusual, rare or valuable minerals in organized group trips to mines. Rockhounds swap specimens with other collectors and may sell small amounts of material. Some tend to acquire piles of bulk rough that they may process later, but others may maintain exquisite cabinets of fine mounted minerals. They are hobbyists who may graduate to become dealers.The lapidary collects rocks to make things with them. I would include jewelers  in this category too: people who cut crystals and gemstones into jewelry making. They are hobbyists who may graduate to become artisans. That said, some people collect rocks as a means to an end. I dont call them rock collectors, although they certainly care about rocks: Geologists do study and collect rocks, but they arent rock collectors. Their collections have scientific or professional, not personal purposes.Mineral dealers arent rock collectors, even if they dig up their own material. Their collections are for sale, not for pleasure. Starting a Rock Collection You dont need to have been a coin (or stamp) collector to become a rock collector. But I was, and one personal rule I kept was to collect only rocks that Ive found myself. To me, the virtue in this is that Ive documented each stone and its context. It means that each of my stones is connected to an experience in the field. Each rock represents something I learned and stands as a reminder of somewhere Ive been. Building a Rock Collection My collection stays relatively small. Thats because Im a careful selector. You might call my practice, seeking a type specimen for each place I visit a single rock that displays the geological features of the site in miniature. There are other ways I can expand my collection as well. I could trade rocks with other collectors like many people do. But then I would need to take more rock back from my trips. This can have negative effects on the environment. Ive visited more than one outcrop that has been harvested out of existence, and I dont want to contribute to that problem. Besides, if no trading partner is interested the collecting has been a waste. In some locations, rock collecting is forbidden. Ive learned I can collect the forbidden or unfeasible, thanks to the camera. Photographing a rock and then leaving it behind allows me to collect without collecting. Photography protects the environment and gives me ample room at home to display the rocks I truly love. A word about the rock and mineral photos on the Web and on my site: Rock photos are generally good examples of the rock types youll see in the field. The same is not true for minerals, however. Mineral photos tend to favor spectacular specimens. I try as much as possible to avoid that approach in my mineral galleries because for me the point is to learn minerals from typical specimens, the way that students of rocks encounter them. Rock Collectors versus Mineral Collectors Rock collectors and mineral collectors are two different kinds of rockhound. Although both seek specimens that are good examples of their type, good rocks and good minerals never occur together. A good rock specimen contains all the right minerals in due proportion, but a good mineral specimen is always out of proportion for its rock type. Rock collectors are generally limited to whatever they can find or trade for because there is no market for rock specimens (except for educational starter collections). Little more is involved than trimming a hand specimen and recording where it was found. Mineral collectors, however, can shop for all kinds of rarities in rock shops and mineral shows; indeed, you can amass a great mineral collection without getting your hands dirty at all. And a major part of the hobby happens at home in the cleaning, mounting and displaying of mineral specimens.

35 Fossil Words

35 Fossil Words 35 Fossil Words 35 Fossil Words By Mark Nichol Some of the most intriguing words in the English language are what linguists call fossil words, so named because they are artifacts from another era and survive only in isolated usage. Here is a list of some of our language’s fossil words with definitions and the idiomatic phrases in which they appear: 1. Ado: bother over unimportant details (â€Å"without further ado† or, more rarely, â€Å"much ado about nothing†) 2. Amok (or amuck): in an uncontrolled manner (â€Å"run amok†) 3. Bandy: hit, pass, or toss around, or discuss lightly or employ off-handedly (â€Å"bandy about†); bowed (â€Å"bandy-legged†) 4. Bated: restrained or deducted (â€Å"wait with bated breath†) 5. Batten: lumber for flooring or for sealing or strengthening a joint or a flexible object such as a sail (â€Å"board and batten†); to provide or fasten with battens, or to fasten (â€Å"batten down the hatches†) 6. Beck: summons (â€Å"at (one’s) beck and call†) 7. Bygones: what has passed or is in the past (â€Å"let bygones be bygones†) 8. Craw: stomach or crop (â€Å"sticks in (one’s) craw†) 9. Deserts: excellence or worth, or what is deserved or merited (â€Å"just deserts†) 10. Dint: force or power (â€Å"by (sheer) dint of†) 11. Dudgeon: indignation (â€Å"high dudgeon†) 12. Eke: accomplish or get with difficulty (â€Å"eke out†) 13. Fettle: state of health or fitness (â€Å"in fine fettle†) 14. Fro: away or back (â€Å"to and fro†) 15. Hale: sound or very healthy (â€Å"hale and hearty†) 16. Hither: near or adjacent, or to this place (â€Å"hither and yon†) 17. Immemorial: before memory or tradition (â€Å"time immemorial†) 18. Jetsam: what is cast overboard from a ship (â€Å"flotsam and jetsam†) distinguished from flotsam, a word denoting what floats from the wreckage of a ship (that term is used elsewhere than in the phrase â€Å"flotsam and jetsam† and so is not listed separately here) 19. Ken: range of knowledge, perception, or understanding, or view or range of vision (â€Å"beyond (one’s) ken†) 20. Kith: friends, neighbors, or relatives (â€Å"kith and kin†) 21. Loggerhead: blockhead (â€Å"at loggerheads,† meaning blocked, or stalled, by stubbornness); also, a type of turtle 22. Mettle: quality, or vigor or strength of, temperament (â€Å"test (one’s) mettle†) 23. Neap: a weak tide (â€Å"neap tide†) 24. Offing: the near future (â€Å"in the offing†); also, the deep ocean as seen from the shore 25. Petard: a container of explosives for breaching or breaking a barrier (â€Å"hoist by (one’s) petard†) 26. Shebang: everything that is pertinent (â€Å"the whole shebang†) 27. Shrift: confession (â€Å"short shrift,† with the idea that a condemned person is given little time to confess sins) 28. Sleight: stratagem, dexterity (â€Å"sleight of hand†) 29. Thither: more remote, or to that place (â€Å"hither and thither†) 30. Turpitude: depravity (â€Å"moral turpitude†) 31. Ulterior: beyond what is openly expressed (â€Å"ulterior motive†); also, farther, or more distant, or what is on the farther side 32. Vim: robustness (â€Å"vim and vigor†) 33. Wreak: bring about or cause (â€Å"wreak havoc†) 34. Wrought: manufactured, ornamented, or shaped, or excited (â€Å"wrought iron†) 35. Yore: the far past (â€Å"days of yore†) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and Toes15 Types of DocumentsConversational Email