How Ancient Hunters Used Desert Kites

A desert kite (or kite) is a variation on a type of communal hunting technology used by hunter-gatherers throughout the world. Like similar ancient technologies such as buffalo jumps or pit traps, desert kites involve a collection of people purposefully herding a large group of animals into pits, enclosures, or off steep cliff edges. Desert kites consist of two long, low walls generally built of unmortared fieldstone and arranged in a V- or funnel shape, broad at one end and with a narrow opening leading to an enclosure or pit at the other end. A group of hunters would chase or herd large game animals into the wide end and then chase them down the funnel to the narrow end where they would be trapped in a pit or stone enclosure and easily slaughtered en masse. Archaeological evidence suggests that the walls dont have to be tall or even very substantial--historical kite use suggest that a row of posts with rag banners will work just as well as a stone wall. However, kites cannot be used by a single hunter: it is a hunting technique that involves a group of people planning in advance and working communally to herd and eventually slaughter the animals. Identifying Desert Kites Desert kites were first identified in the 1920s by Royal Air Force pilots flying over the eastern desert of Jordan; the pilots named them kites because their outlines as seen from the air reminded them of the childrens toy kites. Extant remnants of kites number in the thousands, and are distributed throughout the Arabian and Sinai peninsulas and as far northward as southeastern Turkey. Over a thousand have been documented in Jordan alone. The earliest desert kites are dated to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period of 9th-11th millennia BP, but the technology was used as recently as the 1940s to hunt the Persian goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa). Ethnographic and historic reports of these activities state that typically 40-60 gazelles could be trapped and killed in a single event; on occasion, up to 500-600 animals could be killed at once. Remote sensing techniques have identified well over 3,000 extant desert kites, in a wide variety of shapes and configurations. Archaeology and Desert Kites Over the decades since the kites were first identified, their function has been debated in archaeological circles. Until about 1970, a majority of archaeologists believed that the walls were used to herd animals into defensive corrals in times of danger. But archaeological evidence and ethnographic reports including documented historic slaughtering episodes have led most researchers to discard the defensive explanation. Archaeological evidence for the use and dating of kites includes intact, or partially intact stone walls extending out for a distance from a few meters to a few kilometers. Generally, they are built where the natural environment helps the effort, on flat land between narrow deeply incised gullies or wadis. Some kites have constructed ramps leading gently upward to increase the drop-off at the end. Stone-walled or oval pits at the narrow end are generally between six and 15 meters deep; they are also stone-walled and in some cases are built into cells so that the animals cant gain enough speed to leap out. Radiocarbon dates on charcoal within the kite pits are used to date the time that the kites were in use. Charcoal isnt typically found along the walls, at least not associated with the hunting strategy, and luminescence of the rock walls has been used to date them. Mass Extinction and Desert Kites Faunal remains in the pits are rare, but include gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa or G. dorcas), Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), hartebeest (Alcelaphus bucelaphus), wild asses (Equus africanus and Equus hemionus), and ostrich (Struthio camelus); all of these species are now rare or extirpated from the Levant. Archaeological research at the Mesopotamian site of Tell Kuran, Syria, has identified what appears to be a deposit from a mass kill resulting from the use of a kite; researchers believe that the overuse of desert kites may have led to the extinction of these species, but it might also be climate change in the region leading to changes in regional fauna. Sources Bar-Oz, G., et al. â€Å"Role of Mass-Kill Hunting Strategies in the Extirpation of Persian Gazelle (Gazella Subgutturosa) in the Northern Levant.†Ã‚  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 108, no. 18, 2011, pp. 7345–7350.Holzer, A., et al. â€Å"Desert Kites in the Negev Desert and Northeast Sinai: Their Function, Chronology and Ecology.†Ã‚  Journal of Arid Environments, vol. 74, no. 7, 2010, pp. 806–817.Kennedy, David. â€Å"The ‘Works of the Old Men’ in Arabia: Remote Sensing in Interior Arabia.†Ã‚  Journal of Archaeological Science, vol. 38, no. 12, 2011, pp. 3185–3203.Kennedy, David. â€Å"Kites - New Discoveries and a New Type.†Ã‚  Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, vol. 23, no. 2, 2012, pp. 145–155.Nadel, Dani, et al. â€Å"Walls, Ramps and Pits: the Construction of the Samar Desert Kites, Southern Negev, Israel.†Ã‚  Antiquity, vol. 84, no. 326, 2010, pp. 976–992.Rees, L.W.B. â⠂¬Å"The Transjordan Desert.†Ã‚  Antiquity, vol. 3, no. 12, 1929, pp. 389–407.

Ethical case Example

Essays on Ethical case Essay Mubark Company Affiliation: Are there any ethical issues that face Maryam Mohammed, the Chief Financial Officer of Mubark Company, as a result of the request made by the managing director, Mr. Rashid? By changing the transaction from a liability to revenue, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is compromising the integrity of the work. This is brought about by intimidation and fear of his employment but it is still ethically wrong. The compromise of the integrity will lead to creation of false statements of the company’s financial statement hence not only lying to the management but the employees and the public as well. The request has also led to creation of another ethical issue for the CFO leading to potential conflict with the fundamental principles of accounting. As the Chief Financial Officer, Maryam is supposed to comply with all the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) and by complying with this request he will be breaking the ethical codes and hence could be held liable without any blame falling on Mr. Rashid (International Federation of Accountants, 2013). 2. Who are the stakeholders that are affected by the request made by Mr. Rashid? The money Mr. Rashid tells Maryam to put down as revenue belongs to the Gulf Water Company as well as Mubark Company. These two are the main stakeholders who will be affected if this ethical misconduct is unveiled. The Gulf Water Company is bound to lose its customers as well as potential customers due to the fraud being conducted by Mr. Rashid. The Gulf Water Company will also be affected negatively as they risk to not only losing their money but they are bound to lose the elevator service and hence have to use another sum of money to subcontract another elevator service company. The charities that benefit from the company as well as the shareholders and investors will be on losing end as well if this fraud is unraveled in future and they will lose their money in the long run. 3. Identify the alternative courses of action that Maryam Mohammed could consider? Mr. Rashid is only subcontracted to improve the profits and overall performance of the company and hence not an employee. Mr. Mohammed should take the issue and report it to the CEO of the organization. If he can get Mr. Rashid to ask the same of him under pretense of clarification and then record him, he can have proof of the allegations. He will save himself from liability of committing unethical behavior as well as protect the stakeholders mentioned above from the suffering they are bound to receive if he agrees to the issue. The other alternative is to refuse to do as told and continue handling the accounting as he has always done. Mr. Rashid cannot force him to act unethically and if this happens, he can ask for internal audit to verify his accounting practices. This will prevent the looming problem. 4. What action would you advise the Maryam to take? The best action in this case is for Mr. Mohammed to do nothing and take no action in regards to the advice Mr. Rashid provided to him. By so doing, he will avoid implicating himself and the company as well losing the little remaining money and business for the business. Taking this action will indicate that he is an honest man and is also ethical as he will have followed strictly the ethical codes which prevents him from engaging in such illegal and unethical activities. The relationship with the customer Gulf Water Company will remain cordial and might even lead to other companies contracting their services in future hence increasing their revenue and profit. The downside to taking this action is that Mr. Rashid might fabricate some lie to have Mr. Mohammed fired or suspended simply because he disobeyed his direct orders. 5. "Ethics are important in the accounting profession† Briefly discuss this statement in by addressing the following issues: a) The importance and the role of ethics in the accounting profession. Ethics ensure that the accountants and the others in the finance sector maintain objectivity. Objectivity means that these individuals are not selfish and do not take part in any egotistical behavior and in the process jeopardizing their work, the stakeholders and the company’s fortune. Other than objectivity, ethics ensure maintenance of professionalism for those in the finance sector. Resisting monetary temptations which are what forms the basis for the unethical behavior is a true test of professionalism. The other role of ethics is it avoids conflict of interests. b) Give examples of the accounting ethical standards that should be followed by the accountant The situation such as the one faced by Maryam is that of a conflict of interest where his job is on the line if he does not accept to the unethical situation. He should seek legal advice, act with sufficient expertise and finally consult with superiors (International Federation of Accountants, 2013). References International Federation of Accountants. (2013). Handbook of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants. New York: International Federation of Accountants.

The Postive and Negative Health Effects free essay sample

What are possible effects of cell phones on teenagers? There are several ways in which cell phones can affect teenagers, such as educational, social and health, which can all be both positive and negative. Social effects of cell phones can be sex-ting, cyberbullying and social networking. Educational effects are effects relating school and education of a teenager. Health effects are health risks and benefits for a teenager while using a cell phone. There are many different effects of cell phones on teenagers but the ost important ones that are mainly looked at are educational, social and health. This essay will cover the positive and negative educational, social and health effects of cell phones specifically on teenagers. 2. 0 Discussion 2. 1 Positive and Negative Social Effects of Cell Phones on Teenagers Firstly, mobile infrastructure has changed during the past decade and this increase has become so apparent that you hardly ever come in contact with someone who does not possess a mobile phone or other mobile device. We will write a custom essay sample on The Postive and Negative Health Effects or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is becoming increasingly easy and inexpensive for teenagers to contact friends and access information via their mobile phones (Reid and Reid 2007, p. 424). Teenagers run their social lives on cell phones and today, 77 percent of teenagers aged 12-17 report having a cell phone (Tippin 2012). Cell phones have become prominent aspect of teenager’s everyday life; in fact the mobile phones have turned from a technological tool to a social tool. Especially text messaging has increased significantly and is teenagers most frequent way of communicating. Study shows that 63% of all teens said they exchanged text messages on a daily basis (Tippin 2012). As it is evident that majority of teen’s posses a cell phone it is important to understand the positive as well as negative social effects of it on teenagers. â€Å"Research on cyberbullying sponsored by Opennet has found that teenager who are heavy cell phone users are more likely to engage in the practice of bullying online, as well as become bullied themselves† (Osborne 2012). Cyberbullying is bullying with the intention to torment a person with the use of technology. Statistics show that 46 percent of heavy cell phone users experience cyberbullying on their phones (Osborne 2012). Cyberbullying through a cell phone can be a serious issue and can cause very negative effects on a teenager, in fact kids that are bullied are likely to experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness, and poor sleep. Such negative effects of bullying are often overlooked, because many victims feel the need to hide the fact that they are being bullied, they become shy and fearful of further abuse. Typically they tend to become anxious, less confident, and quieter. As a result, bullying can be a hindrance to their academic performance. Therefore, bullying is a problem that if left unattended, can be a significant obstacle in child’s social development. (â€Å"American Osteopathic Association,† n. d). Even though there are negative social effects of cell phones on teenagers such as cyberbullying there are positive advantages as well. An obvious advantage of a mobile phone is that it can help teens to communicate with others. If a teenager was lost perhaps he or she can seek help immediately by a cell phone at any time, in any place and cell phones also allow its users to make long distance calls which makes it a lot easier for them to communicate with friends and family who are distant. With cell phones video and camera functions, teens now have more opportunities to record and report any criminal events which they have witnessed. These pieces of evidence could greatly help authorities solve crimes faster (Baker 2012). Cell phones are very useful devices for communication as well as they are compulsory as they used as safety devices especially in emergencies (Ravidchandran, 2009). Therefore it is important to understand the social effects of cell phones on teenagers because although it could harm teenager’s development, it can also benefit as well as provide safety and security for the child. 2. 2 Positive and Negative Educational Effects of Cell Phones on Teenagers Secondly, the topic of cell phones affecting teenagers’ education is very controversial. Cell phones can be a major distraction to learning when students use them improperly. Cell phones can affect teenagers’ grades by being distracted with sending text messages, playing games on their phones and receiving zeros if they are caught cheating during a test. When texting teenagers use short acronyms such as laugh out loud (LOL), be right back (BRB), talk to you later (TTYL) which can significantly lead to a decline in their language and grammar skills. (Connie, 2012). Edutopia, an educational website, conducted an online poll regarding this issue of whether text messaging harms students writing skills. Out of 3359 votes, 1788 votes (53%) chose â€Å"Yes, I believe students are carrying over the writing habits they pick up through text messaging into school assignments. † 851 votes (25%) chose â€Å"No. I believe students can write one way to their friends and another way in class. They can keep the two methods separate. † 613 votes (18%) chose â€Å"Maybe. Although text messaging may have some impact on how students write, I dont think its a significant problem† (Ring, 2009). As it is evident that the majority voted that students are using their habits they have picked up through text messages in school assignments, it shows the decline of teenage students grammar skills. Although cell phones can have such a negative effect on teenagers’ education it can also provide positive benefits such as an aid for learning. With a cell phone, the students could make organizers, research work and do their projects. Cell phones have applications which can be installed individually and there are thousands of useful apps that a teenager could use at school for education, such as dictionaries to define words and phrases. Students can now take part in a mobile device learning program called â€Å"Hotsteat,† which allows students to post comments on a Twitter-like feed from a question posted by a professor, and can be accessed through a mobile device with the app. Another program called â€Å"Remind101† which  is a free site that is created for teachers and students to create text, reminders for projects quizzes, test, labs, class activities and homework. Teacher have to create an account and upload all class projects, activities, homework and assignments, then students can log in to the website, subscribe to their class and automatically receive all reminders (Dunn, 2011). Therefore, it is important to understand the educational effects of cell phones on teenagers because although schools report that student’s mobile phone use disrupts teaching and reduces student’s attention in class, which results in a negative educational outcome. It is also important to understand the benefits that cell phones bring to teenagers education by having organizers, notes, reminders and discussion groups all at their finger tips. For these reasons, teenagers get more encouragement to initiate their learning. 2. 3 Positive and Negative Health Effects of Cell Phones on Teenagers Lastly, â€Å"teenagers who overuse cell phone texting or social networking Web sites have disturbingly high rates of a wide range of  health  risk  behaviors† (Jancin, 2011). Gaby Badre, M. D. , Ph. D. of Sahlgrens Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden conducted research on the affects of cell phone usage on sleep patterns in teens. Research focused on two groups: a control group of three men and seven women compared with variable group of three men and eight women. When compared the control group against the variable group, Badre found that adolescents with excessive cell phone habits are more habituated to disrupted sleep, restlessness, stress, more c onsumption of stimulating beverages and fatigue (â€Å"American Academy of Sleep Medicine† 2008). According to Badre, addiction to cell phone is becoming common. Youngsters (teenagers) feel a  group pressure  to remain inter-connected and reachable round the clock. Children start to use mobile phones at an early stage of their life. There seem to be a connection between intensive use of cell phones and health compromising behaviour such as smoking, snuffing and use of alcohol (â€Å"American Academy of Sleep Medicine† 2008). Dr. Frank conducted a survey which was completed by 4,257  teens  at 20 schools in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Based upon the responses these â€Å"hypertexters† who are teenagers that have self-reported texting an average of 120 or more times per day on school days are â€Å"twofold more likely to have ever tried alcohol, 43% more likely to be binge drinkers, 32% more likely to be current users of marijuana, and 40% more likely to have tried cigarettes than kids who texted less or, as was true for 22% of students, not at all† (Jancin, 2011). This shows the significant impact of cell phone effects on teenagers’ health, but although there are so many negative health effects of cell phones there are just as much positive effects. Certainly it is true that for teenagers, cell phones offer openings for conversations as well as ways of keeping up appearances by looking busy, appearing confident, popular, or relieving meeting boredom. And phones, like smoking, can be used as a defence mechanism, attention speaking behaviour as well as a way to stand out from the ‘Lonely Crowd’ (Cross, 2006) Texting with cell phones can provide health education, to campaign against smoking and behavior. For example in New Zealand an experiment was conducted with two groups, first group received text message support and the other group did not receive any text messages. The results showed that the number of people who stopped smoking was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group which did not receive text message based support. â€Å"Add this to the Action on Smoking findings five years ago and there is a real case for hailing mobile phone effectiveness in limiting smoking amongst Teenagers† (Cross, 2006) Although in this program cell phones did not provide direct health benefits but by constantly texting teenagers and giving them support it significantly decreased the number of smokers. Therefore it is important to understand the health effects of cell phones on teenagers because although mobile phones can have negative effects such as lead teenagers into drinking and drug use, it can also have positive effects and be used as a defence mechanism to cope with anxiety. 3. 0 Summary Cell phones are a tool of convenience and that is why almost 80% of all teenagers use one (Tippin, 2012). However having cell phones can be very negative effect on teenagers, â€Å"research on cyberbullying sponsored by Opennet has found that teenager who are heavy cell phone users are more likely to engage in the practice of bullying online, as well as become bullied themselves† (Osborne 2012) and teenagers that are bullied are likely to experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness, and poor sleep. These social effects of cell phones on teenagers can also affect their health. Gaby Badre, M. D. , Ph. D. of Sahlgrens Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden conducted research and found that adolescents with excessive cell phone habits are more habituated to disrupted sleep, restlessness, stress, more consumption of stimulating beverages and fatigue (â€Å"American Academy of Sleep Medicine† 2008), which all contribute to negative health effects. Teenagers advantage of having cell phone at their finger tips can affect their school grades by being distracted with sending text messages, playing games on their phones and receiving zeros if they are caught cheating during a test. But having a cell phone now makes people reachable in almost any location and this makes individuals easier to contact. Ease of access is not the only benefit of cell phones; they offer features that have many other benefits. Cell phones have become an important part of society today, while schools think that cell phone usage should not occur in schools, it is imperative that they acknowledge that cell phones are extremely important to the safety of our children in school. Several schools state that you could use the telephone in the main office to call home in an emergency, but if there ever was a true emergency the phone in the main office would be surrounded by people trying to get in contact with their loved ones and chaos would be lurking. Having a cell phone enables them to contact loved ones with ease during an emergency. Also computers at schools can malfunction and stop students from getting information. However, new technology on cell phones allows them to access the internet and enable them to complete research with ease. Cell phones have organizers which help students write down their homework and help them to keep organized. 4. 0 Conclusion Cell phones are great invention. However, most schools in Ontario ban cell phone use at schools although, as it was stated in â€Å"The Japan Times† article â€Å"banning cell phones does not succeed in teaching students how, when and where an adult would use a  cell  phone (â€Å"The Japan Times†, 2008). Therefore, schools should not simply ban cell phones because of their negative effects on teenage students but teach them when and where the appropriate time and place is to use one. Schools should also look at positive side of cell phone use on teenagers because they can be a great educational tool. As Lisa Baker has mentioned â€Å"some high schools take advantage of educational games for cell phones. Educators can teach students how to use their phones as research tools, which encourages youth to take more initiative in their own learning (Baker, 2012). There are also social and health effects of cell phones on teenagers, which can be both also negative as well as positive. Before looking at negative effects of cell phone on teenagers, we should understand why they were first invented and the benefits they bring to our daily life. Therefore, although there are so many effects of cell phones on teenagers it is important to understand the main ones that are mainly looked at such as social, educational and health effects.

Skin Cancer Essays (1727 words) - RTT, Carcinoma,

"Skin Cancer" ------------------ Gone are the days when people sent children outside to play to get a little color in their cheeks. They know too much about the dangers of unprotected sun exposure and the threat of skin cancer. Or do they? Despite the fact that 58% of parents remembered hearing about the importance of protecting their children from the sun, children are still playing in the sun without sunscreen or protective clothing (3., p 1). Sunburn is the most preventable risk factor of skin cancer. Skin type and family history cannot be changed. Protection from the sun and education of the potential hazards of the sun need serious attention. The American Cancer Society estimates that over 850,000 cases of skin cancer will occur in the United States during 1996. Of those cases, they predict that 9,430 will end in death (4., p 1). Apparently, Americans still do not have an adequate amount of prevention information to help reduce the disfigurement and mortality from this cancer. Exposure to the ultraviolet radiation from the sun is the most frequently blamed source of skin cancer. Due to the reduction of ozone in the earth's atmosphere, UV radiation is higher today than it was several years ago. Ozone serves as a filter to screen out and reduce the UV light that reaches the earth's surface and its people. Very simply, sunburn and UV light can damage the skin and lead to skin cancer (1., p 1). The American Cancer Society also faulted repeated exposure to x-rays, artificial forms of UV radiation like tanning beds, and contact with chemicals like coal tar and arsenic as other causes of skin cancer (4., p 1). Additionally, if there is a history of skin cancer in the family, an individual may be at a higher risk (1., p 1). Individuals who have experienced only one serious sunburn have increased their risk of skin cancer by as much as 50% (1., p 4). There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma usually imposes itself on areas of the skin that have been exposed to the sun. It usually appears as a small raised bump with a smooth shiny surface. Another type resembles a scar that is firm to the touch. Although this specific type of skin cancer may spread to tissue directly surrounding the cancer area, it usually does not spread to other areas of the body (9., pp 2-3). Squamous cell carcinoma growths also appear most frequently on areas of the body that have been exposed to the sun. These areas can include the hands, lower lip, forehead, and the top of the nose. Additionally, skin that has been exposed to x-rays, chemicals, or has been sunburned can host these tumors. The squamous tumors may feel scaly or develop a crusty appearance. Some growths may bleed. These particular tumors may spread to lymph nodes in the surrounding area (9., pp 2 -3). Malignant melanoma is a far more serious type of skin cancer. It can spread quickly to other parts of the body through the lymph system or blood. This type of skin cancer is more common among adults. Findings have indicated that men most often develop melanoma on the trunk of the body. Whereas, women most often develop it on the arms and legs (6., pp 2-3). The warning signs of melanoma are: changes in the color, size, or shape of a mole, bleeding or oozing from a mole, or a mole that is hard, lumpy, swollen, and is tender to the touch, or feels itchy. A new mole can also be an indicator of melanoma. A simple "ABCD" rule outlines the warning signs of melanoma. "A" is for asymmetry. One half of the mole does not match the other. "B" is for border irregularity. The edges are ragged, notched, or blurred. "C" is for color. The pigmentation is not uniform. "D" is for a diameter of greater than 6mm. Any progressive increase in size should be of particular concern (8., p 1). For both basal and squamous cell carcinomas, surgery is the most common treatment. Electrosurgery is the process in which the cancer is scooped out with a sharp instrument and then an electric current is used to burn the edges around the site to kill