Climate Change Debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Climate Change Debate - Essay Example Debating on the natural and human actions which affect the climate of a particular region it can be inferred that natural actions takes resort of all the above mentioned factors while as regards to human activities the climatic changes are rendered through the generation of atmospheric and topographic changes. Another set of natural factors which also govern the climatic changes though in an internal way are alterations in the oceanic and atmospheric conditions which in turn emit a lot of energy into the outer atmosphere causing climatic changes. Owing to the intricate relationship of the variables involved the event of climatic change takes a debating turn as to the nature factors viz. human and natural. [1] Causes of Climate Change: The climatic changes in the modern periods have become the potential contributor to the event of global warming. The heating up of the climatic temperatures by the turn of the twentieth century are attributed to a number of natural factors. Many natural events like the happening of the El Nino factor, which has its emergence with the change in the oceanic currents, happen to affect the external atmosphere. Similarly the topography of the earth is also affected by events like volcanic activity and earthquakes, which also result considerable heat and energy to the earth’s atmosphere causing changes in climatic temperatures. The atmosphere of the earth also gets directly affected owing to changes in the flow of radiations emanating from the solar surface, which is also accountable for climatic changes. Further the huge amount of volcanic eruptions on the earth’s surface emits an abundance of harmful gases and chemicals along with heavy dust and ashes into the atmosphere. Some of the gases emitted directly affect the Ozone layer of the atmosphere, which henceforth becomes responsible for climatic changes. Like the host of natural factors mentioned above which contribute to the event of climate change and rising temperatu res the planet’s climatic system is also affected by various manmade activities. The human beings on the earth’s surface from time immemorial have contributed to the burning down of trees and other fossilized energy sources like petrol, which also emit lot of harmful gases and other substances into the atmosphere. Thus both natural and human factors are responsible for the environmental degradation and change in climatic temperatures. Further research conducted shows that the growth of human activities related to the burning of fossil fuels and the spread of the industrialization along with several scientific experiments have caused a great impact in altering the climatic conditions of the summer and winter seasons. It is found that owing to the growth of anthropogenic activities the days of the winter season have been considerably reduced while the summer days have got extended. The incidence of such factors has reduced the effect of the winter season while on the con trary the summer season has obtained a further impetus. Again the effect of the growth of manmade activities have led to such climatic changes that some regions are experiencing more amount of heat waves while other regions are getting considerably colder. The gaseous emissions from both the volcanic eruptions on the earth’s surface and as well as from large nature of human activities are also studied to affect changes in the oceanic temperatures causing it get much cooler than earlier. [2]; [3] Further studies conducted on the manmade factors which render an impact on the climatic temperat

International business final exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

International business final exam - Assignment Example The conditions imply that cotton in Africa is cheaper than in the United States in production. In fact, Dunavant pays about half of the world prices for the African cotton. This strengthens that assertion that the low cost of production translates to lower prices. The low cost are brought about by abundance of land to grow cotton, labor, and low barriers to trade in the commodity. Also, the availability of professional advice and microfinance services from Dunavant has increased production. Trade between Dunavant and Africa is beneficial to various parties which in include the farmers, the company and textile industries across the world. Unlike the US farmers who rely of subsidies, African farmers are reliant on financial services extended by companies like Dunavant (Zachary 2007). The price benefit derived by the company extends to other firms that buy the cotton from it. This has the effect of bringing the world cotton prices down. Consequently, it raises competition among cotton producing regions. The information can be explained by porters diamond of national advantage whose interest in factor conditions, structure and rivalry in the industry, available demand, related and supporting industries Factor conditions include skilled labor and technology. Cotton in Africa is labor intensive and thus benefits from a large population. Moreover, availability of funds from companies and governments aid the industry. A local market is preferable as it triggers more production. The industry becomes more competitive thus deriving better services to farmers. Global companies acting on a national stage opens up the country for international demand that further enhances cotton farming. The cotton industry is competitive. Production in Africa closely follows the United States, placing Africa as a strategic player in the industry. The advantage is that many international suppliers have ventured into the region to provide market

Emerging Therapies for the Treatment of MS

Emerging Therapies for the Treatment of MS Currently, there are six new drugs that are being assessed by clinical scientists and some of these drugs have entered or completed phase 2 level and phase 3 level clinical trials. Three of these drugs are oral drugs and they include Lanquinimod, Teriflumomide and Di-methyl fumarate. The other three are monoclonal antibodies (mAb) namely Alemtuzumab, Daclizumab and Rituximab (Borrero et al, 2012). All of these drugs target the immune system in different ways but some of them still present with some side effects as well which are discussed below. Starting with Lanquinimod, it is an immunomodulator that is currently being trialled in patients with RRMS and SPMS. It has a very small recommended dose of 0.6 mg daily and it exhibits anti-inflammatory properties. These properties are believed to support the downregulation of MHC class II transcription factors, stimulation of neurotrophic factors, activation and up-regulation of the IL-4 pathway in CD4+ T cell for anti-inflammatory effects. It also promotes apoptosis in Cytotoxic T-cells (CD8+) and B-cells and also suppresses metabolism in CD14+ and natural killer cells (Thà ¶ne et al., 2016). It is currently undergoing Phase III trials and has resulted in 23% reduction in the rate of relapse of MS while there has been a 37% reduction in contrast enhancing lesions in volunteers (Borrero et al, 2012). Its side effect is only the upregulation of Liver Function Tests (LFTs) The second oral drug that is undergoing phase III clinical trials is Teriflunomide and it is being trialled for patients with RRMS and SPMS. Doses ranging from 7 to 14 mgs daily are recommended to be administered orally in patients. Its mode of action depends on sequestering the production of DNA pyrimidine bases by acting as an inhibitor for the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, which is essential in de novo pyrimidine synthesis in T and B cells that are rapidly dividing. This reduces any inflammation that wouldve been caused by those cells and thus immune suppression is achieved. According to Borrero et al, it has a success rate of 61% in reducing contrast enhancing lesions, a rate of 30% in reducing Annualized relapse rates (ARRs) and disability progression was observed to be reduced to 23-30%. Terfilunomidess side effects include Nasopharyngitis; which is the inflammation of the nasopharyngeal duct, diarrhoea, back pain, fatigue, hair thinning, influenza, Urinary Tract Infecti on (UTI), nausea and elevated LFTs (Borrero et al, 2012). The third oral drug is Di-methyl fumarate (DMF) or BG-12. It is also undergoing type III clinical trials for patients with RRMS. Its suggested dose is 120-24 mg three times a day. It has shown a decrease of 69% in contrast enhancing lesions in its phase II trial and its phase III trials have so far showed 53% reduction in ARR, 38% reduction in disability progression and in 2 years, by 49% (Borrero et al, 2012). Di-methyl fumarates mode of action is still being debated but it is believed that it can regulate oxidative pathways which may in turn affect other signalling pathways that are responsible for inducing tissue damage. Studies by Moharregh -Khiabani et al in 2009 showed that DMF had an inhibitory effect on the nuclear factor NFÃŽ ºB dependant, TNF ÃŽ ± induced gene transcription in endothelial cells. It is also believed that DMF can stimulate cells to secrete cytokines such as IL-10, IL-4 and IL_5 which have anti-inflammatory properties thus allowing a more Th2 focused response than a Th1 one (Wierinckx et al., 2005). Moreover, DMF is believed to have a neuroprotective therapeutic effect as well. This occurs as it causes an upregulation in the levels of the detoxification enzyme; NADPH but like other emerging drugs, it has side effects. These side effects include diarrhoea, cramps, elevated LFT, nausea and can cause flushing and in very rare cases, Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) (MS Society 2016). Other novel therapies include the use of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) for the treatment of MS. As of now, there are three that are undergoing phase II and III trials respectively. Alemtuzumab is one such mAb that is in its phase III clinical trial for patients with RRMS and SPMS. Its recommended dosage is Intravenous infusion of 12- 24 mg daily for a course of 5 days every month if its a 1 year course and this can be increased to 24mg on the 12th month. Its mode of action is causing the destruction of circulating immune cells by binding on to CD52 on mature leukocytes which results in the lysis of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, B cells, eosinophils, NK cells, monocytes and macrophages as well (Hart and Bainbridge 2016). In phase III trials, it has so far shown up to 75% reduction in sustained accumulation disability and up to 74% reduction in relapse rate but has been associated with potentially increasing the risk of autoimmunity which included thyroiditis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpur a, autoimmune thyroid-related problems, Goodpastures syndrome and also, can cause flushing and headaches (Borrero et al, 2012) . As of yet, it has not been approved by the FDA as it is still undergoing trials but it is used as a medication for treating a form of blood cancer called B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) (FDA 2016). References https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anne_Wierinckx/publication/7750124_Detoxication_enzyme_inducers_modify_cytokine_production_in_rat_mixed_glial_cells/links/0c960534be656953a2000000/Detoxication-enzyme-inducers-modify-cytokine-production-in-rat-mixed-glial-cells.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2724664/ http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1756285612450936 https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm082681.htm http://www.ajmc.com/journals/supplement/2016/cost-effectiveness-multiple-sclerosis/cost-effectiveness-multiple-sclerosis-current-emerging-treatment/P-3 https://www.mssociety.org.uk/what-is-ms/treatments-and-therapies/licensed-disease-modifying-drugs/Tecfidera

Choreographer Busby Berkeley’s Contributions to Film Essays -- Arts Mo

Choreographer Busby Berkeley’s Contributions to Film Berkeley’s creations were not meant to focus on dance. He envisioned an overall moving pattern, which he created by using moving bodies. He made the art of choreography a technique of design and visual mathematics, and combined this with his knowledge of film to bring his vision to life on the big screen. The skill of this multi-talented man brought Hollywood musicals to their full potential, creating a high demand for dance in films. William Berkeley Enos was born November 29, 1895, in Los Angeles. He began his career as a choreographer in 1918 as a lieutenant in the army. Conducting and directing parades. He gained the ability to work with large masses of moving bodies to create a moving picture. He also worked as a choreographer to stage camp shows for the troops. It was not until his collaboration with producer Florence Ziegfeld that Berkeley began choreographing for films. When Ziegfeld decided to turn his production of Whoopee into a film, he asked Berkeley, who had become one of the top Broadway dance directors, to choreograph the dance routines. Berkeley, unhappy with the restrictions of his job, raised the bar for film choreographers by taking on decisions about camera angles and editing. Before Berkeley, these decisions had all been made by the director or the producer. One of Berkeley’s signature choices was to use only one camera. He also chose to use close-ups of the dancers in the chorus. He would say: â€Å"Well, we’ve got all these beautiful girls in the picture, why not let the public see them?† This approach showed that Berkeley understood that innovative filmmakers possess the ability to use the camera to show audiences what their normal sight does ... ... 1976. Although his death was tragic, Busby Berkeley will be remembered for his visionary talent. He has also been considered the creator of the formulaic marketing approaches you see today in music videos. As Larry Billman points out,â€Å"Berkeley’s ever-unfolding kaleidoscopic patterns and complete montage/ scenarios certainly had commercial advantage† (15). Berkeley embraced the possibility that the relationship between a camera and a moving body could bring a song to life. After his extravagant musical numbers, there was no doubt that the entire audience would leave the theater knowing the songs by heart. And so Berkeley was way ahead of his time. He could see within film a very important image, not the individual dancers themselves, but the dancing image. And with that he created sequences that remain some of the most beautiful spectacles on the screen.   

Tarahumara Indians

The Running People Rex Pace, an ultrarunner, once said, â€Å"Pushing your body past what you thought it was capable of is easy; the hard part is pushing yourself even further †¦ past what your mind wants to let you. That’s what ultrarunning is all about; introducing you to a self you’ve never known. † The human body can do amazing things, especially when it comes to running. Although most people think of running as a pain in the behind, a small minority are crazy about it. These people live and breathe running.People like a Scott Jurek, or Ann Trason, well known endurance runners, can clock in more than 150 miles a week because to them, running is not just a sport, but a lifestyle. Because of these people, ultrarunning was born and has taken its hold. All over the country, races anywhere from 50 to 300 miles long are taking place, and only the best runners complete them. That is, the runners who want to be known. However, there is a group of people who have been called â€Å"the finest natural distance runners in the world†, yet barely anyone has heard of them.These very shy and isolated people are known as the Tarahumara Indians, and they are incredible endurance runners. This is evident in the way they live and how they incorporate running as a part of their lifestyle. The Tarahumara Indians also call themselves the Raramuri, which translates to mean foot runner. These Indians live in the Sierra Madre of Mexico, in â€Å"small isolated clusters with most of the population concentrated in the†¦Copper Canyons† (Beauregard). The Copper Canyons consists of five canyons, three of which are deeper than the Grand Canyon.The terrain is very rugged, nearly impassable to outsiders, and there is a lot of vegetation. Due to cold temperatures, the soil is bad for growing crops, and so the â€Å"Tarahumara are semi-nomadic and cave dwellers for part of the year† (Beauregard). They also live under cliffs or in small cabin s. Because they live so deep within the Copper Canyons, they do not receive many visitors, so the Tarahumara are a very shy bunch. Life is very simple because â€Å"the Tarahumara still want nothing to do with money and material things that are not important to them† (Beauregard).Family and running are probably the two most important things to a Tarahumara Indian. Speaking of running, the incredible endurance of these Indians may be, in part, due to their healthy diet. The main staple food is corn. Almost everything the Tarahumara eat contains corn, such as their favorite: Pinole. Pinole is basically corn ground to a powder and then toasted. A few other common foods would be squash, beans, chili, wild greens, and handmade tortillas. Meat is only eaten on special occasions because animals are usually kept for farming purposes only.The Tarahumara eat â€Å"approximately 10% protein, 10% fat and 80% complex carbohydrates† (Lutz 31). This ratio keeps the Tarahumara fueled with energy all day long, and helps them stay fit by consuming so little fat. Although the â€Å"Tarahumara diet is very simple†¦nutritionists agree that it is very healthy† (Kennedy, 20) and is linked to why the Tarahumara are such great distance runners. They also have a special drink that can only classify as the best energy drink around.Made with only the seeds of the chia plant, water, and a little lime juice, this drink, which they call iskiate, can energize a person for the entire day. The chia seeds are tiny, but are â€Å"superpacked with omega-3s, omega-6s, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, fiber, and antioxidants†¦ [and aid in] building muscle, lowering cholesterol, and reducing your risk of heart disease† (McDougall, 44). Their diet keeps these Indians strong, fit, and always ready to run. For the Tarahumara, running is simply a part of daily life.In some ways, their running abilities are due to the biggest social event in their culture: the rarajipar i. The rarajipari, or foot throwing game, is a competition between the male adults of two neighboring villages that involves running along a set race course while â€Å"throwing† a wooden, baseball sized ball with the foot. The first team to cross the finish line with the ball wins. A game that lasts for two days â€Å"is not unusual†¦ and many [courses] are 60 to 90 miles long† (Kennedy, 92) or longer. The runners do not get breaks, but must constantly be alert at all times as to where the ball is, and no hands are allowed.In the beginning of a race, â€Å"spectators frequently run along with the runners†¦ [and] a great deal of fun is generated† (Lutz, 26). The game is taught to kids at an early age, and is the only sport the Tarahumara play. Competitions happen very often because â€Å"the rarajipari [is] the heart and soul of Tarahumara culture† (McDougall, 41). This game is part of the reason the Tarahumara are such great endurance runners, and without it they would not be the same people. However the rarajipari is not the only way the Tarahumara incorporate running into their lifestyle. The Indians run almost everywhere they go, apparently because they like to† (Lutz 33). There are almost no roads in the Sierra Madre, and most paths are rugged, steep and narrow. For this reason, foot travel is the preferred mode of transportation by the Tarahumara to get from point A to point B. If point B happens to be another village, it is most likely more than 50 miles away, so the Indians must be in amazing physical condition. It would not be uncommon for a Tarahumara to â€Å"run 200 miles over a period of three days and nights† (Lutz 22).Since they tend to move around according to the season, the family’s â€Å" small plots of land are frequently miles from where the family lives, [so] every member of the family must be able to travel long distances in order to perform his everyday tasks† (Lutz 33). A lso, when the Tarahumara go out hunting, they do not use traditional hunting techniques because they do not have guns or other weapons. Instead, â€Å"in order to catch such wild animals as deer, wild turkeys, and rabbits, the Tarahumara simply chase after the animal until the animal drops from exhaustion† (Beauregard).This is, again, an example of their super endurance and incorporation of running in their lives. When these amazing runners became known, a man named Rick Fisher, a wilderness photographer, decided it would be great publicity to sponsor an all-Tarahumara team and sign them up for the Leadville 100 mile race in Leadville, Colorado. Leadville happens to be the highest city in North America, and so the â€Å"Leadville Trail 100 boils down to nearly four full marathons, half of them in the dark, with twin twenty-six-hundred-foot climbs smack in the middle† (McDougall, 57).Basically, the trail is a nightmare, and only about 50% of the participants ever finish . So Mr. Fisher trekked into the Copper Canyons to find his all-star team, promised their village a pile of corn, and in 1993, Victoriano Churro, Cerrildo Chacarito, Manuel Luna and Felipe Torres ran the Leadville 100. About half way through the ultra-marathon â€Å"even the best ultrarunners†¦are heads down and digging deep†¦ [but] by mile 60, the Tarahumara were flying† (McDougall, 65). Victoriano, Cerrildo, and Manuel had swiftly crept up and passed all the other runners.In the end, Victoriano came in first, Cerrildo in second, and Manuel came in fifth because of a broken sandal. â€Å"The first non-Tarahumara finisher was nearly a full hour behind Victoriano†¦ [and the Indians] had done serious damage to the record book† (McDougall, 65). Having never trained for or run the Leadville 100 before, the Tarahumara team managed to grab three of the top five spots because of their amazing endurance. Later, in 2008, the Tarahumara participated in another ult ra-marathon. However, this race had never been run before, and will never be run again.Put together by a man who calls himself Caballo Blanco, a very good friend of the Tarahumara people, this race took place in Urique, Mexico, heart of the Tarahumara country. The start and finish line was the village of the Urique Tarahumara. Caballo Blanco had â€Å"laid out a diabolical course; [they would] be climbing and descending sixty-five hundred feet in fifty miles† (McDougall, 258) and the entire course had been planned â€Å"in a Y pattern, with the starting line dead in the center† (McDougall, 262).There were a total of 25 participants: 20 Tarahumara, including the legendary Arnulfo and Silvino, and 5 Americans, including Scott Jurek, one of the best ultra-marathoners in the world. When the race started, the Urique group bounded out with a burst of speed to lead the pack. However, it became suspicious when,â€Å"in the space of just four miles, the Urique crew had opened up a four minute lead†¦ [and so] they were disqualified† (McDougall, 262) for cheating. With the Urique out, Silvino and Arnulfo took the lead, with Scott Jurek right on their heels.In the end Arnulfo took the gold, Scott the silver, and Silvino the bronze. The last racer to finish, Christopher McDougall, crossed the finish line 12 hours after the race began, â€Å"meaning that Scott and Arnulfo could have run the course all over again and still have beaten [him]† (McDougall, 273). Most of the Tarahumara who competed finished the race within 6 or 7 hours, again displaying their incredible endurance. When it comes to the test, these Indians sure know how to take the gold. Completely isolated in the Sierra Madre from the rest of the world, these Indians and their abilities were unknown for a very long time.Many people still have never heard of them, but if they did, they would surely be blown away and inspired. The Tarahumara are the best endurance runners out there and completely by accident. Due to the simplicity of their lives, a very healthy diet, and the importance that running has in their lifestyle, the Tarahumara have every right to call themselves the Raramui, or running people. These Indians are an inspiration to me, and probably to many other runners out there. Hopefully one day I can be half as good an athlete as they are. Tarahumara Indians The Running People Rex Pace, an ultrarunner, once said, â€Å"Pushing your body past what you thought it was capable of is easy; the hard part is pushing yourself even further †¦ past what your mind wants to let you. That’s what ultrarunning is all about; introducing you to a self you’ve never known. † The human body can do amazing things, especially when it comes to running. Although most people think of running as a pain in the behind, a small minority are crazy about it. These people live and breathe running.People like a Scott Jurek, or Ann Trason, well known endurance runners, can clock in more than 150 miles a week because to them, running is not just a sport, but a lifestyle. Because of these people, ultrarunning was born and has taken its hold. All over the country, races anywhere from 50 to 300 miles long are taking place, and only the best runners complete them. That is, the runners who want to be known. However, there is a group of people who have been called â€Å"the finest natural distance runners in the world†, yet barely anyone has heard of them.These very shy and isolated people are known as the Tarahumara Indians, and they are incredible endurance runners. This is evident in the way they live and how they incorporate running as a part of their lifestyle. The Tarahumara Indians also call themselves the Raramuri, which translates to mean foot runner. These Indians live in the Sierra Madre of Mexico, in â€Å"small isolated clusters with most of the population concentrated in the†¦Copper Canyons† (Beauregard). The Copper Canyons consists of five canyons, three of which are deeper than the Grand Canyon.The terrain is very rugged, nearly impassable to outsiders, and there is a lot of vegetation. Due to cold temperatures, the soil is bad for growing crops, and so the â€Å"Tarahumara are semi-nomadic and cave dwellers for part of the year† (Beauregard). They also live under cliffs or in small cabin s. Because they live so deep within the Copper Canyons, they do not receive many visitors, so the Tarahumara are a very shy bunch. Life is very simple because â€Å"the Tarahumara still want nothing to do with money and material things that are not important to them† (Beauregard).Family and running are probably the two most important things to a Tarahumara Indian. Speaking of running, the incredible endurance of these Indians may be, in part, due to their healthy diet. The main staple food is corn. Almost everything the Tarahumara eat contains corn, such as their favorite: Pinole. Pinole is basically corn ground to a powder and then toasted. A few other common foods would be squash, beans, chili, wild greens, and handmade tortillas. Meat is only eaten on special occasions because animals are usually kept for farming purposes only.The Tarahumara eat â€Å"approximately 10% protein, 10% fat and 80% complex carbohydrates† (Lutz 31). This ratio keeps the Tarahumara fueled with energy all day long, and helps them stay fit by consuming so little fat. Although the â€Å"Tarahumara diet is very simple†¦nutritionists agree that it is very healthy† (Kennedy, 20) and is linked to why the Tarahumara are such great distance runners. They also have a special drink that can only classify as the best energy drink around.Made with only the seeds of the chia plant, water, and a little lime juice, this drink, which they call iskiate, can energize a person for the entire day. The chia seeds are tiny, but are â€Å"superpacked with omega-3s, omega-6s, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, fiber, and antioxidants†¦ [and aid in] building muscle, lowering cholesterol, and reducing your risk of heart disease† (McDougall, 44). Their diet keeps these Indians strong, fit, and always ready to run. For the Tarahumara, running is simply a part of daily life.In some ways, their running abilities are due to the biggest social event in their culture: the rarajipar i. The rarajipari, or foot throwing game, is a competition between the male adults of two neighboring villages that involves running along a set race course while â€Å"throwing† a wooden, baseball sized ball with the foot. The first team to cross the finish line with the ball wins. A game that lasts for two days â€Å"is not unusual†¦ and many [courses] are 60 to 90 miles long† (Kennedy, 92) or longer. The runners do not get breaks, but must constantly be alert at all times as to where the ball is, and no hands are allowed.In the beginning of a race, â€Å"spectators frequently run along with the runners†¦ [and] a great deal of fun is generated† (Lutz, 26). The game is taught to kids at an early age, and is the only sport the Tarahumara play. Competitions happen very often because â€Å"the rarajipari [is] the heart and soul of Tarahumara culture† (McDougall, 41). This game is part of the reason the Tarahumara are such great endurance runners, and without it they would not be the same people. However the rarajipari is not the only way the Tarahumara incorporate running into their lifestyle. The Indians run almost everywhere they go, apparently because they like to† (Lutz 33). There are almost no roads in the Sierra Madre, and most paths are rugged, steep and narrow. For this reason, foot travel is the preferred mode of transportation by the Tarahumara to get from point A to point B. If point B happens to be another village, it is most likely more than 50 miles away, so the Indians must be in amazing physical condition. It would not be uncommon for a Tarahumara to â€Å"run 200 miles over a period of three days and nights† (Lutz 22).Since they tend to move around according to the season, the family’s â€Å" small plots of land are frequently miles from where the family lives, [so] every member of the family must be able to travel long distances in order to perform his everyday tasks† (Lutz 33). A lso, when the Tarahumara go out hunting, they do not use traditional hunting techniques because they do not have guns or other weapons. Instead, â€Å"in order to catch such wild animals as deer, wild turkeys, and rabbits, the Tarahumara simply chase after the animal until the animal drops from exhaustion† (Beauregard).This is, again, an example of their super endurance and incorporation of running in their lives. When these amazing runners became known, a man named Rick Fisher, a wilderness photographer, decided it would be great publicity to sponsor an all-Tarahumara team and sign them up for the Leadville 100 mile race in Leadville, Colorado. Leadville happens to be the highest city in North America, and so the â€Å"Leadville Trail 100 boils down to nearly four full marathons, half of them in the dark, with twin twenty-six-hundred-foot climbs smack in the middle† (McDougall, 57).Basically, the trail is a nightmare, and only about 50% of the participants ever finish . So Mr. Fisher trekked into the Copper Canyons to find his all-star team, promised their village a pile of corn, and in 1993, Victoriano Churro, Cerrildo Chacarito, Manuel Luna and Felipe Torres ran the Leadville 100. About half way through the ultra-marathon â€Å"even the best ultrarunners†¦are heads down and digging deep†¦ [but] by mile 60, the Tarahumara were flying† (McDougall, 65). Victoriano, Cerrildo, and Manuel had swiftly crept up and passed all the other runners.In the end, Victoriano came in first, Cerrildo in second, and Manuel came in fifth because of a broken sandal. â€Å"The first non-Tarahumara finisher was nearly a full hour behind Victoriano†¦ [and the Indians] had done serious damage to the record book† (McDougall, 65). Having never trained for or run the Leadville 100 before, the Tarahumara team managed to grab three of the top five spots because of their amazing endurance. Later, in 2008, the Tarahumara participated in another ult ra-marathon. However, this race had never been run before, and will never be run again.Put together by a man who calls himself Caballo Blanco, a very good friend of the Tarahumara people, this race took place in Urique, Mexico, heart of the Tarahumara country. The start and finish line was the village of the Urique Tarahumara. Caballo Blanco had â€Å"laid out a diabolical course; [they would] be climbing and descending sixty-five hundred feet in fifty miles† (McDougall, 258) and the entire course had been planned â€Å"in a Y pattern, with the starting line dead in the center† (McDougall, 262).There were a total of 25 participants: 20 Tarahumara, including the legendary Arnulfo and Silvino, and 5 Americans, including Scott Jurek, one of the best ultra-marathoners in the world. When the race started, the Urique group bounded out with a burst of speed to lead the pack. However, it became suspicious when,â€Å"in the space of just four miles, the Urique crew had opened up a four minute lead†¦ [and so] they were disqualified† (McDougall, 262) for cheating. With the Urique out, Silvino and Arnulfo took the lead, with Scott Jurek right on their heels.In the end Arnulfo took the gold, Scott the silver, and Silvino the bronze. The last racer to finish, Christopher McDougall, crossed the finish line 12 hours after the race began, â€Å"meaning that Scott and Arnulfo could have run the course all over again and still have beaten [him]† (McDougall, 273). Most of the Tarahumara who competed finished the race within 6 or 7 hours, again displaying their incredible endurance. When it comes to the test, these Indians sure know how to take the gold. Completely isolated in the Sierra Madre from the rest of the world, these Indians and their abilities were unknown for a very long time.Many people still have never heard of them, but if they did, they would surely be blown away and inspired. The Tarahumara are the best endurance runners out there and completely by accident. Due to the simplicity of their lives, a very healthy diet, and the importance that running has in their lifestyle, the Tarahumara have every right to call themselves the Raramui, or running people. These Indians are an inspiration to me, and probably to many other runners out there. Hopefully one day I can be half as good an athlete as they are.

How Does Black History Month Relate to Education ?

The very essence and importance of Black History Month is to the whole world. It is of importance to educate the world and make sure that everyone is aware of the trials and hardships that we had to go through starting with slavery. There are various way that you can tie this significant month with education. Most Africans American do not realize how you need education to learn about these significant events that we lead up to today. Black History Month is celebrated during the month of February each year. Black History Month is not just a month but each day is a celebration for what our ancestors went through.During Black History Month, there days where we look at the things that all our ancestors and famous African Americans did for us like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, and the Little Rock Nine. All of these people had a special affect on the lives of African Americans today. They all had one thing in common also which was standing up for what they believe in. Rosa Parks allow ed for us to sit in front of the bus, Martin Luther King Jr had a dream which we are still working on, and the Little Rock Nine allowed for the schools to become integrated.Schools, churches, and the community help with this celebration. Most schools celebrate Black History Month especially predominately African American schools because without the events that African Americans went through, there would be no integrated schools, teams, or even jobs. Some might think that we still would have been slaves, not have the ability to interact with other races, or even still living without freedom or respect. Some would also say that we as African Americans would still be treated disrespectfully or like an untamed animal.Not knowing about this month, would not allow for us to have freedom or even our rights. We as the a society need to make sure that we keep educating people especially African Americans on what we have been through and what we fought for especially with the people that foug ht for us including our ancestors. People take our rights and the freedom that we gained for granted. Without black history, we would not have a month, rights, freedom, or even equality.They all went through disrespectful trials to make sure African Americans now can have the comfort to live. These events led us up to today with African Americans having the ability to go to school and to gain an education. African Americans and other races need an education to take them to follow their dreams on what ever they want to do. Now we are at the year 2013, where there are many African Americans succeeding and taking over the world such as our President Barack Obama.