How does fire frequency influence tree species diversity in the boreal Research Proposal

How does fire frequency influence tree species diversity in the boreal forest - Research Proposal Example Its unique characteristics are quickly changing as a result of human and natural pressure and this area is expected to be one of the most rapidly impacted regions of the world by the climate change that is ongoing which might lead to degradation of the Boreal eco systems in the end (Shvidenko & Apps, 2006). Canada is the largest producer and exporter of forest products with most of these products coming from the boreal forest that is there and therefore it may not come as a surprise that Canada has an advanced forest industry and also a forest management that is equally advanced. This has not stopped the forest in Canada from being significantly affected by changes that are occurring in the natural disturbances that include wild fire and insect outbreaks that have been taking place in the last few decades (Shvidenko & Apps, 2006). It is expected that the Boreal forest in particular will be vulnerable to disease, fire and competition from other tree species as the climate changes continue to be experienced and the weather gets warmer but the natural replacement in forest will take some time (Louiseize, 2005). Fire spread is not only a function of weather, but it also depends on topography, fuel load, types and spatial arrangement as well as active suppression and this therefore means that the fire spread simulations for everyday fire management require a large amount of information that is site specific (Pueyo, 2007). Being able to predict future fire activity that is related to climate change is a leap towards appreciating the future state of the Boreal ecosystem since the natural disturbances are usually controlled by the interplay between biotic and abiotic factors. Forest fire is the dominant natural disturbance that exists in Canada’s western Boreal forest where the fire regime of a particular area reflects the integration of

Encryption and network security Essay Example for Free

Encryption and network security Essay Honeynets: Observing Hackers’ Tools, Tactics and Motives in a Controlled Environment Solutions to hacker attacks are usually fixes that are developed when damage has been done. Honeynets were solely developed to catch and monitor threats (i. e. a probe, scan or attack). They are designed to gather extensive data about the threats. These data are then interpreted and used for the development of new tools to prevent actual damages to computer systems. Talabis defines a honeynet as a network of high interaction honeypots that simulates a production network and configured such that all activity is monitored, recorded and in a degree, discretely regulated. Seen below is a diagram of a typical honeynet setup as given by Krasser, Grizzard, Owen and Levine. Figure 1 A typical honeynet setup Deployment of honeynets may vary as it is an architecture. The key element of any honeynet is the honeywall. This is the command and control gateway through which all activities come and go. This separates the actual systems from the honeypot systems wherein threats are directed to intentionally. Two more elements are essential in any honeynet. These are discussed below. Data Control Data control is necessary to lessen the risks posed by the captured threats without compromising the amount of data you are able to gather. To do this, connection counting and Network Intrusion Prevention System (NIPS) are used. These are both automated data control. Connection counting limits outbound activity wherein connections beyond the limit are blocked. NIPS blocks or disables known threats before it can attack outbound. The Honeynet Project Research Alliance has defined a set of requirements and standards for the deployment of Data Control. First is the use of both manual and automated data controls. Second, there must be at least two layers of data control to protect against failure. Third, in case of failures, no one should be able to connect to the honeynet. Fourth, the state of inbound and outbound connections must be logged. Fifth, remote administration of honeynets should be possible. Sixth, it should be very difficult for hackers to detect data control. And finally, automatic alerts should be raised when a honeynet is compromised. Data Capture The Honeynet Project identifies three critical layers of Data Capture. These are firewall logs, network traffic and system activity. The data collection capabilities of the honeynet should be able to capture all activities from all three layers. This will allow for the production of a more useful analysis report. Firewall logs are created by NIPS. The Snort process logs network traffic. Snort is a tool used to capture packets of inbound and outbound honeynet traffic. The third is capturing keystrokes and encryption. Sebek is a tool used to bypass encrypted packets. Collected data is hiddenly transmitted by Sebek to the honeywall without the hacker being able to sniff these packets. Risks As with any tool, honeynets are also threatened by risks affecting its usage and effectiveness. These include the risk of a hacker using the honeynet to attack a non-honeynet system; the risk of detection wherein the honeynet is identified by the hacker and false data is then sent to the honeynet producing misleading reports; and the risk of violation wherein a hacker introduces illegal activity into your honeynet without your knowledge. Alerting As mentioned in the requirements and standards set for data control, alerts should be in place once an attack is done to your honeynet. Otherwise, the honeynet is useless. An administrator can monitor the honeynet 24/7 or you can have automated alerts. Swatch is a tool that can be used for this. Log files are monitored for patterns and when found, an alert is issued via email or phone calls. Commands and programs can also be triggered to run. Honeynet Tools Several honeynet tools are available to the public for free so they can setup their own honeynet for research purposes. These tools are used in the different elements of a honeynet. Discussed below are just three of them. Honeynet Security Console This is a tool used to view events on the honeynet. These events may be from SNORTÂ ®, TCPDump, Firewall, Syslog and Sebek logs. Given these events, you will be able to come up with an analysis report by correlating the events that you have captured from each of the data types. The tool’s website lists its key features as follows: quick and easy setup, a user-friendly GUI for viewing event logs, the use of powerful, interactive graphs with drilldown capabilities, the use of simple search/correlation capabilities, integrated IP tools, TCPDump payload and session decoder, and a built in passive OS fingerprinting and geographical location capabilities. Honeywall CDRom Roo This is the recommended tool for use by the Honeynet Project. This is a bootable CDRom containing all of the tools and functionality necessary to quickly create, easily maintain, and effectively analyze a third generation honeynet. Much like the Honeynet Security Console, this tool capitalizes on its data analysis capability which is the primary purpose of why honeynets are deployed – to be able to analyze hacker activity data. GUI is used to maintain the honeywall and to track and analyze honeypot activities. It displays an overview of all inbound and outbound traffic. Network connections in pcap format can be extracted. Ethereal, another tool, can then be used with the extracted data for a more in-depth analysis. Sebek data can also be analyzed by this tool. Walleye, another tool, is used for drawing visual graphs of processes. Although this tool may be useful already, several improvements will still have to be introduced to increase its effectiveness. Walleye currently supports only one honeynet. Multiple honeynets can be deployed but remote administration of these distributed systems still needs to be worked on. Sebek This is a tool used for data capture within the kernel. This is done by intercepting the read() system call. This hiddenly captures encrypted packets from inbound and outbound activities by hackers on the honeypot. Basically, Sebek will tell us when the hacker attacked the honeypot, how he attacked it and why by logging his activities. It consists of two components. First, a client that runs on the honeypot. Its purpose is to capture keystrokes, file uploads and passwords. After capturing, it then sends the data to the server, the second component. The server normally runs on the honeywall where all captured data from the honeypot are stored. Found below is the Sebek architecture. Figure 2 Sebek Architecture A web interface is also available to be able to analyze data contained in the Sebek database. Three features are available: the keystroke summary view; the search view; and the table view which provides a summary of all activities including non-keystroke activities. References Honeynet Security Console. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. activeworx. org/onlinehelp/hsc/hsc. htm. Krasser, S. , Grizzard, J. , Owen, H., Levine, J. (2005). The use of honeynets to increase computer network security and user awareness. Journal of Security Education, 1, 23-37. Piazza, P. (2001, November). Honeynet Attracts Hacker Attention: The Honeynet Project Set Up a Typical Computer Network and Then Watched to See What Turned Up. Security Management, 45, 34. SebekTM FAQ. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. honeynet. org/tools/sebek/faq. html. The Honeynet Project. (2005, May 12). Know Your Enemy: Honeynets. What a honeynet is, its value, and risk/issues involved. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www.honeynet. org. Talabis, R. The Philippine Honeynet Project. A Primer on Honeynet Data Control Requirements. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. philippinehoneynet. org/index. php? option=com_docmantask=cat_viewgid=18Itemid=29. Talabis, R. A Primer on Honeynet Data Collection Requirements and Standards. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. philippinehoneynet. org/index. php? option=com_docmantask=cat_viewgid=18Itemid=29. Talabis, R. Honeynets: A Honeynet Definition. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. philippinehoneynet. org/index. php?option=com_docmantask=cat_viewgid=18Itemid=29. Talabis, R. The Gen II and Gen III Honeynet Architecture. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. philippinehoneynet. org/index. php? option=com_docmantask=cat_viewgid=18Itemid=29. The Honeynet Project. (2005, May 12). Know Your Enemy: GenII Honeynets. Easier to deploy, harder to detect, safer to maintain. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. honeynet. org. The Honeynet Project and Research Alliance. (2005, August 17). Know Your Enemy: Honeywall CDRom Roo. 3rd Generation Technology. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. honeynet. org.

The Bush Administrations Relation With Iraq Prior to Iraqs Invasion o

The Bush Administration's Relation With Iraq Prior to Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait Prior to the August 2, 1990 invasion of Kuwait on the part of Iraq, the United States had questionable relations with Iraq dictator, Saddam Hussein, to say the least. In retrospect, which is inherently advantageous as a 20/20 perspective, questions remain unanswered as to whether or not the United States was too appeasing to Saddam Hussein in the years, months, and days leading up to that early August morning. There remains to this day lingering questions as to the role that the US Ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie, played in conveying the Administration's message to the Iraqi leader. In addition, questions surrounding the Administrators official policy, the calculations (or miscalculations) on the part of the State Department and other agencies within the US government, the Administrations covert plan to aid an Italian bank in illegal loans to benefit Saddam's military and the advice that the US received from other Arab nations with respect to what US relations should be with Iraq in terms of any impending border dispute, constitute a limited context of the issues that faced the Administration as it tried to deal with the leader of the largest economy of the Persian Gulf region. The Bush Administration's relations with Iraq prior to its invasion of Kuwait were clouded in a context of misperception by both states and further complicated by a lack of credibility on the part of key actors of both sides as well. This tragic sequence of events that led to the invasion of Kuwait cannot solely be attributed to personality traits or even actions by key individuals within the Administration. In retrospect, it is much more complex than that. However, the actions and public and private statements on the part of key personnel on both sides most likely contributed to the eventual invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990. Since, a brief, yet modest account of the history of the events leading up to the invasion and the invasion in itself along with the regional and global actors has been offered in section A, section B will be an analysis of the role of misperception and questions of credibility with respect to key actors on both sides of the issue, from State Department officials to Saddam Hussein himself. While touching on the importance and significance of o... ..., 3/20/91 6 Glaspie, April, Opening Remarks, Hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 3/20/91 7 Iraqi Government, Excerpts from Iraqi Document on Meeting with US Envoy, "The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.19 8 Sciolino, Elaine, "US Gave Iraq Little Reason Not to Mount Kuwait Assault," The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.A1 9 Sciolino, Elaine, "US Gave Iraq Little Reason Not to Mount Kuwait Assault," The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.A1 10 Sciolino, Elaine, "US Gave Iraq Little Reason Not to Mount Kuwait Assault," The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.A1 11 Sciolino, Elaine, "US Gave Iraq Little Reason Not to Mount Kuwait Assault," The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.A18 12 Sciolino, Elaine, "US Gave Iraq Little Reason Not to Mount Kuwait Assault," The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.A18 14 Friedman, Thomas, "US Explains View of Envoy to Iraq," The New York Times, 3/22/31, p.A9, col. 1 15 Sciolino, Elaine, "Envoy's Testimony on Iraq is Assailed," The New York Times, 7/13/91, p.A1, col.1 16 Sciolino, Elaine, "Envoy's Testimony on Iraq is Assailed," The New York Times, 7/13/91, p.A4, col.1 17 McAllister, J.F.O., "The Lessons of Iraq," Time, 11/2/92, pp.57-59 The Bush Administration's Relation With Iraq Prior to Iraq's Invasion o The Bush Administration's Relation With Iraq Prior to Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait Prior to the August 2, 1990 invasion of Kuwait on the part of Iraq, the United States had questionable relations with Iraq dictator, Saddam Hussein, to say the least. In retrospect, which is inherently advantageous as a 20/20 perspective, questions remain unanswered as to whether or not the United States was too appeasing to Saddam Hussein in the years, months, and days leading up to that early August morning. There remains to this day lingering questions as to the role that the US Ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie, played in conveying the Administration's message to the Iraqi leader. In addition, questions surrounding the Administrators official policy, the calculations (or miscalculations) on the part of the State Department and other agencies within the US government, the Administrations covert plan to aid an Italian bank in illegal loans to benefit Saddam's military and the advice that the US received from other Arab nations with respect to what US relations should be with Iraq in terms of any impending border dispute, constitute a limited context of the issues that faced the Administration as it tried to deal with the leader of the largest economy of the Persian Gulf region. The Bush Administration's relations with Iraq prior to its invasion of Kuwait were clouded in a context of misperception by both states and further complicated by a lack of credibility on the part of key actors of both sides as well. This tragic sequence of events that led to the invasion of Kuwait cannot solely be attributed to personality traits or even actions by key individuals within the Administration. In retrospect, it is much more complex than that. However, the actions and public and private statements on the part of key personnel on both sides most likely contributed to the eventual invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990. Since, a brief, yet modest account of the history of the events leading up to the invasion and the invasion in itself along with the regional and global actors has been offered in section A, section B will be an analysis of the role of misperception and questions of credibility with respect to key actors on both sides of the issue, from State Department officials to Saddam Hussein himself. While touching on the importance and significance of o... ..., 3/20/91 6 Glaspie, April, Opening Remarks, Hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 3/20/91 7 Iraqi Government, Excerpts from Iraqi Document on Meeting with US Envoy, "The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.19 8 Sciolino, Elaine, "US Gave Iraq Little Reason Not to Mount Kuwait Assault," The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.A1 9 Sciolino, Elaine, "US Gave Iraq Little Reason Not to Mount Kuwait Assault," The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.A1 10 Sciolino, Elaine, "US Gave Iraq Little Reason Not to Mount Kuwait Assault," The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.A1 11 Sciolino, Elaine, "US Gave Iraq Little Reason Not to Mount Kuwait Assault," The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.A18 12 Sciolino, Elaine, "US Gave Iraq Little Reason Not to Mount Kuwait Assault," The New York Times, 9/23/90, p.A18 14 Friedman, Thomas, "US Explains View of Envoy to Iraq," The New York Times, 3/22/31, p.A9, col. 1 15 Sciolino, Elaine, "Envoy's Testimony on Iraq is Assailed," The New York Times, 7/13/91, p.A1, col.1 16 Sciolino, Elaine, "Envoy's Testimony on Iraq is Assailed," The New York Times, 7/13/91, p.A4, col.1 17 McAllister, J.F.O., "The Lessons of Iraq," Time, 11/2/92, pp.57-59

Infectious Disease :: science

Infectious Disease What is the stake of the American People and the Government by International Agencies to control Infectious Disease in Developing Countries? More people are at risk of infectious diseases than at any other time on history. Infectious diseases are worldwide problem requiring worldwide attention. Infectious diseases can weaken the strength of a nation's resources. In developing nations this poses even a greater threat. Diseases are threatening the economic stability of many developing nations. 50,000 people die everyday from infectious disease. Rift Valley Fever infects both livestock and humans. Rift Valley Fever is most commonly found in regions of eastern and southern Africa. It also exists in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa. The Bunyaviridae family includes the Rift Valley Fever disease. It is primarily spread from infected mosquitoes, who then infect animals. Generally they infect domestic animals, such as buffalo, cattle, sheep, camels and goats. Once the livestock are infected, other mosquitoes can spread the disease. It is also possible that the infection can be spread from other biting insects. The Rift Valley Fever outberak of 1997-1998 in eastern Africa killed both humans and livestock. It economically hurt trase in animals and the dairy indusrty.. the economy was crushed by trade imbargoes. Humans can get Rift Valley Fever in numerous ways. Humans can be infected from the mosquitoes or the bodily fluids of the infected animal. Contact such as slaughtering the infected animal can occur also. Symptoms include, an infuenza like illness, fever, liver abnormalities, muscle and back pain and vomitting. In the early stages of Rift Valley Fever, these symptoms are some times mistaken for meningitis. This fever may also perceive itself to be haemorrhagic fever. Fatalities occur mostly in patients who have developed haemorrhagic fever. In diagnosing Rift Valley Fever, tests have demostrated the presence of antibodies to the disease. Studies in animals have given antiviral drugs for the use of humans. Herdsman and animal workers in areas where Rift Valley Fever is present are at a greater risk of being infected. The risk of transmission can be reduced by, wearing gloves, insect repellent, the use of protective clothes, and avoiding outdoor activity during peak biting times. Surveillance is important to form effective measures for reducing the number of infections. Cholera is a diarrheal illness that is spread by contaminated water and food. It is caused by an infection of the intestine, and in many cases it can be very severe.

Piracy Ruining the Music Industry Essay

For many people, music is a large part of their lives. They listen to it to as often as they can. In their cars, while they work out, study, and many other daily activities. But does anyone think about how important music is to those who work in the music industry? Some people buy CD’s, others may buy digital copies online (often referred to as mp3’s). However, there are others who download free copies of music from file sharing websites, such as FrostWire and Napster. This is a crime, and many people are not aware of it. There needs to more stringent measure to protect the music industry from these acts of piracy and copyright infringements. Piracy has affected the music industry drastically over the years. It would appear all is well for those in the recording industry. However, the music industry is worth more than half of what it was in 1999 and the decline doesn’t look as if it will improve. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) reported that in 1999, the revenue for music sales topped $14.6 billion. Over time, total revenue from U.S. music sales and licensing plunged to $6.3 billion in 2009 (Alexandra. â€Å"The History of Recording Industry Sales, 1973-2010†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). File sharing is the reason for the decline in album sales over the years. Because it is so easy to get free music, people do not find a need to purchase it. In 1984, the Supreme Court, ruled in the Universal City Studios vs. Sony Corporation case, that home recording of copyrighted materials, would be legal under the fair use provision (Stevens, Law of Cornell.). The decision was made so that it would be legal for home users to make copies of copyrighted material without obtaining any permission of the copyright holder to do so. This ruling covered music, television shows, and movies. Many people argued that they wanted to be able to use the recording devices that they purchased. There needs to be new laws to reflect the change in technology since that time. In 1984 we did not have the different file sharing sites that gave people the opportunity to upload their recordings. Piracy is very popular in many countries. This is because many cultures are interested in the American lifestyle. It is very hard for other cultures to obtain American media, so they rely on file-sharing websites to stay connected. This has affected the American economy drastically. There has been a loss of around 71,060 jobs, a decrease of worker earnings of 2.7 billion dollars and a loss of U.S tax revenue of 422 million dollars. It is estimated that the cost of piracy in the global economy in 2012 was 35.4 billion dollars, and 12.5 billion dollars affecting the music industry individually. (Goldman,† Music’s lost decade: Sales cut in half†) The U.S. government has attempted to prevent piracy by bringing lawsuits against companies such as, LimeWire, Mega Upload, and Pirate Bay. Sites such as these may be stopped, but within months another company begins a similar or more-improved service. â€Å"Would you go into a CD store and steal a CD?† questioned an angry Britney Spears in an industry-funded advert. â€Å"It’s the same thing, people going into the computers and loggin’ on and stealing our music.† Piracy is ruining the entertainment industry. The music industry has a diminished profitability, and significant job loss has occurred, and will only get worse, unless there are more stringent measures to regulate the internet and its’ file-sharing sites.

Why the Sioux Oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline

Why the Sioux Oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline As the Flint, Michigan, water crisis made national headlines in 2016, members of the Standing Rock Sioux  successfully  protested to protect their water and land from the Dakota Access Pipeline. After months on end of demonstrating,  the water protectors rejoiced when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided on Dec. 4, 2016, to  prohibit the pipeline from crossing  Lake Oahe, effectively bringing the project to a halt. But the pipelines future is unclear after Obama leaves office, and the Trump administration enters the White House. Building of the pipeline could very well resume when the new administration takes over.   If finished, the $3.8 billion project would span 1,200 miles across four states to link the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota to an Illinois river port. This would allow 470,000 barrels of crude oil daily to be transported along the route. But the Standing Rock wanted construction on the pipeline stopped because they said it could devastate their natural resources. Initially, the pipeline would have crossed the Missouri River near the state capital, but the route was changed so that it would pass under the Missouri River at Lake Oahe, a half-mile upstream from the Standing Rock reservation. The pipeline was redirected from Bismarck because of fears that an oil spill would endanger the city’s drinking water. Moving the pipeline from the state capital to an Indian reservation is environmental racism in a nutshell, as this form of discrimination is characterized by the disproportionate placement of environmental hazards in communities of color. If the pipeline was too risky to be placed near the state capital, why wasn’t it deemed a risk near Standing Rock land? With this in mind, the tribe’s effort to stop  construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline isn’t simply an environmental issue but a protest against racial injustice as well. Clashes between the pipeline’s protesters and its developers have also sparked racial  tensions, but the Standing Rock have won support from a broad cross-section of the public, including public figures and celebrities.   Why the Sioux Are Against the Pipeline On Sept. 2, 2015, the Sioux drafted a resolution explaining their opposition to the pipeline. It read in part: â€Å"The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe relies on the waters of the life-giving Missouri River for our continued existence, and the Dakota Access Pipeline poses a serious risk to Mni Sose and to the very survival of our Tribe; and ...the horizontal direction drilling in the construction of the pipeline would destroy valuable cultural resources of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.† The resolution also argued that the Dakota Access Pipeline violates Article 2 of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty which granted the tribe the â€Å"undisturbed use and occupation† of its homeland. The Sioux filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in July 2016 to stop construction of the pipeline, which began the following month. In addition to concerns about the effects a spill would have on the Sioux’s natural resources, the tribe pointed out that the pipeline would course through sacred ground protected by federal law. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg had a different take. He ruled on Sept. 9, 2016, that the Army Corps had â€Å"likely complied† with its duty to consult the Sioux and that the tribe â€Å"has not shown it will suffer injury that would be prevented by any injunction the court could issue.† Although the judge denied the tribe’s request for an injunction to stop the pipeline, the departments of the Army, Justice and Interior announced after the ruling that they would suspend building of the pipeline on land of cultural importance to the tribe pending further evaluation. Still, the Standing Rock Sioux said they would appeal the judge’s decision because they believe they were not sufficiently consulted when the pipeline was rerouted.    My nations history is at risk because the pipeline builders and the Army Corps failed to consult the tribe when planning the pipeline, and routed it through areas of cultural and historical significance, which will be destroyed,† stated Standing Rock Sioux Chairman David Archambault II in a court filing. Judge Boasberg’s ruling led the tribe to ask for an emergency injunction to stop building of the pipeline. This led the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit  to state in a Sept. 16 ruling that it needed more time to consider the tribes request, which meant that all construction 20 miles in either direction of Lake Oahe had to stop. The federal government had already called for construction along that part of the route to be halted, but Dallas-based pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners didn’t immediately respond to the Obama administration. In September 2016, the company said the pipeline was 60 percent complete and maintained it would not harm the  local water supply. But if that were absolutely certain, then why wasn’t the Bismarck location an appropriate site for the pipeline? As recently as October 2015, a North Dakota oil well blew out and leaked more than 67,000 gallons of crude, putting a tributary of the Missouri River at risk. Even if oil spills are rare and new technology works to prevent them, they cannot be completely ruled out. By rerouting the Dakota Access Pipeline, the federal government appears to have put the Standing Rock Sioux directly in harm’s way in the unlikely event of an oil spill. Controversy Over Protests The Dakota Access Pipeline hasn’t attracted media attention simply because of the natural resources at stake but also because of clashes between protesters and the oil company in charge of building it. In Spring 2016, only a small group of demonstrators  had set up camp on the reservation to protest the pipeline. But in the summer months, Sacred Stone Camp ballooned to thousands of activists, with some calling it â€Å"the largest gathering of Native Americans in a century,† the Associated Press reported. In early September, tensions heightened as protesters and journalists were arrested, and activists accused the security firm tasked with protecting the pipeline of pepper-spraying them and letting dogs viciously attack them. This called to mind similar images of attacks on civil rights protesters during the 1960s.    In light of the violent clashes between protesters and security guards, the Standing Rock Sioux were granted a permit to allow the water protectors to legally rally on the federal lands that surround the pipeline. The permit means the tribe is responsible for the cost of any damages, keeping demonstrators safe, liability insurance and more. Despite this shift, clashes between activists and officers continued in November 2016, with police reportedly firing tear gas and water canons at protesters. One activist came dangerously close to losing her arm as a result of an explosion that occurred during the confrontation. Protesters say she was injured by a grenade thrown by police, while police say she was hurt by a small propane tank that protesters rigged to explode, according to CBS News. Prominent Standing Rock Supporters A number of celebrities have publicly expressed their support for the Standing Rock Sioux’s protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Jane Fonda and Shailene Woodley helped serve Thanksgiving 2016 dinner to the demonstrators.  Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein visited the site and faced arrest for allegedly spray-painting construction equipment during a protest. A former 2016  presidential candidate also stands in solidarity with the Standing Rock, leading a rally against the pipeline. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) said on Twitter, â€Å"Stop the Dakota Access pipeline. Respect Native American rights. And let us move forward to transform our energy system.† Veteran rocker Neil Young even released a new song called â€Å"Indian Givers† in honor of the Standing Rock protest. The song’s title is a play on the racial insult. The lyrics state: There’s a battle raging on the sacred landOur brothers and sisters have to take a standAgainst us now for what we all been doingOn the sacred land there’s a battle brewingI wish somebody would share the newsNow it’s been about 500 yearsWe keep taking what we gave awayJust like what we call Indian giversIt makes you sick and gives you shivers Young also released a video for the song that features footage of the pipeline protests. The musician has recorded songs about similar environmental controversies, such as his 2014 protest song â€Å"Who’s Gonna Stand Up?† in protest of the Keystone XL pipeline. Leonardo DiCaprio announced that he shared the Sioux’s concerns as well. â€Å"Standing w/ the Great Sioux Nation to protect their water lands,† he said on Twitter, linking to a Change.org petition against the pipeline. â€Å"Justice League† actors Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher  took to social media to announce their objections to the pipeline. Momoa shared a photo of himself on Instagram with a sign that said, â€Å"Oil pipelines are a bad idea,† along with hashtags related to the Dakota Access Pipeline protest. Wrapping Up While the Dakota Access Pipeline protest has largely been framed as an environmental issue, it is also a racial justice issue. Even the judge who denied the Standing Rock Sioux’s temporary injunction to stop the pipeline, acknowledged that â€Å"the United States’ relationship with the Indian tribes has been contentious and tragic.† Since the Americas were colonized, Native Americans and other marginalized groups have fought for equal access to natural resources. Factory farms, power plants, freeways and other sources of pollution are all too often erected in communities of color. The richer and whiter a community is, the more likely its residents have clean air and water. So, the Standing Rock’s struggle to protect their land and water from the Dakota Access Pipeline is just as much an anti-discrimination issue as it is an environmental one.

Acupuncture essays

Acupuncture essays Acupuncture is currently being used for a number of medical treatments. It is important to look at the history of acupuncture, how it relates to post stroke patients and what its significance is to the nursing Acupuncture was developed by the ancient Chinese who "felt awe for the sanctity of the human body. The Nei Ching, attributed to the emperor Huang-Ti (2698-2598 BC), contains a reference to a theory of the circulation of the blood and the vital function of the heart that suggests familiarity with anatomy. Accurate location of the proper points for the traditional Chinese practice of acupuncture implies some familiarity with the nervous and vascular systems (Unknown, 2004)." Supporters of acupuncture believe "illness is caused by a disruption in the flow of qi (pronounced chee'), the collection of energies that endow us with our vitality (Boozang, 1998)." It is felt that the energy travels through "different medians that connect certain organs together (Levin, 2003)." The qi, or life force, is restored when "needles are inserted along the meridians at different acupuncture points, where energy travels close to the surface. Once inserted, the needles are then stimulated either manually by turning them, or electrically (Levin, 2003)." In the United States, the main reason acupuncture is performed is for pain relief, however it is also used for "rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, muscle and nerve difficulties', depression, smoking, eating disorders, drug behavior problems', migraine, acne, cancer and constipation (Boozang, 1998)." It is believed that acupuncture can lessen the addictions, as well as "manage disorders of the digestive, respiratory and vascular Since the early 1980's, acupuncture has "become a more acceptable alternative form of medical treatment in the United States. However, much of the information about acupuncture and its abil...