Broadband Market in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Broadband Market in the UK - Essay Example 4). Nevertheless, broadband services â€Å"can be accessed from the local telephone exchange (either via copper lines or fibre optic cable), a cable television hub and via wireless and satellite technologies† (Downing 2011, p. 4). Broadband services â€Å"is usually described by the amount of data (in bits) that can be transferred† (Downing 2011, p. 4). To give an idea of the required speed that would make data transfer fast and efficient, â€Å"a typical email is thousands of bits (kilobits or kb), a music file can be several million bits (megabits or Mb per second---Mbps) and a firm may be several billion bits (gigabits or GB)† (Downing 2011, p. 4). To enjoy a live stream requires a constant speed of 2Mbps and, in 2009, it was estimated that about 2.75 million people in the UK had broadband speed of less than this (Downing 2011, p. 6). Today, broadband services are highly available on mobile phones. Mobile telephony is â€Å"a largely deregulated market in the UK† and this may be an explanation why broadband services became increasingly available in mobile phones (Downing 2011, p. 12). II. ... 1). Nevertheless, residential fixed broadband customers have been using an average of 17GB of data monthly (Ofcom 2011b, p. 2). Citing data from the London Internet Exchange, Ofcom (2012b, p. 2) reported that internet traffic â€Å"has increased seven fold in the last five years.† The Ofcom estimated that if demand continues to grow at the same pace, new investments have to made (Ofcom 2011b, p. 2). New technologies are being introduced to deliver up to 80 Mbit/s over copper wires and 300Mbit/s over fibre (Ofcom 2011b, p. 2). In the market, there are at least three kinds of internet speed: the headline or the advertised speed, the average speed and the maximum speed (Ofcom 2011c, p. 3-4). 2G. According to UK Ofcom, as of November 2011, â€Å"97% of premises and 66% of the UK landmass can receive a 2G signal outdoors form all four 2G networks.† However, according to the same source, â€Å"approximately 900,000 UK premises do not have a choice of all four 2G mobile netwo rks.† The 2G coverage is mostly voice and SMS. The so-called 2G refers to â€Å"second generation of mobile telephony systems† (UK Ofcom 2011b, p. 101). The 2G â€Å"uses digital transmission to support voice, low-speed data communications, and short messaging services† (UK Ofcom 2011, p. 101). Ofcom calculates that for 2G, 99% of England, 92% of Wales and Northern Ireland and 98% of Scotland have broadband coverage (Downing 2012, p. 13). 3G. Meanwhile only â€Å"73% of premises and just 13% of the UK’s land mass receive a signal outdoors from all five 3G networks, with lower coverage in less densely populated areas† (UK Ofcom). Thus, â€Å"approximately 7.7 million UK premises do not have a choice of all five 3G mobile networks† (UK Ofcom 2011a).

Capital Punishment College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Capital Punishment College - Essay Example Finally, the Roman law of twelve tablets codified it in the fifth century BC (Death Penalty Information Center). As far as 437 BC, the usefulness of the capital punishment was questioned. By arguing its non-deterrent effect, Diodotus persuaded the Athenian assembly to reverse its decision to execute all adult males of the city of Mitylene. In the eighteenth century, various philosophers called for the abolition of the capital punishment. Montesquieu, for example, called for its restriction to murder, attempted murder, certain types of manslaughter and some offences against property. Beccaria, on the contrary, did not call for its limitation but rather for its complete abolition. The writings of Beccaria ended the distinction in the application of the capital punishment between poor and nobles, and his ideas led to the promulgation of a penal code in Tuscany that eliminated it entirely. The main debate surrounding the issue of capital punishment is its constitutionality. Capital punishment proponents believe that the capital punishment is an integral part of our criminal justice system and reserved for offenders who commit the most heinous of crimes, while death opponents believe in the sanctity of life for any reason. Capital punishment has been applied to both genders at all levels of competency. It has affected the lives of adults, juveniles and nearly all races of mankind. The continuation of the capital punishment raises several arguments. Capital punishment was a volatile issue in 20th century and continues to be a morally divisive topic in the 21st century. The underlying ideology of those who support capital punishment appears to be the notion of retribution and the concept of a safer society based on the theory of general deterrence. The following questions need to be examined when determining the validity of that premise: (a) is the capital punishment a general deterrence to future criminal activity, (b) is it morally acceptable to take a life in the name of justice, (c) is the capital punishment a form of cruel and unusual punishment And (d) should an offender with a mental deficiency be a candidate for execution The surveys conduced by the Pew Research (Robert, 2007) reveal that public now support the capital punishemnet more than ever before (see table 1 below) Source: Pew Research Although the arguments offered against the capital punishment have some weight and logic, it must be remembered that there is another party besides the murderer involved in every murder, and that is the victim. By the unjustified taking of another's life, the murderer has forfeited his own. Hence, we are not obligated to support murderers for the rest of their natural life. If one murderer is granted life in prison while another is executed, it is only because of the extraordinary degree of leniency that we have in our American system of jurisprudence, and not because of any intrinsic unfairness. It is also argued that there is no visible deterrence effect of capital punishment visible. This argument does not seem to be based on any factual grounds as it is impossible to prove the effect of something that didn't happen. On the other hand, it is a matter of common sense that some people would refrain from killing another person due to the fact that they fear death themselves. Similarly, many others refrain from murdering because they consider it socially reprehensible and they consider it

Ecosystem Approach in Fisheries Governance in the Arctic

Ecosystem Approach in Fisheries Governance in the Arctic A social science perspective on fisheries management and development Mikhnyuk Elizaveta Abstract The ecosystem approach to fisheries is a highly topical issue at present. The aim of current analysis was to reveal the historical development of the ecosystem approach to fisheries in the Arctic. The Arctic has natural resources and a rich wildlife is important to the inhabitants. The Arctic is undergoing major environmental changes including decrease in sea ice cover, increase in river runoff and precipitation, accelerated warming, and permafrost and glacier melt. This changes, along with new opportunities for economic development create more stress and pressure on the Arctic marine ecosystem. Introduction Arctic biodiversity isn’t only valuable in itself, but it is extremely important for use in various fields of human activity. Arctic is the habitat of species with striking adaptations to survive in the extreme cold and highly variable climatic conditions. More than ten percent of the global fish catch accounts for the Arctic Sea and the Arctic. More and more tourists are heading north. Growing worldwide interest in Arctic species and ecosystems as an increasingly rare example of primordial biological diversity. Warming and economic potential will cause health problems and welfare in the Arctic. Effects of pollutants on the environment and human health in the Arctic remains one of the highest priorities. Sources and pathways of these pollutants are found both inside and outside the region. In the Arctic marine and terrestrial animals, which are eaten by indigenous ethnic groups and other inhabitants of the North, accumulate many persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals resulting from industrial and agricultural activities carried much further south, but transferred and accumulated in the food chain. Moreover, many existing and abandoned military and industrial facilities left in the Arctic region pollutants and pollution. These objects can represent significant problems and potentially contribute to the deterioration of local and regional environment. The problem is even more serious conditions, there is a trend in the warming of the Arctic, which leads to an accelerated release and di stribution of substances in the environment. (Perelet R. 2006) What is the ecosystem approach? The term â€Å"Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries† (EAF) was adopted by the FAO Technical Consultation on Ecosystembased Fisheries Management held in Reykjavik from 16 to 19 September 2002 (FAO, 2003). Thereby the EAF should be seen as an evolution of traditional fisheries management and not as revolution. The term â€Å"approach† indicates that the concept delineates a way of taking ecosystem considerations into more conventional fisheries management (Garcia et al., 2003). The Reykjavik FAO Expert Consultation (FAO, 2003) was introduced the main purpose of an ecosystem approach to fisheries is to plan, develop and manage fisheries in a manner that addresses the multiplicity of societal needs and desires. (Kempf, 2009) Under the World Summit in Johannesburg in 2002, the participants were committed to implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries management within 2010 (Norwegian State Secretary Ulriksen, 2006). In 2003, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO, 2002) published guidelines for an ecosystem –based management approach to fisheries. The guidelines emphasized that fisheries should be conducted to limit the impact on ecosystems. Moreover, it also states that dependent and associated species being harvested should maintain their ecological relationship for further generation to be able to benefit from them. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) (the US fisheries in the Bering Sea) was supposed that ecosystem approach to fisheries management should consider the interactions among fisheries and their target species, their direct and indirect impact on other species and this influence on target fisheries, as well as broader ecosystem actions such as climate, predate or play relationship and other socioeconomic activities (NPFMC:71). The plan sees other activities that affect the marine ecosystem, such as communities, shipping, oil and gas development, and military. (Tonje Fingalsen, 2009) Arctic Marian Ecosystems The Arctic is the habitat of more than 21,000 species, well adapted to cold: mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates, plants and fungi, including lichens, as well as tens of thousands of species of microbes. The Arctic is a unique opportunity to keep large intact ecosystems to their original set of species. The implementation of this feature will help to preserve the integrity of Arctic biodiversity and sustainability of Arctic communities. Biodiversity in the Arctic is degraded, but the immediate adoption of decisive measures will help to keep extensive and relatively intact ecosystems tundra, mountains, fresh water, seas, and the role that they play in the livelihood of mankind. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world’s oceans (total area c. 10 million km2) and consists of a deep central basin, the Arctic Basin, surrounded by continental shelves. The Arctic Basin is further divided by the Lomonosov Ridge (maximum sill depth: 1,870 m; Jakobsson et al. 2008) into the Eurasian and Amerasian Basins. Maximum depths (c. 5,260 m) are found near the Gakkel Ridge, an extension of the North Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge system that divides the Eurasian Basin along a line from northern Greenland to the East Siberian shelf (Jakobsson et al. 2004). The Arctic Ocean has the most extensive shelves of any ocean, covering about 50% of its total area. The circumpolar marine Arctic comprises the Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, East Siberian Sea, Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Greenland Sea. The Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi shelves are shallow and broad (400-800 km) while the shelves Arctic marine ecosystems are important constituents of global biodiversity. Arctic marine ecosystems are habitats to a vast array of over 5,000 animal species and over 2,000 species of algae and tens of thousands of microbes. The marine Arctic also provides habitat for large populations of marine mammals and birds, some of which form colonies that are among the largest seabird colonies on the planet. The unique characteristics of Arctic marine ecosystems also contribute directly to global diversity. For example, Arctic sea ice ecosystems support biodiversity at various scales ranging from unique microbial communities to apex predator species such as the polar bear Ursus maritimus and walrus Odobaenus rosmarus whose ecology is closely associated with the sea ice environment. Indirectly, the Arctic Ocean plays a key role in shapingthe global biodiversity of marine and terrestrial ecosystemsas it plays an essential role in the Earth climatesystem. The Arctic Ocean also influences marine ecosystemsof the Atlantic Ocean directly, as waters and sea ice exiting the Arctic Ocean affect the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the North Atlantic. (Christine Michel, 2013) An Ecosystem Approach in the Arctic Ocean. Climate change affects the physical environment, with consequent impacts on ecosystems and species as well as the mobilization of contaminants. Human activity in the Arctic may increase due to improved access and rising global demand for resources. Risks from pollution such as oil spills will increase as Arctic development proceeds. Pathways for invasive species to reach the Arctic will become more numerous as more ships travel north and more roads are built. More activity also means a greater potential for habitat degradation. And more activity may mean more people, who may increase fishing and hunting pressures. The habitat needs of migratory species, long-range transport of persistent contaminants, global shipping lanes and the geography of ecosystems do not follow political boundaries. Thus, international cooperation is increasingly needed to fully address the conservation challenges that face Arctic biodiversity now and in the decades to come. The recommendations that follow recognize the interconnected and transboundary nature of the challenges to biodiversity conservation in the Arctic and beyond. (Henry Huntington, 2013) The cumulative impact of anthropogenic pressures such as climate change, pollution, and overfishing is of great concern in the polar regions, where marine ecosystems already face extreme environmental conditions (Clarke and Harris, 2003). This situation applies to the Arctic Ocean, where early signs of global warming (ACIA, 2004) and significant levels of persistent bio-accumulating pollutants (UNEP, 2006) are superimposed on local Stressors. Climate change impacts are expected to be greater in the Arctic than in any other region and will result in important socioeconomic changes. For example, future scenarios of climate change predict a reduction of the Arctic ice cover that will certainly lead to a significant increase in ship- ping, with new or enhanced harbour infrastructures and facilities built on Arctic coasts (Brigham and Ellis, 2004). In addition to marine transportation, traditional activities like fishing and hunting, a reactivation of the oil and gas industry in the offsh ore zone, and emergent sectors like tourism have the potential to affect Arctic ecosystems as never before. (Siron et al.,2008) In 1999 was started the development of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Integrated ecosystem approach to biodiversity and minimize habitat fragmentation in the Russian Arctic. The ecosystem approach doesn’t focus only on the regulation of certain types of fishing, but also ensures that the fishery absent a negative impact on the species associated with the target species or dependent. Given the inherent complexity of the ecosystem approach, it is not surprising that organizations involved in fisheries management, ecosystem usually ignores questions and focus on species, are subject to specific fisheries. In 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD, Johannesburg) noted that human-induced threats to biodiversity require urgent action, and for achieving progress in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is the ecosystem approach set out in the decisions taken in the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity. WSSD welcomed in its final document the application by 2010 of the ecosystem approach, noting the Reykjavik Declaration on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem and of the Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity. In 2002, the Declaration of the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council (Inari) gave a positive assessment of the GEF project Integrated Ecosystem Approach to Conserve Biodiversity and reduce violations of habitats in the Russian Arctic (ECORA) as an integrated ecosystem approach to the management of natural resources, in which individuals and communities improve their ability to make responsible decisions about their natural habitat. In 2004, the Reykjavik Declaration on the Strategic Plan for the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (AMSP), it is observed that the basis of AMSP put the ecosystem approach, and there was a call for Member States, working groups of the Arctic Council and relevant regional and international bodies to encourage application of this approach to the Arctic marine environment. The ecosystem approach is the key principle proposed to meet the long-term goals of the Arctic Councils Arctic Marine Strategic Plan: to reduce and prevent pollution, conserve marine biodiversity and ecosystem functions, promote the health and prosperity of Arctic inhabitants, and advance sustainable marine resource use (Arctic Council, 2004). The Strategic Plan for the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment recognizes the need on the basis of international agreements contribute to global control and reduction of production in the Arctic found dangerous chemicals. Fingalsen T. supposed that the greatest fear in the Arctic is an oil spill. How the petroleum company is going to clean it up, especially from the ice? Twenty years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prince William Sound cannot be perceived as clean. Oil spills might be rare, but it we still don’t know the long term consequences on how an oil spill and seismic exploration affects sea mammals. The petroleum industry might create jobs, but how important is this if it interferes with the way of life of the indigenous peoples? (Fingalsen T, 2009) The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has developed an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. This approach doesn’t concentrate exclusively on industrial species. The main goal is prevent the harmful influence of fishing on the dependent and related species. Unlike other multilateral agreements on Fisheries Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources is engaged not only the regulation of fishing, but is also responsible for the preservation of the ecosystem. Such an ecosystem approach, which considers the entire Southern Ocean as a set of interconnected ecosystems, the case for other multilateral agreements on fisheries. The ecosystem approach does not focus exclusively on the species, non-target species. This approach aims to avoid situations in which fishing has an adverse influence on their dependent and associated species (animals with which people compete for food resources). Conclusion Large areas of the Arctic is still relatively little change, which makes it possible to take proactive measures to minimize or even complete prevention of future problems, the elimination which would be very expensive or simply impossible. For the conservation of biological diversity in the Arctic ecosystem approach is needed to the examination of projects implemented here, to assess the possible environmental impact of their implementation, the ecosystem approach to fisheries planning biological resources, taking into account possible changes in climate and ecosystem change, the value of ecosystem functions in the assessment of projects and planning fishing bioresources as well as the choice of options for the development of the Arctic regions. More and more countries (including the Arctic circumpolar countries) will incorporate ecosystem approach into their national legislation and policy instruments for the management of activities and resources in marine areas under their jurisdiction. Optimally, national approaches will be compatible and consistent with each other, though not necessarily similar. Work with this species in the Arctic-wide level will not be easy Reference list Fingalsen T. (2009) Arctic Governance and Human Economic Interest: An Ecosystem Management Approach to Arctic Stakeholders. Bodà ¸ Graduate School of Business, Norway. Fisheries and Aquaculture topics. Fisheries governance. Topics Fact Sheets. in FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department [online]. Rome. Retrieved 15 October 2014 from http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/2014/en. Garcia, S.M.; Zerbi, A.; Aliaume, C.; Do Chi, T.; Lasserre, G. (2003). The ecosystem approach to fisheries. Issues, terminology, principles, institutional foundations, implementation and outlook. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 443. Rome, FAO. 71 p. Huntington H. (2013) Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF). Akureyri, Iceland. Retrieved 20 October 2014 from http://www.arcticbiodiversity.is/the-report/report-for-policy-makers. Kempf A. (2010) Ecosystem approach to fisheries in the European context – history and future challenges. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, pp. 102-109. Michel C. Chapter 14. Marine Ecosystems. Arctic Biodiversity Assessment. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF). 2013, Akureyri, Iceland. Retrieved 1 November 2014 from http://www.arcticbiodiversity.is/the-report/chapters/marine-ecosystems. Perelet R. (2006) The ecosystem approach to environmental management and environmental management. Management of the economy, pp. 34 – 50. Siron R., Sherman K., Skjoldal H.R., Hiltz E. (2008) Ecosystem-Based Management in the Arctic Ocean: A Multi-Level Spatial Approach. Arctic, Vol. 61, Supplement 1: Arctic Change and Coastal Communities, pp. 86-102. Shuntov V.P., Temnykh O.S. (2013) Illusions and realities of ecosystem approach to study and management of marine and oceanic biological resources, pp. 3–29.

Sears Holding Corp Essay -- Business Analysis Management Essays Papers

Sears Holding Corp.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kmart and Sears have been part of the retail industry of America for the last two centuries, and as of November, 2004, they will be continuing due to their merger as Sears Holding Corp. This paper will first look at the history of the two companies to see how they started and what each company set out to achieve. This section will also include why the two companies failed. Secondly, a SWOT analysis will be performed on the new company, Sears Holding Corp, to try to identify where it stands in the present. Finally, a hypothesis of how the new company is likely to be accepted by consumers and whether it is likely to succeed will be discussed. Kmart History   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  S.S. Kresge Co., the predecessor of Kmart, was founded in 1889 by Sebastian J Kresge, in Detroit Michigan. The small store, which sold everything for five and ten cents, was an instant success. By 1912 S.S. Kresge Co. had expanded to 85 stores with annual sales of more than $10 million. The 1920’s saw a larger increase in merchandise variety and prices, Kresge’s first steps to becoming a discount store. This final leap to a discount store was made in the 1950’s, when the company realized that they needed to make some changes in order to remain competitive. In 1962 S.S. Kresge Co. opened their first Kmart discount department store in a suburb of Detroit. During that same year seventeen other Kmart stores opened. Realizing that discount stores were the wave of the future S.S. Kresge changed its name to Kmart in 1977. In 1987 Kmart sold its remaining Kresge stores (kmartcorp.com).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the years of 1984 to 1992 Kmart bought several businesses, including Builders Square in 1984, the Sports Authority in 1990, a 90-percent stake in OfficeMax in 1991, and Borders bookstores in 1992. However, in 1995 with a close brush with bankruptcy, Kmart sold those businesses in which they had just invested and refocused its efforts back on the discount stores. During that same year Kmart began converting its traditional stores to a new high frequency format designed to improve the customer shopping experience. A new name, Big Kmart, was assigned to these stores (in April 1997) (kmartcorp.com).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, all the changes Kmart made throughout its long history to remain current with ideas of the times, were not enough to help Kmart maintain its competitive edge. Kmart also m... ... Levy, M. â€Å"Kmart-Sears Merger† Start Tribune 18 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Retailindustry.about.com â€Å"Retail Consolidations† 30 November 2004 Schuman, E. â€Å"Sears, Kmart Merger to Create Huge Retail IT Operation† E-Week† 17 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Schuman, E. â€Å"Where America Shops Meets Where America Shoplifts† E-Week† 19 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Searsarchives.com 29 November 2004 Snavely, B. â€Å"Grand Strategy; Converting Kmart stores will help get Sears ‘Off the Mall’† Crain’s Detroit Business 22 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Strasburg, J. â€Å"Kmart to buy Sears, Create No. 3 Retail Giant† The San Francisco Chronicle 18 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Troy, M. â€Å"Kmart Holding Corporation and Sears, Roebuck and Co. Agree to Merge† Business Wire 17 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Wikipedia.org â€Å"Kmart Corporation† 29 November 2004

Descartes methods of doubt Essay

?In this paper, I will be examining Rene Descartes’ reasons for doubting all of his beliefs. I will begin with Descartes’ first meditation, showing how he argues his reasons of doubt. Followed with Descartes’ second meditation, presenting the one piece of knowledge that Descartes finds irrefutable and explaining why he believes it to be so. Descartes formulates three different skepticisms while reflecting on a number of falsehoods he was led to believe throughout his life. Upon reflection, Descartes decides that he must establish a new foundation of beliefs, he declares, â€Å"I must once for all seriously undertake to rid myself of all the opinions which I formally accepted† (Descartes, p. 17). Descartes decides that if there is any reason to doubt one of his present beliefs, then the belief as a whole must be rejected. Descartes starts with his beliefs, which he has come to through his own senses. It is hard to doubt one’s own senses but Descartes acknowledges that even the most trusted senses have the ability to be deceitful. For example, when I look up at the sun it appears to be relatively small, but in reality the sun is much larger then I perceive it to be. Therefore, my sense of sight is not completely accurate, which then causes me to doubt my sense of sight. Unless the object in view is close at hand, then how could I possibly doubt that the object exists? Descartes finds reason for doubt even with objects up close. To argue this claim he formulates his dream hypothesis to prove that our senses can still be misleading even in cases like this, he states â€Å"I have in sleep deceived by similar illusions, and in dwelling carefully on this reflection I see so manifestly that there are no certain indications by which we may clearly distinguish wakefulness from sleep† (Descartes, p. 18). When Descartes’ senses fail in separating the two states, his trust in his senses are doubted because his senses cannot differentiate dreams from reality. It is this doubt that leads Descartes to the realization that beliefs derived from senses cannot be fully trusted, and in fact proves that there may not be any physical matter as all. Descartes dives even deeper into the role of senses in dreams, as well as art; stating â€Å"Things which are represented to us in sleep are like painted representations which can only have been formed as the counterpart of something real and true† (Descartes, p. 18). This shows that what we perceive to be real is the driving force behind our imagination. Furthermore, our dreams spawn from our imaginations’, which means that our dreams consist of only thing that we perceive to be real. Now looking back to what I previously stated, if our senses cannot be trusted to differentiate dreams from reality then how can I be sure that I’m not asleep at this very moment and that I am only dreaming of typing on a laptop. Aside from Descartes disbelief in his own senses, Descartes doubts the validity in sciences. Descartes justifies this uncertainty with his evil genius hypothesis; he says, â€Å"Some evil genius not less powerful than deceitful, has employed his whole energies in deceiving me† (Descartes, p. 19). This quote suggests, it is possible that our foundations of math and science are false, and that all beliefs may be deceptions. This skeptical hypothesis is arguably the most powerful of all skeptical hypothesizes. With this premise, doubt can be found in any belief that can be conceived and Descartes concludes that nothing has ever existed. After Descartes attempts to rid himself of all belief that he considers to be false he is left with to many doubts to forget, Descartes expresses his emotions by saying, â€Å"I had all of the sudden fallen into very deep water, I am so disconnected that I can neither make certain of setting my feet on the bottom, nor can I swim and so support myself on the surface. † (Descartes, p. 133). We can see the mixed emotions Descartes experiences with this statment. I believe that this disconcert stems from the fact that Descartes now doubts everything he knew and once believed to have validity. I also believe that it is this distress that led him to unearth the one piece of knowledge that he is unable to deny. After much thought, Descartes realizes that the only belief he cannot deny is that he himself exists. Descartes then states, â€Å"But there is some deceiver or other, very powerful and very cunning, who ever employs his ingenuity in deceiving me. Then without doubt I exist also if he deceives me† (Descartes, p. 134). This quote displays to me that Descartes knows that if he is able to be deceived, by whom ever it may be, then in fact he must exist because if he did not exist then he would not be able to be deceived. Therefore, Descartes finally finds validity in a belief, which he vitally needs at this time of conflicting thought upon all of his former beliefs. In conclusion, Descartes’ doubt in all of his believes is formed through his skeptical hypothesizes, beginning with senses are deceiving at a distance, which doubts sizes and shapes at a distance when perceived, but not up close. Following with his dream hypothesis, which can doubt things up close facilitated by the imagination, but cannot doubt truths of mathematics and sciences. Closing with the evil genius hypothesis, which is able to doubt mathematical facts such as a square having four sides, but this final hypothesis brings the one undisputable belief of existence.

Training and Workouts

Erick Johnson is an endurance athlete who trains for the 3,000 metre race.   His training schedule involves steady pace runs, anaerobic threshold training, cruise intervals, pace surge training and repetition training.   Interval training and speed endurance also form part of his weekly workouts (Rogers, 2000).   The steady pace runs are aimed at increasing running efficiency, developing the cardiovascular system and improving the process of capillarization. For him to be able to tolerate and buffer the rise in lactic acid during running, Erick performs anaerobic threshold training.   Repetition training aims at   developing the pace consciousness of the athlete while pace-surging training involves alternating steady-pace runs with surges r bursts off speed running.   This helps him to be able to adjust to the shifts in the pace during a competition. All these components of his training are also aimed at increasing his endurance by lowering the rate at which lactate acid builds up and enhancing oxygen transportation. The exercises have the effect of increasing his metabolism to higher levels than that of the average human being. A weekly work out for Erick would be as follows, on a Monday he performs 20 minutes of aerobic threshold training run, followed by build ups and a period of cool-down.   On Tuesday he does an easy run of the 3000 metre race.   On Wednesday he does negative split runs four times, after which he does build-ups.   When doing the negative split run, he starts with five minutes warm up that involves walking briskly and jogging lightly. He then   runs at a moderate pace for ten minutes and increase his pace over the next ten minutes then he cools down for five minutes.   (http://outside.away.com/outside/fracture/2000609/negative-split-workout.html).   On Thursdays he does five repetitions of the actual race pace but that have been broken down to 900metre races.   Erick does the easy run and practices accelerations which means he is practising to increase his speed on Fridays.   On Saturdays he does his best average speed for the race in 1000metre intervals then on Sundays he does a long run. His training schedule sometimes changes by the week especially if a competition is close but with basically the same activities though at different frequencies and intervals. Daily Diet Breakfast 2 slices whole wheat toast Grape fruit 1 poached egg 1 tsp butter or vegetable margarine or honey Lunch 1 cup clear vegetable soup sprinkled with fresh herbs Brown rice 1 cup beans Green salad in season Dinner 2 slices meat steaks with vegetable Crisp bread 25g cottage cheese with fresh herbs 75g fresh fruit salad Snacks 1 cup apple juice, canned  ½ cup raw black berries 1 piece fruit cake 3 fig bar cookies Crackles regular wheat  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (USDA, 2005) The B complex vitamins are important for an endurance athlete especially because they have increased needs for vitamins due to the higher metabolism rates that are above the normal population.   The B complex vitamins are also involved in formation of red blood cells.   If deficient, red blood cells formation is compromised leading to fewer or poorly formed red blood cells resulting in decreased capacity for oxygen transportation which would compromise the endurance of the athlete (Moore, 2004) Deficiencies of the B complex vitamin may result in decreased capacity for endurance.   Vitamin B6 takes part in different processes of metabolism involving proteins and glycogen.   A high protein diet will thus result in increased need for vitamin B6.   Vitamin B12 is necessary for the formation of red blood cells and is also important to ensure their normal functioning.   Folic acid is also a requirement for red blood cell formation and metabolism of amino acids (Moore, 2004). References Rogers J, 2000 USA Track and Field Coaching Manual, Human Kinetics, ISBN 0880116048 Moore J, 2004 Vitamins, USMS retrieved from http://www.usms.org/articles/articledispaly.php?a=77 USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20