The Definitive Guide to the Xiggi Method for SAT Prep

The Definitive Guide to the Xiggi Method for SAT Prep SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The Xiggi Method was written by a popular member of the forum CollegeConfidential. After scoring well on the SAT, he wrote 10 pages of his top tips for SAT prep. The value in the Xiggi Method, however, is not just in reading the guide, but in understanding how to put it into action in your own study plan. As he notes himself, "there are no earth-shattering secrets...it's mostly based on common sense." Therefore, to get the most out of the Xiggi Method, you need to understand critical ways that it may not apply to you and know how to move forward to guide your own SAT prep. Read on for our detailed guide to the Xiggi Method and how to use it. If you don't already have the Xiggi Method document, click here to download it. Note that all these points work equally well for the ACT. Instead of the Official SAT Study Guide mentioned below, you'll need to buy The Real ACT. The 7 Major Points of the Xiggi Method Let's start with the key points from this SAT study guide: Why prep for the SAT? Because the SAT is unlike anything you've ever taken in school. The questions are different, and the skills tested are different from what you've learned. Brilliant students can do poorly on the SAT, and weak students can do extremely well on the SAT. Therefore, familiarizing yourself with the test will dramatically raise your score - if you study the right way. When taking full-length practice tests, use only official tests published by the College Board. No other company publishes tests as realistic as the College Board. Take your first practice tests without a time limit. Spend 30 minutes taking a section, then spend 30 minutes reviewing your answers. Review both correct and incorrect answers - try hard to understand every question in detail! Most other books not published by the College Board aren't very good. They give "strategies" that seem like they'll help on the test, but actually aren't very effective. They're mostly helpful for people scoring in the lower ranges who don't have a good grasp of the underlying content. Vocab studying isn't as important as it used to be. Don't memorize giant lists of thousands of words - your time is better spent elsewhere, like in getting better at passage questions. If you want to study vocab, study it over a long period of time so that the words stick in your memory. Most nationwide test prep chains like Princeton Review and Kaplan are way more expensive than they're worth. At $800-1600, you'll sit in a class with an inexperienced instructor who's just rehashing the $30 book you can buy on Amazon. When you've learned more of the underlying content and understand the SAT in more detail, then you can schedule timed,full-length exams to get familiar with the endurance and energy needed for the 4-hour test. You'll need to face timing pressureto know how the real test will feel. In his SAT guide, Xiggi goes into more detail in each of these points. His main points are sound advice, and we agree with them on a high level. However, there are a few critical ways that the Xiggi Method may not work well for you... 5 Warnings about the Xiggi Method and You (Important) If You're Not Motivated The Xiggi Method is most applicable for highly motivated students driving for a top score. If you find it hard to motivate yourself to study, you will benefit from having more structure in your prep. You may need someone else to remind you to study and to hold you accountable, or a study program that gives you clear step by step instructions on what to do. If You Find it Hard to Learn From Your Mistakes If you find it hard to learn from your mistakes, you'll need someone who can teach you. The most important part of SAT prep is understanding where you're going wrong and how to avoid those mistakes in the future. If an answer explanation on a page often doesn't help you understand your mistakes, you need to find a person who can guide you. Do NOT "Buy As Many Books As You Can" Even though Xiggi suggests it, you should NOT buy 'as many books as you can.' In fact, this will waste a lot of time and money as you spread yourself too thin. Focus on the Official SAT Study Guide published by the College Board, and one or two supplemental books that teach you underlying content and strategies. When I was studying for the SAT, I used three main books: The Official SAT Study Guide, Barron's SAT, and another book of practice questions. I went through all of them and scored a 2400. It was my quality of studying, not the number of books, that earned my full score. Look out soon for our comprehensive guide to the best SAT/ACT books. You Need to Schedule Enough Time to Study You need to schedule time to study. There's no way around it. The SAT is so expansive and covers so many types of questions that to get familiar with all of them, you need to encounter them over and over again. We recommend that you study at least 40 hours to have the best chance of raising your score. If You're on a Tight Budget The method relies on buying books, which can amount to $100 or more. If this is out of your budget, here are two methods to find those books so you can study. 1) Visit your local library or school library and see if they have the books. Check them out and work on paper so you can return the books. 2) Visit your local bookstore, which is very likely to have the books mentioned in this article. You can sit in the bookstore and work from the books without buying it (just don't spill coffee or make marks in the book!) What To Do Next: Following the main points of the Xiggi Method is a great way to get your feet wet in SAT prep. Here's a step by step guide on what to do: Buy the Official SAT Study Guide by the College Board, if you haven't already. Take Test 1, section by section, without a timer. After each section, review all your answers, even the questions you got right. Aim for equal times taking the test and reviewing: about 30 minutes for each section, and 30 minutes reviewing. Reflect on your progress. Were you able to finish Step 2 within one or two weeks? If not, you likely need more motivation to put in enough study time. Were you able to understand every single answer choice, correct and incorrect? If not, you'll need clear answer explanations, or a tutor who can guide you through your mistakes. Adapt your study plan according to your reflection. Keep reading to learn even more SAT prep strategies. Read More: Month-by-Month; A one-year study schedule for serious extended SAT study. What is a good score on the SAT? Start Improving Your SAT Score Today:

Definition of Relief in Geography

Definition of Relief in Geography In geography, a locations relief is the difference between its highest and lowest elevations. For example,  with both mountains and valleys in the area, the local relief of Yosemite National Park is impressive. A two-dimensional relief map displays the topography of a given area. Physical relief maps actually have raised areas that represent different elevations. (You may have seen them in school.) However, if youre going for a hike, theyre not very practical to carry in your pocket. Flat Maps Flat maps represent relief in a variety of ways.  On older flat maps, you may see areas with lines of various thickness to represent variations in the steepness of locations. With this technique, known as  hachuring, the thicker the lines, the steeper the area. As mapmaking evolved, hachuring was replaced by shaded areas that represented variations in the steepness of the land. These types of maps may also show altitude notations at various locations on the map to give viewers some context. Differences in elevation on flat maps can also also be represented using different colors- usually lighter to darker for ascending elevations, with the darkest areas being the farthest above sea level. The drawback with this method is that contours in the land dont show up. Reading Topographic Maps Topographic maps, which also are types of flat maps, use contour lines to represent elevation. These lines connect points that are at the same level, so you know that when you travel from one line to another, you are either going up or down in elevation. The lines also have numbers on them, specifying which elevation is represented by the points connected by that line. The lines maintain a consistent interval between them- such as 100 feet or 50 meters- which will be noted in the maps legend. As the lines get closer together, the land becomes steeper. If the numbers become lower as you move toward the center of an area, they represent the site of a depression and have hash marks on them to distinguish them from hills. Common Uses for Topographic Maps Youll find topographic maps in sporting goods stores or online sites that cater to outdoor enthusiasts. Since topographic maps also display water depths, locations of rapids, waterfalls, dams, boat ramp access points, intermittent streams, wooded marshes and swamps, sand vs. gravel beaches, sandbars, seawalls, breakwaters, dangerous rocks, levees, and mangroves, they are extremely useful to campers, hikers, hunters, and anyone going fishing, rafting, or boating. Topographic maps also show aboveground and buried pipelines, as well as utility and telephone poles, caves, covered reservoirs, cemeteries, mine shafts, open-pit mines, campgrounds, ranger stations, winter recreation areas, and dirt roads that likely wont appear on your basic roadmap. While topography refers to land, a chart that shows the varying depths of water is called  a bathymetric  chart  or  map. In addition to showing depths with lines as on a topographic map, these types of charts may also show differences in depths via color-coding.  Surfers might review bathymetric charts of beaches in order to locate places where waves are likely to break bigger than in other areas (a steep ascent in proximity to a beach means larger waves).

Communication and Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication and Conflict - Essay Example It is hot and pounding and threatens to deform our lives. Conflict is a blacksmith’s forge. It is the process of going through searing fire and being hammered and pummelled and twisted into shape. It is struggling at the hand of the blacksmith but being helpless to defend oneself. It is undergoing tribulation to the point where one feels he could go no further, and then getting his second wind and finding he could go a bit further. But there is something good about going through the forge and suffering the blacksmith’s blows. The searing heat burns away the impurities to expose the glowing metal beneath. The blows shape and the grind sharpens until a metallic masterpiece materializes from the shapeless clump of matter. The challenge is to be brave enough to go through the forge. In this sense, conflict is good because it brings out the best in us. It makes us aware that we can go as far as we can, and then a bit further. It tells us that to be shaped into a work of art or a samurai sword, we have to first be malleable and compliant, and allow change to happen. Finally, conflict is beneficial, because it means we trust the Blacksmith to create a thing of beauty out of us that initially only He can see, and trust that He shall not pass us through the forge more than is necessary to bring out the remarkable strength hidden within us.

Nation-building Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Nation-building - Research Paper Example he Republic of Philippines (13 00 N, 122 00 E) is located in South Eastern Asia between the South China Sea and the Philippines Sea, in the east of Vietnam. The country has tropical marine climate with mostly mountainous terrain and coastal lowlands. The country is an agglomeration of more than 7100 islands. However, only 11 of them are populated. The capital is Manila. History The Republic of Philippines was a Spanish colony during the 16th Century and was conquered by US in the 20th century. In 1935, following the Spanish-American war, Philippines became a self governed commonwealth. During World War 2, the islands fell under the Japanese. From 1944-45 US and Filipinos joint forces fought collectively; and in 1946 as the Republic of Philippines. The Republic of Philippines (locally known as Pilipinas) is made up of 80 provinces and 120 chartered cities. Since the month of June 2010, Benigno Aquino is the president. Economy The Republic of Philippines was once one of the best econom ies in the Asia Pacific region. However, currently the country’s economy is suffering from high poverty rate which is a result of lack of population control and family planning measures. The republic of Philippines has a total population of 93.6 million as per UN data in the year 2010. The official language is called Filipino and English. Majority of the population are Christians. In Asia, The Republic of Philippines has the highest birth rate leading to a high population growth rate. At this rate, the forecast is that the population will be doubled within just three decades. The economy is also crumbling under government deficits and is heavily dependent on the remittances sent by the Filipinos working abroad. The country’s Gross Domestic Product or GDP grew by 7.3 percent in the year... The researcher states the Republic of Philippines has immense potential in terms of being a tourism giant internationally. Island tourism is increasing at a fast rate and the position of the Philippines islands is also strategically advantageous. Topping it is the language advantage- English being one of the official languages. Besides the unique treasures of the Filipino culture as well as the natural assets of both mountain and sea beach is a key strategic point for marketing the country as an attractive tourist destination. However, for successfully marketing The Republic of Philippines, the advertising agency and the Department of Tourism needs to capture the vibes of tourism marketing. It should concentrate at the fact that only natural resources or geographic diversity is not enough for the country to be positioned as a tourism giant. The essential part is forming an emotional relationship with the target audience, so that they keep coming back. Asia has seen a number of succes sful tourism campaigns like Malaysia- Truly Asia, Seoul- Infinitely Yours and The Incredible India campaign. The department of tourism should take cues from such marketing campaigns and try to create an original brand that is strengthened with its unique brand salience and sense of association. Also in the wake of the global financial crisis, the leading tourism industries have suffered. This global slowdown is also a challenge that the Department of Tourism will encounter. Also the outbreak of influenza virus and H1N1 flu led to further negative trends.

Genetically Foods Essay Example for Free

Genetically Foods Essay Genetically-modified foods (GM foods) have made a big splash in the news lately. European environmental organizations and public interest groups have been actively protesting against GM foods for months, and recent controversial studies about the effects of genetically-modified corn pollen on monarch butterfly caterpillars1, 2 have brought the issue of genetic engineering to the forefront of the public consciousness in the U. S. In response to the upswelling of public concern, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held three open meetings in Chicago, Washington, D. C., and Oakland, California to solicit public opinions and begin the process of establishing a new regulatory procedure for government approval of GM foods3. I attended the FDA meeting held in November 1999 in Washington, D. C. , and here I will attempt to summarize the issues involved and explain the U. S. governments present role in regulating GM food. What are genetically-modified foods? The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used. The best known example of this is the use of B. t. genes in corn and other crops. B. t. , or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a naturally occurring bacterium that produces crystal proteins that are lethal to insect larvae. B. t. crystal protein genes have been transferred into corn, enabling the corn to produce its own pesticides against insects such as the European corn borer. For two informative overviews of some of the techniques involved in creating GM foods, visit Biotech Basics (sponsored by Monsanto) http://www. biotechknowledge. monsanto. com/biotech/bbasics. nsf/index or Techniques of Plant Biotechnology from the National Center for Biotechnology Education http://www. ncbe. reading. ac. uk/NCBE/GMFOOD/techniques. What are some of the advantages of GM foods? The world population has topped 6 billion people and is predicted to double in the next 50 years. Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population is going to be a major challenge in the years to come. GM foods promise to meet this need in a number of ways: Pest resistance Crop losses from insect pests can be staggering, resulting in devastating financial loss for farmers and starvation in developing countries. Farmers typically use many tons of chemical pesticides annually. Consumers do not wish to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of potential health hazards, and run-off of agricultural wastes from excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers can poison the water supply and cause harm to the environment. Growing GM foods such as B. t.corn can help eliminate the application of chemical pesticides and reduce the cost of bringing a crop to market4, 5. Herbicide tolerance For some crops, it is not cost-effective to remove weeds by physical means such as tilling, so farmers will often spray large quantities of different herbicides (weed-killer) to destroy weeds, a time-consuming and expensive process, that requires care so that the herbicide doesnt harm the crop plant or the environment. Crop plants genetically-engineered to be resistant to one very powerful herbicide could help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed. For example, Monsanto has created a strain of soybeans genetically modified to be not affected by their herbicide product Roundup  ®6. A farmer grows these soybeans which then only require one application of weed-killer instead of multiple applications, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste run-off7. Disease resistance There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause plant diseases. Plant biologists are working to create plants with genetically-engineered resistance to these diseases8, 9. Cold tolerance Unexpected frost can destroy sensitive seedlings. An antifreeze gene from cold water fish has been introduced into plants such as tobacco and potato. With this antifreeze gene, these plants are able to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings10. (Note: I have not been able to find any journal articles or patents that involve fish antifreeze proteins in strawberries, although I have seen such reports in newspapers. I can only conclude that nothing on this application has yet been published or patented.) Drought tolerance/salinity tolerance As the world population grows and more land is utilized for housing instead of food production, farmers will need to grow crops in locations previously unsuited for plant cultivation. Creating plants that can withstand long periods of drought or high salt content in soil and groundwater will help people to grow crops in formerly inhospitable places11, 12. Nutrition Malnutrition is common in third world countries where impoverished peoples rely on a single crop such as rice for the main staple of their diet. However, rice does not contain adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. If rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated. For example, blindness due to vitamin A deficiency is a common problem in third world countries. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Institute for Plant Sciences have created a strain of golden rice containing an unusually high content of beta-carotene (vitamin A)13. Since this rice was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation14, a non-profit organization, the Institute hopes to offer the golden rice seed free to any third world country that requests it. Plans were underway to develop a golden rice that also has increased iron content. However, the grant that funded the creation of these two rice strains was not renewed, perhaps because of the vigorous anti-GM food protesting in Europe, and so this nutritionally-enhanced rice may not come to market at all15. Pharmaceuticals Medicines and vaccines often are costly to produce and sometimes require special storage conditions not readily available in third world countries. Researchers are working to develop edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes16, 17. These vaccines will be much easier to ship, store and administer than traditional injectable vaccines. Phytoremediation Not all GM plants are grown as crops. Soil and groundwater pollution continues to be a problem in all parts of the world. Plants such as poplar trees have been genetically engineered to clean up heavy metal pollution from contaminated soil18. How prevalent are GM crops? What plants are involved? According to the FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are over 40 plant varieties that have completed all of the federal requirements for commercialization (http://vm. cfsan. fda. gov/%7Elrd/biocon). Some examples of these plants include tomatoes and cantalopes that have modified ripening characteristics, soybeans and sugarbeets that are resistant to herbicides, and corn and cotton plants with increased resistance to insect pests. Not all these products are available in supermarkets yet; however, the prevalence of GM foods in U. S. grocery stores is more widespread than is commonly thought. While there are very, very few genetically-modified whole fruits and vegetables available on produce stands, highly processed foods, such as vegetable oils or breakfast cereals, most likely contain some tiny percentage of genetically-modified ingredients because the raw ingredients have been pooled into one processing stream from many different sources. Also, the ubiquity of soybean derivatives as food additives in the modern American diet virtually ensures that all U. S. consumers have been exposed to GM food products. The U. S. statistics that follow are derived from data presented on the USDA web site at http://www. ers. usda. gov/briefing/biotechnology/. The global statistics are derived from a brief published by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) at http://www. isaaa. org/publications/briefs/Brief_21. htm and from the Biotechnology Industry Organization at http://www. bio.org/foodag/1999Acreage. Thirteen countries grew genetically-engineered crops commercially in 2000, and of these, the U. S. produced the majority. In 2000, 68% of all GM crops were grown by U. S. farmers. In comparison, Argentina, Canada and China produced only 23%, 7% and 1%, respectively. Other countries that grew commercial GM crops in 2000 are Australia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Spain, and Uruguay. Soybeans and corn are the top two most widely grown crops (82% of all GM crops harvested in 2000), with cotton, rapeseed (or canola) and potatoes trailing behind. 74% of these GM crops were modified for herbicide tolerance, 19% were modified for insect pest resistance, and 7% were modified for both herbicide tolerance and pest tolerance. Globally, acreage of GM crops has increased 25-fold in just 5 years, from approximately 4. 3 million acres in 1996 to 109 million acres in 2000 almost twice the area of the United Kingdom. Approximately 99 million acres were devoted to GM crops in the U. S. and Argentina alone. In the U. S. , approximately 54% of all soybeans cultivated in 2000 were genetically-modified, up from 42% in 1998 and only 7% in 1996. In 2000, genetically-modified cotton varieties accounted for 61% of the total cotton crop, up from 42% in 1998, and 15% in 1996. GM corn and also experienced a similar but less dramatic increase. Corn production increased to 25% of all corn grown in 2000, about the same as 1998 (26%), but up from 1. 5% in 1996. As anticipated, pesticide and herbicide use on these GM varieties was slashed and, for the most part, yields were increased (for details, see the UDSA publication at http://www. ers. usda. gov/publications/aer786/). What are some of the criticisms against GM foods? Environmental activists, religious organizations, public interest groups, professional associations and other scientists and government officials have all raised concerns about GM foods, and criticized agribusiness for pursuing profit without concern for potential hazards, and the government for failing to exercise adequate regulatory oversight. It seems that everyone has a strong opinion about GM foods. Even the Vatican19 and the Prince of Wales20 have expressed their opinions. Most concerns about GM foods fall into three categories: environmental hazards, human health risks, and economic concerns. Environmental hazards Unintended harm to other organisms Last year a laboratory study was published in Nature21 showing that pollen from B. t. corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars consume milkweed plants, not corn, but the fear is that if pollen from B. t. corn is blown by the wind onto milkweed plants in neighboring fields, the caterpillars could eat the pollen and perish. Although the Nature study was not conducted under natural field conditions, the results seemed to support this viewpoint. Unfortunately, B. t. toxins kill many species of insect larvae indiscriminately; it is not possible to design a B. t. toxin that would only kill crop-damaging pests and remain harmless to all other insects. This study is being reexamined by the USDA, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other non-government research groups, and preliminary data from new studies suggests that the original study may have been flawed22, 23. This topic is the subject of acrimonious debate, and both sides of the argument are defending their data vigorously. Currently, there is no agreement about the results of these studies, and the potential risk of harm to non-target organisms will need to be evaluated further. Reduced effectiveness of pesticides Just as some populations of mosquitoes developed resistance to the now-banned pesticide DDT, many people are concerned that insects will become resistant to B. t. or other crops that have been genetically-modified to produce their own pesticides. Gene transfer to non-target species Another concern is that crop plants engineered for herbicide tolerance and weeds will cross-breed, resulting in the transfer of the herbicide resistance genes from the crops into the weeds. These superweeds would then be herbicide tolerant as well. Other introduced genes may cross over into non-modified crops planted next to GM crops. The possibility of interbreeding is shown by the defense of farmers against lawsuits filed by Monsanto. The company has filed patent infringement lawsuits against farmers who may have harvested GM crops. Monsanto claims that the farmers obtained Monsanto-licensed GM seeds from an unknown source and did not pay royalties to Monsanto. The farmers claim that their unmodified crops were cross-pollinated from someone elses GM crops planted a field or two away. More investigation is needed to resolve this issue. There are several possible solutions to the three problems mentioned above. Genes are exchanged between plants via pollen. Two ways to ensure that non-target species will not receive introduced genes from GM plants are to create GM plants that are male sterile (do not produce pollen) or to modify the GM plant so that the pollen does not contain the introduced gene24, 25, 26. Cross-pollination would not occur, and if harmless insects such as monarch caterpillars were to eat pollen from GM plants, the caterpillars would survive. Another possible solution is to create buffer zones around fields of GM crops27, 28, 29. For example, non-GM corn would be planted to surround a field of B. t. GM corn, and the non-GM corn would not be harvested. Beneficial or harmless insects would have a refuge in the non-GM corn, and insect pests could be allowed to destroy the non-GM corn and would not develop resistance to B. t. pesticides. Gene transfer to weeds and other crops would not occur because the wind-blown pollen would not travel beyond the buffer zone. Estimates of the necessary width of buffer zones range from 6 meters to 30 meters or more30. This planting method may not be feasible if too much acreage is required for the buffer zones. Human health risks Allergenicity Many children in the US and Europe have developed life-threatening allergies to peanuts and other foods. There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. A proposal to incorporate a gene from Brazil nuts into soybeans was abandoned because of the fear of causing unexpected allergic reactions31. Extensive testing of GM foods may be required to avoid the possibility of harm to consumers with food allergies. Labeling of GM foods and food products will acquire new importance, which I shall discuss later. Unknown effects on human health There is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into food plants may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health. A recent article published in Lancet examined the effects of GM potatoes on the digestive tract in rats32, 33. This study claimed that there were appreciable differences in the intestines of rats fed GM potatoes and rats fed unmodified potatoes. Yet critics say that this paper, like the monarch butterfly data, is flawed and does not hold up to scientific scrutiny34. Moreover, the gene introduced into the potatoes was a snowdrop flower lectin, a substance known to be toxic to mammals. The scientists who created this variety of potato chose to use the lectin gene simply to test the methodology, and these potatoes were never intended for human or animal consumption. On the whole, with the exception of possible allergenicity, scientists believe that GM foods do not present a risk to human health. Economic concerns Bringing a GM food to market is a lengthy and costly process, and of course agri-biotech companies wish to ensure a profitable return on their investment. Many new plant genetic engineering technologies and GM plants have been patented, and patent infringement is a big concern of agribusiness. Yet consumer advocates are worried that patenting these new plant varieties will raise the price of seeds so high that small farmers and third world countries will not be able to afford seeds for GM crops, thus widening the gap between the wealthy and the poor. It is hoped that in a humanitarian gesture, more companies and non-profits will follow the lead of the Rockefeller Foundation and offer their products at reduced cost to impoverished nations. Patent enforcement may also be difficult, as the contention of the farmers that they involuntarily grew Monsanto-engineered strains when their crops were cross-pollinated shows. One way to combat possible patent infringement is to introduce a suicide gene into GM plants. These plants would be viable for only one growing season and would produce sterile seeds that do not germinate. Farmers would need to buy a fresh supply of seeds each year. However, this would be financially disastrous for farmers in third world countries who cannot afford to buy seed each year and traditionally set aside a portion of their harvest to plant in the next growing season. In an open letter to the public, Monsanto has pledged to abandon all research using this suicide gene technology35. How are GM foods regulated and what is the governments role in this process? Governments around the world are hard at work to establish a regulatory process to monitor the effects of and approve new varieties of GM plants. Yet depending on the political, social and economic climate within a region or country, different governments are responding in different ways. In Japan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has announced that health testing of GM foods will be mandatory as of April 200136, 37. Currently, testing of GM foods is voluntary. Japanese supermarkets are offering both GM foods and unmodified foods, and customers are beginning to show a strong preference for unmodified fruits and vegetables. Indias government has not yet announced a policy on GM foods because no GM crops are grown in India and no products are commercially available in supermarkets yet38. India is, however, very supportive of transgenic plant research. It is highly likely that India will decide that the benefits of GM foods outweigh the risks because Indian agriculture will need to adopt drastic new measures to counteract the countrys endemic poverty and feed its exploding population. Some states in Brazil have banned GM crops entirely, and the Brazilian Institute for the Defense of Consumers, in collaboration with Greenpeace, has filed suit to prevent the importation of GM crops39,. Brazilian farmers, however, have resorted to smuggling GM soybean seeds into the country because they fear economic harm if they are unable to compete in the global marketplace with other grain-exporting countries. In Europe, anti-GM food protestors have been especially active. In the last few years Europe has experienced two major foods scares: bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) in Great Britain and dioxin-tainted foods originating from Belgium. These food scares have undermined consumer confidence about the European food supply, and citizens are disinclined to trust government information about GM foods. In response to the public outcry, Europe now requires mandatory food labeling of GM foods in stores, and the European Commission (EC) has established a 1% threshold for contamination of unmodified foods with GM food products40. In the United States, the regulatory process is confused because there are three different government agencies that have jurisdiction over GM foods. To put it very simply, the EPA evaluates GM plants for environmental safety, the USDA evaluates whether the plant is safe to grow, and the FDA evaluates whether the plant is safe to eat. The EPA is responsible for regulating substances such as pesticides or toxins that may cause harm to the environment. GM crops such as B. t. pesticide-laced corn or herbicide-tolerant crops but not foods modified for their nutritional value fall under the purview of the EPA. The USDA is responsible for GM crops that do not fall under the umbrella of the EPA such as drought-tolerant or disease-tolerant crops, crops grown for animal feeds, or whole fruits, vegetables and grains for human consumption. The FDA historically has been concerned with pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food products and additives, not whole foods. Under current guidelines, a genetically-modified ear of corn sold at a produce stand is not regulated by the FDA because it is a whole food, but a box of cornflakes is regulated because it is a food product. The FDAs stance is that GM foods are substantially equivalent to unmodified, natural foods, and therefore not subject to FDA regulation. The EPA conducts risk assessment studies on pesticides that could potentially cause harm to human health and the environment, and establishes tolerance and residue levels for pesticides. There are strict limits on the amount of pesticides that may be applied to crops during growth and production, as well as the amount that remains in the food after processing. Growers using pesticides must have a license for each pesticide and must follow the directions on the label to accord with the EPAs safety standards. Government inspectors may periodically visit farms and conduct investigations to ensure compliance. Violation of government regulations may result in steep fines, loss of license and even jail sentences. As an example the EPA regulatory approach, consider B.t. corn. The EPA has not established limits on residue levels in B. t corn because the B. t. in the corn is not sprayed as a chemical pesticide but is a gene that is integrated into the genetic material of the corn itself. Growers must have a license from the EPA for B. t corn, and the EPA has issued a letter for the 2000 growing season requiring farmers to plant 20% unmodified corn, and up to 50% unmodified corn in regions where cotton is also cultivated41. This planting strategy may help prevent insects from developing resistance to the B.t. pesticides as well as provide a refuge for non-target insects such as Monarch butterflies. The USDA has many internal divisions that share responsibility for assessing GM foods. Among these divisions are APHIS, the Animal Health and Plant Inspection Service, which conducts field tests and issues permits to grow GM crops, the Agricultural Research Service which performs in-house GM food research, and the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service which oversees the USDA risk assessment program. The USDA is concerned with potential hazards of the plant itself. Does it harbor insect pests? Is it a noxious weed? Will it cause harm to indigenous species if it escapes from farmers fields? The USDA has the power to impose quarantines on problem regions to prevent movement of suspected plants, restrict import or export of suspected plants, and can even destroy plants cultivated in violation of USDA regulations. Many GM plants do not require USDA permits from APHIS. A GM plant does not require a permit if it meets these 6 criteria: 1) the plant is not a noxious weed; 2) the genetic material introduced into the GM plant is stably integrated into the plants own genome; 3) the function of the introduced gene is known and does not cause plant disease; 4) the GM plant is not toxic to non-target organisms; 5) the introduced gene will not cause the creation of new plant viruses; and 6) the GM plant cannot contain genetic material from animal or human pathogens (see http://www. aphis. usda.gov:80/bbep/bp/7cfr340 ). The current FDA policy was developed in 1992 (Federal Register Docket No. 92N-0139) and states that agri-biotech companies may voluntarily ask the FDA for a consultation. Companies working to create new GM foods are not required to consult the FDA, nor are they required to follow the FDAs recommendations after the consultation. Consumer interest groups wish this process to be mandatory, so that all GM food products, whole foods or otherwise, must be approved by the FDA before being released for commercialization. The FDA counters that the agency currently does not have the time, money, or resources to carry out exhaustive health and safety studies of every proposed GM food product. Moreover, the FDA policy as it exists today does not allow for this type of intervention. How are GM foods labeled? Labeling of GM foods and food products is also a contentious issue. On the whole, agribusiness industries believe that labeling should be voluntary and influenced by the demands of the free market. If consumers show preference for labeled foods over non-labeled foods, then industry will have the incentive to regulate itself or risk alienating the customer. Consumer interest groups, on the other hand, are demanding mandatory labeling. People have the right to know what they are eating, argue the interest groups, and historically industry has proven itself to be unreliable at self-compliance with existing safety regulations. The FDAs current position on food labeling is governed by the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act which is only concerned with food additives, not whole foods or food products that are considered GRAS generally recognized as safe. The FDA contends that GM foods are substantially equivalent to non-GM foods, and therefore not subject to more stringent labeling. If all GM foods and food products are to be labeled, Congress must enact sweeping changes in the existing food labeling policy. There are many questions that must be answered if labeling of GM foods becomes mandatory. First, are consumers willing to absorb the cost of such an initiative? If the food production industry is required to label GM foods, factories will need to construct two separate processing streams and monitor the production lines accordingly. Farmers must be able to keep GM crops and non-GM crops from mixing during planting, harvesting and shipping. It is almost assured that industry will pass along these additional costs to consumers in the form of higher prices. Secondly, what are the acceptable limits of GM contamination in non-GM products? The EC has determined that 1% is an acceptable limit of cross-contamination, yet many consumer interest groups argue that only 0% is acceptable. Some companies such as Gerber baby foods42 and Frito-Lay43 have pledged to avoid use of GM foods in any of their products. But who is going to monitor these companies for compliance and what is the penalty if they fail? Once again, the FDA does not have the resources to carry out testing to ensure compliance. What is the level of detectability of GM food cross-contamination? Scientists agree that current technology is unable to detect minute quantities of contamination, so ensuring 0% contamination using existing methodologies is not guaranteed. Yet researchers disagree on what level of contamination really is detectable, especially in highly processed food products such as vegetable oils or breakfast cereals where the vegetables used to make these products have been pooled from many different sources. A 1% threshold may already be below current levels of detectability. Finally, who is to be responsible for educating the public about GM food labels and how costly will that education be? Food labels must be designed to clearly convey accurate information about the product in simple language that everyone can understand. This may be the greatest challenge faced be a new food labeling policy: how to educate and inform the public without damaging the public trust and causing alarm or fear of GM food products. In January 2000, an international trade agreement for labeling GM foods was established44, 45. More than 130 countries, including the US, the worlds largest producer of GM foods, signed the agreement. The policy states that exporters must be required to label all GM foods and that importing countries have the right to judge for themselves the potential risks and reject GM foods, if they so choose. This new agreement may spur the U. S. government to resolve the domestic food labeling dilemma more rapidly. Conclusion Genetically-modified foods have the potential to solve many of the worlds hunger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides. Yet there are many challenges ahead for governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation, international policy and food labeling. Many people feel that genetic engineering is the inevitable wave of the future and that we cannot afford to ignore a technology that has such enormous potential benefits. However, we must proceed with caution to avoid causing unintended harm to human health and the environment as a result of our enthusiasm for this powerful technology.

The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

An American Dream; The inspirer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Great Gatsby, but F. Scott Fitzgerald, a great man is reduced to a corpse because of a jealous lover. In the novel, the American dream is referred to time and time again. The fact that if one works hard, he or she will become rich and achieve their dreams is the notion that the American dream is based upon. In some cases this is true, but for every case where this has happened, there is a case for which it has not. For Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby, the American dream has become a way of life; spending recklessly and living an envious life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For Gatsby, the spending on himself is not so much as great as the spending on others, in the hope to find his lost love, Daisy. By no means to Gatsby live a frugal life, but the possessions he has within his house are not as elaborate as one might think them to be. Gatsby started out as a nobody, and that was when he met Daisy. After he came out of the military, he went on a series of endeavors to become rich in a hope to win back Daisy, who had left him essentially because he could not provide what she desired. Most of the dealings that Gatsby had seemed questionable, and these suspicions were enforced by the amount of wealth he appeared to have acquired over such a short amount of time. â€Å"I was in the drug business, then I was in the oil business. But I’m not in either one now.†(Ch5, pg 95) This quotation from a conversation between Nick and Gatsby about Gatsby’s enterprises reaffirms the doubtful legality of his accomplishments. The fi rst impression of Gatsby is given by the larger-than-life house he possessed opposite that of Nick. However, the greed of Gatsby was much more selfless then that of either Daisy or Tom, because the majority of Gatsby’s spending was on elaborate parties in order to one day catch a glimpse of Daisy there.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American dream of Daisy was no better or worse then the next person. The only difference was how she went about getting it. Owing to her immense beauty, Daisy would not have to work to achieve her American dream; she could simply attract a mate who already posses the wealth she would most readily spend. Throughout the novel, the reader is given the impression that Daisy and Tom share a happy relationship, but not more then a few times is talk of a child concerned, so it is a huge shock in the scene that Daisy beckons her child to come toward her.

Margaret Atwood’s poem “The Interior Decorator” Essay

Use of extended metaphors, and symbols to represent internal feelings and states of being are techniques Margaret Atwood utilizes in her poem â€Å"The Interior Decorator.† The poet attempts to describe an intrinsic struggle to hide and veil painful emotions through the art of interior decoration. It describes aspects of personality used to cover these feelings and the overall failure of it do so. When one examines the title â€Å"The Interior Decorator† one may think of a career which involves garnishing one’s home in style to make for a more pleasant atmosphere or an atmosphere that is conducive to the personality of the person living within that home. However, upon closer examination, one may realize another meaning. â€Å"Interior decorator† is a term which is more symbolic and describes an â€Å"art†of personality. The first stanza holds clues. â€Å"..but under/These ornate surfaces, the hard/Naked wood is still there.† Two symbols are introduced here. The ornate surfaces describe a pleasant and cheerful countenance while under this image a hardened spirit lies underneath. Stanza four reaffirms this position. Stanza two develops the poet’s ability to shelter her pain. â€Å"I am industrious and clever† Here she states plainly that she is gifted at hiding her true feelings. She paints â€Å"Landscapes on door panels and screens.† Here symbolism is developed further as door panels may represent doors to her heart or other aspects of her being. In parallel, the screens she paints provide illusion to the way she feels. By painting the â€Å"the doors and screens† she hopes others will follow the illusion instead of looking at what she really experiences. The introduction of the lemon tree in stanza three gives one clues about her pain. Here the symbol of pain is the bitter lemon rind. She states, â€Å"It is prudent to thus restrain one’s eden/Indoors.† Here she suggests that it is vital to sustain a sense of order within so that emotions don’t get the best of oneself. This is supported by the line, â€Å"And everything remains in it’s own spot.† â€Å"I never eat my bitter lemons† is her way of saying that she doesn’t process her emotions, therefore she successfully represses them and maintains a sense of control. But she is not successful. The devil introduced in stanza four represents the aspect of the poet that cannot avoid the pain-it sucks the unavoidable bitter lemon rinds. She states that she cannot make Him blend in with her flowery personality no matter what she displays (roses) to offset it. In other words, she states that she is unsuccessful in hiding her pain despite her charming personality and displays of laughter. Pain will exist until she goes through the process of grief and recognizes the â€Å"Devil† within. One may conclude that the interior decorator will have to step aside in order for a sense of peace to return. â€Å"The Interior Decorator† by Margaret Atwood is a powerful poem that uses distinct symbols to express her feelings and frustrations about life’s pain. It could be written about the loss of a loved one or friend, a disappointment with way life has turned out, or any tragic incident. She expresses her frustrations effectively about the pressure to cover one’s feelings and appear okay instead of processing them through grieving or a period of inner silence and honesty. The poet suggests that no matter how long one holds the emotions at bay they will prevail and one will have to address them. She is imparting a gift to the readership in a similar circumstance; set the interior decorator aside and be authentic, thereby allowing oneself to address the pain and move beyond it.

English before final Essay

Poetry about love Love is the most powerful feeling of emotion in all kinds of relationships such as a father to his son or a lover to his mistress. The poem † My Papa’s Waltz† by Theodore Roethke and â€Å"Sonnet 130† by William Shakespeare focus on a similar theme which is love. The speaker in â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz†, and the speaker in sonnet 130 describe loving someone more than yourself. In Roethke’s poem, the speaker is a young boy who remembers his childhood relationship with his father. In sonnet 130, a speaker is a man who loves his mistress by celebrating the love for her. Theodore Roethke and William Shakespeare demonstrate the theme of love through using simile, metaphor, and tone to show the importance of love in their poems. Both poets use the device of simile as to express their love. William Shakespeare uses simile as regarding the appearance of his mistress who he loves the most. He compares the look of his mistress to give an idea to his readers about the appearance of his mistress. Such as, it is written in the poem â€Å"My mistress’s eyes are nothing like the sun† (line 1). By this line, he means that his mistress’ eyes are not at all beautiful like a sun. On the other hand, Roethke uses simile as though the son got hurt by his father but the son still loves him. In his poem, â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz†, he writes, â€Å"hung on like death† (line 3). This line of simile means that the son is denying to leave his drunken father even if he is having trouble holding his drunk father. The reason is the son is so desperate for spending time with his father, which shows the son loves his father a lot. The two poets use metaphor to enhance the importance of their love. Roethke uses metaphor as describing that it’s not easy to dance between loving and being scared of his father. Such as, he writes in his poem â€Å"Such waltzing was not easy â€Å"(line 4). By using this metaphor, he means that it is not easy for a little boy to enjoy dancing and taking care of his drunk father at the same time. In other words, it means that the relationship between a little boy and his drunk father is not such as easy and simple it seems like since it is hard and difficult. On the other hand, Shakespeare uses metaphor as comparing wires and her hair. Such as, he writes â€Å"If hairs are wires, black wires grow on her head† (line 4). By this line, the speaker makes the comparison of his mistress’s hair with wires which means his mistress’s hair is not soft or smooth. In other words, it means the speaker describe the reality of his mistress’ hair by emphasizing t hat his mistress is imperfect. Both poets use the device tone of in their poems. â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† has a tone of accepting and realistic by the fact that her mistress is not beautiful, but he still loves her.† You beat time on my head / Still clinging to your shirt† (last stanza). This metaphor sentence means even though his father is beating his son’s head, but the little boy does not let his father’s shirt since he loves his father unconditionally. In addition, it means the love of little boy does not change even though he got hurt by his drunk father. The †Sonnet 130 † has a tone of love and pain at the same time. † And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare /As any, she belied with false compare† (line 13, 14). By this line, the speaker means that the appearance of his mistress will not him stop loving his mistress less since he loves her no matter the appearance. In another word, it means that the speaker sti ll loves his mistress with all imperfection appearance that his mistress has it. The reason is that the speaker loves his mistress inner beauty than outer beauty. Ultimately, in the poem of Roethke and Willam Shakespeare, the main topic is loving someone else unconditionally. The poem † My Papa’s Waltz† by Theodore Roethke talks about a childhood memory of a young boy with his father. The poem † Sonnet 130† by William Shakespeare talks about a man who loves his mistress with all her flaws. The two poets write about the topic of love with the help of simile, metaphor, and tone. These two poems teach us that a bad action or imperfection of our loved ones will not stop us loving them. Work Cited Roethke, Theodore. â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz.† Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, edited by Robert DiYanni, (2nd edition) McGraw Hill, 2008, Page 505 Shakespeare, William. † Sonnet 130.† Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, edited by Stephen Orgel, with an introduction by John Hollander, 1609, page 134

Free Essays on Computer Viruses

Computer Viruses A computer virus is an illegal and potentially damaging computer program designed to infect other software by attaching itself to any software it contacts. In many cases, virus programs are designed to damage computer systems maliciously by destroying or corrupting data. If the infected software is transferred to or accessed by another computer system, the virus spreads to the other system. Viruses have become a serious problem in recent years, and currently, thousands of known virus programs exist (Reed 85-102). Three types of viruses are boot sector virus, file virus, and Trojan horse virus. A boot sector virus infects the boot program used to start the system. When the infected boot program executes, the virus is loaded into the computers memory. Once a virus is in a memory, it can spread to any floppy disk inserted into the computer. A file virus inserts virus code into program files. The virus then spreads to any program that accesses the infected file. A Trojan horse virus (named after a Greek myth) hides within or is designed to look like a legitimate program. Some viruses interrupt processing by freezing a computer system temporarily and then displaying sounds or messages. Other viruses contain time bombs or logic bombs. A time bomb is a program that performs an activity on a particular date. A logic bomb is a program that performs an activity when a certain action occurs, such as an employee being terminated. A worm, which is similar to a virus, copies itself repeatedly until no memory or disc space remains. To detect computer viruses, antivirus programs have been developed. Besides detecting viruses, antivirus programs also have utilities to remove or repair infected programs and files. Some damaged files cannot be repaired and must be replaced with uninfected backup files. The table below outlines some techniques used to protect computer systems. Table Techniques for Virus Protection and System Back... Free Essays on Computer Viruses Free Essays on Computer Viruses Computer Viruses A computer virus is an illegal and potentially damaging computer program designed to infect other software by attaching itself to any software it contacts. In many cases, virus programs are designed to damage computer systems maliciously by destroying or corrupting data. If the infected software is transferred to or accessed by another computer system, the virus spreads to the other system. Viruses have become a serious problem in recent years, and currently, thousands of known virus programs exist (Reed 85-102). Three types of viruses are boot sector virus, file virus, and Trojan horse virus. A boot sector virus infects the boot program used to start the system. When the infected boot program executes, the virus is loaded into the computers memory. Once a virus is in a memory, it can spread to any floppy disk inserted into the computer. A file virus inserts virus code into program files. The virus then spreads to any program that accesses the infected file. A Trojan horse virus (named after a Greek myth) hides within or is designed to look like a legitimate program. Some viruses interrupt processing by freezing a computer system temporarily and then displaying sounds or messages. Other viruses contain time bombs or logic bombs. A time bomb is a program that performs an activity on a particular date. A logic bomb is a program that performs an activity when a certain action occurs, such as an employee being terminated. A worm, which is similar to a virus, copies itself repeatedly until no memory or disc space remains. To detect computer viruses, antivirus programs have been developed. Besides detecting viruses, antivirus programs also have utilities to remove or repair infected programs and files. Some damaged files cannot be repaired and must be replaced with uninfected backup files. The table below outlines some techniques used to protect computer systems. Table Techniques for Virus Protection and System Back... Free Essays on Computer Viruses In the past decade, computer and networking technology has seen enormous growth. This growth however, has not come without a price. With the advent of the "Information Highway", as it's coined, a new methodology in crime has been created. Electronic crime has been responsible for some of the most financially devastating victimizations in society. In the recent past, society has seen malicious editing of the Justice Department web page (1), unauthorized access into classified government computer files, phone card and credit card fraud, and electronic embezzlement. All these crimes are committed in the name of "free speech." These new breed of criminals claim that information should not be suppressed or protected and that the crimes they commit are really not crimes at all. What they choose to deny is that the nature of their actions are slowly consuming the fabric of our country's moral and ethical trust in the information age. Federal law enforcement agencies, as well as commercial computer companies, have been scrambling around in an attempt to "educate" the public on how to prevent computer crime from happening to them. They inform us whenever there is an attack, provide us with mostly ineffective anti-virus software, and we are left feeling isolated and vulnerable. I do not feel that this defensive posture is effective because it is not pro-active. Society is still being attacked by highly skilled computer criminals of which we know very little about them, their motives, and their tools of the trade. Therefore, to be effective in defense, we must understand how these attacks take place from a technical stand-point. To some degree, we must learn to become a computer criminal. Then we will be in a better position to defend against these victimizations that affect us on both the financial and emotional level. In this paper, we will explore these areas of which we know so little, and will also see that comp uters are really extensions ...

Dinosaur Exhibits at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

Dinosaur Exhibits at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Name: Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Address: 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, OK Phone Number: 405-325-4712 Ticket Prices: $5 for adults, $3 for children age 6 to 17 Hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Saturday, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Sunday Web Site: Oklahoma Museum of Natural History    About the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History: Two ancient battles punctuate the Hall of Ancient Life at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. The centerpiece of this exhibit is a fight to the death between Saurophaganax and Apatosaurus (both specimens of which were unearthed in the Oklahoma panhandle), while nearby, a pack of Deinonychus surround a much bigger Tenontosaurus. This hall also features numerous other fossils, including one of the most complete Pentaceratops skeletons in the world (the skull of which is verified as World’s Largest by the Guinness Book of World Records). The dinosaur and prehistoric life galleries at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History are arranged chronologically, leading visitors past specimens from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras (this last part of the hall features a nine-foot-tall Woolly Mammoth, also dug up in Oklahoma, and a Smilodon, or Saber-Toothed Tiger). One innovative feature here is the Dinovator, an elevator you can take to look that Apatosaurus skull right in its bony eyes!

Nanjing Massacre Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nanjing Massacre - Term Paper Example This unprecedented catastrophe called Nanjing Massacre, or the Rape of Nanking, was a living hell for its victims and until present time it a symbol of Japanese militarism in World War II. Western nations for some time were not acknowledging Nanjing’s tragedy. There were several political factors that have contributed to it. The Japanese government downplayed the degree of its militaristic advances during World War II immediately after the war, while both Chinese govern-ments purposefully neglected the incident as they focused on establish ¬ing their political and economic strength, which required a sound relationship with Japan. The U.S. government valued Japan's position as a strategic ally during the Cold War more than the need for justice. Such political complications led each country to circumvent the issues of Nanking. (Li, Fei-Fei, xxiii) HISTORIC BACKGROUND After the incident on the railroad in the city of Mukden in September 1931, Japan, blaming Chinese nationalists for that explosion, began the invasion of Manchuria, China. Since that time several major battles between Japanese military forces Chinese army were raged, such as battle in Shanghai (1932), Great Wall (1933). To solve the situation, some agreements were settled between China and Japan which somewhat defused the situation near Manchuria. At that time China was engulfed into the Civil War and therefore was not able to considerably oppose Japanese invasion. An important incident happened in China in December of 1936, known as Xi'an Incident, when former warlord of Manchuria was suddenly arrested and kidnapped. This incident led the Nationalists and the Communists to form an united front against Japan in 1937. It is then that an all out defense against Japanese military started, at least formally. China had the largest army in the world at the time, but most of the Chinese arm y was not trained and poorly equipped, with some troops armed mainly with swords and hand grenades. Only few corps had anti-tank weaponry. 7 July 1937 a battle between Republic of China's National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army happened. This battle is often signify the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Shortly after that Japan extensively invaded mainland China and captured major Chinese cities. Some Chinese still remember Marco Polo Bridge Incident and Mukden as days of national humiliation. Japanese military forces had planned to conquer China in just three months, but in August of 1937 it faced strong resistance and had many casualties in the Battle of Shanghai, a very bloody hand-to-hand combat. Some historians believe that this situation contributed to the psychological conditions of the Japanese soldiers to later be so grueling cruel in Nanjing. The Japanese had captured Shanghai only by mid-November with the help of fleet and Air Force. The casual ties were so heavy that General Staff Headquarters in Tokyo decided not to expand the war. By that time the morale of the troops were very low. As the Japanese army grew closer to Nanjing, Chinese civilians fled the city. Chinese military themselves were destroying anything in the city that might be of value to the Japanese army – many buildings in the city, forest and entire villages around Nanjing were burnt to the ground. NANJING MASSACRE On December 7, the Japanese army came close to the city walls of Nanjing. They dropped leaflets into the city, requesting the surrender of Nanjing within 24 hours and promising mercy to innocent civilians.