Abstract This paper presents a detailed examination of the Bering Strait Theory. The author of this paper explores the various theories about the Bering Strait and the belief that the Native Americans came across it during a migration out of Asia. The writer argues that the Bering Strait Theory has several conflicting elements, making it a questionable theory.
From the Paper "As science continues to evolve there are many questions about mankind that are coming to light and being answered. One of the most pressing questions in recent history has been the question of migration and different races and cultures settling in various areas of the world. Historians, scientists, and others have been putting together facts as they are being discovered, and many of those facts point to the possibility that the theories society has accepted in the past may have been untrue. One theory that has been scrutinized lately has been the Bering Strait Theory. The Bering Strait theory contends that the Native Americans actually started out as Asians and migrated across the strait many years ago. Currently there are people who have begun to challenge the Bering Strait theory, claiming that the time lines and other evidence do not add up."
Abstract It has been suggested that, at least since the mid-1990s, there should be a bridge or tunnel connecting Siberia and North America, across the Bering Strait. From the Russian point of view, it would make the vast nation a trans-shipment point for the majority of the world's most valuable commodities as well as producer of some, including gas, oil, timber, diamonds, gold and fish. Secondly, it has been suggested that such a project would open tourism on both sides. This paper shows that problems that face any initiation of such a project range from the political to the geological. The result is, however, that these problems must be identified and dealt with before it would be feasible to even construct an economically advantageous scenario incorporating the eventual value of trade across such a structure and the cost to build and-perhaps even more cogently, considering climatic factors-maintain it. The factors contributive to a major feasibility study are identified and assessed.
Table of Contents
Chapter I: Introduction and Statement of the Problem
Chapter II: Review of the Literature: Research Questions
Socio-political Factors
Russia's Value to World Markets
Siberia: Still Out in the Cold
Resources to Exploit
Tourism
Timber
Oil
Gold
Diamonds
Fish
Chapter III: Methodology
Chapter IV: Findings
Geology
Cost projection
Chapter V: Discussion
References
Appendices
From the Paper "In the years since the early post-Soviet era, Russia and the United States have been faced with choices new to their relationship. Russia grappled with deciding how close an alignment it wanted with the West. The United States needed to decide how strongly it should assert its power (Legvold, 2002, p. 21+). At least in the case of the United States, that choice was made clear by the Afghan and Iran wars. In addition, that choice has arguably altered the possibilities for Russia. Russia would have had to cut loose of its traditional fears. But "In contrast, if the United States makes a particular strategic choice, the effect on those relations could be major and negative, and the potential for a truly beneficial U.S.-Russian alliance may be lost" (Legvold, 2002, p. 21+). In the aftermath of the Iran war, in particular, it is hard to imagine that the promise of full cooperation has not been damaged severely, another factor which would put serious constraints on an accommodation on both sides that would allow a project as extensive as a Bering Strait connector infrastructure."
Abstract This in-depth paper details the Russian immigration to the U.S. which began in 1720 with Vitus Bering. This paper describes the mitigating factors that pushed many Russians over the years to leave their homeland in pursuit of a better life, including religious persecution and communism. The writer of this paper describes the various religions and ethnicities within Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. This paper chronicles the rich cultural heritage the immigrants brought with them to the U.S. particularly in theater, ballet, dance and music. Also discussed in this paper is the extreme prejudice subjected on immigrants during the 1950s, the age of McCarthyism. This paper contains facts and information pertaining to the various waves of immigration from the late 1880s to the early 1920s. This paper also details how well the Russian community at present has adapted to life in the U.S. in regards to employment, education, language and political beliefs.
From the Paper "The linguistic transition is more difficult for older immigrants, especially those who remain in enclaves where there is a significant population of others who speak the same language. Younger immigrants are more adept at learning a new language since their natural ability to assimilate a new language is higher at their age. In addition, the cultural influences that surround them and peer pressure act as a powerful impetus to learn English. The globalization of the economy presents a greater opportunity for those who are bilingual, creating jobs that they are uniquely qualified for."
Abstract This paper talks about the Presidency of Benjamin Harrison, with special emphasis on his foreign and domestic policy decisions. Both his successes and failures are analyzed.
From the paper:
"He approved Blaine's sponsorship of the Pan-American Congress of Latin American republics in Washington in 1889 and 1890. These conferences were held to discuss common problems. Action was taken toward settlement by arbitration of the Bering Sea controversy, a dispute between the United States and Great Britain about seal fishing rights. The administration also resolved a dispute with Germany over control of what would become American Samoa."
An archeological analysis of the cross-cultural influences of peoples crossing between Siberia and Alaska over land or sea. Discusses evidence, theories and examples.
2,025 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 10 sources, 1997, $ 71.95
From the Paper "The earliest human beings to enter the American continent crossed the Bering land bridge between Siberia and Alaska at various times between 11,000 and 40,000 years ago. They were stone-age hunters who followed herds of large animals across the bridge and, eventually, down into North and South America. Because, after 11,000 BP (years before the present), the level of the Bering Sea rose and cut off this means of access, the American continents have sometimes been called "a laboratory for modern man" (Farb 3). The people who moved into these new territories brought their culture with them. But, their material culture was extremely limited, as with most migratory stone-age peoples, and any material objects made of organic materials have long since vanished, leaving primarily a few bone tools and the technological tradition of spear points as their only legacy."
Origins of the first people in America, threats from Europeans, successful and unsuccessful adaptation and evolution, culture, language, assimilation, focusing on Southern California.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 5 sources, 1999, $ 47.95
Abstract The first people to come to the New World probably came to the Americas across the Bering Land Bridge or the land mass that is sometimes called Beringia. The archaeological record is still somewhat confusing on this point, and researchers continue to sift through the physical clues to the earliest human presence in this hemisphere
From the Paper "The first people to come to the New World probably came to the Americas across the Bering Land Bridge or the land mass that is sometimes called Beringia. The archaeological record is still somewhat confusing on this point, and researchers continue to sift through the physical clues to the earliest human presence in this hemisphere, trying to determine (for example) whether there was a sufficient density of prey animals in the Bering area to have afforded enough food for humans to sustain themselves during the long journey between continents (Dixon, 1993, p. 28).
Other researchers examine the connections among the languages of the New World to try to uncover relationships among the first peoples of this place. Linguists now believe that the languages spoken by American Indians could never have belonged ..."
From the Paper "It has become commonplace to accept that humans came to the New World from Asia across the Bering Strait. It has also become commonly accepted that the people who crossed this strait were in fact Homo sapiens sapiens (and not some earlier form of the species) and that they did not begin this migration before the terminal Pleistocene era.
These assumptions are based upon a number of aspects of the archaeological and biological record. The lack of human skeletal remains in the New World before the end of the Pleistocene sets the period before which migration seems unlikely to have occurred. The biological connections between the peoples of Asia and the native peoples of the Americas suggest that at one time these groups formed a common and united gene pool. And the fact that dental variation in the Americas is less than that in Asia..."
Abstract This paper explores the beginnings, history, culture, language and religions of Native Americans. The paper explains that they are believed to have come to the Western Hemisphere from Asia via the Bering Strait or along the North Pacific coast. The paper also describes the many different types of languages of the Native Americans, their living conditions in the 20th century and some of the Native Indian religious beliefs.
From the Paper "The main language family of the Northwest Coast were the Nadene in the north and the Wakashan, a subdivision of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock, and the Tsimshian, a subdivision of the Penutian linguistic stock in the central area (Natives Pp). They had a highly stratified society with chiefs, nobles, commoners, and slaves, and are famed for their artwork of ceremonial items such as rattles and masks, weaving and basketry (Natives Pp). Moreover, they had woven robes, furs, basket hats, wooden armor and helmets for battle, and their culture included cannibalistic rituals (Natives Pp)."
Abstract This paper discusses the geological evidence supporting the theory that the Cherokee Indians originally immigrated to North America via the Bering Strait, the body of water that separates Siberia from Alaska. The paper also looks at the scientific and anthropological theories of Indian immigration but concludes that the geological theory is not at all implausible.
From the Paper "The Cherokee Indians were heirchial with each man's place being determined by his persoanl achievements in war and in hunting. The Cherokee knew that the resources of the earth were finite and wisely used the gifts of the earth. In the 1978 book entitiled "Americas' Facinating Indian Heritage" stated is that, "The American Indians still live today in "substandard, overcrowded dwellings with minimal sanitation, tuberculosis, influenza and penmonia....the suicide rate among Indian adolescents is 100 times that of whites....alcoholism is common place. " While some of the tribes did receive government settlements eventually many of these did not. (America's Facinating Indian Heritage, 1978 p.396-398) The Cherokee people lived a balanced life that did not take from the earth and environment but left it as they found it in the Cherokee tradition."
Abstract This paper explains that Ryan S. King and Marc Mauer's article 'Aging Behind Bars: "Three Strikes" Seven Years Later' in "The Sentencing Project" was written in hopes of rehabilitating the California "Three Strikes" system and as a warning to other jurisdictions considering promulgating similar legislation. The author then points out that the goal of Linda S. Beres and Thomas D. Griffith's article "Did "Three Strikes" Cause The Recent Drop In California Crime? An Analysis Of The California Attorney General's Report" in "Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review" is to convince government officials to spend more time and effort analyzing crime and its remedies, and less time and effort on politicizing the issue. Furthermore, the paper relates that, in his article "Prison Overcrowding: Harmful Consequences and Dysfunctional Reactions", Professor Craig Haney of the University of California, Santa Cruz, emphasizes that prison has a profound effect on prisoners who subsequently carry those effects into society after their release from prison."
From the Paper "The authors also assert that the Attorney General's claim that the "dramatic drop in the crime rate" occurred after the passage of Three Strikes is misguided and that crime actually began to significantly decline a year before Three Strikes. Beres and Griffith further allege that an alternative explanation for the recent drop in crime is the improving California and moreover that many factors influence crime rate. The authors assert that it is difficult to prove a direct link between the economy and crime rates, nonetheless, "evidence of a connection between economic opportunity and the crime rate is particularly important in light of the deterioration of the market for unskilled labor during the past two decades."
Abstract This paper investigates if the ancient seafloor ridges, Shirshov Rise and Bowers Ridge, are features of old subduction zones or hotspot tracks. After reviewing four articles, the paper concludes that there still is much to be learned about the formation, age and tectonic truths of ancient seafloor ridges like Bowers and Shirshov. The paper indicates that the evidence points to these ridges having been formed by volcanic activity, such as hotspots and spreading, but, at this time, they are likely subduction zones.
Table of Contents:
Are the Shirshov Rise and Bowers Ridge Features Old Subduction Zones or Hotspot Tracks?
Article: "Shock Dynamics: Alaska" (http://www.newgeology.us)
But, is Bowers Ridge An Old Subduction Zone?
Article: B. Steinberger et. al. "Plate-Tectonic Reconstructions Predict Part of the Hawaiian Hotspot Track to be Preserved in the Bering Sea"
What is the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain?
So are the Bowers and Shirshov Rises or Ridges Old Subduction Zones?
Article: D. Scholl. "Viewing the Tectonic Evolution of the Kamchatka-Aleutian (KAT) Connection with an Alaska Crustal Extrusion Perspective"
Article: B. Hubbard "The Disappearing Island"
Conclusion
From the Paper "Following that formation of a strike-slip zone, the separate Shirshov and Bowers Ridge "developed from the originally continuous and straight strike-slip zone." And that "supposed" oceanic plateau was originally part of the Hawaiian hotspot, Steinberger believes. The reconstruction of ancient geologic events, as Steinberger and his colleague Carmen Giana have suggested, including plate motion in the Bering Sea, means that Alaska may have "accommodated" the westward movement of the Bering Sea in relation to the North American plate."
