Abstract
This paper provides a discussion of deforestation and wildlife extinction in the Amazon rain forest, with a focus on Brazil. The paper addresses a number of issues such as root causes of the problems; government, business, and local efforts to resolve the problems; and the outlook for the future. Includes a 7-slide PowerPoint presentation supporting the paper's main points.

From the Paper
"The tropical rain forest biome is the world's most diverse. The biodiversity in the rain forest is extremely rich a biome that contains the largest biomass on the planet. The rain forest remains one of the world's richest resources. An important factor in the health of the ecological chains of the Earth's biosphere. The Amazon rain forest is a region that is particularly significant since it covers over a billion acres and encompasses areas of Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia and the Eastern Andean region."

Tags:industrialism, agriculture, drought, commercial, wildlife, rainforest, hydroelectric, climate, burning, logging, pasture lands, grazing, colonization, infrastructure improvements, Brazil

Abstract
This paper reviews and discusses the book, 'The Land of Little Rain' by Mary Austin. According to the paper, Austin's book is an observer's unique tale of deserts, plains and mountains in California. The paper further discusses how the author talks about the Country of Lost Borders and Ute, Paiute, Mojave, and Shoshone that lie on its frontiers.

From the Paper
"Some of the lines are indeed useful and informative. If I am a reader who is actually interested in visiting the place myself, then the chapter includes bits of wisdom and information that I might find highly useful. When the author explains why deaths are common in this place, she writes about illusions that desert creates and the effect it has on a thirsty traveler. Austin observes: "There are many areas in the desert where drinkable water lies within a few feet of the surface, indicated by the mesquite and the bunch grass (Sporobolus airoides). It is this nearness of unimagined help that makes the tragedy of desert deaths....To underestimate one's thirst, to pass a given landmark to the right or left, to find a dry spring where one looked for running water--there is no help for any of these things." This is a vital piece of information and might help an aspiring traveler in his desire to come back from the place unscathed."

Tags:deserts, plains, mountains, lifelessness, death, water, California

Abstract
As the world becomes more crowded, it is becoming evident that decisions have to be made regarding resources available to mankind. One of the points of controversy in today's battle between saving our natural resources and providing for man's future is the battle over the Amazon rain forest. The paper shows that the Amazon rain forest is currently providing areas for cattle to graze, which, of course, provides food for immediate need. However, the rain forest also has a large potential impact on the survival of mankind in the future, as long as it is not destroyed today. The paper describes the tug of war that exists between the cattle ranchers, who are clearing the land now, and the ecologists, who are trying to stop the destruction of the forest. Sociological and ecological themes conflict as the arguments and competition continue.

From the Paper
"According to ecological research there is already 16 percent of the forest gone through destruction., This is equal to 1.6 million square miles of forest. The ecologists believe that the destruction has sped up the global warming process which in turn is speeding up other future problems for the world. The argument between the cattle ranchers and the ecologists is centered on this and other consequences of the ranchers efforts(Brazil, 2003)."

Tags:Bill, Mankin, Matto, Grosso, Brazil, Greenpeace

Abstract
This paper summarizes lives of the Jivaro (Shuar) tribe which was once revered for their fierceness and head-shrinking rituals. The paper states that the Jivaro tribe is being forced from their lands and further into the jungle by white civilization. The author feels that the Jivaro tribe is in a more positive position because they have an incredible knowledge of the anti-cancerous plants that grow in the rain forests.

Table of Contents
The Jivaro
The Region and Language
A Patrilineal Society
Life in One House
Survival
Craftsmanship
Head Hunters
Religious System
Marriage, Birth and Death
Saving Their Culture
The Jivaro Today
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The Jivaro's, who prefer to be called Shuar Indians, are caught between the cultures of the past and the encroaching modern civilization. Some of the problems they are dealing with on a daily basis include deciding whether "a new, paved road to the outside world" will help the tribe or destroy them. The tribe feels roads would enable them to take their cattle of market and buy needed supplies but are concerned because the roads bring white men who destroy the jungle."

Tags:Jivaro, Shuar, Amazon, Indians

Abstract
This paper examines how Indian government officials have proposed introducing large scale sugar cane growing into an area. Local opponents of the sugar cane option feel that the problem of land degradation will get much worse. They favor preventing monsoon rains from flowing out of the area as surface runoff through simple and inexpensive modifications of the hill slopes. Both sides of the argument are presented.

From the Paper
"The problem presented is that the writer of this paper is a member of a commission designed to advise district level local officials on the best use of degraded land in western India. The local government officials lean towards some action to revitalize this land, though a decision is not final. "No action' has been specified as one possible result of this brief study...."

Tags:india, water, agriculture

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts the life struggles experienced in the US by the characters in "Let it Rain Coffee" with the life struggles they experienced in the Dominican Republic. The paper describes how the Colon family came from the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the United States and found that the US was not a land of opportunity but a land of broken dreams. The paper shows how life was hard for them in New York City, but it was even harder in the Dominican Republic, as the children see when they return for a visit. The paper looks at the personal struggles of each family member.

From the Paper
"There are many reasons Santo and Esperanza decided to immigrate to the United States, but the biggest one was Esperanza herself. She was addicted to the television show Dallas and believed she could find a better life in the United States. She thought everyone lived like the Ewings, and that she could have a better life. Santos really followed her because he loved her, but he wanted to go home, and realized just before he died that he hated New York. Cruz writes, "But he didn't do anything more than remind Santo of what he had forgotten about himself. That he hates the cold weather. That he had had enough" (Cruz 77). He wanted to go home, but he died before he had the chance. In fact, he had far different dreams from his wife. He thinks to himself, "All he ever wanted was to live. Wake up to the sun and fall asleep, with the moon, like the old men in Los Llanos [...]" (Cruz 74). He follows Esperanza not for his own dreams, but for hers, and it drives a wedge between them that is never removed."

Tags:Santo, Esperanza, Dominican, Republic, New, York

Abstract
This six-page undergraduate paper examines three films about war in the former Yugoslavia: No Man's Land, Before the Rain, and Pretty Village, Pretty Flame. The author analyzes the aims of the respective directors and assesses whether they succeeded in addressing their own people and the rest of the world.

Abstract
Never before in the history of mankind have we faced an environmental dilemma with the worldwide effects of soil erosion. The problem is so severe, that many experts fear the land will not be able to produce enough food to feed the world's population in the next century. The paper discusses the problem as two fold - marginal land and deforestation. Much of the world's land is marginal sandy desert and sub-desert. In order to feed and house their growing populations many countries in South America, Asia, and Africa clear the world's forests to create more grazing land. The paper shows that, although much of this land has rich soil, the effect of deforestation is an increase in soil erosion. Once the trees are removed, the soil erodes and soon becomes marginal. Combined this with the problem of acid rain, other forms of pollution, and over population, and it is obvious we are entering a time of intense food scarcity.

From the Paper
"In order to preserve life for future generations, we must preserve the soil. Conservation and research are the keys to the future. Conservation and improving soil quality will prevent food shortages in the future. The quality of food today has decreased to dangerously low levels. In spite of increased knowledge about nutrition and advancements in medicine, people today are not as healthy as previous generations. We suffer from nutrient deficiencies related to the poor quality of soil."

Tags:minerals, malnutrition, restoration, biotechnology

Abstract
This paper explains that, as a collective endeavor, agriculture required that the Hopi work together under the guidance of ancestral wisdom. The author describes that the cultivation of corn and other crops was no small feat in the desert especially during summer months when rainfall was scarce. The paper concludes that, with life so intimately connected with land, the sacred aspects of agriculture permeated the everyday Hopi life.

From the Paper
"Rains and moisture are integral to the survival of the corn and of the clan. Thus, Hopi venerated clouds as ancestral spirits and created kachinas (O'mau kachinato) honor them. Cloud figures pepper Hopi iconography and the Hopi distinguished between different types of clouds to distinguish those that deliver the blessing of rain from those that simply flank the sky. Cloud kachinas essentially "wear" the clouds on their headdress, and cloud imagery also decorates their sash and garment."

Tags:corn, rain, dance, storytelling, egalitarian

Abstract
The paper explains that lack of awareness of threats to the environment and man's greed for wealth and short-term gains have caused the four billion year old bio-geophysical system to be destroyed. The author points out that experts are of the view that the economic value of the rainforest will increase by leaving the rainforests as they are and reaping its nuts, fruits, oil producing plants and medicinal plants rather than simply cutting them down to generate grazing land for cattle or for timber. The paper relates that, if the exploitation at the present rate goes on unhindered, the coastal regions will be annihilated and the ecosystems and the communities of plants and animals they house will be extensive depleted.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Pollution of our Waterways
Loss of Rainforests
Decimation of Forests
Wetlands disappearing
Ignoring Global Warming
Acid Rain
Fish Die
Animal Species are Threatened
Mercury Levels in Water
Unhealthy to Drink or Swim in Large Portions of our Coastline
Call to Action on Matters of the Environment
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Presently, the effluents find their ways to the Great Lakes in several ways. However, the main three vents of effluents are seen at the point source, non-point source and atmospheric pollution. The point source pollution occurs when the effluents come to the waterway by means of a particular entry point like a drainpipe draining directly into a river; it is known as point source pollution. The Industrial water wastes and sewage treatment mechanisms are considered to be the significant offenders of such type of contamination. Contrary to the point source pollution, non-point source or NPS pollution stems from many different dispersed sources and is quite difficult to standardize and manage; hence many experts consider that NPS pollution is the most hazardous confronting the Great Lakes today."

Tags:rainforests, pollution, water, wetlands, action