Thursday, May 21, 2020

Basking Shark Winter Migration

Shark scientists have questioned basking shark migration for decades since an article in 1954 proposed that basking sharks, which were hardly seen once cold weather hit, hibernated on the ocean bottom during the winter. A tagging study released in 2009 finally revealed that basking sharks head south in the winter, further than scientists ever dreamed. The basking sharks that spend their summers in the western North Atlantic are not seen in that area once the weather cools. It was once thought that these sharks might spend their winters on the ocean bottom, in a state similar to hibernation. Scientists finally got a handle on this question in a study published in 2009 online in Current Biology. Researchers from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and their colleagues fitted 25 sharks off of Cape Cod with tags that recorded depth, temperature and light levels. The sharks swam on their way, and by wintertime, the scientists were surprised to find them crossing the equator - some even went all the way to Brazil. While in these southern latitudes, the sharks spent their time in deep water, ranging from about 650 to 3200 feet deep. Once there, the sharks remained for weeks to months at a time. Eastern North Atlantic Basking Sharks Studies on basking sharks in the UK have been less conclusive, but the Shark Trust reports that the sharks are active all year and during the winter, they migrate to deeper waters offshore and also shed and re-grow their gill rakers. In a study published in 2008, a female shark was tagged for 88 days (July-September 2007) and swam from the UK to Newfoundland, Canada. Other Basking Shark Mysteries Even though the mystery of where Western North Atlantic basking sharks go during the winter has been solved, we still dont know why. Gregory Skomal, the lead scientist in the study, said that it doesnt seem to make sense for the sharks to travel that far south, as suitable temperatures and feeding conditions can be found closers, such as off of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. One reason might be to mate and give birth. This is a question that may take a while to answer, as nobody has ever seen a pregnant basking shark, or even seen a baby basking shark.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Success Of The Club - 2548 Words

In 2005, a shocking news hit the city of Manchester, home of the EPL’s most successful club with a history of more than a hundred years: Manchester United. Their beloved club was to be acquired by an American business tycoon, Malcolm Glazer. What concerned the fans even more was the fact that most of the capital used by Glazer to purchase the team was debt and that he would load  £525million of debt on to the club itself. This was problematic because it meant that money otherwise could be used to acquire top talents, improve training facilities, or towards the club’s CSR activities would be used to pay back Glazer’s debt. The leveraged buyout of the club was directly against the interests of the fans who are the most important stakeholder.†¦show more content†¦Ever since Glazer loaded the club with  £525million debt, over  £680million has gone towards servicing the debt, including interest fees, bank charges, and debt repayment as of May 2014. O n the other hand, the club’s spending on acquisition of players during the same period was  £382.9million while its rivals Manchester City has spent  £693.7million, Chelsea  £600.2million, Tottenham  £448.2million, and Liverpool have splashed out a total of  £443.75million. In other words, Man Utd spent more on servicing Glazer’s debt than it did on strengthening its squad. Although Man Utd won five Premier League titles, three league cups, and a Champions League under Glazer’s ownership, underinvestment eventually led to aging squad and failure to find suitable replacements. As a result, in 2013/2014 season, Man Utd finished the season in 7th place, failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1990/1991 season while its neighbor, Manchester City, won the title. While Man Utd was suffering from severely deteriorated financial situation, Man City, under the ownership of an Arabian prince, Sheikh Mansour, invested heavily not on ly to acquiring top players, but also to building a new stadium, training facilities, and even to the community by subway construction and new homes. Despite the fact that Man Utd spent  £152.3million in the transfer market this season, the investment does not seem to be paying off yet as the team ranks fourth in the league as of

Abraham and his Relationship with God Free Essays

It is through our unwavering trust and fear in God that he/she is able to truly recognize our faith and deem us righteous or wicked. The near sacrifice of Isaac is undoubtedly the toughest test for Abraham to prove himself to God. The son that Abraham had longed for all his life and whom God finally provided for him was to be killed by Abraham, himself, as a sacrifice. We will write a custom essay sample on Abraham and his Relationship with God or any similar topic only for you Order Now Abraham intending to obey this seemingly merciless and unreasonable request from God was indubitably his most relevant showing of loyalty and trust. The submission of Isaac to his father is symbolic of the death of Jesus Christ, who died with complete trust in God knowing that he died for our sins (Malaty 28). The trust that Isaac shows in Abraham is synonymous with the trust that Abraham shows in God. Just as Isaac trusted that Abraham was doing what was best for him, Abraham knows that God would not steer him in the wrong direction. God consistently rewards the abandonment of natural human reason when obeying a request of his/hers. As is reflected in Dei Verbum, â€Å"The obedience of faith† (Rom. 3:26; see 1:5; 2 Cor 10:5-6) is to be given to God who reveals, an obedience by which man commits his whole self freely to God, offering the full submission of intellect and will to God†¦ † (Pope Paul VI 55). Therefore God is characterized in Genesis as knowing what is best for humankind even though his/her methodology is somewhat random and selective (Malaty 39). God says to Abraham after he stops him from killing I saac, â€Å"for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me† (Genesis 22:12). Throughout Genesis the theme of fear in God is Just as prevalent as trust in God. During his travels Abraham encounters the Pharaoh of the Egyptians and King Abimelech of Gerar. He realizes that both kingdoms have no fear in God and that they will surely kill him in order to take his wife. By telling both the Pharaoh and the King that Sarai is his sister, he protects both kingdoms as well as himself. At first it may appear that Abraham is acting sly or deceitful towards these seemingly innocent rulers. However, it becomes more and more clear that Abraham does not aim to trick or deceive, he simply gives these rulers an opportunity to act morally or immorally in he eyes of God, who in turn can deem them righteous or wicked. Abraham states to King Abimelech, â€Å"l did it because I thought, there is no fear of God at all in this place and they will kill me because of my wife. † (Genesis 20:11). By lying about his wife, he allows God to instill fear into the rulers of both Kingdoms, and in doing so protects the lives of all the members of their lands. God uses fear as a tool to implant faith into his/her followers. When Abraham is sleeping, â€Å"a terrifying darkness descended upon him† (Genesis 1 5:12) and God notifies him of the oppression that his ancestors ill endure. By instilling this sense of terror, God is able to form a bond of trust in his/her followers, which might otherwise go ignored. It can be perceived that God is scaring people in order to get what he/she wants. I look at it from the perspective of God using fear in order to make people realize that he/she is the one true God. And once people come to this realization that he is the father almighty, he has gained their unwavering trust and devotion, as seen through Abraham. He/she does the same with Sarah when telling her that in her old age she will bear a child. She laughs at this and says, â€Å"After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure? † He/she questions her laughter and says, â€Å"Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? † (Genesis 18:12-14). Sarah denied her laughter out of fear of God, and through this exchange she realizes that nothing is too powerful or great for the Lord to accomplish. As such is demonstrated during his dealings with the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by God was due to their lack of faith. They acted wickedly and had no fear of God, which nevitably led to their demise. God acts Justly in his/her decision to destroy the cities. God believes that trust between him/her and his/her followers is crucial and that it must be mutual. Therefore before burning the cities, God makes Abraham aware of his plan as not to deceive him. The Lord states, â€Å"Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed by him? No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing ighteousness and Justice. (Genesis 18:17-19). God is aware that Abraham is to be father of many great nations. He/she realizes that if he/she wants these nations to be moral, dignified lands full of righteous and honorable humans, that Godself must not formulate the foundations of these new nations with deceit and duplicity. Abraham and the Lord negotiate the terms of the destruction and God agrees that no innocent people s hall be harmed. After the two angels sent by God realize that no one in the cities is worthy of salvation, the cities are obliterated and only Lot and his two aughters are saved. While in many other books of the Old Testament, God can be seen as vindictive and hypocritical, it is obvious that God is characterized in Genesis as fair and trustworthy. He notifies Abraham of his plans, forming a mutual trust with him, and saves his family from the destruction. It is important to God not only that his followers act morally but also that he/she holds himself/herself to the same standards. Dei Verbum states, â€Å"To this people which He had acquired for Himself, He so manifested Himself through words and deeds as the one true and living God that Israel came to know by experience the ways of God with men. † (Pope Paul VI 514). God realizes that in order to make the covenant witn Abraham last he/she nas to esta himself/herself through his actions as the one true God. Acting deceitfully or immorally would undoubtedly Jeopardize that. It is obvious throughout Genesis 11-22 that God looks favorably upon those who show him/her fear, and uses fear as a tool to instill a mutual trust between him/her and his/her followers. Fear and trust go hand and hand in the eyes of God and this is demonstrated through the characters in Genesis. Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac, the obedience of Pharaoh and King Abimelech, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah all exemplify this claim. This might cause one to wonder why God must test his subjects’ fear if he/she is indeed all knowing. If God already knows that he/ she trusts someone or that this individual fears God, it would appear that he/she tests him/her solely in order to gain their trust. As I stated, trust and fear are synonymous throughout Genesis and God emphasizes their significance while formulating his/her Judgments of certain individuals and nations. How to cite Abraham and his Relationship with God, Papers