International Terrorism Essays - TurkeyISIL Conflict,

International Terrorism Terrorism is an element of modern society that cannot be escaped. Acts of terrorism occur during times of war and times of peace. Some are to prove a point, others to show defiance. Terrorism can never be completely eliminated because the human race will always find a reason for there to be violence. No culture is perfect. However, we can take steps to prevent such seemingly senseless attacks. Governments and their citizens must be better equipped to fight terrorism. Terrorism to most is thought of as a matter for the police to handle. This is the mentality that terrorists thrive on. Governments must be on top of terrorists and know the plans before they are put into action. Successful terrorists always find a way to stay one step ahead of the authorities. This has to stop. If a certain group claims responsibility for an act of terrorism, no matter what the motive may be, that group must be attacked with all possible resources. People must be willing to work together and unite. Most of the time, terrorism is the end result of people not getting along. Terrorism is an act of violence used to bring about change. Change can be made in other ways. Lives do not have to be lost. Terrorism depends heavily on three things: publicity (to get their ideas out to a mass audience, attract attention, and scare the public), discreteness (secrecy), and loyalty (the leader in command has full authority over those who work below he/she). Out of the three, publicity is most likely a terrorists best friend. Without an audience, there is no one to hear a terrorist. There is no reaction. The media just plays into this with 24 hour coverage of hostage situations like the one in late 1997 when a group of terrorists held members of the Peruvian government hostage form an extended period of time. Everyone from Australia to Hawaii knew about that incident. After the media stopped covering the story as it began to get old, it was almost like the incident never happened. Eventually the hostages were released. As far as discreteness goes, terrorists make all of their plans in complete secrecy. Usually in a terrorist group, members who are lower on the group totem pole can only identify one or two members on the inner circle. If governments were to go after these "little fish", though it would be a slow and tedious process, it could lead to bigger things. Going right to the heart of the problem isn't always the best way to get something done. Lastly, groups rely heavily on loyalty. That is why authorities must make a firm stand in saying that they will not negotiate with terrorists as the United States has. When a group is hold-up for a long time and their demands are not being met, peoples loyalty is tested. They begin to blame each other and eventually they breakdown. One of the leading causes of terrorism is a government repressing and persecuting its people and their beliefs. No where is this more true than in Turkey. The epicenter of violence in Turkey is the PKK. The Kurdistan Workers Party, known ass the PKK, is one of the best organized most violent group of terrorists in the world. They are an extremely tight-knit collection of thieves, murderers, fugitives and other hardened criminals. They began their attacks between the late 70's and early 80's. In order to understand the PKK's motives, you must first understand the history of the Kurdish people. It all started in 1928. For centuries, the Kurds had found a home in a section of the Middle East that is located for the most part in south-eastern Turkey. Because the Kurds could not establish an autonomous nation, they were persecuted by their host states who did not like having the Kurds in their territories (though their dwelling place was located primarily in Turkey, it also stretched into parts of Iran, Iraq, and Syria). Being that the majority of the Kurds were in Turkey, there was a social revolution and many languages and alphabets used by various ethnic groups were banned. The Kurds were one of these minorities and they became subject to a "campaign of repression" . This resulted in an uprise of radical groups. This is where the PKK organization came from. Between December of 1995 and the fall of 1996, there was a group cease-fire, however there were a few notable PKK attacks including a suicide bombing on a Turkish military parade. 9 were

Tundra Biome - The Habitat Encyclopedia

Tundra Biome - The Habitat Encyclopedia The tundra is a terrestrial biome that is characterized by extreme cold, low biological diversity, long winters, brief growing seasons, and limited drainage. The harsh climate of the tundra imposes such formidable conditions on life that only the hardiest plants and animals can survive in this environment. The vegetation that grows on the tundra is restricted to a low diversity of small, ground-hugging plants that are well-adapted to survive in nutrient-poor soils. The animals that inhabit the tundra are, in most cases, migratory- they visit the tundra during the growing season to breed but then retreat to warmer, more southern latitudes or lower elevations when temperatures drop. Tundra habitat occurs in regions of the world that are both very cold and very dry. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Arctic lies between the North Pole and the boreal forest. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Antarctic tundra occurs on the Antarctic peninsula and on the remote islands that lie off  the coast of Antarctica (such as the South Shetland Islands and the South Orkney Islands). Outside of the polar regions, there is another type of tundra- alpine tundra- which occurs at at high altitudes on mountains, above the treeline. The soils that blanket the tundra are mineral-deprived and nutrient-poor. Animal droppings and dead organic matter provide the bulk of what nourishment is present in tundra soil. The growing season is so brief that only the topmost layer of soil thaws during the warm months. Any soils below a few inches deep remain permanently frozen, creating a layer of earth known as permafrost. This permafrost layer forms a water-barrier that prevents drainage of meltwater. During the summer, any water that thaws in the upper layers of the soil is trapped, forming a patchwork of lakes and marshes across the tundra. Tundra habitats are vulnerable to the effects of climate change and scientists fear that as global temperatures rise, tundra habitats might play a role in accelerating the rise in atmospheric carbon. Tundra habitats are traditionally carbon sinks- places that store more carbon than they release. As global temperatures rise, tundra habitats  may shift from storing carbon to releasing it in massive volumes. During the summer growing season, tundra plants grow quickly and, in doing so, they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The carbon remains trapped because when the growing season ends, the plant material freezes before it can decay and release the carbon back into the environment. As temperatures rise and areas of permafrost thaw, the tundra releases  the carbon it has stored for millennia back into the atmosphere. Key Characteristics The following are the key characteristics of tundra habitats: extreme coldlow biological diversitylong wintersbrief growing seasonlimited precipitationpoor drainagenutrient-poor soilspermafrost Classification The tundra biome is classified within the following habitat hierarchy: Biomes of the World Tundra Biome The tundra biome is divided into the following habitats: Arctic and Antarctic tundra - Arctic tundra is located in the Northern Hemisphere between the North Pole and the boreal forest. Antarctic tundra is located in the Southern Hemisphere on remote islands off the coast of Antarctica- such as the South Shetland Islands and the South Orkney Islands- and on the Antarctic peninsula. Arctic and Antarctic tundra supports about 1,700 species of plants including mosses, lichens, sedges, shrubs, and grasses.Alpine tundra - Alpine tundra is a high-altitude habitat that occurs on mountains around the world. Alpine tundra occurs at elevations that lie above the tree line. Alpine tundra soils differ from the tundra soils in polar regions in that they are usually well-drained. Alpine tundra supports tussock grasses, heaths, small shrubs, and dwarf trees. Animals of the Tundra Biome Some of the animals that inhabit the tundra biome include: Northern bog lemming (Synaptomys borealis) - The northern bog lemming is a small rodent that inhabits the tundra, bogs, and boreal forests of northern Canada and Alaska. Northern bog lemmings eat a variety of plants including grasses, mosses, and sedges. They also feed on some invertebrates such as snails and slugs. Northern bog lemmings are prey for owls, hawks, and mustelids.Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) - The arctic fox is a carnivore that inhabits the Arctic tundra. Arctic foxes feed on a variety of prey animals that includes lemmings, voles, birds, and fish. Arctic foxes have a number of adaptations to deal with the cold temperatures they must endure- including long, thick fur and an insulating layer of body fat.Wolverine (Gulo golo) - The wolverine is a large mustelid that lives in boreal forest, alpine tundra, and Arctic tundra habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Wolverines are powerful predators that feed on many different mammal prey including rabbits, voles, lemmings , caribou, deer, moose, and elk. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) - The polar bear inhabits the icecaps and Arctic tundra habitats in the Northern Hemisphere including areas of Russia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland and the Svalbard Archipelago. Polar bears are large carnivores that feed primarily on ringed seas and bearded seals. Muskox (Ovibos moschatus) - The muskox is large hoofed mammals that live in the Arctic tundra. Muskoxen have a sturdy, bison-like appearance, short legs and long, thick fur. Muskoxen are herbivores that feed on grasses, shrubs and woody vegetation. They also eat moss and lichens.Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) - The snow bunting is a perching bird that breeds in the Arctic tundra and in some areas of alpine tundra such as the Cairngorms in Scotland and the Cape Breton Highlands in Nova Scotia. Snow buntings migrate south during the winter months to escape the tundras coldest temperatures.Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) - The Arctic tern is a shorebird that breeds in the Arctic tundra and mig rates 12,000 miles to over-winter along the coast of Antarctica. Arctic terns feed on fish and invertebrates such as crabs, krill, mollusks, and marine worms.