Comparison of Kula and Moka Practice

The reading of Malinowski’s (1979) article will come particularly handy for just about anyone who tries to get a better insight onto significance of kula as practice that defines the essence of Trobrians’ existential mode. According to the author, kula is the form of ceremonial exchange, in which native inhabitants of islands to the north-east and south-east of Papua New Guinea are being involved, as the way of emphasizing their social status in Trobrian society.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of Kula and Moka Practice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The two items, associated with this exchange, are necklaces made out of red shells (soulava) and arm-bracelets, made out of white shells (mwali). While practicing kula, islanders often travel as far as hundreds of miles in canoe boats, in order to exchange soulava for mwali and vice versa. The following are the two foremost aspects of kula: 1). The geographical direction in which soulava and mwali are being exchanged is firmly fixed – on the route of being traded for each other, soulava items always travel in clockwise direction (from north to south), and mwali items always travel in counter-clockwise direction (from south to north). This can be explained by the geographical particulars of where arm-bracelets and necklaces are being procured from: â€Å"We see that the two sources of the mwali and soulava are at the northern and southern ends of the (Trobrian) ring†¦ each (item) is exported from the districts of its origin towards one, where it is not made or procured† (p. 166). 2). Trobrians, involved in kula, are being expected not to possess soulava and mvali for too long – both items of kula exchange are supposed to remain in the state of perpetual motion, while changing hands with kula practitioners on permanent basis: â€Å"A man who is in the Kula never keeps any article for longer th an, say, a year or two† (p. 169). 3). Islanders that participate in kula exchange are supposed to remain involved in this practice for the duration of their lifetime – ‘once in the kula, always in the kula’: â€Å"The principle ‘once in the Kula, always in the Kula’ applies also to the valuables themselves† (p. 164). 4). Kula exchange is essentially manly practice – even though few Trobrian women of high social status are known to indulge in the practice on small-scale basis, it is mostly men who look onto kula as the foremost instrument of gaining the sense of self-respect and establishing themselves socially: â€Å"The Kula is essentially a man’s type of activity. Women do not sail on the big expeditions† (p. 188).Advertising Looking for essay on anthropology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More 5). Exchanging kula articles for each other is being perceived by th ose who indulge in this practice as not a trade per se, but rather as gift-giving: â€Å"The Kula exchange has always to be a gift, followed by a counter-gift; it can never be a barter† (p. 189). From Malinowski’s article, it appears that the main purpose of kula exchange is highlighting exchange participants’ socio-tribal status – those who happened to possess a number of kula items at any given time, are being respected on the account of their ‘manliness’ and also on the account of the sheer strength of their ritualistic-mindedness. According to the author, it is not utterly uncommon for the chiefs in Trobrian villages (a so-called ‘big-men’) to temporally possess as many as hundreds of arm-bracelets and necklaces at the time; whereas, less socially significant inhabitants of these villages may possess only few kula items. By enjoying the temporal ownership of mwalis and soulavas, kula practitioners are being provided with an o pportunity to exhibit their ability to act as reliable partners – hence, wining respect with other members of Trobrian rural communities. In its turn, this partially explains why kula articles are never being exchanged for each other in order to be daily-worn by those who possess them, but rather to provide owners with the chance to brag about being ‘strong in Kula’. Thus, the actual motivations behind this practice can hardly be thought of as rationale-driven but as such that reside deep within the matrix of practitioners’ tribalistic perceptionalism. Initially, there used to be the set of objective preconditions, which instigated kula exchange, in the first place. Nevertheless, as time went by, this practice was being gradually reduced into an irrational ritual. The main purpose of this ritual appears to be concerned with highlighting social inequality among islanders as something that kula practitioners subconsciously feel would set them on the path of progress. It is important to understand that it is namely the strong extent of social stratification among the members of a particular society, which traditionally used to fuel such society’s cultural and scientific advancement. For example, in late 18th century’s British society, there were no people that belonged to a ‘middle class’, in contemporary sense of this word. This, however, was exactly what had triggered the beginning of Industrial Revolution in this country – people’s social inequality, combined with their industriousness, is the compound upon which civilizational progress thrives.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of Kula and Moka Practice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, Trobrians’ willingness to indulge in kula exchange, despite this practice’s apparent senselessness, is best explained as being driven by these peopleâ€⠄¢s identity-related anxieties – since there are no objective preconditions for the maintenance of social inequality among islanders, they are being naturally predisposed to invent artificial ones. The kula exchange can be also discussed within the context of what has traditionally defined the actual essence of a rural living. In rural societies, it represents the matter of foremost importance for these societies’ members to be able to choose in favor of a communal existential mode, as the mean of ensuring their physical survival. The reason for this is simple – giving the fact that in such societies, people’s well-being largely depends on the whims of weather; it represents the matter of crucial importance for them to be able to rely upon each other, while facing life’s challenges. This is exactly why the practical significance of kula exchange is not being concerned with trading parties’ strive to obtain material benefits through trade, as much as it is being concerned with practitioners’ intention to win favors with whom they exchange kula articles, which explains exchange’s technicalities: â€Å"A native will always, when speaking about a transaction, insist on the magnitude and value of the gift he gave, and minimize those of the equivalent accepted† (p. 190). By providing its partner with the gift of mwali of soulava, the gift-giving islander implies that from now on, the gift-receiving partner owes him a favor, which is exactly the reason why kula practitioners do not appear particularly enthusiastic, when it comes to accepting gifts, and also the particulars of ceremony’s etiquette: â€Å"The etiquette of the transaction requires that the gift should be given in an off-hand, abrupt, almost angry manner, and received with equivalent nonchalance and disdain† (p. 189). In other words, kula exchange emphasizes tribalistic workings of islanders’ mentality as people who perce ive ‘favors’ as such that represent a fully objective value. The validity of an earlier suggestion can be also explored in regards to moka practice, associated with existential mode of members of native tribes that populate area around the base of Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea.Advertising Looking for essay on anthropology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The origins of moka gift-giving, concerned with the process of these tribes periodically providing each other with the gifts of pigs and pearl-shells, can be traced back to primeval times, when these gifts were supposed to serve as compensation for the loss of lives, due to tribal warfare. Nevertheless, as of today, moka exchange had been deprived of its utilitarian significance. Nowadays, it serves as the catalysis of ‘debt accumulation’ for those tribesmen who indulge in this practice. From technical point of view, moka exchange cannot be referred to as being utterly complex. For example, once the inhabitants of village X have provided the inhabitants of a neighboring village with the gift of fifty pigs, there can be two possible scenarios of how the inhabitants of village Y would address the act of gift-giving, on the part of their neighbors – in time, they can provide their counterparts with whether the gift of equivalent or slightly higher value (let us say fifty five pigs). If they chose in favor of the latter, the moka ensues – that is, within the matter of a year or two, the inhabitants of X village would have to provide Y villagers with the gift of at least sixty pigs. And, it is important to understand that despite moka exchange being seemingly concerned with its participants trying to earn ‘interest’, while bestowing each other with gifts, the considerations of material enrichment define actual motivations behind moka the least. By indulging in moka, the concerned parties aim to highlight their ‘greatness’ as their foremost priority. While referring to profit, generated by moka-participants, Leach and Leach (1983) state: â€Å"This (moka-related) ‘profit’ does not have the same meaning as it does in a capitalist economy, for it is encompassed within a wider rule of reciprocity† (p. 74). Therefore, the foremost purpose of moka gift-giving can be best defined as turning the nutri tional value of pigs into metaphysical value of debts and favors, which ensure the integrity of tribal societies from within. According to Godelier (1999): â€Å"Moka closely resembles the potlatch; the motive of moka partners is not to make a ‘profit’, but to increase the gifts and to create debts† (p. 98). Thus, just as it is being the case with kula exchange, moka gift-giving appears to be ritually defined extrapolation of native Papua Guineans’ tribal mentality. Given the fact that, due to a variety of fully objective factors, the realities of living in rural areas of Papua New Guinea and Trobrian islands endow native inhabitants with the sense of communal inter-dependency, it comes as not a particular surprise that these people tend to hypertrophy the meaning of tribal relationship with each other. Unfortunately, there is also a negative aspect to this – the sheer strength of native populations’ affiliation with tribal traditions is bein g proportionally related to the extent of their intellectual inflexibility. In its turn, this explains native Guineans and Trobrians’ cultural backwardness. References Boyd, D. 1985, ’The commercialization of ritual in the Eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea’, Man, New Series, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 325-340. Godelier, M. 1999. The enigma of the gift, Chicago, University of Chicago Press. Leach, J. Leach, E. 1983. The Kula: New perspectives on Massim exchange, London, Cambridge University Press. Malinowski, B. 1979. Essentials of the kula; Technicalities of the kula. In: Young, M. (ed) The Ethnography of Malinowski, pp.162-171,181-198. London, Routledge Kegan Paul. Strathern, A. 1971. The rope of moka: Big-men and ceremonial exchange in  Mount Hagen, New Guinea, London, Cambridge University Press. This essay on Comparison of Kula and Moka Practice was written and submitted by user Danika O. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

In the Merchants Prologue and Tale Chaucer Essays

In the Merchants Prologue and Tale Chaucer Essays In the Merchants Prologue and Tale Chaucer Paper In the Merchants Prologue and Tale Chaucer Paper Essay Topic: Pygmalion Januaries preferences for a wife are shown like a shopping list. He places much stress on his prospective wifes age she shal not passe twenty yeer, certayn. There is a sense of economics in the way January has chosen a younger wife to compensate for his old age. Januarie explains his penchant for a young wife in particularised language a yong thyng may men gye, right as men may warm wex with hands plye Januarie has delusions of pygmalionism: the state of being in love with an object of ones own creation, Maye is his manufacture. Januaries language is saturated with fiscal metaphor, metaphor is used to defamiliarise the audience; while he thinks about what his wife will look like, he describes the experience as though one has taken a mirror, polished bright and set it in commune market-place, Thanne sholde he se ful many a figure pace, women are like cattle to Januarie, Januarie values women in accordance to their beauty. The link between women and carnate is very suggestive, Januarie is clearly longing for carnal embrace and his sexual frustration is evident. Januarie uses the sexual language of a cattle market And bet than old boef is the tendre veel women are viewed as meat within Medieval society. One might cross-reference this carnal metaphor to the readers introduction to Damyan the servant which carf biforn the knight ful many a day, it is paradoxical that the boy Januarie has employed to carve meat will ultimately carve Januaries own meat (Maye), Januarie has unwittingly encouraged his own cuckolding by taking on Damyan, this is precursor for Januaries garden which facilitates Maye and Damyans affair; Januaries creation of a pleasure garden is presented to us as an extension of a cashbox in which the key is the all-important possession. It is damaging to Januaries honour that he has been cuckolded by Damyan thyn owene squire and thy borne man his own property. When Januarie becomes blind, he wepeth and with all the fire of his jealousy Lest that his wyf sholde falle in som folye, he becomes increasingly possessive of his wax moulded doll. Januaries blindness is ironic: when he was able to see he was still morally and spiritually blind, it is paradoxical that on balance his blindness initiates his enlightenment, Januaries over-dependency on is his eyes shows how pleasure-seeking, epicurean and hedonistic his life was before marriage. Januaries blindness emphasises his obsession with the aesthetic and attainable by financial means. Sight is something, however, no amount of money can buy. Januarie will not suffer Maye leaving his side But if he had a hand always on her: Maye is his property. Januarie desperately clings to this young vital animal. For Aristotle it is the mark of a barbarian that the husband treats his wife as a piece of property, like a domesticated animal.. On a metaphorical level Januarie is clutching on to his youth; his gluttonising ways are coming to a slow and painful end. Januarie uses bribery at a mid-nuptial stage to prevent Maye from cuckolding him; heritage, toun and tour are used as a bargaining item. Januarie tells Maye she can attain these three things if she remains faithful. We see how Januarie is unable to distinguish between the spiritual and the material; he has bound them up together. Januarie combines a spiritual field with the diction of property and law, the concrete is fused with the abstract. The reader is never allowed to forget that Maye has ultimately sold her body for money; women become objects and commodities. Marriage through the Merchant eyes is equated with the giving away of good s. The Merchants Tale and Prologue is submerged with monetary metaphor and financial imagery, and it is therefore difficult to underplay the importance of money and possessions in this medieval world. However we are reminded that money and possessions are purely material and the love of a wife for a husband and visa-versa cannot be bought they must be earned through the Christian quality of gentillesse. Januarie can buy anything with his money on a material level, however he cannot buy time, for his clock is ticking and he is growing oold and hoor. For this reason I believe The Merchants Tale is more about the worthlessness of money when stared in the face of time. The Merchants Tale is didactic and what the reader should take from it is the importance of having spiritual wealth as opposed to material wealth.

Racism - Malcolm X - Black History Month Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Racism - Malcolm X - Black History Month - Essay Example He felt the pain of segregation but unlike most people, he strongly desired for a change in his community. He knew that something had to be done, and he knew that he could do something about the segregation. Malcolm emerged to be a very significant force for change that could awaken both those who lived and those that were to come. Racism in the United States went through construction and experience during this period. One of such experiences is the one Malcolm x experienced of how the blacks in the society of America were mistreated and neglected. Through the experiences of Malcolm x, it showed that the blacks could be perceived and treated like second-rate human beings. Malcolm redefined the geographical terrain and the tenor of the black politics. He redefined the governance system in America as a better and bigger form of segregation and harmful to the rights of the blacks. Malcolm x change the way people interpreted the civil rights act by affecting their existing definitions and interpretations. Malcolm x succeeded in making people unites so as to gain a racial pride through fighting for their

You Are The Judge Papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

You Are The Judge Papers - Essay Example Negligence is defined as a failure to act by a person where such an act would have been performed by a reasonable man or a person does something which a reasonable person would not have committed. This act or failure to act subsequently leads to foreseeable harm. The main elements to prove negligence are duty of care being owed; breach of that duty which results in injury to the plaintiff and proximity between the act and the injuries that is the injury caused was a foreseeable consequence of the negligence. It can be seen from the facts that Corrigan was responsible for installing the compass and so a clear duty of care arose between the final user that is Daniel and Corrigan. The breach of duty occurred because as per the facts the compass had not been properly installed. Now the issue that arises is whether an action against Zoom can lead to such a claim for medical costs. Clearly Zoom had a contract with Corrigan and so Corrigan would be a party to this action and so medical costs can be recovered subject to proximity which will now be discussed. The question of proximity would require proving whether it was foreseeable that the faulty compass would lead to Daniel getting lost and being beaten. It can be said that because of the faulty compass it is evident that Daniel would get lost. As for the area that he reached as a result there is a strong possibility of it happening and suffering injury in a high crime area. Thus it can be said that there was proximity. The defence that can be relied upon by Zoom/Corrigan is that the event was unforeseen because even though there was a possibility of getting lost, the injury caused was farfetched. Furthermore they can argue that the plaintiff would have been aware that he was going wrong and so knowingly took the risk. All these arguments are likely to fail and thus Daniel can recover for the medical costs under the head of negligence. The proper defendant for the action can be determined by the

The Hurricane Disaster Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 17

The Hurricane Disaster - Article Example The information does not dwell on a particular aspect of the disaster hence providing a very detailed report. The information is a lot but clearly presented with supporting evidence from officials handling the disaster rescue and recovery operation. The last article in the USA Today is not clear at all. It had information jumbled up and provides a lot of unnecessary information to the case. The timeliness is effective but the lack of clarity affects the understanding of the length information from the researchers (Cooper & Swanson, 2005). The article by Kay, (2005) can be said to be the most informative. This is so because it provides well-rounded information about the disaster without dwelling on only one area of it or deviating completely from the events of the disaster hence making the information lack clarity. The authors of this article discussed on the human deaths and injuries experienced, the property damages to the infrastructure especially, the financial implications of the disaster as well as seeking verification of the rescue efforts in place as well as other communication details that seem minute but very effective. The fact that the article discusses the disaster based on opinion and facts provided by several officials and not only the governor like in the previous article makes it even more informative. The article in The New York Times is written in informal communication style compared to the other two articles. The informal writing is meant to be understood by all the people without discriminating others from feeling worthy of the news article they are reading. The informal style enables a clearer understanding of the events and connects with the emotions of the audience. An example about reports from survivors â€Å"†¦were left clinging to the remains of their house when a 23-foot surge of water hit it, flexing the roof like a deck of cards (Treaster & Zernike, 2005).†

Reasons for the Success of Primark

Reasons for the Success of Primark Overview Primark is one of the biggest chain stores in Europe. It operates in 6 European countries like Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Portugal and Germany. The first store was established in 1969 in Dublin. Afterwards in 1973 Primark started trading in Great Britain and in 2006, it opened 2 new stores in Spain and from 2008 2009, Primark starts trading in the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany. Today Primarks chain consist from 193 stores, and majority of them located in the UK. The main offices of company are located in Ireland where it is known as Penneys, Primark is a branch of Associated British Foods pls. ABF has international sales of  £6.8bn and 85,000 employees in 43 countries and Primark is the main piece in ABF. ABF is a highly diversified group of companies who enjoy a high degree of autonomy in the running of their specific businesses. The ABF group is one of the biggest chain stores in Europe with the variety of successful brands and goods in the food sector. (http://www.primark.co.uk/ ) Main Body The successful story of business is Primark story that has become true in last several years. As it was written in â€Å"The Independent: â€Å"During a high street slump, it has built a reputation as a seller of extraordinarily cheap garments and shoppers have besieged its new stores, some of them bought from the collapsed Allders chain.† ( The Independent,† Primark is named at least ethical clothes shop†, by M. Hickman, Thursday, 8 December 2005). Primark success relates to: Super-competitive prices (the result of technology, efficient distribution, supply and volume buying) Market product quality High Street locations Clear focus on the target market. Good global management and logistics system (http://www.earthtimes.org/ ) Super-Competitive Prices Nowadays, global economy opens huge variety of markets, distribution and supply services to the companies that trade in global market. The one of the main oppotunities in companies success is opportunity to choose from a wide range of markets where to trade, or what supplier to choose. The combination of this aspects give to global companies a chance to make more profit that was ever made. As it is known, most of Primarks suppliers are from China, India and south east Asia. So, it gives to ABF group cheap distribution that relates to prices. Low price system give a huge advantage to Primark as a player in the market, among other players such as Tesco, Mark Spencer, Next and etc. this is a good strategy for Primark ,as a player in the global market, during the recession. It gives Primark a big market share and increases in profit. FQDSC strategic model (competitive advantage through) It is better to understand success of Primark store in FQDSC strategic model, which includes flexibility, quality, dependability, speed and cost aspects. If we mark Primark in all this aspects with one of his competitors and compare them, we will see why Primark is so successful. Now, we see that factors such as speed and cost play a huge role in human behavior in todays world during the recession. The recession time shows us how Primark is flexible with their customers, that speed and cost factors give Primark a huge advantage among other players in the market. In comparison with Debenhams and other competitors, factors such as speed and cost played the main role to the success of Primark. (Gregson, R. (2009) MGT 7100 Managing Processes, Lecture 1) Market Product Quality Quality of Primark`s goods strictly relates to the price and suppliers that Primark works with. So it is one of the best quality-price ratios in the market. ABF group achieved this correlation by using the basic rules in global economy to reach best profit. As it was mentioned before, global economy gives a huge amount of opportunities to the companies to make their best correlation between quality, price, location, speed and etc. High Street Locations Primark like almost a half of his competitors has a good location policy. For example, in London on Oxford street, Primark and his competitors are found in one street of market stores. In the UK High Street there is a huge amount of no-frills fashion stores. That means that Primark have a lot of competitors that have same type of customers. Well-established competitors such as Bhs and NEXT and others have to cope with Primark, while results are booming. Primark has become one of the cheapest fashion retailers in the UK High Streets. Therefore people buying goods from Primark store. The live example of Primark success in UK High Street it is if you go to Oxford street you will see a superior amount of people that are carrying Primark bags than from other stores. (http://www.open2.net/ ) Clear Focus On The Target Market Primark have clear understanding demands of their customers. Primarks market segment is the fashion conscious people under- 35s with the slogan â€Å"Look good pay less†. Primark has chosen ‘Cost Leadership strategy, it means that Primark has a cost privilege over competitors. In the last several years Primark has done a lot of things right. TK Maxx and Asda are one of the strongest competitors of Primark and they have a similar market segment. TK Maxx and Asda have different strategies to that of Primark. TK Maxx trades hugely-discounted prestige brands and Asda has created its own private and well-known brand. Primark focuses more on buying, logistics and supply chain management rather than developing its own brand. Primark made its own teams of buyers that travel all over the world to detect fashion trends and to find out the competitive caterers. It means that Primark understand demand of their customer very well by providing them high fashion goods at very low prices. It also has a very clever system of choices of fashion goods to copy into the mass production. To proceed to be most successful in market with ‘Cost Leadership strategy the firm should provide the cheapest prices in the market. (http://www.open2.net/ ) Good Global Management And Logistics System The success of Associated British Foods pls. is not based only on one aspect such as super competitive price, quality, high street location or clear market target. It is the totality of all of aspects. ABF group has a clear understanding of global economy rules. Primark realize that global market opens huge varieties of dealing business. It means that global economy, as it was mentioned before, give to companies a huge varieties of markets, suppliers and etc., and companies can choose among markets and suppliers. ABF group has a good correlation of options that global economy provides to companies. As the result Primark has a very good management and logistic systems. It means that Primark realize a correlation between high volume, low cost, location, market and supply chains. It is better to understand Primarks correlation in picture: Now, we can clearly understand the logistic system that is used by Primark. We can see that global economy and global market give a challenge to Primark and competitors to choose among suppliers. As we can see Primark has chosen the best correlation between suppliers, prices and other aspects which leaded to better profit. This is demonstration of Primarks commitment to having the best available solutions to help manage its supply chain, and to improve working conditions whilst maintaining competitive edge and quality in a fast-moving fashion environment,† said Ray Ellis, business systems analyst at Primarks owner, Associated British Foods. ( http://www.supplychain.cn ) Conclusion In conclusion we can see a whole picture of Primarks success. It is obvious that the company became a successful business story just in several years. Primark success is a very good solution in management and logistic system. Primark became a good example of success and a case study to its competitors. As it was written before, Primarks triumph relates to several aspects such as quality, high street locations, super competitive prices, clear focus on the target market, good management and logistics system. The main point of the success of Primark, it is that the owners of Primark were one of the first in practical business who realized the whole picture of global market and combinations of aspects and factors that is given by the globalisation. It is true that during the recession time factors like low costs and fast speed are playing a big role in decision making process of customers. Primark has a clear focus on the target market, and it helps them to know what the best to their customers is. They know that their target market are people under 35 and they focus more on factors such as fashion, low prices and speed. At the end, we cant say that the success of Primark is the lucky chance, their success is the well-developed combination between factors and aspects. References: http://www.primark.co.uk/page.aspx?pointerid=eb44df4565934edca627dac6ec12145a [accessed 14 November 2009] http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/primark-to-install-island-pacific-planning-solution,1029702.shtml [accessed 14 November 2009] The Independent,† Primark is named at least ethical clothes shop†, by M. Hickman, Thursday, 8 December 2005 http://www.open2.net/money/briefs_20051206_primark.html [accessed 15 November 2009] http://www.supplychain.cn/en/art/2769/ [accessed 15 November 2009] Gregson, R. (2009) MGT 7100 Managing Processes, Lecture 1

Global Warming Essays -- Environment Global Warming Climate Change

Global Warming Climate change is neither new nor unusual. Throughout the history of the earth, the average surface temperature, climate and greenhouse gas concentrations have changed, sometimes gradually other times quite sharply. During the past 10,000 years the earth has been in an interglacial period with a fairly stable climate, surface temperature, and greenhouse gas concentration1. The problem that has arisen in recent times is when scientists analyze the past 150 years, especially the last 50. Scientists have found an increased greenhouse gas concentration, making the 20th century the hottest in the last 10,000 years. Although the earth has undergone periodic changes known as global cooling and global warming, today’s global warming is unique, due to human influences. The greenhouse effect is essentially gasses in the atmosphere trapping heat, rather like a car window does in the summer. The major heat trapping gasses found in the atmosphere are; CO2 and water vapor- which are found in large quantity, 03(ozone), ch4(methane), and N2O(nitrous oxide)-which are better heat trappers but found in smaller quantity, CFC’s and PFC’s- which are very potent and destroy ozone. The rapid elevation of these gasses in the past fifty years have been the cause for concern of scientists calling it a global warming problem. Global warming is a natural process as well as a human assisted process. Solar flares and sunspots along with natural elevation of greenhouse gasses due to volcanic activety are the natural causes for global warming. Dr. Judy Lean, a leading astrophysicist, looked at global warming trends from 1860 to the present day. Her research has found from 1860 to 1970, global warming was largely due to natural sources. But from 1970 to the present natural sources accounted for only one-third the increase while human influence accounted for the remaining two-thirds of the increased greenhouse effect. The increase in greenhouse gasses from human sources comes from a variety of things. Elevated Co2 levels, which have been increasing at a rate of 0.5% per year, largely come from the burning of fossil fuels(70-75%), especially coal. Deforestation and plant burning account for the remainder. Increased Methane and Nitrous oxide in the atmosphere are mostly due to agriculture; rice patties, cattle, termites and decomposition of dead... ...ns in order to stop the increase. In order to slow the increase, the efficient use of fossil fuels must be adapted. Natural gas gives off very little co2 and methane if burned properly. Deforestation must also be stopped in order to give natural co2 scrubbers, plants, a chance to aid in the process. Governmental programs have also been implemented. A carbon tax has been considered along with the passing of the 1990 Clean Air Act, aimed at lowering emissions and cleaning air pollution. On a world wide scale, the Kyoto Accord in 1997, in which 159 nations agreed to work together to decrease Co2 emissions by 5.5% by 2012. The United States agreed, since it accounts for 25% of the worlds total emissions by 1990 figures, to cut its emissions by 7%. Global warming is still a major issue in world and U.S. politics. Conservatives argue for more market-orientated solutions, resulting in the imposition of taxes, resulting in higher prices for environment polluting goods. Liberals on the other hand advocate stiffer industry regulation and more direct controls. Any action taken, whatever the ideology, can only help to solve an increasing problem but at what cost to the consumer?