Tourists

There are many definitions for the "tourist."The known definition of a tourist is a person that travels for pleasure and is not born in the place they travel to.To some people,the tourists that come to Nantucket may be very annoying,rude,dirty, and smelly and they are not native to the island.While others may think they are nice,friendly, and very generous people that just were not here.I trend to disagree.Just think of the many day-trippers who flock,like seagulls, to the Tavern and don't leave a tip after treating the hardworking waitress in a rude manner,with their screaming kids whining and belching, and the horny husband who pinches her derriere as she walks away.

To back up the definition of the word that I agree with,I have provided some other examples based on occurences I have been involved with or seen.

A tourist,in my opinion,is a person who is very rude,hostile,pushy,urgent,always rushing, and ignorant when it comes to directions and locations.Since tourists are not born and live in the place they are visiting,they cannot see all the landmarks and interesting sites there is to see.They are always rushing to fit as much as they can into one day's events before they go back to where they live.They stop you every few minutes while standing in front of The Hub to ask where Main Street is.This alsi ties into "being rude" because they don't ask in a polite way usually, and they rarely say "Thank You."They can't be bothered with slow people.I worked at D&B Car Wash last summer and I got a lot of rude customers everyday.I would ask them what wash they would like,since we have three kinds, and they would throw the money at me telling me to just give them a wash.They were obviously in a hurry to do something.Most of the time they did not even know how to drive their car in properly, and they would get it stuck,then get upset and start screaming and saying they were going to sue the Car Wash if any damage happened to their car.Then the manager would come out and a whole fiasco would begin.

There are many distinctive features a tourist has or uses that allows others to be able to identify them.Tourists usually carry a camera,binoculars,sunglasses,backpacks,ugly Bermuda shorts,white sunblock on their noses, and funny looking fanny packs that strap around their waist.Tourists always have to be well prepared because they never know what there is to encounter or what they will encounter.Tourists love to be the center of attention,trying to pretend that they are better then everyone else.They like to make big purchases to show off their wealth.It was very interesting,and it had a lot of cool items.I saw this woman in front of me,she was buying almost everything she saw,so it seemed.She browsed the shop for a little while,trying to figure out what antiques she really wanted to buy.Then,she listed the items she absolutely wanted to the cashier,for her to retrieve them.I was in a line for literally an hour.

Basically,tourists are inconsiderate and not very aware of their surroundings so they do things that irritate the local people here.This would be true most anywhere.I guess you notice it more on Nantucket because it is such a small place, and there are so many less people here in the winter.Once the weather starts to get warm,the tourists come out.

The Fast of Ramadan

Muslims wake up before sunrise about two hours earlier and have some food.There is no limit on how much you can eat,but it is better not to eat too much because you won't be able to feel the hunger and thirst of the poor Muslims that are in need.

During the 30 days of Ramadan,between sunrise and sunset,Muslims are forbidden from eating,drinking,smoking and engaging in sexual relations during the hours of daylight.This is a sacred time for worship and concentration on the Islamic faith,rather than everyday activities.But some people don't have to fast like sick people,elderly people,on a journey,pregnant women and children who have not started puberty are permitted to break their fast and make up an equal number of days later in the year.

Muslims visit Mosque every day during Ramadan,to pray together and study the Quran.As well as the five daily prayers that are said throughout the year,a special prayer called the Taraweeh or "Night Prayer" which you pray 11 times.This is prayed during Ramadan.When the sun goes down at the end of the day the fast is open with a few dates then they pray together and then have a big meal with their family and friends called the iftar.After dinner,people usually go to the cemetery to visit their dead relatives and pray for them.

During Ramadan,it is particularly abhorrent for Muslims to tell lies,insult others,criticize someone behind their back,bear false witness or crave someone else' possessions.Though these things are considered offensive at all other times of the year,they are thought to undo all ther good gained by fasting.But people should be kind to one another and to be helpful,polite and to treat animals well.

On the night of 27th day of Ramadan,Muslims celebrate Laylat-al-Qadr or "Night of Power."It is said that Quran was revealed to Mohammad(PBUH) on this night.On this night people all around the world pray to Allah and ask for forgiveness.

If you have you eat anything or drink anything accidentally,because you forgot you were fasting,your fast does not break,but if you eat or drink anything intentionally your fast is broken.There are strict rules about keeping your fast.These are;you are not allowed to swear,smoke,you must not be selfish,greedy and have sexual intercourse during the hours of fasting.People also pray to Allah and ask for forgiveness.

Ramadan ends with a three day festival called Id-al-Fitr.It's a time for friends and family to gather together in prayer,exchange gifts and indulge in large meals and mainly children get pocket money.People also visit their dead relatives in the cemetery where they will pray for them.

Ramadan is important because it happens on the nine month of the Islamic calendar;Ramadan is also the fourth pillar of Islam.

It gives you inner spiritual strength,you also develop self-control over your passions and appetites,people also feel the thirst and hunger of other people and feel sympathy for them and mainly give them money as Zakaah which is the third pillar of Islam and you only have to pay 2.5% of your income or more if you want.

Ramadan is also important because it brings the whole community together by praying together in a mosque.Ramadan is also important for Muslims because it is believed to be the month during which the Holy Quran was revealed by Allah to Mohammad(PBUH).

This might effect a Muslims life by they will become more holy and spiritual and get closer to Allah,they will have a better self-discipline of themselves,they will stop and think about what they do in the future like committing any bad sins or deeds e.g. stealing;they might start to care about poor people and not put food to waste and also by Muslims fasting and not doing any bad deeds they might get closer to Allah.It makes them feel that they have fulfilled a requirement which is the fourth pillar of Islam which is sawm(fasting).

Weaponizing Space

There is an ongoing debate on the issue of weaponizing space in order to protect our national space assets and achieve strategic objectives.This is an issue because of the increase of more space faring nations trying to exploit the benefits of space and other national also trying to develop capabilities to disrupt other using from it.This essay will outline the current international laws and policies,our national policies in regard to space,current issues that catalyzed this debate,the benefits and disadvantage of weaponizing space.

Space is also governed by rules and laws much like we do on land and sea."Treaty on Principles Governming the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space,including the Moon and other Celestial Bodies," or commonly referred to as the Outer Space Treaty was signed in 1966 by many nations,including the United States, and is the basis for most international space laws and policies.Some key points to take away from this treaty in relation to the space weapons debater are the following:"(1)outer space is open to all nations to explore and use;(2)nations cannot own any portion of outer space;(3)outer space will be used for peaceful purposes;(4)nations cannot place,put in orbit,or station any weapon of mass destruction in any form in outer space."(UNOOSA)These principles and laws also mostly reflected in our nation's space policy, and our national security space strategy.

Our National Space Policy(NSP) is derived from the President's vision and directives.NSP incorporates the trems outlined in the Outer Space Treaty,as well as two caveats: (1)to deter,defend our nation's space assets, and "if deterrence fails,defeat efforts to attack them";(2)"to work with international partners to continue to promote peaceful use of space."Also ,NSP shapes the National Security Space Strategy(NSSS),which the Department of Defense uses of direct the way the military develop and utilize space capabilities.

NSSS states a few current trends in space as being "congested and contested",which is shaping our space strategic environment as well as fueling debates for space weapons."Congested" trend refers to the current "60 nations and government consortia that own and operate satellites and the expectation to have 9000 satellite communication transponders in orbit by 2015."There are over "22000 man-made objects,of which,1100 are active satellites," and the rest are orbital debris from 50+ years of space exploitation."Contested" trend refers to how certain nations, including us,are aiming to develop counter space capabilities that may "deny,degrade,deceive,disrupt,or destroy space assets or its supporting infrastructure.For example,in January 2007,China tested their anti-satellite capability by launching a ballistic missile as a "kinetic kill vehicle" and destroying one of their weather satellite.This test added more than 3000 pieces of orbital debris and proved a grim fact that other nations are developing counter space capabilities.

Weaponizing space has always been an ongoing debate since the start of the space race.International space policies and laws have and continue to allow all nations to use and explore space freely and peacefully.Even our own national policies adhere to these international laws to promote peacefully use of space as long as we maintain our national objectives.However,the current political and military environment brings about arguments which support for or against the idea of space weaponization.WE need to conduct a thorough critical analysis of all sides of this debate and choose the best balanced approach.

The Hydrogen Secret

The world is developing at a faster rate than ever before.As a result natural resources continue to be exhausted worldwide.Oil,once an abundant resources in the earth,is depleting at an ever growing rate.Oil costs continue to rise as the world depends on it more and more.Governments are investing billions of dollar every year into alternate energy research with hydrogen as the front runner.This is free money companies are receiving to research and develop hydrogen-powered vehicles.It's no wonder why people are lured into the hydrogen revolution.Each type of alternate energy comes with its own pros and cons.Like any product,marketers will only mention the pros of the product they are selling and the cons of their competitors.In the end whoever has the most money,wins.Hydrogen powered vehicles have received the most attention in the last year.Unfortunately the hydrogen revolution is not the savior that it is hyped up to be.The world cannot continue to rely on oil for its source of energy;an alternate form is needed but any more time or money invested into hydrogen as that alternate source may prove to be a big waste.In nature hydrogen is always found combined with other elements,which means it has to be manually made by passing an electric current through water to form hydrogen and oxygen.There is a tremendous amount of energy involved in splitting the molecules to free the hydrogen from water is through the use of oil and coal.Oil and coal are the two main resources the world is trying to cut back on.The main purpose of using hydrogen is lost when considering the actual manufacturing process of hydrogen contributes a significant amount of carbon dioxide.When the big coal and oil companies start investing their profits in hydrogen,something has gone awry.Each company sees its future limited and wants to ensure their survival.Since they have the most money they will be the main producer of hydrogen.The hydrogen economy will benefit the mining and oil industry at the cost of the clean-energy dream.

Hydrogen will prove to be a difficult energy to sell in the short term.Even though vehicles are still in the development stages,the current hydrogen prototype costs are in the million dollar range.Hydrogen is the smallest element in the universe;to get enough useful energy to power the vehicle,hydrogen has to be compressed to am extremely high pressure.Storing a gas at pressure this high requires additional safety measures.The tank has to be strong enough to store high pressure in the first place;in addition,it has to be able to survive in the event of a vehicle accident.The Hindenburg disaster is a great example of what can happen when hydrogen ignites.Vehicles are not the only major cost associated with developing a new fuel.New hydrogen fueling stations will need to be built or retrofitted into existing gas stations.The cost of building these new stations will be at a expense of the consumer.

While it is good to see many different types of energies being researched,each alternate energy source has its pros and cons.Hydrogen requires energy input just to produce free molecules of hydrogen;once the free hydrogen is produced,distributed , and stored the conversion process is still not over.Hydrogen fuel cells are designed that when hydrogen is combined with oxygen the result is electricity and water.The electricity is used to power the vehicle and water is the harmless by-product.There is a great loss in efficiency when hydrogen is undergoing all these conversion processes.The battery driven electric vehicle is one alternative that has a minimal conversion process.Batteries can be recharged anywhere and vehicles are often build with electrical regeneration technology.Electric vehicles can also minimize efficiency loss and save distribution since electricity is already a pre-existing infrastructure.

There are a many reasons why hydrogen vehicles look so appealing.The appeal is hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and it's a clean burning form of energy since the vehicles produce only water as its emission.However,to achieve a true clean vehicle the hydrogen must also be created by a clean form of electrolysis.