America Must Conserve Energy :: Gas Crisis Shortage

Whle researching for this essay, something shocked me. A quote from the American Petroleum Institute saying, â€Å"A country that runs on oil can’t run short† really caught my attention. We need to conserve our fossil fuels and natural oils or find alternative sources of energy because if we do not we will completely deplete the resources we have now and be left with nothing. To get energy, the United States uses many different resources, the majority (88%), however comes from the fossil fuels of crude oil (41%), natural gas (24%) and coal (23%). Today in the US, 2.5 million tons of coal are used a day mostly for utilities (86%), 17 million gallons of petroleum are used a day mostly for transportation (63%), and 50 billion cubic ft of natural gas is used a day mostly in industry (40%) and commercial and residential (40%). (Lecture 121 ppt) These numbers are very high and something needs to be done. There are many things that we can individually do on our own to lower these numbers. Since cars use lots of petroleum, one thing we can do is lessen the amount of time and distance we drive. We can make more carpools, walk whenever possible and use public transportation. Also our utilities use a big chunk of our fossil fuels. One way to lesson the amount we use is to be conservative in our utilities use. We cannot stop using our utilities; however, we can use prudence and not go over board in out use. (Source 3) One way to conserve fossil fuels being looked at today is the use of an engine that uses an energy source such as eclectic. â€Å"In the future, alternative fuel powered vehicles will be predominant, but now, it is not possible to use them realistically. They are not ready for production and have no supporting infrastructure.† (Source 2) There for, many car companies are experimenting with other ways to make their engines more efficient. Many discoveries have recently taken place that enable cars to run on less fuel without sacrificing performance.

Affirmative Action Essay -- Discrimination Race Racism Essays

Affirmative Action Affirmative action is a blanket term that refers to â€Å"the set of public policies and initiatives designed to help eliminate past and present discrimination based on race, color, sex or national origin,† (Sykes). Before the Civil Rights Acts of 1965 and the 1954 Scott v. Topeka decision, there were â€Å"unwritten laws and protection for white men† against competition from women and ethnic minorities in prestigious professions, creating blatant inequality (Alsbrook). Affirmative action policies designed in part to counteract such â€Å"unwritten laws† were first employed in 1965 to provide equal opportunity among federal contractors; now however, they are used widely in many industries, both public and private (Kahn). In the 1970’s, the scope of the initiatives expanded to the arena of college and university admissions as well. Debate over affirmative action has revolved around myriad issues ranging from diversity to the relevance of past injustices to so-called â€Å"reverse discrimination.† The paramount key issue that is constantly asked regarding affirmative action is, â€Å"Does affirmative action achieve its goal of equality?† Having considered the arguments from many perspectives, we recommend a general position that supports affirmative action policies. However, this support is not unmitigated—certain constraints and amendments are required. Those who oppose affirmative action often claim that it simply does not succeed in helping the occupational and educational status of minorities. Some support for this claim apropos policies in the workplace can be culled from the fact that women only earn approximately seventy-seven cents for every dollar men earn, the figure dropping to sixty-six cents for non-white women (... ...pdf> {popular news, print via Internet; apparently credible} Wilcher, J. Shirley. â€Å"The History of Affirmative Action Policies† Americans for Fair Chance Washington D.C (2003): In Motion Magazine. 26 April. 2004 http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/aahist.html {distinguished news; print via internet; reputable} Yates, Steven. â€Å"Affirmative Action: The New Road to Serfdom.† The Freeman. (1990) Vol. 40, No. 12. Foundation for Economic Education Inc. 6 April 2004 http://www.libertyhaven.com/politicsandcurrentevents/affirmativeaction/roadserfdom.shtml {unrestricted; print modified; plausible} Zauberman, Renee and Rene Levy. â€Å"Police, Minorities, and the French Republican Ideal*.† Criminology 41.4 (2003): 1065-1100. Research Library. ProQuest. NYU Bobst Library, NY, NY. 21 April. 2004 http://www.proquest.com/ {scholarly primary; print via Internet; authoritative}

Saul Essay -- Religion, God

Change is inevitable. However, whether the change is good or bad depends on the individual. In the bible, Saul is described, at first, to be a â€Å"handsome man, and [that] there was not a more handsome person than he among the songs of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people,† an image that appears the most fit for a king (1 Samuel 9:2). Conveniently, due to the people’s complaints and want of a king, Samuel finds Saul, the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamites, with the help of God’s guidance and Saul is anointed as the first king of Israel. As king, Saul exploits valiant roles in battles and leads Israel with confidence, yet, as time goes on, Saul begins to undergo a transformation that will bring him closer to his â€Å"darker† side with every sin stacking on top of the previous flaw. It all appears to begin when Saul disobeys God’s orders, told through Samuel, to destroy all the Amalekites, by sparing the Agag ’s life, best livestock, and keeping onto the â€Å"good things† (1 Samuel 15:9). The change that Saul experiences is shaped by his flaws – greed, jealously, selfishness – that permeates his character, eventually leading to his demise. First off, Saul’s strengths before his change include being self-sufficient and having a strong grip on Israel. Saul is a character that seems to fend for himself in risky situations, such as when Saul was in a war with the Philistines, he waited for Samuel but when Samuel was delayed in his coming to Gilgal, Saul took matters into his own hands to please the Israelites, who were restless (1 Samuel 13:8-9). In addition, Saul is in command as king and holds true to his role, as he responds to the needs of Israelites yet he holds power to have the people obey his words... ...o that he can keep an eye on him and kill him when the time is right (1 Samuel 18:21). Lastly, the most apparent flaw is jealously, that takes root when he hears the people say â€Å"Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands† (1 Samuel 18-7) and flourishes as he no longer is the â€Å"anointed king by God.† For example, Saul is overcome with anger and jealously that he just throws a spear at David, while David is playing the harp for him (1 Samuel 18:10-11). Additionally, Saul continues to pursuit David out of spite and pure jealously and relentlessly targets David, even calling him an enemy, when his own daughter lets him go (1 Samuel 19: 17). This is Saul’s most dangerous flaw and irreversible turning point in his transformation, as he loses control of a logical mind, even hurling a spear at his own son Jonathan for letting David go (1 Samuel 20:33).

Role Model

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Dr Martin Luther King Jr is my role model because he dedicated his life to helping the civil rights movement. He’s someone that I look up to because of his strong will power perseverance, and determination. Dr King’s worldview was to have equal rights and opportunities for all people despite what their nationality was. I share the same worldview as Dr King in regards to equal rights and standing for what you believe in. Dr King wanted to world to evolve in its way of thinking because he saw firsthand how African Americans were being treated.Dr King is my role model because he fought to change my history. Dr King didn’t only want to see a change happen for his self and others but also for his family. He had a wife Coretta and four children; these were the people who he wanted to see change happen for the most. After King’s death is family wanted to keep his legacy alive because they knew he stood for a good cause. According to the article A king family tribute â€Å"Family and friends remember Dr. King as a role model and dedicate themselves to his mission. Watkins, Dr.King's niece, has assembled their writings and excerpts from their speeches. All pay tribute to his spirit, abiding faith and dedication to the cause of civil rights, and they affirm their own commitment to â€Å"following the path he walked,† as his nephew, Derek B. King, states. King's father's remarks are excerpted from his autobiography. Dr King is my personal role model because is stood for what he believed in. Dr king helped shape my worldview because through his hard work he’s shown me that nothing worth fighting for comes easy.I think a lot of people look over the fact that Dr King wasn’t just trying to change the race problem it stood of many different social issues. In the article Martin Luther King Jr conception of freedom and radical democracy the author states that â€Å"king came to believe that the civil ri ghts struggle needed to expand beyond just racial desegregation in this country, He began to raise his voice against racism militarism, and economic exploitation around the world†. This is another reason why I look up to him because he didn’t only focus on one hing that needed to be changed so saw the importance of these issues and wanted to change them. Dr. king had a career as a pastor which is why I feel he never gave up believing in what he thought was right. The article Martin Luther King cover story gives background on his life â€Å"King was a preacher who spoke in biblical cadences ideally suited to leading a stride toward freedom that found its inspiration in the Old Testament story of the Israelites and the New Testament gospel of Jesus Christ.Being a minister not only put King in touch with the spirit of the black masses but also gave him a base within the black church, then and now the strongest and most independent of black institutions†. Like Dr Kin g I believe that everyone should have the right to freedom and equal rights ; However, I don’t know if I could have endured the things that Dr king had to. Once Dr King was thrown in jail because of his protest, I think if I knew I could go to jail because I was protesting I wouldn’t protest.On the other Dr King who have pathed the way for me to be able to use my freedom of speech. I would want to be brave and stand for what I believe in for myself and my family just as King did. Reference MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. A King Family Tribute. (2012). Kirkus Reviews, 80(24), 222. Orosco, J. M. (2001). Martin Luther King, Jr. ’s Conception of Freedom and Radical Democracy. Journal Of Social Philosophy, 32(4), 386-401. White, J. E. (1998). Martin Luther King. (Cover story). Time, 151(14), 160.

Bank of Canada Monetary Policy

On the contrary to the policies of the United States, material about Canada’s monetary policy was easily accessible on the Bank of Canada website, straight-forward and easy to understand. It’s clear that their target audience is the average Canadian citizen. They didn’t give the ‘run-around’ so- to- speak, of what their main objectives are, and much of it was watered down so that anyone could comprehend it. The Bank focuses on keeping inflation low, stable and predictable in order to encourage long-term investments for citizens to contribute to lasting economic growth, the creation of jobs and increased productivity – which will ultimately improve standard of living. This strategy is encompassed by the inflation control target that was adopted by the Bank of Canada in 1991, which sets a control range of 1-3 percent, ideally with a 2 percent midpoint. And, looking at historical statistics since its inception, the Bank has been able to maintain this control effectively. For example, inflation rate for 1Q 2013 was 1. 3%. According to the Bank, this monetary policy is implemented by influencing short-term interest rates which is done by raising or lowering the target for the overnight rate. In the end, a reduction in the policy rate, or easing of monetary policy, can be expected to boost total demand for Canadian goods and services, and vice versa. In addition to this, another goal for the Bank is maintaining flexible exchange rates – which they consider best suited for achieving their inflation target. The floating Canadian dollar provides an exchange rate buffer which allows the economy to absorb and adjust to economic shocks it may encounter. Though additional factors like exchange rates and unemployment seem to be important to policy makers, they are not focused on as intently as inflation and little information is available in regard to them. Their thinking is that monetary policy cannot have a systematic and sustained effect on any other variable, thus making it senseless to adopt any other long-term targets. It seems apparent that the Canadian policy strives to remain â€Å"forward looking† in a sense. The Bank places much of its emphasis on long-lasting shocks to the economy, rather than those believed to be short lived. By attempting to keep inflation close to their target, they consider themselves better able to respond to changes in the economic environment in such a way to avoid situations of excess demand or upply. Thus, pressures of inflation rising or falling are kept to a minimum. There’s much argument surrounding whether or not Canada’s policy is really that good or if they have just been lucky over the years. Volatility has increased in the Canadian economy over the years, however, they believe that their â€Å"exceptional† economic performance was the result of an even greater imp rovement in monetary policy and the policy offset the volatile environment, resulting in greater macroeconomic performance. It’s especially important to the Bank to remain credible to the Canadian people by being open and clear about their policy choices. They feel that this credibility keeps expectations to preserve future inflation close to the target and this â€Å"anchors† them to ensure that it happens. Even though Canada’s approach to communicating its monetary policy is much different than that of the United States, one could argue that they may be ‘putting blinders’ on their citizens, to avoid poor performance in other areas. Is their layman, tunnel vision approach regarding inflation control diverting the public from questioning whether or not it the best framework to utilize to drive the economy in a positive direction? The Canadian economy is still struggling to recover from the Great Recession and is trying to find ways in order to avoid the zero lower bound issue, but they put little importance communicating on how they are going to do so with the public.

Organic Food †Does It Really Makes a Difference? Essay

   There are increasing debates about whether the organic food really makes a difference. Organic food has been commonly seen as better taste, healthy, safety and environment friendly, but is it true? This paper hopes to find out the exact conclusion of that debate, as well as consumers’ perspective of organic food, and its influence on hospitality industry. 1. Introduction of Organic Food 1. 1 Definition of Organic Food Organic food has a strict regulation that determines what kind of food can be labeled ‘organic’. According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, â€Å"Organic food is the product of an agricultural farming system that places a strong emphasis on environmental protection and animal welfare. † (Peter, 2006; Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Organic Food, 2004) As well as the organic produce export committee defined it as â€Å"organic production emphasizes the use of renewable resources, conservation of energy and resources, and preservation of the environment, without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides† (Peter, 2006; Organic Produce Export Committee, 2002). Based on the quotes, we know that the organic food has many benefits that conventional food does not have, such as environment friendly, healthy, no hidden danger and so forth. 1. 2 Consumer’s Awareness of Healthy Eating â€Å"Foodborne disease caused by microbiological hazards is a large and growing public health problem in Europe and worldwide. † (Deborah, Christopher, Patricia, 2003, p. 434). Thanks to the technology, by watching the press coverage from TV and the Internet, worldwide public awareness of food quality and nutrition has been improving dramatically. A research conducted by Annelies states that â€Å"food has become less safe, less tasty, a bit more expensive and certainly less healthy. † (Annelies, Xavier, Jacques, 2002 p. 615). As a result, nowadays the organic food is getting more and more popular around the world. Moreover, according to Aikaterini M (2002, p. 346) â€Å"better taste, being like home-grown, being free from BSE, genetic modification and food additives are motivations for buying organic food†. It is said that the demand of organic food is growing gradually, and now people are more willing to buy organic food rather than conventional food. 2. Debate of Difference between Organic Food and Conventional Food Now because the people concern over their healthy issue and its link with food has been intensified recently, and likely to become more so, it drives great many articles getting more concentration on writing about healthy eating style; among these articles, plenty of debates have been arisen for arguing whether the organic food is better than the conventional food or not. 2. 1 Standpoint of Organic Food Is Better Than Conventional Food Generally, the organic food is more expensive than the conventional food, but consumers still willing to pay a premium for organically grown products. â€Å"According to the results of the organic food consumer survey, respondents who claim to be an organic food consumer rank â€Å"healthiness† first, â€Å"taste† second and â€Å"environmentally friendly† third. † (Annelies, et al, 2002, p. 614) 2. 1. 1 Healthiness and Food Safety. Firstly, based on organic food definition, it clearly informs its customers that it does not use of any chemo-synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Regarding conventional food, we cannot say all of conventional food may contain harmful substance due to pesticide residues remain on food, but what can be sure is the conventional food indeed has risk that threat to health. (Faidon, Fotini, & Antonis 2006) The threat probably is less effect for adult, but still may cause danger to fragile parties, such as babies and old people. Actually, some scientists’ report â€Å"certain pesticide in conventional food could, over many years, raise the risk of cancer and other disease in humans. † (Faidon, et al, 2006, p. 25) The report also states that the leafy vegetables and fruits with thin skin, lettuce and strawberry for example, are contained much more chemical residues than other types of food. Thus, these high-risk foods should always eat organically farmed, or on the season. 2. 1. 2 Taste of Organic Food. Secondly, another debate point that does the organic food taste better than other types of food, the article, written by Laurence and Stacey (2002), said the claim that all organic food taste better than conventional food is not a valid one. Based on his research, the organic orange juice does prove it has a better taste, but his research also shows that there is no difference in taste by compares the organic milk and conventional milk. It is fair to say not all of organic foods taste better than conventional foods, but after all some organic foods are really more delicious than other foods. On the other hand, we should not ignore the physiological effect. Many reports and articles admit that there is a worldwide belief that consumers think the organic food does taste better. (Anne, Albert and Clive, 1995; Fotopoulos and Krystalli, 2002; Justin and Jyoti, 2012) It is a great deal of emotional conviction. As a result, even few organic foods do taste nothing special, the general uninformed consumers still taste organic food ‘better’ because of bias of perspective. 2. 1. 3 Environment Friendly Thirdly, according to exist research, the organic agriculture is perceived as friendly for environment and animal welfare. (Bord 2000; Annelies et al, 2002; Anne et al, 1995; Koen, Joris, & Guido, 2009) According to the report by Bord (2000), the organic farming has many advantages that the conventional farming does have, such as protecting the long term fertility of soils, encouraging soil biological activity, conservation of wildlife and natural habitats and so forth. Additionally, as the author mentioned above, consumers increasingly concern to environment issues, which is going to become a trend of green movement in hospitality industry. (Zhang and Jing, 2011) 2. 2 Viewpoint of No Difference between Organic Food and Conventional Food Some research point out the main reasons prevent consumers to buy organic food are lack of availability, expensive, and satisfaction with conventional food. (Emma and Tony, 2005; Aikaterini, 2002) Another research conducted by Faidon, et al (2006), states that organic food probably just buying for peace of mind, because they believe organic food makes no noticeable differences than conventional food. To be more specifically, as the author mentioned above, the food safety is ranked as the first reason consumers buying organic food; but in fact the research shows that chemical residue remained level is limited and acceptable in the majority of conventional food. (Faidon, et al, 2006) Even though some types of conventional products, such as strawberry, are contained much more chemical residues than other, but many consumers can be satisfied by choosing other substitutable conventional product to replace the unsafe food. On the other hand, the acceptable amount of chemical residues in conventional food may has minimum effect on normal people’s health; at least for now it is still the subject of great scientific controversy. (Faidon, et al, 2006) Additionally, because the lack of availability of organic food, the consumers sometimes do not have any options but choose conventional food; therefore it may does not have a noticeable advantage that the organic food bring, unless consumers eating organic food only for a long time. 3. Consumers’ Perspective of Differences between Organic food, Conventional Food and Genetically Modified (GM) Food, and Their Impact on Hospitality Industry Despite lots of scientists argue what they believe or doubt whether the organic food really worth the money or not, and no matter how many researched data they used to support their view, uninformed consumers always are the major group who judge the organic food based on their own knowledge and perspective. The common sense tells them the nature products are always the safest for human being. Moreover, unlike the conventional food and GM food, the organic food provides a clean label and easily understood ingredient list. In contrast, the first image of consumer’s perspective of conventional food is that it uses of chemo-synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Although the conventional food has many advantages that the organic food does not have, such as cheap, big, always widely available, and less limited product range, but these advantages are all highly relied on harmful substance (small amount). On the other hand, the GM food also does not give consumers any better confidence in food safety and quality. In fact, based on research, the majority of consumers have negative attitude towards GM food because they do not have exactly knowledge to know how GM food being produced. (Annelies, & Jacques, 2003) Hence, in relation to consumers’ perspective, organic food really makes difference, by reason of people can assure there is no risk in foods, especially ensure the food safety for fragile party such as babies, pregnant women, older people and so on. Nowadays, not only the increasing consumers choose organic product, but also the restaurants and hotels have realized that the label of ‘organic’ is bring opportunities to them. Based on the research by Zhang and Jing (2011), more and more hoteliers start to bring organic food on their menu, in order to serve a fine quality food and attract customers. A research of consumer behavior and purchase intention for organic food indicates that â€Å"health, availability and education from demographic factors positively influence the consumer’s attitude towards buying organic food; and the overall satisfaction of consumers for organic food is more than inorganic food. â€Å" (Justin and Joyti, 2012, p.419) Therefore the marketer involved in sale of organic food, hotels for example, must set and implement a proper strategy to take this chance to maximize the market share. 4. Conclusion and Recommendation Research looked into any differences between organic food and conventional food, in order to find out the substantiations of whether the organic food is better or not. By review many relevant literatures, the author finds out that organic food does make differences in relation to the human healthy, food safety and environment friendly. Regarding to the taste of organic food, the author finds out not all of organic food taste better than conventional food, but some of the organic products indeed have a different flavor. However, in relation to the matter of the whether the organic food has more nutrition than conventional food or not, the evidence for that is scare and questionable. Thus, despite of nutrition factor, the author conclude that organic food really makes differences, and is indeed superior. Even though the organic food is better than conventional food, the author still recommends that consumers should eat both organic food and conventional food, by considering the high price of organic food and not always available. While, regarding to vegetables and fruits which contain great amount of chemical residues, such as the strawberry, the author suggest consumers to buy organic if possible, otherwise eat those foods as less as possible. Finally, the hoteliers should do some market research to find out the opportunities that organic food can bring in, and implement a proper strategy to maximize the market share and get benefit from it. Reference Peter M. (2006), Organic food – Nature knows best. Shannon College of Hotel Management Organic Produce Export Committee (2002), National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce, Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, Canberra. Food Safety Authority of Ireland. (2004), Organic Food. Deborah A. C. , Christopher J. G., Patricia P. (2003). â€Å"An investigation of the factors underlying consumers’ implementation of specific food safety practices† British Food Journal Vol. 105 (7), 434 – 453 Faidon M. , Fotini A. , Antonis Z. (2006). â€Å"Organic Food: Buying More Safety or Just Peace of Mind? A Critical Review of the Literature† Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 46:1, 23 – 56 Laurence F. , Stacey A. (2002). â€Å"Does organic food taste better? A claim substantiation approach† Nutrition & Food Science Vol. 32(4), 153 – 157 Annelies V. , Xavier G. , Jacques V.(2002). â€Å"Are organic food consumers opposed to GM food consumers? † British Food Journal Vol. 104 (8), 610 – 623 Aikaterini M. (2002). â€Å"What motivates consumers to buy organic food in the UK? Results from a qualitative study†. British Food Journal Vol. 104 (3), 345 – 352. Willy L. , Philip S. (2006). â€Å"Customers’ Preferences to Healthy Meals†, Joseph S. Chen, in (ed. ) 2 (Advances in Hospitality and Leisure, Vol. 2), 265 – 273 Emma L. , Tony W. , (2005). â€Å"Australians’ organic food beliefs, demographics and values†, British Food Journal Vol.107 (11), 855 – 869 Annelies V. , Jacques V. (2003). â€Å"Exploring and modeling consumer attitudes towards genetically modified food† Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal Vol. 6 (2), 95 – 110 Anne D. , Albert J. T. , Clive C. , (1995). â€Å"Who buys organic food? A profile of the purchasers of organic food in Northern Ireland† British Food Journal Vol. 97 (10), 17 – 23 Fotopoulos, C. , Krystallis, A. (2002). â€Å"Purchasing motives and profile of the Greek organic consumer: a countryside survey† British Food Journal Vol. 104 (9), 730-65.Justin P. , Jyoti R. , (2012). â€Å"Consumer behavior and purchase intention for organic food† Journal of Consumer Marketing Vol. 29 (6), 412 – 422 Koen M. , Joris A. , Guido V. H. (2009). â€Å"A meta-analysis of the differences in environmental impacts between organic and conventional farming† British Food Journal Vol. 111 (10), 1098 – 1119 Bord Bia, (2000), Prospects for Organic Food in Ireland. Zhang C. , Jing Y. (2011) Green Movement in Hotel Industry Opportunities and Issues That Hoteliers Are Facing. Shannon College of Hotel Management.

Ibn Battuta in China Essay

At a time when most men cover distance astride a traveling animal, 75,000 miles of travel in a span of 30 years is an amazing achievement. When asked to name this historical individual who covered such great distance during the medieval period, most will likely point a credit to Marco Polo who is the well-known traveler of his time in Hakooki. com. But somehow, another person who has traveled longer and earlier than Marco Polo has actually covered this distance and visited 44 countries throughout the world. Ibn Battuta’s travels have almost been delegated into the oblivion if the world continued seeing history through the western view. Marco Polo, being European is far known than Ibn Battuta. Even his visit to China is virtually unknown in comparison to similar books of travel written by Marco Polo despite the fact that even to this day there remains lingering, unresolved questions as to whether or not Marco Polo truly visited China. However, if the myth sounds interesting enough, it will eventually be reported as fact. In the case of Marco Polo, the man has become a mythical folk hero and when a person ascends to such lofty heights in the public’s eye, criticism, scrutiny and a healthy dose of reality will usually fall by the wayside. Marco Polo’s travels will still remain famous regardless of the controversy that surrounds his journeys and the equally lengthy debate among scholars. It will be the goal of this essay to shift scholarly and historical directions and seek to shed light on the subject by comparing Ibn Battuta to Marco Polo’s travel in China. It is not uncommon for influential people from history to be seemingly erased from the documented chronology. In the United States, history is chronicled from a western perspective with Western Europe being presented as the epicenter of the world. As such, individuals from other cultures and parts of the world are often viewed in a peripheral manner and not provided with the same depth of historical coverage. Marco Polo was a hero whose birth origins are in the Western World. Because of this, his feats are given great credibility of honor in text. In the case of Battuta, a Moroccan by descent, his achievements will not be glossed over despite spending 17 years in China in comparison to Marco Polo’s travel which could have distinguished itself in many areas such as extent of land and historicity. In order to understand the work of Ibn Battuta, one must examine his early biographical years to as to put his life’s work into a certain context. Muhammed ibn Abdullah ibn Battuta or Ibn Battuta was born in Tangier, Morocco in a Muslim family in 1304 and started his travels when he was 20 years old and lasted almost 30 years of his life according to Dunn (2004, 14). Battuta according to Francis in consequence belongs to the religious upper class of the Mohammedan community and received usual religious and scholastic education from theologians (1997:2). His travels started in 1325 when Ibn went on a pilgrimage to Mecca that continued on until he had covered 75,000 miles in Kegan (1929:1). He had stopped on most Muslim cities along his route and paid homage to holy sites in Damascus, Syria, Hebron, Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the face of many obstacles he met along the way as related in Monteil (1930:30).