Saturday, August 31, 2019

Employee Handbook Non-Discrimination Section Essay

Discrimination of any individual on the basis of their origin, sex, religion or appearance is not only an unethical crime but the most irrational thing to do to anyone. People, no matter what their origin should be treated equally whether a workplace or a community. However, organizations need to be careful regarding their policies concerning non-discrimination. It should clearly outline the real emphasis as to why they have been drafted as well as the consequence of the violation of any of the non-discriminatory rules. In response to the non-discrimination rules, the organization should be fair. Policies devised should be in the favor of the employees. This normally aids the mental efficiency of the employee in the workplace as he or she knows that they have their rights that wouldn’t be violated in any way (Tomei, 2003). As more and more businesses and organizations are evolving, it is necessary to note that a policy that befriends every need of the employee can be the only way to reduce or avoid any kind of discrimination. Robyn D.  Clarke in his magazine article entitled, â€Å"Workplace bias Abounds: New study confirms the American workplace has much farther to go to achieve true diversity† states, â€Å"For an organization to embrace diversity, it must be supported from senior leadership and built into the foundation of the organization. Companies need to appreciate and value the unique differences, perspectives, and experiences of every employee,† says Dexter. â€Å"Then, they must translate that understanding into a clear strategy for diversity infusion into the business model. They must create a culture of inclusion–an environment that gives everyone the opportunity to succeed† (Clarke, 2005). Therefore, a policy that embraces and addresses all the discriminatory issues of an employee is the one that succeeds. If any such policy had to be devised in order to limit the organization’s liability, it is important to educate all the employees of the organization. Education of the organization’s policies’ regarding the discrimination rules and the consequences of breaking them inevitably helps in avoiding the roughest situations that would otherwise would have to be dealt by the organization. An organization that shows a strict compliance to its rules and procedures is the one that succeeds. Another method to limit an organization’s liability regarding the discrimination issues is by joining the Business Coalition for workplace fairness (Human Rights Campaign, 2007). If any such realistic policy had to be devised; apart from stating the general non-discriminatory issues such as sex, color, origin, religion e. t. c. , the policy would also deal with a universal dress code that would help in creating a fair working environment. Another feature that can be added to this policy is to deal with pregnant and maternity leaves with fairness. Many women today are subjected to discrimination due to their pregnancy where managers often deprive these women of the opportunities they deserve. Currently, the organizations that have discrimination policies that are trans-gender friendly are the ones that are able to avoid most of the lawsuits. Tegan Jones, in the article entitled, â€Å"Lessons from Largo: Non-discrimination policies in the public and private sectors† state that any individual’s transition or any sex should not be a workplace issue. He states that is extremely vital to add â€Å"sexual orientation and GI&E to their nondiscrimination policies, create gender neutral dress-codes, have guidelines that set a time-frame and protocol for transitioning workers and ensure employee’s privacy† (Jones, 2007). Therefore, a policy that deals with all the elements mentioned above should limit a company’s liability towards lawsuits and further enhance the quality of the work environment as well.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud: Early Influences Essay

Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud – two of the best known names in psychiatry – each had tremendous roles in the field of psychoanalysis. Born nearly twenty years apart, they met in 1907 (Kendra Cherry ), and their first conversation was rumored to have lasted thirteen hours, they had such a good rapport. Jung soon worked under Sigmund Freud and they became great friends, although Freud was more of a father figure to Jung. Although they both had similar thoughts on issue of psyche development, they differed in significant ways, and those differences eventually drove them apart. Although Jung did believe, like Freud, that sexual drive often had a great influence on behavior, he felt that Freud did not go far enough, and that this was only one contributor to people’s personalities and issues. Jung’s theories reflected a much more religious component, and Sigmund Freud’s theories were based in scientific evidence. The obvious question might be, how did their own lives and early experience shaped their theories? Sigmund Freud was born in May 6, 1856, in what is now the Czech Republic. His family was large, wealthy and Jewish, and â€Å"young Siggie,† as his mother called him, was not only the oldest of six children but had two half brothers from his father’s first marriage. Although initially religious, spirituality took a back seat when his family went bankrupt and moved to Vienna. It then became important to encourage Sigmund academically, so he could become a doctor and help the family financially. Because of this, he was the only sibling to have his own room to concentrate on his studies, which may have fed his feeling of importance. Also, in those Victorian times, people suppressed their sexual drives, and perhaps this was a major motivator for Freud. He was influenced by science; Darwin’s, â€Å"The Origin of the Species,† was first published just after Freud was born. Science was Freud’s religion. Freud was actually an atheist as an adult (WGBH Educational Foundation , 2004). His belief was that religion was something that someone had to overcome and religion basically was an expression of underlying psychological neuroses and distress ( Kendra Cherry). He pursued the link between the physical and psychological, and his father’s death in 1896 caused him to delve even deeper into the world of dreams and the unconscious. He definitely believed in the role of repressed sexual attraction in parental relationships and later, adult relationships as causing many of the problems people faced. Jung, who agreed that sexual drive was a factor, also thought Freud was very negative. Jung was born in 1975 in Switzerland. He was the fourth – and only surviving – child of his parents, Paul, a pastor (Carl Jung Biography, 2012), and Emilie, his mother. His father was a fairly poor, although his was given a more prestigious parish later on. His mother was from a wealthy family. Young Carl soon learned to trust his father more for his consistency, as his mother suffered from depression and spent much time alone in her room, claiming spirits visited her there. At one point in Carl’s life, she was hospitalized, and he was sent to live with his spinster aunt. Carl Jung grew up solitary and alone with his thoughts: he was an introvert. When Jung was growing up, he had a fascination with mystical phenomena. In fact, although his family was Christian, he was more drawn towards the occult and mystical beliefs, and his mother read to him about exotic religions and shared her own mystical beliefs. He had some early experiences, such as his creation of the wooden mannequin he hid in the attic, that reinforced his idea that a â€Å"collective unconscious† of ancestral, spiritual origins played a huge role in people’s lives. He combined medicine with philosophy in many ways, and experienced strange phenomena early on that later became important contributors to his theories of the unconscious and the role of spirituality in psychological development. Unlike Freud, Jung felt religious belief was necessary to development. Perhaps his role as a Swiss doctor during WWI, and seeing the carnage, reinforced his belief in the necessity of spirituality in a person’s life. Jung, with his lesser emphasis on sex drive and his religious bent, might be something of a prude in his personal life, but he was not. Married with five children, he actually had a rather open marriage, with many sexual relationships. By this time, however, Jung had had a falling out with Freud, whom he ironically accused of being too obsessed with sexuality alone. In the end, the break may have been when Jung published his book about transformative symbols, which included mythical symbols. Freud, of course, thought this was nonsense. Jung’s belief in individuation, which was the spiritual journey to bring the â€Å"two sides† of a person’s psyche together, rejected Freud’s belief that there was a clear, scientific reason, rooted in physiology, for everything. It is easy to see, in looking at both m en’s lives and childhoods, how their very different experiences shaped their theories. Freud and Jung, themselves, are good examples of what, in fact, influences a person’s personality. Bibliography Kendra Cherry. (n. d. ). Freud & Religion . Retrieved from About: http://psychology. about. com/od/sigmundfreud/p/freud_religion. htm Carl Jung Biography. (2012, Nov 12). Retrieved from Soul Therapy Now: http://soultherapynow. com/articles/carl-jung. html Kendra Cherry . (n. d. ). Sigmund Freud Photobiography. Retrieved from About : http://psychology. about. com/od/sigmundfreud/ig/Sigmund-Freud-Photobiography/Freud-and-Jung. htm WGBH Educational Foundation . (2004). The Life of Sigmund Freud. Retrieved from PBS: http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/questionofgod/twolives/freudbio. html.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Animal vs. Plant Cells

Animal and plant cells have many of the same characteristic. Animal cells and plant cells are both eukaryotes. They both have cell nucleus which contain chromosomes or DNA, as well as cell membrane encompassing the cell to control the substances moving in and out of the cell. They both contain enzymes from liposome for breaking down larger molecules. Animal and plant cells both transport protein into and out of cells through endoplasmic reticulum and have vacuoles where food, water, and nutrients are stored as well as provide stability for a plant. Three Differences Along with the similarities, there are also differences between animal cells and plant cells. Plant cells contain chloroplast to help make their own food whereas animal cells do not and animal cells do not possess a cell wall like plant cells do. Another difference is the shape of the cells. Animal cells are circular in nature and plant cells are rectangular. Although animal cells and plant cells both contain vacuoles: the function, quantity, and size of the vacuoles are different in each cell. Food and waste are stored in one or more small vacuoles in animal cells whereas plant cells contain one large vacuole which is mainly used for storing water and providing the plant with stability. Five Internal Structures of a Plant Some internal structures of plant cells are ribosomes, chloroplasts, nucleus, Golgi body, and central vacuole. Ribosomes are responsible for synthesizing protein and amino acid to be released inside and outside the cell. Chloroplasts capture sunlight energy to produce food for plants through photosynthesis. The nucleus is the brain of the plant; it contains DNA to characterize each cell into a specific type. The Golgi body sorts proteins and cell nutrients and releases small amounts into the cytoplasm. The central vacuole is the storage bin and backbone to the plant. It stores food and water for the plant as well as providing strength and stamina for the plant stem.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Case study on Google.com Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case study on Google.com - Essay Example The company also serves corporate clients, including advertisers, content publishers and site managers with cost-effective advertising and a wide range of revenue generating search services. Google's breakthrough technology and continued innovation serve the company's mission of "organizing the world's information and making it universally accessible and useful.""( http://www.google.com.au/profile.html) As a company Google holds the reputation of the pioneer company in website maintenance, and maintains a website which is one of the most popular in demand. It serves the need of a five year old as well as fifty year old. The search engine has attracted interest of great number of internet users because of its simple design and user-friendly interface. Google has been able to achieve this by maintaining an index of more than 8 million web pages on the web. The versatility of the search engine has appeal to wide range of customers and any one with an Internet connection can use this website to search for information. Google has achieved the status of brand name search engine because of its popularity, ease of use and the wide indexing of categories. The user interface is user-friendly and has versatility and appeal to hundreds of languages worldwide. It is also a very popular advertising medium for other sources, and this is the main source of revenue. "The company generates revenue t hrough the advertising programs. The advertising program consists of advertisers advertising with Google and then Google uses its search technology selecting which web page should host the ad. Every time someone clicks the ad revenue is shared between Google and the publisher of page where the ad is being hosted." (http://www.19.5degs.com/element/19344.php) Revenue is also accumulated through Google Search Appliance, which is hardware and software solution that companies can use to implement Google search technology to their internal and external information. Google maintains a very efficient network of support in 14 countries with 25 sales offices spread out in major locations.. Apart from providing support to existing users there exists direct sales teams. These teams target advertisers with large advertising budgets and are more in a role of relationship building than one off sales. (http://www.19.5degs.com/element/19344.php) Google has been primarily recognized as company with primary interest and focus in the area of web content. Google had made attempts to diversify its umbrella with experimenting interest in other markets like radio and print publications. This is confirmed by the fact that in 2006, Google announced its first purchase of a radio advertising company "dMarc", which provides an automated system that allows companies to advertise on radio. (Levingston, 2006) Google is making strides to combine tow niche advertising media-the internet and radio. This strategic union of the two synergistic media streams combined with Google's ability to penetrate and focus on the tastes of the consumers, is an invincible attribute of the company. In the process of diversification Google has also focused on selling advertisements from his advertisers in offline newspapers and magazines. They have been filling unsold space in the newspaper that would normally have been used in for

Minimum Wage Laws Are Necessary To Protect The Future Of Our Labor Essay

Minimum Wage Laws Are Necessary To Protect The Future Of Our Labor Force By Providing A Livable Wage For Each Worker And Protecting Workers Fro Being Exploited By Their Employers - Essay Example Minimum wage laws are created to protect workers from being exploited, a lower minimum wage would mean those who make a little more than the minimum wage even if the wage is not enough for the worker to support themselves or their family it would mean that the worker is not eligible for any help or support from the government, it also means that those who are little above the minimum wage will have to pay normal tax rates further encumbering them while making them struggle to make ends meet (Wikipedia source,n.a) . In a recent film unveiled by Michael Moore in Cannes is his ‘Sicko’, which displayed many of the problems faced by those who are just a little bit above the minimum wage, the film depicts real people who are living on most of their paycheck but when they get sick or hurt hospitals would charge them a high sum of money because they cannot afford medical insurance. Because of this whenever any of the workers got sick they will heavily be in debt and most of the time they are unable to repay their medical debts thus furthering them into a vicious cycle until they are declared bankrupt and become homeless (Moore, 2007). From the statement above, it is clear that it should be proposed that the minimum wage rate should be increased to a level where at least those who are a bit above of the minimum wage are able to pay their taxes as well as be able to afford other things that improve a person’s quality of life, to be able to afford their medical fees, their children’s school fees, to be given paid vacations and last but not least, be able to have enough to save their money for a rainy day.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Structural Stability Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Structural Stability Statement - Essay Example The weight of the tower is not distributed uniformly along the height of the Tower; there is more material at the base than near the top. The Tower consists of lattice-work columns at each of the four corners, in which diagonals connect four elements, thus making stiff, but lightweight columns. Each primary element is actually composed of many sub elements. The overall structure has a vertical axis between the two columns, but, individually, each column has its own axis that follows the curve of the elements. These axes are idealized as parabolas. Four types of loads act on the Tower: Dead load, Live load, Wind load and Thermal load. Dead load and the Wind load generate more forces as compared to the rest. Owing to its lattice structure, the tower is relatively lightweight and creates a force of only 4.5 kg/cm2 on the foundation. The wind force is one of the chief forces which create horizontal loads over the tower. It can be understood as a type of uniformly distributed load over the entire height of the tower. The overall bending moment from the horizontal wind load will produce tension in one column and compression in the other. Exaggerated action under wind load is shown: The wind pressure on the Tower is stronger near the top than at the bottom, but the wind force is fairly uniform because the Tower is tapered. The wind force will create a higher vertical reaction in the leeward support and a lower vertical reaction in the windward support because the wind alone would create compression in the leeward support and tension in the windward support. In combination with the forces generated by dead load, the forces can be seen as stated in the diagram. Reactions The overall reactions at the base of the Tower are easily found from the wind and gravity loads. Overall vertical and horizontal reactions will develop to balance the respective loads. A moment reaction will also develop to balance the horizontal load applied through its centroid a distance l/2 from the support. The Internal Forces The simplest internal forces are the axial ones, which result from the vertical loads and reactions. They reach a maximum at the base of the Tower. These horizontal forces tend to push the Tower apart but are resisted by the connection all along the Tower and the ground. The columns of the Tower, under the effect of the vertical load, would slide apart if there were no connections between them. These connections, which have been idealized as continuous, experience tension force equal to the horizontal forces they are resisting. The axial force will decrease with height as the vertical load and angle of inclination decrease. The second platform is subjected to the entire load of top and middle part of the tower. The forces at the higher points are lower as compared to the base and hence the higher members have a lesser amount of cross sectional area. The

Monday, August 26, 2019

Analysis of ICT strategic plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of ICT strategic plan - Essay Example However, the latest developments of ICT in the sector of fisheries have resulted in drastic changes in the overall life of fishermen. Various initiatives in the ICTs have greatly expanded and developed fisheries technologies to the farmers of Australia. ICTs are widely being implemented and are used by fisheries sectors for various purposes such as resource assessment and in commercialization purposes. The ICTs strategic plan implemented in Australia have enabled the Australian fishermen to exploit various opportunities such as the use of Global Positioning System for location finding and navigation. ICT has also reduced risk to fishermen through information exchange and emergency warning. At present, the fishermen have access to web-based data/ information along with networking sources (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2007). Analysis of Whether the ICT Strategic Plan Be Re-Assessed or Continued For Additional 3-5 Years During November 2007, The Australian Fi sheries Management Authority (AFMA) was liable for the development of ICT strategic plan and roadmap. The plan would stress on 2005 Strategic IT Review and further it would provide vital initiatives to AFMA which would be implemented over the period of next three years i.e. from 2008 to 2011. AFMA was supposed to invest approximately AUD 7.3 million for the implementation of ICT strategic plan, during these three year period (Australian Government, 2007). The investment program would include sixteen distinct initiatives which would cover forty nine recommendations. These initiatives comprise: 1. Improvement of procurement as well as contract management process and performance 2. To bring improvement related to provided service within industry 3. Governance process 4. Identity as well as access management 5. Develop business as well as IT alignment along with incorporating the process of reengineering related to the business of AFMA 6. Staff upskilling Program 7. Develop ‘on-th e-boat data’ collection 8. Implementation of Business Intelligence Capability 9. Implementation of Corporate Records Management 10. Data Warehouse Department 11. Finalizations of Pisces Program including Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 12. Rationalization of Application 13. Information Security 14. E- Business 15. Infrastructure and Application Rationalization and Technology Baseline 16. IT Market Testing Source: (Australian Government, 2007) The above stated initiatives were developed by grouping various recommendations into core areas capability which would deliver substantial benefits to AFMA. These initiatives were mainly grouped under three main capabilities namely; improved services provided to AFMA stakeholders and its customers, improved data management and information use and, lastly improved effectiveness of the organization which would support AFMA service delivery and information stewardship. Furthermore, the initiatives were to be undertaken on three vital functions related with the fisheries management, these consist of monitoring and research, compliance and licensing and quota management (Australian Government, 2007). Monitoring and Research AFMA was able to record 12% improvement in conformity with the vessel monitoring system across the Commonwealth fishing areas during the year 2008 when compared to 2007. AFMA research contract management system, ‘Omnifish’, has enabled AFMA to closely monitor and also target research providers to improve

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Euro-Debt Crisis and the European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Euro-Debt Crisis and the European Union - Essay Example Rather than specifically call out any of the EU member states, Christine Lagarde calls on the ECB to fully commit reserve funding to deploy bailouts. The problem with this particular viewpoint is that the European Union is becoming more and more entwined with the internal political and economic desperation that is exhibited among the weakest links within the Union’s membership. Although attempting to save the European Union has been a central theme of the combined efforts of the world’s most influential financial body (the IMF), these efforts have dragged on and on and look increasingly unlikely to avert a crisis and/or disaster that is already unfolding before the eyes of the viewer (Wall Street Journal 1). The situation with Greece is but one example. Although the article in question deals mostly with the IMF’s implied directions regarding Spanish liquidity, this is just another example of the debt contagion that threatens to envelop the economies Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Ireland (PIIGS). In the article, Lagarde goes on to implore the domestic/state actors of the respective economies to fully cooperate with all haste and cooperation with the efforts of the European Central Bank. One interesting component of this advice is the fact that many of these state actors are playing a very tenuous balancing game. This balancing game is accented by attempting to employ the rigid austerity measures that the ECB requires in order for the disbursal of any further monetary aid/loans/bailout package, the fear that the European Union will eventually collapse and the consequential reaction to withhold resources in order to prepare for a worst-case scenario forcible exit from the Eurozone. It is for precisely this reason that Christine Lagarde is so adamant that each of these nations commits themselves fully to the proposition of saving the Euro.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Study skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Study skills - Essay Example The leading areas of focus include: Economic development and wealth creation. Social development. Environmental development. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Generally, the main concern that necessitates the upgrade of modern cities is the need to accommodate the ever-growing population especially around the bigger cities. One of the causes for this increase is the rapid rural-urban migration. The main cause for this migration is the pursuit for job opportunities and better housing facilities among others. There is a need to upgrade the existing social amenities to match this rate of migration in order to avert the major social problems that are associated with any unprecedented rise in population. London has been on the fore front in ensuring that the general infrastructure of the city is developed to ensure that the city retains its global position despite the sudden rise in urban dwellers. The other reason for the upgrade is to address recent global areas of concerns associated with the urban ar eas, top among them being the global warming menace. Most authorities have realized that the current global race towards industrialization has led to an upsurge in environmental degradation in levels never seen in the recent past. Keywords: urbanization, global warming, infrastructure, energy, renewable energy, sustainability, waste management. Introduction There has been a high motivation to improve on the development of London over the recent years. The Greater London Authority (GLA) is an authority whose role is to seek development in a brighter future for London. GLA is made up of members such as the Mayor, London Assembly, and staff. Other functionalities existing include London Development Agency, Metropolitan Police Authority, Transport and London Fire and Emergency authority. Therefore, the report seeks to expound on environmental improvement in London Powers and Responsibilities of the GLA and the Mayor: The Mayor of London is a very important figure as he sets the strategy used to focus on development, procedures to be used as well as the policies to be followed to realise the vision of making London the biggest and best city or choice of destination in the world. This involves the areas described above such as economic development and wealth creation, social development and finally environmental development. The work of strategizing the London vision is a responsibility of London’s Mayor. The mayor comes up with the best strategies that will be used to implement and fulfil the vision for the future. The Mayor of London also seeks to establish working relationships with key parties such as organisations. This will see to it that essential lines that will enable London to move easily to the strategized vision for its future can be drawn. According to the Mayor of London, Johnson Boris insists that he wants to bring about the changes that most Londoners have always aspired. Some of these changes include remodelling the general outlook of London so that it reflects a cleaner city with safer streets. There is also a need to introduce modern transport system as well a state-of-the art housing facilities. This will play a crucial part in attracting local, as well as foreign visitors to this great city. The Mayor of Lond

Friday, August 23, 2019

Conflict Management Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Conflict Management Strategies - Assignment Example This approach helps in maintaining positive and stable relationships among employees; such relationships are considered more important than competition between the parties (Jones and Brinkert, 2007). Yielding is the most appropriate conflict management strategy in Scenario one because it is evident that parties are interested only in pushing their own preferences without listening to each other, which may be counterproductive and harmful in the long run. Therefore, yielding will help avoid ugliness and negative consequences of continuing contention. In Scenario 2, avoiding will be the most appropriate conflict management strategy. Dana (2000) notes that avoiding is a strategy where a party to a conflict does not pursue his own concerns or that of the other party, immediately. This implies that he does not seek to address the conflict. This strategy is considered as a diplomatic way of postponing or sidestepping an issue until a time when it can be considered proper to deal with it, or let the conflict to fade away on its own. It is also a way of withdrawing from a situation that is viewed as threatening. Most conflict management professions argue that this method may cause more problems to the existing situation because failure to address conflict situations may allow the situation to get out of control. However, it is the preferred strategy in certain situations. Scenario 2 calls for avoiding because the decisions that the Engineering department wants to be deliberated upon have little or no impact at all to the department’s ability to develop a marketing program for the new product. As such, deliberating on the decision is not so much necessary and can be avoided altogether because its impacts are negligible. Considering the issues brought out in Scenario 3, compromising is the most appropriate conflict management strategy. Compromising strategy is where both parties seek to arrive at mutually- acceptable solution which satisfies both parties,

Thursday, August 22, 2019

14-year old girl was found unconscious near Expo Center Essay Example for Free

14-year old girl was found unconscious near Expo Center Essay KARACHI: An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 on the Richter scale rocked the coastal city of Karachi and adjacent areas late on Monday night. According to the seismic center, the epicenter of the quake was 10 kilometers deep in Hub, Balochistan he police on Monday night identified those six deceased people whose bodies were found dumped . Khan was strangled to death by unknown people along with his wife Nadia Amer and three sons Roman Khan, Adam Khan and Haider Khan and his 24-year-old servant. According to sources, Ameerullah Khan, a millionaire, was the the owner of real estate worth millions of rupees in Peshawar. Reportedly, he was not only engaged in a dispute with his brother and brother-in-law over the ownership of the property but was also receiving threats from land mafia. KARACHI: Eid-ul-Azha today (Tuesday) is being celebrated in Saudi Arabia besides Gulf, European, Far Eastern countries, US and Europe, Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated in Pakistan tomorrow Wednesday, while the Pakistani expatriates in US and Europe like our northern areas would also be celebrating two eids, as some of them slaughtering sacrificial animals on Tuesday, while others would be doing so on Wednesday. See more: Sleep Deprivation Problem Solution Speech Essay ISLAMABAD: Pakistani troops early Tuesday morning responded to the unprovoked firing by Indian forces across the Line of Control (LoC) and reduced them to silence, The sources further said that Pakistans tit-for-tat retaliation forced the enemy to retreat to its bunkers. LONDON — Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who wasshot in the head by the Taliban for her advocacy of girls’ education, was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on Thursday by the European Parliament. Ms. Yousafzai was chosen as the winner of the $65,000 Sakharov Prize by the heads of the political groupings in the 766-member European Parliament. LONDON — The Pakistani police arrested Pervez Musharraf, the nation’s former military ruler, on Thursday, opening a new criminal prosecution against him that frustrated plans by his supporters to fly him out of Pakistan. Muhammad Rizwan, a senior Islamabad police official, told reporters that Mr. Musharraf would remain under house arrest at his villa outside Islamabad, where he has been confined since April. It is not clear, however, whether the court order represents a major obstacle to Mr. Musharraf’s plans to leave Pakistan, or a temporary one. deadlysiege of the Red Mosque in Islamabad in 2007. A Pakistani court granted bail on Wednesday to Pervez Musharraf, the country’s former military ruler, clearing the way for him to leave the country as early as Thursday, his lawyers said. Mr. Musharraf, 70, has been under house arrest at his villa outside Islamabad since April, facing criminal charges in three cases related to his nine years in power, from 1999 to 2008. Mr. Musharraf had already been granted bail in two of the three cases, and the decision on Wednesday to grant bail in the third — related to the death of Akbar Khan Bugti, a Baluch nationalist leader killed in a military operation — opens the door for him to avoid prosecution entirely. Mr. Musharraf’s lawyers said that his bail payment of $20,000 could be processed as early as Thursday morning; he could then leave Pakistan immediately.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Business Essay Example for Free

Business Essay A. 1. As I began my journey as a new business owner of a computer company I needed to define my companys goals, decide which direction I wanted to take the company to and create a mission statement that will best represent my company. Since the company was new I needed to come up with something catchy and promising that would invite potential clients to find out more about the products we offer. Since there were more participants in this game and from my professional experience I learned that staying on the same path and making advancements is more beneficial than trying to change directions every time. In this case I remained focused on the same two groups for the remaining 3 rounds. Instead of changing and adding more products every quarters like most of the other participants I kept my two models (one for each group) and made necessary corrections and modifications based on the market needs. I verified the requirements of each group, the priorities and the price range each client is willing to pay. Since there are no specific techniques used in this part of the business analysis I used my own judgment in making sure that I create the best product with the items that are most important to the potential client group. As stated above I initially created two products (one for each group) and after the first round they both passed 70% but in the scientific group it was not chosen as one of the best. In the second round I was given an option of reviewing products of my competitors and the only difference was the larger monitor and an upgraded keyboard. I added those options to my products and in the next round both products did very well. I had to make sure that in the nest round I keep up with the new upgrades and add them to my products to make sure that I keep up with the new technology. Even after making the upgrades the prices did not change a lot and the two groups still chose my product as one of their choices and my products were receiving 100% in both categories. Out of all the categories my market performance would produce larger results if I was not afraid in estimating more clients and produce more computers in both categories. Every quarter I ended up loosing clients and sales due to shortage in inventory. My market performance, marketing effectiveness and human resource management remained slightly low even though I was very close to my competitors. As far as my salary package I paid my employees the most but I only contributed 2% of their salary versus 5% that everyone else was contributing. I believe that salary is more important than the retirement contribution. I upgraded health benefits but kept the contribution the same. 2.I would not change the targeted markets I have selected because my decision was a success. I wanted to make sure that my company will have balance between high paying clients and not as much demand and those where the profits are not as high but the demand is much higher. My analogy was right on target because with the Mercedes I was making higher profit but the number of machines was not as high as the market for general public where the profit was significantly lower. After being chosen by both markets as a preferred factory I had to make sure that I am keeping up with current technology and by adding extra features the price difference is not too high so that I would loose my lower profit clients. With that business idea I was able to survive my competition and climb up to the top. 3.When it comes to the sales locations I selected I believe that I have done enough research to make a good decision. Since I have chosen Mercedes for scientific computers and general public I wanted to make sure that I cover United States since Mercedes mainly operated in the US and their main headwaters are in Germany. Therefore I chose NY as one of the first offices along with France in Europe. My next choice was Tokyo since they have the most advanced technology and I can use that as my selling point to generate more business. My last choice was South America even though the expenses were not as high but it is less demanding since the poverty is significantly high. As expected, choosing my locations in this order was a success. 4.Marketing research could definitely be improved since I was not as successful as I was hoping to be. Most of my business was coming from direct sales and not as much from other advertising. I did not want to invest large amounts of money on the popular magazines since the fee was very high and I was concentrating on more common papers such as Science Magazines and business papers. Maybe I should have been more adventurous and invest in more popular magazines but I was afraid that I would suffer financially. Also I was not able to come up with a very catchy advertising line to attract potential clients and was scoring somewhat low on the advertising review. B.One of the most important decisions I made was to invest in international markets. Since Mercedes is from Germany and its factories are in the US I felt as investing in a European market would be a good idea simply because I come from Europe and I know that Mercedes is in demand as well as there are a lot of companies in need of a highly developed machine that can make their discoveries and creations a lot easier. I was a little hesitant about opening offices in Tokyo since their technology is very advanced and cost is very high. But because of that I decided to stand with competition face to face and use this to my advantage. By creating same quality machines for a little lesser cost I was able to survive and beat most of my competition. South America had smaller expenses but the demand was not very high considering the high number of less fortunate individuals. If investing in the international markets required large funds I would concentrate on the US market and possibly South America. Unless I discovered high turnaround and my investment would not affect my company’s future I would consider this option. Throughout my entire game I was very cautious and I was afraid of heavy investment simply because my funds were very limited and I did not want to jeopardize my company over greed and quick wealth. After reviewing my financial reports I was able to determine if additional investment is possible and how my this would effect the company overall. Heavy investment would depend on how the financial statements looked, careful review of the international markets and position of the company in the global market. If the company would not be as successful at the end of the 4th quarter as I wanted it to be I would most likely find another route to expand my borders.

Natural Resources In Nigeria Environmental Sciences Essay

Natural Resources In Nigeria Environmental Sciences Essay The oil rich Nigerian economy, long limping by political unstability, corruption, and poor macroeconomic performance management, is undergo sufficiently substantial economic reform under the new civilian administration. Nigerias former military rulers failed to diversifying the economy away from overdependence on the capital intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues in the country. The large subsistence agricultural sector have failed to keeping up with rapid population growth, and Nigeria, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food to support their satisfy needs. Following the signing of an IMF stand by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria received a debt restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a $1 billion loan from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms. Increases in foreign investment and oil production combined with high world oil prices should push growth over 4% in 2001 and 2002. GDP: purchasing power parity $117 billion (2000 est.) GDP real growth rate: 3.5% (2000 est.) GDP per capita: purchasing power parity $950 (2000 est.) GDP composition by sector: agriculture: 40% industry: 40% services: 20% (1999 est.) Population below poverty line: 45% (2000 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 40.8% (1996 and 1997) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (2000 est.) Labor force: 66 million (1999 est.) Labor force by occupation: agriculture 70%, industry 10%, services 20% (1999 est.) Unemployment rate: 28% (1992 est.) Budget: revenues: $3.4 billion expenditures: $3.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Industries that implemented in Nigeria: crude oil, coal, tin, columbite, palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood, hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel Industrial production growth rate: 1.5% (2000 est.) Electricity for production: 18.7 billion kWh (1999) Electricity for the production by source: fossil fuel: 52.94% hydro: 47.06% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) Consumption of Electricity : 17.372 billion kWh (1999) Export of Electricity: 19 million kWh (1999) Electricity imports: 0 kWh (1999) Products of Agriculture: cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish Exports: $22.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) Exports commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber Exports partners: US 36%, India 9%, Spain 8%, Brazil 6%, France 6%, (1999) Imports: $10.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) Imports commodities: machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals Imports partners: UK 11%, Germany 10%, US 9%, France 8%, China 6% (1999) Debt external: $32 billion (2000 est.) Economic aid recipient: ODA $250 million (1998) Currency: naira (NGN) Currency code: NGN Exchange rates: nairas per US dollar 110.005 (January 2001), 101.697 (2000), 92.338 (1999), 21.886 (1998), 21.886 (1997), 21.884 (1996) AGRICULTURE Currently, several activities are become implemented by the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development In Nigeria with in under planning of water supply, sustainable food production, and rural development. These include several plans : Formulation of the Irrigation Policy for Nigeria, its Formal irrigation started in Nigeria 21 years ago. However, a National policy on irrigation have not been produced again. This situation was become corrected by the preparation of an irrigation policy for the Nigeria country Surface and Groundwater Monitoring Under the National Fatima Development Programme: The main objective is to monitor and analyses the effect of groundwater exploitation for irrigation on flood plains in the semi-arid areas of the country in order to design effective and sustainable exploitation regimes for the various aquifers encountered. Work started in five pilot States in 1995 and is scheduled to be completed by September, 1997.This planning will also seek to ascertain the pollution potentials of the saturated groundwater zone due to the irrigation activities in the project area. The study, which will ultimately assist in the design of the groundwater exploitation plan for the project area is expected to be completed by the end of 1998. Survey and Inventory of Irrigation Projects in Nigeria: The aim is to obtain up to date information on irrigation development in Nigeria. It involves the collection, collation, compilation, and classification of irrigation projects in the country. The Government Of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources has embarked on a number of programmes aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development. The programmes and their associated activities are: 1. Agricultural Land Resource Programme: The objectives of this programme are to select suitable lands for the production of specific that can increase crops through soil survey and land evaluation. 2. National Seed Service (NSS) Programme: The objective of this programme is to produce high quality crops for Nigerian farmers within a commercial environment of sound certification and quality control and to sell high output quality seeds and seedlings of selected arable tree crops, namely oil palm, rubber, cotton, groundnut, soybeans, gum arabic, etc. Over 2,460 kg of foundation seeds have been produced by the project for Research Institutes and out growers respectively. 3. Agricultural Finance Programmes: This is another programme whose objective is to provide loans and credits to small scale farmers. This is done through some agricultural oriented financial institutions such as the Nigerian Agricultural Co-operative Bank (NACB), the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS), and the Farmers Credit Scheme (FCS). Farmers have been supported financially through this programme for the purpose of increasing crop production. 4. Establishment of the Federal Agricultural Coordinating Unit (FACU): This Unit is primarily responsible for the provision of planning and implementation support to the activities of the ADP in the country. 5. The National Agricultural Research Project (NARP): This Planning was set up to strengthen the countrys agricultural research system and ensure availability of food through adequate domestic production in the country. Within the network of Agricultural Research Institutions, five handle food crops, three are for livestock; one (NSPRI) completes research on storage of agricultural and food products; while three handle mechanization research including the design, fabrication, and servicing of food processing machines. The impact of the NARP in boosting food production has not been sufficiently realized perhaps due to lack of adequate support and ineffective programme coordination. With recent reorganization and assured funding, NARP is expected to increase food production during the next decade. 6. The Strategic Reserve Scheme: At its second inception, the objective of this Scheme is to undertake the storage of excess grains during the harvest for release when prices are high in the market. This stabilizes the price and makes grains available all year round. 7. Establishment of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA): The Governments main objective in establishing NALDA is to transform rural peasantry by mobilizing human resources and other support services to open up new lands for increased food production. The Authority has embarked on some activities (bush clearing, land preparation, farm infrastructure development, soil conservation and environmental issues, soil survey, evaluation, soil testing and capacity) to provide baseline data for agricultural related activities and advisory services to agricultural land users. The NALDA 1997 work plan proposes to open up more enclave farming communities during the operating season and will focus on land development in cooperation with the Agricultural Land Resource, Forestry, Department of Agriculture, and Agricultural Cooperative. FRESH WATER Nigeria have given high priority to its freshwater resources due to the growing concern at the increasing stress on water supplies caused by poor use patterns, affecting both water quality and quantity. Futher more, the Government through the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, in Nigeria was undertaking a number of planning designed to protect the quality and supply of freshwater resources in the country to avoid some pollution.   In these cases, The low lying, flood prone areas near rivers that become of water resources and streams and in inland areas also will be attention from the Ministry. The twin problems of soil erosion and flood control are addressed through the Department of Soil Erosion and Flood Control. The agency was created in 1991 to oversee the mitigate these problems and the improvement area of devastated lands. The Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development responsibility to handles inland erosion and flooding, and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is responsible for marine flood control and erosion problems. Legislation and Regulations   For the the Integrated Water Resources Development and Management programme area, the Ministry has prepared the Water Resources Decree 101 of 1993 to give the legal framework for the development of the water resources in the country of Nigeria. The Decree places ultimate to responsibility for the proper development of the water resources on the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development in the country. Strategies, Policies and Plans  Ã‚   To the Integrated Water Resources Development and Management planning area, the government of Nigeria have prepared the Nations Water Resources Master Plan for the 1995-2020 period which was completed with the technical assistance of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) between 1992 and 1995 for the development in Nations water resources. If we can see in the past, the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation sub sector was totally not coordinated. At the same time, various methods and equipment were used with little or no thought given to the sustainability of the systems nor the ability of the benefit communities to operate and maintain them overall. The Strategy and Action Plan direction standards for the methods and equipment to be used to action. Policy of national water supply is completed and approved at the National Council on Water Resources and Rural Development meeting at Kaduna in November 1995 discuss about the sustainability of water. It provides the guidelines and direction towards development for water supply development up to the year 2015 become reality. One of the main problems is Flooding in one form or other affects at least more than 20% of the nations population, its faced both urban residents and rural dwellers. Flooding is a threat to physical infrastructures in the area, including residential accommodation, commercial, and industrial properties, roads, rail lines, bridges and so on. It also believed destroys all farmlands in Nigeria, including standing crops that is important for the farmer. Losses due to flooding run into billions of Naira per year and cost to improve its always increasingly. The future plans of Nigeria to achieve effective management of urban, river, and coastal flooding include a) Enforce compliance with town planning,urban laws,edicts b) Build embankments and levies along rivers and coastlines prone to flooding. c) Establish a rainstorm early warning system its can be remainder to community. d) Establish and monitor weather stations, and river and tidal gauges. e) Ensure appropriate management and maintenance of dams. f) Ensure proper maintenance of existing drainage channels. g) Enforce environmental sanitation laws in Nigeria. Other invasive weeds mostly can give effect to waterways. Currently hamper normal economic activities in reverie areas where the spread of the weeds have been exist and can block waterways. They also impend free river communication on waterways, and above all, the spread of the weed obstructs fishing activities and destroyed water quality. Nigerias future plans and strategy to eliminate the water hyacinth that can give pollution and other invasive plants in all water systems is to: a) Inventory the spread of water hyacinth and other invasive weeds in all the river systems; b) Develop an infestation index map to determine control options; e) adopt an appropriate integrated control option to ensure that the weeds are no longer a menace; and f) encourage sub-regional cooperation. Approval is pending for the study of the Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources with Particular Reference to Flood Susceptible and Drought Prone Areas. This project has been submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for their participation. GEMS or Water Nigeria is a important component of the Global Environmental Monitoring System with the overall objective of monitoring the quality of freshwater supply throughout in Nigeria. The programme is support by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). It can be monitors some water parameters and provides information on the suitability usage of water for human routine consumption, agricultural, commercial in business, and industrial uses. Several of the activities under the planning focus on a) Strengthening National water quality monitoring in Nigeria; b) Improve analytical capabilities and data quality assured; c) Addressing critical freshwater quality issues in order to propose policy options and control measures for the development and d) Assisting participating laboratories by the provision of technical advice, analytical reference samples, and training opportunities. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) is coordinating the programme within the country. Participating several agencies include the National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR), New Busa and the National Water Resources Institute (NWRI), Kaduna. A network of stations on rivers, lakes, and reservoirs has been established with instrumentation for the purpose of collecting samples for analysis and development in treatment water quality. FORESTS In term of natural resources in forests, Effective mechanisms are being developed to harmonize cross sectoral policies related to forestry for example the famous forestry is, environment, agriculture, livestock, fishery and so on. Presently, the National Forest Policy is being reviewed under the aegis of the recently created Ministry of Environment. The Federal Department of Agricultural Land Resources (FDALR) is currently, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), articulating Agricultural Land Use and Practices Policy for the improvement in the country for development areas in Nigeria. Legislation and Regulations   There is no Land Use Policy in the country. There is however, a Land Use Act. States are being encourage to derive their legislation from the national framework made by government. A national forest and wildlife law is being developed and implemented with the involvement of all stakeholders in the country. There is have no forest certification practice in the country. However, we can see that public involvement on forest certification is being articulation in the proposed revised policy which will encourage private sector and NGO participation in the public involvement. It is become proposed that a National Working Group (NWG) on Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and certification be set up to finalize the criteria or indicators for development Sustainable Forest Management in the country. The activities that implemented promote the use of forest products in place of products made of non renewable materials: Impose low tariff on wood products Impose for the Reasonable pricing of wood products Must Under valuation of forest products Impose High cost of non-renewable materials especially energy Value system and traditional beliefs preference in taste for food or delicacy prepared with fuelwood. Strategies, Policies and Plans  Ã‚   Nigeria started implemented the National Forestry Action Plan (NFAP) in around 1990 with the assistance joint of FAO and a grant of US $690,000 from UNDP. At the same time, to ensure the greatest commitment and supporting at the highest and at all levels of Government in Nigeria, the National Advisory Council that assisted by a National Technical Committee, was become inaugurate generally in 1994. The project was concluded in 1995 and the final NFAP report has been submitted. The next stage is to use the report to canvass for international funding from donors to implement the action plans made by government. The annual rate of deforestation in Nigeria is of major concern and a viable option to mitigating this is through implementation and made enforcement of sound Forest Policy in Nigeria. Towards achieve this objective , the country is in the process of review her 1988 Forest Policy. Also being prepared is Environmental Guidelines on Logging and Fuelwood Extraction in Nigeria. It is hoped that when these two instruments are enforced Nigeria would achieve attain sustainable development in economic and utilization of her natural forest resources. A workshop in agricultural land use and become practices have been conducted and proceedings printed to implementation. Sectoral meetings have been held to articulate and review key areas to be addressed in the policy that implemented. This area are now become subjected to further deliberations with a view to synthesizing the issues that can form the main instrument of the policy. Its will be later reviewed by the Legal Unit before as a whole package is developed for further deliberation and enactment by the National Assembly to become process. As Presently, the country have different policies within sub sectors of agriculture and the environment involved in land use in Nigeria. There is need for integrated planning and management of all rural development programmes there. This will be reduce conflicts and guarantee better resources use. At the same time, some international organizations include the FAO, World Bank (IMF) , UNDP, ADB, DFID (ODA), Ford Foundation, for example, strategies have been formulated and developed for effective and efficient in sustainable management of a number of forest reserves in Nigeria. In recognition of the changing strategy for natural resources management, the national forest and wildlife policy is become reviewed to make its implementation more efficient and to be better respond to emerging issues in forest sustainability development in the area. The review also towards supporting, the productivity of small holder farmers and to improve access to credit and other inputs that needs. The strategy to achieve the target of 25% of the land area as forest is to: Impose to Ban the export of log wood until the 25% reserve forest cover is achieved; Provide a policy and institutional framework favorable for private investment in trees and forest resource management; Effort to Increasing community participation in forest management and utilization in the country. Establish sum of total of 15 million ha of plantation for various purposes such as shelterbelts, watershed conservation, forest fruit trees, Gum Arabic. Promote agro forestry with multi purpose tree species to diversify farm produce and improve the soil environment; Encourage private sector industrial plantations especially in already degraded forest estates; Adoption protection forestry development strategies which includes shelterbelt establishment, afforestation of eroded sites, stabilization of sand dunes. Promote community woodlots which could include forest fruit trees as whole and fuel wood plantations Improve efficiency of the use of fuel wood Manufacture affordable bio-mass stoves; Developed alternative sources of energy such as solar energy for good environment Effort to support research into conservation and improvement of soil, genetic resources, silviculture, utilization of forest products, agro forestry, wildlife, and afforestation of difficult sites To Support human resources development in the country. It is proved that Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) contributed development substantially to the rural economy and hence strategies are being developed for the achievement of high potential NTFPs in each ecological area of the country. Its no compensate is provided for forest owners who market environmental benefits to the society generally. Incentives will be given to provided to enable them to manage their forest more better and sustainably, at the same time to facilitating their access for the improved tree seeds in their communities. LAND The policy objectives that implemented and mandate of the Nigerian Department of Agricultural Land Resources, established in 1980, have been refocused since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) to cover sound planning and management of land resources consistent with the provisions of Agenda 21. This planning become more importance to manage resources of land correctly and efficient. Erosion is a continuous process. Once started, there is urgent need to stabilize all existing erosion sites to stem the rate of soil degradation and loss of lands, forest resources, and property. In addition, there is a need to restore all those badlands and gullies that are amenable to restoration. The Nigerian strategy is to overcome this problems is a) Prepare and implemented a comprehensive National policy on soil, coastal erosion, and flood control in the country b) Formulate and to enforcing regulations for soil and water conservation especially in erosion prone areas that identify. c) Try to Complete National watershed delineation and characterization for use as a basic for developing and implemented an aggressive management and enforcement programme to protect and maintain the quality of the nations area lands, water, and coastal resources in all areas in Nigeria. d) Prepare a intermittent master plan for the importance management of soil and coastline erosion and flood, and giving advise the Federal Government on the financial requirements for plan implementation. e) Complete possibility and scientific studies on soil erosion and its related flood problems for the design of appropriate integrated recovery control measures. f) Complete public awareness campaigns on the dangers of environmental degradation arising from poor land and water management practices. g) Provide and promote training on environmental issues as they relate to flood, erosion, land degradation, and water conservation. h) Promote integrated ecosystem management for agriculture, land use, soil and water conservation, rural development, and coastal resources management including environmentally sound recreational use. i) Consolidate National capacity by personnel development, provision of training facilities and research on prevention climate related ecological problems in ecosystem. j) Consolidate capacity of the Environmental Management Support System (EMSS) for remote sensing data gathering, GIS facilities, and development of a disaster/environmental data bank. k) Effort to Support agro forestry and integrated coastal zone management. l) Encourage planted fallow in abandoned farmlands using soil enriching species. Its associated activities are a source of considerable environmental damage to surface water, groundwater, and land. Health and safety risks are also considerable for people working in mines or living close by. The resulting deterioration of the environment and human health, are seen in existing mining wastelands all over the country, especially in the Middle Belt States, including Plateau, Bauchi, Niger, as well as Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and Enugu. The degradation of the natural environment has a negative effect on the long term growth potential of the country, even though immediate economic benefits are being derived by individual enterprises. It is important, therefore, that all approvals to initiate mining should be carried out in an environmentally sound manner, so as to minimize negative impacts. In addition, all abandoned and closed mining sites should be reclaimed. The strategy to achieve this involves: a) Developing an inventory of all existing and closed mining sites; b) Enforcing compliance regulation with all National Mining Laws and Regulations, especially the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Law, the Safety Code and Accident Prevention Regulations that must be implemented c) Enforcing mining wasteland reclamation measures for closed mining sites. d) Providing financial incentives to helps and encourage the reclamation of abandoned mining sites. e) Encourage public participation in community through dialogue with affected communities and other directly interested parties on the environmental aspects of different phases of mining activities in the country. f) Adopting environmental sound mining technology and practices in all phases of mining activities, especially appropriate technologies to reduced environmental impacts, including those from small scale mining operations in the area. g) Building capacity in environmental management in the mining industry. Soils in Nigeria are variable due to variations in the geology and climate. Most predominant in the country are the utisols which cover about 46% of the total area of the country in Nigeria. Such soil performs very well under good planning and management though it is of moderate to low productivity in income of production. When we analysis Only 6% of the country is covered by entisol, the high productive soil in the all areas. Nigeria have been category into eight Land Resource Zones, namely semi arid, dry sub humid, subhumid, humid, very humid, ultra humid, plateau, and mountain zones. Among them if we can see, if not all of this ecological fields have witnessed pressure resulting from uncontrolled in socioeconomic activities leaving a large proportion of the land parched in Nigeria . From perspective ecological and economic standpoints, soil erosion is probably the most serious give environmental problem and its can be affecting negative effect on the nations soil and land resources in Nigeria.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Views from Matisse?s Windows :: essays research papers

The Views from Matisse’s Windows   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The menagerie of emotions that Henri Matisse evoked in his paintings spanned from enchanted enthusiasm to somber contemplation. In his paintings, Open Window and French Window, the artist depicted two vastly different views from possibly the same window, each nearly opposite in value, yet both impetuous in color. Various research studies have explored the psychology of color and have found that humans do relate color with emotion instinctively. One such study found that light, â€Å"warm†, colors encourage positive emotion, while darker, â€Å"cool†, colors spur negative emotion in most people. The bevy of warm colors in Open Window arouse elated emotion, while the cool colors in French Window innerve an icy feeling of solitude because the relationship between color and emotion is psychologically significant in the human process. Henri Matisse was the leader of the Fauvist movement of early Modernist art, a method that used true, brilliant color in often distorted brush strokes on canvas. The artists involved were titled the Fauves, French for wild beasts, because of their untamed and avant-garde approach to painting. They evaded detail and used the placement of color to create movement. Matisse’s new approach shook the art world and heavily influenced future artists, as he has been referred to as the â€Å"Master of Color†. In Matisse’s work, entitled Open Window, his oil sodden brush strokes illuminate the canvas with images of sailboats on a blush sea in the background and pots of crimson blooms in the foreground. The piece is drenched with life. His colors, vibrant and unnatural, range from cobalt to alabaster. A periwinkle, rose and ivory sky lingers above bobbing boats of coral masts, and hulls of azure and ebony. Greens flecked with varying amounts of yellow create hues of olive and amber in the foliage draping the windowsill. Indigo and terracotta pots hold bright scarlet and jade flora near the viewer. The window’s open doors reflect the image ahead; it’s glass panes mirroring the misty rose-colored water. The turquoise and lilac walls inside reveal that the window is in the corner of the room. A palette of colors full of vigor drenches the painting. Blues, greens and reds are the predominant colors in Open Window, and the 1996 research of Michael Hemphill will conclude that this is why one feels a surge of pleasure and vivacity while viewing this work. Of the 40 men and women in his color-emotion study, more than half cited blue as their favorite color.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Voltaires Candide Essay -- Voltaire essays research papers

Candide, written by Voltaire and published in 1759, is based in the Age of the Enlightenment. Candide is a satiric tale of a virtuous man's search for the truest form of happiness and his ultimate acceptance of life's disappointments. The illegitimate son of the Baron's sister; Candide is raised in the Castle of Westphalia and taught by his friend and philosopher of metaphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigology, Dr.Pangloss. Candide is abruptly cast out from the castle when he and Lady Cunegonde are found indiscreetly kissing behind a screen. Broken hearted and emotionally lost by the separation from Lady Cunegonde, his true love; Candide wanders off. After being tricked into servitude with the Bulgar army, Candide discovers that his one and only love Lady Cunegonde is dead and his friend Dr. Pangloss is deathly sick; Candide then decides that all is not lost and that a cure must be found for Pangloss. Tragedy, adventure and a series of horrible events follow Candide as he is forced to over come misfortune to find true happiness; in the end he determines that all is not well and that he must work in order to find even a small amount of pleasure in life. The principal theme presented throughout majority of the novel is "Optimism" by the main character Candide and how that theme is incorporated into his winning outcomes of terrible situations. His good friend and philosopher Dr.Pangloss first introduces this Optimism that Candide believes. Yet this optimist foundation is being con... Voltaire's Candide Essay -- Voltaire essays research papers Candide, written by Voltaire and published in 1759, is based in the Age of the Enlightenment. Candide is a satiric tale of a virtuous man's search for the truest form of happiness and his ultimate acceptance of life's disappointments. The illegitimate son of the Baron's sister; Candide is raised in the Castle of Westphalia and taught by his friend and philosopher of metaphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigology, Dr.Pangloss. Candide is abruptly cast out from the castle when he and Lady Cunegonde are found indiscreetly kissing behind a screen. Broken hearted and emotionally lost by the separation from Lady Cunegonde, his true love; Candide wanders off. After being tricked into servitude with the Bulgar army, Candide discovers that his one and only love Lady Cunegonde is dead and his friend Dr. Pangloss is deathly sick; Candide then decides that all is not lost and that a cure must be found for Pangloss. Tragedy, adventure and a series of horrible events follow Candide as he is forced to over come misfortune to find true happiness; in the end he determines that all is not well and that he must work in order to find even a small amount of pleasure in life. The principal theme presented throughout majority of the novel is "Optimism" by the main character Candide and how that theme is incorporated into his winning outcomes of terrible situations. His good friend and philosopher Dr.Pangloss first introduces this Optimism that Candide believes. Yet this optimist foundation is being con...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

heath care system Essay -- essays research papers

In the United States today there is an epidemic in heath care costs and medical benefit coverage not covering all a patients need; leaving victims with large medical expenses. Today raising cost of heath care has effected the lower middle class tens of thousands in debt that lead them to bankruptsy; but resent laws passed by the Bush administration (undoubtedly lobbied by hospitals boards) making it nearly impossible for people in the middle class to file chapter 7 bankrupsy that starts them off with a clean start. Instead forcing them to file for chapter 13 that involves large sum of money be produced in *5 yrs with penalties ranging to imprisonment if the debtors defaults on payment. President Bush in a speech on the topic said people have to take responsibility and pay there debt. In this move he completely ignores the rapidly growing problem with the heath care system and appeases the insurance companies and the hospitals by forcing patients to extraordinarily high cost for proc edures and my belief that they have patients go through unnecessary treatments to help hospitals combat their raising costs of insurance (only back my personal experience). It is a system of capitalistic heath care and the patients are the one's losing their money to make the rich richer at the expense of quality (or at least effective) heath care to the masses.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Distinctively Visual Essay

Composers create distinctively visual images to draw aspects that they are presenting in their texts. This helps the reader to understand and visualise the characters responses to significant aspects of life. The Author Henry Lawson uses these distinctive images in his short stories ‘The Drovers Wife’ and ‘The Loaded Dog’ to help portray the harsh realities of living in the Australian bush. These realities create significant experiences for the individuals in his stories as they are faced with hardships, mateship and love. Similarly, John Misto’s play ’The Shoe-Horn Sonta’ and Ramon Tongs ‘African Beggar’ use distinctively visual language to let the responder engage with the characters and their world. ‘The Loaded Dog’ explores the significant experience of mateship through the characters; Dave Regan, Jim Bently, Andy Page and their young retriever Tommy who is described with great visual imagery as an ‘overgrown pup, a big, foolish, four-footed mate, who was always slobbering round them and lashing their legs with his heavy tail that swung round like a stock-whip’. The story starts off slow introducing the gold mines that the story takes place in, using elaborate instructions to explain the process of mining and cartridge construction through verbs including ‘sewed’, ‘bound’ and ‘pasted’ which gives the reader a distinctively visual image of how life was for the gold miners. The author uses Australian jargon and vernacular language such as ’Don’t foller us!’ and ’no mucking around’ throughout the story to give the reader a more visual image of how the men of the area communicate. The story’s pace exponentially increases along with it’s humour as the storyline develops and as each complication arises. Dialogue and punctuation, such as ‘dashes’, carry us along with the action painting a picture in the readers mind of the events taking place. Dave who is seen as the ‘ideas man’ decides to create a cartridge to blow the local fish out of the water to eat and while he is at away at working on the cartridge, Tommy grabs the cartridge in his play, setting it alight in the fire, which establishes the main issue in the story. Lawson uses a humorous tone throughout this scene to give the reader a more visual image of what is being played out ‘close behind him, was the retriever with the cartridge in his mouth – wedged into his broadest and silliest grin’. Another short story composed by Lawson similar to ’The Loaded Dog’ entitled ‘The Drovers Wife’ creates powerful images through the use of distinctively visual language that enables the reader to feel the hardships of the characters. Lawson begins the story with the distinctively visual image of the harsh landscape ‘The bush consists of stunted, rotting native apple trees. No undergrowth, Nothing to relieve the eye save the darker green of a few she oaks which are sighing above the narrow waterless creek’. This descriptive language allows the responder to visualise the harsh outback scenery. The drovers wife is seen as a protective mother and a hardened battler against the disasters of the Australian bush. The use of alliteration ‘no undergrowth, nothing to relieve the eye†¦ nineteen miles to the nearest civilisation’ accentuates how isolated the Wife is from society. Lawson uses powerful verbs when creating a distinctively visual image in the responders mind in ‘The Drover’s Wife’. When the drover’s wife goes to hit the snake, ‘snatches’ is used to create images of immediacy and courage within the responder’s mind, whilst ‘darts’ is used to create an image of threat, the woman has no hesitation in hitting the snake and she darts to protect her children. Similar to John Lawson’s stories, John Misto’s Australian play ‘The Shoe-Horn Sonta’ uses an array of distinctively visual techniques to highlight the significant aspects of the story. Through dramatic film and editing techniques, and powerful dialogue, Misto explores the story of hundreds and thousands of women imprisoned by the Japanese in South-East Asia. The composer uses juxtaposition as the dialogue consists of both private and public conversations to create an image in the responders mind of the powerful links between the public and private voices between the two main characters, Sheila and Bridie. The opening scene shows Bridie re-enacting the kowtow, a tribute to the emperor of Japan ‘Bridie stands in a spotlight. She bows stiffly from the waist, and remains in this position.’ These stage directions allow the reader to visualise how Misto wants it to be performed, letting the reader share their experiences, and feel engaged with Bridie . Ramon Tong’s ‘African Beggar’ utilises distinctively visual language techniques to create and perceive a relationship with the persona and his  world and therefore understand the challenges he faces. The metaphor ‘a heap of verminous rags and matted hair’ is used to establish an image of a ‘thing’ rather than a human as ‘verminous’ is usually associated with flies and ‘matted hair’ creates images of an unhygienic lifestyles in the responders mind. The tone of the story suddenly changes in the third stanza and enables the reader to re-establish the relationship and perception that was previously created with the beggar. ‘lost in the trackless jungle of his pain’ is an example of symbolism used the show that the beggar feels pain in his whole body. This stanza creates an image of someone struggling for life and gives reason for the reader to feel sympathetic towards the beggar, this is highlighted in the line ‘lying all alone’. In conclusion, these texts all use powerful distinctively visual techniques to the let the reader understand and visualise the personas and their worlds, and the hardships that they face.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Types of Literary Criticism

Types of Literary Criticism Since ancient times, readers have debated and critiqued literature from a variety of perspectives. Some have looked at a story or play from a moral stance, considering how values are represented in a text. Another critic might evaluate a poem in terms of its form. Recent critics have looked at literature to see what it might be saying about our lives in society, our political or power relations, gender roles, or sexuality. Below I have summarized some types of literary criticism you might consider when reading or writing about literature.If you're interested in knowing more, see the Purdue Online Writing Lab or OWL or read Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide, by Louis Tyson. The Gavilan library website offers resources for students conducting research on literature. (You will need a Gavilan library card to access this information and can apply for a card in person or online. ) The library also has a helpful website on Academic Research Guidelines that will help you identify legitmate sources for your research and avoid plagiarism.See me, a librarian, and/or a writing assistant at the Gavilan Writing Center for help with writing about literature. * Moral Criticism, Dramatic Construction (~360 BC-present) * Formalism, New Criticism, Neo-Aristotelian Criticism (1930s-present) * Psychoanalytic Criticism, Jungian Criticism(1930s-present) * Marxist Criticism (1930s-present) * Reader-Response Criticism (1960s-present) * Structuralism/Semiotics (1920s-present) * Post-Structuralism/Deconstruction (1966-present) * New Historicism/Cultural Studies (1980s-present) * Post-Colonial Criticism (1990s-present) Feminist Criticism (1960s-present) * Gender/Queer Studies (1970s-present) Sociological criticism: Like historical criticism, sociological criticism examines literature in the cultural, economic, and political context in which it is written or received. This type of criticism may analyze the social content of a literary work—the cultural, economic, or political values a particular text implicitly or explicitly expresses. Reader-response criticism: This type of criticism attempts to describe what happens in the reader’s mind while interpreting a text.A reader-response critic might also explore the impact of a particular text on his or her own ideas or values. For example, one might reflect on how a particular character seems admirable or unlikable and why. One might reflect on how one’s religious, culture, or social values affect readings. It also overlaps with gender criticism in exploring how men and women may read the same text with different assumptions. Gender criticism: This type of criticism examines how sexual identity influences the creation and reception of literary works.Gender studies originated during the feminist movement, when critics began investigating the unexamined assumptions around gender in a piece of literature. Feminist critics explored how an author’s gender migh t—consciously or unconsciously—affect his or her writing. These critics may also explore how images of men or women in literature might reflect or reject the social norms around gender in a particular society. Mythological criticism: Mythological critics explore the universal patterns underlying a literary work.This type of criticism draws on the insights of anthropology, history, psychology, and comparative religion to explore how a text uses myths and symbols drawn from different cultures and epochs. A central concept in mythological criticism is the archetype, a symbol, character, situation, or image that evokes a deep universal response. For example, critic Joseph Campbell, in his books like The Hero with a Thousand Faces, demonstrates how similar mythic characters and situations, like the hero’s journey, appear in virtually every culture.Biographical criticism: Biographical critics explore how understanding an author’s life can help readers more thor oughly comprehend the literary work. Note: biographical critics are not concerned with simply describing the author’s life but instead with interpreting the literary work using the insights provided by knowledge of the author’s life. New Historicism: New historicist critics look at the impact of the politics, ideologies, and social customs of the author’s world on the themes, images, and characterizations of a text.This type of critic considers the historical events or conditions during which the work was written. Psychoanalytic criticism: This type of criticism views the themes, conflicts, and characterizations of a work primarily as a reflection of the needs, emotions, states of mind, or subconscious desires of the author. Formalist criticism: Formalist critics look closely at the work itself, analyzing the various elements of the work as a way of explicating or interpreting a text.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

The Green Table Kurt Jooss

Paulina Milewska Kurt Jooss’ The Green Table Expressionism can be described as a movement in the fine arts that emphasized the expression of inner experience rather than realistic portrayal, looking to obtain not objective reality, but the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse in the artist. Several characteristics of expressionism are distortion, exaggeration, primitivism, and fantasy. The Green Table,† a ballet by Kurt Jooss, 1932, is an ideal example of expressionism because it depicts the choreographer’s personal interpretation of war through the use of movement, music by Fritz Cohen and lighting by Hermann Mankard. The Green Table is a piece of performance created mostly by Kurt Jooss, the piece lasts thirty minutes in which different episodes of war. The first scene shows the diplomats called The Gentlemen in Black, the second scene The Farewells which show the divide between the loved ones and the soldiers that go off to the war.T he third scene is The Battle in which the battle begins and the character Death is taking each of the soldiers one by one, Death is a big part in this scene as it creates a mental image for the audience showing the dreadful times where innocent males were dying due to a diplomatic argument that was created because of the gentlemen in black. The next scenes follow which are: The partisan, the refugees, the brothel and men in black once again to show the never-ending hypocritical nonsense of the government.The choreography for â€Å"The Green Table† cannot exactly be categorized as one thing or another. Jooss seems to employ two different types of dance: one being the traditional ballet, and the other being the modern technique. The use of traditional ballet can be seen in the dance of the soldiers with their light and graceful movements, particularly the one carrying the white flag. However, the heavier movements of dancers such as Death and the Partisan Woman illustrate moder n dance technique similar to movements choreographed by Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey.The fact that Jooss utilizes both of these dance forms demonstrates his unique theories and adds a personal touch to this show. However, movement is not his only means of self-expression. The music accompaniment to this piece comes from one or two pianos which works well with the dance so that neither one overshadows the other. There are no other instruments used, the melody of the piano changes from scene to scene in order to project Jooss’ emotional responses. During the scenes with the politicians, the air of the piano is light-hearted and almost comedic.The story begins with the politicians in masks that are arguing in a non-naturalistic way using their postures and gestures for example: standing up with masks facing the audience wearing white gloves reaching their hands out with open palms portraying careless emotion. The show ends the same way which gives an impression of Jooss tryi ng to say that there will always be arguments between higher statuses that don’t help the general public but they use their powers for their own entertainment. The purpose of this was to show the detachment of these men from the war.They are in a safe situation, unexposed to war and death. When the scene changes and we see what’s happening in the lives of citizens, this tune is transformed into a thunderous and eerie song that haunts the audience. The reason for this change is to reveal Jooss’ feelings about the unnecessary brutality and death that always comes with a war, and how politicians don’t understand the horror of it. In â€Å"The Green Table† Jooss has made almost full use of the dramatic, emotional and pictorial values of light. The most obvious of all contrasts was that between Death and all the other characters.While the entire dance seemed to be set in a dark light, it was particularly dark when shown on the character representing dea th. In fact, it had almost a bluish tint to it. During the scenes when death is not part of the immediate picture there is a large spotlight in the center of the stage where all the dancing takes place, however, the stage is never fully lit. This is in order to portray death, although not always immediately present, as being all around us in a time of war. The dancer of Death is always in the background as a constant reminder and, even when he becomes the main focus, is never illuminated.This represented Jooss’ unique view because he refuses to acknowledge any positive results that war brings and only sees it ending in death and destruction. The scene with the women of war using the proxemics in a clever way is portraying the other, vulnerable side of the war. The ladies are dancing lightly and swaying from side to side portraying sorrow and negative emotions. The most important character in that scene is the old lady who is struggling to walk and is leaning forward as well a s walking on her tiptoes very lightly showing a link with the Death character who is taking her life away.Her way of walking on tip of her toes is showing that she is not standing firmly on earth and living but she is already half way in the spiritual world. This scene shows a great contrast of importance in comparison to the first and last scene. Kurt Jooss’ piece, â€Å"The Green Table,† is antiwar ballet. It’s an example of expressionism because it is a one-sided, emotional performance that uses exaggerated gestures, primitivism, and distortion in order to convey Jooss’ view on war.

Vark: Educational Psychology and Learning Styles

VARK Analysis Grand Canyon University VARK Analysis VARK refers to a specific style of learning, visual, auditory, reading and writing and kinesthetic leaners. (Fleming & Mills, 1992) VARK assessment questions alert people to the variety of different approaches to learning. (VARK: A Guide to Learning Styles, 2011) For those struggling with learning the VARK analysis can develop a new learning approach or enhance your current learning style by identifying your learning style to more effectively store and recall information. Knowing our own learning style also can help you to realize that other people may approach the situation different from your own. (Connor, 2009) â€Å"Everyone has a certain amount of each learning style, but one learning type will be more dominant that than other. †(Smith, 2011) Throughout our journey of childhood education we are introduced to kinesthetic learning in the early years, JR high visual and read and write and higher learners experience more auditory. (Smith, 2011) Each individual is exposed to different learning approaches however we develop a preference to a specific learning style. Whichever type a person is, will be how they view life and comprehend situations. This is their own, unique personal filtering system. Obviously each of us will become automatically drawn to our same type, and those who filter the same information the way we do. But having diverse relationships will increase our own happiness throughout our lives† (Smith, 2011) â€Å"VARK is a bout learning, not leisure activities. The read/write learners prefer information displayed as words. This learning style emphasizes text based-input and output. People who prefer this modality are often addicted to Power Points, the internet, lists diaries and words, words, words. †(VARK: A Guide to Learning Styles, 2011) Upon taking this test, it reinforced the learning strategies I currently utilize the read and write learning preference. Read and write learners need writing materials to take down points the think are important from what the read, hear and see. (Smith, 2011) The advantage for read write learners they are very independent with learning and can self-teach. A disadvantage to this style of learning preference if a presentation is audio or visual with no opportunities to take notes, this type of learner will struggle with comprehending the content. With a presentation that is more visual and audio, the read write learner must convert this content to a style of words in their head that will help them commit this to memory. (VARK: A Guide to Learning Styles, 2011) Read and Write learners prefer to take information by making list, headings or utilizing book, handouts, essays and manuals. To make their intake of information a learnable package a read and write learner must convert their â€Å"notes† by 3:1 for studying. † (VARK: A Guide to Learning Styles, 2011) These read/write learner to utilize the information they gather often organizes their written words into diagrams, graphs, charts and read their notes and rewrite the principals into other words. The successful output of this information is when they can perform well on a test or assignment. VARK: A Guide to Learning Styles, 2011) Completing the VARK analysis at the beginning of my BSN program reinforced the strengths of my read write learning preference. This learning preference style analysis also gave suggestions if a read and write learner is put in a situation where they must utilize the other learning styles. The suggestion to convert that information into the preferred â€Å"word† method read/ write learners like is an excellent suggestion rather than focusing on the fact one is uncomfortable with the presentation of the material in a non-preferred learning method. University Education is ideal for a read and write learner due to the comfort of reading text, writing notes and essays. † (VARK: A Guide to Learning Styles, 2011) This style learning preference does well with self-teach /learning which a benefit in the online classroom environment. The challenge a read/ write learner might face in the online classroom is the need to l isten to online tutorials, this is a time they would need to convert the information into a preferred â€Å"word† method to process the needed information in a way they better comprehend. The read write learner has a â€Å"AH HA’ moment which is the point the words they intake help them comprehend the topic and process the information long term. (Smith, 2011) References Connor, M. (2009). Ageless Learners: What’s your Learning Style? Retrieved January 20, 2012, from http://agelesslearner. com/assess/learningstyle. html Fleming, N. , & Mills, C. (1992). Helping Students Understand How They Learn [Journal]. The Teaching Professor, 7(). Retrieved from www. vark-learn. com Smith, C. (2011, June). Understanding Every Personality Type: Audio, Visual and Kinesthetic [Discussion Group comment]. Retrieved from http://applecsmith. hubpages. com/hub/Being-Successful-With-Every-Personality-Type-Audio-Visual-Kinesthetic Smith, D. (2011, June 26). Advantages and Disadvantages to different learning styles [Discussion Group comment]. Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/info_8651838_advantages-disadvantages-different-learning-styles. html VARK: A Guide to Learning Styles. (2011). www. vark-learn. com

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Caste System as a Form of Social Stratification

Caste System as a Form of Social Stratification The caste system is one of the oldest forms of social stratification and even though it may be prohibited by the law, the political divisions continue to exist in the minds of the people leaving many oppressed. Before the caste system, India had four groups or divisions already established: the Negrito, Mongoloid, Austroloid and Dravidian. It was during the Aryan invasion around 1500 BCE when the caste system was created. The word  caste  derives from  the Portuguese  word casta  , meaning breed, race, or kind. In this system, the citizens are divided into categories or castes. Varna, the Sanskrit word for color, refers to large divisions that include various castes; the other terms include castes and subdivisions of castes sometimes called subcastes. Among the Indian terms that are sometimes translated as caste are jati, jat,  biradri, and  samaj. There are thousands of castes and subcastes in India. It follows a basic precept: All m en are created unequal. Each category or jat has a special role to play in the society as well as a unique function: this structure is a means of creating and organizing an effective society. The caste system in India is primarily associated with Hinduism but also exists among other Indian religious groups. Castes are ranked and named. Membership is achieved by birth. Castes are also endogamous groups. Marriages and relationships between members of different castes, while not actually prohibited, face strong social disapproval and the threat of ostracism or even violence. To illustrate, in a notorious case in August 2001, a Brahmin boy and a lower-caste girl were publicly hanged by members of their families in Uttar Pradesh, India for refusing to end their inter-caste relationship.   [ 1 ]    The first of the four basic Vedic books, which are considered the source of Indian wisdom, is the Rig Veda- a collection of over 1,000 hymns containing the basic mythology of the Aryan gods . The Rig Veda contains one of the most famous sections in ancient Indian literature in which the first man created, Purusa, is sacrificed in order to give rise to the four varnas. The varna of Brahmans emerged from the mouth. They are the priests and teachers, and look after the intellectual and spiritual needs of the community. They preside over knowledge and education. The varna of Kshatriyas emerged from the arms. Their responsibility is to rule and to protect members of the community. They are associated with rulers and warriors including property owners. The varna of Vaishyas emerged from the thighs. They are the merchants and traders and those who look after commerce and agriculture. The varna of Sudras emerged from the feet. They are the laborers. Castes or subcastes besides the four mentioned include such groups as the  Bhumihar  or landowners and the  Kayastha  or scribes. Some castes arose from very specific occupations, such as the  Gar udi  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ snake charmers – or the  Sonjhari, who collected gold from river beds. Each caste is believed by devout Hindus to have its own dharma, or divinely ordained code of proper conduct. Brahmans are usually expected to be nonviolent and spiritual, according to their traditional roles as vegetarian teetotaler priests. Kshatriyas are supposed to be strong, as fighters and rulers should be, with a taste for aggression, eating meat, and drinking alcohol. Vaishyas are stereotyped as adept businessmen, in accord with their traditional activities in commerce. Shudras are often described by others as tolerably pleasant.