The Transition from High School to College in Kuwait Research Paper

The Transition from High School to College in Kuwait - Research Paper Example    Previous literature reports on student’s transition into campus have mainly focused on the determinants of success of first-year students (Christensen & Evamy, 2011) Learning and expectation of first-year students (Tabitha et al. 2012) and Engaging ethnically and empowerment of first-year students (Apelian, 2010). Little literature is available on the challenges of students transitioning from high school to university in Kuwait. This research paper aims to evaluate the challenges faced by students joining the college for undergraduate programmes.   Most students are happy to join undergraduate studies. (Nia, 2014) state that this, however, brings extreme distress because most of them are separating with accustomed settings and places for the first time. Briggs (2013) argue that the transition process from high school to university is likely to interfere with physical comfort, social security and the pleasure from extracurricular activities in the first year.   Briggs (2013) adds that the transition process can be stressful. The segregation of students in the Middle East, for example, brings trauma to students most of who learn for the first time with the opposite gender. The students are also responsible for making major decisions regarding their schedule; this can be challenging given most of their time in lower classes was managed by teachers. Roe et al. (2010) confirm that students find it hard to adjust to making decisions on what to undertake at a particular time as well as sleep and wake up time.

More Perfect Union Speech Essay Example for Free

More Perfect Union Speech Essay In President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign speech, the resentments of each subgroup spoken about are valid. Not everyone within the African-American community feels as strongly as he does about the resentments but majority do from what I’ve seen. There are many instances where one can say that because blacks and other minorities don’t get as many opportunities as those in the white community, their resentment continues to grow. Many African Americans also think that because so much has happened within the community due to what their ancestors dealt with, it sheds a negative light on them. I agree with what the President says about how even though the subgroups haven anger and resentments, they are usually expressed in small groups. Almost never are they spoken about publicly. I think his statement about the anger and resentments being counterproductive are very true. Racial tension does nothing but set our communities, and country as a whole, a step back. In my opinion, the only good aspect of voicing the anger and resentments everyone has against each other is that they become known publicly and are no longer secrets. By having anger towards blacks, whites, and any other group you are just widening the gap to equality. Jandt (2010) explained how knowing another’s cultural identity helps one understand the opportunities and challenges that each individual deals with. This is exactly why we must come together in unity. President Obama quotes William Faulkner saying, â€Å"the past isn’t dead and buried; in fact, it isn’t even past† (Obama, 2008, para. 27). I believe this statement is saying that the past doesn’t necessarily die; it becomes a part of us and makes us who we are today. This â€Å"past† is like a reoccurring thing like with racism, it is seen continuously throughout the centuries. And when it’s not seen or heard it is waiting for the right time to show itself once again. It is a never ending cycle. I do believe a trans-racial society is possible, but like President Obama said it will take time and effort to achieve it. It is desired by more Americans than it was before. President Obama believed that â€Å"working together, we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds†¦we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union† (Obama, 2008, para 38). Because our country is becoming more and more diverse we have to adjust and accept all of the various cultures and ethnicities in order to succeed as a society. We would have to start by initiating the equal opportunity rules stated in the constitution rather than just speak about what should be done. Boundaries that have been created should be broken involving race, social groups, and sex so that communication between the people isn’t filtered through physicality or stereotypes. Without working on communication between the people first societal change will continue to progress as slow as it has been.

Bostons Artsy Youth Struggle for a Future :: Journalism Essays

Boston's Artsy Youth Struggle for a Future Liz Meyrovich, 19, moved 3,000 miles away from the Portland, Oregon home she grew up in to attend Emerson College, one of Boston’s many prestigious performing arts schools. Unlike many other aspiring actors and actresses who move to Los Angeles straight out of high school and work in minimum wage service industry jobs while going on numerous auditions, Meyrovich decided that she would get a degree. She was a musical theatre major, hoping that a degree from Emerson would fuel her career as an actress. But one year and $32,000 later, she came to the realization that it wasn’t going to happen. "I’d heard that, something like three percent, of Emerson graduates get a job as an actor,† said Meyrovich. â€Å"I didn’t think it was worth it.† Meyrovich, along with thousands of other young aspiring actors and musicians, was drawn to Boston for one of its many performing arts schools, which includes Berklee College of Music, The Boston Conservatory, and The New England Conservatory. But she, like so many others, realized that it might not be the best way to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. The increasing costs of tuition for these private schools combined with tough industry standards and a struggling economy have left many young adults in a lose-lose situation. Those who do graduate are left with thousands of dollars in debt and a degree that they cannot use to pursue other career options. As a result, Boston is left with a large Bohemian-like subculture of young artists, actors and musicians who are struggling to make a future for themselves. "Everyone in Boston is in a band,† Meyrovich joked. â€Å"Everybody is a musician or an actor. It’s kind of scary to see just how many people there are around here who are like me – who want the same thing that I want, because unfortunately, there isn’t enough room for all of us. And it sucks because a lot of really talented people don’t make it because of that.† The big decision for many young adults like Meyrovich is whether or not to pursue a degree. The recent fame and success of Berklee dropouts John Mayer and Gavin DeGraw have many hopeful young performers questioning whether or not college is necessary. Does the entertainment industry care more about credentials or talent? According to Janet Neely, a Career Services Associate at Emerson College, training is necessary to become a performer.

Brian Friels Translations Essay -- Friel Translations Essays

Brian Friel's "Translations" 'Translations', by Brian Friel, presents us with an idyllic rural community turned on its head as the result of the recording and translation of place names into English; an action which is at first sight purely administrative. In Act 1 of the play, Friel brings together the inhabitants of this quaint Irish village in what can only be described as a gathering of minds - minds which study the classics, yet minds which study dead languages. In the same way, while this community is rich in culture and togetherness, it is also trapped in what is later described as a "contour which no longer matches the landscape ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦fact". Thus, in expressing his ambivalence, Friel presents the reader with a question - is Baile Beag an intellectual Irish Arcadia? There is no denying that Baile Beag is an intellectual community. At the beginning of the play, Jimmy Jack Cassie, one of the central characters, is in the process of reading Joyce's 'Ulysses'. He is capable of reading the text fluently and understands it, despite it being in another language (although he later reveals that, while he is fluent in Latin and Greek, he knows only one word of English). He even relates his own life to that of characters in the book, posing the question, "if you had the picking between them [Athene, Artemis & Helen of Troy], which would you take?". Furthermore, he even goes so far as to associate the smoke described within the pages of the text to the turf smoke which he believes has turned his hair flaxen. Hugh, the teacher in charge of the running of the hedge-school, is also an intellectual. While one could argue that he displays pomposity (his long, drawn out sentences result in him never rememberi... ...g is not what one would describe as a predominantly intellectual community. Furthermore, while Baile Beag is a place rich in community and in culture, a sense of threat and danger undercuts this. For, you see, Friel presents us with a society that teeters on a knife-edge; a people that live in constant fear of rural collapse and the horrendous poverty which would inevitably follow. Exacerbating the relentless grip which this fear has on people's lives is the prospect of the collapse of the Irish language at the hands of the national school, and the potential cultural and linguistic erosion as the result of the remapping of Ireland by imperial forces (although it is unlikely that the people of Baile Beag were aware of this erosion until it occurred). Therefore, while Baile Beag may be a relatively intellectual community, it is in no way an idyllic Arcadia.

Landlines vs Cell Phones Essay

The global community is dependent on efficient communication in order to function in daily life. Through modern day technology the telephone has evolved immensely. Landlines and cell phones are both efficient ways of communication, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Power supply methods vary greatly between cell phones and land lines. Landlines are able to function when the power goes out and are a reliable steadfast form of communication. In contrast, a cell phone will only last without a power supply until the battery dies. Both forms, however; are ultimately dependent on the main electrical grid to supply them with power. Despite varying degrees of power dependence, both methods of communication maintain popularity among the masses. The decision to own a cell phone, land line, or both, is determined based on what each device can offer a consumer. The older generation seems to prefer having a landline over a cell phone. Land lines offer larger numbers on their keypads, which is more convenient for the elderly who typically have deteriorating eyesight. Furthermore, landlines are a more straightforward means of communication. It serves only the purpose to call people, whereas cell phones tend to have extra applications, such as internet access that target a younger generation. Just as the elderly are attracted to land lines for their simplicity, today’s youth find cellular devices more appealing. While land lines and cell phones appeal to different target audiences, both are more convenient then using a tin can and string. The portability of landlines and cell phones is another aspect of convenience that should be taken into consideration. Landlines are set at a fixed point and cannot range far from their general location. Cell phones, however, have a range within the confines of their network provider, which may encompass an entire continent. Although a cell phone has a wider range, a landline can also be featured as cordless, which allows the user more freedom of range. The price of cell phone and landline service seems to increase in accordance with their range. Having a landline and cell phone can be an added expense, which explains why a vast majority of the population have one or the other. There appears to be a large generational difference in which type of phone people choose. This could be due to the cost difference in the type of phone or the simplicity difference between modern technology and what some generations are accustom to using. Companies such as Comcast are offering voice services for around $29. 99 a month, a much cheaper rate than what most cell phone companies can offer, ranging from anywhere between $40. 00- $90. 00 a month. This is a large price difference, but the capabilities of a cell phone are much more sophisticated than a landline. With a cell phone you are paying for voice services, text messaging and internet services; with a landline you are paying for local and long distance calling. Cell phones can have additional, unplanned added expenses. Most cell phone companies require a two year contract giving the potential to have an added cost if you need to shut off your phone, known as a cancelation fee. When a consumer signs a two year contract they are agreeing to use a certain amount of minutes and gigabytes, if you go over the allocated minutes or gigabytes the phone carrier will charge costly additional fees. Cell phones run off of towers which gives the opportunity for roaming to occur and for an unforeseen charge to show up on your monthly bill. This could easily happen in the northern part of Vermont where Canadian towers can be used for reception and international rates can be charged. Landlines are cheaper to replace than a cell phone, although if insurance is purchased for a cell phone replacing the cell phone could be cheaper. Both landlines and cell phones help keep social circles intact. Not all families and/or friends live close, having phones allow people to communicate even when they are far apart. Both cell phones and landlines can make communication harder because they are unable to read an individual’s body language or facial expressions, which can cause misunderstandings. A positive to having a cell phone is that you can use Skype or FaceTime to communicate and you do have the opportunity to read body language. Cell phones do have a down fall with reading body language as well. There are a lot of people who communicate through text messaging and then the user is not only unable to read body language, but cannot hear things such as sarcasm in the voice, leaving landlines as a better means for preventing miscommunications. The versatility of the landline is much less than the cell phone. Because landlines are less complicated then cell phones, they are easier to use. A cell phone permits the user to send text messages when he/she is in a public area and cannot talk or needs to say something that is private. Though landlines were used once to dial into the Internet from a home computer and took forever, including the annoying buzzing sound, with one touch on a cell phone, there is immediate access to the Internet and no reason to be annoyed. The global community depends greatly on communication, therefore cell phones and landlines are devices that are in high demand. Being able to communicate with other people is important. Cell phones and landlines Differences Telephones have been around for a long time, and with modern technology, the way people communicate has improved. Unfortunately, landlines and cell phones have decreased face to face interaction, though increased communication. Both landlines and cell phones have played a positive and negative role in society. Landlines might be facing extinction, but for now seem to still have many benefits. Cell phones definitely are improved on a regular basis, but have a few set back, like how fragile they are. Phones have been around for a long time, for its very important for people to be able to communicate all over the world. Without landlines or cell phones people would have to travel far distances to talk to one another, and who wants to do that?

Mzarts Persptive of Women essays

Mzarts Persptive of Women essays In Mozart's time (the late 1700s), women were viewed much differently than they are viewed today. Women were perceived as being inferior (intellectually and physically) to men. As we all know, the women were supposed to spend their time in the house cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the children. Although, we must take into account that this was mostly the biased perspective of the men of the time. As time progressed, the submissive female role changed. Their presence became much more prevalent as time went on. Mozart's apparent personal perspective of women, which was demonstrated in his many operas, did not seem to correlate with the universal perspective of woman at the time. His perspective of women portrayed in The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni is much more like today's perspective than the perspective of his time. In The Marriage of Figaro, the women are portrayed as intelligent, cunning, wise, and faithful. In The Marriage of Figaro, the women are presented with the problem of dealing with their jealous and lustful husbands. Ironically, it is the "lower class" woman, Susanna, who provides the needed leadership and wisdom when it comes to solving the problem. She is the one that comes up with the idea to change clothes with the Countess to test the fidelity and loyalty of the Count. It might have been expected for a man to come up with a plan so clever, or at least for the upper class and supposedly more intelligent Countess to come up with the idea, but low and behold, the "lowly" servant comes through with the great idea. In comparison with the males in the opera, the women are portrayed with much more fidelity and loyalty especially towards their spouses. The men are portrayed as foolish, lustful, and jealous when it comes to love. The Count is the worst - he displays lustfulness, j ealousy and above all, hypocrisy. He lusts after Susanna and expects her to break h ...

Nectar In a Sieve essays

Nectar In a Sieve essays Nectar in a Sieve is a wonderful novel; the author of this book is Kamala Markandaya. Rukmani is very sociable, she has wonderful physical features and shes psychological. You see this whole new world through the eyes of one lady named Rukmani. She is a very hard-working wife and mother. She does everything for her children. As a literate woman she adjusts to the role of a poor mans wife. Ruku grew up through this book because of her role of a poor mans wife. I see her as a medium height for her time and not heavy at all. All of the malnutrition caused her to be under-weight. She has a nice amount of clothes she wears each day, but not too much. She is a very sociable person and trys to wear her best outfits when she goes out. In the beginning she felt a little uneasy but eventually got use to everything. She lives under class but adapted to this kind of living. Ruku enjoys working in her garden to give her family extra food. She also works in the rice paddy outside of their hut. For her time being educated is a great advantage. She could read and write. Her home life was good but they were poor. She always puts her family first and does what she can for them so they can get by. She is a very easygoing woman and always works for her family. She never complains about being a poor mans wife. She doesnt have mood swings or becomes tempered. She looks positive towards life and doesnt have any mental problems. Extroverts are very out going. Ruku can be considered an extrovert. When she doesnt agree on something she immediately speaks her mind and voices her opinion but in a very sweet and gentle way. Ruku is a very sweet lady even when she voices her opinion on everything. She narrates this entire trip of her life to us in a very fashionable way. Ruku is a lovely character in this novel and works hard to get the best out of life. She shows her kids the wor ...

Buddhist Ethics Essays - Reincarnation, Gautama Buddha, Buddhism

Buddhist Ethics Essays - Reincarnation, Gautama Buddha, Buddhism Buddhist Ethics Buddhism is one of the major religions of the world and has been for almost 2,500 years, although it does not always appear to be a typical religion. It differs from other religions in that Buddhism is not based on the belief in a divine power, such as Christianity or Islam. Buddhism is more a way of life and a learning process than a set of divine commands. This essay will define, describe, and analyze the ethics of the Buddhist religion. It will present the reader with the basic principles and truths of Buddhism. It will begin with information on the origin of Buddhism and some details on the life of its founder, Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. Also it will explain the beliefs and moral behaviors of Buddhists. Siddhartha Gautama, later known in his life as the Buddha, meaning the Enlightened or Awakened One, was born around 563 B.C.E. He was born and raised in what is now known as Nepal, near the Himalayan Mountains. He belonged to Sakya tribe and his father ruled a small kingdom. He married his cousin, Yasodhara at nineteen, and she later gave birth to a son whom they called Rahula. Being raised in the palace, Prince Siddhartha was sheltered from the cruelty of the outside world. His father made sure that Siddhartha would grow up without ever seeing or experiencing suffering. When Siddhartha Gautama finally was exposed to the world outside the palace in his twenties, he saw for the first time the poverty, sickness, and misery that others had to face, which he had been shielded from him for so long. After seeing these sights he could not go back to his happy existence behind the palace while so many others suffered. Prince Siddhartha left his home and family and became a wandering beggar in search of answers (Mitchell 5). One night he sat down beneath a tree and decided not to move until he knew the answers to life. It was there that he became enlightened when he realized that life's suffering is caused by one's attempt to hold on to things that are impermanent. He saw that nothing is constant and the only way to relieve the suffering from loss is to eliminate one's desires. At the core of Buddhism lies its four noble truths: life is suffering; desire causes suffering; ending desire ends suffering; following the Noble Eightfold Path ends desire. The Noble Eightfold Path is as follows: Right Belief, Right Aspiration, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Means of Livelihood, Right Endeavor, Right Mindfulness, and Right Meditation (Mitchell 41). According to the Buddha, life is suffering because one becomes attached to things that are impermanent. To be happy one needs to accept the fact that everything changes and that change cannot be stopped. Attachments originate from the fiction of a stable, permanent, and real self (Mitchell 126). The idea that there is no separate, individual self is called anatman. Samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, is another major feature of Buddhism. Until a person wakes up and sees the world as it truly is they will be forced to be reborn again and again until they become enlightened. When one becomes enlightened they no longer see the people and things in the world as separate. What appears as the multiplicity or the manyness of things and people is an illusion (Mitchell 41). The ultimate goal is for one to realize the truth and free them self from the wheel of Samsara and reach Nirvana, or Bliss. Since there is no individual self, everyone one is interconnected. Nothing stands alone; nothing is or can be separate from anything else (Mitchell 419). This brings up a very important feature of Buddhist ethics, the law of karma. Karma is the belief that whatever one does to others will come back to them. This is why Buddhists live peaceful live styles and do not harm other living beings. Since no one is separate and all people are interrelated, it is important for one to love others as one loves them self. But the Buddha did not mean, love, as most people think of it in a romantic context. Here [the] Buddha meant no

Source base questions - KMT-CCP rivalry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Source base questions - KMT-CCP rivalry - Essay Example This was the classic method of raiding a village. Sometimes we killed and carried away little pigs weighing around thirty catties. We took corn, rice, potatoes, taro. Did we take money? No. There was no money to be had anyway. e.g. in Source A, the cartoon shows us that the KMT (Kuomintang or Nationalist Party) officers were totally on the side of the rich landlord demanding greater taxes. Exploitation of the peasants took various forms. Not only were heavy taxes levied, many of which were collected in advance, but also peasants were forced to provide carts, animals and farm produce. The source also shows one such officer in hostile action against a peasant and his family. Judging from their poor attire and the fact that the loss of the two bushels of food grain represented a great loss to them, we understand that this family is a very poor one. The officer is commanding the peasant to hand over grain to the landlord. The peasant is very angry at the unfair demand, which is evident by his clenched fists. It also shows his impotence to offer any stiffer resistance to the officer and the landlord due to the overall cloak of oppression that has smothered the populace during the domination by the KMT regime. The peasant’s wife is beseeching the landlord to have mercy as they need that food for their family, especially the crying child. In response, the obese landlord is pointing a jocular finger at the wailing child meaning that he does not care about the wellbeing of a brat like that. The cartoonist is telling us that despite the oppressive hardship and poverty of the peasants, the corrupted KMT government was still exploiting them unmercifully. Source A seems to drive the message that the communists were sympathetic about the hardship of the people and this is in stark contrast to the corrupt Nationalists. Source A is also a communist cartoon and thus may be a propaganda tool to incite the sense of anti-KMT feeling among the peasants and thereby

Washington DcC Taxation Without Representation Essay

Washington DcC Taxation Without Representation - Essay Example It cost money to keep British troops stationed in America and the colonists should share the costs. The Sugar Act of 1764 as well as the Currency Act was quickly put into place. The Currency Act greatly affected the colonists as they seemed to always have a shortage of physical money. The colonists decided to make their own money. The Currency Act prohibited the use of this new paper money (Tindall and Shi 126). 1765 brought with it two more important acts from Grenville. They were the Stamp Act and the Quartering Act. The Stamp Act was to directly fund the troops stationed in the colonies. This included a tax on all printed material. This was a hardship to the colonies as it hurt many businesses. The Quartering Act required the colonies to supply British troops with supplies or shelter. The Stamp Act inspired the colonists to coin the phrase â€Å"no taxation without representation†. The colonists had no physical representation in Parliament. Grenville called it â€Å"virtua l representation†. Parliament claimed the representatives currently serving had the colonies interests in mind. The colonists were not convinced. Protesting as well as mass meetings began. One such group was called the Sons of Liberty made up of lawyers and merchants. Some were still true to the British rule and they were called the Loyalists (Tindall and Shi 127). ... They were able to come to an agreement though and develop the Stamp Act Resolves. The Stamp Act Resolves said the colonies accepted Parliament to create the laws, but they disputed the taxation. It was later thought that individual boycotts made by colonists did more to push parliament into paying attention then did the Stamp Act of Congress (Stamp Act Congress). In 1766 parliament created the Declaratory Act. This act stated England would still have full control over the colonies especially regarding all the laws. The Act was supposed to give distinction between external taxes on trade and internal taxes within the colonies (Tindall and Shi 130). Charles Townshend, Chancellor of the Treasury made things worse in 1767 with his acts. One thing he did was to force New York to succumb to the Quartering Act. The Revenue Act was his other major work. The Revenue Act levied the external taxes on colonial imports such as glass, paints, paper and tea. This created more resistance within the colonies, especially when the colonists discovered the taxes from the Revenue Act would pay the salaries of governors and other officers. This would relieve such officer’s dependence on the colonial assemblies. There was increasing tension within the colonies. The colonists began boycotting British goods in protest (Tindall and Shi 131). The important event of â€Å"taxation without representation† that seems to stick out in the mind of many American’s is the â€Å"Boston Tea Party†. This occurred in 1773. At this time some taxes were lifted, but the tax on tea still remained. Colonists were consistently complaining about the levies from the Townshend Acts. The colonists felt they did not want to pay taxes from a Parliament that gave them no

What do UEL Students think about the Future of University Education Assignment

What do UEL Students think about the Future of University Education and Why - Assignment Example Because of the many concepts identified through research the study could not develop a workable hypothesis based on initial findings, the study took an inductive approach whereby the literature review was used to model questions for use in the primary study (Price 2011). The aim of the study based on the findings in the initial review of literature was to develop new models or explanations and understandings about the future of education through the lens of university students; an exploratory research approach. Initial research studies identified many different arguments about the future of education, including structural changes to the classroom, distance learning through e-systems, increasing tuition costs and even more interactive tools and instruments based on changing curriculum in-line with business evolution. The most common theme identified was the presence of e-learning as a foundation for the future of university education. Because of the enormous volume of literature on th e subject, e-learning became the focus of this primary study. Literature review E-learning is the use of various electronic applications and systems to promote educational learning. These include â€Å"web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classroom development and digital collaborations† all delivered through Internet, satellite television, CD-ROM and intranet systems. (Manochehr 2004: 10). According to a recent report published by the Sloan Foundation, e-learning systems have achieved a 12-14 percent growth rate since 2006 (Mihai, Sanciu and Aleca 2011). In the United States alone, as one example, there are currently 3.5 million students using online education systems within higher education environments (Mihai, et al.). It is forecasted that e-learning will, by 2014, be in 81 percent of global universities (Mihai, et al.). Another recent study with a sample population of 289 respondents, 189 of which were from higher education environments and 100 from corpo rations, identified current usage of electronic learning. In the study, 44 percent of respondents used blogs to teach, 53 percent video podcasts, 71 percent online courses, 56 percent social networks, 66 percent text messaging and 49 percent mobile broadband (The Economist 2008). What significantly supports the notion that e-learning could represent the future of university education is that this study consisted of respondents from Europe, The United States, Asia and other international countries (The Economist). There is significant growth in usership of e-learning systems both in universities and the business environment. According to Clark (1999) students who use distance learning via the Internet have similar performance levels to that of students taught in the physical university environment. The researcher conducted a study of student performances from 1928 to 1999 after cataloguing 355 different research reports during this 69 year period and discovered equal achievement with both types of learning (Clark). High achievement in distance learning via the Internet continues to make this teaching system an incentive for universities around the globe. Further, there is also significant growth rate in the use of social networking and video sharing sites on the Internet. According to the Copyright Clearance Center (2009), there were 12.7 billion Internet users that viewed videos in 2008, an increase of 34 percent from 2007. Video sites allow the instructor to post their lectures online at a low cost, thus providing education for users not only in Europe but around the globe. Sanborn, Santos,

Madonna of the Meadows and Madonna of the Long Neck Essay

Madonna of the Meadows and Madonna of the Long Neck - Essay Example Raphael’s painting shows the Madonna as a softly rounded woman with soft blonde hair gathered into a soft bun out of the viewer’s angle of vision. She is delicately bent over her son who is depicted as a plump and somewhat strangely proportioned infant just on the verge of walking. He is reaching out for a wooden pole suggestive of a cross held by a slightly older St. John. This entire scene is seen over the backdrop of a very green landscape that stretches far back into the distance with a large lake and mountains visible far into the horizon. Parmigianino’s painting also depicts the Madonna tenderly holding the infant baby Jesus. She is tall and columnar as she looks down on an elongated infant who seems on the verge of falling out of her lap. She perches on a pedestal backed on one side by a rich red velvet curtain while a large grouping of angels gathers around her on this side to look adoringly at the baby. One of these angels is carrying a vase or urn that has a mirrorlike finish to it. It is positioned in such a way that it would throw a reflection back at the baby Jesus and may be the reason the baby was startled as the vase also has an etched cross on its surface. On the other side of the Madonna is a kind of landscape scene that is mostly a cloudscape. The visible sky is full of storm clouds with just a hint of blue on the horizon. There is also a tall Roman style column and the figure of St. Jerome. There are a number of ways that the two paintings are similar. They are both concerned with the relationship between Jesus’ birth and his eventual death as well as the presence of his mother in both of these events.

Caring for your Local Voluntary Organisation Essay

Caring for your Local Voluntary Organisation - Essay Example Whatever be the source of the funds, all governments today stress the need for efficient Non-governmental bodies to transform the life of the people. In the UK, they form a part of the government's planning process n local administration as well. Today, the role of an NGO is not debated, only their efficiency is. Organisations such as the UN have now shifted their focus from working with governments in the developing world to NGOs who have a massive contact with the people and work with them for consistent local benefits. NGO's impart a huge service to every nation in terms of its socio-economic development while governments in most cases are restricted to setting up the rules and the supporting infrastructure. Voluntary organisations work closely with the people and are more efficient in bringing out any sustainable benefits to the locality in terms of health care and education. Since the NGO draws a large number of volunteers, who are more committed to the cause they are working on , the efficiency levels of these bodies are very much on the higher side - they are more focussed and committed than many governmental organisations. A large number of these volunteers have different educational degrees and are mostly overqualified for their work. The organisation will also have a large pool of ideas to address any particular problem than a body in the public sector. Mostly all voluntary organisations are run by local members of the society and this means that they have more contact with the people and more information about the problems they face. Networking of the LVOs is a much simpler method to achieve social change than very expensive and cumbersome state run mechanisms. While managing Voluntary associations was considered an easy job in the sixties, it has become more complicated today. The governments in various countries have various rules and regulations that govern the formation and functioning of Voluntary Organisations. Besides these, management of Voluntary organisations also have become a task that is highly specialised in nature. They call for management skills and vitality in time management apartment from monitoring and re-orienting the efforts of the volunteers. The local voluntary organisation is a company registered under the companies act as a charity registered under the charities act. This heterogeneity means that it is both a company and a charity organisation. The guarantors of the organisation are the board members of charity. The Companies Act demands that the board is liable to the company and so the guarantors of the Local Voluntary Organisation is also liable to a sum of money that is limited to their memorandum and articles of association. The guarantors comprise the board of directors and form the executive committee. Registration also places the LVO under the Charities Act and hence the regulatory commission has specified that the board of trustees should have no pecuniary interest in the charity and their primary objectives should be only social good. The legal frame works apart, a local voluntary organisation should have a good governance system that will help it deliver the goodies to the masses. This can take

Madonna of the Meadows and Madonna of the Long Neck Essay

Madonna of the Meadows and Madonna of the Long Neck - Essay Example Raphael’s painting shows the Madonna as a softly rounded woman with soft blonde hair gathered into a soft bun out of the viewer’s angle of vision. She is delicately bent over her son who is depicted as a plump and somewhat strangely proportioned infant just on the verge of walking. He is reaching out for a wooden pole suggestive of a cross held by a slightly older St. John. This entire scene is seen over the backdrop of a very green landscape that stretches far back into the distance with a large lake and mountains visible far into the horizon. Parmigianino’s painting also depicts the Madonna tenderly holding the infant baby Jesus. She is tall and columnar as she looks down on an elongated infant who seems on the verge of falling out of her lap. She perches on a pedestal backed on one side by a rich red velvet curtain while a large grouping of angels gathers around her on this side to look adoringly at the baby. One of these angels is carrying a vase or urn that has a mirrorlike finish to it. It is positioned in such a way that it would throw a reflection back at the baby Jesus and may be the reason the baby was startled as the vase also has an etched cross on its surface. On the other side of the Madonna is a kind of landscape scene that is mostly a cloudscape. The visible sky is full of storm clouds with just a hint of blue on the horizon. There is also a tall Roman style column and the figure of St. Jerome. There are a number of ways that the two paintings are similar. They are both concerned with the relationship between Jesus’ birth and his eventual death as well as the presence of his mother in both of these events.

Eliminating Job Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Eliminating Job Stress - Essay Example With the increase in volume of work, complexity in situations and heavy competitions job stress is on the rise. According to data from health and safety, company executives recorded that in Britain around 420,000 were going through stress, anxiety and other pressure issues. In 2006, the figures mounted to 195,000 fresh cases. Over the years the rate has continued to increase and by 2007 it was stated that out of every 6 individuals at work, one among them was experiencing job stress. When carrying out research, it is important to understand the scope of the problem and how it will benefit the industry in that regard. As it can be seen from the statistics mentioned above, job stress is a significant issue. Since each employee is an asset of the organization and is contributing to the running of the organization it is essential to study his/her interests and issues and keep them at foremost position. Research studies indicate that the emergence of internationalism and globalization has led to organizations and the society becoming very complex. Added features to trade such as less barriers and strategically aligned resource strategies are adding to the problem . Technological advancements are also increasing hence requiring less skilled labor at work. There is also an increase in the rate of wages, which eventually puts pressure on the employees.Demographic shifts have also added to aggravate the problem as workforce diversity has increased bringing about a change in the cultural environment. (Stamatios, Antoniou, & Cooper, 2005). Vertical disaggregation has become a new trend in organizations especially in outsourcing. Hierarchal structures are being flattened and firms are redefining their cost structures. Organizations are promoting efficiency and cost effectiveness hence decreasing job security (Stamatios, Antoniou, & Cooper, 2005). There has been an increase in the levels of dissatisfaction among employees over the year. The balance between work and life has also been disrupted as a result of an increase in workload. Employee expectation has been on the increase and employees have developed a desire to control their professional life rather than getting stressed by large

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act Essay Example for Free

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act Essay In 1988, Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act establishing gaming on Indian reservations as a means of helping tribes become self-sufficient and less dependent on government dole-outs. Donald Bartlett and James B. Steele co-wrote an article which appeared in Time magazine on December 16, 2002 entitled â€Å"Wheel of Misfortune† negatively criticizing the consequences of instituting the said Act. A day later, the Native American Times published an editorial which contains dissenting arguments against the first article. According to Bartlett and Steele, the major defect of the Act is the unequal redistribution of profits derived from gaming in the reserves: â€Å"It gives billions of dollars to the white backers of Indian businesses and nothing to hundred of Native Americans living in poverty†¦hundreds of millions of dollars to one Indian tribe with a few dozen numbers—and not a penny to a tribe with hundreds of thousands of members†¦(78)† The bulk of the essay expounds and provides evidence to these assertions. It also points to the fact that while these tribes earn tax-free revenues, they continue to collect millions in government aid. The Native American Times editorial, meanwhile, accuses the Time magazine article as simply a piece that â€Å"fan the flames of racism with lies (â€Å"Indian Gaming† 84)† and proceeds to either refute or justify the points raised of the latter. Bartlett and Steele claim that only a few Indians are benefiting financially from the Native-American gaming industry thus defeating the purpose of the act, which is to raise the average Native American out of poverty. At the same time, a high percentage of the profits from these lucrative casinos go to the wealthy leaders of tribes. The editorial counters this argument by stating that there are varied reasons why some tribes do well than others. It cites the case of Oklahoma, home to more Native Americans than any other state. The state prohibits Class III gambling thus preventing an opportunity for the Native Americans in Oklahoma from realizing the Congressional Act. Today tribes continue to â€Å"fight with every resource available to them to hold off those who would send them back to the metaphoric reservation (â€Å"Indian Gaming 85). † The editorial also praises the success story of the Shakopee tribe which the Time magazine article derides. The success is well-deserved, according to the editorial, since this group has experienced one of the most harrowing histories of violence inflicted against Native Americans. For all its passionate defense and criticism of the Time magazine article, the editorial of the Native American Times does not touch on the other issues raised by the former like cronyism among the tribal leaders, the involvement of white Americans behind the casino operations, and the applications for recognition by extinct tribes that suddenly resurrects because of the business opportunity. Then again, the former is a lengthier and more detailed presentation complete with figures and facts, in keeping also with its being an investigative article. Nevertheless, it can be argued that the editorial does not need to refute the Time magazine article point by point and that its entire argument is summed up when the editorial writer states that the reason why people like Bartlett and Steele are being too critical about the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act is because â€Å"the thought of rich Indians is against nature we can only assume (85). Inequality, anomalies, and other issues about the Native American and their casinos may exist but they are no different to those in regular gaming industries. Despite some wealthy members, Native Americans are still the poorest and most victimized people in America.

How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession

How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession An investigation into Companies Usage of Outsourcing and a Critical Analysis of How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession, Specifically in relation to Northern Ireland. Aims and Objectives The Aim of this research is to determine whether or not the current economic recession has affected companies decisions to outsource. It is important to decipher whether or not companies have increased their usage of outsourcing as a direct result of the recession or whether the increase or decrease in outsourcing is due to other factors. The Aim of this research shall be applied in relation to Northern Ireland companies and build a general consensus that Northern Ireland based companies during this time of economic pressure are increasing their outsourcing. Based on this there shall be three objectives of the research. These shall be; To determine companies have increased their outsourcing during the unstable economic climate. To determine that this increase is due to the unstable economic climate; and To determine the relation of outsourcing and the unstable economic climate to Northern Ireland Companies. Importance of the Research In todays volatile and largely unstable economic climate, it is important to note that the recession as it is referred to affects not just large corporations such as banks and multinationals, but ordinary people living in an everyday environment. The state of the economy affects the modest corner shop consumer right to the small to medium sized business entrepreneur. The word recession has become a word synonymous in everyday language. It is due to this that it can be seen to be important that research is carried out to determine exactly how this has impacted the behavioural patterns of people, businesses and theories. This research is important, and more so relevant, to today than ever before with many companies being forced to cut costs and overheads, and inevitably, manpower, as they try to stem the tide of financial loss. The term Outsourcing is subcontracting a service to a third party and the decision to employ this concept is based upon the companies hopes to achieving a higher margin of profit by lowering their running costs. Lankford et al 1999 defines it as the procurement of products or services from sources that are external to the organisation It is believed today that firms should aggressively adopt the practice and the practice is almost becoming a given, and consultants presentations talk of a revolution in outsourcing. The academic literature on the subject has grown in kind. (Lonsdale and Cox, 2000) Outsourcing for businesses has been an integral part of a well oiled operating system for many years. It came to the fore in the 1980s and has since been used in business lexicon, and it is today in the midst of the economic downturn that it has been a vanguard of companies value systems. Few management practices have attracted as much attention as outsourcing is enjoying at the present time (Lonsdale Cox, 2000) The idea of a subcontracting deal to make the most of time and money in the depths of economic downturn would seem like a perfect opportunity to cut the cost of overheads and use resources efficiently. Faith (2009, p.36) agrees, stating As the recession persists, managements are enforcing stricter budgets. All departments are reviewing their processes to find ways to reduce costs and save money. Outsourcing is an area where companies can limit expenditure Research into the recession and its effect on outsourcing has never been more important than it is today, and while companies cannot predict when the recession is going to end, and with the increasing uncertain future and the possibility of more volatility, research into this area of business practice is vital. In a historical sense, the United Kingdom has experienced the onslaught of a recession before. The last recession struck in the 1980s, and this is where companies found the advantages of using outsourcing during a period of economic downturn (Charsley, 1986) Within Northern Ireland, research into the recession linked with outsourcing within Northern Irish companies has been under researched and indeed very little work has been published. So while periods of boom and bust continue throughout the decades in the worlds economy, research into aspects of the need of cost cutting exercises through outsourcing remain essential. There have been many research papers in the area of outsourcing and the implementation of such a business rationale, as there has been in the area of recession, however the development of one in relation to the other has only been lightly touched on, and this is one of the main reasons for the importance of research into this common area, and hopefully add to academic debate. Critical Literature Review A review of literature published suggests that the recession has caused many firms to reshape and refocus their energies into cost cutting exercises, and one of these comes in the form of outsourcing. The literature suggests that there are pros and cons of such an exercise, and that there may be a negative impact of such an implementation. This research is set to highlight the benefits of outsourcing as a key business tool, especially in a period of economic downturn and that it has increased during recent times in this period of economic instability. Past recessions have changed the way businesses operate and the ability to outsource entire departments have compounded this change. Industrial organisations in the late 1980s and early 1990s experienced a turbulent environment brought about by an increase in internationalisation and a downturn in the economy (Tucci et al, 1997) As a result of cost-cutting efforts during this period, many companies are opting to go the outsourcing route to cover either routine and/or non-core work. (Charsley, 1987) This proposal by Charsley would back up the research to determine that the increase in outsourcing is due to the unstable economic climate. The disintegration, outsourcing and off-shoring of manufacturing and other non-core functions have been seen as irresistible trends (Shi and Gregory, 2003, 2005; Sturgeon, 2002; Arnold, 2000) Outsourcing and the recession appear to come hand in hand when a business is restructuring to save costs. The advantages of such a restructuring and outsourcing during a recession have been highlighted in Joanna Faiths article in Outsourcing becomes luxury in recession where she states that the advantage of outsourcing rather than hiring internal resources is that if the state of the company declines, there is no need to make redundancies This helps stave the negative consequences of firing staff and leaving the workforce unsettled, while saving the companys reputation within the market. Mukesh Butani from BMR Advisors in India believes that If you outsource you can just terminate or alter the contract in seasons of peak and downturn however Graham Beck of PA Consulting stated that many firms who were involved in multi-sourcing were unaware of the risks. These include the integration of all the suppliers after the multi-sourcing, despite admitting that multi-sourcing would drive down costs. (Financial Management, 2009, p.7) PA Consultings outsourcing survey found that with the result of the recession firms are re-evaluating their outsourcing contracts or in effect outsource more elements of their firm. Research has also found that Human Resource chiefs have lost control over making outsourcing decisions, as finance directors and chief executives look to rein in costs during the recession (Logan 2009) In January 2009, a study by outsourcing firm Ceridian found that 20% of two hundred and fifty senior Human Resource professionals had the ultimate say in outsourcing recruitment, payroll and benefits for their organisation. Thirty one percent (31%) of the decision making went to the CEOs. Steve Joyce of Ceridian (2009) stated that The credit crunch has left no business function untouched, and it is clear in some organisations now that HR directors are not masters of their own strategy. Barker (2009) believes that In a recession, sometimes it is not possible to take a long-term perspective, especially where firms are really facing an emergency, and it becomes a matter of survival to cut costs wherever they can Charsley, 1987, states the opportunities brought about by outsourcing are several Charsley saw these as, firstly, management could balance the work force with the load, since contracted employees and can be brought on board or dismissed This could be done without the headaches generally involved in changing permanent staff levels. He also identified that management can focus on core work and more easily determine actual cost to the organization provided by non-core support units. In his book, Management Consultancy-A Cost Effective Resource Charsley states The ability to determine costs and allocate them across different parts of the organisation also allow management to consider new structural forms that might enhance the firms overall competitive position However in an interview of 1,000 firms all around the world about their experiences with outsourcing, also by the PA Consulting Group, the results show that the most common outcome was a fairly neutral one. As a result of the cost-benefit analysis comparing contract labour to company personnel, many managers were and are becoming more willing to opt for the contractor through outsourcing contracts because of the total cost of continuing the relationship with the company employee To summarise, there has been very little research conducted to verify whether or not within Northern Ireland the recession has had a direct impact on the decision of companies to outsource more of their business. By conducting further research into this field the purpose of this investigation is to shed more light on the topic as it is of high significance in this turbulent economic climate. Many authors agree that outsourcing is an integral part of the business acumen. The shaping and refocus of business objectives because of the recession has led to this. However there a handful of experts who believe that outsourcing has led to the relationship between the company and employee being stretched. Proposed Methodology The study being undertaken can be described as an exploratory research study. The research aims to find and explain the relationships between the outsourcing and the recession amongst companies in Northern Ireland. The research aims to assess the phenomena of companies outsourcing to cut their overheads and to maximise profit in the time of high economic uncertainty, and to find out what is happening; to seek new insights; to ask questions and to assess phenomena in a new light (Robson, 2002 taken from Saunders, 2007) This research project is set to explore data and develop theories from which will directly relate to previous literature. This is an inductive approach. The use of primary sources for the purpose of this research is decided on the fact that the researcher can focus on specific issues and have a higher level of control over how the information is collected and used. The research can be implemented on a strict timescale. A survey strategy shall be implemented in-order to meet the aims and objectives of the research. Survey strategies are popular in business and management research and are frequently used to answer questions raised by previous research. The benefits of a survey strategy are that they allow a large amount of data to be collected from a large population in an economical way. Survey data is also seen as straightforward to comprehend and illustrate. To conduct this survey, questionnaires shall be drawn up and sent to companies based around Northern Ireland. In social research, questionnaires are one of the most widely used in data collection. For the questionnaires a sample shall be selected from the wider population. The population in this case is all the registered companies in Northern Ireland. Because it is not feasible to send questionnaires to all the companies in Northern Ireland, for the purpose of the research, an appropriate sampling frame shall be drawn up. This is a complete list of all the cases from which the sample shall be made from. The sampling base shall be unbiased, current and accurate. Upon collaborating a suitable sampling frame the next stage of the process will be to decide how many (the sample size) and the method by which the companies shall be chosen. Large sample sizes can be sought without the burden of major costs, and produces quantifiable data. In this instance, systematic sampling shall be used. The reason behind this is it works well with either a small or large number of cases. It is also suitable for geographically dispersed cases. Actual lists are not always needed either. The relative costs are low and is relatively easy to explain. The next stage of the research having identified the method by which the data shall be collected, the sample and the sampling technique is to decide upon the technique of data collection. For this research it is proposed to collect the data via postal questionnaire. This is decided upon the characteristics of the respondents and the size of the sample. Having designed the questionnaire the next step is piloting. The purpose of piloting the questionnaire is to refine it so that the respondents have no ambiguity as so how to answer the questions and the questionnaire exhibits face validity thus ensures accurate feedback of results. In addition to this it shall provide some form of validity to the questionnaire and the results. Reliability of the results is the main aim here. Initially to pilot the questionnaire, a group of experts in the field of which the questionnaire is to given to, should be asked to complete it. Allowing suggestions to improve the questionnaire would further enhance the content of the questionnaire. Upon completion of the pilot, the necessary adjustments can be made. The pilot should also ensure that the structure of the questions is correct and there is an established flow allowing an easier understanding of what is being asked. For the purpose of this research it would be suggested that ten pilot questionnaire s be distributed amongst a field of experts to ensure that any trace of ambiguity or misinterpretation be eliminated before the actual questionnaires are distributed. The responses of the questionnaire will provide an idea of reliability and sustainability. It is good research practice to follow through with a pilot of the questionnaire. The final stage is administering the questionnaire. Attempts must be made to maximise the response rate. In order to do this, factors such as appearance, type of delivery and incentives, should be considered. In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this research, the key data collection method employed shall be interviews. For the purpose of the research the key figures to be interviewed shall be managers from the Human Resource (HR) departments. Reasons for this are that evidence from prior research suggests that it is this department who are in charge of outsourcing despite Logan, (2007) suggesting that many companies are taking this responsibility away from the HR departments. To conduct the interview for the purpose of the research a semi-structured interview shall be implemented as opposed to a fully structured one. The drawbacks of the fully structured interviews in research like this are the fact that the answers that may be given could be irrelevant, providing little or no use to the research, the questions are normally closed and thus does not allow freedom to operate outside the constraints of the questions and removes the interviewers ability to back track and highlight certain topic areas. As questionnaires shall be produced and sent out to various companies, the need for a structured interview is further outweighed as fully structured interviews are broadly similar to structured questionnaires. To complete the semi structured interview the main areas of the research to be covered shall be worked out in advance so the overall focus of the interview can be guided by the researcher. The advantage of using the interview situation is that the response rate can tent to be higher than perhaps if requesting information in a non face to face environment. The ability to judge the seriousness of the answers can be helpful in interpretation as well as noting body language. The planned sequence of questions may change during the semi structured questionnaire. This is a huge advantage, as a number of topic areas may covered simultaneously and the interviewee may revert back to a question to be covered in more detail. The naturalism of conversation can take effect and allow the interviewee peace of mind. Before the interview takes place, the interviewee shall be asked whether or not it is possible to ask for the interview to be recorded for further evaluation. This would be an advantage as the flow of the interview shall not be disturbed. In-order to gain access to the HR department within the companies, adequate time shall be allowed to let the organisations allow feedback, and the proceeding follow up contact. A clear account of purpose shall be given to the company. This should clear all concerns regarding credibility. The gatekeeper is the sole source through which contact should be made to gain access to the interviewee. This is done to ensure feasibility of the actual interview. The analysis of the semi structured interviews shall take the form of transcribing the conversations and from that withdrawing key themes and concepts which may help with the implantation of the research objectives. This is known as grounded theory approach, a widely used method for generating a theory from research. The data derived from this research method shall be qualitative data, and shall emerge from the data collected rather than being imposed. Having completed the transcriptions of the interviews, and the keys themes of note are recognised, the information must then be transformed into a form of quantifiable data which allows easier understanding. This involves coding. The data is split into segments which are relevant and meaningful to the overall research and the aims and objectives. The purpose of this is to highlight any trends which may appear from the qualitative data and add weight to what the research is investigating in a statistical manner. As more data is analysed the codes may change. The program used to carry out statistical analysis is SPSS. Time Scale The research shall commence on January 11th 2010 and will be collated over the course of the following fourteen weeks. It shall conclude on April 16th 2010. Here is a detailed plan of the timescale of each proposed stage of research. While conducting the research it will be important to note that there will be time allowed for contingencies should there be any unforeseen circumstances occur. Due to Undertake Activity Activity Week 1-3 Background reading Week 3 Construction of Questionnaire Week 4 Pilot questionnaire/Select Sample Size Week 5 Feedback from pilot questionnaire and modify accordingly Week 6 Perform final questionnaire, allow three weeks for postal surveys to return and begin interviews Week 9 Collect data from Postal Questionnaires. Begin interview Transcriptions. Week 10 Begin coding of questionnaire results Week 12 Results and Discussion Conclusion and recommendations Week 14 Final Draft prepared and Submitted

Voltaires Candide as an Attack on Optimism Essay -- Candide essays

Voltaire's Attack on Optimism in Candide      Ã‚   Leibnitz emphasized, in his Discours de Metaphysique (Discourse on Metaphysics) (1686) the role of a benevolent creator. He called the constituent components of the universe monads, and while the philosophy of monads is of little concern to readers of Candide, the conclusion which Leibnitz drew from these monads is crucial to an understanding of optimism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Leibnitz argued that all of these monads were linked in a complex chain of cause and effect and that this linking had been done by a divine creator as he created the harmonious universe. Since he was benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient, he logically would create the best of all possible worlds. Hence, everything that happens in the universe is part of this greater plan, and thus must be for the best. Humans cannot appreciate how the evils encountered in every day life contribute to the best of universes and universal harmony, but they do, nonetheless.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Optimism was attractive to many because it answered a profound philosophical question that mankind had been grappling with since the beginning of faith: if God is omnipotent and benevolent, then why is there so much evil in the world? Optimism provides an easy way out of this philosophical dilemma: God has made everything for the best, and even though one might experience personal misfortune, God (via your misfortune) is still helping the greater good.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Voltaire's experiences led him to dismiss the idea that this is the best of all possible worlds. Examining the death and destruction, both man-made and natural (including the Lisbon earthquake) Voltaire concluded that everything was not for the best. Bad things do ha... ...e respond, in closing, to his friend the Optimist?    "That is very well put, said Candide, but we must cultivate our garden" (75).    Works Cited and Consulted: Bottiglia, William. "Candide's Garden." Voltaire: A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Durant, Will, Ariel Durant. The Story of Civilization: Part IX: The Age of Voltaire. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965. Frautschi, R.L. Barron's Simplified Approach to Voltaire: Candide. New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1968. Lowers, James K, ed. "Cliff Notes on Voltaire's Candide". Lincoln: Cliff Notes, Inc. 1995. Richter, Peyton. Voltaire. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1980. Voltaire's Candide and the Critics. California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc., 1996. Voltaire. Candide. New York: Viking Publishers, 1998.   

Henry Cisneros :: essays research papers

Henry G. Cisneros was born on July 11, 1947 in San Antonio. He graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelors of arts and a masters of arts degree in Urban and Regional Planning. He also earned a Masters degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from George Washington University.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After serving two years in the United States army in 1968, he began his career in public service by working as an administrative assistant in the San Antonio City Manager’s office, working as an assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Beginning in 1974, he taught public policy at the University of Texas-San Antonio. In 1975, Henry was elected to the San Antonio City Council. As a council member, he emphasized the economic development and cooperation between the city’s Hispanic and White residents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He served on the City council until 1981, when he was elected to be the Mayor of San Antonio, which is the nations 10th largest city, thus, becoming the first Hispanic mayor of a major U.S. city. During the time Cisneros was Mayor from 1981 until 1989, he rebuilt the city’s economic stability by increasing tourism and creating jobs in downtown San Antonio, recruiting convention business, attracting high tech industries, and expanding housing opportunities. In 1985, he was elected president of the National League of Cities. And, in 1989, he became chairman of his newly organized â€Å"Cisneros Asset Management Company,† which was a financial management firm for tax-exempt institutions. During this time, he received two awards: the first was in 1982, when he was selected as one of the â€Å"Ten Outstanding Young Men of America.† The second was four years later in 1986, when City and State Magazine named him Outstanding Mayor. In addition to thes e two awards, he was awarded with Vista Magazine’s Hispanic Man of the Year Honor in 1991.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For three years after leaving his job as Mayor, Henry hosted â€Å"Texans,† which is a one hour television show that is produced quarterly in Texas, and â€Å"Adelante,† which is a national daily Spanish-language radio commentary.

Compare and contrast the higher education system in the UK Essay

Firstly, British college student’s ability to live independently that is stronger than our country students. Students who do not share the housework rarely . They were trained to help parents rub the car or cut the lawn. Many students also work in community, delivering newspapers are normal behavior, not earned money highly, but they have the opportunity to face the community and get few experience of job, independently of the problem. In holidays , such as gas stations, fast food restaurants , supermarkets. High school students are working busy in company . After holiday , not only earned a few hundred pounds, more important ways, they might be get more self-confident than chinese students. Secondly, British college student’s strong sense of team . In the UK , it is widely respected team to the students ‘ teamwork ‘ education, in public places or collective activities , individuals must obey someone. If any student limelight for themselves and hurt everyone , he will be consistent dismissed as † no team spirit .† Thirdly, college students of England who to explore spiritual strength . British students work what have confident and courage enough, without the shackles of the old rules. They think that confident and courage can make them to discover the answer.Hence, the chances of success are relatively high. Each student has their own thoughts and actions . They are not superstitious textbooks, not superstitious authority , they are concerned about our students answers to questions. In UK, students have lots of chosen when students study in university, they can study many subjects until they find a profession which suitable for them really. For example, there were two classmates in the Cambridge University. They were all majoring in physics and very smart. One student told the other:’ you are much better than me in high energy physics area, you should continue to research physical, and I engage in biology.’ But in China when students just enter to university, they haven not chosen that they have to learn only one profession and their futures are set. For example two years ago, Mr. Yang found that high school students were assigned to 46 departments when he saw the new roster Fudan University, and Beijing University have 59 departments.

Ethnomedicine Essay

Since the beginning of man, there have been ailments that have plagued the human race without concern of who it is inflicting or why they occur. These ailments had to have been combated by some sort of medicine by each culture and their remedies must have been plenty. The plethora of different kinds of medicines and remedies to these ailments among the different kinds of cultures is what we, Team Bloodnut, define as ethnomedicine. Many cultures throughout the world practice some form of ethnomedicine. A field of anthropological research, ethnomedicine seeks to describe the medical systems and practices utilized in different cultures. It examines the origins of what people believe cause illness, as well as examine the ways in which individual cultures treat such maladies. Team Bloodnut wanted to discover the healing beliefs and practices held by Amazonian shamans. Through the use of a life history interview, we sought to understand the traditions held by a people through the experiences of a man working with a former shaman of the tribe. Team Bloodnut formed a hypothesis regarding ethnomedicine in today’s modern world. We hypothesized that the remedies and medicines indigenous cultures use to heal the ill are unorthodox from the stand point of western civilization. Western society will view these remedies as barbarian and a total fallacy. We conducted our research through a life history interview, contacting a filmmaker named Matthew Vincent. Possessing an interest in natural medicines, Vincent spent over half a year living in Peru documenting the experiences of an American Shaman’s journey into the depths of Amazonian Shamanism. Together, they discovered the origins and methods involved in practicing shamanism in relation to this particular cultural group. Matthew trained under the ‘gringo shaman’ Ron Wheelock, learning the techniques and methods required to effectively heal members of the community in which they lived. In order to effectively film his documentary in a realistic manner, Matthew Vincent needed to integrate himself into the rituals, learning their practices and lifestyles. Researching through a life history interview best utilized our information since it enabled us to capture the personal experience of a man submerging himself into such a specific aspect of a community’s life. Our group set out to understand the origins of Amazonian shamanism. We wished to learn about the beliefs of the roots of illnesses as well as the methods used to treat them. Ethnomedicine seeks to understand what illnesses mean within a culture and how to remedy these ailments. According to Vincent, shamans believe people contract illnesses due to a variety of reasons. Culturally, the soul brings balance to the physical body and makes it strong. If presumed damaged or corrupt by devious spirits, souls must undergo ritualistic healing in order to return to a healthy state. Physical illness is thought to be a manifestation of corruption within the soul. In order to correct this corruption, patients go through a mixture of ritualistic songs, plant gnosis, and trances. Shamans utilize trances in order to enter different states of consciousness, allowing them to interact with souls and spirits to perform healing to the soul and bring the spirits back to the sick physical body. One extremely common way to remedy an ailment in Amazonian Shamanism is through the use of ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is an extremely hallucinogenic vine used in brews that are consumed by the Shaman along with the patient so the Shaman can conjure the spirits of the plants used in the brew to foresee any future ailments, cure any immediate ones, and try to prevent any others from manifesting themselves within the patient’s body and or soul. The ayahuasca brew can take any time from a couple of hours to brew, all the way to up to two days, being cooked three times. Wheelock told Vincent that he has treated people who have visited a psychiatrist for over a year and with one ayahuasca ceremony, the patient feels more rejuvenated and alive than ever before. Ayahuasca can also be used for other uses as well, depending on the ingredients used in the brew. For example, if brewed with shapishico, moonshine, and rainwater, and left to sit together for about nine days, this brew acts as an extremely potent aphrodisiac. Shamans are not only medicine men, but spiritual guides. Shamans can choose from two different paths when immersing themselves in their practices. They can choose to be curandero or a brujo. A curandero is a healer. He is the medicine man that can heal physical and psychological ailments that one might have. He does this through plant gnosis and conjuring the spirits of the plants to help cure the patient. A brujo, on the other hand, focuses on the dark arts of Shamanism, although he can also heal. In a Shamans training, they are visited by spirits and are given magical darts. These magical darts are a brujo’s weapon of choice when it comes to causing harm or kill another. He can use those towards anybody in the world as long as he has their name, a mental image of the person, a picture, or some sort of memorabilia that depicts who their target is. A curandero will only use these magical darts, usually, to defend himself. When a curandero sends a magical dart to a brujo, it’s usually with the intention to kill him. After conducting our life history interview, Team Bloodnut came to a conclusion on our hypothesis. We concluded that our hypothesis was correct regarding the differences between western medicines and Amazonian Shamanistic medicines. Western medicines include all of the technologies, modern medicines, and commodities that these indigenous cultures do not have access to; therefore we are much more technologically advanced. These countries are at a disadvantage when it comes to the commodities and technologies but that doesn’t mean that the quality is any less. These medicine men spend most of their lives learning how to conjure and interact with these spirits of nature so that they can heal in their favor. The way in which they do so shouldn’t be frowned upon. If these Shamans have found ways to cure, not just treat these illnesses and ailments, then why haven’t we, Western Civilization, adopted these methods? Is it the fear or the skepticism of failure? We think that it’s not so simple. We believe that the reason for these medicines not being accepted into our country is simply so the government won’t lose money and control. Wheelock cured a patient that had been visiting a shrink for over a year. In that time how much money did that psychiatrist earn? From that income how much did the government take from the psychiatrist in taxes? This is only for one person, too. Some people spend half of their lives, if not longer visiting some kind of medical practitioner or some form of psychedelic help. There will never be a shortage of sick people, so if they are simply just cured with a couple of ayahuasca ceremonies, that’s a pretty significant chunk out of the United States’ money supply. Not only is it a monetary issue, but also a control issue. If these practices were administered in the United States, people would gain insight and enlightenment to its effects. There is a chemical in ayahuasca that is an intense psychedelic. Dimethyltryptamine is the psychedelic in the ayahuasca that puts the body in the state in which it can be visited by manifesting spirits of the vine. If this psychedelic were to fall into the wrong hands, it could be very harmful to not only to America’s economy, but also to the ones who abuse it. Ergo, ethnomedicine is a sensitive subject because it is not only a way to treat people within a certain country or tribe, but it is also the way of life and the way generations upon generations have practiced these remedies. Just because different cultures do things differently, it doesn’t mean that one way is right and the other is wrong. If we, as a species and inhabitants of this Earth, all worked together and shared our practices with each other in the field of medicine, maybe we could find cures, not just treatments to malignant diseases such as cancer. Ayahuasca ceremonies are not just a ritual to heal patients that come to Shamans, but also a lifestyle.

Management Levels, Functions, Roles, and Skills Coursework

Management Levels, Functions, Roles, and Skills - Coursework Example The first level of management is strategic management, operated by superior management, dealing with policymaking, crisis handling, and direction-setting. The decisions made at this level would be typical for a longer period. The second level is tactical management, performed by middle-line managers along with establishing ways to the corporate ends, activating resources and innovating. The decisions made at this level would work probably for a year. Thirdly, operational management is executed by supervisors and deals with daily activities.   Management functions include planning which entails the determination of strategies, objectives, policies, schedules and procedures and collection of resources. A function of organizing incorporates the arrangement of tasks and the setup of authority levels, information channels, and the division of tasks into groups. Moreover, in the command function, the management has to prescribe orders to subordinates to help them complete the objectives. Further, coordinating incorporates the procedure of synchronization of the goals of organization, individuals, and groups as well. Additionally, in the function of controlling, the management is liable to supervise the operations being executed and recognizes and corrects errors.   There are three types of roles that are performed by the managers. Initially, managers perform the roles of interpersonal. This role is largely dependent on the manager’s rank. This role entails three subdivisions, namely, figurehead, leader, and liaison. Secondly, the role of being informational makes the managers access all inner and outer channels of communication. Thirdly, the role of being decisional allows managers to take decisions of the organization. It can be further sub fractioned into an entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allotter, and negotiator.  

A Comparison of Linear and Daily Undulating Periodized Programs with Research Paper

A Comparison of Linear and Daily Undulating Periodized Programs with Equated Volume and Intensity for Strength - Research Paper Example The plants were selected based on traditional medicinal usage and application in alternative medicine. They are Artemisia absinthium, Psidium guajava, Melissa officinalis, and Costus speciosus. As part of the study, methanol bark and leaf extracts were obtained from the plants in different concentrations and exposed to various cancer cell lines for 24 hours. The growth of the cancer cell lines was measured against increasing varying concentrations of the plant extracts to determine the effect of extracts on the growth of the human cancer cells. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. This year, the number of new infections is expected to increase despite intensified efforts to prevent and manage the disease. One of the new approaches adopted in cancer prevention and management is the use of natural products. Natural products have been used for centuries to treat various illnesses, and they efficacy has been proven in studies examining the lifestyles of native tribes in the United States, Africa, and Latin America. Currently, natural medicines are used in treating around 87 percent of all known human diseases; these include cancer, bacterial and fungal infections, and immunological defects. It is also estimated that roughly a quarter of all prescription medicines in the world are sourced from plants and over three thousand plant species have anti-carcinogenic properties. This paper, therefore, contributes to the development of this research area by examining the cytotoxic impacts of the aforementi oned plants on the growth of human cancer cells. Artemisia absinthium, Psidium guajava, Melissa officinalis, and Costus speciosus have all been analyzed and used for traditional and contemporary medicinal purposes. They have proven their admirable antiparasitic, anti-carcinogenic, antibacterial, and antimicrobial qualities, hence justifying the need for more research on their antitumor attributes. Studies have shown

Response to the Book George Orwell's 1984 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Response to the Book George Orwell's 1984 - Essay Example From this moment on both Winston and Julia heightened to the awareness of what is next. Both transferred to the Ministry of love for interrogation swiftly followed by systematic physiological and physical torture. This torture consists of three stages, learning, understanding, and absolute acceptance of the Party's reality. These ideologies chewed away throughout the book at Winston's fundamental ideals. Winston and Julia both grew to hate the party, rallying against it in both their thoughts by actions and behaviors as well. The Party's main object is absolute acceptance of their Doctrine. Winston must painfully accept eventually. However, this particular book seems layered like an onion tearfully peeling away each layer to expose the soft underbelly in all of us. The fear of self; which is signified by room 101 where they sent Winston when he refused to betray himself, his love, and his absolute hatred for Big Brother. The final step has Winston facing his biggest fears, rats place d in a cage strapped to his face ready to tear into his skull. In a moment of absolute terror Winston screams out "Do it to Julia" betraying not only her but also the very core of himself. The one thing he believed they could never touch, could never get at, resonated from him the way a gavel echoes with justice in a courtroom.

Multiattribute Theory of Wal-Mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Multiattribute Theory of Wal-Mart - Essay Example The relative personal importance of each attribute was considered on a scale of 1-10 and indicated. Similarly, each belief about the establishments was scored on a scale of 1-10. Finally, the Multiattribute index for each firm was computed using the Fishbein model’s formula. The purpose of this study was to determine whether scored attributes and beliefs of establishments correlate to the purchasing behavior of the consumer (Deb & KÃ ¶ksalan, 2010). The study revealed that the scored attributes and beliefs do not correlate to the purchasing behavior of the consumer. Kmart was found to have the highest index of 298 followed by Wal-Mart with a score of 271. The establishment with lowest score was Sears with 187. So, there was a perceived difference in the overall score of attributes. This means that the beliefs concerning various attributes vary from one establishment to another. In terms of the price, which is rated as highly important, of the various establishments, K-Mart is believed to have fair prices, followed by both Wal-Mart and Sears, which have equal ratings. The belief that a certain store charges lower or higher prices as compared to other stores influences the purchasing behavior of the buyers (KÃ ¶ksalan & Sagala, 1995). Convenience, quality, guarantee of satisfaction and job security were also rated highly in terms of importance, with each having a score of at least 7. However, their scores of believes vary from one establishment to another. Wal-Mart has the highest score in terms of quality followed by K-Mart, while Sears has the lowest score of 3. Both Wal-Mart and K-Mart are rated equally in terms of convenience and satisfaction guarantees. Variety, wages, good neighbor, and environment protective are all rated with scores of not more than 5, in terms of importance. Even in terms of believes, they still rated below 5. This means that these attributes may not matter so much to a buyer when making a purchase. This attributes are clearly known

Short Stories Reflecting Issues in Marriage Essay

Short Stories Reflecting Issues in Marriage - Essay Example In addition, the stories act as peripheries outlining the boundaries of what ambitious women should indulge in, to avoid disgrace or even death. The two stories speak of their main characters’ dreams and aspirations and vividly describe them as they think about their respective dreams. The main characters are both women, married and facing different dilemmas but somehow are related, considering that their problems are about their desires. To Chopin’s Mrs. Mallard, her dream was the satisfaction of an emotional and psychological need while de Maupassant’s Mrs. Loisel dreamed of physical needs which were quite trivial as compared to that of Mrs. Mallard’s. How the stories were told and how the characters were exposed are interesting angles for readers to consider in looking more deeply into the meanings of the stories. The Story of an Hour is narrated by a third person, picturing the life of a woman married to a man who was not mentioned to have abused her i n any way, rather treated their marriage life as dictated by norms. Women during the time of the setting were known to be housekeepers, left to attend to children and the household chores. To Mrs. Mallard, the task of staying home was an imposing feature of the male in the house and society; making her feel like a prisoner. This statement is supported by the words of the woman saying â€Å"Free, free† and in addition, kept whispering, â€Å"Free! Body and soul, free!† This shows that Mrs. Mallard had a longing for freedom which the expectations of people from wives, have silenced during the time of her marriage with her supposedly dead husband. The Necklace, on the other hand, narrates the story on the third person also, of a woman who longed for what the elite French represented. Being beautiful, Madame Loisel, the main character in the story dreamed of things she thought she was worthy to have. Unluckily, she was born in a family of artisans and was married to a cler k who was not able to provide her whims. Her longings, as opposed to that of Mrs. Mallard’s, are of the trivial things like good food, expensive clothing, and jewelry. Invited to a ball which she always dreamed of attending, she forced her husband to provide for a dress that would suit the occasion and her desires. When presented with the problem of jewelry, the husband suggested her to borrow from her friend which she did. Eventually, they were presented with the conflict to resolve and that is, to replace the borrowed necklace as soon as possible, which got lost when they were going home from the ball. With their little means, the husband had to borrow money to produce the payment of a similar jewelry which caused them to be deeply in debt and made them live through hard work for ten years. The style of de Maupassant in telling his story was quite direct, introducing the character with descriptions that created an image of the woman without letting the reader need some imag inations in understanding the character.

Green Practices and Their Benefits on the Environment Essay Example for Free

Green Practices and Their Benefits on the Environment Essay Every country is endowed with rich natural resources which can greatly affect the countrys competence within the international economic arena. Each country is highly dependent upon the natural resources that it owns. These natural resources are being utilized to aid the countrys needs in order to strengthen their economy. Thus in order to make full use of natural resources, one must be keen in protecting the environment. The environment shelters all the resources that people need in order to sustain life. Thus damaging the environment can create strong adverse effect on the humans needs and well-being. However, the seemingly rapid development within the field of industry and technology diverted the societys awareness on the importance of environment protection. The discovery of new technological innovations attracted people towards adapting new ways and processes unmindful of the possible threats that these new inventions may bring to the environment. And over time, scientific discoveries have caused the deterioration and depletion of important natural resources. Alongside these innovations and the discovery of the harmful effects that these developments have inflicted on the environment, comes the need for increased awareness and concern in protecting the environment. If people will not learn how to control their utilization of the environment and the proper way of extracting uses from it, the natures gift endowed for the humans to make use of shall soon become scarce and will eventually die out completely. From this truth and realizations, certain organizations have emerged to save the environment from further abuse. Environmentalist groups have surfaced in order to prevent the environment from continuous depletion. These environmentalists were formed under the bond of concern for the environment, primarily towards ensuring the â€Å"preservation, restoration, or the improvement of the natural environment† (Rozeff, 2007). These groups of people hold advocacies in order to create a strong stand in promoting their cause and ideals. In addition to this, â€Å"green† companies have also been set up in order to fight for this cause. These companies are those who have responded to the need of protecting the environment, and those who have believed that doing such shall become favorable to them in the future. And as such, these environmentalist organizations and green companies have devised of ways to protect the environment while still reaping the benefits from rich natural resources. In this light, site management programs are being done in order to provide protection to land, water and air resources. These programs are geared towards effectively monitoring the status of natural environment with respect to its utilization, acts ensuring replenishment and maintenance and improvement of such resources (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). Ecological and Soil Preservation The importance of preserving land formations translates into the preservation of the ecology in general. Land resources serve as the widest form of habitats for most of living organisms within the ecosystem. Thus, ensuring that the natural habitats are being well taken cared of will help maintain biodiversity which will benefit humans and other forms of living organisms. One way of ecological and soil preservation is through the use of grassfarming. Grassfarming, when done in a proper way will result to a net benefit in the environment. Animals raised through this process shall help in lessening the use of fossil fuels. Furthermore, development of pasture of this kind helps to reduce the occurrences of soil erosion. With the United States losing a significant mass of soil every year, diversion from the conventional ways of cropping and instead resorting towards row cropping will eventually lessen the rate of soil loss by up to 93 percent (â€Å"Grassfarming Benefits the Environment,† 2008). In addition to this, grazed pasture will also help in removing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Furthermore, grassfarming helps in reducing greenhouse gases thus eventually slowing down the rate of global warming (â€Å"Grassfarming Benefits the Environment,† 2008). Another way of preventing soil erosion is through tree trimming, tree planting and landscaping. While these processes keep soil erosion at a lesser rate and percentage, these also serve the purpose of beautifying the surrounding. While these work to create a more beautiful environment, these also increase the reliability of environment by strengthening and further enrichment of the resources available to humans (â€Å"Tree Trimming and Landscaping: Balancing Beauty and Reliability,† 2008). In general, the protection of ecology and soil preservation will eventually lead to the following: increase in wildlife habitat, reduce wind, water and soil erosion, decrease in carbon emission, protection of water resources and the establishment and development of â€Å"greenspaces† corridors (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). The most important amongst these positive effects in the environment is that while the environment beautifies and becomes more useful for the people, the people will have a greater sense of property values. And as such, the community will have a better perception of the advantages that a â€Å"green† environment will serve for them. Water Preservation and Conservation Preservation of aqua life is also equally as important in maintaining a healthy environment. Developments in the society have pushed people towards over consumption of water resources. In addition, the commercialization rampant in every country has turned every water resource into either an industrial or commercial site. Thus, actions are needed towards recovering and conserving what is left of the planets water resources. In United States, the campaign in passing a National Healthy Oceans Act is being pushed. It is believed that upon the approval of the act, a cohesive national policy will be pushed to revitalize and revive the oceans. If this materializes, the protection of what is left in the countrys marine life shall be restored and protected (â€Å"Ocean Solutions,† n. d). In addition to this act, the development of underwater parks is also being suggested. The establishment of protected marine areas shall help preserve the rich marine life by allowing marine species to reproduce, thus providing a more balanced and diverse marine ecosystem (â€Å"Ocean Solutions,† n. d). In line with this, certain policies are also pushed which shall ensure that destructive fishing shall be stopped and violators will be properly reprimanded. It is necessary to know that use of destructive fishing will deliberately decrease marine diversity. Such policies will also promote for the prevention of occurrences of water pollution. Water pollution further hastens the development of water damage to natural systems. Thus, the government has provided ways to ensure that sewage systems are being monitored in order to prevent leakages that can further contribute to marine death. In addition to these, several conservation designs have been suggested in order to strengthen the campaign of water resources protection. These conservation designs include the formation of clusters and landscapes which shall enable the prevention of excessive water runoffs. Examples of these landscapes include trenches, basins, rain gardens and vegetated treatment systems among the others (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). Moreover, military sonars are being put under restrictions. Military activities over time were proven to have induced harmful effects upon water resources, and as such, activities of this kind must be minimized. If these steps shall be taken, people can help curb the probable adverse effects of global warming. At the rate that global warming is currently occurring in the planet, the planet’s aquamarine resources are predicted to suffer from grave effects it may bring. Thus, being keen in preventing the further intoxication of the marine resources through excessive emission of carbon dioxide in bodies of water, people can help in sustaining and protecting the growth of diverse biofuels (â€Å"Ocean Solutions,† n. d). Air Quality Protection Every individual needs clean air in order to attain a healthy life. Maintaining the natural ecology by giving priority in the protection of trees also helps in cleaning the planet’s air resources. However, there are direct plans which can be done in order to strengthen the society’s position in keeping the atmosphere free from toxic gases. Green remediation activities that come in forms of certain policies can enormously aid in building standards necessary for protecting the atmosphere. Provisions made under Clean Air Act, Energy Policy Act and Energy Independence and Security Act are few of the policy programs which if followed can assist in maintaining clean air within the country (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). Through these acts, it will be made clear that equipments needed in the manufacturing industry will be checked to make sure that companies comply in the reduced emission of harmful gases. These efforts will ensure that heavy equipments and vehicles are functioning properly in such a way that air protection opportunities are being guaranteed to work. Waste Management Given the three important aspects of environment which greatly need attention and protection, a proper and efficient waste management system also contributes to the prevention of environmental degradation. Aside from direct plans involving the environmental maintenance and revival, there are also activities which are seeking to prevent further degradation of the surroundings. In this light, an activity such as â€Å"Reduce, Reuse and Recycle† program is being initiated which is expected to increase the environment’s sustenance against pollution. In the event that this will be strictly observed, this will be of great help in pursuing waste reduction by recycling materials that can still used (â€Å"Reduce, Reuse and Recycle,† 2008). Thus, such activity will help save environment and at the same time, it will also help alleviate poverty by making use of trash materials as a source of livelihood. In general, a feasible waste management practice must take into consideration the opportunity of giving a worthy cause for livelihood while eliminating the threats to the environment. Ideally, an effective waste management system is geared towards (1) conserving landfill space; (2) reducing the environmental impacts coming from wastes while reducing the cost of producing new materials from old and used materials; and (3) reducing the overall project expenses by avoiding new and more expensive purchases and unnecessary disposal costs (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). A Sustainable Development A greater understanding of the environment’s delicateness and vulnerability will lead the people towards the developing a greater sense of concern with how one makes positive use of the rich natural resources provided by the environment. However, even if the people will make use of environmental resources with outmost caution, there are resources that are cannot be renewed and replenished, or resources that take too long before they can be replenished. This then brings into light the importance of how to use our resources in a sustainable way. Though resources may be renewed and replenished, it is still necessary to know how to use them properly while allotting time for these resources to be replenished according to the pace that suits them. Trees and forest reserves are examples of renewable resources. While trees and forest can always be replenished, humans who make use of it should be careful in consuming the richness and wealth that these resources provide us. As such, people must be keen on knowing when it is time to start making actions towards ensuring that such resources will be given an ample time to replenish that resources that have already been utilized by humans. Consequently, nonrenewable resources are also present in the environment. These include the nature’s fossil reserves. Fossil fuels though are still currently rampant within the environment are nonrenewable resources, which if used inappropriately will soon become scarce. Thus, it is the obligation of human beings to know how to carefully and prudently use these resources in such a way that future generations will still have enough to make use of for their own development. In this light, renewable energy resources must be integrated properly to ensure future abundance and proliferation. And on the other hand, alternatives must be provided as replacements to nonrenewable resources. The utilization of solar and wind alternatives can be useful instead of continuously relying to nonrenewable fossil reserves as energy sources (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). Thus, if these are given proper attention, while prolonging the life of the nature’s nonrenewable resources and protecting the environment, this can also help the economy in reducing country costs and liabilities. Ideally, an effective system in managing renewable and nonrenewable energy sources may result in the: (1) decrease in fossil fuel prices while ensuring long-term benefits and cost savings; (2) lowering the demand and reliability on traditional energy resources; (3) reducing the emissions from fossil fuel consumption; and (4) widening the opportunities for new market and job creation (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). Environment Protection: Translation Towards Human and Economic Development As previously mentioned, the planet’s rich natural resources serve as the people’s basic source of livelihood. Without these resources, people will be left with nothing to feed on, no shelter and no means to survive. Thus, it is widely believed that poverty and environment are two interrelated concepts that humans must be able to grasp in order to attain the fullest potential that humans can attain. A report following the researches conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) concluded that to be able to battle poverty, people must turn towards environmental protection. The relationship between the two is linked in a â€Å"downward spiral† wherein the poorest among the nation are those who have extracted their environmental resources towards the limits without being keen on replenishing them. Thus, environmental degradation has further impoverished people due to lack of education and knowledge to keep the resources alive (â€Å"UNDP-EC Poverty and Environment Initiative,† 2004). Thus, the goal set up by the UNDP Environment Initiative is to provide practitioners and policy makers in identifying solutions towards equipping the people with proper knowledge on how to take care of natural resources while allowing them the privilege of making use of the environment’s richness. Given the immense importance of environmental resources to the lives of every people living in the planet, it is of great necessity that people must learn how to utilize these resources in such a way that the environment retains its healthy form and condition. The processes, policies and projects stated beforehand are bright solutions towards maintaining a sustainable development. The environment is one of the best gifts bestowed upon human beings. Observing â€Å"green† practices and making sure that environmental protection is put at first priority on top of human selfishness and recklessness will benefit not only the environment itself, but more specially human beings who are largely dependent on the gifts that environment provides. References Grassfarming Benefits the Environment. (2008). Eatwild. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www. eatwild. com/environment. html Green Remediation: Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices Into Remediation of Contaminated Sites. (2008). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Ocean Solutions. (n. d) NRDC. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://oceans. nrdc. org/solutions Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. (2008) The Green Flag Program. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www. greenflagschools. org/mshs/project_areas/ Rozeff, M. S. (2007) What is Environmentalism? LewRockwell. com. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www. lewrockwell. com/rozeff/rozeff151. html Tree Trimming and Landscaping: Balancing Beauty and Reliability. (2008) Knoxville Utilities Board. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www. kub. org/wps/portal/! ut/p/c1/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gPC1OnYE8TIwMDlwAnAyMfl1BLU1c3D1cPA_1wkA68KvDKG-GXDzQzhMgb4ACOBvp-Hvm5qfoF2dlBHuWOigCUwDZj/dl2/d1/L3dJMjJZZyEhL0lCakFBQVFnQUlUQ0FBaUNJQUNBb2dBSUJ1d0FDR0EhL1lCcDNwSnchLzZfSDg1QlNJNDIwMERQQjAyTERVOTVFRkhFNjA! / UNDP-EC Poverty and Environment Initiative. (2004) United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved July 30, 2008, from http://www. undp. org/seed/pei/