The Presence of Homosexual Characters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Presence of Homosexual Characters - Essay Example Similar sitcoms, such as Brothers and Sisters followed in the wake of the success of Will and Grace. Today, there is a liberal offering of sitcoms that feature gays in lead roles, have gay themes, or present gay minor characters. Because of the number of shows available, the portrayal of the gay lifestyle reflects the diversity we might see in real life. There are lesbians that would defy recognition if we met them on the street, and there are outrageous gay men whose sexual preference can be detected from across a parking lot. While mainstream America is sometimes shocked by the outrageous portrayals of some of these characters, they have benefited the viewers by exposing them to a valid world of authentic diversity and reduced discrimination against gays. The portrayal of homosexual characters on television is positive because it gradually makes people accept homosexuality. Prior to mid 1990s, homosexuals were rarely accepted in the society, and kept as a 'dirty little secret'. Homosexuality at that time was considered deviant behavior and not as an acceptable norm. America was uncomfortable with gays and uncomfortable with itself. ... During this period, the media had been passively introducing gay characters and homosexual themes to the television viewers. The trend started during the 1970s in an ABC sitcom called Soap with a gay character named Billy Crystal. Twenty years later, in 1996, people were becoming more accepting of homosexuality and seeing their characters on television. Though there were many sitcoms that had supporting characters who were homosexuals, NBC's 1998 sitcom, Will and Grace had successfully included a main character who is homosexual in a show that had homosexuality as a main theme. Homosexuality had been gradually introduced over a period of 3 decades, and the public was ready for the character, Will. He was a conservative, well mannered male that did not stereotype the homosexual lifestyle. NBC was able to pull the audience a little farther into the gay world by introducing Will's friend Jack, who was more outgoing and substantially more physically demonstrative. Jack was able to exhibi t mannerisms and say lines that the public was not yet ready to see in a lead role. However, this highly successful sitcom was instrumental in introducing a gay couple in a gay setting on a regular basis. The viewers benefited from the gradual exposure to homosexuality as a realistic, alternative lifestyle. Homosexuality has become less monstrous to the cultural mainstream and instead has become a cultural curiosity. As a result, homosexuals can be open about themselves to society and as well as feel normal about themselves. The increasing acceptance of homosexuals in the television sitcom has helped to dispel 'gay panic', an unwarranted and exaggerated fear of homosexuality. Gay panic has been the cause of violence towards gays, as well as a legal defense for assaults on gays. The

Integrated Conservation Development Projects Essay Example for Free

Integrated Conservation Development Projects Essay Integrated Conservation Development Projects (ICDP) look into how the socio-economic goals of a people may be achieved without compromising the ecological balance of the environment. At the same time, ICDP, more importantly, is directed at using socio-economic investments to keep the biodiversity intact despite the influx of human activities. ICDPs require an assessment of the dynamics of the project area so as to be able to determine the appropriate approach and the needed intervention, and monitoring and evaluation in the target community. The following are experiences of the implementation of some ICDPs: English Title: Conservation and development projects in the Brazilian Amazon: lessons from the community initiative program in Rondonia. Personal Authors: Browder, J. O. Author Affiliation: Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. Document Title: Environmental Management, 2002 (Vol. 29) (No. 6) 750-762 Publisher: Springer-Verlag NewYork Inc. Abstract: This ICDP takes on community-based conservation and development as a foundation of sustainable economic development. Although there is a growing debate on the effectiveness and replicability of ICDPs, the central elements of the concept of integrated conservation and development are examined through a description of the Community Initiative Program (CIP), a pilot program of the Rondonia Natural Resources Management project in the western Brazilian Amazon state of Rondonia. The CIP apply the principles of ICDP to the regional scale in different communities at the same time. Conservation impacts of the program and lessons learned are presented here. Author: Asian Development Bank Year: 1998 Paper Title: Central Sulawesi Integrated Area Development and Conservation Project Abstract: This ICDP focuses on Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi Integrated Development Conservation Project. The goals of the Project are poverty reduction and sustainable development achieved through acceleration and sustained growth of the agricultural sector. It also has a policy component that aims to develop a policy framework and institutional reform measures to increase agricultural productivity. The expected outputs and outcomes of the Project are hoped to bring about socio-economic as well as environmental benefits. The benefits shall have a positive impact on both the poor and the indigenous cultural communities in the area. Author: The World Bank Documents Reports Year: 2007 Paper Title: Request for the secretary of states approval to designate Bolong Fenyo as Gunjar community wildlife reserve Journal Title: Gambia Integrated Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Management Project Volume: 2 of 2 Abstract: Gambia’s critical ecological areas may be protected with The Integrated Coastal and Marine Biodiversity (ICAM) project. A number of expected project impacts and mitigation measures may regulate activities through the establishment of resource utilization zones within the core park area and buffer zones but these are aimed to obtain positive effects and impact both in the short-term and in the long run. A new set of rules will also have to be drafted by the DPWM and the communities so that permitted activities especially in the reserve area such as fishing and oystering may be agreed upon. Other alternative options are being explored in view of the limitations presented. References Cab Abstracts. (2007). Conservation and development projects in the Brazilian Amazon: lessons from the community initiative program in Rondonia. Retrieved October 8, 2007, from Cab Abstracts Web site: https://www.adb.org/

It’s Time to Tell the True History of Texas :: Personal Narrative

It’s Time to Tell the True History of Texas When the Bob Bullock Texas State History museum opened in March 2001, it advertised itself as â€Å"The Story of Texas.† It still calls itself the story of Texas in letters chiseled into the top of the building, on its Web site, on signs directing visitors to the museum, and even on the refrigerator magnets you can buy in the gift shop. When I first saw the slogan, I wondered how there could be â€Å"the† story of Texas, since Texas has been culturally diverse throughout its history as a part of Mexico that became a separate nation and later a state. Shortly Texas will have no one group as a majority. I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, where the great majority of the population, like me, is Mexican American. How was this new museum going to present my story? I had to go and find out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I first walked into the lobby, I noticed the large mosaic on the floor but I couldn’t figure out what it depicted. I just saw a campfire and a bunch of wiggly figures. Someone next to me told their kids that they’d be able to see the entire mosaic from the third floor. I decided to wait and do the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first exhibit I saw was the â€Å"It Ain’t Braggin’ if it’s True† (one of my friends told me I had to see the shrine to Lance Armstrong and the rhinestone car). The name of the exhibit didn’t make much sense to me though; aren’t all museum exhibits, especially ones about history, supposed to be true? The big banner in the middle of the room didn’t help much either. It simply said â€Å"Vision† and had a quote about how only those with great vision can see opportunity where others see empty space. Maybe those who have this type of vision get the braggin’ rights?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Texas was never a big empty space. The Spaniards and later the French who came here discovered cultures that were centuries old. But history, and the museum itself, begins with European colonization. The history of Texas, one of the signs says, was shaped by the way the different groups of people who came to Texas responded to the land and to each other. So land, and interaction between different groups of people, would be used a lot in the telling of this story of Texas, I assumed.

Presence of Exim Bank in Saarc Region

History of SAARC The concept of setting up a regional co-operational in the South Asian Region was first mooted by the late President of Bangladesh, Ziaur-Rahman on May 2, 1980. Before this, the idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was discussed in conferences of Asian Regional conference, New Delhi in April 1947, the Baguio Conference in Philippines in May 1950, and the Colombo Power Conference in April 1954. urther in the late 70s, SAARC nations agreed to create a trade bloc consisting of South Asian countries. The idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was again mooted in May 1980as a result, the foreign secretaries of the seven countries met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981. The Committee of the Whole, which met in Colombo in August 1985, identified five broad areas for regional cooperation.New areas of cooperation were added in the following years. Hence the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was created in 1985 with eight member countri es in SAARC namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It also has nine observers, namely China, EU, Iran, Republic of Korea, Australia, Japan, Mauritius, Myanmar and USA.The objectives of the Association as defined in the Charter are: * to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and to improve their quality of life; * to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potential; * to promote and strengthen selective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia; * to contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another's problems; * to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields; * to strengthen cooperation with other developing countries; * to strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of common interest; and * to cooperate with international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes. The principles of SAARC are: * Respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, political equality and independence of all members states * Non-interference in the internal matters is one of its objectives * Cooperation for mutual benefit * All decisions to be taken unanimously and need a quorum of all eight members * All bilateral issues to be kept aside and only multilateral(involving many countries) issues to be discussed without being prejudiced by bilateral issues Economic Agenda of SAARC The main economic agenda of SAARC include: ) SAARC Preferential Trading Agreement (SAPTA) The Agreement on SAPTA was signed on 11 April 1993 and entered into force on 7 December 1995. The Agreement envisaged promoting and sustaining mutual trade and economic cooperation within the SAARC region through exchange of concessions. b) South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) The Ag reement on SAFTA was signed on 6 January 2004 during the Twelfth SAARC Summit in Islamabad. The Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2006. c) South Asian Economic Union The Eleventh Summit (Kathmandu, 4-6 January 2002) provided further impetus to the regional economic cooperation to give effect to the shared aspirations for a more prosperous South Asia.At the Summit, the leaders agreed to accelerate cooperation in the core areas of trade, finance and investment to realise the goal of an integrated South Asian economy in a step-by-step manner. They also agreed to the vision of a phased and planned process eventually leading to a South Asian Economic Union. Economic Profile of the SAARC Member Countries In Afghanistan, real domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have reached 13. 9% in FY2007, owing to a strong recovery in agricultural production. Industry and services recorded dynamic growth of 13. 3% and 12. 4%, respectively. Construction was the main driver of industrial growth . In Bangladesh, GDP growth in FY2007 (ended June 2007) stood at 6. % underpinned by steady expansion in manufacturing and continued buoyancy in services, on the base of rising domestic and external demand. Secretariat of SAARC The Secretariat of SAARC is located in Kathmandu has been established on 16 January 1987 inaugurated by Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal headed by a Secretary General. The Secretary General is appointed by the Council of Ministers from Member Countries in alphabetical order for a term of three-years assisted by the Professional and the General Services Staff, and also an appropriate number of functional units called Divisions assigned to Directors on deputation from Member States.The Secretariat has been entrusted with the function of coordination and monitoring the implementation of activities, arranging for meetings, and serveing as a channel of communication between the Association and its Member States as well as other regional organizations. T he setting up of SAARC Secretariat involved inking a Memorandum of Understanding between the Foreign Ministers of member countries on 17 November 1986 at Bangalore, India which contained various clauses concerning the role, structure and administration of the SAARC Secretariat as well as the powers of the Secretary-General. Regional Centres of SAARC There are various regional centres established by SAARC Secretariat in member states so as to ensure smooth working of the SAARC functions.The regional Centres covering Agriculture, Tuberculosis, Documentation, Meteorological research, and Human Resource Development have been established in different SAARC capitals: SAIC (Dhaka, 1998) STC (Kathmandu, 1992) SDC (New Delhi, 1994) SMRC (Dhaka, 1995) SHRDC (Islamabad, 1999) SCC (Kandy, 2004) SCZMC (Male, 2004) and SIC (Kathmandu, 2004). In addition, three new regional centres covering Culture, Coastal Zones Management, and Information are being established. India- SAARC Relationship The coun tries of South Asia were compelled to forge a regional grouping due to universal realization among the third world countries. – india with her experience of initial efforts to organize the Asian community ; the conflicts in the region welcomed the initiative of Bangladesh in 1980. for an association of south Asian namely India, Pakistan, Sri lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives. SAARC provides a platform for the peoples of south asia to work together in a spirit of friendship , trust ; understanding . – it aims to accelerated the process of economic ; social development in member states. – the initial years of SAARC were marked by significant political developments in the world culminating in the demise of cold war ; the disremberment of the soviet union. – therefore, when the proposal for the regional co-operation was made by bangladesh india could not reject the proposal. – as this regional cooperation could play a useful role in india's ow n regional policy. – india is the biggest with sharing the borders with all 6 countries of the region. – from politicla to economic level, india & its neighbors have many disputes. inida is also having the stable democracy, has a strong military machine, a large scientific & technical manpower & a vast industries infrastructure makes it different from other countries. – the end of cold war has provided greater leeway to india to promote her perception of south Africa regionalism through SAARC. – india has become the heart of saarc & in fact constitutes the major source of both GDP, trade & capital flows within saarc/region. – the reluctance of india & other south asian countries to turn saarc into forum for resolving major regional disputes hampers saarc ability to deal with many of the south asia's economic ; political problems. Mekong-Ganga Cooperation : it was established on nov 10 2000 at vientiane in the 1st MGC ministerial-meeting. – i t comprises of 6 members countries namely, thailand, myanmar,cambodia, lao PDR, vietnam ; india. – they emphses on 4 areas of cooperation , which are : tourism, culture, education , transportation linkages in order to be solid foundation for future trade ; investment cooperation in the region. Cooperation Mechanisms : – the working mechanism for MGC consists of the annual ministrial meeting, the senior official's meeting, 5 working group namely : * working group on tourism (thailand) * working group on education , HRD (india) * working group on culture (cambodia) working group on communication & transportation (lao PDR) * working group on paln of actions (vietnam). – with his cooperation india has extended its footprints in asean region under the geostartegic back drop. – india has added powerful cultural dimension to its economic diplomacy by encouraging business contacts between the people residing on the banks Summits Summits which are the highest auth ority in SAARC, are supposed to be held annually. The country hosting the Summit also holds the Chair of the Association. Bangladesh hosted the Thirteenth Summit in November 2005 at Dhaka as the Chairperson of the Association. India will host the Fourteenth SAARC Summit in 2007 as its Chairman.South Asia’s regional cooperation, international political and economic environment, poverty alleviation, advancing economic cooperation, funding mechanisms, security of small states, combating, terrorism, social, natural disasters and environmental challenges as an agenda for third decade of SAARC was also discussed in the Thirteenth Summit. Enhancing people-to-people contact and cultural cooperation, political cooperation and external linkages of SAARC was also discussed. SAARC member states welcomed the request by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for membership and invited Afghanistan as a member, subject to the completion of formalities.SAARC member states also agreed in principl e with the desire of the People’s Republic of China and Japan to be associated as observers. The Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters Establishment of SAARC Arbitration Council, and the Limited 136 Pakistan Journal of History & Culture, Vol. XXVII/2 (2006) Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters were signed during the thirteenth SAARC Summit The Council of Ministers comprising Foreign Ministers, meets at least twice a year. Its functions include formulating policy, reviewing progress of regional cooperation, identifying new areas of cooperation and establishing additional mechanisms that may be necessary.The Standing Committee comprising Foreign Secretaries, monitors and coordinates SAARC programmes of cooperation, approves projects including their financing and mobilizes regional and external resources. It meets as often as necessary and reports to the Council of Ministers. The Association also convenes meetings at Ministerial Level on specialized themes. The Committee on Economic Cooperation consisting of Secretaries of Commerce oversees regional cooperation in the economic field. During the Twelfth Summit in Islamabad, the SAARC Social Charter was signed in order to address social issues such as population stabilization, empowerment of women, youth mobilization, human resource development, promotion of health and nutrition, and protection of children, which are keys to the welfare and well-being of all South Asians.South Asian States have adopted Conventions on the Suppression of Terrorism (including Additional Protocol signed in January 2004 in Islamabad), Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Trafficking in Women and Children, and Child Welfare in South Asia. An Agreement on Food Security Reserve is also in place. During the 12th SAARC summit held in Islamabad the leaders of South Asia reiterated their commitment to form South Asian Economic Union (SAEU). If for med, it will pave the way for more ambitious — but entirely achievable — goals such as a Free Trade Area, an Economic Union, open borders, and a common currency for the region. As President Pervez Musharraf said, â€Å"we must expand SAARC charter to discuss bilateral issues at the regional level. There can be no development in the absence of peace.There can be no peace, so long as political issues and disputes continue to fester. †The Twelfth Summit renewed the urgency to deal with poverty in the region. For this purpose, the Summit directed the Independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation (ISACPA) to submit to the next Summit a comprehensive and realistic blueprint setting out SAARC 14 President Pervez Musharraf’s statement reported by M. Aftab, â€Å"Can Safta lead to South Asian Economic Union? † The News, 19 January, 2004. SAARC: Origin, Growth, Potential and Achievements 137 Development Goals for the next five years in the areas of poverty alleviation, education, health and environment.The Governors of the Central Banks of member states under the auspices of SAARCFINANCE meet regularly to consider cooperation in financial matters. For strengthening cooperation in information and media related activities of the Association, the Heads of National Television and Radio Organizations of member countries meet annually. Similarly, the SAARC Audio-Visual Exchange (SAVE) Committee disseminates information both on SAARC and its Member States through regular Radio and TV Programmes. In the field of education, the Member States cooperate through the forums of SACODiL (SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning) and Heads of Universities Grants Commission/Equivalent Bodies.Memoranda of Understanding have been signed to promotecollaboration with UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), UNESCAP (United Nati ons Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific), UNDCP (United Nations Drug Control Programme), ITU (International Telecommunications Union), APT (Asia Pacific Telecommunity), WHO (World Health Organization), UNIFEM (Untied Nations Fund for Women), CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency), EC (European Commission), PTB (German Metrology Institute), WB (World Bank), ADB (Asian Development Bank), UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) and SACEP (South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme). Regular dialogues with other Regional Organizations such as ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations), ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization) and PIFS (Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat) are held with a view to promoting cooperation among sub-regional organizations.The Association promotes interaction on multilateral issues of common concern to its members and has identified areas in which collective positions could be projected at international forums. These i nclude trade, finance, environment, agriculture, women and children, information and telecommunications. Beyond official linkages, SAARC also encourages and facilitates cooperation in private sector through the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), which is a SAARC Apex Body. Other such bodies are SAARCLAW and South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA). In addition, the status of SAARC Recognized Bodies has been accorded to professional groups in South Asia including Architects, Management 138 http://www. nihcr. edu. pk Pakistan Journal of History & Culture, Vol.XXVII/2 (2006) Development Institutions, University Women, Town Planners, Cardiologists, Dermatologists, Teachers, Writers, Insurance Organizations, Diploma Engineers, Radiological and Surgical Care Societies. The Association of Speakers and Parliamentarians enjoy special recognition by the Heads of State or Government. Achievements Several factors such as political, economic, security and potentiality of mutual e conomic benefit through regionalism seem to have influenced President Ziaur Rahman’s thinking about establishing a regional organization in South Asia. 15 SAARC’s existence, however, has enabled South Asian political leaders to meet regularly and carry on informal discussions to address their mutual problems.This is no mean achievement given South Asia’s past history and low level of interaction among South Asian countries since their independence. Informal talks among the leaders at regularly held SAARC meetings have led to inter-elite reconciliation on many sensitive issues, producing some noteworthy results in South Asia. The informal talks between the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers at the second SAARC Summit meeting at Bangalore in November 1986 led to the diffusion of tension between the two countries on the issue of India’s military exercise, Operation Brasstacks, on the Indo-Pakistan border, and the India-Sri Lanka talks at the 1987 SAARC for eign ministers’ meeting led to their accord on the Tamil problem.As a result of an informal meeting and discussion between Prime Minister of India and Pakistan, Narasimha Rao and Nawaz Sharif, at Davos (Switzerland), in 1992, the Pakistani government took action to prevent the move of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) to cross the ceasefire line in Kashmir later that year. The Davos meeting was possible because of an earlier informal agreement between the two leaders at the sixth SAARC Summit meeting at Colombo in December 1991. Given this utility of SAARC, can the organization grow or expand its role in the coming decades? The Heads of State or Government during the Ninth SAARC Summit agreed for the first time that a process of informal political consultations would prove useful in promoting peace, stability, amity and accelerated socio-economic cooperation in the region. The leaders reiterated this intent during their Tenth and Eleventh Summits in Colombo and Ka thmandu respectively also.The Agreement on SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) was signed in 1993 and four rounds of trade negotiations have been concluded. With the objective of moving towards a South Asian Economic Union (SAEU), the Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) was signed during the Twelfth Summit in Islamabad in January 2004. SAFTA may enter into force by the end of the year 2006. The Association has carried out Regional Studies on trade, manufactures and services, environment and poverty alleviation, SAFTA and Customs matters. Since its inception in 1984 there have also been serious differences among member countries over the aims and functioning of SAARC. 6 Such differences have been pronounced in verbal bickerings in several SAARC meetings. This is in the face of the fact that closer social, economic and cultural ties (the espoused ideals of SAARC) are considered the one and only hope for building regional cooperation efforts in South Asia in the coming years. Indeed, increasing rationalization of world trade and the fluidity of the emerging global system has increased trade within each trade bloc and those countries that do not belong to any trade blocs are likely to be the losers. 17 This also provides a strong rationale for sustaining the SAARC vis-a-vis future trade prospects of South Asia.The assumption that peace can be achieved through SAARC without addressing the political problems of the region has neither een able to cultivate peace nor to invigorate the SAARC process successfully. Though since its very inception it has been regularly able to hold Summit meetings yet there have been interruptions in 16 The main point of debate hinges on the Charter of SAARC which does not allow bilateral issues to be discussed at the regional level summit diplomacy. 17 B. S. Shreekantaradhya, â€Å"Globalisation of Indian Economy: Strategies and Constraints,† S. Murty, The Changing Indian Economic Order (New Delhi: Indus Ec onomic Profile of the SAARC Member Countries In Afghanistan, real domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have reached 13. % in FY2007, owing to a strong recovery in agricultural production. Industry and services recorded dynamic growth of 13. 3% and 12. 4%, respectively. Construction was the main driver of industrial growth. In Bangladesh, GDP growth in FY2007 (ended June 2007) stood at 6. 5% underpinned by steady expansion in manufacturing and continued buoyancy in services, on the base of rising domestic and external demand (Figure 1). Figure 1: Economic Growth in SAARC Region – 2007 (percent) Source: Asian Development Outlook 2008, ADB Source: Direction of Trade Statistics Year Book 2007, IMF. Bhutan’s real GDP in FY2007 (ended June 2007) is estimated to have grown by 17. %. This was driven by growth in power sector (with a GDP share of 11. 3% in FY2006) resulting from the commissioning of the 1,020 megawatt (MW) Tala hydropower station, which has been phased in sin ce July 2006. In India, the impressive economic performance of the past few years continued with real GDP growth at 9. 0% in 2007-08, as compared to 9. 6% in the previous year. The real GDP of Maldives grew by 6. 6% in 2007, reverting to its historical growth path after the post-tsunami contraction in 2005. Tourism, the leading sector with around one-third share of GDP, grew by 10. 0%. Real GDP growth of Nepal moderated to 2. 3% in FY2007 (endedmidJuly 2007) from 3. 1% in FY2006, resulting from subdued performances of agriculture and industry. Real GDP growth of Pakistan continued to remain strong for the fourth consecutive year registering a growth of 7. 0% in FY2007 (ended June 2007). During 2007, Sri Lanka continued to register strong real GDP growth of 6. 7%, as compared to 7. 7% in 2006. Trend in Foreign Trade and Trade Policies SAARC’s Global Trade During the year 2000 to 2006, the total exports of SAARC countries have increased from US$ 63. 5 billion to US$ 161. 4 bill ion. The total imports of SAARC countries also have increased from US$ 79. 5 billion in 2000 to US$ 255. 3 billion in 2006.Among the SAARC countries, India led both in terms of exports and imports, followed by Pakistan and Bangladesh. Intra-SAARC Trade Total intra-SAARC exports have increased from US$ 2. 8 billion in 2000 to US$ 10. 8 billion in 2006, registering nearly a four-fold rise during the period. As a result, intra-SAARC exports, as a proportion of SAARC global exports, have risen from 4. 5% in 2000 to 6. 7% in 2006. Intra-exports of the SAARC countries were dominated by India, followed by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The total intra-SAARC imports have also increased more than three-fold from US$ 3. 0 billion in 2000 to US$ 9. 6 billion in 2006. Intra-SAARC imports ere dominated by Sri Lanka, followed by India. Figure 2 depicts the trend in intra-SAARC trade (exports plus imports) vis-a-vis trend in SAARC’s global trade. A comparison of the trends would highlight the buoy ancy in intra- SAARC trade especially after 2003, as compared to SAARC’s global trade. Trade Policies Trade liberalisation in South Asia started with a series of sweeping reforms in Sri Lanka in 1977/78. For the rest of South Asia, the 1980s and 1990s saw substantial reductions of tariffs and phasing out of quantitative restrictions (QRs), along with liberalisation of the exchange regimes. Developments in SAARC Trade Integration SAARC Preferential Trade Agreement SAPTA) was signed at the seventh SAARC summit in 1993, in Dhaka. The agreement provides a framework and institutional base for trade liberalisation and economic cooperation between the seven SAARC member countries. The agreement provides for the exchange of concessions between SAPTA members on tariffs, para-tariff and non-tariff barriers. It envisages four basic approaches to the exchange of trade preferences: (1) product-by-product; (2) across- the-board; (3) sectoral; and (4) â€Å"direct trade† measures. So uth Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) extends the scope of SAPTA to include trade facilitation elements and switches the tariff liberalisation rocess from a positive to a negative list approach. Foreign Direct Investment in the SAARC Region Private capital flows to South Asia was largely driven by India, which received the majority of capital flows to the region. The total FDI inflows into the SAARC region have increased from US$ 5. 6 billion in 2000 to US$ 22. 3 billion in 2006. FDI outflows from the SAARC region have increased from US$ 350 mn in 2000 to US$ 9. 8 billion in 2006. India’s Trade and Investment Relations with SAARC Trade Relations India’s exports to the SAARC region increased from US$ 2. 8 billion in 2002-03 to US$ 6. 5 billion in 2006-07 (Figure 3). Amongst the SAARC members, Sri Lanka is the largest arket, accounting for 35% of India’s Blue Magenta Black Blue Magenta Black Brief on New Publications SAARC: An Emerging Trade Bloc Exim Bank : Rese arch Brief No. 38, June 2008 3 Figure 3: Trend in India’s Trade in SAARC Region (US$ mn) Source: Ministry of Commerce and Industry, GOI total exports in the SAARC region during 2006-07, followed by Bangladesh (25%), Pakistan (21%) and Nepal (14%). An analysis of the trend in India’s exports to the SAARC region during the period 2002-03 to 2006-07 reveals that, while exports to all the SAARC members have registered a rise, India’s exports to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal have exhibited distinct buoyancy. While India’s exports toPakistan registered a six-fold rise during the five-year period, exports to Afghanistan and to Nepal also rose three-fold and two and half-fold, respectively, during the period. India’s imports from the SAARC region have also risen from US$ 531. 5 mn in 2002-03 to US$ 1. 5 billion in 2006-07, depicting almost a three-fold rise during the period. Sri Lanka is again the leading partner, accounting for 31% of India’s to tal imports from the region during 2006-07, followed by Pakistan (21%), Nepal (20%), Bangladesh (15%) and Bhutan (9%). The robust rise in India’s total imports from the SAARC during the period 2002-03 to 2006-07 has been underpinned by the sharp ncrease in imports from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Bangladesh. India generally maintains a positive trade balance with the other SAARC member countries, and the trade surplus have risen from US$ 2. 3 billion in 2002-03 to US$ 5. 0 billion in 2006-07. Investment Relations The total foreign direct investments (approved) from India to other SAARC countries amounted to US$ 312. 8 mn during April 1996 to December 2007. Among the SAARC countries, Sri Lanka (US$ 153. 1 mn) was the major destination of Indian investment followed by Nepal (US$ 87. 2 mn). During January 2005 to December 2007, 33 joint ventures (JVs) and 42 wholly owned subsidiaries (WOSs) have been pproved in the SAARC countries. Out of this, 1 JV was approved in Afghanist an, 7 JVs and 8 WOSs were approved in Bangladesh, 2 JVs in Maldives, 2 JVs and 6 WOSs in Nepal, 1 JV in Bhutan, and 20 JVs and 28 WOSs in Sri Lanka. Areas of investment approved include engineering goods, electrical equipments, pesticides, readymade garments, cables and wires, plastic & plastic products, rubber products and textiles. Total investments of SAARC countries to India have amounted to US$ 11. 7 mn during April 2000 to February 2008. Among all the SAARC countries, Sri Lanka was the largest source of FDI with US$ 8. 5 mn during the period, followed by Maldives (US$ 3. 1 mn).The investment flows between India and Sri Lanka have increased mainly after the implementation of India Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISLFTA). Exim Bank in the SAARC Region Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) operates a comprehensive range of financing, advisory and support programmes to promote and facilitate India’s trade and investment relations with the SAARC region. In the SAARC region , the Bank has supported several Indian project exporters to execute contracts in countries such as: _ Hydroelectric project (Tala project), tunnel house, and dam construction in Bhutan; _ Road improvement projects, railway construction and maintenance, gas turbine power plant project, lectrical substations, cement plant project, transmission line project, and conveyor belt project in Bangladesh; _ Steel, local telephone network, transmission lines, sub-stations, out door LED video system for cricket matches, and diesel fired power project in Sri Lanka; _ Transmission lines and substations, optic fibre cable project, hydro electric projects, and irrigation projects in Nepal, and _ Air-conditioning & electro mechanical work at Male Airport in Maldives. The Bank, in order to help Indian companies in their internationalisation efforts, provides term loans to them, both for equity investment in their ventures overseas. Besides, Exim Bank lso undertakes direct equity stake in Indian vent ures abroad, to enable Indian companies to supplement their equity with Exim Bank’s contribution. To facilitate Indian presence in the SAARC region, the Bank has supported joint ventures by Indian companies in several sectors, including: _ Pharmaceuticals, steel and glass sectors in Sri Lanka; _ Electrical sector in Bangladesh, and _ Engineering goods and textile sectors in Nepal. Exim Bank extends Lines of Credit (LOCs) to overseas financial institutions, foreign governments and their agencies, enabling them to finance EXIM BANK ORGANISES SEMINAR ON REGIONAL ECONOMIC & FINANCIAL COOPERATION IN ASIAExim Bank of India organised a Seminar on ‘Regional Economic and Financial Cooperation in Asia' on October 5, 2005 as a curtain raiser for the 11th Annual Meeting of Asian Exim Banks being held from October 5-7, 2005 in Goa. The Forum of Asian Exim Banks comprises 9 Asian countries, viz. India, Japan, China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Australia with Asian Development Bank, Manila, the multilateral financing institution as a permanent invitee. The Forum has an Annual Meeting hosted by a member country by rotation. The Forum was conceived and initiated by Exim Bank of India in 1996. After a decade, Exim Banks of India is again hosting the Annual Meeting. Hon'ble Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Pratapsingh Raoji Rane was the Chief Guest and inaugurated the Seminar. Other dignitaries who spoke at the Seminar included Mr. T. C.Venkat Subramanian, Chairman ; Managing Director, Exim Bank of India, Dr. Ashok Lahiri, Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, Dr. Nagesh Kumar, Director General, Research and Information System, New Delhi, Mr. Werner Liepach, Principal Director, Asian Development Bank, Manila and Mr. Lamon Rutten, Chief, Commodity Finance ; Risk Management, UNCTAD Geneva. The seminar was attended by the members of the Asian Exim Banks Forum at the highest level, special invitees, a cross-section of the industry and the academia. In his welcome address, Mr. Subramanian highlighted the growing importance of the Asian region in global trade and investment with Asia accounting for 27% of world trade.He, observed that intra-Asian trade at US$ 625 bn (42% of total exports of Asian countries) was not commensurate with the potential that exists for trade flows among the Asian economies and is much lower than intra-EU and intra-NAFTA trade. Mr. Subramanian also highlighted the sharp rise in Indo-China trade in the past few years catapulting China to become India's largest source of imports and 3rd largest export destination. Giving the theme address, Dr. Nagesh Kumar underscored the significance of regional cooperation among the economies of Asia, particularly considering that the region is home to the fastest emerging economies of the world. Besides sub-regional initiatives in the framework of ASEAN, SAARC and others, broader economic integration initiatives are under way.He argued that there is a strong case for ASEAN, Japan, China, India and Korea working together to realise the Asian dream. Congratulating Exim Bank of India for initiating a decade back, a Forum of Asian Exim Banks to forge stronger regional economic cooperation among the Asian countries, Dr. Ashok Lahiri in his keynote address noted with interest the wide range of issues to be covered at the 11th Annual Asian Exim Banks meeting. While underlining the importance of regional cooperation, Dr. Lahiri cited the example of ADB's initiative of the Greater Mekong Subregion in which six countries entered into a programme of subregional economic cooperation to enhance economic relations among themselves. Dr.Lahiri also explained the Government of India's initiatives, particularly the ‘Look East' policy, to forge stronger ties with the Asian economies for promoting trade and investment. Commending the Asian Exim Banks community for creating a forum for economic cooperation and sharing of knowledge, S hri Pratapsingh Rane, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Goa hoped that the Forum would suggest policies that would provide fillip to states/regional level, economic growth in the larger context of intra-Asian economic cooperation. Highlighting the investor-friendly economic environment of Goa, Mr. Rane emphasised the emergence of the state as a major destination for foreign investment and outlined the various measures taken by his Government.

Heart of Darkness Essay

The mistress was always considered primitive and did not become civilised after being with Kurtz, showing she had strength to stay who she was and not be influenced by the `white man’, as many black people were. Her power on Kurtz, however, was far too great and he could not help but be influenced by this wild woman and also by the country, in which she lived. Kurtz was also influenced and changed by the `power’ of Africa. He could have control over the natives but he would never be able to succumb to the â€Å"heart of darkness†. The mistress, herself was actually a representation of Africa: â€Å"†¦ like the wilderness itself†¦ † which emphasises her power and compares it to that of her land into which even white men were afraid to venture too deep. When Marlow looked at a map of Africa he described the Congo river as looking like a snake. This again makes the audience relate back to Adam and Eve. A snake which symbolised the devil convinced Eve to tempt Adam. So through this we can see that the mistress received some of her power through a greater source. Her inability to speak makes readers think of her as more animal and primitive but this just adds to her mystery and makes her appear more like Africa and at one with the power in it. â€Å"†¦ the immense wilderness, the colossal body of the fecund and mysterious life seemed to look at her, pensive, as though it had been looking at the image of  its own tenebrous and passionate soul. † Emphasising these three characters’ power, Conrad uses a contrasting character for comparison. This character is Kurtz’s `intended’ who was very much opposite to the other females, in particular Kurtz’s `mistress’. This woman was a typical Victorian fantasy: â€Å"This fair hair, this pale visage, this pure brow†¦ her forehead, smooth and white†¦ her fair hair seemed to catch all the remaining light in a glimmer of gold. † She is the type of woman any British man would want. The use of words such as `fair’, `white’, `smooth’ and `pure’ conveys her as being innocent and good and she was never spoken about in a sexual way- she seemed not to have any sexuality- which is a very powerful attribute to have. Someone with these characteristics is usually not very powerful. Also her background: she is British and British women were often marginalised from power or authority due to males’ values so too would she be- she is no exception to this- more like an example of it. A year after Kurtz’s death she still mourned him and tells Marlow: â€Å"I have survived. † This tells readers she finds it hard to like without Kurtz- she is finding it hard to find the power to struggle on. Then when Marlow lies to her about Kurtz’s last words- readers are aware that he is does not believe she has enough strength (power) to handle that kind of truth. This lie is made to maintain women’s â€Å"great and saving illusion†. For this `powerless’ woman Marlow wants to â€Å"help (her/women) to stay in that beautiful world of their own†¦ † This is contrasted with the other three `powerful’ women as they were not in â€Å"that beautiful world of their own†. The aunt was almost in a `man’s world’- finding power from others in high places. The knitting women were represented as being in the `after world’ having power over people’s lives and â€Å"guarding the door of Darkness† therefore having the power (like the men believed they had over women) of deciding who could come in to their world and who could not. Then there was the mistress: her personality and her `world’ was the complete opposite to the intended (who was the representation of `powerless’). The mistress was considered wild, very sexual and uncivilised, living in an almost `animal world’ obtaining her power from nature. The typical woman in the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, is represented as not possessing much or any power. This is seen through the eyes of a man – therefore women are marginalised. They are excluded from the bulk of the story but when they do make an appearance, the `aunt’, the `knitting women’ and the `mistress’ all convey some sort of amazing power that is not typical to Marlow’s views and that men (of those times) do not consider or want women to have. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Joseph Conrad section.

A Strong Sample Supplemental Essay for College Applications

A Strong Sample Supplemental Essay for College Applications Most college applicants fail to put adequate time into a supplemental college essay. The Common Applications personal essay allows a student to write a single essay for multiple colleges. The supplemental college essay, however, needs to be different for every application. Thus, its tempting to dash off a generic and vague piece that can be used at multiple schools, resulting in a  weak essay. Dont make this mistake. The sample supplemental college essay below was written for Oberlin. The essay prompt reads, Given your interests, values, and goals, explain why Oberlin College will help you grow (as a student and a person) during your undergraduate years. The question asked here is typical of many supplemental essays. Essentially, the admissions folks want to know why their school is of particular interest to you. Sample Supplemental Essay I visited 18 colleges over the past year, yet Oberlin is the one place that most spoke to my interests. Early in my college search I learned that I prefer a liberal arts college to a larger university. The collaboration between the faculty and undergraduate students, the sense of community, and the flexible, interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum are all important to me. Also, my high school experience was greatly enriched by the diversity of the student body, and I am impressed by Oberlin’s rich history and its current efforts connected to inclusiveness and equality. To say the least, I’d be proud to say I attended the first coeducational college in the country. I plan to major in Environmental Studies at Oberlin. After my campus tour, I took some extra time to visit the Adam Joseph Lewis Center. It’s an amazing space and the students I chatted with spoke highly of their professors. I became truly interested in issues of sustainability during my volunteer work in the Hudson River Valley, and everything I’ve learned about Oberlin makes it seem the ideal place for me to continue exploring and building upon those interests. I am also impressed by Oberlin’s Creativity and Leadership Project. I’ve been a bit of an entrepreneur ever since second grade when I made a dollar producing and performing The Runaway Bunny for my extended family. I’m drawn to a program that supports the move from classroom learning to creative hands-on, real-world applications. Finally, as the rest of my application clearly demonstrates, music is an important part of my life. I’ve been playing the trumpet since fourth grade, and I hope to continue performing and developing my skills throughout college. What better place than Oberlin to do so? With more performances than days in the year and a large group of talented musicians in the Conservatory of Music, Oberlin is an ideal place for exploring my love of both music and the environment. A Critique of the Supplemental Essay To understand the strength of the essay, we must first look at the prompt: the admissions officers at Oberlin want you to explain why Oberlin College will help you grow. This sounds straightforward, but be careful. Youre not being asked to explain how  college  will help you grow, but how  Oberlin  will help you grow. The essay needs to include specific information about  Oberlin College. The sample essay certainly succeeds on this front. Lets look at why. The first paragraph makes several important points. First of all, we learn that the applicant has visited Oberlin. This may not seem like a big deal, but youd be surprised how many students apply to a large number of colleges based on nothing but the schools reputations. Also, the student notes that she wants to go to a  liberal arts college, not a larger  university. This information isnt really specific to Oberlin, but it does show that she has thought about the options available to her. The final point in this first paragraph gets more specific- the applicant is familiar with Oberlin and knows the schools socially progressive history.The second paragraph is really the heart of this essay- the applicant wants to major in Environmental Studies, and she is clearly impressed with the program at Oberlin. She has visited the Environmental Studies building, and she knows of some of the unique opportunities offered at Oberlin. She has even talked with Oberlin students. This paragraph cant help but make a favorable impression on the admissions folks- the applicant is drawn to Oberlin and she clearly knows exactly  why  she likes Oberlin. The final paragraph adds another important dimension to the application. Not only does the student find the Environmental Studies program attractive, but her love of music makes Oberlin an even better match. Oberlin has a top-rated music program, so the applicants dual love of music and Environmental Studies makes Oberlin a natural match for her. Admissions officers cant help but feel that Oberlin is a great match for this applicant. She knows the school well, and her interests and goals line up perfectly with Oberlins strengths. This short essay will certainly be a positive piece of her application. As you write your own supplemental essays, be sure to avoid  common supplemental essay mistakes and make your essay specific to the university to give it more  strength.

50 Synonyms and Idioms for Give

50 Synonyms and Idioms for Give 50 Synonyms and Idioms for â€Å"Give† 50 Synonyms and Idioms for â€Å"Give† By Mark Nichol It’s better to give than to receive, and it’s easier to precisely describe giving than receiving, thanks to numerous synonyms for give. Here are dozens of them, with connotative definitions. 1. Accord: to give what is due 2. Administer: to give medication, to perform a religious ritual, or to carry out a punishment 3. Afford: to give in a manner consistent with the giver, usually something inanimate (for example, â€Å"The complication afforded us additional time to prepare†) 4. Allot: to give a portion or share, or by lottery 5. Apportion: to give in shares 6. Award: to give something that is deserved 7. Bestow: to give as a gift, with the possible connotation of condescension 8. Chip in: see contribute 9. Comp: to give something free that is normally paid for (a truncation of complimentary) 10. Confer: to give graciously 11. Contribute: to give among other providers or supporters 12. Convey: to give something originating from one party to another party 13. Deliver: to give something to the intended recipient 14. Devote: to give something useful or valuable 15. Dispense: see administer and allot 16. Dish out: to give criticism; also see administer and allot 17. Distribute: to give to a number of recipients 18. Dole (out): to give in small amounts 19. Donate: to give to an organization or other entity as an act of charity 20. Endow: to give an income to someone, or to give money for long-term maintenance or support 21. Endue (or indue): see endow and provide 22. Extend: to give so as to make available; see also proffer 23. Fork over (or fork out or fork up): to give money 24. Furnish: see provide and supply 25. Grant: to give consent or to concede; see also bestow and transfer 26. Hand down: to give an inheritance, either of material goods or of characteristics 27. Hand out: to distribute 28. Hand over: to give something intended for or due to another 29. Impart: to give from a supply 30. Kick in: see contribute 31. Lavish: to give generously 32. Mete (out): see dole (out) 33. Offer: to make available, or to give an exhibition or performance 34. Pay: to give in exchange for a product or a service, or to give or forfeit as penalty, or to give something intangible such as attention 35. Pitch in: see contribute 36. Present: to give in a ceremonial or formal manner 37. Produce: see offer 38. Proffer: see offer and tender 39. Provide: to make available 40. Pungle (up): see contribute and pay 41. Render: to give in return or retribution; see also administer, deliver, pay, and yield 42. Reward: to give in return for a service 43. Sacrifice: to give something at a loss or to give something for a belief or an ideal or for a purpose 44. Supply: see provide 45. Tender: to give something that is to be accepted 46. Transfer: see convey 47. Transmit: see convey 48. Volunteer: to give services freely 49. Vouchsafe: to give a reply, or to grant as a favor or privilege; see also bestow 50. Yield: to give as is appropriate or required, or to surrender oneself or a possession Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Grammar Test 1"Wracking" or "Racking" Your Brain?Prepositions to Die With

How sleep deprivation affects your productivity

How sleep deprivation affects your productivity Did you know sleeping can boost your powers of productivity along with refreshing your brain? Yup, a good night’s sleep can make a huge difference in your ability to be productive at work. From generating new ideas to thinking of ingenious solutions to problems, sleeping well can bring enormous changes to your life. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine emphasizes the importance of seven to eight hours of sleep for an average adult for optimum utilization of their cognitive functions and overall performance. Some of the major problems that emerge out of sleep deprivation are a decline in cognitive performance, impaired memory, lack of spatial awareness, poor decision-making and slowed reaction time. These are some of the short-term problems that emerge out of sleep deprivation. However, studies show that prolonged sleep deprivation can have adverse long-term effects like reduction in immunity and lifespan, negative impact on learning and memory and symptoms of ADHD.Hereâ€⠄¢s how a lack of sleep can affect your performance at work†¦Impaired decision makingWhen you lack sleep, you are deprived of a sound mind which fuels the abilities to evaluate scenarios and pass judgment based on those assessments. These abilities are crucial to the execution of any task that requires logical reasoning from complex cognition. Without an adequate grasp of a sound mind, you may be more prone to making mistakes at work due to an increased tendency to make impulsive and poorly thought-out decisions or merely slowing down work progress in the more difficult attempt to prevent the former.Limited learning and memory capacitiesThe process of learning, retaining and improving skills and abilities heavily rely on your working memory capacity, one which determines the performance of your cognitive online (real-time) processing. Research suggests that while you are asleep, your memory systems are still active and sleeping significantly strengthens existing memories.   D uring Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, your brain also cuts off unnecessary neuron connections while maintaining others; meaning sleep improves your memory by selectively both strengthening and eliminating formed neural connections. In a state of sleep deprivation, your capacity for efficient memory retention is substantially disrupted, hindering productive growth.Toxicity towards physical and emotional healthHealth implications of insomnia, while never usually the priority, should never be trivialized. Sleep plays an essential role in your physical health by both reinforcing your immune system against infections via boosting protective cytokine production and lowering your risk of diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. Insufficient sleep will positively contribute to a decline in your physiological state, negatively impacting your work performance. It has been found that sleep deprivation can compromise your cognitive processing and amplify the smallest amount of emotional turmoil, making you more irritable and erratic. This impedes your executive functions, rendering you less productive.Not getting enough sleep or poor quality of sleep affects your ability to deliver in almost all facets of life. Be it work or home, insomnia or not sleeping well can make things really difficult for you. But getting a proper sleep can undoubtedly solve all your issues and can improve your ability to be productive. An abnormal sleep cycle is associated with mild depression and anxiety disorder, especially in people who are facing emotional battles. Snoring can also be a reason for abnormal sleep, different snoring solutions can ultimately save you from this serious disorder.We’ve covered what can happen with a poor night’s sleep, but all of these functions can improve with a solid 7-8 hours. Here’s how a good night’s sleep can help you become more productive†¦It makes you energeticThis seems obvious but it’s a known fact that get ting a good night’s sleep can give you lots of energy and a mood boost. It relaxes your body and mind and prepares you for the next day. From improving your job performance to helping you stay productive at home, sleeping well can also optimize your health.Boosts memoryRemember when we talked about what happens during REM sleep? The brain removes unnecessary neural connections and strengthens the cognitive bonds building your memories while you snooze. Go too many nights without REM sleep and your memories become hazy. With a consistent night’s sleep, you actually have a chance of remembering that report you’re supposed to submit at 9 AM.It makes you a faster learnerLearning new things comes naturally to a fresh mind. Your brain becomes stronger and works faster. So whether you’re at work or in class, never compromise your quality of sleep. With a strong body and sound mind, you’ll open the doors of opportunity.While we constantly focus on how we c an intensify our workload to pump up production, we often jeopardize our health to get it all done. Remember that sufficient sleep is paramount to a successful life.Sleep tight, everyone!About the Author: Katherine Dilworth is a wife, mother, and blogger on caseydilworth.com,  a blog that focuses on providing snoring solutions for everyone.

Critical response essay to You're Thinking of getting a What by John

Critical response to You're Thinking of getting a What by John Gray - Essay Example Student’s response Even if the tattoo may seem weird to most of us, it was an ancient art form in the Meiji period of Japan. Clifford J. Kurkowski refers to â€Å"The Tattooer† by Junichiro Tanizaki and says –â€Å"he vividly describes that Japanese men, who were performing in the Kabuki Theater, received tattoos in order to satisfy their upper class audiences and enhance their beauty.† The ethical standards of permanently painting one’s body during that era in Japan was surely much above what it is today – even though it is still considered to be a form of art. I agree with Gray that the sight of a tattoo can hinder any conversation or stall further relationship building platform. As he says â€Å"people either have tattoos or they do not† there are no in-betweens. However, the same can be said about any other idiosyncrasies of a human being – a certain hair style, a nose ring, a navel ring, certain attitude, and many more. You either have it or you do not, you either fall in the same group or you do not. The only difference is that these fads and foibles do not encounter any sense of complete isolation – these are tolerated within the social network. ... ily on the basis of geographical convenience.† I feel this itself is the answer to the puzzling â€Å"laissez-fair craft† – the mental state of the person and the easily accessible tattoo parlors work in a conducive manner. The psychological condition of the person before going in for the drinks plays a good part in giving him or her ‘Dutch courage’ to act brazen, as in audacious. The close by parlor gives the ‘come hither’ looks and lo and behold the person is marked for life. The unfortunate part is that the fashionable statement becomes permanent – something the person never gave much thought to before having it done. The damage is done and most often done in highly unhygienic manner and conditions. It is true that as Gray points out – â€Å"the tattoo parlor is a breathtakingly unregulated industry. Although the city health inspector may call now and then to update the crumbling certificate on the wall, only the tattooi st’s personal ethic prompts him or her to maintain sanitary premises†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Finally, I must say I do not agree with the â€Å"a tattoo, however, is a threat† statement. This is a result of an impetuous decision, and each one of us has taken such rash steps in our lives. Fortunately, for us from the ‘no tattoos’ segment of human kind our reckless actions did not leave any prominent and ugly scars for life. We feel the threat from the other side, the people with the tattoos do not, but it is our reaction that tends to drive them into a separate corner, away from the rest of us. Moreover, there is little knowledge about this form of expressing one’s revolt. It is necessary to have more literatures and information about tattoos. Information regarding the 'ifs' and 'buts' of getting a tattoo done and stressing on the permanent factor:

Academic Pressures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic Pressures - Essay Example Stress could begin at very early childhood years and continues into later years depending upon the life’s situations. Psychologists as well as academic professionals have identified that many students undergo immense stress even during schooling, which intensifies as the challenges increase with academic advancement. More often, teenagers and/or adolescents in high school and early college years are most prone to academic pressures because of the rapid shift in their curricula, studying atmosphere, competition as well as biological changes in the growth process. Academic pressures begin with stress caused by parental expectations, peer pressure, competition, strict timelines, difficult curricula etc. These factors are meant to induce learning, inculcate discipline and help students achieve their academic curricula within set timelines. On the other hand, all these or each of these stressors significantly impact students’ memory and thinking ability. As Hales stated, â⠂¬Ëœbecause of stress’s impact on memory, students with advanced skills may perform worse under exam pressure than their less skilled peers’ (63). In general, academic pressures tend to crush the inherent abilities of teenage students.

An analysis on Alexander the Great's effect on government in Ancient Research Paper

An analysis on Alexander the Great's effect on government in Ancient Greece - Research Paper Example He has not planned well ahead in keeping his empire stable and united after his death, but during his life, he instituted changes that amalgamated his subjects, whom many treated and accepted him as their new king. He is perceived as a Machiavellian leader, acting as both lion and fox. This paper explores Alexander the Great’s effect on the government of Ancient Greece from the time he was born until the time he died. His main impacts is that he ruled as a general and as a king, with both ruthlessness and compassion, personally involved himself in designing great cities, encouraged pluralism and co-leadership in his troops and citizenry. Alexander the Great established the kind of government that is ruthless and compassionate at the same time. As an emperor, he is more of a general than a king and he left the administration of his subjugated territories to his own men and some appointed local citizens. Aristotle taught Alexander the Great and from the former’s writings, it seems that Alexander has chosen the kind of leader who is more of a general than an administrator, a king fit for the â€Å"heroic times† (Aristotle Book 3, chapter XV). Alexander is prominent for his savage treatment of male inhabitants of some conquered lands, where hundreds or thousands are slaughtered by his men (Alexander 46). Still, Alexander is also a sympathetic general. Compassion is one trait that not all generals have, but which Alexander shows with great emphasis to his men. First, he represents the kind of general who cared for equal training among officers and soldiers. Alexander himself grew not under the auspices of royal care, but under the rigorous training of his father, a tactical war genius himself, King Philip. Caroline Alexander describes the upbringing of Alexander: â€Å"Although the son of a king, his upbringing was Spartan† (46). Alexander used to express that his concept of breakfast was a â€Å"long march at night,† and â€Å"of supper, a light breakfast† (Alexander 46). Alexander grew under the eyes and training of professional soldiers and hunters, from he directly learned a cherished Iliad worldview: â€Å"Glory in war was life's highest honor† (Alexander 46). Alexander then also believes that officers and their troops must receive the same training, because the troops will follow a leader more, if he can perform what he expects from his own people. Caroline Alexander interviews Adm. Ray Smith who confirms this belief as part of the Navy SEALs regime training: â€Å"We have learned that the key to leadership under the toughest possible circumstances is that officers and men undergo the same training,† because it is reasonable that â€Å"Men know their officer is not asking them to do anything he couldn't do, or hasn't done† (Alexander 46). Alexander follows this code to the ground; he makes sure he is the best soldier himself. He leads his cavalry charge at Granicus, for insta nce, using a prominent white-plumed helmet. Second, Alexander rules with compassion to his own men. He demonstrates empathy for wounded soldiers and this empathy is part of the Macedonian warrior code (Alexander 47). Arrian, the second century A.D. Greek historian whose report of Alexander's campaigns is seen as one of the best of the ancient sources, says: â€Å"For the wounded he showed deep concern† (Alexander 47). Arrian writes: â€Å"He visited them all and examined their wounds, asking each man how and in what circumstances his

IT Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT Project management - Essay Example In his article, Roetzheim writes about some of the simple methods used to estimate software development projects. Roetzheim begins by writing about estimating a project’s lifecycle and writes about the level of accuracy that can be achieved. Since inaccuracies in estimation result in uncertainties, it is always good to work and reduce inaccuracies in the early stages of software development. This means that once the project is later understood, the inaccuracy level will reduce. The author writes that one of the steps in estimation is estimating project volume. There exists different approaches to this but Roetzheim writes about Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO) that uses Source Lines of Code (SLOC) as a unit of measure. This method uses effort which is the product of Linear Productivity Factor and SLOC. Effort gives an estimate of the person months for the software development project. According to Dhilon, effort is also affected by the size of the project since for a smaller projects, less time is used for communications thus individual productivity is high. Roetzheim’s article goes ahead and explains how to estimate software size and he writes that one can use direct points approach or function points approach. Direct estimation involves breaking down the project and using expert assistance to determine the number of lines of code. Function points method involves creating function points which are later converted to lines of code by a process calle d backfiring. The first step is to determine a logical flow of the software to be developed by identifying the input, processing and output points. Then raw values are extracted from the logical steps created and they are multiplied by a factor to give function points. Lines of code are obtained from the product of these function points and common conversion values

The work of Pollock, Newman, Rothko Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The work of Pollock, Newman, Rothko - Essay Example The essay "The work of Pollock, Newman, Rothko" analyzes the ways that late modernist abstract painting has been theorised. The focus is on such artists as Pollock, Newman, Rothko. One of the most vocal critics of Modern art, Clement Greenberg, also became the unwitting champion of this form of art as he wrote about the theories behind its use, the value of art as art and the importance of artistic purity in conveying these concepts in his essay â€Å"Modernist Painting† published in 1961. Also writing about the theories behind the avant-garde artist, Donald Kuspit recently explored the issues of the meaning or import of art especially as it applies to this more ‘pure’ art form. While exploring the theories of these two men regarding the purpose of art and how abstract art is in the best position to convey this purpose, the artwork of Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko will be used as illustrative examples of how to apply these theories. When discussi ng the art practices of the late Modern movement, it is important to include the main ideas associated with the â€Å"politics of representation† that form part of the basis for the methods and theories behind abstract art’s creation and appreciation that are not necessarily separate from the reason or method by which the artist attained his expression. This collective term makes a distinction between the content of an image and the form of the image, or the sublime versus the visual. The reason for this phenomenon being that art is not static.

IT Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT Project management - Essay Example In his article, Roetzheim writes about some of the simple methods used to estimate software development projects. Roetzheim begins by writing about estimating a project’s lifecycle and writes about the level of accuracy that can be achieved. Since inaccuracies in estimation result in uncertainties, it is always good to work and reduce inaccuracies in the early stages of software development. This means that once the project is later understood, the inaccuracy level will reduce. The author writes that one of the steps in estimation is estimating project volume. There exists different approaches to this but Roetzheim writes about Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO) that uses Source Lines of Code (SLOC) as a unit of measure. This method uses effort which is the product of Linear Productivity Factor and SLOC. Effort gives an estimate of the person months for the software development project. According to Dhilon, effort is also affected by the size of the project since for a smaller projects, less time is used for communications thus individual productivity is high. Roetzheim’s article goes ahead and explains how to estimate software size and he writes that one can use direct points approach or function points approach. Direct estimation involves breaking down the project and using expert assistance to determine the number of lines of code. Function points method involves creating function points which are later converted to lines of code by a process calle d backfiring. The first step is to determine a logical flow of the software to be developed by identifying the input, processing and output points. Then raw values are extracted from the logical steps created and they are multiplied by a factor to give function points. Lines of code are obtained from the product of these function points and common conversion values

Gangs Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Gangs - Coursework Example o note the direction in which the suspect fled, the mode of transportation he used, the make, color, and model of the vehicle he used as well as the license plates and an any other thing that may describe the vehicle like its condition (Portal.chicagopolice.org, 2014). It is important to observe if the suspect is armed and if so what type as well as the accomplices involved in the crime. This involves an outline of the suspect’s characteristics. First, note the sex of the suspect and the race or nationality if it is possible to identify. A complexion description is also necessary. The body size should come next. This consists of the suspect’s height and build. An estimate of the weight may also be included. The suspect’s age range should also be identified. Another important feature is the hair. This involves color, style, texture and length (Portal.chicagopolice.org, 2014). Also note the nature of the eyes in terms of color, shape, eyebrows and eyelashes. Physical peculiarities like limps, high pitched voice and accents need to be remembered. Start with the general appearance of the suspect, whether, neat, sloppy, well-groomed or dirty. Then give a description of the pieces of clothing that he or she is wearing. This incorporates the color, length, accessories, design, patterns and style of everything that the suspect is wearing, from the hat, shirt, coat and trousers to the socks, shoes and jewelry (Portal.chicagopolice.org, 2014). If there are any oddities it is important to mention them. The mugging occurred at the union street train station at six o’clock in the evening. There was only one attacker armed with a knife. The suspect was a Hispanic male in his mid twenties, about six feet tall and weighed around 200 pounds. He had black hair that was straight and short with a receding hairline. He had large brown, bloodshot eyes with heavy eyebrows. His cheeks were deep set with a double chin that was covered by a two day beard. He spoke in a deep voice

Fire Prevention and the Federal Government Essay Example for Free

Fire Prevention and the Federal Government Essay Many government agencies make fire prevention as part of their mission. America has the highest fire death rate is the highest in the world. Fires kill 3,700 and injure over 20,000 people each year. Property loss is about $11 billion per year. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has helped to reduce fire deaths by half. They have contributed to fire prevention and suppression more than any other government agency. In 1974, Congress established the United States Fire Administration . Their mission is to provide national leadership to local fire and emergency services. It is a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003. Their mission is to â€Å"reduce the loss of life and property and protect the Nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters† (â€Å"About USFA†, n. d. ). The Department of Homeland Security was formed after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Their primary mission is to protect the country from terrorism. Since the USFA was created for the sole purpose of the prevention, preparedness, and response to fires and other emergencies, it has contributed the most to the cause. â€Å"America’s fire death rate is one of the highest per capita in the industrialized world† (â€Å"About USFA†, n. d. ). Thus, it is still an improvement since more than twenty years ago. In 1971, 12,000 people and 250 firefighters died as a result of fires. USFA continues to make our communities and society safer today. Reference U. S. Fire Administration. About the U. S. Fire Administration. Retrieved August 3, 2008 from http://www. usfa. dhs. gov.

Causes And Effects Of Deforestation Sociology Essay

Causes And Effects Of Deforestation Sociology Essay Laurance (1999) stated that Tropical forests do far more than sustain biodiversity; they are homes to indigenous peoples, pharmacopeias of natural products, and provide vital ecosystem services, such as flood amelioration and soil conservation (p. 109). This shows that forest is very important to us but deforestation is causing all the forest to be cleared. What is deforestation? Deforestation is the act of cutting down all the trees in a particular area. Deforestation is carried out for some reasons. These reasons could be categorized into legal deforestation and illegal deforestation. Tropical forest takes up about six percent of the earth and a lot of problems could occur when all the trees are cut down. To this day, people are still debating on whether deforestation is appropriate or not. What are the causes and effects of deforestation? What is happening to the tropical rainforest now? We have always read news about Indonesia and the occurrence of forest burning almost every year. Why are they doing it? It had been reported that they burn the forests so that they will have a better land to plant palm oil. It acts as a fertilizer to the land because their plants died and converted into fertilizer. Even thought they did it to fertilize the land but it brought harm to the people who live around the country. Air pollution often happens in Malaysia because hazes are formed due to forest burning in Indonesia. Haze is an atmospheric phenomenon that causes the air around it to be misty and blurry. It brings harm to the people that inhale it. Therefore, the rate of people receiving treatment for illnesses caused by inhalation of haze increases every year. This shows that deforestation is causing a lot of effects on mankind and it is often shown on advertisement and newspaper; however, it seems that people are still not aware of the effects of deforestation. This research paper is discusses about the causes and effects of deforestation around the world. Many people are more aware of the effects than the causes of deforestation. This research paper is going to talk about the causes and effects of deforestation. Besides discussing the causes and effects of deforestation, this paper also argues about what can be done to save the forest too. Causes of deforestation One of the most common causes of deforestation is clearing out the forest to pay back the foreign debt of that particular country (Culas, 2006). Some country has a huge sum of foreign debt and they dont the capability to clear their debt; thus they clear out the forests so that the land they acquire later could be used for crop production. By planting crops that could be exported to another country, they could earn a lot and repay back their debt. This is why most countries choose to clear forests and focus on agricultural purposes. Countries that do not owe other countries any debt are less likely to take up deforestation or will have a lower rate of deforestation. Therefore, countries that are in a heavy debt should look for alternative ways that could gain them a better income instead of clearing up the forests. As I have mentioned earlier, tropical forests only takes up about 6 percent of the whole earth. If these countries continue to clear up the forests without thinking of the consequences, the amount of forests left on the surface of the earth would seriously decline. Another cause of deforestation is the increasing demand of land. Due to the increase of human population, certain countries are also experiencing an increase in the demand for houses. This leads to developers seeking more land to build houses on. Hence, developers clear up forests after forests so that the land they acquire could be used to build houses. Through the development of houses on forest land, they can sustain the population in that country. We dont have to look at other country. We just need to take a look at our own country, Malaysia. Forests in Setapak area were cleared up to build condominiums. Malaysia has the population of over millions and the demand for houses is very high. They choose to clear up the forests so that there would be more land to build apartments, condominiums, terrace houses and other housing structures. This shows that deforestation is the first option when it comes to fulfilling the demand for land. Besides fulfilling the demand of houses, the dema nd of oil has also leads to deforestation. Oil is widely used everywhere in the world now. When the demand for oil increases, lands are also needed for oil plantation. The absence of land made oil plantation a difficult task; hence, deforestation becomes the option again to gain lands. Trees were chopped down and the land is then used to plant oil palm so the demand for palm oil could be met. Besides meeting the demand of land, the weakness shown in the governments policies is also one of the causes for deforestation (Laurance, 1999). Ever since we were kids, we were always taught that there are rules when it comes to cutting down trees. Despite that, many people continue to violate the rules and continue to do illegal logging. Why is it that people constantly neglect the boundaries set up by the government and commit illegal loggings? This is because of the governments weak policies. Rules and boundaries were set by the government but there were no enforcement. Law enforcers are not strict and often neglect their duty when it comes to punishing individuals for violating the rules. For example, the law enforcers just releases those who have violated the laws despite catching them and witnessing them doing illegal logging. This does not help reduce deforestation but rather makes the matter worse. People will think that it is fine to do illegal logging since the law enforce rs, such as police officers, do not arrest those who violated the rules in spite of their crime. Such acts by those who work for the government will only promote further deforestation instead of stopping them. Soon, the trees in the country will gradually disappear. The effects of deforestation What are the effects of deforestation? One of the effects of deforestation includes affecting the habitat of the indigenous people. When deforestation happens, it gravely affects the indigenous people because deforestation contributes to death, illness, poorness, and culturl shock (Mitten, 1997). The indigenous people who live in forests seek their food from the forests and deforestation terminates their only means to acquire food. In addition, logging activities have become an easy way to earn money. Therefore, all the companies build their factory near the rivers. The waste products that were made while processing forest products would be dumped into the river; thus, polluting it. Indigenous people drink water from the river. As a result, they will get sick because of the dirty water caused by the factories. It can even cause deaths if it gets too serious. Besides that, the culture of the indigenous people that has been passed down from generations to generations will soon vanish w hen the indigenous people slowly decreases due to death. Cultural shock will occur and the history of the indigenous people will soon be forgotten. Besides harming the indigenous people, deforestation harms the wildlife too (Bonaudo, Pendu, Faure, Quanz, 2005). This is because around 80 to 90 percent of animal species live in the tropical rainforest. Imagine if all the trees were cut down, what will happen to the animal? It is without a doubt that the animals will lose their natural habitat and they will become extinct. Animals, such as pandas, refuse to breed when they are not in their own natural habitat. Therefore, the population if panda keeps decreasing as time goes by because their natural habitat is being destroyed due to deforestation. When deforestation happens, the animals lose their natural habitats and also their protective shield. This causes the animals to have some difficulty adapting to their new environment and as a result, the animals would refuse to breed. The extinction of these animals is guaranteed if they refuse to breed due to the destruction of their natural habitat. Our future generation will have to l ook at pictures or visit the museums in order to the animal instead of just looking at the animals in real life. Deforestation will soon cause the future generation to lose touch with the animals that exist now and they will only know them through knowledge passed down by their parents or by visiting a museum. Another effect of deforestation is climate change. Bala, Caldeira, Wickett, Phillips, Lobell, Delire, Mirin, (2006) stated that deforestation affects the global climate by releasing the carbon stored in the living plants and soils as well as by altering the physical properties of the planetary surface (p. 6550). Trees take in carbon dioxide that is released by human through respiration. Trees stored carbon dioxide to produce their own food through photosynthesis process. When the trees are all cut down, there will not be any more trees to absorb the carbon dioxide that is released by humans. Carbon dioxide will then be trapped at the atmosphere and temperature will increase. As the carbon dioxide in the air increases severely, so does the temperature. This will results in the phenomena known as global warming. When global warming happens, ice in the North Pole and South Pole will melt. This will result in an increase of sea level. The increase in the sea level will flood countries t hat are geographically situated in a lower sea level and these countries will disappear from the surface of the earth. Soon, all the land will be flooded and the countries will disappear one by one. What can be done? Deforestation has caused a lot of harm to the mankind. There are a number of actions that could be taken to reduce deforestation. For example, instead of cutting down trees to acquire new land, we can perform land reclamation. Land reclamation involves the creation of new lands from oceans or riverbeds. Besides that, government should enforce the rules instead of handling the matters leniently. The people who violate the rules should be fined or prosecuted. This serves as a warning to others so that they will stop their illegal logging and this could help save and preserves the trees around us. Every country should preserve their forests and plant more trees so that the biodiversity could be maintained. Discussion All in all, deforestation has caused a lot of devastating effects not only to the people but also the animals. Before understanding the effects, we need to find the roots of why deforestation happens first. As I have stated earlier, the causes of deforestation are the large sum of foreign debt, the increasing demand for land, and the weakness in the governments policies. Deforestation happens because the trees were cut down for crop production. With the production, they could repay back the debt. Besides that, the demand for land gradually increases as time goes by. This is because the increase in popularity has increased the demand of land to build houses. Moreover, the weaknesses in the policies promote deforestation instead of curbing them. This occurs because the government did not enforce the rules that were set and they did not take illegal deforestation seriously. Deforestation has done a lot of harm to the people and also to the wildlife. The most common effect is causing harm to indigenous people. Indigenous people live in forests and everything they do inside the forest is part of their culture. Deforestation causes the indigenous people will lose their home as well as their source for food. Deforestation will cause their culture to extinct sooner or later. The most precious aspect in a country is its original culture. If the indigenous people are extinct, there will be no more culture for that particular country. Besides harming the indigenous people, deforestation harms wildlife too. Most of the animal species live in the tropical forest. Not only does it act as a natural habitat for the animals, forests also act as a protective shield for the animals. When deforestation occurs, they lose their natural habitat and protective shield. Soon, they will be on the edge of extinction. When this happen, it will cause a loss in biodiversity and ou r future generation will have to know the animals through pictures. Another effect of deforestation is climate change. Trees act as storages for carbon dioxide that are released by humans through respiration. Trees absorb carbon dioxide for their photosynthesis process. If the trees were cut down, all the carbon dioxide will be released to the atmosphere and this will cause the temperature to increase. An increase in the temperature will result in global warming and global warming; in turn, melts the ice in the North and South Pole. This results in an increase of sea level. Therefore, lands that are positioned in a lower sea level will soon be flooded and disappear from the surface of the earth. After understanding the causes and effects, what can be done to curb deforestation? Every government should find another alternative way to boost their economy and repay back the foreign debt. Instead of cutting down the trees for crop production, they can try boosting the economy through the tourism section. This way, they can save the forest and gain profits at the same thing. Besides cutting down trees for more land, land reclamation can be taken to acquire more land. These methods are able to fulfill the demands for land as well as preserve the forest at the same time. Governments should also enforce the rules that were set for logging activities. People who violate the rules by carrying out the illegal logging act musr be fined or prosecuted. This acts as a warning to others so that they do not dare to do it again. Besides that, government could come out with other ways of punishing the people that violates the rules. As an overall, they must enforce the laws and regulations on environmental issues. Conclusion I chose to do this research on deforestation because I have read a lot of news on how deforestation do us harm and yet no one has done anything to stop it. I hope that this research paper could help people to do understand more on the causes and effects of deforestation. Besides that, I also hope this research will help curb deforestation and save the trees from being logged. By doing so, the biodiversity of the earth could be maintained and no harm would befall on humans. If deforestation continues to happen, there will be no more trees in the future. This will result in higher temperature, loss of biodiversity and more. Therefore I hope everybody will do his or her part in preserving and protecting the forest so that there is a better future for our next generation.

What is outsourcing Essay -- Globalization essays, research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is Outsourcing? It is a method in which companies subcontract labor and support to outside agencies (Klepper, 1997). How, why, and who companies outsource to are quickly becoming social topics of discussion in our society. Everyone seems to have an opinion on outsourcing. I bet that I can walk into a social gathering right now and hear discussions like â€Å"outsourcing is good for the American consumer† or outsourcing takes jobs away from all of the hard working Americans.† In either case, outsourcing has raised great concerns over its effects on the American economy. In this paper, I will discuss the types of outsourcing, pros and cons associated with outsourcing, management views of outsourcing, employee views of outsourcing, and give my opinion of outsourcing. What does outsourcing do? It enables companies to focus on the mission at hand, to save money and be competitive. Depending on a Company’s needs determines the type of outsourcing that company may use (Embleton, 1998). Outsourcing is a very diverse market, and there are many different outsourcing options from. Two common types of outsourcing I will focus on are Information Technology (IT) outsourcing and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) (Bowen, 1998). Through research, I found that Information Technology (IT) Outsourcing is a rapidly growing market. I.T. outsourcing enables companies to continue to manage their core business, while outside agencies manage their technology needs (Bowen, 1998). It’s a way of getting rid of those high paid, college graduated employees. I.T. outsourcing allows companies to use cost-cutting methods to cover computing needs, large mainframe and midrange data center, manage numerous networks and run desktops across the globe (Bowen, 1998). Advantages of outsourcing information technology include, but are not limited to, less capital expenditure, less management headache, and keeping focus on core competencies. Less capital expenditure means a company does not have to buy expensive hardware and software. Less management headache relieves companies of having to hire and manage accounting personnel. Keeping focus on core competencies affords companies’ time to strengthen and gain a competitive edge over the competition (DiRomualdo, 1998). Disadvantages of outsourcing information include less managerial control, may be more expensive, and Sec... ...Workers in developing nations will get new and higher-paying jobs, and consumers in the U.S. will be able to buy products that are cheaper than if they were made at home. But is this really good for our society. We will soon find out. References Bowen. T and LaMonica, M. (1998). IT gets picky with outsourcing. Infoworld 20(33), 1-3 De Rose, L. (2004). The Downside to Outsourcing. Electronic Buyers’ News. July 14, Issue 1066. DiRomualdo, A & Gurbaxani. (1998). Strategic intent for IT outsourcing. Sloan Management Review. 39(4), 115. Earl, M.J. (1996). The risks of outsourcing IT. Sloan Management Review. 37(3), 26-33. Embleton, P.R & Wright, P.C. (1998). A practical guide to successful outsourcing. Empowerment in Organizations. 6(3), 1-11 Hayes, R and Pisano, G. (1994). Beyond World-Class: The New Manufacturing Strategy. Harvard Business Review. 72(1). Klepper, R & Jones, W. (1997). Outsourcing information Technology, Systems and Services. Prentice Hall. Nicholas, J. (1998). Competitive Manufacturing Management (Singapore:McGraw-Hill). Chapter 19, Managing the Supply Chain, pg 672 Strassmann, P.A. (1995). Outsourcing: A Game for Losers. Computerworld. August 21.

Dream Psychology- Sigmund Freud

Dreams and the Sub-Conscious Mind The definition of a dream is a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep. It is believed that dreams have always existed in human society and have been shared among members of societies dating back to 3000-4000 BC. In various societies dreams held a number of meanings and significance.Throughout history dreams have been recognized as significant symbols or signs, warnings of the future, connections between living and the dead, capable of diagnosing illness and predicting onset of diseases, temptations of the devil, and numerous other possible things. Dream interpretations, or attempts made to understand a person’s dream, date back to 3000-4000 B. C. , where they were documented on clay tablets. For as long as man has been able to talk about dreams, humans have been fascinated with them and have strived to understand them, though this is challenging because dreams are often so easily forgotten.Througho ut the history of the study of dreams, famous theorists have presented their own dream philosophies and theories, developed eight specific categories of dream types, and presented many dreams found commonly among people which represent common aspects of life, all of these things have been developed in trying to answer one question: Do dreams reflect, or relate to, a person’s sub-conscious state of mind? First, the most famous of all dream theorists is a man named Sigmund Freud, who lived from 1856-1939 and is considered to be â€Å"the father of psychoanalysis† (Dream Moods). evolutionizes the study of dreams with his work The Interpretation Of Dreams. Freud begins to analyze dreams in order to understand aspects of personality as they relate to pathology, or the science of causes and effects of diseases. He believes that nothing one does occurs by chance; every action and thought is motivated by the unconscious  at some level. In  order to live in a civilized soci ety, humans have a tendency to hold  back  urges and repress impulses. However, these urges and impulses must be released in some way; they have a way of coming to the surface in ambiguous forms. Read also Memory – ForgettingFreud believes that one way these urges and impulses are released is through dreams. Because the content of the unconscious may be extremely disturbing or harmful, Freud believes that the unconscious expresses itself in a symbolic language. To explain this symbolic language, Freud categorizes aspects of the mind into three parts. These parts include the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. Id, which is centered around primal impulses, pleasures, desires, unchecked urges and wish fulfillment.Ego, which is concerned with the conscious, the rational, the moral and the self-aware aspect of the mind. Superego, which is considered to be the sort of â€Å"censor† for the id, which is also responsible for enforcing the moral codes of the ego. When one is awake,   the impulses and desires of the id are suppressed by the superego. Through dreams, one is able to get a glimpse into the unconscious, or the id. Because one’s guards are down during the dream state, the unconscious has the opportunity to act out and express the hidden desires of the id.However, the desires of the id can, at times, can be so disturbing and even psychologically harmful that a â€Å"censor† comes into play and  translates the id's disturbing content into a more acceptable symbolic form. This helps to preserve sleep and prevent one from waking up shocked at the images. As a result, confusing and often cryptic dream images occur. According to Freud, the reason one struggles to remember their dreams, is because the superego is at work. It is doing its job by protecting the conscious mind from the disturbing images and desires conjured by the unconscious.According to Freud, dreams always have what he called a â€Å"manifest and latent content† (qtd. in moods). The manifest content is what the dream seems to be saying. It is often bizarre and seemingly nonsense. On the contrary, the latent content is what the dream is really trying to say. Dreams give one a look into the unconscious. Freud believes that it is possible to chip through the dream's manifest content to reveal the underlying significance and its latent by utilizing the technique of â€Å"free association†.Using this technique, one must start with one dream symbol and then follow with what automatically comes to the mind first. One must continue in this manner and essentially see where it leads. In order to interpret the cryptic images of dreams, Freud divided the images into five major categories, or processes. The first being displacement which occurs when the desire for one thing or person is symbolized by something or someone else. The second, projection which happens when the dreamer propels their own desires and wants onto another person.The third being symbolization which is characterized when the dreamer's repressed urges or suppressed desires are acted out metaphorically. Fourth, condensation which is the process in which the dreamer hides t heir feelings or urges by contracting it or underplaying it into a brief dream image or event. Thus the meaning of this dream imagery may not be apparent or obvious. Lastly, rationalization which is regarded as the final stage of dreamwork. The dreaming mind organizes an incoherent dream into one that is far more understandable and logical.This is also known as secondary revision. Essentially this is Freud’s basic explanation of what dreams are and how one is to interpret them. Freud’s dream psychology is heavily based on psychoanalysis and is centered on the fact that dreams do in fact reflect the sub-conscious mind of the dreamer. Another dream theorist, who lived during the time of Freud, Alfred Adler (1870-1937), believed the importance of dreams to be a little different than Freud’s beliefs. Essentially, Adler believed that dreams are an important tool to mastering control over waking lives.They are problem-solving devices. Dreams need to be brought to the conscious and interpreted so that better understanding can be shed on one’s problems. Adler believes it is important to learn from dreams and incorporate them into waking life. Adler believes that there is a correlation between dreams and the problems in daily life. The more dreams one has, the more problems one is likely to have. Adler believes that dreams are an open pathway toward one’s true thoughts, emotions and actions. In dreams, one clearly sees one’s aggressive impulses and desires.Dreams are also a way of overcompensating for the shortcomings in waking life. For example, if one is unable to stand up to a boss in waking life, then one may find it easier to lash out at the boss within the comfort and safety of a dream. Dreams offer some sort of satisfaction that is more socially acceptable. So, though Adler does not entirely agree with Freud’s views of the subconscious controlling the dream, he does in fact believe that one’s subconscious d esires and drive are released through a dream.A third dream theorist, Carl Jung, who was considered to be a mentor of Freud’s also believed in the existence of the unconscious. However, he did not see the unconscious as animalistic, instinctual, or  sexual; he saw it as more  spiritual. Eventually, Jung split with Freud due to their differing views on dreams. According to Jung, dreams are a way of communicating and acquainting oneself with the unconscious. Dreams are not attempts to conceal one’s true feelings from the waking mind, but rather they are a window to the unconscious.They serve to guide the waking self to achieve wholeness and offer a solution to a problem one is facing in waking life. Jung views the ego as one’s sense of self and how one portrays oneself to the world. Part of Jung's theory is that all   things can be viewed as paired opposites: good/evil, male/female, or love/hate. So working in opposition to the ego, is the â€Å"counteregoà ¢â‚¬  or what he refers to as the shadow. The shadow represents the rejected aspects of oneself that one does not wish to acknowledge. The shadow is more primitive, somewhat uncultured,   and a little awkward.As dreams are a way of communicating with the unconscious, Jung believed that dream images reveal something about oneself, one’s relationships with others, and situations in one’s waking life. Dreams guide one’s personal growth and  help in achieving full potential. Jung also believes that the dream's manifest content is just as significant  and revealing as the  latent content. By simply discussing what is currently going on in one’s life, it can help one interpret and unlock the cryptic images of one’s  dreams. Jung's method of dream interpretation is placed more confidently on the dreamer.He believes that all dreamers possess the necessary tools to interpret their own dreams. The meaning of one’s dreams is a personal judgm ent and is up to the dreamer on how to interpret them. Jung noted certain dream symbols that possess the same universal meaning for all men and women. He terms this phenomenon the â€Å"collective unconscious†. While dreams are personal, one’s personal experiences often touch on universal themes and symbols. These symbols are believed to occur in every culture throughout history. Jung identifies seven such symbols in what is referred to as the major archetypal characters: 1.The Persona is the image one presents to the world in  waking life. It is similar to a public mask. In the dream world, the persona is represented by the Self. 2. The Shadow is the rejected and repressed aspects of oneself. It is the part of oneself that one does not want the world to see because it is ugly or unappealing. It symbolizes weakness, fear, or anger. In dreams, this figure is represented by a stalker, murderer, a bully, or pursuer. It can be a frightening figure or even a close friend or relative. Their appearance often makes one angry or leaves one scared.They force one to confront things that one doesn't want to see or hear. 3. The Anima / Animus is the female and male aspects of oneself. Everyone possess both feminine and masculine qualities. In dreams, the anima appears as a highly feminized figure, while the animus appears as a hyper masculine form. These dream imageries appear depending on how well one is able to integrate the feminine and masculine qualities within oneself. They serve as a reminder that one must learn to acknowledge or express a masculine (be more assertive) or feminine side (be more emotional). . The Divine Child is one’s true self in its purest form. It not only symbolizes innocence, vulnerability, and helplessness, but it represents one’s aspirations and full potential. One is open to all possibilities. In the dreamscape, this figure is represented by a baby or young child. 5. The Wise Old Man /Woman is the helper in dream s. Represented by a teacher, father, doctor, priest or some other unknown authority figure, they serve to offer guidance and words of wisdom. They appear in the dream to steer and guide the dreamer into the right direction. 6.The Great Mother is the nurturer. The Great Mother appears in dreams as ones own mother, grandmother, or other nurturing figure. She provides one with positive reassurance. Negatively, they may be depicted as a witch or old bag lady in which case they can be associated with seduction, dominance and death. This juxtaposition is rooted in the belief by some experts that the real mother who is the giver of life is also at the same time jealous of ones growth away from her. 7. The Trickster, as the name implies, plays jokes to keep one from taking oneself too seriously.The trickster may appear in ones dream when one has overreached or misjudged a situation. Or he could find himself in the dream when one is uncertain about a decision or about where to go in life. Th e trickster often makes one feel uncomfortable or embarrassed, sometimes mocking or exposing  one to personal vulnerabilities. He may take on subtle forms, sometimes even changing its shape. Overall, Jund seemed to be influenced by both Freud and Adler in his belief of the dream yet he presented common dreams symbols which further explained the manifestation of one’s sub-conscious mind within the dream.Next, research and records of dreams further progressed it was discovered that there are essentially eight major categories which all dreams fall into. These categories being: daydreams, lucid dreams, nightmares, recurring dreams, healing dreams, signal dreams, and epic dreams. Daydreams are often viewed as light-hearted in nature. They are silly fantasies and wishful thinking. Actually, even worrying over things can be classified as a form of daydreaming. When one worries, one is visualizing an unwanted or negative outcome to a situation.By repeating these negative images in one’s mind, one is more likely to make them happen. Daydreaming is believed to occur when one is only semi-awake and it is essentially running away with ones imagination, or the take over one’s thoughts by wandering sub-conscious mind. Next is the Lucid dream. Lucid dreams give the ability to control one’s own dreams and steer them toward the direction the dreamer wants. In the lucid state, one is more willing to confront threats and as a result, become more self confident.When one achieves lucidity, one can use it as a tool to improve one’s sports game, to rehearse for a speech, to fulfill your fantasies, or to solve a problem in your waking life. Though lucid dreams often give one the power to face the things in the forefronts of one’s mind, it is believed that the unconscious is what triggers a lucid dream and encourages one to assume this power. Third, is nightmares which are a subcategory of dreams. The distinction of a nightmare is its frigh tening and/or emotional content. One tends to wake up in fear in the midst of a nightmare.Because of its frightening nature, one is more likely to remember nightmares and the vivid details. Nightmares are almost always believed to be caused by the sub-conscious mind as it the sub-conscious’ way to get your attention about a situation or problem that one has been avoiding, warning of a health issue, or nightmares may stem from a deeper level indicating that something is troubling you from within your subconscious. Next, is recurring dreams, which are quite common and are often triggered by a certain life situation, transitional phase in life or a problem that keeps coming back again and again.These dreams may recur daily, once a week, or once a month. Whatever the frequency, there is little variation in the dream content itself. Such dreams are often a message from the subconscious highlighting a personal weakness, fear, or inability to cope with something in one’s life . Fourth, is Healing dreams are often dreams which tell the dreamer that he or she needs to go to the dentist or doctor. These dreams are often communication between mind and body that something is not quite right. Prophetic dreams, also referred to as precognitive or psychic dreams, are dreams that seemingly foretell the future.One rational theory to explain this phenomenon is that one’s dreaming mind is able to piece together bits of information and observation that one may normally overlook or that one does not seriously consider. In other words, one’s sub-conscious mind knows what is coming before one consciously pieces together the same information. Signal dreams, are similar to healing dreams, in that they are essentially a warning. Signal dreams are considered to be a sub-conscious warning or problem solving method to help the dreamer deal with situations in life.Lastly, Epic dreams are so huge, so compelling, and so vivid that one cannot ignore them. The detail s of such dreams often remain with one for years. These dreams possess much beauty and contain many archetypal symbology. When one wakes up from such a dream, one feels that they have discovered something profound or amazing about oneself or about the world. These dreams are also often future telling or even present revealing messages from the subconscious mind. Overall, each of these categories or types of dreams are the development which has resulted from the theories of the above dream theorists.Each type of dream is related to an archetype or belief of one, two, or even all three of the above theorists which reveals the large influence of the subconscious mind on dreams. Overall, it can be concluded that dreams are quite often reflecting of, or related to, the subconscious mind of the dreamer. This can be seen in all three of the major theories presented and through the eight major types of dreams which have been determined through said theories. For example, In Freud’s t heory, he states his belief that dreams are the subconscious mind’s release of suppressed desires and ambitions of the dreamer.Freud believes these suppressed desires must be released, so the mind releases them in the form of a dream, which can often be incredibly disturbing. That is, until the subconscious mind intervenes, turning these disturbing dreams into cryptic and symbolic images which can really only be understood through psychoanalysis of the mind of the dreamer. Adler’s theory, similar to Freudian theory, but not entirely the same claims that dreams are essentially problem solving devices. Adler believes that through dreams the subconscious mind of the dreamer brings forward waking life desires the dreamer may not even realizes exist yet.Adler states that the dream is used to make the conscious mind aware of what to do in waking life as it presents lessons to be learned from. Freud and Adler differ in that Freud believes the dream comes from the conscious mi nd and is edited and controlled by the subconscious, whereas Adler believes the dream comes from the subconscious and is to teach the conscious, and make it more aware. Lastly is Jung who believes all dreams share in a number of specific archetypes and are a way of communicating and acquainting oneself with the subconscious.Jung’s theory differs the greatest from Freudian theory and Adler’s theory as Jung believes the conscious and subconscious mind come together in a dream, and work together to create images which express the psychological state, and views of the dreamer. Overall, each of these three theorists and the eight categories of dreams which resulted from their studies have revealed that the subconscious mind of the dreamer has great influence on dreams and that the subconscious, no matter what the dream, plays a major role in some aspect of the creation or portrayal of the dream.