True Life: Reality Television Is Scripted

Since the 1990’s, when reality television first started becoming widely popular, we have been able to see into the lives of different kinds of people, often turning everyday people into celebrities. With some of the most popular reality television shows, like Big Brother, True Life, American Idol, and most recently Jersey Shore, we are led on to believe that it is all real (â€Å"The Hunger Games Theme of Versions of Reality†). The reality of this television though is that most of it is either altered or manipulated just for our own entertainment.The directors of some of these shows often script, manipulate and plan situations to make the shows more appealing to their audiences (â€Å"How Much of the Reality†). Even in popular books like The Hunger Games where reality television is a theme, it is shown that it is changed just for the entertainment of the viewers (â€Å"The Hunger Games Theme of Versions of Reality†). While it is perceived to be real, the t itle of â€Å"reality television† is a misnomer because most showed turn out to be fake and scripted.Reality television directors push their participants into exploiting themselves for the entertainment of their viewers. There are hundreds of reality television shows currently on, and they make up a large portion of what people are exposed to in popular media, especially young people. While most shows won’t admit to being scripted, in fear of losing their â€Å"reality television† title, some shows have admitted to planning situations to get a good reaction out to the cast, which makes for more interesting television.Also, some directors have said that they do push the participants to the edge when they can to get interesting reactions out of them. They say there are lines that they don’t tend to cross, but they like to mess with the mind of their participants of their shows (â€Å"How Much of the Reality†). By pushing the people to their limits, a nd manipulating situations, they basically do whatever they can to produce an entertaining show.In the country of Panem, where the book The Hunger Games takes place, reality television is something that the people look forward to each year. The people of Panem and especially the people in the Capitol gather together and look forward to seeing the games each year; just as a group of friends may get together and watch the season premiere of Jersey Shore. The people look forward to one show in particular though, called The Hunger Games.But this reality show they watch is a little different than the ones we watch; instead of living in a house with strangers, or hopefully finding true love, the contestants kill one another until one is left standing (â€Å"The Hunger Games Theme of Versions of Reality). The game makers, who are the ones controlling the game don’t seem to always make it fair, that’s where is seems scripted in a way. There are several examples in the book wh ere The Hunger Games was altered simply for the entertainment of the viewers.First, throughout the training Katniss, the main character of the story, is told to be and act like someone whom she is not. Katniss is told to act friendly, and personable, and desirable so that she will have a stronger chance to surviving the games and it will make the viewers like her (Collins 135). Also another important example of when the Capitol changed the game for entertainment purposes is when they set fire to the forest to keep Katniss in the game (Collins 171). They also set the fire to give the viewers some excitement.In today’s reality TV, the directors will stir up conflicts and situations often to create excitement. In modern day reality television and also a fictional version of reality TV in The Hunger Games, entertainment of their audiences is more important than the actual realness of what they are showing. Being said to be some of the most romantic shows on television, an average of 17 million people tune in each week to view The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. What seems to be true love on screen, doesn’t always translate to that off screen.The success rates of the show’s relationships are low. In the 23 combined seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette only 17% of couples are still together. Most of the couple who are not together anymore broke up between 1 month and 1 year after the finale of the show. With so many failed relationships resulting so quickly from the show, it makes viewers wonder how much of the romances were actually enhanced for the for entertainment of the show (â€Å"How Many Bachelor†).Reality television is widely popular in today’s entertainment; it seems like you can’t turn the TV on without having not having the option of catching up on a different version of reality television. We are led on to believe that it is all real, but the reality of these television programs is that it isn’t al l real. A lot of it is faked just to get a good show, and to entertain people. While simply the genre of reality TV naturally drives people’s interests in, so the directors manipulate situations and people reactions to produce something that they hope to get as many viewers as possible.Its supposedly â€Å"reality television,† so why isn’t it all real? Work Cited â€Å"How Much of the Reality Show Is Scripted? † Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 July 2010. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"The Hunger Games Theme of Versions of Reality. † Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc. , 2010. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. . Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Print. â€Å"How Many Bachelor and Bachelorette Couples Actually Make It? – The Bachelor. † Home – wetpaint. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. .

Japan Net Bank Case Analysis Essay

The banking market, especially Internet-only bank sector, in Japan was going through a period of rapid growth after the Japanese government initiated the famous â€Å"Big Bang† deregulation of the financial market. JNB, which began operation in October 2000, aimed at winning one million accounts and one trillion yen deposits and becoming profitable by the financial year 2002. However, in order to achieve that long-term success, it needed to resolved a number of issues and strengthen its competitive position in face of stiff competition from brick-and-mortar banks and new Internet-only banks. Therefore, this report focuses on the following three issues: †¢ An assessment of the present situation in Japan   regarding the Internet-only model of retail banking, †¢ An analysis of JNB’s competitive advantages, †¢ Recommendations of what alliance strategies to develop to overcome competition from traditional and other online banks. The data in this report was collected by assessing the information of the case â€Å"Japan Net Bank: Japan’ First Internet-only Bank† by Vincent Mark and Pauline Ng under the supervision of Dr. AH F. Farhoomand and surveying relevant materials from the Internet. I have divided my report into three main sections. Firstly, we would assess the potential for Internet-only model of retail banking in Japan. Secondly, we present and analyze JNB’s competitive advantages meticulously in this particular Japanese market. Finally, we would suggest some viable propositions of what alliance strategies that JNB should develop to surpass and obtain the market leader. Internet banking in Japan. 4 Conservative consumer banking behavior 5 Low level of credit card usage Japan did not use credit cards a great deal. By 2001, credit card purchases accounted for just eight per cent of consumer spending in Japan, compared with 14 percent in Europe and 21 percent in the US (The Economist, 2001). Borrowing was considered shameful in a culture much bound by traditional concept, so paying by credit card in public could be an embarrassment. In many cases, credit card users could only repay in one-go or in fixed installments. Therefore, such the culture preferred repaying card debt s in one-go quickly if they could afford it. Card companies’ lack of good marketing accentuated the problem: although there were schemes involving credit cards points, customers could only use their points to redeem low-quality gifts. In contrast, the consumer loan market in Japan was doing much better since it was worth 7 trillion yen by early 2001, double the market size of credit card. 6 The availability of ATMs for cash withdrawals Japanese consumers generally preferred to pay by cash or money transfers. A survey conducted in summer 2000 asked respondents which Internet bank they would deposit their money in. The 3,825 respondents were mostly in their 20s and 30s. Figure 1 illustrates the results: the attractiveness of the online banks in Japan in 2000. [pic] The pie chart illustrates that the success of a Japanese bank relied heavily on its ATM services. Determinant included whether the ATMs were conveniently located, whether they charged a small or no handling fee, whether they were open for long hours, etc. That leads to the wide distributions of ATMs services in Japan. We could recognize that the brand equity also played an important role to attract the customers. 7 Internet usage in Japan On-line banking with limited services-as an extension of traditional banking-was already available in Japan in 1997 with Sumitomo Bank. The total number of Internet accounts at major commercial banks reached 1. 4 million at that time. According to a Nielsen/NetRatings report, the Internet population in Japan was some 38 million in January 2001, and 41% of them were active users. However, a study by Yankee Group in early 2001 found out that some 20% of all Japanese households had a fixed line Internet connection at the end of 2000, less than the 50% Internet penetration in the US. Low penetration of fixed line Internet connections had driven a lot of people to use i-mode, which could cost only about several hundred yens a month. I-mode was a cellular Internet service offered by NTT DoCoMo, allowing emails and other Internet functions to be carried out via handsets. It had more than 22 million subscribers by April 2001. In fact, i-mode becomes so popular that Miyai, director of JNB, once said â€Å"Internet banking is really â€Å"cellular banking† in Japan†. 8 The competitive situation Competition from traditional banks JNB nevertheless had to face stiff competition with well-known bricks-and-mortar banks in a crowed banking market even though it was considered as the Japan’s first Internet bank without physical branches. Banking habits and conservative consumer culture in Japan facilitate traditional banks to gain competitive advantage in the market. Furthermore, traditional banks were making their services more convenient by installing m ore and more ATMs and providing a variety of value-added financial services. The most primary factors which make JNB’s competitors pay attention to JNB seemed to be lower overheads, competitive rates, lower fees and strong alliance backing. 10 Competition from domestic Internet banks Sony Bank JNB also had to compete with new entrants that provided similar services, One of those competitors was Sony Bank, an Internet-only bank with 37. 5 billion capital investment expected to start operation in mid-June 2001. Sony Bank’s strategy was similar to that of JNB in terms of higher interest rates, lower fees, a small workforce and no physical branches. In particular, the new bank’s management stressed customized, one-to-one services. Sony bank took advantage of its strategic stakeholders to deliver high-quality services to consumer. For example, customers of Sony Banks could use SMBC’s ATMs at â€Å"am/pm† convenience store chain as contact point, or J. P. Morgan Chase, one of its important stakeholders, would provide personal financial advice through the Web or Sony Bank obviously benefited from the Sony Empire by utilizing Sony Bank’s settlement service to purchase Sony products online. IY Bank Another Internet-only bank to enter the fray was IY bank, whose â€Å"internet† was predominantly a sprawling ATM network although Internet-based transactions would also be possible. It was expected to install round-the-clock ATMs in 3659s Ito-Yokado supermarkets and Seven-Eleven convenient stores within two years of operation. It had already joined up with a combined network of nine city banks, including one of the Japan’s largest commercial banks Sanwa, and charged commission whenever a customer of another bank in the network withdrew money from an IY Bank ATM. IY Bank intended to be settlement-focused and would develop loan and card business and Internet-based services later. IY Bank planned to install 24-hour ATMs at 3650 stores under the group by spring 2002 and at 7150 stores within five years of operation. Its target seemed to be practical since it could take advantage of the Ito-Yokado group’s existing customer base, which is 10 million customers per day, and its low-cost operation. 1 Competition from international Internet banks Another Internet-only bank, called eBank, was expected to start operation in June 2001. It would specialize in the settlement of payments for small-value online purchases worth up to 100,000 yens and would charge a lower commission than ordinary bank. eBANK was operate by Japan Electronics Settlement Planning Inc and invested by Japan Telecom, Yamato Transport and Ericsson Holding International. Its capital was about US$37 million. Japan Net Bank’s competitive advantages JBN, one of the core Internet businesses of parent company SMBC, aimed to build up its independent, own brand name and aspired to become the de facto standard of the Japanese-style â€Å"Internet Specialized Bank† for 21st Century’s Internet community. Therefore, the bank adopted the customer-centric principle seriously in order to survive and develop. JNB differentiated its financial products and services from those of its competitors by its distinguished characteristics: 3 24/7 availability JNB customers enjoyed seamless financial functions and 24/7 accessibility to their accounts through the Internet. They could carry out transactions or check their accounts through multiple access channels, including physical channels (ATMs or the Head Office) and mobile internet service (i-mode). The interfaces were designed to be very user-friendly. Moreover, JNB began to diversify into services other than basic bank transactions such as ordinary and term deposits. For example, it allowed on-line payment for bills and services of Tokyo Electric Power, Nomura Securities and Nifty Corp. ’s on-line shopping mall. 4 Competitive interest rate JNB offered attractive interest rates and fees compared with conventional Japanese banks [see Exhibit 3]. Its deposit interest rates were more than twice that of the average rates offered by major Japanese banks, and its charges for fund transfer were less than half those of conventional banks. Customized services Every customer had his/her own specific information page on the Web. Customers would receive e-mail notifications of transaction details such as receipt of fund transfers, expiration of term deposits, errors in automatic account debits, etc. 6 Confidentiality of usage The confidentiality of JNB customers’ private information was strictly secured; private information could not be used without customers’ agreement. Information transferred through the network was encrypted by 128-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). The database and servers storing JNB customers’ information were protected by a firewall and an access-surveillance system. All Internet banking transactions could not be processed without a password. Moreover, the last login date and time was always indicated at every login to a JNB account, so customers would know whether their accounts had been accessed illegally. 7 Flexible organization and IT system JNB maintained a flexible, flat, and team-like structure which had a very low cost base. Its management style was different from the top-down approach of traditional Japanese corporations. Its structure allowed for the contingency between different departments in the organization to coordinate and solve problems. JNB also adopted a flexible, open information technology system which is divided systematically and functionally. The building of JNB’s IT application was quite innovative since it is mostly outsourced under the supervision of IT Department staff. Strategic alliances to develop In the face of fierce competition, JNB had the advantage of strong, broad, strategically important and multi-industry alliances. An appropriate strategic alliance would increase its revenues and market share. The advantages of strategic alliance include: †¢ Allowing each partner to concentrate on activities that best match their capabilities. †¢ Learning from partners and developing competences that may be more widely exploited elsewhere †¢ Adequacy a suitability of the resources and competencies of an organization for it to survive. 9 Shareholder alliance JNB has been forming alliances and partnerships with many blue-chip corporations possessing huge customer bases. Since JNB could acquire customers through its shareholder alliances, it had relatively low reliance on mass-media marketing and therefore had low marketing budget. In next five years, it should continue diversifying its alliances from different sectors of economy to broaden its business and utilize its alliance’s customer base. For instance, JNB might negotiate with ORIX Corporation RIX, one of the Japan’s largest leasing and diversified financial services conglomerate, to obtain equity strategic alliance. This alliance will enable the company to capture a larger share of the Japanese consumer finance market, and make consumer finance operations more efficient and responsive to the financing needs of creditworthy consumers. 10 Global strategic alliances SMBC, as a major stakeholder of JNB, signed a memorandum of mutual understanding (MOMU) on a strategic partnership with The Bank of East Asia (BEA) to co-develop their business potentials in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and other countries. In China, SMBC established a wholly owned subsidiary, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (China) Limited, in April 2009. SMBC has formed alliances with Kookmin Bank in Korea, First Commercial Bank in Taiwan, The Bank of East Asia in Hong Kong, PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (BCA) in Indonesia and other Asian banks. With Barclays, a major British financial institution, the company is exploring venues of cooperation in wealth management, operations in South Africa and other business fields. JNB should take of advantage of this opportunity to establish its relationship with these foreign banks to market and expand its business to international. These strategic alliances would enable the company to expand its market hare and generate incremental revenues. 11 Non-shareholding alliances Ageing population in Japan likely to increase demand for insurance and pension products The Japanese population is ageing fast. The 65 and over age group as a percentage of total population is expected to increase from an estimated 21% in 2005 to 35. 7% in 2050. Moreover pension assets under management in the Asia Pacific region ar e expected to grow from current E1, 100 billion to E2, 900 billion in 2015. Ageing population in Japan would boost demand for the pension products of the company. The bank should cooperate and offer pension plans services, through Japan Pension Navigator Company to gain a certain advantage. Discerning that changing demographic profile of Japan profoundly therefore would increase demand for JNB’s business. Conclusion Japan Net Bank (JNB), Japan’s first Internet bank without physical branches, began operation in October 2000. It attracted mainly young customers looking for convenient, round-the-clock bank services with much more competitive interest rates and transaction charges than traditional Japanese banks. Its access channels included the mobile Internet service i-mode and fixed-line Internet. JNB relied on flexible, open computer systems and a young workforce of only 100 people to minimize operational costs. Its stakeholders, including parent company Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and NTT DoCoMo (provider of i-mode), were all large companies from different industry sectors. This stakeholder base gave JNB market exposure and access to their established customer bases. By April 2001 JNB had 130,000 customers. It aimed at winning one million accounts and ? 1 trillion deposits and becoming profitable by the financial year 2002. But it needed to resolve a number of issues before it were able to achieve long-term success in the face of strong competition from bricks-and-mortar banks and new Internet-only banks. One of crucial issues was about how to meet with wide fluctuations in usage without over-investing; the other was alliance management, how to co-operate with alliance partners to achieve competitive advantage.

Coefficient of Friction

Coefficient of Friction Lab Abstract The resisted force that acted along the tangent of two surfaces that were in contact was called friction. Friction was opposed to motion, and it acted in the opposite direction, where the surface of the object slid against the surface of the other object. The two types of friction that exist were called static friction and kinetic friction. When two surfaces are at rest with each other, but a push is caused to convey one of the surfaces to slide over the other was called static friction.However, the friction that was used in the lab was kinetic friction. Kinetic friction occurred when two surface were moving with contact to each other. The coefficient of kinetic friction is a constant shown as ? k. The kinetic frictional force (fk) was given by the following equation: (fk= ? kN), where N represented the normal force, which was the force that each body exerts on the other body, and acts perpendicular to each surface. The way that friction force is calculated is by the followed calculation: Ff=? FN, where (? ) was the coefficient of friction and (FN) was the normal force.Now in order to pinpoint the force of friction, the coefficient of friction should be figured out first. Now the way that the coefficient of friction was retrieved, the tension force (FT) was divided by the weight (Fg). An inclined plane that has an angle of ? was adjusted as shown in the following diagram: 2 If the block was placed on the plane, and the angle was slowly increased, the block would have began to slip at some angle. Now the normal force (N) acted perpendicularly to the plane, and a component of the weight of the block, acted in the opposite direction.Though when the angle is increased, the more force it took for the block to slide against another surface. So as the angle was increased, the friction cultivates, but when the angles decreased, so did the friction. 1 Now some of the factors that can affect friction are the body surfaces. For the fri ction depends on the smoothness of the surface where the objects have touched. Now with the smoothness only to a degree has made friction decrease. Friction never depended on the amount of surface that there was given, but it does depend on the magnitude of forces holding the bodies. 1Methods Inclined plane was placed at a zero angle position so the pulley protrudes over the table edge Mass of the wooden block was determined to the nearest tenth of a gram. String was attached to the wooden block, over the pulley and to the weight of the hanger. Orientation of the string was adjusted so that it was parallel to the plane. The planes have differed in their smoothness. Surface must clean and dry. Masses were added to the hanger until the wooden block moved at constant velocity after it was tapped lightly. The total weight (FT) was recorded in the table for data. The result of the weight hangers and the masses on the hangers was total force pulling. All weights are in the proper units (N ewtons)). By have added different masses on top of the wooden block (Fg), step 4 was repeated for several different total weights. Plane must be inclined at some angle between five and twenty degrees. Step 4 was repeated. Total weight was recorded. This was the tension (FT) at angle ?. Investigation was continued by an additional experiment that was planned, which compared how the angle affected the coefficient of friction.(An extra table must be included on this data. Data Analysis OFg(block)=FNFT(force of g on masses)=N ? 0328g=3. 2144N1. 4N. 44 0351. 8g=3. 44764N1. 4N. 41 0540. 9g=5. 3N1. 5N. 28 0573. 8g=5. 6N1. 7N. 30 0614g=6. 0N1. 9N. 32 0611. 4g=6. 5N1. 9N. 29 5 20 degreesF_gF_NActualTheoreticalAverage 153283. 2N2. 1N1. 9N0. 34 10368. 63. 6N1. 6N1. 8N0. 34 Sample Calculations: Sample calculation for Force in Newtons for Fg: 328(0. 001)(9. 8)=3. 2N Sample calculation for  µ: (FT/Fg)=1. 4/3. 2=. 44 Percent errors: Percent error for 15? :(|1. 9-2. 1|)/1. 9 x 100=10. 5% Percent error for 10? :(|1. 8-1. 6|)/1. 8 X 100=11. % Discussion The computed theoretical value of FT was slightly off for both 10 &15 degrees. The resulted percent error for 10? was just slightly over 11% and for 15? it was a bit over 10%. The outcomes could have been different due to the fact of friction, which could have not been calculated correctly when the block had faultless constant velocity, however, the values were nearly related. Now the relationships between the graphs shown above seems to prove that the variables which are indicated seem to be directly proportional to each other and the graphs, â€Å"†Force vs.Coefficient of Friction† & â€Å"Force of Block vs. Force of Tension are very similar. † It seems to be that the block was conveying at a constant speed in order to have given calculated the friction precisely. Now if the block were not to be moving with constant velocity then friction wouldn’t be steady, and if it wasn’t then there was n ot an precise calculation for the coefficient of friction. Now not having a smooth surface can cause an error, which causes the block to decrease and speed up. Now in order to repair this error, there must be a real smoothed surface where the experiment will be performed.The string sticking on to the pulley can be know as another error because it could cause the movement of the block not to be smooth as it would be predicted in this experiment. The solution of this error would be to put something on the string, so that it may slide efficiently. Conclusion The conclusion of this experiment seems that everything seems to be similar and in order. The percent errors that was given for 10? was 11. 1% and the percent error for 15? was 10. 5%, meaning that the theoretical value and actual value for the tension were nearly the same. Now the average value for the coefficient of friction ( µ) was 0. 34.

Premise Ato Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Premise Ato - Essay Example Debate also suggests that washing hands by health care providers might not be the primary way to prevent the spread of disease however, due to the results that do show that these prevent the speared of disease, the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued through recommendations promoting hand washing by health care providers (Lucking, Maffei, Tamburro & Thomas, 2012). Having highlighted how important it is to wash hands, the adherence to hand washing guidelines by healthcare providers and especially by physicians is notoriously poor (Lucking, Maffei, Tamburro & Thomas, 2012). For this research paper, evidence from Chengdu, China is looked at, where 6 hospitals were observed for hand washing adherence. Doctors and nurses were asked about their hand washing practice and observations are recorded. Surprisingly out of 1535 activities where hand hygiene is considered necessary, only about 17.8% of the times the healthcare providers complied with hand washing safety standards (Han, Dou, Zhang & Zhou, 2011). These results don’t reflect the situation in the US however this is an eye opener as to what can be expected in case there is no scrutiny regarding hygiene. Speaking of overall situation of hand hygiene, in practice it is only observed half of the times it is required for patient care (Carayon, 2011). And interestingly, healthcare providers have their reasons for not completely adhering to hygiene practices; less number of sinks, soap causing irritation or dryness, less number of paper towels and soap, wastage of time as they are too busy with patients, they even complain about faucets and sinks being located at odd places (Carayon, 2011). This complaint from nurses of not having enough time to pay attention to their hand hygiene is also endorsed by Lautenbach, Woeltje & Malani (2010), where they showed that lack of hand hygiene in hospitals was the major cause of transmitting pathogens. Poor

Describing a situation where leadership was properly exemplified or Essay

Describing a situation where leadership was properly exemplified or not - Essay Example Ethical issues / Behavior The leadership style of Nelson Mandela is exemplified in the way he handled ethical issues that came his way. Mandela had a strong sense of what was right and what was wrong. He did not let societal prejudices and his former experiences determine how he handled things. He was a man of high ethics, and that is why he fought against the social injustices that were being meted out against South Africans. His belief in doing the right thing landed him in jail, but even this did not stop him from fighting for the rights of others (25). His ethical leadership is also seen in the way he handled the AIDS scourge in South Africa. While many leaders chose to not talk about the topic, Mandela took the bull by the horns. The death of his son that was caused by AIDS did not stop him from speaking about the disease and this not only helped reduce stigmatization of people suffering from the disease, it also helped create awareness (Limb 46). Political Perspective The leade rship qualities that Mandela possessed enabled him to steer a country torn apart by racial segregation to prosperity. He was a well loved figure among the African majority who had suffered a lot under the apartheid regimes. He could have used his power and his popularity to avenge himself and his people. However, he had the insight of a great leader, and so this is one path that he avoided. Instead, he decided to use his political clout to unite the people of South Africa. His political legacy speaks for itself. Though he had the power to ‘punish’ the whites in South Africa, he chose the path of humility and forgiveness (Boehmer 41). His decision to keep South Africa politically stable by avoiding any activities that could have given rise to racial tensions may have saved the nation from political turmoil. Many African leaders are known to hold on to power even when their time to give it up has come and gone. For Nelson Mandela, he did not hold onto power for longer tha n was necessary. He was ready to give others a chance to lead South Africa, even though he was still popular enough to continue being the president. It could be said that Mandela showed a level of political maturity that is very rare in the African continent. He paved the way for a peaceful transition of leadership and this put him up amongst the most respected politicians not only in Africa, but in the whole world as well. His exemplary political leadership is not only appreciated in South Africa, Mandela has proved to be a reliable and respectable statesman in his international missions (58). Economical Perspective When South Africa gained majority self rule in 1994, many pundits thought that the country would suffer economically. Their opinions were shaped mainly by what had occurred in many African countries where poor leadership had disintegrated the economy. However this was not to be during Mandela’s tenure as president (Limb 87). He was a focused leader who did not le t little matters of perceived racial discrimination affect the way he run his country. This way he was able to retain the investments that had so far made South Africa the economic powerhouse it was. His leadership was also very clean and open, in that he did not condone any form of corruption. He was an honest individual and he led using an honesty policy (Boehmer 94). Social

Inferential Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inferential Statistics - Essay Example Patients with extremely low T-cell counts at imminent danger of dying will not be excluded but will be given special treatment as noted below in the discussion of ethical concerns. Study Design: Patients will be split into three groups: A placebo control group, a standard cocktail control group and a hivaril experimental group. For the hivaril group, in order to mask that a newer drug is being provided, the rest of the cocktail elements will be simulated by identical-looking placebos. Patients will be monitored for six months regularly to check T-cell performance and other vectors of improved health, as well as to see for toxicity. Statistical Model: Our intent is to see, at a very high confidence level with a moderate margin of error (+/- 3% would be acceptable), if hivaril is comparable to or superior to both the cocktail control group and the placebo control group. The hypothesis is directional, with the null hypothesis being that hivaril is worse than the cocktail and identical t o a placebo. The drug would still be a major improvement if it were better than the placebo but slightly worse than the cocktail. The alternative hypothesis is as noted. Because three groups are being measured, and must be to preserve a placebo control, ANOVA will be used. Luckily, the sample size is large enough that no other modification is needed.

The Adversary System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Adversary System - Essay Example Moreover, professionalism is of critical importance, and should be exhibited by all parties. This serves to ensure that parties do not attempt to demean or abuse the process. Despite the evident use of the adversary system, it still has certain ethical issues that include access to justice, accountability, and loyalty to the client. The adversary system is a two sided structure adopted when handling cases to determine justice. In this system, advocates represent the two different parties involved in both criminal and some civil cases. The adversary system relies on the capacity of a jury or judge that must exhibit a high degree of impartiality. After both sides make concerted efforts to present their gathered evidence in a bid to convince the jury or judge, the jury or/and judge determine the winner of the case. Notably, the adversary system is a phenomenon exhibited by countries that have adopted and practiced common law. This paper will describe the features that define the adversarial system, as well as some ethical issues related to the adversarial system. Research has revealed that the adversary system has existed since the medieval era. During this era, it was realized that certain litigants in the society lacked the capacity to effectively offer their defense when required to in the ‘the trial by combat’ system. For instance, women formed a group of vulnerable individuals that exhibited minimal capacity in the bid to defend themselves. Therefore, it was considered fair for such people to receive help from representatives in presenting their case. Different societies would later adopt this system of handling criminal cases. However, the system has changed over time, from the medieval application to the concentrated system evident in many courts in modern day (Leo, 2008). In modern day, the accused does not

Effective Instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Effective Instruction - Essay Example In this case, after asking several students in class why they chose 7 as the correct answer but found they could not describe how they arrived at the answer, the teacher could ask the student to approach the problem from a different angle. He could inquire if they could explain why they thought the numbers 5 or 6 was the incorrect answer. Based on the student response, the teacher may be able to discover the source of the student misunderstanding. If they gave an answer implying that 5 and 6 are lover numbers than 7, then the teacher would see clearly that students were missing the main point of the probability exercise. If the students response was heading in the right direction, meaning they were showing an understanding of the probability problem, but were struggling with the proper terminology, then the teacher could re-work the problem with the class, once again using the proper steps and terminology. In general, the questioning technique that is most useful in this situation is one that asks very general questions at first, and then begins to ask more specific questions as the students continue to struggle to grasp the concept. Asking questions that are too specific too soon robs the student of the chance to think the problem though and discover the solution themselves (Polya, 1957). In the example provided, if the students’ answers as to how they solved the problem indicate a real lack of understanding of the basics of probability, then returning to the original material and re-teaching it a different way would be recommended. One way of re-teaching using a powerful questioning technique would be to approach the problem from an inductive reasoning point of view. Instead of defining probability, and forcing the steps of solving the problem again the way you have already done, encourage the students to think about answers to leading questions that will guide them through

Interracial Relations and Sex and Marriage Essay

Interracial Relations and Sex and Marriage - Essay Example These Western societies include the apartheid South Africa, the Nazi Germany, a number of states in the United States before the 1967 Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriages. Interracial relations have also been controversial in the Islamic/Arab world in which some Muslim laws and customs ban or restrict sexual and marriage relationships with non-Muslims/Arabs or non-natives of a woman’s ancestral home. In these societies, more so in patriarchal cultures, interracial relations are discouraged to ensure that future generations are brought up as Arabs and Muslims. In worse scenarios, women found to be breaching such laws and customs are subjected to cruel punishments, which could even be death in places where strict Islamic law is followed. In fact, in Arab states of Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Afghanistan and the Palestinian Authority, there have been reports of violence against women who have married from other races, ethnic groups, or foreign countries. These harsh laws are applied under the pretext that such an individual has committed adultery and the judicial systems of these countries condone such cruelty towards women and men who embrace interracial relations. This paper explores the issue of interracial relations with reference to the movies â€Å"guess who is coming for dinner† and the novel â€Å"hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet† by Jamie Ford. Interracial Relations-Sex, and Marriages Fortunately for the multiracial United States of America, interracial relations such as cohabitation, sexual, or marriage have been fully legalized since the Supreme Court decision of 1967, which declared anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional. Nonetheless, most states of the U.S had legalized interracial relations earlier than 1967. This Supreme Court decision was particularly important for the U.S citizenry due to the fact that the country has rather many ethnic and racial groups, which make inter racial sexual and marriage relations rather common among its citizens. In spite of them being legalized, interracial relations continue to face several challenges, which result in quite a number of complications or barriers that same-race/culture marriages do not face (Smith & Hattery 68). These factors, mostly external, often create conflicts and disagreement in such relationships. For example, the fact that different races have diverse ethical values, customs, and beliefs implies that if people of different races marry, these values and customs may cause conflicts by influencing their perceptions of issues such as lifestyle and family values. Thus, there are bound to be problems and disagreements in such interracial relations (Poitier 124). On a rather positive note, not all interracial marriages have intercultural complications and challenges since there are situations in which people of different races may have the same or almost similar cultures so that little or not custom or value conflicts are encountered in such marriages. For example, in the United States, a couple could be of different races but have intermingled extensively for long periods so that they have similar cultural perspectives on life. The acceptance of the community, family, and the lifestyle of the other partner is among the

Breastfeeding Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Breastfeeding - Annotated Bibliography Example The researchers noted the presence of a divide in understanding the breastfeeding approaches that Amanda was taught while in hospital and putting these approaches into practice. Importantly, this disconnect exists despite Amanda indicating her ability to understand concepts. Conversely, the second case presents Connie’s frustration to breastfeed her infant twins despite her motivation. It is instructive to point out that Connie, who is a registered nurse, received support from nurses who taught her the approaches to breastfeed. Nonetheless, she faced many obstacles despite the instructions she received, which effectively frustrated her although unrelenting practice eventually achieved success. The authors’ work is crucial in a clinical setting since it underlines the importance of nurses to develop interventions tailored to the needs of an individual mother. In addition, the researchers’ work highlights the importance of considering the motivation and cognitive appraisal in establishing a breastfeeding

The Dilemma of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross in Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” Essay Example for Free

The Dilemma of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross in Tim O’Brien’s â€Å"The Things They Carried† Essay In Tim O’Brien’s â€Å"The Things They Carried† First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is a 24 year old young man in love with a girl named Martha, who is thrust into the jungles of Vietnam. Carrying â€Å"the responsibility for the lives of his men† but distracted by his fantasies of Martha, tragedy strikes his platoon and Ted Lavender is shot and killed. (p. 97). Lieutenant Cross grieves for Lavender, for Martha, for himself, as he curtails his daydreams â€Å"determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence. † (p. 106). PARAGRAPH The war was gruesome, relentless, monotonous, and purposeless. The men of Lieutenant Cross’s platoon carried everything they needed (and some things they did not) on their persons as they â€Å"humped† it through the jungles of Vietnam (p. 98). They carried food, clothing, bedding, weapons, photos, diseases, parasites, wounded and dead comrades, memories, reputations, dreams, and â€Å"the common secret of cowardice barely restrained† (p. 105). They carried things for many different reasons: choice, necessity, entertainment, superstition, or as a function of rank or field specialty. PARAGRAPH Among his things, Lieutenant Cross carried memories, letters, pictures, and a good luck charm from a young college student named Martha. Although they dated before the war, they only kissed briefly, and her letters carried news of a â€Å"separate-but-together quality† they shared (p. 99). He knew that just because she signed her letters love Martha did not mean she was in love with him, but he was hopeful. He often lost himself in fantasies of her, wondering about her virginity and what â€Å"her truest feelings were† (p. 99). He moved slowly and distractedly finding it difficult to keep his mind on war and his men’s security. His mind continuously wandered to thoughts of â€Å"Martha’s smooth young face, thinking he loved her more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender was dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her† (p. 99). He was young and in love and could not help it but he was ashamed and hated himself too. PARAGRAPH Among his things, Ted Lavender who was scared, carried tranquilizers, premium dope and extra ammunition, necessities for him. On the day he was shot and killed, he had just popped a tranquilizer and gone off to pee. Caught by a bullet to the head, in the act of zipping up, he went down instantly, under an exceptional burden of â€Å"unweighed fear† and extra bullets (p. 99). PARAGRAPH â€Å"The morning after Ted Lavender died, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters. Then he burned the two photographs† (p. 105). He realized that daydreams of unrequited love had no place in this nightmare world he called reality. He knew that this sentimental gesture could not burn the blame he felt for Lavender’s death, but perhaps it would keep the rest of the platoon alive. PARAGRAPH Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s dilemma arose from the natural impulses of a young man in love coupled with the incessant responsibilities of a combat officer. Following Lavender’s death he realized â€Å"that his obligation was not to be loved but to lead† (p. 107). A heavy burden to carry indeed. He vowed to himself diligence to his officer’s duties, fully intending to run a tight ship regardless of the complaints of his men.

Birmingham Letter Illusions Essay Example for Free

Birmingham Letter Illusions Essay Letter from Birmingham Jail Allusions in Section 3 Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is one of the most well known documents in American history. King’s profound ability to articulate important ideas, values, concepts and Biblical perspectives made for some of the most powerful and inspirational pieces of American literature ever produced. One technique that King used in his public speeches and letters was his allusions to historical figures, the Bible and opposing congressmen. During the 60’s when cultural prejudice still held strong roots in Congress, it was King’s talent to inspire the public that revolutionized America’s racial injustices. King’s frequent use of allusions in his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail proved his intelligence and greatly attributed to his success and popularity during the 1960’s. His allusions demonstrated his referential capabilities while also making his messages readily relatable to the public. It was often said that it was not King’s intelligence that made him seem so acumen, but that he was â€Å"well read†(knew much from reading). His frequent allusions to major documents and famous statements in contest to his adversaries ultimately lead to his dominance in public speech. In the paragraphs 12 through 14 when king references the election of mayor Albert Boutwell, he states, â€Å"We are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell as mayor will bring the millennium to Birmingham† in paragraph twelve. The millennium is an allusion to a specific verse from the Bible’s book of Revelation interpreted as the 1,000 years in which Jesus comes back to earth to restore peace. He made many correlations to the Bible and major public documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights to make his arguments accurate and mainly understandable by restating vital rules and quotes that even the illiterate could comprehend. In these paragraphs he quoted the Bible by using phrases like â€Å"moral light, â€Å"abyss of despair† and â€Å" unjust posture. † King used the word â€Å"wait† in this section of the letter multiple times as a allusion to the current denial of rights to African Americans that had been going on for the last 340 years. He also stated that â€Å"justice too long delayed is justice denied† in correlation to the current racial dilemma in America at the time. All of these direct references made for some of the most significant and powerful American literature ever created and made Martin Luther King one of the most successful authors in this period of civil revolution. By reinforcing his argument with allusions that the public could relate to, King was able to greatly impact the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and ultimately bring around the social turning point of the century that provided racial equality to all and smother prejudice in America thereafter.

Agnews General Strain Theory (GST) Summary and Analysis

Agnews General Strain Theory (GST) Summary and Analysis INTRODUCTION According to an American Psychological Association survey, 73% of Americans named money as the primary affecter of their stress levels. Stress can be influenced by a variety of factors however, whether it is accumulation of wealth, death of a friend, or perhaps loss of job. Anger and depression are often are the results of failing to achieve goals, such as a student struggling to fit in with his peers or with the loss of a positively valued stimuli such as a friend or family member. Peoples methods of coping with stress can take two general avenues, the first avenue being the use of legitimate means of achieving goals or coping with stress, such as seeking professional help, and the second being illegitimate means, for example, bullying kids at school because of frustrations of not fitting in. Are people more likely to commit crime when stressed? This question would be answered yes by Robert Agnew and can be examined using his General Strain Theory which explores the causes strain, h ow to measure strain, the relationship between strain and crime, as well as policy implications based directly off his theory. A BRIEF HISTORY OF STRAIN THEORY Emile Durkheim first popularized the term anomie, which essentially is defined normlessness, or the instability that occurs when norms and cultural values breakdown. Durkheim argued that during rapid changes that take place in society, norms will breakdown. Robert King Merton in 1938 used the idea of anomie to help develop the foundation for strain theory. Merton argues that the struggle to accumulate wealth is the chief cause of strain (Merton 1938: 670). Merton suggests that there are two important elements of social structure. The first contains cultural goals, the function of the goals, and interests (Merton 1938: 672). The second phase of the social structure defines how society is to go about achieving these goals, by placing regulations and creating laws (Merton 1938: 673). The American dream is a popular culturally defined goal, Merton argued, which through honest-dedicated work, anyone can achieve this dream of wealth. Society defines what avenues are to be considered legitimate to achieve this goal, for example, earning a college degree and earning a high paying job would be a legitimate path as defined by our society. Since wealth in American is not distributed equally Merton (1938) argued that strain often occurs for those who are undercapitalized and do not have access to these legitimate means. Merton (1938) illustrates four responses to this strain. The first, conformity, Merton suggests that people who take this path subscribe to cultural goals and go about achieving these goals by using societys institutionalized means. The second path, innovation, suggests that when a person finds that an obstacle inhibits the ability to achieve the cultural goals, the person will not use institutionalized means; rather, they will employ other means. The third path, ritualism, describes a person that will reject the culture goals of society, but use its institutions as an avenue for advancement. The fourth, is the polar opposite of the path of conformity such that a person who is retreatist will reject cultural goals and its institutionalized means, people that take this path are people who essentially are not part of society (Merton 1938: 674). Furthering Mertons ideas in 1994, Messer and Rosenfeld expanded on idea of the American Dream as an origin of criminality. Messer and Rosenfeld (1994) state that the heavy emphasis on American Dream encourages criminal impulses while creating a weak normative environment. Agnews Revision of Strain Theory Robert Agnew, who devised a revision to previous strain theories, argued that most of the previous theories accredit crime to the failure of adolescents to accomplish traditional goals defined by society through legitimate avenues (Agnew 1985). Agnew (1992) states that despite criticism from distinguished theorists such as Travis Hirschi, strain theory can be vital in the explanation of some delinquency, although to do so effectively, strain theory needs revision. Agnew cites that if in fact the previous theories were to be true, it would be expected that crime would occur when there would be there a strong desire for monetary success and a low expectation of fulfilling that desire (Agnew 1985). However, Agnew (1985), suggests that tests have proved differently. According to Agnew (2001) studies show that delinquency peaks when desires, goals, and the expectation of achieving the desires or goals are low, and delinquency is lowest when desires, goals and the expectation of accomplishing the goals are high(Agnew 2001:). This is only one example of how Agnew began his revision Agnews General Strain Theory Agnews strain theory is focused on the individual level and their immediate social environment (Agnew 1992:48). Where most other strain theories, such as Mertons, put a heavy focus on accumulation of wealth, a structural cultural goal, Agnew tends to focus on goals that cause strain other than wealth accumulation. Agnew (1992) identifies three major sources of strain, being, the prevention or blockage of achieving positively valued goals, the removal of positively valued stimuli, and the threat or presentation of negatively valued stimuli. Failure to Achieve Goals Agnew (1992:51) describes multiple types of strain that fall under the category of failing to achieve positively valued goals. They are (1) strain as the disjunction between expectations and actual achievements; not achieving these goals is likely to cause anger, dissatisfaction, and disappointment, this cause of strain connects back to previous strain theories, such as Mertons (Agnew 1992:51). (2) Strain as the disjunction between just or fair outcomes and actual outcome. This source looks beyond simply failing to achieve a goal of monetary success or doing well in school (Agnew 1992:53). An example of this source of strain would be when an outcome of a situation conflicts with what the individual believed they deserved. Lets say a sales worker who thought they deserved a promotion due to good sales performance gets demoted while someone with less credentials get promoted. This can lead to strain due to inequity, where an individual will feel that they are unequal to those of their peers and will subsequently increase the chances they engage in delinquency. The main reason for delinquency in this case is to attempt to improve their outcome, such as lying on sales and fudging the books, or affect others outcome, such as writing slanderous rumors that get someone fired (Agnew 1992:54). Removal of Stimuli Agnew describes that by removing a positively valued stimuli it has the potential to cause strain. Getting something of great value stolen from you would be an example of the removal. The desire to get the object back could lead to a person committing delinquent acts by seeking revenge for those responsible. Negative Stimuli The existence of unpleasant stimuli can lead to delinquent behavior through the following avenue: Agnew (1992) states that a person may seek an escape from the negative stimuli, by trying to dispose of the stimuli. An example of removing stimuli could be someone shooting up a school because they were bullied, thus terminating the negative stimuli. Crime In short, using the above sources of strain, it is clear that negative relationships with other have potential to cause strain in an individual and in turn result in negative emotions. Agnew (1992) argues that the key emotion associated with General Strain theory is anger. A negative affect such as anger, is likely to lead an individual to take corrective steps to quell their anger. Often times anger leads an individual to seek revenge and is also a strong motivator for action. Broidys Test Agnews Theory state that strains are shaped by various factors, including the nature, intensity, and duration of the strain, the emotions that the strain produces in the individual, the collection of coping mechanisms at an individuals disposal (Broidy 2001:10). By measuring these factors, primarily intensity and duration of strain, General Strain Theory can be empirically tested by criminologists. (Broidy 2001:10) Lisa Broidy, from the University of New Mexico, examined cross sectional data of 896 undergraduate students from seven different disciplines, who participated in self report surveys. Although Broidy (2001) suggests that the non random sample is not ideal, being neither representative of all college students nor representative to the population as a whole is useful for the purpose of this test. Broidy (2001) asserts that by testing the theory with most middle-class, white college age students, it ensures that the results of the test are not spurious. Using the survey data to test three hypothesizes, Broidy found that a failure to achieve goals that were set by an individual were less likely to result in anger where a failure to achieve goals due unfair circumstances were much more likely to cause negative emotions. This study done by Broidy appears to be consistent with general strain theory such that, anger induced from strain is likely to lead to illegitimate coping strategies. However, Broidys study yielded some results that were not consistent with General Strain Theory. For example, the finding that anger is unrelated to the likelihood of legitimate coping, is a finding that is not assumed in General Strain Theory (Broidy 2001:29), as the theory does in fact predict that negative emotions like anger would be associated with legitimate coping strategies. Also found in this study was that females were much less likely to employ illegitimate coping strategies than males, leading Broidy to suggest that future studies of general strain theory should study the effect that gender has on assumptions described in general strain theory. (Broidy 2001:) Since Agnews major revision in 1992 there has been a substantial amount of empirical tests like Broidys, which there had not been previously (Froggio 2007: 392-394). Much of the test results conducted between 1992 and 2003 confirms that correlation exists between stressful events, strain induced anger, and criminal activity. However, Froggio (2007) argues that despite evidence of correlation between delinquency and assumptions of General Strain Theory, the correlation is not clear cut in that many of the surveys conducted were limited. Moreover, Froggio (2007), argues that surveys in the future should incorporate Agnews assumptions of when crime is most likely to occur. Policy Implications After reading the literature, policy implications for General Strain Theory become obvious. Since General Strain Theory builds off the idea that blocked goals cause negative emotions such as anger, it should be emphasized that going to anger management is appropriate route to coping with stress rather than using alternative means such as beating someone up. Encouraging K-12 schools to teach children that the accumulation of wealth is not what is success necessary is could be another implication based off of this theory, by doing this it could encourage children to value family, job stability, and good health rather than simply becoming wealthy. Although difficult, equalizing the opportunity for all to become successful would prove to be effective based on the assumptions of strain theories. Equalizing opportunities could include paying females equal wages, or provide more intensive education in low income areas, as well as making it easier for those in lower socioeconomic classes to attend college. Strengths, Weaknesses, and Comments General strain theory can be easy to subscribe to due in part to its broad scope, and General Strain Theory unlike previous strain theories is able to focus on middle and lower class delinquency, rather than exclusively lower class like Merton. Some empirical evidence regarding general strain theory shows a strong correlate between negative emotions (anger) caused by strain and criminal activity. However, General Strain Theory fails to explain why some individuals who experience great amounts of strain fail to resort to illegitimate coping strategies. General Strain Theory by definition is a logically sound theory, as it is not tautological, and can clearly be falsified. General Strain theory in my opinion is parsimonious in its general explanation of why strain causes crime, but latent variables such as gender, age, race, neighborhood, and other factors make it complicated when it boils down to experimental testing. Although the theory appears to be logical and fits the criteria for being a good theory by what was learned in CRMJ 301, I have become a skeptic of the theory. In order for a person like me, who is eternally critical, to become an advocate of a theory like such, I would like to see more comprehensive studies done. If money and resources were not an issue I would suggest organizing a birth cohort study, where a team follows children from birth until they are in their 25. This would let the researchers look at various factors that cause strain firsthand, by doing interviews and surveys more frequently. Until then I beli eve that General Strain Theory is incomplete but if incorporated with other theories it can be helpful in explaining some delinquency.

Symbolism in Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay -- Alice Walker Everyda

Symbolism in Alice Walker's Everyday Use History in the Making Heritage is something that comes to or belongs to one by reason of birth. This may be the way it is defined in the dictionary, but everyone has their own beliefs and ideas of what shapes their heritage. In the story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, these different views are very evident by the way Dee (Wangero) and Mrs. Johnson (Mama) see the world and the discrepancy of who will inherit the family’s quilts. Symbolism such as certain objects, their front yard, and the different characters, are all used to represent the main theme that heritage is something to always be proud of. The main objects of topic throughout the story are the quilts that symbolize the African American Woman’s history. Susan Farrell, a critic of many short stories, describes the everyday lives of African American Women by saying â€Å"weaving and sewing has often been mandatory labor, women have historically endowed their work with special meanings and significance† and have now embraced this as a part of their culture. The two quilts that Dee wanted â€Å"had been pieced together by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me [Mother] had hung them on the quilt frames on the front porch and quilted them† (par. 55) showing that these quilts were more valuable as memories than they were just blankets. The fabrics in the quilts â€Å"were scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell’s paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece, about the piece of a penny matchbox, that was from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War† (par. 55) putting forth more evidence that these are not just scraps, but have become pieces of family history. The q... ...big yard, and the characters are all symbols that have gotten the theme across that you must always cherish your heritage. Dee will go back to the city and support her more broad perspective of all blacks as Mama will stick to her tighter confines of family history. The one young lady (Maggie) that has yet to be engulfed by others opinions will be the one to press on both histories as one: When Maggie finally smiles ‘a real smile’ at the end of the story as she and her mother watch Dee’s car disappear in a cloud of dust, it is because she knows her ‘mother holy recognition of the scarred daughter’s sacred status as quilter is the best gift if a hard-pressed womankind to the fragmented goddess of the present.’ (Piedmont-Marton) This story full of symbols will carry on generation to generation because as things change so will the people and their outlooks on life.

Essay on Colonialism: Comparisons Between Things Fall Apart and Histori

Nigerian Women and Colonialism: Comparisons Between Things Fall Apart and Historical Accounts. Chinua Achebe is arguably the best known African writer of the twentieth century. And more than any other writer, he has shaped the world's idea of what African literature is. As Rose Mezu states, "Things Fall Apart is significant because it began the vogue of African novels of cultural contact and conflict" (Mezu 1). This is a highly influential position for a single writer. So what was Achebe's purpose in writing his novels? What does he hope to accomplish? According to Cora Agatucci's summary of Achebe's essay, "The Novelist as Teacher," she writes, " Achebe describes a dual mission to educate both African and European readers, to reinstate a sense of pride in African cultures and 'to help my society regain belief in itself and put away the complexes of years of denigration and self-abasement'" (Agatucci). So Achebe's purpose for writing is to overcome the stereotypes of Western readers that Africans are primitive savages with no sense of culture or history, and to combat the internalization of these stereotypes by his fellow countrymen. So where does Achebe's purpose for writing his novels leave women and are the gender roles as described in Things Fall Apart culturally accurate? Before this question can be accurately be answered; gender roles both in history and in Achebe's novel must be addressed. Specifically, what roles did men and women play in society in all three stages of Nigeria's more recent history? In the last 200 years of Nigeria's history, there have been basically three distinct phases in government: pre-colonial rule overall by Muslims (there were some tribes unaffected by this rule), colonial r... ...~womanist/1995/mezu.html "Nigeria." Encarta Encyclopedia. 3 July 2001. http://encarta.msn.com/find/concise.asp? mod=1&ti=761557915&page=2 "Nigeria." U.S. Department of State, Human rights Reports for 1999. 30 June 2001. http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1999_hrp_report/nigeria.html Ogunsuyi, Austin. "Women in Africa." African Cultures Page. 30 June 2001. http://africancultures.about.com/culture/african cultures/library/weekly/ aa011401a.htm Rojas, Maria. "Women in Colonial Nigeria." African Postcolonial Literature in English in the Postcolonial Web Page. 30 June 2001. http://landow.stg.brown.edu/ post/nigeria/colonwom.html ----- "Women in Pre-Colonial Nigeria." African Postcolonial Literature in English in the Postcolonial Web Page. 30 June 2001. http://landow.stg.brown.edu/ post/nigeria/precolwon.html

Christianity and 18th Century British Literature :: 18th Century British Literature

Christianity and 18th Century British Literature "...no matter what kind of pleasure may await his senses, unless it serves exclusively the glory of God, he needs to cut it off of him, giving it up out of his love towards Jesus Christ..."1 I. Taking its time to establish a radically theological point of view, this essay aims to apply it to the body of novel literature in 18th century England, probing and inquiring it whether it is in support of Christianity as laid down in the New Testament or not. It assumes the stance of an advocate of "the narrow path", the strict and unforgiving measuring scale of those few taking the Christian way of life truly seriously. Thus, the arguments and deductions featured herein - which are the actual purpose of the piece - may well strike materialist and novel-advocate minds as unnotable and subjective. The author, on the other hand, is firmly convinced - on the grounds of faith - that the conclusions to come are as objective as it is possible, being based on the revelations of the Holy Trinity. All views and opinions featured are his own except where signified. First of all, we may start the discussion with an analogy that sets the mood and aligns the frame of mind to the possible uncommonness of the argument system to be introduced. The images of this analogy will also come handy later and might ease the essay's overall understanding for those unaccustomed to the exclusively religious take on life. Picture, if you will, a high wall and thousands of bricks it is comprised of; now picture one of the single bricks coming to life, finding itself as part of the wall. This brick in the wall is unable to measure the dimensions of the structure it was built inside. In case it could come loose and jump out of the wall with the help of a supernatural force, it might be frightened at the sight of the oppressive building it used to support for long - and vow never to return to it, but serve its saviour instead. The only means of establishing a distance between the Truth and human culture's tailormade 'truth' we indulge in does not seem to be any of the traditional manmade tools for extracting and gathering knowledge: psychology, sociology, philosophy and their clever alloys leave us running in circles when seeking the cure for all the ominous signs and phenomena in our society.

Indian Paint Industry

The size of the paints market in India is estimated at Rs 110 bn, with the contribution of the organised and unorganised segments in the ratio of 65:35. Reduction of excise duties over the last few years, from 40% to the present level of 14%, has helped create a level playing field between the unorganised and the organised segments, as the former is not subject to excise duty. As the unorganised sector loses its competitive edge, it is also losing market share to the organised sector players. In view of the low per capita annual consumption of paints in India (0. kg, compared to 4 kg in South East Asian countries, 22 kg in developed countries and a global average of 15 kg), the domestic paints industry has tremendous potential. The paints industry is working-capital intensive, rather than fixed-asset intensive. As in consumer non-durables, distribution strengths and brand building are of paramount importance. The Indian paint industry witnessed robust growth in turnover on the back of increased volumes during the festival season. Both decorative and industrial segments performed well during the quarter. Moreover, the margins received a boost with the domestic currency continuing to rise against the greenback, causing a substantial reduction in cost of imported inputs. This in turn induced some of the players in the industry to reduce the prices of select products to pass on the benefit to the customers. Further, players are going in for capacity expansions to reap the benefits of the rising demand for paints Segments: On product lines, paints can be differentiated into decorative or architectural paints and industrial paints. While the former caters to the housing sector, the automotive segment is a major consumer of the latter. Decorative paints can further be classified into premium, medium and distemper segments. Premium decorative paints are acrylic emulsions used mostly in the metros. The medium range consists of enamels, popular in smaller cities and towns. Distempers are economy products demanded in the suburban and rural markets. Nearly 20 per cent of all decorative paints sold in India are distempers and it is here that the unorganised sector has dominance. Industrial paints include powder coatings, high performance oating and automotive and marine paints. But two-thirds of the industrial paints produced in the country are automotive paints. Decorative and industrial paints are the segments within the sector, in a 70:30 proportion. Brand equity, a wide range of shades, distribution strength and efficient working capital management are key success factors in the decorative paints segment. A strong distribution network acts as an entry barrier. Within the decorative segment, enamel is the largest sub-segment, accounting for over 50%, followed by wall finishes, primers and wood finishes. The season for decorative paints is from October to March, a period characterised by festivals like Diwali, and the summer, when painting is normally carried out. The industrial segment pertains mainly to automobiles. In this segment, technological competence, product range and customised solutions are of utmost importance. Technological strength is another entry barrier. The slowdown in the automobile sector has affected the overall growth of the industrial segment, as the former contributes around 50% of the latter's revenues. Other sub-segments are marine paints, powder coatings for white goods like refrigerators and washing machines, and industrial coatings. Within the paints sector, the proportion of the industrial paints segment is likely to increase in the next few years and the ratio is likely to become 50:50. The demand for decorative paints is highly price-sensitive and also cyclical. Monsoon is a slack season while the peak business period is Diwali festival time, when most people repaint their houses. The industrial paints segment, on the other hand, is a high volume-low margin business. In the decorative segment, it is the distribution network that counts while in the industrial segment the deciding factor are technological superiority and tie-up with automobile manufacturers for assured business. The share of industrial paints in the total paint consumption of the nation is very low compared to global standards. It accounts for 30 per cent of the paint market with 70 per cent of paints sold in India for decorative purposes. In most developed countries, the ratio of decorative paints vis-A -vis industrial paints is around 50:50. But, with the decorative segment bottoming out, companies are increasingly focussing on industrial paints. The future for industrial paints is bright. In the next few years, its share would go up to 50 per cent, in line with the global trend. Decorative Sector Composition ( to be check for accuracy of figures) Enamels 50% Distemper 19% Emulsions 17% Exterior Coatings 12% Wood Finishes 2% Decorative Sector Features Enamels Steady growth. These are oil based paints which are widely used for painting on all surfaces including walls, wood and metals. They also find application in painting of hoardings and signboards and repainting of commercial vehicles. Emulsions Shift from distemper and enamels to emulsions. High growth area. These are premium qualtity oil based wall paints. Distempers High growth in low priced low quality distempers as consumers are upgrading from limewash. These are water based wall paints priced at a much lower range than the above two. Exteriors Exterior emulsion fastest growing segment in the Indin Paint market. Industrial Sector Composition ( to be check for accuracy of figures) Automotive Paints – 50%Â  High Performance Coating – 30% Powder Coating – 10% Coil Coating – 5% Marine Paints – 5% Automotive Sector High growth sector with a number of new entrants like Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, Daewoo, Hyundai, Honda, Fiat, General Motors, Ford. However, recently there is some slackness in Auto demands. Two wheeler market booming due to demend from large Indian middle class. Goodlass and Asian Paints are the leading OEM players and ICI is the leading player in the replacement market PowderCoatings Increase growth due to increased sales of white goods and auto ancillaries. Berger and Goodlass lead in this solid powder coating segment used for decoration and protection of white goods, electronic equipment and auto components. High Performance Coatings Steady growth due to increase investments in refinery segment and power sectors, particularly Thermal and Nuclear. Coil Coatings:Solvent based paints for sheets and coils. ICI and Asian Paints lead this segment. Marine: Shalimar and Bombay Paints are the major players in these anti-corrosive, underwater paints used for ships and containers. Chemicals: These high performance paints are used in fertilisers, petrochemicals etc. or prevention of corrosion. APIL dominates the decorative segment with a 38 per cent market share. The company has more than 15,000 retail outlets and its brands Tractor, Apcolite, Utsav, Apex and Ace are entrenched in the market. GNPL, the number-two in the decorative segment, with a 14 per cent market share too, has now increased its distribution network to 10,700 outlets to compete with APIL effectively. Berger and ICI have 9 per cent and 8 per cent shares respectively in this segment followed by J&N and Shalimar with 1 and 6 per cent shares. GNPL dominates the industrial paints segment with 41 per cent market share. It has a lion's share of 70 per cent in the OEM passenger car segment, 40 per cent share of two wheeler OEM market and 20 per cent of commercial vehicle OEM market. It supplies 70 per cent of the paint requirement of Maruti, India's largest passenger car manufacturer, besides supplying to other customers like Telco, Toyota, Hindustan Motors, Hero Honda, TVS-Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, Ford India, PAL Peugeot and Bajaj Auto. GNPL also controls 20 per cent of the consumer durables segment with clients like Whirlpool and Godrej GE. The company is also venturing into new areas like painting of plastic, coil coatings and cans. APIL, the leader in decorative paints, ranks a poor second after Goodlass Nerolac in the industrial segment with a 15 per cent market share. But with its joint venture Asian-PPG Industries, the company is aggressively targeting the automobile sector. It has now emerged as a 100 per cent OEM supplier to Daewoo, Hyundai, Ford and General Motors and is all set to ride on the automobile boom. Berger and ICI are the other players in the sector with 10 per cent and 9 per cent shares respectively. Shalimar too, has an 8 per cent share. Raw Material scenario: The paint industry is raw material-intensive, in terms of value and quantity of raw materials used. Raw material costs account for around 70% of total production costs. Imports constitute around 30% of the raw material requirements. The most critical raw materials used are titanium dioxide (TD) (rutile and anatase grades), phthalic anhydride (PAN) and pentaerithrithol PENTA). Some other raw materials like castor oil, soyabean oil, linseed oil and mineral turpentine are also used. Increasing prices of raw materials, on the one hand, and the inability to pass on the price increases from recession and competitive pressure, on the other, are major areas of concern. Of the 300 raw materials (30% petro-based derivatives), nearly half of them are imported petroleum products. Thus, any deficit in global oil reserves affects the bottomline of the players.

Importance Of Public Open Space Health And Social Care Essay

One of the chief purposes of any public authorization is to better the quality of life. â€Å" Parks and public unfastened infinites have played an critical function to better occupants ‘ life in development of metropolis † ( Nankervis, 1998 ) . The history of public infinites could be found all over the centuries – in the medieval epoch, the communal graze infinite and metropolis square besides known as the ‘common ‘ was a important urban component. Industrial revolution might follow back the tradition of supplying for POS ( public unfastened infinites ) was recognised as a critical facet in the metropolis development ( Churchus, C. et al 2004 ) . For the bulk of 19th and early twentieth centuries, the proviso of POS within urban countries were considered as indispensable to the resident wellness of interior metropolis, where normally crowded conditions, pollution and deficiency of sanitation were an issue. Recent research defined at the beginning of the new millenary shows that â€Å" more than 60 % of the universe ‘s population lives in metropoliss. By 2025 will be over 5 billion people who live in urban contexts and in 135 metropolitan countries, the figure of occupants will transcend 4 million † ( Musco, 2006 ) . Those facets is going job ; the addition in population, deficiency of public services, growing of metropoliss by scattering of colonies and pollution in the rapid urbanisation. Therefore, abodes require more safety and to be more environmentally friendly constructed. Nowadays, POS provide leisure, diversion and advance public wellness ( Banjeree, 2001 ) every bit good as doing countries more attractive and more pleasing topographic points. Harmonizing to World Health Organization of workshop study which is â€Å" The hereafter for our kids † , Physical activities absence cause by the deficiency of unfastened infinites for diversion lead to psychological jobs, fleshiness, accidents and hurts were considered as precedences. Other facets is that kids have more clip for telecasting, computing machine games and an addition in the development lead to utilize of ‘commercial resort areas ‘ ( McKendrick et al. 2000 ) . Furthermore, the other research has identified these startling facts: 20 % of four-year-olds are fleshy and 15 % of 15-year-olds are corpulent. Evidence shows that this addition in fleshiness is linked to more sedentary life styles and a lessening in out-of-door activity. It could anticipate the grownup forms of exercising are set early in life ( Kuh, Cooper 1992 ) . Therefore, exercising deficit when immature can engender jobs in maturity, i.e. diabetes and bosom disease. It besides appears that there is a job with contaminated topographic points or ruins alternatively of unfastened infinites. Milieus without green infinite nexus to short of community sense and facet increased behavior of force compared with those that included green infinite ( Jackson, Kochtitzky 2001 ) . In add-on, the unsafe topographic point attracts vermin and can harbor condemnable activities ( Lord 1995 ) For illustration, the largest effluent sludge works and medical waste incinerator in the Northeast of New York City, where has a childhood asthma 1000 % higher than other metropolis in New York State. Children might take to play on the streets instead than in refuse and used acerate leafs of the vacant ( Maantay 2001 ) . This survey shows that land-use forms besides significantly affect the wellness of urban communities and deficiency of safe topographic points limits kid ‘s activities. In the recent survey examined different socio-economic position ( SES ) of kids play in unfastened infinite. The 94 % of parents concern sing their kid ‘s safety was the most often presented factor act uponing where kids played. Parental-safety concerns about the their kids playing were chiefly influenced by aliens, congregate teenagers/gangs unwanted behaviors such as intimidation, holding intoxicant and route traffic ( Valentine and McKendrick, 1997 ) . These concerns were peculiarly apparent among more than one-third of parents from low and mid SES countries, compared to merely 10 % of parents from high SES countries. In add-on, more than 80 % of households lived on a chief or through street, half of the parents allowed their kids to play on the street where expose autos. Therefore, the kids seem to pass more clip at place, friends ‘ houses even in the shrub, river, route and street. These safety concerns limit topographic points chances for kids ‘s drama. Though about all recognise that job exists, the best possible response has non been easy to make. Supporting green unfastened infinite and sustainable design can convey down disease, mental jobs furthermore C footmarks through ecological park, green substructure and care of allocations. It could hold long-run positive effects on public wellness, economic value of public infinite and cut downing offense, which three principal points can be justified with some groundss in following phase. London is still among the greenest capital metropoliss in the universe ( visitlondon.com/areas/parks/ ) . Londoner can bask the great out-of-doorss more than other states, besides Nottingham is good illustration because non merely there are a figure of Parkss for people, but besides people easy to entree high-quality of green infinites which make a healthier community. There is a turning concern about the wellness of the state which related peculiarly our public wellness. From the position of planning and edifice topographic points that influence people ‘s wellness, â€Å" an across-the-board attack to public wellness which respects the bar of disease and the publicity of physical and mental wellbeing † ( Honari and Boleyn 1999, Pacione, 2003 ) . The figure 1 gives more information about fleshiness already costs more in public wellness footings, and why of import the appraisal of green infinite for public wellness.i4.2 billionAnnual cost to the NHS of fleshiness and rela ted diseases50 per centDecrease in hazard of bosom onslaught by a day-to-day walk in the park91 per centPeoples who believe that public Parkss and unfastened infinites improve quality of life300 per centIncreased likeliness of occupants being physically active in residential countries with high degrees of verdure Figure 1. Greenspace Scotland 2009: Health impact appraisal of greenspace: a guide.www.cabeurl.com/30 Scots Natural Heritage and Institute of Occupational Medicine, published by greenspace Scotland First, safe and clean country encourages people to walk more and hence meet considerable wellness benefits. Surgeon General prescribed lively walking or cycling every bit small as 30 proceedingss a twenty-four hours in the park to better wellness. It has been reported to cut down bosom onslaught hazard by 50 % , ( Hakim 1999 ) diabetes by 50 % , ( The Diabetes Prevention Research Group 2002 ) colon malignant neoplastic disease by 30 % ( Slattery, Potter and Caan et al 1997 ) . Furthermore, it is estimated that â€Å" if merely one in 100 inactive people took equal exercising it could salvage the NHS in Scotland every bit much as ?85 million per twelvemonth. † ( Bird 2003 ) . Second, there is increasing grounds that ‘nature ‘ in the urban environment is benefits for both physical and mental wellness. Natural elements such as trees and lakes promote a bead in blood force per unit area and cut down emphasis feelings ( Hartig, Evans, et. Al. 2003 ) . Increasing entree to high-quality POS can bring forth significant benefits of public wellness and salvage health care costs such as fall ining a gym or traveling swimming ( Pretty, Griffin, Sellens and Pretty, 2003 ) . Therefore, being activities in outside promote physical and mental wellbeing, cut down emphasis, overcome isolation, societal coherence and relieve physical jobs. In other words, future wellness can be defined how carefully design makes healthy topographic points through public green infinites. Bing urbanization has led to kids with short of chances to play out of house and see the natural environment than old coevalss. Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, kids have the right to play, diversion and civilization ( Petrie, Egharevba, Oliver and Poland, 2000 ) . Play breeds of import phenomenon for development of kids ; the growing of societal accomplishments, experimentation about the crises of confrontation and the publicity of physical activity. Baranowski T. et Al besides defined â€Å" natural unfastened infinite for kids, that being out-of-doorss is the most powerful correlative of physical activity, and contact with nature can significantly cut down the psychological hurt caused by emphasis † . First, activity in public, green infinites bring benefit to kids enduring from Attention Deficit Disorder ( ADD ) . Evidence shows that green infinite activities such as fishing, association football were 85 % regarded the behavior of kids with ADD, while no n-green activities such as video games, watching telecasting were merely 43 % improved as good ( Taylor 2001 ) . Second, topographic points with trees and grass encourage better chances for kids ‘s playing than infinites without such eclogical elements. For illustration, in inner-city Chicago, kids ‘s playing was monitored in environing flat blocks where were likewise planned trees and grass. Playing in the green infinites found significantly higher degrees of originative than in the waste countries. Children playing in the green infinites had more chance for mental growing, this facet can better the interpersonal accomplishments development ( Taylor 2001 ) . In add-on, well-designed infinites will supply to make full fewer chances than old coevalss through supplying kids with chances for exercising and propensity. The crime-ridden territory can alter to attractive, safe topographic points and better topographic point value by public unfastened infinite. First, community gardens were shown important decrease in offense rate. A positive illustration emerges from Southern Ontario, Canada, a community garden was attempted on the old rubbish shit site, which attracted local felons and was avoided by the 1200 local occupants as a consequence drastic 30 % bead in offense through environmental design. Furthermore, this decrease has encouraged occupants to utilize the streets more at dark, including better communicating with different cultural groups ( McKay 1998 ) . Such alterations can advance everyone to run into the greatest of public infinites. Indeed, good-quality public infinites link to good direction to forestall from slumism. Second, turn uping propinquity to public infinite b economic value and trading by taking more people for retail merchants. It has been shown that well-planned public inf inites betterments in town Centres could bring forth commercial trading by up to 40 % and the growing of private sector investing ( DoE and The Association of Town Centre Management, Managing Urban Spaces in Town Centres 1997 ) . â€Å" Small concerns taking a new concern location rank the sum of unfastened infinite and propinquity to Parkss and diversion as the number-one precedence in site choice. † ( The Trust for Public Land, Economic Benefits of Open Space, 2001 ) Third, The local economic system can accomplish important positive impact from a high-quality public landscape in footings of exciting addition in value of house, since prorerty-buyers prefer to be near green infinite. For illustration, in Berlin by 2000, near to resort areas in residential countries and a high figure of street trees was found to increase 16 % in the values of belongings. ( Luther, Gruehn 2001 ) . In Leiden, Netherlands, a position of a park have been shown to raise the house monetary values by 8 % to compare with a position of an flat block, which can cut down the monetary value by 7 % . The value of places was at least 15 % higher by the presence of green infinites, where the bulk of occupants mentioned the public green infinites as a major factor in their moving determination into the country. ( Luttik 2000 ) When the environment is unattractive, Unsafe, i.e. ‘unwalkable ‘ urban countries, can do it difficult to accomplish the demands of physical activity and interaction between occupants and nature country by the deficiency of verdure and dominated traffic. It will supply unproductive life manner. Inclusive high-quality, well-maintained public infinites that encourage walking, cycling and assorted activities have a positive consequence on our wellness. In other words, POS is a powerful arm in the battle against fleshiness and unwellness. Responsibility explained the interrelatedness between wellness, wellbeing and sustainability and urban design betterments undertaken as portion of a wider scheme can engender even more dramatic consequences ; switching forms of illness, population, public wellness, besides conveying down C footmarks. Probably, carefully design can cover with complex demands in simple ways. However, above all, integrated decision-making should be preceded by p olicymakers, besides they should concern bing communities and renovations. This research has deal with sustainable, promotive wellness environments together with the refering wellness and wellbeing. This win-win scheme in sustainability benefits accrue from every planning procedure through more collaborative working. Open infinite will go firmly portion of regulation and community development. Approach to public unfastened infinite maximises its possible to lend to a more inclusive and sustainable 1 on a local, regional and national degree that will heighten a broad scope of ends.

National Parks of |Ethiopia

It is the oldest and most develode wildlife reserve in Ethiopia. It is even easy to access, situated 210kms (130miles) east of Addis Ababa. Awash national park occupies about 830 square kilometers (320sq. miles) of dry savannah in the middle of the rift valley. This hot, arid terrain climbs up to 1,000masl, with the exception of the peak of Fentale volcano, which reaches 2,007masl. The parks name comes from the longest river in Ethiopia: the Awash. It marks the southern boundary of the park by means of a deep gorge, then turns north where it reaches the inhospitable Danakil region.In the park’s interior, the river forms a waterfall underneath which it is possible to walk and enjoy the exceptional view of a great numbers and variety of birds. The park’s habitat features an odd riverine forest and interesting volcanic terrain. The impressive 3. 5km crater presents a vision of hell, surrounded by remains of lava from the last eruption in 1820. The harar road cuts the park in to two. Hot springs are accessible by road in the northern part of the park. Warm, turquoise waters with a temperature of 360c offer a delightful swim.Among the park’s sparse vegetation, the palm oil trees stand out. They are highly valued by the Afar people who live in the surrounding area, because edible oil is obtained from its fruit. Not far from the main roads, one can see soemmering’s Gazelles & even the pale beisa oryx, with straight horns capable of spearing a lion. These animals have adapted to the high temperatures and scarcity of water by developing a physiological mechanism that allows them to increase their interior temperature. Instead of perspiring, they lose heat through radiation.There are also other mammals inhabited in the national park like: greater kuhdu, lesser kudu, dik dik, warthogs, Anubis baboon, hamadryas baboon, black & white colobus monkey, vervet monkey and many more. It is not easy to spot predators, but in the park there are lions, le opards, cheetahs, striped and spotted hyenas, golden and black-backed jackals, servals and wild cats. The spotted hyenas, the largest in the family, reach a height of between 65 and 90cm. they have a wide head, short bristly hair, hind quarters lower than the front quarters, and a long, powerful neck. Their coats are grey or yellow with black patches.About 400 species of birds have been counted, including some endemic species such as the banded barbet, the golden backed woodpecker, the thick billed raven and the wattled ibis. SIMIEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK It is registered as a world heritage site by UNESCO, located in the Simien Mountain, it occupies a surface area of 180km2. Simien means â€Å"NORTH† in Amharic, an allusion to the position it occupies in the Gondar massif, one of the craggiest in Africa. The park is interesting because of the uniqueness of its endemic animals, the beauty of its flora, and the majesty of its impressive landscape.The park, situated between 4,6 20 and 1,900masl, boasts varied flora with three marked botanical areas. The highest parts have meadows with little vegetation, characteristic of afro alpine zones. Here one can find the endemic lobelia rhynchopetalum, small groups of perpetual flowers, helichrysum, and the striking kniphofia foliosa. Of particular botanical interest is the Afrovivella semiensis, a small fleshy plant with pink flowers in the shape of little bells. This plant has been found only in the Simien Mountains and nowhere else on earth.There is only one species within its genus. In the park, there are three most colorful endemic mammals in Ethiopia: the walia ibex which lives wild at an altitude of more than 2,500masl, the gelada baboonwhich inhabits the simian plateax, and the Ethiopian wolf which is also found in great numbers in the Bale mountain national park. In the park, approximately 50 different bird species have been identified, among them a great many scavengers and birds of prey. Birds migrating f rom Europe and all over Africa also can be seen here.One of the most striking birds is the large and powerful lammergeyer or bearded vulture. It is a scavenger, often seen on the north face of the park. This bird nests on inaccessible shelves and in hollows on great walls of rock. Unlike other vultures, its head is completely covered in feathers. Underneath its beak, it has a streak of stiff bristles, which accounts for its nick name â€Å"bearded vulture†. Its wingspan can reach up to 250cm. the lammergeyer feeds on animal remains stripped of meat by other vultures. It takes the bones, drops them from a great height, and eats the marrow.Bones and marrow comprise 85%of its diet. There are also other birds of prey in the park: buzzard, Egyptian vulture, Ruppel’s griffon vultures, eagles, falcons and ravens. Endemic bird species such as the spot-breasted plover, the white-billed starling and the black-headed siskin are easy to spot in the national park during rainy seaso n, as they search for food over the cultivated land of the high plateau. Even if there is a rare chance to see, one can also possibly spot the black-headed forest orioles & golden-backed woodpeckers in the valley. YANGUDI-RASSA NATIONAL PARKDespite the difficulties of getting this place, the Yangudi-rassa national park is worth visiting. It is the last refuge of the extremely rare and almost extinct African wild Ass. Found 500kms northeast of the Addis Ababa, the habitat is 4,371km2of semi desert with vegetation consisting of acacia trees, fleshy grass and scrub. The park protects against the dangers threatening the wild donkey: Somalis and Ethiopian who hunt them for food and medicine, depredation by hyenas, competition with cattle for scarce water, and cross-breeding with domestic donkeys.The sub-species living in Ethiopia, the equus africanus somalicus(YEDUR AHIYA), is down to only a few hundred heads, surviving in a completely wild state. These asses posses excellent climbing ab ilities and usually inhabit rocky, uneven places. This ability differentiates them from their brother, the domestic donkey. BALE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK Although the access route is difficult to traverse, the Bale Mountains are worth visiting because they contain the richest flora & fauna of the alpine habitat in all of Ethiopia. The park occupies a surface area of 2,470km2 and includes altitudes from 1,500 up to 4,400masl.This provides a unique diversity of landscape, vegetation and fauna. The park is divided by the Harenna cliff, which runs through it like a fracture from east to west, creating three clearly differentiated areas within the reserve. The northern part is known as Geyessey, named after a small river that crosses it & flows in to the WEYB River near the settlement of Dinsho. The central part, just above the cliff, is the sennete plateau which rises to more than 4,000masl. The southern part, below the cliff, is a densely forested area known as the Harenna forest.From th ere, the land continues to drop until it reaches the lowlands. In the northern part, geysey area, and around Dinsho, a large variety of animals can be seen. The vegetation consists of grassy ground, riverside plains, trees and bushes. In the hills, between 2,500 and 3,300m, there are meadows and plentiful hygenia abyssinica and juniperous procera trees. Geraniums, lobelias and Allchemilas species create colourful carpets interrupted by thickets of Artemisia afra, kniphofia foliosa flowers and the wild roses of the Rose abyssinica.This part of the park is the best place to see the endemic mountain Nyala, which is a large antelope the size of a Kudu. In the area surrounding Dinsho, one can find the endemic Menelik’s bushbuck. The bushbuck prefers plains and mountains up to 4,000m and feeds mainly on leaves, shoots and fruit. It is a natural swimmer. As it is a solitary creature, Menelik’s bushbuck is rarely found in pairs, except for couples in the mating season or a fem ale with her offspring. In the second part of the park, the senate plateau, just above the harenna cliff at a height of 4,000m.It was formed by ancient volcanic rocks. It can be reached by the road connecting Goba to Dolomena, which crosses the eastern part of the park. This road has views of some of the most wonderful natural scenery in the world. Rivers and streams cut gorges across the plateau, form waterfalls in some places and craggy crests rise above the plateau. The most outstanding peak is the second tallest in Ethiopia, TULLU DIMTU (The red mountain) at 4,477meter. Mount Batu, at 4,300m, is also impressive. The shallow depressions of the plateau fill up with water during the rainy season, forming small lakes.A few large lakes contain water year round, including Garba Buracha (Black Water) and Hora Bachay, which create unique places to observe migratory birds from Europe, that are avoiding the western winter. The plateau of volcanic rock is covered with emerald green moorlan d and a host of lichens. The area’s afroalpine vegetation is displayed in the numerous giant Lobelias and the everlastings represented by different species, among them H. splendidum with its yellow flowers and the thorny H. citrispinum. This area is the best place to see the endemic and rare Ethiopian wolf.This mammal can only be found in the high altitude prairies of the Bale and Simien massifs. Its reddish coat is similar to the European Red Fox, but its shape is between a wolf and a jackal. It has long legs, a sharp snout, and a very thick black and white tail. The male and female are identical. Its preferred prey is the endemic giant molerat, a large, brown, round-bodied rodent. The last part of the park is located to the south, where the land gradually falls away and a belt of heath land gives away to a densely wooded forest, known as the HARENNA FOREST.Depending the altitude, different species of trees appear in the forests, from Podocarpus, Hagenias, Juniperous, Scheff lera and Bamboos, all with bark decorated by the lichens and mosses. In the forest, it is difficult to spot animals but several types of pig have been seen, such as Warthogs, Bushh pigs and Giant Forest hogs. In the Harenna forest, Black & White colobus monkeys jump from tree to tree. Anubis baboons are most common, found in Adeley, Geysey and Harenna forests. Groups of them have been seen at altitudes above 3,700meters.Vervet monkeys live at an altitude below 3,000meter. More than 200 bird species have been counted, of which at least 15 are endemic. Among the rocky highlands of Bale, the spectacular lammergeyer, one can often find the thick-billed raven feasting on the lammergeyer’s leftovers. It is also possible to spot different birds of prey such as Falcons, Eagles, kites, Vultures and Ravens. The best season to visit the park is the dry season, from November to January when there are abundant clear days. The temperature can reach up to 300C during the morning and drop to -70C at night.