The North Vietnamese army was supported by the Sov Essays

The North Vietnamese army was supported by the Soviet Union, China and other communist allies the South Vietnamese army was supported by the United States, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and other anti-communist allies. There for it is considered a coldwar US military struggle fought primarily in South Vietnam from 1959 to 1975 The Vietnam War occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975. fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The Viet Cong (also known as the National Liberation Front, or NLF) The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunify Vietnam The U.S. government viewed its involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. It began as an attempt by Communist (Vietcong) in the South, backed by Communist North Vietnam, to overthrow the government of South Vietnam. The struggle widened into a war between South Vietnam and North Vietnam and ultimately into a limited international conflict. North(communist) south(anti communist)

Arthur Miller, The Crucible Essay Example

Arthur Miller, The Crucible Essay Example Arthur Miller, The Crucible Essay Arthur Miller, The Crucible Essay Essay Topic: The Crucible Untraditional Drama Conventions Does an author always have to stick to conventions in writing? A dramatic convention is an unrealistic element in a literary work that is accepted by readers or viewers because it is traditional. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller deviates from traditional drama conventions in his telling of the Salem Witch Trials. He does not use scenes and uses a narrative technique more than stage directions throughout the play. A conventional play typically includes scenes dividing an act. However, Arthur Miller includes only one scene in the play, Act Two, Scene 2. In this scene, John Proctor meets with Abigail in the woods at night. John warns her that if she does not tell the court that she is blind to spirits(152), he will reveal the truth about their affair. Miller omits this scene from the play because he wants to portray Abigail as a selfish, heartless person who is manipulating others and is aware of her lies. However, the reader can sense that Abigail truly believes in witchcraft and has feelings for John in this scene. She says that she will scrub the world clean(150) from all the hypocrites and liars. She even tells John how good of a wife she will be. This makes the reader sympathize with Abigail because she is clearly insane and believes she is right. Miller uses long paragraphs of prose to describe the setting, introduce characters, and provide background information on the characters and the time period. For example, in Act One, Miller writes:Mrs. Putnam-who is now staring at the bewitched child on the bed†¦(26). In a conventional play, a characters feelings and movements would be included in the stage directions. However, Miller uses limited stage directions. Instead, he chooses to include these narrative passages to provide the reader with a better understanding of the characters and setting. It also helps the reader foreshadow what is going to happen. For instance, Miller talks about Thomas Putnams vindictive nature(14) and how he had Burroughs jailed for debts the man did not owe(14). This helps the reader predict that Mr. Putnam will make false accusations during the witchcraft trials. Arthur Miller cleverly uses untraditional drama conventions in this play. Choosing to do so helps him manipulate the readers feelings toward characters and events. Also, it makes the setting clearer and describes the circumstances. Miller helps the reader make assumptions about what the characters will do in the play based on the background information he provides.

Causes of the French Revolution Essay

An illustration of this is in document figure 11 which has both —– and —– factors from a societal scientific discipline position. This papers shows the members of the national assembly who decided to take a base and vowed to non divide until they made a fundamental law subsequently known as the â€Å"Tennis Court Oath† . This papers truly shows the continuity the people of France had to do life every bit just for both the royals. provincials and everyone in between. As you now know there are many factors that led up to the Gallic Revolution and one of the biggest causes was economic crisis. While the royal household was happy holding banquets the people of France were hungering and many could hardly afford the monetary value of a four pool loaf of staff of life. In document figure 15 it shows how the monetary value of staff of life skyrocketed in merely a year’s clip and how much of a person’s income was spent on staff of life. Not merely was the monetary value hideous but it was the chief component in their diet so they could non travel without it. This papers is a secondary beginning and it shows both political and economic positions in a societal scientific discipline position. Another illustration of economic confusion is in document figure 10. In this papers it shows the fiscal jobs in France during 1789. The economic system was so unhealthy that non merely were the urban common mans in debt the male monarch besides was. When adding up the monetary value of nutrient. rent. tithe. revenue enhancements. and dressing it put the common mans at an amazing 170 % entire. and although it was a lesser sum the male monarch was besides in debt by a humongous 60 % . This papers has both political and economic points and even though it is a secondary beginning it truly makes you believe about how difficult it must hold been for the people to merely last. Throughout history there have been many people who wanted power. to be a leader and stand over others and demo that they are of a greater category. And to the people king Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were seeking to demo their laterality. Political positions have ever been a large portion of society and they were besides a immense subscriber to the start of the Gallic Revolution. Document figure one has a picture for both King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette which clearly shows that they are rich and powerful. As you look at Marie in this image you can see that she had no job paying a monetary value to look beautiful and Louis closet indicates that he has large luxuries and they love to demo it. This papers is a primary beginning and has political. economic. and cultural positions. Another great illustration for a political cause is document figure three. This papers non merely has a political position it besides shows economic. cultural. and psychologically positions in a primary beginning. It talks about the adversities a adult female and her hubby are confronting seeking to run into the demands of the royals. the papers states â€Å"The revenue enhancements and feudal dues are oppressing us. † What sent many people over the border was non being treated reasonably until they eventually snapped.

Honesty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Honesty - Research Paper Example In developing the concept of honesty, one finds that by going from the initial definition of the word honest to the cultural differences expressed in one different language, the true concept, of honesty requires the existence of human relations. The purpose of this paper is to prove the thesis that Honesty in the dictionary sense is not the best policy. The online dictionary definition of honesty implies "fairness and straightforwardness of conduct". The second definition is keeping to the facts: sincere. (Merriam-Webster) Fairness and sincerity are a contradiction. If an older child beat up his brother because his brother broke one of his games, the parent would admonish the violent reaction of the older brother over the younger brother's breaking the toy. Our society does not adhere to violence. The broken toy could have been an accident or a deliberate act. If his parents were sincere, they would ascertain as to why he broke the toy. If both boys were at fault, fairness would dictate that both would be punished. It is rarely the case as the punishment is different for each child and culturally given to the older of the twoIn reality, honesty is governed by a set of rules which go beyond our comprehension of the word. Most of us think that honesty exist. It exist if the rules are followed. In the second source, Mr Dougherty analys es Cringe comedians. He entitles his article Honesty is the best policy. (Dougherty ) People no longer want to spend time thinking through the significance of thought provoking jokes. We are in the "now" society. If it is not attained within 30 seconds, it is not worth it. Cringe comedians come up with one line jokes attacking the truths of life. They twitter their way thru the commentary of life's problems. Life can be split into two twits: alleviating the fears of life by throwing freezing water to chill the problem. A comedian who basis all his one line cringes on self deprecation makes at least one person in the audience feel that there is one person who is better off than the comedian . or the comedian has mastered the art of persona and gives members of the audience what they want to hear as each one has a different concept of honesty. The first comedian uses self deprecation to alleviate fear and the second comedian uses self deprecation to share honest aspects of the "person a". There are people in the audience who can relate to both sorts of tweets. The word tweet is used in a derogatory fashion to show the rapidity in which cringe comedians respond to humor. The concept of honesty is used as the dictionary describes as "straightforwardness" . This limits the point that there is a set of rules to the concept of honesty. As the previous source is somewhat weak, the following source is from a journal. The concept of honesty can be broken down into mathematical equations. A fundamental principal of man is that all human relations are based on the concept of honesty. As this is a rather grandiose principal, the writer has broken it down into equations. The concept of Honesty:

Discuss the advantages of analysing organizations as incentive Essay - 1

Discuss the advantages of analysing organizations as incentive mechanisms - Essay Example In other words, it has been made clear that organizations can operate as incentive mechanisms for achieving the goals set by their strategic planners. Such perspective of modern organizations would be particularly important in order to understand the changes in organizational needs through the years and to identify an effective framework of action – meaning a plan for updating existing organizational policies – that would be best suit to the organizational aims; flexibility would be one of the key characteristics of such plan indicating the ability of the plan to be alternated in order to allow the development of the organization involved as an incentive mechanism. The terms and the characteristics of organizations as incentive mechanisms are presented in this paper focusing on the advantages of such perspective for both the organization, as an independent entity, and the organization’s stakeholders. 2. ... In accordance with Herbert Simon (1991) the organizational behaviour should be primarily based on the organizational loyalty (in Knack 2003, p.237); using the above view, the following assumption can be produced: organizations cannot act as incentive mechanisms if loyalty across their units is not strong. Another requirement of the development of organizations as incentive mechanisms has been introduced through the study of Ledgerwood et al. (2006). In the above study it is explained that organizations can operate as incentive mechanisms only under the terms that the communication in the internal organizational environment is at high levels. It is further explained that such organizations can be easily transformed as of their structure, goals and operational activities, without being negatively affected as of their performance. The transformation of an organization from a NGO to a Micro Finance Institution is used as an example of the above phenomenon (Ledgerwood et al. 2006, 292). A t the next level it is made clear that even when all measures have been taken regarding the quality of communication and cooperation within the organization, still it is possible that the organization fails to respond to its role as an incentive mechanism. In accordance with Ledgerwood et al. (2006, 292) one of the key reasons for this failure would be the inability of managers to identify the context of the organization’s incentives as being differentiated from the incentives of its employees. The incentives provided by the organization – acting as an incentive mechanism – are usually different from the incentives setting by individuals (employees) who are more likely to

Universal Coverage Essay Example for Free

Universal Coverage Essay Health insurance is a term that explains a form of coverage that meets ones medical expenses. This form of insurance pays for medical expenses and sometimes may encompass insurance on disability and long-term nursing needs. There are two ways that one may get access to services of health cover firms, one of them is that, insurance may be offered by the government subsidized program i. e. the Social Insurance Program or the second alternative is by private medical insurance firms. The package may be obtained collectively e. g. by a company to insure its employees etc or may be obtained individually by customers. However in either case, the covered persons pay premiums to get protection from high or unpredicted medical care expenses. The government may offer such benefits of paying healthcare costs via a Social welfare program. Universal Coverage is described as the affordable medical care insurance that extends its coverage to all eligible residents of the country. It’s sometimes called Universal Healthcare. The coverage of such programs are greatly varied in terms of funding mechanism and organizational structure especially the extent to which they are funded by the public. Normally, the general public always has to pay their medical care expenses through health insurance schemes that are a compulsory requirement. Some pay through taxation and at times both tax and medical insurance programs may be used to meet the healthcare bill. According to the Institute of Medicine, The United States of America has been confirmed to be the only developed regime that doesn’t offer the Universal Coverage. Otherwise, many other developed nations and the developing countries offer the Universal healthcare coverage system of health insurance and it’s the trend all over the world. Introduction Health insurance is coverage that takes care of medical bills. Governments have come up with policies that regulate this health insurance programs. The Medical care insurance policy is a contract that binds a health insurance company and the person in question. The contact may be renewable annually or upon the agreed period of time. The contract usually described the type and the amount of medical expenses to be covered in the agreed duration and is usually paid in advance as evidence of coverage in the booklet. The Universal Coverage as mentioned earlier describes a situation where everybody is covered for the basic medical care services as per the government policy as long as one is an eligible resident of the region in question. Universal medical care coverage has been mistakenly likened to ingle-prayer; a type of medical cares where the government pays all the healthcare expenses. Most governments in the world currently provide Medical care universally with Singapore having the most efficient and successful medical coverage in the world. Probably t due to this reason that it has the country records low infant mortality rates and long life expectancies. The U. S is the only country that does not offer Universal coverage. The U. S government has established policies that recommend reforms in the healthcare by the year 2010, based on the per capita expenses. The situation in the country is that per capita expenses on medical care services is almost twice as much as other developed countries, but still has high infant mortality rates and short life expectancies. Health Insurance in the U. S In 2005, a bill was presented to the House of Representatives of the U. S proposing the introduction of a Universal health care coverage that would combine both public and private coverage. The discussions in the U. S on universal coverage are usually confused with the concept of single prayer scheme which is sometimes called socialized medicine. This perception usually becomes a major hurdle for the enactment of the universal coverage (Lerberghe 2005) Many of the medical service providers in the U. S will concur to charge the insurance Companies if the clients are willing to assent his signature to an agreement that the amount not paid by the insurance company would be their responsibility. Medical care in the U. S is provided by different legal entities and it has been noted that the U. S is highest spender on health care services. (Porter Teisberg 2006) A greater percentage of the U. S population have some form of medical insurance cover individually or through employers while others are granted by the government. There are certain publicly financed medical care schemes that are meant to provide assistance to the elderly, disabled, children and the poor. Federal law authorizes the general public to access emergency medical services despite their ability to meet the expenses. The health care coverage in the U. S depends so much on the private sector and the non-profit insurers and is the main source of medical coverage for the Americans. Public programs provide coverage services to older people and low-income earners including families that meet certain requirements to be entitled to this cover (Lerberghe 2005). Some of the public programs are Social insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP. In 2006, it’s estimated that over 47 million people did not have any medical care cover for some part of the year (Anderson 2007). In 2004, the United States medical cover providers employed almost 471,000 workers directly. Since 2001, the health insurance costs in the States are rising at a very alarming rate that there is need to re evaluate the effectiveness of their system of healthcare payment. In the year 2007, most of the low-income earners and unemployed did not have medical cover. Those without medical insurance that year, summed up to about 15. 8% of the total population. The efficiency and the quality of the U. S medical care system raises questions on whether its worth the million of shillings that the government spends each year. A research by the world Health Organization in 2000, found out that the U. S was the highest spender on healthcare services yet it lagged far much behind in effectiveness of its performance (Haley Deevey 2001). Since universal coverage has proved to be more effective, there have been many proposals presented to the U. S administration to encourage transformation process of the current system to enable it to extend its coverage universally, rather than via a complete restructuring of the entire system. Considering that, most Americans covered by private insurance companies receive their benefits through employer sponsored schemes, it has been suggested that the employer ‘pay or play’ be used to expand coverage. However analysts have suggested that the proposed pay or play plans will be restricted in their capacity to include the working poor. Other observations made included the fact that this proposed plan basically excludes small companies, do not differentiate individuals who may be able to access other forms of healthcare insurance, from those who do not, and may cause the overall employer compensation expenses to rise. Universal Coverage As defined earlier, universal health coverage is the situation where by the government covers everyone’s basic medical care services as long as the people meet eligibility requirements of the region. Only America does not provide the universal coverage to its citizens of all the industrialized countries (Mayes 2005). This has seen America’s health care coverage system collapse! Almost a third of the Americans are not insured at some time of the year, this according to the research by Commonwealth Fund with the number of those supposedly covered dangerously under insured (Baker 2000). There arises situations when the insurance companies fail to meet the expenses of the medical services provided to their clients, in such cases, the affected persons may face a serious and tough decision making moment that they have to choose between healthcare services and other life necessities. As many as about half of the bankruptcies reported in the U. S are contributed to by medical debts and more than three-quarters of them are due to the medical debt the insurance had at the beginning of the sickness (Mayes 2005). The population that is covered collectively by employer is steadily loosing the benefits as more and more charges are being pushed towards the employees, while the young and unemployed minority are suffering for being under insured and usually pays disproportionate split of their income to the insurance coverage (Emanuel Fuchs 2005) Several issues have been raised to solve the problem of healthcare expenses and analysis made for the best possible alternative. In many occasions of discussions, universal coverage has been confused with â€Å"single payer† healthcare system. The Single-Payer healthcare system is the U. S’s term that describes the payment of all players in medical care service from single fund. The players here, being doctors, hospital and other related trades like pharmacies. The Canadian medical care system, the British, and the Australia’s Medicare are all single payer systems. The U. S’s Medicare and Medicaid are also described as single payer systems. The single payer system has only one financial source for paying all the medical service providers. Some people have argued that the single fancier of the single payer system is the government, but in Countries such as the U. S the matter is left for analysts and the patient never bears the individual accountability for all the expenses (Mayes 2005). The single payer system has been proposed to help transform the current and collapsing system of health insurance in the U. S. It is different from the Universal health care system where the government has total control of the healthcare systems including administration, employing doctors and other staff, despite the fact that logically all these are single payer systems! Meanwhile, when the term is used to imply these differences, the stakeholders in medical care industry remain independent and may confer with the government for funding. The single payer has been proposed to change the current system of the Americans, however critics oppose the fact that it would offer better quality of healthcare at a cheaper expense by saying that this would affect the quality of medical care and discourage innovations and therefore give free market approach and tax incentive as the better options (Emanuel Fuchs 2005) Some organization support universal coverage, these organizations that advocate for the implementation of the universal coverage do so due to its efficiency and advantages. The main supporters are; doctors, nurses and organizations such as Healthcare for everyone, Physicians for a National health Program and National health Insurance. The supporters argue that medical care is a basic human right and everyone is entitled to it, provision of medical care to the whole nation would profit the country economically, and that the profit motivation could negatively affect the quality of the healthcare services provided. Cutting costs is the main issue that raises concerns in the healthcare service provision. It would be much better to cut down costs rather than maintaining since the current economic crisis does not call for increased expenses. Currently, the U. S government has sacrificed its healthcare service industry to financial plan cuts. Communities especially those living in the poor neighborhood are needlessly vulnerable to diseases that otherwise could have been corrected or prevented. Cost cutting demands have lead to humiliating of occupations of medical care service providers like nurses and home-care workers. Processes such as screening, early diagnosis, and prevention measures that are efficient cost cutting methods have been short changed. Though cost cutting is very important, it should not sacrifice the quality of healthcare services to be provided. For the health care crisis in the American system and cost cutting pressures that are mounting on the budgetary allocations, have caused the quality of health care to be compromised in the name of cutting costs. Human rights activist argue that the sanctity of life should be respected and life protected no matter the cost.

Essay --

When it come to be publicly acknowledged that the United States government planned on using atomic bombs to fight the war against Japan, a group of scientists who had worked on the atomic bomb for many years, felt the need to protest the idea. Leo Szilard who was a head of the group of scientists came up with a petition for the president for his associated scientists to look over. In his petition he asked the President â€Å"to rule that the United States shall not, in the present phase of the war, resort to the use of atomic bombs† (Szilard, par. 1). Szilard’s thoughts mentioned in the petition sought the strength and persuasion needed to sway the President that the use of the atomic bomb was uncalled for because of the shortage of facts presented, their poor reasoning found in the writing, and the failure to communicate the significance that their arguments held in the decision. In the petition Leo Szilard uses pathos over and over to try and sway the President’s view of using an atomic bomb to fight against Japan. While the argument is persuasive, he used the advantage of the alre...

Functionalist theories Essay

The functionalist theory posits that the society is composed of interconnected parts which function like a social system. In a society, there are parts that work in a similar manner the human body works as a system made of different organs. The ‘organs’ of a society are the social institutions that are set up to work together to ensure that the society runs smoothly. Such institutions include schools and family set ups. Levin (2009, para 3) defines functionalism as â€Å"the doctrine that what makes something a thought, desire, pain (or any other type of mental state) depends not on its internal constitution, but solely on its function. † As such, functionalism theories describe the mental state as a function of behavior, stimulation of senses or other states of the mind. For instance, it is possible to say that pain results from injury in the body thus symbolizing that something is not functioning as expected and therefore the body desires to be out of the painful state. The functionalist theory is not restricted to creatures that have a mental state and can be applicable in silicon-based conditions. That is why the different states of mind can be said to be multiply realized. Physical states as well as non-physical states are viewed as able to cause a specific mental state. This is why Levin (2009) finds functionalism being similar to dualism. Under functionalism theories, there are theories that the mental states are said to give a description of what our mental state descriptions mean. Other theories under functionalism provide that mental states can be characterized according to facts proved through scientific experimentations. Different social scientists have made different contributions to the functionalist theory. Aristotle is among the earliest ancestors of functionalism. Aristotle came up with the theory of the soul where he argued that the soul of a human being cannot exist independent of the body and thus the soul forms the natural part of the entire human body. The soul is therefore a combination of powers that help the body to express itself. The human body as a system functions to enable survival (living) as well as to reason thereby acting as necessary. Aristotle therefore finds the soul as a part of the human body which cannot be separated. In addition, the soul empowers the body to live as well as perceive stimuli with subsequent action. Hobbes (1651) is also recognized as one of the important contributors to functionalism. Hobbes takes a mechanistic approach of the state of mind by arguing that human reasoning is comparable to arithmetic computation with adherence to arithmetic rules. Hobbes proceeds to argue that human reasoning as a function is not restricted to human minds only and instead physical systems also possess the capacity to carry out reasoning. As such, machines are able to carry out the functions that are similar to that of a reasoning mind. Levin (2009) cites that Hobbes arguments were accepted in the twentieth century where social scientists realized that different physical creatures can perform the thinking function since thinking per se is controlled by functions similar to computation. Jean Piaget is an influential social scientist who had a functionalist view. Piaget (1896-1980) was a developmental psychologist who looked into the thinking in children. Piaget posited that new born have reflexes that are responsible for behavior control in other species throughout life. The reflexes in infants enable adaptation thus they are replaced by complex schemes as the infant grows. Assimilation processes occur to enable the environment match with the individual’s cognitive structures. On the other hand, an accommodation process involves the cognitive structures being modified to adapt changes in the environment. Piaget therefore came up with four cognitive development stages. These include sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational phase and formal operational phase (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). It is therefore evident that complexity of behaviors is hierarchical and so are the adaptation mechanisms. Social scientists have contributed significantly to current learning theory by forming the basis for development of schooling programs that are accommodative of human beings at all stages of life. Piaget’s theory for instance is the foundational theory for pre-school programs as well as programs for primary school students. In addition, the theory also provides a basis for constructivist learning (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). Aristotle’s and Hobbes’s theories are foundational to behaviorism whether logical or machine state. All these have expanded the field of cognitive psychology. Indeed, functionalist theories will remain invaluable in psychology as evidenced by the usefulness of the functionalist theories developed by Aristotle, Hobbes and Piaget. At the same time, the theories will remain debatable as long as social scientists continue with their endeavor to understand human mind and behavior. Functionalist theories will also be at the center of understanding the psychology of learning. References Huitt, W. , and Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved 19, July 2010 from http://www. edpsycinteractive. org/topics/cogsys/piaget. html Levin, J. (2009). Functionalism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 19, July 2010 from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/functionalism/

American education Essay

I grew up in America and received an American education. I have an American wife and children and I love the life I have built for myself in America. My dilemma is that I am, by birth, beholden to become the chief of an African tribe upon the death of my father who was chief of the tribe. My loyalties are torn between my life in America and my responsibility to a tribe I have never known in a land I don’t understand, and in a role of leadership which I have never experienced. I must also consider my wife and children; I must make a decision either to shirk my responsibility to the tribe or to take my family to a very strange, possibly dangerous land and upset our lives completely. Because it seems to me that the cultural and technological changes that are impacting Africa in the twenty-first century are complicated and profound, I feel a strong sense that I should serve the tribe. It would be very difficult to give up my life in America because the life described n Africa in the film sounds demanding and very alien to the social customs of America. However, it seems that refusing to provide wisdom and knowledge and leadership to the tribe due to fear of change or personal selfishness would be morally wrong. Because I have had a good education in America, I will be able to help the African tribe in many ways. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to conduct travels to America and do business on behalf of the tribe in America or work to provide opportunities for those in the African tribe who seek it to become educated in America. In some ways, the responsibility to the tribe is not only to facilitate a transition into the twenty-first century but to uphold the promise of my father who, as chief, promised the tribe that I would serve upon his death. Taking my family to Ghana will be a very difficult and very troublesome action which is a sort of sacrifice that will be necessary in order for me to do what is morally and practically the right thing to do. It would be wrong to turn my back on the tribe, but it is potentially dangerous and destructive to uproot my family and take them to a foreign land. On the other hand, the opportunity may well prove to be a good one for both myself nad my family. The land may show us mysteries and cultural differences which will make us better people, and maybe even happier people. There may be issues other than those of service to the tribe. After-all, I will be chief and me and my family will be held in high esteem by the tribe; we will be important and influential and we may find that our new roles are right for us after-all. Going to Africa will also allow me and my family a chance to find out about my ancestry and the history of the tribe. It could be that certain tribal traditions and tribal wisdoms will prove important for Westerners to understand and that my role as a â€Å"bridge† will work both ways: I may impart wisdom about modern ideas and technologies to the tribe but I may be able to use traditional tribal ideas and cultural wisdoms to elucidate problems which face the â€Å"modern† world. The final factor which weighs in my decision is the fact that the tribe has already pronounced me chief and accepted me as chief. In this sense, the tribe is also my â€Å"family’ they are simply family members which I have not yet become attached to and involved with, but it is important for me to make a self-sacrifice on behalf of the tribe. I would choose to become Chief of the tribe in order to provide a cultural ‘bridge† from the African traditions to the modern changes which are going to impact the tribe, whether they want them or not and whether or not they are prepared. I feel a sense of responsibility to my father’s reputation and to the tribe, as well as to myself and my family.

The Impact of Global Warming and Desertification Essay Example

The Impact of Global Warming and Desertification Essay Example The Impact of Global Warming and Desertification Paper The Impact of Global Warming and Desertification Paper Global warming (climate change) also leads to sea-level rise with its attendant consequences, and includes fiercer weather, increased frequency and intensity of storms, floods, hurricanes, droughts, increased frequency of fires, poverty, malnutrition and series of health and socio-economic consequences. It has a cumulative effect on natural resources and the balance of nature. Desertification in Nigeria arises from the demands of increased populations that settle on the land in order to grow crops and graze animals. However, desertification is presently affecting the eleven rather states and is also considered the most pressing environmental problem and accounts for about 73% out of the estimated total cost of about US$5. 110 billion per annum the country is losing arising from environmental degradation (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, 1999). This paper discusses briefly, the menace of global warming and desertification, the causes of this menace and solutions. Further, it analyses the extent and the impact of global warming and desertification on the Nigerian ecosystem. INTRODUCTION Nigeria has a rarity of ecosystems, from mangroves and rainforests on the Atlantic coast in the south to the Savannah in the north bordering the Sahara. Whether dry or wet, these ecosystems are being battered by global warming and desertification and the impact can be vast. In the aspect of globalization, some stable ecosystems such as the Sale Savanna may become vulnerable because global warming will reinforce existing patterns of water scarcity and increase the risk of drought in Nigeria and indeed most countries in West Africa. As well, the countrys aquatic ecosystems, wetlands and Other habitats ill create overwhelming problems for an already impoverished populace. Preliminary studies on the vulnerability of various sectors of the Nigerian economy to Climate Change were conducted by the Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST). The sectors evaluations were based on seven natural and human systems identified by the Intergovernmental panel on climatic change (EPIC), and were later condensed into five. They include: ; Human settlements and health; ; Water resources, wetlands, and freshwater ecosystems; ; Energy, industry, commerce, and financial services; Agriculture, food security, Global Warming, forestry, and biodiversity; and ; Coastal zone and marine ecosystems. The study determined that virtually all of the sectors analyzed manifested some evidence of vulnerability to global warming. None were unaffected, nor will remain unaffected in future by changes in climatic conditions. In fact, more recent assessment although in regional and global scale, not only corroborate the patterns established by Canada-Nigeria Climate Change Capacity Development Project(CNN-CDC) reports but captured more stubbing scenarios using more embracing and sophisticated approaches (Intergovernmental panel on Climatic Change, 2007). Indications are that the climate system is more sensitive than originally thought. Scientists have spent decades figuring out what is causing global warming. They have looked at the natural cycles and events that are known to influence climate. But the amount and pattern of warming that is been measured cant be explained by these factors alone. The only way to explain the pattern is to include the effect of greenhouse gases (Eggs) emitted by humans. One of the first things scientists learned is that there are several greenhouse gases responsible for warming, and humans emit them in a variety of ways. Most come from the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, factories and electricity production. The gas responsible for the most warming is carbon dioxide, also called ICC. Other contributors include methane released from landfills and agriculture (especially from the digestive systems of grazing animals), nitrous oxide from fertilizers, gases used for refrigeration and industrial processes, and the loss of forests that would otherwise store ICC. Desertification could be described as the spread of a desert environment into arid or semiarid regions, caused by climatic changes, human influence, or both. (Cline 2007) Climatic factors include periods of temporary but severe drought and long- term climatic changes toward dryness. Human factors include artificial climatic alteration, as through the removal of vegetation (which can lead to unnaturally high erosion), excessive cultivation, and the exhaustion of water supplies. Desertification drains an arid or semiarid land of its life-supporting capabilities. It is one of the major causes of global warming. About 81. 5 billion metric tons of carbons are added into the atmosphere annually out of which about 3. 5 billion metric tons are contributed by deforestation, fossil fuels, organic matter, forest fire and other human activities. Asthma and Asthma, 2003). It is characterized by a declining groundwater table, salt accumulation in topsoil and water, a decrease in surface water, increasing erosion, and the disappearance of native vegetation. Moreover, desertification is often accompanied by Global Warming in arid and semi-arid areas resulting from arioso factors including climate variations and human activities therefore, leading to loss of arable land, displac ement, resettlement and loss of grazing land. The Nigerian first National Communication (2003) indicates that Sudan-Sale that is mostly 1 1 states of Northern Nigeria have suffered decrease in rainfall in the range of about 30-40 percent or about 3-4 percent decades since the beginning of the century. With this desert encroachment, over 90 percent of the population in the frontline states being farmers who depend directly on a wide range of natural resources and the ecosystem revise for their livelihood will face the severe impact of drought. Desertification leads to poverty with all social, economic and cultural consequences, with women being the most vulnerable and also leading to serious wind erosion and loss of agricultural lands. Desertification could also lead to food insecurity, loss of livelihoods and livestock, forced migration, increase in rate of soil erosion, contribution to global warming and loss of bio diversity. One of the major causes of desertification is deforestation, which is the cutting down of trees for domestic uses and this affects the ecosystem actively. Overgrazing of lands by nomads and careless bush burning could also contribute to the desertification. Solutions. There are possible solutions to global warming and desertification in Nigeria, The citizens and the government should put in effort to curb the effects of these two problems. The govern meet should also implement policies that would encourage the planting and grooming of trees. Drastic measures should be taken concerning industries that release dangerous fumes and toxic gases into the atmosphere.

12-Years a Slave Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

12-Years a Slave - Assignment Example He seems to be thinking hard about his present situation. The lighting of this particular picture is dull and unclear with the contrast being low. The colorization also, black and white, portrays a man who is sad, devastated and stressed because of his present situation. In the second birds-eye-view shot, a flashback, Northup appears to be contented with his state of being. He seems satisfied sharing bed with his wife and appears to be â€Å"at home." The picture colorization is bright and presents a situation where Northup is optimistic about the future. The difference in picture colorization presents different emotions and situations. The black and white picture color portrays a dull, unhappy mood while the colored picture presents a happy mood. In the first birds-eye-shot, Northup’s mood is depressed. Obviously, in his state as a slave, he is feeling lonely because his family is not with him. With his apparent state of being locked up and beaten, he also seems heart broken. In the second birds-eye-shot, Northup being with his family, the mood the pictures presents are warm. He is not only harmonious with his being but also calm and warm having his family around him. In the same setting, in the bed, Northup is even planning of the future with his wife. The shots and camera movements used in 12 years a slave are a variety. Sean Bobbitt the man behind the camera positioning of the film says most shots were taken when camera was handheld especially for the extended shots. With the handheld technique, Bobbitt explains that most people overuse the technique and at times do not bring out the intended results or does not tell the story effectively. A single camera was used in the shooting of 12 years a slave scenes. This is because, a single camera is more effective as it takes the whole idea unlike many cameras that will consume time during editing and make work difficult at the same time likely to compromise some information. Single camera

Business Organisation & Policy Topshop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Organisation & Policy Topshop - Essay Example High street retail business like Topshop has been affected by a number of factors like price and cost pressure, concentration in the industry etc. Topshop specializes in women’s fashion products such as clothing and apparels. This retail sector is expanding both horizontally and vertically with retailers taking broader strategies to adapt to it (Burt and Sparks, 2003, p. 15). Polarisation increases in the sector with the growth of the bigger companies. Hence, innovation is the critical element which the retailers need to do for their development. With economies opening them to outer world, the competition is increasing and the retailers are developing strategy to survive. But while developing strategy they need to take into consideration the external factors which will impact them. Political Structure and Trends Topshop and other high street outlets i.e. its competitors are affected by the political structure in a number of ways. One of the main way that politician in UK can affect the high street retail outlet businesses is through their exercise of power in the land-use planning system. Though land-use planning is the function of local authority, the national government can intervene in for the development and growth of high street retail outlet business like Topshop. Recently there have been restrictions on green field development project and hence it is becoming harder for retailers to open in the new shopping centres (Bluff, 2012, p.15). Therefore, as a high street outlet, Topshop needs to take a close look at current business policies and re-strategise their decisions for future expansion. The environment of shopping has changed over the years, because the shoppers can now choose between the leisure and experience component. They now face a more functional price driven appeal from the shoppers (APCO Worldwide, 2012, p. 4). With technological advancement the price has become a major component as the consumers can easily compare the price. Hence, the company needs to offer products of varied price ranges and develop and implement effective branding and promotional strategies so that they can position themselves differentially in the market. The competition commission in UK has found out that consumer have accepted many of the changes in the high street retail sector like the online shopping. As discussed the land-use planning affects the location of the outlets, there are other instruments which governments can use to affect the operations like retail trading legislations and the public policies which regulate such working conditions of the industry, like employment practices etc. Economic Structures and Trends The UK high street retail sector is affected by the macro-level position of the country. If the general economic condition is good this sector will experien ce a high volume of retails sales. If the economic condition of the country improves then there is a possibility of significant investment by other players. Like in India with the Opening up of FDI in the retail sector, many foreign retailers like Walmart, Ikea is going to open themselves up in the country. Like in UK