Balance lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Balance - Lab Report Example Record the reading The Centigram Balance, which gives a reading of 2.3 on weighing the copper slug directly, has a sensitivity of 0.1 grams, whereas the Electronic Balance which gives a reading of 2.999 for the same slug has a much higher sensitivity of 0.001g. It is important to use the same slug for both instruments to make sure that any disparity in the readings is due to the instrument being used and not because of a difference in the mass of the copper slug being measured. The Electronic Balance has a higher accuracy. This is further proved by the value obtained for average mass of a copper slug using an Electronic Balance. This value, 2.980, is very close to the reading 2.989 which was obtained when a copper slug was measured on the Electronic Balance using weight difference method. The Electronic Balance, due to its high sensitivity and accuracy is more reliable for measurement of small masses. The Centigram on the other hand has a much lower accuracy and sensitivity and is thus unsuitable for small masses. Weighing by difference is different from weighing directly because it involves taking two readings and then subtracting the two to get a value for the mass that has to be measured. Weighing by difference gives more accurate results because when the readings are subtracted then any zero error due to wrong calibration of the instrument will be removed from the final reading. In case of weighing a mass directly if the instrument contains a zero error it will show up in the reading obtained which will then be inaccurate. Conclusion: This experiment establishes that the use of an Electronic Balance as opposed to a Centigram Balance and the use of weighing by difference technique as opposed to weighing directly produce more accurate

Motivations Of Greed In Civil War Politics Essay

Motivations Of Greed In Civil War Politics Essay Civil war is a form of conflict and security threats which causes poverty and impedes growth and development, Civil war is the most common form of massive violence and is highly destructive to society, life and the economy. James D. Fearon (2006) explained civil war to be a violent conflict between organized groups within a country that are fighting over control of the government, one sides separatist goals, or some divisive government policy, it is an intrastate war fought as a result of a rising insurgence against the government. Most writers believe that not all conflicts are civil war, for a conflict to be recorded as a civil war, 1000 people must have been killed with at least 100 from each side. Every society is characterized by certain degree of conflict over economic services, political and civil rights, access to social services and employment opportunity. These conflicts are triggered by discrimination against specific group, region, religion, social class, ethnicity or a c ombination of any of these factors (Murshed and Addison). Civil wars are characterized by wide spread losses of lives more of which are civilian women and children, cases of rape and lawless society as the state power falls, powers are only with those holding weapons during war. Civil war has a huge economic impact on a nations economy as most of the resources are directed to destruction, skills are lost and the damage on the infrastructure cripples economic development and activity. For instance the loss of electricity supplies during war hinders production activities and transportation, the uncertainty that war brings, discourages investment, studies have shown that countries grow at approximately 2.2 percent slower during war than during peace. (Heo, 2007, p.11) The impact of civil war is largely influenced by the nature of the countrys economy. Countries with strategic resources such as diamonds and oil would have a higher impact on global economy compared to countries with limited resources i.e. the conflict in Iraq reduced oil production and caused the international price of oil to increase. Civil war is much more common than international war; most conflicts have occurred within the confines of a sovereign state and put two or more groups against the government or against one another, (Heo, 2007 p.12 and Collier and Sambanis, 2005). Civil war has been a major conflict since World War II, especially after decolonization of the British empires in certain region i.e. Africa. Since 1990s, there have been a large body of research on the causes of civil wars, the most popular understanding of the causes of civil war and results analyzed by economist are termed Greed and Grievance. In this paper we are going to look at some civil war since post -world war II, causes of civil war and the greed and grievance cause of civil wars. Some Civil Wars since Post- World War II Civil wars have been a major conflict since World War II. A total of 225 armed conflicts from 1946 to 2001 were recorded of which 163 were conflict that occurred between the government of a state and internal opposition groups without the intervention from other states. According to Heo (2007), full scale civil war started in Costa Rica in March 1948, when President Teodoro Picado Michalski prolonged the transfer of power after he lost the presidential election; there was a war with an estimated death of 1,000. 1956 to 1959 Cuban communist revolution and civil war took place, 5,000 lives were lost during the war. The fighting in Lebanon between several religious and political factions took place in 1958 and ended in 1959 with 1,300 deaths. After independence in 1960, tensions between the Turkish minority and the Greek majority increased in Cyprus, inter communal conflict and civil war took place from 1963 to1967, an approximate of 1,000 people died, (Heo, 2007, P.2-3). Nigeria also experienced civil war in the late 1967, an intrastate conflict between the self-proclaimed republic of Biafra and the Nigerian military government (Uppsala). Another war returned to Lebanon in 1975 to 1976 between the Christians and the Muslims, an approximate of 60,000 people died, the war continued in Lebanon at irregular intervals with many serious violent outbreak until 1992. Uganda experienced civil war from 1981-1994, as the revolt against the government established after the overthrow of Major General Idi Amin grew, it was the precursor for the war in Uganda, the war caused more than 500,000 lives. The insurgence against the Papua New Guinea government which started in Bougainville island in1988 took many lives, this crisis originated as a result of the growing concerns over the operation of the Panguna gold mine and copper. War continued in Cambodia when the extreme communist group was overthrown in 1979 by Vietnam, the nature of the war changed when the Vietname se withdrew in1989, (Heo, 2007, 3-4). Civil war continued throughout the world at different time in different region, but is said to be more common in some regions particularly the developing Asia (east and south Asia and Oceania), they have had a very high incidence of war from 1950 -2001. Latin America also witnessed a severe conflict in the 1980s and former Soviet Union in the 1990s. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was more bloodshed in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. But by the end of the 1990s, more people were being killed in sub-Saharan Africas war than in the other parts of the world put together, (Croker et al, 2007). Source: Uppsala conflict data programme 18/02/2010 Causes of Civil War Data has shown that conflicts are more common in low income Africa; Collier (2007) developed the notion of the conflict trap to understand why conflicts are highly centered in low income Africa. This traps which are: natural resource trap, the trap of being landlocked with bad neighbors, the conflict trap and the trap of bad governance in a small country, shows how different economic, social and political factors make a country vulnerable to civil wars. Global data analyzed by Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler covering forty years to understand why some country at most times have overcome civil war, and why others could not, they used statistical approach to see what factor in a society can trigger civil war; this includes social factors (like inequality, ethnic and religious composition of the society), politics (the level of democratic political rights), history (like decolonization time) and economic factors (Collier 2004). The most dominant of all are economic factors, according to Collier (2004), there are three factors that could trigger civil war; a countrys rate of growth, the level of income and structure. If a country is poor and is dependent upon natural resource exports, the country is likely to experience a civil. Africa is one region with such economic characteristics and explains the reason for the high rate of civil war in Africa. Africa also has a large ethnic difference as most of the wars are fought amongst ethnic group e.g. the hutu and the Tutsi war in Rwanda. These conflicts can be traced to the power structure created by the colonial rulers as they grouped long-feuding tribes under the same national identity. The power passed on from the colonial masters made one group to rule over the other group which later turned to severe inter-tribal rivalry and has now turned into conflict. As tribalism grew, the fight for central power and control of natural resources increased, this was the c ase of democratic republic of Congo, Angola, Liberia and Sierra Leone as their greed grew for the control of natural resources (Rupesinghe and Anderlini, 1998) The greed cause of civil wars The greed causes of civil war are common amongst countries with lootable natural resource and are dependent on these resources. Collier (2004), explained that these natural resources yield what is termed rents- meaning making more profits that are higher than the normal level needed. The selfish desire to control these natural resources creates a politics of corruption and a politics of violence as these natural resources can also be used to finance opportunistic rebellions. According to Collier (2004), there are six ways by which natural resource rents can increase the risk of violence, four of which involves political economy and the other two are straight economy. The political economy involves the struggle to control the revenues from the natural resources, these rent-seeking shifts public funds from its original purpose of achieving all the necessities for the supply of public goods, providing low or no social and economic infrastructure that the society needs. The society loses twice as other resources are used frivolously in the struggle for resource rents and the provision for public goods drops. Nigeria provides a good example of this kind of politics for oil rents. Natural resources can also cause civil war by detaching the government. This is because governments that are rich in natural resources do not need other tax revenue from their electorates, unlike in some societies where electors pay high taxes and they question the government on how the tax money is used. (No taxation without representation). But this is indeed not the same with countries rich in natural resources; the government is able to disregard the interest of the population (No representation without taxation). Some society believes that the resource rents does not belong to the common people, hence the detachment. Mobutu of Zaire is a striking example of this detachment. Natural resources also leads to secessionist political movements as the inhabitants of that area might feel that their resources are being embezzled by corrupt and alien elite. Most African secessionist war has often been associated with natural resources; Kanga, Biafra and Cabinda are examples of such wars. The last political route by which natural resources can advocate civil war is that it provides funds used to finance rebel groups. Leaders can purchase arms and also pay recruits from the revenue gotten from these resources. Rebel groups have access to natural resources in different ways. One is to protect the company or exporters, to have their own extractive businesses; another is the concession of natural resource rights in anticipation to finally have control over the territory. The gangs in the Niger delta region of Nigeria, the rebels of Laurent Kabila in Zaire, the RUF in Sierra Leone, and the Sasson-Nguesso in Congo Brazzaville, are examples of rebels financed from the proceeds of natural resources. The work of Fearon (2004) concludes that civil war resulting from coup or revolutions tends to be short because the technology for coup depends on the weakness of the security apparatus. Whereas civil war involving natural resources or land tends to last longer, it can also last long if rebel groups have access to contraband goods like cocaine. The grievance cause of civil war This is a popular view that rebels are motivated by genuine and intense grievance; rebels are heroes fighting for justice. Based on analysis, rebellions are seen as a form of organized violence; both parties to civil war have different explanations for their actions. The rebel organization hires a public relations firm to help push their explanation for their movement and the opposition party would also hire a public relation firm. Most explanation from rebels groups are usually what Collier (2007) called the litany of grievances against the government for its oppression, unfairness, and perhaps victimization. This victimization could be on some area of the population that the rebel organization represents. Rebel movements are driven by intense violence, by the intense conditions of the rebels or the group they represent (Cited in Crocker et al, 2007). Berdal and Malone (2000) explained that rebels litany or narratives as they may call it are based on four factors which are; first economic inequality this involves unequal distribution of income, unequal allocation and ownership of resources and assets, unequal distribution of resources and anything that has to do with increasing poverty rather than reducing it would provide a fertile ground for insurgency and readily available combatants, this case was common in central Africa (Berdal and Malone, 2000; Murshed and Addison). The second narratives of grievance is based on religious or ethnic hatred; this also depends on the ethnic and religious composition of the state (ethnic and religious diversity), civil war caused by ethnic and religious difference has always been based on power, where the other group does not want the other group to rule over them as a result of perceived discrimination in public office, this was the case of the Northern Nigeria and self proclaimed Biafra in th e late 1960s, the Tutsi superiority and the Hutus inferiority in Rwanda as they both struggled to gain a place in the emerging democratic institution of the country (Uppsala). This can also be mere religious hatred, the war in Lebanon 1975 to 1976 between the Christians and the Muslims, such religious conflicts are happening in Nigeria till now. The third narrative of grievance is based on lack of political rights; if a government of a state is perceived to be autocratic, people would want to overthrow the government and this result to war in the fight for democracy, the insurgency in Romania is often regarded as a fight for democracy. The final narrative of grievance is based on government economic incompetence; according to Berdal and Malone (2000) if a government is seen to inflict sufficient economic misery on its population, it may face an uprising. This was the case in Uganda in the early 1980s; this is usually a case of mismanagement and a fallen state, Latin America, the for mer Soviet Union has suffered economic mismanagements. Corruption in these countries has also helped fuel conflict and prolonged misery on the population. The failure of the government to provide the needs of its people and security could lead them to rely on more ethnic ties which can trigger civil war as they fight over economic resources (Berdal and Malone, 2000; Murshed and Addison pg. 5). The interaction of greed and grievance Government and rebel groups may exploit civilians in other to fight a war or may fight a war in order to exploit civilians. The misery inflicted on civilians gradually creates their own justification like in Sudan; the misery inflicted on the civilians strengthened the civilians. The idea of civil war provides a suitable disguise both for greed and grievance. Rebels are thought by some economist to be opportunist and their grievances are most times deliberately forged. Some economist use the term predators of productive economic activities they believe that rebels are not heroes fighting for a reasonable cause but lust for powers and loots. Rebels use war as a means to exploit civilians, they may hope for government to commit atrocities which give them an opportunity to fight for a true or false cause. This group including the government officials, soldiers, and traders uses conflict period as an opportunity to plunder, Democratic republic of Congo and former Yugoslavia only to name but two among many are examples of such practice. For most people, conflict time is a time for them to make more money apart from their usual salaries, during warfare; money is gotten from those whose lives are spared from being massacred. War time may also lead to inflation which is very profitable for some as there may be trade restrictions from government and only those officials who are able to infraction the law can have their businesses going but at a very high cost. On the other hand, there might be no trade restriction as the states power falls during conflict, goods like drugs which were not allowed to be traded in the state would be traded during war, Cambodia and Burma in Asia, Sudan, Angola, Sierra Leone, and Somalia in Africa, Colombia and Peru in Latin America. War may also bring about exploitation as people are threatened to work cheaply or for free, there were cases like this in Sudan and Burma (Berdal and Malone, 2000 p. 29-30). It is very obvious that not all griev ance are true, some are just an end to a means. Conclusion Greed and grievance do play a major role in contemporary civil war, but one cannot truly measure between greed and grievance. Both greed and grievance work simultaneously to trigger civil, they both interact no matter which comes first greed or grievance the other follows, this is to say that greed triggers grievance and grievance triggers greed. Civil wars motivated by greed can be followed by genuine grievance as rebels fight for justice. people who do well out of war will not be particularly concerned at restoring peace while those who do not do well or are hurt badly will have an interest in restoring peace. As individuals in pursuit of different goals and objectives, there would always be a misunderstanding and conflict in one form or the other, Institutions have emerged to resolve civil conflicts and restore peace. Greed and grievance would therefore be irrelevant as long as these institutions called the social contract exist (Murshed).In Africa, conflict has helped bring about slow growth, poverty and underdevelopment, especially countries with natural resources which according to Fearon James are the reasons for the last longing conflicts in such countries especially in Africa. Countries should work hard to have strong institutions to restore peace within their state and international level as economic development is somewhat dependent on the level of peace and tranquility within the state.

Free Essays - The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

â€Å"†¦And the Home of the Greedy† As Matthew J. Bruccoli noted: â€Å"An essential aspect of the American-ness and the historicity of The Great Gatsby is that it is about money. The Land of Opportunity promised the chance for financial success.† (p. xi) The Great Gatsby is indeed about money, but it also explores its aftermath of greed. Fitzgerald detailed the corruption, deceit and illegality of life that soon pursued â€Å"the dream†. However, Fitzgerald entitles the reader to the freedom to decide whether or not the dream was ever free of corruption. Fitzgerald used several patterns to develop the theme surrounding the lost dream. One such pattern included the emergence corruption in relation to honesty. We first witness the symbolic aspects of this when we meet Jordan Baker. We learn through Nick that she is a golfer and he further indulges that â€Å"at her first big golf tournament there was a row that nearly reached the newspapers-a suggestion that she had moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round.†(p. 62) Golf is universally known as the game a truth, a game in which the players record their own performances and are trusted. Through this example we can interpret that all honesty has been destroyed, and cheating is now abundant. Also, it is learned that America’s pastime, baseball, was also corrupted. â€Å"Meyer Wolfshiem? He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919.† (p. 78) This is significant because a game that was created in America, the land of the honest and th e free where the dream first came alive has been tainted. This notion suggests that even the simplest of realities and recreations have long lost their innocence.   Fitzgerald even implies that those who serve and protect us have also been corrupted. We learn that Tom has bribed the police. These same men who are known as the cities finest have also had their sincerity tarnished by the same greed that has tarnished the dream. Another pattern that is rather distinct is Fitzgerald’s suggestion that potential, life and beginnings have also been ruined. Our narrator’s last name, Caraway, is a seed, a symbol of life and beginnings. We also learn that Nick is from the West, which is where the dream originated. However, once Nick Caraway moves to the East he is soon caught up in the corruption and destruction associated with the region. Our setting, the Egg Islands, is also symbolic.

All of our Choices are Predetermined Essay

The Universe appears to be governed entirely by laws, studies of physics seem to show that atoms follow an extremely predictable pattern of cause and effect. This presents a difficult problem for philosophy; if all physical matter is governed by the laws of cause and effect, and we ourselves are comprised of physical matter, how could it be so that any choices we make could be seen to be free? The suggestion that our choices are set out by cause and effect is known as Determinism. Philosophers such as Ted Honderich have argued for determinism and for the consequences that it cancels out free will. It seems insensible to argue that we are not in the least bit determined, and almost all people know from personal experience that people act in a relatively stable and predictable way. For example, if I were to ask my father if he wanted tea or coffee, I would know that he would want coffee based on his love of coffee, and hatred for tea. This preference could not be argued in any way to be a choice made by him, we do not choose what we like, but simply do. Whether our preferences are based on nature or nurture is an ongoing debate, but regardless of the final conclusion, as long as our opinions are based on either of the two options, we would be seen to be determined. Nature is not in our control, neither on the other hand, is nurture. If our personalities are based on environmental or genetic factors and nothing else then our actions are surely determined. This position is extremely convincing and was famously used by Clarence Darrow to prevent two murderers from receiving the death penalty, he argued that they where a product of their upbringing and as such could not be held morally responsible for their actions. This meant, while they could be jailed to prevent threat to society, they could not be punished with the death penalty. The viewpoint of Determinism, while convincing, is by no means universally accepted. The argument seems to go against our intuitions that we are free -although it is notable at this point that our intuitions themselves are philosophically worthless, we cannot argue for an element of truth on the grounds that we feel it is true- and is seemingly incompatible with the view of a God who punishes and rewards his creations with heaven and hell. If our actions are predetermined, then it seems that punishment in hell would be arbitrary. God would simply be creating people in a flawed way, and then punishing them for his poor skills of creation. Needless to say, this viewpoint is not accepted by many Christians and so there have been many arguments for a lack of determinism in philosophy. The belief of Libertarianism, is that we are completely free; in the words of Jean-Paul Sartre â€Å"I am not free not to be free†. Though Sartre’s beliefs on free will were more assertions than arguments of proofs, he summarises the Libertarian view point perfectly. All our actions are completely freely chosen, our only confinement is that we cannot be confined. Libertarianism has the difficult task of explaining how it is possible to defend non-determined choices in an environment where all things seem to be determined by cause and effect. As already stated, if our personality is held to be nothing but a result of nature of nurture, then determinism must be accepted as a matter of logical consistency. From this, many Libertarians would stipulate the existence of a â€Å"super-natural† element to our personality. For example, if one were to believe in a soul, then it is possible to argue the physical laws of cause and effect have no bearing on our actions. This does seem to contradict fairly obvious observable evidence. Psychology has frequently found causes for human behaviour, and it is difficult to explain the consistency and successes of this particular scientific discipline if we do not accept that our choices are determined in some way. One of the more successful attempts of Libertarianism to discredit Determinism is the pointing to laws of physics that do not seem to obey causality. Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle shows distinct examples of elements of nature acting randomly, and not due to cause and effect. There are two main criticisms that can be made of this argument; One, that this principle only functions on an minute level, while actual objects such as people still obey determined laws of physics (although science has proven the principle can be amplified to affect people), and; Two, that even where actions random, there would still not be free will, while we would not live in a predetermined environment, we would still live in a (randomly) determined environment. If one was to roll a dice in order to decide the actions a prisoner should take, they would not be considered free by any means. The fundamental flaw of Libertarianism, is that when we examine how it would work, it seems to collapse. As all choices are made according to our personality, a serial killer, is only so because he has a serial killer’s personality. This statement would suggest determinism and could only be argued against in two ways: Firstly, we could state that the serial killer has no personality, this however, seems nearly impossible to uphold. Without personality, we would have no preferences and without preferences we could not make any choice at all. Asking someone who has no preference of good over evil, or pleasure over pain, to make a moral decision would be rather like asking someone whether they prefer white to white. Without personality, we would not be able to make any choice at all, as no options would appeal to us over others. It could be argued, that decisions can still be made according to rationalism, but as rationalism and logic are consistent discipline this would make our actions even more predictable and un-chosen than determinism suggests. So this argument cannot be used to defend Libertarianism. Secondly, we could suggest that the Serial-Killer was in some way in control of his personality. That he chose his preference of evil over good. This again fails. As we have already stated, choices cannot be made without personality, so to choose a personality we would require a personality for us to choose, this initial personality would determine the personality we chose. We could attempt to argue that this initial personality was chosen, but very soon we would have to give way to infinite regression. With this in mind, Libertarianism and the suggestion that our choices are anything but pre-determined or random, is not only completely incompatible with the current model of physics and psychology, but more importantly is incompatible with choice itself (as choice requires preference, preference designates personality which in turn suggests determinism). Libertarianism is a self defeating system in that it requires an absence of will to prove free will, which would be rendered useless without will. There is also a logical argument against Libertarianism. J.J.C Smart points out that there are two possible states of things, i.e. determinism or indeterminism. Either determinism is true, or indeterminism is true, these exhaust all possible philosophical options. Determinism would prevent a Libertarian view as our choices are predetermined, indeterminism would seem to prevent Libertarian view also, as our choices are random and thus not controlled or free. From this argument, we can see that a Libertarian argument for free will is impossible. It seems undeniable therefore, that all our choices are pre-determined -or in the least part random, whether our choices are in fact pre-determined or random is largely down to physicists to discover, currently it seems to be that we are in fact pre-determined, but this cannot be assured without knowledge of all physics. Even if our choices are not predetermined, what they are not -as has been argued in the course of this essay- is freely chosen, at least according to the viewpoint of free will presented by libertarianism. But what would the effects of this be? Hard determinism would argue that we cannot claim to possess free will in a deterministic environment. The problem with this position seems to be that we have defined free will incorrectly. The view of free-will as indifference, has in the course of this essay been demonstrated as problematic, and if we adopt this view of free-will then hard determinism would seem an agreeable viewpoint, the problem is, that this seems an utterly meaningless way of discussing free will. Free will does not appear to refer to the ability of will to change itself, when we refer to a free lion, we do not mean it is free to change to a tiger or a bird, we simply mean it is free to act according to its nature. It would therefore seem to be more useful to discuss free will in the sense of â€Å"a will being able to act itself out†, we are free if we could have chosen otherwise HAD our will been different. This Compatibilist approach adopted by David Hume seems to allow us to discuss free will in a meaningful way, within what seems to be a predetermined environment.

O Father, Where Art Thou Essay

The article, â€Å"O Father, Where Art Thou? † which was written by Joshua Alston and published in Newsweek last May, basically explained that the notion that most black fathers are irresponsible parents is not entirely true. According to the author, while statistics show that there is an alarming rate of black children living in homes without a father—50 percent, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all black fathers are the same. In fact, Alston wrote that there are a number of black fathers who are responsible parents and who have been supportive and caring for their children even in the most unstable and volatile situations. This, according to the author, is greatly illustrated in Tal-Nehsi Coates’ memoir, â€Å"A Beautiful Struggle,† in which he depicted how his black father, Paul, was a source of stability in security in a community where violence is rampant. Moreover, Alston claimed that the image of black fathers were significantly tainted by songs and shows such as â€Å"Papa Was A Rolling Stone† and â€Å"The Maury Show,† which both portrayed, in a way, that black men are bad fathers and, as a result, gave rise to the negative views towards them. On the other hand, the problem with most black fathers, according to the author, is that they think they equate being a successful parent to making a lot of money or being a breadwinner. Therefore, if black fathers aren’t able to substantially provide for their families, they opt to leave home instead of having their pride hurt. Based on the article, this is what people like Coates are trying to change. According to him, black fathers shouldn’t be made to feel like failures just because they aren’t living to the role of breadwinner. Coates also claimed that being a father also entails love, leadership, and teaching his children values and lessons in life. In his memoir, Coates wrote that he was raised well by his father, which also enabled him to develop his critical thinking. In short, according to the author, in order to reduce the number of black fathers who are absent in their homes, people should view them in a different light and look at the other aspects of their lives instead of just focusing on their inability to provide for their families.

Ariston Product Distributor Essays

Ariston Product Distributor Essays Ariston Product Distributor Essay Ariston Product Distributor Essay Utmost Electronics Est. P. O. Box: 115087 Dubai UAE Tel. (general info): +971 4 3275507 Tel. (sales): +971 4 3275507 Tel. (after sales service): +971 4 3477674 Fax: +971 4 3275503 Website: www. almoayyed. com E-mail (general info): [emailprotected] ae E-mail (sales): [emailprotected] ae E-mail (after sales service): [emailprotected] ae SEED BIN NASSER AL HASHAR LLC. Muscat Sultanate of Oman Tel. (general info): 00968 24700571 Tel. (sales): 00968 24706004 Tel. (after sales service): 00968 24704494 / 24796007 Fax: 00968 24788932 Website: www. alhashargroup. com E-mail (general info): [emailprotected] net. omE-mail (sales): [emailprotected] net. om E-mail (after sales service): Service. [emailprotected] com VIDEO HOME amp; ELECTRONICS CENTER P. O. Box 4668 Musherib Street Doha State of Qatar Tel: +974 4410060 4369916 Fax: +974 4437876/44 10513 Website: www. jumboqatar. com E-mail: [emailprotected] net. qa DRAGON ELECTRONICS LTD. 3F Dragon House Pump Road Port Louis Mauritius Tel. (gen eral info): +230 242-6812 Tel. (sales): +230 242-6812 Tel. (after sales service): +230 240-1901 Fax: +230 240-8233 E-mail (general info): [emailprotected] mu E-mail (sales): m. [emailprotected] mu E-mail (after sales service): daniel. [emailprotected] mu M/S ANISUMA TRADERS LTD P. O. BOX 23136 PLOT No. 47 Jinja Road Kampala Uganda Tel. (general info): +256 414 349992 Tel. (sales): +256 414 691501 Tel. (after sales service): +256 414 237106 Fax: +256 414 232527 E-mail (general info): [emailprotected] com E-mail (sales): [emailprotected] com E-mail (after sales service): [emailprotected] com ANDREA MERLONI Chairman Ph. +39 0732 66 2474 Viale Aristide Merloni, 47 60044 Fabriano (AN) – Italy Switchboard: +39 0732 66 11| | MARCO MILANI CEO Ph. +39 0732 66 2630 Viale Aristide Merloni, 47 60044 Fabriano (AN) – Italy Switchboard: +39 0732 66 11| Dear Mr.Praveen This is with reference to your letter dated 24th Sept ,2012 to my client Mr. Ravi Dixit , please be inform you that h e has already handover all the official papers amp; document to the accounts only Car amp; Laptop is balance with him . 1) As per previous communications he will attend office till this month end, i. e. 30/09/2012, amp; since legal procedure is undergoing, hence further instruction/requests is not valid in this case. 2) When any individual or organization decided to part each other’s legally, it is advised to complete handover amp; take over procedure thru Court procedures amp; instructions only. ) In the issued letter you have not indicated his Famp;F settlement amount ,as my client is an foreign national amp; living here with his family in Khartoum ,hence refrain yourself for sudden changes amp; immediate decision , without concern of the local law . 4) For final handover –takeover ,you are advised either to finalize his settlement with mutual consent ,as per my notice on dated Sept ,06 ,2012 or please be patience till the final decision of courts in Sudan . Thanks f or your co-operation in this matter To The Director / ManagerGarry Free Zone Garry , Sudan Date :- 01/10/2012 Sub : Claim for unjustified Termination of Employment Contract Dear Sir This is to bring into your notice that my present employer M/s Eurostar Communication (Sudan ) has been terminated my employment ( which is for two years started Sept ,13 ,2011 )without any proper reason amp; they asked me to physically work in office till Sept 30,2012 .I have been forced to accept the termination letter, without the intimation the amount of my end of service benefit, hence I bound to go to the labor office, where they have directed to log my complain to Garry Free Zone Authorities for pure legal reasons. Hence request you to please order /advise my employer to settle my dues as early as possible as I am an foreigner (Indian national) living in Khartoum with my family amp; without any job it is difficult to survive.As per my contract terms my claims are as under Sr No | Terms | Amount i n AED | 1| Sept, 12 Salary | 22675. 00| 2| 3 month (termination notice )| 68025. 00| 3| 1 month Leave Salary | 22675. 00| 4| Air ticket ( family )| 11675. 00| 5| Fixed committed bonus yearly | 12000. 00| 6| Medical | 2258. 00| 7| 12 Years remaing contract period | 272040. 00| | Total | 411348. 00| All this amount amount is in AED as per the contract Regards (Ravi Dixit ) +249 999888617 CC : 1 ) Copy to Lawer Mr Salah

The History of the Telescope and Binoculars

The History of the Telescope and Binoculars Phoenicians cooking on sand first discovered glass around 3500 BCE, but it took another 5,000 years or so before glass was shaped into a lens to create the first telescope. Hans Lippershey of Holland is often credited with the invention sometime in the 16th century. He almost certainly wasn’t the first to make one, but he was the first to make the new device widely known. Galileo’s Telescope The telescope was introduced to astronomy in 1609 by the great Italian scientist Galileo Galilei   the  first man to see the craters on the moon. He went on to discover sunspots, the four large moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn. His telescope was similar to opera glasses. It used an arrangement of glass lenses to magnify objects. This provided up to 30 times magnification and a narrow field of view, so  Galileo could see no more than a quarter of the moons face without repositioning his telescope. Sir Isaac Newton’s Design Sir Isaac Newton  introduced a new concept in telescope design in 1704. Instead of glass lenses, he used a curved mirror to gather light and reflect it back to a point of focus. This reflecting mirror acted like a light-collecting bucket the bigger the bucket, the more light it could collect. Improvements to the First Designs   The Short telescope was created by Scottish optician and astronomer James Short in 1740. It was the first perfect parabolic, elliptic, distortionless mirror ideal for reflecting telescopes. James Short built over 1,360 telescopes.   The reflector telescope that Newton designed opened the door to magnifying objects millions of times, far beyond what could ever be achieved with a lens, but others tinkered with his invention over the years, trying to improve it. Newton’s fundamental principle of using a single curved mirror to gather in light remained the same, but ultimately, the size of the reflecting mirror was increased from the six-inch mirror used by Newton to a 6-meter mirror 236 inches in diameter. The mirror was provided by the Special Astrophysical Observatory in Russia, which opened in 1974. Segmented Mirrors The idea of using a segmented mirror dates back to the 19th century, but experiments with it were few and small. Many astronomers doubted its viability. The Keck Telescope finally pushed technology forward and brought this innovate design into reality. The Introduction of Binoculars The binocular is an optical instrument consisting of two similar telescopes, one for each eye, mounted on a single frame. When Hans Lippershey first applied for a patent on his instrument in 1608, he was actually asked to build a binocular version. He reportedly did so late that year.   Box-shaped binocular terrestrial telescopes were produced in the second half of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century by Cherubin d’Orleans in Paris, Pietro  Patroni in Milan and I.M. Dobler in Berlin. These were not successful because of their clumsy handling and poor quality. Credit for the first real  binocular telescope goes to J. P. Lemiere who devised one in 1825. The modern prism binocular began with Ignazio Porros 1854 Italian patent for a prism erecting system.

Drought Causes, Types, and Resources

Drought Causes, Types, and Resources Its been a while since youve seen  a chance of rain in your forecast... could your city be in danger of a drought?   Youll be glad to know that although a lack of rain or snow over a period of several days, or even a week, is unusual, it doesnt necessarily mean youre headed for a drought. Droughts are periods (typically several weeks or longer) of abnormally dry and  precipitation-less weather. How dry depends on the amount of precipitation thats normal for a locations climate. A common misconception of droughts is that theyre brought on by periods of no rain or snow. While this certainly can initiate drought conditions, oftentimes the onset of a drought is less noticeable. If youre seeing rain or snow, but are seeing it in lighter amounts a drizzle here and flurries there, rather than steady rain or snow showers this can also signal a drought in-the-making. Of course, you wont be able to determine this as a cause for weeks, months, or even years into the future. Thats because, unlike other forms of severe weather and  natural disasters,  droughts develop slowly from a build-up of small changes in precipitation patterns, rather than from one single event. Atmospheric conditions such as climate change, ocean temperatures, changes in the jet stream, and changes in the local landscape are all culprits in the long story of the causes of droughts. How Droughts Hurt Droughts are some of the most costly economic stressors.  Frequently, droughts are  billion dollar weather events  and are one of the top three threats to population in the world (along with famine and flooding). There are three main ways droughts impact lives and communities: Farmers are often the first to feel the stresses from drought, and feel them hardest. The economic impacts of drought include losses in the timber, agricultural, and fisheries communities. Many of these losses are then passed on to consumers in the form of higher food prices. In less developed countries, once crops fail, famine can become a major problem.   Social impacts include increased chance of conflict over commodities, fertile land, and water resources. Other social impacts include abandonment of cultural traditions, loss of homelands, changes in lifestyle, and increased chance of health risks due to poverty and hygiene issues.The environmental impacts of drought include loss in species biodiversity, migration changes, reduced air quality, and increased soil erosion. Types of Droughts While droughts can be defined in many ways, three main drought types are commonly discussed: Hydrological Drought.  Many watersheds experience depleted amounts of available water. Lack of water in river systems and reservoirs can impact hydroelectric power companies, farmers, wildlife, and communities. Meteorological Drought.  A lack of precipitation is the most common definition of drought and is usually the type of drought referred to in news reports and the media. Most locations around the world have their own meteorological definition of drought based on the climate normals in the area. A normally rainy area that gets less rain than usual can be considered in a drought. Agricultural Drought.  When soil moisture becomes a problem, the agricultural industry is in trouble with drought.  Shortages in precipitation, changes in evapo-transpiration, and reduced ground water levels can create stress and problems for crops.​ US Droughts While droughts dont often cause deaths in the United States, the  Dust Bowl  in the U.S. Midwest is one example of the devastation that can occur.   Other parts of the world experience long periods without rains as well. Even during  monsoon season, areas (such as Africa and India) that depend on seasonal rains will often experience drought if the monsoon rains fail.   Preventing, Predicting, and Preparing for Droughts Want to know how drought is affecting your neighborhood right now? Be sure to monitor these drought resources links: The US Drought Portal  - See how drought impacts your community.The National Drought Mitigation Center - Great details on the difficulties and successes of predicting droughts are available at the NDMC. US Seasonal Drought Outlooks - The National Weather Service provides predictions of the chances of drought across the United States. Updated by Tiffany Means

Left and right sided Basiler Stroke Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Left and right sided Basiler Stroke - Essay Example The two vertebral arteries join forming one basilar artery, which supplies oxygen to the brain’s ‘vertebrobasilar territory’. If a stroke occurs in this region, it is known as a posterior stroke (Healthtree.com, 2010). It is also classified as ischemic stroke (stroke that occurs as a result as an obstruction of an artery to the brain). Different kinds of diseases cause it. Firstly, blood clots in the heart, which can result from heart valves’ abnormalities, heart attack or irregular heartbeat.  The second cause is thinning of the arteries at the head or neck, which is often caused by atherosclerosis. If the arteries turn out to be too narrow, blood cells may accumulate, forming blood clots, which can obstruct the artery where they are formed or can dislodge and be trapped in arteries nearer the brain.  Other probable causes include traumatic injury to the blood vessels of the neck, blood-clotting disorders or use of street drugs (Strokecenter.org, 2010) . Occasionally, strokes that occur in the basilar territory affect both hemispheres of the brain such that symptoms take place on both sides of the body.

Marks and Spencer Group PLC Performance Review Case Study

Marks and Spencer Group PLC Performance Review - Case Study Example The stock of the company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is one of the FTSE 100 Index. Over the last thirty years, Marks & Spencer Group PLC has been the leading clothing company in the United Kingdom. The company operates more than 300 stores. The range and quality of its fashionable and functional clothes combined with better customer service has been attributed to the company’s success. In the past, the position of the company was strong in the United Kingdom market that it refused to make payments using credit cards from their clients (Markets.investorschronicle.co.uk, 2014). The company also felt no reason of conducting advertisements. Weight of Debt Financing The funding Strategy of Mark and Spencer Group is to make sure that the mix of financing sources offers a cost effectiveness and flexibility to match the company’s requirements. Operating subsidiaries of the company are financed through bank borrowing, finance leases, medium term notes, and facilities of committed bank. The objective is to make sure that the company has appropriate income in managing the financial obligations and to achieve the objective of the business. Additionally, its objective is to ensure that the company has a reasonable amount of source based on the maturity and the investors. The company has a committed syndicated revolving debt of 1.325 billion pounds that is meant to mature in 2017. The company has a single financial covenant which is the ration of the depreciation, earnings before interest and tax, rent payable, and the amortization plus the payable rent.

Emigration in USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Emigration in USA - Essay Example Individual immigrants will win in the sense that after being employed in the formal or informal sectors their disposable income will increase. Additionally, individual immigrants will be covered by the government in terms of provision of health care as well as security. Based on their skills and experience, immigrants will acquire well paying jobs as well as political positions. One of the notable implications of the immigration is that it will create stiff competition between domestic workers and immigrant workers thus making the domestic workers to be losers. A major result of the immigration is that racism is likely to emerge between various groups. For instance, there have been cases of social conflicts between Korean immigrants and the black. This occurred during the 1992 riots in Los Angeles. Similarly, non-white Latino and African American group have been involved in conflicts that not only affect their economic productivity but also their social life. As a nation, US will benefit in various ways for example economic growth, technology advancement and adequate market for goods among others. According to Smith and Barry 26, immigrants significantly contribute to the US economy. For example, each year $10 billion is contributed to the US economy by immigrants. Based on the fact that US heavily rely on its own resources, immigrants act as a major source of labor as well as market for locally produced goods. To address the issue of racism and social conflicts that affect various groups, it is imperative to create forums that will entail interaction of various groups with an aim of preaching peace. Additionally, it is fundamental for government to streamline employment policies that will enable equal employment opportunities for domestic workers as well as immigrants. It is necessary to reduce the number of losers and increase the number of winners for example by providing equal economic opportunities for

Why does knowledge of different generic approaches to strategy matter Essay

Why does knowledge of different generic approaches to strategy matter - Essay Example For long term sustainable growth organizations need to follow a well charted out business plan which defines the strategy derived from organization’s vision and mission and transforms the strategy into business activities and actions in all departments including HR. Defining and designing strategy is a complex task. It is derived not only from the vision and mission of the company but various internal and external factors also need to be taken into account for developing an appropriate and well designed strategy. There are many different generic approaches to strategy. HR being considered a strategic partner, these approaches to strategy also has its implications on Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM). This paper aims at studying the different approaches to strategy and their implications on SHRM. For the critical analysis of this issue it will make use of the recent literature as well as any empirical evidence available from the real world. Strategy and its Importance What is strategy? The above discussed definition of strategy is a very broad one. Defining the phenomenon of strategy is a difficult assignment. There are various ways in which the definition of strategy can be approached. Application of different approaches may yield conflicting results about how to act, yet each will be based on a reasoned and possible approach. Strategy itself can be based on four basic conceptions that is rational, fatalistic, pragmatic and relativist. Each concept will be suitable for a given set of internal and external environment (Goldman, 2006) . Only an effective strategy ensures sustained profitability and growth. Approaches of Strategy Today’s highly competitive world demands commitment to change and a clear and well defined direction charted out through strategy. There are four basic approaches to strategy namely Classical, evolutionary, processual and systematic (Whittington, 2001). These four approaches of strategy are mapped against some criti cal elements of strategy. These critical elements identified are leadership, decisions, planning, innovation, diversification, internationalization, organization and strategic change. Sloan influenced classical approach is driven by policy. It is authoritative and centralized in nature with major focus on economics only. It is rooted in the elitist mentality and hence an authoritative view of the world and the concerned issues. This approach does not encourage involvement by the workers and hence Human capital management is not emphasized. This classical approach sets long term targets and goals and it is believed that managers have the capability and the willingness to adopt and practice those profit maximizing strategies devised by them through rational long term planning. In short it is top down driven strategy with very minimal role or almost no role for SHRM. The concept behind evolutionary approach is that managers are free to adopt any method but in the long run only the top performers will survive. It is based on the theory of survival of the fittest hence named evolutionary approach. It is believed that achieving the best fit between internal and external factors can yield organizations profits in the short run whereas investing in the long range activities can be counterproductive. This theory is strictly against long term

A Case Study of Abercrombie & Fitch Entry into the Brazilian Market Research Paper - 1

A Case Study of Abercrombie & Fitch Entry into the Brazilian Market - Research Paper Example Some may also depict law costs of production characterized by cheap power, raw materials, labor and transport, but with very high tax rates and strict laws for involvement in social corporate responsibilities. Since Abercrombie and Fitch is one of the multinational companies forecasting to open and expand new market in the rapidly growing and stabilizing Brazilian economy, it must first consider understanding various risks likely to occur in its foreign mission in Brazil. Foreign currency risks involve risks accruing from the periodical fluctuations in the value of the foreign currencies. One type of financial risk accruing from fluctuation in foreign currencies, and likely faced by Abercrombie and Fitch is the transaction risk (Mullineux, 1987). Exporters and importers are the likely business people to experience such risks, as they need to deal with different currencies to stamp their trading. The risks likely faced by exporters involves fall in the value of the local currency in t he foreign market as at the time of product arrival and making of payment by the foreign importer. When this happens, the foreign importer will have to convert the payment in consistence with the prevailing transaction and not with initial value as at the time ordering for the product. This then translates into substantial profit for the importer and loss on the side of the exporter. To the importer, foreign exchange risk may occur when the foreign currency of the exporter gain value by the foreign importer.

A review of three models of communication and group behaviour and Essay

A review of three models of communication and group behaviour and their application to practice in a class room - Essay Example Usually, it is not only depended on the sender to depict the meaning of any communication, the receiver plays a major role in the out come of it. The message send by the sender may not be interpreted the same way it was intended. Hence communication or expression goes a great way towards determining how the expressions are interpreted. Flaw in communication or incomplete communication may affect the purpose of communication and can result in damaging the consequences. Karl Popper said about this issue, â€Å"it is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood.† Thus, effective communication is important in every walk of life be it professional, personal or social. Not everyone is able to express themselves and in this manner and the significance of communication should not be ignored. The communication process includes the following components: sender, message, encoding, receiver, decoding and feedback. There are different models which describe the basic p rocess of communication. All such models of communication aid to elucidate the kind of interaction and serve as a valid means for illustrating the findings related to research (Narula, 2006). Such models are a tool by which researchers, practitioners, and students can demonstrate their ideas about what they believe to be the most essential features of communication. A brief appraisal of these communication models will help to get a better understanding of their applicability in the classroom setting. The Transmission Model of Communication is a highly acclaimed model of communication developed by Shannon and Weaver (1949). It is a model of communication which reduces message to a process that transmits information. The model includes five elements; a source of information, the transmitter, a channel, receiver and a destination where the message arrives (Flensburg, 2009). According to Daniel Chandler(2007) this model is not the best example for communication as it does not include a two way communication rather is based only on getting the message across to the receiver which can result in technical problem such as uncertainty of how accurately has the message been transmitted. Another problem which can be faced in this model of communication is the semantic error that means how precisely the meaning of the message is covered. Above all the problem, of effectiveness is really important; the sender would not be able to confirm that how effectively the message has affected the behavior of the receiver. This model is definitely one of the simplest models of communication but it carries around the major issue of â€Å"one way model†. It brings uncertainty to the sender of the purpose of the communication being served or destroyed. The whole concept of communication revolves around the feedback; which is a two-way communication model. If we analyze this model in a class room scenario, it is impossible for a teacher to give the lecture to students without know ing that whether her message has been understood by the students or not. She might even face the transmission error considering that the students are unable to understand her language. Chances of semantic error are very much possible in a classroom session as the teacher might be explaining to her level best

A Case Study of Abercrombie & Fitch Entry into the Brazilian Market Research Paper - 1

A Case Study of Abercrombie & Fitch Entry into the Brazilian Market - Research Paper Example Some may also depict law costs of production characterized by cheap power, raw materials, labor and transport, but with very high tax rates and strict laws for involvement in social corporate responsibilities. Since Abercrombie and Fitch is one of the multinational companies forecasting to open and expand new market in the rapidly growing and stabilizing Brazilian economy, it must first consider understanding various risks likely to occur in its foreign mission in Brazil. Foreign currency risks involve risks accruing from the periodical fluctuations in the value of the foreign currencies. One type of financial risk accruing from fluctuation in foreign currencies, and likely faced by Abercrombie and Fitch is the transaction risk (Mullineux, 1987). Exporters and importers are the likely business people to experience such risks, as they need to deal with different currencies to stamp their trading. The risks likely faced by exporters involves fall in the value of the local currency in t he foreign market as at the time of product arrival and making of payment by the foreign importer. When this happens, the foreign importer will have to convert the payment in consistence with the prevailing transaction and not with initial value as at the time ordering for the product. This then translates into substantial profit for the importer and loss on the side of the exporter. To the importer, foreign exchange risk may occur when the foreign currency of the exporter gain value by the foreign importer.

Social networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social networking - Essay Example On the other hand are those who use these websites in a negative manner to commit deviant acts. Due to different types of users, social networking websites have proven to be both advantageous as well as disadvantageous for the society. The two main benefits of using social networking websites that will be discussed in this paper include educational benefits and benefit of self expression and the downside of using social networking website is the concern for privacy. Body One of the major benefits obtained by the community from using social networking websites is the benefit of education (Derrick, 2008, p.45). Social networking websites have provided several benefits to the field of education and the stakeholders of this field. Students use these websites to connect with other school members and classmates to discuss different assignment and solve problems related to school work and they are involved in connecting with their team members to discuss team based projects. When social net working websites were not available, students had to stay late at libraries and had to wait for a long period of time in order to connect with their teachers. ... The article even stated that educational institutes can assist their students in using these avenues in the best possible manner and in the right way. He even discusses the various advantages that social networking websites offer to education. For example: art work can be published on these websites and then can be discussed in classrooms. Social networking websites are not short of any concerns; still the number of people joining these web based spaces is increasing on daily basis. These numbers have increased to the point that these social networks are being referred to as nations and states instead of online web pages. One of the main reasons of increase in popularity of these web pages is that these portals provide an avenue to individuals to express themselves in front of the public. The benefit of self expression obtained through these websites has especially been exploited by teenagers and even those who fall in the category of young adults (Derrick, 2008, p.45). These network s assist individuals in building new relationships, strengthen old ones and express one self. These networks assist individuals in developing and polishing various skills that are highly demanded by organizations of the 21st century, these skills include communicational and interpersonal skills. Before the existence of these web portals, people used to buy web spaces to express themselves and sell themselves to the public. Since the invention of social networking websites, people have been able to display themselves and their abilities without paying a penny for web space and these spaces do not require complex html codes that were required previously and only computer literates had the ability to write these codes. The main

Technical Report On Cell Phone Jammers

Technical Report On Cell Phone Jammers Cell phone jammer is device used to prevent cellular phones from receiving signal from base station. They can be used anywhere but mostly used where phone call would be disruptive. Cell phones are very useful because we are able to contact anyone at anytime but sometimes it become nuisance. Some cell phone users dont know when to stop talking. Jammers are used at classrooms, temples, churches where silence is required. It creates a temporary dead zone to all cell phone traffic in their air system. How a Cell Phone Jammer works Disrupting a cell phone is the same as jamming any other type of radio communication. A cell phone works by communicating with its service network through a cell tower or base station. Cell towers divide a city into small areas. As a cell-phone user drives down the street, the signal is handed from tower to tower. Jamming device transmits on the same radio frequencies as the cell phone, disrupting the communication between the phone and the cell-phone base station in the tower. Its a called a denial-of-service attack. The jammer denies service of the radio spectrum to the cell-phone users within range of the jamming device. Cell phone Jamming Device Jamming devices overpower the cell phone by transmitting a signal on the same frequency and at a high enough power that the two signals collide and cancel each other out. Cell phones are designed to add power if they experience low-level interference, so the jammer must recognize and match the power increase from the phone. Cell phones are full-duplex devices, which mean they use two separate frequencies, one for talking and one for listening simultaneously. Some jammers block only one of the frequencies used by cell phones, which has the effect of blocking both. The phone is tricked into thinking there is no service because it can receive only one of the frequencies. Less complex devices block only one group of frequencies, while sophisticated jammers can block several types of networks at once to head off dual-mode or tri-mode phones that automatically switch among different network types to find an open signal. Some of the high-end devices block all frequencies at once, and others can be tuned to specific frequencies. To jam a cell phone, you need a device that broadcasts on the correct frequencies. Although different cellular systems process signals differently, all cell-phone networks use radio signals that can be interrupted. GSM, used in digital cellular and PCS-based systems, operates in the 900-MHz and 1800-MHz bands in Europe and Asia and in the 1900-MHz band in the United States. Jammers can broadcast on any frequency and are effective against AMPS, CDMA, TDMA, GSM, PCS, DCS, iDEN and Nextel systems. Old-fashioned analog cell phones and todays digital devices are equally susceptible to jamming. The range of the jammer depends on its power and the local environment, which may include hills or walls of a building that block the jamming signal. Low-powered jammers block calls in a range of about 30 feet (9 m). Higher-powered units create a cell-free zone as large as a football field. Units used by law enforcement can shut down service up to 1 mile (1.6 km) from the device. Inside Cell phone Jammers Cell-phone jammers are very basic devices. It just has an on/off switch and a light that indicates its on. More complex devices have switches to activate jamming at different frequencies. Components of a jammer: Antenna Every jamming device has an antenna to send the signal. Some are contained within an electrical cabinet. On stronger devices, antennas are external to provide longer range and may be tuned for individual frequencies. Circuitry: The main electronic components of a jammer are: Voltage-controlled oscillator Generates the radio signal that will interfere with the cell phone signal Tuning circuit Controls the frequency at which the jammer broadcasts its signal by sending a particular voltage to the oscillator Noise generator Produces random electronic output in a specified frequency range to jam the cell-phone network signal (part of the tuning circuit) RF amplification (gain stage) Boosts the power of the radio frequency output to high enough levels to jam a signal Power supply Smaller jamming devices are battery operated. Some look like cell phone and use cell-phone batteries. Stronger devices can be plugged into a standard outlet or wired into a vehicles electrical system. Cell phone Jammer Applications Cell phone jamming devices were originally developed for law enforcement and the military to interrupt communications by criminals and terrorists. The bombs that blew up commuter trains in Spain in March 2004, as well as blasts in Bali in October 2002 and Jakarta in August 2003, all relied on cell phones to trigger explosives. It has been widely reported that a cell-phone jammer thwarted an assassination attempt on Pakistani President Musharraf in December 2003. When President Bush visited London in November 2004, it was reported that British police considered using jammers to protect the presidents motorcade through London. During a hostage situation, police can control when and where a captor can make a phone call. Police can block phone calls during a drug raid so suspects cant communicate outside the area. Cell-phone jammers can be used in areas where radio transmissions are dangerous, (areas with a potentially explosive atmosphere), such as chemical storage facilities or grain elevators. Corporations use jammers to stop corporate espionage by blocking voice transmissions and photo transmissions from camera phones. There are rumors that hotel chains install jammers to block guests cell-phone usage and force them to use in-room phones at high rates. Cell Phone Jamming Legal Issues In the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and many other countries, blocking cell-phone services is against the law. In the United States, cell-phone jamming is covered under the Communications Act of 1934, which prohibits people from willfully or maliciously interfering with the radio communications of any station licensed or authorized to operate. In fact, the manufacture, importation, sale or offer for sale, including advertising, of devices designed to block or jam wireless transmissions is prohibited as well. Jamming is seen as property theft, because a private company has purchased the rights to the radio spectrum, and jamming the spectrum is akin to stealing the property the company has purchased. The Federal Communications Commission is charged with enforcing jamming laws. However, the agency has not yet prosecuted anyone for cell-phone jamming. In most countries, it is illegal for private citizens to jam cell-phone transmission, but some countries are allowing businesses and government organizations to install jammers in areas where cell-phone use is seen as a public nuisance. Armenia: legal [citation needed] Australia: illegal to operate, supply or possess Belgium: illegal to sell, possess and operate (licensed part of the spectrum). Canada: illegal, except by federal law-enforcement agencies who have obtained approval Peoples Republic of China: Used by the Education government department as a method of thwarting cheating in schools. During major end of year exams, mobile phone jammers are used in areas surrounding high schools to prevent students inside from receiving calls or text messages, which may be used for illicit purposes. In some municipalities however, rather than the use of jammers, mobile signal towers close to schools are temporarily shut down for the duration of the week as exams are in progress. Czech Republic: illegal. Denmark: illegal. Finland: illegal. France: France legalized cell-phone jammers in (movie) theaters and other places with performances in 2004.Abandoned due to complaints regarding emergency calls. Still legally used inside jails. Germany: illegal, but installation in jails has been proposed. India: Government, Religious Places, Prisons and Educational Institution use jammers. Iran: illegal to operate for civilians but allowed for police forces and military. It is however legal to own such units, which can be bought in electronic markets without a license. In most jails, libraries and university classrooms such jammers are already in use. In the 2009-2010 Iranian election protests, police forces used cell phone and Bluetooth jammers. Ireland: illegal to operate. Legally used inside prisons by the Irish Prison Service. Italy: technically not illegal to own, but illegal to operate, since the Italian law specifically prohibits disturbing radio and telephoning communications. GSM jammers are however legal to be used in places like hospitals, churches, movie theatres and other places with performances, and other buildings where and when the use of mobile telephones may result in a leak of sensitive information: on such occasions, jammers are legal as long as their operation doesnt interfere with electronic medical equipment and allows mobile phones to make emergency calls. Tri-Band Jammers are reserved to, and in use with, the police forces and are being experimented in prisons. Japan: Illegal to use, but legal to own. Buying of mobile short range versions is allowed. Use of fixed high output jammers with long range is illegal, with fines of up to max $250,000USD and/or 5 years in prison. Mexico: legal inside jails, often used also in churches and hospitals. New Zealand: legal inside jails. Norway: illegal to own and operate. The police and the military can use jammers in situations in which it is necessary. Pakistan: legal inside banks, often used also in libraries. Switzerland: illegal. Turkey: illegal. Only the police and the military use jammers. Ukraine: legal, planned to be used in schools United Kingdom: illegal to use, but legal to own. Installation in jails has been proposed United States: Cell phone blocking devices are used by federal officials under certain circumstances. Privacy rights of property owners may affect the policy and application of law within buildings. The FCC may issue a permit that waivers the law for private use. Alternatives to Cell Phone Jamming While the law clearly prohibits using a device to actively disrupt a cell-phone signal, there are no rules against passive cell-phone blocking. That means using things like wallpaper or building materials embedded with metal fragments to prevent cell-phone signals from reaching inside or outside the room. Some buildings have designs that block radio signals by accident due to thick concrete walls or a steel skeleton. Companies are working on devices that control a cell phone but do not jam the signal. One device sends incoming calls to voicemail and blocks outgoing calls. The argument is that the phone still works, so it is technically not being jammed. It is a legal gray area that has not been ruled on by the FCC as of April 2005. Cell-phone alerts are available that indicate the presence of a cell-phone signal. These have been used in hospitals where cell-phone signals could interfere with sensitive medical equipment. When a signal is detected, users are asked to turn off their phones. Cell-phone users dont know theyre being jammed. The phones just indicate that theres no service or no signal from the network. The jammer simply interrupts the phones ability to establish a link with the nearest cell-phone tower. If the battery on your phone is okay, and youd like to continue your conversation, try walking away from the area. You may be able to get out of the jammers range with just a few steps. Every technology has good aspect as well as bad aspect the important thing is, how we are using it. There are some bad aspects of mobile Jammers like: Jamming blocks all calls in the area, not just the annoying ones. Jamming a signal could block the call of a babysitter frantically trying to contact a parent or someone trying to call for an ambulance. Cell Phone Jammers are very useful to society from the antisocial elements. We can save our national leaders. We can restrict the communication network between the anti social elements. Cell phone Jammers prevent the students from carrying cell phones to the college.

Personal Narrative - Tae Kwon Do Essay -- Personal Narratives

Tae Kwon Do Once upon a time, I qualified for the Tae Kwon Do State Championships, to go to the Tae Kwon Do Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida. It was my second year at the Jr. Olympics, and I was competing in two events. Sparring and forms. Forms has always been my favorite, partly because I was pretty good at doing them. Sparring was okay. I guess. So we get to the arena on the day I had to compete, and I’ve got all these little butterflies and whatnot flittering around in my stomach. Forms came first, and guess what! I screwed up. So there goes my chance at the event I’m any good at. So if I can’t even place in something that I am good at, how am I going to place in something that I’m not that great at? So I got to the holding area to get put into my division (they split us up according to rank, age, and weight). And what do they do? Put me in a group of only four. And how many places do they give out, you ask? Three. Yep, three. Now I’m really worried. All I can think is, "Omigod, I’m gonna be the only one not to place. Omigod, omigod, omigod†¦" Finally, after w...

To What Extent Does Mildred Taylor Portray T.J. as a Victim of the Times? :: English Literature

To What Extent Does Mildred Taylor Portray T.J. as a Victim of the Times? The novel 'Roll of Thunder' is based around racism and discrimination, during the 1930's. Mildred Taylor has chosen to set her novel in a time where black people were discriminated against. The context in which the story is set is a conscious choice of the writer to emphasise the extent of racism. T.J. is used by Mildred Taylor to represent the injustices the Black community were subjected to in these times. Although T.J. is not portrayed as a victim throughout the novel, he is certainly seen as a victim during the concluding chapters of the book. The narrative is by a young girl of ten years, Cassie. Cassie is a very opinionated, strong willed character who tends to judge people at face value, without taking other factors into consideration. This could be seen as a hindrance in such a novel, a novel that is being used to exploit racism and could benefit from a more open-viewed narrator. In this book however, the character is purposefully made to be single-minded by Mildred Taylor because it encourages the reader to think in more depth about the story. The author uses this narrow perspective of T.J. to encourage the reader to realise that he is a victim of the times. This realisation is encouraged not through Cassie's opinion but because she cannot see this fact until nearing the end of the story. Cassie's view of T.J. is blunt, 'I didn't like T.J. very much,' and during the beginning of the book the reader is persuaded that T.J. is not a nice person as there is no evidence otherwise. As the book proceeds however, the reader can show more insight into details that Cassie overlooks. This is as the writer intends, it helps to include the reader more in the book and is a similar idea to dramatic irony used on the stage. Mildred Taylor has used Cassie's simplistic views of T.J. to persuade the reader to think more deeply. She has used this simple point of view to show that the effect of racism is not always obvious and as the reader comes to realise that T.J. is a victim, Taylor's central theme is portrayed. To help the reader understand that T.J. is a victim of the times, Mildred Taylor uses other characters to show a more balanced opinion of him. Stacey is often used in this way; he is one of the few characters that show sympathy towards T.J. Stacey demonstrates a certain level of understanding about T.J.'s position and why he is how he is.

I Have a Dream Speech Essay

1- The analogy in Paragraphs 4 through 6 of the speech â€Å" I have a Dream†, use the similarity or comparability analogy. Which is means analogy is a comparison between two different things in order to highlight some point of similarity. As Freud suggested, an analogy won’t settle an argument, but a good one may help to clarify the issues. Like the Martin Luther King’s speech: It is obvious today the America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this scared obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, which has come back marked â€Å"insufficient funds.† 2 – In my opinion, racism is a certain kind of prejudice, based on faulty reasoning and inflexible generalizations toward a specific group. Much of today’s racism can be traced to the area of colonialism that began in the 1400s. When Europeans began colonizing Africa and the Americas, the white settlers adopted the idea that they were superior to the other races they encountered and it was their job to â€Å"civilize the savages.† According to Martin Luther King in â€Å"I have a dream†: â€Å" It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.† (Pg.45) Racism in the United States was worse during 18th and 19th century than at any period before or since. Segregation, racial discrimination, and expressions of white supremacy all increased. So did anti-black violence, including lynching and race riots. 3-United States has a black president from 2008 to present. Like Luther King said: â€Å" It is dream deeply rooted in meaning of its creed- we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal,† So his king came true in these days. Work Cited : Luther King, Martin. â€Å"I Have a Dream .† (1968): 44-48. Print.

Low income and education Essay

This essay will consider if children from low income families are disadvantaged in the education system. It will examine if there is a direct link between poverty and low educational attainment. As far back as 1959 the Crowther Report identified a link between low incomes and low attainment levels. This was followed in 1963 by the Newsom report that found many secondary modern schools were deficient and argued that the less privileged 50 per cent of children did not receive their fair share of resources. (P Young, Mastering Social Welfare, p. 180) Recent research from the Institute of Education has shown that children from poorer families are no more likely to gain qualifications than they were a generation ago. A study carried out by Barbara Jefferis, a research fellow at the Institute of Child Healthfound a strong link between social background and cognitive development. The research carried out found the gap between educational attainment between the richest and the poorest in society widened as time went on. (The Guardian, August 9th 2002) The British Medical Journal published a study in August 2002 that firmly points at poverty and social deprivation as some of the most significant factors why some children do less well than others. Nick Davis points out in his book, The School Report: he is not uncovering the unknown but exposing something that no one with any power will admit. The ‘great unmentionable’, Davis shows, is the direct correlation that exists between educational performance and poverty. (N.Davis, 2000) David Miliband, the Minister of State for school standards, has stated that only 14 per cent of young people from lower income backgrounds go to university, compared to 75 per cent from more advantaged homes. For some children the first step in education is nursery education. Although not compulsory nursery education is now available to all three and four year olds. A scheme set up by the government provides nursery vouchers for all three and four year olds. These vouchers are used to purchase OFSTED inspected nursery education. State run nursery schools are available in many areas, although these may not have the same resources as private ones. High  quality nursery education may be available although only parents with a higher income may be able to afford the extra costs than those provided by the voucher scheme. Many educational experts consider that pre school education is a vital foothold in education. If a child is unable to achieve the best possible start in education it may reflect on their educational achievement. The government’s response to this is the Sure Start scheme. Sure Start is aimed at pre school children which as well as focusing on education focuses on health. In recognizing that a child’s early years are vital to their future success, Sure Start provides better opportunities for young children. Support is also offered to parents in preparing them to assist their child to succeed. (www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ucu/suppfam.) As most parents of children living in poverty may have a limited education themselves support for parents is essential in helping their child succeed. Very early education begins in the family home through interaction, as education can break the cycle of poverty, parental education and parenting skills may be more important than economic factors. Deprivation may effect a child’s education in many ways. Children that live in poverty often live in the most deprived areas of a neighbourhood. These areas often have schools which may be at the lower end of performance league tables. League tables show that schools in areas of social housing or with high numbers of private rented accommodation perform less well than schools in more affluent areas. Schools whose pupils are mostly from large inner city council estates are often referred to as sink state schools, hardly aspiring for those pupils that attend them. As the parents or parent of these pupils have limited income they are not in the position to move to a better area which has access to a better school. If they were able to secure a place in a better performing school outside the area, they may be unable to afford the traveling expenses. Families with higher incomes are able to move into catchment areas of the better schools. Parents are often willing to pay more to live near a high achieving school. (Gibbons and Machin, 2000) Selective education is available in Britain, although most of this is in fee-paying Independent schools. Others are known as ‘grant maintained schools’, and they may use their own methods of selection. This often excludes children from low income families and particularly those from the  worst areas. School performance League table’s 2000 show that the top one hundred schools for GCSE results were either Independent or Selective, with just one exception, Thomas Telford School that is comprehensive. [Education league tables 2000 D.f.E.E.] Reports show that attainment varies according to the socio-economic backgrounds of children. In 1998, only 45 per cent of 11 year-olds in schools with high numbers on free school meals reached the Government’s attainment targets in English and Maths, whilst more than 60 per cent reached that target in other schools. (Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion, 1999, p.26) The government has introduced some policies in education to help reduce inequality. These include Education Action Zones; these were established in areas of high deprivation. Along with money from private-sector sponsors and government they can attract better teachers through higher salaries. Homework clubs are set up, enabling pupils a quite place to study and the necessary resources. (Haralambos and Holbrn 2000) Barnardos an organization that works with children recognise the link between educational attainment and poverty. Currently they are involved in various projects with children from deprived families; one of these is setting up homework clubs in schools and libraries around the country. Children from low income families may not have access to books in the home or educational toys. A quiet place to do homework or studying may be unavailable. Family visits to museums and other places of educational interest may be unavailable in households of low income. These types of visits encourage and motivate children to succeed. Public libraries can provide a valuable resource in assisting a child’s learning. As well as providing free access to books many hold reading hours and various forms of fun learning. Computers are now widely available for free use in many public libraries with access to the internet. As computers are now widely used in schools, having access to one at home would certainly improve a child’s ability in school. Pupils from low income families are less likely to have access to a computer in the home. When online resources are available in school they may also be less able to make use of them than pupils who have experience of using the internet at home. The government did introduce a scheme for poorer families, enabling them to purchase recycled computer at low cost, however this never got further than a pilot scheme amid allegations of poor management. Financial problems may increase stress amongst parents which may reduce their ability to assist in adequate educational support. Parental stress has been identified as a factor towards truancy. It maybe considered that certain background characteristics are linked with truancy. Children are more likely to truant if they are from low income families, live in social housing or live with only one or neither parent. (Casey and Smith 1995) Research carried out at Cambridge Universityestablished a link between truancy and poverty in primary school children. The study looked statistics on truancy in London boroughs between 1997 and 2000. Council education welfare officers and 98 parents on low incomes were also interviewed. Researcher Ming Zhang says the parents who were questioned said they sometimes forget about their younger children’s schooling when they hit financial trouble. ‘For many people this may be a bizarre excuse for primary school children not to attend school. Yet for families facing financial difficulties, the problem is real.’ As these primary school children progress to secondary school bad habits have already set in. The study also considered attitudes among education welfare officers and parents. Both agreed that the blame lay with irresponsible parents. They did not link between poverty and truancy amongst primary school pupils. [www.news.bbc.co.uk/education] Although this research suggests there is no link between poverty and truancy, forgetting to send a child to school because of financial worries may be considered as a link. At present the education authorities can be seen to be tackling truancy, however this is mainly aimed at secondary school pupils. LEA’s are taking action against persistent truants and educational welfare  officers are visiting the homes of absent pupils. Connexions is another government initiative aimed at helping young people. Connexions provides a personal advisor for all 13 to 19 year olds, their aim is to keep young people in education, work on truancy and improve educational achievements. As well as providing career advice and other services they try to encourage school leavers into further education. Children from low income families leave full time education earlier and with fewer formal qualifications than those from higher income families. Only 14 per cent of young people from lower income backgrounds go into higher education. At a time when the government is encouraging all school leavers to go into further education, then onto higher education this may be seen as an issue for concern. In September 2001, The Excellence Challenge was introduced; this is a three year programme. The key purpose is to improve links between schools, colleges and universities, over 190 million pounds has been committed to increase the number of young people from poorer backgrounds who apply and enter higher education. (www.dfes.gov.uk) Schools in poorer areas are disadvantaged when they need to fundraise to provide more resources. A report published in May 2000 by the research charity Directory for Social Change claims that rich and poor schools are drifting further apart. Schools in deprived parts of the country are up to 500,000 worse off than those in well-to-do areas because they are unable to compete in fundraising stakes. Eighty per cent of state primary schools held fundraising events to buy books. While one in five schools generated less than 1000 a year in donations, one per cent got over 25,000. Five per cent of secondary schools got less than 1000 per year while three per cent received more than 250,000 in donations. The report described parental donations as a hidden fault line that is widening into inequality of opportunity for children. The report also warns that the pursuit of cash is putting undue pressure on teachers and diverting them from teaching. [www.literacytrust.org.uk/Database/povertyupdate.html] The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has said that the number of pupils leaving school without basic qualifications has decreased. In 2001, a quarter of GCSE students failed to pass any subject with grades A-C compared with a third ten years previously. Similarly, one in four 11 year olds failed to achieve target level 4 in English in 2001 compared with more than four out of ten in 1996. The improvement in primary schools serving high proportions of low income children was at least as good as the national average. In considering the evidence it may be concluded that low educational attainment is correlated to poverty. Education may be a route out of poverty but it appears not everybody has the same opportunities. Research does show that with the help of pre- school nurseries, Sure Start, the Education Action Zones and the Excellence Challenge progress can be made in alleviating inequalities in education. BIBLIOGRAPHY Casey, B. and Smith, D. (1995) Truancy and Youth Transitions, England and Wales Youth Cohort Study, London: Policy Studies Institute. Davis, N. (2000) The School Report: Why Britain’s Schools Are Failing. Vintage Haralambos and Holborn. (2000) Sociology Themes and Perspectives. London: HarperCollins. Howarth, C, et al. (1999) Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Young, P. (2000) Mastering Social Welfare. Macmillan Press. The Guardian, August 9th 2002 Education League Tables. D.f.E.E. www.dfes.gov.uk www.homeoffice.go.uk/ucu/suppfam. www.literacytrust.org.uk/Database/povertyupdate. www.news.bbc.co.uk/education.

Impact of Culture on the Spread of Hiv/Aids in Kenya

bdalla A. Bafagih Professor Trent Newmeyer Sociology of AIDS Soc 309Y1F June 21, 2004 Impact of Culture on the Spread of HIV/AIDS in Kenya a national culture is not a folklore, nor an abstract populism that believes it can discover the people’s true nature†¦. a national culture is the whole body of the efforts made by a people in the sphere of thought to describe, justify and praise the action through which that people has created itself and keeps itself in existence (Fanon, Frantz). Introduction Culture, even in the twenty first century, has numerous denotations.In various parts of the world, it has been and is still considered to be important for the development of civilization and of people’s minds; a particular society or civilization is considered in relation to its beliefs, ways of life and values. In short, culture plays a crucial role in a groups’ quest for identity and is therefore at the centre of the socio-cultural development of a people, region or even county in terms of identity and politics-it serves as a code of life that must be followed under any circumstances even with an HIV/AIDS epidemic.These observations help illuminate responses to our central thesis: that cultural barriers and the ensuing gender bias have not only perpetuated the spread of HIV/AIDS among women, but are also hindering an effective HIV/AIDS prevention campaign in Kenya. Our position is that HIV/AIDS prevalence is a gendered issue because women in most parts of the developing world, due to the repressive cultural practices women have no power. Furthermore women continue to be betrayed by outdated traditional norms such as widow inheritance, widow cleansing, polygamy and gender inequality, as is the case in parts of Kenya.When these issues may seem to differ, in reality they are intertwined and date back to generations. To make matters worse those infected with HIV, both women and men blame witchcraft as the source of death (McGeary, J. Time Magazi ne, p, 30). Moreover as Madhu Bala Nath states â€Å"myths are also rooted in the nature of denial that is associated with HIV/AIDS. Because HV/AIDS is so frightening, there is a temptation to deny the existence of the disease (2001, p, 32). Such denial plays a large part in sustaining such outdated practices.We should point out from the outset that the current risky practices were at one time seen as strength (pre HIV/AIDS era) since they were really helpful and appropriate for their communities. Among the merits of such traditional practices were, among others, the widow’s security within the household was guaranteed and the orphaned children were guaranteed the extended family support and therefore survival within the community. It was meant to ensure the widow and children never became homeless.According to the Washington Post, In Western Kenya, the custom known as wife inheritance once held an honorable promise: A community would take care of a widow and her children. S he did not remarry. Her husband's family simply took responsibility for her. If a brother-in-law could not care for her, then a cousin or a respected outsider would. The inheritor made sure that the widow and her children were fed, clothed, sheltered, educated, protected, kept (Buckley, Stephen.Washington Post, November 8, 1997). For the purpose of this paper, we take a position that the spread of HIV/AIDS has rendered what were once cultural assets into deadly liabilities particularly towards women and children. That is why there is a need to be creative and embrace alternative rituals that do not involve risky sexual behavior. Our position is that inheritance per se is not bad, but widow inheritance and cleansing that endanger the lives of the widow and the inheritor/cleanser should be discarded.Wife inheritance or wife cleansing involves an inheritor who has his own family. As reported by the Washington Post â€Å"he infects his first wife and the widow he has inherited. Then he dies, and two other men inherit the women he leaves behind. Those men die. And then their widows are inherited† (ibid. ). It is this vicious circle that explains the rising HIV rates in Kenya. Kenya has vibrant and diverse cultural groups but some groups elevate ethnicity above nationalism.This makes it sometimes problematic to deal with intra and inter cultural norms or to undertake reforms of certain entrenched traditions. On one hand you have believers in Christianity who are more willing to abandon certain outdated traditions such as those discussed in this paper. For instance, a Kenyan bishop, called on widows to take a stand against wife inheritance (Gonza, Sam. 2000, p, 1). On the other hand you have the rigid traditionalists who are not open to any reforms or changes within traditions.There is usually no middle ground and unfortunately it cuts across class lines. We agree with the position put forward by Human Rights Watch in their report entitled Double Standards: Wo men’s Property Rights Violations in Kenya that â€Å"as important as cultural diversity and respecting customs may be, if customs are a source of discrimination against women, they like any other norm-must evolve† (2003, p, 2). Kenya has approximately forty tribes, which are co-related to the four greater ethnic groups (Buckley, Stephen.Washington Post, November 8, 1997): Bantu, Nilo-Hamitic, Nilotic and Hamitic (see figure i). Because of it’s neighboring, cultures are related to each other within Kenya and in the border countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Sudan. [pic] Figure: i Source: http://www. lib. utexas. edu/maps/kenya. html It will be imperative for this paper to provide short historical events in Kenya so as to provide a proper understanding of both the internal and external dynamics of this country.Kenya attained its independence from Britain in 1963 and has a population of thirty two million (32 million). [1] Kenya like other Sub-Saharan countries is a creation of European scramble for Africa. [2] As a result same ethnic groups are presently dispersed across different countries. The boundaries are like artificial divisions in a way that the people cannot be checked at all border-crossing zones. [pic] Figure: ii Source: http://www. lib. utexas. edu/maps/kenya. html The point, which we want to discuss, is that it is difficult to try to onvince these communities to abandon some of their practices, because they feel that at the end, abandoning their customs, would completely wipe out their culture and eventually loose their identity. In some African countries, various ethnic groups are the minorities and would want to keep intact their culture for the purpose of their own identity, so as to enable them to negotiate any political power in the government (Kanyiga, Karuti. 1998, p, 7)). On the other hand the ethnic groups, which are the majority, would want to maintain their hegemony and are not ready to change their tradi tions (ibid).Thus why dealing with health issues such as HIV/AIDS creates profound consequences. Current HIV/AIDS Situation in Kenya The synopsis about Kenya is not good at all. United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) reports that over 2 million out of a total population of 29. 5 million (2000) were infected with HIV and a cumulative number of 1. 5 million people had died due to AIDS. The high prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS have negatively impacted life expectancy to the extent that it has dropped by approximately 13 years to 51 years (1998); while GDP reduced by -0. in 2000 and is expected to worsen in coming years. The average literacy rate is estimated at 78% (1995) and total fertility rate in Kenya is about 4. 4 (1998). Approximately 30% of the population lives in urban areas and more than half of the population live under the poverty line, women constituting the majority. UNAIDS estimates that about 500 persons died of AIDS each day in the country in 1999. (www. unaids. org/Unaids/EN/geogra phical+area/by+country/kenya. asp).According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the estimated number of adults and children living with HIV/AIDS, in Kenya end of 2001 stands as follows: Adults and children 2,500,000, Adults (15-49) 2,300,000, Women (15-49) 1,400,000 and Children 220,000, current living orphans, 890, 000, estimated number of death due to AIDS (2001), 190, 000 and the current adult rate of 15. 0 percent (www. who. int/hiv/pub/epidemiology/pubfacts/en/). Furthermore, the Human Rights Watch Report (2001) indicates that an estimated 2. million adults and children live with HIV/AIDS, representing about 14 percent of the sexually active population. The scary statistic is that Kenya has the ninth highest HIV prevalence rate in the world to the extent that the U. S. Census Bureau projections indicate that by 2005, there will be about 820 deaths per day from AIDS in Kenya. (http://www. hrw. org/reports/2001/kenya/kenya0701-03. htm#P144_18884). Factors behind the Gendered HIV/AIDS rates in Kenya. Through culture and society, we are able to transmit skills and other systems of social relations to modify our environment.But that has not been possible with women in Kenyan in both rural and urban areas even in the event of a HIV/AIDS epidemic with no cure in sight. Since our beliefs and ways of life are inseparable from our particular cultures, it is common for people to reject a behavior if it is not signified in their culture’s social code. It is however much harder for the marginalized groups like women and girls to reject what is supposedly part of their culture as is the case among the Luo and Luhya[3] of Kenya where they practice their culture to a fault.In such cases, individual behavior patterns alone are not responsible for the observed high-risk activities that cause HIV/AIDS. Needless to say, HIV/AIDS transmission in parts in Kenya is mostly through heterosexual relations. Because of [blind] loyalty to their culture, many within the gr oup (most educated women with the economic means to support themselves are now increasingly defiant against certain regressive policies like widow inheritance) in a society which has its own subculture, often face social risks, such as wife (widow) inheritance, to the extent that failure can result in exclusion from participating in communal events.For example, women who refuse to be inherited among the Luo and Luhya automatically lose their right to remain within their households, because their behavior is considered odd. Consequently women are frequently subject to violence, abuse, scorn and ridicule and other expressions of hate (HRW, 2003, pp, 16-21). Similarly, when it comes to apportioning blame as to who is the responsible party for bringing HIV/AIDS among married couples; it is usually women who are blamed even though in most cases, it is the men who have multiple partners.That goes to show that in the name of culture, women in Kenya find themselves in subordinate positions to men and are socially, culturally, and economically dependent on them. Because of the cultural biases, women are largely excluded from decision making, have limited access to and control over resources, are restricted in their mobility, and are often under threat of violence from male relatives (that is why many women have no choice when it comes to certain oppressive rituals, because they have no where else to return to should they be evicted from their late husband’s property) (ibid).In many cases, women in many parts of Kenya are perpetual minors subject to the guardianship of their male relatives and husbands. As a result, not only are their statuses lower than that of men, but also their condition is also dependent on that of their men folk. This subordination of women is connected to the distribution of power in society. In Kenya, economic, social and political power accrued to men partially as a result of their control of women, even though the thinking was and still is that a prosperous homestead depended on female reproduction and production.This keeps such oppressive rituals like widow inheritance in practice. Additionally, the gendered HIV/AIDS prevalence rates illuminate how gender as a constitutive element of social relationships. The Human Rights Watch of 2003, stated that of the 1. 4 million were women and girls with HIV positive, between the ages of fifteen and forty nine, this clearly shows how differences between sexes-power relationship within and between different women, urban versus rural and single versus married is very much embedded within society.Furthermore, the violation of fundamental human rights, and especially reproductive rights of women, plays an important part in perpetuating gender inequity and the observed HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Kenya. As discussed in some parts of Kenya certain groups have taken Fanon’s dictum above about culture to new levels (p, 42), which have resulted in the discrimination, violati on of women’s rights and have placed women at great risk of contacting HIV. The impact has been traumatic on women as members of a community that continues to marginalize them in alls aspects of life.Yet women continue to provide care as wives, mothers, daughters, nurses, teachers, and grandmothers towards the sick, the dying and the orphaned children, many of whom are traumatized by the loss of their loved ones from AIDS. Unfortunately, in most parts of Kenya as evident elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, as Fanon further argued, societies have not acknowledged the totality of culture and its vital role within the context of culture and history (p, 43).What we know and will be shown in this essay is that an examination of cultural practices allow us to know the nature and extent of the imbalance and conflicts (economic, social and cultural) which characterize the evolution of a society: culture allows us to know the dynamic synthesis which have been developed and established by social conscie nce to resolve these conflicts at each stage of its evolution in search for survival and progress (ibid).In the case of Kenya, and elsewhere as it was made clearer in this course, the quest for in Kenya such attitudes pervade all aspects of social life to the detriment of girls in particular and women in general. Evidently, the recurring theme in Kenya is the conflict between modernity and tradition that is often treated in terms of its relevance to women and men, rural versus urban or what it means to belong to a particular ethnic group. This goes to the heart of gender equity, property rights, agrarian reform and its problematic impact on women.In parts of Kenya, those who believe that culture is stagnant rather than vibrant to the extent that oppressions against women are presented in terms of cultural harmony and the survival of entire ethnicities have hindered the process of social liberation by women. Some of the cultural traditions discussed include wife (wido w) inheritance, widow cleansing and polygamy all of which contributed to the lack of secure property rights that result into the violation of human rights for women, and the observed disparity in HIV/AIDS rates between men and women in Kenya. 4] Unfortunately westerners including many of our classmates sometimes do not seem to understand that countries like Kenya have very poor laws that govern human freedoms and rights like the Canadian Charter of Freedoms and Rights. Women in Kenya are routinely discriminated against in most cases with the connivance of the state. [5] While personal freedom and choice have certainly played a role in the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS elsewhere, where laws are enforced, in the case of Kenya, the interplay of culture and gender roles is to a great extent responsible for the statistics cited above in this essay.Although awareness of HIV/AIDS is reasonably high in Kenya this is not reflected in sexual behavioral changes, given the high prevalence and incide nce of HIV/AIDS (Rosenvard, C and T. Campbell, 1996, p, 11). This finding reflects our thesis; the entrenched cultural biases against women and girls can explain such behavior to the extent where awareness is high yet infections rates are also rising. It is not that Kenyans in general or women in particular are not rational, they are but they have become victims of outdated cultural traditions and gender biases.What this rather contradictory finding shows is the need to view the HIV/AIDS pandemic through, multiple lenses but most importantly through the lens of power inequality in society that are rooted in gender. Gender norms pervade all aspects of Kenyan culture and society to the extent that culture dominates anything else among the Luo and Luhya of Western Kenya. The marginalized status of women plays a key role in the spread of HIV/AIDS in Kenya as reflected in the UNAIDS and WHO figures.It is thus important to recognize the complex underlying factors influencing the role of w omen and how such roles affect African societies and behavior. In the traditional Kenyan society, women are expected to be submissive and to provide for their household at all times (Caldwell, 1989, p, 185). In Kenya especially in the rural setting, the woman’s marital status does not end when the person who married her dies; she is by all accounts married to the clan in the sense that under certain ‘invented’ customary traditions, the clan has the right to inherit her.Traditionally, Luo or Luhya women have little or no say in such matters of inheritance including the retention or sharing of resources such as land and property. According to Human Rights Watch: Widows are often evicted from their homes as in-laws rob them of their possessions and invade their homes and lands. These unlawful appropriations happen even more readily when the husband died of AIDS†¦ In some places, widows are forced to undergo customary, sexual practices such as â€Å"wife inheri tance† or ritual â€Å"cleansing† in order to keep their property. Wife inheritance† is where a male relative of the dead husband takes over the widow as a wife, often in a polygamous family. â€Å"Cleansing† usually involves sex with a social outcast who is paid by the dead husband's family, supposedly to cleanse the woman of her dead husband's evil spirits. In both of these rituals, safer sex is seldom practiced and sex is often coerced.Women who fight back are routinely beaten, raped, or ostracized (Double Standards: Women's Property Rights Violations in Kenya) (http://www. hrw. rg/reports/2001/kenya/TopOfPage). While the quotation above tells us sufficient story about the problems facing Kenyan women, Human Rights Watch report entitled, Double Standards: Women's Property Rights Violations in Kenya captures the agony of Kenyan women in their own voices. It is thus important to reproduce just three of their experiences below to capture what Human Right Wa tch calls â€Å"the heinous nature of women's property rights violations: through personal interview. Human Rights Watch of 2001, reports, â€Å"AIDS exacerbates those hardships†. †¢ Jiwa, a fifty-five-year-old widow from western Kenya, said that after her husband died, her brother-in-law brought a â€Å"cleanser† to her home to have sex with her. She objected, saying: â€Å"I don't know this man's HIV status, and if I die my children will suffer. † Her brother-in-law and four cousins pushed the cleanser into Jiwa's hut and he raped her. She screamed but the cleanser covered her mouth and the in-laws stood guard outside. The brother-in-law paid the cleanser with a cow, chickens, and clothing. Jiwa was then forced out of her home and into a shoddy, makeshift hut. Her brother-in-law took over her land and furniture.She reported this to the village elder, who did nothing. Jiwa now has a persistent cough and has lost much weight. She fears she contracted HIV f rom the cleanser but has not been tested and cannot afford medical treatment. †¢ Adhiambo, a thirty-year-old widow from Nairobi, said that when her husband died of AIDS in 1998 he left her HIV-positive with five children. She quickly went from being relatively affluent to destitute after her husband's family took her property. Her in-laws grabbed household items from her Nairobi home and took over a rural home, land, and livestock even though Adhiambo helped pay to construct the house.Her father-in-law called a family meeting, told her to choose an in-law as an inheritor, and ordered her to be cleansed by having sex with a fisherman. Adhiambo refused, and fled when her in-laws threatened her. She now struggles to meet her children's basic needs, and her slum landlord has threatened to evict her. †¢ Imelda, a twenty-five-year-old widow with AIDS, lost her home, land, and other property in Kenya when her husband died in 2002. She told her in-laws that she had AIDS and wanted to stay in the house. They snatched her property anyway and wanted her to be â€Å"inherited. She recalled: â€Å"I told my in-laws I'm sick . . . but they took everything. I had to start over . . .. They took sofa sets, household materials, cows, a goat, and land. I said, ‘Why are you taking these things when you know my condition? ‘ They said, ‘You'll go look for another husband. ‘ My in-laws do not believe in AIDS. They said that witchcraft killed my husband. (http://www. hrw. org/reports/2001/kenya/TopOfPage). The above tribulations capture the victims in their own words and show how widow’s inheritance and cleansing devalues the dignity of women.While case law establishes that family property may be evenly divided upon separation or divorce in practice, the captured words of the three widows above, seems to differ. But above all, as has been our point of argument throughout this paper, under the very oppressive and discriminatory customary laws that are extremely influential in Kenya, it is the men who are accorded greater property rights than women. Other discriminatory practices are usually sexist customary tradition that obstruct women's equal rights to property and also prevent women from seeking redress for violations of these rights.Additionally, the problem is made worse by unresponsive authorities that ignore women’s woes regarding property violations, and ineffective courts that are biased against women. However the greatest setback is the fact that many Kenyan women and men too have land problems where squatters are routinely evicted even though they have lived on such land for generations. The other is low level of awareness of their rights, the time and expense of pursuing claims, violence, and the social stigma of being considered greedy or cultural traitors if they assert their rights. www. hrw. org/campaigns/women/property/factsheet. htm). Evidently, what the discussion above illustrates is that in K enya, women’s rights violations must be understood and combated in the context of Africa's AIDS epidemic.In Kenya, 15 percent of the population between the ages of fifteen and forty-nine is infected with HIV, more than half of whom are women, and one out of eight adults in rural Kenya and one out of five adults in urban areas is infected, though most do not know it. AIDS has reduced life expectancy from sixty-five to forty-six years ((http://www. rw. org/reports/2001/kenya/TopOfPage). These figures are quite telling in that in Kenya, HIV/AIDS is worse among urban dwellers than is the case among rural dwellers. According to Dyson, the higher urban incidence rates are due to â€Å"relatively high rates of social interaction and crowded urban living conditions and squalid living conditions† (p, 427). Similar results for Sub-Saharan African in general, has been documented by Caldwell who found that â€Å"urban levels of HIV infection rates are typically four to ten times those of rural areas† (p, 44).In countries with a substantial level of urbanization, and home to some of the largest slum areas in Africa, the numbers are certainly depressing. Moreover as noted by Bollinger et al, Sometimes traditional practices that occur in Kenya, particularly in the rural areas, can contribute to the spread of HIV. For example, a director of the Kenyan governments AIDS efforts attributed the high prevalence rate in some parts of western Kenya to the practice of wife inheritance that exist there (5-6). These findings do illuminate our thesis.Furthermore given the feminization of poverty due to Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) policies (Cooper, 2002, 87), women in urban areas and also in rural areas find themselves on the economic margins where they are forced to engage in risky behaviors like prostitution. Moreover, because of SAP polices and the introduction of user fee in hospitals; women are disadvantaged with regard to health and health care (ibid), a clear indication that gender inequalities have led to a systematic neglect of women’s health and the gendered incidence of HV/AIDS in Kenya. It is not our intention to call such traditions as ‘uncivilized’ or extreme.It would be naive to make this assumption and one has also to try to understand the dynamics of Africa and its communities at earlier times. Caldwell captures the reality that â€Å"it is clear that lifestyle plays a dominant role in determining individuals’ chances of infection, and it seems probable that level of the disease over the coming decades is more likely to be decided by changing lifestyles than by medical breakthroughs. Those changes will be more successful, and least damaging to the society, if behavioral factors in the spread of the disease are well understood† (p, 186).Conclusion This essay has outlined and argued that the disparity in HIV/AIDS prevalence rates between men and women are rooted in the cultural biases aga inst women and girls such as widow inheritance in parts of Kenya. Our position in this essay has been that the cultural barriers and the ensuing gender bias have not only perpetuated the spread of HIV/AIDS among women, but are also hindering an effective HIV/AIDS prevention campaign in Kenya. We have shown the linkages between cultural biases against women and girls and the spread of HIV/AIDS.The challenge has been to decouple the notion that addressing women rights in Kenya is a western value or that concerns of equity must take a back seat in the struggle against HIV/AIDS epidemic. We recognize that eliminating all forms of discrimination against women in Kenya will take time, but the government must start to enforce existing laws to protect women against repressive cultural practices like widow inheritance. The people must be told that culture is not static but rather dynamic, and should be encouraged to discard risky cultural traditions and activities that expose women to HIV/AI DS and thus endanger their lives.From this course (Sociology 309), we know the relationship between safe and improved reproductive rights such as increased condom use and the health status of women are crucial in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. As shown in this paper there is a positive correlation between women’s precarious health status and their susceptibility to HIV/AIDS particularly in urban areas, inequitable gender relations and women’s poverty and powerlessness in society especially in rural areas.Finally, the Kenyan stakeholders – politicians, church leaders, civil society, NGOs, women leaders, youth groups, cultural and traditional leaders, must deal urgently with the existing power inequality among the sexes, that accounts for the excessive burden of HIV/AIDS transmission and the consequences on women in general who have so far been hit most by the spread of HIV/AIDS. That trend needs to be reversed if Kenya is to stem the devastating impact of HIV/A IDS epidemic and its distressing impact on the Kenyan society at large.