Pet Peeve: Public Display of Affection Essay

Isn’t it annoying when someone is trying to go to his or her locker before and after class, but could not because couples are making out in front the lockers? It is also annoying when people are holding hands and walking really slow and students who are trying to get somewhere are unable to do so. Public Display of Affection, a. k. a PDA, has always been controvercial. In fact, many are against it and believe there should be limits on PDA. Moreover, public display of affection can be expressed in any forms. PDA can range from holding hands to hugging and to even more inappropriate actions such as full making-out session and touching innappropriate places. As a matter fact, PDA is inappropriate and should be kept out of school. But students should also have his or her freedom of expression. In Southington High School, students are given only five minutes to do what ever he or she wants to do before going to his or her next class. However, sometimes students are unable to aquire any of his or her needs because other students are keeping him or her from doing it. Rules against Public Display of Affection should be enforced because it causes a huge distraction. When students are engaged in PDA other student often have a hard time how to deal with it. Should that student look away or stare? PDA can also make students late to his or her next class because lovers are occupying his or her locker. According to the student handbook, being late to class ten minutes or more is considered an unexcused absence or a cut. Also if a student has two or more cuts they will loose there credit. That being said, it should not be the students fault because being tardy to his or her class is often can cause by students who are engaging in PDA. Teachers are also being affected because he or she is responsible to stop PDA from happening, which can affect class time. It is also a possibility that if the teachers cannot meet the requirements of the school he or she may loose his or her job. Everyone have witnessed it and may have even participated. Public Display of Affection has always been an issue everywhere such as the learning environment, working environment, and etc. Some think it is all right to engage in such behavior because a person is entitled to freedom of expression. But others think PDA is risque and lacks etiquette. Many believe that some boundaries should be set on when and where PDA should occur and what kind of PDA should be tolerable. Unfortunately, schools have continuously addressed this issue. As a matter of fact many schools have guidelines setting limits on PDA for student. However, it is often not compromised. PDA should not be acceptable because schools is a place of learning and not the place for students to engage in unsuitable manner. Imagine if the situation was reverse. What if the adults are the one doing it. Wouldn’t it be displeasing to the students to see an adult displaying affection to another adult. Therefore, students should remember that the school is public environment and any inappropriate behaviors can offend others. It is bad enough that other students have to suffer including the adults. Although Public Displays of Affection are displeasing to many it is not right to deprived anyone of freedom of expression. Anyone should be able to express his or her feelings. During the passing time, students have the chance to do what ever he or she wants to do. Some usually go straight to his or her class but others mostly hang out with his or her friends for a little bit before class starts. This is usually the time when students can mingle and talk to other students and see significant others. By restricting PDA in school could take away from a student’s freedom. Public Display of Affection may be displeasing and often inappropriate but it is also a way to express feelings to significant others. It is not right to take away student’s right to be with his or her significant others. Additionally, not all form of Public Display of Affection is bad. For example, hugging a friend is an acceptable manner. Holding hands is also tolerable. These are some form of PDA that should be welcome and not considered improper. Public Display of Affection has always been an issue. Unfortunately, it is unstopable. People will engage in it and no rules can stop it. Many believe it is distracting to the school environment and makes it hard for students including the adults to focus. It is also inappropriate and immature for a young adult student to express feelings towards someone else this way. However, by restricting PDA can take away studen’t freedom of expression.

Compare and Contrast Essay Essay

Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis were just two young teenage boys whose lives were taken from this world. The two cases for these two boys have some similarities between each other they were two 17 year-old African-American boys, both boys were unarmed, and the stand your ground law was used for each case. There are also some differences between the cases such as George Zimmerman was found not guilty while Michael Dunn was found guilty, Zimmerman stayed on the scene of the crime while Dunn did not do the same, and last eye witnesses were present to Dunn’s case but Zimmerman had zero eye witness. This is the twenty-first century yet we still have hate towards other races. In February 26, 2012 â€Å"Trayvon Martin a seventeen year old African American boy went to the store for some candy and a soft drink. George Zimmerman a Hispanic man was the neighborhood watch captain for the Retreat at Twin Lakes† (HLNtv.com). Now in November 23, 2012 Michael Dunn a White man â€Å"leaving a wedding reception for his son pulled into a gas station for wine and chips next to the SUV Jordan Davis† another seventeen year old African American boy â€Å"and three of his friends were in† (CNN.com). Zimmerman was monitoring the neighborhood when he calls 911 to report â€Å"a suspicious person.† He was â€Å"instructed to not get out or approach the person† who was. Martin. Zimmerman â€Å"disregarded the instructions given to him by the police and moments later shot Martin† and unarmed boy (CNN.com). If he was unarmed walking back to his house how could he have had any intention of being aggressive towards another man? In Dunn case he got into an argument with Davis and his friends about the loud music asking them to turn it down. Dunn said he â€Å"saw Davis reach down in his passenger seat to pull out a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun.† So â€Å"Dunn grabbed his gun an open fired ten bullet, three of which struck Davis.† Later when the car was searched no gun was found in the car (usatoday.com). Davis just like Martin was an unarmed boy. In the presence of both cases Zimmerman and Dunn both found there selves in a self-defense situation in other terms the â€Å"stand your ground law† (huffingtonpost.com). The Zimmerman case was considered self-defense but he would not have had to defend himself if he didn’t approach Martin. Also when Martin was unarmed what did Zimmerman need to defend himself of? Dunn on the other hand was not in a calm state of mind he was the â€Å"prosecutor portrayed him as a gunman whose â€Å"blood started to boil† because an armed teenager had disrespected him† (usatoday.com). Even though Dunn thought Davis had a gun he should not have fired off ten rounds rapidly. Dunn could not have been defending him and his wife when the teenagers were unarmed. They were no harm to Dunn and his wife. Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch men and was patrolling the street when he saw Martin. There were not one eye witnesses to seeing what happened at the scene besides Zimmerman a nd Martin who was dead. The only thing they had to go off of was the bruises forming and blood running from the back of his head, also the recording of the gun shot from the police recording of Zimmerman’s phone call. In Dunn’s case he was at a gas station with people around including the four men he was talking to about the loud â€Å"rap crap† music as he called it (CNN.com). Usually when you flee the scene of a crime it means you are guilty. After Zimmerman got out and came up too Martin and defended himself by shooting him. He stayed at the scene was it because no one was around and he already called the cops, and he knew that with his head bloody it was constituted as the â€Å"stand your ground law?† As for Dunn he fled forty miles back to his motel as soon as he shot off ten rounds. There he took â€Å" his dog for a walk, ordered pizza, and drank rum and cola† (CNN.com) Zimmerman was found not guilty after a year and six months went by. The six women jury found George Zimmerman not guilty. The jury had three choices to convict Zimmerman of â€Å"guilty of second degree murder, to find him guilty of the lesser charge manslaughter, or to find him not guilty. The jurors deliberated for more than sixteen hours total, including the thirteen on Saturday alone† (CNN.com). Now for Dunn even though he had pretty similar crimes as Zimmerman he was found guilty. Dunn received â€Å"a minimum of twenty years on one count, another twenty year count, and another minimum of twenty  year count† (usatoday). Works Cited Neale, Rick. â€Å"Fla. USA TODAY. Larry Kramer, 16 Feb. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.

Limitations of Man's Moral Capacities and Role of Political Order Research Paper

Limitations of Man's Moral Capacities and Role of Political Order - Research Paper Example The adoption of federal constitution perhaps had presented a challenge in that many political philosophers did not immediately know the extent to which the application of the new constitution will sustain what had become the order of the day or to what extent was it going to effect changes and to whose favor or disfavor. In the understanding of crucial role that the constitution was going to play, the most respected constitution architects of that time had carefully observed the situations, and agreed as leaders of the most fundamental states then that it was permissible that the many should have perfect representation, both being afraid of Monarchy and aristocracy as had been witnessed from continental Europe. Federalists’ essays, though not having a lot of public support, had begun exploring the nature of citizens in line with the provisions in the constitution that could have been perceived as inappropriate then. This is just to introduce the very rise of federalists. Quest ioning of Mans Moral Capacities One of the most fundamental concerns in federal constitution was the institution of the presidency. ... However we find Publius crafting another complex system in Electoral College and sufficiently argues out that anyone who passes grilling of the Electoral College will definitely be a man of good morals. Besides, we can also observe that this goes hand in hand with the creation of the senate whose joint power supersedes that of the institution of presidency in critical aspects. Publius draws a comparison of political institutions then and justifies that people’s concerns are well taken care of. By crafting the duties and obligations of the president to give him a parliamentary status of membership, morality of office bearer is further monitored through provision of impeachment by the house so as to protect the interest of the majority in the event that there is questionable abuse of office. Although giving so much power to this institution, Publius cannot entrust political governance of the people without checks and balances (Carey and MacClellan, 231). Equally important is the realization by Publius that if morality of the judiciary remains at a political stake, then the whole concept of moral justice will be lost. It becomes apparent that separation of powers and independence of each institution takes center stage. Publius notices that for a judiciary to be legitimate, it must have trust of the people from whose mandate it was created through the constitution. Abuse of powers and political influence on judicial decisions were very common then. The first fundamental step that Publius takes is to insulate the morality of office bearers by providing for life tenure. We realize that by possessing neither will nor force but only judgment, it was really vital to have a satisfied judiciary that cannot

The Potential Influence of Environmental Factors on Human Error Essay

The Potential Influence of Environmental Factors on Human Error - Essay Example Reflectance This is a very major problem as far as the lighting of the work place is concerned. The reflectance from an overhead light falling onto a computer screen can be distracting for an individual. Similarly, the natural light falling from a window onto a computer screen also leads to reflectance problems. One of the major developments in recent office ergonomics has been the reduction of reflectance from window and light surfaces. One way of catering with reflectance problem is to introduce blinds on the windows. Another solution is to change the position of the computer so that the screen no longer faces the window. Glare A good reason for breaking up the direct impact of a light source is to reduce the amount of glare produced by it. Human eye makes adjustments for brighter and less brighter sources, but if this adjustment continue , this can cause visual fatigue.. Demands on vision and individual differences Visual acuity is an aspect of performance which can be measured wi th psychometric tests and may be demanded by some jobs. Most people who have any common â€Å"defects† in vision are corrected by use of spectacles, contact lenses or, surgery. Excessive work with computers may effect viausal acuity. Visual acuity also changes with age, and people need visual correction after middle age. The Auditory Environment Human beings and other animals are detectives to sound. At work place, hearing protection concerns the appropriate level of sound for messages, communication systems and auditory alarms. The problem of hearing against noisy backgrounds can lead to the problem of temporary or permanent hearing loss through exposure to loud noise. The everyday sounds that we are exposed to are highly complex, in terms of their... This essay stresses that this is a very major problem as far as the lighting of the work place is concerned. The reflectance from an overhead light falling onto a computer screen can be distracting for an individual. Similarly, the natural light falling from a window onto a computer screen also leads to reflectance problems. One of the major developments in recent office ergonomics has been the reduction of reflectance from window and light surfaces. One way of catering with reflectance problem is to introduce blinds on the windows. Another solution is to change the position of the computer so that the screen no longer faces the window. This paper makes a conclusion that human beings and other animals are detectives to sound. At work place, hearing protection concerns the appropriate level of sound for messages, communication systems and auditory alarms. The problem of hearing against noisy backgrounds can lead to the problem of temporary or permanent hearing loss through exposure to loud noise. The everyday sounds that we are exposed to are highly complex, in terms of their waveforms, and include gaps. People working in very noisy fields can suffer from hearing loss and other hearing problems. The effects of noise on task performance have been varied depending on characteristics of the noise itself and the kind of task being performed. People’s tolerance level to noise varies. The most obvious effect is that noise can actually mask important communication and sources of information over the phone within the work environment.

Staying on Course to Your Success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Staying on Course to Your Success - Essay Example As an adopter of ‘on course’ principles, I wish to elaborate the ‘on course’ elements and how they can be incorporated to bring positive results, and thus, success in daily activities and thoughts. For success in one’s education, he or she must be willing to perform the creation role, as opposed to the victimization role. What does this mean? Being a creator implies that one acknowledges and takes responsibility for their course of actions or thoughts. In other words, a person adopts self-responsibility as aforementioned. As an elaboration, ‘on course’s’ self responsibility as an element requires one to perceive the primary causes of their experiences and outcomes as self. This, as opposed to seeing oneself as a victim, helps in guiding the person to focus on ways of changing their course of actions to make their situations better than they currently are. Contrary to victims, creators (the self-responsible ones) do not blame extern al factors like luck, fate, or other powerful individuals as the cause of their predicaments. Applied in education, creators are able to own their dissatisfying academic results, with an optimism of revising more and discussing with their classmates in an attempt to improve their grades. Such students also identify where they could have gone wrong previously to warrant such wanting results, maybe they missed classes, or failed to consult their instructors. The outcome of such self-analysis and meditation results in creators outlining their success activities. Victims, on the other hand, will fault family problems, errors in marking and ex cetera for their diminished performances. It is ones mandate to choose whether they prefer being a creator to being a victim. My advice for those who aspire to be successful is to opt for creator roles. Many successful stories have been linked to positive self-image. This implies that for one to succeed, they must believe in themselves and posses h igh levels of self-esteem. How can this lead to a success story? Positive self-image implies that one perceive themselves worthy as individuals. This has a great impact on their attitude towards life and its challenges thus they are capable of transforming negative situations into positive ones. Often, self-esteem and mastery of self-management go hand in hand. As such, individuals with high self-esteem also know how to plan for their activities geared towards achievement of their dreams and goals. In contrast, people with low self-esteem do not consider themselves worthy individuals; instead, they doubt their personal worth as well as their competence. Such people will always doubt their ability to make their outcomes and experiences desirable, and appear frustrated and depressed. In addition, those with low self-esteem show tendencies of failing to plan effectively for their actions. Consider the cliche that ‘no man is an island’ However outdated it seems, this phrase holds true if success is to be achieved. One must develop interdependence in order to achieve their goals. This is helpful because through sharing, one learns new things, as well as teaches others what they know. As such, interdependence brings mutual benefits that are crucial in the steps towards success. In addition, forming supportive relationships brings with it the satisfaction of helping others with one‘s knowledge. That in itself helps in enhancing self-esteem, in that one will view him or herself capable of creating a positive impact in life.

From Kyoto to Doha, the international community has consistently Essay - 1

From Kyoto to Doha, the international community has consistently failed to reach any meaningful agreement on reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Discuss - Essay Example change, the role and efficiencies of such agreements have been criticised in often instances being influenced by the uncontrollably rising green house gas emissions. One of the most debated international treaties towards climate change can be identified as the Kyoto Protocol which is also attributed as one of the initial coalitions established concerning sustainable development (Karp & Zhao, 2008). The subsequent international coalitions such as 18th Conference of the Parties (COP 18), better known as â€Å"Doha Climate Gateway†, the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer among others have been under deep scrutiny on the basis of its failure to reduce the emissions and thus ensure minimisation of the rate of climate changes (Boyle, 2012; United Nations Environment Programme, 2001; United Nations Environment Programme, 2000). Undoubtedly, it has become a matter of significant concern to identify the fundamental reasons due to which the international treaties have had no apparent influence on the rising emission rates and climate change (Boyle, 2012). Taking these aspects into concern, the study will aim at identifying the background of the International Environmental Agreements (IEAs) with the intention to recognise the influences which have hampered the functional competencies of the treaties. The ultimate objective of the study will therefore be concentrated on rationalising the causes of failure of the IEAs, initiated till date, in the context of climate changes. With this concern, the study will initially attempt to identify the trends concerning the measures adopted to combat climate change from international, European Union (EU) and UK perspectives taking onto account the various institutions which tend to regulate such coalitions or IEAs. The discussion will further proceed to critically analyse the procedures and

The Rise of Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Rise of Capitalism - Essay Example Smith’s theory that propagated dependence of individualism that oozed out of the nation at this time period. America’s obsession with Industrial began with Slater’s mills in which textiles became the primary market to produce. Although it may seem a new age, most workers were orphans or children who owed debt to the nation. The drive of capitalism for this country relied on many factors that included slavery, turned raw goods into products, factories, and the ability to produce such a drastic workforce. Jefferson understood and acknowledged this problem. He feared that the America could not be properly industrialized due to the fact that it would not attract workers. Hence, the need to build factories around villages became critical components towards the move to industrialize America. Moreover, the ability of the American leaders to explore the â€Å"wild west† catapulted the nation to expand and dramatically changed from an urban to a rural area. One of the most significant factors that contributed to the development expansion of the United States was the fertile land that was available in the South. The large plantations in the south gave the rise to slave labor was the fertile farmland in the Midwest enabled United States to accomplish several things. First of all, the invention of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin initiated the rise to slave labor in the rich land that extended beyond from Carolina to Texas, which expanded the United States border. The fertile land gave boosted the American economy, which contributed to development of United States. The south had to dramatically shift their economy to tobacco and cotton to agriculture. In the north, corn supply was enhanced along with the focus on producing textiles. Cities such as New York and Chicago became the top commerce cities that built its economic empire due to the industrial revolution. The creation of Erie Canal became the hallmark of water commerce that enabled America to lower shipping costs

Citizenship in the age of internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Citizenship in the age of internet - Essay Example The first and most important benefit of e-voting in Switzerland is that it has raised the number of voters who participated in the recent past elections compared to those who were participating in the earlier elections when the postal voting system was used. E voting has encouraged the young people to participate in the elections due to its simplicity and time saving nature. Another factor that has led to an increase in the voters’ turnout is the facts that the e voting did not replace the other channels of voting like postal voting – those uncomfortable with e voting have an option of using the old methods. In addition, the Swiss who live abroad can now participate in the polls from wherever they are and the handicapped do not have to travel to the postal offices to cast their votes. This voting system is more successful in big cities like Geneva where the pilot projects were carried out. Moreover, e voting reaches the voters from their home and the voting is faster than the traditional methods. There are also possibilities of having several elections in a year and e voting could entice voters to participate in every election. Since its introduction, e voting in Switzerland has received much support from the citizens who more than 74% use the internet and one in every three uses the internet daily. Another advantage of e voting system is the quality of votes. Most of the voters use the internet to access the information they require. This helps them to make informed decisions on the candidates and the electoral process. E-government is another important development in the technological world and it has come to be associated with the word, ‘Information Technology’ in European countries. In e-government, most of the government services are online and the government communicates with the citizens through the internet. On the other hand, the internet media is well developed and

Intermediate Financial Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Intermediate Financial Accounting - Essay Example International Accounting Standard 38 mentions the utility and usage of intangibles in the financial aspect of companies. The intangible assets are the intellectual property rights, goodwill and the expenditures of the company on research and developments. They are also known as capital developments. In the second part of the report, the examples of two famous listed Australian companies have been taken. Both of these companies are from pharmaceutical industry. Acrux Limited specializes into development of fast-drying sprays and other medicinal products, while Agenix Limited is mainly based in China and has competency in development of biopharmaceuticals. The company is into several agreements with renowned institutions for development, innovation and discovery of useful medicines for the betterment of mankind. The management in Acrux Limited considers their intangible assets at the cost price when they were acquired. In case of Agenix Limited the capital development of their research and development on some new drug has been included. Agenix Limited has a larger base of intangible assets than Acrux limited, in terms of financial value. Both the financial statement of both the companies shows that the intangible assets of the companies are well-maintained. ... The best examples of intangible assets in organizations are the goodwill, intellectual property rights such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, brand recognition, etc. There are two types of intangible assets, such as legal and competitive intangible assets. The legal intangible assets are the trade secrets such as the patents or copyrights, competitive intangible assets are knowledge or technical know-how. The legal intangible assets are acquired through judicial regulations, but in case of competitive intangibles, legal regulations are not enforceable (Anson, and Drews, 2007, p. 6). The Uniform Commercial Code (Section 9-102 (a) (42)), depicts that intangibles are the personal property. In International Accounting Standard (IAS) 38, it has been mentioned that the legal intangible assets which are internally developed cannot be defined, but if it is acquired from third-party then it can be recognized. While in case of US GAAP, the intangible assets are segregated into internally dev eloped intangibles versus the purchased ones, and the limited life intangibles versus indefinite life intangibles. The potential economic reimbursement from an intangible asset might comprise of revenue from sale of services or products, saving cost, or additional benefits from the usage of assets by the venture. For example, using intellectual property in a construction development may condense the future cost of production rather than the increase in future revenues (Australian Accounting Standards Board, 2008, p. 2-4). Problem Areas The power to create customer value, stakeholders and shareholders’ value and economic value no longer depends on the production factors, but on intangible assets. These are also considered as the

The Palestine Liberation Organization Essay Example for Free

The Palestine Liberation Organization Essay Palestine is a historic region in the Middle East comprising of Israel and the Israeli occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Palestine Liberation Organization, a political entity, had been attempting to establish a separate state for the Palestinian Arabs. In the year 1948, Israel was created in that region. This emergence of the Israeli state and subsequent wars between it and several Arab countries, served to displace a large number of Palestinians. In the year 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization or PLO was founded, in order to represent the demands of Palestinians for the creation of a separate state for them. At that point in time, Arab military forces were singularly unsuccessful in defeating Israel, in the Six Day War of 1967. Under those circumstances, the PLO emerged as an alternative power, and gained regional and international importance (Stein, 2007). A deep rooted hatred has existed between the PLO and Israel, and this lasted for several years. However, between 1993 and 1998, both the PLO and Israel entered into several agreements, which transferred all Palestinian towns and cities that were under the control of Israel to the Palestinian administration. Moreover, the Israelis transferred Arab dominant regions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to Palestine. In accordance with these agreements, the Palestinian National Authority or PNA was formed to govern these transferred Palestinian areas. In the year 1994 the PNA took complete control over the administrative and negotiating roles of the PLO, with respect to these newly transferred territories. As such, the PLO remained a protector of Palestinian interests in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It also represents Palestinian interests in international agreements and treaties. The PLO and Israel have continued to remain adversaries, despite diplomatic negotiations between them (Stein, 2007). The fundamental objective of the PLO was the destruction of Israel. In the year 1969, Yasser Arafat became the chairman of the PLO. In the year 1970, Jordan expelled the PLO from its territory, and the PLO relocated itself in Lebanon and established its base of operations there and started to attack Israel. It attacked Israel in 1978 and in 1982. In 1982, it withdrew from Beirut and moved to Tunisia. Yasser Arafat’s leadership of the PLO was challenged several times before, during and after the Intifada. However, he remained the supreme leader of PLO. In 1988, Arafat gave up terrorism and discontinued terrorist attacks against Israel. Subsequently, the PLO was recognized as the umbrella group that represented Palestinian interests and the Palestinian state. Arafat became the leader of the Palestine National Authority in 1996 (Palestine Liberation Organization, 2001). The PLO comprises of three important branches; and these are the fifteen member Executive Committee, which includes representatives from the fedayeen; the Central Committee comprising of sixty members; and the Palestine National Council, which has five hundred and ninety – nine members. The PLO has several departments and agencies, which provide military services, health services, information to the public, finance, social welfare, education, and other administrative services. After the creation of the Palestine National Authority in 1994, it has taken over the duties and responsibilities of the Palestinian people, in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Stein, 2007). The PLO was formed, in order to fight against Israel and to compel it to withdraw from Palestine. However, it was unable to unite all the Palestinian groups at that time. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which was under the leadership of George Habash, remained an independent group, and Yasser Arafat of al-Fatah became the supreme leader of the PLO, which launched several terrorist operations against Israel. It killed eleven Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972. In the year 1982, Lebanon expelled PLO from its country. In Tunisia, in 1988, the PLO established a parliament in exile for the newly declared state of Palestine. In 1988, Arafat launched peace and diplomacy initiatives, as a prelude to negotiations with Israel. The United States supported the PLO in these efforts, and in 1993, Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin signed an agreement, after secret negotiations. Thereafter, the PLO relinquished terrorism and honored the right of Israel to exist as a separate state, subsequent to Israel’s withdrawal of its forces from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In 1995, the Palestinians achieved independence and autonomy. The peace process suffered a setback, because the Hamas continued to attack Israel and the latter failed to withdraw its troops. In 1998, the PLO and Israel had signed a land – for – security pact. In 2000, US peace efforts ended in failure, and there was unending violence on both sides (Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), 2003). The PLO is composed of several groups, and each of these has its own founders and organizational framework. The leaders of some of these groups had challenged the leadership of Arafat. Some groups had been branded as rejectionist groups as they refused to recognize the September 13, 1993 PLO – Israel accord. They also opposed interim agreements entered into by the PLO and Israel. These rejectionist groups include the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine or PFLP, led by George Habash, which is a Marxist group. Subsequent to the 1993 Israel – Palestinian Declaration of Principles agreement, the PFLP withdrew from the PLO. Another organization was the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command or the PFLP-GC that had been founded by Ahmad Jibril. It was a Damascus based group, with a pro – Syrian faction, which withdrew from the PLO. Nayif Hawatmeh had founded the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine or DFLP, a partner of the PLO coalition. It was a Marxist organization that had joined the PLO in the year 1999. Moreover, the Palestine Liberation Front or PLF, led by Abu Abbas, continued in the PLO coalition (Katzman, 2002). The PFLP, the PFLP-GC, and the PLF were extremist groups that had indulged in terrorist acts against Israel, subsequent to the 1993 Declaration of Principles. These three extremist groups were termed the Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, DFLP, was categorized as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the State Department in its first FTO list published in 1997. However, at the behest of Arafat, and after it had accepted the peace with Israel; it was excluded from the list of FTO’s in 1999. Other coalition groups in the PLO that were not branded as FTOs included the As – Saiqa, the Arab Liberation Front, which was a pro – Iraq faction group, the Popular Struggle Front, the People’s Party, formerly known as the Palestinian Communist Party, and the Democratic Union that was known by its initials FIDA (Katzman, 2002). The timeline of important events in the history of the PLO – Israel relationship has been appended below: December 1968: On the 28th of December 1968, Israeli commandoes attacked the Beirut International Airport. In this operation, more than twelve airplanes were heavily damaged, while some of them were completely destroyed. This operation was launched in retaliation to the attacks on an Israeli civilian flight at the Athens airport in Greece. In this attack, two Palestinian nationals were charged with having attacked an airplane in Athens. This attack had resulted in the death of an Israeli passenger (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). November 1969:Â  Yasser Arafat and the Lebanese commander – in – chief, Emile Bustani, met in Cairo and ratified an agreement. Under the terms of that agreement Lebanon had to recognize the Palestinian revolution. That agreement allowed Palestinians and the Lebanese to jointly fight against Israel without compromising Lebanon’s welfare and sovereignty. Although the agreement was made for twenty years of joint struggle, Lebanon escinded it in 1987 (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 1970-1971: Jordan expelled the PLO following a severe battle in their country, which had led to the death of thousands of people. Subsequently, the PLO shifted its base of operations to Lebanon and mounted attacks against Israel from Lebanon. An extremist Palestinian terrorist faction group, Black September, joined the PLO coalition. In September 1970, Jordan initiated a military crackdown on Palestinians (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 1972: The terrorist group Black September attacked Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in Germany. In these attacks two Israelis were killed and nine Israeli athletes taken as hostages. The terrorists demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for these hostages. Israel refused to accept these conditions and a counter attack was mounted by the West German commandoes, during which four terrorists and one policeman were killed (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). April 1973: In a covert operation, the future Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, led a team of Israeli commandoes, in women’s attire and killed three prominent PLO leaders in Beirut (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 975: There was fierce civil war in Lebanon between the Palestinians and pro – Palestinian Lebanese militant groups, and Lebanon’s Christian militant groups. They fought each other for fifteen years, until 1990, when the civil war ended officially (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 1976: Syria deployed its peacekeeping forces in Lebanon to assist Lebanese authorities to end the war. The Syrian fo rces remained in Lebanon for thirty years, until April 2005 (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). March 1978:Â  The PLO attacked a bus in northern Israel, and in retaliation, the Israeli forces entered Lebanon and pushed the PLO forces far from the border. The UN Security Council ratified a resolution, which instructed Israel to immediately withdraw its forces from Lebanon. Accordingly Israel withdrew its forces, and Major General Saad Haddad established a security zone of twelve miles wide, all along the border. This security zone was meant to prevent Trans – border attacks on Israel (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). September 1978:Â  The US President Jimmy Carter was instrumental in bringing about the Camp David Accord. This Accord led to the establishment of a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. It also provided sufficient groundwork for a similar peace treaty between Israel, Lebanon and other neighboring Arab states (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). July 17, 1981: Israeli forces attacked the PLO headquarters in West Beirut, and this operation claimed more than three hundred civilian lives. The United States once again intervened and established a cease – fire agreement between Israel, the PLO and Syria. At that particular time, Syrian troops were deployed in Lebanon (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 1982: Until the 6th of June 1982 a cease – fire was maintained. It was broken when Israel attacked Lebanon with a sixty thousand army. This was in retaliation to the killing of Israeli’s ambassador to Britain. However, Arafat and the leaders of the PLO escaped from Lebanon and settled in Tunisia. They remained there until 1994 and then moved on to Gaza (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). On 14th September, Bashir Gemayel, the Lebanese president – elect, was assassinated before his swearing in ceremony. He had the support of Israel, and subsequent to his assassination, Israeli troops entered West Beirut and engaged in what could be deemed to be genocide, in which more than eight hundred Palestinian refugees were mercilessly killed by the Lebanese Christian militant groups in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. The world community accused Israel for its failure to stop the genocide. During this period, a fundamentalist Shiite Muslim extremist group Hezbollah emerged in Beirut, the Bekka Valley and southern Lebanon. Hezbollah was sponsored by Iran, whose Revolutionary Guards had imparted adequate training and had provided weapons to the Hezbollah. Syria also, lent its support to the Hezbollah, whose fundamental aim was to establish a Shiite Islamic state in Lebanon. Moreover, it aimed to expel Israel and the US military from the region (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). April 18, 1983: Hezbollah launched a number of suicide bombers against the US embassy in West Beirut. In this operation nearly sixty – three people were killed. This attack served as a portent regarding the future attacks against Western nations (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). May 17, 1983: The US achieved an agreement between Lebanon and Israel, and both these nations ratified the agreement, which sought the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon under a conditional withdrawal of Syrian forces. However, Syria refused to accept this agreement (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). October 23, 1983:Â  A suicide bomber from the Hezbollah penetrated into the headquarters of the US Marine and French forces in Beirut and detonated the bomb on his person. This bombing resulted in the death of two hundred and ninety – eight people. Of these, two hundred and forty – one were US Marines and other military staff. Following this attack, the US withdrew its forces from Lebanon (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). January 18, 1984: Malcolm Kerr, President of the American University of Beirut was assassinated (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). March 1984: Lebanon rescinded the May 17, 1983 peace accord, consequent to increasing pressure from Syria (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). September 20, 1984: The US embassy annex in East Beirut was heavily bombarded, resulting in the death of twenty – three people in the attack (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). June 1985: Israel withdrew its troops from Lebanon, all the same it controlled the twelve mile wide security zone along the southern border until May 2000 (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 1990: The fifteen year civil war in Lebanon was officially ended (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). July 1993: Israel attacked southern Lebanon for a week, with a view to end the attacks waged by the Hezbollah on several towns in Israel (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). April 1996: There was fierce fighting between Israel and Hezbollah for sixteen days. In this battle, nearly one hundred and thirty – seven people were killed. Most of the casualties were Lebanese civilians (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). May 2000:Â  Israel withdrew its troops from southern Lebanon and the United Nations declared the Blue Line to be the actual border between these two nations (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). September 2003: Israel warplanes bombarded southern Lebanon, in retaliation to the launching of antiaircraft missiles by the Hezbollah against Israeli airplanes flying over that region (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). October 2003: Israel and Lebanon exchanged gunfire in the Shebaa Farms, which was a disputed area (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). February 14, 2005: Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister was assassinated by militants, which pressurized Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon. In April, Syria withdrew all its troops from Lebanon (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). July 2006: Militants belonging to Hezbollah entered Israel and killed three Israeli soldiers. They abducted two soldiers and demanded an exchange of prisoners. Israel refused to accept their offer. Subsequently, five more Israeli soldiers were killed in an ambush. The response of Israel was a blitzkrieg, and Israel blockaded naval routes and heavily bombarded hundreds of Lebanese targets. It also bombed Beirut’s airport and the headquarters of Hezbollah in southern Beirut. In response to these Israeli attacks, Hezbollah launched attacks using rockets on northern Israeli cities. This battle resulted in the demise of hundreds of Lebanese civilians. Subsequently, Israel conducted a two week military campaign in Gaza in retaliation to the abduction of its soldiers (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006).

Field Of Practice With Vulnerable Families And Children Social Work Essay

Field Of Practice With Vulnerable Families And Children Social Work Essay It is acknowledged that the family is the basic unit of the society. With this, many efforts have been extended in order to protect families, especially the children. However, despite the evident efforts and measures practiced, it has been assumed that in some areas, many families and children are still vulnerable and with this comes the practice and influence of critical social work practice in order to identify and execute the solutions which are deemed to be effective and necessary. All children within the context of the family are vulnerable by definition primarily because their rights are mediated by others and because of their relatively young age, their voices are often not heard and their opinions are disregarded in the society. The vulnerability of children also depends on a number of different factors such as the general condition of the family and community and the economic situation of the nation. In line with the vulnerabilities of these children, various groups, aside from the immediate family, are geared towards the protection of the rights of the children and assurance that they are functional parts of the entire community. Some of these groups include schools, businesses, governments, and groups of concerned individuals who advocate for childrens rights to be practiced and protected as well. Some of the risk factors which were identified making children more vulnerable include: poverty, substance abuse, mental and physical illness, homelessness, ph ysical and emotional abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and unequal access to education and other basic services which are essential for the growth of a child (Stratton et al, 2006). FIELD OF PRACTICE AND THEORIES To be able to generate a set of sustainable solutions to protect vulnerable families and children, different practices were identified in the field of critical social work. One of the areas in which attention is given towards showing acre for the vulnerable families is through social protection. This includes all the basic services extended to help improve the living condition of the vulnerable families. In this paper, the focus of the study will be the social protection which was extended in the community to help alleviate the effect of the discussed vulnerabilities. In the aspect of the practice of social protection, the essential services which are extended include education, healthcare, and the availability of social workers. Perhaps, the most important in this sense is education. There is a need to extend the necessary and adequate knowledge, including the essential information, to the members of the community and reiterate to them what are the causes and effects of vulnerability. With this, a more informed community will emerge and there will be a greater realization of the problem which will potentially lead into having better solutions for such (OFlaherty, 2007). Social workers must be able to properly educate the general public about vulnerabilities which exist within the family. First and foremost, the need for informing the community about why such vulnerabilities exist and how it can be laid the proper solutions is essential in approaching the issue. There should initially be an understanding on what the issue is generally all about before further critical practices could manifest its effects. With this, it is assumed that school intervention is necessary in social work practice to address the issue. Children spend most of their time in schools that is why the role of these educational institutions will be indispensable and essential. In the school intervention, social workers address the problem associated with vulnerabilities in an ecological approach, which means that focus is waived towards both the person and the environment. Practices in order to address the problem could focus on changing the person, the environment, or both if necessary. It is also important to note that school-based intervention is essential in the issue because it enables an interdisciplinary team approach. This theory is especially helpful but it will require good communication skills from the participants in order to understand the existing vulnerabilities within the family and as experienced by children. The authors also emphasized that these kinds of social services should not be viewed as an isolated case but should be considered as a vital part of the general education process (Maluccio et al, 2002). One important theory in school-based intervention as a mechanism for social protection is that educating the parents of the children will be helpful in the problem. There is a need for social workers to educate the parents and make them aware of certain circumstances which might possibly make their families vulnerable. This practice will be able to help parents have an idea on how they are supposed to cope with stressful situations and how they can understand better the needs of their children (Maluccio et al, 2002) Aside from has been mentioned, another significant point which is significant in understanding the vulnerabilities of families and children is the need for family resilience. The family resilience framework assumes that this is a significant characteristic which should be present in all families as it will give them the abilities to withstand and rebound from adversity. Especially to families were cases of vulnerability are very evident, it is important for them to be resilient at tough times in order to overcome the occurrence of various challenges that they might face. According to Walsh, (2006), a social work practice geared towards shifting the family from being vulnerable to being resilient must not give up especially when the family is at troubled times, bring out the best in the whole family and not just focus on a single element or an individual, help families to cope and adapt, must be focused on the solutions and should have the necessary strength needed, and should stop pu tting an emphasis on how the family has been a failure, rather it should focus on how the family will succeed. The approach to establishing a resilient family should allow everyone to not view families as being damaged but rather a group of individuals which can be repaired despite the vulnerabilities and can have the opportunity to grow. The framework for family resilience shows a great potential to solve the crisis associated with vulnerable families and children. Through resilience, it is assumed that there is a great potential and possibility of veering away from veracity. Furthermore, it should also be noted that the establishment of a resilient family takes more than just having the capacity to manage and control stressful situations, shouldering a burden, or surviving. A resilient family framework involves a stronger relationship within the very basic unit of the society and having a shared effort. In the discussion of the framework for family resilience, it is also important to consider that the theory assumes that no single model fits all families. The framework and practices to be executed will depend largely on the living condition of the family at case and will vary differently depending on how vulnerable the family is. The best ways in order to establish a resilient family would be having team work, share d leadership, and mutual understanding when facing the problems and other predicaments which are confronting the family. The field of practice which was identified, social protection through education, can be assumed as an effective one. It is effective primarily because it involves not only critical social work but also school intervention. This aspect is very important since most of a childs time is spent at school. A good academic framework must be able to incorporate discussions regarding how to take an active part in establishing a sound and dynamic family which is improbable from the risks of vulnerabilities. However, for such framework and practices to take effect, there is a need for the proper tools and instruments which will be necessary such as an efficient social work with an effective framework on how such goals will be achieved. In the context of approaching the issue on the vulnerabilities of families and children, it is essential for the social worker to note the fact that there is a great and significant need to understand the problem and put put himself in the context of the family co ncerned in the situation. An effective social worker must be able to properly reflect on their own families and understand such because it is essential to be more effective when understanding the situation and the needs of other families in the community. As a recommendation to better address the issue of vulnerabilities of children and families, there is a need to approach the problem on each level. The first level would most probably be the individual. Education again is primary to this approach. The individual himself must be able to understand what vulnerability is all about and what the risks which are associated with such are. The next level is the family. The role of the family as a whole, especially the guidance of the parents is essential to be bale to veer away from the risks of vulnerability. A bigger group, after the family, is the entire community. This is a great concern for social workers. The community must also be properly educated regarding the social protection for vulnerable families so that its members will be aware on what practices are necessary to be executed and what measures are necessary to be observed. One more recommendation to address the issue more effectively to make everyone acknowledge the existence of the issue and do not deny its presence. An acceptance of the fact that there are vulnerabilities within families will be a first step to trigger further initiatives. It is also recommended that social workers who work in this practice should first examine and understand their own families so that they could understand better others. Although many studies and researches have already been completed regarding this issue, it is evident that being vulnerable is still one of the greatest threats confronting the global family and community nowadays. For such to be effective, the role of critical social work is very significant as well as the efforts which were anticipated to be carried out by social workers. For such measures to prove themselves effective, there is a need for proper execution of the practice and should be grounded on a strong framework based on socially acceptable theories on families. With the right plan and action, the problem with vulnerabilities on family and children can be alleviated at least.

The Effect of Catalyst an the Rate Of Reaction Essay -- GCSE Chemistry

The Effect of Catalyst an the Rate Of Reaction Chemistry Coursework Does The Number of Drops of Catalyst Effect The Rate Of Reaction Candidate Name: Ben Dodds Candidate Number: 7158 School: Oundle School Completion Date: Introduction We are studying the reaction between zinc and sulphuric acid, the reaction is catalysed by copper sulphate and this experiment is to test whether the amount of drops effect the rate of reaction. Word Equation Zinc(s) + Sulphuric acid(aq) Ã   Hydrogen(g) + Zinc Sulphate(aq) Symbol Equation Zn + H2SO4 Ã   H + ZnSO4 This reaction is catalysed by Copper sulphate (CuSO4) Ionic Equation - Cancel Spectator ion (SO42-) Zn + 2H+ Ã   Zn2+ + H2 For this reaction to work there must be hard collisions between the zinc and the hydrogen ions (acidity ion) from the acid, The faster the harder and the more often the collisions happen so I predict the more catalyst the faster the reaction. Planning Safety * Sulphuric acid at 2M is a corrosive substance but diluted to 1M it is an Irritant, so wear a Lab coat to protect your cloths and wear safety specs to protect your eyes. * Zinc is very flammable so do not put a Bunsen burner near it. * Copper sulphate is very nasty and corrosive when it gets in your eyes so wear safety specs. * Hydrogen is explosive when mixed with oxygen and burnt; so don't use a Bunsen burner near the experiment. Method ====== First a clamp stand was taken and a gas cyringe was fitted so that when it is connected to a conicle flask the conicle flask will touch the bench. 1 gram of zinc was taken along with 2M sulphuric acid and distilled sollutions. The solutions were mixed to form 1 M acid and a certain number of dfrops of catalyst wes added in the conicle flask and the... ...zincand the amount of copper sulphate were not kept constant. Did I do enough readings I think I have done enough readings as the trend of my predictions were there but I could have done a greater range. The only problem with that is I would have to dilute the acid again as the times were very quick for 15 seconds so it would be to awkward to collect if I did 30 drops of copper suphate it would have been to quick to record. Could your results lead to any findings outside the range of results covered? Yes I could as my graph is a straight line graph so I could extend it and look at maybe 40 or 50 drops and look at what the rate is for them What additional relevant work could you do to extend your theory? We chose to vary the amount of drops of catalyst but what you could vary is maybe whether the temperature, pressure, concentration of the acid or amount of zinc.

Lears Relinquishment of Power in Shakespeares King Lear Essay

Lear's Relinquishment of Power in Shakespeare's King Lear King Lear is an actor who can only play the king. Thus, after he has abdicated his throne, passing the authority to his posterity, he still demands respect and power, which he is unable to claim from any of his former subjects, even his daughters. And as a king with no kingdom, he is an actor with no role to play, the most loathsome of all conditions. Lear himself realizes this, and in scene 4, he cries: "Why, this is not Lear" (4.204). And later in the same speech, he says: "Who is it that can tell me who I am?" (4.209). Lear is stuck in his role as king, unable to act in any other manner and powerless to provide for himself, causing the ultimate downfall of he and his family from their status of authority. As the play opens in the first scene, King Lear uses his authority to divide the kingdom. However, this is a power that not even the king possesses; no one may divide the kingdom. Per the divine right of the king, Lear is in control and must remain so; he cannot pass the powers of the throne to anyone, save his heir, and then only following his death. Yet, Lear contradicts his divine right and divides the kingdom. In this action, "authority is not destroyed but split between those with the greatest claims to land and wealth" (Spotswood 280). The authority transfers to Goneril and Regan, as Lear no longer has a claim having resigned his reign. But even though he has no claim, Lear still wants to play his kingly role. So then, the major problem of King Lear is that after he has relinquished control of the kingdom, he still desires to rule in principle, though not in deed: Only we still retain The name and all th... ...rature 40 (2000): 241-60. Righter, Anne. Shakespeare and the Idea of the Play. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1962. Spotswood, Jerald W. â€Å"Maintaining Hierarchy in The Tragedie of King Lear.† Studies in English Literature 38 (1998): 265-80. Squire, Sir John. Shakespeare as a Dramatist. London: Cassell and Company, 1935. Stevenson, William B. â€Å"A Muse of Fire of a Winter of Discontent?† Journal of Management Education 20 (1996): 39-48. Weimann, Robert. â€Å"Mingling Vice and ‘Worthiness’ in King John.† Shakespeare Studies 27 (1999): 109-33. Zamir, Tzachi. â€Å"A Case of Unfair Proportions: Philosophy in Literature.† New Literary History 29 (1998): 501-20. Note—all Shakespeare text is quoted from The Norton Shakespeare. In the case of Lear, all quotations are from The History of King Lear which contains scene numbers, but no act numbers.

Diversity Essay -- essays research papers

By the year 2050, nonwhites will represent close to half of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau projections. By 2005, the ethnic minority share of the workforce is expected to grow to 28 percent, up from 18 percent in 1980 and 22 percent in 1990. Although the African American population is now the largest minority group, the Hispanic and Asian populations are growing much faster. In 1994, the African American population was estimated to be 33 million, or 12.7 percent of the total population, up from 11.7 percent in 1980. By 2025, African Americans are expected to represent 14 percent of the total. The Hispanic population is 10 percent of the total U.S. population in 1994, it is projected to be 17 percent by 2025. The Asian population was 3.4 percent of the total U.S. population in 1994, it is expected to more than double by 2025. With all of that stated, the above statistics should erase any doubt that workforce diversity is a critical business issue with serious, bottom line consequences, the Texaco lawsuit has erased those doubts forever. But a well publicized racial discrimination lawsuit is just one example of how an organization can be hurt if it is not actively working to manage and leverage workforce diversity. Other organizational costs could include depressed employee morale and loyalty, increased turnover and poor productivity. On the other hand, if managed well, a diverse workforce can boost productivi...

Bottled Water Essay

A couple of decades ago, people turn to the tap for drinking water. Now, most people, both young and old, drink water from bottles. In fact, the demand for bottled water is so great that it has become a multimillion-peso business in the country today. Why is there a substantial growth in the demand for bottled water? The main reason is the increasing health consciousness of the people. Many people prefer bottled water because they question the cleanliness of tap water. The quality of tap water has been decreasing. To be safe, people choose bottled water to avoid drinking water that may be contaminated with harmful microorganisms. Contaminated water can cause diarrhea and other stomach disorders that kill, like dysentery, gastroenteritis, amoebiasis, cholera, and hepatitis. Mostly, the bottled water that you buy is either mineral water or purified water. Water plants use surface water or ground water as the main raw material. These plants are located in places far from cities and industrial centers to avoid contamination. MINERAL WATER Mineral water comes from mineral springs. It normally contains a high content of mineral salts or gases, and which consequently may have an action on the human body different from that of ordinary water. Mineral waters are usually classified as alkaline, saline, chalybeate (iron-containing), sulfurous, acidulous, and arsenical. Mineral springs are generated deep underground, where, under intense heat and pressure, calcium, iron, potassium, sodium, and other minerals are leached from the surrounding rocks. Mineral water is also called aerated water. (The term â€Å"aerated† means charged with gas.) The most common gases that are in mineral water are carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. GUIDELINES FOR BOTTLED MINERAL WATERS There are strict rules for water to be labeled as mineral water. Genuine mineral water should contain the right percentage of such minerals as manganese, chromium, selenium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and other minerals. In California, United States, to be labeled â€Å"mineral water,† the water must contain 550 parts per million (ppm) of total dissolved solids (TDS). In Europe, mineral water must meet several criteria. One is that the water must flow freely from its source, meaning it may not be pumped or forced from the ground, and the water must be bottled directly at its source. Furthermore, the water’s properties, such as its temperature, mineral balance, and pressure have not varied in ten years. Some better known brands of mineral water in Europe include Evian and Ferrier of France, Ferarrele of Italy, and Apollinaris of Germany. All these conatin 330, 560, 1,400, and 2,250 ppm of TDS, respectively. MEDICINAL EFFECTS OF MINERAL WATER It has long been believed that mineral springs possess great curative powers. In fact, people have used mineral water since ancient times to cure such ailments as rheumatism, skin infections, and poor digestion. Also, many effervescing waters (impregnated with carbon dioxide gas) are used as table beverages and to dilute spirits or wines. Because of the springs’ medicinal effects, medicinal spas have been built around mineral springs. These spas are frequented by people who are hoping that the spring’s waters will relieve them of their ailments, such as gout, liver trouble, indigestion, and rheumatism. DISTILLED WATER Water that is treated by the process of distillation forms distilled water. This substance is purer than the original water because salt and other impurities do not evaporate with the water. Distillation is the principal method for purifying water. In this process, the water is vaporized into steam, the steam is condensed back into liquid water, and the water is collected in a separate container, leaving behind the impurities. Other methods of water purification include chlorine treatment, ozone treatment, ultraviolet decontamination, and oxidation-reduction media. Also, one method of water purification is with the use of iodinated resin. Iodinated resin can destroy even the smallest viruses through electrostatic attraction. Negatively charged contaminants are drawn to the positively charged resin. This ensures contact, no matter how small the microorganisms that might otherwise escape if filters are used. Upon contact, the resin releases sufficient iodine to penetrate and kill the microorganisms. PRODUCING SAFE, PURE WATER One of the most effective methods of producing safe, pure water consists of a three-step process. The first step is the use of sediment filters to remove large particles. The sediment filter acts to screen out suspended matter and can also remove many harmful bacteria and protozoa that may be present in the water. The second step is to purify the water through the use of iodinated resin. This devitalizes even the smallest harmful microorganisms within the water. Biological contaminants could also be removed by exposure to ultraviolet light, killing the microorganisms that may still be in the water. The third step is the use of carbon filters to remove taste- and odor-causing contaminants. The filter’s activated carbon and its ion exchange resin remove unwanted ions and molecules from water, leaving those that make water  pleasant to drink. The activated carbon also initiates a chemical reaction that converts free chlorine, which water utilities put in water to kill germs, into chloride and hydrogen ions, which are safe and taste all right. Other systems in bottling water consist of several steps that utilize both purification and filtration processes. In some systems, water is passed through as many as 16 stages in the whole process. Water is an all-important substance that sustains life here on earth. However, safe, pure water is becoming a rare commodity everywhere. Bottled water, whether mineral or distilled, offers safe drinking water for all of us.

Investigating the Impact of Climate Change on Dust Storms over Kuwait

Introduction Dust storms are more frequent in summertime in the Arabian Peninsula, and can be highly influential on the climate and the environment in the region. In this study, the influence of climate change in the Middle East and especially in Kuwait will be investigated by high-resolution (48, 12, and 4 km grid spacing) dynamic downscaling using the WRF (Weather Research & Forecasting) model. The WRF dynamic downscaling will be forced by reanalysis using the National Centers for Environment Prediction (NCEP) model for the years 1997, 2000, and 2008. The downscaling results will be first validated by comparing NCEP model outputs with the observational data. The global climate change dynamic downscaling model will be run using current WRF regional climate model (RCM) simulations (2006–2010) and WRF-RCM climate simulations of the future (2056–2060). They will be used to compare results between the present and the middle of the century. In general, the dominant features from (NCEP) runs are predicted to be consistent with each other, as well as with WRF-RCM results. The influence of climate change in the Middle East and Kuwait can be projected from the differences between the current and model future run. The average temperature showed a positive trend in the future, as in other studies. The temperature was predicted to increase by around 0.5-2.5 Â °C over the next 50 years. No significant change in mean sea level pressure patterns was projected. However, amongst other things, a change in the trend of the surface wind speeds was indicated during summertime..Climate change is perceived as a significant global and regional issue and hasbecome a significant concern in the Middle East, making it all the more important to investigate (Almazroui, et.al. 2012). The short rainy seasons and the long dry hot summer seasons put more stress on water resources. The matter of increasing or decreasing the summer dust season canmodify the radiation budget between earth and t he atmosphere system; the aerosol can affect the incoming radiation by absorbing or scattering, and can change the outgoing terrestrial radiation(Almazroui, et.al. 2012).Therefore, this process may lead into changing the radiative balance, the increase of atmospheric albedo candecrease the percentage of radiation reaching the surface, which leads to cooling the surface (Almazroui,et.al. 2012). Background Since 1985, seawater temperature in Kuwait Bay, northern Persian Gulf, has increased on average 0.6 degrees Celsius per decade(Kulkarni, et.al. 2012).This is about three times faster than the global average rate reported by the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Differences are due to regional and local effects. Increased temperatures are having profound effects on key habitats and on power generation in the Persian Gulf (Kulkarni, et.al. 2012). Dust storms have large impacts across the Arabian Peninsula region. Because of the highest recorded frequency of dust, Kuwait is of great interest in the Arabian Peninsula. Dust has a huge impact on maximum temperatures in Kuwait, where it can decrease the 2 m temperature by as much as 5 Â °C. Dust storms in Kuwait also hasve a huge impacton daily temperatures in summertime. The atmospheric aerosol which mostly consists of dust particles can scatter and absorb radiation, which will affect the radiative impact (Kulkarni,et.al. 2012). The scattering and absorption process can alter the incoming and outgoing radiation. Scattering increases the atmospheric albedo, leading to decreasing in surface radiation, resulting in surface cooling (Kulkarni, et.al. 2012). Usually, during dust storm days, the maximum temperature is reduced by 3 to 5 Â °C in summertime. Global models can illustrate climate change globally, but it is difficult to perform or illustrate regional circulations (Rajendran,et.al. 2013). Therefore, this study will not only attempt to find out the impact of climate change on both the frequency and intensity of dust storms in Kuwait, but it will also analyzethe number and magnitude of dust storms in the future. Problem Statement A common synoptic system in the Arabian Peninsula during the summer is the intense pressure gradient, resulting from the Indian monsoon arising east of the Middle East and the East Mediterranean high pressure west of the region. This causes a strong northwesterly wind across the Arabian Peninsula which is known as the Shaman wind(Rajendran,et.al. 2013). Purpose of the Research The main purpose of this research is to find the impact of climate change on the dust storms in Kuwait. The research aim is to find whether the number and magnitude of dust storms will increase or decrease in the future. Moreover, this research also aims to investigate the changes in the number of dust storm days in future summer seasons. Research Questions Considering the aim of this study, the follwing research questions are designed. These research questions are designed to spefically adress the current issues associated with the climate change in Kuwait. What is the impact of climate change on both the frequency and intensity of dust storms in Kuwait? Whether the number and magnitude of dust storms will increase or decrease in the future? Significance of the Research The increasing importance of understanding dust and its role in the Earth’s climate is driving new research and analysis of past data. Dust storms are becoming more frequent in some parts of the world, transporting prodigious quantities of material over very long distances, affecting human health, coral reefs and climate change (Kulkarni, et.al. 2012). Being able to predict the production of dust in the future is critical to the climate, environment, and human health. It is very important to investigate whether the number and magnitude of dust storms will increase or decrease in the future, as it will provide an idea of how the Earth’s ecosystem will change. Literature reviewMiddle East and the Arabian Peninsula ClimateMuch of the summer season in the Arabian Peninsula consists of a period of high diurnal temperature variation and hazy weather. The strong pressure gradient which is usually developed in June and July in the Arabian Peninsula creates a strong wind that results in dust storms (Marcella,et.al.2012). The strong Shamal wind tends to ease the temperature in the summer by decreasing the maximum temperature by 5 Â °C on average due to dust. In other cases, the Shamal wind can be caused by a dry cold front in the Arabian Peninsula, which further reduces the maximum temperature in the area. By mid-July the strong pressure gradient in the area weakens considerably, leading to periods of light northwesterly winds. When there is a lack of a pressure gradient, the Shamal winds become weak, and its direction shifts to easterly to southeasterly in the afternoon due to the sea breeze effect near the coastal area in Kuwait. The thermal lo w that usually develops over Iraq causes the weak pressure gradient near Kuwait and the eastern region of Saudi Arabia (Rajendran,et.al.2013).Global Climate ModelingGlobal climate models (GCMs) have the ability to simulate large scale global circulation for the atmosphere and the ocean. The GCMsare used worldwide by scientist to study different climate variables in different regions to investigate climate change. Global climate models can simulate possible future climates model, and can compute several simulations with various greenhouse gas emissions (Graff &LaCasce, 2012).Wind SpeedScientists investigated the changes in mean wind speed globally and in different regions in the past, present, and future. Declining wind speeds in middle and lower latitudes are critical to the prediction of future global wind speed changes (Karnauskas,et.al.2009). However, it is significant to understand how climate change can influence wind speed and direction, because they are controlled by atmosphe ric circulation patterns, which have been indicated by many studies to change globally. In most studies that are based on climate change, results showed that wind speed has changed over the past and will continue to change in future, but it varies between regions and seasons. In the future, some regions may experience an increase in wind speed while some other regions may experience a decrease. Investigating increase or decrease of wind speed regionally will provide a future look in terms of dust storms expansion or shrinking in the Arabian Peninsula (Gillett,et.al. 2003).TemperatureChanges in extreme temperatures over a long time period were analysed by Yan,et.al (2002). They determined that not only low temperatures have been decreasing and high temperatures have been increasing during the last decades, but also that there have been earlier changes in these extremes. A high increase in temperature took place between 1910 and 1945 and from 1970 to the present, when the temperature increased by 0.16 Â °C and 0.17 Â °C per decade, respectively, which is about three times more than the increase during the past century(Yan,et.al.2002). This has been a major cause for concerns for public heatlh as fluctuation in the environment temperautre increase global warming. This may increase air pollution, and thus thr risk of air borne diseases.Regional Climate ModelingClimate scientists around the world are investigating climate change by using the downscaling model to ensure higher resolution for more enhanced results (Bichet,et.al.2012). The higher resolution model or the regional climate model that have been downscaled from the global climate model provide a better picture over complex terrain, land-water contrast, regional variations in land use, and regional circulation (Catalano & Moeng, 2010). The regional climate model is becoming the tool of preference in their research. Regional climate model simulations for regions similar to the Arabian Peninsula are few.Foc using on the eastern region where Kuwait is located, the model simulation shows a decrease in surface wind speed in both scenarios. Wind speeds are the main cause for dust storms in the region, so a decrease of wind speed in the future should lead to a decrease in dust storms in Kuwait and the Arabian Peninsula (Chu,et.al.2013). MethodologyResearch DesignThe research design in this research shall be based on the secondary data and this is the reason that the following research study is based on qualitative eesearch design and therefore, the proposed study will be exploratory in nature. Data are to be collected and information wwill be gathered by using a number of secondary sources, such as the media, publications and literature. By considering goals of the present study, Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) will be analyzed as a modelin order to find the impact of climate change on both the frequency and intensity of dust storms in Kuwait and whether the number and magnitude of dust storms will increase or decrease in the future.As a sample size, GCM will be used to provide lateral forcing for WRF runs for two five-year time periods in which first five years run will be in 2006-2010 and second five years run will be in 2056-2060.The purpose is to investigate the frequency of dust storms comparing the pres ent simulations with future simulations. Since the WRF does not simulate dust storms directly, the research will focus on identifying regional conditions conducive to dust storms and analyze the change in frequency of these synoptic conditions under a selected climate scenario.Ethical ConsiderationsEthical considerations will be prioritised to first place during this research and all the primary and secondary sources of data will be collected in accordance with the privacy policies. The research analysis and findings will be incorporated at the end and they will be entirely based on the observation of the researcher, and the analyis of data will be made. Conclusion The main of this project is to investigate the effect of climate changes in dust storms in Kuwait. These aims were targeded with the view to creating an awarness in regards to possible detrimental effects that can be induced by such changes. It is predicted that knowing the effectsof such changes will also help to predict whether the number and magnitude of dust storms will increase or decrease in the future. Since dust storms frequently hit Kuwait, it may affect human health and coral reefs, as well as have direct association with climate change in Kuwait. Wind speeds are the main cause for dust storms in the region, so a decrease of wind speed in the future should lead to a decrease in dust storms in Kuwait and the Arabian Peninsula (Chu,et.al.2013). REFERENCES Almazroui, M., M.N. Islam, and H. Athar, 2012: Recent climate change in the Arabian Peninsula: annual rainfall and temperature analysis of Saudi Arabia for 1978-2009, International Journal of Climatology, vol. 32, pp. 953-966. Bichet, A., M. Wild, D. Folini, and C. Schar, 2012: Causes for decadal variations of wind speed over land: Sensitivity. Geophysical Research Letters, vol.39, no. 11, pp.1107-1111. Catalano, F. and C.H. Moeng, 2010: Large-eddy simulation of the daytime boundary layer in an idealized valley using the Weather Research and Forecasting numerical model. Bound.-Layer Meteor, vol. 137, pp. 49–75. Chu, C., X. Yang, X. Ren, and T. Zhou, 2013: Response of Northern Hemispheric storm tracks to Indian-western Pacific Ocean warming in atmospheric general circulation models, ClimDyn, vol. 40, pp.1057-1070. Gillett, N. P., F.W. Zwiers, A.J. Weaver, and P. A. Stott, 2003: Detection of human influence on sea-level pressure. Nature, vol. 422, no. 292-294. Graff, L. S, J. H. LaCasce, 2012: Changes in the extratropical storm tracks in response to changes in SST in an AGCM. J. Climate, vol. 25, pp. 1854–1870. Karnauskas, K.B., R. Seager, A. Kaplan, Y. Kushnir, and M.A. Cane, 2009: Observed strengthening of the zonal sea surface temperature gradient across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. J. Climate, vol. 22, no.16, pp. 4316–4321. Kulkarni, A., 2012: Weakening of Indian summer monsoon rainfall in warming environment, TheorApplClimatol, vol109, pp.447–459. Marcella, Marc P., Elfatih A. B. Eltahir, 2012: Modeling the summertime climate of Southwest Asia: The role of land surface processes in shaping the climate of semiarid regions. J. Climate, vol. 25, pp. 704–719. Rajendran,K., S. Sajani, C. B. Jayasankar and A. Kitoh, 2013: How depended is climate change projection of Indian summer monsoon rainfall and extreme events on model resolution?. Current Science,Vol. 104, no.10, pp. 1409-1418. Zhang, Y., V. Duliere, P. W. Mote, and E. P. Salathe, 2009: Evaluation of WRF and HadRMmesoscale climate simulations over the U.S. Pacific Northwest. J. Climate, vol. 22, no. 5511–5526.

Ethics of Bribery and Kickbacks Essay

Ethics of Bribery and Kickbacks Introduction            Following a careful observation, the gulf state should be deprived of the right to host the FIFA 2022 world cup following controversial payments of a huge sum of money to a former official along with his family. This raises ethical concerns since it breaks virtues of ethics as discussed in this paper. There should be an investigation to probe the payment of an unaccounted sum of two million dollars by the Qatari firm to justify the payments and if possible exonerate the firm from the corruption allegations. It would be in appropriate to allow such a controversial state to host a worldwide event such as the world cup with participants from all over the world, thus calls have been made from around the globe to the world’s football governing body to re re-run the bid to host this event. According to Sugden et.al, (1998) corruption breaches the ethics of virtues since it harms many people.            It has been formally announced that Qatar will be hosting the hilarious FIFA world cup in 2022. This is after a secret ballot vote by the FIFA Executive committee that was held in Zurich December 2010. A maximum of five candidates had presented their bids in anticipation of hosting the world’s spectacular sporting event. Again, according to utilitarian principle of ethics this is not right; it yields fewer benefits to a large number of people. Although Qatar views this as a great achievement, the FIFA officials who gave Qatar the privileged to host the 2022 world cup are to be compelled to justify this decision beyond reasonable doubt to the FIFA investigator following some disclosures from the telegraph. Michael Garcia who happens to be the chief investigator of the ethics committee has travelled to Zurich to hold numerous interviews following consistent pressures on FIFA to re run the bid once more (Scharfenort, 2012).            These meetings have been precipitated by some telegraph inquiry that disclosed how FIFA’s previous vice president along with his family were paid 2 million dollars from a firm that was linked to Qatar’s victorious bid. Although the particulars of who the executive committee chooses to support are usually high profile and secretly kept, the board members however are expected to be accountable for any breach of the bidding rules inclusive of the complicity between bids (Amara, 2007).            A spokesperson from the Qatar’s world cup organizing committee said that the bid committee strictly followed all the FIFA binding rules and regulations in full compliance with their standard ethical codes. He further claims that the highest committee for delivery and all the individuals concerned with 2022 bid committee are not aware of any allegations regarding dealings of any nature between private individuals. This is obviously a sophisticated cover up of the corruption allegations since the committee seems to have overlooked some serious allegations following telegraph disclosures which incriminated Qatar’s vice president, thus it is irrational to give a bid to host a world event to country with corrupt leaders and officials (Grix, 2012).            The chairperson of the parliamentary culture, sport and media committee argues that the controversial payments made to the Qatar’s former vice president along with his family is an adequate proof that the credibility of the whole process of selecting Qatar as the country to host the 2022 FIFA world cup is compromised, hence such process is subject to probing.            The ethics involved in bribery and kickbacks with regard to the National society of professional Engineers (NSPE) includes; †¢Striving to serve the public interest †¢Avoiding all conduct and practices that deceives the members of public †¢Avoiding any attempt to obtain employment, advancement or any professional engagement by improper or questionable methods. †¢Acceptance of personal responsibility for all professional activities. †¢Giving credit for any professional work to whom credit is due and not to whom credit is not worth. †¢Avoiding influence in professional duties by conflicting interest. References Amara, M. (2007). When the Arab world was mobilised around the FIFA 2006 World Cup. Journal of North African Studies, 12(4), 417-438. Grix, J. (2012). ‘Image’leveraging and sports mega-events: Germany and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 17(4), 289-312. Scharfenort, N. (2012). Urban Development and Social Change in Qatar: The Qatar National Vision 2030 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Journal of Arabian Studies, 2(2), 209-230. Sugden, J Tomlinson, A., & Darby, P. (1998). FIFA Versus UEFA in the Struggle for the Control of World Football (pp. 11-31). A. Brown (Ed.). London: Routledge. Source document

Frederick Douglass Essay

â€Å"What he most dreaded, that I most desired.† (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg.48) Frederick Douglass states that knowledge and literacy are great forms of power. Slaves are considered property and are not treated with respect, and in his novel, Douglass expresses how he was able to overcome the altercations that he had to face contrasting it with how important it is to be literate. From being a former slave for life, to the education that his masters revoked from him, this man’s life was filled with hardships. In this novel, Douglass expresses the importance of knowledge by describing how he was able to learn, read, and write ,also what he discovered by becoming literate. This essay focuses on the ways literacy played an important role in his life, how knowledge can occasionally make you feel badly, and how knowledge being suppressed from those who are slaves affected the running of the slave system in the United States. â€Å"There can be no freedom without education.† This sentence was written by a slave named Fredrick Douglass. During slavery, â€Å"masters†¦ keep their slaves thus ignorant† (Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass pg.19) therefore, to keep them from rebelling against their owners and causing chaos throughout the south. Douglass writes how he was unable to continue receiving the education that his mistress started to provide him with because her husband instructed her to do otherwise. â€Å"A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master-to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world. If you teach a slave how to read, they would become unmanageable and have no value to his ma ster.† (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg.47) The mistress’ husband understood that by maintaining slave’s grasp of knowledge the owners will constantly have them under control. If slaves were informed that there was something called abolition which would provide them with freedom, then they would cease to stay on the land of their owners, and even more importantly, not allow their  owners to own them and rebuttal. But something happened in Douglass’ life that assisted him to chase after the power of knowledge. With the sudden change of his mistress treating him as a man of no rights from previously portraying him as an equal caused an upset to the slaves owned by her husband. Douglass, however, started to discover what potential his knowledge could actually do for him. He states, â€Å"Nothing seemed to make her more angry than to see me with a newspaper. She seemed to think that here lay the danger† (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg.51) By Douglass being capable of reading he realize d the more he read â€Å"the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers.† (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg.53) Douglass’ literacy allowed him to understand what freedom is and his â€Å"determination to be free† (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg.81) only continued to grow. Frederick Douglass’ life was affected poorly by being literate at first. By reading different literature pieces like The Columbian Orator, Douglass discovered that there was a hope for him to become a free man. However, â€Å"Learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing.† (Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass pg.53) Douglass displays how terrible he feels for not being able to do anything to free himself. He sometimes wishes that he was as ignorant as his fellow-slaves, who were used to their condition of not being aware that there was something that could potentially bring them freedom. He states, â€Å"I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!†(Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg.73) These statements Douglass shows how the idea of freedom tormented him and turned him violent. Being so close, but yet so far from freedom causes him to suffer. The knowledge which he has acquired is of no use when he is a slave and seems to be a useless attribute. However, Douglass does in fact â€Å"finally succeed in making†¦escape from slavery† (Narrativ e of the life of Frederick Douglass pg.103) his freedom allows him to speak his mind and put his knowledge to good use. Although he is free, Douglass does not turn his back on â€Å"a brother slave†. (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg.103) Instead, Frederick Douglass has â€Å"been engaged in pleading the cause of my brethren.† (Narrative of the life of Frederick  Douglass pg.117) Many of these slave women and men are trapped by slavery. African-Americans were continually restrained of their freewill and forced to live a life of serving the â€Å"White Man†. â€Å"It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to hell of slavery, through which I was about to pass† (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg.23). Controlled by white men, slaves were trained to believe that they were inferior to the owner. â€Å"There were no beds given to the slaves, unless one coarse blanket to be considered such, and none but men and women had these.† (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg.26) The slaves were controlled by their lack of knowledge and fear of the Master. â€Å"By far the larger part of the slaves knows as little of their ages as horses know of theirs.† (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg. 19) Ignorance also played a major role in the controlling of slavery. Every master was well aware that they needed to know almost everything, and the slaves had to know almost nothing. This would allow the slave owners to not worry about a revolt against them, since education was not offered nor was it allowed on the slaves own time to partake in learning. The slaves were convinced that â€Å"a still tongue makes a wise head† (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg. 34) since that was what they were told to think. By slaves having no education and no opportunities to speak freely the slave system flourished. â€Å"A single word from the white men was enough-against all our wishes, prayers, and entreaties-to sunder forever the dearest friends, dearest kindred, and strongest ties known to human beings.† (Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass pg.58)

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

Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example It stands as a significant industrial country, claiming over 25% of the global oil reserve. It is this wealth in oil that Saudi Arabia is known for and is what drives the country’s economy. Considered as the origin of Islam, the country has been keen to preserve its historical richness with the passage of time. Geography Saudi Arabia occupies about 80% of the Arabian Peninsula, measuring 865,000 square miles, just about 25% of the total surface are of the US. This is a big country as compared to the size of other countries globally. The country borders the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the Persian Gulf to the east, Oman and Yemen to the south and Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan to the north. On the west, the Red Sea separates it from Sudan, Eritrea and Egypt. Its entire geography indicates a plateau that rises from the Red Sea and slopes down gradually to the Persian Gulf. Even though its mountains rise as high as 9,000 feet, Saudi Arabia has no permanent rivers, lakes and big fores ts, making Janin and Besheer (7) refer to it as the driest large country. Thus, the country is largely a desert meaning that green vegetation is rare apart from those regions near oases. Saudi Arabia hosts the world’s greatest continuous sand expanse in its southeastern corner named the Empty Quarter. It covers about 264,000 square miles, equivalent to the size of Texas State (Zuhur 21). With this, Saudi Arabia is characterized by the desert geography including sand dunes and shrubs. Farming would be a rare activity unless under irrigated land. The climate varies greatly on different parts of the country, ranging from dry and hot summers in the northern and central regions to winters with moderate temperatures during the day and cold, at times freezing, at night. This variation in day and night temperatures could be articulated to the lack of clouds that allow the sunrays to heat the earth and the heat quickly disappears at night with no clouds to offer insulation. This weath er could be harsh for persons seeking to live in the country. The summers in the gravel or sand deserts could be as hot as 49oC with these areas rarely experiencing any rains. The rainfall is uneven and unreliable averaging less than 10 cm per year (Zuhur 45). This makes it hard to farm with reliance on rainfall, meaning that the country cannot supply itself with sufficient food. Socio-economic Life Saudi Arabia has a population of about 29.6 million people with Arabic as the national language. For an American visitor, a translator would therefore be important because most of the communication will be in Arabic. Among the important religious holidays is Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking fast marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan (Zuhur 23). Others include Eid al-Aidha and Hajj. Mosques serve as places of worship and are thus scared places. With Islam being a common religion in the country, a majority of the women would thus be in their long loose-fitting dresses while men would be in their traditional garbs. Interestingly, men are considered the guardians of women according to the law and therefore take responsibility for their behavior. This makes women inferior as opposed to many modern states where gender equality has caused men and women to be regarded as equals. Additionally, marriage is not organized by one family but by both families. These marriages rarely involve people from different families because Zuhur (155) observes that first cousin marriages are common.

Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan - Research Paper Example Imperial Hotel was constructed in 1880 at the demand of Japanese aristocrat to gratify the growing numbers of western guest to Japan. The guesthouse site is situated just south of the imperial palaces ground, this modern hotel covering 40-acres resample the palaces. The plan for the hotel was influenced by the soil condition hence making Yuzuru Watanabe reject Manz original layout of four story stone structures, and he proposed brick structure and a three story wood frame. Conversely, Watanabe proposed that the exterior should be painted to appear like stone. After the Imperial Hotel structure had been destroyed by fire and earthquakes, there was a need for rebuilding the Imperial hotel in 1970 and this influenced the structure and the material used. The later Imperial Hotel was design to incorporate towering, pyramid-like structure whose building materials are concrete, Oya stone and concrete blocks. The building was also designed with several structures to lessen potential earthqua ke destruction such as tapered wall, denser on the ground floor thus increasing the building strength. The building of Imperial Hotel goes beyond initial accommodation purpose to suggest other uses such as showing a prodigious revolution in architecture brought to japan as Meiji restoration. Through Meiji, the concept of architecture changes drastically from local-one to internal. The principle that had the strongest influence on the construction of the imperial hotel is functionalism principle that relies on people sense of safety.