Wednesday, July 31, 2019

My Grandma’s House

When I was younger, I lived in my Grandmother’s house in a small village. The house is over 130 years old now and is still standing although my Grandmother doesn’t live there anymore. As I drive by I’m reminded of all the memories in that house. The house is white with a tan coloured trim and 2 stories high with a wrap-around, screened in porch. The parking is at the right side of the house and you walk around to the front, on a walkway that is lined with pretty yellow flowers. Entering the house through a light wooden door with a large window, you will first see the porch, with a fainting couch to the left of the door and a coat rack to the right. There is an aluminum screen door and a French door that you have to go through to get to the main living area, which is the dining room. It has a nice large wooden table and matching chairs that one of my uncle’s made in the centre of the room and a wood stove to the left, which is used as a second source of heat during the winter. The dining room has a living room off to the right with well-worn, but comfortable furniture in it and a television unit with a small TV, there is a large piano to the right of the door which no one learned to play and many plants placed around the room. Going back out into the dining room right next to the living room is a narrow hallway leading to a bathroom. Next to the bathroom is the stairs leading to the second floor where the 3 bedrooms are located. When you walk into the dining room, you can also keep walking straight into a large open kitchen, which was also used to place another table end to end with the wooden one, for when we had company. There was a pantry to the right and another door to lead out to the back of the house and the basement. Then moving to the left, there was the refrigerator, a large counter with a huge sink, more counters and cupboards going around to the far wall, and finally the stove. Moving to the door to go outside you will see a huge back yard with a shed in the back for storage of a lawnmower and summertime furniture. The yard has a fence at the back leading down to a creek, which I used to climb over and catch frogs, crayfish and salamanders with my friends.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Surah al-Fatiha

Surah al-Fatiha is the first surah of the Quran and is recited in each prayer as the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, declared, â€Å"There is no salah (valid) without the opening chapter of the Book.†[1] On accepting Islam, a person should first memorize Surah al-Fatiha to be able to perform the prescribed prayers. Its meaning should be learnt and contemplated every time we offer salah. Its name:   It is named Al-Fatihah, the Opening – because it opens the Book and by it the recitation in prayer commences.It is also named Umm al-Qur'an, the Mother of the Qur'an, and Umm al-Kitab, the Mother of the Book, according to the opinion of the majority. This was mentioned by Anas, however Al-Hasan and Ibn Sirin disliked this appellation reasoning that this was the most fitting description for the Preserved Tablet. Al-Hasan also said that the unequivocal verses of the Qur'an comprised the Mother of the Book. However, it is established in Sahih At-Tirmidhi from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)? Main ThemeThis Surah is in fact a prayer to the Lord of the universe for seeking guidance to the straight path Who alone can grant it. He alone is worthy of worship and He alone is to be asked for help because He is the Cherisher and the Master of everything in the universe. He is All-Merciful and has bestowed countless of bounties on His creatures, but at the same time He is the supreme Justice and everybody will have to answer Him on the Day of Judgement for his worldly deeds. When believers implore for the straight path, He always showers blessings on them and protects them from going astray. Supplication is the core of worship and the Holy Quran encourages the believers for petitioning, â€Å"And your Lord said: Invoke Me, I will respond to your supplication†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ? VirtuesLet us look at greatness and benefits of this amazing Surah so that we are reminded of its greatness.1:Greatest Surah of Quran (Umm ul-Quran): Importance of its greatness is described in HadithProphet (SAW) said:†Do you want me to teach you a Surah the like of which has not been revealed in the Torah, the Injeel, the Zabur, nor the Quran?†, and also asked what He recited in His prayers. He replied Umm-ul-Quran (Surah Fatiha) the Prophet (PBUH) proclaimed, ‘By Him in Whose dominion my soul is, nothing like it has been revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, or the Quran and it is seven of the oft-repeated verses in the Mighty Quran which I have been given.From this hadith, we can say that Surah al-Fatiha has great importance as it is known as â€Å"Mother of Quran†. Also, it has no other match no matter whatever has revealed before Quran. Surah al-Fatiha is the prayer which Prophet Muhammad (SAW) recited in his prayer, that's why Surah al-Fatiha is the most important part of our prayer and without it our Salah is void. Pillar of the Salah: As we all know this surah has great importance in prayer whoever not read it in his prayer his Salah is invalid or void. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said Surah al-Fatiha is†The Mother of the Quran, the Mother of the Book, the Seven Oft-Repeated Verses and the Great recitation.† Cure of disease: Surah al-Fatiha is the cure for the disease as mentioned in the hadith:Hazrat Abu Saeed al-Khudri narrates:†While on a journey we halted at a place. A girl came to us and said: â€Å"The chief of this tribe has been stung by a scorpion and our men are not present, is there anybody amongst you who can recite something upon him to treat him?† Then, one of our men went along with her although we did not think that he knew any such treatment. However, our friend went to the chief and recited something upon him and the chief was cured. Thereupon, the chief gave him thirty sheep and gave us all milk to drink. When he returned, we asked our friend: â€Å"Did you know anything to recite upon him to cure him?† He said: â€Å"No, I only recited Umm al-Kitab (i.e. Surah al-Fatiha) upon him.† We said that do not do anything until we reach Madinah and ask the Prophet regarding this (practice and reward-whether the sheep were lawful or not for us). Upon reaching Madinah, we narrated this to the Prophet (PBUH), whereupon he remarked: â€Å"How did he come to know that Al-Fatiha can be used as a cure? (PBUH) Distribute your reward amongst yourselves and a lot a share for me as well. Light sent from heaven: An Angel addressed the Prophet (SAW) saying,†Rejoice in two lights brought to you which have not been brought to any prophet before you, Al-Fatiha and the last verses of Al- Baqarah†.Ibn ‘Abbas narrated:†While Jibril was with the Messenger of Allah, he heard a noise from above. Jibril lifted his sight to the sky and said: â€Å"This is a door in the Heavens being opened, and it has never been opened before now.† An Angel descended from that door and came to the Prophet and said: â€Å"Receive the glad tidings of two lights that you have been given, which no other Prophet before you was given: the Opening of the Book (Al Fatiha) and the last verses of ‘al-Baqarah.' You will not read a letter of them except that you will gain its benefit.† (Sahih Muslim) A cure for the heart: This Chapter of Quran have a supplication for protection from misguidance and from the anger of Allah. So this Surah protects the heart from corrupt knowledge and offensive motives.†You (Oh Allah) we worship and from You do we seek help†. (Ibn Qayim)As you can see this Surah has many benefits which we can utilize to protect ourselves from worldly difficulties? TAFSEERWhen we say Al-humdulillah, here ‘AL' means all or the entire hence meaning all praise is for Allah alone. The word ‘Rabb' stands for:(a) Master and Owner,(b) Sustainer, Provider and Guardian,(c) Sovereign, Ruler, Administrator and Organizer.This means that there's no one worthy of worship, but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He is the Sustainer and Owner of all that He has created in both Alams (Worlds). No prophet, no angel, no human, no so-called god or idol is worthy of worship, but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He alone deserves devotion, worship, gratitude and no one else. This indicates that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the Lord of the Universe in all these senses.Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem are two names derived from the same root Ar-Rahmah (the mercy). One of them is softer than the other, meaning, it carries more implications of mercy.The name Ar-Rahman is exclusively for Allah encompassing every kind of mercy. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is Ar-Rahman for the entire creation regardless of what they believe in, whether they are evil doers or the righteous; they all receive their sustenance from Allah. On the other hand, the word ‘Ar-Raheem' is exclusively for the believers. Those who believe in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala receive special blessings from Him and they are the ones who are going to be happy and content in this life and in the Hereafter. Just look at how Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala right in the beginning of the Qur'an has informed us that He is a Merciful Lord. He doesn't want to punish people just like that rather He is Forgiving and Merciful. The condition to seek forgiveness or mercy is repentance. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us among those who seek repentance as soon as they realize they have done something wrong that might have displeased Him. Aameen. After Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala describes that He is Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem, He immediately gives a warning, that along with His mercy, He is also the Master of the Day of Judgment. So that a person should not forget that along with His mercy He is also Just.We must therefore not allow ourselves to be misled. We should always remember that we are accountable to Him. He is not unaware of what we do in dunya. On the Day of Judgment, He will gather entire mankind from Adam aalyhi sallam to the last child born and ask each of us to give an account of our actions. He has the power and right to pardon us or punish us. We should be constantly striving to please Him. After the person has praised Allah and thanked Him, now he stands before Him, addressing Him directly; O' Allah our worship, obedience, submission and devotion is only for You alone, and we only serve You. O' Allah we know that You are the Lord of the Universe and You have the power over everything, therefore, we only turn to You for help, for our needs and requirements. By saying Iyyaka na'abudu wa'iyyaka nasta'aeen, we are acknowledging â€Å"You alone we worship and to You alone we pray for help.†The word iyyaka means â€Å"My whole attention is only on You or You alone. â€Å"The word na'abudu is derived from the Arabic word ‘Abd â€Å"Slave† (that is why the most beautiful name to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is ‘Abdullah meaning the slave of Allah) and â€Å"Na† in Arabic is used as a pronoun for We. So when we say na'abudu we are saying â€Å"We worship† hence Iyyaka na'abudu means â€Å"You alone we worship. â€Å"Wa in Arabic is used for the English word â€Å"and† so when we add wa'iyyaka, we are saying â€Å"And to You alone†.Nasta'aeen means to get help or to ask for help. When we recite â€Å"Ihdina alssirata almustaqeem† we are asking Allah subhana wa ta'ala to â€Å"Guide us to the path that is straight.†Siraat in Arabic means â€Å"The path†We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to show us the right path and in response to that He opens up the entire Qur'an as if saying, â€Å"This is the straight path you're looking for†. The straight path mentioned here and elsewhere in the Qur'an refers to Islam. We already mentioned the hadith in which the servant proclaims, ‘Guide us to The Right Way', and Allah says, â€Å"This is for My servant and My servant shall acquire what he has asked for†.When we make such a prayer to our Rabb, how do can we be led astray? Can we still have doubt and uncertainty in our life when we have asked Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to show us the Right Path? We can only get lost in labyrinths of doubt and uncertainty due to lack of true knowledge. Let us hold firm to the straight path that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has opened up for us. After asking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to show us the straight path and protect us from deviation, we become specific in our prayer.We ask Him to show us the path of those upon whom He has bestowed His mercy i.e. people who are obedient to Allah and His Messengers. We seek refuge in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from following the path of those who have earned His wrath, or of those who have lost The Way. From traditions we learn that those who have earned His wrath are those knew the Scripture; who had read in their Books about the coming of a Last Messenger and his description yet they concealed the truth (meaning the Jews).Who have gone astray? Those who are not in search of the truth. Those who have known what is right but their weaknesses have led them far away (meaning the Christians). In the last ayah of this beautiful Surah there is a lesson for each one of us; anyone who knows the truth but hides it has earned Allah's anger and anyone who is not in search of truth may go astray. We beseech Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to save us from following the path of such a person (or nation). We don't want that path Ya Allah, save us from treading in their footsteps. Aameen Ya Rabbil Alameen.? Impact of Surah Al-Fatiha on the life of a Muslim as servant of Allah.{In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.}– Always start your affairs with the name of Allah– His mercy is the first attribute used to introduce Allah to you{All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds}– Reflect on His infinite blessings– A practical tip is to remember one blessing in each rak`ah (unit) of your prayer{The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.}– The names of mercy are occurred FOUR times in a relatively short Surah– His mercy is the first attribute used to introduce Allah to you.  {Master of the Day of Judgment}  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Reflect on the Day of Judgment– Remember that this prayer may be the last one before you meet Him.  {It is You we worship and You we ask for help.}– This Ayah is the CORE of the Surah, and the essence of Tawhid (confirming the one-ness of Allah)– This is a perfect moment to think about what you want from Allah, and prepare for your upcoming supplication (du`aa') and wishes{Guide us to the Straight Path}– The number ONE request you definitely need from Allah is guidance, and from Him alone.Remember that If Allah guides you, then the whole world with its temptation won't matter, so be sincere in your request.The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Are Concerns over Immigration to Do with Culture of Economic Reasons Essay Example for Free

Are Concerns over Immigration to Do with Culture of Economic Reasons Essay Almost all economists are in agreement that immigration has positive economic effects. Indeed in the United States it â€Å"provides natives with a net benefit of at least $80,000 per immigrant, or as much as $10 billion annually† (Bolin, 2006). However despite this there are huge numbers of advocacy groups pushing the pros and cons immigration to the populations of the host countries, with natives having negative views towards immigration (McLaren & Johnson, 2007). Through the course of this essay I will examine whether the root cause of these often xenophobic views towards immigration have root causes in economic reasons (immigrants taking jobs from natives, and leading to lower wages) or symbolic reasons, where the natives are fearful that the immigrants will bring their culture to the host country and cause change. Enoch Powell, the Conservative British politician, gave a warning that immigrants were causing such strife that â€Å"like the Roman, I seem to see the River Tiber foaming with much blood† (Powell, 1969). This turned out to be nonsense, and his advice that immigrants should be encouraged to leave, would have left Britain, and many other countries that rely on cheap foreign labour in a horrific state of affairs. Immigrants are now taking far longer to integrate into their host country and this is upsetting many natives. â€Å"In the past a third-generation migrant, for example in America, would have been expected to have shed much of his grandparents’ identity† (The Economist, 2008), not speaking his mother tongue and having little loyalty to the country his family originated from. This is changing â€Å"as migrants feel loyalty to more than one country† (The Economist, 2008). For example, Moroccans in Europe, even fourth generation, are encouraged by the Government to identify with the African country, and are granted Moroccan citizenship under the constitution. As many source countries such as India and China grow intent on gaining remittances from their emigres, â€Å"migrants even several generations on may come under great pressure to retain some of their old identity† (The Economist, 2008). This can all lead to immigrants never becoming fully integrated into the host country, causing social problems such as immigrants bunching together in the same place. Due to globalisation and time-space compression, it has become far easier for migrants to emigrate further away from their own country, this causes problems as they subsequently have little in common with their host country and find it harder to integrate into the community. Traveling long distances to emigrate is no longer a problem and in the future there will be the problem of â€Å"people moving greater distances and settling among different ethnic, religious and cultural groups† (The Economist, 2008), meaning they will have problems integrating. â€Å"Danes in Sweden or Albanians in Greece have little trouble integrating into the relatively familiar societies next door. Even Poles in Ireland prosper, perhaps thanks to the incomers’ good standard of education and skill and the shared Catholic faith. But Iraqis in Sweden, Somalis in Canada or Pakistanis in Norway typically find integration harder† (The Economist, 2008). Samuel Huntington blames this on the â€Å"great divisions among humankind† (Huntington, 1993) that are the differences between civilisations. He believes that immigration will ‘intensify civilization consciousness and awareness of differences between civilizations and commonalities within civilizations’ (Huntington, 1993). This leads to a ‘them versus us’ attitude, with the natives having the xenophobic view that the immigrants are qualitatively different from themselves. As the natives of the host country would have spent time constructing â€Å"discursive practices that attempt to fix meanings which enable the differentiation between the inside and the outside to be made† (Doty, 1996), they will resent immigrants not properly integrating themselves into the community. Research on social identity appears to conclude that identity is highly important to individuals, with individuals protecting these identities even if they have no realistic meaning (Monroe, et al. , 2000). People use these identities to provide a sense of self (Sniderman, et al. 2004), partly in order that they may distinguish between those similar to themselves and those different. The ‘identities tend to have their basis in perceptions of differences’ (McLaren & Johnson, 2007)with those viewed as outsiders thought to have radically different values and approaches to life. â€Å"The threat posed by minorities and immigrants may be symbolic in nature and may stem from concerns about the loss of certain values or ways of life† (McLaren & Johnson, 2007), due to immigrants having a significant presence in the host country. Immigrants also often congregate in areas of the host country, London for example has a huge immigrant and minority presence with only 44. 9% classing themselves as ‘White British’ (Gye, 2012), in the 2011 census. This all means that natives are fearful that immigrants will cause them to adapt or change their ways of life. Migrants who preserve â€Å"a strong religious sense that cuts across any national loyalty may be the hardest of all to assimilate into broadly secular Western societies†. In the post-9/11 world Muslims are often seen as being the greatest cultural threat to Western societies. In a recent survey McLaren and Johnson measured anti-Muslim feeling in the United Kingdom. They found that 62% of people agreed with the statement that British Muslims are more loyal to Muslims around the world, than to other Britons, only 12% disagreed. Only 30% of Britons felt that Muslims living in Britain were committed to Britain, with 47% feeling that they could never be committed to Britain. 52% of people thought that Britain would begin to lose its identity if more Muslims came to live there. Clearly there is considerable anti-Muslim feeling in Britain and concern that British-Muslims pose a threat to the identity and culture of Britain (McLaren & Johnson, 2007). Most economists are in agreement that immigration has very little effect on native’s wages; this should mean that natives won’t oppose immigration based on the misbelief that immigrants lower wages. Although conventional economic wisdom states that an increase in supply of labour will lead to a decrease in price, this doesn’t happen. Friedberg and Hunt conclude that a 10% increase in immigrant levels in the population, decreases wages by 1% (Friedberg & Hunt, 1995). Economist Francisco Revera-Batiz came to the same conclusion, noting that although immigration has increased the supply of low skilled workers into the United States, there has been very little impact on the wages of high school dropouts, the lowest skilled people in America (Rivera-Batiz, 1998). One of the most influential studies is Card’s 1990 study on the Miami Labour market after the sudden influx of 125,000 Cuban immigrants in 1980 due to a sharp downturn in the Cuban economy. Surprisingly the arrival of so many immigrants didn’t affect native wages, although it did lower the overall wage level in Miami; due to the immigrants being employed in low-wage jobs (Card, 1990). This tallies with the outcomes of other natural experiments in recent history such as the homecoming of 600,000 Portuguese after the collapse of their empire in Africa in 1974-76, the return of 900,000 Frenchmen from Algeria in 1962 (The Economist, 2008) or the influx of 610,000 Russian Jews into Israel 1990-94, increasing the labour force by 12%; all had negligible effects on native wages. Immigrants don’t decrease wages because as well as increasing the supply of labour, they become a domestic consumer for goods as well as services, they â€Å"create jobs as consumers and fill jobs as producers† (Bolin, 2006). A higher total population, ceteris parabus, will lead to the production of more goods and services, boosting the host countries gross domestic product (GDP). In some rare cases immigrants can even boost native’s wages. Illegal Mexican immigrants, who are â€Å"predominantly low skilled† (Bolin, 2006), have a positive effect on other workers’ wages (Bean, et al. 1998). This is due to immigration increasing the productivity of native workers by â€Å"taking low-skilled jobs, freeing higher-skilled workers to work in higher-skilled employment where they can be more productive† (Bolin, 2006). Based on the results of a range of economists, using results based on a â€Å"range of methodologies† (Bolin, 2006), it can be seen that immigrants have a small negative impact on native wages, although mainly low-skilled workers. Based on this, natives shouldn’t be concerned over immigration levels based on their own wages falling. The popular theory that immigrants ‘come over here and take our jobs’, has been shown to hold very little truth, as most studies â€Å"find no or negligible effect[s]† (Bolin, 2006) on employment rates. The ‘lump of labour fallacy’ is the mistaken idea that there are a set number of jobs in the economy, and when an immigrant takes one of those jobs, it is a job lost for a native. This is incorrect for three reasons. Firstly, by coming to a country â€Å"immigrants increase the supply of labour and hence reduce wages. In turn, cheaper labour increases the potential return to employers to build new factories or expand their operations. In so doing, they create extra demand for workers† (Grinda, 2006), and more jobs are created. Secondly, immigrants are consumers as well as producers. When there is a large influx of immigrants such as the 610,000 Russian-Jews into Israel in the early 1990’s, they are in need of goods and services. People are employed to provide these goods and services, meaning more jobs added to the economy, and immigrants simply enlarge the economy. Thirdly, immigrants are 10 to 20 percent more likely to become entrepreneurs and start their own business than natives (Briggs & Moore, 1994). In 1999, The Wall Street Journal reported that â€Å"Chinese and Indian immigrants run nearly 25% of the high-companies started in [Silicon] Valley since 1980†¦The 2,775 immigrant-run companies had total sales of $16. 8 billion and more than 58,000 employees† (Thurm, 1999). â€Å"Immigrants not only take jobs, they make jobs. They open new businesses that employ natives as well as other immigrants and themselves. And they do so in important numbers† (Simon, 1999). Similarly, the findings by Friedberg and Hunt discovers â€Å"no evidence of economically significant reductions in native employment†. Card, as well as examining the impact of the Muriel boatlift on wages also examined the impact of it on employment. Even though Miami’s workforce was increased by 7%, virtually overnight, with an influx of relatively unskilled Cuban workers he finds â€Å"no evidence of an increase in unemployment among less skilled blacks or other non-Cuban workers. Rather the data analysis suggests a remarkably rapid absorption of the Muriel immigrants into the Miami labour force† (Card, 1990). Again with immigrant’s impact on wages, the evidence seems to suggest that a lack of evidence that immigration causes native unemployment. This should mean that concerns over immigration should not be linked to worries over employment. Due to immigrants being â€Å"disproportionately low-skill[ed]† (Bolin, 2006) they tend to have lower wages than natives. It is often assumed therefore that they depend more upon the welfare system than natives. The level of benefits are often higher in the host country than the source country, and it is often suggested that it is this difference that brings in migrants. Borjas coined the term â€Å"welfare magnet effect† (Borjas, 1999), making the point that immigrants are drawn to the country with the highest benefits. This however has all been shown to be completely false, and many economists believe that over the long term immigrants more than pay for the public services they use (Simon, 1999). In the United States â€Å"most immigrants, including Mexicans, are usually less likely than comparable natives to receive welfare†, with the per capita cost of social welfare for immigrants being 8% less than the per capita cost for natives (Bean, et al. 1998). It is plain to see that objections to immigration come from those who are worried about the identity and culture of their nation being eroded, rather than for economic reasons. Immigrants are solving many problems for the host countries, such as the problems of aging populations and those participating in the workforce being increasing choosy about the jobs they do. Immigrants have few economic disadvantages, although high immigration may bring about a small decrease in jobs for the natives, the tax revenue that they bring in more than displaces this negative effect. As the immigrants have little impact on jobs, and simply create more jobs in the economy, disproving the lump of labour fallacy, they don’t have a negative impact on wages which is a positive for the economy as a whole. The argument that immigrants have a negative impact on the identity and culture of a nation holds some truth. Due to the fact that a nation’s identity is made up of what its inhabitants believe it to be, immigrants having different views, can water this identity down. Are Concerns over Immigration to Do with Culture of Economic Reasons. (2016, Oct 02).

The United Kingdom should adopt an American style entry system to the Essay

The United Kingdom should adopt an American style entry system to the UK whereby those with a criminal record are required to apply for a visabeforetravelling to the country - Essay Example The most recent threat was the planned bombing by 8 men of several transatlantic flights using homemade liquid explosion devices. A British intelligence service surveillance device planted inside an east London flat had relayed pictures of the main terror suspect, Tanvir Hussain who drilled holes into the bottom of a 500ml drink bottle. The aim of this Al Qaida terror group was to blow-up British transatlantic airlines. The original juice drink were to be replaced with a homemade liquid explosive before a dye was added so it appeared to be the same color as the original drink. The UK law enforcement officials successfully thwarted the plot (BBC, July 7, 2009). The UK currently has a specified national structure of coordination to deal with international terrorism, composed of veritable agencies such as the Home Office, the Cabinet Office, the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, the COBRA (the government emergency coordinating committee), the Ministerial Committee on Defence and Overseas Policy, the Ministerial Committee on Intelligence Services, the Joint Intelligence Committee, MI6, GCHQ, MI5, and the New Scotland Yard and many other elements. The government makes UK borders more secure, makes identity theft harder, and limits terrorist access to financial sources (NTSC Briefing Paper, 2005). The UK government has also ensured several forms of protection against potential nuclear and biological threats and attacks. On the issue of preparedness for terrorism attacks, the UK Government has implemented the Countering Terrorism Strategy since 2009. The security people and resources are in place to respond effectively to the consequences of an external and internal terrorist attacks. The government implements a four-pronged counter-terrorism policy. The first policy is to Pursue or to stop terrorist attacks. The second policy is to Prevent – to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting violent extremism. The third policy is to Protect – to

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Questions - Essay Example He attributes the Google market success to â€Å"what can only be labeled as extraordinary people management practices that result from its use of â€Å"people analytics.† (Sullivan, 2013) The extraordinary marketplace success of Google has gotten the notice of many in the business world and has began forcing many business leaders to take due notice. They have seen that there can also be other newer roads to corporate success.â€Å"New path† (Sullivan, 2013) firms can only hope to dominate by producing continuous innovation. This has made top management executives come to the realization that in order achieve continuous innovation there must be a strategic shift. This shift has to be an on purpose focus on better human resource management. This is a very necessary step in the strategic focus of human resource. It is necessary as innovations don’t just spring out of anywhere but from individuals who have to be both recruited and retained (Branham, 2005). This means providing them with good managers and working environments that will support innovation. The transition to an innovative firm is not an easy one because â€Å"most HR managements operate under 20th century principles of past practices, efficiency, risk avoidance, legal compliance, and hunch-based people management decisions’ (Rose, 2006).Therefore in order to better improve, innovation reinvention of the traditional HR and the processes that drive it are needed. The basic idea behind the â€Å"people analytics† method is that appropriate human resource management decisions are seen and made to be the most important and impactful decisions that a firm can make. It is not possible to produce superior business results unless managers are making fitting and accurate people management decisions. Although it may be argued by many that product, research and development, marketing,

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Business law - Essay Example It is an established rule that helps the courts from extra labor. Every decision by courts becomes a precedent and if appeals are made in a higher court and the original decision is altered, the overriding decision becomes a precedent and the original decision is discarded as a precedent. It is at the very base of the common law system. There are two types of precedents Binding Precedent A precedent that is mandatory to follow is a binding precedent. The lower courts are bound to follow and honor the decisions made by higher courts for a given set of circumstances. For example, Dickinson v. Dodds is a very famous case that acts as a precedent regarding those cases which raise the question of valid acceptance and proper revocation of offer. Judges are bound to treat binding precedents as rules and principles. It is to be taken into account that in what hierarchical capacity, the court is performing. A precedent of a lower court may be used for help but it is not binding on the court. Another important factor is that of whether the case in question falls within the scope of the precedent. Persuasive Precedent A precedent that covers the case in question in its scope but is not binding on the court is a persuasive precedent. ... In common law system, the precedents form a part of the law along with the statutes. This helps in ensuring uniformity and consistency of the law. When a decision is made according to stare decisis, the personal involvement of a particular judge is eliminated; law prevails. In some situations, if the circumstances of a particular case are novel and no precedent is fully applicable, then the court looks at statutes for guidance. If statutes also do not help, then the court makes a just and equitable decision based on critical assessment of the facts of the case. The principle of Stare Decisis governs the use of precedents and enables the courts to uphold general fairness (Tribe & Dorf, 1990). The words ‘Stare Decisis’ emanate from the Latin maxim: Stare decisis et non quieta movere: "to stand by decisions and not disturb the undisturbed." (Adeleye, Gabriel et al, 1999). A common man is not afraid to go to the courts because he knows that standards are maintained. They are able to make estimates of what they would gain and what they would lose as a result of a lawsuit. All like cases are treated in a same way (F. Schauer, 1987). However, the binding precedents have a drawback of being too rigid at times and there are always some areas of the law that are needed to be reformed. The legitimacy of a court following stare decisis can never be seen with skepticism. It has veritable social interests (L.J. Strang, 2006). A court is bound to provide with sufficient explanations if it does not follow a binding precedent in a particular case. Decisions hence made are impartial and free from bias. It is very unlikely that such a decision would be challenged as being unlawful. If the decisions of a

Friday, July 26, 2019

How Socrates, Plato and Aristotle view the role of education for the Research Paper

How Socrates, Plato and Aristotle view the role of education for the society and the individual - Research Paper Example The accumulation of philosophies relating to education in Greek culture became known as the Educational Theory. The mentioned Educational Theorycan be regarding as a hypothetical educational assumption, or a thought, which acts a guide in explaining and the description of the practice of education. Socrates was one of the earliest Greek philosophers who can be credited for being one of the originators of the modern Western philosophy. It also believed that Socrates was a thinker and not a writer as the evidence suggests that he had minimal written accounts of this thoughts and philosophical processes. Despite these, Socrates is known as the Father of Modern Philosophy and is considered as one of the greatest thinkers of all time. Socrates, very aptly and very strategically divided his views about the imparting of education and knowledge. Socrates stated that as long as the goals of education are fulfilled, it is indeed worthwhile to gain knowledge and education. According to Socrates the goals of education were to realize what an individual can do and what an individual cannot do. Furthermore, the great philosopher did not discriminate when it came to the imparting of knowledge and believed that there was no regular authority for that. Throughout his theories, Socrates, in numerous attempts has disowned and dishonored his theories, ideas and methods, which nevertheless can be one of his strategies to engross the deliberators and furthermore sanction them to have an open, fearless and a constructive deliberation and an argument. â€Å"The Socratic method is one in which a teacher, by asking leading questions, guides students to discovery. Socrates devoted himself to a free-wheeling discussion with the aristocratic young citizens of Athens, even though he often offered them no clear alternative teaching† (New Foundations - Educational Theory of Socrates, 2011) . Another very important figure in Greek philosophy and one of the few philosophers who contribut ed to their fullest to the notion of education was Plato. According to Plato, education was one of the most important achievable goals in the society. He believed and stressed greatly on the imparting and receiving of education. Plato wanted the identification of a specific skill set and aptitude possessed by the children. He believed that if appropriate education with respect to that specific skill set or aptitude is given to the child, the child may be able to fulfill his or her duty in the society and moreover, the social responsibility. Plato was also one of the most learned individuals of his time and wrote down his thoughts, unlike his predecessor, Socrates. Plato was considered an authority in numerous fields such as music, drama, metaphysics, art, architecture as well as poetry. Plato’s views on education were also revolutionary and were a source of inspiration for many. Plato model for education was considered as the most organized and systematic and introduced a hie rarchical level of education, starting from elementary school level and leading to higher education, with two years of military training in between. Plato’s educational models and policies were regardless of any sort of discrimination and he believed that each and every individual had a right to receive education. Plato was of the view that there existed equilibrium between men and women, despite the women being weaker,

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Process Control Block Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Process Control Block - Essay Example terminals, devices), process owner (user ID), Parent (pointers to parent or child processes), save registry (process registers, stack information and pointers), process IDs (I/O, IPCs), process state (ready, running or standby mode), memory pointers (MMU registers) (Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne, 2002). PCBs classified under process control information are : scheduling and state information (i.e., the current state of the process, time slot, time to run, the priority of process) , data structuring (i.e. pointer to parent process or a pointer to child process), interprocess communication (i.e. message passing, synchronization, shared memory), process privileges , memory management and resource ownership (i.e. retrieval of file ownership). In Unix, for example, the process structure has two separate places in memory (kernel and user space) where it stores PCBs. Under this arrangement, process is started at the information (process ID, scheduling priority, etc.) level. During linking stage, the PCBs are defined for queuing. Once the process is ready for initialization, queuing is linked with other PCBs. The PCBs assign pointers from parent to child to subsequent relative processes. The execution of the process comes from the user level. Once system level is reached, the system switches to system mode and utilizes kernel stacks to continue with the process. (Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne, 2002). Linux PCBs act almost in a similar fashion as Unix. Linux uses the structure task_struct to describe the characteristics of a process. This structure is managed through a series of indicators called a task vector. The number of processes that could be made at one time is only limited by the capacity of the task vector, which by default has 512 entries. When new processes are created, new structures are assigned from the system memory and are then added to the task vector. The vector pointer points to the most recent processes being run, making it easier to locate (Nutt, 2004). Data structure that defines the "process identification information": struct task_struct { int pid, pgrp, session, leader;unsigned short uid, euid, suid, fsuid;unsigned short gid, egid, sgid, fsgid; } For each process initiated, a unique own process ID number and uid is assigned. Afterwards, it is given a groupID, pgrp, and a session identification. For each session, a leader process code is also designated. Every process has its distinct process ID number, uid, and is assigned to

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

How military was the medieval castle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

How military was the medieval castle - Essay Example However, its main purpose was to house the private residence of its owner, family and dependents. The first castles were built around 1066 and were a product of medieval history during the Age of Feudalism. Feudalism refers to the military society that was created in Europe during the 9th and 10th centuries AD. The structure of feudalism resembled a pyramid. At the top was the king, who owned all the land in his kingdom. Immediately below the king was a group of major landholders that held their land directly from him, his tenants-in-chief.1 These were the lords and magnates of the kingdom. They swore to give the king military service in return for their land. They would fight for the king when and where he chose. The tenants-in-chief rented the land to their tenants, the barons and lords. This process repeated itself all the way down the pyramid to the knights, who were the local lords of the manor. The amount of land held was directly related to the amount of military service he co uld give the king. The first castles, called motte and bailey castles, were built of wood in the 10th and 11th centuries. They consisted of an enclosed yard called a â€Å"bailey.† Right next to that was a man made mound of dirt called a â€Å"motte.† A ditch protected the bailey and a wooden fence called a palisade.2 The palisade contained stables, workshops, and sometimes even a chapel. This was connected to the motte by a bridge. The motte was a 15 to 30 foot high structure and the main tower was built on top of it. The tower was the residence of the lord’s family, and served as a strong hold and lookout during an attack. Some early Norman castles had never been motte-and-baileys but were formidable stone castles from the start. The Tower of London and Colchester Castle are early examples, dating from the 1070s, which were conceived as defensive palaces. The Crown and the greater barons spent an enormous amount of money on castles during the third quarter of the 12th century.3 As well as being a defensive structure, castles were also offensive tools, which could be used as a base for military operations in enemy territory. Norman invaders of England established Castles for both purposes. Toward the end of the Middle Ages castles tended to lose their military significance due to modern innovations in medieval warfare. A castle could be seen as a stronghold and prison but it was also a place where the knights and lords could entertain their peers. The castles began to be designed to reflect the prestige and power of its occupants. Comfortable homes were established within the fortified walls. As time went on, castles were replaced with country houses as high status residences. However, castles were still used to provide low level protection in later periods. The first castles were constructed of timber and wood but they were very susceptible to fire, which came as a disadvantage when attacked. The main defense of a castle was its numerous walls. The walls were usually thick stone and very tall, depending on who and how it was built. The towers were built with slits so that archers could easily shoot arrows at the enemy. From the towers and alleys archers became the main defenders of the castles. Later on fire weapons were the most effective forms of castle defense. The height benefit and battlements allowed archers to fire up to 12 arrows per minute, and then take cover while the enemy fired back. Many castles also had other counter-offensive weapons such as

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Choose one for me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Choose one for me - Essay Example Regarding my background, I am the youngest child in our family. Since my father died, my eldest brother has made most of the important decisions. At a young age, he had been in charge with a number of responsibilities. Since childhood, I have learned to show respect to my elders. My mother and older siblings have always emphasized the value of politeness. It is always nice to show gratitude to one’s parents and other relatives. I have been taught that being thankful is a way of showing good conduct. In relation to political behaviour, I have realized that my family background has influenced me to be docile to authority. I have found it almost impossible, if not totally unthinkable, to go against leaders. I have also noticed that I tend to be quite conscious of the tone of my voice when I talk to older people. Actually, people who do not display proper behaviour when communicating with authority or the elderly often irk me. It has also been natural for me to follow rules. Most of the time, I become tensed and check if I am obeying standards when a symbol of authority is nearby. In connection with my relatives, I am proud to say that my roots are from the ancient Arab tribe. Our ancestors were the first inhabitants of the Arabian Gulf. They have initiated the civilization that we are enjoying today. With this history, I have become honoured of my origin. It is also one of my values to be loyal to fellow Arabians. I can say that I regard my heritages with high esteem. This is reflected in my choice of songs. The genre I enjoy listening to is Arabian music. Moreover, I honestly think that my culture is rich with colourful rituals and customs. In addition, Arabian arts and crafts portray interesting painting, delicious dishes, and graceful calligraphy. It would be ideal for our country to continually develop and retain its high-income economy status. I believe that our leaders can do their best in governing the different

Dionne Brand Essay Example for Free

Dionne Brand Essay Dionne Brand’s use of diction, figurative language, imagery, tone, and a strong narrative voice indicate the issue of being detached from society. Clearly, the narrator is experiencing an identity crisis, in which he/she is being deprived of their identity. The uncertainty in the reading of the photograph reflects the narrator’s lack of self and the ways in which he does not fit in. â€Å"I left like you do with sunstroke. I felt dried out.. † The narrator’s use of figurative language (metaphor) portrays the aspect of lifelessness. â€Å"We look as one face – no particular personal aspect, no individual ambition.  All one. † The language and the imagery the narrator uses conveys a general sense, and puts the narrator in the same category as the other faceless individuals. There is no sense of individuality, seeing as how all of the people at Palau Bidong portray the same characteristics. The individuals on the island lack personal drive because they are being used for another purpose which is beyond them. Such aspects reflect those of a refugee camp, evidently residing in Pulau Bidong. â€Å"Was it us or was it the photographer who couldn’t make distinctions among people he didn’t know? Unable to make us human. The refugees are evidently being photographed to serve a social/political purpose. The photographer is unable to distinguish amongst them because they are all the same. The imagery and tone illuminated in the quote also reflects a sense of alienation, and the idea of being estranged from the rest of society. The tone also emphasizes the idea of fearing the unknown. The themes of isolation and disengagement are reinforced throughout the passage. The narrator is unable to reconnect with his/her past and is slowly losing his/her recollection of it. The passage reproduces a life which lacks all meaning and personal ties.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Greek audience Essay Example for Free

Greek audience Essay The minds of modern theatre goers are somewhat lazy compared to their Greek counterparts, hundreds of years ago. Today we go to a play and at best mope and follow the story, we remain silent throughout and maybe the most analytical and critical of us will have some thoughts on the screenplay. The Greeks however had a rapport with the play, they watched every move, and got behind every line especially in tragedy. The reasons why this occurred are as follows: Modern plays fall into the category of illusion dramas. The Audience are invisible spectators of others lives. The characters are made to look and act convincing, so a king will be dressed ornately, a girl will actually be small girl, and a cowboy will sport a Stetson and colt 45. The audience have everything made up for them and so they find it easy to fall into the illusion and just watch. Greek Theatre is conventional drama, the characters are often not in costume and symbols merely indicate who was who in the play. For example a king may wear a simple crown on his head. In Greek drama all the actors wore masks. All these factors made it very demanding on a Greek audience to follow the play before them. In effect they are forced to watch very carefully and a rapport is developed between the audience and the play. This audience got very vocal during a performance, which is all part of the rapport. Today we go to a theatre and maybe watch a play, which we have never seen, Greek plays were all well known stories, and the themes and issues were well known to the audience. The lack of a surprise element means the audience watches the play with a critical eye seeing how well the play was done, and also whether dramatist has inserted a moral or political issue. This is illustrated in The Aeneid, Virgil makes Aeneas a ancestor to the Roman race. Iulus who was his descendant was directly linked to Julius Caesar the dictator of the time. By doing this he legitimises the history of the peoples past, and they look upon the story in a new light. The Aeneid would be politically interesting to the average Greek due to the Carthaginian wars. Even the mention of Carthage would have alerted the audience and they would be pleased to see that the city was raised to the ground The issue of morality, as I said is often explored, and personified in a character, Was Oedipus immoral? The Greek audience would have to think hard over this tragic question. On the one hand he wasnt because he didnt know what he was doing, but yet he was cursed and destroyed like an immoral person. This is where the tragic element lies, the audience would feel for him and pray that they themselves dont suffer a similar fate. On the other hand he was impious, which was highly immoral in Greek times, and this is an issue I will cover later in my essay. Greek theatre however is full of tense and surprising moments. During Oedipus the king, Jocasta was aware that Oedipus was going to find out his fate. The scenes here were very tense. The audience would get behind it and voice their excitement. The best dramatists when they put on the play will include dramatic irony in the play. The whole Oedipus the king is based around this. The audience aware of his fate watch him squirm to his doom, because they know and cannot stop it happening makes it even more tragic. When Tiresias the prophet enters, Virgil creates many references to blindness and confusion, all reflect Oedipus state, as he doesnt know the truth, but is highly ironic because the blind priest is the only one aware of the imminent danger. As I have illustrated the last thing a Greek audience is going to do is to sit silently through the play. They would murmur to each other, gasp, sometimes-even cheer at the action unfolding before them. The whole experience would be more than just a trip; it is more a moral lesson, and a place full of high emotion reminiscent of a modern church. The Greek audience would be very religious people; the whole theatre experience was infact an act of worship, and it was regarded the right and duty of every citizen to attend. In the theatre a statue of Dionysus was present adding to the religious undertone. Having establishes the religious importance of the theatre; it is understandable how the audience have issues of morality and respect to the Gods on their minds. When Oedipus is impious, this is considered highly immoral as he had full control over his actions unlike his other actions. Everyone was expected to attend the theatre, and even those who couldnt afford it were paid for by the state. One can only imagine but the atmosphere was full of people from all walks of life. It is said there were around 14000 people in the oval shaped arena sat all round, this is almost like a modern day football match. The huge social importance of the theatre can be seen and understood from this, people went there to share ideas with friends, see friends, and meet people. I can imagine that because of all these factors and variety of people, the theatre was a very interesting place. People would obviously have different motives for going but it is established that it was more than just entertainmen t.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

The Rural Development And Agritourisms

The Rural Development And Agritourisms As per the evidence in the chapter 2, it is clear that tourism is an important sector and it has the ability to contribute for national development of many countries in developed and also in developing world. In this chapter, relationship between agritourism; a form of rural tourism and rural development is going to be studied to understand the level of contribution of agritourism for the rural development using existing literature especially in developing countries. Therefore, this chapter establishes the vital theoretical background for this research. This chapter is consisted of three main sections. In the first section, information related to rural development including definitions, different sectors of rural development, a new paradigm of rural tourism and barriers of rural development in developing countries. The second section provides information related to agritourism such as the concept, definitions, theoretical basis of agritourism, activities of agritourism, factors affecting for successful agritourism, advantages and disadvantages of agritourism, impact of agritourism for local residents, important policies related to agritourism development and current situation and development of agritourism in the world and in Asia. In the last section, relationship between agritourism and rural development has been discussed in detail. 3.1 Concept of rural development Before understand what rural development is, it is important to look at what rural areas are. In general, rural areas are geographical areas that are located outside the towns or cities. Hamlets, villages, towns, and other small settlements are in or surrounded by rural areas. Rural areas are open swath of lands that has few homes or other buildings, and not very many people. In rural areas, population density is lower than urban areas. Still 70 percent of the worlds poor is living in rural areas (World Bank, 2010) and agriculture is the main source of income and employment. Agriculture and forestry represent activities which occupy many fields of land and play a primary role in the managing of the rich natural resources and in the formation of the landscape in the rural regions, where they constitute an essential part of the natural environment and cultural heritage. Wildlife is more frequently found in rural areas. Rural development generally refers to the process of improving the quality of life and economic wellbeing of people living in relatively isolated and sparsely populated rural areas. It aims at the improvement of welfare of rural populations through the sustained growth of the rural economy. As a concept, it connotes overall development of rural areas with a view to improve the quality of life rural people. As a phenomenon, it is the result of various physical, technological, economic, socio-cultural and institutional factors. As a discipline, it is multi-disciplinary in nature representing an intersection of agricultural, social, behavioral and management of sciences (Fotiadis, 2009.). Rural development is not simply an economic proposition; it has social, psychological and cultural dimensions as well. It is a multi-dimensional as well as multi-directional concept. Thus, rural development is a program designed to improve the socio-economic living conditions of the rural poor. It aims at raising their cultural level and reorienting their rich traditions. It seeks to achieve increase rural production and productivity, greater socio-economic equity and a higher standard of living for the rural poor. It is partly ameliorative and partly development-oriented (..). Development is interlinked with motivation, innovation and the active participation of the beneficiaries. Rural development recognizes the importance of improved food supplies and nutrition, as well as the importance of basic services such as health, housing, education and expanded communications, which will go a long way in enhancing the productivity of the rural poor. Moreover, it aims at providing gainful e mployment, so that the rural people too may contribute their mite to the national product. Rural development implies a fuller development of existing resources, including the construction of infrastructure, such as roads and irrigation works, the introduction of new production technology, the revival of traditional arts and crafts, and the creation of new types of institutions and organizations (Desai, 2005). Not like traditional rural development approach that was based on modernization theory, the contemporary rural development is a new rural development approach, representing a policy model that seeks to focus less on the production of primary commodities and more on innovation and diversification (Ploeg et al., 2000). The model claims to encourage more democratic and effective rural development on the basis that different local stakeholders are involved as decision makers in the development process, and that the emergent development outcome is more innovative and integrated as a result. (Macken-Walsh, 2009). 3.1.1 Definitions of Rural Development There is no universally accepted definition of rural development. The term is used in different ways in vastly divergent contexts. Rural development can be defined as the development of regions excluding the urban areas such as the towns and cities. Smaller settlements such as villages, farmsteads, and market towns are normally included within the concept of rural, while most of the land area is expected to be used as agricultural land, forest or in its natural state (Apostolides. 2001?). According to Robert Chambers, rural development is a strategy to enable a specific group of people, poor rural women and men, to gain for themselves, and their children more of what they want and need. It involves helping the poorest among those who seek a livelihood in the rural areas to demand and control more of the benefits of rural development. The group includes small-scale farmers, tenants and the landless. Rural development may be defined as overall development of rural areas to improve the quality of life of rural people. It is an integrated process, which includes social, economical, political and spiritual development of the poorer sections of the society. Social or economic activities or initiatives designed to improve the standard of living in areas far away from large towns or cities. Thus, the term rural development may be used to imply any one of the above-mentioned connotations. The avoid ineffective floundering among the myriad definitions, it can be defined as a process leading to sustainable improvement in the quality of life of rural people, especially the poor 3.1.2 Barriers for rural development In many countries several problems can be identified against the rural development. They act as barriers to reach rural development. Most of them are common to number of countries. Some main barriers prevailing in developing countries can be summarized as follows. Depleting natural resources, resulting in insecurity of food and employment, compelling over majority of the rural population to live in poverty. Pollution of the environment and climate change, causing shortage of clean drinking water and adverse impact on agricultural production. Lack of employment opportunities, forcing the landless and small farmers to migrate to urban areas reducing young labour for the activities of rural areas. Poor access to education, resulting in low literacy and unemployment of the youth. Particularly among women having adverse effect on their skills development, employment productivity, family welfare and education of their children. Poor health status due to lack of clean drinking water, hygiene, sanitation and drainage facilities; Inadequate health care facilities, leading to high child mortality and morbidity; loss of labour productivity, economic loss, indebtedness and poor quality of life. Poor infrastructure for receiving timely information on development opportunities, market demand and prices for agricultural commodities, new technologies, forward and backward linkages, credit facilities and development policies of the government and Lack of technological skills to conduct processing and value addition to agricultural and other local products available in rural areas. Lack of peoples organizations and participation for supporting various socio-economic development activities and governing themselves (Hegde, 2010; Walsh, 2009; Commission on Sustainable Development, 2007). If we can overcome these problems, significant level of rural development can be obtained. It is the responsibility of the government to create a suitable environment for rural people to engage in rural development activities to gain sustainable development. 3.1. 3 New rural development paradigm As explained earlier, the traditional rural development approaches mainly based on industrial sector and modernization path. Decline in number of farms and a sharp drop in employment opportunities were seen as inevitable outcomes of this model. In addition, regional disparities increased and tensions grew between farming on the one hand and landscape, nature, environment and product on the other (Knickel 1990; Meyer 1996; Roep 2000). Until the early 1990s, due to scale-enlargement, intensification, specialization, within other sectors, a strong trend towards internalization was the parameters that circumscribed developments in the agricultural sector. With the understanding of these issues, present rural development means a new developmental model for the agricultural sector. This model entails societys expectations of agriculture and with the interests, prospect and perspectives of increasing segments of the agrarian community. In brief, new rural development can be seen as the sear ch for a new agricultural development model which is targeting to use rural resources in an effective manner to distribute benefits for the majority of the community. It is impossible and undesirable to refer to rural development as a new blueprint, but understanding of what elements should comprise in this new model are emerging fast. (Mannion 1996; Saraceno 1996) Agritourism, an alternative for diversification of agriculture is one of the main elements of it. 3.2 Concept of Agritourism Agritourism can be explained as a farm enterprise operated for the enjoyment and education of the public that may also generate additional income for the farmer by promoting farm products and experiences and giving many opportunities to local community to enhance their living standards (Wilson, Thilmany, Sullins, 2006). The concept is gaining popularity and its providing a great escape for people in urban environment from their high-paced, strenuous and many times monotonous lifestyle. At the same time its helping the new generation to get first-hand experience of the rural life, which otherwise is limited only to the books for them. Spending time on the farms, interacting with the local people and farmers to get an insight into their day-to-day work and their traditions, participating in the local fairs and festivals, doing the actual work on the farm, milking the cow, riding a bullock cart, are some of the activities that can be enjoyed on an agritourism outing. 3.2.1 Theoretical basis of agritourism Agritourism is multifunctional and cooperative strategy (Sidali, Spiller and Schulze, 2011; Wilson, 2007; Essex, et. al., 2005; Schmitt, 2010; Mason, 2000). The post-productivits agricultural system is the new approach in agricultural development. It is very complicated than subsistence and productivits agriculture systems (Topcu, 2007). Post-productivits agriculture system is a broad concept and the five main tasks of it are qualitative priorities in food production, alternative income sources for farmers and sustainability of agricultural lands, conservation of environment and new employment opportunities. Agritourism can easily link with these new aspects of agricultural development. Moreover, agritourism can be performed in five important sectors such as agricultural economic, socio-cultural, environmental and educational context in an effective manner. Further, since it is highly involved with the gender factor, agritourism as a gender approach is also having higher importance ( Topcu, 2007; Sidali, Spiller and Schulze; 2011; Wilson, 2007; Essex, et. al., 2005). 3.2.2 Definitions of agritourism Before 1990, only a little information has been published on agritourism. This lack of information was one of the reasons for the absence for the commonly accepted definition (Lack, 1997). However, after 1990, the research literature on agritourism has flourished and several number of definitions are available now (McGehee Kim, 2004). Some selected definitions of agritourism are as follows. Agritourism can be defined as the practice of engaging in activities, events and services that has been provided to consumers for recreational, entertainment, or educational purposes at a farm, ranch, or other agricultural, horticultural, or agribusiness operation in order to allow consumers to experience, learn about, and participate in various facets of agricultural industry, culinary pursuits, natural resources, and heritage (Colorado Agritourism Research Project, 2010). Tew (2010) cited The Agribusiness Development Division of the Missouri Department of Agriculture (2010) defines agritourism as, visiting a working farm or any agricultural, horticultural, or agribusiness operation for the purpose of appreciation, enjoyment, education, or recreational involvement with agricultural, natural or heritage resources Agritourism as an innovative agricultural activity related to tourism and agriculture both in which has capacity to create additional source of income and employment opportunities to the farmers and local communities (Maruti, 2009). Agritourism can be characterized as a business or activity that invites visitors to come on-farm or into a rural community to enjoy agriculture, its produce and the natural environment in which it exists. Agritourism is generally an additional enterprise added to the farm, integrating tourism into agri-business (Porcaro, 2009). An activity, enterprise or business which combines primary elements and characteristics of agriculture and tourism and provides an experience for visitors which stimulates economic activity and impacts both farm and community income (Bruch, 2008). Tourism on a working farm in which visitors can experience a direct connection with the host farm, rural life and/or the local environment. There is not a consistent definition of agritourism in the literature, and it has been used interchangeably with other terms. For example, some studies have previously been synonymously linked to rural tourism, farm tourism, agro-tourism, agricultural tourism and farm based vacation (Seong-woo and Sou-yeon, 2006; Ilbery, 1998; Ilbery, 1991). However, the main idea of all of these definitions is more or less similar. As a whole, agritourism can be explained as an interaction among agricultural producers, visitors, and local residents. Operators (mainly farmers) can earn extra income from the farm, visitors can get real knowledge and experience on farming and local residents can enhance their living slandered in several ways. 3.2.3 Working definition for agritourism in the study For the purpose of this study, agritourism is defined as tourism activities that conduct in working farm and surrounding, for enjoyment, education, recreation of visitors, hoping an additional income for the operator from farm resources in special and sustainable local development in general. This is the working definition for agritourism in this study that is suitable in Sri Lankan context. After having strong theoretical knowledge and practical experience in agritourism sector, this was developed, including considering the main purposes of agritourism visitors, motivation of agritourism operators and expectations of local residents for rural development. Economic, social, environmental dimensions have been included in this definition. 3.2.4 Activities involved in agritourism Normally, agritourism activities are the tourism activities take place in agricultural lands and surrounding rural environments. The number of agritourism activities mainly depends on the size of the farm and nature of the farming activities. These activities are important for the visitors to enjoy and learn agriculture. Blacka et al (2001) has divided agritourism activities in Virginia, into six categories as lodging and camping (bed breakfast, camp sites, youth camp, farm vacation, weddings, honeymoons), special events and festivals (music festivals, haunted house, holiday celebrations, harvest festivals) Off the farm (farmers markets, roadside produce stands), recreational activities and events (fee fishing, hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, skeet shooting), tourism related direct marketing (pick your own fruits/vegetables, sell processed food on the farm, sell herbal organic products) an youth and or adult education (Organized tours, agricultural educational programs, dem onstrations). Lack (1995) divided agritourism British Colombia, into three groups as retail sales/ direct marketing (goods produced on-site, customer harvested produce and goods produced off-site), Tours (tour of processing facilities, scenic tours and tours of production facilities) and activities (accommodation, cultural activities, recreation and educational or hands on experiences). It is important to include all the possible agritourism activities because it helps to increase the length of stay and satisfaction of the visitors. In European countries, in a farm there are activities for visitors even for several days. However, the number of agritourism activities is lower in Asian countries. Further, activities in agritourism and rural tourism havent clearly categorized yet and most of the time they are used interchangeably. Briefly, a successful agritourism operation should have three aspects. They are the need to have things for visitors to see (educational tours, historical recreations, festivals/special events, crop arts), things for visitors to do (educational activities, petting zoos, hay rides, pick your own) and things for visitors to buy (food drinks, farm products, souvenirs). Things to see and do are often offered free of charge. But, money can be earned by selling things to the visitors (Adam, 2001). Agritourism can be used as primary, supplementary or complementary enterprise. As a primary enterprise, agritourism would be the main activity in the farm. Agritourism could be a minor activity in supplementary enterprises and it would share equal footing in complementary enterprises (Blacka et al., 2001). Agritourism can consist of different alternatives such as temporary attraction or special event, part of a large agriculture-oriented destination, part of a large non-agriculture-oriented dest ination, and complete agritourism agritourism operation. Different forms agritourism business Farmers can incorporate agritourism activities to their farms in various ways according to the situation. Four possible ways are; as a supplementary, complementary or primary enterprise, farmer must be ready to think creatively and plan effectively in order to success the agritourism enterprise (Mnguni, 2010). Supplementary enterprise In a supplementary enterprise, agritourism could be a minor activity that would support the other products on the farm. For example, if the primary enterprise is crop production, educational and training programs can be introduced with marketing facility of value added crop products. Complementary enterprise In a complementary enterprise, agritourism activities have equal share with other enterprises in the farm product mix. For instance, if there is a grapes production enterprise on the farm, it the farmer wants to sell half of the grapes to a whole seller and the remainder to pick-your-own operations for visitors on the farm, then the two enterprises would be complementary enterprises. The primary enterprise In the primary enterprise, agritourism would be the major activity on the farm. For example, suppose that a farmer wants to open a winery on the farm and invite guests to spend the day or the weekend tasting wine. As a part of the wine tasting package, farmer may include overnight lodging in a cottage on your farm. You may produce grapes for the wine on your farm to supplement your wine tasting activities. Here agritourism is the main part of the farm product mix and it becomes the primary enterprise (Bernardo, Valentin and Leatherman, 2007; Blacka, et al, 2001). 3.2.5 Issues and challenges of agritourism development As agritourism is a business activity, lots of requirements are essential for the successfulness of it. However, as agritourism is conduct mainly in rural areas by farmers, presence of several issues and challenges is a common phenomenon. For example, a study by Lack (1995) in British Colombia, has discovered that, lack of training, marketing knowledge, quality control, finance, appropriate insurance, excessive regulations, personal challenges for farm families, conflict with primary agricultural production, distance from markets, infrastructure limitations and farm disease are the challenges of agritourism development in that country. Agritourism in Nova Scotia has some obstacles. Many agritourism operators face the problem of lack of assistance and the knowledge required to produce market-ready products as Nova Scotia Tourism and Culture is reluctant to include and to enhance agritourism in their marketing campaigns. This lack of support hinders the development of agritourism produ cts and services resulting poorly developed and marketed products by farmers. So, farmers could not develop many skills required to operate an effective tourism business (Colton and Bissix, 2005). A study in Haryana, India has reported that the Lack of funds for publicity and advertisement less number of visitors, Lack of technology to develop farm tourism, lack of motivation of farmers, inadequate price for farm products/activities as major constraints in establishing agritourism (Shehrawat, 2009). In Sri Lanka, issues and challenges in agritourism are small size farm lands, lack of required skills for the operators, poor level of processing of agricultural products, low level of publicity and promotion are the significant factors. Furthermore, lack of visitors, environmental pollution, poor condition on infrastructure, are the common problems for all the operators (Malkanthi and Routray, 2011b). Although there are few differences, most of the issues and challenges are common for many countries. As issues and challenges are negatively affect for the growth of the sector, finding solutions is utmost important. 3.2.6 Sustainability in agritourism operations Sustainable tourism development is supposed to meet the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing the opportunities for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled, while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems (World Tourism Organization, 1999) Therefore, Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability. Same as other tourism destinations, sustainability of agritourism destinations are very important in long run. Although most of the destinations that are feasible in short run, face difficulties in survival in long run. So, economic feasibility, social acceptability and environmental friendliness of tourism operations are equally applicable to agritourism as well. World Tourism Organization (2001), defines sustainable development as convene the requirement of present tourists and host regions as caring and improving opportunity for prospect. Its management of resources satisfies in way of economical, social and aesthetic needs satisfying while maintaining cultural integrity necessary for ecological processes, biological diversity and existence support system. Markandya, et.al., (2003) have reported that the three main linkages among tourism and sustainable development are economic, social and environmental. Tourism can kill itself if we mismanage the tourism activities and places (Yalcin Kuwan Perran Akan, 2001). Unspoiled natural environment is an asset of the industry. It will create the competitive advantage to the industry (Cater, 1993). The implementation and success of policies of sustainability, in employing tourism income to support social and cultural development and wild life conservation, require strategy framework which guides tourism development in a balanced and coherent way (Hall, 1998). Economic feasibility As one element of destinations economy, tourism must support a viable economic base. A healthy economy enables a country, region or city to pursue initiatives designed to enhance the quality of its residents (Ritchie Crouch, 2003). Traditional way of management of tourism destination was rather productive and resource-centered. But since there are limits in adapting to the market, the present strategy is combined supply and market let approach. In this context, management of demand is highly responsible for the sustainable tourism development (Kastenholz, 2004). So, instead of profit maximization of a destination by damaging the environment in short term, now the principle is to obtain the optimum profit. Economic benefits are positively related with the number of visitors. Further arrangement of traditional and cultural events is cost effective with this large number. However, as agritourism is a niche market, socio-culturally and environmentally sustainable, cooperation of cultural activities is very important. Socio-cultural feasibility It is widely accepted that local community participation is essential in sustainable tourism. Since agritourism is a service industry, goodwill and cooperation of host communities are the key factors of the success of the industry (Cole, 2006; Knowd, 2006). It is more important for the positive effects of tourism to the local community. It should be free from negative effects to the community. So, it is essential to test the social acceptability of tourism destinations (Gonzalez and Falcon, 2003). Convery, Dutson Scott (2006) found out the importance of stronger link between tourism and surrounding communities. The study also emphasizes the importance of social capital and social network in remote upland rural locations for the success of the operation. Most common measurement in tourism socio cultural force is the relation of visitors to the local population. Vital indicators are the stay-over time and average length of stay (Mcelroy, 2003). Sharpley (2002) said that socio-cultural growth includes population of remote areas, development and maintenance of public services, renewal of local craft, customs and cultural recognition. So it influences the chance for social control and exchange. Environmental feasibility Tourism destination should less damage to the surrounding environment; especially it should be free from serious environmental pollution activities. So, it should match with environmental rules and regulations and followed by Environment Impact Assessment (United Nations, 1999). However, the literature reveals that little evidence is there regarding environment being considered by farmers, planners and tourism professionals (Kline et al. 2007). Thus, sustainable agritourism should ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation. Also, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance. It should make careful use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity. Sustainable agritourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable agritourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary. Furthermore, it should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them. Although it is difficult and expensive, agritourism development should follow the sustainable tourism procedures to obtain the real benefits of it forever. However, most of the operators in many countries mainly emphasize only on short term economic advantages without social and environmental benefits. This is the reason for the breakdown of many tourism operations including agritourism, within a short time period. 3.2.7 Government policies in agritourism In general local government is the most important authority in establishing tourism development policies (Perce, 1989). However, the types and the content of its involvement vary from country to country based on the political, economic, and constitutional systems. In many European countries governments have supported the growth of the agritourism sector. There are national policies for the support and development of agritourism in a number of countries for a long time. For instance, in France, state financial aids to support the renovation of redundant farm buildings into accommodation facilities were introduced in 1954. Farms in Italy, Germany and Denmark also have long benefited from national support for the development of tourist facilities (Frater, 1983; Nilsson, 2002). In Britain, Scheme offering financial incentives and advices about diversification, together with partial relaxation of planning restrictions, have facilitated the development of farm-based tourism. The farm diversification Grant Scheme introduced by the ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1988, was one of the first measures offering grants to farmers to help them develop diversification schemes (Walford, 2001). According to Douglas Douglas, (2001); Fernando, Rebollo Biadal, (2003), it is important to develop policies in a proactive nature to lay the foundation and capture the development potential of tourism for rural communities. So, the national rural tourism strategy of a country must emphasis on infrastructure development, product development, accreditation and industrial standards, education and training, market analysis and the role of government authorities and industrial leaders in further developing the rural tourism product. Ritchie Crouch (2003) reported that policy is an important factor which ensures the success of tourism destination. It also creates a friendly environment among stakeholders. Therefore, the main objectives of agritourism policy are to minimize and alleviate negative environmental, s

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Cultural Transition of the Hmong Refugees :: Immigration Culture Adaptation Essays

Cultural Transition of the Hmong Refugees Humans have always demonstrated a remarkable ability to find comfort amidst adversity. Sometimes it is found in the sacred. Many churches in the United States experienced a growth in their congregations after September 11th. Sometimes it is found in action. A person might feel the need to get out and "get away" from pressure for a while so that upon returning the situation can be viewed fresh. And sometimes comfort is found in the most unexpected places. This is the case with the Hmong refugees from Indochina who began arriving in Wausau Wisconsin shortly after the conflict in Vietnam ended. Most Americans had never heard of the Hmong before and wanted to know why they had arrived. Tensions, misunderstandings and many challenges arose as the Hmong began new lives in an established and very different culture. Here, though, they have found some surprising tools to help them cope with these issues: camcorders, and the home video. In order to ease their cultural transition, the refugee Hmong have adopted video technology to continue their communal bonds, document their stories, and improve their public image among their new neighbors. Hmong social units are large extended families, something like clans in their makeup. In the mountains of their home, Hmong village of a few hundred people each dotted the landscape and provided a structure for trade and social interaction. In her book New Pioneers in the Heartland, Jo Ann Koltyk tells us that when the refugees were moved to the United States, an attempt was made to spread them throughout various cities in order to ease their assimilation into the population. This dispersion separated many friends, and parted extended family units. In many cases, the Hmong people simply began a "secondary migration" within the United States, and trickled back together into larger communities. In many cases, though, this second move was impossible and many Hmong would have remained isolated had it not been for the "Hmong-made videos." The Hmong tediously document all of their ceremonies and events. They seem to be fascinated by the capability to capture and preserve an event and then to show it to people who were not there and have them experience it also. Though the sharing of videos, a sort of "virtual community" can be maintained throughout separated settlements. Cultural Transition of the Hmong Refugees :: Immigration Culture Adaptation Essays Cultural Transition of the Hmong Refugees Humans have always demonstrated a remarkable ability to find comfort amidst adversity. Sometimes it is found in the sacred. Many churches in the United States experienced a growth in their congregations after September 11th. Sometimes it is found in action. A person might feel the need to get out and "get away" from pressure for a while so that upon returning the situation can be viewed fresh. And sometimes comfort is found in the most unexpected places. This is the case with the Hmong refugees from Indochina who began arriving in Wausau Wisconsin shortly after the conflict in Vietnam ended. Most Americans had never heard of the Hmong before and wanted to know why they had arrived. Tensions, misunderstandings and many challenges arose as the Hmong began new lives in an established and very different culture. Here, though, they have found some surprising tools to help them cope with these issues: camcorders, and the home video. In order to ease their cultural transition, the refugee Hmong have adopted video technology to continue their communal bonds, document their stories, and improve their public image among their new neighbors. Hmong social units are large extended families, something like clans in their makeup. In the mountains of their home, Hmong village of a few hundred people each dotted the landscape and provided a structure for trade and social interaction. In her book New Pioneers in the Heartland, Jo Ann Koltyk tells us that when the refugees were moved to the United States, an attempt was made to spread them throughout various cities in order to ease their assimilation into the population. This dispersion separated many friends, and parted extended family units. In many cases, the Hmong people simply began a "secondary migration" within the United States, and trickled back together into larger communities. In many cases, though, this second move was impossible and many Hmong would have remained isolated had it not been for the "Hmong-made videos." The Hmong tediously document all of their ceremonies and events. They seem to be fascinated by the capability to capture and preserve an event and then to show it to people who were not there and have them experience it also. Though the sharing of videos, a sort of "virtual community" can be maintained throughout separated settlements.

The Concept Of Power In Politics Essay examples -- essays research pap

The Meaning of Power   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The instrumental character of power is that of a â€Å"means to an end.† It includes the tools, resources, and abilities used to pursue goals. The meaning of power and its role in politics is understood first with a background of its dual nature. De jure refers to the theory of power. The concept of â€Å"absolute power,† considers tangible factors. When comparing nations’ power, money and gross national product are units of measure; the United States is more powerful than Mexico. Army size and strength are also measurable. World powers, such as the U.S., Britain, and Japan, defeat countries with smaller, weaker armies. From an objective standpoint, tangible assets make a country a world power. But world powers and their leaders also possess intangible qualities. De facto is the subjective aspect of power that is immeasurable. Charisma, such as that of Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, could not be described, but made them successful leaders. The â€Å"will to win† or morale of people, especially athletes, is power. De facto power is continually changing because of the relative character of power, to time, situation, and contending parties. When power is applied in interaction with contending parties, the situational factors of power and politics come into play. Power is initially proven in a political situation through credibility. The opposing party’s belief that you have power and will use it makes them take you seriously. I...

Friday, July 19, 2019

Arabs in the Media: Victim or Villain? Essay example -- Argumentative

Arabs in the Media: Victim or Villain?   Ã‚  Ã‚   For decades, the media portrayal of the Arab culture and Islam has contributed to a skewed public opinion in America. Looking closely at the news coverage concerning the Middle East and the United States, there is an inherent media bias against Arabs and Muslims as foreign threats to domestic security. Stephen Franklin argues that "Islamic nations are often portrayed in news reports as uniformly intolerant and anti-democratic" (Franklin 17). Unfortunately, such coverage has contributed to the public and government misconceptions of all Arabs and Muslims as terrorists. According to Fawaz Gerges, "terrorism has emerged as one of the most important political issues in the United States...[linking] it to Islamic militancy..." (Gerges 79). Moreover, the media's skewed depiction of the Arabs and Muslims has perpetuated countless stereotypes that undoubtedly affect the American opinion. These stereotypes and misconceptions of the Arabs and Muslims clearly indicate a media bias provoked by ignorance and ethnocentricity. The elite media's role in the portrayal of the Arab culture and Islam following the Oklahoma City bombing has had adetrimental effect on America's public opinion, investigation proceedings, and government action.    Once word of the Oklahoma City bombing reached the Associated Press and major American publications, journalists were quick to point the finger of guilt at Muslim fundamentalism. The Western perspective of the Middle East is a dark one. The Muslims are looked at as ruthless and barbaric people, inclined to kill and destroy. Steven Emerson, a so-called expert featured on CBS Evening News, "suggested that there [must] be some inherent cultural trait behind... ...people.virginia.edu/~sy5u/Bias.html    Works Cited Bazzi, Mohamad. "The Arab Menace", The Progressive. Vol 59, n8. August 1995. P40. Franklin, Stephen. "Covering the World of Muslims", Columbia Journalism Review. Vol 33, Iss 5. Jan 1995. p17 Gerges, Fawaz A. "Islam and Muslims in the Mind of America: Influences on the Making of US Policy", Journal of Palestine Studies. Vol XXVI, no2. Winter 1997, p68-77. Hernandez, Debra Gersh. "Religious Stereotyping By The Media", Editor & Publisher. Vol 117, Iss 36. 3 Sept 1994. p16-17. Lacayo, Richard. "How Safe is Safe?". Time. 1 May 1995. p68-72. Rosewicz, Barbara. "Terrorism Hits Home: US Building Bombed; Dead Include Children". The Wall Street Journal. 20 April 1995. A1, A6 . Thomas, Pierre and Ann Devroy. "Clinton Condemns 'Evil Cowards' for Blast". The Washington Post. 20 April 1995. A1, A24.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Evaluate Two of the Cognitive Approaches Strengths and Weaknesses Essay

The cognitive approach has two main strengths. These two strengths are that the cognitive approach is scientific and that it has an application of therapies. The first strength that the cognitive approach has is that it is scientific this is because it is done within the laboratory. This is called lab studies. We can rely on the findings because it is done under a controlled environment. Which makes this a strength. The second strength that the cognitive approach has is the application of these therapies. We know that this is strength because it has a very high success rate and is very effective. This is why the NHS uses this approach. The cognitive approach helps people across the world. The Cognitive approach also has two weaknesses, these two weaknesses that I am going to evaluate are that it is difficult to prove and the mechanistic reductionism. The cognitive approach is difficult to prove that it works because thoughts are not observable and are not measurable. This is a weakness because physiologist have to rely on the truthfulness of patients because there is no solid evidence what the patient thoughts are. The second weakness I am going to evaluate is the fact that the cognitive approach has a mechanistic reductionism; this means that the mind is compared to a computer. This is a weakness because the mind is much more complex that a computer e.g. the mind can guess and understand someone’s feelings. So Mechanistic reductionism suggests that psychologist are downgrading the mind’s capability.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Landmine Research Paper

Abstract My research af comme il faut was landmines. At get-go I survey that the question was too broad still came to finger that in that respect is so a great deal or so the topic that undersurface be disc completely overed. This brought on so umpteen a(prenominal) come-at- adequate to(p) research questions. A few were ar they the nigh sedate, should they be banned, how ache grant they been workd etc. How forever, I rear that researching the dangers of landmines would be the most appropriate topic for me. My method was to search with the databases and find information that could help formulate a thesis once that was created I act my research to help me discover topics for remains paragraphs.My research brought me to a gage of conclusions and do me realize that landmines argon in incident the most dangerous artillery unit that tail assembly be accustomd it state of struggle. A Geographer Explores a Path of Destruction Since 1975, landmines birth blot outed or maimed much than 1-million mountain crosswise the domain (Bonsor, 2001). Landmines atomic progeny 18 go increasingly to a greater extent(prenominal)(prenominal) dangerous as they atomic number 18 constantly cosmos employ in contends. At the time, they attend akin the best choice of ordnance store b arly in reality, thither argon so many another(prenominal) much advanced-octane and safer choices that can be made.As I am human geographer, I am touch on with the study of large number and places. Therefore, studying how landmines relate the community and their nation is a double part of what I do. It is said that the earlier forms of landmines were used over 2,500 days past plainly that Americans were the first to use available landmines in the struggle against the Indians in Florida in 1840 (Croll, 1998). Landmines give been used for so long and atomic number 18 be glide path more and more dangerous. They used to be manu tout ensembley operated tho quickly were breached to blow up when a certain amount of twitch was put on them.However, it was non until 1918 that landmines start outed being used on a large scale level this began because assault tanks were today used in contends as swell (Croll, 1998). If it were non for landmines, a lot of harm to citizens, animals, and resources would non occur. There argon in addition two categories of landmines Anti- soulfulnessnel (AP) mines and Anti-Tank (AT) mines. AT mines ar norm every(prenominal)y larger and contain more detonative materials. These mines ar used to disable tanks, trucks, and the people in the surrounding ara. They also command more pressure on the rigger brush plate for it to explode (Bonsor, 2001). However, no motion what type of mine it is, they can all do equal damage on a human being. The damage can be demeanor threatening or thus far lethal. Mines cannot get word when the war is over or who is stepping on them they are so da ngerous to e real superstar roughly them. Sadly, some(prenominal) countries are a lot more change by landmines than opposites (Croll, 1998). There are 26 countries in Africa, 9 countries in America, 17 countries in Asia, 25 countries in Europe, and 16 countries in the Middle East all being seriously affect by landmines.These are said to be the countries most affect by this deadly weapon of defense. Landmines are the most dangerous weapon to use in war because they are so deadly, they exists later on(prenominal) the war ends, people impede where they determined them, they are punk to make come along effective, and they kill civilians as well as the confrontation. Currently, on that point are more than 100-million landmines located in 70 countries around the world (Bonsor, 2001). This number is dread(a) fooling as many of these countries no longer have war subsist through their boorish. Almost e genuinely war uses landmines because they are effective. The purpose of mines when used by armed forces is to disable any person or vehicle that comes into contact with it by an explosion or fragments released at high speeds (Bonsor, 2001). We k straight that they are effective and that is wherefore we use them. Nonetheless, we know that they are deadly and can kill in a matter of indorsements. If you look at the be on varlet 8, you can see the large number of casualties throughout the world in 2008. The areas that are blue have high casualty rates there is too much blue on that correspond for anyone to accept the horrors that landmines bring to war.Hopefully, one day, we will see white on all(prenominal) country proving that mines are no longer killing people across the world. Another scary thought is that in many instances, the mines do not kill the victim. Loss of arms and legs are very mutual in these injuries. These injuries do not barely corporally damage you barely according to Shah, 2009, they leave a psychogenic scar on the victim as well. Many people never reimburse from these traumatic injuries. It is difficult to imagine ever dealing with what these citizens must go through on a daily basis.How many people can actually record they would not fear leaving their declare homes after(prenominal) such a distasteful experience? Even when the war is over, the mines are not crawfish outd. They sit in the constitute for years and years to come until some unfortunate soul is unlucky liberal to be the one to detonate it. Anti-personnel landmines comprehend to have tragic, unintended consequences years after a battle and charge the full war has ended (Bonsor, 2001). The process it would replication to remove these landmines is a lot more intricate than it is to install them in the first place.You would have to disable it from above land or detonate it and that would become very difficult and dangerous for the workers. Doing this is not value it for them, especially if they are not armed combat on their exp erience soil. Fighting for your own country is a lot more inconvenient. You whitethorn know that land a lot better which gives you an advantage, like in the Vietnam War. Yet, we also have to think about how they are depleting their own resources, destroying their land, and harming their own people.They have to deal with more tragedy once the war is over. We would reason that they would ask to reverse use landmines on their own land, but it has yet to seal off any country in any war. Landmines are also make globalization a lot harder because it is causing boundaries among countries thats what war does. Having landmines deepens the hate between countries because they cause so much pain. It is hard to trust a country that wants to help you become a core country when they have already destroyed so much of what you love. thermal infrared (IR) technique has been apply to the undercover work of shallowly buried landmines for more than a decade and has been found to be undimmed f or non-metallic mines. Its aim is to detect and distinguish landmines from other buried objects (false alarms) using diurnal IR measurements of the air-soil interface (Thanh, 2011). Although this is very convenient, it does not endlessly work. Many landmines are in accompaniment metallic so if it can yet detect non-metallic mines, then it is missing a large amount of deadly weapons. The technique is an amazing start but it is not sufficient to say that the use of landmines should be allowed.Until a machine is invented that can detect any landmine, none should be used. However, if someaf blank like this is invented, it defeats the purpose of the mines all together. Either way, with advancements in this day and age, it will not be long before something this magnificent is created and the use of mines is unnecessary therefore saving hundreds of lives every year. The more they use landmines, the more acquitted lives are sacking to be taken once the conflict has been concluded. No t only do the landmines remain in the domain years after conflict has ended, but a lot soldiers obturate where they have been placed. As time passes, the location of landmines is often forgotten, charge by those who planted them (Bonsor, 2001). This makes these mines even more dangerous. We know that they can kill mortal in an instant, but knowing that we do not even know there location is terrifying. Anyone could visit a international country and potentially be affected by these killing machines. There is nil we can even do at this point, especially when it is not on our on soil. When one country invades another, it makes sense that they forget about the location, but when it is your own country, the deal are completely different.They are now killing their own people and that is impairment on every possible level. Furthermore, in the midst of a conflict or in preparation, records are rarely unplowed on exact locations for any or all landmines (Shah, 2009). Therefore, they either do not have a record at all or completely forget about them. These conditions are daunting to imagine. We would try for that if war ever struck in the United States that we would be willing to remove the mines or detonate them before we forgot scarcely where we put them. It is scary to think of the happening of death in your own country post-war due to the effects of war.Since the death ships bell of landmines is so high we know that they are effective, however many people do not know that they are squalid to make as well. Landmines are easy-to-make, bald-faced and effective weapons that can be deployed good over large areas to prevent enemy movements (Bonsor, 2001). The fact that they are cheap makes it a lot easier and more convenient to use them in wars. We could predict that if they were not so cheap then less countries would want to use them as a weapon. However, at this point in time, it counts that the only thing that could possibly stop the use of landmines is a law.It would be great if everyone just stop using them because the causality rate is so high but they are more worried about killing soldiers and do not worry about what is going to happen to the civilians decades later. The more wars they are used in, the easier and cheaper it gets to produce them (Thanh, 2011). This should be reason enough to stop all use of the mines. This take to end before it is too late. excessively many people are getting maimed by these mines. It is clear that they are beneficial during the war but the affects after the war are far from value a potential victory.It is not fair to the rest of the world to use these when we are the ones getting caught in the crossfire. Once the war had ended, the only people leave to be effected by the landmines are the citizens. exorbitant stories and pictures from all around the world often battle arrayed that civilians were the main landmine casualties in large poem and extendd to be so years after the warring factions have left the battlefield (Shah, 2009). This is alarming to hear. They did vigor to deserve this terrible fate therefore they should not be the ones whose lives are destroyed because of them.One of the chastise parts of the situation is that the ones affected are often shaverren. You whitethorn see the physical damages on the outside, but there are so many cordial scars on the inside. Education rates among child survivors are lower than average piece school drop-outs are more frequent, lessen employment prospects later on (Shah, 2009). It is not fair that children have to suffer so much for a war they may not have even been quick to experience. Even if they had been alive it is un possible that they had been a part of the war they were most likely just a citizen in a village or town nearby.There futures are ruined due to factors that are not their fault it is a blue start to a childs life leading to an even more miserable ending. They do not deserve to live under t hese horrible conditions. We should be able to do more to help, but at this point, there is nothing we can do but hope that innocent people stop getting injured. Landmines are becoming more dangerous as the number of casualties increase. Many civilians may have to vivify to voluntary migration to avoid the dangers that the area may bring.Something needs to be done to stop these terrifying mines from being used during war. The fin motions of geography can be applied because the layout and production of landmines relates to it. The first theme is location. Landmines are everywhere. In the map on page 8, we can see just how common they really are and just how many people are affected by them. They were not put into the Earth so that people would never set them off, they were meant to destroy. The second theme is human-environment interaction the relationship between human and the physical world.The mines could be around any corner of the world and these causes a relationship of fear for the people reinforcement with these dangers. The third theme is region. This relates to landmines because more often than not, landmines are placed in regions that soldiers would be crossing. They are strategically placed by the enemy. We as geographers use fieldwork, quantitative, and qualitative methods to develop insightful descriptions of different regions of the world (Fouberg, 2009). The quarter theme is place. Each landmine has a laughable location depending on who planted it and who their stone pit is.Each landmine has its own distinctive mission. Finally, the fifth theme is movement. Civilians must relocate during and after war to avoid the tragedies brought on by landmines and even other war effects. This is not fair to them but it is something that should be done to vouch their safety and the safety of their families. My conclusions is that landmines are the most dangerous weapon to use in war because they are so deadly, they exists after the war ends, people fo rget where they placed them, they are cheap to make yet effective, and they kill civilians.All these reasons are enough to show that landmines should not be used in wars. These landmines are perhaps amongst the most majestic weapons on the battlefield today, they are dyspnoeal victim-activated detonative devices recognizing neither friend nor foe, making no distinctions between soldiers or civilians they continue maiming and killing long after war is over(Shaun, 2011). None of the achievements seem worth all the pain and suffering. It may seem that they are helping in war efforts but in the long run, they are doing more damage than good. These mines continue to be functional for many decades, causing further damage, injury and death (Bonsor, 2001). It is unfathomable to learn the fear that goes through the minds of civilians in many countries when they walk out the door. Could I make it victim to a landmine today? Do they have any idea what is coming? They may even think that n othing will happen to them or that all the mines have been detonated. Little do they know, there are still hundreds, maybe even thousands still lurking in the soil of a place they call home. http//www. he-monitor. org/index. php/publications/display? uniform resource locator=lm/2009/maps/casualties. html This is a map of the world that shows the number of casualties, in 2008, that mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) have caused. Works Cited Bonsor, Kevin. (19 June 2001). How Landmines Work. How forget Works. Retrieved from http//science. howstuffworks. com/landmine7. htm Croll, Mike. (November 1998). History of Landmines. Pen and Sword Books. Retrieved from http//members. iinet. net. au/pictim/mines/history/history. html Fouberg, Erin H. (2009).Human Geography People, Place, and Culture. rude(a) York John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Shah, Anup. (27 November 2009). Landmines. Global Issues. Retrieved from http//www. globalissues. org/article/79/landmines Shaun, Allan. (2011). Call of Duty Modern state of war The Effects of Landmines and IEDs on British force in Afghanistan. Baltic Security and defense Review, Vol. 13, 6-20. Thanh, Nguyen Trung. (April 2011). Detection and characterization of buried landmines using infrared thermography. Inverse Problems in light & Engineering, Vol. 19, 281-301.