The country of Armagede Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The country of Armagede - Essay Example A wild animal refuge spans an area of some 1500 miles to the south. This refuge is heavily guarded against poachers and contributes more than three million dollars a year in tourism dollars that offset the cost of the reserve and contribute to the hospitality and cultural art industries in the country. The country supports a population of 4,763,271 Armagede nationals with about population of 3,445,192 who are largely subsistent farmers with a per capita income of about population of $223. The largest concentration of citizens is in the two largest cities in the north and south where residents are employed in government jobs. There is a population of approximately 544 people per square mile. In the past decade the country has begun to maintain vital statistic and economic records that help show a continuing improvement in the country’s economic indicators. The per capita income has increased by nearly 5% per household over the past decade, as represented by the graph below. The re is one university, Aduine University, in the north, a state sponsored university staffed largely by well educated professors from countries that offer incentives for foreign academic services. Most of the graduates go on to work for the government and in state sponsored elementary, middle schools and high schools. A large number of graduates leave the country for graduate studies in medicine and law, but statistics support the fact that these individuals return to Armagede upon completion of their studies.

Industrialized Building System (IBS) | Literature Review

Industrialized Building System (IBS) | Literature Review CHAPTER 2:Â  LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The objectives of this chapter will identify and study into the details and provide the literature review of Industrialized Building System (IBS). In this literature review of building system will also be covered in this chapter. The contents will focus on definitions of IBS, characteristic of building in Malaysia with application of IBS, advantages of IBS and disadvantages of IBS. The 5 types of widely used IBS in Malaysia project will be study in this chapter. In addition, the comparison of suggestion method which use of IBS in different building in Malaysia will be carried out in this chapter. Besides that, the systematic solution by applying IBS in current Malaysia projects which able to reduce waste during construction project life cycle which able to create and heading toward friendly or eco environment compare to conventional method will be carried out in this chapter. 2.1.1 Definition of IBS According to Dietz (1971), in the early literature defined IBS as the whole process of all the subsystems and components make full utilized of industrial production, transport and assembly technology. The IBS system is actually apply in construction industry is mainly to reduce input and generate more output by maximize or fully utilized the production, transportation and assembly during construction stage which indirectly save up a lot of time and costs for the process of above. (Dietz 1971) Meanwhile according Warszawski (1999), IBS defined as a set of interrelated elements, to take collective action that the designated and performance of the building. In additional, IBS is defined as a process of investment in facilities, technology and equipment, to minimize the amount of labour in the site, to improve the quality of building and to increase the speed of construction. From here we noticed that not only time and cost is being save up but indeed quality also can be improve by applying IBS. (Warszawski 1999). According to Parid (1997), IBS defined as a industrialized production technology used by the system, whether in component production or assembly of building. (Parid 1997) The interpretation from Esa et al (1998), IBS as continuous use of the system, so that the manufacturing use end-user to reduce waste of resources and enhance the value of each building craftsmen. (Esa etal 1998) According to CIDB, IBS is a construction process that transferring the substantial activities from site to factory where the building components are manufacture in factory then delivery to site and assembled at site. This is the process that involve prefabricated the elements of building in factory by using machine or formwork and on-site installation. 2.1.2 Classification of IBS In early stages, Badir (1998) proposed four types in Malaysia with Badir-Razali classification. These building systems which is conventional system, cast in situ system, composite building system and the prefabricated system is shown in Figure 2.1. Each building system is composed of representatives of the respective construction methods, thus further through its construction characteristics of the technology, features and geometry. (Badir 1998) Figure 2.1 : Types of building system according to Badir-Razali classification in Malaysia (Badir 1998) IBS also can be classified according to several aspects: According to structural system According to material According to relative weight of component 2.1.3 Classification according to structural system Panel system The loads are distributes by the large floor and wall panel where the building loads is support by wall in panel system. This system is suitable for those building are required large wall and this system is not suitable to building with large span. Frame system In frame system, the building loads are support by column and beam. The walls used is required light and easy to fix and concrete panels are introduces as flooring element. Box system The box systems is include those systems that make use of three-dimensional modules or boxes for fabrication of habitable units that are able of withstanding load from various directions due to their internal stability. 2.1.4 Classification according to material Timber The prefabrication of timber consists of two types which are ready-cut plus shop fabrication of joints (column and beam) and structural panels only consists of walls and floors without column and beam. Steel All the steel elements are prefabricated in factory then only transport to site to joints by welding or bolting at site. The large proportion of the strength to the weight allows a long-span or high-rise building. Reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete has high degree of availability, durability, low material cost and fire resistance. There are two basic trends in development of reinforced concrete IBS components which are precast frame members such as columns and beams and panelised components such as walls and floors. Brick and block Brick and block for IBS are prefabricate and lay in factory then only transported to site and last erected at site. With this will ease the construction works at site. 2.1.5 Classification according to relative weight of component IBS components can be classified according to relative weight. Majzub explained that the relative weight of components should be used as a basis for building classification because the factor of weight has significant impact on the transportability of components and has influence on the production method of the components and their erection method at site. Table 1 is shown the building systems classification according to relative weight of component. (Majzub, 1977) Table 1: Classification according to relative weight of components (Majzub, 1977) 2.1.6 Types of IBS and apply to building in Malaysia Based on CIDB (2003) the classification of IBS in Malaysia is broken down into five categories, which is a precast concrete frame panel and box system, steel formwork system, steel framing system, block work system and timber frame system . IBS is a construction process that use of technology, products, components and on-site installation of building system. From the structural classification five of IBS display section, which are mainly classified according to some modifications, the main groups in Malaysia by CIDB. (CIDB 2003) 2.1.6.1 Precast Concrete Framing, Panel and box system Precast concrete components are the most common prefabricated elements in Malaysia. The precast concrete elements are the concrete product that manufactured in a controlled environment and being transported to the construction site for installation. There are precast concrete for columns, slabs, lightweight precast concrete, permanent concrete formwork, and beams. Besides that, it also consists of 3-D components such as staircases, toilet, balconies, lift chamber and etc. High degree of flexibility is one of the advantages of the system in regards of larger of larger clear span between column, resulting in wider open space and freedom of greater areas. Precast concrete wall system consisting og precast floor and load-bearing walls of building. The load-bearing walls and slabs are transfer to construction site for erected. The system is preferred simple and easy flexibility with due to the restriction of removal of load bearing will making it a lesser degree of flexibility. The carefully good coordination and design between builders and designer, the erection process is very fast, and the number of wet trade in the field can be reduced significantly. 2.1.6.2 Steel Formwork Systems This is the system formwork which is designed by manufacturer to replace a conventional timber formwork. The steel formwork is manufactured in the plant and then assembled on construction site. The steel reinforcement and service conduit will be installed on site before the steel formworks are installed. the installation is very easy by using simple support system. It can be described as a mould which the wet concrete can be poured into the mould and form the required shape, these steel formwork systems are subjected to quality control. This type of IBS method is considered as the low level in the construction industry. The steel formwork system that used in beams, permanent steel formworks, tunnel forms and column moulding forms. 2.1.6.3 Steel Framing Systems Steel is a strong rigid materials, suitable for a high degree of flexibility across the structure of long term construction and rehabilitation of the architectural details of the framework construction. The components of steel framing system are rolled into standardized sizes. The component are then manufactured which involves cutting, drilling, shot blasting, welding and painting. Steel frames are erected, welding and the tightening of bolt after they are fabricated. The steel framing systems has been a popular choice, and is widely used in fast track construction project, the system commonly used with precast concrete slab, steel columns and beams. 2.1.6.4 Prefabricated Timber Framing System In the early 1970s, single storey low cost terrace houses mostly built of pure timber frame and wood which sitting on three feet high plastered brick walls and taking advantages of simple raft foundation due to the high weight superstructure. These prefabricated timber framing systems is using the timber in the construction industry for the building. Usually the timber framing system are consists of timber building frames and timber roof trusses. Steel plate is being used during prefabrication of timber to join members of truss. All members needs to be treated with anti pest chemical. 2.1.6.5 Block Work Systems The time consuming traditional brick laying tasks are generally simplified by using block work systems. Interlocking concrete masonry units (CMU) and lightweight concrete blocks are involved in block work system. Fabricated and cured of the components take place in the plant. The elements are normally used as bricks in structures and interlocking concrete block pavement 2.1.7 Advantages of IBS for public housing There are many advantages of implementing IBS. according to CIDB (2003), compares to conventional method. Following are brief descriptions on a number of advantages where using IBS for the public housing:- Advantages Description Reduce construction time IBS will requires less construction time Because both the site work and the fabrication of element can take place concurrently work at site only the erection of IBS components. So, this leads to earlier occupation of the building. Save cost Reducing on-site workers significantly labor cost for contractors. (Wisam 2005). Minimizing cost of transferring waste materials due to quality control and reducing waste material. (Noraini 2009). Exemption of the Construction Levy for housing developers who utilize IBS components exceeding than 70%. (CIDB 2005). Provides earlier occupation of the building, thus reducing interest payment or capital outlays (Peng, 1986 cited in Mian, A.T.E, 2006). Saving in labour Because the IBS components are produced in factory and higher degree of using machine so will reduce of labour dependency of labour and cut down the cost of labour. According to Abraham Warszawski (1999), the labour savings in prefabricated elements may amount to about 80% of their conventional requirement. So, will reduced the total foreign workers need in the construction industry. Optimized use of materials Higher degree of precision and accuracy in the production can be achieve by using machine to produce IBS components and consequently reduce material wastage. So, the wastage at site will be reduced if using the IBS. High quality and better finishes Quality control is an ever-increasing requirement in all construction. Controlled environment in factor, superior material selection and high mechanized technology lead to high quality controlled products. (Din 1984). High aesthetic end products through the processes of controlled prefabrication and simplified installations has maintained and ensured the quality of work in the construction industry (CIDB-(2), 2003 cited in Mian, A.T.E, 2006). Better quality control since production in factory is under heltered environment. Better quality will reduce the maintenance expenses because prefabricated components require less repair and preventive maintenance. Construction operation less affected by weather The fabrication of IBS components will not be effected by climate changes it is done in factory and only erection of the components take place on site Faster project completion due to rapid progress under all weather construction. Flexibility Different systems may use different prefabrication construction methods. IBS will provide more flexibility in the deign of precast element. By the flexibility in Architectural design (Warszawski, 1999). Increase site safety and neatness This method neater and safer site condition can be obtain thru this method. Promote safe and systematic factory working environment as minimal workers, materials and construction waste is requires on site. (CIDB 2003). Construction process can be less thru using IBS components especially for the wet work at site. 2.1.8 Disadvantages of IBS for public Housing Although there are a lot of advantages of IBS, however there are limitations for this system to be use too. Nothing in this world is perfect, so as using IBS. disadvantages of IBS are as follows:- Disadvantages description High initial capital cost The initial capital cost of IBS is usually higher than conventional method. The initial cost is includes the casting beds, cost of constructing the factory and support machinery. This method only can be achieved when undertaking large demand for housing project. Problem of joints These methods are very sensitive to the errors and sloppy work. Water leakage between joints is often the major problem when IBS is being used. This problem is clearer in Malaysia where raining occur rapidly throughout the year. Sophisticated plants and skilled operators The prefabrication system relies heavily on sophisticated plant, when skilled operators are required to the fabrication process coordinate and maintain. The entire project would be on a stand still if any of the section breakdown. Site accessibility One of the most important factors of the implementation of IBS is the site accessibility. IBS requires sufficient site accessibility to transport IBS components from factory to the site. According to Warszawski (1999), the transportations cost of prefabricated elements from plant to their construction site, amount to 3% to 5% of their total cost for distances not exceeding 50kn to 100km. Large working area Building construction using IBS required a large working area for the tower crane, factory, storage and trailers for the IBS components. Most construction in order areas are often congested and fail to provide the area required.

Terrorism - Its Time to Stop the War :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

It's Time to Stop the War Military measures intended to support the arrest of a terrorist have turned into a large-scale attack on several of the poorest countries in the world, as well as on their populations, which is tormented by hunger and poverty and threatened by uprooting and death. As little as the gap between rich and poor in the world was the cause of the murderous attack on Sept.11, all the more are the attacks against Afghanistan and the Philippines are deepening this gap and thereby multiplying reasons to hate the West and its civilization. In the future the West will be less identified with its best qualities, with democracy, a constitutional order and prosperity than with its shadowy sides, with a lack of respect, arbitrary acts and violence. With every bomb that falls and every western soldier who kills on Afghan soil, the rich part of this world closes its eyes to the suffering of the peoples in the south. Even the apparent successes presently do not change this. With its offensive the West is not only undermining the idea of a collective legal effort to counteract terror, but is also betraying its own principles. In the final analysis this undeclared war is no longer being waged to combat terrorism but rather to preserve a reputation of military invincibility. Finally, with every day that war is waged there and with every new security law passed here (in the western world) , that very freedom which is supposedly being defended is threatened and those refugees, who are the products of this military action and its consequences, are marginalized. On September 11, not only did thousands of people suffer an agonizing death, but even western civilization suffered a defeat. Those murdered in the attack will not be restored to life through the war against the Taliban.

Are social networking sites good for our society Essay

Are social networking sites good for our society? In todays lifestyle it is admitted that Social Network Sites bring convenience, efficiency, fast, speed and width for adolescents’ interpersonal relationship development. With various ongoing debates about why social networking may be bad for society, I have found it to be good for society. Social networking comes in many forms. It comes in the form of facebook, twitter, and even professional forums such as Linkedin. In such a fast-paced world, I find social networking to be an invaluable way of sharing ideas and interests that allow me to remain engaged. Although some may debate that social networking takes away from face to face and/or quality interactions, I have found it to be an invaluable tool in building community and networks. In fact, I believe it has given us a more effective way of communicating and engaging with one another especially in our fast-paced society. If I am on a work assignment one of my favorite tools to research is twitter. I find it to be a quick news feed and I usually learn about news first from there before learning it from the mainstream media such as television or radio. And of course facebook has been the staple for me as for many in helping us remain engaged and to keep abreast of graduations, weddings, births or other special events regarding our family and friends. Social media continues to make strides to make communication more accessible and easier for all of us. Just this week Mark Zuckerberg, founder of facebook, has announced that it is now offering a Graph Search function in order for the user to have the ability to run queries from one’s network of friends. It allows users to run queries in order to find commonalities or other areas of interest within friend networks. Twitter has allowed many in suppressed

Personal statement for MSA Essay

If to use a single word describing myself, I would say, â€Å"integrity’, which means a mixture of various qualities and views from different cultures and working experiences. My hometown, **, which was a harbor and now the booming coastal metropolis, brought me a grant view of how fast the speed of globalization is. Meanwhile, the dramatic economic growth of the city enlightened me for seeking and digging qualities that would match its future. As a result, I went to the other hemisphere of the world, United States, which was described as the most developed country, to ursue my Bachelor’s degree in business finance. Through the Joyful college life with diligent study in coursework and a verity of academic club taking, on a sunny day, Aug 28th, 2011, I obtained my Bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University with Magna Cum Laude. Moreover, my 3. 86 specialization GPA makes me a competitive individual among my schoolmates. Seeking a Job is not a fun thing, especially for a recent graduate and in the economic downturn, though, I still keep myself with the optimistic attitude and enough confidence in this whole process. Before my first official Job was offered, I gathered a erious of experiences from different positions: work as a part-time tax processor in a credited accounting firm, ***as a par-time bookkeeper in an entertainment company, Prime Social Group; and, even work as a sales associate in the subsidy of Gap, Inc, Old Navvy. These experiences, which supposed not decent enough for an honor graduate, told me how hard life could be, and made me more perseverant. After scatted out hundreds of my resume, and Joined tens something interview, I got my first official Job offer: financial analyst in ***, a healthcare financial consulting firm. My frank peers introduced me with some models and methodologies the company uses for a number of hospitals and nursing homes. Though some of the analysis sounds hard at the first glance, I still believe my personal qualities and skills, for example, I am a profound thinker that is knowledgeable of computer language Access SQL and Excel, could help me to conquer them. I penetrated myself in calculating and analyzing those Key Performance Indexes and valuation models. After I submitted my first report, though it’s not perfect, my supervisor, ***, comment this as,† It’s amazing or a recent graduate with little analysis experiences to create the model and fgure such a lot of crucial points out†. Besides, even the principle of the team,***, who used to be a professor in ***, appreciated my work ethic. Those words did stimulate me for a while. Experiences in ** extended my view of what consulting firms could help for clients. Consulting are not limit in investment finance taking care of stocks and bonds, IPO issuing, etc, more than that, lots of consulting firms are doing analysis on a corporate base, thus, much accounting knowledge involved. I also remember Andrew said to me wou d be essential tor getting a senior level position in financial consulting firm, and, a Master of Accounting would be a plus.

buy custom History of Solar Power in the United States essay

buy custom History of Solar Power in the United States essay Solar power is seen as one of the renewable energy that would reduce the United States, overdependence on oil as a source of energy. The technology of harnessing energy has grown over the years, with the use of photovoltaic in generating electricity and solar thermal for heating water. The latest technology, which is still under development, is the use of CSP systems to generate electricity. The United States is advancing in the use of this technology, and currently it is the leading in the generation of power using CSP technology. This paper will discuss the history of solar power in the United States, the technologies used in the production of power using CSP, and the benefits of using this technology. The paper will also explore the barriers to large-scale production of CSP power and possible intervention, and discuss the future for CSP in the United States. History of Solar Power in the United States In 1970s, there was there was a first environmental regulation in the United States, but first, there was a Clean Air Act, that researched on air pollution and emission standards for automobiles. During this time, the Council on Environmental Quality was set up by the NEPA to carry out a national environmental impact assessment for projects funded by the federal government (Cohen 103). These developments led to the creation of limits to emissions from industrial plants, fuels and electric utilities. In 1074, there was an embargo that shook the US, which depended more on oil for energy; this made the United States to think of alternative ways of meeting its energy demands. In 1977, the power behind CSP emerged with the development of the DoE, which was put in control of the federal energy agencies. More research was carried out by the DoE and other research groups on energy activities, which led to the development of policies and incentives for renewable energy resources such as CSP (Cohen 123). California led the nation in pushing for renewable energy resources, it used the DoE research and the attractive incentives provided by the PURPA to build SEGS; a 354 MW plant using a trough design was installed in Majove Desert (Cohen 147). This gave way to the construction of other CSP projects in California, and today, California has the first 80 MW plant, and this plant has remained the largest CSP in the United States. The CSP Technology CSP is a technique that is used for generating electricity using heat from the sun, this is a technology that is expanding quickly and is commercially viable. It requires a strong and direct solar radiation, which is used as a centralized source of power for many utilities, and produces more power in the late afternoon when the demand is high. The CSP technology uses mirrors to focus the sunlight on a heat transfer medium, the heat transfer medium is then heated to produce steam to power and engine or a generator that generates electricity (White 219). This technology has a potential of producing close to 300MW and supply approximately 100 megawatts; however, this value depends on the type CSP used. An effective CSP requires approximately 5.5 kWh/m2 of solar radiation per day; in California, the average solar radiation for an effective CSP ranges from 6.75-8.25 kWh/m2/ day, and its best performance is realized in flat and arid locations. The worlds best performance of CSP is realized in Australia, Sahara Desert and the U.S Southwest. The largest CSP in the United States was built in the 1980s and 1990s, in California desert, and today they are among the largest and most powerful solar generating systems around the globe. The United States has a number of plants, which have been operating since 1980s, and are located in the Southwest (Johnson 142). The United States is planning to install many more of CSP systems, and others are in construction states. Types of CSP Systems CSP has different technologies of power production, however, they all involve concentrating sunlight at a focal point located at a tube with a heat transfer material, the material is usually molten salt or synthetic oil. The synthetic material is usually pulled together and stored in a unit, and later used to produce steam to power conventional generators. All systems have arrays of mirrors for concentrating the sunlight. Parabolic Trough Parabolic troughs are long, curved mirror pivoted to focus sunlight on tubes with a heat transfer medium, which is generally water or oil, and the steam produced after heating the heat transfer medium is directed o move a power generating turbine. The parabolic troughs are installed in a way that allows they to track the suns path, and this increases the amount of heat reaching the heat transfer material (Price 261). The parabolic trough CSP system is the most developed system, and it has been in use in the United States ever since. The maximum capacity size for this system ranges from 150MW to 250MW, the power within this range can power close to 44,000 homes; however, today, the largest parabolic trough CSP plant is 80 MW. Solar Power Towers In this technology, flat mirrors are used to focus sunlight on a central receiver containing a heat transfer fluid, which is often molten salt that can keep thermal energy for a long time. Solar power towers, unlike parabolic dishes, they concentrate heat energy at higher temperature, and this makes to have a higher efficiency when it is compared to parabolic dish CSP systems. This system had 10 MW facility, which operated between 1996 and 1999 in California, this system had a storage tank could store electricity for 3 hours after a sunshine (Price 124). In 2009, a 20MW power tower was put online in Spain; this is largest power tower demonstration plant. Dish System In this system, mirrors are organized in a parabolic shape, which is like the shape of a satellite dish. The mirrors focus the heat on a central receiver that is mounted above the dish center. The receiver has a Stirling engine, which translates heat energy to mechanical power through cold fluid compression; the fluid can either be synthetic oil or water. The fluid is heated and allowed to expand through a turbine or a piston to produce mechanicl power, which is converted to electricity using an alternator or a generator (Price 169). This system can be utilized to produce electricity in large scale by arranging many dishes in a large array. The newest system that uses this technology has 31.5% energy conversion efficiency, which is the highest efficiency of CSP technology plants. However, this system has a smaller production capacity, which ranges from 0.003 to 0.025 MW. Recently, this system has been approved in California for construction. Linear Fresnel System This system is among the new CSP technologies. This system resembles the parabolic trough system; however, it utilizes multiple flat mirrors arranged in rows to focus sunlight on a set of tubes, which increases the heat of the fluid inside the tubes. When this system is compared to the systems that use curved mirrors, it is less expensive; the flat mirrors are less expensive to manufacture. However, this system is less efficient when it is compared to other CSP systems. Generation CSP systems generates power during daytime, this is the time when electricity demand is high. The heat transfer process used in generation ensures a stability time of 15 to 30 minutes; this time is enough for the system to endure a passing cloud. The systems are affected by extended cloud cover and night, when the sun is not shining; therefore, they need thermal storage and supplemental fuels (White 284). Most of CSP systems are supplemented with natural gas for them to provide baseload power all the time. Most plants that use natural gas use steam engines in power generation and since the CSP also use steam engines in power generation; the two systems are easily hybridized. CSP systems can also be made to meet baseload demand using thermal storage technology; this storage can help the CSP system to operate for 70 percent of 365 days without fuel backups (Price 302). The thermal storage technology is a great improvement of the CSP system, which can only run for 15-30 percent of 365 d ays when it is generating without storage. Production Capacity In 2008, the solar power produces only 0.09 percent of energy supplied in the United States; however, the production capacity is growing. Today, the United States have 429 MW installed CSP capacity, which makes it the leader in CSP generation, and the nation is still developing more generating plants, which totals to 7,000 MW. By 2020, the United States is sure of powering 2 million homes using CSP; this is from the projects that are under development. CSP Projects under Development in the United States California has 34 projects, which are planned to produce 9,183 MW; this is a potential capacity that includes 1600 MW to be produced from Stirling engine systems, 177 MW produced using Linear Fresnel System, 747 MW to be produced using power tower systems, and 8 projects with a potential of 4228 MW that are still in review process. The Mojave Desert has some CSP projects that are planned for construction; there is one project of 553 MW potentials that are still under construction since 2009. In 2007, there was a 25 year agreement between Pacific Gas and Electric and Solel to purchase power. In Florida, there is a hybrid of parabolic trough and gas systems with a potential capacity of 75 MW solar power. This power is projected to power Martin county and 11,000 homes will benefit from this project. Florida Power and Light and Lauren Engineers have an agreement of power purchase and this would benefit the nation. Costs of CSP The construction of a CSP plant takes approximately two years, it requires concrete, plastic, copper and steel. The cost of construction is about 80% of the plants total cost, this is higher when it is compared to a fossil fuel plant. However, unlike natural gas or coal power plants, CSP plants have zero fuel cost, the operational costs are 30 percent less when they are compared to those of gas and natural gas plants (U.S. Department of Energy 412). An installed CSP plant generates power for decades; in 1984, the first CSP plant was installed and this plant still generates power efficiently. These power plants might be expensive to construct but the benefits are huge and like the CSP plants, these benefits last for decades. The Benefits of CSP Economic Benefits The United States average price of electricity generated from Coal and natural gas costs 6 and 9 cents/kWh respectively, and the cost of CSP electricity is 14-16 cents/ kWh. This shows that CSP is expensive when it is compared to Coal and natural gas, however, during peak demand, the CSP becomes more cost effective; this means that those who use the CSP generated power save a lot during this time, remember that the peak demand is during afternoon, and this is when generating using CSP is high (Sioshansi and Denholm 176). According to research, as the industry mature, the cost of building CSP system would come down, and the prices of power generated using these system would reduce to about 5 cents/ kWh. The economic benefits of producing power using the CSP system might not be realized soon because the high cost of product of construction, however, if a nation continues to construct such plants, it would realize the benefits in a major way (Sioshansi and Denholm 179). For instance, the United States requires much power and its needs continues to increase as the population increases, as they are installing the CSP systems, their future costs of power generating are reducing because the nation will spend less of coal and natural gas power production (Kolb et al 197). The savings from the use of CSP would be used to fund other important developmental projects. The development of CSP systems has created employment opportunities in the United States. The construction of the systems requires different expertise such as the engineers, geologists and the unskilled labor, and after it has been installed it requires the administration to facilitate its operations, therefore, the Americans with the skills in the respective field are employed in the CSP plant (Sioshansi and Denholm 181). This is bound to increase with the other projects that have been planned for construction in California as well as other parts of the country that have CSP potential. Most of the CSP projects in the United States are constructed in areas that have less agricultural potential, and initially such areas such as Mojave Desert had little economic contribution to the nation, but now with the CSP projects, this region has a large economic contribution to the nation (Kolb et al 238). The energy produced from these projects has help residents around Mojave deserts and other citizen who use energy from this region to power their businesses; this has helped them extend their operation time, which has improved their earnings. The residents have also managed to put up businesses that use machines that depend on electricity for their operation. The companies producing CSP energy has managed to sign power purchase agreements such as the Florida Power and Light and Lauren Engineers, which help the company to sell its extra power and gain from the funds received. Environmental Benefits The CSP projects produce energy with no harmful gas emissions, this is as opposed to natural and coal based projects which emit green houses gases. The United States which consumes much power, and has had many problems with complying with the Kyoto protocol, has managed to produce more energy adding extra green house emissions to the environment. The nation is investing more in CSP projects, and if the country continues to produce more of CPS, it will reduce its dependence on coal and gas producing plants, and thus reducing the CO2 and other green houses to the environment. The construction of the projects does not require heavy digging of the ground, and this does not destruct the land, this is as opposed to coal and gas power production, which require heavy digging and installation of heavy machines that destructs the land. The Barriers to large-Scale Deployment of CSP Production The United States of America plans to produce power using CSP systems, but the projects are later converted to PV projects; recently, more than 2,500 MW that was planned for CSP projects was reconverted to PV projects (Kolb et al 292). This is because the CSP projects are costly to construct when they are compared to PV projects as well as the gas and coal power projects, and most countries such as the United States are shying away from deploying the CSP project for large-scale production. According to research, CSP projects can be made more efficient and produce more reliable power through dispatchability and storage, but this approach does not produce a more competitive power when it is compared to the oil-parabolic CSP hybrid systems (Johnson 216). Therefore, the nation is still afraid of investing in a technology that has high cost of construction, and the electricity produced is not competitive enough. The problem of high cost f electricity from CSP technology can be solved by i nvesting in research to find better ways to come up with the technology to reduce the production costs using gas or coal to supplement CSP systems. More research on advanced CSP concepts such as molten salts and solar trough, direct steam and Fresnel, and molten salts and solar tower; this approaches have a potential of reducing the CSP cost of power production (Johnson 231). If a more efficient technology is used and the cost of producing electricity lowered it will result in the development of the CSP technology The future prospects of CSP in the United States The United States has a potential of CSP production with the planned CSP projects and more in places that has a potential, and with the ongoing research to reduce the cost of energy produced using CSP systems, as well as its efficiency, CSP is expected to be a key player in the nations future. Solar energy is the biggest resource not only in America, but around the globe and if efforts are not made to commercialize it, then regions with the potential might not realize its importance (Johnson 163). The cost of construction of CSP system is very high; therefore, many private investors shy away from investing in such projects. The government of the United States should find a way to cut the construction costs to easy the investors investment costs (Hamilton 215). This can be done by giving incentives to those wishing to invest in CSP production; building infrastructure in areas of potential solar power production and reducing or eliminating import duties on CSP construction materials. T his would help the CSP industries to produce power that is competitive in the market by offering lower prices. The government should also come up with a tariff that will increase the consumption of power produced, for instance, for those who consume CSP power during the time when the CSP plants are generating more power are charged less; this will increase the market for CSP (Hamilton 217). The increase in market will attract many investors to invest in CSP, and more regions with energy solar resources will be exploited giving the nation more clean and cheap energy. The United States should also invest more in research on efficient ways of CSP production and solar energy exploration; this will ensure that the solar resource is fully exploited in the United States. The future for solar energy in the United States is promising, but any further achievements will depend on the governments efforts to make it exploit and commercialize the resource. Conclusion CSP technology is a technology that utilizes a free energy resource, which is the sun, this technology has been proved to be viable in United States; there are several projects that are already generating and supplying energy. There are several projects, which are still under construction, others planned for construction, and there are some areas that are still unexploited; this shows its future potential in the United States. However, the low efficiency and cost of constructing the plants hinders its exploitation and production in large-scale. The hindrances can only be eliminated by doing more research on efficient and less costly techniques for CSP production. This technology should not be quickly assumed because of it costs, however, the government of the United States should provide incentives to investors in this industry to encourage them to exploit the CSP. Buy custom History of Solar Power in the United States essay

War in iraq essays

War in iraq essays The war in Iraq has many people in America and around the world questioning Americas intentions. Some might speculate that America went into this war to obtain oil. Others might see America as power hungry by wanting to overthrow Saddam Hussein. There are many different speculations about what exactly caused America to go to war. One reason I believe we were so determined to go to war with Iraq is because of September 11th. I think that George Bush felt the pressure of the American people to seek revenge on somebody. It turns out that that somebody turned out to be the country of Iraq. I think George Bush basically came into the presidency with the goal of overthrowing Saddam Hussein, something his father failed to do, and when September 11th happened it made Bush that much more determined. I think that the American people knew that Saddam needed to be dealt with. The problem is the way Bush tried to accomplish this. I feel that there could have been more subtle tactics used. For instance why couldnt one of Americas Special Forces try to sneak into shooting range of Saddam to assassinate him? I think that approach seems a little more logical, rather than send thousands of our troops into harms way. I also think that the American people feel like they have been lied to by yet another president. One of the main reasons that America went to war is because we were told that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. After more than a year of fighting has there been any weapons of mass destruction found? NO. I think that many Americans were absolutely one-hundred percent for the war in the beginning. Who in there right mind wouldnt want to go to war if they were told that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and not to mention had a part in the worst catastrophe in American history. Now Americans are starting to see that Bush was very misleading to the people and his job approval rating is s...

Petición de asilo en EE.UU. y permiso de trabajo

Peticià ³n de asilo en EE.UU. y permiso de trabajo En Estados Unidos, el permiso de trabajo a los solicitantes de asilo, como regla general, no se concede durante la tramitacià ³n de la solicitud, aunque es posible una excepcià ³n a esta norma. Adems, si el asilo se aprueba ya se puede trabajar inmediatamente y no es necesario solicitarlo, aunque sà ­ es conveniente tener un documento para probar ese derecho ante los empresarios. En este artà ­culo adems de explicar la relacià ³n entre asilo y trabajo se informa sobre las nuevas directrices sobre solicitud de asilo y se recuerdan las principales obligaciones y derechos de las personas a quienes se les concede la solicitud y tienen, por tanto, calidad de asilados. Puntos clave: Asilo y permiso de trabajo en EE.UU. Regla general: Mientras se tramita la solicitud de asilo no hay derecho a un permiso de trabajo.Excepcià ³n a la regla: Puede solicitarse el permiso de trabajo si desde la presentacià ³n de la solicitud de asilo han pasado ms de 150 dà ­as, excluyendo los dà ­as de stop the watch y todavà ­a no hay resolucià ³n.  ¿Se puede solicitar un permiso de trabajo cuando se est tramitando una peticià ³n de asilo? La regla general es que el solicitante de asilo  no tiene derecho a trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, si se cumplen al mismo tiempo las siguientes dos circunstancias se puede aplicar por un permiso de trabajo, conocido en inglà ©s como EAD: Cuando han transcurrido 150 dà ­as desde la fecha que se ha presentado la aplicacià ³n completa de asilo ante el USCIS o ante una corte de inmigracià ³n.Todavà ­a el oficial de asilo o el juez de inmigracià ³n no se han pronunciado sobre el caso.   Sin embargo, hay que tener en cuenta que ese transcurrir de dà ­as puede ser detenido por las autoridades migratorias siempre y cuando sea por causas atribuibles al solicitante. Es lo que se conoce como parar el reloj (stop the watch, en inglà ©s). Esta parada en el cà ³mputo de dà ­as puede deberse a mà ºltiples  razones como por ejemplo que el solicitante pida ms tiempo para obtener documentacià ³n,para buscar abogado, que no se presente a una cita, o renuncia vista rpida (expedited hearing) en determinadas circunstancias. Adems, el reloj se para una vez que el juez ha sentenciado negando el asilo. Si hay apelacià ³n, mientras dura à ©sta no se puede aplicar para permiso de trabajo. La decisià ³n de parar el reloj le corresponde en exclusiva a la administracià ³n. En la prctica esto significa que puede ser muy difà ­cil que se computen los 150 dà ­as y, por lo tanto, que se obtenga un permiso de trabajo. Adems, una vez que se para el reloj es difà ­cil volver a poner en marcha. Si no se tiene claro cuntos dà ­as han sido computados, se puede verificar llamando al telà ©fono automatizado de las Cortes de Inmigracià ³n marcando al 1-800-898-7180. En todo caso lo que hay que entender es que no se tiene derecho a un permiso de trabajo por el simple hecho de que hayan transcurridos 150 dà ­as desde que se presentà ³ la solicitud de asilo. No obstante, si reà ºne las circunstancias para solicitar el permiso de trabajo, entonces se puede aplicar rellenando la planilla I-765 prestando especial atencià ³n a la casilla nà ºmero 16. Adems, hay que tener en cuenta que el EAD no se aprobar por al menos 30 dà ­as. Con lo que la suma de los 150 ms los 30 hace que tenga que transcurrir un mà ­nimo de 180 desde la presentacià ³n de la aplicacià ³n. Adems, en algunos estados  se considera PRUCOL a los solicitantes de asilo y, a consecuencia de ello, podrà ­an tener acceso a algunos beneficios sociales. El permiso de trabajo con solicitud de asilo aprobada Lo cierto es que se puede trabajar desde ya, sin necesidad de ms documentos. No obstante, por cuestiones prcticas los asilados prefieren contar con un permiso de trabajo para poder probarle a un empleador que se puede trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos. Otra razà ³n es para tener un I.D. emitido por las autoridades americanas, que facilita muchas gestiones de todo tipo. Si no les ha llegado uno con la aprobacià ³n, pueden optar por cualquiera de las opciones siguientes: Si el asilo ha sido concedido por un juez: solicitarlo gratuitamente rellenando la planilla I-765 y adjuntar la orden judicial en la que se reconoce el estatus de refugiado. Otra opcià ³n es hacer una cita para visitar unas oficinas del USCIS a travà ©s del servicio de InfoPass. Llevar el dà ­a seà ±alado la orden judicial. Adems, si el asilo ha sido concedido por el USCIS: contactar con la oficina que le ha concedido el asilo y pedirlo. El oficial de llevà ³ el caso procesa automticamente esta peticià ³n y se recibir en breve. Una vez que se tiene el permiso de trabajo se puede buscar empleo. Lo ms comà ºn es encontrarlo a travà ©s de familiares y amigos pero tambià ©n se puede recurrir a grandes bases de datos de ofertas de trabajo. Otros beneficios una vez que el asilo ha sido concedido Una vez que la solicitud de asilo es aprobada, el asilado puede disfrutar de ms beneficio adems del derecho a trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos. Los principales son los siguientes: Se puede solicitar un Nà ºmero del Seguro Social.Si se necesita ayuda econà ³mica, mà ©dica, para aprender inglà ©s o para informarse de cà ³mo conseguir un trabajo contactar con la Oficina del Asentamiento de Refugiados (ORR, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) o marcar al 1-800-354-0365. Allà ­ orientarn a quà © clase de beneficios puede optar.Puede solicitarse la condicià ³n de asilados derivados para su esposo, esposa o hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os. Todos ellos tienen que haber sido nombrados en la peticià ³n original de asilo.Se puede solicitar permiso para viajar fuera de Estados Unidos. Se trata de un Documento de Viaje de Refugiado y para obtenerlo hay que rellenar la planilla I-131 antes de viajar fuera del paà ­s. Tiene validez por un aà ±o.Despuà ©s de un aà ±o es posible solicitar un permiso de residencia o green card mediante un ajuste de estatus. La planilla a rellenar es la I-485. El cà ³mputo del aà ±o se inicia a partir de la fecha en la que el asilo es aprobado. Obligaciones principales de los asilados Cuando se le aprueba a un extranjero su solicitud de asilo, à ©ste contrae una serie de obligaciones, destacando: Obligacià ³n de notificar al Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) todos los cambios de domicilio permanentes en los diez dà ­as siguientes a producirse la mudanza. En el caso de que el asilado es  varà ³n y tenga una edad comprendida entre los 18 y los 26 aà ±os est obligado a registrarse para los Servicios Selectivos. Si no lo hace puede que en el futuro se le nieguen beneficios migratorios. Por ejemplo, los asilados con el paso del tiempo pueden convertirse en residentes permanentes y despuà ©s en ciudadanos americanos por naturalizacià ³n. Sin embargo, la peticià ³n de naturalizacià ³n puede rechazarse si el solicitante no se ha registrado para los Servicios Selectivos cuando tenà ­a la obligacià ³n de hacerlo. Nueva regulacià ³n sobre asilo y cà ³mo protegerse ante fraudes Por directiva del presidente Donald Trump del 9 de noviembre de 2019 las personas que crucen ilegalmente la frontera que separa Mà ©xico de Estados Unidos no pueden bajo ningà ºn caso solicitar asilo. Temporalmente, esta orden est suspendida por orden de un juez federal esperando una resolucià ³n final sobre su aplicacià ³n o revocacià ³n. Segà ºn la orden de Trump, se prevà © que las personas que son agarradas tras cruzar ilegalmente la frontera sern dirigidas a un puerto de entrada para ser procesadas y ahà ­ se decidir quà © se hace con ellas. Solamente aquellas personas que puedan demostrar miedo razonable de ser perseguidas o torturadas si son regresadas a sus paà ­ses podrà ­an solicitar el alivio de suspensià ³n de la deportacià ³n, conocido en inglà ©s como withholding of removal, pero no asilo. Por otra parte, es muy importante evitar ser và ­ctima de un fraude si se ha solicitado asilo. Cabe destacar que as reglas sobre empleo son las explicadas en este artà ­culo. El solicitante no deberà ­a dejarse influenciar por las opiniones de otras personas que dicen que sà ­ se puede trabajar desde el momento en que se presenta la solicitud. Eso era asà ­ hace aà ±os. Pero la ley ha cambiado y ya no es asà ­. Para asegurarse de conocer lo bsico se recomienda tomar este test de respuestas mà ºltiples sobre el asilo y encontrar asà ­ respuesta a tus dudas e inquietudes.  ¿Cà ³mo encontrar asistencia legal a bajo costo o gratuita? Si el solicitante no puede pagar a un abogado, numerosas organizaciones brindan asesorà ­a legal a solicitantes de asilo gratis o a bajo costo. Lo importante es elegir a una organizacià ³n especialista en asilo y de excelente reputacià ³n. Este artà ­culo es solo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Same-sex marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Same-sex marriage - Essay Example Legalizing gay marriages will lead to polygamy. People will find alternatives to one man/one woman relationships. The definition of marriage so far rests on tradition, trust, legal precedent, and the support of the people. If such marriages are legalized then it will be supported by nothing more than a single judge as in the case of Utah where the court demanded that the state has to actually prove that polygamous relationship is detrimental to the society (James Dobson). Polygamists are trying to prove that polygamy is not harmful to the culture. Dobson cites that ‘ACLU went on to say that the nuclear family â€Å"may not be necessarily the best model.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Once such marriages find a place in justice, then what can stop even two/three or four marriages even amongst heterosexuals? What about the moral values on which make up a society? What do we pass on to the next generation? A tradition of distorted ideas and relations? The children would bear the heaviest brunt of such marriages in a world of decaying families. Homosexuals do not stick to one partner and study has shown that some have even more than one thousand. Children by nature are conservatives and adapt to the surroundings very easily. They hate change even in the relationship with their mother and father. We are all aware of the love and attention that a child needs from both mother and father. Even normal spilled marriages leave a child misbalanced.Religious freedom will certainly get affected.

Global Music Series Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Global Music Series - Essay Example Music is an inevitable part of any society’s culture and hence is often found deeply rooted in its culture and traditions. It is a common bond that engulfs people from diverse cultural backgrounds and ethnicities across the globe. It is a bond that separates the identities of the people as well unites them. According to De Nora2 (2001), Music is holds greater significance than a mere object of entertainment – it is also an inevitable tool that assists in regulating our affective states. The ideas and thoughts expressed through music are specific and peculiar to all cultures that carry specific meaning that is understood by the people of that particular community since it is associated with its past history. The world music is highly characterized by authenticity and exotic hybridity which has a peculiar touch of global aesthetic sense. This helps in transforming and reshaping the interrelations between music and ethnic identities of people irrespective of the limitations of geographical boundaries since world music is truly global in nature. The global music undoubtedly deals with the issues of culture and identity and is generally found to be involved or adopted by urban circles to be understood and analyzed from social, economical and political point of views. The ideas and thoughts that endure global music as a function of a ‘genre culture’ involves the policies and procedures of the industry and describes the manner in which the musicians and artists depicted here ensue to adapt and acquaint their music (Negus, 1999)

Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Literature review - Essay Example Marketers are offering opportunities to customize the products. People have a desire to be unique. They pursue self-uniqueness in characteristic ways. The variables associated with compulsive buying tend to be restricted to marketing variables related to mass media like advertising contents and television viewing, socio-environmental variables like family and peer influences, and personal characteristics related to personality traits and demographics (Park & Burns, 2005). Today consumer buying is more fashion-related. Compulsive buyers are very likely to be conscious of how they look and appear to others. Credit card usage has been found to be an influential factor in compulsive buying. High level of impulsive buying is also a form of compulsive buying. Shoham and Brencic (2003) contend that the higher the unplanned purchases, the higher the compulsive purchase tendency. The higher the tendency to buy items off their product list, the higher is the compulsive purchase tendency. Compulsive buying is influenced by demographic and behavioral elements. This helps to understand the dynamics of consumer behavior. Shopping for some is a relief from stress and pressures of everyday life. Getting involved in the entire process of buying helps to alleviate the consumer from the gloom and humdrum of life. Kwak, Zinkhan and Roushanzamir (2004) contend that compulsive buying must include two criteria – behavior must be repetitive and behavior must be problematic for the individual. Thus compulsive buying is a chronic repetitive purchasing that becomes a primary response to negative feelings. Initially people feel happy but eventually realize the harmful consequences when they are unable to stop. This is line with Gutman and Mills 1982 fashion oriented dimensions which suggests that ‘fashion leaders’ and ‘fashion independents’ describe themselves as different and standing out (Lynn & Harris, 1997). Such compulsive buyers will shop at departmental and specialty

Target market Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Target market - Article Example een various audiences it becomes simple for them to establish what consumer segments to accurately support their business and whether they are going to be converted into return-customers. A restaurant that has identified a target market will also have a clear focus of what it wants to do and avoid a general approach in an extremely differentiated market place. This means that such a restaurant will take into consideration such factors as gender, age, technological sophistication and lifestyle. Thus making out a target market offers a clear focus to the restaurant on the possible niche of the audience that they want to serve. Lastly identifying a target market will help the restaurants in evaluating the specific segments of their consumers that are most likely to purchase their products, thus assisting them in prioritizing their resources accordingly. In addition the restaurants will also precisely plan and pinpoint their consumers’ wants and needs. One such technique is generational marketing that defines potential consumers by economic, demographic, age, and social

Common Pool Resources - Privatization or Collective Action Assignment

Common Pool Resources - Privatization or Collective Action - Assignment Example Regulating the manner in which oil is produced will ensure that it is well preserved and it can be effective as a pool resource. Privatization will ensure that oil production can specialized in accordance to its requirement as a pool resource. Oil can only be refined or obtained in particular areas and regions, which adds to the ideology of the resource being produced and refined through privatization. It implies that specialization (based on regions) is the best course of action for production (Ramanadham, 1993). Therefore, oil as a resource should be privatized. Forests require a collective effort. I say this because the general state of global forests is abysmal. This is a prime reason as to why individuals must do the best they can to ensure that the forest are preserved and developed to ensure that they are wiped out. Privatization would be inadequate because forests are required on a global scale and their maintenance cannot be done a few companies (Ramanadham, 1993). Developing a forest will take time and cannot be carried out by a few companies. Since forests can be developed in numerous areas, in contrast to oil, making it a collective action is the best measure of ensuring the pool resource does not run

For this essay, choose someone who serves you, write an essay that

For this , choose someone who serves you, write an that analyzes their service to you - Essay Example As I accept his support of my own college education, I marvel at his feat of having worked his way through college and being the first person from his family to graduate successfully. I am determined to emulate his hard work and focus on academics and adopt his tactics of time management but, at the same time, I hope to make my own attempt to utilize the extra-curricular opportunities that a college education offers. My father has always emphasized the importance of academic excellence, and he is a living testament to the power of education to change one’s life. Even when at High School, he realized that it was only academic excellence which would see him through school and college, as he was dependent on a merit scholarship for financial support. He chuckles as he recalls burning the midnight oil on several occasions, and his brother’s horrified exclamation, ‘He’s gone bonkers!’ when he declined to join him for late-night movies. Throughout his college years, my father adhered strictly to his maxim of â€Å"Study first† (Name, personal communication, February 19, 2009). I hope to retain this focus on academics during my own years at college, for the basic purpose of a college education is the assimilation of academic skills. As my father strove to maintain the grades he needed to retain his scholarship, he also juggled a part-time job at the local pharmacy after school hours. This helped pay for his personal expenses. He says, â€Å"That’s when I discovered the secret of time management: scheduling!† (Name, personal communication, February 19, 2009). His secret entailed writing out a ‘time table’ for the following day, in which he drew columns and assigned tasks for each hour. I do believe I have inherited my habit of writing a ‘to-do list’ every night from this trait of my father’s! Time management will definitely be one of the tools I employ as I set out to make the most of my college days. Perhaps on account of his financial

Common Pool Resources - Privatization or Collective Action Assignment

Common Pool Resources - Privatization or Collective Action - Assignment Example Regulating the manner in which oil is produced will ensure that it is well preserved and it can be effective as a pool resource. Privatization will ensure that oil production can specialized in accordance to its requirement as a pool resource. Oil can only be refined or obtained in particular areas and regions, which adds to the ideology of the resource being produced and refined through privatization. It implies that specialization (based on regions) is the best course of action for production (Ramanadham, 1993). Therefore, oil as a resource should be privatized. Forests require a collective effort. I say this because the general state of global forests is abysmal. This is a prime reason as to why individuals must do the best they can to ensure that the forest are preserved and developed to ensure that they are wiped out. Privatization would be inadequate because forests are required on a global scale and their maintenance cannot be done a few companies (Ramanadham, 1993). Developing a forest will take time and cannot be carried out by a few companies. Since forests can be developed in numerous areas, in contrast to oil, making it a collective action is the best measure of ensuring the pool resource does not run

Rome's Religious History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Rome's Religious History - Essay Example In fact, Beard, North and Price (1998) did not provide any definition of 'religion' in their work on religions of Rome because according to them, modern categories for thinking about religion are coloured by Christian ideas. They would not, therefore, be applicable for understanding the religion in ancient Rome. This was the same idea espoused by Imber (2007). Meanhile, Dumezil and Krapp (1996) described Roman religions as not only influenced by other religions, but influenced them as well. The worship of certain gods became the special concerns of certain parts of society, all of which needed attention to assure Rome's success in war, civil administration, and the production of food and goods. In trying to identify "religion" in the Graeco-Roman world, James Rives (2006) said the concept of "religion" does not seem to be a part of their traditional culture although it perhaps began in the second century. The religious history of Rome started from mythical origins, with its character and development running through the later Republican centuries with pagan response, to the coming of new religious forms during the centuries of Roman imperial rule (North, 2000). There were 12 or 15 major deities of the Romans familiar from art and myth where some are more popular than others (Rives, 2006) For example, it is said that the rural god, Silvanus, appears in more than 1,100 inscriptions from the western empire. In categorizing Roman deities, Mirza and Tsang (2007) virtually adopted the same ones of Turcan (2002) as follows: religions of the family, religions of the state, and religions in the imperial age. The only difference is that while Turcan (2000) promised to look into Roman religions the way Romans looked at them, Mirza and Tsang (2007) said they are exposing Rome for what its religions were. This paper looks into Roman religions from both stances of various authors. Finally, it presents the difficulties involved in studying Roman religions and makes a conclusion on this issue. Aspects of Roman Religions Numina. Religions in ancient Rome combined several different cult practices and embraced more than a single set of beliefs. The Romans originally followed a rural animistic tradition in which many spirits or gods were each responsible for specific, limited aspects of the cosmos and human activities. The early Romans referred to these gods as numina. For example, there were different numina for ploughing, for horses, and for cattle. There were no temples or statues, but the rites were clean and simple and they were practiced with an exactness believed pleasing to gods (Mirza and Tsang, 2007). Influences. Early in the history of the Roman Republic, foreign gods were imported especially from Greece, which had a great cultural influence on the Romans. In addition, the Romans connected some of their indigenous deities with Greek gods and goddesses. As the Roman Empire expanded and included people from a variety of cultures, there were more and more gods. The legions brought home cults originating from Egypt, Britain, Iberia, Germany, India and Persia. The cults of Cybele, Isis, and Mithras were particularly important. The ancient Roman beliefs and practices continued, including the worship of the lares and penates or spirits specific to a family, with altars in the home, the festivals such as the Lupercalia and Saturnalia, and a complex system of lucky and unlucky days (Mirza and

Discrimination in Academia and Affirmative Action

Discrimination in Academia and Affirmative Action Mitch Shea Affirmative Action Principles:  Discrimination in Academia Affirmative Action, as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, is distinguishable as the positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and culture from which they have been historically excluded. [1] Accordingly, the fairness of Affirmative Action principles has repeatedly been called into question, not just within the United States, but global as well. These arguments for and against Affirmative Action and its subsequent principles are in constant debate, both morally and politically. These debates often mirror those of academics, both for and against-those arguing for the need of Affirmative action and its positive effect on social unity and distributive justice, and those arguing upon political principle, often referencing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, quoting Title VI and Title VII. Throughout history, Affirmative Action principles and subsequent political literature and court rulings have been identified as a process or evolution-definitional, in a sense, by local and federal court systems. In less than a decade after the creation and ratification of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Supreme Court contributed heavily to the molding of Affirmative Action and its principles [2]. In short, the Supreme Court ruled that all institutions would need to assess or reassess their institutional practice and policies related to the exclusionary practice not necessary to an institutions activities [2]. This ruling gave a definitional meaning to Affirmative Action that had been lacking previously. It gave distinctiveness to the main role and principle behind Affirmative Action that stated the purpose of which was to not necessarily compensate for past occurrences of unjustness, but rather to direct compliance with nondiscrimination as defined by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This paper aims to call into question Nebraska Initiative 424 and the possible snowball effects it might have on private and public academic discrimination, both locally and nationally. In the election of 2008, the state of Nebraska voted (58%) to effectively ban Affirmative Action at the state governmental level, prohibiting the state from granting Affirmative Action principles to prohibit the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting [3], [4]. Several arguments in favor of the initiative have been put into place and are ongoing including those identifying the anti-discriminatory laws supposedly favoring racial preferences having the same discrimination-like effects that their very role was designed to incapacitate [5]. Other constituents argued that Affirmative Action principles in the state of Nebraska explicitly understated the states motto: Equality Before the Law. Several more arguments ensued including the undermining of minority achievement, causes a mismatch effect of qualified and underqualified students in higher education, and the lowering of statewide standards in a multitude of private and public settings [5]. When discussing Affirmative Action principles, it is difficult to view the objectivity of the arguments for and against them and the government regulations related to them; however, Affirmative Action principles are existent and have been presented in such a manner that cannot be understated. It is necessary to break stereotypes, providing new opportunities and introductions to undiscovered possibilities for minorities, gives the needed boost for disadvantaged students to succeed as they rightfully should both in education and the workplace, increase and maintain minority enrollment in higher education, and provide cultural diversity that the United States, the Worlds Melting Pot, was built upon. Nebraska Initiative 424 is part of a general push against Affirmative Action. This has been seen in many other states including California, Texas, Washington, and Michigan. In fact, of the 8 states that have set in place amendments similar to that of Nebraska Initiative 424, a total of 29% o f the learning population resides in them [6]. So why should Affirmative Action principles remain in place and be the standard bearer of civil liberties and rights? Affirmative Action promotes equality. It basically states that guidelines and steps must be taken to guarantee equal opportunity in the workplace and in education. Attempting to create an even playing field does not mean that Affirmative Action is anti-white or anti-male. This is a misnomer or misinterpretation of the roles of Affirmative Action. The role that Affirmative Action plays, has played, and should continue to always play is the dismantling of discriminatory practicing through increased representation, improved equality and access, and equal opportunity at every age. Affirmative Action does not pull down, but rather builds up. First, take the impact of the banning of Affirmative Action through amendments like Nebraskas Nebraska Initiative 424. In a 2014 study on the Changes in Levels of Affirmative Action in College Admissions in Response to Statewide Bans and Judicial Rulings by G. Blume and M. Long, it was identified that the decline in affirmative actionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦affects not only students in these states but also those students who live in adjacent states, particularly when the adjacent states lack highly selective colleges [7]. The study analyzed the extent to which universities changed the weight placed directly on the applicant being a minority [7]. The extent to which minorities were affected in terms of acceptance in the banned Affirmative Action states was much more than that in other states (a 23% drop in minority admission v. 1% drop in other states) [7]. The importance of understanding racial diversity falls upon the educational system, but has a fundamental basis in employment as well. This is because workplace behavior has a broader range of perspective viewpoints for analyzing Affirmative Action-related outcomes. F. Kurtulus found that Affirmative Action ban within some states resulted in declines in Asian and Black female and Hispanic male representation (this data was representative of minorities employed in state and local governments) [8]. Although objectively understanding the changes is still vitally important, as it was observed the drastic change in Asian female representation was limited to the first year of implementation due to the small number of Asian females in legislative and governmental roles [8]. The paper summarizes a significant loss in workplace diversity, directly contradicting opposition to Affirmative Action. This data can be expected to be somewhat related to that of which is seen in academia. Secondly, the relevance of racial diversity, or lack thereof, in medical school matriculation should be one of importance to the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The statewide laws banning the consideration of race in postsecondary admissions pose serious obstacles for the medical profession to address the health-care crisis facing the nation [9]. The overall percentage of racial minority representation in the medical field falls below that of what should be expected. Roughly half as many African Americans and Latinos are represented within medicine than should really be. Accordingly, it equates to a 17.2% decline in the first time matriculation of underrepresented student populations in public medical schools [9]. It is feared that the decline in the number of minorities populating medical schools will further exacerbate the already present shortage of physicians, especially in heavily populated minority communities. The answer to which is unclear for states that have effectiv ely banned Affirmative Action principles. The needed compensation for such lack of representation needs to be answered as the physician shortage only increases and underserved communities face the most difficult of challenges. Finally, there is the underlying responsibility for racial disparity, both globally and locally. In universities from states that have adopted Affirmative Action-related bans or amendments with anti-Affirmative Action-related language, sufficient differences in matriculation and enrollment have occurred. Accordingly, K. West-Faulcon writes that racial disparities in admissions rates for universities that have undergone state-litigated anti-Affirmative Action principles changes in admissions, could be deemed unsatisfactory within federal regulation standards and thus be liable in future cases taken up against these universities [10]. This implies possible future avenues that could be reached for universities to bypass state level anti-Affirmative Action laws and regulations [10]. Which in and of itself shows that the evolution of Affirmative Action principles go both ways, but nonetheless are very much still needed in this day and age. References [1] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/affirmative-action/ [2] https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html [3] https://web.archive.org/web/20081107110152/http://www.nebraskacri.org/ballotlanguage.html [4] http://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/articles.php?article=I-30 [5] https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122445872052148477 [6] https://tcf.org/content/commentary/what-can-we-learn-from-states-that-ban-affirmative-action/ [7] http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3102/0162373713508810 [8] http://gap.hks.harvard.edu/impact-eliminating-affirmative-action-minority-and-female-employment-natural-experiment-approach [9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4454423/ [10] https://www.law.upenn.edu/live/files/101-westfaulcon157upalrev10752009pdf

Rousseau, Hobbes, and Locke : Interpretations of Human Nature Essay

Through time people have always wondered what it is that makes us who we are. It has been our human nature that has kept us intrigued with ourselves, and our relationships with others. With this curiosity came various interpretations as to our human nature, each changing the way we see the societal world we live in. With each interpretation came a new understanding of people and the relationship they hold with each other. Human nature has been one of the most studied elements of the world we live in. From our nature came the interest of how we as humans interact with each other, through the development of our nature some have served and others had ruled. Three philosophers that have focused their political ideas around human nature have given a deeper meaning to their study of politics through the understanding of human nature. Each one of them had a distinctive interpretation of what human nature was and how it impacted the politics of the specific society that they envisione d. It is hard to say that one of them holds the answers to the true essence of human nature but one can say that each of them has given an interesting and strong piece of the puzzle that has linked human nature to politics. The three philosophers in question are Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. I will be referring to them by their last name for simplicity. Starting with the philosophical views of each man we will see how they differ. It will be clear that each man’s idea comes from a very different perspective on human nature. Thomas Hobbes thoughts on human nature derive from his childhood. According to Jean Hampton who wrote, â€Å"She brought twins to birth, myself and fear at the same time† (282) Hobbes believed that fear... ...fear. Locke’s idea that everyone is born free is good for societies that have no established governments because even in his time there was a government. In biblical times his idea would be right on but the transformation of people’s ideas has lead the changes in natural freedom. No one can control where they are born so they may be born in a not so free state. Finally Rousseau’s idea that man is naturally good but corrupted by institutions is somewhat flawed because everyone makes choices to do or not do so people become corrupt through the choices they make in life. Through all this no one philosopher has the right answer to human nature but when we combine their ideas we get a solid way to a good solution that benefits many. Works Cited Cahn, Steven M.. Political philosophy: the essential texts. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.

stats :: essays research papers

Homework Assignment # 4 Problem MBS-2. Rush Hour Traffic in ActivStats (Tests for a Mean Homework) In order to reduce the average number of vehicles that use the Lincoln Tunnel, the Port Authority in New York is experimenting a peak-hour pricing,. The mean number of cars waiting in a queue is 1220 (population mean: m = 1220). A random sample of 10 days (n = 10) is drawn and the data representing the number of cars is analyzed. The Data Desk tool in ActivStats reports that the sample mean is 989.8 cars (sample mean: y = 989.8) and the sample standard deviation is 160.676 cars (s = 160.676). In order to determine whether the peak-hour pricing has contributed for reducing the number of cars using the tunnel, we have to assume that the numerical data are independently drawn and represent a random sample from a population that is normally distributed. Therefore, as the sampling distribution of the mean is normally distributed and the population standard deviation (s) is not known, it is appropriate to use the t-test. The null and the alternative hypothesis for this test are: Ho: m=1220 (or less) and Ha: m > 1220. For this problem we can use 1% level of significance (a = 0.01). Because s is not known, we chose a t-test with a test statistic t, given by the formula:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  t = (y - m) / sx t = (y - m) / (s / √n) This test is one-sided and a critical value (t*) is needed for identifying the value of the test statistic that is required to reject the null hypothesis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  t* (df = n-1, a)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  t* (df = 10-1, a = 0.01)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  t* (df = 9, a = 0.01) The critical value t*, which I obtained from the t-distribution table in Kazmier, and corresponds to 9 degrees of freedom and 0.01 level of significance is t* = 2.821 On the basis of the collected data, we can compute the t-test statistic: t = (y - m) / (s / √n)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  t = (989.8 – 1220) / (160.676/√10) (after replacing for y, m, s and n)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  t = - 4.5306 Therefore, in order to reject the null hypothesis the sample mean must have a value that is bigger than the critical value ( reject Ho if t > t*, otherwise do not reject Ho). Because t = -4,5306 falls within the non-rejection region (Fig. 1) below the critical value t* = 2.

Human Movement Essay

Kinesiology, plainly put is the study of human movement and all aspects to it. It is the science of human movement. It is comprehensive in its outlook in that it looks at being part of the physical activity (the experience), class room study of the theories and concepts that make an activity qualify as physical (scholarly) and the professional practice connected with physical practice (Hoffman, 2009). It looks at the muscles-their make up and how they contribute to human movement, the skeleton-make up and contribution to human movement, and the brain in the same context as the previous two. It makes a practitioner of Kinesiology understand human movement from all angles – the why, what, when and which. Method: Since this study entails all aspects of the human movement, so to does its learning. The use of a high school football team was to allow sight of human movement in real time from a passive position. It brought in play the subjectivity of the human mind in the observational data collection aspect of the research. By its very nature football is a contact sport. It thus presented the research with the best tool to observe the different components that constitute human movement. The preconceived notions of the human mind would be make for interesting reading when tested against the scientific results. Since not all the three different components could be scientifically measured at the same time, the research was focused on the head. This is from the realization that head impacts result in concussions. This is an injury that has the very real possibility of ending ones career but also could end up in death. To best investigate the impact to head injuries, the research used the Head Impact Telemetry System (HITS). This is a wireless monitoring system capable to rapidly identify athletes who have sustained an impact to the helmet that has the potential of being injurious. It is made to produce real-time post impact data and transmit the results to a computer not more than 150 yd (137m) from the helmet via radio waves. When out of range, an onboard storage unit would record up to 100 hits and transmit when back on range. HITS allows for objectivity in the research. For Kinesiology, to qualify as a science, measurement must be precise and consistent. Head impact data was captured when a single accelerometer exceeded the preset 15g threshold. Data from 8 milliseconds pre to 32 milliseconds post impact was transmitted and stored. The dependent variables set were linear acceleration, rotational acceleration, jerk force, impulse and duration of impact. Results: From the data collected in the course of the season (68 sessions-55 practice days, 13 games), it became clear that, there were more impacts during games than during practice. The greatest number of knocks was experienced by defensive line players, offensive linemen, offensive skill players and defensive skill players in descending order. In ascending order, the location of helmet with most frequently hits was the top, side, back and front. Game situations resulted in higher linear acceleration than practice impacts. Top of the helmet hits had the greatest linear acceleration followed by front, back and side. Again, game time impacts caused more rotational acceleration than practice. The line players experienced harder hits than skill players in this category. It was also clear that most forceful hits were as a result of front then back then side and lowest top hit. Looking at head jerk, impact force, impact pulse and duration of the impact, the figures were higher during game times than practice. The offensive line and defensive skill players had an equal occurrence of head jerk but higher than the others. The line players had longer duration of impact, more impact impulse and force of impact than the skill players. Maximum head jerk and impact force was experienced as result of hits at the top followed by the front, back and side. For the duration of impact, the order was the same but in reverse role. Also noted, the harder a player was hit the higher the linear acceleration, maximum jerk, force and impulse. The same was true for a soft hit. Conclusion: From the research, this paper has been able to come to some conclusions as a result of the available data. Some of the conclusions justified the subjective view in the researcher at the beginning of the undertaking while some have resulted in the researchers’ change of perception. It was clear from the data that there were higher linear acceleration collisions in high schools than from statistics available about research done on colleges. This could be as a result of the kids wanting to impress. They clearly may not have and full knowledge of the consequences of their actions. In high schools the chance of a college scholarship, means one could have a greater chance of success in life as a result of the extra academic qualifications one acquired. The higher linear acceleration collisions have a higher concussive chance. This makes the high school football player more at risk as very few have compressive medical covers that would give them the kind of specialized treatment necessary should the worst happen. Schools by the nature of their medical cover can not to provide this. In high school, there were more top helmet impacts than in college. It meant a higher linear acceleration and also impact force magnitude. This was a very dangerous location. It exposed the boys to a higher risk of concussion and severe cervical injury. This could easily mean career ending injury, paralysis or even death. There was need for more effort to be put into coaching. They could help teach the boys proper tackling techniques and make them understand the advantage of keeping the head high and thus avoiding helmet contact. It could be that since the college players are more mature, they do not let blood to run into their heads. They are committed in their tackles and at the same time aware of what the consequences of their actions are if not watched properly. Since the boys in high school were still maturing, they were generally smaller in mass and height as compared to their college equivalent. The more reason why they needed to be taught well. In high school, the most dangerous positions were the Quarterback, running backs and wide receiver in decreasing severity. They had the highest linear acceleration impacts. These could be as a result of them been always in full flight (speed) and in open field. These is unlike their counterparts the offensive line and defensive skill players. These may have the highest number of hits on them but the impact is low. The reason could be because they were always near each other and they do not achieve full acceleration before getting hit. The guys who get hit all the time were line men. These guys were involved in every play in the field. Finally, in high school because of the small pool of players, some ended up playing more than one position. This increased the risk of injury. This research did raise some very pertinent issues. They need to have proper coaching in high schools should go along way in reducing the chances of serious injury in the field. Also, the better knowledge of head injury risks should make for better understanding of how to tackle and care for them should and when they occur. This research has given birth to invaluable knowledge for Kinesiologists.

Great Expectations: Dickens writing is purely political

Charles Dickens was born on the 7th of February 1812, just before the time that is know as the Victorian Era. Dickens was a political journalist before becoming an author, which may well have helped him to deliver his political messages in his books. Dickens does this well at this, for example from reading Great Expectations one can clearly understand his views on social classes and how he wants to make a change by expressing them to the public, mainly the rich. Pip is the protagonist and narrator in Great Expectations. Just from his name we can learn some of Dicken's messages. Pip, is a very short name. Dickens named him Pip to show that just because your small in society, that doesn't mean you can't become big. As pip grew up, and rose in the social classes, Dickens is selling the rich that the poor have potential to be big in society. Pip then explains how he never came to know his father or mother because they had passed away when he was too young to know them. The readers will feel sympathy for pip at this point. Dickens also adds humour to the scene, when he has pip describe his parents by the style of writing on their tombstones, for example when he describes his dad ‘ he was a square, stout, dark man†¦' Dickens also uses this to render out a youthful innocence in Pip, as when the convict, Magwitch, asks him about his parents, Pip recites them as they appear on the tombstone. When Magwitch is introduced by Dickens, describe by Pip as a ‘fearful man', the readers will feel concerned for Pip and his safety. However, they will also feel pity for the man, as Pip describes him as a ‘man with no hat and with broken shoes'. Dickens does a good job at making the readers feel pity for both Pip and Magwitch at the same time. The readers will feel like they need to help Pip, as he is threatened with danger when Magwitch says ‘ I'll cut your throat!' Although Pip is overpowered by the convict, he is still very polite and kind to him, for example pip replies with ‘Sir' frequently, showing a sign of respect and good manner. This tells the readers that just because a person is poor, Pip in this case, that it doesn't mean they are not a gentlemen. Pip is also honest with Magwitch, further emphasizing Dicken's views. Dickens has Pip be polite to Magwitch; this is because Dickens wants the readers to see how Gentleman-like poor people actually are. Dickens has Magwitch force Pip to get him some food, by threatening him with an evil companion of his. We soon learn that this companion is actually made up. Dickens does this so that Magwitch is not as evil as he seems to be, and is in someway saving Pip from the so-called menace. It also shows how desperate Magwitch is for food, and how desperate poor people would go just to live. Onto chapter 8, the readers are introduced to a Mr. Pumblechook. Dickens has added this character to create humour and to emphasize his political messages. Mr Pumblechook thought that he was a gentleman because he was rich. Yet when contrasted to Pip, Pip is the real gentleman. Dickens message is vibrant and clear; you do not need to be rich to be a gentleman. Dickens has Mr. Pumblechook ask Pip a lot of questions, such as ‘Seven times nine, boy?' Pip does not know the answer; this is because he is not educated. Immediately the readers will feel sympathy for Pip, as they feel that he deserves one. This will also give the readers the assumption that Mr. Pumblechook. As Pip described, he was unable to eat his breakfast as Mr. Pumblechook kept asking him questions he knew he couldn't answer, and so theoretically stopping him from eating. Dickens uses this to deliver his message that in order to be fed, one must be educated. This will make the rich believe that the poor deserve education. It will make the readers believe Mr. Pumblechook is a selfish man. Mr. Pumblechook adds humour to the scene because he can be classed as a ‘wanna-be' rich person. Both social classes will find this funny so it is an appealing way of Dickens to keep the readers interested and enjoying the book, whilst sharing his political views. Dickens also gave him the name ‘Pumblechook' because it doesn't sound very serious, like he is. It will make him sound more like a joke than a gentleman. When Pumblechook takes Pip to Miss. Havisham's house, Pip meets Estella, the cruel invention of Mrs. Havisham's own madness. Estella's beauty amazes him. However Pip learns that she does not reflect her outer looks on the inside, and instead is cruel on the inside. The message here is simple; the rich look nice on the outside, yet lack that goodness on the inside. Mrs. Havisham, who adopted Estella, is the owner of the mansion Pip is visiting. She is a mad and vengeful woman, corrupting Estella to break Pip's heart as her fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ had done previously. This shows how the rich are selfish of other people's feelings, and in this case, Pip, the poor young boy. It will make the rich audience think about how they treat the poor, and make Dicken's messages successful. The rich also put a lot of pressure on the poor, as demonstrated in Chapter 8. When Pip was playing with Estella, she makes remarks at the difference between the classes. ‘He calls the knaves, jacks, this boy†¦ and what coarse hands he has! And what thick boots!' This shows that she is disrespectful to Pip because he is poor and uneducated. This also puts pressure on Pip to change; Pip wanted to change because he liked Estella, but knew he she would never like him if he wasn't a ‘gentleman'. Also, when Miss. Havisham asks Pip about his feelings for Estella, he nervously and shyly replies ‘ I don't like to say'. Miss. Havisham replies ‘Tell me in my ear'. This shows a sign of disrespect and disregard to what Pip has to say, and politically Dickens uses to describe how the rich disregard what the poor have to say in society. Miss. Havisham's house is very big and beautiful. However on the inside, it is old and ugly, ‘the standing still of all the pale decayed objects' is an example. Dickens does this because it is a representation of how Dickens portrays the rich. It is also to describe how the rich cover their outside with nice clothes to hide the cruelty on the inside. From chapter one and 8 of Great Expectations, the statement above could be proved true; Dickens writing is purely political. Dickens use of characters, contrast, setting, metaphors, and description, has inserted many messages in ingenious ways so that the reader will learn of them. Dickens is not only a political writer, but is an outstanding writer all together. His ability to combine a great story with political meanings is perhaps why he is known as one of the best novelists of all time.

Democracy V/s Dictatorship Essay

Outline: 1. Government is the indispensable necessity of any country. 2. What is democracy? 3. Democracy is considered the best form of government. 4. Democracy is distorted in the third world countries. 5. Democracy has a large many advantages. 6. Democracy is not devoid of disadvantages. 7. There are certain requisites for successful democracy. 8. What is dictatorship? 9. Dictatorship is always full of many demerits. 10. Islamic concept of democracy is different from modern concept of democracy. 11. Pakistan shows a gloomy and painful picture of deteriorated and decayed democracy. 12. Conclusion: ↠ Main is a social animal. He can’t live alone away from his fellow human beings. Therefore, he forms societies and countries. No country can run its affairs smoothly without a government. Surely, government is the indispensable requirement of any country. ↠ Democracy is a form of government. Its literal meaning is ‘power of the people’. According to Abraham Lincoln, â€Å"Democracy is the government of the people, by the people for the people†. It means that in a democratic country, people are the real masters. The government has complete trust and confidence of masses. ↠ Democracy is considered the best form of government. It has both merits and demerits, but its grandeur can’t be denied. Islam also appreciates a democratic government. It favours unanimous decisions. The Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) laid great stress on mutual consultation on all essential matters. Surely, democracy is a civilized form of government. It exists in advanced countries of the world like America, England, France, Canada etc. ↠ Democracy follows its own mechanism. In a democratic country, there are many political parties. They take part in the election. The party that wins by the majority vote forms the government. The rest of the parties sit in the opposition benches. In the assembly, important issues are discussed and debated by both the ruling party and the opposition party. ↠ Democracy is distorted in the third world countries. Politicians always try to befool and hoodwink the people. The gain power for their own interests. Under the cover of democracy, they hold a totalitarian rule. In these poor and backward countries, the definition of democracy is somewhat like this â€Å" Government off the people, buy the people, far the people† ↠ Real Democracy has many advantages. i. In a democratic country, people take part actively in the affairs of the government. They elect the members of the parliament. Their representatives in the parliament reflect their will. ii. People can keep an eye on the performance of the elected members. The prime minister and the cabinet are answerable to the parliament. People can change a ruler through unanimous vote. iii. All people enjoy respect, importance equality of rights and justice irrespective of their colour, caste, creed or social status. iv. People enjoy freedom of thought, action, expression and publication. They can both criticize and give suggestions to the government. v. The press and the electronic media can discuss and debate the policies and decisions of the government vi. Intelligentsia, different organizations and opposition parties may hold public gatherings. They can use the services of radio, televisions and newspapers to convey their views to the government and public. vii. All decisions are made after mutual consultation and discussion. viii. Democracy allows variety of opinion to flourish. ix. Democracy cares for the needs and wishes of public. It tries to satisfy them and raise their standard of living. It works for their welfare. Thus, it proves a stable form of government and reduces the chances of revolt. ↠ Democracy is not devoid of disadvantages and shortcomings. i. Democracy generates party system. Candidates have to side with their own party even if its decisions are wrong. They can’t openly oppose its wrong policies. ii. Democracy may prove tyranny of the majority. In democracy, all decisions are made by majority raise. Therefore, it is merely the counting of head, not the weighing of wisdom. It attaches importance to quantity, not to quality. iii. Democracy fails at the time of national emergencies. It is a slow form of government. All issues have to be debated in the assembly. It takes a long time to arrive at any decision. Thus many urgent problems remain unsolved. ↠ There are certain requisites for the successful functioning of democracy. Firstly people should be educated. They should be able to use their vote wisely. They should elect honest, sincere and efficient representatives. Secondly, people should be prosperous so that political parties may not buy them or force them to vote for them. Thirdly, there should be social justice in society. There should not be the hateful concept of high and low in society. ↠ Unlike democracy, dictatorship is a form of government in which one man or one party rules the country. It is simply the anti-thesis of democracy. The entire power rests with a single man. It is, therefore, a one man show. There is no opposition party in dictatorship. Usually high military officers or magnates in the county can take the control of the government by dint of force, ↠ Dictatorship is always full of many demerits. It just steamrolls public opinion. It puts many restrictions on them. They do not enjoy the freedom of thought, action, expression and publication. They have to adore a single man and bow to his fair or foul policies. The print and electronic media have to conceal facts. They have to sing praises for the absolute ruler. Then it is very difficult to change a dictatorial government. History tells that some dictators continued their unfair rule to their death. Dictatorship exists in the communist countries like Russia, china, and East Germany. But dictatorship may also prove fruitful if the ruler considers himself accountable to people and God for his actions. ↠ Islamic concept of democracy is different form modern concept. Islam favours the concept of restricted or controlled democracy, which is the true democracy. It gives value to the opinions of the people is they are in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). In Islamic democracy, absolute authority lies with God. Islamic laws have to be enforced. There is no party system. Quality, not quality, is valued. Rulers are servants to masses and are accountable to God for each deed. ↠ Unfortunately, Pakistan shows a gloomy and painful picture of deteriorated and decayed democracy. It was won in the name of Islam. The Quaid-e-Azam wanted to make it a democratic country. But now, it is in the cruel clutches of plutocracy only. Most of our politicians are feudal lords, industrialists and other magnates. They attain power for their vested interests. They feather their own nest and care least for the masses. They exploit the poor and backward people for their own benefits. How painful it is that our intellectuals, scholars, teachers and able patriots are always kept out of the political arena. Our masses are mostly the dumb spectators of the political scenario. Our elections are never fair and transparent. They are full of corruption. The scenes of rigging, conspiracies and miscompilation of results are quite common. Voters are bribed. Ballot boxes are broken in riots. Candidates of the rival party are kidnapped. Our elections are merely a farce. The behaviour of our politicians has always been eccentric and ridiculous. Under a military government, they cry for the restoration of democracy. But, in case of a democratic government, the opposition leaders try their best to dissolve it. This behavior of our politicians pares way for army chiefs to step in. Resultantly, military coups take place quite frequently. We can say that democracy in Pakistan is merely fake, distorted, beslimed and decayed. ↠ To conclude, it must be emphasized that if we let democracy sparkles in its true colours, it will prove an ideal form of government. It is surely democracy that can put our country in the glorious rank of advanced and civilized countries of the world.