Alfred M. Green Speech Analysis Essay

The Civil War, a war fought during the 1860s, decided a great many things: slavery or freedom, south and north or unification. In the beginning of the war, the Northern African Americans were not allowed to join the Union Army and fight against the Southern oppressors. Alfred M. Green, while giving a speech in Philadelphia at the beginning of the war, urged African American to prepare to enlist. He also spoke subversively about the unfairness of the treatment of African Americans not only in the South but also in the North. Green uses a variety of methods to persuade his fellow African-Americans to prepare for war while also speaking out against the treatment of the African-Am. in the North. Green begins his speech by immediately mentioning the cornerstone of the American ideology, that American citizens believe in â€Å"freedom, and of civil and religious toleration.† By remind the African Americans what America is founded on, he incites in them the desire to go to war against anyone opposing the idea. Green, by the same token, reminds the whites of their unfairness in denying the African Americans their rights. The mention of the â€Å"immortal Washington† and â€Å"Jackson† also appeals to the patriotism in the African Americans, moving them closer to desiring to fight in the war. The appeal Green makes to the religious beliefs of the African Americans is apparent throughout his speech. Because most of the African Americans at the time were Christian, by referring to their God as the â€Å"God of truth, Justice and equality to all men† makes the AFri. Am. feel obligated to help the cause of the Civil War. Because their God believed in â€Å"freedom,† why and how can they deny anyone else that right? At the same time Green also reminds the whites that their same God is the white God and that the African Americans deserve rights as well. Green also wants the African Americans to be â€Å"trusting in God† because their God wants them to go to war and will protect them. Why should the African Americans not go to war under such protection? By the end of his speech, Green begins to remind the African Americans of their â€Å"oppressed brethren† in the South. He reminds them of people under a â€Å"tyrant system† and requests their assistance in overthrowing it. He also  mentions the desire of the Southern leaders to â€Å"drive back†¦civil and religious freedom†¦ and have more slave territory.† By mentioning the goals of the other side, he motivates the African Americans to battle by showing them the future of the nation if the South wins because they did not fight. Green notes that their â€Å"very presence† on the battlefield will urge the slaves in the South to revolt. Green’s word choice throughout his speech helps him to motivate the African Americans to battle without their realizing it. He constantly uses the phrase â€Å"let us† to persuade the African Americans to join the army without directly telling them to do so. A direct order is much less likely to be followed than a softer direction such as â€Å"let us.† He also includes himself in the group by using the word â€Å"us,† making him seem motivated and desirous of joining the army as well. If he desires to join, why should they not? Green also anticipates certain rebuttals to his argument, but he silences them by beginning his arguments with â€Å"it is true.† He wants the African American people to know that he too realizes the problems with the government but his is still willing to go to war. Although Green does make certain condescending arguments towards the white audience by the end of the speech he has â€Å"united† both American Americans and whites by focusing them against a common enemy: the South. He does want change, but he knows that defeating the Southern slavery system is much more pressing and important in the long run. Green is careful to â€Å"hope of the future† but still â€Å"improve the present,† and he hopes not only the African Americans but also the whites will do the same.

Effects of Inflation Essay

Keeping Inflation under control is a primary concern for the Australian Government as it affects so many different parts of the Economy, including Economic growth, standard of living and unemployment. There are three types of inflation, depending on their causes. Firstly, demand pull inflation occurs when there is an excessive aggregate demand at or near full employment. If aggregate demand exceeds aggregate supply, prices of g’n’s rise as a rationing mechanism. This form of inflation is usually associated with periods of high economic activity. Secondly is cost-push inflation. If business costs such as the cost of wages or materials rise, businesses may aim to maintain profit levels by passing these costs onto consumers. This will result in higher prices and therefore inflation. The final type of inflation is imported inflation. Imported inflation occurs when the price of imports rises, and either adds to business costs (resulting in cost-push inflation) or feeds into the CPI as the price of final goods. Furthermore, a depreciation in the Au$ will raise import prices, also adding to imported inflation. There are a number of factors which may cause inflation in the Australian economy. A major cause of demand-pull inflation is excessive growth in aggregate demand. If aggregate demand increases from AD to AD1, aggregate supply which is the equivalent of real GDP will rise to GDP2 and the price level will rise from P to P2. This results in the inflationary gap of cd. This increase in aggregate demand may be the result of a number of factors, including increases in consumption expenditure, investment spending, net government expenditure, the money supply, or export incomes. Another major cause of inflation, this time cost-push inflation, is a decrease in aggregate supply. If aggregate supply decreases from AS to AS1, real GDP will decrease to GDP2 and the price level will rise to P1. This results in both a contraction in real GDP and a rise in inflation. The main causes of this decrease in aggregate supply is excessive wage growth not accompanied by productivity increase, a rise in the cost of raw materials, and other inputs, or a rise in government taxes or other charges that raise costs for firms. Cost-push inflation may also be the result of imported inflation it there is a rise in world prices of imported goods used in the production process (such as raw materials and intermediate goods) firms are likely to pass these costs onto consumers, resulting in inflation on the other hand if there is a rise in world prices of consumer goods, increased import prices will feed directly into the CPI, also resulting in inflation. Furthermore a depreciation in the Au$ in foreign exchange markets will result in a rise in the prices of imported raw materials, intermediate goods, and consumer goods, again contributing to Australia’s inflation. This is demonstrated in the stimulus when the RBA credits the decrease in inflation to the fading impact of 2000s exchange rate depreciation. A less common cause of inflation is the existence of monopolies or oligopolies. If a monopoly or oligopoly exists in an industry, the lack of competition allows producers to push up prices. This again results in inflation. The final cause of inflation in Australia is inflationary expectations. Inflationary expectations refer to the behaviour of individuals and businesses who seek to compensate for the current inflation, as well as expected future price rises. This may be the result of either firms pushing up prices, or wage earners seeking higher nominal wages. Also, if consumers expect future prices to rise, they rather buy g’n’s now, which leads to increases in spending. This results in demand-pull inflation. Inflation can impact the economy in 3 ways. 1)By encouraging investment in speculative and unproductive activities and discouraging investment in ventures considered productive. Inflation encourages investment in real assets such as gold and real estate because they are considered ‘good shelters’ for inflation. This is because the scarcity of them often outpaces or at least keeps pace with the rate of inflation. If inflation occurs, people will seek to own such assets, shifting resources to these speculative and unproductive assets. Similarly this discourages investment in other assets. This is because entrepreneurs will not think it is financially viable to invest and pursue a project that will only result in less profit, due to the higher costs of inflation. Similarly inflation increases the cost of production thus also discouraging entrepreneurs. For example, if inflation is high, people will invest in gold and real estate. Otherwise known as the opportunity cost, because people will allocate their resources into such ventures (gold and real estate) they must then forego investing into other ventures that are considered productive such as a new business, that may be producing capital goods or normal goods and services. Also by discouraging entrepreneurs is the rise in the costs of production that occur due to inflation, for example the raw materials. Similarly interest rates will rise, making it more expensive to borrow funds for investment purposes, making investment projects less profitable. Either way, inflation can cause a loss in production of capital goods, leading to lower living standards in the future, or a loss in the production of normal goods and services, leading to lowering current living conditions, as current needs and wants go unsatisfied. Since returns from productive capital take longer to materialise, it means that entrepreneurs are also faced with a lesser return. This means that if the rate of inflation is greater than the return offered by the investment, then the project will not be considered economically viable, nor worthwhile. Similarly the risk of loss from any investment project will grow with inflation. Many small businesses take a couple of years before they start to make a profit, so if inflation is high, and is was not taken into account when the business was first planned, then the cost of production may rise, and the resulting price for the commodity will be too high for consumers. ) If inflation is present and is greater than that overseas, it reduces the overseas competitiveness of the Australian economy. This is because inflation is not only associated with a rise in prices, but also an increase to the costs of production. Therefore making overseas exports cheaper to the domestic market. Similarly the overseas firms do not have to put up with the rises in the costs of production. This provides a leakage in the circular flow (p urchase of exports) and thus dampening demand in the domestic market, which if severe enough could lead to a recession, bringing with it many economic problems. An example of how inflation can lead to a recession, would be the 1970s, when high inflation averaged at 10. 4%. Which due to the high oil prices and strong domestic demand led to high inflation in the 1980s (8. 1%). This period of high inflation led to a dampening in spending and a recession in the 1990s (1990-1992) causing many problems such as unemployment. 3) It also creates many winners and losers in the economy. Those that benefit are the owners of real assets (real assets and gold), because their assets are worth more. As well as those belonging to well-organized groups who can demand wage increases (eg, strong trade unions. ) This can lead to rapidly rising wages, increasing the costs of production, and also discouraging investment in productive capital as mentioned above. In addition to this inflation can benefit people who have already borrowed funds because the cost of repayment, represent less as inflation rises. This is because inflation is defined by a loss in the real value of money, therefore the repayment will diminish over time. Conversely inflation disadvantages those on fixed incomes because they lose the real value of income as their money represents less purchasing power. Similarly for the same reasons it disadvantages those that keep their money in liquid form (ie, bank deposits). Also those that lend money receive less back in terms of repayment, due to the loss in value (eg, A mortgage repayment in 1960 was worth more than in 1980, where high inflation had occurred). Also since it reduces international competitiveness, inflation can disadvantage exporters who find themselves with less business opportunities. This can effect the economy, as overseas markets will not purchase Australian goods and services. Therefore the economy will not receive the injection into the circular flow that it would usually, without inflation. Without the strong domestic support that is present in Australia’s economy, the economy could have the effect of dampening economic activity, and aggregate demand. When inflation occurs in the Australian economy it usually had a number of causes. The main causes are excess aggregate demand, cost-push inflation, inflationary expectations and imported inflation. inflation disadvantages many groups in the economy, who in turn benefit other groups. This is because inflation can influence the allocation of resources in regards to encouraging and discouraging investment, the overseas competitiveness of the Australian market, as well as effecting individuals and firms, who often benefit at the expense of others.

Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Education - Essay Example Children who have special learning needs are referred to as exceptional students; that is, gifted and disabled children. Gifted children have superior intellectual development and are capable of high performance. Exceptional Student Education (ESE) is indiscriminate and assists each child to progress in school and in the learning environment in general. Overview of evaluation process The program requires that all students be assessed in all areas related to their disabilities while also considering their ability to access the general curriculum in relation to how the disability affects the student’s learning, objectives that relate to the needs of the student, forming goals and choosing a placement in the least restrictive environment possible for the student. Eligibility of the process The IEP outlines each and every step on how the student learns and how the learning is best demonstrated. It also outlines what the educators will do to assist the student learn more effectivel y. Role of IEP team members The roles of the team members are all set with the main objective of assisting the child in the learning process. Different team members have different roles. ... Regular education teacher Provides information on the general curriculum standards Determines any program modifications and the necessary support required for school personnel Representative of the school district Provides specially designed instruction in relation to his qualification Has authority to commit resources School district representative Ensures that relevant services will be provided by the district Identifies placement options available in the district Intervention specialists Drafts objectives for the program on the student’s performance Identify any supplementary aids and services which the student may require in the regular classroom. Professional IEP team members Psychologists Physical therapists Occupational therapists Speech therapists A special educator Vision or hearing specialists Additional specialists in relation to the student’s specific needs IEP Development When the team members meet, they discuss the student’s educational needs and fo rmulate specific short term and annual goals for such needs. Areas deserving specialized attention are also outlined. Services are split into two categories; Those to be provided in the school’s schedule, Those to be provided on a consultative basis Professionals consult with the educators to arrive at strategies to help the student but no hands-on instruction is offered. The program should be reviewed annually to update the set objectives and ensure that the site services are being met and in the right standards. Curriculum needs Every student has the ability to learn and should demonstrate progress in their learning. Further from the regular curriculum, students with disabilities have additional needs to compliment the regular curriculum. Differentiated and focused teaching- reasonable adjustments

Introduction to the global economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Introduction to the global economy - Essay Example The WTO greements ssist the ctivities of trnsntionl enterprises, the principl plyers in globliztion, nd the Uruguy Round confirmed this liberliztion. From the Genev Round in 1947 to tht of the Uruguy Round in 1986-1994, the level of triffs pplied to industril products hs fllen from 40 per cent to 3.8 per cent, nd the reduced triffs tht hve been consolidted hve fcilitted the estblishment of trnsntionl economy. In the following pper I will further discuss the importnt of GTT nd WOT for interntionl trde. The nlysis will include historicl bckground of orgniztions followed by explntion of GTT replced by WTO nd generl results of such trnsformtion nd concluded by the short nd long term consequences of WTO's running. The GTT hs been clled "remrkble success history of post-wr interntionl orgniztion tht ws never intended to become one" (Grhm, 1983: 124). It strted out in 1947 s set of rules to ensure nondiscrimintion, trnsprent procedures, the settlement of disputes nd the prticiption of the lesser-developed countries in interntionl trde. To increse trde, GTT used triffs concessions, through which member countries greed to limit the level of triffs they would impose on imports from other GTT members. n importnt tool is the Most-Fvored Ntion (MFN) cluse, which clls for ech member country to grnt every other member country the sme most fvorble tretment tht it ccords to ny other country with respect to imports nd exports. (Brber, 1982: 9). MFN, in effect, provides for equl, rther thn specil, tretment. The GTT ws built on severl principles: 1. The Most Fvoured Ntion (MFN) cluse, which ensures non-discrimintory tretment. This principle, ccording to which ll dvntges, fvours, privileges or immunities grnted by one contrcting prty to product originting from or destined for ny other country shll, immeditely nd unconditionlly, be extended for the sme tretment to ny similr product originting or destined for the territory of ll other contrcting prties promotes the cuse of liberliztion. This principle reduced the trnsction costs of the negotitions for the members. ll countries hving n interest in product nd seeking to improve ccess to it in n exporting country nd hving negotited this concession, must ccord the sme to every other country. 2. The second principle of this system is tht of ntionl tretment nd is intended to complement the MFN cluse. It stipultes tht every imported product fter pyment of the customs duties must not receive less fvourble tretment thn locl product. Ech member stte is obliged to tret locl nd imported products in the sme wy. 3. The third principle is tht of trnsprency. The Mrrkesh greements reinforce trnsprency by djusting notifiction nd informtion procedures. ll lws nd regultions must be published, in order to enble other members to consult them nd ensure tht they conform to the previling legl texts in force. Trnsprency is lso the im of the review mechnism of trde policies. This enbles WTO members to exmine the implementtion of the trde policy of member stte or group of countries within regionl greement. It gives more trnsprency to trde policies. t present, the trde policies of the four biggest exporters - the United Sttes, the Europen Union, Jpn nd Cnd - re exmined every two yers, those of the sixteen other lrgest exporters every four yers, nd those of developing countries every six

How movies affect the audience Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How movies affect the audience - Term Paper Example For example, most films in Bollywood in India feature more on strong family values. There are only little or no sex and violent scenes. In Nollywood, located in Nigeria, most films have their basis on the reality that most Africans face, such as family struggles, faith conflicts and achieving a balance between modernity and traditional values. In most cases, the films are depicted in a satirical outlook. The South Korean film industry also focuses on what most Asians go through, the historical and personal impacts of life events. In all these film industries, the films have had an impact on viewers. For example, films in Nigeria have raised concerns in most African countries with people worrying that there will be â€Å"Nigerianization† of their cultures given that their films possess a lot of Nigerian culture and dialect. How does the effect of the film impact on the audience? In Hollywood, perhaps the films cannot be said to have the same effect such as making the rest of Europe â€Å"Americanized†, but the effect is still notable. Even when a person is one of the healthiest, watching certain films is likely to have an effect on a person in ways they cannot imagine. The films have cuts, camera angles and scenes that change and these are the film aspects that have an effect on human behavior, views and decision-making process (Plantinga, 2009). Admittedly most people are never conscious about the cuts that film editors make in a film. Camera angles also change so many times in a scene, but people are usually too engulfed in the film to notice such changes. To keep most audiences in America and the rest of the world entertained, filmmakers are well aware that making certain shift cuts in certain scenes have more impact than if the same cuts are made in other scenes of a film. Cutting that occur s in the films might seem very unrealistic, but moving the

Environmental and social impact from AL-HAMRA tower On heart of Kuwait Essay

Environmental and social impact from AL-HAMRA tower On heart of Kuwait city - Essay Example The Al Hamra Tower, for the purpose of its construction, has occupied almost 18,000-square meter of space in the East Maqwa district of Kuwait City. Two leading construction companies, Al Hamra Real Estate and Ajial Real Estate that represents the owner, have collaborated together for successful construction of the modern architectural landmark. In addition to the various facilities offered to the national and international visitors, this tower will also comprise a 77-story tower consisting of prime office space and crowned by a spectacular rooftop restaurant, a spa and an attached lifestyle shopping center. The shopping center will include a 10-screen Cineplex which will also have IMAX theaters. Despite the reason that the Al Hamra Tower will prove advantageous for the citizens of Kuwait in many ways and it will also add to the overall aesthetic beauty of the city but at the same time there is no scope to deny that it will also cause a great deal of environmental hazards during the time of its construction. Thus, it is important in this context to receive an overview of the whole situation, before and after construction of the tower. It has also been estimated by the constructing parties of the tower that aftermath its completion, the tower will contribute to a great extent in changing the overall socio-economic condition of the surrounding area. As this tower will be one of the most important centers for business and several other types of jobs, it is expected that after completion of the tower access of common localities to different job and income opportunities will also enhance accordingly. Thus, erection of the tower contains within its scope the twofold aspects of goo d and evil from societal perspective. The main aim of the report is to discuss the environmental and social effects resulted from erection of this project on the surrounding environment (i.e. during construction and after completion) and on the physical life in

Government Managing the Economy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Government Managing the Economy - Coursework Example The government employs the use of fiscal and monetary policy in controlling the economy. The fiscal policy uses spending and taxation to bring about stability. The monetary policy applies the use of the use of key tools by the central bank to bring about stability in cases of excess or limited liquidity in the economy. These roles can only be played by the government which confirms how important the role of government in the economy is. The government plays a critical role in capital budgeting through adoption of the various techniques in its public expenditure decisions. Just like individual firms, the government engages in authorization of capital spending on long-term projects that are of great significance to the entire nation. This is done through qualitative and quantitative analysis of projects (Lee, et. Al, 2012). Provision of pubic goods in the economy is done by the government. These are goods that the society need for their survival and are meant to benefit everyone. If the provision of such goods is left in the hands of the private sector, many people will not be able to access such goods owing to the profit making initiative of private firms (Goldin, 1994). The government plays a vital role in creating order within the economy which is very critical for elimination of social unrest and political upheaval. Such order by the government eliminates social evils such as corruption, hoarding, smuggling of goods and operation of black market that sell illegal products in the economy. The economic policies applied by the government assist in maintaining the stability of the local currency thus promoting international trade and

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) - Term Paper Example Despite the fact that the common causes of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are not very clear, it is important to note that experts consider testosterone and other related hormones and major causes of BPH. This is a direct implication that BPH androgens have to present for BPH to occur in a patient’s body. This is evidence by the fact that boys who are castrated do not develop the disease when they age. This is because such people do not produce the hormone testosterone and other related hormones that are closely associated with this condition. It is difficult to prove that the occurrence of BPH is associated with some environmental conditions and lifestyle. However, there may be genetic links to the disease. This is because studies have indicated that sons of men who were previously diagnosed with BPH tend to be more probable to contract this disease. This is an implication of the presence of genetic link to the disease (Bachmann, & Rosette, 2011). The disease only affects males and is proven to affect only the older men. It has not been proven that BPH can affect boys under the age of 20 and it is for this reason that the disease is associated with older men. BPH begins with both the stromal cells and the epithelial cells undergoing hyperplasia. In the process, a number of fibroadenomatous nodules form in the prostate around its periurethral region. The progressive growth of the nodules displaces the fibro-muscular prostate peripherally and the condition progresses. This results into the lengthening and narrowing of the prostatic urethral lumen. As a result, the outflow of urine is gradually obstructed (In Kaplan et al, 2014). Increased pressure, which is associated with bladder distention and micturition, can progress to trabeculation, the formation of cellule and diverticulitis. During the progressive

There are many types of investment vehicles, one of the vehicles that Essay

There are many types of investment vehicles, one of the vehicles that pay some of the highest returns - Essay Example In this part, the paper will discuss the compensation structure used by hedge funds. The discussion will include the rationale for this compensation structure, its mechanics and the agency issues that can be associated with the compensation structure. The hedge fund structure is usually composed of general partners who handle all the trading activity from the fund and limited partners who supply the capital that is invested in the fund. Other members include the portfolio manager, who is usually the owner of the management company. The investors in the portfolio are usually between 100 and 150 certified investors who are willing to let the portfolio manager manage their funds for profit. The administrators of the hedge funds maintain the books and records and process all the transactions in the funds. Since the investors are not involved in the day to day handling of the fund, it is up to the hedge fund managers to complete all the transactions in the fund and charge fees to the inve stors in form of compensation structures. As already stated, the compensation structures used by hedge funds are different from those used by normal mutual funds since they take more fees in a different manner. The managers in the hedge fund use different strategies to create profits from the funds, and the Limited Partners, also known as the investors receive a percentage of the profit. The compensation structure in hedge funds is usually set on two main types of fees; performance fees and management fees. The performance fee in a hedge fund refers to the fee in the investment fund that a manager charges investors as a percentage of the increase in value of the assets in which the funds are invested. The value of the funds investments is periodically calculated and the fund manager gets a performance fee, usually between 20 and 30% of the Net Asset Value, which is the increase in value. The performance fee in hedge funds is similar to that in mutual funds. However, other fees that are in the hedge fund and not in the mutual funds are the management fees. The management fee is usually 1 to 2% of the fixed fee of the assets in the mutual fund, and in addition, an incentive fee of between 10 and 30% of the assets in the fund is also charged. The contentious point about these fees is that the management fee is usually charged regardless of whether the fund has made any profits, which means that the managers will always earn profits even if the fund fails. However, the performance fee can only be charged if the fund makes a pre-specified level of return, which is usually set at a percentage or decided as an index. This level of return is referred to as an hurdle, and the managers strive to increase the level of performance of the hedge fund in order to earn extra fees. Hurdles typically reduce the size of performance fees and increase the reward for better management of the fund, a factor that accounts or its popularity with investors. Another terminology analogou s with the compensation structure of hedge funds is the high water mark, a term used to refer to the performance of the fund. The highest value of a hedge fund in a year is called the high water mark, and if the fund’s value falls in the subsequent year, the managers are not paid performance fees. This means that in subsequent years, if the funds increase in NAV but does not exceed the high water mark, no performance is also charged on the investors since they do not make any additional

Immigrant Women rights and problems in Canada Essay

Immigrant Women rights and problems in Canada - Essay Example For instance, Middle East and Caribbean regions reports indicate a vastly different lifestyle for women as compared to that of the Canadian women. Additionally, the government in Canada has been on the forefront in the recognition, valuation, expression and enactment of women rights in all sectors of the country’s economy. Canada is known as a country with few original residents than the immigrants, a factor that makes the immigrant women to acquire egalitarianism as that of original citizens. More over, protection of women rights in regard to job market, law, family violence and social has been a forefront objective in the country since the realization of women significance in a cosmopolitan society. Nevertheless, immigrant women in Canada do face some immense problems and challenges that still need suitable measures that would address them. Therefore, Life of women in Canada has experienced drastic shifts in the recent years (Magocsi, 1999). The discussion in this paper is o bjected towards the establishment of Immigrant women rights and problems in Canada. An overview of how women rights as well as gender egalitarianism are valued in Canada will also be provided. It is also found ample to establish the several areas in which women rights have been recognized and enacted in the country, and some problems and challenges facing the arena. The effectiveness of application of these rights is also evaluated to enhance comprehensiveness in understanding of human rights. Human rights value and recognition in Canada Human rights are highly valued in Canada than any other nation in the world. Every rights aspect has been well taken care of to enhance the satisfaction of her citizens despite their multicultural backgrounds. The universal Human rights affirmation by the government and all other entities has played a pivotal role in the building of an extraordinary framework for dealing with human issues. More so, enactment of standards and human rights objectives is made easy, which improves the aspiration of the available institutions, legislation as well as individuals. Women in living and working in the Canadian society are given authority to maintain and protect a position that is respectful in their realms. The signing and establishment of women rights by the Canadian government was meant to facilitate an excellent livelihood for the women in the country (Magocsi, 1999). On the hand, several other parts of the world have been so reluctant in the recognition of human rights and freedom. Torture, intimidation and violence have become the order of the day in some societies in the world. However, this has acquired a distinct take in the Canadian society for it has become a world leader in endorsing and safeguarding women's rights in addition to gender egalitarianism. Working and talking is allowed in all sectors. Sitting and working besides guys in offices and working with them is not a big deal in Canada. It is also evident that women who have immigrated to Canada have also been given full rights due to the emphasis that the

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Free essay Essay ‘It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.’ C. S. Lewis. Lewis’s hypothetical situation raises questions on how a person, the bird he is metaphorically referring to, must undergo a change to be able to advance through life. The characters in Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet must too experience this change in order to heal wounds and rekindle old relationships. The ways in which stability and change are explored by Winton in the novel that I will be discussing in my essay are, Cloudstreet represents both stability and change in the novel through the house being personified, tension and change are revealed through juxtaposition and resolution between Dolly and Rose, and the relationship between Oriel and Fish explores tension through the innate nature of each character. Before I begin my deconstruction of Cloudstreet I would like to explicitly address the aspects of context, reception, and values behind Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet. Cloudstreet was written while Winton was travelling through Europe away from his home in Perth, and so the novel develops a sense of reminiscence or ‘nostalgia’, as referred to by Michael McGirr, towards Winton’s romanticized home. Cloudstreet was writte n economic hardship and recession as well as a time around Aboriginal rights changing. The context in which the novel was written is important as it is reflected throughout the novel by a nostalgic tone and themes of reconciliation and hardship. Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet was the recipient of the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award in 1992, and since has become a well studied Australian novel by schools and scholars such as Michael McGirr and Yvonne Miels. The values explored in Cloudstreet allow the novel to be well received by a wide audience.

Study of Chinas first five year plan

Study of Chinas first five year plan The industrial system taken over by the Chinese Communist leadership in 1949 was not only rudimentary and war-devastated, but also extremely imbalanced. Over 70% of the industrial assets and output were concentrated in the coastal areas while the rest of the country shared the remainder. Within the coastal region, modern industrial production was again heavily concentrated in a few cities, namely Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang, Anshan, Benxi, Dalian and Fushun accounted for 55% of the total for the coastal region. China was a typical dual economy, in which a few industrial cities were surrounded by large-scale agriculture. When the Chinese leadership started its efforts at industrialization, it regarded the huge coast-interior imbalance as irrational because, firstly, areas of industrial production were usually too far away from energy and raw materials supply areas and the interior market, meaning substantial long-distance transport costs and creating a strain on Chinas undeve loped transport system. Secondly, the rich resources in the inland areas could not be properly exploited. Finally, since the coast was easily exposed to foreign military power, the heavy concentration of industry there represented a national security risk, as was the case during the Second World War. To rectify that regional imbalance, the Chinese leadership decided to pull the levers of centrally directed investment. (Yang, 1990) Land Reform During the land reform, a significant amount landlords were murdered at Communist Party gatherings, the land was then given to peasants and there was also the Campaign to Suppress Counter-revolutionaries, involving public executions of mainly former Kuomintang officials, businessmen accused of market disturbances, former employees of Western companies and intellectuals whose loyalty was suspect. In 1976, the U.S. State department estimated around a million may have been killed during land reform, and a further 800,000 killed in the counterrevolutionary campaign (Shalom, 1984, p24). Mao himself claimed that a total of 700,000 people were executed during the years 1949-53 (Chang Halliday, 2005). However, because there was a policy to select at least one landlord, and usually several, in virtually every village for public execution, the number of deaths ranged between 2 and 5 million. In addition, at least 1.5million people (Short, 2001), perhaps as many as 6 million were sent to refor m through labour camps where many perished (Valentino, 2004). Mao played a personal role in organizing the mass repressions and established a system of execution quotas, which were often exceeded, arguing that these killings were a necessity for securing power. First Five year plan Chinas first Five-Year Plan entailed the forced provision of cheap agricultural supplies to cities, though per capita allocation kept low to discourage urbanization. In rural areas, production decisions are shifted from households to mutual aid teams, and then to cooperatives where a cadre makes key decisions. Ownership is redefined in the form of state-owned enterprises and collectivized farms. In terms of financial structure, the binding constraints on households and enterprises at this time are coupons, authorizations, and orders to deliver. These instruments rather than money determine production and consumption outcomes; therefore prices are of secondary importance. The Hundred Flowers campaign brings unanticipated criticism, especially from intellectuals, which Mao silences in the repressive anti-rightist campaign. Almost two-thirds of the major projects, including many being built with Soviet aid were located in the interior. Despite allowance made to help rehabilitate war-devastated coastal industrial facilities, nearly 56% of the state investment in fixed assets went to the interior during this period. The interior-orientated investment policy took its toll in terms of economic efficiency as coastal industrial growth was sorely needed as a foundation for the development of the whole country. More concentrated efforts at rehabilitation and improvement of old enterprises in the coastal region could have produced more immediate economic pay-offs than making new investments in areas that lacked infrastructural support. Thus, Mao, in his April 1956 speech On the ten great relationships, commented that in the past few years we have not laid enough stress on industry in the coastal region so that the productive power of coastal industry could be used for the full development of the whole country, e specially the interior. In the same speech, however, Mao also revealed he was in favour of building most of heavy industry, 90% or perhaps still more, in the interior. Worden, Savada and Dolan (1987) discussed how China used a Soviet approach to economic development was manifested in the First Five-Year Plan. The main objective was a high rate of economic growth, with primary emphasis on industrial development at the expense of agriculture and particular concentration on heavy industry and capital-intensive technology. Large numbers of Soviet engineers, technicians, and scientists assisted in developing and installing new heavy industrial facilities, including entire plants and pieces of equipment purchased from the Soviet Union. Government control over industry was increased during this period by applying financial pressures and inducements to convince owners of private, modern firms to sell them to the state or convert them into joint public-private enterprises under state control. By 1956 approximately 67.5% of all modern industrial enterprises were state owned, others were under joint ownership. No privately owned firms remained. During the sam e period, the handicraft industries were organized into cooperatives, which accounted for 91.7% of all handicraft workers by 1956. Agriculture also underwent extensive organizational changes. To facilitate the mobilization of agricultural resources, improve the efficiency of farming, and increase government access to agricultural products, the authorities encouraged farmers to organize increasingly large and socialized collective units. From the loosely structured, tiny mutual aid teams, villages were to advance first to lower-stage, agricultural producers cooperatives, in which families still received some income on the basis of the amount of land they contributed, and eventually to advanced cooperatives, or collectives. In terms of economic growth the First Five-Year Plan was quite successful, especially in those areas emphasized by the Soviet-style development strategy. A solid foundation was created in heavy industry. Thousands of industrial and mining enterprises were constructed, including 156 major facilities. Industrial production increased at an average annual rate of 19% between 1952 and 1957, and national income grew at 9% a year. Despite the lack of state investment in agriculture, agricultural output increased substantially, averaging increases of about 4% a year. This growth resulted primarily from gains in efficiency brought about by the reorganization and cooperation achieved through collectivization. As the First Five-Year Plan wore on, however, Chinese leaders became increasingly concerned over the relatively sluggish performance of agriculture and the inability of state trading companies to increase significantly the amount of grain procured from rural units for urban consumption. T he First Five-Year Plan was for a long time the only plan that was even partially executed. Second The success of the First Five Year Plan encouraged Mao to initiate the Great Leap Forward, in 1958. Mao also launched a phase of rapid collectivization. The Party introduced price controls as well as a Chinese character simplification aimed at increasing literacy. The Great Leap was not merely a bold economic project, it was also intended to show the Soviet Union that the Chinese approach to economic development was more vibrant, and ultimately would be more successful, than the Soviet model that had been used previously. Under the economic program, the relatively small agricultural collectives which had been formed were rapidly merged into far larger peoples communes, and many of the peasants ordered to work on massive infrastructure projects and the small-scale production of iron and steel. Some private food production was banned; livestock and farm implements were brought under collective ownership. Under the Great Leap Forward, Mao and other party leaders ordered the implementation of a variety of unproven and unscientific new agricultural techniques by the new communes. Combined with the diversion of labour to steel production and infrastructure projects and the reduced personal incentives under a commune system this led to an approximately 15% drop in grain production in 1959 followed by further 10% reduction in 1960 and no recovery in 1961 (Spence, p.553). To win favour with superiors and avoid being purged, each layer in the party hierarchy exaggerated the amount of grain produced under them and based on the fabricated success, party cadres were ordered to requisition a disproportionately high amount of the true harvest for state use primarily in the cities and urban areas but also for export, which resulted in the rural peasant snot left enough to eat and millions starved to death in the largest famine in human history. This famine was a direct cause of the death of some 3 0 millions of Chinese peasants between 1959 and 1962 and about the same number of births were lost or postponed. Further, many children who became emaciated and malnourished during years of hardship and struggle for survival, died shortly after the Great Leap Forward came to an end in 1962 (Spence, p.553). The famine was due to Maos leaning heavily on mass mobilization to speed up industrial development. The Great Leap emphasized heavy industry in general, and the iron and steel industry in particular. In any case, the Great Leap came to be a leap into disaster and was a major cause of Chinas worst famine (1959-61). During this period state investment in industrial assets in the interior continued to increase. It averaged 59.4% of the national total during 1958-62 and further grew to 62-5% in the post-Leap adjustment period (1963-65). In the meantime, worsening Sino-Soviet relations and U.S. involvement in Vietnam led Chinas leaders to perceive a greater need for enhancing its national defence capabilities. As a result, despite the much felt post-crisis need to invigorate existing industrial production and restore consumption levels, Mao in 1964 ruled in favour of building more defence-orientated industries in the interior so that Chinas industrial infrastructure would survive a foreig n invasion and provide for a protracted defensive war. (Yang, 1990, p.236-7) As part of this push for hierarchical organization and revolutionary thinking, Mao initiates the Peoples Commune Movement to foster a communist-agrarian society. Bad incentives and bad weather bring the famine of 1960 with its accompanying economic turmoil, starvation, and rural revolt. Twenty to thirty million people lose their lives through malnutrition and famine (Fairbanks 1987, p.296). The failure of the Great Leap Forward and the Peoples Commune Movement created the first open split within the ranks of communist leaders. Furthermore, a major rift opens with the Soviets, leading to a break in relations and Russian aid flows. (Jaggi et al., WP 1996) The Great Leap Forward was a disaster for China. Although the steel quotas were officially reached, almost all of it made in the countryside was useless lumps of iron, as it had been made from assorted scrap metal in homemade furnaces with no reliable source of fuel such as coal. At the Lushan Conference in 1959, several leaders expressed concern that the Leap was not as successful as planned. The most direct of these was Minister of Defence and Korean War General Peng Dehuai. Mao, fearing loss of his position, orchestrated a purge of Peng and his supporters, stifling criticism of the Great Leap policies. Senior officials who reported the truth of the famine to Mao were branded as right opportunists (Becker, 1998). A campaign against right opportunism was launched and resulted in party members and ordinary peasants being sent to camps where many would subsequently die in the famine. The party have now concluded that 6 million were wrongly punished in the campaign. (Valentino, 2004, p . 127) The largest man-made famine on record was the Chinese famine of 1958-1961, which resulted in the death of an estimated 30 million people and approximately the same number of births lost or postponed. This famine was thought to be as a direct result of the decision by Mao Zedong to launch the Great Leap Forward, a mass mobilization of the population to achieve economic advancement. Mao followed the Stalinist ideology of heavy industry being the answer to economic advancement, peasants were ordered to abandon all private food production and instead produce steel which proved to be of extremely poor quality and of little or no use (Smil, 1999). This created a similar pattern to that of the loss of grain production needed to feed the population as seen in the Ukraine in the 1930s,by the spring of 1959 famine had affected people living in one-third of Chinas provinces. Until the mid 1980s, when official census figures were finally published by the Chinese Government, little was known abou t the scale of the disaster in the Chinese countryside, as the handful of Western observers allowed access during this time had been restricted to model villages where they were deceived into believing that Great Leap Forward had been a great success. There was also an assumption that the flow of individual reports of starvation that had been reaching the West, primarily through Hong Kong and Taiwan, must be localized or exaggerated as China was continuing to claim record harvests and was a net exporter of grain through the period. Because Mao wanted to pay back early to the Soviets debts totalling 1.973 billion yuan from 1960 to 1962, exports increased by 50%. (ONeill, 2008) Censuses were carried out in China in 1953, 1964 and 1982. The first attempt to analyse this data in order to estimate the number of famine deaths was carried out by Dr Judith Banister. Given the gaps between the censuses and doubts over the reliability of the data, an accurate figure is difficult to ascertain. Banister concluded that the official data implied that around 15 million excess deaths incurred in China during 1958-61 and that based on her modelling of Chinese demographics during the period and taking account of assumed underreporting during the famine years, the figure was around 30 million. The official statistic is 20 million deaths, as given by Hu Yaobang (Short, 2001). Third Temporary realignment of political power, from Mao to Liu Shaoqi Recovery policies informed by pragmatism Readjustment of priorities Agriculture, Light, Heavy Take agriculture as the key link Agriculture as the foundation of the economy; grain as the foundation of the foundation Reorganisation of agricultural institutional framework commune production brigade, production team Introduction of grain imports Retrenchment in industry Third Five year Plan (1966-1969) tasks included developing agriculture to feed the populace and meet other basic needs (such as clothing); strengthening national defence (a priority given Chinese concerns of a potential war); advancing technology; developing infrastructure; encouraging economic self-reliance. Again striving to expand his command over the Party, Mao orchestrates the Cultural Revolution. Early stages of the movement entail a struggle against the so called antiparty clique, including Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. Mao calls on the youth as Red Guards to spread revolutionary zeal. They make a specialty of attacking professionals and intellectuals, and wreak havoc on the educational system. Begun as a political struggle, the Cultural Revolution paralyzes normal life and throws the economy into turmoil. Fourth The Cultural Revolution change political succession discipline government bureaucracy produce a new generation of revolutionary successors introduce egalitarian policy initiatives Transfer of political power from pragmatic economic technocrats to radical elements of CCP (esp. gang of four) Three elements of Cultural Revolution economic strategy self-sufficiency egalitarianism the Third Front Cultural Revolution as an urban, not rural, phenomenon industry, not agriculture, the major loser The Fourth Five Year Plan was more successful than anticipated, with the industrial and agricultural goals exceeded by 14.1% and industrial gross output value goals by 21.1%. Agricultural gains also exceeded goals, but more moderately, with a 2.2% rise above expectations. According to the Official Portal of the Chinese Government, however, the focus on accumulation and rapid development in this and preceding plans were impediments to long-term economic development In September 1970, the Plan was drafted with such goals as maintaining an annual growth rate of 12.5% in industry and agriculture as well as specific budget allowances for infrastructure construction (130 billion yuan during the Plan). In 1973, some of the specific provisions of the plan were amended to lower the targets. All targets had been reached or surpassed by the end of 1973. China experienced a vibrant economy in the years 1972 and 1973. Conclusion In conclusion, Maos five year plans, during his time as Chairman of the CPC, were not only enabled China to grow in terms of GDP, but enabled improved rates of literacy, improved living standards if only slightly, some elements of trade liberalisation occurred and a focus on agriculture was eventually made in order to develop food securities, there was some industrialisation and investment in infrastructure. The growth was mainly export-led as GDP per capita did not drastically increase, infrastructure investment rose to a level allowing China to uphold its ability to It therefore can be argued that although many millions of people suffered due to Mao, that China today has partly benefited from the Mao years, although I believe that if Mao had not been kept unaware of the situation that arose in the Great Leap Forward years, that the suffering and deaths that occurred could have been avoided.

Concepts in Disaster Management

Concepts in Disaster Management CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Broader Views on Disaster Management 2.1.1 Definition of Disaster Disaster has been defined in some different ways. Indeed, there is no precise definition for a disaster (Eshghi Larson, 2008). In complete form, Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) defines disasters as â€Å"A situation or event which overwhelms local capacity, necessitating a request to the national or international level for external assistance, or is recognized as such by a multilateral agency or by at least two sources, such as national, regional or international assistance groups and the media† (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), 2004). Below et al. (2007) propose â€Å"an accumulation of widespread losses over multiple economic sectors, associated with a natural hazard event, that overwhelms the ability of the affected population to cope† as a definition of a disaster. International Federation on Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) defines a disaster as â€Å"a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the communitys or societys ability to c ope using its own resources†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (IFRC, 2008). van Wassenhove (2006) proposes â€Å"a disruption that physically affects a system as a whole and threatens its priorities and goals† as a definition of disaster, while Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC, 2008) defines disaster as â€Å"a serious disruption of the functioning of society, causing widespread human, material or environmental losses which exceed the ability of affected society to cope using only its own resources†, which is similar with Reliefwebs (2008) definition. Emergency Management Australia (EMA, 2008) defines disaster as â€Å"a serious disruption to community life which threatens or causes death or injury in that community and/or damage to property which is beyond the day-today capacity of the prescribed statutory authorities and which requires special mobilization and organization of resources other than those normally available to those authorities†, while emergency is defined as à ¢â‚¬ËœAn event, actual or imminent, which endangers or threatens to endanger life, property or the environment, and which requires a significant and coordinated response. (EMA, 2008). 2.1.2 Disaster Types With a wide variability of disaster definition, it is understandable to have different initial classifications for disasters (Eshghi Larson, 2008; Shaluf 2007a, b). Canadian Disaster Database (2008) categorises disasters into five different types as summarized in Table 1. Table 1. Disaster types (Source: Canadian Disaster Database, 2008) Disaster types Encompasses Biological Epidemic, infestation Geological Earthquake, landslide, tsunami Meteorological and hydrological Cold wave, drought, flood, hail/ thunderstorm, heat wave, hurricane/ typhoon, snow avalanche, storm surges, storm-freezing rain, storm-unspecified/ other, storm-winter, tornado, wildfire Conflict Terrorism, civil unrest Technological Accident-industrial, accident-other, accident-transport, fire, hazardous chemicals van Wassenhove (2006) proposes a metrics (see Table 2) to understand disasters. Table 2. Categorization of disasters based on van Wassenhove (2006) Natural Man-made Sudden-onset Earthquake, hurricane, tornado Terrorist attack, coup detat, chemical leak Slow-onset Famine, drought, poverty Political crisis, refugee crisis In general, Shaluf (2007a, b) categorises disasters into three types: Natural disasters, which are catastrophic events resulting from natural causes such as volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. Man made disasters, which are those catastrophic events that result from human decisions. Hybrid disasters are those disasters that result from both human error and natural forces. In further detail, Shaluf (2007b) breaks down each type of disasters and gives examples and characteristics, as can be seen in Table 3. Table 3. Disaster types, taken from Shaluf (2007b) Disaster type Characteristics Sub-disaster Name of disasters Natural A natural disaster is a natural phenomenon; A natural disaster is an unplanned and socially disruptive event with a sudden and severe disruptive effect; A natural disaster is single event over which no human has control; The impact of natural disaster is localized to a geographical region and specific time period; The consequences of a natural disaster are felt at the place and time of its occurrence; The disaster can be a high-impact disaster (e.g. a flood) that has a greater direct effect on the community over a longer period; Rapid onset disasters include earthquakes, flash floods, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, tsunamis, slow onset disasters, droughts, floods, and epidemics Natural phenomena beneath the earths surface Earthquakes Tsunamis Volcanic eruptions Topographical phenomena Landslides Avalanches Meteorological/ hydrological phenomena Windstorms (Cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes) Tornadoes Hailstorms and snowstorms Sea surges Floods Droughts Heat waves/ could waves Biological phenomena Infestations (locust swarms, mealy bug) Epidemics (cholera, dengue, ebola, malaria, measles, meningitis, yellow fever, HIV/ AIDS, tuberculosis) Man-made Characteristics of socio-technical disasters: A socio-technical disaster is a man-made event; A socio-technical disaster occurs in an organisation due to the interaction between internal factors and external factors; It arises suddenly: when the disaster occurs it does so as a shock; A socio-technical disaster is a complex system of interdependence; The impact of a socio-technical disaster sometimes transcends geographical boundaries and can even have trans-generational effects (e.g. Three Mile Island, Bhopal, Chernobyl); Socio-technical disasters do not always have their worst consequences at the point of occurrence; the worst effects can occur long after the event; Socio-technical disasters are characterized by a low probability/ high consequences event; Sudden-impact disasters (e.g. air/road/rail accident) are usually of short duration and have a limited direct effect on the local community; Socio-technical disasters arise not because of a single factor but of accumulated unnoticed events; Disaster involves management procedures which must be maintained, and management problems must be coped with under the conditions of a major technical emergency involving threats of injury and loss of life; Rapid onset disasters include fires, technological disasters, industrial accidents, and transportation accidents; An inquiry report is required Socio-technical Technological disasters Fire Explotions (munitions explosions, chemical explosions, nuclear explosions, mine explosions) Leakage Toxic release Pollutions (pollution, acid rain, chemical pollution, atmospheric pollution) Structural collapse of physical assets Transportation disasters Air disasters Land disasters Sea disasters Stadia or other public places failures Fire Structural collapse Crowd stampede Production failure Computer system breakdown Distribution of defective products Warfare National Civil war between armed groups in the same country Civil strikes Civil disorder Bomb threats/ terrorist attack Inter-national Conventional war War between two armies from different countries Sieges Blockades Non-conventional war Nuclear Chemical Biological Hybrid The characteristics of a hybrid disaster can be the characteristics of both man-made and natural disasters Natural and man-made events Floods ravage community built on known floodplain Location of residential premises, factories, etc., at the foot of an active volcano, or in an avalanche area Landslides Slightly different from those, EM-DAT (2008a) classifies disasters into three groups: Natural disasters Technological disasters Complex emergencies Regarding its scope in terms of sufferer number and/ or geographic areas affected, Gad-el-Hak (2008) distinguishes disasters into five categories as can be seen in Table 4. Table 4. Disaster scope in terms of number of victims and/ or geographic area affected (Source: Gad-el-Hak, 2008) Scope Category No. of sufferers Geographic areas affected Scope I Small disaster Or Scope II Medium disaster 10-100 persons or 1-10 km2 Scope III Large disaster 100-1,000 persons Or 10-100 km2 Scope IV Enormous disaster 1,000-104 persons Or 100-1,000 km2 Scope V Gargantuan disaster > 104 persons Or > 1,000 km2 While the definition of natural disasters and technological disasters are principally the same as those proposed by Shaluf (2007a, b), complex emergencies need a further exploration. Alballa-Bertrand (see Alballa-Bertrand, 2000) proposes the following definition for a complex humanitarian emergency or, in short, complex emergency: ‘A purposeful and unlikely neutral response, intended mostly to counteract the worse effects of the massive human destitution that derive from an overt political phenomenon, which takes the form of a violent, entrenched and long-lasting factionalist conflict or imposition with ultimate institutional aims. On the other hand, ReliefWeb (2008) defines a complex emergency as â€Å"A multifaceted humanitarian crisis in a country, region or society where there is a total or considerable breakdown of authority resulting from internal or external conflict and which requires a multi-sectoral, international response that goes beyond the mandate or capacity of any single agency and/or the ongoing UN country program. Such emergencies have, in particular, a devastating effect on children and women, and call for a complex range of responses.† While Complex Emergency Database (CE-DAT) (2008) defines complex emergency as all crises characterized by extreme vulnerability that display the following features: There exist the unwillingness or incapability of the government to give effective response, leading call for external assistance; Political oppression or armed conflict; Displacement; Increased mortality. 2.1.3 The Increasing Trend of Disaster Occurrences Lichterman (1999) predicts that the frequency of disasters and their effects seem to be increasing. By reviewing various related published sources from 1900-2005, Eshghi and Larson (2008) confirm Lichtermans prediction. A disaster leads to a severe trouble of society, including extensive human misery and physical loss or damage (Davis Lambert, 2002). Both natural and man-made disasters are likely to raise another five-fold over the next fifty years (from the year 2005) due to environmental degradation, rapid urbanization and the spread of HIV/AIDS in less developed world (Thomas Kopczak, 2005). More than 250 million people in the world are affected by disasters every year (IFRC, 2008). In the sense of natural disasters which are then divided into biological, geophysical, climatological, hydrological, and meteorological disasters -, CRED (see Scheuren et al., 2008) reports that there were 414 natural disaster occurrences (excluding biological disasters) in year 2007 which killed 16 847 persons, affected more than 211 million others and caused over 74.9 US$ billion in economic damages. Until year 2004, over 90 percent of natural disasters occurred in developing countries (United Nations ISDR, 2004). By including biological disasters and regrouping natural disasters into three different categories, as follows: Hydro-meteorological disasters: comprising floods and wave surges, storms, droughts and related disasters (extreme temperatures and forest/scrub fires), and landslides avalanches; Geophysical disasters: earthquakes tsunamis and volcanic eruptions fall into this category; Biological disasters: consisting of epidemics and insect infestations; International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) (2008) provides data which shows that there is an increasing trend on the occurrences of natural disasters from 1900 to 2005, as can be seen in Table 5. Table 5. Distribution of natural disasters: by origin (1900-2005, by decades*) *) 2000-2005, six year period The increasing trends of the occurrences of natural disasters between 1900-June 2008 is also documented in EM-DAT (2008b). Regarding the victims, there were 3,470,162,961 people affected by natural disasters for the period of 1991-2005 with a total of 960,502 deaths. Most of the victims (98.1% of people affected and 92.1% of people killed) were located in developing countries and least-developed countries (IFRC, 2008). 2.1.4 Disaster Management Disaster management also known as emergency management (Reliefweb, 2008) is defined as comprehensive approach and activities to reduce the adverse impacts of disasters (Reliefweb, 2008), while disaster operations could be considered as the set of activities that are performed before, during, and after a disaster which are aimed at preventing loss of human life, reducing its impact on the economy, and returning to a normal situation (Altay Green III, 2006). Using the terminology of disaster relief operations (DRO) as substitute to disaster operations, Pujawan et al. (2009) state that DRO consists of a variety of activities such as assessing demands, acquiring commodities, finding out priorities as well as receiving, classifying, storing, tracing and tracking deliveries. Regarding its phases, disaster management could be divided into four phases (Altay Green III, 2006): disaster mitigation, disaster preparedness, disaster response, and disaster recovery. 2.1.5 The Importance of Logistics in Disaster Management Logistics could be defined as follows (see Sheu, 2007a: 655): â€Å"Logistics is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient, effective flow and storage of goods, services and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption for the purpose of conforming to customers[] requirements at the lowest total cost.† Its system operation consists of network design, information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging (see Wu Huang, 2007: 429). There are several Operational Research (OR) techniques utilised in logistics context, including the use of transportation model to determine the location of warehouses and the use of assignment/ allocation model to locate production facilities (Slats et al., 1995: 12), to name a few. In particular, humanitarian logistics could be defined as â€Å"the process of planning, implementing and control ­ling the efficient, cost-effective flow and storage of goods and materials, as well as related information, from point of origin to point of consump ­tion for the purpose of meeting the end beneficiarys requirements† (Thomas Mizushima, January 2005). Similarly, Thomas and Kopczak (2005) define it as â€Å"the process of planning, implementing and controlling the efficient, cost-effective flow and storage of goods and materials, as well as related information, from the point of origin to the point of consumption for the purpose of alleviating the suffering of vulnerable people†. Whereas Sheu (2007a) proposes ‘‘a process of planning, managing and controlling the efficient flows of relief, information, and services from the points of origin to the points of destination to meet the urgent needs of the affected people under emergency conditions as a definition of emergency logistics. Moreover, disaster relief is usually put aside for sudden upheavals such as natural disasters (earthquakes, avalanches, hurricanes, floods, fires, volcano eruptions, etc.) and very few man-made disasters such as terrorist acts or nuclear disasters (Kovà ¡cs Spens, 2007). Relief itself could be understood as â€Å"assistance and/or intervention during or after disaster to meet the life preservation and basic subsistence needs. It can be of emergency or protracted duration† (Reliefweb, 2008). It has been already generally well-known that logistics play a vital role in emergency management. Sheu (2007a) declares that, due to the possibility of disasters occurrences anytime around the world with huge effects, emergency logistics management had appeared as a worldwide-noticeable subject matter. People which are affected by disasters and are uprooted from their rights for food, housing, livelihood and other means of supporting themselves need the delivery of food, medicine, tents, sanitation equipment, tools and other necessities (Whybark, 2007). The science of logistics and supply chain management is becoming more vital for humanitarians (van Wassenhove, 2006), and â€Å"the subject of disaster management is an absolutely fascinating one that is growing in importance† (van Wassenhove, 2003: 19). Oloruntoba (2005) states that, regarding the Indian Ocean tsunami context, the scale of damage and subsequent response lead to problems of coordination, transportation and dis tribution among responding groups. In other affected areas of the Indian Ocean tsunami, Thomas (summer/fall 2006) reports that, at the 60-day point, regardless of the enormous relief efforts, only 60% of the families reported receiving well-timed and sufficient aid. It is therefore acceptable to conclude that good logistics planning plays an important role to the success of an emergency program (Davis Lambert, 2002: 109). Humanitarian logistics is essential to disaster relief for some reasons (Thomas Kopczak, 2005): It is crucial to the effectiveness and speed of response for main humanitarian programs, such as health, food, shelter, water, and sanitation; It can be one of the most expensive elements of a relief effort as it includes procurement and transportation; Since the logistics department handles tracking of commodities through the supply chain, it is often the repository of data that can be analyzed to offer post-event knowledge. In his paper, McEntire (1999) states that the disaster studies must discover ways to improve the provision of relief after certain catastrophe hits. This statement is in line with Perrys (2007) finding which accentuates the availability of logistician cadres as a key element of disaster response, as part of needs assessment and for procuring, transporting, and distributing the relief provisions. Regarding the relief of the Indian Ocean tsunami, the humanitarian organizations providing those relieves acknowledged that relief can and needs to be faster and more efficient (Thomas, 2005). Together with hurricane â€Å"Katrina† disaster, the Indian Ocean tsunami lead to the gap of â€Å"the inability to connect the aid provided with the aid received† (Thomas, 2005) in spite of the unprecedented giving during those two misfortunes. It is also pointed out by Tolentino Jr. (2007) that the Indian Ocean tsunami has provided the will to radically improve disaster management and pl anning, an issue Trims (2004: 224) research agrees with, in a broader disaster relief context. Furthermore, the development of new technology for track/trace and disaster relief supply chains is proposed as one of ways to improve the delivery of humanitarian relief (Baluch, 2007). In the context of the participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in worldwide emergencies (e.g. volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, war), Beamon and Kotleba (2006) point out that the capability of an NGOs supply chain and logistics operations directly influences the success of a relief effort. Whereas Pujawan et al. (2009) propose information visibility, coordination, accountability, and professionalism as successful requirements of logistics for DRO. 2.2 Some Previous Works in Logistics Management The following paragraphs will give a short overview on several aspects in logistics management, especially those which are perceived as having relevance with the current research. They include distribution network design problem, location-allocation problem (LAP), vehicle routing problem (VRP), and location-routing problem (LRP), respectively. 2.2.1 Distribution Network Design Problem Citing Chopra (2003), distribution can be seen as â€Å"the steps taken to move and store a product from the supplier stage to a customer stage in the supply chain†. While distribution networks can be defined as â€Å"networks that carry the flow of some commodity or entity, using a routing rule that is intended to be effective and even optimal† (Whittle, 2007), and distribution network itself could be viewed as similar with the terminology producer network (Ambrosino Scutellà  , 2005: 611). Distribution network design problem tackles the issues of optimizing the flows of commodities through an existing distribution network as well as improving the performance of the existing network by selecting the most appropriate setting of the facilities in the network aimed at satisfying the companys goal at one hand and minimising the overall costs at the other hand (Ambrosino Scutellà  , 2005: 611). It involves facility location, transportation and inventory decisions (Ambrosino Scutellà  , 2005: 611). In other words, the aim of distribution network design problem is on deciding the best way of moving goods or products from resource/ supply points to destination/ demand points which is performed by determining the structure of the network, in a such a way that the customer demands are satisfied and the total distribution costs are minimized (Ambrosino et al., 2009: 442). In Amiris (2006: 567-568) paper, distribution network design is stated as involving the simultaneous decis ions on the best settings of both plants and warehouses and on the best strategy in the sense of product distribution from the plants to the warehouses and from the warehouses to the customers, respectively. Meanwhile, the term â€Å"distribution system design† refers to â€Å"the strategic design of the logistics infrastructure and logistics strategy to deliver products from one or more sources to the customers† (Goetschalckx, 2008: 13-1) and similar to Ambrosino et al.s (2009) statement on distribution network design problem focuses on five phases of interconnected decisions, as follows (Goetschalckx, 2008: 13-2): Establishing the appropriate quantity of distribution centers (DCs); Setting up the location of each DC; Allocating customers to each DC; Allocating appropriate commodities to each DC; and Determining the throughput and storage capacity of each DC. Various models and approaches that have been built for designing distribution system or distribution network, to name a few, are (Goetschalckx, 2008: 13-8-13-15; Lapierre et al., 2004): K-median model, location-allocation model, warehouse location model, Geoffrion and Graves distribution system design model, models that focus on mathematical description of cost functions on each route in order to incorporate returns to scale, models of which concentration are in shipments on hub-to-hub routes regarding discounts, and models that aim at solving the freight transportation problem precisely. 2.2.2 Location-Allocation Problem (LAP) As previously stated in Goetschalckx (2008), LAP could be seen as part of distribution network design problems. Given the place of a set of customers with different demands, LAP is concerned with the selection of supply centres positions dedicated for serving the customers as well as the decision of the allocation of the customers to supply centres, with both of them are aimed at optimizing a given criterion (Hsieh Tien, 2004: 1017). It is also assumed that there is no interaction among supply centres. The criterion could be single such as transportation costs (see, for example, Goetschalckx, 2008; Zhou Liu, 2003; Manzini Gebennini, 2008) or it may comprises several aspects (see, for example, Mitropoulos et al., 2006). The following paragraphs provide some previous researches on LAP. The un-capacitated-type LAP with rectilinear distances could be found in Hsieh and Tien (2004). In this paper, the authors propose a heuristic method which is based on Kohonen self-organising feature maps (SOFMs). Sometimes distribution networks are built in hierarchies, where high-level distribution channels are constructed in straight lines from which low-level channels stem. Furthermore, destinations are allocated to branching facilities in high-level channels through low-level channels. Due to cost considerations, the number and locations of branching facilities as well as the allocation of the destinations to the aforementioned branching facilities need to be determined correctly. Eben-Chaime et al.s (2002) paper addresses this type of problem by formulating appropriate mathematical optimisation models and subsequently proposing heuristic solution methods. Capacitated LAP with stochastic demands is addressed by Zhou and Liu (2003). More specifically, they propose three types of stochastic programming models: (1) expected value model (EVM), (2) chance-constrained programming (CCP), and (3) dependent-chance programming (DCP). To solve these models efficiently, the authors develop a hybrid intelligent algorithm within which three type stochastic simulations are used. The proposed algorithm integrates the network simplex algorithm, stochastic simulation and genetic algorithm. In more recent paper, Zhou and Liu (2007) address the LAP with fuzzy demands by developing three types of fuzzy programming models fuzzy expected cost minimisation model, fuzzy -cost minimisation model, and credibility maximisation model with respect to different decision criterion. To solve these models, the authors apply a hybrid intelligent algorithm developed previously (see Zhou and Liu, 2003). Nonetheless, instead of using stochastic simulations, they are developing and employing fuzzy simulations. Similar with the abovementioned paper, Wen and Imamura (2008) also address LAP with fuzzy demands. For this type of problem, they build a fuzzy -cost model under the Hurwicz criterion. The problem is subsequently solved using the same algorithm as in Zhou and Liu (2007). The establishment of mixed integer programming optimisation models for multi-period, multi-stage LAPs could be found in Manzini and Gebennini (2008). In their paper, the authors develop optimisation models each for the following classes of multi-period, multi-stage LAPs: (1) single-commodity, multi-period, two-stage LAPs, (2) multi-commodity, multi-period, two-stage LAPs, (3) single-commodity, multi-period, two-stage open/ closed LAPs, and single-commodity, multi-period, three-stage LAPs. The application of various search methods to a generalised class of LAPs known as multi-facility location problem with generalised objects (MFLPO) is presented by Bischoff and Dà ¤chert (2009). The end of the paper gives comparison of the involved search methods for various sizes of test problem. Research on LAP in health service context could be found in Harper et al. (2005) and Mitropoulos et al. (2006). The former addresses the need to plan health services which takes geographical aspects into consideration. The problem is formulated as a stochastic LAP. The latter paper, on the other hand, develops a bi-objective model to solve the LAP arise in determining the location of hospitals and health centres and the allocation of the patients to those facilities. 2.2.3 Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) In its most basic form (e.g. Bulbul et al., 2008; Laporte, 2007), VRP is concerned with the optimal delivery or collection routes for a limited number of identical vehicles with limited capacities from a central depot/ warehouse to a set of geographically scattered customers. It assumes that the vehicles are at the central depot/ warehouse initially. It also requires the existence of the routes that connect the central depot/ warehouse to customers and customers to customers as well. In this type of VRP, a route must start and finish at the depot and a customer is visited by exactly one vehicle. The total demand of customers served by one vehicle could not exceed the vehicles capacity, and the ultimate goal is to minimise the total routing costs. Since its introduction by Dantzig and Ramser in 1959 (Bulbul et al., 2008), it has given rise to a rich body of works (Laporte, 2007). In 2008, searching the words vehicle routing problem by using Google scholar search results more than 21,700 entries (Golden et al. (eds), 2008). Laportes (1992) paper provides various exact methods and heuristics developed to solve the VRP. Several meta-heuristics intended to solve the classical VRP could be traced from his more recent paper (2007), while Toth and Vigos (2002) paper presents various existing exact algorithms for the solution of classical VRP. The comparison of descent heuristics, simulated annealing, and tabu search in solving VRP is addressed by Van Breedam (2001). Jozefowiez et al. (2008), on the other hand, give a survey on works that have been carried out on multi-objective VRP. A range of VRP variants can be seen in Crainic and Laporte (eds., 1998), Bulbul et al. (2008), and Golden et al. (eds., 2008). Other variants also exist: VRP with stochastic demands and VRP with backhaul. Different classification of VRP could be found in Pisinger and Ropkes (2007) paper. The following sub-sections mention examples of works on some of them, while new directions in modelling and algorithms for various types of LRP could be found in Part II of Golden et al.s (eds., 2008) edited book. 2.2.3.1 VRP with Time Windows In this type of VRP, customer i may only be visited within a time window [ai, bi] (see, e.g., Kontoravdis Bard, 1995; Badeau et al., 1997; Bouthillier Crainic, 2005; Fà ¼genschuh, 2006; Hsu et al., 2007; Kim, et al., 2006; Dondo Cerdà ¡, 2007; Kallehauge et al., 2007). 2.2.3.2 VRP with Pickup and Delivery When the vehicles need to deliver commodities to customers and collect items for example, defective products from them as well, then this is called a VRP with pickup and deliveries. Research papers by Nagy Salhi (2005), Wassan et al. (2008), Wassan et al. (2008), Gribkovskaia et al. (2008), Hoff et al. (2009), and Ai Kachitvichyanukul (2009) are several examples on it. 2.2.3.3 VRP with Backhaul In this type of VRP, the customers are separated into two mutually exclusive subsets so that the first subset of customers receives commodities whereas the second one sends back the products. Additionally, the second subset of customers are only served after the first one. The first subset is called line-haul customers and the second one is named backhaul customers. The f

Imperialism :: essays research papers

Modern World Extensive European imperialism took place between 1875 and 1914. This was a time when European countries took over many parts of Africa and Asia. According to the Modern World Issues Textbook imperialism is â€Å" The policy of extending one’s rule over many lands.† There are many views on this topic yet in my opinion Imperialism should have never taken place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As in the story King Mojimba Meets his first white man, the Africans were standing with outstretched arms when the Europeans arrived. The Africans went to meet the Europeans and welcome them as brothers, but the Europeans immediately began firing their guns when they arrived. There is no reason why the Europeans needed to take over parts of Asia and Africa when these people did nothing to give the Europeans reason to do so.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone has something to contribute to society but the Europeans never gave anyone but themselves a chance to contribute a single thing The Europeans never gave the Africans or Asians a time to show what they had to offer. And the Europeans certainly did have a lot to offer. They had to offer their knowledge of eating, warfare, and their general knowledge of the world around them. The Europeans looked at the Africans and Asians as worthless. This was one of the reasons the Europeans did not give these groups a chance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If there had not been the Imperialism the world would be a lot different than it is today. Asians and Africans would be much more respected and would have the same opportunities as everyone else. Even though our constitution gives all groups equal right and freedom they do not get it from the people they live with every day. There is still quite a lot of prejudice in the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"To the Social Darwinists the anti-imperialists replied by denying that the struggle for existence applied to human groups in the way it applied to plants and animals†, (Hobson, 2A).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although many believe that the Imperialism should never have taken place many look at another way. â€Å" The whites, outnumbered in a harsh world, had to organize themselves and hold non-whites off†, (Chamberlain, 1B). In other words there were more Africans and Asians than Europeans. The Europeans felt intimidated by this and felt the need to fight back and take-over. The Europeans were a little cocky and said that they in fact were the best.

College or University Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commence

Hello, good morning and welcome to graduation for the class of 2012. I have waited to hear those words for 5 years - and by the looks on all of my fellow graduates faces, I am not alone. Think with me for a minute about the process we have gone through which has gathered us here today. Our stories of these past years are not much different. Whether you went to a community college, transferred here from another four-year school or started your freshman year in the dorms near the entrance of this campus, we are finally finishing together. My brother asked me how I was able to finish college. I told him it is because I enjoy learning and I always finish. No matter if I unplug my computer and lose all my work, I stay up until I finish. In my opinion the joy of learning and the gift of finishing are not things we learn in college. These are skills we bring with us and apply to our studies. And no matter where or how you learn them, you never forget them. I can credit my mom for giving me the joy of learning. I spent my first five years of life growing up in a small town called Plain. Given the name of Plain I’m sure I don’t have to waste your time explaining the ins and outs of this small community. The one colorful part about Plain was the people who lived there. Being that an elementary school was so far away, the community set up a home school system and my mom was one of the teachers. Having my mom as a teacher in kindergarten was like having recess all day long. However, she could always get me involved using her amazing imagination. When our family had to move to North Fork, Colorado to follow my dad’s job, my mother continued to teach me as well as my brother Andy. Her creativity never stopped... ...sh a job, I am a college graduate and will now work smarter. As a speaker at our graduation I am supposed to represent all of the graduating class from State University but I don’t see the relevancy in that. I am only one story in this diverse group of experiences. However, we were all achievers growing up, we have been a success in college and we will be the difference in the future and that is something I am proud to represent. Allow me to speak for all of us when I say thank you to this school for giving us our college experiences, to the teachers in our departments for opening our minds to the world and to all those who have shaped our lives up until this point giving us the drive to learn and the ability to finish this monumental goal. We will make it up to each and everyone of you in the future with our positive influence on the world. Thank you†¦

The Soul :: essays research papers

The Soul Open Letter of Apology:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have come to the conclusion that we are all responsible for the destruction of the human mind. We are all at fault for breeding hate, ignorance, and worst of all any known and/or association to an --ism. Should we all band as one and focus on a better future or let the mind fester in its own propaganda filled atmosphere? Are we really to blame, for not being able to see what truly is rising in today's society?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The acceptance of brainwashing of America's youth should not go unspoken. They stand on the corner of every block wishing they were someone else; and due to this they form their own falsified family of â€Å"friends†; to which they all drink, smoke and/or do other mind altering drugs in which they choose to escape reality or just plain â€Å"relax†. This should not be going on; not now, not tomorrow, not ever.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hostility grows from within to which an entity of peace can force upon such utopia, with just that; force. It shouldn't be sugar coated, but just bluntly said; as with a philosophy or certain thought pattern. The weak will not grasp onto an idea, but learn slowly as the strong teach them and lead them by their hands to acceptance within themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hard times have approached, I know this; but to embrace a crutch that serves as an excuse should not be tolerated. A crutch such as no respect for other's bodies or your own to which you engage in promiscuous sex is deemed as ignorant; plain and simple. Unfortunately if such actions were to partake and an unwanted pregnancy was to occur â€Å"In cases of incest or rape, obviously the mother should not have to expose herself to further emotional trauma of carrying the child full term. However, we feel the view and use of abortion as a means of birth control is wrong†-Earth Crisis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I stand up for what I believe in, try to do my best and stick to my own corner. I am not a vegan, but I do have respect for every living organism: animal or plant, and I try to educate as many people as can on many topics as possible. The underlined theme should only be, do what you feel is fit, and accomplish what you can, push yourself to what you think your potential is. Just because you're not a certain categorization doesn't mean that you shouldn't educate. II. Statement of The Soul:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I've spoken many times before, but it seems that people are refusing to listen. The message is clear, yet utterly spoken.

Descriptive Names

THE PEARL OF THE ORIENT SEAS During the early ages, many Filipinos use pearls for accessories. The Philippines as we all know is really surrounded by different bodies of water because of these, many sea divers dive in seas just to get big and beautiful pearls. The Philippines is also rich in natural resources containing beautiful places because to these, they export different sizes of pearls in the different parts of the country. With all its grandeur and magnificence, the Pearl of the Orient Seas lays claim to its naturally abundant environment with beautiful beaches and enthralling panoramic sights.In the past few decades the Philippines have been frequented by tourists for countless reasons. The Philippine sunset is one of the most breathtaking views one could ever see. You would love to feel that fleeting bliss when you see the sky tinted with scarlet, the scarcely diffused light of the setting sun as twilight unfolds. VOCABULARY: GRANDUER – the quality or condition of bei ng grand magnificent ENTHRALLING – something you enjoy and give your complete attention and interestFLEETING – used to describe something which only last for a very short time REFLECTION: Philippines is a beautiful place which is abundant with natural resources especially different kind of pearls. The Philippine sunset is the most beautiful creation that God has given. With these abundance tourist love to come in the Philippines. The Philippines was named the The Pearl of the Orient Seas because of its abundance of pearls which is located in the Philippine Sea Jean Aeriel Marie A. Manansala Gr. 4 – CourtesyTHE LAND OF THE RISING SUN The Japanese called their country, Nihon, which means â€Å"the source of the sun† or â€Å"the land of the rising sun†, because it is so far east. It is a land of mountains and lakes, of great cities and skyscrapers. And it is one of the wealthiest and most technologically advanced countries of the world. The Japanese built their national and cultural heritage on a chain of volcanic islands. The transition from a closed society to one that opened to the outside world had a profound effect on Japan.Even today, when Japan is super-modern and technological, it retains a stark conservativeness and guards its unique tradition very closely. Our tour provides a wonderful opportunity to visit this amazing country where the ancient and the innovative are wonderfully interwoven; contemporary and traditional architecture embrace one another; amazing scenery and bustling cities; and polite, welcoming people everywhere. VOCABULARY: SKYCRAPERS – a very tall buildings INTERWOVEN – very closely connected or are combined with each otherBUSTLING – a place with people with very busy or lively activities REFLECTION: Japan is one of the most polite country in the world. The Japanese are so hospitable with tourist. Japan is one of the most advance country. Japan is a place where people will be ama zed because of its ancient and heritage living. Jean Aeriel Marie A. Manansala Gr. 4 – Courtesy THE LAND OF GOLDEN PAGODAS Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is recognized by the world as the Golden Land. It is one of the earliest homes of mankind, where one can have exclusive experiences of a life-time.You have to find out why. Myanmar, officially Union Of Myanmar, also called Burma, Burmese Myanmar, or Pyidaungzu Myanmar Naingngandaw, is a country lying along the eastern coasts of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea in southeast Asia. It is a land of hills and valleys and is rimmed in the north, east and west by mountain ranges forming a giant horseshoe. Enclosed within the mountain barriers are the flat lands of Ayeyarwaddy, Chindwin and Sittaung River valleys where most of the country's agricultural land and population are concentrated.Myanmar is endowed with a rich diversity of habitat types arising largely from its unusual ecological diversity. It is home to nearly 300 known mammal species, 300 reptiles and about 100 birds species, and a haven for about 7,000 species of plant life. Since Myanmar considers such a rich pool of bio diversity as an important national asset, the Government has drawn up strict regulations to protect its biological resources. As some folktales have said, the map of the country itself resembles the figure of a dancing lady. VOCABULARY:RIMMED – has color or substance around its border BARRIERS – something that makes it difficult or impossible for something to happen or be achieved. ENDOWED – desirable ability, characteristic, or possession that ones have which they have by birth or by chance. REFLECTION: Myanmar is a place of mankind where we can experience in a life time. Myanmar is a beautiful place where we can find different kinds of animals. It is a place where one should go and experience the beauty of nature. Jean Aeriel Marie A. Manansala Gr. 4 – Courtesy THE TINY DRAGON OF ASIALying on the eastern part of the Indochinese peninsula, Vietnam is a strip of land shaped like the letter â€Å"S†. China borders it to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, the East Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the east and south. Vietnam is considered one of the most popular destinations in the south-east of Asia. Hanoi, the capital of the country, is an ancient city, the political, economic and cultural center. The city began its rapid development in the 11th century, when the Emperor Wan Li Kong, moved his capital to the citadel of Thang-Long.Today it is one of the most interesting cities in Asia, with its wide avenues and European-style skyscrapers, numerous lakes, parks and fountains interspersed with hundreds of colonial houses and pagodas. VOCABULARY: RAPID – fast or quick CITADEL – a strong building where people could shelter for safety INTERSPERSED – the second thing happen or occur between or among the first thing REFLECTION: Vietnam is a land which is shaped like a letter â€Å"S†. Vietnam has a lot of ancient cities where tourist are fun of. With Vietnam’s development it is now one of the most exciting place in Asia because of its wide avenues and tall buildings.Jean Aeriel Marie A. Manansala Gr. 4 – Courtesy RICHEST NATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA From the 14th to the 16th century, Brunei was the center of a powerful native sultanate occupying what are now Sabah and Sarawak and extending northward through the Philippines almost to Manila. By the 19th century, much of this empire had been whittled away by war, piracy, and the colonial expansion of European nations. During the 1970s, Brunei emerged as the richest state in Southeast Asia, profiting from its oil wealth and the steep increases in international oil prices.Much of this vast oil income has been expended by the state on modernization and social services. VOCABULARY: WHITTED – having wits or understanding, intelligence as specified C OLONIAL – controlled by powerful countries VAST – extremely large REFLECTION: Brunei is one of the most richest country in the world. Brunei is lead by a sultan. Brunei uses its own natural resource to develop their country most especially their oil wealth. This is why Brunei was named as the richest nation in Southeast Asia. Jean Aeriel Marie A. Manansala Gr. 4 – Courtesy THE LAND OF JEWELSSri Lanka – the teardrop shaped nation, said to be the jewel of the Orient has always attracted travelers to its shores because of its white beaches, beautiful historic ruins and fascinating culture. The land of spices, nature and history. Floating like an emerald jewel in the dreamy Indian Ocean, the captivating isle of Sri Lanka stands as testament to the beauty of Mother Nature’s handiwork. One of Asia's most biologically diverse countries, Sri Lanka is home to elephants, leopards, buffalo, deer, monkeys, squirrels, snakes, chameleons as well as hundreds of b ird species.The island of Sri Lanka, also known as â€Å"Ceylon† has a long heritage for gem-mining and trading that dates back some 2,000 years. Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated in the Indian Ocean, off the southeastern tip of India. Sri Lanka has earned its namesake as the â€Å"Island of Gems,† or â€Å"Gem Island† (Ratna Dweepa), with its abundance of corundum gems, chrysoberyl and alexandrite, garnet, moonstone, peridot, spinel, topaz, tourmaline, and zircon. Sri Lanka has been known by many different names. Due to the rich gem stone deposits, the Arabs named it ‘Serendip' meaning â€Å"Island of Jewels'.VOCABULARY: RUINS – a part or remains after it has been damaged or destroyed HERITAGE – qualities, traditions or features of life that have been continued over many years and have been passed on from one generation to another CORUNDUM – an extremely hard mineral REFLECTION: Sri Lanka attracts its tourist because of the bea uty of its white beaches, historic places and fascinating cultures. Sri Lanka proves the beauty of Mother Nature’s handworks. Sri Lanka is abundant with gems this is why it was called the land of jewels.