Henry David Thoreau, Less is More, and Fenway Park Essay

Henry David Thoreau, one of America’s most well-known New Englanders, would most probably be disappointed with recent proposals to dismantle Fenway Park in order to construct a more profitable baseball park. The past two decades have witnessed a pervasive sports trend in which professional sports franchises have sought to maximize revenues by abandoning or tearing down old stadiums in order to construct modern stadiums that incorporate a variety of other income-generating facilities into the larger sports stadium design. In Toronto, for instance, hotels and department stores have been attached to the baseball stadium in order for the owners of the Toronto Blue Jays to generate more profits through the creation of hotel and shopping markets. In the Bronx, to take another example, the venerable Yankees of New York made a decision to abandon the mythical park known as Yankees stadium in order to construct a larger and more extravagant baseball stadium right next to the old stadium. Many times, the pursuit of greater profits in this respect involves the use of essentially extortionary methods by greedy owners of sports franchises in order to force municipalities to allocate scare tax dollars toward the renovation or construction of sports facilities under a threat that the sports franchise will move to a new city willing to spend tax dollars on their behalf. The role that greed plays in this trend cannot be denied; indeed, with respect to the Red Sox, they have recently broken the curse of the Bambino by finally prevailing in the World Series and consistently sell the majority of their tickets in addition to substantial amounts of merchandise. It is unquestionable, for instance, that â€Å"The ballpark was packed with avid fans, as it always is† (Dreier 18) and that the Red Sox are one of America’s most recognizable brand names. Nonetheless, despite an extraordinarily loyal fan base and a baseball park considered one of the most aesthetically pleasing in all of sport, the Red Sox ownership is determined to raze Fenway Park in order to construct a completely new stadium. The ownership’s primary rationale is that â€Å"the current park, with 33,871 seats (the smallest in the major leagues), is â€Å"economically obsolete† and that they need the additional revenue from luxury boxes, stadium seats, and the other frills of newfangled stadiums in order to â€Å"compete† with teams that have them† (Dreier 18). Proposals for renovations have been rejected by Red Sox ownership on the grounds that a new stadium is cheaper than renovations. What emerges from proposals to destroy Fenway Park in order to construct a new stadium is fundamentally a portrait of greed. Ownership is not satisfied with current profits, even though they have proven more than adequate to compete, and one is left to wonder how much is too much and whether the smaller park might be a critical reason underlying the Red Sox mystique. Thoreau would likely be highly critical of such proposals and the proffered rational. Thoreau: Personal Style, Less is More, and Simplicity Henry David Thoreau’s mystique is intimately connected to his highly personalized writing style and his philosophical orientation. In terms of his writing style, for instance, Thoreau prefers to speak directly to his readers rather than to rely on third person narrative techniques. To this end, Thoreau rather consistently writes in the first person in a way that creates a type of conversational dialogue between the writer and the reader. In creating the context of his work Life in the Woods, Thoreau employs this first person conversation style by writing â€Å"When I wrote the following pages†¦I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from my neighbor, in a house which I had built myself† and further that â€Å"I earned my labor by the work of my hands alone. I lived there for two years and two months† (n. p. ). In addition to employing a heavily dependent first person type of narrative, Thoreau also relies on personal observations and experiences in order to test and to support his theories and his conclusions. His is a uniquely hands-on type of narrative in which he derives his insights from personal experiences rather than from hearsay taken from the observations and experiences of other people. To be sure, Thoreau does at times reference the theories and the works of other people. He is obviously a well-read writer and he cites proverbs and theories from people as diverse as famous Buddhists, Hindus, and Western writers. All of these outside references, however, are structurally subordinate to his own observations, theoretical premises, and proffered conclusions. This type of first person narrative gives rise to what is extraordinarily analogous to a type of personal and philosophical quest in which Thoreau appears to be challenging conventional wisdom in several respects. Thus, in addition to a writing style that is deeply personal, Thoreau also succeeds in allowing the reader to share in his journey or quest. This is because his writing is richly descriptive in a way that makes it nearly impossible to sever the descriptions of New England’s natural environment from the philosophical and economic assumptions and conclusions that he is simultaneously addressing, considering, and commenting upon. At the same that he discusses the economics of constructing his house he also describes in excruciating detail the type of natural materials used for the construction and the benefits of understanding the qualities of these raw materials in order to most effectively construct his new home. Nature, in effect, represents both a source of intellectual illumination and a liberty to live life in a manner than obviates destructive human characteristics such as greed and desperation in the face of perceived deprivations. He remarks in this respect that I go and come with a strange liberty in Nature, a part of herself (n.  p. ). Thoreau’s writing style, in sum, is deeply personal and it invites the reader to join his search for meaning in a world in which human existence cannot be severed from nature. Although he is most well-known as a literary philosopher, a careful review of Thoreau’s writing also demonstrates that he comments to a great extant on economics as well. He basically argues that human beings have made daily life too complicated. It has become too complicated because people desire things such as fame, money, and extravagance in ways that have no limitation. There is no final stage of happiness, people always want more, and as a result people are destined to be unhappy because there is no comfortable or moderate level of accomplishment. He states in this respect that â€Å"Most men†¦through mere ignorance or mistake, are so occupied with the facetious cares and superfluously coarse labours of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them† (n. p. ). People therefore need to set modest goals consistent with nature in ways that will result in contentment and moderation. He characterizes this as a simple approach to life in which happiness is best achieved by avoiding extreme desires. Desperation, whether in terms of fame or profit, is therefore a destructive and should be avoided. In addition to being well-known as a philosopher, there is much economic discussion and wisdom in Thoreau’s writings. The fundamental economic theme advocated by Thoreau is that â€Å"When it comes to economic consumption, less is more† (Cafaro 26). A desperate desire for public acclaim and wealth wastes natural resources and is unnecessary to the attainment of a successful and happy life. In short, Thoreau’s personalized writing style functions as a type of personal appeal for human beings to become happier and more self-sufficient by using resources wisely and by being content with reasonable limits in daily life rather than pursuing ever higher levels of artificial accumulation. Fenway Park through Thoreau’s Eyes Upon learning of the proposed demolition of Fenway Park, I decided to pack up my backpack with some clothes and camped in the visitor’s bullpen. It was my desire to learn whether the players and the fans were happy with the stadium. I spent afternoons in the parking lot, attending tailgate parties with fans, and evenings in my perch in the bullpen chatting with home and visiting players. I did not have to purchase tickets, the owners of the Red Sox having invited me to live in the bullpen for a month hoping that I would lend their proposals a vote of confidence after personally witnessing the ostensibly decrepit state of the famed stadium, and I crafted a tent from practice uniforms and baseball bats in the evening to shield me from the chilly climate of Boston’s evenings and early mornings. Shelter and access secure, I turned my attentions to warming my body and found that the natural confines of Boston were more than adequate for purposes of sustenance. The fans offered hot dogs during games, hamburgers during tailgate parties, and vendors were always kind enough to provide me with care packages on days that the Red Sox played away or had open dates. I was, in sum, housed and fed and free to engage in my observations of the fans and players in Fenway Park. Most players and fans seemed genuinely happy and content, subject of course to the scores of individual games, and as I sat in the bullpen I thought I began to understand. It is true that Fenway Park is an extraordinarily old baseball stadium, that it is not as shiny or polished as other stadiums in the league, and yet there was a natural and pristine quality that seemed in many ways to transcend contemporary baseball. The morning dew clung to the outfield grasses of green and contributed to the firm natural turf in a way that allowed the outfielders to maintain a firm footing rather than sliding or slipping in pursuit of line drives slapped by hitters into the gaps. The grass dried in the afternoons and was soft enough to cushion a player’s fall if diving for a pop-up became necessary. The grasses of Fenway were both aesthetically pleasing, a part of Boston’s natural environment, and friend rather than for players tumbling to the ground. It occurred to me one early morning that other stadiums had torn up their natural grass and replaced it with Astroturf and other forms of artificial grass. The motives were fundamentally economic in nature, premised in an accountant’s calculation that maintenance fees would be cheaper so that profits could be maximized, and the results were disappointing. These artificial turfs faded in color and peeled. Fans and players complained. The sun glared off the turf and blinded fans who had paid good money for tickets. The smell of the grass was gone and the fields became plastic stages rather than natural turfs. More, the comforting textures of grass fields torn up, players began to suffer more injuries and more serious types of injuries on artificial turf. Under the turf, another cost-saving measure, was a concrete and hard-rubber base. Players suffered ligament tears previously uncommon on grass fields and bones were more frequently broken when players have fallen on the grass. The turf is unnatural, it is unforgiving, and it does not interact naturally with the human body. This illustrates the danger of change premised on profit without a due regard being given to other salient factors. The artificial turf denigrated the visual aesthetic of watching a baseball game in person and led to decreased ticket sales; in the same way, increased injuries led to more expensive medical bills and lost playing time that imposed costs far in excess of the initial savings envisioned when the grass was torn out and the artificial turf was installed. Alterations have consequences and it is difficult to imagine fixing something that is not broken. The grass in Fenway represents the purity of the game and is firmly etched in the minds of all that have visited as fans or played as players at Fenway Park. Fans and players are satisfied, the quality of the game is intact, and the ownership’s preoccupation with profit must be analyzed in light of the downfalls experienced in the case of artificial turf. There is more to baseball, both as a sport and as entertainment, that size and glamour. The beauty is in the finer details and the owners would be well-advised to consider the risks of destroying a beautiful thing for profit alone. It would also be wise to consider the consequences of replacing the lovingly certain with the uncertain. A peek into the stands demonstrates fans who are committed, loyal, and knowledgeable. There is a sea of Red Sox colors, families cheering and grimacing, and a uniformity of aspiration that seems difficult if not impossible to attain in outside settings. These fans are possessed with a common cause, the success of their beloved Red Sox, and this singularness of purpose transcends differences in their individual lives and diverse backgrounds and personalities. Fenway is a unifying force, it has since its inception been a unifying force for the people of New England generally and Bostonians more specifically, and this unity has been cultivated and reinforced by human fascination by such structures as the Green Monster in left field and such Red Sox heroes as Ted Williams. One might copy the Green Monster, a short but towering fence in left field, but it would never be the same in a new field. More, given ownership’s perverse fascination with profit, it is plausible that the new left field fence would be lowered to accommodate more seats capable of selling more tickets. A new park would become standard rather than distinctive and one of the park’s major draws would be eliminated. The same is true with the way in which memories of past heroes would be dished; ted Williams batted over . 400 while walking and running within the confine of Fenway Park; his memory would fade with the demolished park. Heroes and physical attractions are attached to Fenway park and cannot be duplicated. Finally, there are questions pertaining to audience; as a writer, I am well aware of the fact that audiences are truer indicators of fame and reception than profits. What quality of fan, for instance, shall be attracted to a modern stadium with modern and non-baseball related amenities? Will the common man be priced out of attending Red Sox games in a sport cathedral dedicated to profit rather than community and sport? These are questions worth considering; they are worth considering because, in truth, the fame of the Red Sox is dependent on its natural environment. This natural environment, in turn, includes the history of the franchise, the intimacy that Fenway Park cultivates between fan and franchise, and an audience that is fervently dedicated to the team. Removing Fenway Park may very well destroy these symbiotic relations and taint the brand value of the Boston Red Sox. Tearing down Fenway Park for a new stadium is like tearing down the forests for a new housing development. Nothing will ever be the same.

Partisan polarization in the congress Essay

The statement saying that the Policymaking in Congress has been increasingly plagued by Partisan Polarization is very true. To support this fact we can have a look at the evidences available to us in the form of the chaos and uneven passing of the bills. Actually, each year the Congress is expected to pass nearly 13 bills, which funds the operation of the federal government. It should be written, debated and then be passed in both the houses and get the consent signature of the president. If this does not happens than the government is expected to have shut down. Thus, a regular movement of these bills year after year proves the proper procedures confirmation working in the Congress. Its movement helps in studying the members behavior overtime and how changes in preferences affect the legislative body in the law making process. Partisan Polarization in the Congress: By Partisan we mean a one-sided or biased decision making of some people like the politicians in the interest of their own party without taking into view of the national interest. Polarization is a move that these political parties make from centrist to extreme political positions. The motive behind partisan polarization is not just to keep an issue before the legislature but to gain the faith of a definite section of society so that they cast vote in their favor during the upcoming elections. For instance, A Muslim supporting lobby in the Congress always supports the decision-makings in the favor of most Muslim countries. Like a lobby of Muslims in the Congress always cast their vote in favor of giving Pakistan, huge chunk of financial aid. In the recent days, one more Partisan Polarization has been seen in the President’s comment. Through out the ruling period the President of United States, George Bush, has been supporting India on nuclear issues, but during the end of his reign he came under the pressure of Partisan polarization and announced Indian middle class as the root cause of Inflation in the whole world. His stand was that Indian middle class is getting wealthier day by day, and their number is much more than the whole population of United States. But the fact is that Indians faces more problems regarding malnutrition, millions of people do not even get all three times meal. While the corn used in United States to make petrol can feed a whole family for one year. The percentage of wastage of food and other items is much more as compared to Indians. Thus here temper flares and partisan spirit provokes new hostility among the Indians and the Americans, raising up people who have patience and restraints. Thus these kinds of statement increases partisan polarization in United States. Causes of Partisan Polarization in the United States: A number of causes of partisan polarization have been observed in the United States. Among them the most common are as follows. A. Ethnic or religious violence. That is a not so note worthy issue is highlighted again and again to get the benefit in the upcoming elections. For instance, the scandal of Bill Clinton came before the public during his upcoming election campaign. It shows clearly that the issue of ethics was highlighted with the view to destroy the image of Bill Clinton, aiming him to loose elections. Similarly if a religious attack occur between two sects than the political leaders does not act as negotiators but as the leg puller’s which in turn results in more violence, distrust and spread hatred. B. Counter-violence that may occur in reaction to the ethnic violence or religious violence. In case a sect of society has suffered due to religious violence and the ruling party is still quite than the result in increased anger among the people and the counter violence emerges resulting in chaos in the area. C. Political leaders aiming to win next election make such comments which flair a feeling of unhappiness or may even result in anger between the two parties, countries or two sections of society. The main motive is still to get more votes and not the benefit of any section of society. D. Changes in electoral system, made by the ruling party, also become the cause of partisan polarization. Actually by doing this, an attempt is made to benefit a section of society supporters than the median voter. United States is a country wherein people from around the world come in search of food, job and wealth. Either its Asian or African, Either European or Latin American every country resident wants to come to United States to test his/her fate. Due to this reason the population of the migrants has been increasing in the United States. The result is that these migrants try to make their own lobby in the Congress. Every sect of society tries to preserve its own interest leaving behind the national issues and profit of the nation. And the political leader becomes the puppet in their hands and tries to achieve their macro level goals. Therefore to preserve the interest various group of people a lobby of every country, caste or religion has made its own place in the Congress of the United States. So, whenever a policy making body starts working, each lobby tries to effect the decision making process. The purpose is to mend it as much as it benefits their specific interest. Â  The fact is that due to different parties and their different ideologies, every party wants to impose its own will and shape the upcoming legislative decision as per their own comfort. Ideologies of the political parties leading to partisan polarization: The Ideologies of the major two political parties has also become the root cause of partisan polarization in the United States. The Republicans are always in favor of controlling the international politics through their imperialist thinking. While the other big political party, the Democrats wants to see the whole world changing in to a democratic state. And to achieve their goals both the political parties takes such decision which were not necessarily required but in turn results in a heavy loss of men and money to the country. During the reign of Bill Clinton (Democrat President), a lot of financial aid was given to Asian countries to bring Democracy in their countries. Pakistan military cue, Nepal Maoist movement etc all were discouraged by the president of United States and money was spent in the form of financial aid to force these countries to bring back democracy. On the other side, George Bush (Republican President), made country fought the battle in Afghanistan, Iraq and now playing mind games with Iran. Â  The result was again loss of money and this time loss of men too. Due to this over expenditure on the treasury of United States, the country is facing many financial problems. The stock market has depreciated, Inflation rise up, slow down in the progress of the country has been confirmed. And now the over expenditure has resulted in lesser money available to take the country of this problem. The increasing prices of daily commodities are also adding fuel against the present government. The other problems faced by the country is rising unemployment and depleting standard of living of the common people. All this and more may be expected just because the ideologies of these political parties and politicians do not think for Americans. Effects of Partisan Polarization: The result of partisan polarization is that major decisions for the necessary progress of the country has to face unnecessary delays. The legislative assembly has to face major set backs while framing different policies. The policy makers also faces difficulties in bringing out the legislation as the lobbies in the house effects adversely the movement of the bill, and delay in passing of the specific may prove futile. The 13 appropriations or the spending bills that needs to be passed swiftly, faces difficulty to pass in both the houses, especially the Senate. Not only that there are rumors in the general public regarding bribery taking of the elected members of the legislative for delaying or hindering the progress of certain bills. The politicians are mainly considered responsible by the public for making unnecessary delays in the policy-making framework and slowing down process of passing bills. Some people even think that these delay-making politicians has taken bribes from the enemies of the country so as to slow down the progress of the nation. Thus the loosing faith of the public is another result of Partisan polarization. Wastage of time and money is another result of Partisan Polarization. The limited time of session of Congress gets wasted due to unnecessary delays. And finally the president gets the power to sign the bill without proper discussion in both the houses. Not only that, a lot of money also gets wasted due to unnecessary delays in the decision making process. Solutions to end Partisan polarization: To end the Partisan Polarization, the Brookings Institution along with the Hoover Institution will host a discussion on partisan polarization in the United States and its effect on foreign policy on 30th November 2008. This way this institution will try to figure out the root causes and the possible solutions to this problem. The politician’s mistakes will be highlighted and kept before the Congress and solutions will be discussed. The solution to this problem is through arising of the feeling among the countrymen regarding country’s first and people later type of feeling in the politicians. Politicians must understand that the interest of the nation is much, much more important that there personal interest. And if by any way their interest has to face some drawbacks than in that case making lobbies and bringing obstacles in the way of passing a specific bill may prove to be anti-national step. So if you have to give up something for your beloved country than kindly don’t hesitate and take time in doing so as you owe a lot the country. Congress has also resorted to new measures to ensure the passage of bills to be easier and faster. Firstly it has packaged the bill in the form of Omnibus, so as to broaden their base of support and easier movement in both the houses. Secondly, the number of earmarks has also been increased, so as to provide an additional support for the safe and quick passage of the bill. Normally this Omnibus bill is not meant towards the majority party preference than other spending bills in the past. Reason being the final product needs to be negotiated with president and needs the prior approval of the president. But in case of Unified government, Omnibus bills actually do provide opportunity for Partisan polarization for the majority party that can enact its own preference in the lawmaking process. The politicians responsible for making unnecessary delays should not be allowed to sit and vote in the Congress meeting. He/she should be asked to get re-elected and prove his/her true position at that point of time. Also a lesson regarding a responsibility towards the country and the countrymen should be given to all the politicians. Making Pamphlets, social meetings and other methods can do this. By improving the policy makers we can expect the bills to be passed easier and the country in the direction of progress. Also through legislation, a bill should be passed to avoid any unnecessary delays in the bills of national importance. Any politician trying to bring undue hindrance in the way of such important bill should not get the right to vote for that certain bill. Conclusion: There is certainly no point in loosing time and money due to partisan polarization. The progress of country should be considered more important than a person’s own interest. Moreover the politicians of today should realize their mistakes and that they should not forget their responsibility towards the country and the countrymen in wake of earning more and more money. Number of solutions are tried to make an attempt to the problem of partisan polarization but until whole nation unites and speaks against it collectively there won’t be any benefit coming out of it.

Manila and Dr. Jose Rizal Essay

1. What are the causes of the Indolence of Filipinos? * Rizal admits the existence of indolence among the Filipinos, but it could be recognized to a number of reasons. The factors that cause the indolence of Filipinos are the climate and social disorders. 2. Corroborate the causes of the Indolence of Filipinos that caused the disorder and backwardness of the country? * The hot climate in the country can indeed be reasonable in causing indolence. Europeans have a different case, since because of the cold climate, they need to work harder. He equates an hour of work in the Philippine’s sun with a day of work in temperate regions. The Filipinos are very industrious and hardworking before the coming of Spaniards. 3. Discuss the articles in the Philippine Century Hence. * â€Å"The Philippines a Century Hence† is an essay written by Dr. Jose Rizal to forecast the future of the country within a hundred years. The essay started by evaluating the various causes of the miseries suffered by the Filipino people. There are three; Spain’s implementation of its military policies, deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous cultures and passivity submissiveness to the Spanish colonizers. The question then arises as to what had awakened the hearts and opened the minds of the Filipino people with regards to their dilemma. Eventually, the natives realized that such domination in their society by foreign colonizers must no longer be tolerated. Spain, therefore, had no means to stop the progress of the country. What they need to do is to change their colonial policies so that they are in keeping with the needs of the Philippine society and to the rising nationalism of the people. What Rizal had imagined in his essay came true. In 1898, the Americans fought with Spain to win the Philippines and eventually took over the country. Five decades after Rizal’s death, the Philippines gained its long-awaited independence. 4. What are Rizal’s predictions in Philippine Century Hence? * Rizal was not actually prophesying, instead what he was telling in his article was an analysis. He carefully observed the present and the past situation of the Philippines and he predicted the future. The domination of other countries to our country, there will be other countries in the world that are ready to take hold of our country, national consciousness had still awakened, and great Filipino minds still emerged from the remains.

Alternative Energy Sources Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Alternative Energy Sources - Research Paper Example Arguments in Favour of Alternative Energy Resources for a Sustainable Environment The arguments typically made in favour of the use of alternative energy resources as opposed to fossil fuel resources tends to emphasize the ubiquity and clean effects of these resources (Nelson, 2011, p. 4). Alternative Energy Resources are Renewable The argument made in favour of replacing fossil fuels with alternative energy resources states that alternative energy resources such as solar power, wind and ocean tides are renewable (Miller and Spoolman, 2007, p. 304). In other words, they cannot be depleted so we do not have to worry about increasing costs as a result of declining supply. On the other hand fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas are non-renewable. Or at least, the formation process can take millions of years. This creates a gap between the rate of production and the rate of consumption of these fuels, which is not conducive to a sustainable environment. For example, it is expect ed that the oil resources of the United Arab Emirates will be depleted in the next 90 or so years (Gulf News, 2008). Similarly, Pakistan has been experiencing an energy crisis because of declining natural gas production. When the supply of these fuels is reduced, the price increases as a result of market forces, which creates economic problems of its own. Alternative Energy Resources are Ubiquitous A second argument made in defense of alternative energy resources is that compared to fossil fuels, they are more widely available. For example, oil is concentrated in certain regions of the world such as the Middle East and the Gulf of Mexico. On the other hand, alternative energy resources such as wind and water are available in several parts of the world in forms that are conducive to power generation. The fact that alternative energy resources come in various forms increases the likelihood of some type of alternative energy resource to be present in a particular part of the world. For instance, the countries along the equator are blessed with longer hours of daylight and sunshine compared with countries further away from the equator. At the same time, certain regions of the world have access to coasts and rivers that can be harnessed to deliver energy. The use of alternative energy resources will reduce the transport of fossil fuels through tankers and pipelines to far-off places. This will reduce the energy costs significantly. As a consequence, the cost of goods and services that are directly influenced by the rising energy costs, such as agricultural produce, will not be affected adversely. Alternative Energy Resources are Non-Polluting The strongest argument made in favour of alternative energy resources by the environmentalists is that such resources are non-polluting. It has become a much discussed fact the persistent discharge of carbon emissions into the atmosphere is related to the environmental disasters that threaten the sustainability of the ecologic al system. The depletion of the ozone layer, the greenhouse effect, global warming and climatic changes have all been attributed to the use of fossil fuels. The greenhouse effect, for instance, is caused by the increase of fossil fuel based emissions in the atmosphere. These emissions form a blanket that prevents solar heat from escaping the atmosphere thus increasing the temperature of the Earth. This

Organisations Learning and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

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Different Aspects of Ecotourism Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Different Aspects of Ecotourism - Case Study Example Different languages are spoken. Municipalities also register an inevitable growth and they have to provide transportable roads lighting the roads, similarly and should be committed to provide amenities of international standard to ecotourism and also for its sustenance. Ecotourism is no more permitted, limited to a particular part of the world. It is exchanged in order to serve the public with the latest technology. The globe is no bigger. Ecotourism represents a single economy. Because of ecotourism there is conspicuous change with the social life industries. One shall meat and come across different rest of different nationals represent at one place. Different sets of different nationals represent diversified cultures, different languages are spoken at one and the same place, and at one and the same time. They come to know each other from a closer proximity. The intimacies develop; relationships pave way for greater understanding. The social pavilion of life is set to rolling. Broader outlook develop into more knowledgeable and understanding environment. There will be a great impact on the urban sociology patterns of life. The world becomes a small place respectively inevitable economical growth, a pleasant knowledge based environment. The world is no bigger, thoughts of seeing the world; the globe on a huge unknown has become so small so much can be felt immensely. T third world, joyous frivolous, sensible, knowledgeable, cultured by urban socialites will cherish. The development may fold big colonies. A lot of big industries and big companies will enter into the market to cater to the needs of the conglomeration. The development shall develop many folds. The economy of the country, government organizations and private sectors will make a rudimental change. Mainly the cities will develop into a small globe with multi faced development in industries and corporate. May be the chief architect of the ecotourism to take enormous pairs to create and design the super structure of the third world. Globalization has its own effects on every aspects of technology. Ecotourism has changed the way urban socialist use to link and express their thoughts. Of course wealth is also acting as a catalyst for the change in the thinking and living of the urban individuals. The new meaning of sociology is slowly changing, to be more precise it is altering the essence of socialist thinking. Considering ecotourism as a development, every development will have its own pros and cons. It has both positive and negative and results on all aspects of human life. The same citizens who use to think and analyze in a modest manner has changed their way of analysis and started comparing with the good and bad. The socialist thinking, which was confined to the small regions on earth, has now crossed the boundaries and reaching out to the world and sharing views they're by bringing like-minded people to think and work with unity. This development is mostly used negatively. For example tourism, this is an ideal example for the developmenet of the globalization. In the developed countries the pollution levels being very less and also due to maintaining the green belt the need for more greener pastures is very less demand and hence eco tourism and its sustenance is not of very high important to the people visiting the places

Checkout paper # 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Checkout paper # 3 - Essay Example I love my dog because she is a good companion but of late she has been giving me problems. She messes around especially the carpet and my neighbors often complain about her. At one time she was injured by my neighbor’s child. I can see that you are angry for your dog because she makes the carpet dirty. However, I have done some researches and discovered that pet lovers ought to be patient with their pets since they have a habit of messing around in most cases. I then posed this question: What do you think must be done then? However, I realised that I had blundered by asking this question since the client was seeking help in order to address the problem. Therefore, for self disclosure, I sympathized with the client and indicated that as human beings, we always feel the same way when we clean the mess by the dogs. I paraphrased my question so that the customer could shed more light about her feelings towards this dog. She responded by saying: From this response, I realised that my customer was mainly concerned with finding a lasting solution to this problem rather than disposing the dog. I responded to the client by indicating that a dog can be trained but this can be done over time. This response gave my client renewed hope about changing the behaviour of her dog. I used strategies such as reflection, summarization paraphrasing as well as clarification in carrying out this task. I have learnt a lot of new things in as far as interviewing is concerned. In terms of non verbal communication, I maintained a steady eye contact and I would also use some facial expressions when talking to my client. I also listened very carefully to her as she spoke. However, one weakness I have noted about my interviewing technique is that some of my questions were too direct. For instance, I said: â€Å"What do you think should be done?† I do not think that this question should be asked to the client who has come for help. Essentially, the interviewer should suggest

International Transportation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Transportation - Essay Example nts have made the transportation industry highly competitive and the companies offering their services have to provide superior services at comparatively low charges to remain competitive in the market. The provision of cost effective as well as high quality service for the international transportation of goods is a challenging task that requires the transporters to focus upon several issues and aspects related with transportation. The following essay aims to discuss different elements of the provision of high quality and cost effective goods’ transportation services to the customer internationally. The essay identifies certain ways through which the international transportation service providers can maintain low cost and competitive services without compromising on the quality of their services. In this regard, the essay highlights the key attributes that the transportation system or service must possess in order attain high quality and cost effectiveness. Moreover, the essay further enlists the key elements and strategies that can assist the companies to provide cost effective and high quality service for the transportation of the goods internationally. The above mentioned attributes must be acquired by a transportation company in order to provide high quality and cost effective service at international level. Following are the elements and strategies that allow the companies to achieve the above mentioned quality attributes at low cost. (These elements will be described in reference to different modes of transportation like road transport, shipping etc) Transportation integration is an important element that can assist the transporters minimizing total cost of the transportation while maintaining the customer trust on the quality of their service. Integrative transport basically refers to the assurance of doing the right assortments at right time, right place and in right condition throughout the supply chain. It implies that the supply chain must be s

Viper's Den v. Jim Morriston Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Viper's Den v. Jim Morriston - Essay Example Unfortunately, the coffee was not wiped out on time because Flash attended to a phone call before cleaning it up. Jim Morriston was just through with his lunch and had taken two beers with it when he saw Flash and ran over to greet him. Jim Morriston did not see the coffee spill on the floor and neither did he see the bright yellow caution sign that warned of the slippery floor. As he was running towards Flash, he slipped and fell very heavily on the floor as a result of the coffee that had spilled on the floor. As he fell on the floor, he tried to support himself with his hands and ended up fracturing his arm in two places. As a result of this incident, Jim Morriston had to undergo surgery and he ended up spending two days in hospital so that he would be treated of the injuries he sustained from the fall. When Jim Morriston returned to Wyoming, he decided to sue Flash for negligence that led to the fall. A statement of the issues to be decided The major issues that need to be decide d include whether or not Flash has to litigate the case in Wyoming. Another major issue is whether Jim Morriston has a legitimate case of negligence over Flash and the Viper’s Den. In the first issue, Jim Morriston has sued Flash in Wyoming for neglect that led to his fall. He has gone to court right after he returned to his area of residence in Wyoming and has claimed the Flash neglected cleaning wiping off the coffee from the floor which resulted to the injuries and distress that he has today. Since the case is already in court in Wyoming, Flash needs to decide whether he has to litigate the case in Wyoming or not. Flash is of the idea that the state courts in Wyoming are not the proper jurisdiction for this particular type of case. He therefore has to decide whether he will proceed to litigate the case in Wyoming or he will challenge that decision made by Jim Morriston to take the case to the state courts at Wyoming. Another issue that needs to be decided is whether Jim Mo rriston has a legitimate case of negligence over Flash and the Viper’s Den. It has to be decided whether Jim Morriston was the one on the wrong for having taken two beers at lunch. It has to be decided whether the beers that Jim Morriston had taken impaired his sight, reasoning and actions to such an extent that he was not able to see the big bright yellow sign. The coffee spill should have been dealt with immediately so as to avoid any unnecessary accidents from occurring. However, had Jim Morriston been in his right state of mind, there would be higher chances that he would have seen the bright yellow sign and take caution to prevent him from falling. These major issues in this case therefore need to be decided in an attempt to resolve the case and come up with viable and legal solutions to the case at hand (Mallor, Barnes, Bowers & Langvardt, p. 340). Legal arguments that Flash can make against the case being litigated at Wyoming Flash can legally argue that if the reporte d incident took place in Bozeman, then Jim Morriston should have sued him in a court in Bozeman and not in Wyoming. Flash can argue that he does not do any business in Wyoming and the case would therefore lack objectivity if it was to be heard there. The state courts at Wyoming are not the proper jurisdiction for this type of case. The incident that is being reported tool place in a completely different

Employee Postings on Social Websites Case Study

Employee Postings on Social Websites - Case Study Example The purpose of the paper is to analyze the use of social network derived information by corporations in order to determine if human rights violations are occurring and establish parameters on what constitute proper social network content and what type of behavior that is prohibitive. The history of the freedom of speech dates back to Socrates’ era about 400 years Before Christ (BC). In 1789 the Declaration of the Rights of Man in France created the fundamental rights of freedom of speech; two years later the United States freedom of speech became the first amendment of the Bill of Rights which includes four dimensions: religion, speech, press, and right to assemble (Smith). Another fundamental right is the right to privacy. The fourth amendment of the Bill of Rights provides the right to privacy. These fundamental rights of humans mentioned are lenient and give employers certain privileges to perform background checks. The standard protocol for background checks are driver’s license record, criminal record history, credit check, reference check from past employers. Social networks sites two decades ago did not exist. In the 1990’s when the boom started they became popular. In the 21st century they have become a global phenomenon. The employe rs are not supposed to eavesdrop on the material being posted in these sites since the conversations and postings are for friends to read and enjoy, not for employers to use to discriminate against employees. This century has changed humanity a lot. People are living in the broadband age where information moves rapidly across the internet. There are hundreds of millions of people participating in these social network sites. MySpace has a population of 269,973,296 a figure that is approximately 30 million less that the population of the United States (Myspace). If an employer stalks the behavior of a member in the MySpace community is the same things as if an employer stalked a US Citizen across the streets of

BLEVE paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BLEVE - Research Paper Example The rupture will occur at the weakest point of the container (the part of the container that is leaking due to corrosion). A prime example is the Kingman BLEVE or Doxol Disaster (1973). The explosion occurred during propane transfer from a Doxol railroad vehicle to a storage tank on the rail sliding, located near the Andy Devine Avenue. The explosion occurred when a worker was attempting to tighten a leak on the connection by hitting a wrench with a hammer into the leak. The burning propane gas escaped through the valve connection on the rail car, which resulted in the cooling of the tank pressure. (Kletz, 1990) This resulted in an increase in the leak and the fire, heating the tank car. The fire burned the employees working at the site, with some succumbing to their injuries in hospital. The heating of the tank car resulted in a huge explosion. The safety valve on the car opened, which increased pressure in the tank. The high pressure eventually caused the tank to explode, blowing up the carrier in the process. The explosion created a shock wave that was audible for a radius of 5 miles. Three firefighters who had managed to get to the scene were killed upon explosion, with eight more dying in hospital from burn severe burn wounds. It is a demonstration of the adverse danger of BLEVEs, and how measures must be taken to prevent such incidences using better safety precautions. Another example is the San Juanico Disaster. The incident was initiated by a gas leak in Petroeos Mexicanos (PEMEX). There was a pipe rupture during the transfer operation, which resulted in the plume of the LPG thus concentrating at ground level. The plume grew larger, and drifted with the winds to the direction of the waste gas in the flare pit. (Mannan, 2005) The first plant exploded (BLEVE), and it was followed by 12 more BLEVEs. Two of the largest tanks on the site had such a large explosion,

Types of Teachers Essay Example for Free

Types of Teachers Essay Abstract This paper explains three different types of teachers and their role and impact over the educational system. By the same token it is emphasized that the teacher is an important part of the learning process who impacts the shaping of the lives of young children. The relationship between a student and a teacher is a difficult one in most of cases and it is something that raises problems which need to be resolved. At this point every teacher has different way of presenting and teaching the given material and the crucial role in establishing a good and fruitful collaboration with students is the approach of the teacher which should inspire positive attitudes and amiable atmospheres for learning. To illustrate such an approach, as well as the opposite of it, this paper consists of the following types of teachers: intimate, authoritative and indifferent teachers. Keywords: authoritative, intimate, indifferent teacher; Types of Teachers. Teachers are the ones that pass the knowledge over to the students and they utilize different way of presenting the given material. According to Jupp (2012), â€Å"Teachers make thousands of decisions each day, and they don’t do it about abstract ideas. They do it about a life of a child. You can’t imagine anything harder. † For instance, some teachers bear this in mind and manage to create a friendly atmosphere which gives the students the needed motivation for seeking knowledge, whereas some teachers are not so proficient. The reason for this can be the lack of motivation of the teacher, because there are many teachers who evolve in this profession only because there was nothing else to do and their interest is simply based on earning money. Their goal at the end of the class is a finished syllabus, not passing knowledge. Students find this kind of situation frustrating and their frustration is seen in the outer world. Balanced, positive classroom will bring out the best of students. Many psychological studies, such as Baumrind (1971) which shows the various parenting styles can correlate with various teachers’ classroom styles in the sense that a good model of a parent is an appropriate model for teacher. According to the study, the crucial elements of relationships are the responsiveness and demandingness. Considering these elements teachers can be classified as authoritative, intimate, and indifferent. Authoritative teachers will be characterized by a high response, and a high demand, and are considered to be the closest to the ideal picture of a teacher. Most of them can be described with personality traits such as: curious, creative, attentive, principled, astute, patient, hardworking, gregarious, communicative, and openhearted and perhaps the most important, proficient. They are eager to know something more about the student apart from their first and last name, something more about their individuality, more personal. They are more likely to build a good relationship with the students and will allow them participation in the class, as long as it is something relevant to the topic of the lesson, so the student involvement in the class is at a very high rate. These ways of participations are â€Å"important predictors of social and academic adjustment† (Hughes, 2002). The authoritative classroom might be an excellent opportunity for developing speaking skills, because an authoritative teacher is open to feedback and debates with the students. However, authoritative classroom might not be ideal for developing speaking skills because some authoritative teachers are closed to feedback as this may question their authority. An authoritative teacher would organize the class neatly and orderly and the discipline would be present throughout the class, so the students would feel comfortable and respectful. In ideal situation mutual respect and cooperation are the most important tools of an authoritative teacher for their approach of teaching, although not every authoritative teacher uses them. Intimate teachers are characterized by high response and low demand, i. e. high involvement in students’ lives but occasionally poor establishment of a control in the classroom. When making decisions, the students’ feelings might be taken into consideration and nothing else. Intimate teachers often ignore disrespectful behaviour and discipline will not be present in such a classroom. This atmosphere is more like to be friendly but chaotic and may result in a classroom which is entirely out of control. Being kind is good, still being too kind and ignoring the discipline will be a dead end. This kind of teacher will probably be liked by most of the students but the teaching can be poor and it may result in poor academic skills. Indifferent teachers are characterized by low response, low demand, and little or no control over the class. They are one of the worst types of teachers. The image that students get of them is that they seem to be bored with the class and are eager to finish with it as soon as possible. The involvement of the students is at a very low rate. Some of these teachers do not prepare for class and usually are sitting in front of the class, sighing and citing word by word the lesson from the book. Others will tell the students to read silently as they are gazing somewhere or contemplating matters not even close to the lesson material. An indifferent teacher lacks motivation and is not at all hardworking. This teacher appears generally uninterested and might not even bother to provide different materials during the course, so students are able to get the exams from the previous years. That will certainly have negative feedback and students will have low motivation and poor or no knowledge at all. Classroom discipline is a concept unknown for these teachers. They lack the skill and motivation to establish a discipline in the class needed to provide an orderly atmosphere class. The reason for the indifference may be due to the lack of motivation for teaching. As mentioned in the abstract, some of these teachers may be those who become teachers unintentionally, because there was nothing else to do. Students will respond negatively of the atmosphere. If one asks a student to describe an indifferent teacher, he/she will probably sigh and say something like learning is up to the students as far as that teacher is concerned. Students who have this type of teacher do not have the opportunity to exercise speaking skills at all. According to Rowe, K. (2003), the type of the approach of the teacher i. e. the established relationships result in creating certain characteristic behaviours. The statistics show that the authoritative type produce students who are responsible, socially competent, well prepared and knowledgeable, the intimate teachers produce irresponsible students with poor leadership skills; and indifferent teachers produces students with poor verbal skills and poor or no knowledge at all. Teachers are the ones that teach the lessons of humanity and should take more responsibility in creating their approaches towards students. Regarding these classifications the closest to an ideal teacher is the authoritative one. In addition, according to Baumrind (1971), the authoritative approach is the best approach because it correlates with appropriate student behaviors. It is true that to be an authoritative teacher is much easier to imagine than to accomplish. Since, the students are to be the next academic citizens who deal with various positions and for that purpose teachers should think twice before stepping into a classroom unprepared. However, even the least motivated teachers should simply consider if the teachers they are being at the moment are the ones they would prefer their children to have. References Baumrind, D. (1971). Cornell University College of Human Ecology. Parenting styles and adolescents. Retrieved from http://www. human. cornell. edu/pam/outreach/parenting/research/upload/Parenting-20Styles-20and-20Adolescents. pdf Hughes, Jan N. (2002) Authoritative Teaching: Tipping the balance in favor of school versus peer effects. Journal of School Psychology 40(6), 485-492 Retrieved from http://www. centerforcsri. org/research/improvement. cgi? st=ssr=SR005149 Jupp, B. (2012, January 18). Join ED and teachers for#teach talk discussion on twitter Retrieved from http://www. ed. gov/blog/2012/01/join-ed-and-teachers-for-a-teachtalk-discussion-on-twitter/ Rowe, K. (2003) â€Å"The Importance of Teacher Quality as a Key Determinant of Students’ Experiences and Outcomes of Schooling Retrieved from http://research. acer. edu. au/research_conference_2003/3.

Child Trafficking In Nigeria Social Work Essay

Child Trafficking In Nigeria Social Work Essay Human trafficking in Nigeria has been one of the greatest problem in Nigerian history. Human trafficking can be traced to the period colonialism when human beings are been traded for mere commodities to the Europeans, to help them in their plantations in their own country. Due to the abolishment of slave trade in Nigeria by 1885-1950, the act of human trafficking was reduced and some few years later they started child trafficking since the children are more vulnerable. Child trafficking is a form of human trafficking that involves the transportation, harbouring, receiving ,recruitment of children in the purpose of exploitation. The issue of child domestic labour is very complex and problematic. Domestic child labourers are among the most invisible child labourers. The number of children exploited in private households is unknown because of the hidden nature of the work. Many of these children are girls and in many countries domestic service is seen as the only employment option a girl might have. Children exploited in domestic service are paid little or nothing, are malnourished, are very vulnerable to further abuse and exploitation, and do not go to school. However, because child domestic workers are employed within an informal family environment, they cannot be integrated as a professional group within conventional working systems because such integration would presuppose an acceptance of the idea of child domestic labour. At the same time, without legal initiatives, it is difficult to combat child domestic labour. Furthermore, the terms, norms and standards to regulate the employment of children are lack ing because children work in a largely invisible domain outside law and the public sphere and their domestic labour cannot be integrated under normal labour laws. Although the final goal of all laws should be the prevention and elimination of child domestic labour, it is acknowledged right at the outset that this is a long term goal. In the interim, there is a need to accept that children do, and will continue, to work until effective alternatives make it unnecessary for them to work. In the meantime, the best interest of the child principle together with the notion of the child as a rights holder should guide any lawmaking on child domestic work. Law and policy reform can play a powerful constitutive and transformative role in improving and changing the lives of both the girl child and male child domestic worker; however, in envisioning workplace and domestic arrangements it is important to see that sex stereotypes are not reinforced. Just as much as law has the profound power to p revent and regulate domestic labour, it has the power to reinforce it by creating loopholes through which employers can continue to hire child domestic workers. Laws can often spark social change only if they are translated into action. In drafting new laws or revising existing laws, child domestic labour should be seen in the context of historic sex discrimination. There is an apparent tension when laws and policies are blind to the differences between the girl child domestic worker and the male child domestic worker such as the girl childs weak bargaining position and low status, which increases her vulnerability to coercion by her family and employer. Child trafficking in Nigeria is something the government has not really put enough effort to ensure that child trafficking is reduced or eradicated this is due to the lapse (corruption) of the whole government system because most of the child traffickers are top government officials and this makes it very difficult to investigate any problem that has to do with child trafficking. According to a research carried out by United nation children fund (unicef) say the average age of children been trafficked in Nigeria is around 15years but the age varies, especially with girls and also it says 60-80% of girls in the sex trade outside the country are in Italy (over 700 in Italy while Belgium and Holland is experiencing an upsurge in the number of Nigerian girls. On the average About 10 children pass Nigerian borders daily originating from fostering and extended family system. Children that are been trafficked has so many reasons which include domestic help, prostitution these are especially for girls while boys are used as scavengers, car washing, bus conducting, drug peddling and farming. Child trafficking has so many effects on both the child and the country. Trafficking of migrant children has unquestionably affected individual children and their communities in various immediate and long term ways. It sometimes endangers the childrens lives. The obvious impacts of child trafficking often mentioned is on deteriorating their education, physical and mental development. Moreover, the trafficked migrant children are disempowered in many ways. They are in the foreign country with foreign customs and foreign language. They are transported and sold or deceived as bonded labour, treated like property, and work under slavery-like conditions. Whenever they feel depressed, or suffering, or face difficulties, or are tortured, commonly they have no one they can turn to as they tend to live in isolated areas. Even if they have a chance to seek help, they often do not know where to go or what to do or whom to ask because they are illegal migrants and are afraid of police. In some c ircumstances, they may encounter racism from the police, authorities, and general people among whom may be their own employers. A major result of child trafficking can be loss of lives, increasing prevalence of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) including HIV/AIDS, increase in violence and crime rate, increased school drop-out, impaired child development, poor national image and massive deportation of Nigerians especially girls. And also, There are diverse reasons why many Nigerian children are vulnerable to trafficking, including widespread poverty, large family size, rapid urbanization with deteriorating public services, low literacy levels and high school-drop out rates The demand for cheap commercial sex workers in countries of destination strongly contributes to the growth of this phenomenon and the success of this criminal network. Parents with a large family, often overburdened with the care of too many children, are prone to the traffickers deceit in giving away some of their children to city residents or even strangers promising a better life for them. Traffickers exploit the trust of people rooted in a widespread, culturally accepted common practice in West Africa of placement and fostering as part of the extended family safety net. In some instances, desperately poor and uninformed parents willingly co-operate with the traffickers, giving away their children in exchange for a small fee. In the hands of unscrupulous guardians, these children are increasingly trafficked and exploited for money. But All hope is not lost as every problem has a solution. The government can still curb this evil practice in order to save children and the good name of the country. Firstly, government should provide free education in every government owned school in the country from the nursery to the secondary level so that parents will have no excuse of giving out their children to strangers in the pretext of taking them to learn new sill in new environment. Secondly, government should pay workers salaries at the end of each month because they have personal bills to foot; children to cater for and they depend solely on their salaries. Thirdly, the parliamentary arm of the government should make and amend law that all Nigerian families should not have more than 3 children and any found to go against the law would be punished because one of the causes of child trafficking in Nigeria is the inability of parents to cater for so many children. Also, government should make laws for children against child abuse and intimidation which should be strictly adhered to. Last but not the least, government should come to an agreement with leaders of other countries that any Nigerian child suspected to be abused or trafficked should be rescued and the trafficker, punished. In an effort   aimed at battling child trafficking within Nigeria and the sub-region, Nigeria and the government of Benin Republic have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-operate in the   area of prevention of child trafficking as well as the repatriation of offenders to countries of origin for prosecution. Executive Secretary of National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters(NAPTIP), Mrs. Carol Ndaguba disclosed this at a one-day workshop on Anti Child Trafficking Network Project in Nigeria held at the UN House Abuja. According to her, Nigeria and the government of Italy, United Kingdom and Spain also have understandings on joint initiative on modalities for prevention of child trafficking and slavery, adding that the Italian government as well as UNICEF have been providing huge financial and capacity building support to the agency in carrying out its task. On the issue of house-help or domestic servants in the country, NAPTIP Executive Secretary regretted that the phenomenon had been exploited by traffickers to batter, sexually or emotionally traumatize victims, adding that the so called syndrome must now come to an end. She identified the challenges faced by the network project to include   expansion of the network from 22 states to 36, sustaining awareness campaign at the state and community levels, and capacity building of the state working groups. In her remark, Deputy Country Representative of UNICEF, Barbara Reynold said that although the anti-trafficking agency was already doing a lot to put an end to the menace of human trafficking, more needs to be done in the area of conscientisation and increased awareness by   a broader section of society.

Low Level Programming Language Computer Science Essay

Low Level Programming Language Computer Science Essay Low-level programming language is a programming language that provides little or no abstraction from a computers instruction set architecture. The word low refers to the small or nonexistent amount of abstraction between the language and machine language; because of this, low-level languages are sometimes described as being close to the hardware. A low-level language does not need a compiler or interpreter to run. The processor for which the language was written is able to run the code without using either of these. By comparison, a high-level programming language isolates the execution semantics of computer architecture from the specification of the program, making the process of developing a program simpler and more understandable. Low-level programming languages are sometimes divided into two categories: first generation, and second generation. First generation The first-generation programming language, or 1GL, is a machine code. It is the only language a microprocessor can process directly without a previous transformation. Currently, programmers almost never write programs directly in machine code, because it requires attention to numerous details which a high-level language would handle automatically, and also requires memorizing or looking up numerical codes for every instruction that is used. For this reason, second generation programming languages provide one abstraction level on top of the machine code. Example: A function in 32-bit x86 machine code to calculate the nth Fibonacci number: 8B542408 83FA0077 06B80000 0000C383 FA027706 B8010000 00C353BB 01000000 B9010000 008D0419 83FA0376 078BD98B C84AEBF1 5BC3 Second generation Second-generation programming language, or 2GL, is an assembly language. It is considered a second-generation language because while it is not a microprocessors native language, an assembly language programmer must still understand the microprocessors unique registers and instructions. These simple instructions are then assembled directly into machine code. The assembly code can also be abstracted to another layer in a similar manner as machine code is abstracted into assembly code. Example: The same Fibonacci number calculator as on page one, but in x86 assembly language using MASM syntax: fib: mov edx, [esp+8] cmp edx, 0 ja @f mov eax, 0 ret @@: cmp edx, 2 ja @f mov eax, 1 ret @@: push ebx mov ebx, 1 mov ecx, 1 @@: lea eax, [ebx+ecx] cmp edx, 3 jbe @f mov ebx, ecx mov ecx, eax dec edx jmp @b @@: pop ebx ret High level programming language High-level programming language is a programming language with strong abstraction from the details of the computer. In comparison to low-level programming languages, it may use natural language elements, it is easier to use and more portable across platforms. Such languages hide the details of CPU operations such as memory access models and management of scope. This greater abstraction and hiding of details is generally intended to make the language user-friendly, as it includes concepts from the problem domain instead of those of the machine used. A high-level language isolates the execution semantics of computer architecture from the specification of the program, making the process of developing a program simpler and more understandable with respect to a low-level language. The amount of abstraction provided defines how high-level a programming language is. The term high-level language does not imply that the language is superior to low-level programming languages in fact, in terms of the depth of knowledge of how computers work required to productively program in a given language, the inverse may be true. Rather, high-level language refers to the higher level of abstraction from machine language. Rather than dealing with registers, memory addresses and call stacks, high-level languages deal with usability, threads, locks, objects, variables, arrays and complex arithmetic or Boolean expressions. In addition, they have no opcodes that can directly compile the language into machine code, unlike low-level assembly language. Other features such as string handling routines, object-oriented language features and file input/output may also be present. High-level languages make complex programming simpler, while low-level languages tend to produce more efficient code. High-level programming features like more generic data structures, run-time interpretation and intermediate code files often result in slower execution speed, higher memory consumption and larger binary size. For this reason, code which needs to run particularly quickly and efficiently may be written in a lower-level language, even if a higher-level language would make the coding easier. With the growing complexity of modern microprocessor architectures, well-designed compilers for high-level languages frequently produce code comparable in efficiency to what most low-level programmers can produce by hand, and the higher abstraction may allow for more powerful techniques providing better overall results than their low-level counterparts in particular settings. There are three models of execution for modern high-level languages: Interpreted Interpreted languages are read and then executed directly, with no compilation stage. Compiled   Compiled languages are transformed into an executable form before running. There are two types of compilation: Intermediate representations   When a language is compiled to an intermediate representation, that representation can be optimized or saved for later execution without the need to re-read the source file. When the intermediate representation is saved it is often represented as bytecode. Machine code generation Some compilers compile source code directly into machine code. Virtual machines that execute bytecode directly or transform it further into machine code have blurred the once clear distinction between intermediate representations and truly compiled languages. Translated A language may be translated into a low-level programming language for which native code compilers are already widely available. The C programming language is a common target for such translators. Examples of high level programming language include: Java, C, Python, Scheme, Prolog, C++, C#, VB, Java Script, Ruby and Lisp. Comparison of high and low programming languages below are similar programs in both languages to find greatest and smallest data value in a data set. Validating raw data Input validation is an important part of any computer application that requires user interaction. It applies to anything that the application does to ensure that data entered by the user is acceptable for the purposes of the application. Input validation can take place at various times in the data entry cycle. For example, the programmer can: Constrain the users entry of data before it begins by providing very restricted data input fields that permit only valid choices. The most common way to do this is to provide standard controls that do not permit free keyboard entry, such as drop-down lists, option buttons, and check boxes. Constrain the users entry of data at the moment that it occurs by monitoring every keystroke for validity and rejecting unwanted input as its typed. For instance, a particular entry field might seem to the user to ignore anything but numeric characters. React to the users entry of data after the user is finished, accepting or rejecting the contents of a data field when the user attempts to leave the field or close the screen. Input validation can also have varying degrees of user participation. For instance, the program can Automatically correct a users mistakes without asking the users opinion. Warn the user of incorrect input and prompt the user to correct the input before allowing the user to continue with other activities. Benifets of Data Validation: Reduces the time that is spent completing forms and eliminates costs associated with errors by validating data, improving efficiency and minimizing the high cost of exception handling resulting from data input errors. Validation happens immediately in a visual basic form and can catch common errors such as not entering a required field, incorrect data type or entering incorrect data based on other data previously entered into the form. Example validation of checking if the date entered is after todays date: Private Sub Date_Entered_AfterUpdate()   Ã‚  Ã‚   If Me.Date_Entered>date() then  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Date_Entered is form field name   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   msgbox Please enter a date less than or equal to todays date.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Me.Date_Entered.setfocus  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   set cursor back in the date field   Ã‚  Ã‚   end if End Sub Using strings with passwords in visual basic The use of strings benefits data entry in a password application in visual basic because the program would not reset itself and crash on error input. This could affect the safety of the password which could be compromised. It compares the 4 digit numbers inputted in order and will only allow access when all 4 characters are correct and in the right sequence. If this doesnt happen it will reset and wipe the numbers clear. This is so the imputer cannot see which ones he/she has got right and try different ones for the others remaining. In visual basic for the above program you could limit the user to a certain amount of attempts before the user is locked out. When the code is incorrect you could have a warning flash up on the computer, or if the wrong sort of data is inputted you can have a warning asking for the correct data. Likewise if you have not inputted 4 digits it would crash so this can be modified in the code strings with . Data Types Boolean Data Type   This data type holds values that can be only true or false. The keywords True and False correspond to the two states of Boolean variables. Use the Boolean data type to contain two-state values such as true/false, yes/no, or on/off. The default value of Boolean is False. Type Conversions When Visual Basic converts numeric data type values to Boolean, 0 becomes False and all other values become true. When Visual Basic converts Boolean values to numeric types, False becomes 0 and True becomes -1. When you convert between Boolean values and numeric data types, the .NET Framework conversion methods do not always produce the same results as the Visual Basic conversion keywords. This is because the Visual Basic conversion retains behaviour compatible with previous versions. Programming guide Negative Numbers. Boolean is not a numeric type and cannot represent a negative value. In any case, you should not use Boolean to hold numeric values. Type Characters. Boolean has no literal type character or identifier type character. Framework Type. The corresponding type in the .NET Framework is the system Boolean structure. In the following example, runningVB is a Boolean variable, which stores a simple yes/no setting. Dim runningVB As Boolean Check to see if program is running on Visual Basic engine. If scriptEngine = VB Then runningVB = True End If Integer Data Type   Integer data holds signed 32-bit (4-byte) integers ranging in value from -2,147,483,648 through 2,147,483,647. The Integer data type provides optimal performance on a 32-bit processor. The other integral types are slower to load and store from and to memory. The default value of Integer is 0. Programming guide Interop Considerations. If you are interfacing with components not written for the .NET Framework, for example Automation or COM objects, keep in mind that Integer has a different data width (16 bits) in other environments. Widening. The Integer data type widens to Long, Decimal, Single, or Double. This means you can convert Integer to any of these types without encountering a System.OverflowException error. Type Characters. Appending the literal type character I to a literal forces it to the Integer data type. Appending the identifier type character % to any identifier forces it to Integer. Framework Type. The corresponding type in the .NET Framework is the System.Int32 structure. If you try to set a variable of an integral type to a number outside the range for that type, an error occurs. If you try to set it to a fraction, the number is rounded. The following example shows this. The valid range of an Integer variable is -2147483648 through +2147483647. Dim k As Integer The following statement causes an error because the value is too large. k = 2147483648 The following statement sets k to 6. k = CInt(5.9) Char Data Type   Holds unsigned 16-bit (2-byte) code points ranging in value from 0 through 65535. Each code point, or character code, represents a single Unicode character. You use the Char data type when you need to hold only a single character and do not need the overhead of String. In some cases you can use Char(), an array of Char elements, to hold multiple characters. The default value of Char is the character with a code point of 0. Unicode Characters The first 128 code points (0-127) of Unicode correspond to the letters and symbols on a standard U.S. keyboard. These first 128 code points are the same as those the ASCII character set defines. The second 128 code points (128-255) represent special characters, such as Latin-based alphabet letters, accents, currency symbols, and fractions. Unicode uses the remaining code points (256-65535) for a wide variety of symbols, including worldwide textual characters, diacritics, and mathematical and technical symbols. You can use methods like IsDigit and IsPunctuation on a Char variable to determine its Unicode classification. Type Conversions Visual Basic does not convert directly between Char and the numeric types. You can use the Asc, AscW Functions to convert a Char value to an Integer representing its code point. You can use the Chr, ChrW Functions to convert an Integer value to a Char having that code point. If the type checking switch (Option Strict Statement) is on, you must append the literal type character to a single-character string literal to identify it as the Char data type. The following example on page 8 illustrates this. Option Strict On Dim charVar As Char The following statement attempts to convert a String literal to Char. Because Option Strict is On, it generates a compiler error. charVar = Z The following statement succeeds because it specifies a Char literal. charVar = ZC Programming guide Negative Numbers. Char is an unsigned type and cannot represent a negative value. In any case, you should not use Char to hold numeric values. Interop Considerations. If you are interfacing with components not written for the .NET Framework, for example Automation or COM objects. Widening. The Char data type widens to String. This means you can convert Char to String without encountering a System.OverflowException error. Type Characters. Appending the literal type character C to a single-character string literal forces it to the Char data type. Char has no identifier type character. Framework Type. The corresponding type in the .NET Framework is the System.Char structure Comparison table between Ladder Logic and Visual Basic Language Ladder Logic Visual Basic Suitability for engineering applications High Medium Availability Medium High User friendliness Low High Cost of software High Low Size of code Low (high compact) High Difficulty of use Medium to High Easy Ease of programming Medium User has knowledge then low User has no knowledge then High Ideal use Machine control Simulation Resources: www.wikipedia.org, www.msdn.microsoft.com, www.fortran.com, visual basic help, www.visualbasic.freetubes.net, www.blueclaw-db.com

robert frost :: essays research papers fc

Moraru Teodora-Bianca IIIrd year, German-English gr. I. The Psychological Origins and the Effects of the Hobbyhorse in Laurence Sterne’s â€Å"Tristram Shandy† Defying Dr. Samuel Johnson’s statement that â€Å"Nothing odd will do long†, Laurence Sterne’s eccentric masterpiece, â€Å"The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman†, an extended act of meditation upon story-telling based on John Locke’s philosophical theory of the association of ideas, became a notable forerunner of the modern English novel, celebrating the infinite possibilities of the art of fiction. Undoubtedly, one of the most crucial philosophical literary works of the 18th century was John Locke’s â€Å"Essay Concerning Human Understanding†, which had a tremendous influence on the writers of his time and also on the worldwide approach to terms such as â€Å"the nature of thought† and â€Å"human consciousness†. In his â€Å"Essay†, Locke stated important theories about the sequence of ideas and their interrelation, which profoundly influenced Sterne and became the basis of much of the seemingly arbitrary structure of his comic metanovel, â€Å"Tristram Shandy†. Sterne adopted in particular two of Locke’s concepts. First, the association of ideas, by which certain ideas, either by accident or because they have some particular significance, become so closely linked in a man’s mind that he cannot think of any of them without inevitably calling up all the others as well, in the same order in which he had prieviously experienced them. Secondly, the train of ideas, which is a more general concept of the mind as being constantly in motion, with the result that one idea automatically suggests another in some way similar to it, which in turn leads on to something else. Sterne uses this latter concept as an explanation for much of the seemingly eccentric behaviour of his characters and as a basis for many of the dazzling transitions of time and space which take place in the novel. John Locke considered the ideas as being the fundamental building blocks of all human thought, also stating the fact that â€Å"all our knowledge and ideas arise from experience† and that there are no innate ideas. He viewed the human mind as a â€Å"tabula rasa†, a â€Å"white paper, void of all characters, without any Ideas†. This empty room of the mind is gradually furnished with ideas of two sorts: first we obtain ideas of things we suppose to exist outside us in the physical world by sensation, and secondly we come to ideas of our own mental operations by reflection.

Free Essays - Victorious Achilleus of the Iliad :: Iliad essays

Victorious Achilleus of the Iliad  Ã‚   From reading book twenty two in the Iliad it is clear, from the beginning, that Achilleus will prevail in the battle against Hektor.   The reader is given many hints from the text that Achilleus will succeed.   Homer, the writer of the text, feels he will win, and so gives the reader hints of his victory though his narration, and through the words of Hektor's parents, and the gods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, Hektor's father encourages his son to allow other men to fight with him in battle against Achilleus.   He says, "Hektor, beloved child to not wait the attack of this man alone, away from the others.   You might encounter your destiny eaten down by Peleion, since he is far stronger than you" (Homer 436).   Hektor's father assumes that if Hektor fights alone he will certainly lose.   Hektor's father knows what a great warrior Achilleus is, and so seeks to convince his son to cast away his pride, admit he is weaker, and solicit support from his fellow Trojans.   He has already lost a few sons at the hands of Achilleus and expects that Hektor cannot possibly win.   Since his father recognizes his weakness, this is the first hint about the outcome of the battle.   But Hektor, brave man that he is, will not be so easily convinced that Achilleus is stronger.   Even Hektor's mom is skeptical he can triumph over Achilles and begs him, "Do not go out as champion against him, o hard one; for if he kills you I can no longer morn you..." (Homer 437).   She too has little faith that he will overcome Achilleus and is concerned he will die at the hands of this great warrior.   She is so worried she does not even want him to fight.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Next, Homer gives the reader a few more indirect suggestions about the outcome of the battle.   When Hektor first sees Achilleus approaching, he does not act like a extremely brave warrior.   Homer explains, "And the shivers took hold of Hektor when he saw him, and he could no longer stand his ground there, but left the gates behind, and fled, frightened..." (Homer 438).   Obviously, it seems unlikely Hektor can slay Achilleus since he is so afraid he cannot even stand his ground.   If he has no confidence in his fighting ability surely most readers will also think he is unable to win and that is why he chooses his only option-fleeing.

RIP Bradley Nowell :: essays research papers

-T hose of you who were fortunate enough to meet Bradley Nowell, saw a man who liked to smile and sing. He did these two things with the greatest of ease. The man we knew liked to pick up a guitar, not needles, but on the 25th of May in 1996, many of us were shocked by the news of his tragic death. Just seven days earlier, he married the beautiful Troy Dendekker. Things were lookin absolutely bright for him. It was rumored that he even woke up extra early on the morning of his death to walk his dog on the beach because he felt just great to be living. Hours later after he woke up, he was found dead from a heroin overdose in his San Francisco motel room. W hat went wrong I thought to myself? I remember hearing the news of his death on a local radio station. I've been a Sublime fan since my senior year of high school. The single "Date Rape" made the Chicago airwaves and I was hooked. I did a little research and I discovered that Bradley had been in and out of rehabilitation centers since 1992. Many people that I've talked to about Bradley's death really didn't seem to care. Being a huge Sublime fan, I was angered by their ignorance. Most of the time I heard people say that it was Bradley's fault for taking the drug in the first place, but I came to realize that it really wasn't his fault. Troy Nowell says in the VH1 documentary on Bradley that obviously the drug was "bigger than both of us (Bradley and Troy)". She said he hated what he was doing, and tried to stop numerous times, but the world is ignorant to the fact that this drug, heroin, is extremely physically addictive. Bud Gaugh, the drummer of Sublime, said he used to hug, sweat, and cry with Bradley during his fight with heroin. If it were his choice, Bradley would've stopped using it, but heroin took a hold of his nerves and his entire body. W e need to remember the Bradley who gave us three absolutely spectacular albums and a voice that stopped the world, not the one who stuck needles in his arm. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him a good twelve hours during the day.

Promoting Gender Equality Essay

For centuries women were not treated equal to men in many ways. They were not allowed to own property, they did not have a Share in the property of their parents, they had no voting rights, they had no freedom to choose their work or job and so on. Now that we have come out of those dark days of oppression of women there is a need for strong movement to fight for the rights of women and to ensure that they get all the rights which men have or in other words a movement for the Empowerment of Women. The present seminar has been planned with a view to discuss the various issues related to the Empowerment of Women and to suggest measures for achieving this end.The body of research on women‘s empowerment has conceptualized and defined this construct in many ways and used different terms, often interchangeably, including ―autonomy,â€â€"―status,â€â€" and ―agencyâ€â€" (Lee-Rife and Edmeades 2011; Malhotra et al. 2002; Upadhyay and Hindin 2005). see more:examples of gender equality A review of the literature also shows different measures for the same conceptualization. For example, studies often measure women‘s autonomy with an index that assesses their participation in decision-making in various household issues. This index represents women‘s degree of control over their environment. Some researchers include both major and minordecisions, while others include only major decisions, excluding day-to-day household decisions and those that are traditionally within the woman‘s domain. Women‘s empowerment encompasses many dimensions, including economic, socio-cultural, familial/interpersonal, legal, political, and psychological (Malhotra et al. 2002), which contributes to the wide variation in conceptualizations of women‘s empowerment. Given this variation in conceptualization, it is difficult to measure women‘s empowerment consistently. Kabeer (2001), whose definition is widely accepted, defines empowerment as ―the expansi on of people‘s ability to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously denied to them. Two central components of empowerment are agency and resources needed to exercise life choices (Kabeer 2001; Malhotra et al. 2002). Even with a clear definition, these constructs are difficult to quantify in a standardized way.Additionally, to measure empowerment at an individual level, researchers must translate the amorphous constructs into a set of specific questions that population-based surveys can ask of individual respondents (Kishor and Subaiya 2008). Another challenge is the variation in cultural contexts that affect the measurement of women‘s empowerment. It is desirable to use standardized questions that enable cross-cultural comparisons of empowerment. Yet a measure that captures empowerment in one context may have limited relevance in another, as is the case with measures that assess mobility in a community where women‘s free movement is the norm. While many existing measures of empowerment were originally conceptualized and developed for the context of Asia, and for South Asian countries in particular (Dyson and Moore 1983; Mason 1987), measures that are universally applicable regardless of the gender equity environment, such as those used in Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), are most useful for cross-national comparisons. Using the available standardized measures of women‘s empowerment among several population-based samples from sub-Saharan Africa will allow us to make comparisons and better understand whether the available measures adequately capture empowerment in these settings. It is still unknown whether the same dimensions of empowerment that were developed elsewhere are relevant in sub-Saharan Africa, where the gender environment is completely different than in other regions. In Africa, empowerment is likely to look different than elsewhere because of such differences as more working women who have control over their earnings, more polygamy, more nuclear families (as opposed to extended families), and larger ideal family size, and because women‘s status is often tied to their fertility. EMPOWERMENT AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH A broad body of research exists on women‘s empowerment and reproductive outcomes. Substantial research, primarily focused on Asia, demonstrates that women‘s empowerment is associated with contraceptive use (Gwako 1997; Morgan and Niraula 1995; Schuler et al. 1997; Woldemicael 2009), lower fertility (Balk 1994; Dyson and Moore 1983; Hindin 2000), and longer birth intervals (Upadhyay and Hindin 2005). Some researchers have suggested that women‘s empowerment is a key pathway through which education influences fertility (Jejeebhoy 1995; Mason 1987). To operationalize women‘s empowerment, much of the research literature uses the previously mentioned index of participation in house holddecision-making. The standard DHS questionnaire includes a set of questions about household decision-making. Other approaches include assessing women‘s acceptance of reasons that a husband is justified for beating his wife, and also reasons that a wife is justified in refusing sex with her husband (Ethiopian Society of Population Studies 2008). The DHS includes questions about these issues. Such gender-role attitudes measure the extent of women‘s acceptance of norms that justify men‘s control over women. As expected, they are associated with lower levels of power over household decision-making among women (Dhaher et al. 2010; Hindin 2003; Linos et al. 2010). MAJOR OBSTACLES TO THE PROMOTION OF GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWERMENT Notwithstanding the widespread commitment shown through the ratification of international and regional gender equality frameworks, normative gains are not yet fully reflected in substantial changes in women’s lives, as shown in the preceding section. Large gaps remain between policy and practice and it is the aim of this section to discuss some of the major challenges that have been experienced. Continued presence of strong cultural and traditional practices constraining progress in achieving gender parity The continued presence of long standing cultural and traditional practices that discriminate against women and girls’ have constrained the progress towards achieving gender equality. Discriminatory practices and public attitudes towards the advancement of women and gender equality have not changed at the same pace as policy, legal and institutional frameworks. Lack of ratification of the instruments that promote gender equality Previous sections have identified the status with respect to a number of regional instruments, particularly the African Women’s Protocol. Some countries are yet to sign this instrument, while a considerable number are yet to ratify it. Ineffective institutional and policy implementation mechanisms Thirteen years after the adoption of the BPFA by the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, the greatest challenge facing countries and regional institutions is the effective implementation of the adopted commitments. Good policies that do not have well formulated implementation plans and resources render the policies ineffective. In some countries, the capacity of gender machineries has also contributed to the slow pace. Some policies are not effectively implemented because they were not developed in a participatory way inclusive of both men and women. Lack of targets with well defined time-frames are also some of the factors that have hampered effective implementation of policies. Lack of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms also plays a significant role in the lack of implementation. Moreover, some policies tend to focus on the symptoms rather than addressing the persistent underlying causes of gender inequality. African women, especially those living in rural communities and those with disabilities, still face exclusion from participating in development processes that can empower them and improve gender equality. It is crucial to undertake inclusive participatory approaches in policy development that involve women as equal partners. Lack of adequate resources Lack of human and financial resources severely limits gender mainstreaming to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment. Even in situations where a comprehensive plan of action for gender mainstreaming has been developed, countries may not have adequate resources to implement the plan. In particular National Gender Machineries (NGMs) experience limited financial and other material resource base to enhance the implementation of gender equality mandates, roles and responsibilities. In addition, there are gaps in human capacity, there is generally a challenge with respect to gender competence skills of officers in the NGMs to influence the engendering of macro-economic and sector policy frameworks. There is high staff turn over of experts, and low staff retention, most countries are facing difficulties of retaining and sustaining staff with the necessary expertise. Continued presence of strong cultural and traditional practices constraining progress in achieving gender parity in education In taking decisions with respect to the education of their children, some families continue to have preference for educating boys rather than girls. As noted female-to-male school enrolment, retention and completion favor boys in a majority of countries. Very few countries have female to male enrolment rates that favor girls over boys and these countries have been making progress to redress the situation. Continued presence of strong cultural and traditional practices constraining progress in achieving gender parity in health Some cultural and traditional practices continue to inhibit progress in the area of sexual and reproductive rights. Women and girls continue to risk death from maternal mortality. There is need to provide accessible sexual and reproductive healthcare services and education to reduce maternal mortality. Such interventions need to address the roles of both men and women. The rate of HIV infection is much higher among women than men and in this regard, governments must establish and monitor strict legal frameworks to address the vulnerability of women and girls. Furthermore, access to anti-retroviral treatment should be ensured. Lack of enforcement of laws that promote gender equality and lack of knowledge of laws In some countries laws that promote gender equality are in place, however lack of enforcement of such laws leads to the perpetuation of gender inequalities and violence against women. In some countries, laws are in place, but interpretation of these laws is lacking and as such, they are not enforced. Lack of full involvement of men and boys Changing cultural and traditional beliefs including patriarchy requires the involvement of men, and boys in the promotion of gender equality through innovative rights-based, culturally sensitive programmes and continued education and sensitization. Continued lack of recognition of women’s unpaid work The continued lack of recognition of unpaid work (domestic, reproductive, care and support) performed by women hampers the development of policies that can effectively promote gender equality. There is therefore need for such work to be given due recognition in the computation of national income. Limited role of the media The media can play a major role in promoting gender equality beyond what it is currently doing. In particular in creating awareness, sensitization and education campaigns to change patriarchal attitudes. As noted before establishing new laws alone is not enough; existing gendered social relations and cultural norms may quickly shape these laws. There is need for measures to counter preexisting social forces through education and training of both men and women. The media can make a major contribution towards promoting these gender equality messages. Lack of sex disaggregated and gender responsive data Sex-disaggregated data and information from gender-sensitive indicators are often not collected, lost in aggregation of published data, or not used. Gender responsive data would help in tracking the progress made towards achievement of gender equality. SUGGESTED RECOMMENDATIONS Translation of commitments and policies promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment into action on the ground remains a major challenge in Africa. Based on the findings of this study, this section highlights some recommendations that can help countries successfully implement the commitments and policies aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Improved research and collection of gender responsive statistical data It is important to systematically collect accurate sex and gender disaggregated data and conduct research that is essential for monitoring and evaluating progress towards achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment. More efforts are needed to build capacity of national experts to collect gender disaggregated data in order to enhance integration of gender perspectives in the development process. Strengthen documentation and dissemination of information on promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment Sharing of information is important within countries, between countries and internationally and is critical to the success of achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment. There is need to intensify documentation of experiences with successful and unsuccessful practices and widely disseminate this information. It is important for member States, development partners and international and regional bodies to identify information exchange systems that can facilitate wide exchange of this information in the region. CONCLUSION The Empowerment of women has become one of the most important Concerns of 21st century not only at national level but also at the international level. Efforts by the Govt. are on to ensure Gender equality but Government initiatives alone would not be sufficient to achieve this goal. Society must take initiative to create a climate in which there is no gender discrimination and Women have full opportunities of Self decision making and participating in the Social, Political and Economic life of the Country with a sense of equality. As countries around the world work to promote gender equality and empower women as part of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, it can be expected that demand for smaller families will follow. Additionally, family planning programs can address women‘s empowerment as part of their mission to help women and couples have only the number of children they want. Such programs are likely to generate interest in family planning services, create demand for smaller families, and also reduce unwanted fertility. REFRENCES _Abadian, S. 1996. Women’s Autonomy and Its Impact on Fertility. World Development 24(12):1793-1809. _Gwako, E.L. 1997. Conjugal Power in Rural Kenya Families: Its Influence on Women’s _Decisions about Family Size and Family Planning Practices. Sex Roles 36(3-4):127-147. _Jejeebhoy, S.J. 1995.Women’s Education, Autonomy, and Reproductive Behaviour: Experience _from Developing Countries. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press. _Jejeebhoy, S.J. 2000. Women’s Autonomy in Rural India: Its Dimensions, Determinants, and the Influence of Context. Pp. 204-238 in Women’s empowerment and demographic processes: moving beyond Cairo, edited by H. Presser and G. Sen. London: Oxford University Press. _ Lee-Rife, S.M. 2011. Women’s Empowerment and Reproductive Experiences over the Lifecourse. Soc Sci Med 71(3):634-642. _Linos, N., M. Khawaja, and M. Al-Nsour. 2010. Women’s Autonomy and Support for Wife Beating: Findings from a Population-Based Survey in Jordan. Violence Vict 25(3):409-419. _ Mason, K.O. 1987. The Impact of Women‘s Social Position on Fertility in Developing Countries. Sociological Forum 4:718–745. _Morgan, P.S. and B.B. Niraula. 1995. Gender Inequality and Fertility in Two Nepali Villages. Population and Development Review 21(3):541-561. _Westoff, C. and A. Bankole. Reproductive Preferences in Developing Countries at the Turn of the Century. Calverton, Maryland: ORC Macro. DHS Comparative Reports No. 2. 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