The General Prologue Essay Thesis Example For Students

The General Prologue Essay Thesis The General Prologue: Compare and contrast The Prioress and The Wife of Bath In The General Prologue, Chaucer introduces each of the twenty-nine characters of The Canterbury Tales. The Prioress, being the head of a convent, is a religious woman and, apart from her accompanying nun, the wife of bath is the only other female pilgrim. By going on pilgrimage at all, the Prioress is committing a transgression as the bishops forbade the pilgrimage. Therefore, the simple fact that she figures in the prologue suggests she is not wholly committed to her cause. The Wife of Bath, by contrast, as a free woman of business had every right to attend. Chaucer introduces the Prioress as the fourth pilgrim illustrating her social status compared to the wife of bath who figures much later, being of the laity. The Prioresss manner however, does not parallel her position and Chaucer implies her good nature to be superficial. As a nun, she should have sacrificed all of her material possessions on entry to the convent, and she should not pride herself in her appearance. However: hardly, she was nat undergrowe. We will write a custom essay on The General Prologue Thesis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now / Ful fetis was hir cloke, as I was war. /Of smal coral aboute hire arm she bar /A peire of bedes, guaded al with grene, /And theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene She had clearly not forgone her possessions and the brooch she carried held the inscription Amor vincit omnia (love conquers all). This is ironic, not at all apt for a nun, and suggests sacred or profane love, subtly implying immorality. Equally, she was cleped madame Eglentine, an inappropriate name for a nun, with its sexual connotations and its links with courtly love. The Wife of Bath is brash and ostentatious, but unlike the Prioress she is honest, and for this honesty Chaucer praises her as a worthy woman al hir live. Chaucers use of the word worthy is often satirical so cannot always be taken literally, but in this case he seems to be genuinely praising the Wife of Bath despite her flaws. There are suggestions of her promiscuity but Chaucer brushes over her multiple marriages: Housbondes at chirche dore she hadde five, /Withouten oother compaignye in youthe, /But thereof nedeth nat to speke as nowthe.

Atronomy Example

Atronomy Example Atronomy – Article Example Astronomy- Earth and its geological activities Earth is the only known planet so far which is geologically and biologically active. The earth’s geological and biological activities are due to two energy sources, the external solar energy and the internal energy from the earth’s molten core. Since solar energy is available in all the planets, why earth alone have geological activities? This question seems to be a difficult one for the scientific world. â€Å"Some measure of the time involved for a planet the size of the earth to cool by convection is that the earth has been geologically active for over 4 billion years, and will probably take another 4-5 billion years to loose all its heat -and become a dead planet† (The Heat History of Earth)â€Å"All of the geological activity on the earth today is driven from this initial source of heat at the earths formation, aided and abetted by continued radioactive decay of elements in the earths interior.† (The Heat History of Earth) Radioactive decay of elements such as Uranium, Radium etc can cause earth’s geological activities, but the major reason for earth’s geological activities is the molten core formed at the creation of earth.A planetary body can lose its internal heat energy through several ways like volcanic eruption, earth quakes etc. Another way of energy liberation is through conduction, convection and radiation. The figures given below shows some of the energy liberation activities.(The Heat History of Earth)ConclusionsGeological activities of earth have started at the time its creation. The liberation of heat from the inner molten core is accomplished by conduction, convention and radiation. Earthquakes, tidal waves, volcanic eruptions are the ways through which earth liberates its energy. Earth’s geological activities one way or other connected to the biological activities on earth. 1. The Heat History Of Earth, 2000, Retrieved on April 20, 2009 from http: //csmres.jmu.edu/geollab/fichter/PlateTect/heathistory.html

Overview of Excess Reactant in Chemistry

Overview of Excess Reactant in Chemistry The excess reactant is the reactant in a chemical reaction with a greater amount than necessary to react completely with the limiting reactant. It is the reactant(s) that remain after a chemical reaction has reached equilibrium. How to Identify the Excess Reactant The excess reactant may be found using the balanced chemical equation for a reaction, which gives the mole ratio between reactants. For example, if the balanced equation for a reaction is: 2 AgI Na2S → Ag2S 2 NaI You can see from the balanced equation there is a 2:1 mole ratio between silver iodide and sodium sulfide. If you start a reaction with 1 mole of each substance, then silver iodide is the limiting reactant and sodium sulfide is the excess reactant. If you are given the mass of reactants, first convert them to moles and then compare their values to the mole ratio to identify the limiting and excess reactant. Note, if there are more than two reactants, one will be a limiting reactant and the others will be excess reactants. Solubility and Excess Reactant In an ideal world, you could simply use the reaction to identify the limiting and excess reactant. However, in the real world, solubility comes into play. If the reaction involves one or more reactants with low solubility in a solvent, theres a good chance this will affect the identities of the excess reactants. Technically, youll want to write the reaction and base the equation on the projected amount of dissolved reactant. Another consideration is an equilibrium where both the forward and backward reactions occur.

Why was the 14th century so disastrous Research Paper

Why was the 14th century so disastrous - Research Paper Example Even with its glory of production of gold and silver, during the 14th century, production reduced and the flourishing state was in a devastating state. Nevertheless, Europe was in the era of medieval industrial revolution. The mediaeval era can be referred to as the time of inventions, innovations in managing traditional means of production and economic growth. The mediaeval people referred to this period as the Great Pestilence or the Great Plague. There are three calamities that Europe suffered namely hunger, war and plague. The 14th Century was a period of anxiety, declined expectations and lost expectations. During the century, Europe experienced two great natural disasters; the little ice age and the Black Death. There were two ice age’s; the first one occurred from 1200 to1600 and the one from 1700 to 1800 (University of Wisconsin, uwgb.edu). During the first or mini ice age, the Baltic Sea froze to a level that had never been recorded or witnessed, while the Alpine glaciers developed. Combs points out that â€Å"crops failed due to cold temperatures and incessant rain† (168). The result of this was desperate and starved people, who went to the extent of eating one another to stay alive. It can be said that the situation in Europe was unstable. This is because the change in climate caused a lot of changes, especially in food production, as crops failed (Bray 59). During this period, warm and intense amount of cold and wet periods were experienced in Europe. Northern Europe lost much of its wheat and the highlands of Europe produced greatly reduced crops. The feudal system was under different forms of attacks. The famine had destabilized the land-tenure system and led to the increased movement of the peasantry. Banks closed down and others collapsed. War begun to devastate France and impoverish England, while the civil war was tearing Italy apart. The population had remained steady as the food decreased, hence leading to the classical

Proving The Biblical Flood (Noah's Ark) Term Paper

Proving The Biblical Flood (Noah's Ark) - Term Paper Example To this end, God instructed Noah to construct a huge Ark that would shelter his family and also a pair of every animal and bird species in the world. It is stated that Noah complied to each and every of God’s commands and secured himself, his family plus the select pair of every animal and bird species in the Ark. Afterwards, the book of Genesis details a mega flood that rained for 40 days and 40 nights. To this end, Genesis 7:21-22 states that all flesh perished that moved on the Earth, every man, cattle, birds, beasts and all the creeping things (Beitzel, Barry, Barry L. Bandstra, and Laurie, 24). Only the people and land animals on board the Ark were spared. After, one hundred and fifty days, it is stated that the water receded from the Earth. Unfortunately, a majority of sceptics and atheists normally dismiss the Great flood as one of the many mythological tales. Most critics like to point out that there is no evidence on Earth for Noah’s flood. However, The Bible a nd especially the Book of Genesis is a true historical account of the universe. ... This fact is credible considering that all global surface water covers three quarters of the Earth surface. Evidently, some secular geologists have supported the theory that all the continents were once whole and not divided by the massive oceans of today. To this end, it is also a valid point that the receding waters of the flood were sufficient to effect the continental separation changes. Evidently, the Biblical scriptures state that God created the ocean basins by raising the land surface from the water so that the floodwaters may recede to a safer place. Most critics of the Great Flood normally seek for geologic evidence from proponents of the Great Flood. Evidently, a number of Christians are blind to the geological evidence that support the occurrence of the Great Flood. To this end, they have bought in the evolutionary idea that asserts that ‘the present is the key to the past’ (Shimmeal, 67). However, in examining whether the Great Flood really took place, direc tion from Biblical evidence is a starting point. Evidently, in Genesis chapter 7 to chapter 8, it states the fountains of the deep were fractured and water was expunged from within the earth’s core for 150 days. Furthermore, the heavens opened up and there was a global torrential rain for 40 days and nights. To this end, all the mountains and hills were immersed in water. In addition, all creatures on the land were swept away and died. Consequently, in attempt to check for evidence, one would expect to discover billions of dead animals and plants that have been buried and fossilized in layers of mud, sand and lime. Furthermore, such sediments would have been deposited instantaneously by water, within

Gender Discrimination in Media Essay Example for Free

Gender Discrimination in Media Essay Abstract This study examines women’s participation and representation in media. This study is based on the statistics of media units in Solapur city. Women constitute nearly 50% of population in every Indian city, but the participation of women in media is very low. Discussions of womens representation in the media tend to revolve around the focus on physical beauty to the near-exclusion of other values. It is observed that media content about women issues is biased and gender discrimination is clearly visible . This study also suggests the ways to increase the women participation in media and the ways to rational representation of women in media. Introduction: Women constitute nearly 50% of population in India. Our social system boasts that it has given mother goddess status to women since the ancient period. But in reality society builds psychological barriers around women. This male dominated society imposed so many bindings against women. Therefore role of women was confined only to the kitchen and kids for many years. Social movement started by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Mahatma Phule, Savitribai Phule, Maharshi Karve and other social activists opened doors for women’s education. Women have benefited greatly as education provided information to them about their rights and their equal status in the society. In spite of these efforts and the 65 year long journey since India’s independence , our nation is lagging behind in many basic things. World Economic Forum conducted a study to measure gender gap. The Global Gender Gap Index examines the gap between men and women in four fundamental categories: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment. According to this Gender Gap Report-2011, India is included among the 20 countries, where the gender gap is widest. It holds 113th position among 134 countries in the world. This report explains that â€Å"India and Pakistan perform above average on the political empowerment of women, particularly India, but they lag behind in the other three categories. In particular, the persistent health, education and economic participation gaps will be detrimental to India’s growth. India is the lowest ranked of the BRICK economies† (http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2011.pdf) After India’s independence Womens role in society has undergone seismic changes, which has been reflected in every walk of life. Women stepped out of four walls and succeeded in each and every field. Now women are working as pilots, soldiers, doctors, engineers, lawyers, politicians and proving their mettle in all fields. But it is ground reality that basic structure of male dominated society and roles and presumptions about womens worlds remain the same. Still the life of majority of women in India remains unchanged. . The women who got benefited through education and succeeded to grab a job have to destine to face male supremacy. Gender discrimination is visible at every moment. Decision- making positions are not accessible for women. Many times working women have to face humiliation. Scenario in the field of media Scenario in the field of media also does not differ from it. Media Still remains as men’s world and this is global phenomena. According to the research conducted by International Women’s Media Foundation( IWMF ) 73% of the top management jobs are occupied by men compared to 27% occupied by women,Among the rank of reports , men hold nearl y two thirds of the jobs, compared to 36% held by women. These findings were collected by more than 150 researchers who interviewed executives at more than 500 companies in 59 nations. (http://iwmf.org/pioneering-change/global-research-on-women-in-the-news-media/global-report-online-version.aspx) According to this report statistics of women’s participation in Indian media is 13. 8 % ( e.g. Chief Executive Officer ) at top management , 23.3 % ( e.g. News Directors) in senior management ,18.3% ( Chief Correspondent ) in middle management and 25.5 % ( Reportes, Sub-editors ) at junior professional level . This report reveals that women’s participation in Indian media is very low and gender discrimination is the only reason behind this. Media sector in India is very strong and particularly India ranks second in circulation of newspaper copies in the world. â€Å"The new figures show that the four largest markets for newspapers are: China with 107 million copies daily; India, with 99 million copies daily; Japan with 69 million copies daily; and the United States, with nearly 51 million.† 1 Marathi newspapers in Maharashtra are also enjoying better position. Two Marathi newspapers Lokmat and Sakal are placed among India’s top 10 largest circulated regional dailies in the IRS first quarterly report 2012 . Lokmat is at second position and Sakal is at tenth position in this list. (http://mruc.net/irs2012q1-topline-findings.pdf) â€Å" Women participation in Indian media is negligible. Though a few women were appointed by the media many were not given big responsibilities. The media should be more responsible when it comes to reporting of womens issues.† 2 This picture is same in Mahashtra state. Solapur city is 7 th populated city in Maharastra .Population of Solapur is more than 12 lacks. There are seven dailies having circulation of more than 25000 copies per day. But participation of women in newspapers editorial staff is negligible. It is observed that young women taking admissions to the media courses is increasing during last few years. But job opportunities are not easily accessible for them. Situation in electronic media seems better than newspapers. Table no 1: Ratio of Women’s Participation in Editorial staff of Daily Newspapers in Solapur This statistics clearly reveals that women’s participation in these newspapers as reporters, sub-editors, editors is less than 3%. Women journalists are confined generally to the table duties to edit women’s page or to cover cultural events arranged for women. Important beats such as political beat, crime beat does not allotted to the female journalists. They work on junior levels .In decision making process women’s participation almost neglected in all newspapers. Table no 2 : Womens participation in electronic media in Solapur Sr no| Media Unit | Male Journalists | Female Journalists| total| 1| AIR Solapur| 05 (71..42%)| 02 (18.58%)| 06| 2| Big 92.7 FM| 03 (100.00%)| 0(00.00%)| 04| 3| IN Solapur TV channel| 08 (80.0%)| 02 (20.0%)| 10| 4| Reporters of TV channels| 09 (90.0%) | 01 (10.0%)| 10| | Total| 23 (83.34%)| 05 (16.66%)| 30| Women participation in electronic media is 16.66% as compared to mere 1.97 % in newspapers. Solapur Working Journalist Union is organization of all journalist belonging to print and electronic media in Solapur .( Table no.3 ) Not a single female journalist included among total 125 members of Solapur Working Journalist’s Union Table no 3: Members of Solapur Working Journalist Union Male Journalists | Female Journalists| 125 ( 100%)| 00 ( 00 % )| Male dominated media managements are not allowing access to the woman journalists. According to the executives of the media, woman journalists cannot work in the night shifts and they are reluctant to cover every beat assigned to them .That’s why we prefers male journalists for the job. This gender biased assumption of the media managements is contrary to the real facts. Women are actively participating in every walk of life such as armed forces, space science, entrepreneurship, education, engineering etc.They work hard without any concessions and proved their mettle. These examples prove that women are going hand-in-hand with men in every field. Therefore women can do their best in the field of media. Barkha Dutt, Nalini Singh, Mrinal Pandey, Sucheta Dalal are some prominent examples of women journalists doing brilliant job than male journalists. It reveals that only reason for the less participation of women in media is the gender bias of the management. Women’s Representation in Media Media plays an important role in the dissemination of information and knowledge to the masses. It is the role of the media to educate people and to guide them for the development of society and nation. But media content about women issues is alwayes biased and gender discrimination is clearly visible in it. Most of the woman’s organizations blame on media that it is responsible for biased and stereotype portrayal of women. Any society cannot progress without upliftment and empowerment of women .But Indian media is engaged in portraying women as housewives.† Feminists objected to the stereotypical portrayal of women as happy home- makers who were less competent than men.† 3 Now women are active participants in every walk of life. Therefore it is important to to properly project the image of women as role model. For these purpose women participation in media should be increased. But mere participation does not change the situation. .â€Å"A large proportion of women thought that there would be a change in program content with as increase in proportion of female employees program quality would improve and more balanced perspective would be emerge. .† 4 Mrs. Suhas Kumar rightly suggested that â€Å"Women must become active participants in the field of journalism and other fields of media to fulfill the all-round development of women directly and indirectly.only through their involvement in journalism women will be able to speak for themselvesand the issues relevant to them†. 8 Therefore it is necessary to appoint women as decision makers in the newspapers. Special training must be given to all editorial staff about the equality principle and the rights of women as human being. Conclusion: Male dominated newspaper industry is reluctant to give access to women journalists. Women journalists are not assigned to cover important issues. News related to women issues covered by male journalists cannot give justification to the issue. There are no guidelines for reservations for women in media jobs.Mere increases in number of women journalists cannot change the gender bias in media. Suggestions: At the end, this study concludes with some suggestions (a) There is need to recruit women journalists in proportion, giving them equal opportunity and access to work in media. (b) The important women’s issues must be rported by women journalist. (c) Special guidelines should be given to all the journalists about projecting positive and real image of woman, without any bias. (d) There should be a provision to punish guilty persons for portraying women as commodity in any advertisement, news, article etc. References 1. The Hindu online edition ,New Delhi, Jan,10, 2011.8 2. The Hindu online edition ,New Delhi, June,4 ,2008 3.Thakurta Paranjoy,Media Ethics : Truth, Fairness and Objectivity,Oxford

White-Only Scholarship Controversy :: Diversity Equality Racism Essays

Diversity, a word often heard growing up. In high school diversity was an issue that was pushed repeatedly. I attended a school that had a student body of over 2000 students, in which diversity was not really an issue. As time passed I found that diversity affected my life more and more. As college neared filling out applications became more of a ritual, and I found that by being born into a white middle class family would hinder my financial status rather than help it. Recently an article appeared in the Iowa State Daily, which addressed the issue of a white-only scholarship. In addition to the scholarships offered to members of the minority races, a scholarship should be offered to the members of the decreasing majority. Whites or Caucasians make up a group just as Native Americans, blacks, and Hispanics do. The one thing that separates whites from these other groups besides skin color is the fact that for each minority group, there are several scholarships that pertain to each. As a nation we have placed a great deal of emphasis on making sure the minorities are getting equal opportunities, but we forget that there are members of the Caucasian decent that need assistance as well. Most times minorities are the ones that need financial assistance in a college situation, but we have forgotten that there are white families that have grown up in the same neighborhood as these individuals, who also need financial assistance. This is why the idea of a white-only scholarship is not so unrealistic. A group of students attending Roger Williams University have created a Whites-only scholarship to initially protest affirmative action. This protest however has snowballed into the real thing. This protest has now become a $250 scholarship available to only white students. This award shows America that whites are becoming the minority, and no matter how much we fight it, it is going to become a reality sooner or later. This then opens America’s eyes and shows them that by being a minority there are more opportunities for financial aid based on skin color than there are for whites. This said, there should be at least one scholarship for just whites to counteract the many minority scholarships available to other races. â€Å"Many people think that coming from a white background you’re automatically privileged, you’re automatically rich, and your parents pay your full tuition.

Mehta Automobiles Essay

In 1980, Mr. Sanat Mehta joined Standard Automobiles of Ahmedabad as a mechanic. In appreciation of his excellent work, he was soon promoted to the post of chief mechanic. Mr. Mehta’s professional ability, his pleasing manners and sense of responsibility endeared him to the customers of Standard Automobiles to such an extent that some of them persuaded him to commence his own automobile repair workshop. One of them persuaded him to commence his own automobile repair workshop. One customer, Mr. Nitin Shah offered to rent a part of his godown situated in a busy street of Ahmedabad city. Another customer, Mr. Mohan Kapoor, the local manager of a large bank mentioned that a loan of up to Rs. 100,000 could be made available to him under the scheme for financing small business. After some discussion with members of his family, Mr. Mehta decided to commence an automobile service and repairs workshop under the name of Mehta Automobiles. For this purpose, he invested Rs. 50,000 from his past savings and accepted Mr. Shah’s and Mr. Kapoor’s offers. A part of the amount was deposited in the bank in the name of Mehta Automobiles. The enterprise had a good start, thanks to the patronage of some old customers of Standard Automobiles. Mr. Mehta publicized his operations by displaying cinema slides in selected local cinemas and soon his workshop became well known in that area. In the beginning, Mr. Mehta did all the work of the mechanic, helped by two assistants recruited at the time of the commencement of the business. Soon he added a spare parts selling section to his business as this was quite a profitable associated activity. In this, he was helped by his son Mr. Rajendra Mehta who also assisted him in collection of cash from debtors. During his service at Standard Automobiles, Mr. Mehta had come to know very well some wholesalers of service materials, such as tools, stores and spare parts. This helped him in buying such material on credit. However, most of the other purchases particularly spare parts and practically all his sales were on cash basis. Because of the relatively small extent of credit transactions, Mr. Mehta had not thought of maintaining formal accounting records, as he had felt that increases in cash balance would adequately indicate the profit earned by him. All cash received was deposited in the bank account, and expenses and payments were recorded in a notebook. Mr. Mehta occasionally experienced some difficulty in recording transactions which did not result in direct sales. For instance, when his personal car was overhauled, involving considerable use of his mechanics’ time as well as spare parts costing about Rs. 15000 he was not sure how it should be recorded. He finally decided that since the garage was owned by him no adjustments need be made for this transaction. Rapid expansion of his business compelled Mr. Mehta to hire four new assistants and two mechanics. He also recruited a part-time salesman for spare parts selling. Mr. Mehta continued to attend personally to purchases, collections and other administrative aspects of business. A small section of the workshop premises was set apart for office purposes. The office was simply furnished with a table, three chairs, a filing cabinet and also a telephone. Spare parts, stores, tools etc. , and other supplies which were formerly stored in a small room at his residence, were now stored in steel racks in a section of the workshop. Mr. Mehta soon came across and advertisement that appeared in the local newspaper. A well-known automobile company of Bombay was looking for a good automobiles service shop owner, who would be willing take up the sole selling agency of their cars and spare parts in Gujarat. Mr. Mehta applied for this agency as he was advised by his friends in business circles that such an agency would be a profitable proposition. However, he was puzzled by two conditions which were imposed in awarding this agency. According to the first condition, the agent had to obtain a certificate from his bank to the effect that a minimum balance of Rs. 500,000 was maintained in the business account. Secondly, the agent was required to send to the principal, periodic statements showing the current financial position of the business and the business results in the immediate past period. Mr. Mehta was duly assigned the sole selling agency for the Gujarat on the basis of excellent reports received by the principal from local businessmen. For fulfilling the first condition, Mr. Mehta saw Mr. Kapoor, the Bank agent. After discussions with Mr. Mehta, the Bank agent agreed to grant Mr. Mehta a further loan of Rs. 500,000. He asked Mr. Mehta, to submit a statement showing the current position of his business so that he could process the loan application. Mr. Mehta mentioned that so far he had not maintained any regular accounts. The maintenance of such records required specialized knowledge which he did not possess and he felt hiring an accountant would increase his costs which he could not afford in his competitive business situation. Mr. Kapoor said that systematic accounting records would be a necessity, if Mr. Mehta wanted to expand his business and fulfill the operational requirements like bank borrowing, credit purchases as well as legal requirements to payment of tax. The same evening Mr. Mehta saw Mr. Ashok Lal, a friend who was the Chief Accountant of a local textile mill. He expressed to Mr. Lal his desire to start keeping systematic accounting records and requested him to prepare for him a statement showing the assets and liabilities of his business. He also supplied to Mr. Lal the necessary information to enable him to prepare the required statement. Mr. Lal also explained to Mr. Mehta how a â€Å"Profit and Loss Analysis† could be prepared so that Mr. Mehta could be more accurately measure the results of his business performance. He prepared a list of various statements that Mr. Mehta should arrange to obtain periodically from his subordinates for maintaining his accounting records. Questions for consideration 1. Mr. Mehta mentioned that. i) he could not have systematic accounting records because he did not possess specialized accounting skill; and ii) keeping such records would mean increase in costs, which he could not afford. How would you respond to these comments? 2. What information would Mr. Lal require for preparing the financial statement? 3. What items would you expect to find in the statements of financial position and profit and loss analysis relating to Mr. Mehta’s business? 4. What records would Mr. Mehta require to maintain for controlling his business activities?

Examine the effects of the impact of human activity on soil

In the context of living in the modern world the environment is very important to study and maintain. As technology advances the world we live in is changing, but sometimes these changes are disturbing the balance of nature that has been well established for thousands of years. The effect that we are having on soil is often very detrimental; erosion is an ever-present problem all across the globe. I aim to investigate the impact that human activity has had on soil, and evaluate solutions to the problem. Initially it is important to look at what can be damaged and what the risk is to soils. The main threats include erosion, acidification, pollution, compaction, organic matter loss and salinisation. The increasing amounts of fertilizers and other chemicals applied to soils since World War II, has caused great concern over soil pollution. The application of fertilizers containing the primary nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, doesn't lead to soil pollution, the application of trace elements does. Sulfur from industrial wastes has polluted soils in the past. Read this Ch. 22 Respiratory System When lead arsenate was used on crops this had deadly effects but this is now outlawed due to these. The application of pesticides also leads to short-term soil pollution. Ploughing was once a major erosion-causing problem. The way it used to be carried out was known as clean cultivation, which left the topsoils exposed to all natural erosive problems. This was done by the use of the moldboard plow by farmers, now replaced by better ploughs, which leave a litter layer on the surface to prevent erosion. Irrigation is the artificial watering of land to sustain plant growth. This happens across the globe in areas where the water budget is below the required amount. In dry areas, such as the southwestern United States, irrigation must be maintained from the time a crop is planted. In 1800 about 8. 1 million hectares (about 20 million acres) were under irrigation, a figure that has risen to more than 222 million hectares (550 million acres) today. Irrigation, however, can waterlog soil, or increase a soil's salinity to the point where crops are damaged or ruined. The irrigation of arid lands often leads to pollution with salts. This problem is now jeopardizing about one-third of the world's irrigated land. About a third of all soils in England and Wales have been identified as being at risk from water erosion. Another careless error of human kind is to let overgrazing to occur. Overgrazing, which in time can change grassland to desert, can be seen causing great problems in the USA. The dustbowl effect is evidence of this. It is believed by some historians that soil erosion has been an underlying cause in various population shifts and the fall of certain civilizations. Ruins of towns and cities have been found in arid regions such as the deserts of Mesopotamia, which shows that agriculture was once widespread in the surrounding territory. To remedy these problems we have to act fast. In protecting soil we have to consider not only the land but also the land use and the pressures on it, and then find the correct balance of how to help both the land and people. Often without the money coming in from industry and farmers the land that we need to conserve would have gone to waste anyway and there money is preserving it already. Farmers have been looking for solutions for centuries, and in the Middle Ages in Britain and to present day crop rotation was a possible solution. This is where through different seasons different crops were used, and sometimes the field was left bare to recuperate. In modern rotation systems soil-building plants are used. These crops hold and protect the plants during growth, and also when mixed in to the ground provide much needed nutrients. Special methods for erosion control include contour farming, where the farmer follows the contours of sloping lands, and ditches and terraces are constructed to reduce the runoff of water. This is particularly useful in areas with high precipitation. Another soil-conservation method is the use of strip-cropping. This is the use of alternate strips of crop and fallow land. This method is valuable for control of wind erosion on semiarid lands that need to lie crop-free for efficient crop production. Without human activities, losses of soil through erosion would in most areas probably be balanced by the formation of new soil. On new land a layer of vegetation protects the soil. When new industry is formed in an area the protective canopy of trees that would shield the ground from a lot of rainfall is destroyed which greatly speeds up erosion of certain kinds of soils. Erosion is less severe with crops such as wheat, which cover the ground evenly, than with crops such as corn and tobacco, which grow in rows and have bare spaces. When ramblers go out in the countryside they cause another problem, trampling. Through repeated trampling the ground gets ruined and so do the plants, until walkers use alternate paths and also eventually ruin those as well. These methods are all very effective in combating erosion. They are split into five categories, revegetation, erosion control, crop management, run-off control and soil reclamation. The latter is done through drainage. I believe the easiest of these to use is good crop management. This would mean a well-stratified plan to the use of the land b the farmer. It is the cheapest to do, as no alterations to the land are required. It can be done globally but in poorer areas there may be too much pressure to maintain this. At Kinder Scout in England revegetation has been a successful move, replacing plants where walkers had trampled them. The conclusion I am making is that for every soil where human problems have had a diverse effect, it will be a different solution required. There is no standard answer, and farmers, walkers and industrialists need to come up with their own.

Nuclear Arms in Russia essays

Nuclear Arms in Russia essays Nuclear non-proliferation, arms limitation, arms control, deterrence, international security, de-militarization ...civilian and government agencies alike have wrestled with how to define and resolve issues of possession and use of nuclear weapons. The issues involve power struggles over which nation can wield the biggest gun: who can have nuclear weapons; how many; how powerful; who decides; and how decisions can be enforced. The last few years have been a time of unprecedented success in arms control. Over this period, we have seen the cornerstone of our efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons - the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) being an example of this. A significant step towards reducing the armament of the Cold War was taken when START II was ratified by the US Senate. The signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) ended the era of nuclear explosive testing, a goal that had been sought for more than forty years and, most recently, President Clinton and President Yeltsin agreed on a framework for START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) III after START II enters into force. Despite this string of successes, the world remains a dangerous place. The spread of technology has made it possible for dozens of States, many of whom view the United States as an enemy, to seek nuclear, biological or chemical weapons capability. We the Russian Federation need assistance in arms reduction and we are confident of its future as have the backing of Mr. Blair, who has committed  £12 million over the next three years to assist us with the destruction of our chemical weapons stockpile. Mr. Blair also met with President Putin at the G8 summit in Okinawa, Japan, where they discussed a method of disposing of our stockpile of plutonium and 40, 000 chemical weapons. As well as success with Britain, president Putin is also making very good progress with the US. The 16th June meeting in Slovenia between US president George. W. B...

Assessing Factors Of National Security

Assessing Factors Of National Security Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work produced by our Law Essay Writing Service . You can view samples of our professional work here . Assessing Factors Of National Security National security is the necessity to maintain the endurance of the state through the use of political power, the exercise of diplomacy, economic and military. The idea developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II. Originally focusing on military might encompasses a broad range of facets all of which impose on the military or economic security of the nation and the values espoused by the national society. Therefore, in order to possess national security, a nation needs to possess environmental security, economic security and energy security etc. Security threats involve not only conventional foes such as other nation-states but also non-state actors such as violent non-state actors, narcotic cartels, multinational corporations and non-governmental organisations; some authorities include natural disasters and events causing severe environmental damage in this category. Measures taken to ensure national security include: us ing diplomacy to rally allies and isolate threats marshalling economic power to facilitate or compel cooperation maintaining effective armed forces implementing civil defense and emergency preparedness measures (including anti-terrorism legislation) ensuring the resilience and redundancy of critical infrastructure using intelligence services to detect and defeat or avoid threats and espionage, and to protect classified information using counterintelligence services or secret police to protect the nation from internal threats Slide 4 – Who defines national security? State/Government/group of elites determines the main objectives of security based on the nation’s sovereignty, integrity of the state and economic prosperity. As the source of political authority, the government defines security, and this definition generally encompasses the broader spectrum of values held dear by the majority. â€Å"Since the future racial peace in this country depends on how well the gove rnment handles the sensitive issues, it is suggested that the NSC shall be the body to look into the matter†. Slide 5 – Scope Slide 6 – Factors Of National Security Slide 7 – Economy Historically, conquest of nations have made conquerors rich through plunder, access to new resources and enlarged trade through controlling of the conquered nations’ economy. In today’s complex system of international trade, ‘ by multi-national agreements, mutual inter-dependence and availability of natural resources etc., the freedom to follow choice of policies to develop a nation’s economy in the manner desired, forms the essence of economic security. Economic security today forms, arguably, as important a part of national security as military security. Slide 8 – Military This is traditionally, the earliest recognised form of national security. Military security implies the capability of a nation to defend itself, and/or deter military aggr ession. Alternatively, military security implies the capability of a nation to enforce its policy choices by use of military force. The term â€Å"military security† is considered synonymous with â€Å"security† in much of its usage. One of the definitions of security given in the Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, may be considered a definition of â€Å"military securityâ€Å": A condition that results from the establishment and maintenance of protective measures that ensure a state of inviolability from hostile acts or influences. Slide 9 – Politic The political aspect of security has been offered by Barry Buzan, Ole Wà ¦ver, Jaap de Wilde as an important component of national security. Political security is about the stability of the social order. Closely allied to military security and societal security, other components proposed in a framework for national security in their book â€Å"Security: a new framework for analysis†, it specifica lly addresses threats to sovereignty. System referent objects are defined, such as nation-states, nations, transnational groups of political importance including tribes, minorities, some religious organisations, systems of states such as the European Union and the United Nations, besides others. Diplomacy, negotiation and other interactions form the means of interacion between the objects.

Analysis of the Business Cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of the Business Cycle - Essay Example The United States unemployment rate in May 2011 was 9.1 percent slightly higher than that of April 2011 which was 9 percent. Employment rates in government sectors continued to decline while job opportunities were generated in private sector, health care and mining. The number of unemployed person in May 2011 was 13.9 million. Inflation rate in United States has a continuously rising trend. It has systematically increased from 1.6 percent in January 2011 to 3.13 percent in June 2011. While in April and may it sustained on 3.2 percent. United States economy growth rate has greatly decelerated since last few years the above analyzed data shows that United States economy is in a phase of slow recovery with its 3.3 percent GDP growth rate. There had been fluctuations in inflation and unemployment rate- slight increases and decreases and some times the rate sustained at one level. The growth rate here is very slow and it is insufficient for the recovery of United States economy. With the same growth rate it can be projected that the recovery of the economy will speed up in 2015. By bringing down the inflation and unemployment rate and increasing the GDP growth rate United States can fasten up its recovery stage. There had been high rising trends in United States GDP growth rate. It was the highest in the year 1990 with an amazing growth rate of 10.5 percent. A monopolistic firm has to analyze the GDP growth rate, inflation rate and unemployment rate of the economy very carefully as these aspects can have a direct effect on its labor cost and sales rate. As we can see a rising trend in GDP growth it shows that the whole economy is in function and there is an increase in aggregate demand which in turn increases the inflation by demand pull and cost push. At this stage a competitive monopolistic firm must increase its sales as there is a huge amount of money facing a little amount of goods. An increase in sales can occur when the GDP growth rate is increasing along wit h the inflation rate. But when there is a negative trend of gross domestic product a monopolistic firm may face a reduction in its sales rate. Because the economy is functioning in a slow manner the aggregate demand decreases and therefore the firms have to cut down their sales in order to avoid losses. The functioning of a competitive monopolistic firm here would be that it would increase its sales because the data shows an increase in GDP growth rate from 1.8 percent to 3.3 percent which in turn has increased the inflation rate as well from 1.6 percent to 3.13 percent. The monopolistic firm should also cut down its labor cost very cautiously. The wages cost is comparatively lower when the unemployment rate is low and it is slightly higher when the unemployment rate is high. Here the unemployment rate is increasing, as it was 9 percent in April and 9.1 percent in May and the monopolistic firm can cut down its cost but the firms should keep in concern that the labor or wage cost inc reases with the increase in GDP. If the firm will not keep an eye on increasing GDP rate and will cut down its cost to the minimum limit then a competitive firm will become uncompetitive because when the economy picks up and the Gross Domestic Product rises the increase in labor or wage cost may faster than the increase in sales of the firm. Under the present circumstances the firm can cut down its cost slightly and should keep a precautious look on GDP growth rate and unemploy