Isaac Newton

Imagine a world with no concept of gravity, a world that knows not what forces affect a moving body, a world that does not understand the science affecting light and a world without calculus.   Imagine a world without one of its greatest minds, Sir Isaac Newton.   Sir Isaac Newton is neither a mathematician nor a scientist, he is neither an astronomer nor a chemist, he is all of these compressed into one genius. His works have greatly contributed to the advancement of the sciences and civilized society as a whole.   Present day natural and chemical sciences including mathematics will not be the same without his ideas.   To pay homage to a man this great, let us study his life and his legacies, let us delve into his mind, view his past, learn a little about his childhood and make sure that he is not forgotten in the annals of history. Isaac Newton was born prematurely on Christmas day 1642 (4 January 1643, Gregorian calendar) in Woolsthorpe in Lincolnshire. He came from a family of farmers but never knew his father, also named Isaac Newton, who died in October 1642, three months before his son was born.   When he was barely three years old Newton's mother, Hanna Ayscough placed her first born with his grandmother Margery Ayscough at Woolsthorpe in order to remarry and raise a second family with Barnabas Smith, a wealthy minister from nearby North Witham (Hatch, 2002). Basically treated as an orphan, Isaac did not have a happy childhood, he felt very bitter towards his mother and his step-father Barnabas Smith, proof of which he wrote as among his sins at age nineteen:- Threatening my father and mother Smith to burn them and the house over them. Isaac began attending the Free Grammar School in Grantham but shown little promise in academic work.. His mother thought that her eldest son was the right person to manage her affairs and her estate so Isaac was taken away from school but fortunately showed that he had no talent or interest in managing an estate. Isaac was allowed to return to the Free Grammar School in Grantham in 1660 to complete his school education and entered his uncle's old College, Trinity College Cambridge, on 5 June 1661. Newton's aim at Cambridge was a law degree but nevertheless Newton studied the philosophy of Descartes, Gassendi, Hobbes, and in particular Boyle. The mechanics of the Copernican astronomy of Galileo attracted him and he also studied Kepler's Optics. He recorded his thoughts in a book which he entitled Quaestiones Quaedam Philosophicae (Certain Philosophical Questions) (Robertson, 2000). In 1665 Newton took his bachelor's degree at Cambridge without honors or distinction. The university closed for the next two years because of plague so Newton returned to Woolsthorpe in midyear. There, in the following 18 months, he made a series of original contributions to science.   He himself admitted that All this was in the two plague years of 1665 and 1666, for in those days I was in my prime of age for invention, and minded mathematics and philosophy more than at any time since. In mathematics Newton conceived his ‘method of fluxions' (infinitesimal calculus), laid the foundations for his theory of light and color, and achieved significant insight into the problem of planetary motion, insights that eventually led to the publication of his Principia (1687). There, in a period of less than two years, while Newton was still under 25 years old, he began revolutionary advances in mathematics, optics, physics, and astronomy (Hatch, 2002). In April 1667, Newton returned to Cambridge and was elected a minor fellow at Trinity. In the next year he became a senior fellow upon taking his master of arts degree, and in 1669 he succeeded Isaac Barrow as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. From this point until 1678, Newton published two papers which according to Robert Hooke were plagiarized and were taken from his research, this led to several arguments between the two but as history would have it, society favored the older more brittle Robert Hooke.   In 1678, the blow of this controversy caused Newton to suffer a serious breakdown and the year immediately after, his mother died.   These past events took its toll on Newton, he cut off himself from others and started to engross himself in alchemical research. In 1687, with the support of his friend the astronomer Edmond Halley, Newton published his single greatest work, the ‘Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica' (‘Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy'). This literature showed how a universal force, gravity, applied to all objects in all parts of the universe (Hatch, 2002). In 1689, Newton was elected MP for Cambridge University and eventually was appointed warden of the Royal Mint, settling in London in 1696. He took his duties at the Mint very seriously and campaigned against corruption and inefficiency within the organization. In 1703, he was elected president of the Royal Society, an office he held until his death. He was knighted in 1705. By the early 1700s Newton was the dominant figure in British and European science. He died on March 20, 1727 (31 March, Gregorian) in London, England and was buried in Westminster Abbey (BBC.co.uk). After his burial, he was exhumed so he could be buried in a more prominent location in Westminster Abbey and in this process it was discovered that Newton had large amounts of mercury in his body, probably as a direct result of his alchemical experiments. Exposure to large amounts of mercury may explain Newton’s eccentricity in his latter years, as well as his cause of death (Conservapedia, 2007). Newton’s contributions to the sciences involve the fields of optics, mathematics, mechanics, gravitation, chemistry and alchemy. In the field of Optics, he discovered measurable, mathematical patterns in the phenomenon of color.   He found â€Å"white light to be a mixture of infinitely varied colored rays (manifest in the rainbow and the spectrum), each ray definable by the angle through which it is refracted on entering or leaving a given transparent medium†(Hall). He correlated this notion with his study of the interference colors of thin films using a simple technique of extreme acuity to measure the thickness of such films. He held that light consisted of streams of minute particles. From his experiments he could infer the magnitudes of the transparent â€Å"corpuscles† forming the surfaces of bodies, which, according to their dimensions, so interacted with white light as to reflect, selectively, the different observed colors of those surfaces (Hall). In Mathematics, Newton made contributions to all its branches, but is especially famous for his solutions to the contemporary problems in analytical geometry of drawing tangents to curves (differentiation) and defining areas bounded by curves (integration). Not only did Newton discover that these problems were inverse to each other, but he discovered general methods of resolving problems of curvature, embraced in his â€Å"method of fluxions† and â€Å"inverse method of fluxions† which is later known as calculus (BuddenbrooksInc). In the field of mechanics and gravitation, Newton published his greatest work the Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica (Principia) – arguably the greatest scientific book ever written.   The Principia, composed of several volumes, states the foundations of the science of mechanics, developing upon them the mathematics of orbital motion round centers of force.   A volume discussed the theory of fluids: Newton solves problems of fluids in movement and of motion through fluids. From the density of air he calculated the speed of sound waves.   Another volume showed the law of gravitation at work in the universe: Newton demonstrates it from the revolutions of the six known planets, including the Earth, and their satellites. However, he could never quite perfect the difficult theory of the Moon's motion. Comets were shown to obey the same law In later editions, Newton added conjectures on the possibility of their return. He calculated the relative masses of heavenly bodies from their gravitational forces, and the oblateness of Earth and Jupiter, already observed. He explained tidal ebb and flow and the precession of the equinoxes from the forces exerted by the Sun and Moon. All this was done by exact computation (Hall). Despite his genius, Newton was a complicated man.   He would suffer emotional breakdowns and would engage other scientists in arguments, he would also cut himself off from the rest of the world and go into seclusion. The world has also seen, during his fight with Leibniz, what great lengths he would employ to come out on top.   These small things may be attributed to the fact that at some points in his life the world seemed to act in consonance and revolted against him, however, neither criticism nor accusations could suppress his genius.   All throughout his life, he kept his secret weapon – he had an incomparable passion for learning. REFERENCES BBC.co.uk. Isaac Newton. Retrieved December 8, 2007, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/newton_isaac.shtml BuddenbrooksInc. Sir Isaac Newton's Invention of the Calculus Fluxions and Infinite Series–The Important First Edition. Retrieved December 8, 2007, from http://www.polybiblio.com/bud/19178.html Conservapedia (2007, November 8). Isaac Newton. Retrieved December 8, 2007, from http://www.conservapedia.com/Isaac_Newton Hall, Alfred Rupert. Isaac Newton’s Life. Retrieved December 8, 2007, from http://www.newton.cam.ac.uk/newtlife.html Hatch, Robert (2002). Isaac Newton.   Retrieved, December 8, 2007, from http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/rhatch/pages/01-Courses/current-courses/08sr-newton.htm Robertson, E.F. and J. J. O’Connor (2000 January). Sir Isaac Newton. Retrieved December 8, 2007, from http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/Biographies/Newton.html The Newton Project. Newton’s Life and Work at a Glance. Retrieved December 8, 2007, from http://www.newtonproject.sussex.ac.uk/prism.php?id=15         

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations Essay

â€Å"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.† Matthew 28.14. What does this command of Jesus mean? Thomas Kee 9/10 In today’s society people can make others into disciples without realising it. The world relies on a few people to act as examples and model Christians to set an example for others. These are people like Mother Teresa who stepped aside from the normal routine of life to give up theirs to help others. In 1948 Mother Teresa was granted permission to leave her post at the convent and begin a ministry among the sick. In 1952 Mother Teresa opened the Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart) Home for Dying Destitutes in Calcutta. Subsequently she extended her work to five continents. â€Å"The rich young man† ( Matthew 19:16-30), A wealthy Jew asked Jesus what he needs to do to receive eternal life. Jesus answers him that he needs to obey the commandments. The man then asks him what he needs to do to be perfect. Jesus answered him that he needs to give up everything he owns and to follow Jesus. However, the man refused and walked away sadly. This story is an example of someone who cannot give up all his money to be a true disciple, but people like mother Teresa who give up everything they have to help the sick, poor and those in need. By doing this they help people on the road to discipleship by acting as examples. â€Å"Happy are those who are humble,† You can lead people on the road to discipleship by being a good Christian. You don’t have to preach to them and show off how holy you are, but be kind, generous and helpful and they will learn from you. People can recognize you and learn how to be a good disciple from you, if you do missionary work in another country. If you have the money and time you could go to a poor country and set up a school or a hospital. For some this can be too much, so even small sponsorships or helping the local parish can set an example to others and make them think how they can help. By helping your local church you can set an example, you could help the priest in preparing the sermons or you could read at masses, â€Å"Happy are those who are spiritually poor.† Matthew 5v3 You don’t have to make a great scene, but try to be discreet and people will recognize you. † Those who are ashamed of me I will be ashamed of them on the last day.† By standing up and defending the church against those who oppose it, others will notice you and follow you as an example. Thomas Kee 10/10 There are many people who have taken up the challenge of doing great good; each and every one of them is a great example to the world. â€Å"Happy are those who are prosecuted for doing what God requires.† Terry Waite was a special envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was a negotiator who was trying to free hostages in Lebanon but was taken hostage himself. For five years he was chained to a tiny cell 23 hours of the day. Throughout this time he didn’t lose his faith † I am not a man who wears his faith on his sleeves, I’ve never believed it is an insurance policy: we don’t live in a just or fair world. If you have faith you can say suffering needn’t destroy, that something good can emerge from it. But faith is there to shape your life, not to give you special protection.† Terry Waite † Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,† This commandment can present a problem in modern day context. Although it is the word of God, people may not be interested in the teachings of Christianity. For It is Gods wish and command that people should preach the word of God. By preaching you are giving others the chance to receive eternal life. There is nothing bad about Christianity, its morals are all good. People are not forced to become Christian, they have the choice. Against You may want to discover Christianity for yourself, you may not want it told to you. Preaching may put people off. It is wrong to force it onto people. In some countries it is illegal to be a practicing Christian. By preaching Christianity in these countries you are encouraging them to break the law. I believe it is a Christian’s duty to go out into the world spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ. However I understand that people will not always welcome Christianity into their lives. It is probably true that actions speak louder than words and by setting an example by being a good Christian is more effective then preaching in spreading the word of God. Bibliography Encarta 99 Class notes The Bible

Voltaire and Rabelais

Voltaire and Rabelais satirize war and religion in their works. Voltaire goes after religious hypocrisy in chapter three of Candide. An orator asks Candide whether or not he supports â€Å"the good cause†. Candide, being a man of reason, responds by saying â€Å"there is no effect without a cause†. The orator, feeling challenged by Candide's reaction challenges him right back by asking Candide if he believes the Pope to be the Anti-Christ. Candide doesn't know and changes the subject bringing up the fact that he's hungry.The orator declares that Candide does not deserve to at because of his lack of affirmation toward believing in the Anti-Christ. The orator's wife suddenly enters the scene and sees Candide as one who does not believe that the Pope was Anti-Christ. She proceeds to pour trash on his head. This is an example of Voltaire Jabbing at Protestants and Catholics of the world. He is explaining his views, through the use of satire, on religion. War is an evil that is satirized in Candide. Voltaire as a foundation for his war satire uses the Bulgarians.Voltaire explains on page 13 how the Bulgarians seized Candide and then gave him the option to be â€Å"thrashed thirty-six times by the whole egiment, or receive twelve lead bullets at once in his brain. † Candide decides to run the gauntlet but comes up about 34 short. He pleads that the Judges would Just smash his head instead. Voltaire shows more war satire on page 14 in Candide when the Bulgarians' burn down the Abarian village â€Å"in accordance with the rules of international law†. Voltaire satirizes war in another sense.He goes on in chapter three by writing about the atrocities that the Bulgarian soldiers would indulge in. Not only did they kill people but they also raped, disemboweled, and dismembered innocent women and children. As a matter of fact, Candide's was trained as a soldier by being abused and pummeled. Voltaire uses this to show his hatred toward the cruel a nd vulgar acts of war and which such belligerent groups like the Bulgarian soldiers demonstrated. Voltaire believed these acts of injustice to be morally wrong. Voltaire in this section of Candide is now showing his true thoughts towards Leibniz's theory of optimism.Leibniz believes that if this is â€Å"the best of all possible worlds† then innocent women and children would not be slaughtered and dehumanized and there would be no bloodthirsty Bulgarians. Rabelais rejects all types of war. On page 299 Grandgousier explains his thoughts to Picrochole about going to war: â€Å"†¦ l shall nevertheless go to war before trying all the arts and ways of peace. Of that I am resolved†. This shows Rabelais' opposition to war. Rabelais also mentions Pangrue's absurd Justification of the killing of 660 knights on pages 124-125 of Gargantua and Pantagruel.Pangurge says to them: â€Å"Gentlemen, I believe you have brought some harm on yourselves. We are sorry, but it was none of our doing: it was because of the lubricity of the sea-water – sea-water is always a lubricant and we entrust ourselves to your good pleasure. † This example of satire lso shows Rabelais' opposition to war. In canto XVII in lines 92 and 93 ot Dante's Purgatorio Dante's guide Virgil explains to Dante the two types of love (natural and mind directed) and the differences between them. He goes on to explain to Dante that some people choose to love the wrong thing or sin by loving something too much or something not enough.Virgil's main point of his speech is that love is the inspiration to people's action. Love is the only thing that motivates people. Love and Justice are basically one in the same. According to Dante, God created the Justice system (the system we see throughout Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven) based out of love. And because love inspires Justice, love and goodness are practically synonymous. It is safe now to connect this Justice to the gift God gives to man. In Paradiso Dante explains on page 43 in canto V on lines 20-30 â€Å"God's greatest gift†.Lines 20-22 specifically give the reader Dante's interpretation of God's grace: â€Å"God's greatest gift, the gift in which mankind is most like Him, the gift by Him most prized, is the freedom He bestowed upon the will. † Goodness comes from free will according to Dante. On line 27 Dante goes on to remind readers that â€Å"God ives his consent when [one] consents. † It is in this sense that we must realize that evil exists in this world even though God is good. Voltaire, a very skeptical man, believed that people did not get what they deserved.He makes it clear through his satire that he was against Leibniz's idea of life being the best of both worlds. Voltaire says that evil is random. It comes at random moments Just as the 1746 and 1755 earthquakes in Lima, Peru and Lisbon, Portugal did. There was an imbalance of Justice at this time because Jews were assumed to be t he cause for this natural disaster and then publically killed for their wrongdoings. People believed that the disaster happened because God was angry. However Voltaire's point is proven when the second earthquake strikes. He is proving that things Just have the ability to sporadically happen.Three deists influenced Voltaire John Locke, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. Their theories encouraged Voltaire to understand that there is no balance of Justice. To explain his point Voltaire creates the character: Dr. Pangloss – a wholehearted believer of Leibniz's philosophy. Voltaire discreetly states Leibniz's idea early on Candide by stating on page 16, â€Å"Dr. Pangloss was right in telling me that all is for the best in this world†¦ . To contrast Pangloss, Voltaire creates Martin, a more practical thinker to point out the flaws of Leibniz's philosophy. St.Augustine understands that solved his problem of evil by believing that there was a lack of goodness in something. He exp lains that if something is corruptible and thus evil then it is good by nature because it exists. If something can be tarnished by means of evil or by vices it's because there is goodness that can be taken away from it. Basically saying that everything is good because it is corruptible St. Augustine explains himself on the bottom of page 127 of his Confessions: â€Å"And I made an effort o understand what I had heard, that free will is the cause of our doing evil†¦ 3) Quote A is taken from Act l, Scene Ill, lines 201-207 of Shakespeare's King Hamlet IV. In this section we see another classic ABA rhyme scheme. Hotspur, a very valiant soldier, is worried about his honor. He is demonstrating his concern for his honor by ranting on about his excitement to take down King Henry. Hotspur's initiative is so strong that he claims, on line 202, that it would not be difficult for him get honor from â€Å"the pale-taced moon†. This is Shakespeare's way ot saying that Hotspur could get light from the sun, or â€Å"the pale-faced moon†.Shakespeare continues in this passage with a clothing metaphor in lines 206-209. Hotspur is saying that his honor would show the same way clothes show on people. These lines show that he's not only ready for battle but also that he has a very tangible idea of honor. Honor, according to Falstaff is useless because it means nothing if you're dead. Fallstaffs view of honor clearly undercuts Hotspur's. Falstaff sees honor in a different sense. He sees it as something that is useless. This is an important quote that relates to the larger work because it shows an aspect that is seen throughout the story: honor.Honor, as we earn throughout King Henry ‘V, is perceived in a different sense in the end of the book. It goes from a goal to be achieved with direction to something that is more personable and to be reached to a more personal idea to treasure. Quote B is from Chapter 20 of Candide. On page 68 Martin is explaining how corrupt the world can be. Candide does not believe Martin when he says that he is indeed a Manichaean. This quote puts into perspective Voltaire's idea of the world and how he believed it to be a cruel place.This quote relates to the larger work because it reinforces what Voltaire is attempting to get across to the reader. The corrupt families who seek to destroy others and acquire power through it are examples of an evil that comes from his belief that bad things can still happen even in a world where there is goodness. Quote C is from Dante's Paradiso on page 134, Canto XIII, line 130-135. In this passage we see Dante using his standard ABA rhyme scheme. St. Thomas of Aquinas is giving Dante advice. He is warning is warning Dante not to Judge too soon because things could change and go the opposite way.He explains this through two metaphors. He explains how a bush has the capability to lose all of its leaves but hen eventually blossom to a beautiful rose when the springtime comes around. By these two examples St. Thomas means that a change can pop up out of nowhere. He explains his point in another fashion on this in the third stanza of this passage in lines 133-135. These lines explain that St. Thomas has seen a strong ship sail and eventually sink Just as it was about to set anchor at its port. Quote D is a portion of Rabelais' Gargantul and Pantagruel on page 229 of chapter six.Gargantua crying is being described here. It is explained that if he were to start crying out of annoyance then he would drink all of his tears and use them to bring im back to his original condition. Quote E is a passage from Shakespeare's Hamlet. In this quote Ophelia is commenting on how she misses when Hamlet's mind was noble. She's beginning to realize now that Hamlet is going mad. She claims that he wouldVe been considered noble and possibly a King if he had not gone so mad when she says: â€Å"Th' expectancy and rose of the fair state† on line 166.She goes on to note that he used to be idolized by all. She explains this by saying on line 167 that he was â€Å"The glass of fashion and the mold of form†. â€Å"The glass of fashion† is Shakespeare using a metaphor for saying that he was respected by all. When she says, â€Å"the observers quite, quite down! † she is commenting that the observers of Hamlet no longer think of him the same way they used to. This passage is basically Ophelia realizing that Hamlet is changing and she cannot believe it. This quote relates to the larger work, Hamlet because it sums up basically the thoughts ot the rest ot the kingdom.Ophelia speaks tor everyone else when she says notes that Hamlet's behavior has drastically changed. As the story goes on it changes even more and more as we learn how complex of a character Hamlet is. Quote F is taken from page 43 of Beowulf, specifically lines 2529-2531. This assage follows the speech that Beowulf gives his warriors. Beowulf, who is getting old and wor n down, explains to his men the importance of this battle. He salutes his men then explains that he will not give up no matter what. The brave warrior that this passage describes is indeed Beowulf.The poet is emphasizing the fact that he is indeed the bravest of all warriors the Danes have ever seen. The poet hopes to get the reader to comprehend the amount of courage he has for standing up to the dragon to defend his honor and his community. This quote relates to the larger work because it clearly shows the Beowulf's heroic qualities. It also relates to the larger work because it shows a Germanic value. Beowulf is showing that he's not afraid of death. Quote G is a passage from Part IV, lines 2025-2030 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.The narrator is explaining the gear that Gawain is putting on as he gets ready for his rendezvous with the Green Knight. The poet is using alliteration to give better detail of the attire Gawain is donning. The letter R is used significantly on line 2025, the letter C on line 2026, the letter S on line 2027, the letter W on line 2029, and both letters L and G are used simultaneously in line 2030. The poet aims to grasp the eaders attention at the beauty of his battle outfit. However the last line of this passage is most important: Yet he left not his love-gift, the ladys girdle.The hosts's wife promises to Gawain that this magic girdle save from one from death. This quote relates to the larger work because this girdle ends up being a major symbol of the book. The girdle is a way to show that Gawain is weak for using it as a way of cheating to survive against the Green Knight. Quote H is from Act Ill Scene II of Shakespeare's Hamlet. In this scene Hamlet makes it clear to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that he is not tricked by their phony riendship. In Hamlet's speech from lines 393-402 Shakespeare uses a play on words with a musical metaphor.Pluck, an action used to play a string instrument, is said on line 395. Hamlet is accus ing his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of playing him. The same way a musician would pluck (play) a string instrument. Another music reference Shakespeare makes is found on lines 396-397. The lines read: â€Å"†¦ you would sound me from my lowest note my compass†¦ † A note is basically a note or pitch that is made from an instrument. Here Hamlet is saying that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern bring him up and down yet he is not fazed by it.

Mobile Computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mobile Computing - Research Paper Example Further, the mobile banking security risks also cause distortion of the financial information and transactions of the victim. Ultimately, the whole system of mobile banking is compromised. This escalates the number of fraud cases with every attempt at conveniently performing business transactions via the mobile phones. Most financial institutions, including the best in the world, can attest to the insecurity of mobile banking (Odoke, 2011). The technology behind the personal data assistants, iPads and e-Readers demystify the need for newspapers, paper books, music CDs and gameDVDs. This is due to various valid reasons. First, the advanced gadgets offer faster solutions for the thirst of information than the original books and newspapers. Further, information that the gadgets give people access to is from different sources. This makes them a better option for comparison of information from different sources than the traditional newspapers and books. People get timely updates from their gadgets instead of waiting for publishing of newspapers and paper books (Guardian on Kindle). The combined efforts of these advantages of the new technology gadgets drive the public from acquiring the traditional newspapers and paper books. This changes the reading culture of people and decreases the amount of revenue from the sale of books, newspapers and other traditional devices. The public chooses to move to a cheaper way of acquiring information and entertainment; a more convenient means that suits almost everyone’s lifestyle (Curwen & Whalley,

The Theories Of The Debt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The Theories Of The Debt - Essay Example The influence and role of debt in both democratic and neo-liberal conditions are to be considered in the process of understanding how debt should be re-conceptualized and disciplined in the contemporary democratic situations. The morality, politics and economics of debt as an element of any financial and economic construct are highly debatable and complicated discussions. Though the pre-history of debt suggests that monetized debt are obligations for sustaining a society, the recent history of debt suggests that focusing on the human economy rather than the commercial economy would be a more valuable and practical way of viewing and imposing debt in a democratic society. Both debt and money can be related to subjectivity in two complementary and heterogeneous manners. The first is driven by social subjection while the second is based on mechanic control. While, social subjection functions on the basis of human factors like conscience, judgment and mutual benefits, mechanic control op erates on pre-individual and structural elements. Since the current state of the global economy has become more of a debt economy, therefore, the consideration of debt as a crucial contributor to economic and social structure and efficiency has become mandatory for developing economically, politically, theoretically and morally efficient global constructs. In the recent times, many social theorists and economists have presented their view on how debt has become the main determinant of social and economic relations in different countries while superseding the existing relations of consumption and production in the socially formative and economically dynamic contemporary nations.

The Secret History of Forced Sterilization and America's Quest for Essay

The Secret History of Forced Sterilization and America's Quest for Racial Purity - Essay Example There was little history of the eugenics that was known to the people, thus Harry Bruinius extracted the history and wrote about it in his book with the emphasis on the forced sterilization that was approved and lead to thousands of Americans to be deprived of producing. Whether the policy was justified or not, yet Bruinius discusses the impact and the reasons behind sterilization. He talks about the cases that were brought to court and the decisions that were taken for the sterilization, in order to quest for America’s racial purity. He talks about two women in the history who were poor and who had to face the consequences of sterilization. Harry Bruinius’ book was an analysis of how the people at that time accepted this contribution of science as the national policy where it was a quest for America’s moral and social purity. He laid arguments about how the lives of women have been changed just because they were poor or unfit. His book is a descriptive writing a bout the woman who is associated with this policy and was used by the state medical authorities as a test case to bring to the court their program. Analysts have discussed that at times the way Harry Bruinius has written the detailed case is prolonged and gets into deep details like the events that leads up to her sterilization, the mental level of the victim, the recreation of the event, and also involves the technique that has been applied by the scientists to create the theories that lead to the eugenics movement. As written by Bruinius, â€Å"this book is an account of scientists who shared this dream in the past, and the ‘worthless’ class they sought to sterilize†. Despite the detailed descriptions in the book and the moralizing of the connections or relations of American eugenics with the Nazi Germany, the author has managed to keep his point of view in front of the readers in a very critical manner. His arguments are justified and clearly connect the eugen ics to the people, the state and to the rest of the world. The author is successful as his writing is influential and effective for the readers, and greatly helps to bring out the policies and events that took place at the time of the eugenic movement. His real purpose of the book stands out to reach to the readers and reveal to them the history that he believed was a secret, though it was not. However, the history and the events that took place were little known and Harry Bruinius has tried through his writing to give the information to a wide range of readers. He says, â€Å"After a century in which humankind has probed the mysteries of heredity and discovered some of the secrets of the human genome, the specter of better breeding and eugenics still attracts a host of people who long to remake their imperfect selves and breed a better type of human being†. The eugenics movement was founded by the core ideas of Charles Darwin. It started when socialists started realizing tha t the life of many humans is defected and many hold problems that come from their genes. Sociologists found that the improvement of human race can take place with the scientific control on breeding. The first eugenics movement in America was found by many of the new-world wee known biologists in the country. Supporting this group were a number of names that continued to get involved in the movement to improve the

Is current uk law relevant , when applied to cloud computin Essay

Is current uk law relevant , when applied to cloud computin - Essay Example void legal responsibility for security of information and endow their clients with full responsibility of retaining safety based on information they upload, the principals of the UK legislation are on the contrary to this. This Data Protection Act provides that anyone with the intention of or responsible for using data has to adhere to data protection principles recommending: fair and lawful use; use for limited, and specifically stated purposes; use in an adequate, relevant and not excessive way; accurate use; data not kept for longer than is absolutely necessary; handled in accordance to the people’s data protection rights; kept safe and secure; and, not transferred outside the UK without adequate protection. In short therefore, this Act ensures that Data controllers are bound by the law to give rights to data subjects, i.e.: the right of access to their personal data; the right to stop information processing techniques that are likely to cause substantial distress or damage; the authority to obstruct auto generated decisions; and the right to object direct marketing by any institution thereof (Data Protection Act, 1998). From a wider perspective, the European Data Protection Law (which also concerned with electronic data), stipulates very stringent controls on the entire steps involved in processing of personal data/ information, and its transfer to anywhere outside European Economic Area. Because of the uncertainties over how and where cloud vendor will probably store the uploaded data, there is a lot more potential that need to be put to ensure that customers are in breach of such laws. Therefore, a number of regulations influencing cloud computing are linked to data security. Whatever processes are involved in processing of data, and the consequent location where the data is processed is so critical. Hence, regarding data processing, the European law necessitates that appropriate techniques and organizational measures are actively taken to protect

Assessment to cover m5 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assessment to cover m5 - Coursework Example The early microprocessors were usually 4-bits and were used in electronic calculators that used binary coded decimal. The microprocessor consists of three component units. The Arithmetic and logic unit is a digital circuit that performs all the arithmetic operations that include additions, multiplications, subtractions, and divisions, and logic operations which entail comparison operations using logic operators such as AND, OR. The control unit directs and controls the operation of other units by providing timing and control signals, it fetches and decodes machine instructions, and co-ordinates the input and output devices of a computer system. The registers act as cache memory for the microprocessor and provide the storage of data and instructions to be executed. The CPU is mounted on the motherboard (a printed circuit board that holds components of the system and provide connection to other peripheral devices) of the computer system, where other electronics are also mounted. ... The microprocessors are differentiated according to the instruction set executed, the number of bits processed in a single instruction, and the clock speed (instructions executed per second), given in megahertz (MHz). In both cases, the higher the value, the more powerful the CPU will be in terms of performance. 8-bit microprocessor An 8-bit microprocessor refers to a processor architecture that computes 8-bits as the data size. All the instructions executed by such a processor consist of 8-bits (binary digits). The arithmetic and logic unit, the internal buses, and the data processing registers are 8-bits. An 8-bit CPU can process 8 bits of data simultaneously, and its data bus consists of 8 lines to transfer data between the memory and other input/output devices. The Intel 8085 is an 8-bit microprocessor that consists of instruction sets such as data moving, arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), logic (AND, OR, XOR), control transfer (both conditional an d unconditional, call subroutine, return from subroutine), setting and clearing flag bits, interrupts, stack operations and input/output instructions. This processor consists of 8-bit ALU that performs arithmetic and logic operations, the control unit, seven 8-bit general purpose registers A,B,C,D,E,H, and L, which are paired to form BC, DE, and HL. Register A is referred to as the Accumulator and it stores one operand of arithmetic and logic operation, and the results of the arithmetic and logic operations. There are two special purpose registers which are 16-bit registers, namely, the stack pointer (SP, which points to the top of the stack where data can be retrieved),

Study Topic 5 Valuing your customers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Study Topic 5 Valuing your customers - Essay Example ies need to provide services that correspond to the needs of their customers by getting rid of the gaps between what the customers receives and what they expect (Rhys, Oakley, Power, & Sinka 2008). Hence, the most essential concept in valuation of customers is the organization’s capacity to measure, predict, and influence the business value of their customers (Soman & N-Marandi 2010). This paper is a discussion of how Halo Leisure, manages sport and fitness facilities for the county of Herefordshire in England. They value their customers and this gives them an advantage over other fitness and sport organizations in the country. Furthermore, the paper outlines the measures that could be taken to improve the satisfaction of members in a sports club. The customer care issues addressed in the paper include market research and feedback, the customers’ expectations and experiences, the staffing issues, customer satisfaction, and retention. Market research is used by organizations to inform them of the most appropriate methods or ways to accomplish their aims by offering their services according to the expectations of the customers. According to Bolton & Tarasi (n.d), improved customer care in organizations is aimed at increasing the revenues, the value of the shareholders, and profit margins using certain marketing activities, such as marketing research. Therefore, the organizations need to, critically, understand the value of their customers, which the organizations derives from them and that which the organizations presents to them (Njenga 2010). Therefore, Halo Leisure uses the market research and feedback to attract more customers by delivering services that meet their expectations. For instance, Jon Arget, CEO Halo Leisure, states that the considerable increase in growth and development of an organization is attributed to the changes implemented in the organization according to the needs and wants of customers in certain customer care elements. He affirms

Legal Aspects of the Oil & Gas Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Legal Aspects of the Oil & Gas Industry - Essay Example The large multinational oil companies owing to their economies of scale as well as proper use of human capital have attained efficiency. But empirical evidence also reveals that nationalization of foreign assets hinders foreign investments and have resulted in the drop of output, national income for oil-dependent economies (Guriev, Kolotilin & Sonin, 2009, p.2). 2. Background Now with the nationalization of the international oil companies by the host countries many questions arise in the forefront. It can be questioned that whether the government of host countries achieves parity with the international oil companies while exercising their permanent sovereignty over the natural resources by nationalizing the operations of oil Companies who are exploring and exploiting oil and gas resources in their countries and thus bringing about socio-economic growth. The right of the host government for breaching terms of oil and gas transactions contracts between the countries and companies can b e done at will which also questions the sanctity of contract in such cases. Libya and Iran are two oil-rich countries where nationalization of international oil companies have taken place with various legal problems where the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have intervened and have declared various decisions. The paper will present a judicial precedent in accordance with the decisions taken in the Iranian case and then will discuss in what ways it has affected the Libyan case.

Microeconomic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Microeconomic - Essay Example It argues that if trade in the externalized cost is possible and there are no transaction costs and no substantial barriers to competition, bargaining over the externalized costs will lead to an efficient outcome. Poorly defined property rights and obligations or poor enforcement of those rights can lead people to shirk the obligation for damaging another's goods. Our polluting firm is harming the interests of local fishermen. Assuming a competitive market and the right of fishermen to the property either of the fish or of the water being polluted, the polluting firm will have to buy the rights to pollute either as a contract or buy the river fully. This will lead to an efficient result: Either the firm can't afford it, meaning that the social value of their product was transparently less than that of the fish; or it can, in which case the fishermen will get ample compensation for their trouble and society will get good X. If property rights belong to the polluter, then it is much ha rder for the social optimum to be achieved, as the polluter has little incentive to cooperate with the fishermen. Nonetheless, if the value of fish is high enough, then the polluter would have an incentive to buy the fish before the pollution has gotten too bad, and pay the local fishermen; if it isn't, then society didn't want the fish anyways (Mankiw, 2008, 217). Question #3: Risk averse preferences are preferences when faced with uncertainty to err on the side of caution. Risk averse agents, or agents with risk averse preferences, will choose a lower-risk scenario out of multiple scenarios, even if the ultimate outcome could be higher even after accounting for the risk. Consider a father trying to feed his family: He is not likely to tolerate an investment that has even a 5% chance of failure if that 5% chance could deprive him of feeding his family, even if the growth from that investment was in pure economic senses worth it. Risk averse preferences stem from scenarios whose ris k is more than is quantified economically: In the case of the father, the scenario where he can't feed his family has an infinite negative value. The certainty equivalent is the guaranteed, immediately available amount of money or value that an individual would view as equally desirable as a risky asset. Take a game where someone can play for $1000 or $0 or simply choose $500. Mathematical expectation says that the scenarios are identical, but the person playing wants guaranteed return: Thus, to make the show more interesting, it may offer only $250, meaning that $500 (or even a lower number up to $251) is a certainty equivalent. The risk premium is the amount of added value that a risky asset must bring. If an investment has a 1% chance to fail, I am likely to want a 1.5% growth rate on the investment at minimum so that over 100 years the failure of an individual year does not threaten my growth. Maximum willingness to pay for insurance is determined by these factors and others. It can be quantified mathematically: E.g. if I am offering a client a $1,000,000 life insurance policy, and he won't purchase the policy for less than $1000 annually, than that is his maximum willingness to pay (Besanko et al, 2010, 590-612). Question #4: Expected Utility: EU = (.8) * ? 100,000^.5 + (.2) * ? 50,000^.5 = 252.98221281347034655991148355462 + 44.721359549995793928183473374626 = 297.70357236346614048809495692925.

Theories of Ageing and Their Impact on Health and Social Care Essay Example for Free

Theories of Ageing and Their Impact on Health and Social Care Essay Theories of ageing and their impact on Health and Social Care Provision (D2) During life span and development, we learned about each of the stages of life. In this report I am going to focus on the final stage which is elderly. In today’s society the population of elderly people is rising. As the population of elderly people is rising, it means the need for health and social care services is rising too. As health care services have improved so much over the last number of years, it also means that elderly people will be able to live longer because of improved services and more awareness about health. 10 million people in the UK are over 65 years old. The latest projections are for 5? million more elderly people in 20 years’ time and the number will have nearly doubled to around 19 million by 2050’ – parliament UK As people start to age, most retire around the age of 65/70. For many this is a positive thing as it means more free time and also many elderly people deserve to retire as they have worked hard during their life. When a person retires they may use the time to travel or to get more involved with their community. Some may also move abroad to get more experiences and make the most of the free time they have. Many people continue life-long learning after retirement and may take up a new hobby, sport or language to fill up their free time. However, not everyone’s retirement or becoming elderly is positive. Many elderly people who are not as active may develop an illness or become very lonely. If an elderly person was to develop an illness, it may make them less mobile, depending on the severity of the illness and may end up making them become disengaged from everyone. Dependency is another aspect that elderly people have to face at some point towards the end of their life or even at the start of ageing if they do develop an illness. Many elderly people that go into care homes sometimes feel neglected and a burden. They then may not have as positive end of life as others. The government plays an important role in providing care and other services for elderly people. There are many services that are already in place for people who are 65+. Some examples are: * Free bus passes * Dental care * Eye care * Heating allowances * Free TV licences Free hearing aids * Home helps * Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy treatment free of charge These are just some examples of what is available for people aged 65+. There are many other measures being put in place all the time for elderly people. The government also constantly make positive changes to health care services. E. G. there are more care homes and domiciliary carers now than there would have been 20 years ago. A number of years ago, many elderly people would have been put in hospital and left there till they died however this is not the case anymore. Elderly people now have a choice whether they want to stay at home or go into a type of care setting. There are many ways in which the government have put measures in place to work around the service user and not to go by what the organisation wants. E. G. an elderly person has the choice of having a carer in each day to help them or whether or not they would rather go into care home. This is a positive change because it means not as many elderly people will have to worry about being put into a home without their consent. The government also have in place a pension. This can help an elderly person to live once they retire or run out of savings. Some elderly people may sell their house to cover the cost of living in a care home. This can then cause problems for families as they do not get anything. During my work placement I got talking to an elderly lady who was telling me about her 40 grandchildren that she has and how she would have to give them all money at Christmas. She said she shouldn’t really have given them all money because she can’t afford it but that it was something she always did. There are many reasons in today’s society why there are elderly people living in poverty. There are many cut backs being made that affects everyone although more so than others E. G. an elderly person. If an elderly person doesn’t have any savings and are just relying on benefits then they may start to struggle. A lot of elderly people go into residential care simply because they cannot afford to live alone and provide food and heat for themselves. For unfortunate elderly people who become ill, then they may face barriers too because they may be on a waiting list for something that they urgently need. Many elderly people do not have family to help and support them either and so some end up isolated and having to face problems on their own. In some cases, there are problems with domiciliary carers coming into an elderly person’s house. The statistics for levels of abuse states that the highest number of cases of abuse takes place in someone’s own home. This is a problem because an elderly person is vulnerable, especially if they are ill or have a mental health problem. However, there are many measures put in place now to try and prevent abuse happening E. G. eople who apply for a caring job have to be vetted and police checked, inspections are done in care homes more frequently and elderly people have advocates to speak up for them. Finally, elderly people should look at ageing as a positive aspect of their life because there are so many ways in which they can have a happy end of life and many other reasons why they shouldn’t become disengaged to everyone. Also , elderly people still have many opportunities to learn new skills and can also gain more experiences which should be enjoyed and treasured E. G. having grandchildren and watching their family grow.

Salinity in Rice Production

Salinity in Rice Production Rice (Oryza sativa) is the most important crop in the world after wheat, with more than 90% currently grown in Asia. Rice is the grain that has shaped the cultures, diets and economies of billions of Asians. For them, rice is more than food; rice is life. About 120,000 varieties are grown across the world in an extensive range of climatic soil and water condition. It is grown on an area of 149.151 million hectares (ha) yielding 550.193 million tons of paddy with a yield of 3689 kg ha-1 (Alam et al., 2001). In Asia, China is the major rice producing country followed by India, Indonesia and Bangladesh. However, yield per hectare is highest 6.1 tons in Japan, followed by 5.1 tons ha-1 in China. Rice breeders have used genetic variability to produce cultivars that have high yield potential and that resist disease and insect damage and that tolerate cold, drought, and even floods. But apart from some sporadic work in Sri Lanka and India, little has been done until recently to identify any breed/cultivars adaptable to adverse soil conditions such as salinity. Salinity is a major threat to crop productivity in the southern and south-western part of Bangladesh, where it is developed due to frequent flood by sea water of the Bay of Bengal and on the other hand introduction of irrigation with saline waters. In Bangladesh, there are approximately 2.85 million ha of coastal soils (Ponnamperuma, 1977) which occur in the southern parts of the Ganges tidal floodplain, in the young Meghna estuarine floodplain and in tidal areas of the Chittagong coastal plain and offshore islands (Brammer, 1978). About one million ha of land of these coastal and offshore areas are affected by varying degrees of salinity. These coastal saline soils are distributed unevenly in 64 thanas of 13 coastal districts covering 8 agroecological zones (AEZ) of the country. The majority of the saline land (0.65 million ha) exists in the districts of Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Barguna, Patuakhali, Pirojpur and Bhola on the western coast and a smaller portion (0.18 million ha) in the districts of Chittagong, Coxs Bazar, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Feni and Chandpur. According to the report of Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) of Bangladesh, about 0.203 million ha of land is very slightly (2-4 dSm-1), 0.492 million ha is slightly (4-8 dSm-1), 0.461 million ha is moderately (8-12 dSm-1) and 0.490 million ha is strongly (>12 dSm-1) salt affected soils in southwestern part of the coastal area of Bangladesh. Large fluctuations in salinity levels over time are also observed at almost all sites in these regions. The common trend is an increase in salinity with time, from November- December to March-April, until the onset of the monsoon rains. The electrical conductivity (EC) of the soils and water are lowest in July-August and highest in March-April at all sites. Soil salinity, at any time, is maximum in the surface layers (0-15 cm), the salinity gradient being vertically downwards. The s alinity in subsoil is usually much lower than that in the top soil. The underground water within 1-2 meters below the soil surface at all locations is moderately to strongly saline in the dry season. The compositions of the soluble salts in these saline soils can indicate possible management strategies for crop production. Sodium has been found to be the dominant cation, and Cl- the dominant anion species. Next in importance are Mg2+ and SO42-. Hence the salts are of the sodium-magnesium and chloride-sulphate types. A very important aspect of the soluble salt composition of the underground water is the large excess of magnesium relative to calcium. Thus proper measures to maintain ionic balance may be needed for good plant growth even under low salinity conditions. There is a general lacking of suitable salt tolerant modern variety (MV) of rice to suited different AEZ in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. The scarcity of good quality irrigation water is a major problem in these areas. The surface water resources are insufficient and irrigated agriculture is largely dependent on ground water resource. The use of such water for irrigation without proper management may render the irrigated soils as salt affected and consequently crop production may be hindered. For centuries, farmers have salt-tolerant cultivars on the saline soils of India, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. But, because of lodging and susceptibility to disease and insect damage, yields are about l ton ha-1. Recognition of the potential of saline lands for rice production in the densely populated countries of south and southeast Asia prompted the inclusion of salt tolerance as a component of the programme of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Of the adverse soil conditions, salinity received most attention, because of its widespread occurrence in current and potential rice lands. Salt tolerance studies are usually conducted in growth chambers and greenhouse, with plants raised in plastic trays or in small pots. The salt tolerance of any crop is usually expressed as decrease in yield associated with a given level of soil salinity as compared with yield under non-saline conditions. The primary salinity factors influencing plant growth are the kind and concentration of salt present in the soil solution. Salt concentration in soil is usually determined by measuring EC of a soil saturation extracts (ECe) obtained from the active root zone. Recently, simple, rapid and reliable instruments such as salinity sensors and four electrode probes, have been developed for measurement of electrical conductivity of soil water (ECsw). Rice is the most suited crop for saline soils because it can tolerate standing water, which is necessary for reclamation of saline soils. Soils are considered saline if they contain soluble salts in quantities sufficient to interfere with the growth of most crop species. Thus, the criterion for distinguishing saline from non-saline soils is arbitrary (Marschner, 1995). According to the definition, a saline soil has an electrical conductivity (EC) greater than 4 milli mhos cm-1 or 4 micro Siemens cm-1 or deci Siemens m-1 and an exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) and pH of less than 15 and 8.5, respectively. The saline soils with an ESP > 15 and pH > 8.5 are termed as saline-alkaline or saline-sodic soils. However, many different units have been used for salinity level expression. These are molarity (M), milli molarity (mM) (based on molecular weight of the salt); milli mhos cm-1 (mmhos cm-1); micro Siemens cm-1 (Â µS cm-1), deci Siemens m-1 (dS m-1) (based on electrical conductivit y) and % salt (based on percent concentration of the salt). Among these, mM, dSm-1 and % salt concentrations are most commonly used. Approximately 58.5 mgL-1 NaCl = 1mM solution of NaCl and 640 mgL-1 NaCl is equivalent to 1 mmhos cm-1 (= 1 dSm-1) EC (Shannon et al., 1998). Therefore, 1 dSm-1 salinity is equivalent to about 11 mM salt solution. The present population of Bangladesh is about 140 million and rice is the principal food item of its population. The alarming growth of population and loss of arable land due to urbanization are main causes of concern for finding ways and means for augmenting food production particularly rice. The possibility of increasing food production by increasing land area is quite out of question in Bangladesh. The only feasible alternative is to increase the cultivable land areas by bringing salt affected soils under cultivation with high yielding salt tolerant rice cultivars. The lack of an effective evaluation method for salt tolerance in the screening of genotypes is one of the reasons for the limited success in conventional salt tolerant breeding. Two yield parameters, tiller number per plant and spikelet number per panicle, have proved most sensitive to salinity and are highly significantly correlated to final seed yield in rice cultivar under salt stress (Zeng and Shannon, 2000). Salinity in soil or water is one of the major stresses, can severely limit crop production (Shannon, 1998). The deleterious effects of salinity on plant growth are associated with (i) low osmotic potential of soil solution (water stress), (ii) nutritional imbalance, (iii) specific ion effect, or (iv) a combination of these factors (Ashraf, 1994a; Marschner, 1995). All these cause adverse pleiotropic effects on plant growth and development at physiological and biochemical levels (Munns, 2002) and at molecular level (Mansour, 2000). It is often not possible to assess the relative contribution of these major constraints to growth inhibition at high substrate salinity, as many factors are involved. These include ion concentration, duration of exposure, plant species, cultivar and root stock (excluder and includer), stage of plant development, plant organ and environmental conditions. So, to cope with the above constraints, salt stressed plants mainly adopt three mechanisms for salt toler ance such as (i) osmotic adjustment, (ii) salt inclusion/ exclusion and (iii) ion discrimination (Volkmar et al., 1998). Plant growth was seriously affected due to salinity which reduced turgor in expanding tissues and osmoregulation (Steponkus, 1984). Alam el al. (2001) stated that the critical EC level of salinity for seedling growth was about 5 dSm-1. They observed that dry matter, seedling height, root length and emergence of new roots of rice decreased significantly at an electrical conductivity value of 5-6 dSm-1 and during the early seedling stage, more higher salinity caused rolling and withering of leaves, browning of leaf tips and ultimately death of seedlings. They especulated that both osmotic imbalance and Cl- was responsible for suppress of the growth. These authors maintained that the shoot growth was more suppressed than that of root and salt injury was more severe at high temperature (35oC) and low humidity (64%) due to increased transpiration and uptake of water and salt by rice plants. At the reproductive stage, salinity depressed grain yield much more than that at the vegetative gro wth stage (Alam et al., 2001). These authors maintained that at critical salinity levels straw yield was normal but produced little or no grain. The decrease in grain yield was found proportional to the salt concentration and the duration of the saline treatment. When the plants were continuously exposed to saline media, salinity affected the panicle initiation, spikelet formation, fertilization of florets and germination of pollen grains hence caused an increase in number of sterile florets. The greatest injurious effect was on the panicle. Salinity severely reduced the panicle length, number of primary branches per panicle, number of spikelet per panicle, seed setting percentage and panicle weight and reduced the grain yield. The weight of 1000 grains was also reduced. Salt injury resulted in the production of small grains in grain length, width and thickness. Most rice cultivars were severely injured in submerged soil cultures at EC of 8-10 dSm-1 at 25o C; sensitive ones were hur t even at 2 dSm-1. At comparable ECs injury was less in sea water than in solutions of common salt, in neutral and alkaline soils than in acid soils, at 20oC than at 35oC and in 2-week old seedling than in 1-week old seedlings. Since rice plant is susceptible to salinity at transplanting and gains tolerance with age, they advised that aged seedlings (6 weeks old) be planted in saline fields. Salinity affected rice during pollination, decreased seed setting and grain yield (Maloo, 1993). Finck (1977) suggested that deficiency of K and Ca elements might play a significant role in plant growth depression in many saline soils. Girdhar (1988) observed that salinity delayed germination, but did not affect the final germination up to the EC of 8 dSm-1 by evaluating the performance of rice under saline water irrigation. In normal conditions, the Na+ concentration in the cytoplasm of plant cells was low in comparison to the K+ content, frequently 10-2 versus 10-1 and even in conditions of toxicity, most of the cellular Na+ content was confined into the vacuole (Apse et al., 1999). Abdullah et al. (2001) performed an experiment on the effect of salinity stress (50 mM) on floral characteristics, yield components, and biochemical and physiological attributes of the sensitive rice variety IR-28. The results showed significant decrease in panicle weight, panicle length, primary branches per panicle, filled and unfilled grain, total grains and grain weight per panicle, 1000-grain weight and total grain weight per hill. They further observed significant reduction in both chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b content in different parts of the rice leaves at saline condition. In another experiment, Abdullah et al. (2002) studied the effect of salinity on photosynthate translocation in panicle branches and developing spikelets, carbohydrate content of different vegetative parts and suggested that reduction in grain number and grain weight in salinized panicles was not merely due to reduction in pollen viability and higher accumulation of Na+ and less K+ in different floral pa rts but also due to higher accumulation of photosynthates (sugar) in primary and secondary panicle branches, panicle main stalk and panicle stem coupled with reduced activity of starch synthetase in developing grains. Gypsum (CaSO4, 2H2O) is widely used for ameliorating saline/sodic soils due to its tendency of replacing its Ca2+ with exchangeable Na+ on the soil complex. In addition, gypsum application to saline/sodic soils improve yield of paddy and forage grasses in arid and semi arid regions due to the effects of Ca2+ on plant composition such as decrease in the concentration of Na and improve plant-tissue concentrations of P, K, Zn, Cu, Mg and K:Na ratio (Rengel, 1992). The addition of supplemental Ca to the root environment was a means of enhancing plant tolerance to salt stress (Epstein, 1998). This might favour the increase of Na+ inside the cells, change enzyme activity resulting in cell metabolical alterations; disturbance in K+ uptake and partitioning in the cells, and throughout the plant that might even affect stomatal opening, thereby, impairing the ability of the plant to grow. This author assumed that the addition of Ca2+ to the root environment of salt stressed plants would mainta in or enhance the selective absorption of K+ at high Na+ concentrations and prevent the deleterious effects of the excess of Na+. Another role attributed to supplemental Ca2+ addition was its help in osmotic adjustment and growth via the enhancement of compatible organic solutes accumulation (Girija et al., 2002). Under salt stress conditions there was a decrease in the Ca/Na ratio in the root environment which affected membrane properties, due to displacement of membrane-associated Ca2+ by Na+, leading to a disruption of membrane integrity and selectivity (Cramer et al., 1985; Kinraide, 1998). Aslam et al. (1993) observed significant reduction in shoot and root fresh weights by different types of salinity such as NaCl alone, NaCl + CaCl2, Na2CO3 alone and a salts mixture. On the plant growth, NaCl alone was found to be the most toxic, Na2CO3 alone was the least harmful, and NaCl + CaCl2 and the salts mixture were intermediate. They found similar results in both solution culture experiment and the experiments conducted in salinized soils. They considered the better root growth under high salinity condition as the capacity of the tolerant genotypes to combat the adverse effect of salinity. Aslam et al. (2001) investigated the effect of supplemental Ca on rice growth and yield in solution and soil cultures, and in naturally salt affected field. In solution culture, Ca was applied at 5, 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 Â µg/mL with 80 mM NaCl and without NaCl and in soil culture 0, 50, 100 and 200 kg Ca ha-1 was applied to artificially prepared salinity (EC 9 dSm-1). Three cultivars, d iffering in salt tolerance, were used, namely K8-282 (salt tolerant), BG 402-4 (moderately tolerant) and IR-28 (salt sensitive). Application of Ca at 20-40 Â µg/mL improved tillering capacity, shoot and root length, shoot and root weights in solution culture in the presence of NaCl. Shoot Na+ and Cl- decreased, whereas K+ concentration and K+/Na+ ratio increased because of Ca supply to saline medium. Grain and straw yields, plant height and panicle length were significantly higher in saline compared to saline sodic soil. Application of 200 kg Ca ha-1 proved statistically superior to the control in respect of panicle length, numbers of tillers, grain and straw yields under both saline and saline sodic soil as well as in naturally salt-affected field. Seed setting was improved in all cultivars because of external Ca supply to saline and saline sodic soils. Aslam et al. (2003) stated that an increase in potassium and K+/Na+ ratio was an indication of salt tolerance due to the applicat ion of additional Ca in both salt tolerant and susceptible rice cultivars under saline environment. These authors maintained that salt affected soils showed an improvement in the paddy yield of both salt tolerant and salt sensitive rice cultivars due to Ca application as gypsum at the rate of 25% of gypsum requirement of soil. Franco et al. (1999) studied the effect of supplemental CaCl2 on growth and osmoregulation in NaCl stressed cowpea seedlings. They found that salinity inhibited the length of root and shoot of cowpea but the inhibitory effect could be ameliorated by the addition of Ca2+. The concentration of organic osmoregulators (proline, soluble carbohydrates, soluble amino-nitrogen, and soluble proteins) increased in root tips of seedlings grown in salt-stressed condition with supplemental Ca. They indicated that Ca2+ could have a protective effect in root tips, which is of fundamental importance for the maintenance of root elongation in NaCl stressed cowpea seedlings. Considerable improvements in salinity tolerance have been made in crop species in recent times through conventional selection and breeding techniques (Shannon, 1998; Ashraf, 1994a; 2002). Most of the selection procedures have been based on differences in agronomic characters, which represent the combined genetic and environmental effects on plant growth and include the integration of the physiological mechanisms conferring salinity tolerance. Typical agronomic selection parameters for salinity tolerance are yield, biomass, plant survivality, plant height, leaf area, leaf injury, relative growth rate and relative growth reduction. Many scientists have suggested that selection is more convenient and practicable if the plant species possesses distinctive indicators of salt tolerance at the whole plant, tissue or cellular level (Ashraf, 2002; Epstein and Rains, 1987; Jacoby, 1999; Munns, 2002). Physiological criteria are able to supply more objective information than agronomic parameters or visual assessment while screening for component traits of complex characters (Yeo, 1994). There are no well-defined plant indicators for salinity tolerance that could practically be used by plant breeders for improvement of salinity tolerance in a number of important agricultural crops. This is partly due to the fact that the mechanism of salt tolerance is so complex that variation occurs not only amongst species but, in many cases, also among cultivars within a single species (Ashraf, 1994a; 2002). During the course of plant growth, the form and functions of various organs undergo significant change and the ability of the pla nt to react to salinity stress depend on those genes that are expressed at the stage of development during which the stress is imposed (Epstein and Rains, 1987). The mechanism of salinity tolerance becomes even more complicated when the response of a plant also varies with the concentration of saline medium and the environmental conditions in which the plant is grown. Osmotic adjustment in plants subjected to salt stress can occur by the accumulation of high concentration of either inorganic ions or low molecular weight organic solutes. Although both of these play a crucial role in higher plants grown under saline conditions, their relative contribution varies among species, among cultivars and even between different compartments within the same plant (Ashraf, 1994a). The compatible osmolytes generally found in higher plants are of low molecular weight sugars, organic acids, amino acids, proteins and quaternary ammonium compounds. According to Cram (1976), of the various organic osmotica, sugars contribute up to 50% of the total osmotic potential in glycophytes subject to saline conditions. The accumulation of soluble carbohydrates in plants has been widely reported as response to salinity or drought, despite a significant decrease in net CO2 assimilation rate (Popp and Smirnoff, 1995; Murakeozy et al., 2003). Ashraf and Tufail (1995) determined the total soluble sugars content in five sunflower accessions differing in salt tolerance. They found that the salt tolerant lines had generally greater soluble sugars than the salt sensitive ones. Ashraf and Harris (2004) suggested that considerable variations in the accumulation of soluble sugars in response to salt stress were evident at both inter-specific and/or intra-specific levels and even among lines of which all were salt tolerant. Several salt-induced proteins have been identified in plant species and have been classified into two distinct groups such as (i) salt stress proteins, which accumulate only due to salt stress and (ii) stress associated proteins, which also accumulate in response to heat, cold, drought, water-logging and high and low mineral nutrients (Pareek et al., 1997; Ali et al., 1999; Mansour, 2000). Proteins that accumulate in plants grown under saline conditions may provide a storage form of nitrogen that is neutralized when stress is over and may play a role in osmotic adjustment (Singh et al., 1987). A higher content of soluble proteins has been observed in salt tolerant than in salt sensitive cultivars of barley, sunflower (Ashraf and Tufail, 1995) and rice (Lutts et al., 1996; Pareek et al., 1997). Pareek et al. (1997) also suggested that stress proteins could be used as important molecular markers for improvement of salt tolerance using genetic engineering techniques. Amino acids have been reported to have accumulated in higher plants under salinity stress (Ashraf, 1994b; Mansour, 2000). The important amino acids are alanine, arginine, glycine, serine, leucine and valine, together with the imino acid proline and the non-protein amino acids- citrulline and ornithine (Mansour, 2000). Lutts et al. (1996) found that proline did not take part in osmotic adjustment in salt stressed rice and its accumulation seemed to be a symptom of injury rather than an indicator of salt tolerance. On the contrary, Garcia et al. (1997) reported that exogenously applied proline exacerbated the deleterious effects of salt on rice. The salt tolerant rice cultivars Nona Bokra and IR 4630 accumulated less proline in their leaves than the salt sensitive Kong Pao and IR 31785 (Lutts et al.,1996). These contrasting reports on the role of proline in salt tolerance and its use as selection criterion for salt tolerance in rice has been questioned. Regulation of ion transport is one of the important factors responsible for salt tolerance of plants. Membrane proteins play a significant role in selective distribution of ions within the plant or cell (Ashraf and Harris, 2004). According to Du-Pont (1992) the membrane proteins involved in cation selectivity and redistribution of Na+ and K+. These proteins are: (a) primary H+-ATPases which generate the H+ electrochemical gradient that drives ion transport, (b) Na+/H+ antiports in the plasma membrane for pumping excess Na+ out of the cell, (c) Na+/H+ antiports in the tonoplast for extruding Na+ into the vacuole and (d) cation channels with high selectivity for K+ over Na+. It is well established that Na+ moves passively through a general cation channel from the saline growth medium into the cytoplasm of plant cells (Marschner, 1995; Jacoby, 1999; Mansour et al., 2003) and the active transport of Na+ through Na+/H+ antiports in plant cells is also evident (Shi et al., 2003). Salt tole rance in plants is generally associated with low uptake and accumulation of Na+, which is mediated through the control of influx and/ or by active efflux from the cytoplasm to the vacuoles and also back to the growth medium (Jacoby, 1999). Energy-dependent transport of Na+ and Cl- into the apoplast and vacuole can occur along the H+ electrochemical potential gradients generated across the plasma membrane and tonoplast (Hasegawa et al., 2000). The tonoplast H+ pumps (H+-ATPase and H+-pyrophosphatase) also play a significant role in the transport of H+ into the vacuole and generation of proton (H+) which operates the Na+/H+ antiporters (Mansour et al., 2003; Blumwald, 2000). In the past few decades, plant breeders in Bangladesh have achieved little success in developing some salinity tolerant crops specially rice through conventional breeding techniques, with relatively little/no direct input from physiologists or biochemists. Mutation breeding, a modern technique for creating variability has also played a vital role for generating new valuable cultivars of rice. Incorporation of mutation programme for achieving a desired character(s) in a variety can thus reduce the time required to breed an improved variety with the conventional hybridization method. Several cultivars derived from direct utilization of induced mutants have shown that traits such as short straw, earliness and resistance to certain diseases, can be introduced in otherwise well-adapted varieties without significantly altering their original attributes. Study on the response of rice to salinity stress may be helpful in breeding salt tolerant cultivars by identifying physico-chemical potent ial of salinity tolerance such as accumulation of toxic Na+ and Cl- in the older parts of the plant, higher photosynthetic efficiency of the leaves, escaping ability to uptake Na+ and Cl-. The direct use of mutation is a valuable approach especially when the improvement of one or two easily identifiable characters is desired in an otherwise well-developed variety. In order to develop practicable strategies for selecting salt tolerant rice mutants/lines/genotypes adaptable in coastal belt of Bangladesh notably during boro season, detailed information needs to be gathered on the changes in physiological and biochemical aspects due to salt stress are attributable against detrimental effects of salt stress. In addition to the development of salt tolerant cultivars, better understanding of nutritional disorders in the context of plant nutrient uptake and physiological as well as biochemical mechanisms of salt tolerance in rice plants may suggest some strategies for plant breeders and growers for developing salinity tolerant varieties and management practices for cultivation in saline areas. There have been few such studies available in the country or elsewhere on rice for tolerance mechanism created especially in mutant genotypes. This research programme has been, therefore, planned with the aim of finding out the bio-chemical causes and possible soil amelioration programme in cultivating the rice mutants in the coastal saline soils of Bangladesh. Keeping the above ideas, in mind, the present work has therefore, been designed and planned with the following objectives: Â  investigating the effect of salinity on some bio-chemical aspects and growth of different rice genotypes at different growth stages, finding out the mechanism of salinity tolerance of selected rice genotypes; and suggest possible reclamation programme for better growth of rice under saline condition.

Impact of Corruption in Nigeria

Impact of Corruption in Nigeria CORRUPTION AND ITS IMPACT ON INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (NIGERIA AS A CASE STUDY) (FEBRUARY 2014) Abstract Corruption is no news in the world today. We can see corruption in our daily lives, let alone in our businesses and the way economies as a whole deal with corruption every day. That is why discussing corruption and seeking ways on how to deal with it in International business is inevitable. I chose Nigeria as a case study for obvious reasons; I am Nigerian and unarguably Nigeria is the Giant of Africa vast in its natural resources but unfortunately Nigeria is still battling with corruption which is crumbling our already poor nation and taken a toll on our International Business relations pushing potential business and development further away. This paper seeks to attempt to show why corruption is predominant in developing countries, its impact on International Business in developing economies and possible recommendations. I will first start by giving you a brief picture into Nigeria’s biggest export and make an attempt to analyze corruption itself. Introduction International Business is all commercial transaction between two or more countries and the goal of the private business is to make profits while the government is motivated by profit or political reasons (Daniels, Radebaugh, and Sullivan 2007). Business has become more global, trading has become easier with different regional trading blocs. This only encourages companies and economies to engage in International Business to boost its economy. Several economic theories show how countries’ competitiveness with other and Nigeria certainly has an Absolute Advantage in the Oil sector. Nigeria is a country with diverse and enormous mineral resources like crude oil, coal, zinc, semi-precious stone and gold to name but a few. Nigeria exports petroleum, petroleum products, cocoa and rubber. Nigeria is also rich with great human resources hence a great destination for business. The sudden growth of Oil in the 1970s led Nigeria to the abandonment of its strong agricultural and light manufacturing bases in favor of an unhealthy dependence on crude oil. Oil and gas exports account for more than 95% of export earnings and over 80% of federal government revenue. However, the success story in the sector has lead it thus far making Nigeria, the United States largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, supplying 8% of U.S. oil imports which is half of Nigerias daily oil production .The country is also the fifth-largest exporter of oil to the United States. Nigeria is a member of the functional Commodity Agreements in the world; Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and its current crude oil production averages over 1 million barrels per day with oil reserves are estimated to be 36 billion barrels; natural gas reserves are over 100 trillion cubic feet. (Source 21 Feb 2012: http://www.nigeria.gov.ng/index.php/2012-10-29-11-05-46/economy) Table 1.1 Nigeria Economic Overview 2014 Nigeria Economy Overview Region Sub-Saharan Africa Income Category Lower middle income Population 168,833,776 GNI Per Capita (US$) 1,430 City covered Lagos Doing Business 2014 Rank Doing Business 2013 Rank Change in Rank 147 138 -9 Doing Business 2014 DTF(% points) Doing Business 2013 DTF(% points) Improvement in DTF(% points) 46.62 46.33 0.29 (Source 21 Feb 2014: http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/nigeria/ ) Corruption â€Å"The world is a chain, one link to another† Maltese Proverb, and with the rapid pace of globalization and the increase in the volume of International trade and investment , coupled with ongoing corporate scandals, has escalated the importance of issues relating to Corruption, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Politics (Rodriguez et al, 2006). As foreign firms expanded into, and new firms were born within, developing and transition economies governments, managers and scholars grew more aware of the magnitude of corruption and the need to understand and address it. Corruption has been described by several authors using very fancy words but keeping it simple; it is a wrongful act that affects the well-being of the society. Corruption abuses power for private gain and it affects everyone who depends on the integrity of people in a leadership position. It can be manifested through bribery, illegal gratuity, extortion, conflicts of interest, kickback, and corporate espionage and through commissions/fees (Source 21 Feb 2014: http://www.sfo.gov.uk/briberycorruption/briberycorruption.aspx) In public offices several ardent writers relate corruption with the continuous malicious use for self-financial gain but this is not exclusively the case because corruption also exists in both (small and large) private enterprises and their gains arise because of embezzlement, conflicts of interest, abuse of power, exploitation, bribery and fraud. (Sikka, 2008). Corruption in Developing Countries Unfortunately, it is not news to our ears that Nigeria is headed to being completely destroyed by corruption if continuous effort to curb it is not pursued vigorously. Well, I’m of the opinion the root cause of the present Nigerian corruption problem is the overarching crude oil economy and politics over the years. Transparency International is has efficiently made available a Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) which ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. The scale of 0 100, in the CPI is a s follows; 0 indicating that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 indicating it is perceived as very clean. Please note the countries perceived as very clean and where those countries originate from compared to those perceived as highly corrupt further stressing my view that developing countries are highly corrupt due to the economic conditions thus affecting business. (Source 21 Feb 2014: http//www.transparency.org). Copy of CPI2013_GLOBAL_WithDataSourceScores.xls Nigeria is at 144, alarming! looking past tables in the Transparency International website in 2004, Nigeria was at 90. The last country on the list is an African one, Somalia. This goes without saying. If you look at the economic situation in Somalia, it is obvious. The poorer the nation the higher the corruption. But how can there be a balance? A nation needs Foreign Direct Investment to boost its economy. The Porter Diamond Theory (Daniels et al 2007) which naturally should help boost a nation may not work in a developing country like Nigeria, according to this theory companies’ development of international competitive product depends on their success in their home country, this theory is not feasible in most developing economies, these countries need foreign investors to set companies to harness the demands of the nation but with corruption as one of the factors affecting International Business, how will be nation grow strong enough to combat it? Sadly, Nigeria has no excuse for its failure so far, at present the problem of corruption issues has been saddled in into the laps of three government bodies: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), with little or no success considering Nigeria is still falling below the world’s Confidence Interval year on year, so how can International Business be seamless? You can also find current shocking details about bribery/corruption in Nigeria on bribenigeria.com. Won’t a corporation or nation rather deal with another continent with a lower corruption issue than invest or trade with a nation who is known for corruption? If I were to answer, my answer will be no. I believe that developed countries in the world have a better advantage over the fight against corruption because developed countries do not face the several challenges that developed countries face, so third world countries or developing countries like Nigeria, still have a long way to go. Multinational Corporation’s interest in fighting Corruption in International Business It has been argued that governments and host communities  may be interested in eradicating poverty, promoting education, health care and  human rights, but corporations may not necessarily share such goals. They are  essentially ‘private’ organisation and are required by law to prioritise the welfare of  the shareholders (capital) above other stakeholders (Sikka, 2008). Corporations’ today  should to conduct their operations responsibly with accountability to wider  society and legitimise their social power corporations may acknowledge some social  responsibilities, but they most often times can’t buck the systemic requirement to increase profits  and dividends to the benefit of capital. Businesses and organizations are set up to create wealth, and so far it is a very highly  effective tool for doing so. No limitations, whether legal, ethical or moral limit  are set to what or whom corporations can exploit to create wealth for themselves and their  owners. According to Sikka (2008), ‘such practices seems to be part  of the ‘enterprise culture’ that persuades many to believe that ‘bending the rules’ for  personal gain is a sign of business acumen’ (pg. 270). Competitive  advantages is considered to be an entrepreneurial skill, especially when competitive  business environment link profit and market shares with meeting global business  target. We see that the use of bribery and inducement to secure competitive advantages is primarily a  matter of executive discretion rather than any legal or moral compulsion. It has been  argued that this discretion may be used to enrich directors since their remuneration  is influenced by the level of profits and return to capital. Markets therefore exert  pressure on companies to generate ever increasing profits and returns as capitalism  does not provide any guide to upper limits of accumulation (Sikka, 2010). Companies  can generate additional returns for finance capital, not only through competitive  advantages on products and services, but also through bribery and other  inducements to secure government contracts which are the big and guaranteed revenue even though payments are delayed .In an attempt to satisfy the corporate  goal unfortunately everybody else is put at risk. Generally, the codes of business conduct include statements rejecting the payment or  acceptance of bribes, collusion, pressure or illegitimate favour, either directly or  through third parties whether public officers or private individuals but are often not respected. Y their involvement in corrupt practices and other anti-social practices cannot therefore be  reconciled with their business codes of conduct (Sikka, 2008, 2010; Otusanya, 2012). Environmental turbulence and threats to their reputation are managed by publishing corporate social responsibility (CSR) statements and code of conduct that promise ethical behaviour, improvement of economic and social infrastructure and quality of life of all stakeholders (Phillips, 2003; Sikka, 2010). Looking at it critically even if one organization restrains itself, the superior profits of competitors and business environment exert pressure to explore ways of matching or exceeding that,  thus the tendency to increase profits through corrupt practices as a means of gaining competitive advantages remains embedded within the corporate enterprise culture. In the end, it is a â€Å"means† to an â€Å"end† or â€Å"we all want to make money† some would say. Impact of Corruption in the International Business world Without a doubt corrupt activity hinders development, contributes to the depletion of the public purse and distorts markets, furthering hindering local and Foreign Direct Investment. The growth of a nation depends on the redistribution of its wealth since the middle class and poor benefit is much greater than the affluent, who loss out of the re-distributional process. Countries suffering from corruption cannot implement sound re-distributional policies and are not expected to take benefit from sustainable economic development despite engaging upon economic growth from time to time for some reason or the other. No country or company would like to engage in business with falling economies. Another pitfall is it becomes a way of life. Corruption is like a way of life in Nigeria, from the secretary that sits at the office expecting to receive a â€Å"gift† before passing the cheque for signature to our leaders who can only award contracts by our wonderful saying â€Å" if you help me, I go help you† ( *pidgin English which means if you scratch my back, I scratch yours). There are other things to consider, for instance the level of poverty. Nigerians do not know any way out. Word on the street, is you have to be smart, so you can survive. And survival here is relative. The danger of this is that is rubs off on the nation as a whole. Our image and reputation is constantly taunted. Business people need to find out if they need to cut corners before making an investment in Nigeria and need to know the â€Å"Man at the top† before the contract is awarded It ridicule’s the concept of open and fair competition; hence the continual decline of the economy. *â€Å"Pidgin English† is the low class English spoken on the streets in Nigeria† Summary International Business as stated earlier involves all commercial transactions, private and governmental, sales, investment, transportation that takes place between two or more countries for developing countries to find a way to curb corruption to its minimum; it must first start from the sectors and the leadership. Not forgetting that the various modes of entry ranging from Imports and Exports, Tourism Transportation, Licensing and Franchising, Turnkey Operations, Management Contracts, Direct and Foreign investments need to be rid of corruption (Daniel et al 2007). In the case of Nigeria, it makes sense that any effort to eradicate corruption in must start with the oil sector, because of its all-encompassing effects on other sectors of the economy and move immediately to harnessing other natural resources, focus on production of resources that the economy has demand for thus providing job opportunities for several people. Secondly, the law enforcement would need to sanitize its own department because it is a pity that in developing countries they are the most corrupt. I’m not confident of the efficacy of the sanctions and restitution imposed and how is it been effective handled, however if sanctions from those found guilty of corruption can also be re enforced. Finally, as also noted earlier, unfortunately it has become a way of life. The biggest step will be sensitization. The media and institutions of learning will have to collaborate to ensure these morals are instilled. A full blast media campaign on the effects, combined with tutorials in classes will surely make an impact. The earlier an individual realizes that it is not a norm, the better. People should not accept or give bribe and not cut corners the better for the whole society. Corruption can be tackled, it may take forever but with collaboration and eyes on the bigger picture; when purely looking at it from a business perspective, it is indeed wiser to build a good reputation that bring a lifelong investment than engage in activities that will only provide solutions for short term needs. References/Bibliography Daniels, Radebaugh and Sullivan (2007) ‘International Business Environments and Operations’, 11th Edition. Olatunde Julius Otusanya, Sarah Lauwo, Gbadegesin Babatunde Adeyeye (2012)  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Critical Examination of the Multinational Companies’ Anti-Corruption Policy  in Nigeria† (Accountancy and Public Interest 2012). (Online journal 9th Feb 2014: http://visar.csustan.edu/aaba/Otusanya2012.pdf) Otusanya, O. J. (2011b) ‘Corruption as an Obstacle for Development in Developing  Countries: A Review of Literature’, Journal of Money Laundering Control, 14 (4):  387-422. Phillips, R. (2003) Stakeholder Theory and Organisational Ethics, San Francisco:  Berrett Koehler. Rodriguez et al (2006) ‘Three Lenses on the Multinational Enterprise: Politics,  Corruption, and Corporate Social Responsibility’, Rensselaer Working Papers in  Economics, No. 0608 New York. Sam Ejike Okoye. How to tackle corruption Effectively in Nigeria:  http://www.gamji.com/article4000/NEWS4930.htm (9 Feb 2014) Sikka, P. (2008a) ‘Enterprise Culture and Accountancy Firms: The New Master of  Universe’, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 21(2): 268-295. Sikka, P. (2010) ‘Smoke and Mirrors: Corporate Social Responsibility and Tax  Avoidance’, Being Paper Presented at Essex Accounting Centre, Essex Business  School, University of Essex, UK http://www.essex.ac.uk/ebs/research/working_papers/WP2010-5%20PS%20CSR%20and%20Tax%20Avoidance%20Revised%20April%202010.pdf. (9 Feb 2014) Udelove (2010) ‘Why Nigeria Is Referred to as the Giant of Africa’. StudyMode.com: http://www.studymode.com/essays/Why-Nigeria-Is-Referred-To-As-449209.htm (21 Feb.2014) Yima Sen ‘Political Economy of Corruption in Nigeria’:  http://www.gamji.com/article9000/NEWS9136.htm(9 Feb 2014) Web. 9 Feb 2014 http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/nigeria/energy.htm> Web. 21st Feb .2014 http://www.transparency.org > Web .21 Feb.2014 http://www.nigeria.gov.ng/index.php/2012-10-29-11-05-46/economy> Web. 21 Feb 2014 http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/nigeria/> Web. 21 Feb 2014 http://www.sfo.gov.uk/briberycorruption/briberycorruption.aspx>

Graduation Speech: No Day But Today -- Graduation Speech, Commencement

Mrs. Meke told me never to start a paper with a dictionary definition, but it only seemed fitting to site Merriam Webster today. Graduation is the act of acceptance of an academic degree or diploma. Never have Merriam and Webster been more off their mark. Graduation is much more than a simple ceremony, it is the culmination of 12 years of work, friendships, and the little moments that still make us smile. High school was more than its name leads you to believe. It wasn’t just school, it taught us a whole lot more than how to write a good essay, who laid the foundation for communism, and why we all should despise geometry proofs. High School taught us about love, life, work ethic, and how to be a person of substance, all of which might be more important than knowing what started World War I. Before we can move on, we must reflect. These have been four long years. We will cherish the good moments we have had here, games, dances, spirit days, lunches, musicals, field trips, and other countless extra curricular activities. When we look back with our rosy retrospective, these are the moments we will remember, besides in 20 years who really is going to remember how much stress their freshman bio exam caused them. We all came in this school together. We were a mixture of nervous, excited, and scared because this was an entire new world for us. Sure we may have been scared by the size of the building or we might have gotten lost on our first day, by the end of our four years, we had it all figured out. Its just our luck, the year we figure out the quickest way to each class, which hall has the coldest drinking fountain, and what is actually edible in the cafeteria, it is the year we have to leave and start this all over ag... ...lieve it or not, they really do care. They might show it by simply asking how your day was, coming in early or staying late to help you, holding a thousand reviews before the A.P. test, or letting you turn in your paper a few days late because you have had a lot on your plate and needed a little slack. There are many of you teachers here to whom we owe unending thanks and gratitude. It would simply take to long to list all of you individually and why we are thankful, but I wanted to let you know; you make me and so many others proud to be your students. Not only have you taught us millions of facts, events, and formulas, you have taught us about ourselves. There is an old Chinese Proverb that says, â€Å"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.† Well, you can let go of my hand today; I am ready to enter that door. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.