Urban deprivation is one of the characteristics of large cities in all parts of the world

The inner city areas of many Global cities have an image of decay with poverty, pollution, crime, overcrowding, poor housing conditions and unemployment. Such problems are more prevalent in inner-city areas than in other areas of the city. Deprivation has been caused by old industries closing down and increasing the unemployment levels which are not tackled due to the old workers not being skilled enough to work in these new factories or line of jobs. This happens more in MEDC's compared to LEDC's where overpopulation and urbanization have cause the problems in the inner city. Counterurbanization has been another problem within MEDC's as it has left houses derelict and the people would rather commute than live in the inner city. This has then led to out of town shopping centers being set up. In MEDC's the inner city initiatives for reversing the decline of the inner city started back in 1945 with comprehensive redevelopment. This program involved large-scale clearance of old terraces in order to provide space for new housing and inner city environmental features. Over twenty years 1. 5 million properties wee knocked down in the inner city. Elswick and Kenton in Newcastle were two areas embarked for comprehensive redevelopment. Existing residents were moved either into new towns of Cramlington or to extensive council houses estates built in areas such as, Byker. Many local authorities followed identical planning and soon the landscape of the inner city was transformed with huge concrete and glass tower blocks separated by flat expanses of grass. At the time these high-rise flats were a great success architecturally however the policy failed due to redevelopment underachieving demolition. This gave a housing shortage and vast spaces of derelict land. This policy that lasted till 1967 also failed to tackle the social and economic problems. 1968 saw another scheme come into action; the Urban Aid programme gave grants to local authorities to expand services in deprived areas and to establish community development projects using self help. This scheme was a great deal more localized and it was unfortunate that the economic downturn limited the funds and therefore by 1977 the scheme had finished. The next year the new towns policy was abandoned in an effort to stop decentralization of people and businesses. For the first time inner cities were officially declared problem areas. In 1988 Margaret Thatcher introduced the â€Å"Action for cities† policy. From 1991 onwards-Local authorities were able to bid for funds for specific urban projects. An example is Sunderland; the money was used to redesign parts of the city center with a new shopping precinct. And bus station. A single government department, the end of the 1990's had created the Urban Regeneration Agency. In Greater Manchester 4. 5 hectares of the city were destroyed with 30,000 homes left damaged form the bombing of World War II. By the end of the war 70,000 homes were deemed unfit for living mostly in the high density Victorian inner center. The plan for Manchester was launched in 1945 with the aim of clearing all Victorian housing. Following the repair of the war the Manchester Slum Clearance Programme restarted in 1954. Over five years 7500 properties were demolished mostly in the Miles Platting area. In 1961 the policy of comprehensive development took place with the clearance programme expanding in four main areas: Hulme, Beswick, Longsight and Harpurhey. Over 55,00 new houses, a mixture of low and high rise were built to replaced the cleared terraces reducing the housing density and population by up to 50% in some areas. The Hulme area was a typical Victorian area of Manchester and was tightly packed with terraces. Conditions were overcrowded and polluted with few housing having toilets. After the demolition of the terraces, shopping facilities were introduced in three areas. By 1972 the redevelopment of Hulme was completed with 5,000 new houses being built. Problems did arise with new properties leaking and then the heating bills were too high for the residents and many found the accommodation inappropriate. This area fell into a spiral of decline with growing unemployment, drugs and violence along with eh deteriorating environment. The Hulme city challenge was launched in 1992. This plan involved building of 3000 new homes, shops, roads, offices and community facilities to replace existing properties in a 60-hectare area. The funds of i200 million came from the government, local authority and private finance. Manchester faced other problems form the closure of the nineteenth century industries that left 24,000 jobs unavailable between 1974 and 1984. Plans included 2000 new houses and 375,000 square meters of industrial and commercial floor space to provide 10,000 jobs. In 1988 central Manchester was given n UDC to regenerate 200 hectares of land and buildings in the southern part of the city center. This area included six conservation areas, over ninety listed buildings, three universities, the Granada Studios Tour and the Museum of Science and Industry. However these were the areas of contaminated land, derelict warehouses, mills and canals. The IDC ended in 1996 and in the eight years of operation invested i420 million. Urban deprivation in the LEDC's have been tackled in many ways however there have been schemes that have proven to be a lot more successful than the others. In Chennai there has been a rapid increase in population due to the rural to urban migration and the high birth rates. About one third of the population lives in the slums, mostly shantytowns. The planning solutions began with the building of four to six storey blocks however these largely failed due to high maintenance and lack of uptake as the tenants would be unable to afford the rent. If the rent were reduced the scheme would lose money. After this initial failure The Board took up a new idea of upgrading the slums. The aims set were providing one bath and one toilet per ten families; one public fountain per twenty families; one street light per forty meters of road and one pre school per two hundred families. Other initiatives required self-help financing after an initial investment had been made either by the World Bank or welfare organizations. These schemes encouraged greater community involvement. Some of the start up loans were gave to families to build their own homes. Site and service schemes were implemented with finance provided for the acquisition of land; purchase of building materials, road building and the provision of basic services such as, water and sewage. New owners were then responsible for building the property on their allocated land. The upgrading after that often led to the sale of homes to higher income groups. The generated some money for the poor families and allowed the Board to re-invest in new schemes. An area in the southern outskirts of Chennai was the location for a site and services scheme known as Velacheri. It provided fourteen hectares of land to house 2,640 families many of whom were being forced out of Chennai. Waiting for the new residents building their homes would have caused a delayed the rail building so contractors were used to begin the building of properties. Along with the roads, water supply, streetlights and many other services. These services did face problems with many being left unfinished and extra floors being added without regulation. Some families sold their home for profit and the poorest were unable to afford these houses. These are some example of the initiatives being taken in order to solve the problem of urban deprivation. However there have been many other schemes and one of the most successful was that of the Favelas in Brazil redevelopment that won several prizes such as, the famous Habitat Award from the United Nations. These have been more successful as it didn't break up the families and kept the community spirit and the families could continue to access their place of employment. The similarities between the initiatives of the MEDC and LEDC worlds that have been undertaken for there reduction of urban deprivation are not all that similar. This is due to the fact that the MEDC's have more finance so there are able to use other schemes to tackle their problems. Also the fact that the problems they face are of a different cause. In the LEDC's it tends to be shanty towns are therefore have to look to house these people unlike the MEDC it not so overcrowding but unemployment due to the decline of the Industrial Revolution and recently Counterurbanization has left old Victorian buildings derelict and an eye-saw.

5th and 6th amendment

The Fourth Amendment protects the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, and provides that no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons to be seized. In order to establish probable cause, the officer must establish that there is a fair probability that the area to be searched contains evidence or the person to be arrested has committed a crime; a mere possibility is insufficient.A search without a warrant is presumed unreasonable absent the resence of a recognized exception. U. S. v. Johnson. The Supreme Court has held that this is permissible, but only under certain circumstances. The first issue is whether Detective Davis (DD) committed a search when she went down to the basement. A search occurred if Bishop Short had a subjective expectation of privacy which society would deem to be reasonable (Katz v. U. S. The defense would likely argue that the Bishop (B) had a subjective expectation of privacy in the basement, and that there was an objective expectation of privacy also because only the area where services took place were open to the public. The government would counter by arguing that DD simply walked downstairs during the services, which were open to the public, so anyone nad access to this area. Additionally, there was a children's playroom, which could be used to take loud or crying babies during the services, and that was therefore accessible to the public.If other members of society could gain access and view the basement, then there was not an objective expectation of privacy. Accordingly, DD did not commit a search simply by going into the basement. Whether a search occurred becomes less clear once DD entered B's office. The overnment would argue that the door was open, so DD did not commit a search by merely entering B's office. Whether this was a search was l ess significant, however, than the opening of the desk drawer. Even if DD had legal access to the office, she certainly â€Å"searched† when she opened the drawer.According to the plain view exception of the warrant requirement, a police officer can seize anything in plain view once legally in a space, but the officer needs probable cause to believe that what is immediately apparent is contraband or evidence of a crime, and it cannot require further investigation. Arizona v. Hicks. The Supreme Court has even eld that lifting a turntable to view a serial number is an illegal search that extends beyond the limits of the plain view doctrine. Arizona v. Hicks.Certainly, opening the desk drawer is more of an invasion ot privacy than litting a turntable. Further, the detense would argue that B had both a subjective and objective (an expectation that society is prepared to recognize as reasonable) expectation of privacy in the contents of the drawer. Katz. B would argue he had a sub jective expectation of privacy, mostly because the drawer was closed, but also that society would recognize this as a reasonable expectation because the drawer was closed.If the government had not brought this up earlier, it would certainly bring up the argument by now that it had probable cause to believe there was evidence of the crime (possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute) based on the informant's tip. Whether an informant's tip is sufficient for establishing probable cause depends on the Gates totality of the circumstances test, where there should be particularized facts that show given all the circumstances, there is a fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime will be found.To simply say that the drugs are â€Å"stored somewhere in the church† is not necessarily enough to establish probable cause. Even if it was enough to establish probable cause, DD certainly had time to get a warrant before searching the church. Accordingly, by the time DD opened the drawer, a court would likely find that DD committed a â€Å"search†, and anything she found therein wou d be suppress certainly ed. The detense woul d take this one step turtner and argue that opening the bible was a search, even if opening the drawer wasn't.DD would have needed to get a warrant to open and search the bible. Accordingly, a court would likely find that DD illegally searched B's drawer when she opened the drawer and opened the bible, and the ocaine would likely be suppressed as evidence to be used against B. A court would likely similarly suppress the cocaine, spreadsheets, and cash found in the room next to the office. The defense would argue that B had both a subjective and reasonable, objective expectation of privacy in this room (Katz) and that DD had no warrant that allowed her to legally enter this area.

Assignment 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment 4 - Essay Example The bus which I used for this experiment was filled with many passengers. Some foreigners like Indians and Pakistanis were also there inside the bus. I was seated at the middle portion of the bus. Immediately after the bus was started to move, I started to sing loudly. The person sitting next to me was an American and he asked me to stop singing. The driver also looked back and shown signs to stop singing. I did not obey and continued my singing. All the passengers inside the bus looked at me with different facial expressions, body languages and gestures. Some of the Indians and Pakistanis inside the bus enjoyed my performance along with some of the Americans and they took this incident lightly. However, some other passengers, mostly the Americans have shown signs of agony and discomfort. Some of the passengers approached the driver and asked him to stop the bus and throw me out of the bus. Some others murmured that I have some mental disorders. Surprisingly, after five minutes, ever ything started to stabilize. My fellow passengers started change their attention from me and focussed more on outside sceneries and sights. Even though, I tried to vary the volume of my sound very much in order to irritate my fellow passengers, many of the passengers did not care and I stopped singing after some time. Suddenly people again started to look at me.

Alzheimer Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Alzheimer Disease - Essay Example Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia that attacks the brain and accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases. The more gradual form, with slow progress of symptoms, begins around ages 65 to 70 and affects approximately 1%-6% of the AD patients. See Table 1.1. About 60% of early-onset AD is familial, with 13% being inherited due to family history [Rocca et al 1991, Campion et al 1999]. A rapidly progressive form begins around ages 36 to 45. Both sexes are affected usually beginning in middle age and older adults, but women are more likely to develop Alzheimer's than men, as women live longer, on average, than men. According to the research from the Aging, Demographics and Memory Study (ADAMS), 14% of all people aged 71 and older have dementia. The estimate done in 2008, states that 2.4 million women and 1 million men aged 71 and older have dementia. As many as 5.3 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer's. This figure includes 5.1 million people aged 65 and older and 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer's. Based on these estimates, approximately 500,000 Americans under age 65 have Alzheimer's or other dementia. Of these, about more than 46% are estimated to have Alzheimer's disease. See Table 1.2 AD is a genetically complex and heterogeneous disorder. Particularly for genetic studies, Alzheimer's disease is often categorized according to age. ... Commonly knowm as the "Mild Cognitive impairment". (Petersen et al. 1999) Mild cognitive impairment is a major focus of research to facilitate early intervention while functional status is preserved. It can be further classified into Psychiatric Genetics or Molecular Genetics. Late on-set Familial AD: According to Smoller, Sheidley and tsuang, the research evidence proves the presence of additional AD genes. For example, the family history (Payami et al, 1997) or monozygotic twin status (Bergem et al, 1997) remains after APOE4 is controlled for. Also, a segregation analysis points to the existence if many additional late on-set AD genes (Daw et al, 2000) and the peak age at onset is in the 60's. Linkage analysis has provided several clues to where such AD genes may reside (reviewed in Bertram and tanzi 2004; Kamboh 2004). Other than the APOE region on chromosomes 9, 10 and 12. (Blacker et al 2003); Myers et al 2002). More than 200 genes have been tested for association with AD, with discouraging results (Alzheimer research Forum 2005; Kamboh 2004). There is a possibility of huge understanding in AD genetics. The discovery of the APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 has contributed greatly to the AD, and at least 20 drugs are in the process of development in genetics research. These may help in early detection and intervention and further prevention. In addition, the study can help in providing genetic counseling and genetic testing for patients with family history. Early-onset familial AD (EOFAD): Early-onset cases can occur in families with generally late-onset disease (Brickell et al 2006). At least three subtypes of molecular genetics EOFAD (AD1, AD3, and AD4) have been identified based on the causative gene.

Men on the Down Low and The Impact it has on Others Research Paper

Men on the Down Low and The Impact it has on Others - Research Paper Example Now the paper has taken up a particular target segment which has been the victims of such concern as down low. The African American men make up this category and this problem of down low prevails amongst them through the medium of media attention, social identity and health concerns. Introduction The term â€Å"down low† has been defined in general terms as something to keep secret which might include either information or some actions. More specifically the term incorporates men who are bisexual and might call themselves â€Å"on the down low†. This involves therefore a self perception which is associated mostly with the African American men who is often accused to have inflicted AIDS amongst the female members of their community owing to the double lives they lead. The identification of men with down low therefore depends on the health factors, social identification indicators and the media attention. If the men are directly gay then they can come out in the open and admit their orientation in order to lead a desirable life but instead everything seems to be carried out in secret. The black men are almost unanimously identified with down low. Lynn Harris, in his work Invisible Life focuses on the bisexual behavior of the black people at a time when the media did not give attention to the issue and therefore the people of all races gradually became aware of this. For instance, some men who were engaged in association with women or sexually tied up with men often are worried about contracting HIV and even getting it passed on to their spouses. The â€Å"down low† issue has taken up spaces in New York Times and other print media of the nation. Boykin’s work Beyond the Down Low focuses on aspects which point out that the down low is not a phenomenon but is something about psychological perception. He quotes some statistics from a story â€Å"Of the 7,000 black female AIDS cases in 2003, only 118 reported sex with a bisexual male as th e method of exposure† (Boykin & Harris, 2006, p. vii) and also says that around 1.6 percent of the women who were reported to have been inflicted with AIDS had relationships with bisexual male despite the fact that more than 100 percent of the public opinion centering on AIDS amongst the blacks were concerned with down low. Boykin also points out that the rate of AIDS amongst the black female had come down by 6 percent over the previous four years (Boykin and Harris, 2006, p. 107). The tragic stories on black men were ignored though the American women’s cases of AIDS were reported without cross checking the evidence found. Even men were diagnosed with AIDS and reportedly had the highest cases amongst the black community. The media tries to avoid these reports until the case involves a black man who is responsible for infection in a black woman. This highlights the bias of media with respect to racial difference. The media is selective about reporting the health cases su ch that the finger is pointed towards black men on the down low. Often black men experience a risk of getting accused of crimes not committed and even has to bear the consequence of the same simply for the color of his skin. Hence in this circumstance perception is treated as a practicality. Authors like Boykin rightly suggests that instead of avoiding the truth and telling lies to the media it is important to solve the

Three foundational principles and the critical importance of Essay

Three foundational principles and the critical importance of integration - Essay Example Secondly, a company or an individual should manipulate the opportunity so that the task is differentiated from that of the competitors. The purpose has to be well defined and lastly, it is always important to leverage ones capabilities in terms of the resources and assets available while focusing the attention on the desired value of customers. Integration can be viewed as an expansion strategy and it is quite important for future endeavors of any given company whether self-centered, customer-centered or competitor centered. Integration may help curb the probabilities of the focus of a given company becoming single-minded. Integration can also save a lot of company’s time and financial resources through streamlining the operations of a given company or institution. This reduces unnecessary costs gearing the company towards greater profitability and better performance. Albany State University currently having been highly ranked among the well performing public universities in America could gain a lot from the process of integration. For better results in future, I would propose that the university leaders start by first ranking the performance of every faculty against that of the university such that it is easier for the university leaders to easily identify the faculty underperforming and finding the most efficient resource across the university that can readily streamline operations of that particular

Criminology Theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Criminology Theory - Research Paper Example Theories allow scholars to make hypotheses, which are tested through empirical research in order to come up with assumptions that make us understand the world better. Theories, which depict the causation of crime, are complex but studies from the past and present helps the researcher in understanding the behaviors among criminals. These theories are used to determine the best causes of action that can be used in order to ensure that crime is prevented from happening in our society. Traditionally, punishment was very harsh and the police used brutality when recording statements from suspects without having to understand why certain people committed certain crimes. In addition, the punishments meted out on convicts were harsh and as a result, scholars begun to study criminology in order to ensure that punishments were fair (DeMelo, 2001). Classical School Before 1789, the law system, punishment, and access to justice were barbaric. The classical school’s interest was not the stu dy criminals but it focused on understanding the legal processes and law making. According to this school of thought, criminals knew the consequences of their actions and they even weighed the options before they engaged in any criminal activity. In addition, punishment was designed for the purposes of deterring crime and it was painful than the pleasure one got from engaging in any criminal activity. ... The human behavior is motivated by attainment of pleasure and the ability to avoid pain. Natural law reveals actions that people should not be engaged in, but the punishments that criminals received were not deterrent in nature, but brutal. No forms of punishments that criminals receive should be used to take way a person’s happiness while in the society. This is because according to Beccaria, a person is ready to relieve a minute amount of happiness in order to live in a secure and humble environment. Men do not want to be under scrutiny at all times and they feel more independent when the scrutiny is at the minimum (Beccaria 2009). Pleasures in human beings can be described as that of skill, wealth, sense, amity, piety, and benevolence. In addition, a good name, malevolence, memory, power, relief, and expectation constitute to feelings of pleasure in a person. Pleasures can be complex or simple. People will do everything to ensure that they have pleasure as opposed to pain. Pleasures and pains are caused by certain actions, however, the amount of the pleasure or pain felt is not proportional to the causing effect. Since majority in the society look for pleasure at all times, Bentham notes that people should be given a free will to enjoy their lives as long as they do not inflict pain on others (DeMelo, 2001). On the other hand, Bentham focused on utilitarianism because he believed greatest happiness for the majority. This could not be achieved without changing the justice system because the leadership of that time was corrupt and barbaric. The people, according to Bentham measure the probabilities between future and present pleasures against future

Running Header Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Running Header - Essay Example Language is the tool for expression of thought. This is the central idea whereby this paper is conceived, since we want to establish the role that language play in the process of thinking. My family have been blessed with opportunity and a particular fascination with travelling, my mother works for a magazine company and she writes articles about the places she visits while my father works for an executive corporation that practically has offices in almost all major cities in Asia. We do family trips every summer and this year we visited Shanghai, one of my memorable trips in the Far East. One of the things I immediately notice, the first day we arrived is that the city was "buzzing" with different kinds of noise. Their streets were as busy as the time square in New York, and most of the people drive bicycle to get them to their destination. I had difficulty going around town since most of them only speak their "native tongue" and there were few people who can converse in English. I had to cut my first day short and went back to our hotel to "catch some sleep". The next day was filled will "breathtaking" scenery from ancient China we visited temples and monasteries, a nd saw few artefacts and went insides old palaces with huge statues of ancient Important Chinese personality. It made me feel like I did "time travel", like I was in the time those dynasties and the emperors. I never thought I could relive and personally witness the evidence of ancient Chinese civilization, that I saw the things that were written only in the academic books I read in class. Now I understand what culture does to a country, I can now relate better to the lessons learn from the mistakes of the past. We returned home with rich memories of ancient China, I immediately framed all the still photos I took and hanged it in one corner of my room to constantly remind me of the knowledge I acquired during this trip. Language no matter how diverse and difficult and in spite of its diversity, play an important role in our critical thinking because it is the key to understanding, according to Philip Atkinson. "It is the expression of thought, an act of translating thoughts into words thereby refining understanding" (Atkinson. 2004). Language enables man to define the process of his thoughts and make sense of it. "Language is the 'software' that allows our brain to think the way it does, without language the cerebral cortex lies largely unused" (Kirby & Goodpaster. 1999). With advance technology and globalisation, language highlights the identification of a major medium of communication that is comprehensible to many, this will define the aims, goals and intention that the thought process wants to attain, it will clarify the subject matter to discuss and set aside the non-issues. Language can also be limiting in the sense that the capacity to ascribe a particular word to a meaning can sometimes be inadequate owing to the inability to completely convey the message it wants to convey (Chomsky. 2004). Language can also empower our thoughts in the sense that enables us to identify the very core of an idea, an

Music -Blues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Music -Blues - Assignment Example The new living conditions experienced by the Negros made them to start blues music as a form of appropriating and deconstructing white musical elements. These musical conducts created the images of solitary and a need for modifying the Negro’s way of life and new structure. Most blues-singers were considered as outcasts even among their own race because many of the laws that had been made at the time, which divided the Africans amongst themselves. The AAB format uses the 12 bar structure and is a common structure in blues music. AAB denotes the structure of every individual verse in a song and is often used as a compound form in both melody and lyrics. An example of a song, which uses the format, is Pride and Joy 1983 uploaded on February 8, 2010 and was produced on December 6 1983 at the CHCH Studios in Canada-Hamilton. The recording artists for the song are Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert King. The song is about love and does not comprise one of the topics that reflected the hostility and desire for success among the

Income and spending Essay Example for Free

Income and spending Essay The change in consumer spending divided by the change in disposable income. B. Total consumer spending divided by total income. C. Disposable income divided by consumption. D. The change in disposable income divided by the change in consumption. 2) Assume a consumption function is C = 500 + . 80 Yd. This means A. Consumers will save 80 cents out of each additional dollar in disposable income. B. Consumers will spend $500 in addition to current income. C. Consumers will spend $500 plus 80 cents out of each dollar of disposable income D. he marginal propensity to consume is . 20. 3) In a model with no government or foreign sector, if saving is defined as S 200+ (0. 1)Y and investment is 10 = 200, what is the equilibrium level of consumption? A. 3,800 B. 3,600 c. 1 soo D. 2,000 E. 1,000 4) In a model with no government or foreign sector, if autonomous consumption is Co = 80, investment is 10 = 70, and the marginal propensity to save is s = 0. 25, equilibrium income is A. 150 B. 0 c. 225 D. 600 E. 750 5) The 45-degree line on a graph relating consumption and income shows: A. all points where the MPC is constant. B. all points at which saving and income are equal. C. all the points at which consumption and income are equal. D. the amounts households will plan to save at each possible level of income 6) If the MPC is . 8 and disposable income is $200, then A. consumption and saving cannot be determined from the information given. B. saving will be C. personal consumption expenditures will be $80. D. saving will be $40. 7) The MPC for an economy is: A. the slope of the consumption schedule or line. B. the slope of the savings schedule or line. C. 1 divided by the slope of the consumption schedule or line. D. 1 divided by the slope of the savings schedule or line. 8) At the point where the consumption schedule intersects the 45-degree line: A. the MPC equals 1 B. the APC is zero. C. saving equals income. D. saving is zero. Answer the next question(s) on the basis of the following consumption schedule: C 20+ . Y , where C is consumption and Y is disposable income. 9) Refer to the above data. The MPC is: A) . 45. B) . 20. C) . 50. D) . 90. 10) Refer to the above data. At an $800 level of disposable income, the level of saving is: A) $180. B) $740. C) $60. D) $18. 1 1) In a Keynesian model of income determination, when intended spending is greater than actual output, the adjustment to a new macro-economic equilibrium is based on changes in A. autonomous consumption B. unplanned inventories C. government spending D. net exports E. all of the above

Creation of Neocolonialism

Creation of Neocolonialism By studying craft breweries across the state of Iowa, this study will investigate how Iowa craft breweries are fostering neolocalism and providing third places for their patrons by appealing to their desire to seek out local ties.   It will also investigate how the industry has grown spatially.   Here, I will examine Iowas strong ties to agriculture, the demographics of the first settlers, population and demographics of the state, its history of brewing, and the locations of breweries throughout the state. Iowa Iowa is located in the Midwestern United States.   Its eastern border is the Mississippi River and the Missouri River runs near its western border (Figure 1).   The geographic location (latitude ranging from 40 ° 36 N to 43 ° 30 N and its interior continental location) allows for distinct seasonal variations (Climate of Iowa   ; Iowa Geography from NETSTATE).   The states average temperature ranges from between 45 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit with July being the hottest month ranging from 61 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit in the mornings to 82 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit in the afternoon.   Average precipitation is around 34 inches per year, almost three-fourths of which falls during the growing season which lasts about 162 days, beginning after the last frost in spring, and ending with the first frost in fall (April through September) (Climate of Iowa). Due to multiple glaciations over geologic time, the state is generally flat to rolling, with well-draining and fertile soils.   These characteristics along with her wet springs, hot summers, and long growing season allow the state to have successful and variable agriculture (Ross 1951).   Iowas first settlers were Native Americans.   The Ioway, Sauk, Mesquaki, Sioux, Potawatomi, Oto, and Missouri tribes were among them.   Iowas first official white settlement was established in 1833 and the settlers quickly identified how fertile the land was (Schwieder 2010).   By 1838, Iowas population had grown, primarily due to immigration, to 22, 859 and by 1840 the state had 43, 112 residents (Ross 1951) (Table 1). Table 1:   Historical Population of Iowa (Peters 2011) Year 1910 1950 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Population 2,224,771 2,621,073 2,824,376 2,913,808 2,776,755 2,926,324 3,046,355 The states population was estimated in 2014 to be 314,107,084 with around 72 percent of the population being 21 years of age or older.   It is divided into 99 counties with the largest city in the state being the capital, Des Moines, with a population of 204,220 followed by Cedar Rapids at 126,326 (United States Census Bureau 2016).   Sixty-six open breweries across the state will be investigated. The History of Brewing in Iowa Brewing in Iowa began with the opening of its first brewery in Ft. Madison in 1844; by 1854, there were 27 throughout the state.   The Temperance movement began to become popular in the state well before Prohibition so the number of craft breweries rose and fell with the strength of the movement.   In 1854, the state passed its first prohibition law.   This law failed to be effectively enforced, so by 1858 the state had increased its number of breweries to 42 followed by a further increase to 149 by 1875 (Lipsman, Siegelman, and Otto 2015). In 1880 and 1882, the voters supported laws that made all alcohol, except that sold by pharmacists, illegal in the state.   The statewide prohibition lasted until 1893, causing the number of breweries to drop to 28.   These laws had many loopholes and were difficult to enforce.   Finally, in 1915 and 1917, more prohibition laws were passed resulting in the closing of all breweries in the state (Lipsman, Siegelman, and Otto 2015). Iowa saw the establishment of the first post-Prohibition brewery in Amana in 1985 (Figure 2).   By 2015, there were 66 (Figure 3).   Much of the expansion began after a 2010 (Figure 4) change in state law that allowed the production of high alcohol content beers (greater than 5 percent but less than 12 percent ABW) (Lipsman, Siegelman, and Otto 2015). References    Climate of Iowa. 2017. National Weather Service [cited 01/28/2017 2017]. Available from http://www.crh.noaa.gov/Image/dvn/downloads/Clim_IA_01.pdf. Iowa Geography from NETSTATE. 2017. 02/25/2016 [cited 01/29/2017 2017]. Available from http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/ia_geography.htm. Lipsman, M., H. Siegelman, and D. Otto. 2015. The Economic Impact of the Craft Beer Industry in Iowa, 1-88: The Iowa Wine and Beer Promotion Board. Peters, D. J. 2011. Iowa Population Over 100 Years, 26: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Ross, E. D. 1951. Iowa Agriculture: An Historical Survey. Cedar Rapids, Iowa: State Historical Society of Iowa. Schwieder, D. 2017. History of Iowa. State Library of Iowa 2010 [cited 01/28/2017 2017]. Available from http://publications.iowa.gov/135/1/history/7-1.html.

The Lost Eden Essay -- Literary Analysis

The Lost Eden The story of Martin Eden is a dark but interesting one, written by Jack London, an author from early 20th Century California. Martin’s life is difficult, as he decides to defy society and join the upper class, ultimately alienating his own class while realizing the superficiality of the upper class. Through this journey, Martin embodies and evolves through three main personas, mind sets, or personalities. In the beginning, â€Å"Martin’s feeling of social inadequacy developed†(Sinclair 145), as he is a man seeking approval of society, trying to become a successful writer and win the love of an upper class woman, Ruth Morse. Then he turns into a man bent against society, or perhaps merely in great disproval, for his futile efforts to become a writer are thwarted and laughed at by everyone, from the editors of the magazines to his beloved Ruth and her family. Once Martin does become famous and rich, â€Å"his success snowballs, he is lionized by society† (La bor 118), but Martin â€Å"wishes he had never opened the books† (Lundquist 149). Through all of these struggles, Martin truly embodies none other than the author, Jack London, as the entire novel is something of an autobiography. London is â€Å"confronting himself in Martin† (Bader 150), although it is very true that Martin Eden is â€Å"a novel rather than straight autobiography†, â€Å"deliberately introspective† (Lundquist 150). Martin Eden is first a man who wishes to assimilate with high society, the upper class, as he believes that the upper class possesses an infinite amount of beauty and knowledge. Martin’s first true glimpses of the upper class come when he is invited to the Morse home, after saving Arthur Morse from a â€Å"gang of waterfront thugs† (Labor 117). This is ironic because M... ...n. 1909. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1984. Print. Lundquist, James. Jack London: Adventures, Ideas, and Fiction. New York, New York: The Ungar Publishing Company, 1987. Print. Magill, Frank N. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Vol. 4. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, Inc., 1983. 1691-1699. Print. - - -. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Vol. 5. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1981. 1809-1813. Print. New American Bible. New York: Catholic Book Publishing, Co., 1991. Print. O’Conner, Richard. Jack London: A Biography. N.p.: Little, Brown, and Company, 1964. Print. Sinclair, Andrew. Jack: A Biography of Jack London. New York, NY: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1977. Print. Verde, Tom. â€Å"London, Jack.† Twentieth-Century Writers 1900–1950, American Profiles. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993. American History Online. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. The Lost Eden Essay -- Literary Analysis The Lost Eden The story of Martin Eden is a dark but interesting one, written by Jack London, an author from early 20th Century California. Martin’s life is difficult, as he decides to defy society and join the upper class, ultimately alienating his own class while realizing the superficiality of the upper class. Through this journey, Martin embodies and evolves through three main personas, mind sets, or personalities. In the beginning, â€Å"Martin’s feeling of social inadequacy developed†(Sinclair 145), as he is a man seeking approval of society, trying to become a successful writer and win the love of an upper class woman, Ruth Morse. Then he turns into a man bent against society, or perhaps merely in great disproval, for his futile efforts to become a writer are thwarted and laughed at by everyone, from the editors of the magazines to his beloved Ruth and her family. Once Martin does become famous and rich, â€Å"his success snowballs, he is lionized by society† (La bor 118), but Martin â€Å"wishes he had never opened the books† (Lundquist 149). Through all of these struggles, Martin truly embodies none other than the author, Jack London, as the entire novel is something of an autobiography. London is â€Å"confronting himself in Martin† (Bader 150), although it is very true that Martin Eden is â€Å"a novel rather than straight autobiography†, â€Å"deliberately introspective† (Lundquist 150). Martin Eden is first a man who wishes to assimilate with high society, the upper class, as he believes that the upper class possesses an infinite amount of beauty and knowledge. Martin’s first true glimpses of the upper class come when he is invited to the Morse home, after saving Arthur Morse from a â€Å"gang of waterfront thugs† (Labor 117). This is ironic because M... ...n. 1909. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1984. Print. Lundquist, James. Jack London: Adventures, Ideas, and Fiction. New York, New York: The Ungar Publishing Company, 1987. Print. Magill, Frank N. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Vol. 4. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, Inc., 1983. 1691-1699. Print. - - -. â€Å"Jack London.† Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Vol. 5. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1981. 1809-1813. Print. New American Bible. New York: Catholic Book Publishing, Co., 1991. Print. O’Conner, Richard. Jack London: A Biography. N.p.: Little, Brown, and Company, 1964. Print. Sinclair, Andrew. Jack: A Biography of Jack London. New York, NY: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1977. Print. Verde, Tom. â€Å"London, Jack.† Twentieth-Century Writers 1900–1950, American Profiles. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993. American History Online. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.

Natures Superb Artistry: Angels Camp :: Free Descriptive Essay About A Place

Nature's Superb Artistry: Angels Camp The reason for my trip to the caverns in Angels Camp is not glorious or inspirational. My husband, Joe, and I own a timeshare and we had to use up some of our points or lose them. We usually go to places on the beach or skiing resorts. Unfortunately those resorts were not available on such short notice. Therefore, we were stuck with going to Angels Camp. I began doing some research on Angels Camp, looking for some exciting things we could do there. Yet, I wasn't thrilled by what I found. There were only a few entertainment choices and most of them sounded boring and strictly for senior citizens. We could pan for gold, visit caverns or participate in the annual Grape Stomp. I had prepared myself for the reality of a laid back, uneventful weekend. Thankfully, I was proven wrong. By the time we left the sleepy town of Angels Camp, population 3,000, we vowed that we would be back soon. We had a wonderful, down home, friendly experience. Everyone that we encountered was pleasant and welc oming, the food was great and the caverns were amazing. We even enjoyed watching people pull up their pants and use their feet to stomp grapes. Angels Camp has a magical, inviting spirit. The main street is about two blocks long and it looks like a scene from an old western movie. There are even a few old time saloons. The forest surrounding Angels Camp was beautiful and invigorating. When I was walking around outside, I took a deep breath and was exhilarated by the smell of pine trees. The shops were quaint and the shopkeepers/owners took the time to personally get to know each customer. Overall, the atmosphere and surroundings of Angels Camp were one of a kind. The locals seemed proud of their caverns and encouraged us to visit them. Joe is somewhat of a Discovery Channel freak and he figured this would be his chance to participate in an exploration similar to the ones he had seen on T.V. As we drove up the long, winding road towards the cavern, we had no idea what to expect. When we pulled into the driveway all that we could see was a small parking lot and a wooden cabin about the size of a small house. I was looking everywhere for the cavern, but it was nowhere in sight.

Perfect Companions - The Passionate Shepherd to His Love and The Nymph’

Perfect Companions - â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† by Christopher Marlowe, and â€Å"The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd† by Sir Walter Raleigh There are many poems that are considered to be companion poems. Companion poems are two separate poems that are similar. Usually they are about the same experience or experiences, and are also usually written in the same form. Two of the most famous companion poems are â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† by Christopher Marlowe, and â€Å"The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd† by Sir Walter Raleigh. These two poems are perfect companions. Both â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† and â€Å"The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd† are written in iambic quatrameter. Both of the poems also consist of 24 lines. Another similarity in the style is that both poems a...

Is the Destruction of the Amazon Rainforest a price Worth Paying for Brazil’s Economic development?

The tropical rainforest is undoubtly one of the most fascinating biomes located around the world. These ecosystems are located over eighty five countries near the equator and one of the most prominent rainforest is known the Amazonia. The Amazon Rainforest not only situated over many countries including Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana but it is also known to be home of over 50% of the Earth's species and approximately one third of the world's tree grows in Amazonia. The rainforest has been estimated to cover seven million square kilometres and at least forty thousand plant species have been classified, which makes the Amazon rainforest a resourceful bio diverse ecosystem. This biodiversity and large land has attracted potential companies, especially from Brazil to take advantage of the Amazon Rainforest. Although Brazil is one of the world's fastest developing countries and the richest country in South America, it is still considered as a middle income ‘LEDC' [Less Economically Developed Country] and its rapid population growth has increased the demand for natural resources. Brazil has remains to solve these problems by the deforestation of the precious Amazon Rainforest. Deforestation can be defined as the removal of the forest stands for human activities, such as agriculture and unfortunately, already 25% of the Amazon Rainforest has been cleared in 40 years and 40 hectares is being cleared per minute. At this rate, the Amazonia will be gone in 30 years! Is the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest a price worth paying for? The Amazonia is famous for being the largest and more diverse ecosystem on Earth. Almost everyday, there are new species being discovered and the rainforest is the habitat to some of the most essential plants to the medical world, for example, the rosy periwinkle which is known to provide drugs to help cure leukaemia. The diverse ecosystem is caused indirectly by the location of the rainforest. The centre of the Amazon Rainforest is located near and on the equatorial line. This means that the Amazonia receives concentrated amount of sun rays, making the rainforest very hot. The equatorial location means that the temperature of the climate is very high and constant with twelve hours of sunshine. Usually, the morning temperature can reach up to 32iC and in the evening, it rarely goes below 22iC. The high concentration of the sun rays absorbed by the Earth also encourages conventional rainfall daily. This is when the land gets real hot, that the warm air around it gets enough energy to rise. As the warm air rises, it gets cooled by the atmosphere because it is much colder the higher you travel. The cooled air then condenses into clouds and later heavy rainfalls. Due to daily conventional rainfalls, the Amazon rainforest is a wet, humid area as well as being hot. The Amazon rainforest has two seasons: the dry season between June to December and wet season from January to May, when May can have a rainfall of around 259 mm. The abiotic factors, the non living features of earth like the sun, cause the Amazon Rainforest to have a very warm and humid climate, also known as a tropical climate. The biotic factors, the living factors of an ecosystem like plants, are just as important as the climate in maintaining the tropical rainforest. The diagrams on the next page show how vital plant life is to support the other plants in the ecosystem. After a plant dies or leaves fall to the forest floor, decomposers in the soil break down the dead matter into humus. Humus is important to forest land chemically and physically. Humus can increase the amount of moisture a soil holds and can help the soil have a better structure. Humus also acts as a catalyst because it has actives sites that help produce nutrients. The more nutrients a soil has, the better a plant would be able to grow and survive. This also shows why deforestation endangers the ecosystem. The second cycle illustrates shows that when trees are cleared away, causing less leaves and dead organisms to decay onto the soil, less humus is produced. This cause there to be fewer nutrients because more was taken away from the plant than returned back to the soil as the tree was removed. Fewer nutrients means that the soil is less fertile than originally, so new plants grow with a weaker quality and less chance of surviving. This encourages soil erosion because there no trees to protect the soil from being moved away. Brazil has the eighth largest economy in world and is the wealthiest in its continent. Unfortunately, the country can only be considered as a NIC [newly developed country] or LEDC and is still located under the Brandt line. The Brandt line is a ‘socio-economic' line that divides the more economically developed countries, the north, from the less economically developed countries, the south. This is understandable because the social and economics indicators are considerably low, especially compared to the UK. Economic Social Country GNP Per Capita ($) Birth Rate Death Rate Natural Increase Life Expectancy Population Per Doctor Brazil 3 640 22 7 15 68 1 000 UK 18 700 12 11 1 77 300 Figure 2: This table shows the measure of development in the year 2000. Figure 2 expands on Brazil and UK's indicators of development. It shows that in the year 2000 that the natural increase of the population of Brazil, which the government has to support the demands of, was fifteen times larger than the UK. The NIC also has quite a low life expectancy and the people in England are likely to live approximately 9 years longer than Brazilians. This may be due to the fact that Brazil's education system is quite low for an NIC; its adult literacy rate is 84%, compared to the UK's 99%. This means that there are fewer professional workers such as doctors and engineers, which causes of there being only one doctor per thousand people. The chart also shows the Gross Nation Product [GNP] per Capita [per person]. The value of GNP per Capita can be described as the total value of services and goods produced by a country in a year divided by the residents of the country. The GNP includes the residents of the country living abroad and excludes non-residents of a country. Another common measure of economical wealth is the Gross National Product [per capita], which can be defined as the total value of services and goods produced divided the people in the country that year. The GNP and GDP are similar, the only difference they have is who they think the ‘capita' is, which means that the value of GNP and GDP are very similar. Figure 2 shows that the GNP is significantly low as it is nearly five times smaller than the value of UK's GNP. However, Brazil has shown a rapid increase of GNP and GDP. In the year 2006, Brazil's GDP per capita was $8,800, and then it increased by $900 to $9,700. This is evidence that Brazil's economy is growing. The United Nation uses the Human Development Index [HDI] to measure development. It was created in 1990, but was initially used three years later, because it combines social and wealth indicators to produce a more insightful measure of development. The HDI looks at the three factors of human progress: ==> A long healthy life [measured by life expectancy] => Education and Knowledge [measured by adult literacy and years spent in school] ==> Standard of living [measured by GDP per capita] Each of the three factors are given a ‘score' from 0. 000 [worst] to 1. 000 [best], which can be worked out through calculations according to each factor, then the average of the three scores gives the country its HDI. The countries can be also ranked according to their HDI. Figure 3 shows that there has been, although small, change in Brazil's HDI. In the data published in 2005, Brazil was ranked 63rd with a HDI of 0. 92 and then in the data published in 2007, it was awarded with a HDI of 0. 800 even though it moved down 7 ranks. A HDI value is just about considered as ‘high' and it shows that Brazil has reasonable standard of living. The data also shows that Brazil is in competition for other countries for better human development because it is going down in ranks although it is becoming more industrialised. Brazil must continue developing both socially and economically to be considered as an average MEDC. Brazil's rapid advancement is all due to trade. In 2006, Brazil had import value was $91. 4 billion while it had exported $137. 8 billion worth of goods. The country had gained approximately 150. 8% of its import and means that Brazil experiences trade surpluses, which is when the money from exports is greater than money from imports. The government can spend the extra money on education, medical health care and building the citizens of Brazil. Brazil has plantations that produce vegetation that are able to grow in tropical climates. These exported crops include soy beans, coffee, cocoa and sugar cane. The industries of Brazil have grown noticeably well and 74% of Brazil's goods are [semi] manufactured such as transport equipment, footwear, coffee, autos. There are also quite a few cattle ranches in Brazil which provide beef in MEDC, especially USA. Figure 4 shows that 23% of all occupations are primary jobs, work that deals with collection or producing natural resource from the earth, 24% are secondary activities, work to do with manufacturing and 53% have tertiary jobs that deal with providing services. Approximately one quarter of Brazilians have primary sector careers because they do not require a lot of skills, so majority of the population can do it, and Brazil has excellent resources for land and wood. However, a majority of jobs are in the tertiary sector because Brazil has a rising population, so there must be enough services to satisfy the demanding population, and Brazil is a popular tourist spot, so some jobs are created by tourism such as tour guides. One third of Brazil's GDP comes from the countries assorted range of industries. 4% of workers are employed in the manufacturing sector and these people work in automobile, air craft, steel, petrochemicals other durable good factories. The LEDC has to import goods such as machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil, automotive parts, and electronics for its industries. The Amazon rainforest is under threat from the increasing rate of deforestation. Most of the land deforested is being used by Brazil's industries. Trees in the rainforest, such as mahogany, have been cut down so they can be exported or used for construction or furniture making. Not all the plants cleared are used in the industries; some are wasted to make land for cattle ranches. These large cattle ranches usually have contracts with American fast food chains, so the restaurants can buy the beef cheaply. The Amazon rainforest also has the perfect temperature for growing tropical crops, so farmers use the forest land as pasture to grow sugar canes, soy beans, and coffee beans. The beef and crops can be exported to MEDCs as trade goods. The Amazonia is also rich in bauxite, rock containing aluminium, so there have been large mining operations. The aluminium are then extracted from the bauxite and then used in industries. Mr. Enriquez, Chief of the Trombetas Bauxite Mine explained that ‘the bauxite [they] mine is used in Brazil and sold to rich countries around the globe. It is used to make aluminium, which is used in aircrafts, production, soft drink cans and hundreds of other products. ‘ However, mining involves digging up the land and changing its landscape; it is to be expected that mining would ruin the soil and the plants in the Amazon. Mr Enriquez also said ‘However, it is inevitable that some rainforest will be destroyed in large scale extraction of raw materials. Mining of this kind is of vital national importance to the Brazilian economy. The sale pf bauxite and iron core brings billions into Brazil and creates hundreds of thousands of jobs. ‘ Although Mr. Enriquez is defending his organization, it is true that mining creates jobs, especially for unskilled people, and that it brings money into the country. Brazil is the fifth most populous country. Its growing population and those suffering under poverty are forced to live in favela, which are small, cramped houses with limited sewage and electricity made from scrap building materials. The government has made a new policy to provide land for homeless Brazilians to prevent shanty town conditions. The land provided comes from the clearings of Amazon rainforest. The people are expected to live in the forest and have deal with their own farm. Pedro, a pioneer settler, participated in the scheme because he was destitute. Although he was hoping for a reasonable life, Pedro was unable to continue living in the forest. He said â€Å"It is very remote in the forest and once I had cleared my land the soil fertility declined so growing crops is not easy. † Pedro was considering moving to the city like most work seekers. This shows that the government scheme was not success for everyone and that clearing away the land for homes was not a good idea because people had no knowledge on farming and trade. Amerindians are known as the first people who have used the Amazon Rainforest's raw materials. They live in houses called ‘malocas' and they are dependent on the rainforest resources. Amerindians use the method of shifting cultivation as a way of farming and living in the Amazon Rainforest, they live in one area of the forest and farm there until the fertility and production of the soil has declined, which can last for five years. The Amerindians then leave the area for another and continue farming there so the previous area can recover its fertility. Unfortunately, when the Europeans discovered the Amazon Rainforest and its resources, the Amerindians were in danger. A Tukano Indian explained that when the ‘outsides begun to destroy' the forest, their tribe had to go deeper into the forest for their own safety or give up their lifestyle to live on reservations. It is unethical to sacrifice the life of a whole community for land and profit, especially of a community that helped the forest as well depending on it, unlike companies which just extract resources. If the rate of deforestation continues, Amerindians would have to give up their way of life by either being killed in the process or by being forced to move. Brazil's organizations have to understand that deforestation comes with consequences. All ecosystems are delicate and each species of plant and animals depend on each other for food, shelter, reproduction and if one species is harmed than others will be harmed too like a water ripple. Deforestation directly affects trees in the Amazon rainforest. Cutting down and exporting trees can make some species of hardwood plants to be vulnerable to extinction, for example, mahogany is a popular timber used for furniture however if the deforestation continues, mahogany may become scarce. Logging also takes away the habitats of Amazon's animals, giving them a less chance of survival and killing them. Majority of Amazon's plants have not been discovered, so there may be a species of plant out there that can made into drugs to cure feared illnesses, such as Aids and cancer. Deforestation contributes directly and indirectly to extinction of thousands of unknown species. Deforestation also stops the humus/ nutrient cycle from continuing. Since the tree is taken down before it can die or shed leaves to decay, the decomposers do not have any dead matter to break down the so the nutrients taken from tree cannot be returned. As there will be fewer nutrients in the soil than before, the soil will become less fertile and the tree plants in the soil after will develop weaker than the initial tree. The weaker tree would then be broken down, and the process will repeat until the soil is too infertile to produce any vegetation. There would be no roots or plants to hold the roots together, which would cause increase in soil erosion. Soil erosion is the movement of soil, and deforestation can cause excessive erosion, because there are no plants or trees to protect the soil, and this process may cause flooding and then difficulty in farming as the landscape has changed and the water will be too saturated for some vegetation. Deforestation can also cause a more dramatic change, like desertification, if trees are being cut in a rapid rate. Like animals and humans, trees also respire as well as photosynthesize, so the pores of the leaves give out water vapour to the atmosphere, so with the decreasing number of trees, the lack of water vapour in the atmosphere can encourage desertification. Another effect of deforestation is global warming. Trees are the number one source of reducing carbon dioxide because they take it in for photosynthesis and produce less carbon dioxide for the reactions than they took in. Burning trees not stops the reduction of carbon dioxide, but it also contributes because some of the plants cut are burned. Burning trees release more carbon dioxide and contribute to global warming. Also, Amazonia is considered to be the source of over 20% of the world's oxygen, as product of photosynthesis, and the forest has been described as ‘lungs of the earth'. Therefore, deforestation indirectly causes an increase in pollution and decrease in oxygen. The problem of deforestation can be solved by using sustainable methods of extracting and educating both the companies and people about how delicate the ecosystem is. A sustainable method is one that satisfies the needs of the present population without compromising the need of the future generation. A common technique used to preserve ecosystems is by establishing National Parks and Forest Reserves to protect untouched part of the forest. These reserves may depend on both the government and charity and will make sure that the protected areas are kept as natural as possible while educating people about the importance of foliage in the rainforest. Laws on companies extracting raw materials from the Amazon rainforest must be made stricter than before. Logging grants should only be available to those who plant the same number of trees they cut down, which is a sustainable method, so there no loss in the number of trees. The timber trade companies should also be restricted by reducing trades of endangered plants. Also, any organizations that burn a large amount of trees should be warned that they must reduce the mass burnings so they do not contribute to global warming. Any companies that do not obey the law and does not help preserve the Amazon Rainforest should be heavily fined. If the government wants to continue their scheme to send dispossessed Brazilians to the forest, they should educate them about how to keep their soil fertile by keeping foliage and natural compost, so they will be able to manage a small farm. In conclusion, Amazon rainforest's location has caused to have a constantly hot climate with a wet and dry season. The rainforest is densely population with trees and other plants species and is home to around 50% of the world's animals and plants. The rainforest is a vital resource for plants that are used as drugs for serious illness like leukaemia. However, Brazil has been using the rainforest to extract raw materials for export, land for cattle ranch and to provide land for homeless Brazilians. These exports have caused Brazil to experience trade surpluses that help develop the country. Unfortunately, deforestation is affecting more than just Brazil. The rate of deforestation is contributing to global warming and taking away a huge source of oxygen and potential medical plants. The destruction of the Amazon Rainforest is not a price worth paying for Brazil's economic development because it is putting the earth in danger too. The only way to slow down the results deforestation is by sustainable methods such as planting back the trees and teaching people the importance of foliage.

Nabokov- Good Reader and Writer Essay

A good reader will ask themselves questions as they read along, using sticky notes for that section. This technique allows the readers to come back to the questions and answer them after reader more of the novel or essay. Also, a good reader uses hints the author hides through the passage for the reader to interpret. This lets readers figure out what message the author wants the reader to know. Good readers are active readers which means they use their reading experiences for support by bring knowledge from the world into reading. In addition, they use comprehension strategies to draw conclusions, synthesis and compare and contrast. Further, a good reader knows when to slow down and read faster based on difficulty. When a good reader doesn’t understand a word he/she use context clues to figure out the meaning of it. Lastly, a good reader should have an open mind based on his/her reading. A good writer uses proper punctuation at all times. Grammar and spelling are important as well. Also, a writer should have a lot of knowledge based on what he/she is writing about. This means that the writer should create a plan before writing about. This means that the writer will research ones topic before writing about it. In addition, a good writer should create a plan before writing to have a formal paper. To tell the truth, if a writer doesn’t truly believe in what one is writing about then that’s not a writer at all. A good writer would not care about what others think of ones opinion. Finally, a good writer grabs the reader’s attention from the beginning of the story. Lastly, a good writer writes novels with enough detail to let the reader understand, but not too much so the reader has to interpret the story you are writing about.

Foreign Direct Investment: An Overview Essay

What is Foreign Direct Investment? Foreign direct investment (FDI) is defined as a long-term investment by a foreign direct investor in an enterprise resident in an economy other than that in which the foreign direct investor is based. The FDI relationship consists of a parent enterprise and a foreign affiliate which together form a transnational corporation (TNC). In order to qualify as FDI the investment must afford the parent enterprise control over its foreign affiliate. The UN defines control in this case as owning 10% or more of the ordinary shares or voting power of an incorporated firm or its equivalent for an unincorporated firm. Understanding Foreign Direct Investment Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an extraordinary and growing role in global business. It can provide a firm with new markets and marketing channels, cheaper production facilities, access to new technology, products, skills and financing. For a host country or the foreign firm which receives the investment, it can provide a source of new technologies, capital, processes, products, organizational technologies and management skills, and as such can provide a strong impetus to economic development. Foreign direct investment, in its classic definition, is defined as a company from one country making a physical investment into building a factory in another country. In recent years, given rapid growth and change in global investment patterns, the definition has been broadened to include the acquisition of a lasting management interest in a company or enterprise outside the investing firm’s home country. As such, it may take many forms, such as a direct acquisition of a foreign firm, construction of a facility, or investment in a joint venture or strategic alliance with a local firm with attendant input of technology, licensing of intellectual property, In the past decade, FDI has come to play a major role in the internationalization of business. Reacting to changes in technology, growing liberalization of the national regulatory framework governing investment in enterprises, and changes in capital markets profound changes have occurred in the size, scope and methods of FDI. New information technology systems, decline in global communication costs have made management of foreign investments far easier than in the past. The sea change in trade and investment policies and the regulatory environment globally in the past decade, including trade policy and tariff liberalization, easing of restrictions on foreign investment and acquisition in many nations, and the deregulation and privatization of many industries, has probably been the most significant catalyst for FDI’s expanded role. The most profound effect has been seen in developing countries, where yearly foreign direct investment flows have increased from an average of less than $10 billion in the 1970’s to a yearly average of less than $20 billion in the 1980’s, to explode in the 1990s from $26.7billion in 1990 to $179 billion in 1998 and $208 billion in 1999 and now comprise a large portion of global FDI. Proponents of foreign investment point out that the exchange of investment flows benefits both the home country (the country from which the investment originates) and the host country (the destination of the investment). The push factors indicate the benefits to the investors and the pull factors to the host countries. First, international flows of capital reduce the risk faced by owners of capital by allowing them to diversify their lending and investment. Second, FDI allows capital to seek out the highest rate of return. Third, FDI helps to expand market. For the host countries, it can contribute to the general development as well as to the poverty reduction objective in a variety of ways. Major benefits to host countries are as follows: †¢ FDI allows transfer of technology—particularly in the form of new varieties of capital inputs—that cannot be achieved through financial investments or trade in goods and services. FDI can also promote competition in the domestic input market. †¢ Recipients of FDI often gain employee training in the course of operating the new businesses, which contributes to human capital development in the host country. †¢ Profits generated by FDI contribute to corporate tax revenues in the host country. Thus, it contributes not only to the direct source of investment but also to the government revenue. †¢ FDI helps to integrate the host countries economy to the global economy. Determinants of FDI FDI is the investment decision of profit-maximising firms facing world-wide competition and where significant differences in cost structures (due to say, factor productivity, wage differential) justify cross-border investment and production. a. Institutional features of the host country: degree of political stability and government intervention in the economy; the existence of property law legislation; the property and tax system; adequate infrastructure, etc. b. Economic factors: trade and investment regime; the degree of â€Å"openness† of the host countries, the absorptive capacity and growth prospects of the host country; fix and variable costs of production relocation; the degree of monopolistic competition which prevents the entry of other (domestic and foreign firms; general macroeconomic performance (inflation, monetary and fiscal policy) etc. c. Policy related factors: Fiscal (tax rebates and exemptions) and financial incentives (subsidized loans), laws that restrict FDI in certain sectors on the ground of political sensitivity of certain industries (oil, broadcasting, etc.); policy that restricts the degree of foreign ownership, (temporal or permanent) the remittance of interest, dividends and fees for technology and the shares allowed to foreign -owned firms through limits on capital repatriation, minimum investment, etc. d. Characteristics of the labor force: education, skills, etc. Some features of world FDI activity a. The sharp increases in world FDI activities that started after 1985. b. Increased activity and concentration of FDI. Indeed, in the 1990s, FDI has become one of the most important sources of external finance in developing countries. USA has become the largest host country in international capital markets, receiving capital from both Japan and Europe. Japan has emerged as a major home country of FDI outflows. c. Developing countries have liberalized financial markets and offered special incentives (lower taxes, subsidies for infrastructure, etc) to attract FDI in the hope of acquiring technological transfer, know-how, and in general, positive externalities. Basic types of FDI  · Greenfield investment: direct investment in new facilities or the expansion of existing facilities. Greenfield investments are the primary target of a host nation’s promotional efforts because they create new production capacity and jobs, transfer technology and know-how, and can lead to linkages to the global marketplace. However, it often does this by crowding out local industry; multinationals are able to produce goods more cheaply (because of advanced technology and efficient processes) and uses up resources (labor, intermediate goods, etc). Another downside of greenfield investment is that profits from production do not feed back into the local economy, but instead to the multinational’s home economy. This is in contrast to local industries whose profits flow back into the domestic economy to promote growth.  · Mergers and Acquisitions: transfers of existing assets from local firms to foreign firms takes place; the primary type of FDI. Cross-border mergers occur when the assets and operation of firms from different countries are combined to establish a new legal entity. Cross-border acquisitions occur when the control of assets and operations is transferred from a local to a foreign company, with the local company becoming an affiliate of the foreign company. Unlike greenfield investment, acquisitions provide no long term benefits to the local economy– even in most deals the owners of the local firm are paid in stock from the acquiring firm, meaning that the money from the sale could never reach the local economy.  · Horizontal Foreign Direct Investment: investment in the same industry abroad as a firm operates in at home.  · Vertical Foreign Direct Investment: Takes two forms: 1) Backward vertical FDI: where an industry abroad provides inputs for a firm’s domestic production process. 2) Forward vertical FDI: in which an industry abroad sells the outputs of a firm’s domestic production. FDI based on the motives of the investing firm FDI can also be categorized based on the motive behind the investment from the perspective of the investing firm:  · Resource Seeking: Investments which seek to acquire factors of production that are more efficient than those obtainable in the home economy of the firm. In some cases, these resources may not be available in the home economy at all (e.g. cheap labor and natural resources). This typifies FDI into developing countries, for example seeking natural resources in the Middle East and Africa, or cheap labor in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe.  · Market Seeking: Investments which aim at either penetrating new markets or maintaining existing ones. FDI of this kind may also be employed as defensive strategy; it is argued that businesses are more likely to be pushed towards this type of investment out of fear of losing a market rather than discovering a new one.  · Efficiency Seeking: Investments which firms hope will increase their efficiency by exploiting the benefits of economies of scale and scope, and also those of common ownership. It is suggested that this type of FDI comes after either resource or market seeking investments have been realized, with the expectation that it further increases the profitability of the firm. Importance of FDI Making a direct foreign investment allows companies to accomplish several tasks: Avoiding foreign government pressure for local production. Circumventing trade barriers, hidden and otherwise. Making the move from domestic export sales to a locally-based national sales office. Capability to increase total production capacity. Opportunities for co-production, joint ventures with local partners, joint marketing arrangements, licensing, etc. What do companies considering FDI require? Depending on the industry sector and type of business, a foreign direct investment may be an attractive and viable option. With rapid globalization of many industries and vertical integration rapidly taking place on a global level, at a minimum a firm needs to keep abreast of global trends in their industry. From a competitive standpoint, it is important to be aware of whether a company’s competitors are expanding into a foreign market and how they are doing that. At the same time, it also becomes important to monitor how globalization is affecting domestic clients. Often, it becomes imperative to follow the expansion of key clients overseas if an active business relationship is to be maintained. New market access is also another major reason to invest in a foreign country. At some stage, export of product or service reaches a critical mass of amount and cost where foreign production or location begins to be more cost effective. Any decision on investing is thus a combination of a number of key factors including: assessment of internal resources, competitiveness, market analysis market expectations. From an internal resources standpoint, does the firm have senior management support for the investment and the internal management and system capabilities to support the set up time as well as ongoing management of a foreign subsidiary? Has the company conducted extensive market research involving both the industry, product and local regulations governing foreign investment which will set the broad market parameters for any investment decision? Is there a realistic assessment in place of what resource utilization the investment will entail? Has information on local industry and foreign investment regulations, incentives, profit retention, financing, distribution, and other factors been completely analyzed to determine the most viable vehicle for entering the market (greenfield, acquisition, merger, joint venture, etc.)? Has a plan been drawn up with reasonable expectations for expansion into the market through that local vehicle? If the foreign economy, industry or foreign investment climate is characterized by government regulation, have the relevant government agencies been contacted and concurred? Have political risk and foreign exchange risk been factored into the business plan? Policies to attract Foreign Direct Investment There is keen competition among developed and developing countries to attract foreign direct investment (FDI).This drive to lure investment often extends to the sub national level, with different regional authorities pursuing their own strategies and assembling their own baskets of incentives to attract new investments. Various reforms and strategies have been implemented, with mixed results. Some are critical of the high costs of many of these initiatives, arguing that it would be more rewarding to improve a country’s general business environment. The many different methods used by policymakers to attract FDI and their effectiveness are as follows:  · providing targeted fiscal incentives, such as tax concessions, cash grants, and specific subsidies;  · improving domestic infrastructure;  · promoting local skills development to meet investor needs and expectations;  · establishing broad-reaching FDI promotion agencies;  · improving the regulatory environment and decreasing red tape; and  · engaging in international governing arrangements. Promotional efforts to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) have become the important point of competition among developed and developing countries. This competition is also maintained when countries are adopting economic integration at another level. While some countries lowering standards to attract FDI in a â€Å"race to the bottom,† others praise FDI for raising standards and welfare in recipient countries. Countries have adopted their respective policies for attracting more investment. Some countries rely on targeted financial concessions like tax concessions, cash grants and specific subsidies. Some countries focus on improving the infrastructure and skill parameter and creating a base meet the demands and expectations of foreign investors. Others try to improve the general business climate of a country by changing the administrative barriers and red tapism. Many governments have created state agencies to help investors through this administrative paperwork. Finally most of the countries have entered into international governing arrangements to increase their attractiveness for more investment. Sound investment climate is crucial for economic growth. Microeconomic reforms aimed at simplifying business regulations, strengthening property rights, improving labor market flexibility, and increasing firms’ access to finance are necessary for raising living standards and reducing poverty in a country. Reform is necessary for creating an investment-oriented climate. Reform management matters as investment climate reforms are done politically. They often favor unorganized over organized groups and the benefits tend to accrue only in the long term, while costs are felt up front. Political decisions play a significant role in this context. Each and every country over the globe is stepping forward to change the climate for attracting more investment. Opening up of doors by most of the nations have compelled them for adopting reforms. Relaxation of rules and regulations, of course, is an essential requirement but not sufficient on its own to bring in FDI. As the study points out, business rules in India still bar FDI in most sectors. It was only last February that the government there decided to allow FDI of upto 51 percent in the single brand retail sector, which is expected to trigger a new flurry of investment. As things stand, Pakistan is far ahead of India in terms of offering all kinds of incentives to foreign investors – although some administrative bottlenecks still remain to be removed. It also boasts a high economic growth rate and there exists a consensus among all political forces on following the market economy model. Still, it has failed to catch the fancy of foreign investors at the desired level. The designated target was to raise foreign investment from 1 billion dollars to 27 billion dollars during a five-year period. That target is nowhere near realization. The government claims to have brought foreign investment to the 3 billion dollars mark this year. But that is a fallacious claim since the money has come in on account of privatization of government-owned entities. There has only been a transfer of assets from the public sector into private hands; no new generation of activity in the retail or production sector, which is badly wanted to address the twin problems of poverty and unemployment. The situation underscores the need not only to remove administrative hurdles but also to create ease of operations vis-à  -vis law and order and the socially restrictive atmosphere.

Meaning to Human Life Essay

Is there any meaning to human life? After listening to the first two lectures I gathered what I felt to be Professor Amrbosio’s definitions of the hero and the saint. I took notes and after going back through and reading them it helped me to put a few things together. He asks the question about whether or not human existence is meaningful or absurd. We live in a hostile and deadly environment so we try to find our purpose and meaning so we have some sense of security. It is a defense mechanism. Why is there so much evil in this world? We have the good and the bad. The good being our loving parents and the soldiers who put their lives at risk to defend our freedom and our lives. But then you have the bad and the evil such as the homeless people and the terrorist attacks and the holocaust. It is unfair how there are so many people with nothing and living on the streets when there are just as many people who have much more then they need to survive. The hero and the saint represent traits that can and will be inherited and passed on across different cultures and over time. The hero and the saint are metaphors that humans have used to search for the meaning of life. With the hero, reality is formed and driven by the struggle of humans. They believe in honor and self-esteem along with self-fulfillment and admiration. They always run up against bad things and they believe the good guys will come in last. The Saint believes that reality is made up of our personal and loving relationships. These relationships are based around unconditional trust. They feel like humans really have no goal but they have a purpose. Love and gratitude define them. Some people say life is a wrong turn and it’s down a dead end street. Saints and heroes show us ways we can share and participate in living every day and still asking our questions about life. The best we can do is to live the most meaningful life. Make every day count and always tell the ones you love how much you love them because you never know when it could be the last time that you are able to tell them. Sometimes you just have to trust that our life has a purpose.

The representation of violence in Michael Haneke's Films Essay

The representation of violence in Michael Haneke's Films - Essay Example The essay will be about Michael Haneke’s Representation of Violence in his films, who is a former literary and film critic. According to Aaron (2007), in most of his life work, he undermines the development of the contemporary society. He has produced the most disturbing films, which contain much violence in the contemporary cinema, and has caused many viewers to feel sick in their stomach after watching them. The essay will be examining the stylistic and technical methods that Haneke uses that are not only his directive characteristics as an auteur, but also examine the typical difference between how he represents violence and how it has an effect on society those movies and that of conventional society. In the films Benny’s Video (Haneke, 1992), Funny Games (1997) and Cache (Haneke, 2005) there is clear evidence of how Haneke represents violence and it is not only self-reflective, but it empowers role of the viewer’s by attracting their imagination. We will also look at how Haneke criticizes the ubiquity of violent in superficial moving images. With Haneke’s production of films that address themes that are considered difficult measured by the commercial cinema standards, which include violence trauma effects, alienation, sexism and racism as made him be labeled as a modernist. In today’s films, it is almost impossible to view the whole film without witnessing violence at least as a side spectacle. The film may be either a horror movie that its focus is violence or just a comedy that needs to add some more laughs in the content; one can argue that all these films do not depict the pain and horrifying reality of violence in the real world. Apparently, the images of bombing in countries such as Libya, Southern Sudan and Iraq or a murder committed in a nearby city that one lives look to be not much of the meaning that one still want to watch a violent movie. In fact, because of the ubiquity of the images that contains violence rarely

Diversity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Diversity - Research Paper Example Festivals function to meet particular needs, on top of providing amusement. These occasions of celebrations present a feeling of belonging for social, religious or geographical groups. A hobby refers to a habitual interest or activity, which is embarked on for joy, customarily done in one’s leisure. A mix of vegetables and meat and several kinds of white bread comprise the main diets. There is custom for baking white bread, which is flattened (tandyr, lavash,churek). Kuftebozbash (potatoes and meat in a reedy sauce) is also a widespread dish. Crammed pepper leaves, as well as soups likewise form a part of everyday meals. The broth borsch as well as other Russian food is part of the cookery too. Azeri’s restaurants offer numerous varieties of kebabas an international cuisine (WTG, 2013). At ceremonial occasions, steamed rice (Pulov) adorned with raisins and apricots are main dish during ritual festivities. It is taken alongside onions, meat and fried chestnuts. In the holiday of Novruz, wheat is sautà ©ed with nuts and raisins (gavurga) (Azer-embassy, 2012). Every homestead should have seven kinds of nuts upon a platter. Sweets like paklava (a rhombus-shaped finely coated pastry covered with sugar and nuts) as well as shakarbura (a pastry of thin bread covered with nuts sugar and nuts) are an essential part of festivities. On weddings, various kebabs and pulovare supplemented byshyra (a sweet nonalcoholic drink) as well as alcohol too. At burials, the major dish is usually meat and pulov, dished up with shyra and then followed with tea. The most observed traditional Azerbaijani festival is Novruz Bayram that is the customary festivity of the primordial New Year. Bayram Novruz is a festival celebrated by family. During the evening, a fore the feast the entire family assembles around the feast table arranged with numerous dishes to

TRS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

TRS - Essay Example The story of Jonah is prophetic, the book of Jonah by itself is prophetic. Jonah was rescued from the belly of a large fish where he had stayed for three days until the fish spew him out. The New Testament illustrates the story of Jonah as symbolic to the death and resurrection of Christ. The sign was elaborated by Jesus in Matthew 12. As the greatest sign the world is given. The story of Jonah is therefore a testimony to the death and rising of Christ from the dead and that He conquered the grave and came out alive, the hope for which the early Christians lived for. The promise of God to Abraham was made to bless all the nations of the earth through the Seed of Abraham. Gal 3:15 indicates that the Seed was one and not many and that the Seed is the Son of God through who all nations will be saved from sin and reconciled to God by His death and resurrection. The Seed of Abraham was therefore a Chosen One and a Christ. The New Testament points out as well that the Christ was a son of Abraham. Gal 3:29 â€Å"if you belong to Christ, then you are Abrahams seed The gospels of Matthew and Luke begin the story of Jesus from His birth. The book of Matthew provides with the lineage of Jesus from the time of creation down to His birth as was among the Jewish people. Luke however begins his account with the events surrounding the birth of Jesus from the prophecy of John’s birth to Zechariah. The book of Mark accounts from the coming of John the Baptist. The three synoptic gospels are characterized by parables and speeches of Jesus along with the miracles and exorcism. The book of John on the other hand reflects discussions and reasoning where John himself imparts what he learnt to his audience. The book begins with the logos of the Word before creation and is characterized by involvement of the Holy Spirit directly (Kruse, 2004). Mathematical truth accounts for events using scientific evidence and experimental

Decision Making, Decision Levels and Types of Problems Research Paper

Decision Making, Decision Levels and Types of Problems - Research Paper Example System theories such as decision theory (involving studies on how to choose better solutions) and game theory (involving studies on conflict identification and resolution) are useful in organizations today. However, as organizations are governed by complex systems, there are also corresponding approaches that go with these theories. According to Walonick (1993, para. 5), there are two different approaches used in understanding a system or its components, the cross-sectional and developmental approaches. In the cross-sectional approach, a system is analyzed in relation to other systems while in the developmental approach, a system is analyzed through the changes that it undergoes throughout time. These approaches are used to understand a particular, general system; either in its own context, or in the context of its relations to other systems. Accordingly, these approaches are practiced in various fields in arts (e.g. architecture) and sciences (e.g. medicine, computer studies). Gener al Systems Theory and Approach in Information Technology As system theories and approaches are used to understand the concepts behind a system, these theories and approaches are essential elements in the process of conflict identification and resolution. ... Considering this situation, it can also be said that system theories are necessary in the decision-making process of information system creation as those influence the design of the system. Decision Levels and Types of Problems The decision-making process in creating an information system consists of a combination of complex problems and solution. As mentioned by Skyttner (2005, p. 400), there are three types of problems (structured, semi-structured, and unstructured) and three decision levels (operational, tactical, and strategical) involved in the decision-making process. Additionally Skyttner (2005, p. 400) explains that structured problems refer to problems that can be broken down into different quantifiable elements while semi-structured problems points to problems that are â€Å"partly structured and partly unstructured. Furthermore, unstructured problems refer to problems that do not have clear conventions, which require the evaluative and insightful capacity of decision-make rs. Aside from the impact system theories in the identification of the problem structure, those theories are also essential in recognizing the appropriate decision level that should be maintained in conflict resolution process. In the words of Schmidt and Wilhelm (2000, p. 1510), the tactical level in the decision-making process refers to â€Å"the material flow of from suppliers to production facilities. In this process, decision-makers are able to choose the material that should be used in operation as well as where to get those materials. Following the tactical level in the decision-making process is the strategic level wherein decision-makers prescribe the use of specific materials in the production. Thus, strategic level decisions consist of pronouncements regarding production

Research portfolio Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Portfolio - Research Paper Example Moreover, in recent decades, research evidence has demonstrated a significant association between declining levels of physical activity in children, overall increases in children's body weights, and the incidence of obesity (Goran et al., 1999). The most widely accepted hypothesis for this association is that over time cultural changes and technological advances have resulted in less physical activity and promoted a gradually more sedentary lifestyle (Goran et al. 1999; Luepker, 1999). This mirrors what is occurring in the adult population and highlights the influence that parental physical activity behaviours have on the behaviours of children (Goran et al., 1999). Clearly, physical activity plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity, leading some experts to suggest that if physical activity levels were increased that the epidemic of childhood obesity would diminish or even disappear (Luepker, 1999). Research has suggests the need for family-based int erventions since families share genetic disposition as well as environments (Hill & Trowbridge, 1998). Accomplishing the task of combating childhood obesity will require that every family become committed to improving their children's physical activity habits. ... Moreover, children learn lifestyle behaviours from an early age and may be more flexible in their ability to change behaviours than adults. Many parents, however, lack knowledge about healthy lifestyle practices and/or fail to encourage or model these healthy behaviours for their children. Parents of overweight children also may tend to underestimate their child's weight and may not be as concerned about their child's physical inactivity. It is important to understand whether this lack of knowledge and/or modelling of healthy behaviours on the part of the parents are related to unhealthy practices among their children. According to Nicklas and Johnson (2004), health promotion interventions should be implemented at an age when a child is still impartial to change, which is typically prior to entrance into sixth grade. The role of the home environment is critical to prevent childhood obesity. Parents must provide a physically active environment for their children, and limit the amount of time spent in sedentary behaviours. Parental controls of television viewing can have many benefits. Research Questions The specific research question of this study is: What are the parental controls and restrictions regarding television viewing among students? Sub-questions for the study were: (a) Does the parental controls and restrictions that are being used by parents correlate with children's BMI; (b) Do parental controls differ according to the child's age? Literature Review Family Environment and Childhood Obesity The best way to significantly affect the prevalence of childhood obesity is to prevent it. Therefore, the issue of childhood obesity becomes a family affair. Families provide the primary