Philippine Educational Status Essay

Philippine education is patterned after the American system, with English as the medium of instruction. Schools are classified into public (government) or private (non-government). The general pattern of formal education follows four stages: Pre-primary level (nursery, kindergarten and preparatory) offered in most private schools; six years of primary education, followed by four years of secondary education. College education usually takes four, sometimes five and in some cases as in medical and law schools, as long as eight years. Graduate schooling is an additional two or more years. Classes in Philippine schools start in June and end in March. Colleges and universities follow the semestral calendar from June-October and November-March. There are a number of foreign schools with study programs similar to those of the mother country. An overall literacy rate was estimated at 95.9 percent for the total population in 2003, 96 % for males and 95.8 % for females. Compared with other countries, the literacy rate in the Philippines is quite high. Moreover enrolment rate is 99. 9% in primary level and 77. 8% in secondary level, which is higher than Singapore and the highest in ASEAN countries. However while statistics on educational attainment may be high, the economic situation in the Philippines is still not so good. The Philippines has succeeded in expanding its education in quantitative terms, but now they have to think about â€Å"Quality of education†. Three government organizations handle education in the Philippines. These are the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). In 1999, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, which governs both public and private education in all levels, stated that its mission was â€Å"to provide quality basic education that is equitably accessible to all by the foundati on for lifelong learning and service for the common good.† The Department also stipulated its vision to â€Å"develop a highly competent, civic spirited, life-skilled, and God-loving Filipino youth who actively participate in and contribute towards the building of a humane, healthy and productive society.† All these ambitions were embodied in the development strategy called â€Å"Philippines 2000.† The academic year in the Philippines is patterned after its wet/cool and dry/hot seasons. The hottest months of the year are from March to May, thus making them the â€Å"summer break.† The wet season starts in June, which also marks the beginning of the academic school year. Beginning 1993, DECS increased the number of school days from 185 to 200. The school year ends during the first few weeks of March. The Philippines, a Catholic country, has a two- to three-week break during Christmas in December and a four- to five-day break at the start of November to celebrate the Day of the Saints and the Day of the Dead. The language of instruction has been a much debated topic. For a country dispersed over 7,107 islands, with 11 languages and 87 dialects, colonized by Spain for more than 300 years, and educated by the Americans, the decision to pick a particular language of instruction has been very controversial. The languages used for instruction have switched from Spanish to Tagalog, to English to the local vernacular, including some Chinese languages, and Arabic, which is used in the southern part of the country. According to an official publication of the U.S. Library of Congress, the Philippine census reported that during the 1990s a total of 65 percent of Filipinos understood English. During the last four decades of the twentieth century, education in all levels had vastly improved. In the compulsory elementary level, from 1965-1966, there were a total of 5.8 million students enrolled, 4.5 percent of which were in private institutions. In 1987-1988 these numbers grew to 9.6 million enrolled, 6.6 percent of which were in private schools. By school year 1999-2000, 12.6 million were enrolled with 7.1 percent in the private sector. This level is for grades 1 through 6—ages 7 to 12. The various Philippine grade levels are referred to with cardinal numbers (one, two, three) rather than ordinal numbers (first, second, third). Secondary education is taught for 4 years from ages 13 to 16. Primary and secondary schools are taught from Monday to Friday, starting at 7:30 A.M. The school day begins with a flag raising, national anthem, and pledge of allegiance. Students usually have an hour for lunch. School cafeterias are mostly non-existent and those that exist are largely inadequate. Students either go home for lunch or pack their lunch. Some parents, usually mothers, come to school to bring warm lunch for their children. Classes resume for the afternoon, until about 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. In some areas, due to lack of facilities, certain schools are forced to have double shifts, minimizing the hours children spend in school. Access has been a problem for certain sectors of the population and DECS has made this the number one priority. In the secondary level for 1965-1966, approximately 1.17 million students were enrolled with 62.3 percent in the private sector. In 1987-1988, there was a total of 3.49 million students enrolled, 40.8 percent of whom were in private schools. By 1999-2000 there was an overall total of 5.1 million students, with 24 percent in private schools. Higher education in the Philippines is strongly in the private sector. Most bachelor degrees are for four years. Students are usually from 17 to 20 years old. In 1985, the private sector of higher education was close to 80 percent of the student population. Of these institutions one-third are considered non-profit, while two-thirds function for monetary gain. This has lead to the reputation of certain schools as â€Å"diploma mills† and to the more serious problem of producing unqualified, unemployed, and underemployed graduates. During the 1970s, there was a wide discrepancy in the literacy rates of the various regions of the country. The capital region of Metro Manila had a 95 percent literacy rate; the Central Luzon area had a 90 percent literacy rate while the We stern portion of Mindanao had a 65 percent rate. Three principal indigenous languages in the Manila area are Cebuano in the Visayas, Tagalog and Ilocano in the northern portion of Luzon. In 1939 Philipino (which is based on the Tagalog language) was made the national language. Philipino later evolved to Filipino which is based on the languages used in the Philippines. English still remains the most important non-indigenous language used by media, higher education, private, primary and secondary schools, government administration, and business. Only a handful of families have maintained speaking in Spanish. The multiplicity of languages used in the Philippines has not affected its literacy rate of 94.6 percent, one of the highest in East Asia and the Pacific region. Technology use is starting to gain momentum in the overall education of the Philippines. In 1999, there were 93 Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the country. By the beginning of 2001, the participation of nongovernmental organizations and the private sector in educati on was evident with the donation of 1,000 personal computers for use during school year 2001-2002 in 1,000 public high schools of 16 regions. The program, called One Thousand PCs, has four major components, namely: curriculum development with the creation of a one year course on computer education as a specialization in entrepreneurship; teacher training for recipient schools; courseware development through the creation of Information Technology materials; and the purchase of hardware from the private sector through the Adopt-A-School Program. The Department of Trade and Industry chaired this project. Curricular development is under the jurisdiction of the DECS. Authority slowly trickled down to the municipal/local levels as the system shifted to decentralize decision-making and empower local schools. Despite these efforts, much of the important decisions, such as the purchase of all public school textbooks, is done by DECS. Important curricular changes needed to respond to emerging student needs are limited due to budgetary constraints. Three tests are administered to students, the preparation for which must be addressed through further curricular development. These tests are the National Elementary Aptitude Test (NEAT), the National Secondary Aptitude Test (NSAT), and the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE). The Philippine population grows at a rate of 2.07 percent per year. In July 2000, the estimated population was 81,159,644 people. About 37 percent of this population was from birth to 14-years-old. A 2 percent yearly population growth translates to about 1.6 million children born every year. This growth rate strains the resources of the educational system. During 1999-2000, a 2 percent increase in the number of students meant 8,000 more classrooms needed. The deficit was 29,000 since DECS was able to build only 6,000 new rooms for the year. More teachers required (total lack of 21,000 since the budget allowed for hiring only 4,700 new teachers) 400,000 more desks (of the 2.2 million needed, only 500,000 were purchased) and 10 million additional textbooks with a ratio of 2 students per book. To alleviate this strain, certain schools hold double sessions (one in the morning and another in the afternoon) in elementary schools. Some high schools even have triple sessions due to space and resource problems. As for gender distribution in the elementary level, male and female students are almost equally represented, while there are more females students at the secondary and higher education level. In rural areas, men are expected to do work while women are allowed to pursue education. Males have a higher rate of failure, dropout, and repetition in both elementary and secondary levels.

Dracula Transformation Essay

Shadow of the Vampire is a post-modern text which is a reconstruction of Dracula, a novel by Bram Stoker, and Nosferatu a film directed by F. W. Murnau. The use of intertexuality in Shadow of the Vampire is a key aspect which allows it to echo; themes, the gothic mode and issues that are present in the other two texts. Through a clear pastiche, Merhige produces a new text from the old. Immortality is a key theme which has been subverted from the physical sense through sucking blood, as it’s represented in Dracula, to the spiritual sense through art by producing a perfect film which will outlast and entertain many generations. Bram Stoker uses many motifs such as the; wafer, stake, crucifix and garlic flowers to demonstrate the Count’s immortality as these reoccurring symbols show the limited objects that can rid of a vampire, emphasizing his strength and power. Although these symbols are all present and continual in Shadow (‘crosses aren’t for decoration’- villager says to Murnau), they don’t portray the immortality, instead Merhige uses film techniques to replace the language techniques of Dracula. The zoom in of the camera is an example as it shows the deep expression and desperation of Murnau to achieve his perfect picture and effectively his immortality. Dialogue and particular quotes make his goal obvious; ‘our memory won’t blur or fade’ and ‘context that will last like the graves’ and also shows his obsession to earn immortality. Murnau’s obsession with his picture in Shadow causes him to turn into the mad protagonist of the film and instead all our sorrowful emotions become aimed at Count Orlock, who is a poor and weak replication of the vampiristic image set by Dracula1. In Dracula the protagonist (being the Count) also becomes obsessed with immortality and the female characters (Mina and Lucy) as he repeatedly visits them; the illicit love that Dracula has for these women adds to the terror and gothic romance of the novel. As the female characters become threatened and distressed by the Count, they add to the suspenseful and mysterious atmosphere and engage the reader as they share similar emotions; 2 the female character of Greta in Shadow is a resonance of this distress as she is unknowingly affected by the presence of Orlock which causes her to turn to drug abuse to deal with it (does too Murnau and the producer). Greta is also unknowingly being distressed by the camera itself which acts as a symbol for an oppressive male protagonist which contains characteristics of Dracula: her naive comment; ‘theatre gives me life, this thing only takes it away’, is an example of irony and also foreshadows future events and feelings; such as she subconsciously knows it (like her other comments) but instead of acting upon it she again turns to drugs to avoid the fact. Murnau’s obsession is proven by his willingness to use other people as sacrifices, most notably Greta as he makes a deal with Orlock for her life. The flashbacks of Greta (before she is fed upon) causes shock to the viewer as the quotes like; ‘consider it a sacrifice for your art’ and ‘make the ultimate sacrifice for love’ cause the emotions of: sorrow, horror and excitement to flourish as the viewer realises Murnau’s ambition from the start and its inevitability. These quotes are well-crafted examples of foreshadowing and irony. His obsession with his art is continuously shown throughout as he makes ridiculous demands and is easily aggravated, such as when the photographer was bitten by Orlock, Murnau exclaimed; ’’lack of enthusiasm, I told you to fix it’’. In Dracula sacrifice is dominantly practiced in a positive way with the heroic group making many sacrifices to finally reach their goal of destroying Dracula; (however, this heroic group is omitted in Shadow and is the primary reason for Murnau’s success). Arthur sacrifices his love for Lucy to save her soul and his own, but as a result he must kill her gruesomely; also, the men (Morris, Billington, Van Helsing and Seward) sacrifice their blood in transfusions to keep Lucy alive. This is foreshadowed by Lucy as she previously exclaimed ‘if only I could have them all’ when she was deciding her lover between these men; this gives the blood sexuality to it (sexual innuendo) and this is an example of gothic romance with the presence of rival lover and multiple suitors. This sexuality of the blood is present in quotes such as: ‘the girl went on her knees†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘away with you, he’s mine’ and these show the ruling and empowerment of the male characters in a patriarchal society. The sexuality given to blood in Dracula is again subtly echoed into Shadow of the Vampire, with Orlock’s lust and desperation for Greta being portrayed in the sexual sense as he is given blood from bats and other sources throughout the film but none satisfied him like Greta with him falling asleep soon after to lighten the mood with black humour before the action-packed ending is aroused. The mysterious atmosphere that is obvious in all three texts is similarly brought about through the usage of slightly subverted gothic elements and techniques. The empty and ruined castle setting of Dracula is important to setting the original supernatural/gothic tone that the novel continues throughout: as shown by Jonathan Harker’s diary entries; ‘the castle is a veritable prison and I am a prisoner! and ‘doors everywhere, locked and bolted’. Additionally, the position of the castle adds to the mystery; ‘just on the borders of three states†¦ portions of Europe’ as these names aren’t familiar to us. Shadow of the Vampire incorporates this setting as; small rooms, caves and an abandoned monastery are all used in the majority of the film and the transition of filming from the developed west to the unknown and strange east (Helgoland). Both texts also use the dark of night to represent the dark, supernatural tone that each are setting: Stoker uses the sun as a symbol of protection from evil (the dark) and is evident in comments of Mina; ‘I keep waiting till the sun†¦ be to me a safety’ and ‘that beautiful sun†¦ life was to me again’. Shadow of the Vampire sets most of its scenes in the dark and uses images of the silhouetted moon and shadows together with eerie background music to make the viewer feel uncomfortable and scared like the characters. Shadow uses haunting sounds like thunder and howling in night scenes to give the supernatural sense (in the same way Nosferatu does); which is an echo of the onomatopoeia used by Stoker such as; ‘muffled roar’ and ‘howling of dogs’. Both texts also make use of the gothic palette as a dominator of the colours used because they give the sense of age (grey), danger (red) or evil (black) which are essential to the quick-shifting moods as they hint to the audience what’s coming up next. Overall, the incorporation of a post-modern style and the subversion and inclusion of themes, issues and gothic elements from Nosferatu and Dracula were crucial to the success and transformation of Shadow of the Vampire. The continual success of this film is due to its excellent depiction of vampires and their nature which can be evident in modern day life and in the character of people; which has never been paralleled as it’s so ‘ferociously original’.

Ten-Foot-Square Hut

Zhao Meng Cui Buddhism Professor Broughton Mon 6:45pm-9:45pm Ten-Foot-Square Hut The Ten-Foot Square Hut is more of a story book to me rather than any religion related book. Kamo no Chomei describe the arrival of the mappo is complete chaos. First, there is a huge fire broke out on a windy night in the third year of the Angen era(1177) in the capital city. The fire was spread widely. Houses were torched; people were chocked to death by smoke or burned to death alive. The result of the fire was â€Å"Sixteen mansions of the nobility were consumed by the fire, to say nothing of untold numbers of other dwellings.Fully one third of the capital was destroyed; several thousand men and women perished. † Second, there is a huge whirlwind hit the capital again in the Jisho ear(1180). Four or five blocks of the city were destroyed. People lost their house, belongings, and lives. The southwestern area next to the city was damaged as well due to the wind moved that way down. Third, the re location of the capital and changing in politics. New capital was built in a different location up north in the mountain area by the sea. Kamo no chomei was also noticed the persons that he knew were riding on horses like the warrior clans instead of sitting in ox cart.People were still living in the fear of the fire. Fourth, the hunger comes around the Yowa era (1181-1182). Typhoons and floods destroyed farm lands and grain. It lasted 2 years. Many people were dead and grain were worth more than gold. Fifth, earthquake. Kamo no chomei mentioned the destruction of all temples first time. Last, People’s mind changed. People’s desire of wealth grows. They become greedy. This is the arrival of the mappo to Kamo no Chomei. It’s like everything that is known to people were destroyed and the old believes were collapsed.Nothing is going to the right direction. Kamo no chomei’s hut measures ten feet square in area and less than seven feet in height. The eaves ext end out three feet for firewood and cooking on the east side. There is also a bamboo balcony with a book shelf at the western side. He put an image of Amida and bodhisattva fugen on the north wall. His bed is along the east side of the room. He kept his music instruments and other books at the southwest corner. Nembutsu was his Bhuddhist practice. His problem was that he loved his small hut and the simple life style.His small hut help him with practice, but it is still consider as mental grasping. â€Å"Buddha warn us against feelings of attachment. † He is still attached to something that would keep him in the samsara. His solutions to his problem are â€Å"call upon my tongue to utter two or three recitations of Amida Buddha’s name, ineffectual as they might be, before falling silent. † My understanding is that he would first do more Buddhist practices as mentioned above â€Å"utter two or three recitations of Amida Buddha’s name†; secondly, easy his mind and meditate as in â€Å"falling silent†.

Huntington, on Political Development and Political Decay Essay

Huntington, on Political Development and Political Decay - Essay Example Using the case of Argentina as an example, Samuel Huntington emphatically argued that political development is a complex term predicated upon a variety of factors. Accordingly, this essay will be guided by the following quote: â€Å"So long as a country like Argentina retains a politics of coup and countercoup and a feeble state surrounded by massive social forces, it cannot be considered politically developed, no matter how urban and prosperous and educated are its citizen.† (Huntington 1965: 409). Seeking to provide a thorough yet concise of analysis of the aforementioned quote by renowned political scientist Samuel Huntington, the following will analyze the content of this sentence and provide a personal analysis of his claims. Furthermore, this essay will elaborate upon this quote using examples from East Asia. What are the perquisites of political development? It is to this question that we now turn. According to Samuel Huntington, there are a variety of important antecedents that are integral to our understanding of political development and modernization. While the two concepts frequently go hand in hand, it is not always the case. Accordingly, Huntington utilizes the case of Argentina, which displayed a wealthy and educated public at the time, to demonstrate that political development is related to a variety of important factors both endogenous to the political system as well as exogenous to it as well. Furthermore, for Huntington political development refers to the institutionalization of political organizations and procedures (1965: 393). From this perspective then, political institutions are not created overnight and the embeddedness of a particular political system is tied to its longevity as well as its composition. Accordingly, Huntington finds that complex systems of government are likely to be the most stable (1965: 395) and that the social mobilization is an importan t component in the development of a mature and well-developed

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION, ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGNING Essay

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION, ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGNING - Essay Example In his autobiography, Decision points, Bush looked back at his role in those events with pride and no regret despite the controversy surrounding his decisions and the ensuing consequences (Bush 2010). This essay endeavors to look at the Bush’s controversial plan to attack the International news channel Al-Jazeera revealed in the Daily Mirror in 2005, as part of the American administration war against terrorism and Al-Qaida. A decision which surprised many international political observers when it was revealed, but which Bush has not denied in his autobiography. Founded in the 1990s, run by Qatar Media Corporation, and intended for Middle East viewers, Al-Jazeera is an international, initially Arabic, news and current affairs channel. Its headquarters are maintained at Doha in Qatar. Over the years, Al-Jazeera extended its network to cover many specialties. Its TV channels and the news are now broadcasted in many languages (Buzzle.com 2010). Unlike other government channels, Al-Jazeera is the only independent channel in the Middle East. It has always broadcasted unorthodox views and shows in crucial times such as live videos of Osama Bin Laden, especially after the 9/11 attack on the twin towers and during the exclusive and live coverage of the Afghanistan war. Its broadcasting policy owned it an international reputation and a wide range of audience. â€Å"It has earned the reputation of being notorious among the critics due to its inclination towards giving coverage to terrorists groups and showing violent footage from war-zones† (Buzzle.com 2010). The channel broadcasted videotapes of Muslim radicals that included Osama-Bin-Laden, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Ayman al-Zawahiri. Hoever, its broadcasting policy was not to the â€Å"taste† of many political observers however. For some it was perceived as â€Å"a propaganda machine and Osama bin Laden’s mouthpiece† (Miles 2006). Donald Rumsfeld for example objected that the channel

Did Lincoln really want to free the slaves Research Paper

Did Lincoln really want to free the slaves - Research Paper Example "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it." (Lincoln 1862) President Lincoln wrote these words in August 22, 1862 to journalist Horace Greeley, an abolitionist who wrote for the New York Tribune. This was one month before the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. It is clear from this dialogue that Lincoln’s main concern at that time was to preserve the Union at all costs and not a sweeping condemnation of slavery. Even though The Emancipation Proclamation was a historic event and precipitated the end of slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery. This was because Lincoln did not have a deep conviction for or against slavery. Lincoln's objective was to preserve the Union and not to free the slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation was a historic event and precipitated the end of slavery. It was the first time that blacks could serve as militia. Blacks were allowed to enlist in the Union Army and Navy and consequently became agents of their own liberation. Lincoln needed extra troops on the ground in order to defeat the Confederacy and preserve the Union. Over 200,000 black troops were added to the Union Army. (US National Archives & Records Administration n.d.) 3 It is clear from his actions that Lincoln’s primary concern for issuing the proclamation was to build up the Union army in order to defeat the Confederacy. Since the Union prevailed in the war, Lincoln succeeded in his goal for a Union victory. Another example that shows that The Emancipation Proclamation was a historic event and precipitated the end of slavery was the subsequent passing of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The Emancipation Proclamation was a precursor to the thirteenth amendment which made slavery illegal in every state, not just those affected by the Em ancipation Proclamation. Congress ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution on December 6, 1865. (13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery n.d.) Without the Emancipation Proclamation mandating freedom for some blacks, there would not have been the impetus for Congress to pass sweeping legislation mandating freedom to all blacks in the form of the Thirteenth Amendment. Even though The Emancipation Proclamation was a historic event and precipitated the end of slavery, The Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery. This is because Lincoln did not have a deep conviction for or against slavery. The following is an elaboration upon the correspondence quoted in the beginning of this essay. 4 I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was." If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new

Research Report on foreign language film Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Report on foreign language film - Research Paper Example The movie revolves around a young Polish boy whom Visconti uses to incarnate beauty. He is a 14-year-old boy named Tadzio, played by Swedish Bjà ¸rn Andresen. The boy’s mother is played by Silvana Mangano, a beautiful Italian actress. Tadzio, the longhaired blond boy is the focus of attention of Gustav Von Aschenbach (Dirk Bogarde). An obsession of the boys beauty by Aschenbach leads to the question on the nature of the admiration (Andre 34). The main question in the movie is whether it is ethically okay in the moral standards or not. There is the mystery behind the movie in its structure and style, its symbolism and politics owing much of these to the novel by Thomas Mann’s with the same title Death in Venice, which the movie is based on. The movie is largely silent, in performance, and the actor Bogarde delivered an enlargement of meaning. The romantic suffering of Von Aschenbach manifested by his passion for Tadzio, emotional suffering on the death of his daughter. Setting Von Aschenbach on a journey of creation of beauty and purity discovered in Tadzio. The cinematography by Pasquale De Santis is also depicted in the movie. Scenes are well framed; there are lots of camera spinning from left to right allowing the observation of secondary characters. Costumes are highly stylized, and convey a Victorian look and feel, (Can 18). Can continues by making analysis on the soundtrack, which he says are echoes of one of Mahler melodies; the Adagietto of the Fifth Symphony. According to Snowball, Visconti overdid many things in the movie, which is quite evident at the end with the death of Aschenbach. He feels the movie become very boring toward the end but only saved by lovely things on the periphery. According to Snowball, he movie represents a deadly pestilence threatening both physically and represents the corruption that compromises and threatens all ideals. James feels that the Death in Venice was

What is the difference between 'old' and 'new' social movements Essay

What is the difference between 'old' and 'new' social movements illustrate your answer with reference to specific movements - Essay Example Social movements are created through a course of action, starting with disorder or campaigns as a response to a social problem, then organization of involved parties. People mobilize, leadership develops, duties are assigned, the public is notified, and guidelines or strategies begin to form, resulting finally in the establishment of the movement (Polletta & Jasper, 2001, 283). The course of action is not easy and there could be a decline phase in the group when it either disintegrates or is restored in a changed form. Social movements could be either reactive, involving opposition to change, or enthusiastic, with an aim for social change (Rootes, 1990, 10). Proactive social movements that aspire to reform a particular feature of human conduct, like the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement, are transformative (Polletta & Jasper, 2001, 283); those aspiring for an absolute transformation of individual conduct, like religious fundamentalist groups, are liberating (p. 283). The emphasis of the other two kinds is societal transformation: movements with goals of altering a particular feature of society, as represented by labor groups, are alterative, and organizations trying to transform the whole social order are revolutionary (Rootes, 1990, 12). The objective of this essay is to discuss the distinctions between ‘old’ and ‘new’ social movements. Theorists of new social movement observe a greatly reformed social structure behind these new social movements, diversely referred to as ‘postindustrial’, ‘network’, or ‘information society (Pichardo, 1997, 411). In the theory of Melucci (1994, 105), ‘modernization’ has obliged that individuals be able to process or understand the informational or network components on which present-day societies rely on, but heightened individualism has been escorted by great demands toward standardized conformity. On the other hand, the theory of

Packet Data Transmission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Packet Data Transmission - Essay Example The transport layer establishes a session management between the two hosts. Data received from the application layer is segmented into packets. Each packet is given a unique label before being transmitted. The packets contain the necessary information that is sent to the host computer to fetch a web page; these packets are transmitted to the internet layer. The internet layer constitutes the Internet Protocol (Parziale, 2006). Data is packaged into Internet Protocol datagrams, which hold the address details of the client and server. The addresses of the client and server side are referred to as IP addresses (Osterloh, 2001). The packets are then transmitted to network interface layer. The network interface layer is responsible for determining how data is transmitted over the network (Rufi, 2008). The transmission of data is dependent on the network medium used, for example, Ethernet and the optical fiber. TCP/IP protocol stack In order for communication to be effective, the internet protocol is based on the TCP/IP model. The TCP/IP constitutes protocols, mainly the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), hence the name but there exist other protocols as well. The TCP/IP is a hierarchical model composed of interactive modules where each module is assigned a specific task (Bonaventure, 2011, p.75). The layers in the model are composed of protocols that can relate to each other depending on the system type. In terms of hierarchy, a number of layers below the higher layer protocols support it.

Compare the relative qualities and characteristics of Modular Essay

Compare the relative qualities and characteristics of Modular Information Systems against Integrated Software Systems in respect - Essay Example This information is produced to meet a business objective and it is valuable to the company. Information system is a set of elements which collect data, process and give the output data and information (Sommerville 2010). Business information systems are used by businesses and organizations for storing, processing and analysing data. The information systems are useful to the organizations since they enable the employees to recognize new patterns and relationships in the stored data. This enables the companies to make important decisions which ensure that the organization gains a competitive advantage in the market. The information systems ensure that the organizations activities are conducted efficiently and reliably and this improves the overall performance of the business. There are different types of information systems and this leads to variations in the functionalities of business systems. Computer systems are software programs that are developed to capture, store and manipulate data. There are different types of computer systems in the market and this depends mostly on the functionality of the software (Ajmani 2004). There are different processes of developing software programs and this result to different software products with different characteristics. The process of developing that system is crucial to the functionality of the systems. Modular information systems are comprised of different modules that are connected together. The development of this system is done by partitioning the overall system into distinct parts known as modules. The modules have different functionalities and are developed independently. This type of development is preferred by organizations which have different functionalities and require detailed processes in the software systems. The modules are then integrated to form one huge system which can be used by an organization to conduct its business activities. Integrated software systems are developed as single units and the func tionality of the system is achieved by the whole system. Most of the integrated software systems are off-the shelf systems which are bought directly from the software dealers (Bass,et al., 2008). The functionality of the system meets the requirements of the organization and there is no need for gathering specific requirements of the organization. Modular information systems are flexible. This is because it is possible to replace or add one component to the system without affecting the other rest of the system. This is useful in organizations that are involved in many activities which are dynamic (Clements and Kazman 2008). The new activities that are carried out by an organization might require the development of a new system to meet the functionality required by the organization. Organizations which have modular systems can easily integrate new modules to meet their requirements. This is effective as there is little interruption to the business activities since one module is only a ffected. Integrated systems might result to the disruption of the whole system as new functionalities to the existing systems cannot be added without affecting all the system processes. The modular information systems perform better than integrated systems. The modular systems are developed from requirements that have been gathered from the organization. This ensures that the system is developed to perform better in the

Education should be Free Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Education should be Free - Essay Example However, some say that this could have a destructive effect on student’s development. Due to free education they will be free from any financial pressures and thus, concentrate less on their studies. But that is one side of the picture. Most college students usually do a part time job to meet their educational finances. These jobs take time away from the students and they usually experience time constraints, which could be very harmful for their development. Due to heavy work load these students become the victim of depression and stress whose harmful effects emerge later in their lives in the form of fatal illnesses. If free college education is granted to these students then they would have more time to study. Moreover, they will have time to sleep and rest instead of being always tired from time consuming jobs. They would be free from any tension regarding time or money and would be always prepared for their classes and their homework. The opposition would say that this program would require heavy funding from the government which could harm the public treasury of the country. But, when we ponder over it then many productive outcomes emerge, if we adopt this approach. Currently, many under developed countries consist of children who are uneducated and there is a high literacy rate prevailing in those countries. . If government is not spending at all on their education then according to the opposition’s logic these countries should be amongst the richest countries of the world.

The Darfur Crisis Essay Example for Free

The Darfur Crisis Essay According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 , human rights are described â€Å"as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping constantly in mind(the declaration), shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. † These conventions were agreed upon by the general assembly which consisted of all the member states at the time. According to the articles, the rights of the individual are described in detail the first one being that â€Å"human beings are born free with equal rights, dignity reason and conscience† (Universal Declaration Of Human Rights) Today human rights are a hot contentious issue as abuse of human rights is much more visible, thanks to media and information technology. Contemporary human rights issues according to amnesty international range from: extrajudicial executions where either confirmed or possibly carried out in at least 47countries in 1998 and still continues in some countries especially developing countries; disappearances of people from previous years has been noted in at least 37 countries across the globe; torture and ill treatment perpetrated by security forces, government agencies and police was reported in more than 125 countries plus inmates subjected to inhuman conditions leading to death was also reported as rampant in 51 countries; prisoners of conscience either suspected or confirmed have been held in the past years in more than 78 countries; Unfair trials of suspects is common was noted in 35 countries in 1998; detention without trail of activists and opposition members has been noted in 66 countries; death penalty still being practiced by many countries in the world was carried out in 38 countries and sentences handed out to prisoners in 77 countries. Armed opposition groups are perhaps the most recent notorious of the human rights abuses. Deliberate and arbitrary killings, torture, maiming and hostage taking of civilians has been noted in at least 37 countries and the numbers are growing every day. This paper will deal specifically with human rights abuses connected to the armed resistance groups in the Darfur region of Sudan, showing the background, level of interest, the belief principle behind the actions and the characteristics. I will further look at the consequences and how the issues can be resolved and finally the outcome of such attempts to resolve the issues. Human rights have been traditionally a function of the government to regulate the relation between the state and the individual (UNHCR). This does not however mean that the role of observing human rights is purely a states function. According to the Icelandic Human Rights Centre, it means â€Å"’ every individual and every ‘organ of society’ has an obligation to contribute to an atmosphere conducive to the enjoyment of human rights. This obligation is universal and concerns all state and non-state actors. †(IHRC) The actors in this case can be government agencies such as the military, the police intelligence agencies, as well s NGOs, indigenous groups and minority groups paramilitary groups human rights defenders (semi-) autonomous groups; international territories, terrorists, autonomous area, multinational groups and individuals. All of them capable of either upholding or flouting the human rights. (IHRC) An armed resistance is a movement which is born from oppression and firmly rooted in eternal quest for equality and freedom. Though brought about by a natural desire to be free, it is illegitimate because it breaches the laws of the land and seeks to supplant it. However it acquires legitimacy and becomes â€Å"lawful† through exhibiting success and growth not because the ends it seeks to achieve are just but because its control and capture of a territory justifies the means by which the goal is achieved (Satyendra, 2007) Africa Africa has had its fare share of armed resistance groups most of which evolved from disgruntled groups feeling they got a raw deal from the African led governments which inherited the oppressive colonial ruling style. In Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Democratic republic of Congo, Sudan Ethiopia and Nigeria are some of the glaring examples of armed resistance groups which seriously flout human rights. Somalia however is a case of its own because it has no government. Most of these armed groups were after political and economical autonomy and yet others were keen on overthrowing the government to hold power. In Africa the longest war waged by an armed resistance group was that of the Southern Sudan People Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) which lasted more than two decades since its inception in 1983. Since the end of the war and formation of the unitary government all the human rights abuses by the group on its own people such as forced child soldiers and torture seem to be water under the bridge. However there are still other insurgencies going on around in Africa though none has caught the attention of the media like that of the LRA in Uganda. Since war between the group and government broke out in 1986 atrocities against children have been a characteristic of LRA. Children have been abducted and forced to trek thousands of miles to fight in Sudan / Uganda border, forced to commit atrocities against themselves such as shooting and maiming and girls used as sex slaves for the LRA commanders. â€Å"According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the LRA and other rebel groups have abducted approximately 65000 persons since 1986; however with its leader Joseph Kony still on the run though his warrant of arrest has been issued by the International Criminal Court he continues to wreck havoc in the communities in northern Uganda. (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 2006 March 6, 2007). Though LRA are definitely on the wrong end, the state owned /sponsored armed resistance groups have also been notorious for abusing human rights. In Western Sudan, the Darfur region has seen the Janjaweed, an outfit supported by the Northern Sudan Islamic government reign terror on the Black Muslim population using sophisticated heavy weapons and firearms. The case is similar in Uganda where the Government forces have been used to torture dissidents and conduct arbitrary arrests and beatings. For example Security forces have been blamed for â€Å"a number of deaths in custody, some due to torture. Some people suspected of being allied to rebel forces have been tortured to death in military custody in Kololo, a Kampala suburb, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. † (UN News) Sudan Sudan, before the formation of the joint government between the state of southern Sudan and central government in Khartoum, was presumably an Arab Islamic state. It had membership in the Arab league and subjugated the people of Southern Sudan for more than 2 decades before the end of the civil war in 2004 Sudan has a population of not more than 40 million according to CIA fact book, since no official census has been carried out since the end of the civil war. It covers an area of 2. 376 million square kilometers, slightly more than one quarter of the United States. It is the largest country in Africa bordering 8 other countries on all sides. It has rich reserves of oil and minerals which has been the source of the prolonged wars between the Khartoum government and rebel forces. Though it is also a member of the AU African Union, Sudan like many of the African countries has a despotic leader who has been named in various human rights violations and is currently facing a warrant of arrest by the ICC International court of justice in Geneva. Darfur Darfur covers a larger area of the western side of Sudan which is approximately the size of France. It borrows its name from the Arabic Language where ‘Dar’, meaning house was combined with the name ‘Fur ‘the local people who are the predominant tribe in the area. The country has had a long civil strife with two wars raging in the South and West following the departure of the British who had left everything under the control of the Arab dominated government in Khartoum. The disparities between the regions in the south north east and west were too wide to allow a common religion language or culture. Soon a civil strife was born on the mature ground of racism, social and economic injustice perpetrated by the Khartoum government. This was further aggravated by the introduction of the Sharia law which sent the south and the Khartoum government in a long protracted war of autonomy from 1983 to the late 2003 when a peace agreement was signed and a new federal government formed. Soon after, the Western part of the country, Darfur was thrown into tumult. This cropped from the confrontation and competition for resources between the nomadic herders of Arabic descent and African tribes who mainly practiced crop farming. Given that the area is sparsely populated and limited in resources, both sides of the divided find themselves competing for fertile land for their livestock and crops. The Arab side of the divide forcefully invaded the fertile brooks and valleys which were the homes of the majority â€Å"black† African tribes, in order to get access to water for their animals. This gave way to a conflict which the government intervened on the side of the Arabs and supported the Arab militia (Janjaweed) militia men against the black population. With no choice but to defend themselves, the black African tribes took up arms against the government forces and the Janjaweed. The Janjaweed retaliated. They attacked non-Arab tribes burning their houses, raped and defiled young children, killed adults and drove the survivors to death and oblivion in the desert. (Everything. com) The Janjaweed were able to perform such acts to a pin point precision using help enlisted form the government, both military and intelligence. The black tribes were forced into refugee camps in neighboring countries such Chad . behind, them the Janjaweed burned their crops to the ground ensuring that no one survive without food. Even in the refugee camps the Janjaweed followed them and surrounded the camps and regularly raped women and killed men whenever they strayed out of the camps. The rebel groups supporting the black tribes have continued to launch serious attacks on the government facilities which the Janjaweed use as their bases. For instance in 2008, they attacked a government army barracks and completely destroyed artillery and supplies. This sent a warning sign to the government that thought the group was not entirely well endowed in military equipment; it was able to dismantle government military facilities (Everything . com). By the time international media had started paying attention to the Darfur crisis, genocide had already began. El-Bashir the president of Sudan had already relinquished some of his executive military powers, the first ever action by a sitting head of state, to one of his aides governing the north Darfur region. The systematic killing of the black people began in earnest. Human Rights violations The humanitarian situation in Darfur is grave. Many people have turned a blind eye on the atrocities being committed by both sides of the divide especially the government sponsored Janjaweed. The Sudan government continues to supply the Janjaweed with military equipment imported form China and Russia who are major trading partners with Sudan. China relying on Sudan’s oil, has chosen to separate politics from trade by finding no connection between weapons they supply to Sudan and the deaths of millions of people from the same weapons transferred to the Janjaweed. The President himself has appeared before national television â€Å"after a massacre in which 225 peasants were killed to declare [that he] †¦ will use all available means, the Army, the police, the Mujahideen, the horsemen, to get rid of the rebellion. . He later firmly denied his government association with the militia and sought to blame the killings on some tribal faction fighting in the area. Though a lot of light has been shed on the issue since, human rights violations continue till today. The rebels like any other armed group in history have sorted to using children as child soldiers to advance their course. These and many more human rights violations would not have been known had it not been the works of actors such as the United Nations, NGOs, relief and human right s organizations which played a big part in giving first hand information of the situation on the ground (Sudan Watch n. d). Children are being used and abused by the militia men in Sudan. The activities of Joseph the wanted rebel leader fighting the government of Uganda is evident in thousands of children being abducted and sold to fighters in Darfur. According to Koffi Annan the then Un secretary general, †¦Ã¢â‚¬  child soldiers are used in the Darfur by the Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, which has killed, maimed and committed grave sexual violence against children. † (Sudan watch n. d) According to the Washington post Tuesday, July 3, 2007, the raping of Darfur women is not sporadic or random, [but is a systematic action aimed at psychologically making the women inferior, and] is inexorably linked to the systematic destruction of their communities. † (Boustany 2008) In testimony given by one of the victims in the rape cases to reporters, the Janjaweed used racial slurs such as â€Å"I will give you a light-skinned baby to take this land from you, in order to make them feel racially inferior (Boustany 2008). This was also echoed by relief organizations such as World Vision which work in the area. The inhuman treatment of the black African tribes is dehumanizing. Young boys who are mostly targeted by the Janjaweed to be used as soldiers try to escape capture by traveling from one refugee camp to another. The United nations says that more than 30,000 children have become ‘travelers’, moving from one location to another if only to avoid capture. For these children school is something they’ve never heard of, and are therefore illiterate. Education, being one of the basic human rights, is an integral pert of ensuring proper development of the child and a better future. Even the children in Darfur are able to survive this on going genocide; there is no guarantee to a bright future. Apart from rape and child soldiers, Darfur has also witnessed mass killings. Some of the ‘independent’ local media deny even that there has been rape, torture and killing of innocent Africans. According to the Sudan vision an ‘independent Daily’, a report filed by a committee of the United Nations investigating the possibility of existence of a genocide in Darfur in January 2005, showed that†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ despite the serious violations of human rights in Darfur there was no genocide or any existence of genocide in the region†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the paper argued that the allegations of killings and rape were based on a small number of isolated cases which were backed by evidence from relief workers. In fact, the paper alleges that rape and killings and the Janjaweed are a creation from the west and do not really exist. The paper further explains that the information given by the relief workers to western media is biased because if it wasn’t then the aid workers would not be afraid of talking to local media about their findings. The arguments put forward by the paper are self defeating because the neighboring countries like Chad and CAR would not be experiencing the influx of refugees from Darfur in the thousands every day. Secondly the paper, by citing the report by the United nations committee to the security council in 2005, is actually acknowledging the fact that serious human rights violations were taking place at the time; this is usually a pre-cursor to serious war crimes or is just the top layer of the deep rot that is planned wipe out of a group of people. Finally the fact that the aid workers were afraid to talk to the local media goes along way to show how gagged the local media was by the government; there was obviously no protection of the source and it was almost a guarantee that the information would not be shared with the general public or the rest of the world. To really make their story believable, then the Sudan Vision should try and back up their defense by action. What would be the harm of allowing the western media to freely access the area and cover stories of the local people if there’s nothing to hide? According to Amnesty International (2004), in a 43 page report filed with the United Nations, â€Å"massive abuse of human rights in the region†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦many people killed for no reason â€Å"should be reason enough for the international community to lay sanctions against Sudan. The governments attempt to end the conflict using the Janjaweed is obviously failing. The Janjaweed and the Darfur based militia groups are threatening the lives of over six million inhabitants of the region. Acts of arbitrary bombings, torture and killing of victims, planned abductions and rape are mostly perpetrated by the government forces and their hired goons- the Janjaweed. The nature in which most of the killings are carried out as explained by survivors is akin to extrajudicial killings and summary executions styles. Amnesty international further criticizes the government for keeping mum on the killings going on and accuses the government of malice by its open support for the janjaweed militia. In fact President El- Bashir continues to use Arab convicts and prisoners in the Janjaweed by freeing them on condition that they join the militia group. It is these men who under the direct orders of the powers that be, who carry out the heinous, act of raping, killing and plundering of innocent people in the name of racial cleansing. Those who manage to escape to camps in neighboring Chad were still facing death in another form. The region being remote and with harsh climatic conditions was inaccessible to most of the relief and aid workers so the wounded malnourished and the sick cannot get help. Secondly, the Sudanese government using helicopters, dropped bombs in the border town of Tina that killed and wounded civilians in the very same camps they were supposed to be safe. According to the Human rights watch organization world report 2009, there are many impediments to establishing the magnitude of the true scale of human rights abuse in the region due to laxity by many nations to act on the preliminary reports by people in the field. The fact that that UJN has not been able to find evidence of genocide in Darfur has also dealt a big blow to the people of Darfur. Since the Darfur crisis began more than 5 years ago, more than 2. 5 million have been displaced and more than 70,000 killed according to figures released by the United Nations. However analysts point out hat this could be an underestimation because nobody knows how many have actually died. The fact that this figure is based only on a six month study and did not include deaths from violence, executions and fighting means that it could be a number of times more than what is given(BBC news, 2005). In the US analysts estimate the figure of the dead people in the region to be more than 340,000 up to the beginning of the year 2005. In the UK the estimated death rate is put at 300,000 because no data is available for people killed by the janjaweed, those who are missing or detained by the government One of the former workers in the region told BBC that â€Å"the reality is that we just dont know the scale of the problem, (BBC news, 2005). Efforts by people and organizations that have worked in the area and witnessed the atrocities of the militia men to get the international community to act have been thwarted by some very key members of the UN council in charge of security. The countries have challenged the legality of the arrest warrant against President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan by the ICC by citing that he is a sitting head of state and should therefore not be summoned to the court until his term expires. A report by Human Rights Watch showed how governments choose to delay on human rights actions because of maintaining alliances with other countries. They mostly hide under the banner of sovereignty so as to escape the responsibility of chastising their neighbors. These governments make claims of regional solidarity or solidarity within the global South, but the solidarity that they have in mind is with abusive leaders, not their victims(HRW, 2009). Most of them try to run away from the problem by saying it’s a political issue which they have no say in but the reality is that in our world today the two are like different sides of the same coin. So what is being done to abate the situation? In Darfur the non state actors such as world vision, Amnesty international and other humanitarian agencies have been on the fore front to expose human rights abuses in the continent, however they have also face d difficulties from state owned armed groups such as the police who have reportedly beaten and even killed some aid workers because of revealing such injustices. In Sri-Lanka this is common to appoint where media has continually been locked out of conflict areas and the areas sealed off by the government as operation areas. Other bodies such as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) work to offer the best expertise and support to the different human rights monitoring mechanisms in the United Nations system: In addition other UN charter based bodies also formed under the same office perform the functions though within certain areas of jurisdiction and ensure that the respect for human rights is observed. Law and human rights can be understood in practice as it is in the Security Council such that an armed group violating human rights today succeeding to form the next government will equally be responsible for the human rights violations of the movement that brought it to power. Though this has never actually been seen to work in practice, it is s good theoretical point of view to argue from. It is time to change our scope of thinking. Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International are reporting on these armed insurgents and pushing for reforms and respect for human rights obligations even beyond humanitarian law. Forced divorces and physical torture on members of the armed groups have been highlighted by activists, taking this to a more informative level with development of declarations, commitments, and memoranda of understanding and codes of conduct being adopted. This help in tailor-making standards, rules and obligations for a specific situation. Preliminary empirical work done in this area ‘‘suggests that where armed groups do commit themselves to written codes of conduct, this encourages them to respect human rights’’. A study of some of the important codes with regard to Burundi, Liberia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, East and West Timor, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation revealed that the agreements state that the beneficiaries of humanitarian aid are to enjoy the following rights: ‘‘the right to live in security and dignity, the right to basic needs, the right to receive humanitarian assistance without discrimination and according to basic needs, the right to be involved in humanitarian activities of concern to them, the right to legal and effective human rights protection, and the right to protection against forced population transfer’’. Organizations are engaging with non-state actors in monitoring commitments made by such armed groups in the areas such as interpersonal mining for instance the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict works by obtaining and monitoring commitments not to recruit or use children in armed conflict. Geneva Call is such an organization (Clapham, 2006) It is argued that non-state actors such as armed opposition groups and private security companies have human rights obligations. Other non-state actors though not mentioned here, are present in times of armed conflict and have their own human rights obligations. It is important to mention international organizations their associated peacekeeping operations and Non security firms. Now that it is becoming apparent that the legal; framework has to be expanded to include non- state actors in resolving conflicts, lawyers need to widen their field of human rights obligations to include of non-state actors. This has in fact been noted in countries such as Guatemala Sierra Leon Sri Lanka Lebanon and Nepal. Sometimes governments have laid obstacles in the name of political mileage by accusing the humanitarian agencies of giving legitimacy to the armed resistance groups and thus threaten to halt their support. However humanitarian law has come in handy. No one can be accused of supporting terrorists by accusing them of flouting article 3 of the Geneva convections and this applies to o human rights law. Human rights do not only govern our relationship as individuals with the government but also the relationship we have between ourselves and between government and other illegitimate associations such as armed resistance groups without us risking giving them legitimacy by according them human rights. The simple act of ignoring human rights issues concerning these non- state actors means also that we are failing in protecting the rights of the victims of abuses perpetrated by these agencies. The solution therefore lies in how both the state and non- state actors ply their parts in the problem. Though reforms in the international law will go along way to improve the human rights of many people caught up in conflict areas, it still is not enough to guarantee that they will be strictly observed. Human rights do not just need strong legislation to make it relevant and enforceable. It also needs the goodwill on the part of the government non state players, commissioned bodies and commitment on the part of the state to ensure that human rights remain human rights whether in conflict situations or in peaceful situations. According to the resolution 1556 by the UN Security â€Å"on the crisis in the Sudanese province of Darfur, the Philippines ambassador to the UN remarked that ‘sovereignty also entails the responsibility of a State to protect its people. If it is unable or unwilling to do so, the international community has the responsibility to help that State achieve such capacity and such will and, in extreme necessity, to assume such responsibility itself’ â€Å"(Williams Bellamy, 2005). Hence if El- Bashir, having demonstrated that he has been unable to protect the citizens of his own country, needs to be forced to act or action taken against him. References Amnesty International (2004) Massive abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law in Darfur Press release BBC News how many have died in Darfur? 16th Feb 2005 http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/africa/4268733. stm Boustany R (April 2008): Rape in Darfur. UNICEF adviser says rape in Darfur, Sudan continues with impunity Washington post http://www. un. org/apps/news/story. asp? NewsID=12280Cr=darfurCr1= CIA world fact book www. travel-brazil. info/cia-world-fact-book-Sudan. html Clapham A (2006): Human rights Obligations of non- state actors: Vol. 88 No. 863 International Review of the Red Cross Journal Everything 2. com http://everything2. com/title/Darfur HRW: world report: 15th 2009 http://www. humanrightsblog. org/reports/archives/007743. html

The Major Sources Of Economic Income Many Areas Of The World Tourism Essay

The Major Sources Of Economic Income Many Areas Of The World Tourism Essay Mallorca is the largest of the Balearic Island, at a size of 3,667 square Kilometres and is located off the South-east coast of Spain. The islands coastline stretches for 550 km, and has a climate of hot summers and mild winters with average temperatures reaching 21 Celsius. Mallorcas current population is just over 790,000, and the official language is either Catalan or Spanish, although due to the increasing number of tourists many young Mallorcans can speak some English and German. Tourism in Mallorca began to grow rapidly in the 1950s, with 98,000 tourists visiting the island. By 1995 almost three million tourists had visited, and by 2001 more than 19,200,000 people had visited the island by air, with another 1.5 million visiting by sea. The main attractions to Mallorca for tourists are sandy beaches, the weather, tourist infrastructure and for some, the many clubs located on the island. In total there are three million beds available on the island, which is more than enough for three times the local population. Since this huge rise in the number of tourists, tourism has become the main form of income for Mallorcans and tourism accounts for 85% of the islands income (Jackson et al 1999). The summer months is the peak season for tourists visiting the island, while during the spring, winter and autumn it is cooler and cheaper. Normally the winter caters for those with second homes on the island, and also elderly holidays. The consequences of mass, concentrated tourism in Mallorca has however led to many problems on the island. Tourists have a very negative impact on Mallorcas environment. On a field course to Mallorca in 2007, it discovered that at peak times of the year, 25 tons of sand is carried from Es Trenc beach by tourists in their towels, toes and shoes. Tourists also cause water shortages across through swimming pools, hotels and golf courses. Tourists also tend to shower a lot more often than the host population. This is very damaging for Mallorca as water then has to be shipped in from main land which can be very costly. Mallorca also has a lot of air pollution. Amazingly Mallorcans own the most number of cars per head in Europe. In CalviÃÆ'   alone there are eight hundred cars per thousand of the population. According to the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), seventy million cars pass through CalviÃÆ'   each year. Fifty million of these are driven by tourists. Also of course there is the amount of litter that tourists leave behind which has a major impact on the environment and wild life. However, the cost to Mallorcas environment has been blinded, at least until recently, by the great economic prosperity that tourism has brought to the island. Mallorcas economy is heavily reliant on tourism (85% of income).Tourism is an integrated and fragmented product, meaning that money from tourists goes directly to hotels, restaurants and shops. This expenditure coming from tourists can also have indirect benefits with improvements to infrastructure and community services (Mathieson et al 1992). This has been proved in Mallorca because Mallorcans enjoy some of the highest living standards in Spain. Tourism in Mallorca is also the main employer, and Mallorcas employment levels are very low because of the tourism industry and also the current housing and construction boom, to cater for more tourists. However, Mallorca has become far too reliant on tourism as its main source of income. Should the tourism industry for what ever reason collapse in Mallorca, then the economy could pot entially be devastated. With the current financial crisis, tourism has already fallen by 15% ( Unger SalÃÆ' ¨n 2009). Also with high seasonal variation, should a tourist business not be successful during the peak season (summer), then it will be very hard to survive financially through the winter months. The tourism boom in Mallorca has also led to a 30% increase in the price of land, partially due to homes being built with black money. This has forced many young Mallorcans to leave the island in search of affordable land to live on. This potentially has effects for the future of Mallorca as young people are seen as being initiative and are being forced off the island. As you can see, past and even some present tourism practices are not sustainable in Mallorca. However, since the end of the 1980s to present the regional and national government policies have worked hard to try and make tourism in Mallorca more sustainable. The WTO defines sustainable tourism as Å“meeting the needs of present tourist and host regions while protecting and enhancing the opportunity for the future  (1992). Perhaps a definition of sustainable tourism more relevant to Mallorca would be Å“Tourism should be sustained without having an effect on other activities within the area. It should not hog or displace the current economy but should complement and bolster it. It should help diversify the economy rather than replacing certain aspects of it . Can Mallorca actually achieve sustainable tourism? Since the mid 1980s, and even more so during the 1990s, government policies have been trying to make tourism in Mallorca sustainable. During the 1970s tourism in Mallorca was seen as a job creator, and the effects on the environment were ignored. The government first began to notice the problems associated with tourism during the recession in 1974. Visitor numbers were at their lowest levels since the Franco regime, and it began to show on the island (The Mallorca Tourist Board 2006). In 1983 the Balearics were given full autonomy to establish its own tourism policy, independent from Central Government in Spain. This was a major step on the road to sustainability as local government could be far more effective in distributing sustainable policies as they know what the most problematic areas are. Following autonomous government decrees came a series of policies to make Mallorca a more sustainable tourist destination. Work by Estaban Bardolet suggests that Mallorcas aims were to Å“protect the environment, limit growth, improve quality of services, infrastructure and product . These aims will be useful in order to find out how effective Mallorca has been about becoming more sustainable. To find out just how effective sustainable policy in Mallorca has been, the essay will be split into sub sections, firstly looking at ËÅ"environmental protection, then ËÅ"limiting growth and finally ËÅ"improving the quality of product. Environmental Protection The first law on protecting the environment came in 1984 with ËÅ"protecting natural areas of special interest, which limited tourism development and protected natural resources, and was followed by a law on Å“territorial planning  in 1987. The 1987 law was very important, as it was the first law put into place that regulated the construction of hotels and other buildings, which in the past had been allowed to be built almost anywhere (Middleton et al 2001). Before this law was put into place, many new constructions were built on the beach front, which severely damaged the ecology of the sand dunes. In 1988, a wetland area of approximately 2,580 ha with a perimeter of 32 km was been created at SAlbufera. It was created in to help preserve Mallorcas natural environment and animal habitats. Since then the area has been declared a ZEPA, Bird Special Protection Zone, a Biosphere and a Ramsar site. Tourists are attracted to the area to see the rare bird species, which is ironic because the area was created to stop the mass tourist development and conserve the environment in the area. This was one of the very first environmental policies introduced by local government in the Balearics, and was followed up in 1991 with the law on Å“Natural Areas  which put 33% of territory in the Balearic Islands under protection. This law proved very significant as it prevented any construction on these areas of land, and therefore preventing further damage to the natural environment. In 1997 the government expanded its 1987 policy on territorial planning to focus on more long term planning for all activities and to encourage higher quality tourism without depleting natural resources this came through work with Local Agenda 21, which will be discussed later using CalviÃÆ'   as an example. Also a Å“Law of Rural Land  was passed which put a cap on the amount of tourist villas and second homes which were allowed to be developed in rural areas. However, there was no evidence to suggest that this law lessened construction of tourist homes in rural areas and there has also been an increase in the refurbishment of old farm houses, which has further weakened the presence of agriculture in rural areas of Mallorca. In 2002, the Government of the Balearic Islands launched a tourist eco tax to help counteract the environmental problems caused by tourists. The tax amounted to an extra à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1 per day, per adult (over 16) and would be collected by registered tourist accommodation (Middleton et al 2001). However the tax was abandoned in 2003 following a change in government. During its brief time the tax helped raise à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬25 million, which was used to help clean up Mallorcas environment (geographypages.co.uk). However the abolishment of the tax did show that the government were not fully committed to helping improve Mallorcas environment. Limiting Growth One of Mallorcas main problems as a tourist destination was its over crowdedness and frequently exceeding the carrying capacity. One of the first government policies to limit growth came in 1984 with ËÅ"Decree Cladera I. This policy demanded that 30m ² of land for individual tourist beds and that some of the land was to be used for leisure. (Batle et al 1999). Then in 1987 the ËÅ"Decree Cladera II expanded the required land to 60m ² and introduced a new minimum quality hotel standard. These policies were very successful as they limited the growth of cheap, poor quality hotels on the island. However, it can also be argued that this would simply cause a greater number of tourists to the island, because by the 1990s, people had more disposable incomes, and no longer had to look for cheap, poor quality accommodation whilst on holiday as they could now afford much better. In 1997 the Å“D  plan was introduced which highlighted the need to promote off peak tourism to the island. The Mallorcan government worked hard to advertise and promote off peak visits to the island to try and relieve some of the pressure during the summer months. The plan has been reasonably effective with more people, especially the elderly visiting the island during the winter months. However there is still far too much pressure on the islands resources during the summer to say this plan has been effective. In 1999 the Balearics Government introduced a new Tourism Law which brought together previous legislative acts. The new law stopped bed capacity for all of the Balearic Islands (Middleton et al 2001). This is very important because by decreasing, or stopping increases in the amount of tourist beds, you effectively reduce tourism growth on the island. The new law also set about limiting further development in urban areas, except for all ready approved sites. The most important act to come from this new law was to make any construction closer than 500 meters of the sea shore forbidden (in 1988 the Spanish Government had previously set it at 100 meters) (Middleton et al 2001). This again was very important as the construction of hotels and other tourist buildings along the seashore had on the past been destroying the coast line. On a fieldtrip to Mallorca in 2007 an examination of how construction had affected the ecology of sand dunes at Es Trenc took place. The sand dunes examined wer e very unhealthy, due to the fact that a hotel had been built on it at . Improving quality of product At the end of the 1980s began the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade. In 1988 the External Support Agencies (ESAs) Collaborative Council was established to help co-ordinate water sanitation. Following the establishment of this council the Å“Global Sanitation Plan  was introduced in 1989 and was to be completed by 1997 at a cost of US$200 million (Bardolet). As a result new water sewage systems were built in Mallorca which helped keep the sea clean. The plan was very successful in keeping beaches clean as by the end of the 20th Century, fifty beaches in the Balearics had been awarded ËÅ"Blue Flag status. However the plan was not completely successful as there is a worry that the water table may have been contaminated by water that has not been recycled properly. In 1990 a plan to ËÅ"embellish tourist resorts was introduced. Over US$100 million was invested to coastal areas to make walkways, lighting and green spaces along the seaside. The plan was very successful as it made coastal areas aesthetically very attractive to tourists. However, many local people living in the sea side areas dislike it as it has made seaside areas very urbanised. In 1994 the Balearic Government introduced the Hotel Accomodation Modernisation plan. The plan stated that hotels built before 1984 were to be inspected and then renovated. The government set a deadline of completion of renovation by 1997. Any hotels which did not comply would be shut down, however by 1997 30% of hotels had not yet been finished so the deadline was extended to 1999 (Bardolet). The renovation work cost just under US$800 million. However this plan greatly improved Mallorcas tourist accommodation, as combined with other acts, the emphasis on accommodation was now on quality rather than quantity. In 1996 the ËÅ"Law on Modernisation of the Complementary Tourism Supply was introduced to run along side the previous plan of 1994 however this law was aimed at the catering sector. Again this improved the quality of product as it improved the standards of the catering industry, and there for improving the quality of experience for tourists. Case study Calvi CalviÃÆ'   has grown as a tourism resort since the 1960s and is now the second largest urban area in Mallorca after Palma. CalviÃÆ'  s economy is highly reliant on tourism, with 95% of jobs being tourist-related. Average family incomes are 130% the national average, and 105% the European average (United Nations publication 2003). However, years of mass growth has led to environmental damage, aging leisure facilities and poor quality services for tourists (AquilÃÆ' ³ 2005). CalviÃÆ'   was becoming overcrowded with its population 3,000 to 40,000 inhabitants over a short period of time (CalviÃÆ'   Local Agenda 21). The first consequences of this were seen between 1988 and 1990 when tourism fell by 20%, CalviÃÆ'   was losing its competitiveness as a tourist resort. CalviÃÆ'   had become unsustainable because damage caused to its natural environment, especially along coastal areas. The area suffered water shortages, air pollution and had problems with extensive amounts of rubbish. It also had very poor transportation links and lacked diverse employment opportunities as most of the population was employed in the tourism industry. However, biggest problem was tat CalviÃÆ'   had greatly exceeded its carrying capacity, and could no longer cope with the number of tourists visiting the area in the high season. To reinstate CalviÃÆ'   as a major tourist destination in Mallorca, local councillors along with the Spanish Ministry for Tourism developed Å“The CalviÃÆ'   Plan for Tourists Excellence  at the start of the early 1990s (CalviÃÆ'   Local Agenda 21; Bustamante 1999). The plan had three main points, clear buildings along coastal areas, promote off-peak tourist practices and to train the population in employment in the tourism industry. However the plan did have its limitations. It is argues that it did not look at the long term development of the area, and merely wanted to deal with trying to once again boost tourist areas. It was also not properly co-ordinated in terms of economic, social and environmental interaction. The failure of Å“CalviÃÆ'   Plan for Tourists Excellence  led to the adoption of CalviÃÆ'   Local Agenda 21, one of the main sustainable policy instruments to come from Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (AguilÃÆ' ³ 2005). A strategy was put forward in 1996. The main aim of this policy was long term tourism .and local sustainable development with protecting and enhancing the environment being the main objective (Molz 2004). Ten action plans were devised, and forty initiatives were put into action. This approach meant a new integrated approach to tourism between local council, national council and Non Government Organisations NGOs working together to make CalviÃÆ'   a more sustainable destination. It also allowed for resident participation, one of the key features of sustainable development (Bell et al 1999). The sustainable action plan through ËÅ"CalviÃÆ'   Local Agenda 21 has been very successful in making CalviÃÆ'   a more sustainable tourist resort and in attracting tourists back to the area. In 2000 1.6 million people visited CalviÃÆ'  , from which 86% came from abroad (CalviÃÆ'   Local Agenda 21). Conclusion In the Twenty First Century, Mallorca has developed itself into a high quality tourist resort, partly due to the efforts and policies put into place by the governments of the late 1980s and 1990s. In 2004, there were 180 hotels and agroturismos (transformed traditional Mallorcan fincas) had been built inland (Cox 2005). At first this may seem like a bad thing, as tourist developments are taking up even more land. However, this type of tourism accommodation is marketed to the eco-friendly tourist, who cares about their own impact on the tourist destination. This type of tourism is also of a very high quality, and also limits growth and overcrowding as the carrying capacity of these resorts is low. However, being so far inland the tourist is more likely to use a car to get to other areas because they are not in walking distance. This type of tourism is much more sustainable than the traditional sun, sea and sand holidays that had previously been associated with Mallorca. Mallorca has now emerged as a high quality tourist destination, challenging the traditional views of a bargain holiday destination. Mallorca now boasts five-star resorts, luxury hotels and very high quality restaurants. The service industry has also gained from higher class tourism, especially catering. In 2006 Mallorca had six Michelin- starred restaurants (businessweek.com 2006). However, Mallorca still suffers from the stereotypical idea that the island is a cheap holiday destination offering beaches and cheap drink. Some government policies such as the eco-tax have failed, while others have not done enough to tackle problems such as the environmental damage caused by years of irresponsible tourist development plans. Some policies and work from groups in the 1990s have helped Mallorca become aware that tourist practices can not continue. However, there is still much work to be done in order to make Mallorca a fully sustainable holiday destination.

Multiple Sclerosis Essay example -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system. It most commonly occurs in individuals between the ages of twenty and forty (1) and in higher numbers of women than men (2). In Multiple Sclerosis (or "MS") a loss of the nerves' axon coating myelin prohibits the nerve axons from efficiently conducting action and synaptic potentials. Scar tissue (called plaques or lesions) forms at the points where demyelination occurs in the brain and spinal cord, hence the name "Multiple Sclerosis"or "many scars" (3). The demyelination found in MS is thought to be caused by an autoimmune process, in which the body's immune system attacks its own healthy tissue (4). Other diseases thought to have an autoimmune basis are rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus and the insulin dependent form of diabetes mellitus(5). In the immune system, there are two types of white blood cells, B-cells and T-cells. T-cells exist in three forms, all responsible for different immune system responses. Helper T-cells recognize foreign antigens (the substance the immune system aims to destroy), stimulate antibody production, and produce cytokines (chemicals which act as biological messengers) which activate other T-cells. These T-cells are able to recognize antigens through their receptors, made of protein molecules that selectively bind to certain other molecules. Suppressor T-cells perform a function converse to that of their helper counterparts, turning off the immune system response. Cytotoxic T-cells directly attack and destroy antigenic material (6). In MS, an unknown trigger activates helper T-cells whose antigen specific receptors recognize central nervous system myelin as an antigen. While what exactly activates these T-cel... ... MS GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY http://www.nmss.org/msinfo/current_research/updates/RMP9620.html 25) VIRUSES http://www.nmss.org/cmsi/cmsi18.html 26) Remyelination Progress Reported http://www.myelin.org/puppress.html 27) EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS http://www.nmss.org/cmsi/cmsi157.html 28) Current Research Updates http://www.nmss.org/msinfo/current_research/updates/summary.html 29) Virtual Hospital, Chapter 14: Neurology: MS http://www.vh.org/Providers/ClinRef/FPHandbook/Chapter14/08-14.html Other WWW Sites 30) Knowledge Weavers http://medstat.med.utah.edu/kw/ms/ 31) World of Multiple Sclerosis http://www.msif.org/language_choice.html 32) National Multiple Sclerosis Society http://www.nmss.org/ 33) MS Gateway http://www.ms-gateway.com/ 34) MS Gateway Glossary http://www.ms-gateway.com/glossary.html

Alzheimers Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimer’s Disease is an irreversible, genetically linked illness. This disease was chosen for the topic of this essay under the consideration that in many families the illness can be incredibly tragic, passing down for generations without mercy. It is not rare to encounter families in which each member is afflicted with a form, mild or severe, of Alzheimer’s. The disease is a progressive brain disease which comes in two separate types: Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. These will be discussed in full later on in the paper. The symptoms of Alzheimer’s are extremely detrimental to the individual whom it affects, as the disease attacks the brain cells and their connections. As the illness progresses, many of the affected brain cells die. In the very beginning stages, many of the symptoms are mistakenly associated simply with the effects of ageing or stress. Issues such as attentiveness, abstract thinking, and mild memory loss which happens to be the most notable of these early symptoms, will all start to appear. As the disease progresses, patients will begin to have a difficulty with perception and execution of motions. Memory will begin to take a heavy toll on the patient at this point, becoming a prominent dilemma. Older memories or episodic memories (such as writing), do not take the brunt of these attacks, but rather newer memories are affected the most. Soon, issues with speech will begin to arise, as the patient’s vocabulary begins to become more and more limited and simplistic. Coordi nation and movement begin to become difficult task for the persons affected, but can ordinarily be accomplished at this point of the disease. In moderate cases, the deterioration of the mind will eventually ... ...much to prepare themselves for the onslaught that is Alzheimer’s Disease. Works Cited "Alzheimer's Association - Alzheimer's & Dementia Risk Factors." Alzheimer's Association. Web. 04 May 2012. . "Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Fact Sheet." National Institute on Aging. Web. 04 May 2012. . "Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers." National Institute on Aging. Web. 04 May 2012. . "Alzheimer's Topics." National Institute on Aging. Web. 04 May 2012. . "Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation." Fisher Center Foundation. Web. 04 May 2012. .

The Negative Effects of Fossil Fuel Usage Essay example -- Environmen

The Negative Effects of Fossil Fuel Usage         The health of the environment is our livelihood.   When the environment is not in good health it could lead to health problems on a personal level.   One of the major environmental problems is air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels.   Levels of carbon dioxide emitted by fossil fuels into the atmosphere in 1991 was an estimated â€Å"5.6 billion tons per year† (Tesar, 28).   If we keep running down the path we are on using fossil fuels like no tomorrow there is some worry among scientists, â€Å"Some scientists estimate that the number will jump to as much as 30 billion tons per year within the next few decades† (28).      Concern for the environment is not a recent phenomena.   Rachel Carson (1907- 1964), was an â€Å"American marine biologist and the author of widely read books on ecological themes†Ã‚   (Bram, 326).   One of her more outstanding quotes on the environment is, â€Å"The most alarming of all man’s assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea†¦this pollution is for the most part irrecoverable† (Peter, 171).    I agree with Rachel Carson that earth, air, and water pollution is for the most part irrecoverable.  Ã‚   Some institutions working today to clean up the environment do help some, but as I see it they are not showing results.   There efforts are a feeble attempt because pollution levels keep rising and they could never keep up.   According to Hayes the former director of the Solar Research Institute under President Jimmy Carter of Earth Island Journal, â€Å"In 1993, President Clinton pledged to reduce US CO2 emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000.   Instead, the nation’s CO2 emissions are now projected to rise at least 13 percent by the ... ...> Hawking, Stephen.   A Brief History of Time:   From the Big Bang to Black Holes.   New York:   Bantam, 1988. Peter, Laurence J. Dr.   Peter’s Quotations.   New York:   Quill William Morrow, 1977. Simanek, Donald E.   (1994)   The Hazards of Solar Energy.     Dsimanek/solar.htm>   (27 October 1998). â€Å"Solar Power-The Basics.†Ã‚   Solar Power-The Basics.   27 October 1998.   http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/solar/brief2.html   (27 October 1998). â€Å"Solar Tax Credits for North Carolina.†Ã‚   North Carolina Solar Center Information   Factsheet.   30 November 1998.     (30 November 1998). Tesar, Jenny.   Global Warming.   New York;   Facts On File, 1991. â€Å"Timeline:   Photovoltaic Development.†Ã‚   Untitled.   2 December, 1998.      (2 December, 1998).   

Management Info System

20/11 In this exercise, you will use spreadsheet software to analyze company financial statements and create graphs important financial data As part of your analysis of the company for the management, you have been asked to analyze data on Dirt Bikes’s financial performance and prepare a report for management . Review Dirt Bikes’s selected financial data in the introduction to Dirt Bikes’s, which can be found at the laudon web site .There you will find Dirt Bikes’s income statement and summary balance sheet data from 2002/2006, and total domestics versus international sales between2002 and 2006 Use your spreadsheet software to create graphs of Dirt Bikes’s sales history from 2002 to 2006 and its domestics versus international sales from 2002 to 2006 select the type of graph that is most appropriate for presenting the data you are analyzing.Use the instruction at the laudon web site and your spreadsheet software to calculate the gross and net margins in Dirt Bikes’s income statements from 2004 to 2006. You can also create graphs showing trends in selected pieces of Dirt Bikes’s income statement and balance sheet data if you wish (You may want to rearrange the historical ordering of the data if you decide to do this) 1. What are dirt Bikes’s best-and worst- performing products? What is the proportion of domestic to international sales?Have international sales grown relative to domestic sales? 2. Are sales (revenues) growing steadily, and, if so, at what rate? What is the cost of goods sold compared to revenues? Is it increasing or decreasing? Are the firm’s gross and net margins increasing or decreasing? Is the firm heavily in debt? Does he have sufficient assets to pay for operational expenses and to finance the development of new products and information systems? 3. Prepare a slide show that summarizes your analysis of dirt Bikes’s performance

Formal and Informal Communication Essay

1.The most prominent quality of a human being is the effective and meaningful way of communication. Humans have a unique and well developed way of imparting or interchanging thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. Communication is well established but not only limited among humans but also in animals and in manmade machines such as computers Communication 2.The word communications comes from a Latin word â€Å"Communis † which means to share. One definition of communication is â€Å"any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person information about that person’s needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or nonlinguistic forms, and may occur through spoken or other modes. † Styles of Communication 3.There can be two broad categories of communication, based on the style of communication. They are categorized as formal and informal communications that have their own set of characteristic features. For simplicity of understanding, it just depends on the situation and the organization or a person involved in that chain of communication. If some high ranking officials or personalities are involved or some prestigious organizations are addressed, the content and the matter of the communication will be formal in its language and formatting. For example our correspondence or letters to the Air Headquarters will differ in wording and format from a note that we scribble on a draft piece of paper an email that we write to our everyday friends. 4.There are numerous situations in our daily life that involve lot of correspondence and communication. However, where no high ranking agencies or personalities are involved in that chain, the communication styles and format used can be quite informa. 5.There are specific requirements and some general rules as to how and when there is a need of a formal or an informal way of communication. There are both benefits and ill effects of the two kinds of communications. For further elaboration both the situations are debated. Formal Communication 6.Formal communication includes all situations where communication has to occur in a set formal format. This can include all sorts of business communication, corporate communication or government official communication. The style of communication in this form is very formal and official. Official conferences, meetings and written memos and corporate letters are used for communication. When two people meet for the first time, the way they communicate with each other can also be utterly formal. Hence formal communication is straightforward, official and always precise and has a stringent and rigid tone to it. Communication takes place through the formal channels of the organization structure along the lines of authority established by the management. Such communications are generally in writing and may take any of the forms, policy, manuals, procedures and rule books, memoranda, official meetings, reports, etc. 7.Advantages of Formal CommunicationThere are definitely some advantages of formal communication: (a)They help in the fixation of responsibility and  (b)Maintaining of the authority relationship in an organization 8.Disadvantages of Formal Communication (a)It is generally time consuming, cumbersome and (b)Sometimes it leads to a good deal of distortion at times Informal Communication 9.For simplicity of understanding communication arising out of all those channels of communication that fall outside the formal channels is known as informal communication. Informal communication includes instances of free unrestrained communication between people who share a casual rapport with each other. Generally it is built around the everyday social relationship of members of an organization. Informal communication requires two people to have a similar wavelength and hence occurs between friends and family. At times, in informal communication, it is difficult to fix responsibility about accuracy of information. Such communication is usually oral and may be covered even by simple glance, gesture or smile or silence. It often works in group of people, i.e. when one person has some information of interest; he passes it on to his informal group and so on. 10.Informal communication does not have any rigid rules and guidelines. Informal conversations need not necessarily have boundaries of time, place or even subjects for that matter since we all know that friendly chats with our loved ones can simply go on and on. 11.Advantages of Informal CommunicationSome of the advantages of Informal communication are: (a)It acts as a valuable purpose in expressing certain information that cannot be channeled via the official channels (b)Informal communication also facilitates to ameliorate managerial decisions as more people are involved in the process of decision-making 12.Disadvantages of Informal CommunicationInspite of many advantages, informal communication has certain disadvantages: (a)Informal communication contains facts, deceptions, rumors and unclear data. (b)The informal channels of communication may transmit completely imprecise information that may harm rather than help an organization.