Elderly Homelessness Essay

Although the elderly are homeless for all sorts of reasons, there are some common causes of homelessness for everyone. The causes of elderly homelessness are mostly financial. The most common cause of homelessness is income. The elderly retire and do not make the same income as they did while working. Because their income is low, they receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to live off of. However, SSI is usually very low and not even above the poverty line. The maximum SSI monthly benefit in Washington D. C. s $850 for an individual, which is well below the poverty line (NLIHC, 2007). These monthly benefits have to be used to pay bills, buy food, and pay for housing. SSI benefits do not last very long because they are so small and the cost of housing usually diminishes the benefit before it can go any further. The cost of housing is the second most common cause of homelessness among the elderly. It is hard to find affordable housing in many areas, especially in busy cities. The cost of a one bedroom apartment in Washington D. C. was $1,134 (NLIHC, 2007). Many of the elderly have a hard time paying for housing because SSI will only pay housing if the cost is thirty percent of their SSI benefit. Many of the elderly who are having issues paying for the cost of housing can apply for section 8 vouchers, but there is an ironic twist to this option. In order to receive section 8 vouchers to avoid homelessness, the person applying has to already be homeless. Once the person is homeless, it will be very difficult to apply for section 8 because they don’t have a permanent address or a way to keep in contact with any agencies. Some of the other causes of elderly homelessness include physical and mental health. The problem with the health of the elderly is that most of them have some sort of illness that prevents them from being able to take care of themselves and their home. The elderly are more likely to experience a disruption in their ability to care or provide for themselves and their homes because they are not physically or mentally able to. Their health causes them to stop working and ultimately leads to receiving the low SSI benefits, like a vicious circle. One of the causes of homelessness is the lack of social support from family and friends. Many elderly people become homes because they do not have anyone to help them, whether financially or emotionally. They do not ask for help because their family and friends may also be having financial issues and do not have space in their home for the elderly person to live with them. Because of this many elderly people feel like a burden and are too ashamed to ask their friends and family for help and they are left to fend for themselves, which leads to homelessness. The last common cause of elderly homelessness is the â€Å"knowledge deficit† that exists about available services. Many elderly people admit that they do not know which programs and services are available to them and which they are eligible for. Sometimes there are services and support that they are eligible for that they are unaware of and they feel like there is nothing they can do. This usually leads to becoming homeless because they ran out of time to apply for services and get help to prevent homelessness. Many of the elderly people who are homeless did not think they were eligible for services and many other elderly people were unaware of services that might be available to them. This is a huge problem because the elderly do not have the information they need to prevent being homeless and they are not receiving the support and services that they are eligible for. These elderly people are falling into situations that they don’t know how to get out of.

Givers versus Takers Essay

There is a reason why the biblical phrase â€Å"it is better to give than to receive† is so popular. For a long time, authors described successful people in business as having talent and luck, but nowadays according to Adam Grant, they share another quality; they give back (Brandom, 2013, para 1). In this context a dilemma surfaces. One component that distinguishes organized cultures is whether the cultures themselves are framed by giver or taker philosophies. The main reasons that make the giver culture better is the preferences for reciprocity, the mission of the company, and the success of the philosophy. In the frenetic world of business development, companies differ in their preferences for reciprocity. At this point in time, most businesses are anchored with two extremes: the takers and the givers. In giver environments, employees operate as high-performing intelligence to: help others, share knowledge, offer mentoring, and make connections without expecting anything in return. At the other end of the spectrum, the norm is to get as much as possible from others while contributing less in return. Taker employees help only when they expect the personal benefits to exceed the costs, as opposed to when the organizational benefits outweigh the personal costs (Grant, 2013, para. 3). Takers are selfish, and evaluate what other people can give them. Givers, however, are characterized for being selfless, giving more emphasis to what others require from them. Many people limit the giver label to prodigious heroes such as Mahatma Gandhi. Phenomenal acts are not required for being a giver, only strategic acts (Grant, 2013, para 15). Giver and takers are not defined by their affinity for money. Rather, they differ in their attitudes and actions toward other people. A Company environment starts with the organization’s leadership, and how they create, communicate, and behave to support the mission. In this context, there are two aspects that identify what kind of CEO a company has, and, as a result of their actions, how the mission is established. The first indication is their speech. The takers tend to use first-person singular pronouns, like â€Å"I† and â€Å"me,† while the givers use â€Å"us† and â€Å"we†. The second aspect is the CEO’s character’s reflection on the company. Takers believe that it is all about them. For example, they usually think, â€Å"I am the single most important figure in this company†. When you look at their photos in the company’s annual reports, they have larger photos, and they are more likely to be pictured alone. On the other hand, giver leaders consider the company as a whole, and how everyone is an essential part of it. Due to this perspective, they prefer to be pictured with the entire team. After the type of CEO is identified, the mission of their company becomes clear. It is recognizable that a mission based on giver beliefs benefits the helping nature within the company and assists the employees to freely contribute their knowledge and skills to others. Giver companies achieve a greater and more meaningful success than taker companies. Both givers and takers can achieve success. Nevertheless, there is a peculiar difference that happens when givers succeed. It disperses and cascades in a way that creates a ripple effect, enhancing the success of people around them.. In consequence, people around them are rooting for and supporting them. Unlike givers, when takers win, there is usually someone else who loses, and people tend to envy successful takers. The principal difference lies in how giver success creates value, instead of just claiming it (Popova, 2013, para 17). The approach to a giver’s success is determined over a long period of time. The results of the strategies are not immediate; however, it has a long-term repercussion in the company development. In contrast to givers, takers may achieve success, but it is likely to be short-lived and not rooted in meaningful or equitable relationships (Stanger, 2013, para. 4). In fact, the patterns of success based on reciprocity giver’s philosophy are remarkably efficient. In conclusion, givers and takers are philosophies of business interaction, but the lines between them are defined by differences in reciprocity, mission, and work outcomes. Namely, giving culture in a company is the best option which provides genuine support, better satisfaction of the clients, and an increase in the productivity of the employee system. References Brandon. (2013). Why Givers (Not Takers) Usually Win. Retrieved October 21, 2013 from http://www.inc.com/john-brandon/qanda-adam-grant-author-of-give-and-take.html Grant. (2013). Givers take all: The hidden dimension of corporate culture. Retrieved October 21, 2013 from http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/organization/givers_take_all_the_hidden_dimension_of_corporate_culture Grant. (2013). Good Return. Retrieved October 21, 2013 from http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0713/feature2_1.html Popova. (2013). Givers, Takers, and Matchers: The Surprising Science of Success. Retrieved October 21, 2013 from http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/04/10/adam-grant-give-and-take/ Stenger. (2013).What’s The Real Secret to Success? A â€Å"Giver† Instinct. Retrieved October 21, 2013 from https://www.stengerandcompany.com/blog/86-what-s-the-real-secret-to-success-a-giver-instinct

Tinnitus Management Therapy

Goebel, Gerhard; Rief, Winfried; Wise, Karen. 1998. Meeting the expectations of chronic tinnitus patients: Comparison of a structured group therapy program for tinnitus management with a problem solving group. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 44 (6). 681-685 A therapy called tinnitus management therapy or TMT was developed using ideas of cognitive-behavioral therapy for two different groups. One-hundred fourty-four patients suffering form tinnitus aged 19-74 years were treated with this TMT compared with a normal kind of problem solving group therapy. The patients self-rated themselves on how helpful each treatment was in dealing with life problems as well as how seriously they thought that were being treated and taken seriously. These self-ratings helped professionals find that the TMT therapy worked better for these patients in coping with all the aspects of tinnitus. Anderson, Gerhard. 1997. Prior treatments in a group of tinnitus sufferers seeking treatment. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 66 (2). 107-110. Four groups were obtained from sixty-nine tinnitus sufferers aged 22-76 years to try and describe the distress they go through based on if they have had treatment or not. The four groups were: not treatment (24 people), acupuncture (19 people), relaxation (13 people), other treatments. (13 people). These people were asked to rate helplessness, capacity for rest, acceptability of change, emotional effects, hearing and ability to ignore using the Tinnitus Effect Questionaire. The only major difference that was found was that the untreated group had more acceptability for change. Hegel, Mark T; Martin, John B. 1998. Behavioral treatment of pulsative tinnitus and headache following traumatic head injuries: Objective polygraphic assessment of change. Behavior Modification. 22 (4). Pg. 563-573 This study was done on a 37 year old male that had a traumatic head injury. He was evaluated and put through behavioral treatment that included a polygraphic assessment of vasomotor function among other things. Lifestyle modifications and behavioral modifications helped in both functioning and figuring out the underlying physiology that relates to tinnitus. Anderson, Gerhard; Larsen, Hans-Christian. 1997. Cognitive-behavioral treatment of tinnitus in otosclerosis : A case report. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy. 25. 79-82 A male patient aged 52 years with an ear disease (otosclerosis) had symptoms that included tinnitus which caused him obvious physiological distress. The doctors found that the tinnitus that he had was stress-induced and had experienced attacks which seemed horribly unbearable. He was given ten sessions of a cognitive-behavioral therapy program and was tested before and after to find results. These results showed that the attacks became less frequent, easier to handle, and decreased annoyance, which in turn helped him cope better. Erlandsson, Soly I. 1998. Psychological counseling in a medical setting-some clinical examples given by patients with tinnitus and Meneire's disease. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling. 20 (4). 265-276. Counseling patients with Meniere's disease showed that a defensive response to tinnitus or Meniere's disease caused a state of dysfunction and that their psychological adaption was hindered. Some of the patients found it difficult to even talk about the first attack that they experienced of the tinnitus and Meniere's disease. The counselors concluded that the reason these people are trying to find help is because they are afraid of suffering a mental breakdown. They don't think it has much to do with the physical disease, so specialists need to come at it from a psychological perspective.

Safeguarding Adults Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Safeguarding Adults - Outline Example nt that social workers receive better advice in addition to further knowledge on criminal justice matters in order to handle criminalization of vulnerable adults that is on the increase. Safeguarding Reg and Lisa is a responsibility for everyone. Every person including Reg has a right to live his or her personal life free from exploitation, abuse, and neglect. This explained why Anne did not have another option but to move in with his father after his accident that affected him both physically and mentally. This right is envisaged by the role on public agencies in the Human Rights Act (1998) to get involved adequately to protect the rights of people. They include Article 2: ‘the Right to life’; Article 3: ‘Freedom from torture’; and Article 8: ‘Right to family life’. Legally, the responsibility became even bigger when Reg lost his wife. The law provides that people with disabilities such as Reg and Lisa have a right to exercise their political, civil, cultural, and economic rights equally as others. The Health and Social Care Act 2008: This calls on registered providers to take ‘reasonable steps to identify the chances of abuse and prevent it before it occurs’ They cover all types of disability whether transitional, terminating, or terminal (Gann, 2003, 147). The two Reg and Lisa have the following rights; the right to non discrimination, equality in the eyes of the law, equality in chances available to them, accessing independent living, integration into the society and family fully, as well as safety and protection. All these are in Human Rights Act 1988, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004.The law uses equalization of opportunities as the clarion call for holding the right of the disabled. Anne and the rest of the society including the state has an obligation of us ing resources at their disposal to make sure that Reg and Lisa have equal opportunities within the family and community. Anne is in a double

Biochemistry Research Essay Paper on MUcolipidoses Diseases ( EXPLAIN

Biochemistry Essay on MUcolipidoses Diseases ( EXPLAIN BRIEFLY) - Research Paper Example Mucolipidosis type 1 (ML 1) known as sialidosis occurs because of a deficiency in sialidase, a critical digestive enzyme. According to Smith, (2013) the rare disease is an inheritation of a defect involving storage by lysosomes. For the cells to function properly glycoproteins should be free from molecules that have sugar content. Sialidase in particular assists in removing sialic acid from forms of sugar proteins (Miedel, 2008). Due to the deficiency of the enzyme, results in molecular that resemble sugar settling in not only the cells but also the neurons and the bone marrow. The body of the individuals becomes incapable of fighting infections. The defect is quite similar to mucopolysaccharidoses. Mucolipidosis 2 alpha or beta, is a disease that interferes with diverse body parts to the extent of killing the victims. Patients had some phase-dense intracytoplasmic content in the fibroblasts creating incusion in the cell (Vuong & Berry, 2002). Studies indicate that individuals with the defect do not make it to the teenage. Mucolipidosis type 3 is quite similar to Mucolipidosis type 2 in that it affects many body parts. Mucolipidosis type 3 involves a deficiency of N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase (Smith, 2013). The enzyme is instrumental as it focuses on the carbohydrates in the glycoproteins. The absence of the enzyme makes the glycoproteins to get stored outside the lysosomes. Type 4 results from autosomal and recessive genetic disorder. As part of the defects that involve the storage of components in the lysosomes, ML 4 entails the inability of body cells to manufacture enzymes necessary for breaking down various components (Agarwal & Gass, 2012). The body becomes unable to transfer lipids as well as other materials in the cells. This leads to the lipids to settling within the body as well as the cells (Miedel, 2008). Both the brain and the nervous system suffer because of the disease thereby reducing the life

Information mangment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Information mangment - Essay Example The system also works towards shifting the workload from any single local computer system, to a cloud of many other computers that are interconnected to the system, which also functions like the computer in the main organization, through a web-based service that allows the local computers to run the programs of the organization such as the e-mail as well as other complex data of the organization (Furht & Escalante, 2010 p22). Social media Social media is a form of cloud computing, since it entails the use of data and resources of a single organization by different end users, who are situated in different parts of the world, through the internet (Morley & Parker, 19). Social media qualifies as a form of cloud computing, since it allows various end users to use the software and data of a single organization, to connect with the organization and with other end users, using their local computers and other internet-connecting devices, from all over the world. Social media is a form of clo ud computing because it entails many people connected to the social network through the internet, but operating from different regions. ... f cloud computing to large organizations that cannot be obtained by the small organizations is that the large organizations and the SMEs can use the same resources, but the large organization will benefit more, since it will spread the accessibility of the similar resources to many of its stakeholders, while the SMEs have few stakeholders to share with. Thus cloud computing offers the cost redaction benefit more to the large organizations, more than to the SMEs. Challenges for SMEs vis-a-vis big organisations The challenge is similar however, since Companies with different sizes (big, medium and small companies) face similar problems when it comes to the application of social media as a form of cloud computing, since their employees are using the existing computing resources owned by the companies, to connect and communicate with their relations, at the expense of applying such organizational resources productively (Morley & Parker, 19). The difference in the challenges between the l arge organization and the SMEs is that the large organizations have the ability to acquire and use the cloud computing technology, more than the SMEs. Differentiating between the three kinds of cloud computing Cloud computing platform is the main podium through which developers write the applications that runs the cloud (Furht & Escalante, 2010 p28). The cloud computing platform is the way through which the applications on the site of an organization are supported. On the other hand, cloud computing infrastructure refers to the interconnection of the resources that are applied to make the applications and the services possible for the end users, who uses an organizations data and software. Such infrastructure is made up of components such as operation support equipments, hardware, servers

Management in Context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Management in Context - Essay Example MFP's typically relate to low rates of inflation ,prudent government spending, high rates of investment and a healthy trend of market liberalisation. The Post World War II approach of the BWI's was based upon a much smaller role for the state following the era of the large-scale globalisation (so characteristic of the post cold war years) This was largely a response to the state controlled economy' of the USSR which turned out to be an economic and political disaster. Globalization is a term which has been used to describe and explain many different phenomena like greater economic integration across national borders.The concept is supported by those who agree with its trade and economic benefits yet those who criticise it believe that those who perceive it as a threat to social cohesion and an invasion of the "capitalist evils of the west" thus undermining state welfare.As at today the term denotes a kaleidoscopic image, a great variety of tendencies and trends in the economic, social and cultural spheres. In brief it can be used to described from an economic and developmental point of view as , "increasing and intensified flows between countries of goods, services, capital, ideas, information and people, which produce cross-border integration of a number of economic, social and cultural activities. It creates both opportunities and costs and for this reason it should not be demonized nor sanctified, nor should it be used as a scapegoat for the major problems that are affecting the world today. (Williamson, 2002 cited in Cooper 2005 pg 15) In the light of the above there has been a rapid growth in the Multinational Corporations trying to reap the benefits of Foreign Direct Investment with in foreign legions where the costs of labour etc are far less.This has also been enhanced by the role of the modern state in economic intergration and the elaboration and adoption of market-oriented policies and regulations,internationally and locally.During the 1980s this integration intensified and there was an increase in"financial sector deregulation, the removal of controls over foreign exchange and enhanced freedom of trade. Financial deregulation has resulted in the progressive elimination of capital controls, the removal of controls over interest rates, and the lifting of traditional barriers to entry into banking and other financial services"( Vincent, 1995)Academics have expressed a lot of scepticism over the fact whether Globalisation of Investments and the growth of MNCs (Multinational Corporations) has been meaningful to the contribution to domestic growth .According to Froot (1993) Globalisation does not actually require neither capital flows nor investment in capacity but is a mere extension of corporate control over international boundaries: Therefore the recent ability of Globalisation to

Initial Public Offering Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Initial Public Offering - Research Paper Example Underwriting firms assist the issuer in the IPO process by determining what type of security to sell to the public, how much to sell, and at what price to sell. One example of a large, strong private company that sought to become public is Google, which first sold shares to the public on August 19, 2004 at a price of $1.67 billion, fewer than ten percent of the total shares of the company, which made employees at Google instant millionaires (Webb, 2004). Like Google, Twitter is another successful, new internet company that faces the choice of whether to go public. However, the decision to go public is complicated by the issue of the method of selling those first shares to the public: whether in an auction, online format like Google, or in a traditional format like other kinds of new companies. Twitter is a microblogging service that allows users to post updates. It was founded by Evan Williams under the banner of â€Å"Odeo† (Carlson, 2011). When Apple’s new iTunes made the new product worthless, Evans and his friends Biz Stone and Jack Dorsey created the concept for Twitter. Together with Noah Glass, who developed the idea for Odeo, development began on the new concept, which meant more employees, a new office, and investors. Glass developed the name â€Å"Twttr† that eventually evolved into â€Å"Twitter†. Five years after Odeo’s initial founding, $5 million in investments had increased in value by one thousand percent, to nearly $5 billion. Given Odeo’s (and now Twitter’s) original context, it seems that the investor class most interested in the company are the kinds of analysts who were initially attracted to the promise of Google. Today, the investor class that might be interested in the public promise of Twitter may not be so different from those who were originally interested in the concept of Odeo. Nevertheless, Evan Williams bought back most of the ownership in Odeo before its share prices skyrocketed, w hich narrowed the original investment pool considerably. Some of those original investors, knowing they missed a one thousand percent spike in prices, were part of the Silicon Valley demographic that invest in the early stages of hot new internet companies with the next great idea. Considering the progress that a privately held Twitter has made in its young history, it seems that the investors who might be interested in holding the company as public shareholders may belong to larger funds and investment bankers, rather than the relatively minor, private shareholders that Twitter was accustomed to appealing to in its younger days. Clearly, an IPO of a company such a Twitter, which has substantial private assets, would create a large splash in the worldwide markets. Although the company may not be in critical need of financing for its short-term projects, an IPO would dramatically increase the market share of the company relative to its competitors. In the traditional IPO, an investme nt bank underwrites the issuance of shares to the public by determining the price and amount of shares to be dealt. The underwriter then shops the shares around to wealthy institutional investors; based on their reception, the underwriter will allocate shares and collect a percentage of the IPO. This method is incredibly effective because it happens primarily behind closed doors with entities that handle a considerable

The impact and regulation of the Companies Law Act 2006 Essay

The impact and regulation of the Companies Law Act 2006 - Essay Example 182). This was almost definitely an aspiration of the Company Law Review Steering Group who stated the basis of the Bill to be a â€Å"simple, efficient and cost effective framework for carrying out business activity† (CLRSG Final Report 2001, App. A). It seems that the main aim was to maintain a balance between assigning much wanted freedom to companies while at the same time being able to effectively protect their interests. The task of redefining this intertwined web of principles and legal decisions would be no easy feat, however. Indeed, it could be suggested that to provide freedom for companies whilst ensuring their protection is to reconcile factors at the opposite ends of a scale. It has been suggested that â€Å"flexibility encourages tinkering which increases the complexity facing those setting up and running companies† (Alcock 2006, p. 243). This arguably creates the potential for the need to increase court intervention to ease the complexity and the problem s it can cause. With flexibility follows abstract language and with abstract language follows the need for deliberation. Could it be that the drafters of the Bill were slightly ambitious in their aspirations? The most drastic changes made by the Companies Act 2006 have been in the area of directors’ duties. The Reform Bill (Company Law Reform Bill 2005) recognised that the case law within this area is random and complicated making it difficult for directors to ascertain exactly what their duties entail. Thus the most pressing issue was acknowledged as the need to make duties more comprehensible and consistent, thus reducing the occurrences of fraud. The Bill (CLRB 2005, Ch. 3) recognised that the duties are a fundamental basis of company law and thus that there was a need to codify them. It could ne suggested that this is not the exact outcome of the reform. The need to refrain from imposing â€Å"impractical

Failure of Shareholder Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Failure of Shareholder Value - Essay Example The present research has identified that despite its perceived role in stimulating business growth, shareholder value remains contentious in out-of-business quarters. Whereas the corporate executives’ penchant for maximizing the share price lacks any historical or legal basis, the refusal of shareholder value in a business organization may as well spell the end of the company’s operations. Regardless of the reasoning, Cole, Sturgess, and Brown have argued that there is no empirical evidence linking corporate focus on shareholder value to an improvement of the status of the economy and or the society. Shareholder value is said to have begun in the second half of the 20th century as an imperative control for managerial  excesses, but over the history, it has turned into a skewed, self-interested doctrine preferred by economists, finance managers, and over-paid corporate managers. According to Roth the supremacy of shareholder value has not yet been codified in law as th e most important priority of the corporate world. In most markets, business organizations can be established for any legitimate purpose. In fact, there is no corporate charter that supports the need to maximize profits or share value. Equally missing in law is the need for executives and company directors to be indebted to shareholders under special conditions. The executives owe a fiduciary responsibility to the business organization, which is an amalgamation of different stakeholders. The only exception is that shareholders are legally entitled to the corporation’s residual value upon the organization’s fulfillment of its other duties. Notably, company directors still have sweeping powers over the residual value, provided they are not channeling the money to their own pockets.

The Meaning of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Meaning of Life - Essay Example I find this as the most convincing as regarding the question to the real meaning of life. This is surely the greatest way to perceive life-one’s own life, the life of a nation, a species, the world, and all living things. The meaning of life comes to us when we do things that our heart and mind desires, things that seem of importance to us. Otherwise, doing things that draw boredom since they seem not of much interest ton us does not bring the meaning of living into us. We can realize the idea of meaningless existence and the meaningless of life if we keep on doing things that bear no fruits to us and brings nothing (Taylor 433). It surely has no meaning to perform an activity that has been drawn repeatedly but, have no direction and purpose of it. With this, the objective of existence is meaningless. Richard Taylor draws this idea from our lives, and that of the animals, the endless activities that get nowhere. However, he also says that if this is what one is willing to per sue then the idea of meaning of life comes in. At one point, we ask ourselves why we do things repeatedly without getting anything out of it, a perfect image of meaningless existence. ... He also points out something important that we realize in our day to day life, we go through life doing things that which begin to fade into time as the next time is instigated yet it would be no redemption to rest from all this (Taylor 437). It would be a denunciation that would not be redeemed if we gaze at things we have done no matter how beautiful and permanent they are. The meaning of life requires us to create new ideas and perform new tasks each and every new day. All these should be encouraged by our willingness to perform this tasks for living, and it carries on to our children and the generation to come. Epicurus has also created a clear meaning of life as life is driven by the choices, actions, and for us to make correct choices we have to be wise in our decisions. He says that we have to be wise, so as to live pleasantly. It is from this that we gain honor and just. He says that some things happen because of necessity; some happen by chance, others by agency. We should b e wise and take good actions because we are responsible for our own actions. It is from them that we take praise or blames. Epicurus calls for us to believe in God, and affirm to his blessings. He creates the idea that there are gods, but the respect given unto them does not prevail. Living also requires us to believe that death is nothing to us, for both evil and good imply the capacity for sensation, and that death is the privation of all sentience. The meaning of life requires believing that death is a part of life and that it adds the yearning of immortality. We are advised to believe that life does not end after death for not the living or the dead exists no longer. The meaning of life

GE’s Talent Machine Essay Example for Free

GE’s Talent Machine Essay Leadership development is a heavy priority for GE. The company put a great emphasis on building leaders. Four successive CEO each made contributions to the development of management talent. The CEO Cordiner implemented a decentralization practice that broke the company into various departments. The new company structure was more manageable but required more delegation. As a result of the decentralized structure, GE put a great emphasis on developing organizational learning. GE spent a lot of money on management education to expand managers’ leadership ability and general management skills. Education is one of the three life and work experience that contribute to leadership development (P479). The first corporate university was built by Cordiner where provided programs on executive education and management training. Those learning programs focus on personal growth that help employees to improve themselves continuously in GE’s learning culture. GE had various programs for finding potential leaders and preventing brain drain. The Session C was a performance assessment process that implemented to promote â€Å"high potential† employees. It included the individual evaluations, the career forecasts, and the succession plans. Subordinates were placed on a six-point scale from â€Å"high potential† to â€Å"unsatisfactory†. This feedback-intensive program helped the potential leaders to understand their behavior patterns, and they were able to find more constructive ways of achieving their objectives (P488). Another GE’s leadership excellence named disciplined performance management analysis, also known as the â€Å"vitality curve† was added to Session C. The incentive ranking system help GE to seek the best talents and to sustain a high-performance workforce. In addition, the CEO Reg Jones initiated a more structured practice to strategic planning to make the review process more manageable- the strategic business unite (SUBs). All those programs help GE to build a results-driven workforce. That is why GE is a â€Å"CEO factory. The forced ranking system put much pressure on employees for improving performance and productivity. The system feed on favoritism, and managers as rankers may intentionally give the high assessment to the people who are close to them. My suggestion for the vitality curve is to add a peer  evaluation into the ranking system. However, fairness could also be questioned in this case, because some people end up at the bottom even thought their performance may be perfectly satisfactory when judged in isolation. Also, it is easy to present the blind competition because the success of one employee is a lost opportunity for others. Additionally, I suggest having the 20% highly progress reward from the highly valued 70%. Recognition and rewards for the top 20% should keep the same, but add more recognition to the average performers who improved a lot compared with last year. This practice will boost the confidence of average employees who think they will never be rewarded. On the flip side, it may be more complex and take longer time to evaluate the performance. Since GE conduct business all around the world, a more aggressive international approach is needed. I suggest GE to focus on global recruitment that can provide more opportunity to hunt talents. One thing GE could do is partnerships with universities overseas, and open training and developing programs in the universities to attract potential non-American young talents. GE could provide internships and jobs for high performers who enter the programs. The programs may require a lot investment, and the benefit is unknown. People may use the programs as stepping stones to their own career. Great leaders are great learners. Learning does not end when I get out of college. Learning is a life long process. As a potential future leader, I have to adopt continuous learning as my personal leadership priority. As I learned form the ITO (Individual, Team and Organization) class, knowledge could be classified into explicit knowledge and tactic knowledge. Explicit knowledge could be learned though training and books. It is beneficial for me to read more books to enrich the knowledge, and keep my knowledge updated to the current world. Also, I need to learn to be opportunistic, and take advantage of training programs. Tactic knowledge, in contrast, is what I can learn through experience. I could take advantage of networking, and meet new people to build week ties. Therefore, I could have more opportunities to experience different things though those week ties. Finding a good mentor in the organization is also good for my learning development. Also, ask for  feedback. Another thing I learned from GE is the goal orientation. The company set a clear objective of building leaders, and all the leadership development practice were build to fulfill that goal. I have to set both short term and long term goals that motivate me to achieve. Finally, be self-awareness. I need to take time to think about my strengths and weaknesses, and do self-evaluation regularly to summarize areas that I need to improve.

Farakka Barrage And The Ganges Dispute Environmental Sciences Essay

Farakka Barrage And The Ganges Dispute Environmental Sciences Essay In January 1961, the Government of India announced its decsision to go ahead with a plan to build a barrage across the river Ganges at Farakka. This decision reflected Indias concerns to solve the problems being experienced at the port of Calcutta with the build up of silt on the river Hooghly. But the decision initiated a conflict with Pakistan (and later Bangladesh) over the much bigger issue of water utilization in the whole of the Ganges basin. When Bangladesh came into existence in 1971, it was felt that the Farakka issue would be solved affably. In May 1974 , when Sheikh Mujibur Rehman came to India ,Indira Gandhi gave a assurance not to commission the Farakka project before an agreement on the sharing of the Ganga water was reached. Therefore an interim agreement was signed in April 1975 ,covering the flow of the Ganga during the lean period ,21 April to 31 May , by whichmain portion of the water was given to Bangladesh. The two countries also agreed to operate the feeder cana l with India taking her share in the following manner :- Month Ten-day Period (Dates) Withdrawl (cusecs) 11. It was also agreed that teams consisting of experts from both countries would survey at the suitable places in both the countries the effects of the Farakka withdrawal in Bangladesh and on the Hoogly river. A joint team was also to be placed at the barrage to record the discharge into the feeder canal and residual flow into Bangladesh. However after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman in August 1975 , the military government started to malign India at every possible opportunity accusing her of taking all the water of the river . Bangladesh lodged an official protest with India on 15 January 1976 against the operation of the barrage. It also raised the issue globally , in the Islamic Foreign Ministers Conference in Islamabad in May 1976, at the Colombo Summit of the NAM in August 1976. The UN Secretary General was also apprised of the situation in April 1976. 12. After the Janata Government came to power in March 1977, negotiations were resumed. Talks were held covering various aspects of both long term and short term agreements on water sharing. In consequence the two governments signed an agreement on 5th November 1977 as a short term solution , while a feasibility study of a long term solution was left to the Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission which was to submit its recommendation within three years. The data collected over time indicated that flow during the lean season was as low as 55,000 cusecs at Farakka. The expert opinion was that the minimum requirement to keep the Calcutta port navigable in the lean season of April-May was 40,000 cusecs. The remaining 15,000 cusecs was more than what Bangladesh needed during the lean season. Prime Minister Moraji Desai , however agreed to a much smaller share and give the larger quantity to Bangladesh. This noble gesture was considered a small sacrifice for a weaker and smaller neighbour for improving understanding and goodwill. The period of implementation was five years. However it came with criticism. Some called it a sell-out while several believed India had masked much with little in return. The protest of the West Bengal Government were ignored and it was not even consulted before the agreement . 13 . The Congress Government which came to power in 1980 was critical of the agreement and considered it negative to the interests of the Calcutta port. Both governments decided to terminate the the 1977 accord and commence fresh attempts to achieve a permanent solution. This was to be completed within eighteen months by the Joint Rivers Commission. The new sharing agreements agreed upon were to be imposed for the next two dry seasons i.e. 1983 and 1984. The discharges agreed upon for the first 10 days of January were 40,000 cusecs for India and 50,000 cusecs for Bangladesh. This would be reduced progressively until the ten days of April , when the individual shares for the two countries would be 20,000 and 34,500 cusecs respectively. By setting time limit both counties intended to express their serious intentions to consider each others proposal and reach a final solution . 14. With Rajiv Gandhis visit to Bangladesh hopes rose again ,when on the conclusion of his visit on 2nd June 1985 , he expressed a keen desire and readiness to settle all bilateral disputes including the Ganga issue. The Indo-Bangladesh Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 22nd November 1985 on the sharing of Ganges dry season flow for the next three years (1986-88). Bangladesh would get 35,000 cusecs of water and India somewhat less than 40,000 cusecs during the dry season. It was also agreed that the Joint Committee of experts would look for a long term scheme , a study to be done within one year. The Joint Committee of experts and the JRC met at regular intervals throughout 1986 . Nepal was also incorporated for a possible co-operation and contribution in the Ganges water development. However the one year time limit passed and the Joint Committee study was inconclusive. The only achievement of the Rajiv-Ershad talks was the setting up of a task force co-chaired by the concern ed secretaries of water resources in the two countries to deliberate upon short and long term measures. The 1985 MoU expired in November 1988 with the Indian government deciding against extension of the agreement on sharing of waters during the lean period . 12 15. In 1991 some informal discussions took place between Bangladesh and India. In May 1992, 1993 and 1995 it was discussed at summit level. For various reasons, mainly since the situation had become more complicated with the passage of time, the negotiations failed to achieve any impetus, unfortunately to Bangladeshs detriment. This situation dragged on further, until 1995 with increasingly adverse consequences for Bangladesh. During the SAARC summit at New Delhi in May 1995, the then Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and India, directed their respective foreign secretaries to commence talks immediately and break the impasse in the resolution of this long festering problem. During the Indian Foreign Secretarys visit to Bangladesh in June 1995, it was agreed that a permanent sharing deal on the basis of existing dry season flow in the Ganges without involving it to the augmentation factor, may be worked out. It was further decided upon that sharing of other common rivers may also be delib erated upon on long term basis. However, no progress was made thereafter due to political uncertainties in both countries and a period of deadlock ensured virtually no high-level contacts between the two countries. The political swing in both the countries in mid-1996 seemed to have paved the way for a permanent solution. 16. In May 1996 the United Front-led coalition government came to power in India with Mr HD Deve Gowda as Prime Minister. In Bangladesh a month later the Awami League was voted back to power with Sheikh Hasina becoming the Prime Minister. These two developments, happening almost simultaneously, was the turning point for both the countries. Serious discussions for arriving at a solution began only after this change of governments. Both the sides realised the exigency of the matter and conveyed to each other their political obligation to address and resolve the issue. Both governments also shared the perception that it was necessary to come to an agreement within the year before the commencement of the next dry season. During the Bangladesh Foreign Secretarys visit to India in August 1996, the Indian Prime Minister said that his government was very keen to see the problem resolved within the shortest possible time. In September 1996 when the Indian External Affairs Minister visited Ban gladesh, the two sides had detailed talks on sharing of the Ganges water. This was followed soon by the visit of the Bangladesh Minister for Water Resources from October 28 to 1st November 1996. Later, from 9th to 13th November 1996 the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh visited India for working out the final modalities. The joint efforts of the governments of Bangladesh and India to reach at an agreeable resolution of the difficult issue of Ganges water sharing received a boost during the visit of Mr Jyoti Basu ,Chief Minister of West Bengal to Bangladesh. This round of talks was of vital importance as they narrowed the differences to bridgeable extent . THE GANGES RIVER WATER TREATY 17. After a great deal of political negotiations and numerous rounds of high level talks Bangladesh and India signed a historic 30-year accord on sharing the Ganges water on 12 December 1996 opening a new era in relations between the two neighbours. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Indian Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda at New Delhi signed the landmark treaty. The treaty was based on the values of equality and fairplay, taking into account the interests of both nations. Major features of the treaty are :- (a) It will be open to both parties to seek the first review after two years to asses the impact and working of the sharing arrangement as contained in the treaty. (b) The quantum of water to be released by India to Bangladesh will be at Farakka. (c) The sharing will be in ten-day periods from January 1 to May 31 every year. (d) The sharing of the waters will be on 50-50 basis when availability at Farakka is 70,000 cusecs or less. (e) Bangladesh will get 35,000 cusecs and India the balance of flow if the availability at Farakka is between 70,000 and 75,000 cusecs. (f) In case of availability of 75,000 cusecs or more, India will receive 40,000 cusecs and Bangladesh the rest. (g) During the most critical month of April, Bangladesh to get a guaranteed flow of 35,000 cusecs in the first and last ten days of April and 27,633 cusecs during the period 11-20 April. (h) If water flow at Farakka falls below 50,000 cusecs in any 10-day period, the two governments will enter into immediate consultations to make necessary adjustments on an emergency basis. (j) India shall release downstream of Farakka Barrage water at a rate not less than 90 percent of Bangladeshs share till such time the mutually agreed flows are decided upon. (k) The water released to Bangladesh at Farakka shall not be reduced below Farakka except for reasonable uses of water, not exceeding 200 cusecs, by India between Farakka and the point on the Ganges where both its banks are in Bangladesh. (l) A Joint Committee consisting of equal number of representatives of the two countries shall set up suitable teams at Farakka and Hardinge Bridge to observe and record at Farakka Barrage, the Feeder Canal, the Navigation Lock, and at the Hardinge Bridge. (m) The Joint Committee shall submit to the two governments all data collected by it and shall also submit a yearly report to both the governments. Following the submission of the reports the two governments will meet at the appropriate levels to decide upon such further actions as may be needed. (n) The sharing agreement under this treaty shall be reviewed by the two governments at five years interval or earlier, as required by either party. 18. Under the treaty Indias total share during the lean season (1st Jan to 31st May) amounts to about 48% of the total availability, as against 52% for Bangladesh. The schedule also specifies the three ten-day periods during which 35,000 cusecs shall be provided, alternately, to each of the two countries. For Bangladesh it was March 11-20, April1-10 and 21 to 30, and for India the dates were March 21 to 30, April 11 to 20 and May 1 to 10. The period from March 11 to May 10 is considered the critical period of the lean season as the flow of the Ganges is usually the lowest of the lean season. The agreement was arrived on the basis of the average availability of water between 1949 and 1988. India has guaranteed in the treaty that every effort would be made to protect flow availability. The major aspects of the treaty are:- Availability at Farakka Share of India Share of Bangladesh 70,000 cusecs or less 50 % 50 % 70,000 75,000 cusecs Balance of flow 35,000 cusecs 75,000 cusecs or more 40,000 cusecs Balance of flow 19. The discrepancy over augmentation, which had led to an impasse in the past, has been side stepped as the treaty is in essence regarding the sharing of lean-season flows. Though the present treaty does not include a minimum guarantee but has several scattered provisions which provide a measure of security to Bangladesh. The water treaty has already improved the bilateral relations radically. However the effects of construction of the barrage and diversion of water was felt by both countries. Some of the major effects in Bangladesh were :- (a) Reduction in surface and ground water levels. The reduction of dry season (January-May) natural flows in the Ganges in Bangladesh reduced the hydraulic efficiency of the channel to such a degree that even during high flows in monsoons the progressive degradation of the channel and its hydraulic characteristics remains unchecked. An inevitable consequence of water reduction in the river channels is decrease in the amount of soil moisture and ground water resources. (b) Channel morphology of the river. The channel morphology of the Ganges and its distributaries has also been affected since the commissioning of the Farakka Barrage. The Farakka Barrage included several high velocity sluices, known as silt excluders, which were intended to allow silt to flow down the Ganges. The barrage was designed so that silt-free water would be diverted down the Bhagirothi-Hooghly and the sediment load would be carried by the remaining flow on that river into Bangladesh and the sea. This deposition of silt has changed the flow of the river in Bangladesh. (c) Navigation aspects. Since the commissioning of the Farakka Barrage, in 1975, several waterways, which are dependent on the Ganges, flows have been severely affected. A total of 685 km of waterways that were negotiable during the pre-diversion period have been affected. In little more than a decade, several important routes open to mechanized vessels had to be abandoned. Farakka did have a damaging effect and that serious interruption of the inland navigation was caused by withdrawal of Ganges water by India. (d) Incr in levels of salinity of ground and surface water. The most devastating effect of the diversion of Ganges water has been the marked increase in salinity, in both surface water and ground water, resulting in higher soil salinity in the southwest region of Bangladesh. The increased salinity was totally explainable in the light of the increased withdrawal of the Ganges water. This has had a disastrous effect on the agricultural output as well as the eco-system. (e) Agriculture. For Bangladesh, the reduced flow of the Ganges has had both immediate and long-term effects including lower agricultural and industrial productions, depletion of ground water reserves, depletion of soil moisture and changes in the soil structure. Agriculture being the foundation of economy in Bangladesh, expansion of irrigation facilities in the area served by the Ganges has suffered grave setbacks that retarded growth in agricultural sector. (f) Fisheries. In Bangladesh, fishery ranks next to agriculture in economic importance. With the altered flow pattern in the rivers, the ecological characteristics positive for fish breeding grounds have also changed. Fishery has suffered, especially in the southwest Bangladesh, from reduced flow due to a combination of the following factors: (i) Decline of perennial wetland area. (ii) Conversion of perennial wetlands into seasonal water bodies. (iii) Drying up of seasonal water bodies. (iv) Prevention of spawning migration. (g) Forest cover and environmental issues. Another devastating effect of increased salinity has been witnessed in the forestry sector. The main species of tree in this forest is Sundri (accounts for 60% of the marketable timber), does not have adaptive tolerance to high salinity. Thus the northward incursion of salinity front has begun to show a declining trend in the Sundri yield. 19 (h) Public health. Last, but not the least, is the concern about adverse effect in the health sector. The changed ecological situation has augmented the potential for the breeding of numerous disease vectors, and thus, health and sanitary conditions have become more perilous. Not only have safe drinking water supplies diminished on account of a fall in ground water levels, increased salinity and the worsening of the quality of ground water itself have caused a rise in the occurrence of various enteric diseases in the area. TIPAIMUKH DAM 20. The construction of the Tipaimukh Dam on the Barak river in Manipur is another matter of concern which has emerged lately. The Tipaimukh Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project is planned to be constructed near the confluence of Barak and Tuivai Rivers in Manipur . It will have generation capacity of 401.25 MW. The main objective is to generate 1500 MW hydropower and flood control of an area of 2039 sq km. The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) was slated to undertake the project with Manipur Govt till replaced by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). The concerns were that the project might eat up Bangladeshs share of the international River Meghna which supplies water to hundreds of water bodies in the region. There were also concerns some of the major rivers in Bangladesh would dry up especially during the lean season. 21. The Tipaimukh Dam is not a recent happening as the first international conference on it was held way back in December 2005 had decided against the project. The concerns in Bangladesh are based on their sour experience of severe 20 water shortage and many-sided impacts after Farakka Barrage was commissioned. Concerns raised include confounding environmental degradation, monetary predicament and hydrological drought. The dam would seriously restrict flow into Surma and Kushyara rivers disrupting agriculture, irrigation, drinking water supply, navigation etc and reduce ground water recharge during lean season, affecting all dug and shallow tube wells. Bangladesh gets 7-8% of its water from the Barak River. The Surma and Kushyara rivers with its various tributaries and distributaries support, irrigation, agriculture, fisheries , drinking water supply, navigation, wildlife in the complete Sylhet and the peripheral areas of Dhaka. The dam would also leave millions unemployed with the drying up of the rivers. Millions of people are dependent on the water bodies which are fed by the Barak in Sylhet region for fishing, agriculture and other associated activities. The Barak-Surma-Kushyara is an international river and B angladesh as a lower riparian country has rights over any verdict over the river . 22. In Manipur, where the dam is to be constructed, the concerns are varied and based on three aspects. The first is the direct effect of displacement, loss of biodiversity, social and environmental impacts. The second aspect is the procedural lapses, lack of a holistic impact evaluation and limitations of developmental and ecological rules, frail enforcement mechanisms and lack of accountability norms . Lastly, the ambiguous benefits to the people of Manipur and nuances based on painful experiences from related projects such as NHPCs 105 MW Loktak Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project (NHPC) . This project is responsible for ruining the Loktak wetlands flora and fauna, submerging vast area of agricultural land, loss of species and iability to rehabilitate thousands of affected people even after almost 21 three decades of project commissioning in 1984. The Zeliangrong and Hmar tribes will face permanent displacement and deprivation of livelihood. Official figures state that 1,461 Hmar families will face direct displacement due to the project. The area selected for the project has recorded at least two major earthquakes of 8+ in the Richter scale during the past 50 years. The dam is proposed to be built in one of the most geologically unstable area and falls on a potential epicentre for major earthquake. 23. The Indian Govts reply to Bangladesh concerns has long been a state of denial. The Indian High Commissioners statement of absence of an international law that would prevent India from constructing the dam and that Bangladeshs concerns are based on ignorance provoked a strong resentment in Bangladesh. Experts counter reacted to his speech as totally flawed in view of the standing of the 1996 Indo-Bangladesh Ganges Water Treaty and the applicability of the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. Bangladesh experts have concurred that it is not yet binding as an international treaty law. However there is every reason to dispute as the Convention was adopted by a vote of 103 3 in the UN General Assembly and is valid as international customary law to Tipaimukh dam or any other project on shared rivers . 24. Diplomatic rendezvous between India and Bangladesh over the dam have been going on, latest being the meeting of the Prime Ministers at NAM summit in Egypt . The past understanding of efforts to resolve water disputes between the two countries, such as the Ganges Water sharing treaty, 1996 and setting up of Teesta 22 River Commission, 1997 etc, indicates likelihood of the two countries heading for establishing dialogue to resolve the differences. The resolution of this issue seriously needs a joint, comprehensive and human rights based approach to growth and understanding the concerns recognized rights of all affected peoples. Bangladesh Govts statement of sending an all-party parliamentary committee to visit the dam site in end July 2009 and review the dams impact will be a precise step if it forms the basis for an complete process to carry out thorough impact appraisal of the dam based on recommendations of World Commission on Dams, 2000 and other appropriate Intl law on transboundary waters. The visit can be a good foundation for a multilateral approach in addressing Tipaimukh Dam issues. 25. India should desist from constructing the dam to avoid multidimensional conflicts and snags as the project itself is potentially rife for causing conflicts amid states, between state and native people. Manipur is already rife with movements for right to self determination and any forced construction of Tipaimukh dam will only legitimize their movement to protect their land and assets. The the Govt of Manipur and NEEPCO must annul the MoU on Tipaimukh dam project signed in 2003 and commence an all-inclusive process for a just decision making process . 23 TEESTA RIVER. 26. Teesta is the fourth major trans-boundary river in Bangladesh. Upstream inflow in this river provides the primary support to agricultural production in the Teesta River floodplain (TRF) in the northwest region of the country. Bangladesh constructed a barrage in 1990 to provide irrigation water for crop production in the Teesta Barrage Project (TBP) area. India also constructed a barrage on this river upstream. TBP commenced operation with partial conveyance infrastructure in 1993. The project was designed to be implemented in two phases. The phase 1 has been finished in 1998. A case study in the TBP area indicates that irrigation water supply significantly increases farm incomes. This has augmented irrigation water demands. However, one-sided withdrawal of water in India upstream, restricts irrigation water availability in the TBP area. Consequently, water sharing with India is critical in achieving food safety measures and sustainable living in Bangladesh. 27. The River Teesta or Tista is thought to be the lifeline of the state of Sikkim . It flows for more or less the complete span of the state and carves out the lush Himalayan moderate and tropical river valleys. The river then forms the boundary between Sikkim and West Bengal before it joins the Brahmaputra as a tributary in Bangladesh. Total length of the river is 315 km. The river traverses 97 km in Indian plains before entering the extreme northwest region of Bangladesh. It flows around 124 km in Bangladesh and joins Brahmaputra River. The Teesta River enters Bangladesh near Nilphamari region and flows for 45 km through the rice producingt districts of Rangpur, Lalmonirhat and Gaibandha and thereafter the Brahmaputra River in Kurigram. The Teesta River Floodplain (TRF), which encompasses the farthest northwest region of the country, accounts for 14% of the total agricultural 24 area in 2001. In addition, it supports approximately 8.5% of the total population. About 63% of the total crop area in the region is irrigated, signifying a direct relationship between irrigation water availability and farming land use. At present, the TRF and the area left of the Ganges River is considered to be a arid zone . 28. The TRF is predominantly reliant on transboundary inflow for supply and managing the water resources and agricultural production. The Teesta barrage at Gazoldoba in India controls the water flow into Bangladesh. In order to augment the irrigation potential of the northwest region, Bangladesh constructed a barrage called the the Dalia barrage in Lalmonirhat district to provide irrigation water from the river by means of a canal system. During the dry season, control of the river water at Gazoldoba renders the Dalia Barrage literally ineffective for diversion of water due to low flows. Furthermore, abrupt release of excessive water during rainy season causes floods, bank erosion and damages colossal amounts of crops downstream. Steps need to be taken to study the water flow at both Gazoldoba and Dalia in order to handle high and low water flows and lessen losses . 29. Bangladesh wants to divide the water at 50:50 ratio at the Indian barrage in order to have an assured supply of half of the water all through the dry season. The proposition also considers keeping 20% of the water for ecological flow. In other words the draft planned that Bangladesh and India would each get 40% water and 20% would go to Bay of Bengal (via Brahmaputra) for maintaining the waterway. India however proposes keeping only 10% for the river. Moreover, India wants other 25 factors to be considered before distributing water of this river. In case of Teesta, 85% of the agricultural land served by the river is in India and the balance 15% in Bangladesh. India wants water to be split in that proportion. The ratio of catchment area is an additional point mentioned in the disagreement. 30. The International Convention and India-Bangladesh treaty of 1996 suggests the fact that river water allocation should be impartial. An important thing to bear in mind is that impartiality does not mean equal sharing. For example, the Indus water treaty allows India to make use of approximately 20% of the water as the area under irrigation and population dependent on it are approximately in that ratio. It is a case of unbiased sharing of water resource. However if the water of Brahmaputra is divided at 50:50, it wont be an equitable sharing as Bangladesh is tremendously reliant on it. The factors of equity are:- Factor Bangladesh India Population in Catchment 7620913 8028752 Catchment Area 2071 sq km 12650s km Catchment Irrigable Area 2071 sq km 2970 sq km Population in Irrigable area 7620913 7488259 Geography Plains Plains and hilly Area currently under irrigation 111,000 hectare 527,000 hectare Target area 750,000 hectare 922,000 hectare 31. As future water demand is expected to rise drastically in both countries, water sharing will play a decisive role in managing water resources. Any unilateral basin shift of the river water in future will impinge on Bangladesh in terms of lesser availability of water downstream. This is likely to affect not just food security but also hinder any future planning of agriculture in Bangladesh. In future, water-related disputes are expected to surface recurrently unless necessary steps are taken. Any form of variance over water property will dissipate time and resources. A bilateral collaboration on water sharing alone is unlikely to provide solutions to the live water problems. India and Bangladesh must commence joint initiatives to construct reservoirs in India and within Bangladesh to store excess water in the rainy season for use during the dry season. An integrated flood management program has to be designed and executed during the rainy season when there is a higher incidence of normal and flash floods. An encouraging step in this direction has been taken with India assenting to share flood projection data on a constant basis thus extending the lead time for flood warning to more than 57 hours. This needs to incorporate the Teesta River exclusively to avert economic damage to crops and livelihoods . OTHER PROJECTS 32. Two mega projects on the Dihang (also known as the Siang river) the main tributary of Brahmaputra and on the Subansiri river in Arunachal Pradesh. These have further alleviated qualms of reduced water flow to Bangladesh. 33. . The Siang Upper HE Project is a colossal 11000 MW project to be built on the Siang River in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The Middle and Lower Siang Hydel projects with 750 mw and 1700 mw power generating capacity are the other dams intended over the same river. The 2000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric project is an additional mega dam over River Subansiri, a key tributary of Brahmaputra River. Other dams over the tributaries of Brahmaputra includes the Ranganadi I and II (450 and 150 mw respectively), Kameng (600 mw), 3000 MW Dibang HE project . The construction of a series of dams over Siang River and its tributaries will further aggravate the water predicament and linked problems in Assam and Bangladesh.

Determination of Heavy Metals in Cow Milk

Determination of Heavy Metals in Cow Milk The cow milk feeding concept of infants, in the larger parts of Lake Victoria basin of Kenya, for about the first six months after birth, has immensely invigorated the interest in investigating the presence and levels of some heavy metals in cows milk. Toxicity of a heavy metal depends on its fractional bioavailability and concentration in the environment, therefore its speciation is of great importance. The knowledge of concentrations of toxic heavy metals like cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead and zinc in cows milk is hence very necessary. Fresh milk samples from lactating cows will be obtained by self milking into sterilized polyethene bottles and labeled according to time, date, location and replicate. Other parameters that will be collected from the three locations on the basis of 7-day interval and thereafter investigated include: grass feeds, sediments, water, soil, and lactating cows faecal drops and urine. This information therefore gives a suitable background for assessing and determining the concentrations of heavy metal contaminants on cows and their subsequent intake by human. Few drops of 0.1 M trichloroacetic acid will be added to the sample for coagulation and the aqueous layer heated at 500 °C for one hour. Digestion will be done with 0.5 M nitric acid as presence and concentration of heavy metals analyzed using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, AAS. Statistical analysis will be conducted using MSTATC two factor complete randomized block design, with the heavy metal concentration as the main factor with the locations as the sub treatment. The package will perform analysis of variance (ANOVA) at P †°Ã‚ ¤ 0.05 with two factor experiment and students T-test at P †°Ã‚ ¤ 0.05. The mean, standard deviation, range and linear correlation co-efficient on the measured parameters will be determined. The study is expected to give an indication of the exposure of mothers and infants in the region to the heavy metals and also ascertain the safety of absolute milk feeding of infants. This study will be conducted in Kisumu city, at the shore of Lake Victoria, Kenya. Key words: Heavy metals, infants, cows milk and contamination. 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 Background Human and animals have been exposed to heavy metal toxicity for an immeasurable time. The industries have dramatically increased the overall environmental load of the toxins to levels that they are present in every area of modern consumerism. Therefore, it is necessary to know the environmental fate of all xenobiotics so as to predict their persistence and possible effects on non-target organisms (Kengara F.O: 2004). Anthropogenic activities appear to play an important role in this study since, in the past, solid wastes have been dumped by residents in their respective localities. In an apparent attempt to keep the environment clean, in Kisumu city, the local authorities, in the past four years have collected and dumped the solid wastes at a new site, Nyalenda Kachok, Kisumu. Similarly lorry-loads from all over the citys supermarkets, industrial set-ups, petrol stations, residences and markets dump theirs solid wastes at the site. Cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead and zinc are among the most common heavy metals known as contaminants in the environment and therefore come affront as hazardous substances to both human and animal health (Roberts J.R, 1999). This is due to wide spread environmental pollution by materials containing them: like batteries, paints, pipes, soldering rods, pesticides, fungicides, gasoline, engine oils, chemical fertilizers or when they occur in high amounts in air, soil, water, plants and other compounded animal feeds. They therefore increase concentrations of heavy metals in air, water, soil and subsequently taken by plants and animals into their food chain (Ahmad, W.M.S, 2002). The presence of heavy metals in cows milk may be attributed to contamination of the original one, which may be due to exposure of lactating cow to environmental pollution or consumption of contaminated feeding stuffs and water (Carl M, 1991). This occurrence can lead to considerable concentrations in human body since they are not metabolized therefore poses a serious risk to human health when consumed even in small amounts (Selinger B, 1979). Most of them, like cadmium, lead and mercury persist in the body and exert their toxic effect by combining with one or more reactive groups essential for normal physiological functions of the cells thus causing cellular disturbances or clinical manifestation. The adverse toxic effects caused by lead, cadmium mercury are widely recognized (Friberg, L. and Elinder, C.G, 1988). The major clinical signs in animals and man for lead and copper poisoning include, among others, deviations of the hematological parameters due to their direct effects on hematopoiesis, reduced integrity of red blood cells membrane leading to intravascular haemolysis, anemia and dehydration (Radostits O. M. et al., 1994). Therefore hematological parameters have diagnostic value in animals suspected of heavy metal toxicity (Mlay P.S and Migumia Y.O, 2008). Man becomes at risk by eating food and drinking fluids contaminated with heavy metals,  through air, direct contact with the metals like in people working in car wash or body spraying industries or factories dealing with heavy metals and their derivatives (Farr G, 2001). Kisumu city is endowed with relatively many but small enterprises dealing with metal works, car maintenance and repair (Jua Kali Sheds), construction works that pose a risk of contamination to the environment with hazardous substances including heavy metals. Subsistence farming and husbandry are quite enhanced in its neighborhoods. The foregone information prompts the desire to investigate the presence of some heavy metals in cows milk. The data generated will assist the concerned city planners, institutions and bodies charged with environmental control and surveillance to formulate measures and policies that would firmly govern the dumping of solid wastes, re-locate the site and authoritatively bar animals from feeding on the wastes. 2.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The presence and concentration of heavy metals in water, sediments, soil and cows milk urine and faecal drops are unknown. This means that both man and animals likely assimilate the heavy metal contaminants unabated, thus endangering their lives. 2.3 JUSTIFICATION OF THE RESEARCH The toxic heavy metals from the possible sources as stated above continue to get into the environment and the biota. This phenomenon is a real threat to the human life therefore it is an urgent issue that the study needs to address. It is important to note that with the known concept of milk feeding of infants for the first six months after birth, either through mothers breasts or other sources like cow milk, more so in the rural set-ups, presents a possible lethal exposure route of heavy metal poisoning. The clinical manifestations that un-permissible levels of the heavy metals cause to both man and animals are fatal and expensive to treat thus jeopardize the economic progress of the affected community. The dumping point at the present site has continued to pollute the air due to organics releasing poisonous gases when they decompose and burnt. The constant burning of the wastes has hindered visibility, caused breathing difficulty and eye-aches to the road users as the site is at the high way and the entrance to the city. It is therefore a rude welcome to the tourists visiting the city. Therefore, the study will give an indication of the exposure of mothers and infants in the region to the heavy metals and also ascertain the safety of absolute milk feeding of infants. 2.4 HYPOTHESIS (i) The solid wastes dumped at the dumping site at Kachok, Kisumu city, contain toxic heavy metals like cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) . (ii) The animals that feed on the wastes take-up the heavy metals into their body systems. 3.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Heavy metals are elements with specific density of 5gcm3, at least five times as the specific gravity of water (Florea T et al., 2006) and (Steven, D, 2003). They have been found in human breast milk and shown to affect health in infants. This may be due to mothers being susceptible to chemicals mostly in foods. Inhalation and dermal routes are possible though they are insignificant. Heavy metals, mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, bismuth, antimony most often disrupt immune function, neurological and endocrine functions. Some common effects of heavy metal toxicity include brain fogginess. Insomnia in children, memory loss, dementia tremors delay development (Molin J, 2000). Due to their toxic nature, the human body upon assimilation begins to get rid of them through the organs such as the skin, liver, kidney and through urine and sweat. However, this process is quite strenuous thus burdens and damages the organs (Bentum J.K, et al., 2010). Unfortunately human milk is one of the routes of elimination this burden, and therefore a source of exposure to infants (Oskarsson A, 1998). Some of these metals are stored in the mothers bones and are extracted from her to provide calcium for the development of the childs bones. As a result, they enter the maternal blood and breast milk during pregnancy and lactation, thus exposing the fetus and infants to risk (Sonawane R.B, 1994). However, at permissible levels, some of them are essential for normal physiological functions in animal tissues (Ahmed, E.E.K, et al., 1999). Dietary deficiencies of copper, zinc, calcium, iron, protein and excess fats cause an increase in the absorption and toxicity of lead (Goldfrank, L.R. et al., 1990). While copper is a trace element in various metabolic functions in the body, lead and other heavy metals have no function in the body and can be highly toxic due to interference directly in metabolic pathways or indirectly by causing deficiencies of other trace metals (Farr G, 2004). Excessively higher levels of the metals in milk and tissues of animals suggest an exposure either from the air, soil, water or feeds or all of these sources (Farr G, 2001) and (Dupler D, 2001). Animals can tolerate elevated levels of these metals though at certain levels clinical signs of toxicity manifest which can be acute or chronic when there is low exposure for a long time since these metals bio-accumulate in the body (IARC, 1997) and (Allcroft R, 1951). Heavy metals like cadmium, lead and mercury have been detected in breast milk in many parts of the world and have different means and ranges (Appendix 6.1). In many parts of the world, they exceed the recommended limits (Oskarson A et al., 1995) while in others lead has been found in breast milk between 5-20 ppb (Rabinowitz M et al., 1985). This may be attributed to the fact that sources of lead exposure are numerous ranging from ceramic and pottery glazed with lead, electronic works, welding and solders, jewelry making and repairing, certain hair dyes, automobile repairs (ATSDR, 1990). The presence of cadmium has been detected in breast milk as 0.28 ÃŽÂ ¼g/litre. It is found in many components of vehicles and in electrical and electronic equipment (Honda R et al., 2003). Cadmiums levels in breast milk have also been associated with cigarette smoking. Arsenic has not been thoroughly studied in breast milk but is however known to cause cancer in humans (Radisch B and Luck W, 1987). METHODOLOGY 4.1 Sampling and Sampling Design A Two factor completely randomized block design will be employed in sampling where one of the locations will be considered as a block. They will be spread out within 8 km apart. The samples will be taken within an interval of seven days. Table2 shows the experimental design detailing the number of samples per location and the sampling intervals of 7 days, 14 days and 21 days (Table 2): Key: D= Days; Re= Replicates; Lo= Locations: 4.2 Study Area The study area will be at the shore of Lake Victoria, Kisumu city and its environs within the area limits of 00 51 South and Longitude 0041 North and longitudes 330 20- 35020 East and an altitude of 528m above the sea level. The following locations will be picked for the study: Location 1: Nyalenda-Kachok: whose animals feed and graze at the dumping site- suspected to be polluted with the metals. Location 2: Mamboleo: 8 km north eastern outskirts of the city with relative high animal husbandry. Location 3: Chiga: 8 km- eastern outskirts of the city with subsistence and light animal husbandry. The choice of the sampling areas 2 and 3 is based on the fact that the cows graze freely in their areas but can not reach the dumping site where only those from location 1 access for herbage. All samples will be collected from 5 (hence five replicates) randomly selected points from each of the three locations; 1, 2 and 3 and immediately taken to the laboratory for preparation, digestion and analysis at Chemistry Laboratory, Maseno University, Kenya. 4.3 SAMPLES COLLECTION 4.3.1 Cow Milk Sample By self milking into sterilized polyethylene bottles, about 50ml fresh milk samples will be collected from five lactating cows from randomly selected homes in each location on a three day milking interval in the morning (i.e 50ml x 5cows x3 locations x 3 milking intervals = 2,250 ml will be collected in total. The samples will then be packed into ice-bags and labeling will be done with respect to time, date, location and replicate. 4.3.2 Urine Sample 50ml urine sample will be randomly collected from each lactating cow (whose milk is sampled) from its shed. The samples will then be wrapped and tied with sterilized polythene papers, packed into ice-bags and labeled according to time, date, location and replicate. 4.3.3 Faecal Drops Sample In each location, approximately 100g of faecal drops will be randomly collected from each of the five lactating cows (whose milk is sampled) from their sheds, wrapped and tied with sterilized polythene paper, packed into ice-bags and labeled according to time, date, location and replicate. 4.3.4 Water Sample About 50ml of water samples from five different points in each location will be placed in clean unused 100ml plastic bottles with screw caps: The points are across the swamp and dam for locations 1 and 3 while five equidistant spots along the stream that passes through the grazing area of location 2. All the samples will then be packed into ice-bags and labeling will be done with respect to time, date, location and replicate. 4.3.5 Grass Feeds and Soil Sample Grass feeds will be cut at approximately1 cm height from the ground in an area of 1x1m2, (within five randomly selected cattle grazing ground per location), bundled, labeled and packed in clean polythene bags. At the centre of the 1x1m2 area where grass feeds are taken, the topsoil will be dug to 12 cm depth at an area of 24x24cm2. The soil will then be put in clean polythene bags and labeled according time, date, location and replicate. 4.3.6 Sediment Sample Five sediment sub-samples will be randomly taken in each location. Approximately top 2 cm surface layer will be collected with a strainer and the samples packed and labeled with respect to time, date, location and replicate. 4.4 PREPARATION, DIGESTION, ANALYSIS AND QUANTITATION 4.4.1 Cow Milk Samples Five drops of 0.1 M trichloroacetic acid will be added to the cow- milk sample to precipitate the proteins, and the aqueous layer of the milk separated by centrifugation. 5 ml of the aqueous layer will be placed in porcelain crucible and heated in a furnace at a temperature of 500 0C for about 45 minutes. Thereafter, 3 ml of 0.5M nitric will be added and then filtered through Whatman filter paper (No 40) into a 10ml measuring cylinder. Further 0.5M nitric acid will be added to the 10 ml mark of the measuring cylinder. The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn in blank and the milk samples will be analyzed with an AAS. 4.4.2 Urine and Water Samples 100ml of each sample will be boiled till complete dryness. 10ml of conc. nitric acid will be added to the sample and boiled close to dryness then diluted to 20 ml with de-ionized water. The solution will be filtered and the filtrate taken for AAS analysis for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn. 4.4.3 Quantitation of heavy metals in milk, urine and water samples: Concentrations of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Se and Zn in examined samples will be calculated according to the following equation:- Mg/kg in examined samples = AxB/W A= mg/kg of metal in prepared samples (obtained by calibration). B= final volume of prepared sample in ml. W= weight of samples in grams. 4.4.4. Quantitation of Heavy Metals in Faecal Drops, Grass, Sediments Soil Samples The samples will be rinsed with de-ionized water several times and separately air-dried on open plastic bags for 24 hours, ground in a mortar to obtain small particles of uniform size, thus large surface area. Conventional aqua regia digestion will be performed in 250ml glass beakers covered with watch glasses. A well-mixed sample of 0.50 g each of the samples will be digested in 12ml of aqua regia on a hot plate for 3 h at 110 °C. After evaporation to near dryness, the sample will be diluted with 20 ml of 2% (v/v with H2O) nitric acid and transferred into a 100-ml volumetric flask after filtering through Whatman ® filter paper grade 40 and diluted to 100 ml with de-ionized distilled water thereafter analyzed for levels of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Se and Zn using AAS. 5.0 REFERENCES 1. Ahmad, W.M.S. (2002): Studies on heavy metal pollution in poultry farms in relation to production performance; Ph.D. Thesis-Faculty of Vet. Medicine. Zag. University. 2. Ahmed, E.E.K, Haleem, H.H. and Aly, A.A. (1999): Effect of copper and ascorbic acid in restriction of cadmium toxicity. J. Egypt. Vet. Med. Ass., 59 (5): 1549-1573. 3. Allcroft R. 1951: Lead poisoning in cattle and sheep. Veterinary Record 63:583-593. 4. ATSDR Case study in environmental medicine: Cadmium toxicity: U.S Department of Health and Human Services. Atlanta G.A, 1990. 5. Roberts J R, 1999: Metal toxicity in children. In Training Manual on Pediatric Environmental Health: Putting It into Practice 1999 Jun. Emeryville, CA: Childrens Environmental Health Network. 6. Bentum J.K, Sackitey O.J, Tuffuor J.K., Essumang D.K, Koranteng-Addo E. J, and Owusu-Ansah E., 2010: Cadmium and Arsenic in breast milk of lactating mothers in Odumanse-Atua community in Manya Krobo district of eastern region of Ghana. 7. Carl, M. (1991): Heavy metals and other trace elements. Monograph on residues and contaminants in milk and milk products. Special Issue 9101, pp. 112-119. International Dairy Federation IDF, Belgium. 8. Dupler D. 2001: Heavy metal poisoning Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. 9. Farr G 2001: The Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis. 10. Farr G 2004: Why Heavy Metals are a Hazard to Your Health. 11. Florea T, Sarolta O.B and Gheorghe C, 2006: Heavy metals in fresh cow-milk and cheese. 12. Friberg, L. and Elinder, C.G. 1988: Cadmium toxicity in humans. Essential and toxic trace elements in human health and disease, edited by A.S. Prasad (New York: A.R.Liss), pp. 559-587. 13. Goldfrank, L.R.; Osborn, H. and Hartnett, L, 1990: Lead. In: Goldfrank, L.R.; Flomentbaum, N.E.; Lewin, N.A.; Weisman, R.S. and Howland, M.A. (Eds.): Goldfranks Toxicological Emergencies. 4th edition. pp. 627-637. Prentice-Hall International Inc. New Jersey, USA. 14. Honda R; Tawara K; Nishyo M; Nakagawa H; Tanebe K; Saito S, Toxicology 2003;186(3) 255-259. 15. IARC (International Agency for Research on cancer) 1997: Monograph of carcinogenic risk to human. Lyon. Supplement. 7:230-231. 16. Kengara F.O, 2004: Analysis of organo-chlorine pesticides in Nyando catchments of Lake Victoria and fate studies of atrazine and glyphosate in soil using the radioisotope tracer technique: MSc Thesis-Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Maseno University, Kenya. 17. Mactaggart D.L and Farewell S.O: Analytical use of regression. Part 1: Regression procedures for calibration and quantitation, 1992, Journal of AOA International, 75 594-606. 18. Mlay P.S and Mgumia Y.O, 2008: Levels of lead and copper in plasma of dairy cows, pastures, soil and water from selected areas of Morogoro suburbs. (Department of Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Tanzania). 19. Molin J: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine; 2000; 42(11) 1070-1075. 20. Ongeri, D.M.K, 2008: Physicochemical parameters, heavy metal residue levels and their speciation studies in Lake Victoria basin; Ph.D. Thesis-Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry. Maseno University, Kenya. 21. Oskarson A., Palminger H.I, and Sundberg: J. Analyst: 1995; 120(3) 765-770. 22. Oskarsson, A, Analyst 1998 123(1); 19-23. 23. Osweiler D. G, 1996: Toxicology. Williams and Wilkins USA 491pp. 24. Rabinowitz, M., Leviton A., and Needleman H., Archives of environmental health 1985; 40 (5) 283-286. 25. Radisch B and Luck W: Nav H Toxicology letters 1987; 36 147-152. 26. Radostits O. M, Blood D. C and Gay C. C, 1994: Veterinary Medicine A Textbook of the Disease of Cattle, Sheep, Goat and Horses 8th Edition. Paston press ltd, London, Norfolk, UK 1469-1499p. 27. Roberts J R, 1999: Metal toxicity in Children. In Training Manual on Pediatric Environmental Health: Putting It into Practice 1999 Jun. Emeryville, CA: Childrens Environmental Health Network. 28. Selinger B, 1979: Chemistry in the market place. 29. Sonawane R.B: Envronmental Health Perspective, 1994; 196. 30. Tsoumbaris, P. and Papadopoulou, T.H. 1994: Heavy metals in common food stuffs: Quantitative analysis. Bulletin Environ. Contamination Toxicology, 53: 61-66. 31. Stevens, D. 2003. CSIRO Land and waters Methods Manual. Impact of Heavy Metals on Sustainability of Fertilization and Waste Recycling in Peri-Urban and Intensive Agriculture in South-East Asia. Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). 29. World Health Organization, (WHO, 1993). 6.0 APPENDICES 6.1: Table 1- WHO: Selected Concentration Mean Ranges of Heavy Metals, 1993. Heavy Metal Concentration, ppb Concentration Range, ppb Arsenic 0.3 0.10 -0.80 Cadmium 0.1 0.10 3.80 Lead 5.0 0.00 41.10 Mercury 2.7 0.64 257.10 Manganese 18.0 7.00 102.00 6.2: Table 2: Experimental Design and Sampling Record Table Key: D= Days; Re= Replicates; Lo= Locations and F/D- Faecal Drops Re. Lo Milk Urine F/Drops Water Soil Grass Sediments 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 1 2 3 2 1 2 3 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 5 1 2 3 6.3: Table 3- TIME SCHEDULE ACTIVITY PERIOD DURATION Proposal Writing and Presentation Jan March 2011 12 weeks Research Site Survey and Preparation April 2011 4 weeks Acquisition of Chemical Reagents May 2011 4 weeks 1st Sample Collection and Extraction June 2011 1 week 1st Experimentations and Analysis AAS June 2011 3 weeks 2nd Sample Collection and Extraction July 2011 1 week 2nd Experimentations and Analysis AAS July 2011 3 weeks 3rd Sample Collection and Extraction August 2011 1 week 3rd Experimentations and Analysis AAS August 2011 3 weeks Discussion and Statistical Interpretation September, 2011 4 weeks Thesis Writing and Submission Oct-Nov, 2011 8 weeks Total 1 year 44 weeks 6.4: Table 4 BUDGET Item Quantity Unit Price (KSh) Total Cost (KSh) Chemicals Universal Indicator 1 litre 1,350.00 1,350.00 Distilled Water 40 litres 1,200.00 48,000.00 Aqua Regia 5 litres 3,500.00 17,500.00 Nitric Acid 2.5 litres 3,500.00 8,750.00 Sulphuric Acid 2.5 litres 3,500.00 8,750.00 Hydrochloric Acid 2.5 litres 3,500.00 8,750.00 Ammonium Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Ferrous Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Lead (II) Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Unhydrous Sodium Sulphate 500g 2,850.00 2,850.00 Copper (II) Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Zinc Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Trichloricacetic acid 2.5 litres 4,500.00 11,250.00 Chromium (II) sulphate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Cadmium Nitrate 500g 3,500.00 3,500.00 Sub Total 131,200.00 Apparatus, Equipment and Others AAS Analysis Lamps 12 7,500.00 90,000.00 Polythene Bags 6 1,000.00 6,000.00 Brown PVC Bottles 180 100.00 18,000.00 Whatman Filter Papers grade 40 6 1,000.00 6,000.00 Thesis Preparation and Binding 20,500.00 Goggles 2 1,000.00 2,000.00 Disposable Gloves 4 Boxes 3,500.00 14,000.00 Ice Box 1 9,000.00 9,000.00 Labels 1 Packet 750.00 750.00 Spade 1 1,200.00 1,200.00 Sickle 1 600.00 600.00 Sub Total 168,050.00 Travels and Subsistence Subsistence during Sampling 5 3,500.00 17,500.00 Analysis 20 Days 500.00 10,000.00 Site Visits and Sampling 10 Trips 3,000.00 30,000.00 Enumerators,3loc.x5Repsx3Intervals 3x3x5 1,000.00 45,000.00 Sub Total 102,500.00 Grand Total 401,750.00

Teachers Understanding of the Pledge of Allegiance :: Patriotism Pledge of Allegiance Essays

Teachers' Understanding of the Pledge of Allegiance Introduction Current social context demands that we see people either as flag-waving patriots or traitorous war protesters. American social institutions have supported this dichotomy by fostering a haven from the complexity of the world situation since 9/11: come in, they seem to say, and say a prayer for our country, sing the national anthem, recite the Pledge. These institutions know that familiar words act as aural blankets. We wrap ourselves with vocabulary and cadences that soothe our souls, repeating words without thought. Although the custom had fallen off prior to 9/11, a great many American public schools begin the school day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The recitation of a promise to support the flag and the country it represents constitutes an oath that is said by almost every student and teacher daily. We are concerned that the recitation of the pledge has gone unexamined by both teacher and student. While it may be acceptable for religious institutions to demand oath without analysis, public schools should be and are held to a different standard. Fostering the critical analysis of the documents that have supported our country is part of the rights and responsibilities of the American school system and those whom it employs. In this paper, we will begin the process of exploring what actually happens to the recitation and analysis of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. Our primary question for this initial work is: What do teachers think about the Pledge as it is used in their classroom? Background Research on the Pledge of Allegiance. In the last thirty years, there has been surprisingly little study of this particular ritual in democratic participation. The majority of this work tends to focus on the legal issues concerning refusal to say the Pledge (Knowles, 1992; Urofsky, 1995). This work effectively summarizes the current legal understanding of the relationship between state law and local school governance, that while states have a compelling interest to encourage democratic education in schools, their ability to mandate such participation is effectively limited by the Constitutional obligation to protect freedom of religion (Minersville School District v. Gobitis, 1940; Urofsky, 1995). In addition, there was a small cluster of studies that occurred around the U.S. centennial examining how the Pledge was being used in the context of democratic education (c.

Catcher In The Rye :: essays research papers

CATCHER IN THE RYE The book, Catcher in the Rye, has been steeped in controversy since it was banned in America after its first publication. John Lennon’s assassin Mark Chapman, asked the former Beatle to sign a copy of the book earlier in the morning of the day he murdered Lennon. Police found the book in his possession upon apprehending the psychologically disturbed Chapman. However, the book itself contains nothing that might have lead Chapman to act as he did. It could have been just any book that he was reading the day he decided to kill John Lennon and as a result, it was the Catcher in the Rye, a book describing a nervous breakdown, that caused the media to speculate widely about the possible connection. This gave the book even more recognition. The character Holden Caulfield ponders the thoughts of death, accuses ordinary people of being phonies, and expresses his love for his sister through out the novel. So what is the book Catcher in the Rye really about? Superficially the story of a young man getting expelled from another school, the Catcher in the Rye is, in fact, a perceptive study of one individual’s understanding of his human condition. Holden Caulfield, a teenager growing up in 1950’s, New York, has been expelled from school for poor achievement once again. In an attempt to deal with this he leaves school a few days prior to the end of term, and goes to New York to take a vacation before returning to his parents’ inevitable irritation. Told as a monologue, the book describe Holden’s thoughts and activities over these few days, during which he describes a developing nervous breakdown. This was evident by his bouts of unexplained depression, impetuous spending and generally odd, erratic behavior, prior to his eventual nervous collapse. Some critics have argued that Holden’s character is erratic and unreliable, as he has many of the middle-class values that he claims to reject. Later on critics began to have praised the twisted humor of the main character. These critics have commented that the structure of the novel helps you understand Holden’s unstable state of mind. Alastair best remarked: "There is a hard, almost classical structure underneath Holden’s rambling narrativ. The style, too, appears effortless; yet one wonders how much labor went into those artfully rough-hewn sentences" (qtd. in Davis 318) A large field of critics took a positive view of the novel.

The Emh, the Financial Crisis and the Behavioral Finance

The EMH, the Financial Crisis and the Behavioral Finance 1. Introduction The Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) that was first proposed by Fama (1965, 1970) is the cornerstone of the modern financial economic theory. The EMH argues that the market is efficient and asset price reflects all the relevant information concerned about its return. The genius insight provided by the EMH has changed the way we look at the financial crisis thoroughly. However, the confidence in the EMH is eroded by the recent financial crisis.People can not help to ask: if the market is efficient and the price of assets is always correct as suggested by the EMH, why there exists such a great bubble in the financial market during the recent financial crisis? Apart from that, the EMH has even been criticized as the culprit of the recent financial crisis. (See Nocera, 2009 and Fox, 2009) Actually after the EMH was proposed, many anomalies have been found in the financial market and financial economists have develo ped many theories in order to explaining these anomalies.Among these the most influential one is the so called behavioral finance, which argues that the complex human behavior plays an important part in determining asset prices. The rest of the essay is arranged as follows. Section 2 explains what the EMH implies and its limitations. Section 3 emphasizes on explaining the usefulness of the EMH in the context of the recent financial crisis. Section 4 focuses on interpreting the behavioral finance. Section 5 concludes the essay. 2. The implications of the EMH According to Ball (2009), the implication of the EMH can be summarized as follows.The implication of the EMH can be decomposed into two parts. The first insight of the EMH is related to the most profound insights of classical economics, that is, there is no excess profit in a complete market, which is due to the fierce competition in the market. If there exists excess profit in such a market, then the entry of new producers will eventually eliminate it. The second insight is that information is symmetric dissemination, which implies that information can flow freely in the market without cost and time lag.Putting these two parts of insights together, the EMH implies that the market is efficient and asset prices reflect all the relevant information concerned about its return, and that investors can only get commensurate return with the cost of exploiting information due to the competition in the market. According to the EMH, people can only expect to get average return in the stock market and it is impossible to beat the market continuously. Note that it is futile to exploit information in order to get abnormal return does not mean that no one should act to exploit information.As a matter of fact, the EMH is a natural result of the fierce competition in the market—if there is no competition in the market, the market can not be efficient. In other words, asset price can not reach its equilibrium level a utomatically. Ice-cream producers face fierce competition from other producers in the market and it is impossible for them to get abnormal profit, but it is foolish for ice-cream producers to stop making ice-cream because they will get nothing if they do not work.Fama (1970) classifies the market into three categories: the weak form efficiency, the semi-strong form efficiency and the strong form efficiency. In the weak form efficiency market, asset prices reflect all the historical information, so it is impossible to obtain abnormal return using historical data and technological analysis is useless. In the semi-strong form efficiency market, asset prices reflect all the information that is publicly available, and thus it is impossible to get abnormal return using publicly available information.In the strong form efficiency market, asset prices reflect all the relevant information, including all publicly available information and inside information, so investors can only get average return and it is impossible to beat the market. 3. The performance of the EMH in explaining the recent financial crisis During the recent financial market, the stock market fell sharply, banks went bankrupt and the financial system was damaged seriously. This financial crisis has eroded the confidence in the EMH.The validity of the EMH and the existence of the efficient market are questioned broadly. If asset prices are always correct and reflect all the relevant information concerning about its return just as the EMH has suggested, why there exists such a great bubble in the financial market during the recent financial crisis? If the market is efficient, why the market fails to predict the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Bear Stern and other large financial institutions? Overall, the EMH fails to answer such questions.Moreover, the EMH also performs poor in explaining other financial crisis. One example is the Tulipmania that occurred in the 17th century. The prices of the tulip bulbs reached extremely high level which seriously deviates from its fundamental value that was suggested by the EMH. This apparent bubble is contradicted with the prediction of the EMH. In fact, the explaining power of the EMH becomes pale when confronting financial crisis. The EMH does not assume that investors are rational, but the EMH does assume that the market is efficient. But the reality may not be that simple.Investors may exhibit a lot of irrational behaviors in the real life, such as overconfident in their ability, following others readily, making wrong decisions when in exuberant state, and so forth. These irrational behaviors of investors without doubt will weaken the explaining power of the EMH. Apart from that, the EMH assumes that information is symmetric dissemination and can flow freely without cost and time lag, but information in the reality may not be symmetric disseminated, information may not be able to flow freely, this will also affect the validity of the EMH in explaining asset prices in the real life.Besides, factors such as sociological factors also play a part in determining asset prices. In author’s opinion, asset price is just like a glass of beer. At the lower part of the glass is the real beer, representing the intrinsic value of the asset that can be explained by the EMH. At the upper part of the glass is the foam, representing values that can not be explained by the EMH. In other word, the EMH can not explain bubbles, which is the systematic deviation of asset prices from their fundamental value.The EMH has even been criticized as the culprit of the financial crisis. In Nocera (2009) and Fox (2009), both of them believe that the notion of efficiency was responsible for the financial crisis. They argue that since the market is efficient and asset prices reflect all relevant information, the investors and supervisors feel it is unnecessary to look into the intrinsic value of assets, and so fail to be aware of the asset price bubbles, thus the financial crisis occurs.Actually, not soon after the EMH was first proposed, scholars have found many anomalies that contradict with the prediction of EMH. De Bondt and Thaler (1985, 1987) found that investors tend to overreact to unexpected news and events and such irrational behavior affects stock prices; Jegadeesh and Titman (1993) found that investors using trading strategies that buying past winners and selling past losers can get abnormal returns during the period 1965 to 1989. De Long, Shleifer, Summers and Waldman (1990) argue hat some anomalies such as the excess volatility of asset prices, the mean reversion in stock prices, and so forth, can be explained by the notion of noise trader risk. These studies have challenged the validity of the EMH. 4. The behavioral finance As has been described before, there are many anomalies that can not be explained by the EMH. Objectively speaking, these anomalies give impetus to the development and breakthrough of finan cial economic theories. Scholars so far have developed many models so as to explaining there anomalies, among which the most influential one is the behavioral finance.The behavioral finance takes psychological factors into account when determining asset price. According to Fuller (2000), the behavioral finance can be described in three ways. In the first way, he thinks that the behavioral finance is the integration of psychology and decision making science with the classical financial economic theory. In the second way, he views the behavioral finance as an attempt to explain the anomalies that have been observed and reported among current literatures in the financial market.In the third way, he thinks that the behavioral finance is a discipline that studies how investors make ‘mental mistakes’ in investment decision making process. The traditional asset pricing theories are developed under the assumption that investors are rational and thus can make right decisions, th at is, investors will not hurt themselves when making decisions. But the behavioral finance theory is developed under the assumption that investors are not always rational and human behavior is irrational at some time and that the financial market is sometimes inefficient.This assumption is much more reasonable than that of the traditional asset pricing theories. Ritter (2003) summarizes some irrational behavior of human beings, such as people tend to follow ‘heuristics’ or rules of thumb, which sometimes lead to biases, people are overconfident about their abilities, people act slowly to adjust to changes, people sometimes separate decisions which should be combined together in principle, and so forth. He argues that these irrational behaviors of investors will lead to misevaluation.Another important assumption made by the behavioral finance is the limits to arbitrage. In a market where arbitrage can be carried out without limitation, mispricing of asset will be elimin ated quickly. But if there are limits to arbitrage, for instance, short sale is not allowed in the financial market, the misprcing of asset may not be eliminated. Under the circumstance that the mispricing of asset is seriously, arbitrager will even choose to give up arbitrage due to the huge risk involved in the arbitrage.This assumption implies that the market is inefficient when there are limits to arbitrage. De Long, Shleifer, Summers and Waldman (1990) maintain that in an economy where rational and irrational traders are mixed, the behavior of noise traders can have huge continuous impact on asset prices, because the huge risk arbitragers confront made arbitrage less attractive. The first scholar who stresses the importance of psychological factors in investment decision making is Keynes.Keynes argues that the ‘animal spirits’ of investors is the psychological foundation of irrational exuberance and crash. Kahneman and Tversky’s (1973, 1979) description on t he belief and preference of investors under uncertainty lays the theoretical foundation for the behavioral finance. After that, the behavioral finance develops rapidly and gradually become the most important branch of financial economics.By economic intuition, since that the behavioral finance takes psychological factors into account when determining asset prices and that these factors do have important impact on the decision-making behaviors of investors, we can say that in the short run the behavioral finance provides a better for the behavior of investors and the financial markets than the EMH. But in the long run, investors will eventually realize and correct their irrational behavior, and the EMH will perform better than the behavioral finance. . Conclusion Under certain assumptions, the EMH maintains that asset prices reflect all the relevant information about the asset, thus it is impossible for investors to get abnormal return and beat the market. The EMH implies that there is no unexploited profitable opportunity in the financial market. Although the EMH provides a useful insight through which we look at the financial market, the EMH fails to explain the more and more anomalies in the financial market.The EMH provides little useful explanation about the recent financial crisis. The validity of the EMH is questioned and the confidence in the EMH declines. Moreover, the EMH has even been criticized as the culprit of this financial crisis. Given the criticism the EMH suffers, scholars have developed varieties of theories so as to explain the anomalies in the financial market. Among these the most influential one is the behavioral finance.The behavioral finance studies how the behavior of human beings affects asset prices and the financial market. Based on the assumption that investors are sometimes irrational and the market is inefficient and that there are limits to arbitrage, the behavioral finance overall gives better explanations concerning the anoma lies in the financial market than the EMH. The behavioral finance is a rapidly developing field in the financial economics. 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