In case you forget

There was death at the start, just as there was death at the end. Though whether a fleeting wisp of this crossed the Irishman's dreams and shook him awake on this least likely of mornings, he would never know. All he knew that when he opened his eyes that the world was somehow changed. As always the first thought that come to his head was the quick, searing hope that the last eight weeks had never happened. But as he saw the pale morning light filtering through her curtains, reality hit him with an icy certainty-Aileen was dead, and it was his entire fault. He looked at his alarm clock; 7:00 shone angrily at him in red, making him turn back to the wall. It beeped impatiently at him, and it was that, not the cold, which finally gave him the thought to give up his worthy fight and struggle out of bed. He breathed in the faint lingering smell of musty perfume. Photos of horses stared down at him from the walls. He was in his wife's room. A coat was slung over the chair where Aileen had left that morning of the accident. The hairbrush of the table was coated in a fine layer of dust, a few blonde hairs clinging to the bristles. Nothing in the room had changed for four weeks, not since the day Aileen Flaherty died. At the sight of the familiar things, his stomach twisted. He glanced at the photo of him and her. Pat and Allie. Patrick Harper and Aileen Flaherty. Sergeant Major and Horse whisperer. Mr and Mrs Patrick Harper. Husband and wife. There were tears in his eyes, which he reckoned was from the dust in the room. He got dressed. His kharki and olive uniform was oddly loose after the tight dress uniform of the funeral. Harper gazed in the mirror. Everything was to military precision. His blue eyes had not lost the desperation and soulessness that the dark alleyways of Dublin required. He picked up his rifle and placed a finger in a notch of unpolished metal. It was this small dip, in the butt of the gun, which gave Patrick Harper the small amount of Gaelic luck, which soldiers said was invincible. He just wanted to get out of this room. It was too much to bear; knowing that Allie was never coming back. A small silver locket was worn around his throat. It had saved the sergeant-major's life once, a stranger had fired across the street and the tall Irishman shivered at the thought of what would have happened if the precious metal heart had not been attached around his neck. A small photo of his soul mate was in it, and he was suddenly angry that he had it. He made a mental note to take it off later. The week that had followed Aillie's death had been a blur, and for him it was probably best that it had remained like that. For days he had been almost catatonic. The Latin words had washed meaninglessly over him and he read, dry-eyed, over and over her name and date of birth and death. And still tears would not come. He wanted to cry, he really did, but something was stopping him. He could only think of the blood on her neck which looked like a necklace of broken rubies and that he had noticed irrelevantly that red didn't not suit her and he made a note not to buy her a ruby necklace for her birthday. He had felt the sting of tears as he knelt beside her and held the silent, still warm body that he most loved in the world and had cried out inside at his own brutality. Her warmth would fade just as the memory of her would fade and he would forget the character that gave this exquisite creature life and love. She would exist now only in his memory and of those of who had known her best. She had given herself to him and never doubted the decision, unlike him. And now he had killed her. It should have been himself who had been caught in the blast, he who died, not this and his grief was formless, incoherent, a pain of betrayed love. The war-lord had not even noticed the girl in Harper's arms. ‘Congratulations. You did it.' He had done it so that he could free Ireland and St Patrick. He had done it so that innocent blood had been spilt on the pavement. He had done it so that he could feel a pain, so great, that he would never feel it again. They had then given him thirty silver coins, for his service to Ireland. Five pounds fifty in change, exactly. Every one of those thirty pieces of silver to him was blood money. Blood that was still fresh on his hands and would remain so for evermore. Sometimes he would wake up and feel happy and then he would see the blank postcard on the desk, still franked, but it meant that someone close had died for his or her country. Then the happiness went. Sometimes he would see her in the street and his heart leaped. Then the knowledge that she no longer existed would sink in. It was the training day of the recruits that had brought about the change. The sergeant- major had stabbed his bayonet repeatedly into the belly of the straw bales dressed in the uniform of English paratroopers. He had lost his humanity then, humanity that Allie had unearthed during their married years. He had felt the tears coming to his eyes. Tears of guilt and anger, no longer held back by the crushing weight of guilt, flooded over his cheeks. It unlocked a sluice gate inside of him and for two weeks he wept and let out all the pain, that as a soldier he was trained to ignore. He could have drowned himself in the salty water that was not rain. But in the calm aftermath, Harper took stock and decided to survive. In that moment he had became an adult. You could see it when he didn't know he was being watched, and from his eyes glittered a sad and old Gaelic magic, as old as time itself. Patrick Harper opened his diary. It was April the 12th, six weeks since the bomb had been secretly planted and with it buried the bloodied remains of his spouse's body. That was strange. April was already a dozen days old, Allie's death already eight weeks in the past. He had marked with a pencil March the twenty-fourth to the first of April because that was when he had expected his first child. He remembered how the bloom of pregnancy was in her and how beautiful she had looked in those heavy months. He looked at the chair, in which she had sat and told him about his child and he had held her, speechless. His child. He had been so happy then. There was no joy now. The rifle was thrown down because he did not want to hold a killing machine any longer. As a top marksman he had spilt enough innocent blood. Much more than he could count. He checked his wallet. A library card that expired today, but he had not the heart or the energy to renew it. Aillie had encouraged him to read, to take his mind off what he knew she knew that he had done the whole day. She had kept silent on the whole issue, but he knew that she didn't approve. He had read just to keep her happy, but in the week before the accident he had taken to reading her the story of Macbeth. The man who had killed to get what he had wanted, lost his humanity, and could not back out. In the end it had destroyed him. He remembered that Lady Macbeth went mad from the blood on her hands. That there was a darkness in her that she could not escape. Perhaps there was a darkness in him too. There was a shopping list in there too, which she had typed up so that he could go and get something to eat. She had said that she was coming in a bit later as she had to check up on the horses at the stables. She had never come home. He had ripped it into three pieces, because he thought it not worthy of her. He had saved a piece, the only bit where her actual handwriting was shown and he pulled it out now and marvelled that he had never actually seen her own scruffy hand until after her death. His hand carefully placed the relic back into his wallet along with the library card, the pocket diary and the thirty silver coins that he had yet to summon the courage to either ignore or destroy them. The cuckoo clock on the wall opened its tiny wooden doors and the cheerful little bird popped out announcing that it was half past seven. It was always late and Harper automatically checked the time on his own analogue watch, without realising that it had already stopped working on the twenty-second of March. The day his world stood still. Harper reckoned it was the blast that had destroyed the mainspring. But he had taken it along to the fixing shop anyway and had said that it had fallen off the table onto the floor. No one noticed the lie, nor the pricking of tears that covered up the real truth. He had wanted to tell them the truth, to shrug off the awful weight of his conscience, but there was a lady behind him. They could not fix it and told him that it was a lost cause and also asked him if he was sure if it had fallen onto the table as surely a greater force had broken it. He answered curtly that he had an extremely hard floor and the case was left as that, as no one dared cross the tall man with dried blood on his shirt. It was getting light and he knew that he should have left the house by this time. It was a dangerous time to be out on the streets and alleyways at dawn. The bright light, fierce and orange, made it hard to see the camouflaged barrels of guns and the dark green uniforms of British riflemen. He checked his pockets for any spare ammunition, bandages and anything else that might come in useful if a vengeful enemy was on the prowl. Emptied out onto the table, the pockets produced a piece of string, a couple of Irish punts, a small shiny paperclip, a chewed pencil and a piece of paper which a sketchy map had been scrawled on. He screwed the map up and threw it away. The other objects, he decided, were not of any use so he left them on the dresser next to the blank postcard. Harper took the thin rectangular card in his hand. The Irishman took one look at it and stashed it irritably into his pocket, so that he would not have to go through the torture of seeing it every morning. He would burn it later. A bunch of keys, all shapes and sizes, hung by the bedroom door. He plucked them from their resting-place, wanting to keep his hands and mind busy so as not to dwell on the bitterness inside of him. There was the front door key, the back door key, and the key to the small battered car of his that was collecting dust in the garage. There was also a group of strange shaped keys, their handle diamond shaped instead of the regular circular ones. They called up a distant memory in him, the faded pictures in his mind kept in rhythm with the metallic jangle of their knocking together. He still could not think what they were for, and so not wanting to annoy himself any longer he freed them from the main group and put those in his pocket too. Subconsciously he knew that he was taking them with him because they were connected with Allie's mortise lock, which she had put absolute faith in. It did not matter that their house had been burgled three times in a row, she still insisted that the rusty metal clump remain on the door. They had had their first argument over that lock and Allie had thrown a book at him, cutting his cheek and leaving a small scar. Harper had been the stock of jokes from the soldiers for a few weeks after that. He did not care. He was lucky. He had Allie. They were in it together. The mirror, from which he still had not moved, glittered in the light. It made his uniform look grey. His eyes were grey. His heart was grey. A shadow of his former personality. He was glad Aileen could not of seen him now. She wouldn't have even recognised him. ****** Blood pounded in his head, his breath rasped in his chest. The rifle on his back thumped on his spine, the metal foresight dug into his skin. It slipped into the hinge of his elbow with the rhythm of his feet, which slipped on the slushy cat-ice. Harper and Liam Kelly dived into the relative shelter of a brick corner. Bullets ricocheted, taking pieces of brick and dust off the wall. Hot air seared past their pulsing cheeks, tiny metal balls, so destructive, slapped into the pavement, inches away from their feet. The sergeant and the private loaded quickly, knowing every second the procedure took, minutes were stole from their lives. Instinct took over, the movements refined by practice and desperation. There was no time to think about what happened next; to the best fighters, it came as a second nature. Harper touched the familiar small island of unpolished metal, something to fight against the curse of bad luck. Kelly saw his friend feel the small dip in the rifle's butt, and he knew that the sergeant's keen mind was already at work. He had bruised his shoulder and had twisted his ankle on the sloppy slush, but that was all. He could see the pink in the snow, the pigment caused by the fresh blood of his comrade's. Worst of all was the sound of their screams, a sound that he had heard many times before, but now it seemed to have been magnified a hundredfold. Now Harper turned and worked his way around the wall again, giving space to the flickering bullets, Kelly supposed so as not to drive them nearer to the young fresh teenagers, who hid round the opposite corner. He stopped and looked at Kelly and then called out to him. ‘Stay there Liam. Don't move.' Then without any sign of fear, he walked towards the men in the green uniforms of British Riflemen. Kelly could see his lips moving, but he could not hear the words over the sharp, snapping retort of the rifles. Perhaps he was praying, or maybe not at all. He did not stop until he was right up to them and only then did they seem to register his tall looming presence. Liam saw him reach for a screaming horse's bridle and grip them hard. With a firm hand, ignoring the slapping bullets by his face, he pulled the bay mare off her hind legs. Then he slapped her hard on the rump and sent her away. Thus cheated of their game, the Rifleman turned their attention to the tall Irishman. The picture of what followed stayed with every man and women on the street till the day they died. And never would they know for sure what had happened. The platoon of green-jackets wheeled to their left, sending beautiful, crystal shards of snow and slush up into the air. For a moment they appeared not to know what to make of the man who stood undaunted before them. What was certain was that Harper could have walked away. Two or three steps to the side could have denied the British the glory of another Irish death. The Riflemen, so Kelly believed, would simply have let him be gone, where others had led. Instead, Harper stepped towards them. The moment he moved, as he must have foreseen, the Rifles snapped into action. And even now, Harper could have stepped away. He knew where the guns would fire, what was happening inside the mechanics of them and why, before it even knew itself. Yet on this day, he neither dodged nor ducked nor even flinched, and, once more, walked forward. Harper could hear Aileens voice calling out his name. ‘I'm here.' He whispered ‘What is it?' The group of green jackets raised the barrels, the light reflecting off the metal onto the snow. They licked their lips and they lined up the foresight onto the lone solitary target. At this distance they could not miss. The settling snow was still too thick for Kelly to be sure, but he thought he saw Harper open his hands a touch and, in a movement so flowing that he may of imagined it, showed the British his open palms. It was as though the Irishman was offering something and perhaps it was what he had always wanted to offer the gift of friendship and peace. But although he would never from this day forth mention the thought to anyone, Kelly had a vivid impression that it was otherwise and that Harper, without fear or despair, was somehow offering himself. ‘I'm here. What is it?' And then he knew. ******* They buried Patrick Harper by Aileen. The intention was to keep the funeral small and for family only, but on the day about one hundred people came, touched by the actions of the tall, handsome soldier in the white-sugared street. There was room for only a few in the small but ornate Catholic Church, so they threw open the doors and people watched from outside where cherry blossom danced and cartwheeled in the small breeze. He was found, lying there, a tiny smile on his face, motionless on the snowy carpet. It eyes were loosely shut as if he were sleeping peacefully. They typed this up on the army records of births and deaths. But there was one thing which they had not mentioned. Tucked away, from all sight were two claddagh rings. One gold and one silver. The Irish icon of friendship, love and loyalty. They were wrapped in a torn piece of paper, one side a list of food items and on the other side, scrawled blue ink pen which was in the handwriting of Aileen Harper. On the paper, all she'd written, inscribed in the ancient language of the Irish Celts were the small italic letters which made up four short words. In case you forget.

Fast food is something that every American knows about Essay

Most likely you, the person reading this has had fast food before, and probably enjoyed it. Whether it may be Mcdonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, KFC, etc. There is nothing as cheap, quick to get, and tasty as fast food. With the ever-growing population of obese Americans, people are looking for a reason and for most that reason is fast food. Now according to the CDC (centers for disease control) the definition of overweight is having a BMI (body mass index) of 25-29.9 and the BMI for an obese person is 30 or higher. Could it be that fast food is causing 78 million Americans 20 years or older to be obese, or that 17% of all children and teens in the US are over weight because of it? I think not. Sure, fast food may not be the healthiest choice for you, but seriously, no one is forcing you to eat that cheeseburger and no one is forcing you to drink that soda. You see fast food is not the problem, the decision making of the obese American population is. Now just so weâ €™re clear I have nothing against obese people and there is a big difference between a little chunky, which is okay and obese. Now just so your aware of the obesity problem here in America, here’s some cold hard facts about obesity. Here in the US more than 35% of adults are considered obese, that’s more than 78 million people across the country that are obese. Seventeen percent of children and young adults are obese, which is triple the rate of a generation ago. Studies have shown that obesity gives you a greater chance of getting type2 diabetes and even cancer. If you are wondering why there are so many obese people in America today just ask your self a few simple questions. Would you rather go for a nice evening jog or stay home and watch your favorite TV show? Would you rather eat a salad or something not as healthy like a burger or pizza? And finally would you rather go to the gym or hang out with friends? If I had to guess I’d say most of you would rather hang out with friends, eat junk food, and watch your favorite TV show. You see most people have the time to work out and eat right they just choose not to and just like every choice made in life it comes with it’s benefits and consequences. You don’t have to pay for a gym member ship just walk up some steps or play catch with your kids or take a walk at the park, anything is obviously better than nothing. Now researchers will argue against my claims, and that’s understandable. They’ll mention that 33 percent of children and adolescents in the U.S. consume fast food on a typical day; they’ll also state that on average adolescents will visit a fast food restaurant twice a week. Well all I have to say to that is whose fault is that? How are these kids buying the fast food? With their parent’s money of course. Why can’t the parents make them something healthy and control what there kids eat instead of giving them money to eat fast food? It’s the parent’s fault that the kids are eating fast food so often. Fast food isn’t going to make you obese unless you eat it most of the time. If you eat it occasionally but you also eat your fruits and vegetables you’ll be fine. It is crazy to know that in the U.S. 49% of money spent on food is spent away from home. Which means people are choosing to buy food from restaurants and other place s rather than go to the grocery store and cook at home. That percentage is always increasing due to the fact that people now a days are looking for more convenient ways of getting there food. If your wondering just how much money is being spent on quick service restaurants, in 2011 quick service restaurants were expected to gain 168 billion dollars, 3% more than 2010. If people would just spend half the amount of money that they usually spend on fast food and cook a nice healthy meal instead there would be no problem with fast food. Once again the decisions of the American people are to blame. Hit the gym and help yourself get slim. Studies have shown that physical activity plays a big role in loosing weight but of course you knew that, its common sense. But what many people don’t know is that according to the CDC (center for disease control) fewer than 2 out of 10 Americans and less than 30 percent of adults get the recommended level of exercise. Also that more than 25% of U.S. adults do not devote any time to physical activity, the worst states being Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. It is very intriguing that correlations have shown that those states with the least amount of exercise have the most health problems. Type2 diabetes is mostly triggered by obesity, and in 1980 5.5 million adults had it; now approximately 25.6 million adults have type2 diabetes. The ever so increasing percentage of obesity and decreasing percentage in physical activity is definitely to blame. An interesting fact is that by loosing weight and getting from overweight to normal you can save on average $1400 a year on medication. If you don’t have time to hit the gym, there are a few tips that can help you get fit. First don’t drink soda; on average if you drink a soda can a day you’ll gain 15 pounds in a year, that is if you don’t work out of course. Take the stairs or walk around the block, a few extra steps could be the difference in burning some extra calories, and finally anything is better than nothing, curl some soup cans or do some crunches while watching TV. Any of those things can help you with your obesity, then you wont have to blame it on fast food. Fast food companies are now making a bigger push to serve healthier items in their stores, but it is up to the customers to get them otherwise it is all for nothing. McDonalds is taking the biggest step with there new items like the all fruit smoothies, apple slices, salads, and there brochures that show you there below 400,300,200, and 100 calorie items. Jack in the box is jumping on board as well with their 3 choices of salads, and serving grilled chicken instead of fried in there sandwiches. These fast food chains are realizing that healthy is the new way to go but yet the majority of people in America aren’t. We need to watch what we eat, eat healthier brown rice or bread instead of white, more fruits and veggies and less burgers, next time you go to mcdonalds get a salad instead of a Big Mac it might change your life. In conclusion the fast food industry is not to blame for Obesity in the United States of America. They’re taking steps in the right direction and the people of America should too. We need to start exercising more and getting active because that is the true reason for the increasing obesity. Make better decisions in your life style, choose a healthy one and like I said get a salad next time you go to McDonalds. – http://www.getamericafit.org/statistics-obesity-in-america.html – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/14/obesity-rate-by-state_n_1774356.html –

Biography Of Rachel Carson

A zoologist, biologist, environmentalist, writer, ecologist and a champion of nature conservation- Rachel Carson was all this and much more. From writing radio scripts during Depression to being the author of the best selling â€Å"Silent Spring† her journey was long, illustrious and motivational. The way she battled all odds, struggled with financial troubles and then later suffered all the indignities thrown at her after the publication of â€Å"Silent Spring† teaches us a lot about life and makes us look up to her with respect and admiration.Her early life was instrumental in making her the person she was. Her interest in nature was kindled during her childhood. Rachel Carson was born on May 27, 1907 of a father who was an ambitious real estate developer and a mother who was a teacher. Her father’s plans for their estate in Springdale, Pennsylvania did not quite materialize and thus from the very childhood, Rachel was no alien to financial difficulties. Her mo ther instilled in Rachel her own love for nature and books.Hence the training of a future environmentalist and a best selling author began early in life. Rachel started writing at a very early age and her publication was for a children’s magazine at the age of ten. Thus the die was cast and she was to follow this course till the very end of her life. After passing out from Parnassus High School, she enrolled in the Pennsylvanian college for Women (now Chatham College). She majored in English but later changed her subject to zoology.In 1932, Carson received her master’s degree. Her financial condition took a turn for the worse during the Depression and especially after the death of her father in 1935. Desperately trying to make ends meet for her family, she accepted the job of a radio writer for a programme on fishery and marine life produced by the United States Bureau of Fisheries. There seemed no end in sight to her miseries on the personal front. Her sister died in 1936, leaving behind two daughters.Carson took the girls in as part of family and they shifted to Silver Spring, Maryland to counter problems like her commutation to her job, the girls’ education and her mother’s old age. Following her excellent performance in the civil services examination, Carson went out to become the first ever female biologist to work at the Bureau. This was the beginning of a career that would see her influence the whole world with her writings.Her essay â€Å"Undersea†, published by Atlantic Monthly in September 1936, was the much needed and richly deserved breakthrough for her dual career. Bringing in rave reviews from scientists as well as literary circles, it lent weight to Carson’s belief that she could synchronize both her interests- of writing as well as nature- successfully. Impressed by her writing flair and lyrical style, famous author Hendrik William Van Loon (â€Å"The Story of Mankind†) persuaded his publisher to contact Rachel Carson who agreed the â€Å"Under the Sea Wind†.Presenting a naturalist’s picture of oceanic life, this book was a beautiful and sensitive description of the struggle for life of aquatic species. Her writing prowess succeeded in making an extremely engrossing reading out of scientific facts. The book was well received in both scientific and literary circuits. However it was not a commercial success as the release clashed with Pearl Harbor and consequently sales dipped.During World War II, she worked in the capacity of the Assistant to the Chief of the Office of Information in the Fish and Wildlife Service. Food was in short supply and her four pamphlets involving information on fish as food served multiple purposes of information source for print as well as radio media. Her series of twelve booklets, four of them authored by her, called â€Å"Conservation in Action† came out in the post war years.They propagated her ideal views of co- existence o f nature and humans and sought to inspire in people a respect for nature and an attitude for conservation. In 1948, she was appointed the editor- in- chief of the information Division- a noteworthy achievement in a male dominated profession. Meanwhile her research on the oceanic world continued in all the leisure time that she could afford. This research was what made the â€Å"The Sea Around Us† the bestseller that it was.â€Å"The Sea Around Us† was a bestseller beyond everyone’s imaginations. The pre- publication release of the first chapter by Yale Review was just the beginning of the fanfare. Carson won the George Washington Science Writing Award. When it was finally released by Oxford University Press in 1951, it was already a bestseller and topped charts for the following 81 weeks. In th euphoria created by â€Å"The Sea Around Us† , her publisher decided to re release â€Å"Under the Sea Wind†.This book also got the success it deserved, tho ugh a little belated. The phenomenal success of both the books helped Carson get her finances in order and she was able to quit her job at Fish and Wildlife Service to devote all her time to writing. â€Å"The Edge of the Sea† was published in 1955 and instantly became a huge success and remained so for the twenty- three weeks to come. It was a straight- from- the- heart account of the aquatic life on the sea shores.Again her writing capability and the deep seated feelings for oceanic species made it much more than a mere collection of scientific data and a dull set of guidelines. Around the same time, her article â€Å"Help your Child to Wonder† written for the women’s Home Companion, was another mover and shaker. In this article she gave directions to the parents to make their children aware of the wonders of nature and make them conscious of their natural environment.The personal touch that made the article strike a chord among the readers came from her own a ffection for her nieces and her grandnephew who she later adopted legally. An unmarried woman, with no children of her own, wrote the piece with all the nuances of a mother inspiring her children to look around with curiosity. In 1962, came the book that made the world sit up and notice. â€Å"Silent Spring† attracted many opinions; not all of them were flattering.Based on her research on the ill effects of pesticides on animal and human world, it brought a deluge of savage comments from those whose interests clashed with the ideas expressed in the book. Agricultural and trade journals, pesticide producers and owners of chemical factories- all attacked Carson and generated a lot of negative publicity. But nevertheless, â€Å"Silent Spring† appealed to the public and became a best seller. It generated a wave of environmental concerns. Even President John F.Kennedy was moved by the book and appointed a special panel to examine the various points the book raised. All the research, investigation and hard work that Carson had put in the book bore results and even the Presidential Committee confirmed Rachel’s concerns about the pesticides. The book raised genuine concerns about the concentration of DDT in the food chain and these timely concerns led to early action and averted what could have been a catastrophe after a few years.But what Carson had to suffer for making her views public was unbelievable. Her health failed her and yet she endured the barrage of ill meaning comments thrown at her after publication of â€Å"Silent Spring†. Breast cancer finally took its toll on her life and Rachel Carson died o April 14, 1964. Many laurels were bestowed on her during her lifetime and she deserved each one of them. She was presented with the Schweitzer Medal of the Animal Welfare Institute.She was also given the National Wildlife Federation’s â€Å"Conservationist of the Year†. But perhaps the greatest award was the response her readers gave her. Their admiration, adulation and their applause made her into an icon, a status she richly deserved. Her ideas of environmental concerns became really famous and common after her death. She was never against technology and development; it was only indiscriminate and reckless progress that irked her.She campaigned for controlled and calculated use of pesticides through her book â€Å"Silent Spring† Rachel Carson was responsible for environmental concern becoming the household term that it is now. Her revolutionary ideas set the trail for others to follow. Now the whole world has woken up to the harmful effects of pesticides to food chains. At that time, however she had been saddled with negative comments and personal humiliation. Her personal life was also littered with losses throughout.A spinster till death, she had to suffer a lot of speculation over her long and intimate friendship with Dorothy Freeman. A lot can be learnt from her life which was a roller coaster ride with many twists and turns. A rich and true tribute to her persona will be our waking up to the damage being done to our fragile eco- system and our efforts to rectify that. WORKS CITED â€Å"Breaking Nature’s Silence: Pennsylvania’s Rachel Carson† Lisa Budwig â€Å"Rachel Carson Dies of Cancer: ‘Silent Spring’ author was 56† Obituary, The New York Times. .

Diversified workforce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diversified workforce - Essay Example anization because such a workforce helps in making better decisions, helps in satisfying customer needs and creates a positive image of the organization. A very important element in the success of an organization is the way decisions are made in the organization. A successful organization is one which is able to take creative decisions in order to compete in a highly competitive environment. Decision making is one area which helps in enhancing the creativity of the organization. In the process of decision making, it is essential for the organization to define an issue from different perspective and develop different solutions for a particular issue. Having a diversified workforce can enable the organization in broadly defining the issues it is facing and developing different solutions to a problem. For example: a workforce comprising of people having who have ample amount of experience and who have recently graduated can come up with solutions that have already been tested and solutions that are new. Another key element of organization is its customer and customers of the organization are considered as the heart of the customer. Customer satisfaction is considered very important in order to attract and retain old and new customers. To satisfy the needs of a diverse range of customers organizations require a diversified workforce. A diversified workforce can interact with customers and develop customer intimacy and identify the needs that they want to be fulfilled. This enables the organization in developing goods and services which caters to the needs of different customers which enables the organization in attracting and retaining customers. A third key element of the success of the organization is the image that it creates in the mind of its stakeholders. Organizations that do not have a diversified workforce are considered as organizations that practice discrimination by employing only individuals that belong to one particular group. Due to this they face

Quantitative and qualitative measures of real estate investment Essay

Quantitative and qualitative measures of real estate investment performance, and their use, usefulness and limitations in the re - Essay Example According to Feng, (2010, p, 11), Internal Rate of Return and property based portfolios have also been used. The quantitative and qualitative measures of real estate investment performance are useful, but they have some limitations, in the real estate investment decision-making process. This is because of the complex nature of real estate investment. Therefore, it may be difficult to absolutely appraise performance in real estate investment. In reference to Albert Einstein’s quote, â€Å"Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted," it is worthy to note that there is no precise method of performance method that includes all the important elements and leaves out elements that do not contribute to performance measurement. In measuring real estate investment performance, real estate investors and managers, as well as, analysts use methods such as Simple Pay-Back and Simple Return on Investment (ROI) models (Muldavin, 2010, p, 98). Thes e models may be partially effective because they take into account factors such as the amount of return earned or associated with real investment. However, Simple Pay-Back and Simple Return on Investment models are essentially faulty because they fail to consider revenue or risk (Muldavin, 2010, p, 98). ... , these financial models obtain their results, based principally on initial development costs of real estate investments and operations costs savings (Muldavin, 2010, p, 98). It is not only the initial development costs and operations costs that determine the performance level of a real estate investment. There are other factors such as risk, based on market trends, which are expected to influence the performance of an investment. These factors are left out; hence they do not count all the elements that contribute to real investment performance. With this in mind, it can then be deduced that not everything that counts can be counted. Another measure that is used in the measurement of performance of a real estate investment is the financial model for evaluating real estate investments, Discounted Cash Flow analysis (DCF) (Muldavin, 2010, p, 98). The Discounted Cash Flow analysis addresses financial implications of sustainability. It also, facilitates the integration of quantitative an d qualitative analysis to measure the sustainable property's financial performance (Muldavin, 2010, p, 98). However, it should be noted that it is not only financial implications of sustainability of a real investment that counts, but also other factors that are market related, which cannot be quantified. Therefore, not all that counts can be counted. The use quantitative and qualitative methods in the measurement of performance of real estate investments involve the formulation of some financial assumptions, which are made for property. These financial assumptions pertain to performance measures such as rent, occupancies, and capitalization rates. The financial assumptions are derived, based on qualitative judgement and analysis of the best quantitative and qualitative information

Joan Alexandra Molinsky Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Joan Alexandra Molinsky - Essay Example In 1987, however, Rivers life began to spiral downward when her husband, Edgar Rosenberg, committed suicide. This event, combined with a declining career, was the onset of a deep depression for Rivers, as well as the beginnings of bulimia. Rivers states how a devastating loss affects hunger in two ways - erasing it or launch it to new heights. "For me the suicide inspired a gastronomic space program." she claims (Rivers, 1997, p.98). She describes the beginnings of a binge - overeating rich foods until she felt bloated and her clothes became too small - at which point she reached the solution of self-induced vomiting. Occasional purges soon evolved into weekly then twice a day rituals. Rivers timed her purges to happen roughly a half hour after a meal; she realized she must admit the problem to her therapist when she pulled over to vomit in a rest area bathroom. When she finally admitted her bulimia to her therapist Dr. Michael Greenstein, his observation reflects the general state of her life: out of control. Because of this, one of the few things she has been able to control is her bodily intake and output, which has manifested itself in the form of bulimia. Eating disorders are actually psychological disorders and can frequently be triggered by traumatizing events. The proper name of bulimia is Bulimia Nervosa (BN), which translates as "ox hunger", and refers specifically to a binge and purge cycle happening at least twice a week for at least six months. Purging methods include self-induced vomiting, or the abuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas. Bulimics may also resort to fasting or exhibit obsessive compulsions to exercise. Sufferers often share similar personality traits: they tend towards perfectionism, while retaining a sense of low self-esteem despite their accomplishments. Depression is a frequent contributor to the disorder's development as well. Unfortunately, since the psychology of bulimia is often related to larger emotional issues, both the condition and the original problems complement and augment each other, resulting in a worsening of all symptoms (Eating Disorders, 2005). There are several Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment (CB) methods for BN: such as various behavior, psychodynamic, family, or experiential therapies, or a Twelve-Step program using the disorder as an addiction. CBT is a process by which the patient comes to recognizes the true psychological issues, learn more constructive coping mechanisms in relation to these, and then modify their behavior to return to more acceptable eating patterns while preventing relapses. Anti-depressants frequently help, as they curb the appetite while inhibiting the root depression; different anti-depressants seem to work equally well (Wilson and Pike, 2001). With Dr. Greenstein, Joan Rivers learned to identify her grief of her husband's suicide and was able to return to host a daytime talk show through the years 1989-1993 (Wikkipedia, 2006), the ending of which coincided with the death of her therapist and her returning to live in New York. Her depression was growing worse. The combination of her husband's los s, her talk show ending, a brief Broadway show collapsing and the failure of her jewelry venture

How technolgy and information system asserts commercial and industrial Essay

How technolgy and information system asserts commercial and industrial trade - Essay Example technologies and how these in unison with each other form the rationale for the exact basis of the changing business trends, ever so often adopted fads and so on and so forth. (Fitzgerald, 2000) It is quite possible to think of the changing technological regimes in the context of present day business scenarios but when one looks at them from a global standpoint, the ideology related with the technological market can be nothing else but considered flawed in the real sense of the word. For this not to happen, one needs to study the technological angles that are set in individual countries and then categorize them with the regional or on a broader context, continental basis. After this has happened, one could go on and introduce the respective technology on a worldwide footing. All this needs proper understanding of business insights, foreseeable changes in the related scheme of things and a general know-how with regards to the strategies, tactics and activities that an industrial trade or commerce entity would entail whilst keeping in mind the entire business perspective. Technology is advancing at a rapid speed and due to this factor, the business perspectives need to be aligned with these regimes so that in the end there is a complete mesh between the technological advancements and the manner in which they are exploited upon by the commerce and industrial circles, both at the client side as well as the ones who are designing for it, i.e., the advertising agency. (Streeter, 2000) The changes have happened not only on the scientific advancements’ side but also at the forefront of business scenarios which have seemingly changed their stance towar ds the improved and enhanced technologies with the passage of time. However this requires a special effort from the people who are at the helm of affairs within the commerce and industrial circles relating that with the technological settings since this aligning is so very vital to the overall effect and the consequences

Compare and contrast the central tenets of liberalism and realism. How Essay - 1

Compare and contrast the central tenets of liberalism and realism. How do they differ Is there any common ground between them - Essay Example War and efforts for force turn into the key situation of realist. Liberals launch the thought of force to incorporate corporate agreements, trade and entity agreements. Realism is embodied that the world domain is revolutionary and comprises of autonomous political units called countries. These are the most significant units of movement, intrinsically controlling some hostile military capability or force which makes them conceivably risky to one another; countries can never make certain about the aims of different states. The fundamental rationale driving countries is the endurance and upholding of power; countries are sane and consider how to survive. The two methodologies are comprehended to contrast significantly in their core presumptions, in the empirical substances they can clarify, and in the forecasts that take after from their hypothetical affirmations. Though, with the appearance of realism, realists and liberals have appeared to be moving faster together (Gross, 2005). It can be said that, realism and liberalism collectively can demonstrate considerably more, in a more precise way, than they can independently. The realist model has yielded prosperous knowledge into phenomena. Hence for every model in global relations hypothesis to go its own particular way is not ongoing or even supportive it is terrible

Immigration in the United States Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Immigration in the United States - Research Paper Example The United States is unable to regularly review its policies on immigration as it is often a thorny political issue especially during the elections (Immigration in the United States, 1). Initially, immigration in the US was majorly European (due to industrialization) followed by the Chinese who arrived after the discovery of gold in California. Much of the current legislation on immigration in the US is based on family unification and some of the rules that have been put in place to deal with illegal immigration include sanctions, fines and penalties for employers who knowingly employ illegal immigrants, stricter border surveillance and enforcement and legalization of unauthorized immigrants who have been residents for five years and over. However, these measures alone are unable to keep out illegal immigrants and so other laws are constantly introduced (such as those that allow arrests, detentions, deportations, stricter penalties for immigration related crimes, barring chances of legal re-entry for illegal immigrants, tracking foreign visitors and denying access to federal public benefits) and the current legislations often amended (Immigration in the United State s, 1). New regulations make it easier for persons with superior US degrees in fields such as science, math and engineering to acquire work visas. Following the 9/11 attacks, units such as the CBP monitor entry and punishes illegal entry at ports, the ICE oversees things such as detentions and removals and the USCIS determines applications, petitions, asylum and refugee requests, among other functions. New stricter rules in the aftermath of these attacks mean tighter border inspections, tracking of foreign born personnel in the US, more stringent visa screening, prohibited issuance of driver’s license to illegal persons and expanded grounds for one to be refused admission, removed or declared fit for asylum/ protection. In addition, collaboration with foreign governments and

Valuation of AirThread Connections Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Valuation of AirThread Connections - Assignment Example The biggest assumption which is taken for this scenario is the steady as well as lower cost pattern especially in terms of recurring cost of people and supervisor which is estimated to be $20,000 per year for the next years. On the other hand, the estimated benefits of to be derived from this project in next five years are also another contributing factor in arriving such huge NPV such that increased profits amounts to around $160,000 per year over the next five years. In this way, this project would successfully achieve the positive NPV of $257,065. The second scenario is referred to as the neutral strategy such that in this particular scenario, the final figure of NPV would be zero as the cost of capital of the project (discount rate) would be exactly equal to the Internal Rate of Return (IRR). The other assumptions of this strategy are the same however there are few changes as well. The major change in the assumptions of this scenario is that the software cost of the project has been reduced from $175,000 to around $118,128. The other major changes include the increase in the recurring cost of people and supervisor which has been increased from $20,000 to $50,000 and $40,000 in first and second year respectively and kept constant at $30,000 each year for the next three years of the project. The other major change is the decrease in the amount of profits such that profits are assumed to be reduced from $160,000 to $40,000 and $60,000 in first and second year respectively whereas it is kept constant at $80,000 per year for the rest of the project life. In this way, the cash outflows are exactly equal to the project cash inflows, thereby generating nil NPV for the project which indicates a breakeven position of the project. The defensive strategy is developed to highlight the negative consequences and effects of cash flows upon the project. All the assumptions

Crime of their child Essay Example for Free

Crime of their child Essay The argument here is whether parents play a significant role in the formation of self control towards committing a crime of their child. Well, psychologically, this is still debatable. This is a matter of â€Å"nature or nurture†. The problem is whether the child’s personality is influenced by the environment’s upbringing, the genetic composition of the child, or both. We can not merely say that the formation of self-control towards committing a crime is environmentally motivated—which in most cases the parent’s discipline to their children. There are a lot of parentless people out there and are doing well in the society. In fact, some of them are more responsible and self-disciplined. The person’s personality is not merely dependent on how he is molded when he is a child but also on how he interacted with the environment he is situated. People have free will and are liberated on how he will decide on his life—what to choose, left or right, black or white, good or bad. Let us now talk about genetic composition alone. Do you think that every person has different levels of self control? For me, it is yes. But we can not directly say that personality is solely influenced by the person’s genetic composition but also the shaping by its environment—the parents. There are some people that are used to be bad but have managed and chose to be good. It’s what we call personal autonomy—we have the control to our lives. To conclude, I personally believe that a person’s character is motivated and influenced both genetically and environmentally. The two factors contribute to the formation of the person’s personality, specifically the formation of self control which we are discussing right now.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Essay Example for Free

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Essay On the surface Baba and Amir depict completely contrasting personalities. Amir is a timid, insecure child. Baba is a generous, respected over-achiever. Despite outward appearances however they share some startling similarities. They both hide a terrible secret from everyone they hold dear, and they both spend a significant part of their lives trying to atone for their respective sins. Its only when they deal with these issues that their true colors really show. In reality Baba and Amirs few similarities far outweigh their many differences. Amir and Baba appear to the outside world, and even to each other to be completely different people. Amir perceives Baba as perfect. Amir sees his father as a wealthy, and powerful man; everything anyone could aspire to be. In contrast Baba sees Amir as a weakling and a coward for the most part. He seems almost disgusted by Amirs weak stomach and cowardly tendencies. Baba loves Amir, but he finds his inability to relate to him a difficult hurdle to get over. Baba was athletic as a young man, a competitor who was used to winning. He used what he knew and tried to relate to Amir through sports, but despite Amirs best attempts to feign interest Baba saw through his charade, which only discouraged him further. Amir made his own attempts to bridge the gap between them with his stories, but Baba simply dismissed them as being childish. Baba would not encourage Amir to pursue writing because he didnt see it as a masculine thing to do. Perhaps one of the most prevalent differences between Baba and Amir is the way they see Hassan. In many ways Baba sees him as the son Amir should have been. Hassan is athletic, hard working, and exceptionally loyal. Amir treats Hassan like an underling, someone who makes him feel better about himself. Amir used Hassans illiteracy to make him feel better about himself. Even though they are genuinely friends, Amir still thinks of him as merely a Hazara, and harbors jealousy towards any affection Hassan receives from Baba. Hassan is not only the catalyst to many of their biggest differences, but also the foundation for their most intimate similarity. Baba and Amir may seem completely different but the biggest testament to their similar personalities is the way they deal with the most serious problems in their lives. Baba fathers an illegitimate son and tried to keep  him a secret for the sake of reputation. Amir allowed his best friend to be raped and uses the incident to gain his fathers love. Baba tried to alleviate his guilt over bedding his servants wife by treating Hassan equal to Amir, showering him with gifts and affection. Showing affection to Amir however made Baba feel even guiltier about Hassans situation so Amir is starved of his love. Subsequently Amir began to despise Hassan and did nothing to help him when he was raped by Assef. In fact he used the situation to force Hassan and Ali out of his home. The regret he faced haunted him for the rest of his life and he tried to atone for it by getting Hassans son out of Afghanistan. Both father and son in this scenario spent their lives dealing with an incident that they couldnt overcome. Baba showed he could be as cowardly as Amir when he refused to acknowledge Hassan as his son, and Amir showed he could be as brave as his father by going to Afghanistan and fighting Assef to save Sohrab. Baba and Amir found it difficult to show affection for one another throughout Amirs childhood due in large part to the glaring differences in their personalities. However, late in life Amir realizes that theyre really two of a kind. When theyre forced to deal with problems they show that their natural tendencies are strikingly similar. Baba and Amirs personalities are polar opposites, but at their core they are the same. Bibliography: Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

Methods to improve personal and professional skills

Methods to improve personal and professional skills Methods to improve personal and professional skills Successful jobs and promotions seekers recognize their degrees and work experience are not enough to distinguish them from the crowded field of candidates. Though college degrees, professional certificates and experience help you meet the minimum criteria to apply, once you get the chance to interview your demonstrated communication, self management and behavioral skills combined with your presence is what will distinguish you from the competition. Your level of professionalism will relate directly to the degree to which you will RISE ABOVE THE CROWD! We may be a valued employee but if our skills and contributions dont accelerate over the years, especially in tough time like credit crunch, we may find our self out of a job. Its good that the boss likes you, but when are up against serious challenges to the ongoing success of the company, being a liked, known quantity is not enough. The only way we could find successful carrier by Exploring and evaluate methods to improve personal and professional skills and explore methods to improve them. Moreover, company must visualize our talents and contributions as essential to the companys future success. If we are doing a decent job, our reporting employees like and get along with us, and the job is getting done, well likely coast for a little. Change is difficult even when change would be beneficial the organization. Personal skill is something which is the inner responsibility and self esteem. If we take some aspects of personal skill it can be categorized into the followings: Carefulness: This is what we can say think before acting. This helps with reducing the chance for costly errors, as well as keeping a steady workflow going. [1] Cooperation: It is the willingness to cooperate in a working environment with your colleagues or work mates. Creativity: This is the thinking and imagination or you can say different perception in order to bring something positive in the organisation. It is also called as ‘thinking out of box. Discipline: This includes the ability to complete the task with enthusiastic and determined way without being distracted or bored. Drive: Every business needs people with the drive and ‘to do attitude for their growth. Good attitude: This has been shown to predict counter productive work behaviors, job performance and theft. Goodwill: This is a long term record of the person who has got some well-intentioned remarks on his behalf. Influence: This includes the motivational power to influence people in order to maintain a good working team. A strong leader can influence a mass and carry out them in a way to reap gain. Optimism: Productivity is directly proportional to positive attitude which is the optimism. Order: This show the proper placement of thing in order to retrieve them easily when and wherever it is needed. Safe work behavior: Every organisation needs people with knowledge of self protection and safety rules. These include the general fire alarm and first-aid knowledge. Savvy: This is about knowledge about your co-workers behavior and personality and way of dealing with them. It includes a tendency to read other peoples motives from observed behavior and use this information to guide ones thinking and action. Sociability: This is all about socializing while working in the work place. The more you socialize the better less job tensions and more productivity. Stability: This means a tendency to maintain composure and rationality in stressful work situations. The Professional skills are as followings: COMMUNICATION: It is again can be divided into two parts- Verbal and Non Verbal (or Written). [2] Oral- Public speaking, general conversation, seminars, conferences, presentations, workshops and negotiation. Written- Letters, proposals, reports, speeches, manuals, press releases, articles for periodicals and publications PROBLEM SOLVING: It is the skill needed by the employer in order to work efficiently in times when the situation demands and no one there to help. It also can be taking initiative in case of a problem while others find it hard to tackle. It can be classified as followings: [3] Trouble shooting- Problem identification, problem analysis and problem resolution Personnel- Employee morale and satisfaction, productivity and efficiency, work simplification and work flow improvement Customer and Public Relations- Liaison and coordination, improvement in customer service and satisfaction and client support. Personal and Professional development plan Most importantly it is crucial to remember that personal and professional development need to be intentional if they are to result improve individual and organization effectiveness. Plans should connect individual and institution need to meaningful activities. Outcome associated with those activities should be evaluated. Professional development is incomplete without continue professional development (CPD).This normally assists us to orient our self to the subject and in the course of doing so, CPD is a process by which individuals take control of their own learning and development. This progression is empowering and exciting and can inspire people to achieve their goal and move toward their dreams. CPD core concept is the we (as an employee) is in control, CPD is holistic process and can address all aspects of life and balance between them, regular looking forward how we want to be, reflecting on how we are working from our present position towards the future direction, helps in achieving CPD`s purpose and adds hunger and direction to work and learning. CPD works if we have the support and financial backing of our employer and it also works even if the employer is unconcerned or hostile.(Megginson, Whitaker,2003) Value of competence framework in an organisation ïÆ'Ëœ Make companies recruitment process more successful by using competencies to establish the crucial match between job candidates and the demand of the role. ïÆ'Ëœ Manage employees performance more effectively by using competencies to provide performance benchmarks and identify those employees with potential. ïÆ'Ëœ Design a more appropriate training and development programme by using competencies to identify learning needs. ïÆ'Ëœ Improve motivation by using competencies to clarify the link between pay and performance. (Amstrong,2000) Value of competence framework in individuals ïÆ'Ëœ It help to develop and define competencies that are a valuable management tool, providing a common language and framework for understanding organizations performance. ïÆ'Ëœ Explore how to select the competency model that best suits organizations need. ïÆ'Ëœ Helps to understand the fundamental components involved in designing an effective competency framework. ïÆ'Ëœ Effectively implement the competency framework to ensure it contributes organization success. ïÆ'Ëœ Helps to overcome the critical challenges that so often effective implementation ïÆ'Ëœ Improve professional experience through discussions. ( Amstrong,2000) Importance of Planning We tend to use any excuse not to get down to work, and one is uncertainty over where to begin; â€Å"Shall I do this or that?† And the uncertainty becomes an excuse for doing something else and in the end we would be running around like headless chickens not knowing what to do next. So its highly imperative to plan in advance so that there will be clear structure of how to execute the particular task successfully. The simple expedient of writing a list of various things to do and the order in which you are going to do them can save a considerable amount of time. Although it is important not be overly ambitious while planning as you can always do something extra at the end if time permits. When you make a list of everything you have to do the following day, your subconscious mind works on that list all night long and when you wake up next day, you will be able to generate more insights and develop strategies to help accomplish the task in hand. It will also help to use manpower , opportunities and resources you need to achieve your goals and complete the assignment successfully. So planning well in advance is necessary and recommended because it eradicates all the doubts and ambiguity regarding the task and helps an individual to forge ahead and complete the task in the best possible way. [6] Stress management techniques Job stress and its related conditions, job burnout, contribute to poor physical and mental health. Employee stress is a source of discomfort and a major concern to managers and stockholders. According to research, a worker stress cost $300 billion annually due to lot of productivity, increase workers compensation claims, and anxiety in general of dread, fear or worry for no immediate reason, and is a symptom of stress. Behavioral symptoms include nervous habits, such as facial twitching, and sudden decreases in job performance due to forgetfulness and errors in concentration or judgment. The control techniques consist of both actions and mental evaluations that help people take change in stress situation. (a) Get social support- Few people can do it alone when experiencing prolonged stress. Receiving social support encouragement, understanding and friendship- from other people is an important strategy for coping successfully with job stress. (b) Improve your work habit- This technique can be used for improving your personal productivity to reduce stress. People typically experience stress when they feel themselves losing control of their work assignments. Conscientious employees are especially prone to negative stress when they cannot get their work under control. (c) Develop positive self talk- Stress resistant people are basically optimistic and cheerful. This kind of positivism can be learned by switching to positive talk instead of thinking about negative thoughts. (d) Demand less than perfection from yourself- By demanding les than 100% performance than yourself, you will fail less frequently in your own perception. Not measuring up to ones own unrealistically high standards creates a considerable amount stress. Few human can operate with zero defects or ever achieve six-sigma perfection. (e) Strive not to neglect aspects of life outside of work- There is a big difference between a negative type of workaholic and a person who simply works hard and long to achieve constructive goals. A negative workaholic usually becomes anxious when not working. When a person neglects other aspects of life outside of work, such as spending time with family, friends and physical exercise, the person is more likely to suffer from stress symptoms such as irritability and lack of focus. [7] References : 1. www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?/pdf/(cited 10 July 2009) 2. www.communicationskills.co.in/t (cited 10 July 2009) 3. Robson , Continuous process improvement: simplifying work flow , p37 4. Continuing professional development, by David Megginson, Vivien Whitaker,2003 5. Performance management: key strategies and practical guidelines‎ by Michael Armstrong Limited preview 2000 6. Goals! How to get everything you want- faster than you ever thought possible, ‘Manage your time well by Brian Tracy, PP 165-166 7. Essentials of management by Andrew J DuBrin,, 7th edition, 2005, pp 18-28. Key questions for the Pragmatist Q1 Shall I be learning to do things with obvious practical links to my job? A1 It is easier to learn from experience when you can actually relate your learning to real life experience. When you have actually gone through the experience, you will be able to pick out and isolate the flaws and rectify it. Q2 Will the learning approach includes lots of practical tips and techniques? A2 After going through all the theory, techniques and concepts, it is imperative to have a reality check and test the practicality of the theories and concepts. it is very useful to learn practical tips and techniques along with the theory. Q3 Will there be ample opportunities to practice and experiment using â€Å"live† problems or good simulations? A3 There will be sufficient opportunities to practice and experiment during your learning but the most important thing is to understand the concept. A single practical experiment could able to solve a hundred theory questions. So even if there is no exact practical solution to a particular problem, you can always correlate it to previous experience and could find out the solution. Q4 Will there be coaching and feedback from a credible expert or role model: ie someone who is successful and can do what is being taught themselves? A4. An experienced person has the wealth of knowledge and expertise which he can share to the budding managers. And at the same time his feedback to a particular solution is equally important. Q5 Will there be an immediate real life application which can be included in my action plans? A5 It will be very useful you could include immediate real life application into you action plan because then It become more easier and the Individual will be able to perform the task in the best possible way. Q6 Will it contribute to the immediate performance of myself and my colleagues by addressing current problems? A6. It will not only contribute to the immediate performance but also have a positive impact on the future performance of an individual or a team by addressing current problems. Personal Development Plan A PDP is just a different name for an action plan which refers specifically to your aspirations regarding personal development. Plans are made every day, but are not always written down and for those reasons PDP are drawn which allows you to set your own personal targets and find the best possible way to achieve them. An action plan will help you to envisage what you are doing and keep track of your achievements. To be totally effective, it must be reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that it is always precise, appropriate and pragmatic. [1] Personal development plan is a key component in the future working practice of all professionals. In the future, educational provision should be based on educational needs assessment. This means that the individual and the organisation must find a method to identify their educational needs and then methods to fulfil those needs for the benefit of the company. These plans are designed to structure educational activity of managers and their teams and to accomplish specific areas of development within the practice. They should take into account the individuals learning needs, the developmental needs of the practice as a whole and the priorities of the company. It consists of the following plan: †¢ Specifying how the learning needs are identified. †¢ The educational activity proposed to meet those needs †¢ How the plan will be addressed. Balancing the development needs of the managers to meet the needs of individual team members is sometimes difficult. Through Professional Development Plan individuals can start to understand why some areas of practice activity are given priority over others and how the decision was made. [2] What skills do you need to develop to do the job better? Are these shortcomings in your management capacities that you need to try to address? Are these projects or special assignments that you could get involved in that could strengthen you skills? Are there formal courses or programs that could strengthen your capabilities? It is especially critical that you do this when you are making key career passages. If you are a first time manager, get in the habit early of asking your boss for feedback and help in developing supervisory skills. Your willingness to seek candid feedback on your strength and weakness and, critically, your ability to act on the feedback send a powerful message. The same fundamental principle holds whether you are becoming a manager for the first time, functional leader, a general manager, or CEO. Whenever you are at a point in your career when success demands a different set of skills and attitudes, discipline yourself to be open to learning from others who ha ve gone before you. Dont restrict your focus on hard skills. The higher you rise, the more important the key soft skills of cultural and political diagnosis, negotiation, coalition building, and conflict management will become. Formal training can help, but development assignments- in project teams, in new parts of organisation, in different functions, in different locations- are indispensible in honing these key managerial skills. For example, no matter what type of situation you are entering, it can be useful to put together a 90- day plan and to get buy-in from your boss. Usually you will be able to devise a plan after a couple of weeks in the new job, when you have begun to connect with the organisation and to get the lay of the land. Your 90-day plan should be written, even if it just consists of bullet points. It should specify priorities and goals as well as milestones. Critically, you should share it with your boss and seek buy-in for it. It should serve as a contract betwee n the two of you about how you are going to spend your time, spelling out both what you will do and what you will not do. To begin to develop your plan, divide the 90 day into three blocks of 30-days. At the end of each block, you will have a review meeting with your boss. [3] In development programmes, there is an emphasis on personal development and planned learning from experience. Personal development programme is carried out by individual with guidance, encouragement and help from their managers as required. A personal development plan sets out the actions people prepare to take to learn and develop themselves. They take responsibility for formulating and implementing the plan, but they receive support from the organisation and their managers in doing so.Personal Development Programme consists of following stages 1. Analyse current situation and development needs What am I good at? a. Communication Skills b. Sincerity and Hardworking attitude c. Creativity What do I need to work on? a. Personal Organisation b. Leadership Skills c. Decision Making What could help me along? a. Taking responsibility for the activities of others during work experience. b. Setting priorities and meeting deadlines. c. Organising various activities and events. What could stop me? a. Lack of resources (money/time). b. Lack of concentration and focus. 2. Set Goals- These could include improving performance in the current job, improving or acquiring skills, extending relevant knowledge, developing specified areas of competence and preparing for changes in the current role. The most appropriate way or organising work is to set short term goals, medium term goals and long term goals. 3. Prepare action plan- The action plan sets out what needs to be done and how it will be done under headings such as outcome expected, the development activities, the responsibility for development and timing. Reference 1. www.learning-forces.org.uk//PERSONAL%20DEVELOPMENT%20PLANS2.doc, (cited 22 August 2009. 2. Personal Development and Practice Professional Development Plans in Primary Care Sector, by Derek Gallan, Glyns Buckle, 2001, pp 3-12. 3. The first 90 days: critical success strategies for new leaders at all levels By Michael Watkins, 2003, pp120-143. 4. A handbook of Human Resource Management Practices By Micheal Armstrong, 2001, pp 571-580.

The Importance of Weather in Kate Chopins The Storm :: Chopin Storm Essays

The Importance of Weather in The Storm      The Storm, by Kate Chapin, is a short story about two people that have and affair during a storm.   Basically, it’s like this.   The story involves two families, that of Bobinot, Calixta, and Bibi, and Alcee, Clarisse, and their babies.   Calixta is at her house separated from her family due to the storm.   Alcee is separated from his family because they are visiting another town.   The storm brings Calixta and Alcee together and they have an affair.   It s set in a small town in the late 1800s.   A storm can mean many things, both good and bad, and it is important to the story both symbolically and directly.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The storm acts as a catalyst in the story as it causes the events to unfold as they do.   The first real direct effect the storm has in the story is that it is what causes Bobinot and Bibi to stay at the local store to take shelter.   This of course leaves Calixta home alone.   Alcee, we are lead to believe, was out riding his horse somewhere near Calixta s house when the storm started.   This causes him to take shelter there.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Before Calixta got married five years earlier, the two had romantic feelings toward each other.   They rarely saw each other after that, and this what the first time since then that they had been alone together.   Because of the awkward feelings he had, Alcee   expressed an intention to remain outside (666).   This is where the storm, because it is a rather big storm, forces him to go inside.   Once inside it seems harmless conversation would be all that took place.   But alas, the storm once again comes into play.   While Calixta, worried about her family, it looking out the window the storm sends down a huge lightning bolt into a tree nearby.   This causes her to jump and for Alcee to instinctively grab her in his arms.   The storm now comes into play one last time.   As Calixta is nervously pacing around the house (because of the storm), Alcee grabs her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down.   At this point their old feelings become too overwh elming resulting in an affair.   When the storm ends, it symbolizes the end of the affair.   We are never told what Chapin meant by the title   The Storm.

Juxtaposing Viewpoints on Genetic Species Revival Essay -- genetic engi

Though it may seem that the issue of species revival through a means of genetic science is a modern idea, similar arguments throughout the past also hold relevance to the modern issue of genetic species revival. To better understand the issue as it becomes more prevalent, it is important to examen different perspectives that span many centuries time, generating new insight on the issue. Examining different perspectives on the perceived human influences on species extinction vs. natural law and lack of adaptability, and give a determination on the ethical implications to society and ecology from the above arguments and philosophies from each viewpoint. Through these key statements, the arguments on genetic species revival can be effectively argued. The premise of the entire argument for and against genetic species revival rests with either the belief in human influences on species, or natural law. Human influences as a cause for species extinction is a recent idea which author Carl Zimmer gives a his main reason for favoring genetic species revival. â€Å"If we’re talking about species we drove extinct, then I think we have an obligation to try to do this† (Zimmer 451). In the authors opinion, human influences trump natural law, which he would consider to be an outdated and non-effective way of looking at how species become extinct. Therefore, because natural law is only a way of looking at how species become extinct, it is not a solution to species extinction. Thus, genetic species revival is the only way which human influences can be combated and the problem of species extinction can be solved. True, human influences may be a new idea ascribed as reason to species extinction. Yet Charles Darwin, an 19th century natural b... ...ophies from each viewpoint. From these statements, the issue of genetic species revival can be argued and a real and ethical solution to the issue derived. Works Cited Darwin, Charles, and David Quammen. On the Origin of Species. New York: Sterling, ! ! 2008. Print.! Leakey, Richard E., and Roger Lewin. The Sixth Extinction: Biodiversity and Its ! ! ! Survival. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1996. Print.! "Marcus Tullius Cicero Quotes." Marcus Tullius Cicero. European Graduate School ! ! EGS, 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.! Parry, Roland L. "Ancient Beasts Roam Spain's Wilderness." NewsDaily.com. Agence ! ! France Presse, 02 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. ! Zimmer, Carl. "Bringing Them Back to Life." Good Reasons With Contemporary ! ! ! Arguments. 6th ed. Ed. Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer. San Francisco: Pearson, ! ! 2014. 445-451. Pearson eText. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.!

Rebel Without a Clue in John Updikes A&P Essay example -- Updike A&P

Rebel Without a Clue in Updike’s A & P  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Adults always stress that it is important to make a good first impression. That is what Sammy was trying to accomplish in John Updike’s "A & P." Although some people believe that Sammy is a hero for standing up for his beliefs when he quit, there is conclusive evidence that he quit in an attempt to impress a girl he was obviously attracted to, Queenie. We know he is attracted to Queenie because he goes to great lengths to tell us what she looks like, what her mannerisms are, and the way that the other girls follow her. For example, he says, "She was the Queen. She kind of led them, the other two peeking around and making their shoulders round" (1026). This simple quote shows that Sammy immediately identified Queenie as the one in charge. Another quote that describes this perfectly is, "but you got the idea that she had talked the other two into coming in here with her, and now she was showing them how to do it, walk slow and hold yourself straight" ( 1026). Naturally Sammy is attracted to Queenie and wants to be noticed by her. Sammy thinks to himself "She must have felt in the corner of her eye me and over my shoulder Stokesie in the second slot watching, but she didn’t trip. Not this queen" (1027). Sammy is surprised to see something like this in his town. He says, "and the women generally put on a shirt or shorts or somet hing before they get out of the car and into the street. And anyway these are usually women with six children and varicose veins mapping their legs and nobody, including them could care less" (1027). Sammy’s descriptions also indicated he had a lot of sexual interest in Queenie. He describes her as vividly as he can. He starts with saying, "With the s... ...will be from there on. Sammy was able to bring attention to himself, but it did not work the way that he had hoped it would. The girls most likely didn’t even acknowledge that he even quit. He tried very hard to get Queenie to see him and accept him, but that didn’t work either. Since Sammy’s attempt to impress the girls did not work, he was left standing in a deep shadow called life. I agree with Nathan Hatcher who wrote, "Sammy quits his job not on a matter of ideals, but rather as a means of showing off and trying to impress the girls, especially Queenie" (37). Works Cited Hatcher, Nathan. "Sammy’s Motive." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays: Student Writing at Virginia Wesleyan College. Ed. Connie Bellamy. Norfolk, Virginia, 1996. 37. Updike, John. "A&P." Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed Sullivan Barnet. NY: HarperCollims, 1989. 1026-1030.      

India Superpower Essay

It has been more than 60 years since India got its independence and a lot has changed. Radios have been replaced by LCDs, tongas have been replaced by autos and busses and matkas have been replaced by refrigerators. Indian Companies have made it to the word stage. Companies like TATA own few of the most premium brands of the world such as Jaguar on one hand while the world’s cheapest car ‘Nano’ on the other. Indians hold very high posts all over the world be it Obama’s cabinet, United Nations or the World Bank. India has highest youth population. Our India also has one of the largest army in the world which is capable of facing any other superpower in the world. There is a growth in the infrastructure too. Metro has made short distance travelling comfortable and easier. But is it really a superpower? We have second largest population in the world, but there are very few companies having interaction presence. There is deep-rooted corruption. Most of the politicians are involved in scams like Common Wealth Games scam, 2G scam, Coal scam and even fodder scam. The people of India have got used to corruption. We also have highest youth population, but what is the use when there is no proper social infrastructure to provide them with the skills? There is no proper system to retain the cream brains in our country. The top brains are handpicked by western countries. Who is at a loss? Its India. We also have a huge army but due to lack of focus on research and development we are dependent on Israel, Russia and France for our weaponries. There is no proper policy framework to stop the growth of population. It is no brainer whether India is a superpower or not . If there is corruption in India, India cannot have a good future. Only a strong policy framework and long sited vision can make it possible and India will again be called the golden bird.

Poverty in Russia Essay

Poverty is not simply about being on a low income. It is also about having poor health, education and housing. Poverty makes people’s lives shorter and more difficult than they need to be. Measuring poverty is difficult. Nevertheless, it is undisputed that a large share of the Russian population lives below the poverty line. The transition from communism to a market-based economy did not create poverty in Russia, but it certainly made life more difficult for many groups of people. The economic transition also witnessed the â€Å"feminization† of poverty. Single-mother families and single elderly women make up a group with the highest poverty risk. In the case of single-mother families, poverty factors include the low individual income of the mother. The elderly also suffer from insufficient pensions, of which 90 percent go to women. The problem for women retirees is compounded by the fact that a pension, which for this age group is largely the only source of income, are higher for men of retirement age than for women. I think that the main problems in Russia are corruption and bureaucracy. It’s a bureaucracy who steals in most cases. They steal from the state. And they steal from citizens in acts of corruption. However Russia isn’t truly poor country. For example: the Human Development Index in Russia is ‘high’, almost ‘very high’. Russian poverty is unnecessary. Like all poverty in today’s high-productivity age, it is the result of bad policy. In my opinion, Russia has many issues that must be solved. Due to the transition Russia has had many struggles, but in order to help the people of the country, the country of Russia has to discover a way to stabilize itself. Russia has the same issues as any other country and hopefully can solve those issues by studying other countries examples and even some of their own to combat the problems that they have.

Reflective Commentary Essay

I have decided to write an expository essay for the Monash University student bulletin. This piece provides information on encountering conflict and intends to provide knowledge to students about the sides you can take when dealing with a conflict. I choose to write this piece as an expository essay as it allows me to explore the topic as best I can, reflecting on issues of encountering conflict. an essay also allows me to use real life examples that students can easily relate to their own life, which enhances their knowledge on the topic. Formal language was used for students to see the seriousness of this issue. The students of Monash University are at a higher educational standard, so there ability to understand formal language is appropriate. The audience of this piece is Monash University students, as well as teachers and other individuals associated with the university, and that read the university’s bulletin. The purpose of this essay is to inform and provide knowledge to university students about the possible conflicts in life, and the decision faced on whether to take a side or not. The aim was to encourage students to make the right decision when choosing whether or not to take a side of a conflict. I felt an expository essay, written with formal language, aimed at Monash University students for the purpose of enhancing their knowledge on conflict, was an effective way of reflecting on the chosen topic. This enabled an opportunity to explore all aspects of the topic, and provide novel and real life examples into the topic of encountering conflict.

Company accounting ch1 tut working Essay

The board of directors has resolved to change the accounting policy for treatment of advertising expenditure. Previously, advertising expenditure has been expensed as incurred. Following extensive market research, the board has taken the view that benefits from advertising expenditure in the form of product awareness and increased sales will be received by the company over a 3-year period following the expenditure. Due to a recent fire and water damage to the company’s accounting records, details of advertising expenditure in prior years have been destroyed. Required: The board of directors has approached you for advice regarding the disclosures, if any, which are required for this change in accounting policy. As the change in accounting policy was voluntary, the provisions of paragraph 29 of AASB 108 are applicable as follows: the nature of the change  the reasons that applying the new accounting policy provides reliable and more relevant information to the extent practicable, the amount of the adjustment for the current and previous periods to each financial statement line item affected and, if applicable, the basic and diluted earnings per share the amount of the adjustment relating to periods prior to those presented to the extent practicable if retrospective application is impracticable, the circumstances that led to the existence of that condition and a description of how and from when the change in accounting policy was applied. To comply with paragraph 29, the change in accounting policy note may be worded as follows (other variations are possible): The board of directors has resolved to change the accounting policy for  treatment of advertising expenditure. Previously, advertising expenditure had been expensed as incurred. However, following extensive market research, the board has taken the view that benefits from advertising expenditure in the form of product awareness and increased sales and will be received by the company over a 3 year period following the expenditure. Accordingly, the board believes the new accounting policy will provide reliable and more relevant information. Retrospective application of this change in accounting policy is impractical following a recent fire and water damage which has destroyed the company’s accounting records. Note, insufficient information was provided in the case study to determine: the amount of the adjustments for the current period to each financial statement line item affected; calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share; and how and from when the change in accounting policy was applied. Case Study 3 – Materiality Antelope Ltd is a catering company specialising in providing catering services to remote area mine sites. The company has operations in Australia but during the current year it acquired significant long-term contracts in Pakistan and Nigeria. AASB 8 Operating Segments requires entities to disclose material segment information but Antelope Ltd has failed to comply with this requirement Required: Discuss whether the non-disclosure of information about operations in Pakistan and Nigeria would be material. Information is material if its omission or misstatement would influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial report (the Conceptual Framework, paragraph QC11). The non-disclosure of information relating the existence of long-term contracts in both Pakistan and Nigeria would be material to the users of Antelope’s financial statement. Both countries are politically and economically unstable so there is a significant risk that these operations could be disrupted exposing Antelope  Ltd to potential losses on the contracts and other losses if corporate employees are harmed or property is destroyed. Disclosing the information allows users to factor in such risks into their predictions about the company’s future performance and position and ensures an informed decision is made. Furthermore, paragraph 12 of AASB 1031 notes: In deciding whether an item or an aggregate of items is material, the size and nature of the omission or misstatement of the items usually need to be evaluated together. In particular circumstances, either the nature or the amount of an item or an aggregate of items could be the determining factor. For example: an entity expands its operations into a new segment which affects the assessment of the risks and opportunities facing the entity (paragraph 12(b)(iii)). Practice QuestionsQAEWRT QUESTION 12.1 NOTE: This solution is only one possibility. Students may use alternative or average base amounts. 1.Unrecorded creditor’s invoices These invoices understate Expenses (purchases and service related expenses) and Accounts Payable by $62 150. Base Amount Error as % of base Profit before tax $352 000 17.7% (62 150/352 000) Payables (current) 316 000 19.7% (62 150/316 000) As the error is greater than 10% of both base amounts it is material and must be adjusted. If the invoices all relate to purchases within a perpetual inventory system the accounts affected are Inventories (current asset) and Accounts Payable (current liability) and there will be nil profit effect. 2.Sales invoices not processed These invoices understate both Sales Revenue and Accounts Receivable by $50 000. Additionally, Cost of goods sold (expense) is understated and Inventory (current asset) is overstated by $36 000. The profit effect is $14 000 ($50 000 – $36 000). Base Amount Error as % of base Profit before tax $352 000 4.0% (14/352) Sales Revenue 3 600 000 1.4% (50/3 600) Receivables (current) 621 000 8.1% (50/621) Inventory (current) 345 000 10.4% (36/345) The omitted invoices are material in relation to inventories and should be adjusted. 3.Bankruptcy of Debtor after reporting date The adjustment will increase Bad Debts expense by $89 120 and decrease Accounts Receivable by $89 120. Base Amount Error as % of base Profit before tax $352 000 25.3% (89 120/352 000) Receivables (current) 621 000 14.4% (89 120/621 000) The overstatement is material in relation to both base amounts and must be adjusted as it relates to conditions existing at reporting date. QUESTION 12.3 The significant variances between the provision for warranty and the actual repairs in the two years indicate that either the policy of using a percentage of net credit sales as a means of estimating warranty costs is not appropriate, or the percentage used is not adequate. The company needs to look at changing either its policy or perhaps simply increasing the percentage used. Past claims as a percentage of past net credit sales should provide a reliable measure. If a new percentage is adopted it will be applied prospectively (from 2015-16 on) according to AASB 108 paragraph 36. If the variance for 2014-15 was due to an error in calculation then, providing it is material, the figures for 2014-15 should be retrospectively corrected (according to AASB 108 paragraph 42) by the following entry: Retained earnings (1 July 2015)Dr 8 000 Provision for WarrantyCr8 000 Additionally, this would indicate that the variance in 2013-14 may be a one-off aberration. QUESTION 12.5 Release of investigator’s report on 1 August 2015 The release of the report and the decision that damages were payable by Antelope Ltd provide new information about conditions existing at the end of the reporting period given that the release of the noxious gases occurred in June 2015. At $750 000 the amount is clearly material (in relation to profit before tax of $360 000) and the following adjustment should be made: June 30Damages expenseDr750 000 Damages payableCr750 000 (Recognition of damages liability) Credit notes raised on 9 July 2015 As these credit notes relate to sales which occurred prior to the end of the reporting period this provides more information about conditions existing at 30 June 2015 and will (or may, depending on materiality) require adjustment by journal entry. However, as the credit notes represent only approximately 4% of profit before tax ($15 000/$360 000), it could be argued that no adjustment is necessary on the grounds of immateriality. The journal entry (ignoring materiality considerations) is shown below: June 30Sales returns and allowancesDr15 000 Accounts receivableCr15 000 (Credit notes relating to June sales) Liquidation of debtor As the liquidation was caused by an event after the end of the reporting period no adjustment will be made as this information does not change the situation that existed at 30 June 2015. However, the $52 000 loss (80 cents in the dollar x $65 000) will be material to next year’s profits based on  the current year’s profit before tax ($52 000/$360 000 = 14%), and must be disclosed by note. Antelope Ltd Notes to the financial statements year ended 30 June 2015 Note X:Events occurring after the end of the reporting period In September 2015, a debtor owing $65 000 went into liquidation. The company expects to recover only 20% of the amount owing.QUESTION AASB 108, paragraph 36 requires that the effect of a change in an accounting estimate shall be recognised prospectively by including it in profit or loss in the period of the change. New information in the form of debts which actually went bad during the year ended 30 June 2015 proved that the estimate of doubtful debts as at 30 June 2014 (last year) was inadequate and should have been $17 600 rather than $12 000. The amount of $5 600 ($17 600 – $12 000) in bad debts written off that was more than allowed for last year has been added to bad debts expense for the current year (i.e. prospectively) in accordance with paragraph 36. The balance of the bad debts expense for the current year, $23 400, is comprised of $17 800 (allowance for doubtful debts as at 30 June 2015 based on an analysis of outstanding account receivable balances) plus $5 600 (adjustment for underestimation of allowance for doubtful debts as at 30 June 2014). The key issue here is whether or not the change in the way Mousedeer Ltd estimates its doubtful debts is a change in an accounting policy. AASB 108, paragraph 35 states ‘A change in the measurement basis applied is a change in an accounting policy, and is not a change in an accounting estimate. When it is difficult to distinguish a change in an accounting policy from a change in an accounting estimate, the change is treated as a change in an accounting estimate.’ The asset here is Accounts Receivable, a financial asset which is measured at the lower of nominal value and recoverable amount. Where a debt is not expected to be collected in full it is  disclosed in the financial statements at its expected amount via the allowance for doubtful debt adjustment. The change in the way this ‘recoverable amount’ is estimated does not change the measurement basis and is therefore not a change in accounting policy. Mousedeer Ltd should disclose the nature and amount of any change in an accounting estimate (according to AASB 108 paragraph 39), usually in its accounting policy note.

Religion as a cause of IntraState War

Disputes and disagreements over religious beliefs have been and continue to be one of the main sources of conflict, civil war, terrorism and even genocide in the modern world. As the noted theologian Hans Kà ¼ng has said: â€Å"There will be no peace among the peoples of the world without peace among the world religions.† (Shaefer,2004)Religious practices and beliefs have often been at the center of conflicts throughout history.   Religious conflict can involve two or more completely different religions or can rip apart one religion from within.   Religious beliefs are so deeply engrained into cultures that conflicts arise with change or when religions come into contact.   Even if the differences are minor, followers of all religions can become fervent when threatened.   In short, religion is something worth fighting for, according to history.   However, possibly one of the greatest ironies is that religious conflict usually goes against the teachings of the religio ns involved.   Imagine the strength of religion when war and violence are justifiable only when defending the faith, a faith that promotes good-will, peace, and the acceptance of others.â€Å"The fact that religion appears in such colorful variety – that there is not one single religion but a plurality – has always been a source of irritation for people,† writes Dr. Schaefer, laying out the problem. â€Å"Religions are in many ways similar, and yet they are so different; there is much which unites them, but also much which divides them. This is indeed irritating. All the world religions teach that there is only one ultimate reality, which we call God. If that is so, there can logically only be one truth: But if there is only one truth, why are there so many religions?†(Shaefer, 2004)â€Å"Once started religious strife has a tendency to go on and on, to become permanent feuds. Today we see such intractable inter-religious wars in Northern Ireland, betwe en Jews and Muslims and Christians in Palestine, Hindus and Muslims in South Asia and in many other places. Attempts to bring about peace have failed again and again. Always the extremist elements invoking past injustices, imagined or real, will succeed in torpedoing the peace efforts and bringing about another bout of hostility.† Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, addressing the World Evangelical Fellowship on 2001-MAY-4In the Philippines, the migration of Christians settlers   to Mindanao and the transmigration program favoring the Christians causes intrastate conflict.   Furthermore, the under-representation of the Muslim in most categories of public service also brings conflict to Christians and Muslims in the Philippines.States have tended to approach religious opposition tactically rather than strategically. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have focused on short-term political gains using the most expedient tools available to count er religious opposition – from concessions on social issues to crackdowns on political opposition. The history of changing and shortsighted state policies toward religious opposition suggests these approaches are not sustainable in the long term. Nor have states shown much success in managing the spiritual/ideological dimension of conflict once it has begun – even if they started to stir religious passions in the first place. Increasingly, religion is both an identifiable source of violence around the world and simultaneously so deeply interwoven into other sources of violence — including economic, ideological, territorial, and ethnic sources — that it is difficult to isolate.(Treverton, Gregg, Giblan & Yost, 2005)WARS WITH A RELIGIOUS DIMENSION( Gantzel et al., (1993) 1. Mayanamar/Burma 1948 Buddhists vs. Christians 2. Israel/Palestinian 1968 Jews vs. Arabs )Muslims-Christians) 3. Northern Ireland 1969 Catholic vs. Protestants 4. Philippines (Mindanao) 1 970 Muslims vs. Christians (Catholics) 5. Bangladesh 1973 Buddhists vs. Christians 6. Lebanon 1975 Shiites supported by Syria (Amal) vs. Shiites supported by Iran (Hezbollah) 7. Ethiopia (Oromo) 1976 Muslims vs. Central government 8. India (Punjab) 1982 Sikhs vs. Central government 9. SudanWITH 1983 Muslims vs. Native religions 10. Mali-Tuareg Nomads 1990 Muslims vs. Central government 11. Azerbejdan 1990 Muslims vs. Christian Armenians 12. India (Kasjmir) 1990 Muslims vs. Central government (Hindu) 13. Indonesia (Aceh) 1990 Muslims vs. Central government (Muslim) 14. Iraq 1991 Sunnites vs. Shiites 15. Yugoslavia (Croatia) 1991 Serbian orthodox Christians vs. Roman Catholic Christians 16. Yugoslavia (Bosnia) 1991 Orthodox Christians vs. Catholics vs. Muslims 17. Afghanistan 1992 Fundamentalist Muslims vs. Moderate Muslims 18. Tadzhikistan 1992 Muslims vs. Orthodox Christians 19. Egypt 1977 Muslims vs. Central government (Muslim) Muslims vs. Coptic Christians 20. Tunesia 1978 Muslims vs. Central government (Muslim) 21. Algeria 1988 Muslims vs. Central government 22. Uzbekisgtan 1989 Sunite Uzbeks vs. Shiite Meschetes 23. India (Uthar- Pradesh) 1992 Hindus vs. Muslims 24. Sri Lanka 1983 Hindus vs. MuslimsHunttington (1993) xpects more conflicts along the cultural-religious fault lines because (1) those differences have always generated the most prolonged and the most violent conflicts; (2) because the world is becoming a smaller place, and the increasing interactions will intensify the civilization- consciousness of the people which in turn invigorates differences and animosities stretching or thought to stretch back deep in history; (3) because of the weakening of the nation-state as a source of identity and the desecularisation of the world with the revival of religion as basis of identity and commitment that transcends national boundaries and unites civilizations; (4) because of the dual role of the West. On the one hand, the West is at the peak of its power. At the same time, it is confronted with an increasing desire by elites in other parts of the world to shape the world in non-Western ways; (5) because cultural characteristics and differences are less mutable and hence less easily compromised and resolved than political and economic ones; (6) finally, because increasing economic regionalism will reinforce civilization-consciousness.It is clear that the causes of religious wars and other religion related violence have not disappeared from the face of the earth. Some expect an increase of it. Efforts to make the world safe from religious conflicts should then also be high on the agenda. Religious actors should abstain from any cultural and structural violence within their respective organizations and handle inter-religious or denominational conflict in a non-violent and constructive way. This would imply several practical steps, such as a verifiable agreement not to use or threaten with violence to settle religious disputes. It must be possible to evaluate religious organizations objectively with respect to their use of physical, structural or cultural violence. A yearly overall report could be published. Another step would be furthering the ‘depolitisation' of religion. Power also corrupts religious organizations. In addition, depolitisation of religion is a major precondition for the political integration of communities with different religions.Religious organizations can also influence the conflict dynamics by abstaining from intervention. As most conflicts are ‘asymmetrical', this attitude is partial in its consequences. It is implicitly reinforcing the ‘might is right' principle. During the Second World War, the Vatican adopted a neutral stand. It didn't publicly disapprove of the German atrocities in Poland or in the concentration camps. To secure its diplomatic interests, Rome opted for this prudence and not for an evangelical disapproval. The role of bystanders, those members of the so ciety who are neither perpetrators nor victims, is very important. Their support, opposition, or indifference based on moral or other grounds, shapes the course of events.An expression of sympathy or antipathy of the head of the Citta del Vaticano, Pius XII, representing approximately 500 million Catholics, could have prevented a great deal of the violence. The mobilization of the internal and external bystanders, in the face of the mistreatment of individuals or communities, is a major challenge to religious organizations. To realize this, children and adults, in the long run, must develop certain personal characteristics such as a pro-social value orientation and empathy. Religious organizations have a major responsibility in creating a worldview in which individual needs would not be met at the expense of others and genuine conflicts would not be resolved through aggression (Fein, 1992).ReferencesFein, Helen, ed. 1992. Genocide watch. New Haven: Yale University Press.Gantzel, Kla us, Jà ¼rgenTorsten Schwinghammer, Jens Siegelberg. 1993. Kriege der Welt. Ein systematischer Register kriegerischen Konflikte 1985 bis 1992. Bonn: Stiftung Entwicklung und frieden.Huntington, Samuel. 1993. The clash of Civilizations? New York: Foreign Affairs.Shaefer, Udo 2004 Beyond the Clash of Religions:The Emergence of a New Paradigm.   Zero Palm Press. Prague. Treverton, G. et al.   2005.   Exploring Religious Conflicts.   Rand Coporation: CA, http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/2005/RAND_CF211.pdf Varennes, F. Recurrent Challenges to the Implementation of Intrastate Peace Agreements: The Resistance of State Authorities.   New Balkan Politics Issue 7/8. http://www.newbalkanpolitics.org.mk/napis.asp?id=21&lang=English â€Å"Prime minister of Malaysia calls for end to inter-religious strife,† 2001-MAY-5, at: http://www.worldevangelical.org/default.htm.