Empirical Evidence-Financial Systems and Economic Activity Essay

Empirical Evidence-Financial Systems and Economic Activity - Essay Example er, it was found that the expenditures over research and development, and not fixed capital formation, serve are the medium through which this impact takes place. It was also observed that the interaction amongst the structures and the industrial activity of the country greatly depends upon the levels of its economic growth. The concluding chapter of this paper explains the implications for the economic policy of the consideration that the institutional structure might be inter-related with the type of activity. 2. Review of Economic Performance and Financial Systems Joseph Schumpeter explained in 1912 that how the provision of loan was essential for the development and for the entrepreneurship. According to him, despite giving loan is not central to the normal circular flow, it is true that there exists a gap to overcome in the execution of new combinations. He further affirmed that the obligation of the lender is to bridge this gap, which he very well does by placing the power-to-p urchase developed ad hoc at the disposal of the businessman. Thorstein Veblen observed that the mechanism of assessing firms subject to â€Å"standardized bureaucratic routine† adopted by the entrepreneurs whom he referred to as the â€Å"lieutenants of finance† where as he dubbed the â€Å"syndicated bankers† as the â€Å"captain of finance† (Veblen, 1919). Nevertheless, Robert Lucas, among various others, debates that the economists poorly exaggerated the importance of financial attributes in economic performance (Lucas, 1988). While the significance of financial systems is doubtful, the efficacy of various sorts of financial systems has been found to be even more controversial. Clapham (1936) in his work agreed with the views of a principal officer of one of the Great Banks of Germany that... The paper includes the theoretical literature on the interaction among the financial and corporate mechanisms and the types of economic activities. Link of high risk R & D type activities has been established with the dispersed ownership financial systems and the market based financial systems, in case of the significant imposition of strict budget constraints. On the other hand, the financial systems with concentrated ownership and the bank oriented financial systems should be linked to long term investment with stimulated nature, in case of financial structures that require commitments to other stakeholders. This paper makes a conclusion that the empirical analyses of the relationship between the types of economic activity and financial and corporate systems are currently at its initial stage, they have significant policy implications if they are promoted through the provision of further evidence in this regard. Specifically, they indicate that there is not essentially a commanding financial system that is suitable for all economies or for all industries inside an economy. The financial systems or considerations that are deemed appropriate for a developed economy might turn inappropriate for a developing economy. Similarly what is appropriate for a highly innovative R & D economy might be inappropriate for a more imitative economy. There might be essential adjustments in making financial systems to comply with the countries’ stages of economic development, industrial bases, regulatory and legal policies.

The British Raj and the India’s Caste System Essay Example for Free

The British Raj and the India’s Caste System Essay The Indian caste system, known as Varnas, is a centuries old system of social stratification. It is a strict hierarchal system that determines a person’s occupation for them. It also determines what they can wear, who they can talk to, who they can marry. Those on the top of the pyramid have all the wealth, power, and prestige, while those on the bottom are treated no better than the trash that is thrown away. It consists of four Varna’s: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. There is also a class outside the Varna’s historically called the untouchable’s. The caste system is an ancient cultural tradition that is so deep-rooted in the India cultural, and backed by historical and religious text. After the conquering Aryans established themselves as the ruling class, they adapted a caste system that would keep the Aryan’s in positions that would bring them wealth and prestige, and keep those they conquered subordinate to them. To strengthen their power, the Aryans were able to enforce their strict social rules through religious texts and the Hindu ideals of Varnas and Karma. It has been exploited and altered throughout the centuries by invaders, conquerors, and colonizers to prevent unification for their own benefit. Some may argue that the British created the modern caste system to benefit themselves, however, If anything, the British tried to alter a system they saw as unjust to give all Indians equal rights and equal opportunity. The modern caste system has its roots in the Islamic-Hindu era. Outside the ancient Hindu texts, The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Eknath Easwaran, I use mainly secondary sources to prove my thesis, that the modern caste system has its roots in the Islamic-Hindu era. I think history speaks for itself it the numerous studies done by scholars: such as the Wiser’s who studied the caste system in tribes virtually untouched by the British; and Brian Smith who studied how the ancient Aryan texts support the ideal caste system. It existed long before the East Indian Company landed on the shores of India, and I am proving that Nicholas Dirk’s argument that the caste system is the result of modern colonialism as invalid. Culturally, India has been very diverse; India culture varies depending on the location you go to in the beautiful and vast country. Even though there are many different ethnic groups in India with their own social and cultural identities—they dress differently, speak different languages, have different religions, and eat different foods—depending on the region they are from, they all have the same â€Å"temperament.† They share the same values and â€Å"common bond† that shows a national cultural identity. The lifeline of that common bond is the Varnas, which evolved into the Indian caste system. Despite what religion Indian’s follow, their cultural values are highly influence by the great Indian epics: The Vedas, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. Religious and spiritual thought has evolved from the Vedas, and reinforced cultural traditions. Many Indian Christians may still live by Hindu doctrines, such as the Doctrine of Karma, or practice meditation. These aren’t necessarily considered religious practices to all, but are cultural practices, or philosophies. The Indian cast system is so deeply embedded into this national cultural identity, and widely accepted as part of the Indian culture, that it is hard for Indians to escape it. As Nicholas Dirks says in his book Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India† Caste defines the core of Indian tradition.† India’s rich heritage can be seen in their literature; through the great epics: the Vedas (3000 BC-1000 BC), the Ramayana (1500 BC) and the Mahabharata (1000 BC). The Vedas weren’t only religious texts, but a prototype that philosophers and religious leaders used seek their beliefs; or law makers used to create a social and political lifestyle, such as the case with the Indian caste system. The Vedas seeks universal truths of cosmic functioning at all levels of existence. Knowledge and the identity of oneself in emphasized throughout its pages. The Puranas were later written to present and explain the â€Å"truth† of the Vedas. People pulled out what they wanted from it and used it to fit their needs. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are both â€Å"epics of the people;† they are ethnic stories that have been orally transmitted over the centuries and recorded in a collective text. They â€Å"reflect the ethos and the psyche† of the Indian people. These great epics have shaped India’s values, beliefs, and lifestyles. They are the origins of the social, religious and cultural history of India. The caste system didn’t arrive with the British East Indian Company in the 1700’s, but between 1500 and 2000 B.C., when nomads known as the Aryan’s started to migrate through the Hindu Kush passes and down into the Indus Valley. These tall, light skinned warrior types quickly subdued the short, dark-skinned indigenous peoples of northwestern India. These people, known as the Dravidian’s fled to the south for refuge. Taking control of their new domain, they forced their â€Å"Divine Knowledge†Ã¢â‚¬â€recorded later in the Vedas (1200-600 B.C.)—on their new subjects. The Rig Veda (1300-100 B.C.) was the main religious and socio-economic text. These philosophical and religious texts were said to have originated from the Gods—Aryan Gods—and later texts dated 600 to 400 B.C. were written by the Divine. Because of the domination of the Aryan people and the popularity of these texts, the period between 1500 B.C. and 500 B.C. is known at the Vedic period of Indian history—and this is where the caste system originated. Long before the Aryans arrived in the Indus Valley, they were already divided into three different classes: the warriors, the priest, and the cultivators; with the warriors on top of the social structure, and the priest, or Brahman, second. These light-skinned warriors had no desired to mix with the dark-skinned Dravidians that they had conquered. To prevent their ethic traits from being polluted by the dasyu, or slaves, they prohibited intermarriage between the two distinct ethnic groups; thus a fourth class was created to do most of the manual labor. As the Aryans and the local inhabitants mingled, Hinduism developed. The Hindu caste system would evolve from this ideal that ethnic traits, such as ones skin color determined ones social position—with lighter skin on the top, and those with darker skin on the bottom, and reinforced by the religious philosophies of the Vedas. Before the Vedic civilization of the Aryans, archaeological evidence suggests that the Harappan civilization was composed of many kinds of ethnic groups that were divided into different classes depending on their wealth. Because of evidence such as a permanent and sophisticated city structure and a â€Å"uniformity of weights and measures,† it is widely believed that this heterogeneous population had a centralized government who was ruled by a group of people, perhaps Brahmin, or priest. However, some people don’t believe that there was a centralized government at all since there were no holy temples uncovered, that the evidence just points to a sophisticated trade system. This second group believes that the Aryans weren’t invaders, but a group that lived amongst the existing Harappan civilization, who became powerful and were able to dominate the others. According to Robert Heine-GeldernIt, the second isn’t likely, because archeological evidence points to a people who were of Western origin; perhaps Transcaucasia. If the first were true, that would explain how the invading Aryans eventually adapted caste structure with the Brahmin class on top. After they already established themselves as the ruling class, over centuries, as they mingled with the indigenous peoples, they may have adopted elements of hierarchy of the local faith, with the priests, or Brahmin, on the top of the pyramid. There were four different castes, called varnas, in India: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. The highest caste was the Brahmins. They are the priests and philosophers. Originally ranked number two on the Varna system, but rose significantly above the warrior class to number one. The second ranking castes were the Kshatriya’s. They were initially warriors and highest ranking. The third ranking caste were the Vaishyas, they were the workers; farmers, artisans, metal workers, and trades peoples. The lowest ranking of the Varna’s were the Shudras. They are the peasants, servants, farm hands, and laborers. There were also subdivisions in every caste called jati, which further broke down people’s hereditary social status and occupational group. Historically, the vocation you went into was hereditary and passed down from your father. As the civilization expanded, sometimes one could get away with going into a different line of work, if it was within their same caste. The structure of the traditional Indian village economy was reliant on a hereditary caste system. William and Charlotte Wiser called it the jajmani system, where a wealthy Brahman landlord would provide annual sustenance of his harvest for services of the different village servants and artisans throughout the year. The heirs to each particular service member, whether it be the village barber, blacksmith, astrologer, accountant, doctor, or whatever their particular job was, would be expected to take over for their fathers. Women were only allowed to be married off to men in the same caste as they were. By keeping everything hereditary, those in power were guaranteed to stay in power, and their superior genes to remain unpolluted by lower caste. Within the Jamani system, there was no chance of upward mobility; each individual had a fixed economic and social status that was essential to village life. When the Aryans first arrived, the warrior class was on the top of the social structure, with the priest, or Brahmin, below them. As the conquering Aryans expanded eastward over the next five centuries, they took on some characteristics of the native Indians they had conquered, the tribal structure being one of them. Since it is known that priest-kings ruled the pre-Aryan Harappa, Wolpert suggests that the Aryans learned from their conquered subjects to place more value on the counsel of their own Brahmans. This â€Å"revelation† that the Brahmins had over the warrior class, and subsequently, the Raj who were born Kshatriyas, or warriors, can be found in the Rig Veda hymn, the â€Å"Sacrifice of the Cosmic Man.† Division of occupational group into castes was applied according to the ancient Aryan-Hindu book, the Rig Veda. According to legend of the â€Å"Sacrifice of the Cosmic Man,† the first super-being, Purush, allowed himself to be destroyed to create a human society out of different parts of his body: the Brahmins from his mouth, or â€Å"thousand heads†, the Kshatriyas from his arms, the Vaishyas from his thighs, and the Shudras from his feet. The highest caste was the Brahmins, who were the priest, because the brain holds knowledge. The second highest caste was the Kshatriyas, who were warriors, because the arms resemble strength. The caste below the warrior class was the merchants, known as the Vaishyas. These top three were considered â€Å"twice born,† their second birth making them initiated into the Hindu faith. On the bottom were the Shudras, or the peasants, or serfs, who were on their feet doing the manual labor, and considered too â€Å"unclean† to be born again. The â€Å"Sacrifice of the Cosmic Man† describes how the caste system came into existence, not as a human invention, but one created by the gods. Later, as the Aryans expanded and more primitive people came into the mix, they were considered too â€Å"polluted† to be part of the four-fold Varna system, and would become regarded as â€Å"untouchables.† Out of fear of being polluted by these outsiders, strict rules were enforced to prevent any contact with the higher castes; to include strict communal procedures. These rules were designed to isolate the untouchables from the rest of Hindu society, but at the same time enforce their need to do all of the â€Å"unclean† work that was too polluting for the rest of the more dignified classes; such as butchering of dead animals, or disposing of the dead. The Hindu doctrine of Karma further rationalizes the caste system as duties one is obligated to by birth. Karma is the â€Å"moral law of cause and effect.† The position on is born into is a reflection of how they were in their previous life; if someone is born into a lower class, than it is because of their bad Karma from a previous life. If one abides by the rules given to them in this life, they will move up in the next life. As Smith puts it, â€Å"one of the main entailments of the caste system is â€Å"the belief in Karma and the cycle of rebirth whereby ones social position in this life is ethically determined by moral actions in past lives.† This belief in reincarnation prevented people from questioning, or even revolting against, the caste system. The caste system received further religious approval in the Indian epic, The Bhagavad Gita; which is part of the Mahabharata. They â€Å"prove† that the caste system isn’t just man’s law, but divine law. In the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu god Krishna says â€Å"the distinction of castes, guna, and karma have come from me. I am their cause† (4:13). When Krishna tells Arjuna that, â€Å"No creature, whether born on earth or among the gods in heaven is free from the conditioning of the three gunas. The different responsibilities found in the social order – distinguishing Brahmin, Kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra have their roots in this conditioning† (18:40-41), he is very clear that everyone must follow the caste system. He goes on to explain the guna’s, or acceptable qualities, in retrospect to the traits and roles of the four castes. By doing the duties one is born to, and not someone else, he can never come to grief—even if it is imperfect (18:42-49). Even though scholars like Dirk may argue that the caste system has its roots in colonization, ancient Hindu texts dating back to the Vedic age prove that the Indian caste system had its root deep in traditional Indian society long before the East Indian Company began to colonize India. The modern caste system has its roots in the Islamic-Hindu era. Under Munghal rule in the tenth century, many Indian’s weren’t encouraged to convert to Islam; it wasn’t until the 16th and 17th centuries that a mass conversion to Islam appeared. The religious system in India that was the basis for philosophical and ethical ideals that influenced the daily life of the India people did not have a name prior to the arrival of Islam in India. Even though there were many different religions in the different Indian communities at the time, they all had a common unity in their acceptance of the basic legends, myths, and moral teachings that formed the ideals, or world view, on the meaning of life. The name that Muslims gave this common religious unity was â€Å"Hinduism.† This disproves Dirks claim that â€Å"caste, as we know it today, is a modern phenomenon, that is, specifically, the product of a historical encounter of India and Western rule†¦making caste a central symbol of Indian society.† The Muslims made it the central symbol of Indian society when they named it Hinduism, to establish it separate from their Islamic society. As Muslims started intermingling with Hindus, it further complicated the caste system. Because Muslims rejected the Hindu belief of people born with inequality, the Bhakti movement sprang up from the 14th to 16th centuries; long before Dirks claims that the English started influencing, and putting a negative stigma, on the caste system. Inferior castes would find other forms of religious expression separate from Brahmin priest. Castes broke up, and new jati’s formed that would identify each caste based on their belief system. The great Indian epic, the Ramayana, that was popularized during the medieval period, describes how Rama and Krishna were incarnations of Lord Vishnu, and would repeatedly come down to earth and mingle with all of God’s people; not just the Brahmins. The Bhakti philosophers taught that all individuals, regardless of their status in life, could have an intimate relationship with God. This differed greatly from the Aryans concept that taught inequality in relation to God and only the priest, or Brahmins, could speak with God. Lower castes were even forbidden from reading the Vedas or entering Hindu religious temples. Medieval India also changed the hereditary occupation system. Men were no longer restricted to the position that was determined to them by birth. There was now chance of upward mobilization within each jati; not the main caste classification. Not just individuals, but Jati groups, were able to improve their status in society. In order to not go against religious teachings, families would have to save up enough money to pay poor Brahmin to preform rituals that would elevate the social standing of a particular family. They would then have to change occupations, and practices, appropriate to the social group that they were being elevated to. Another way to move up socially would be to serve in the military; military service wouldn’t necessarily allow you to move up to another Caste, but your jati (or social standing within caste) would move up accordingly. Life for Indian’s was very different under Islamic rule than it was under the Aryans. The arrival of the East Indian Company stirred up the traditional caste system; but it didn’t by any means â€Å"create† a modern caste system, as Dirks suggests; that was already underway with the arrival of Islam. The English tried to, either directly or indirectly, make life better for those that were discriminated against under a centuries old system of legal oppression. Even though the English had a hierarchy, people were able to upward mobilize and all citizens were bound by the same laws. Under the Indian caste system, there was no upward mobilization, people often died in the same caste they were born in. This was disrupted slightly during the arrival of industrialization and mass trade that the East Indian Company brought with it. The centuries old tradition of patriarchal hereditary caste occupation was disturbed by industrialization and imports from other British colonies. People whose occupations had a hand in producing goods that were now being imported or made in factories were now out of jobs. Factory jobs, or other Western type jobs, weren’t hereditary. They had no choice but to find new jobs, often jobs that weren’t classified under a particular caste, such as public works or factory type jobs. As English colonization expanded, there was further concern amongst the higher castes about intermingling between castes—especially where public works projects and service in the military was concerned. There was fear amongst the higher castes that physical contact between the pure and impure castes was inevitable in such crowded places as train stations, public wells, or closed quarters on ships. There were concerns amongst Hindu’s about serving in the British military. In the military, the â€Å"soldiers were of a different caste now—neither so fine, nor so tall as they were before.† In the military, the British were the only superior, and all Hindus serving were treated as if they were the same caste, having to work side-by-side with members of different castes. However, after the uprisings of 1857, sepoys who were of higher caste maintained their caste and religion. The later was extremely important, because any infringement on their religion could result in loss of caste. Those that continued to revolt were punished by having to clean the blood of the English men, women, and children, who were massacred. They were forced to do this dishonor, which would have resulted in loss of caste under their Hindu faith, before being executed for their heinous crimes. In this retrospect, the English used the Hindu caste system as vengeance for acts against their ‘white’ superiority. The British didn’t create the caste system, or intend to exploit it. They tried to make their new Indian subjects a functional part of their society, as well as rectify the aspects of the caste system they saw as unjust. Traditional Indian law was loosely based off of parochial and sacred law that was loosely interpreted by different Brahmin; there was no uniform justice system. There were also different sets of rules and laws for different castes. A lower caste could be severely punished for the same crime that wouldn’t be punishable for a higher caste. There is no doubt that the English exploit the caste system for personal gain, but they also made great strides in individual equality before the law. Under British Law, all individuals were equal before the laws; therefore if a higher caste and lower caste member committed the same crime, they were both subject to the same punishments; and discrimination against lower caste was now against the law. As the Rudolph’s say in there book The Modernity of Tradition: Political Development in India, the transformed state has helped, â€Å"India’s peasant society make a success of representative democracy and fostered the growth of equality by making Indians less separate and more alike.† In that retrospect, England colonization may have had a more positive effect on an already oppressive system. The spread of Christianity was promising for those born of lower caste. They were offered an education; that was formally punishable to lower caste members. Many of the lower caste and untouchables converted to Christianity to escape their given statuses. Those that converted were freed of their previous identity, and were no longer considered part of a particular caste; although their social status often stayed the same. This may not have alleviated their problems, but it was a step in the right direction. Those that converted to Christianity could now get an education, or apprenticing under a Christian missionary. They could now aspire to do something different than what they were ‘born’ to do. There was now the hope of a better life, that hadn’t existed before under Hinduism. Today people have mistaken Varnas for caste and treat them as identical. Varnas are God created and caste is not. Varnas are conditioned with one’s actions and desires based on Gunas. The caste is manmade. It is simply a social institution and can easily be changed and modified according to changing needs of society. Caste-by-birth was never the original intent nor it ever was the basis upon which the Varnas were constituted, Sutra says that a person should be engaged only in a field of activity that he is capable of doing. In 1891, the British established the Census of India as an attempt to better understand the caste system in relation to occupation, religion, and status. In 1935, the British in India finally came up with a list of four-hundred tribal groups and untouchables. Under British reform, they would be put on a list as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and would receive special privileges in order to â€Å"overcome deprivation and discrimination.† In that retrospect, the British government started affirmative action in India for those that had been oppressed under the centuries old Indian Caste System. The English threatened the Hindu way of life that had existed over centuries and was reinforced by Hindu scripture. When Muslims started mingling with the Hindus, the caste system was altered, but the basic beliefs of karma and existence remained a unifying factor. When the East Indian Company started colonizing India, they didn’t just stir things up, but threatened the religious aspect of the Indian caste system that kept those on the bottom subservient to the top castes. Without intending to, the English got the nationalist movement going; although it would go in two different directions depending on what side of the fence one was on. Mahatma Gandhi was an influential leader in the Nationalist Movement during British rule; he believed that he could change untouchability in the Hindu religion, and started calling them â€Å"Harijans,† meaning God’s children. When reform within the Hindu religion started to look bleak, Dalit leaders started to advocate for a separate electorate for the Dalit’s. On the other end of the spectrum from Gandhi was Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who rose up from a community of untouchables and fought for political equality for Delits. Both continued their campaigns after Indian independence. But after independence, neither would be successful without the British to advocate for them. The British brought with them industrialization, urbanization, literacy, social mobilization, and political democracy. However, it is the Indian caste system today that is preventing India from progressing as a modern nation. Although people are now crossing vague occupational lines due to technology, India still has a long way to go to break the deep-rooted deep root belief that the Hindu religious texts, the Varnas, justify caste inequality as birth right. But thanks to the British, they got a kick in the right direction. Works Cited Armstrong, Karen. The Great Transformation: The Beginning of our Religious Traditions. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print. Easwaran, Eknath. The Bhagavad Gita. Canada: Nilgiri Press, 2007. Print. Dirks, Nicholas. Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India. Princeton University Press, 2001. eBook. Judd, Denis. The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print. Heine-Geldern, Robert. â€Å"The Coming of the Aryans and the End of the Harappa Civilization.† Man Vol. 56, No. 151 (Oct, 1956): 136-139. Hoover, James W., History of the World: India in the Islamic Era and Southeast Asia. Austin: Steck-Vaughn Co., 1997. Print. Lahiri, R.K., â€Å"Caste System in Hinduism† Boloji.com (November 2005) http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Contentsd=ArticlesArticleID=1211, accessed, November 15, 2012. Lewis, Oscar and Victor Barnouw. â€Å"Caste and the Jajmani System in a North Indian Village.† The Scientific Monthly Vol. 83, No. 2 (Aug, 1956): 66-81. Malloy, Michael. Experiencing the World’s Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. Calif ornia: Mayfield Publishing Co., 1999. Print. Warshaw, Steven. India Emerges: A Concise History of India from its Origin to the Present. Berkley: Diablo Press, 1989. Print. Wolpert, Stanley. A New History of India. 6th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print. Mountjoy, Shane. Rivers in World History: The Indus River. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2005. Print. Rudolph, Lloyd I. and Susanne Hoeber. The Modernity of Tradition: Political Development in India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984. eBook. Sekhon, Joti. Modern India. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000. Print. Smith, Brian K. Classifying the Universe: the Ancient Indian Varna System and the Origins of Caste. New York: Oxford Press, 1994. Print. [ 1 ]. â€Å"Lifestyles, Values, and Beliefs† (India, National Portal of India) http://india.gov.in/knowindia/culture_heritage.php?id=69, accessed 10 November, 2012; â€Å"Ethnicity of India† (India, National Portal of India) http://india.gov.in/knowindia/culture_heritage.php?id=70, accessed 10 November 2012; â€Å"Ancient History† (India, National Portal of India) http://india.gov.in/knowindia/culture_heritage.php?id=2, accessed 10 November 2012). [ 2 ]. â€Å"Indian Literature through the Ages† (India, Ministry of Culture, Government of India) http://ccrtindia.gov.in/literaryarts.htm, accessed 11 November 2012. [ 3 ]. Steven Warshaw, India Emerges: A Concise History of India from its Origin to the Present (Berkley: Diablo Press, 1989), 16-17. [ 4 ]. Stanley Wolpert, A New History of India, 6th ed (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 27; Warshaw, 17 [ 5 ]. Karen Armstrong, The Great Transformation: The Beginning of our Religious Traditions (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006), 13-14; Shane Mountjoy, Rivers in World History: The Indus River (Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2005), 17-21. [ 6 ]. Robert Heine-Geldern, â€Å"The Coming of the Aryans and the End of the Harappa Civilization,† Man Vol. 56, No. 151 (Oct, 1956): 136 [ 7 ]. Oscar Lewis and Victor Barnouw, â€Å"Caste and the Jajmani System in a North Indian Village,† The Scientific Monthly Vol. 83, No. 2 (Aug, 1956): 66. [ 8 ]. Wolpert, 29. [ 9 ]. Armstrong, 25; Michael Malloy, Experiencing the World’s Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change (California: Mayfield Publishing Co., 1999), 119. [ 10 ]. Wolpert, 29-30; 119. [ 11 ]. Wolpert, 119-120 [ 12 ]. Molloy, 67. [ 13 ]. Brian K. Smith, Classifying the Universe: the Ancient Indian Varna System and the Origins of Caste (New York: Oxford Press, 1994), 10. [ 14 ]. Eknath Easwaran, The Bhagavad Gita (Canada: Nilgiri Press, 2007), 117; 261-262. [ 15 ]. Dirks, 5. [ 16 ]. James W. Hoover, History of the World: India in the Islamic Era and Southeast Asia (Austin: Steck-Vaughn Co., 1997), 20-22. [ 17 ]. Hoover, 22-23. [ 18 ]. Denis Judd, The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), 67-68. [ 19 ]. Judd, 74. [ 20 ]. Judd, 73-83. [ 21 ]. Lloyd I. and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph, The Modernity of Tradition: Political Development in India (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984), 12. [ 22 ]. Judd, 63-64. [ 23 ]. Dr. R.K. Lahiri, â€Å"Caste System in Hinduism† Boloji.com (November 2005) http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Contentsd=ArticlesArticleID=1211, accessed, November 15, 2012. [ 24 ]. Joti Sekhon, Modern India (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000), 48. [ 25 ]. Untouchables thought the name Harijan, that

Effectiveness of an Oral Hygiene on Hearing Impaired Child

Effectiveness of an Oral Hygiene on Hearing Impaired Child Effectiveness of an oral hygiene instruction on the plaque score among hearing impaired children- A cross-sectional study Abstract Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of an oral hygiene instruction on the plaque scores among hearing impaired children. Materials method: A total of 56 institutionalized children with hearing impairment in the age range 5-17 years were selected for the study. Oral hygiene status was assessed using Turesky–Gilmore–Glickman modification of the Quigley Hein Plaque Index (MQPI), dentition status along with DMFS were recorded. Oral hygiene education along with the proper tooth brushing technique was demonstrated using a tooth model. Oral hygiene status was reassessed after 21 days and the data obtained was analyzed Statistical analysis: Results : Conclusion: Introduction Oral health plays an important role in the overall health of children, and, in particular it is more important for children with special health need. Children are prone to oral health problems when their oral hygiene maintenance is poor. Dental caries is the most prevalent and widespread disease seen in children and among the disabled it is the greatest unattended health need1. Children with hearing impairment (CHI) seem to be one such group lacking adequate oral health awareness to maintain their oral health owing to communication barriers2,3 Hearing impairment (HI) forms major disability affecting many children world-wide. There are 23,000-25,000 children (aged 0-15 years) who are permanently deaf or hard of hearing in UK4. According to National Sample Survey Organization in India, 0.4% of 1065.40 million children are hearing impaired and every child in 1000 live births suffers from HI.5 Hearing impairment primarily influences communication, on which it can have a devastating effect6. As the degree of loss increases, psychological, emotional and social disturbances generally become more pronounced.6The extent of disturbance also depends on age of onset, training, and acceptance of disability6. Various factors contribute to the significant problems experienced by this population group in accessing health care and in communicating with doctors such as lack of sign language and due to the lack of awareness training among health service staff and the shortage or absence of aids to communication7. People with disabilities deserve the same opportunities for oral health and hygiene as those who are healthy. Previous studies have found hearing impaired children have poorer oral hygiene than non-hearing impaired children8,9. Plaque and gingival indices in disabled children after a mechanical plaque control were significantly different compared with those of non-disable children10. Although numerous plaque control methods have been proposed, tooth brushing using a correct technique is effective in controlling plaque is safe, easy to use and cost effective.11 With respect to the importance of assessing the oral health care needs among these special groups of population and lack of studies carried out on this issue in the pertinent population, the aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an oral hygiene instruction on the plaque scores among hearing impaired children. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in National Residential School for Deaf, Bangalore , an institution for the deaf and dumb children which comprised of 56 children aged between 4-17years.Prior written consent was obtained from the school and also the intervention of the study design was been explained. Ethical clearance was obtained from A total of 56 children participated in the study which included both male and female. Children present on the day of the examination were included. Those who were not willing to participate or those unwell were excluded. General information about the respondent’s oral hygiene habits and frequency of dental visits were obtained using a questionnaire. Dental examination was performed using dental mirror and a probe in broad daylight in accordance with WHO guidelines12. Oral examination included: number of teeth, presence of caries, restorations and number of extracted teeth and plaque score. Acquired data was entered in the dental records for each patient. For the assessment of dental status, the DMFS (decayed, missing, filled) index was used and the Turesky—Gilmore–Glickman modification of the Quigley–Hein plaque index (1970)13 was used to assess the plaque score. Plaque was assessed on the facial and lingual surfaces of all the teeth. A plaque score per pe rson was obtained by totaling all the plaque scores and dividing by the number of surfaces examined. A score of 0 to 5 was assigned to each facial and lingual non-restored surface of the tooth as shown in Fig 1. Scoring was as follows: 0 = no plaque/debris 1 = separate flecks of plaque at the cervical margin of the tooth. 2 = a thin continuous band of plaque (up to 1 mm) at the cervical margin of the tooth. 3 = a band of plaque wider than 1 mm but covering less than one third of the crown of the tooth. 4 = plaque covering at least one third but less than two thirds of the crown of the tooth. 5 = plaque covering two thirds or more of the crown of the tooth. Figure 1.Tooth areas graded by the Turesky et al Modified Quigley Hein Plaque Index Following initial examination, oral hygiene instructions regarding the importance of maintaining a good oral hygiene, development of dental caries and the tooth brushing technique in the form of manual demonstration of tooth brushing on tooth models was given. The technique of tooth brushing demonstrated was dependent on the age group of the child. Children younger than 8 years, because of their limited manual dexterity were being demonstrated with the horizontal scrub technique and those older than 8 years, modified bass technique was demonstrated. A tooth brush and toothpaste (Colgate,India-1000 ppm of maximum available fluoride) was given to all the participants to standardize the process. After 3 weeks, once again plaque scores were recorded and statistically analyzed with baseline scores. Results Discussion The AAPD defines special health care needs as â€Å"any physical, developmental, mental, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, or emotional impairment or limiting condition that requires medical management, health care intervention, and/or use of specialized services or programs.14 Oral health is an inseparable part of general health and well-being. Individuals with SHCN may be at an increased risk for oral diseases throughout their lifetime.15 Physical disability such as hearing impairment can result in difficulties to reach an ideal health status of the teeth. Since children with hearing impairment are either dependent on their parents or care providers for their general and oral health care needs, it is the responsibility of the dental health care professional to design new and innovative ways to provide dental health education to these children.16 Education is one of the essential factor responsible for behavioral change in children. 17 Particularly, oral health education is the key t o prevent oral diseases and it is always appropriate to educate school age children 18 and through them education can reach their families and community members as well.19 To deliver quality health education, various approaches can be planned to have a better communication as communication is a key factor in conveying dental health education to the children with hearing impairment.16 According to the child’s development stage and motor skill oral hygiene instruction should be instructed. Variations in the ability of tooth brushing must be considered, especially with younger children. Intensive individual training of each child is also essential to achieve desired benefits of the technique. `In the present study, the higher plaque score before OHE confirm poor oral hygiene status in children with hearing impairment similar to earlier studies.3-5,20,21 Hence, the prime motive of this study was to instill appropriate oral health awareness in these children. After the initial examination, a sample of tooth brush and fluoridated tooth pastes were given to the children to motivate them toward active participation in the program. Oral hygiene education talk was given to children to make them understand the importance proper oral hygiene procedures and the development of dental caries. With the help of the school teacher using the sign language, and according to the age wise proper brushing technique were being demonstrated. It was seen that almost all of the children showed a keen interest to learn the proper brushing technique. Majority of the children in this study use the horizontal scrub technique and Fones technique. The use of the horizontal scrub technique has been reported as a method of choice in young children in various studies because of the inability to apply other tooth brushing techniques.22-24 Tooth brushing skill and the required manual dexterity for tooth brushing are developed in children aged 8 years and above.25Mescher et al26 reported that children age 6 years and younger do not have the hand functions which are required for tooth brushing, and hence concluded that the sulcular brushing technique could be mastered by children 8 years and above. Kropfl27 reported that modified bass method to be significantly more efficacious than horizontal scrub method. Kremers et al28 and Zhang et al29 showed that Bass technique effectively removed interdental plaque when compared to other techniques. Age comparison between older and younger age groups shows differences in the maintenance of oral hygiene which is also seen in this present study. Chronological age is a reasonable predictor of tooth brushing ability and manual tooth brushing skills are acquired better after 4-5 years of age.30 In the present study, it was seen that there was a significant plaque reduction in high school children (12-16 years) compared with primary school children (5-7years) and middle school children (8-11 years) indicating better motivational and performance skills in the older age group children compared with younger ones. This can be said to be influenced by the greater cognitive ability and the manner of learning and initiation in older age groups. The results of this study showed that the OHE program was effective in improving their oral health status significantly and was equally successful in improving their oral health. Conclusion . Bibliography Hennequin M, Faulks D, Roux D. Accuracy of estimation of dental treatment needs in special care patients. J Dent 2000;28:131-136 Stiefel DJ. Dental care considerations for disabled adults. Spec Care Dentist 2002;22:26S-39. Alsmark SS, Garcà ­a J, Martà ­nez MR, Là ³pez NE. How to improve communication with deaf children in the dental clinic. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal 2007;12:E576-81. Champion J, Holt R . Dental care for children and young people who have a hearing impairment. B r Dent J 2000;189:155-9. Jain M, Mathur A, Kumar S, Dagli R J, Duraiswamy P, Kulkarni S. Dentition status and treatment needs among children with impaired hearing attending a special school for the deaf and mute in Udaipur, India. J Oral Sci 2008;50:161-5. Tunis W, Dixter C. Dentistry and the hearing-impaired child. J Pedod 1979;3: 321-334. Champion J, Holt R. Dental care for children and young people who have a hearing impairment. Br Dent J. 2000 Aug 12;189(3):155-9. Barnett S, Franks P. Health care utilization and adults who are deaf: relationship with age at onset of deafness. Health Serv Res 2002; 37: 105-20 Oredugba FA, Sote EO. Oral hygiene status of handicapped children in Lagos. Niger J Gen Prac 2002; 5: 75-9. Reynolds WE, Blick BM. Evaluation the effectiveness of instruction in oral hygiene for mentally retarded boys. J Publ Health Dent 1974; 34: 8-12 Arunakul M, Kuphasuk Y, Boonyathanasit R. Effectiveness of oral hygiene instruction media on periodontal health among hearing impaired children. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2012 Sep;43(5):1297-303. WHO. Oral Health Surveys: Basic Methods. 4th Ed. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1997. Lobene RR, Weatherford T, Ross NM, Lamm RA, Menaker LA. A modified gingival index for use in clinical trails. Clin Prev Dent 1986;8(1):3-6. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Definition of special health care needs. Pediatr Dent 2012;34(special issue):16. Lewis CW. Dental care and children with special health care needs: A population-based perspective. Acad Pediatr 2009;9(6):420-6. Shetty V, Kumar J, Hegde A. Breaking the sound barrier: oral health education for children with hearing impairment. Spec Care Dentist 34(3): 131-137, 2014 Christensen GJ. Special oral hygiene and preventive care for special needs. J Am Dent Assoc 2005;136:1141-3. Flanders R A. Effectiveness of dental health educational programs in schools. J Am Dent Assoc 1987;114:239-42. World Health Organization. Oral Health Promotion through Schools. WHO Information Series on School Health. Document 8. Geneva: WHO; 2003 Brown JP, Schodel DR. A review of controlled surveys of dental disease in handicapped persons. ASDC J Dent C hild 1976;43:313-20. Kumar S, Dagli R J, Mathur A, Jain M, Duraiswamy P, Kulkarni S. Oral hygiene status in relation to sociodemographic factors of children and adults who are hearing impaired, attending a special school. Spec C are Dentist 2008;28:258-64. Kimmelman BB, Tassman GL. Research in design of children’s toothbrushes. J Dent Child 1960;27:60. McClure DB. A comparison of toothbrushing technics for the preschool child. J Dent Child 1966;33:205à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ10. Ruggà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ËœGunn AJ, Macgregor ID. A survey of toothbrushing behaviour in children and young adults. J Periodontal Res 1978;13:382à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ9. Das UM, Singhal P. Tooth brushing skills for the children aged 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ11 years. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent 2009;2:104à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ7. Mescher KD, Brine P, Biller I. Ability of elementary school children to perform sulcular toothbrushing as related to their hand function ability. Pediatr Dent 1980;2:31à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ6. Kropf JL. Clinical Evaluation of Magnifying Lighted Mirror and Unwaxed Dental Floss as Oral Hygiene Adjuncts. Master’s Thesis, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, School Dentistry; 1971. p. 124. Kremers L, Lampert F, Etzold C. Comparative clinical studies on 2 toothbrushing methodsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ËœRoll and Bass technic. Dtsch Zahnarztl Z 1978;33:58à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ60. Zhang JH, Sha YQ, Cao CF. Comparative study of the effects of removing plaque by two toothbrushing methods. Beijing Da Xue Xue Bao 2005;37:542à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ4 Unkel JH, Fenton SJ, Hobbs G Jr, Frere C L. T oothbrushing ability is related to age in children. ASDC J Dent C hild 1995;62:346-8.

Influenza Essay -- essays research papers

Influenza   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Influenza, normally called â€Å"the flu†, the influenza virus causes an infection in the respiration tract. Even though the influenza virus can sometimes be compared with the common cold. It also can cause a more severe illness or death. During this past century, pandemics took place in 1918, 1957, and 1968, in all of these cases there where unfortunately many deaths. The â€Å"Spanish flu† in 1918, killed approximately half a million people in the United States alone. It killed around 20 million worldwide. The â€Å"Asian flu† in 1957, in the United States their 70,000 people died. In 1968 the â€Å"Hong-Kong flu† There where 34,000 deaths in the United States. The emergence of the â€Å"Hong-Kong flu† marked the beginning of the of the strand type A (H3N2) era Different strands of the same virus caused all these outbreaks of influenza. When this virus first emerged. It was associated with fewer deaths than caused by the two previous pandemic viruses that I mentioned. There are a few reasons for the hemagglutinin changed from the â€Å"Asian flu† strain. The neuraminidase stayed the same. Well the only explanation would be that people affected with the A (H2N2) strain (â€Å"Asian flu†), Built up immunity to the â€Å"Hong-Kong flu†. The influenza virus depending on the severity usually includes: fever (around 100 F to 103 F), cough, sore throat, headache, stuffy and running nose, muscle soreness and fatigue....

Leadership in the African American Community

Leadership in the African American community African American community had many problems, such as freedom, economic, education, transportation, being unemployment, lack of self defense; lack of power and †¦ therefore different leaderships and organizations were established to help African American. African American wanted to be free because they were USA citizen and they did not like someone call them nigger or free of slave. They wanted to have freedom of speech, vote,, human rights, self defense, they wanted to be free to go to school and be educated, and they did not like people look at them down because of their color.Black people were the last one got hire and the first one got fire when they applied for job. They had very bad situation because they could not find a job easily. That’s why most of them become unemployment and the rest who had job their salary were low. Black people had problem with transportation because most of them did not had a car so it was hard for them to apply for job. Black people wanted to go to school like white people, they wanted to show them they are smart and they can be educated too. They wanted to be educated so they can learn all the law and learn how to talk and have self defense when someone attack to them.Black people were lack of power because of their skin color. White people could be president or having good positions, and they treat Black people as slaves. Black people had to work in white people’s farms like a slaves, and always respect them and say, ‘‘YES SIR’’. Therefore different leadership and organization stand up to defend them in from of all of these problems for example Martin Luther King in her speech said he has a dream and talks about freedom and how Black and white should be equal, he said Black people should vote, and should be free and go to school.Ella baker also helped Martin Luther King in different way, she established different organization, and she mo ved to different states and having different conference with different people. There are other leadership and organization which help them out which I am going to talk about it later. Work cited Ransby, Barbara. Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement. The University of North Carolina. Press, in Chapel Hill and London 2003. The Video: FUNDI http://moodle. wolfware. ncsu. edu/file. php/33965/FUNDI. m4v Hodak, George. Martin Luther King Assassinated. †Ã‚  ABA Journal  97. 4 (2011): 72. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Brooks, Gwendolyn. â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr. †Ã‚  Storyworks  17. 4 (2010): 3. Primary Search. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Haskins, Jim. â€Å"Martin Luther King, Jr. †Ã‚  Cobblestone  31. 1 (2010): 28. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. â€Å"MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. (Cover Story). †Ã‚  Scholastic Action  27. 7 (2004): 4. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Tutashinda, K. , and D. C. â€Å"The Grassroots Political Philo sophy Of Ella Baker: Oakland, California Applicability.   Journal Of Pan African Studies  3. 9 (2010): 25-42. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Baraka, Amiri. â€Å"Black Theater Movement & The Black Consciousness Movement. †Ã‚  Kola  24. 1 (2012): 104-119. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Stafford, Tim. â€Å"The First Black Liberation Movement. †Ã‚  Christianity Today  44. 8 (2000): 42. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Taylor, Gardner. â€Å"Black Freedom Fighters. †Ã‚  Christian Century  112. 24 (1995): 777. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2013.

The Theoretical Background Upon Behavior Modification Techniques

The theoretical background upon behavior modification techniques Abstract Behavior modification is a technique about the change in undesired behavior and enhancing desired behavior. In this paper is shown the history of this technique, when it dates from, a theoretical background and the steps of the modification, in order to be successful and thriving. This paper will show one of the first experiments with the behavior modification and how they helped this behavior technique to evolve, so to be helpful for therapeutic purposes as well as for parental purposes. Table of contents: 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 2. History of behavior modification†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 3. Principles of behavior modification†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 4. Techniques of behavior modification †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 5. Steps of behavior modification†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 6. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦. 4 7. Reference list†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦. 5 1. Introduction Behavior modification is a technique concerning the change in the undesired behavior and enhancing desired behavior. It is an approach that aims to modify the behavior of a pe rson through the use of positive or negative reinforcement and punishment.Rewards such as approval, cloth, food or even money can support and strengthen the desired behavior and improve its regularity and occurrence. Behavior modification technique is used in many different situations, varying from the performance of children in their classroom, in their home or in the playground to the actions of adult prison inmates or people who need therapeutic treatment. For instance, if a child is doing her or his homework, this is a desired and wanted behavior. A teacher can support this kind of activity by providing the child with praise or a star on a chart to encourage the child to repeat this behavior.In the next lesson the kid has done the homework in order to get another star. This is a behavior modification. 2. History of behavior modification The theoretical background of behavior modification technique dates since 1911 when this term is used for the first time by Edward Thorndike. Th e behavior modification can also be traced to lab research in 1800's and 1900's. The greater part of this research was done through experimenting with animals. However, this technique is profoundly and intensely developed by American behaviorist Burrhus Frederic Skinner.He developed the idea of operant conditioning, which is the concept that the behavior of a person or an animal can be shaped by reinforcement or lack of one. (Skinner, B. F, 1938). Nowadays, these notions are used by parents and mental health professionals. Behaviorists strongly believe that people are a creation of their life experience with the ability to manage their behavior and study new once. Many routine programs are about reducing cholesterol, blood pressure or weight by using behavior modification techniques as a means of thoroughly modifying eating habits.In another words, behavior modification technique is used to replace undesirable behavior with desirable once. It is the process of modifying a person's r eaction to different stimuli. 3. Principles of behavior modification In the behavior modification technique there are two main principles and they are reinforcement and punishment; both can be either positive or negative. The reinforcement fortifies the behavior. It is something that a person obtains as a result of their behavior that makes it more possible to do it again in the future. A positive reinforcement is about encouraging desirable behaviors through a technique of rewards.In the behavior therapy, therapists often make contracts with their patients and clients in order to establish the terms of the reward system. A negative reinforcement illustrates wanted behavior which is rewarded with the elimination of a negative stimulus. On the other hand, the punishment lessens the behavior. It happens when a person obtain a consequence that they do not desire as an outcome of their behavior. A positive one takes place when unwanted behavior results in the addition of a negative stim ulus. A negative punishment takes place when unwanted behavior results in the removal of an enjoyable and satisfying motivation.B. F. Skinner display positive and negative reinforcement. He put a rat in a box. In this box there was a lever and when it was pushed it released food. The rat quickly understands that every time he pushed the lever he will receive food. In this case the positive reinforcement of receiving food made the rat to push the lever and so it has lever pushing behavior. In Skinner's other example, he put the rat in a different box with a lever. In this box there was an electric current. The rat would push the lever, which immediately turned off the electric current.So, the rat learned to push it in order to stop the current. This behavior was reinforced by avoiding negative circumstances. According to B. F. Skinner the punishment have to be used only as a last option. He thought so, because he believed that people will try harder for a prize than through fear of p unishment, so he stated that the positive reinforcement is more effective than the other methods. He also had the notion that the punishment did not result in the long run for the behavior modification, he believed that the punishment had only brief results. 4 . Techniques of behavior modificationIn the behavior modification there are three techniques which help to remodel negative thoughts or actions into positive ones and they are systematic desensitization, aversion and token economy. Systematic desensitization technique aid with lessen the fear associated with certain stimuli. The experience to the fear-producing stimuli, while focusing on easing techniques in the long run leads to the fear-inducing stimuli resulting in the easing response, rather than fear. Aversion technique support breaking severe or just troublesome habits through associating aversive stimuli to the unwanted habits.In the end, the unwanted habits become related with the negative consequence and the behavior is diminished. The most effective behavior modification technique is the token economy, mainly with children. With this technique a wanted behavior results in the reward of a token -for instance a star or a poker chip; on the other hand unwanted behavior result in taking away the token. When children gain a specific number of tokens, they get a meaningful item, opportunity or some kind of benefit in exchange for the tokens.Ultimately, the rewarding of tokens decreases the unwanted behavior on their own. 5. Steps of behavior modification The behavior modification technique is accessible for everyone – individuals, families and ill people and they all have to follow some steps in order the behavior modification to be successful. The steps are related with identification, education, environmental changes, encouragement and discouragement. The identification of a problem may be easy when an adult choose to stop smoking, or difficult when a student often interrupt the teacher in c lass.Behavior modification techniques involve an educational part to begin the wanted changes. For instance, a teacher might explain to a child in positive ways to express irritation with discussion, rather than throwing objects. Negative behaviors often take place in relation to exact circumstances. For instance, an overeater might always eat when watching TV or a smoker might always smoke when drinking coffee. Environmental changes diminish the chances for the negative behaviors to take place. When the proper behavior occurs, the individual obtain positive reinforcement.For example, a child who does her or his homework will be left to play games or extra hour on the playground. Negative reinforcement give unwanted consequences for keeping on the negative behavior. For instance, extra chores might be the consequence for a teenager acting disrespectfully at home. 6. Conclusion A behavior modification technique has the potential to help many people as well as everyday behaviors and c ircumstances and also to aid in many disorders. This technique has proved as successful many different treatments.For instance, it has helped with children with autism, conduct disorders, many different phobias and addictions; it also has helped in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as well as in parenting and classroom settings. In conclusion to be thriving it has to be followed five very important steps for successful behavior modification technique. First of all it has to be determining the ways for helping diminishing the problems. Secondly, it has to be developing a program designed to lessen the unwanted behavior and make stronger the wanted behavior.Third, it has to be carry out the program. Fourth, it has to be keep objective records of progress. And fifth it has to be supervising the program and results and modify as necessary. 7. Reference list †¢Fernandez, Cr. (2010) Examples of Behavior Modification Techniques Available from: http://www. lives trong. com/article/181974-examples-of-behavior-modification-techniques/ [Accessed November 2012] †¢Labrador, Fr. (2004) Skinner and the Rise of Behavior Modification and Behavior Therapy Available from: http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/15581239 Accessed [November 2012] †¢Martinez, El. 2010) Types of Behavior Modification Available from: http://www. livestrong. com/article/123748-types-behavior-modification/ Accessed [November 2012] †¢Nayab, N (2011) Examples of Behavior Modification Approaches That Really Work Available from: http://www. brighthub. com/office/human resources/articles/107630. aspx [Accessed November 2012] †¢Steeves, J. (2012) A Review of Different Behavior Modification Strategies Designed to Reduce Sedentary Screen Behaviors in Children Available from: http://www. hindawi. com/journals/jobes/2012/379215/ Accessed [November 2012]

Changing to War essays

Changing to War essays Three of the major causes of the Civil War deal mainly with the idea that the Souths Break Up was a direct result from the lack of consideration that the North had. Each cause was created by a sort of tension between the two. Each had their opposite ideas of how the U.S. should be ran, along with the way of living. Mainly tensions were brought up and about from slavery decisions such as the Dred Scott Decision, the presidency of the time, since it needed to be an asset to the time for both the North and South, and the Territory of which the peoples needed to be decided on whether they were to be pro or anti slavery, mainly dealing with the Kansas Nebraska Act. Each created tensions that grew as time went along, which also began to raise emotions. In 1854 Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a U.S. law authorizing the creation of Kansas and Nebraska, west of the states of Missouri and Iowa and divided by the 40th parallel. It repealed a provision of the Missouri Compromise that had prohibited slavery in the territories north of 36Â ° 30', and stated that the people of the territories should decide for themselves the validity of slaveholding. This was known as popular sovereignty. Those did not gain anything from this law and other opponents of slavery responded by forming the Republican Party. Popular sovereignty soon degenerated into a civil war in Kansas, known as the Border War, or Bleeding Kansas, as Southerners and Northerners battled over the status of slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was sponsored by the Democratic senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois. By opening up what had been Native American country to white settlement, Douglas and other northern leaders hoped to facilitate construction of a transcontinental railroad through their states rather than through the southern part of the country. The removal of the restriction on the expansion of slavery ensured s ...

Nutrition and Ideal Body Image Essay

Nutrition and Ideal Body Image Essay Nutrition and Ideal Body Image Essay Consequences of Ideal Body Image In today’s society, body health is a factor that we deal with event that happens in our everyday lives.. â€Å"Want to lose weight?!† â€Å"Lose 15 pounds in the first 3 weeks!† These are common saying that one can see whether it is on commercials or in our magazine. Media plays a big role in our self-esteems as it persuades its audience into believing how one should look. Anytime one looks at fitness or modeling magazine, one can see the images of pictures containing a slimmed waist â€Å"average† American woman. These images give the audience an illusion from realism and give us the illusion of what we want to picture ourselves in. The woman that is found in these magazines is skinny and lean. This leads to the increases of eating pathology. According to â€Å"Exposure to Slim Image in Mass Media,† The gap that is being presented by the unrealistic ideal of thin and the actual women’s body size makes women feel bad about their own personal bodies and pushes them towards the road of losing weight. Due to the fact of these images, it leads them to dieting. As dieting can be part of a problem, things could get worse as over eating or eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and binge eating. Bulimia nervosa is a serious disorder that makes the user take the route of vomiting or the usage of laxative. By vomiting, the person doing so will throw up all of their food and thus prevent weight gain. Bulimia abuser will usually consume high calorie foods and throwing it up before being digested. As this sounds like a great optional way to not gain weight, it does more bad then good to the body in the long run. The long term effects of bulimia are the confusion of the metabolism in one’s body. Thus, leads to weight problems later on in the future. One of the other consequences could be the damages of the digestive system. According to â€Å"FreeDieting.com† the major nutrient problem of this eating disorder leads to the loss of potassium in the body which then makes some function in the body suffer. Binge eating is another common eating disorder. A person that his this disorder, tend to eat huge amount of food all at once. They do this to the certain extent of not fully being able to control themselves. For one, they could eat from pure being bored as for another they choose to stuff themselves with food even if one’s stomach is content and full. Binge eating leads to emotion problems such as low self-esteem. They feel disgusted and depress about how they consume so much more calories than needed. One

Career Planning for Hospitality Students

During the global economic downturn it was predicted that India and China would not be affected as much and hospitality industry in particular would undergo minor changes. Besides this Khanna, 2008 outlined that lack of infrastructure in India would not be sufficient enough to sustain growth of hospitality industry. However the argument can be ruled out as a number of private organization both national and international are investing into Indian hospitality sector. This can be said as Carlson group of hotels are planning to open 50 new properties by the end of year 2012 across India. Many More hotel groups like Fairmont etc are entering fresh in India. It was predicted that the growth in Indian tourism would be around 8. 8% till 2013 which is closely related to hotel industry. The jobs in hospitality were also available during the period of time and are still growing. Moreover the number of hospitality graduates is still very low as compared to the demand of the industry. Hence hospitality as a career is still considered as a fair option in order to grow and make life out of it. Graduate labor market As outlined by Harvey (2001, cited by Nabi, 2000) graduates should posses certain attributes and skills in order to help them find a job and have sustainable growth in it. This would further help them build a career in the industry. However Graduate employability for the industry is still addressed by a question mark. Freed, 2010 states that hotel industry requires flexible graduates, moreover students who are willing to work with variable odd shifts with an initial entry level low salary. Though the availability of jobs is high but still the question arises that weather a hotel management should stay with the industry itself or invade other possible dimensions as well. Besides hotel industry many multinational companies offer fixed working hours and five days a week unlike hotels. Moreover hotels have long working hours as well. On top of all this Maslow (1943, cited in Green 2000) states that a person opts for a job that satisfies his/or basic or physiological needs. The wide options available in other sectors without even specializing and the existence of the concept of equal opportunity make them a more attractive option. To add upon a hotel job is India is considered as a blue color job. A fresh hotel graduate in India or anywhere else is required to have a specialization in his/her area of interest. They are also required to have a considerable work experience with internships etc by the time they graduate as well. Hotel industry also requires high grooming standards and punctuality as well which not much of a requirement. Fresh hospitality graduates are offered three options for employment in the hotel industry. †¢ Operational trainee programs in different areas like housekeeping, kitchen and service †¢ Management trainee programs which are further extended to finance, sales and marketing etc. †¢ Entry level employment as Associate, commis or executive. †¢ Certain hotel organization also offers a corporate trainee program. Management trainee programs are offered usually to fewer students comparatively. These are the students with untreated talent which can nurture in order to produce future managers. It further involves students into finances of an operation as well. On the other hand an operational trainee program is offered to the students who are not yet ready for the management positions. Further it prepares them of core operational competencies. Moreover cooperate trainee program is the highest which is offered to students with rare competencies. An organization believes them to be the future leaders of the organization. The hotel industry in India requires a number future leaders and operational employees. Human resource plays a vital role in management of these services (Jauhari, 2006). It is important from a student perspective who is seeking employment to know what is exactly expected from them by the employers. Harrera (2003) outlines 99 competencies which are required for manager’s ethical behavior. Moreover Harvey (1997, cited in Jenner, 2000) outlines 20 core competencies which are required by employers. Jauhari (2006) states that hospitality organizations seek talented graduates to recruit for their trainee programs. These programs can be considered as investments from the employer’s point of view for their employees. Nabi, 2003 outlines that hotel organizations are looking for fresh employees with not only intellectual skills but also people management skills as well. Initially to begin with one can always be confused to join the industry because of a number of factors though the odds and positives seem have a balance. Questions like how are global travel trends going to be in the future? Weather an economic meltdown affects the hotel industry or not? Certain questions were addressed during our internship which was not being arranged internationally due to the global economic downturn. Other questions like aiming for a management trainee program or a regular job was also in my mind. Moreover Drucker, 199 states that one must review and introspect their goals as per the change in situations and circumstances. This is supposed to happen as personal life and work life goes through a lot of changes as well. As per Aggarwal, 2006 the decrease of workers in industrial and manual jobs will increase the opportunities to abstract from of thought. This includes people with analytical and problem solving skills, moreover possessing the capacity for innovation. The literate population of India has gone up by 6. percent since 2001. As per the NHDC report the travel and tourism industry in India is accounted with a 6% growth in GDP and 30. 5 million jobs. In terms of travel India stands 9th in the index of relative cost of access which is ticket taxes and airport charge to international air transport services. Tourism is said to be the one of the largest net earners of foreign e xchange for the country which was contributing at 11. 747 million in 2008 with a 9. 5% growth year after year. Besides this the demand in terms of skill labor is very high in the hospitality sector with a shortage of manpower. The table underneath shows the cities and the projected demand in terms of manpower by the year 2013/14. Ministry of tourism has 21 hotel management and catering institutes which are responsible to meet the growth in the industry. Career options There have been a number of campus placement interviews and other options available as well. I have participated is a very few as I look for a position in Sales and marketing with a little scope of compromise. These have been Carlson and J. W. Marriot both for sales and marketing. Most of the hotel organizations don’t seem to offer a position for sales and marketing. Major options available are housekeeping, kitchen, Food and beverage service and front office as these are the areas which require more manpower than compared to sales division. Other areas that I am still looking at are procurement which has the same problem as sales. During my internships in various departments I have realized that I have less inclination for other operational options available. As I look forward to choose an organization and stick to it for a long period of time I cannot use any other job as a stepping stone for my area of interest. Competencies required for the Position: We are made aware of the organizations that come in for interview or we go visit at. These presentations talk about the skills and competencies that are required for the job position they offer. They outline flexibility in terms of shifts, working elsewhere rather than your hometown, culture etc. as I mentioned earlier organizations offering sales were less but during my vocational job I found out certain competencies required for a sales executive. Later during an interaction with Parivah Rustogi, director sales for J. W. Marriot I found out they are looking for outgoing personalities who are not exactly too study oriented. Taj Groups of Hotels Taj group of hotel is one of the largest hotel chains in India which is run by Indian hotel company ltd (IHCL). Taj hotels resorts and palaces were awarded the â€Å"Gallup Great Workplace 2010’ title complimenting the work environment they have created for their employees. This further included a lot many parameters like retention, training etc. (tajhotels. com) Employee engagement There are a number of factors which are responsible for employee engagement. Taj group of hotels conduct departmental briefings. They are further categorizing into mornings and evening. They discuss agenda of the day, current status and other things related to the employees. This helps boost the moral and motivate them for better work. The organization conducts a lot of analysis for employee engagement. These are factors responsible for their absenteeism etc. further there are exit interviews, retention issues, feedback analysis etc to keep a check upon the factors affecting motivation of their employees. Moreover there are a lot loyalty and reward programs which are known as STARS. These are responsible for staff motivation and improving performance. Here the employee is not rewarded through cash but points which are gained through positive acts at work. These points can be redeemed as other benefits later. Further they also concentrate upon training and development which helps an individual to build upon his skills and progress in his career. CV Analysis In order to write an appropriate CV one need to know herself/himself. The word itself Curriculum Vitae refers to â€Å"the course of life† (Jenner, 200). It helps an employer know about the professional life, performance and objective of a particular employee. It’s not just about our self but also how we fit into the organization in contrast to its policies and procedures and our strength and weaknesses. After undergoing through †¢ The cover letter was missing from my CV. A cover letter is very important in order to demonstrate past experiences. Moreover makes it convenient for the employer to retrieve information about the objective, work experience etc at a glance. †¢ Most of the information listed in terms of the contact details and certifications so far weren’t quite relevant for the employer. There was less information provided in regards to the job position that I wish to seek. There weren’t any certificates or much appreciation letters which could demonstrate my communication skills, being innovative, problem solving etc. moreover there wasn’t anything listing my achievement so far. †¢ It only mentioned the places where in I did my internships. There was no mentioning of the area I have tra ined in and how does it makes a difference with other students. So we can say that there wasn’t any kind of supporting information or document that would have interest my employer for the job position I wish to seek. Competencies Demonstrated and Implementations of Them in Job Selection Processes It is very important to know one being a fresh graduate while preparing for interviews and selection processes. In order to achieve this I undertook certain tests to find out what exactly my career goals are and the skills which are required survive in the work environment today. There was assessment center simulation which would help us rate our self on parameters upon which the employers would hire us. I did the Jung Typology test (appendix 2) which helped me figure out that I am an extrovert person. An extrovert is the one with an outgoing personality. I have also mentioned before this has helped me in my job ventures in sales and have gradually helped me develop my interest in sales division. This makes it easy for me to communicate with people and help me find leads. This further helps me identify customer problems and solve them. It also states that my feelings are moderate and less sensitive to others at times. I don’t spend much time judging how people are though I am an emotional person. Further I took a communication test to find out about my communication skills as they play a vital role (appendix 4). This also involves listening skills which requires proper understanding of what one’s saying. I found out that I can fairly interpret what other people are trying to communicate in terms of words and body language. I can empathize with other person feelings for a better understanding. I can perhaps alter my behavior accordingly to the other person comfort level of his/her understanding. The johari window (Jenner, 2000) helped me find out what others feel about me and how much does it intersect with my opinion (Appendix 10). This helped me find a blind spot. There has been a gap between my perception about myself and what others perceive of me. My peer felt that I am an outgoing person as well, one who would socialize with people and make new friends. They perceived me a little over confident with my work most of the times which has also been the feedback by my professors as well. Though I am a sociologist but yet I keep my secrets from the world keeping a wide margin in my personal space. Though I know much about myself in terms of my skills but yet there is a lot which can be discovered by new experiences. I try and take up new challenges to find out what I really like and what I would really want to take up as a career. This includes my part time job as a commis and sales at times besides my internship. This further helps me identify my strength and weaknesses. Moreover my interactions with my mentor further help me plan how my career path should be considering the test that I took for my ideal job (appendix 6). Moreover I took the Myers test to find to more insights about me (appendix 3). My interest lies in what is unknown, I think a little before my actions. I consider theories and how they relate in practical life.

Research Project Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Research Project - Dissertation Example It has been estimated that in the next four years, the mobile industry would be investing around $793 billion in the capital and about $2.7 trillion to the public funding. Various research states that the global base of subscribers would be approximately around 4.6 billion, and the number of mobile connections would reach to around 9.1 billion by the end of 2015, which is presently around 6.6 billion. The mobile industry is considered as a success story (The Economic Times, 2012; AlShebil, 2007). This is because of its power, which has also transformed the other industries such as healthcare, transaction, payments, education, etc (Sandle, 2013). According to GSM Association, Mobile penetration of around 10 percent escalates the GDP of a developed by around 0.6 percent and 0.81 percent of any developing country. Even in the low income countries, around 1-0 percent increase in mobile penetration increases 1.4 percent of GDP (The Economic Times, 2012). However, these are all assumptions , but according to Gartner (2013), the sales of mobile phone declined by 1.7 percent in the first quarter of 2012. The tables have shifted and the leadership in mobile phone industry has gone from Nokia to Apple and Samsung, which is controlling about 52 percent of Smartphone sales presently (Cyber Media Research, 2013). In 2012, it was recorded that the sales of mobile phones worldwide was around 1.75 billion units in the year 2012, which increased to 207.7 million units at the end of the same year. This indicated a hike of 38.3 percent in sales (Egham, 2013). Garter has also predicted that the demand for feature phone is likely to fall considerably in 2013. This is mainly because of the increasing demand for smart phones. Samsung has taken the lead in the smart phone industry followed by Apple. Companies like Huawei, Blackberry, ZTE, Nokia, LG, HTC, and Motorola has strong presence in the global mobile market too. However, with the strong support of Android software, Samsung is ca nnibalizing the market share of most of the market leaders (Egham, 2013; Czinkota, and Ronkainen, 2007). 1.2 Research Problem The mobile phone market is saturated with products, yet every day a new piece of innovation can be seen. The market leaders are cannibalizing each others’ market share. In this scenario, it becomes difficult to identify the swift changes in demand for a particular mobile brand. However, in this research study the changing demands and preference for Iphones and Blackberry

Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Rights - Essay Example If a person is deprived the provisions of article 5, he or she shall have the right to ask for compensation. Saying that the article does not derail the process of fighting crime in the U.K. will be proper. The article only serves to protect the rights of an individual to security and liberty. People are entitled to be liberal and secure. The right in itself protects innocent individuals against aggression from fellow individuals hence maintaining law and order is its main priority. It allows for individual rights to liberty while at the same time guarding against commitment of a crime through its provision. Limited means that a person can be denied the rights under the provisions of article 51. It means that there are circumstances where deprivation of liberty is deemed very lawful. However, such events are also guarded within the law to ensure that they are not taken advantage of illegally to dehumanize other human beings by law enforcement agents. In the case of any deprivation to the provisions of article 5, the law stipulates that such instances should be lawful and necessary. Such a period should not run longer than expected in the case of liberty restrictions. The guidelines to these provisions are set forth in article 5 (2) to 5 (5). Any limitation to the article should follow the guidelines stated under the articles. For example, a suspected terrorism offender can be denied this freedom for longer than is necessary so that the law enforcers can guarantee security to other persons. Under the terrorism prevention and investigation strategies, article 5 imposes significant restrictions to suspects of terror crimes. The law also creates harsh restrictions to a person convicted of terror crimes hence his or her rights to liberty are very slim creating a reduction in crime level2. Another example is when it is made compulsory for a

Close-Reading Xala Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Close-Reading Xala - Essay Example Close-Reading Xala Sembene has used his life to reveal the period of transition in Africa shedding light upon the corruption and greed that persisted in the African society. The story commences from the success of El Hadji and ends at the note where he is humiliated owing to his own acts and wrongdoings. El Hadji lived a life of pride and attained financial successes even through wrong means to fulfill his greed. He lived a lavish life and had two wives named Adja Awa Astou and Oumi N’Doye respectively. But he decided to marry a third woman, N'Gone and this was a matter of pride for him as he believed this symbolized his manhood and his capability of fulfilling the demands of three wives both physically and financially. His first two wives are not very happy with this decision but to uphold the African traditions of submissiveness for women, they obey his command and attend his wedding ceremony. El Hadji is very happy with his marriage but his marriage proves to be the commencement of his downfa ll. He is unable to consummate his marriage owing to the loss of potency on the first of his marriage. On the path of attaining the cure for his problem, he loses his wealth and he is deserted by his wives as well except for Awa. He is looked down upon by his colleagues who also leave him and continue with their financial projects. It is later that El Hadji finds out that he lost his potency owing to â€Å"xala† which was a curse of impotency that was spelled on him by a beggar as he had been unfair and had unjustly taken over the piece of land of the beggar. The only way that remained for him to regain his manhood was by taking off his clothes and by being spit by all the beggars. The author has interwoven the happenings in the life of El Hadji to reflect upon the wrongdoings in the African society. El Hadjis first wife is a traditional African woman who sticks by him till the end. She is submissive and follows the commands of her husband. Her character reveals the strength of an African woman who is patient and loyal. She converses with her husband in Wolof revealing that she wills to uphold the tradition of the African society. Their daughter Rama is used by the writer to portray the new generation of Africa who knew that they had fought their way out of colonialism and had to work towards upholding their culture and traditions. She was a strong character who argued with his father against his wrongdoings and atrocities. She also talked with her father in Wolof and did not wish to utilize the French traditions and products until and unless needed. It is seen that despite of her disapproval for her father’s acts, she still loved her father which is revealed when she stands by him and converses with the police officer when the beggars at their house for the ritual of spitting El Hadji for regaining his manhood. She also cries on seeing her father being disgraced. Africa was in a transitional phase and Oumi who is El Hadji’s second wife sy mbolizes as a character that is stuck between the French and the African traditions. Oumi is not patient and devoted like Awa. She highly disapproves of El Hadji’s third marriage. She was not completely over the French period of colonialism and preferred using their language and dressing. She adopted a more western style and her character denoted the existence of the French remnants in the African society. Oumi is materialistic and leaves El Hadji during his period of downfall and

Oedipus -Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Oedipus -Discussion - Essay Example Can you relate to him as such? Is there any way that he reminds you of yourself? If so, how? (If not, explain that too.) I like Oedipus’ desire to struggle with fate. I would do the same if I were Oedipus and actually we are fighting with our fate every day in the modern world. Thus, Oedipus is really rather modern personality and his qualities would help him if he lived in the today’s world. 1) Being a politician in today political climate means not keeping your word, "smear campaigning" and building secret alliances with others for self interest. Todays politician will just about say anything to hold and retain a public post. These qualities contradict our tragic hero Oedipus. Unlike politicians today Oedipus was a man with honor and character. Creon, the king Oedipuss brother-in-law, says"If you wish to hear the news in public, Im prepared to speak. Or we could step inside."108 This gave me a first glimpse as to his character and commitment to his constituents. Todays politicians like former presidents Richard M. Nixon and his Watergate scandal or Bill J. Clinton and his Whitewater scandal prefer secret misdeeds to be kept from public knowledge. Yet, Oedipus chose to address all matter publicly. I admire the tenaciousness of our tragic hero for standing on his moral compass oppose to allowing public opinion to shape his every decision. Throughout our protagonist, Oedi pus, remained honest even when he possessed the power to forgive his own misdeed. Would these previously mentioned former presidents have done the same given the humiliation they suffered? Oedipus would keep his campaign promises, be open with information, and would have earned my vote. Although, It is difficult to imagine Oedipus style of politic with todays ; I would vote for Oedipus given the other alternative politicians. Many African-Americans, not to far in todays past, dare imagined a President of the United State of America

Credibility of International Human Rights Organizations Term Paper

Credibility of International Human Rights Organizations - Term Paper Example The organizations play their roles through mobilizing people and confronting any institution or individuals who are acting in an injustice or inhuman manner, thus jeopardizing the dignity of humanity. The International Human Rights Organizations monitors basic human right issues all over the world and promote their views on such issues (Barsh, 113). They undertake their responsibilities through lobbying and advocacy, trying to convince the United Nations as well as other national governments to adopt their established policies on human rights and freedoms (Emilie and Kiyoteru, 407). Such International Human Rights Organizations have observers in many regions of the world where they monitor and give their views on the violation and abuse of human rights in those regions. To protect and promote human rights the world over, such organizations collaborates with other regional and locally based organizations, as well as human rights defenders, to mobilize, lobby and advocate for non-viola tion of basic human rights by governments and other institutions (James and Peter, 276). However, the idea of human rights protection have been overemphasized in the last two decades, with human rights organization taking the center stage in running the affairs of the people. More than ever in the world, human rights organizations have been integrated in each aspect of a countries affair, having the media focus on them and huge budget allocations channeled towards them (Emilie and Ron, 375). The support for human rights organization has been immense from the public, since they perceive such organizations as their protector against the violations of their basic freedoms and rights by the government. Therefore, human rights organizations have become an effective platform through which people advocate for their rights and seek redress whenever their freedoms and rights are violated. Thus, the reputation of International Human Rights Organizations has grown bigger than of many other lea ding corporations (Emilie and Kiyoteru, 407). Though in the 1970s such organizations were excluded in the main global policy circles, these has changed with any policy involving finance, security and power incorporating these organizations at the center stage of such issues. Thus, human rights have been integrated in the global culture, where every aspect of human interaction has to be aligned based on the policies and views promoting human rights and freedoms. Social change in the developing world is greatly imparted by the International Human Rights Organizations, as any aspect of social change in such countries has to be monitored and assessed based on how it suits the established policies by these organizations. For such organizations, two basic issues are fundamental for their success in actively playing their roles. The first of this fundamental task is to persuade the political, social, and economic elites that human rights are universal and desirable for all, and thus they s hould be promoted at whatever cost (Emilie and Ron, 375). This can be achieved through having politicians and other social elites prioritize human right issues in their meetings and forums. Journalists and bureaucrats have an enormous role to play in promoting these issues through articulating them in media. The second tasks are translating the human rights language and policies into a reality and have such

Close-Reading Xala Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Close-Reading Xala - Essay Example Close-Reading Xala Sembene has used his life to reveal the period of transition in Africa shedding light upon the corruption and greed that persisted in the African society. The story commences from the success of El Hadji and ends at the note where he is humiliated owing to his own acts and wrongdoings. El Hadji lived a life of pride and attained financial successes even through wrong means to fulfill his greed. He lived a lavish life and had two wives named Adja Awa Astou and Oumi N’Doye respectively. But he decided to marry a third woman, N'Gone and this was a matter of pride for him as he believed this symbolized his manhood and his capability of fulfilling the demands of three wives both physically and financially. His first two wives are not very happy with this decision but to uphold the African traditions of submissiveness for women, they obey his command and attend his wedding ceremony. El Hadji is very happy with his marriage but his marriage proves to be the commencement of his downfa ll. He is unable to consummate his marriage owing to the loss of potency on the first of his marriage. On the path of attaining the cure for his problem, he loses his wealth and he is deserted by his wives as well except for Awa. He is looked down upon by his colleagues who also leave him and continue with their financial projects. It is later that El Hadji finds out that he lost his potency owing to â€Å"xala† which was a curse of impotency that was spelled on him by a beggar as he had been unfair and had unjustly taken over the piece of land of the beggar. The only way that remained for him to regain his manhood was by taking off his clothes and by being spit by all the beggars. The author has interwoven the happenings in the life of El Hadji to reflect upon the wrongdoings in the African society. El Hadjis first wife is a traditional African woman who sticks by him till the end. She is submissive and follows the commands of her husband. Her character reveals the strength of an African woman who is patient and loyal. She converses with her husband in Wolof revealing that she wills to uphold the tradition of the African society. Their daughter Rama is used by the writer to portray the new generation of Africa who knew that they had fought their way out of colonialism and had to work towards upholding their culture and traditions. She was a strong character who argued with his father against his wrongdoings and atrocities. She also talked with her father in Wolof and did not wish to utilize the French traditions and products until and unless needed. It is seen that despite of her disapproval for her father’s acts, she still loved her father which is revealed when she stands by him and converses with the police officer when the beggars at their house for the ritual of spitting El Hadji for regaining his manhood. She also cries on seeing her father being disgraced. Africa was in a transitional phase and Oumi who is El Hadji’s second wife sy mbolizes as a character that is stuck between the French and the African traditions. Oumi is not patient and devoted like Awa. She highly disapproves of El Hadji’s third marriage. She was not completely over the French period of colonialism and preferred using their language and dressing. She adopted a more western style and her character denoted the existence of the French remnants in the African society. Oumi is materialistic and leaves El Hadji during his period of downfall and