Ethnic literature Essay

The definition of ethnic literature â€Å"is literature like any other, except that it contains ethnic references. † (Reilly p. 2). Another definition of ethnic literature is when there is a literature work that contain religious beliefs, racial issues, linguistics, or cultural heritage. In another word, ethnic literature is the literary work that includes particular culture, beliefs, or linguistics distinction. Postcolonial literary theory draws attention in the issue of cultural difference emerging in the society. One of the issues which may often appear during the class discussion is hybridity. It seems that people who have been faced by the fact that they are living in a ‘hybrid world’ tend to be confused by their real status. They realize for their interest, but they can not avoid the possibility becoming ‘in between’. Although , they are included into one part, the native part, but on the other hand they can not deny the deep feeling to be pleasant considering themselves different with the other. There is a kind of more value they have compared with their surround, and they think it is worthy to be kept. Of course, this feeling comes into their mind by some reasons. There must be an additional value added into their original culture. The additional value may be in the form of a new ideology, belief or view which are brought by the dominating. The dominated rarely conscious with the impact. They usually only feel that it is a natural process which become the impact of daily social interaction they are engaged in. Another issue which emerges in postcolonial discussion is about dominated-dominating one. We can not expect who actually take the role as ‘dominating’ or ‘dominated’. The practice may turn over, the dominated may become the dominating in the same time toward different object, vice versa. We are also introduced by ‘Otherness’ theory. It makes someone consider that she or he are different from the other, and other people is not the same with her or him. Gadis Tangsi tells a story about a girl life, namely Teyi. She is a Javanese girl who grew up in the Javanese tradition. She lives with his parents and sibling in tangsi area. She was taught to become an obedient girl by her mother with many limitations as a girl. She helps her mother to sell fried bananas every day. Teyi finds herself limited by some rules which are considered as the right rules for her mother. She even does not know how ‘love’ or how to be ‘loved’ by a man. She was taught to be a polite woman. She finally finds who she is when she is introduced to Putri Parasi by Ndara Tuan Kapten Sarjubehi who has helped her. That is the beginning of her new experience to recognize a new world, the world that she has never imagined before. Putri Parasi teaches her everything to be ‘a good lady’. Putri Parasi likes Teyi for her politeness. She more likes Teyi after being saved when her disease comes immediately. Putri Parasi expects to teach her how to behave well. She even teaches Teyi to speak Dutch. Teyi starts to be able to read and write. Putri Parasi really wants to prepare her to be taken to Surakarta Keraton and introduced her to a man who will be married with her. She plans to make Teyi deserve to have a husband from Keraton families. In the novel Gadis Tangsi written by Suparto Brata, we can see some unexpected phenomenon occur. It makes me realize that actually there are still many things covered even by what Javanese people considered as ‘budaya adiluhung’. The word ‘politeness’, ‘hospitality’ and ‘dignity’ which come into people mind when they heard about Javanese culture become blur after they read this novel. Javanese woman who is considered as an obedient woman and become a mercy for whom takes her as a wife may be surprised by what Suparto tells about Teyi and Dumilah. He brings them in this novel as representative of Javanese woman character, in different point of view. However, the story about them, for me, is far from the stereotype of common Javanese women (may be just a few). The feeling of ‘in between’ seem to be experienced by Teyi. She starts to know about how the way the higher status people behave since she meets Putri Parasi. Teyi realizes that her life style is quite different from her, and she is glad when she knows that Putri Parasi does not mind introducing this new culture to her. From this intentional interaction, after she is taught how to behave like ‘putri bangsawan’, Teyi starts to consider she has a chance to be the same with them. Even she lives with her parents, she starts to consider that she is better than them. She has been raised from the lower part. She has more power than the people in the house. The very obvious impact of this teaching actually appears when Teyi has been left by Putri Parasi. After she passed away, Teyi become independent from the influence of Putri Parasi. Although, there are still some traces of her teaching inside Teyi which reflect in the way she behaves. She seems take the dominating position over her husband, Sapardal. Sapardal feeling about his lower position when they have been married becomes the cause of the divorce. Only two days of marriage, and Teyi considers that she has a right to sue divorce, while Sapardal can only keep silent without any comment. In this relationship, Sapardal as a man who actually considered as ‘the dominating’ take the role as ‘the dominated’. He does not feel on the same level with Teyi. He admits that he has no power compared to Teyi. He even has no courage to touch her in their first night of marriage. Here, we can see the role between man and woman has shifted. Brata seems to show us that the role of people in the society is like running on the moving wheel. The dominating and dominated are only a symbol of someone position, which also can be shifted based on where we are standing. Sapardal may fail in maintaining his position as superior in front of Teyi. The cultural change also appears in this novel. Sexual intercourse is not considered as a sacral any longer for almost all the women in this novel. During my reading, I wonder if I read Indonesian culture literary work, especially belong to Javanese one. However, Brata wrote the novel using the Indonesian condition in the past, in the colonial occupation. In this situation, it is not easy to determine which one who still hold the original value since the influence of other ideology come into the life in that simple way. The force of a new ideology input is not directly felt in this novel. The indigenous people enjoy the acculturation between the dominated and the dominating. It also happens in the shifting of the way they see sexual intercourse actually is. What we call as a taboo becomes commonly conducted by the people. Teyi is defined as a free woman, even she has been married and becomes a wife of Sapardal, and she breaks the rule by having intercourse with Ndara Tuan Kapten Sarjubehi. It seems that she wants to take a revenge to Dumilah who is considered had cheated her by having romantic affair with her master. Sapardal can not do anything. He has failed to become a good husband. This thinking is from his own side. When we look at this phenomenon, again, Teyi proves that she has had a power over a man from her own society. She starts to have a right to consider a man like Sapardal is not at the same level with her. However, in my opinion it will not happen if Sapardal never has the way of thinking. Actually, he has thought that she is great and different from the other woman in his environment before they are married. That makes he has no courage to touch her at their first night. It also makes Teyi feels not being regarding or respecting as a wife. She thinks that Sapardal has no desire toward her, and she thinks that it is better to ask divorce. What a short way of thinking! I found that Teyi has put a wrong way of thinking about what Putri Parasi had taught to her. It seems that she does not consider marriage as a sacral relationship any longer. ‘Love’ relationship has been considered as a ‘real’ relationship when we have passion to have sex with our couple. Is that so simple? That is the way Teyi think about love basically. It is shown also when she does not mind to have sex with her ex-master, Ndara Tuan Kapten Sarjubehi, and then she starts to love someone else, Ndara Mas Kus. There is no any guilty feeling. Finally, we can conclude that there are three aspect of postcolonial reading for Gadis Tangsi has been discussed above. First, hybridity appears when Teyi finds herself has involved and being a part of Putri Parasi’s society, Keraton environment since she has been able to behave and speak like her, so she considers that she is a part of Putri community. While she has that feeling, she still can not avoid other people consideration about her who is only becoming a servant and will not become like them. Second, dominating feeling toward Sapardal comes into her mind. There is dominating-dominated in shifting model between them. It seems a denial for a man who usually considered as the dominating one, while Teyi proves that it can be shifted. Last, ‘Otherness’ theory also emerges in this novel. After having taught to have attitude and behave like Putri Parasi model, Teyi finally considers herself different with other woman in her society. It appears in the way she treats Dumilah who is her old friend. She thinks that Dumilah has no right to become ‘a munci’ of Ndara Tuan Kapten Sarjubehi because she is not at the same level with her or Ndara. Reference Ashcroft, Bill, et. al. 1946. The Empire Writes Back. London : Routledge Barry, Peter. 1824. Beginning Theory. Manchester : Manchester University Press Brata, Suparto. 2004. Gadis Tangsi. Jakarta : Kompas Reilly, John. 1978. Critical Approaches to Ethnic Literature. London : Oxford University Press

Eco-tourism Essay

Eco-tourism is defined by the International Ecotourism Society as â€Å"responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people. † It is different from the traditional mass tourism in that it provides an incentive to people to be more environmentally and culturally friendly and responsible and thus preserving a better future for the tourists of tomorrow (What is ecotourism? , 2009). One of the continents rich in indigenous cultures is the continent of Australia where various natural wonders of the world lie. It is a place with cultural and natural diversity. It is places where the Sydney Harbor, Ayers Rock and cricket stadiums mark the beauty and diversity of the region. Beautiful rainforests, parks and resorts are found and that need to be preserved and protected. In this article today, we will look into the different organizations working to promote eco-tourism in Victoria, the efforts they have taken, their adequacies, the effect of green washing which should be eliminated the most and the costs and benefits associated with eco-tourism in Australia. Even though there are costs associated with eco-tourism, the benefits certainly outweigh them and thus for the prosperity of tomorrow, eco-tourism is an emerging concept picking up even more pace in today’s difficult times of global warming, environmental threats and extinction of natural habitat at an exceeding fast rate (Brue, 2006). Introduction Eco-tourism, a term, which is gaining more momentum in today’s world due to the ever-more environmentally friendly and conscious approaches being taken to conserve the natural habitats of the world is often confused with similar terminologies. Buzz words such as ‘adventure travel,’ ‘sustainable travel,’ ‘green travel’ and ‘responsible tourism’ are often used interchangeably with eco-tourism, which has a precise and unique meaning to it. Eco-tourism is best defined as a ‘responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people. ’ It is different from the traditional travel in the sense that it allows travelers to meet the people from different cultures and encourages them to protect the endangered species, plants and animals. The history of eco-tourism began when many countries started setting up lodges near parks and reserves to display the natural wonders to the world. However, little was it helping the local communities as rainforests and endangered species started depleting. In the late seventies did the realization struck that huge resorts such as Acapulco and Cancun and large parks were having disastrous effects on the natural environment, which should in fact be protected thus giving the idea of eco-tourism to be invented (What is ecotourism? , 2009). In this article we will be looking at eco-tourism in the great continent of Australia, home to the most beautiful natural sites in the world. Australia is native to an indigenous culture, marvelous sites and landscapes, rare species and inhabitants that can easily be used to spur up an economy of eco-tourism; the only hindrance is the fact that it lies towards one extreme end of the Earth. Costs and Benefits The benefits of eco-tourism cannot be understated. However, the costs of eco-tourism should also not be overlooked (Case & Fair, 2004). Environmental In today’s worlds where environmental awareness and protection is a key priority in almost all aspects of the economy and in almost all business arenas, eco-tourism also stresses on the sole importance of preservation of the environment and natural habitats. Eco-tourism like any other form of tourism is a means of giving people a break from their mundane lifestyles and giving them an exuberant experience but with a feel of environmental obligation. Eco-tourism has raised awareness among travelers as well as local communities and residents of how to protect their surroundings and the need for it as well. It has made societies more knowledgeable and has raised appreciation for biological diversity and resources and is also encouraging nations to discover new means for better conservation practices. If resources and inhabitants are not protected today, the world’s scarce resources will deplete soon leaving no tourist attraction for the later generations to come (Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch, 2009). Some of the potential costs associated are that if there is no proper regulation and authority, eco-tourism efforts may fail and damage the environment. This is what initially happened in Costa Rica and Nepal where pollution from nearby runaway resorts and hotel development and parks kept rising, signaling a poorly managed eco-tourism business (Martha, 1999). Economic Economically, eco-tourism is growing significantly. Apart from the growth of ecotourism at about a sustained 15% in Australia, there are other potential growth opportunities in other Latin American countries as well. Latin America is seen as the heart of eco-tourism and in Costa Rica, eco-tourism is rising by about 20% each year. Mexico and the Brazil have entered into long term agreements to launch massive eco-tourism projects in places such as the Amazon Basin in order to attract millions of tourists each year. And this as a result is a major contributor to the national GDP and generates millions of dollars each year. Also, eco-tourism has allowed a number of new tourists spots to develop in recent years. USAID promotes nature based tourism by developing new national parks, demarcating and equipping these parks, encouraging more investments into eco-tourism and providing hobs and training to people from such ingenious areas as well as locals and hence reducing unemployment (Dasgupta, 2006). However, one of the major risks that seem to be associated with economic effects of eco-tourism is that with the rise of international tourism, the local economic effects of eco-tourism are depleting. The millions of dollars generated by this industry often leaves the host country and into other nations (Case & fair, 2006). Eco-tourism society through its research finds out that about 55% of total revenues generated from eco-tourism leaves Central And South America. This is not the case so for Australia where a majority of the revenue forms government revenue which is spent back on public development and national preservation of forests and species. This leakage of revenue hampers growth of the local societies and limits the funds that can be re-invested in protecting and conserving the environment. Moreover, the rural people who get the jobs in the eco-tourism industry are often exploited for being cheap labor and often international workers are hired which again means a leakage of funds from the host country. Yet another cost of eco-tourism is that there maybe some spots reserved for tourists and for environmental protection, which will be seen by natives such as farmers as a means of encroaching on their lands and snatching away their rights to farm on those lands and feed the growing population. National heritage and critical sites in the Australia that have long been preserved in their natural forms, are now being encroached upon by locals and greedy foreigners in search for minerals, ore and timber and thus hampering the life of farmers and tribal people living in these areas relying upon ancient farming techniques and production methods for sustenance. Socio-cultural Eco-tourism allows people from different nations to meet people from other cultures with varying customs and unique histories. It is important that tourists have already read about the native locals that they will soon be meeting up with and the places they will go to. The benefits in this are the increase in knowledge of people about other cultures, developing cross-cultural communications and relationships and bridging gaps that may exist. Also, it allows tourists to come out of their stereotyped tourists impression and give a chance to the locals to offer them hospitality and kindness and thus providing a unique opportunity to overcome cultural barriers (Tenenbaum, 2000). However, the one real and most dangerous cost of socio-cultural aspects of eco-tourism is that it has resulted in eroding away the natives’ culture that is so unique and needs to be preserved. This happens in case when eco-tourism is not managed well whereby the tourists needs to be told how to behave with the natives, what code of conduct they need to embrace and what they should talk about and what not. Often when things are not managed well, a sense of inadequacy arises in the natives such as people from high mountains or tribal regions when they see the ‘white’ foreign tourists in such luxury and richness leaving resentment in the natives over their way of life. This has been observed through a research in the Ecuadorian highlands where the natives feel a great sense of deprivation looking at the foreign ‘white’ tourists who come with their own food, has the cash needed for purchases and can afford to have people serve them comfortably. This often leaves behind traces of modern culture and infiltrates the native culture and leaves it at a state that is neither modern nor indigenous. Managing Eco-tourism-Quality Control, Management Practices In order for the objectives of the eco-tourism to be achieved, quality control measures and management techniques should be in place correctly. In conjunction with new Zealand and other surrounding pacific nations, Australia boasts of a large ecotourism joint agreement that has seen all the members of the agreement seeing growth and development in the ecotourism sector for the past five years. Even in South America, various countries have entered into eco-tourism agreements to ensure safer and environmentally responsible tours. Mexico is one of the Latin American countries that tourism and environment leaders have entered into long-term eco-tourism agreements and Brazil has launched a huge eco-tourism project in the Amazon Basin (Martha, 1999). Various organizations have been set up to deal with the quality control issues at hand to ensure that eco-tourism approaches and techniques are able to meet the set standards and goals. Initially, in the past couple of years organizations were exploiting and misusing the label of eco-tourism and offering the traditional tourism plans. However people, conservation minded organizations and the governments realized the importance of eco-tourism in its true meaning and thus have now embraced it in its true form (Brue, 2004). In South America, many eco-tourism specific organizations are providing services to ensure quality control. In Guatemala, a local organization by the name of Pro Peten Conservation International provides training services since 1993 to natives in order for them to act as agents of eco-tourism and as guides for the tourists. They are taught how to behave with tourists, how to interact with them, how to be proud of and protect their indigenous culture and heritage and how not to get swayed away by the tourists’ lifestyles. Another organization is the Ecuadorian Eco-tourism Association that improve the working and training of all those working in the eco-tourism industry by providing field training, workshops for guides, tour operators, lodges and conservationists. Providing training to natives and those working for the industry is essential so that they know which tourists they are going to be dealing with, the level of awareness of those tourists and how well they need to frame their plans in accordance with eco-tourism objectives (Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch, 2009).

Granny Gets Canned Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Granny Gets Canned - Assignment Example Additionally, the acts also make it illegal to harass employees on the basis of their age. This can include offensive remarks in relation to their age. The employer of Susan makes offensive remarks as regards Susan’s age when she fires her. It is improper to fire an individual without sufficient notice; hence the aggrieved party has a right to legal redress. The employer is required to have sufficient reasons to fire an employee summarily. Susan therefore has the right to sue for wrongful termination of her employment on the basis of age. Whatever the reason that an employer may have for terminating an employee, proper procedures should be followed to mitigate against wrongful dismissal law suits. The employer of Susan should have followed the right procedures if aggrieved with the performance of Susan. Proper procedures include documentation of the problem, following to the book rules and

Business Statistics and Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Statistics and Application - Essay Example We need to find product of p-value and standard deviation that yields $200. Hence, ii. We need to assume that the observations are normally distributed. In addition, normal distribution is to satisfy seven requirements: (1) the graph should be bell shaped curve; (2) mean, median and mode are all equal; (3) mean, median and mode are located at the center of the distribution; (4) it has only one mode, (5) it is symmetric about mean, (6) it is a continuous function; (6) it never touches x-axis; and (7) the area under curve equals one. ii. The sample is consistent with the company’s data if and only if the policy’s time is within the sample’s control limit. Since 120 seconds is within the control limit, then the 30 days’ data is consistent with the policy. f. The toothbrush that has the best performance to price ratio is Durodont Multituft. This brand of toothbrush registered the highest performance to price ratio of 51 (performance is 51, price is %1). The worst is Oral-B Spring Ideal which charges the highest price of 4.95 but garnered a low score of 59. g. I would likely recommended Mascleans Flex Direct for consumers who want the maximum comfort and has adequate amount of money to afford the high price. The brand has a price of 3.96 but also has a high performance rating of 83%. For price sensitive consumers which wants the best value for their money, I will recommend Durodont Multituft which has the best performance to price ratio. For the average consumer, I will recommend Farmland Adult with a low price of $1.95 and performance rating of 69%. To compute for the seasonal index, we compute for the ratio of values to moving average. Afterwards, the ratio is averaged for the values during the quarter. Since there is only one value, it also serves as the quarterly seasonal index. The seasonal factor is computed as the geometric mean of the quarterly indices. The values are shown in the following table. 7. a. Simple random sampling

World Civilizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Civilizations - Essay Example It was also one of the greatest commercial centers of Europe during the Middle Ages. Byzantium gathered all the classical knowledge from the Roman Empire and tried to maintain and develop them. "Its rich historiographical tradition preserved ancient knowledge upon which splendid art, architecture, literature and technological achievements were built" (Wikipedia, 2005, par.19). It is likely that the Renaissance could not have been so prosperous were it not for the foundation laid in Byzantium, and the group of Greek scholars to the West the Empire had fallen. The power of its theologians was large and it influenced many Western scholars, and their subtraction from the "canon" of Western theology in next centuries has only served to weaken the canon and make it poorer (Cantor, 1963). The Byzantine Empire brought common acceptance of Christianity to Western European countries - possibly one of the main aspects of a contemporary Europe's identity. Under the rule of Emperor Justinian, Byzantium got the body of laws -the Corpus iuris civilis. This was not merely a prominent legal achievement in codifying Roman law, it was also the first organized effort to combine Roman law and jurisprudence with Christianity. Even though Byzantium would finally weaken in power, from the eleventh century, Justinian's Corpus iuris civilis became the basis of all European law and legal practice (except for England). In general, this set of laws prescribed tolerance to foreigners, liberty of thought within the frames of Christian Orthodoxy and general rights of the residents of the Empire. Attitude towards women was tolerant comparing to Islamic tradition. Monogyny was obligatory in Byzantine, while Islamic tradition practiced polygyny. In Byzantine, women were compared to children and seniors: they were the weakest and most vulnerable, so it was necessary to protect them. In Muslim countries, women were nothing but men's property, they were allow ed to wear determined kinds of clothes and had to behave according to the certain rules.Political intolerance predominated in Asian countries: foreigners had restricted rights and were allowed to visit only certain places (except the mosque and so on) and had to be additional taxes, such as jizya poll tax ; they were always treated as strangers and people of 'wrong faith'. Jihad ('holy war') was one of the main aspects of Islamic doctrine, so Muslims were free to deceive, betray (and if necessary kill) people of 'wrong faith' . "Nature guided the Muslims to develop values and ways of behavior such as: repression of the other (since in Asian life, a person either controls or is controlled); constant preparation for war in order to achieve hegemony; living in a patriarchal system; contempt for others and for culture; and an amazing ability to shift loyalties" (Memri, 2005, par.8). On the other hand, Muslims created magnificent culture, developed sciences (algebra, geometry, chemistry) philosophy, architecture and fine arts. Lustered glass was the most obvious Islamic contribution to modern ceramics. Manuscript illumination in Islamic world was famous and greatly respected art, and portrait miniature painting was widespread in Persia. By 364 AD, the Roman Empire had been completely split into two different states: The Eastern Roman Empire, and the Western Roman Empire. The Western Empire soon fell after the invasion of

Express Delivery Sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Express Delivery Sector - Essay Example The performance of the transportation sector – as the broader area in which the express delivery sector operates – has been examined; it is assumed that the specific sector is quite competitive – for this reason it would be appropriately managed in order to increase its attractiveness towards the potential investors. The use of the appropriate CSFs would help the firms of this sector to keep their competitiveness at high levels, despite the market turbulences. 1. Structure of the ‘express delivery sector’ within the wider freight and transportation industry – evaluation whether this is an attractive sector to compete in. In order to understand the position and the performance of the ‘express delivery sector’ within the freight industry, it would be necessary to refer to the characteristics and the performance of this industry – as presented in the relevant literature. The freight industry is an extremely powerful sector; often, the practices of this sector are criticized as of their opposition with the international or the local legal rules. An indicative example of such case is the violation by the truck manufacturers of the anti-trust laws – reference is made to Britain. Such cases, related to ‘air cargo carriers and freight forwarders’ (Handy Shipping Guide 2010), have been developed in Britain. Despite the problems related to its activities, the freight industry is an extremely powerful sector, having the power, if appropriately monitored, to support the growth the economy. In accordance with a series of statistics published in 2007, ‘the amount of fr eight lifted in 2007 (1,869 million tonnes) was three per cent above 2006 (1,813 million tonnes)’ (Department of Transport 2007).... In other words, the industry has managed to stabilize its growth – despite the global crisis. The above fact is highlighted in a relevant report of the European Commission; in the above report emphasis is given on the increase of the ‘EU countries who invested on road freight transport in 2005-2007’ (European Commission 2008) .The potential of the industry to keep its competitiveness at high levels should be taken into consideration when the performance of the express delivery sector – as part of the freight sector need to be measured and evaluated. Moreover, the competitiveness of the freight industry would also lead to the increase of the competitiveness of the express delivery sector; therefore, the evaluation of the attractiveness of the industry would influence the attractiveness of the express delivery sector. Indeed, the trend for continuous growth in the freight industry seems to reflect a relevant trend in regard to the express delivery sector. The above view is based on a report referring to the importance of the express delivery sector for the economy of East Midlands; it is noted that ‘The express industry directly employs over 4,700 people in the East Midlands; Its contribution to regional employment is expected to rise to almost 16,000 by 2014’ (Oxford Economic Forecast, 2006). The Institute of Transport Management presents a similar view– published in 2007; in the relevant report it is sated that the express delivery sector is expected to benefit the British economy by approximately 5 billion each year – reference is made to a long term period, of approximately 20 years. On the other hand, Thompson (2007) notes that the performance of the freight sector is depended on indicators which are not standardized; for

Athletes and Drugs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Athletes and Drugs - Research Paper Example on drug abuse because current trends indicate that college athletes are also inreasingly abusing drugs not only for recreational purposes but to enhance their athletic ability. According to Sturmey, the use of recreational drugs and performance enhancing drugs among athletes has increased exponentially since the 1980s leading to the deaths of several athletes and banning of others from competitions (859). Drugs are substances that alter physiological processes in the body and their usage can result to significant tisssue damage and even death. In sports, drugs usage abuse the integrity of the competition by providing the drug users with unfair advantage. The irony in the whole scenario is that athletes are expected to be conscious of their health and aviod habits that can jeorpadize their chances in competitions. However, the need to be more stringer has driven athletes to use strength enhancing drugs. The pressure and stress associated with athletics also drive some athletes to take recreational drugs. Evidence of Drug Abuse by College Athletes. A study conducted by The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug use and Violence Prevention, realized that drug abuse among college athletes was on the increase and had actually surpassed drug abuse among non-athletes. The observed trend was a total turn around to previous findings that had realized that athletes were unlikely to use drugs because they needed to maintain physical fitness. A study conducted by Meldrum & Judy established that already 1% of college athletes were using anabolic steroids and a further 12% revealed that they were considering to use strength enhancing anabolic steroids. A related study documented in Family Practice Notebook outlines that in the current situation in America 80%-88% of college students consume alcohol, 20%-36% use marijuana, 17% use Cocaine, 8% use amphetamine and 2%-6% use anabolic steroids. The findings of these studies are shocking and indicate college athletes are

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Ethics - Essay Example Many religions make claims in the ethics department, but the fact that religion does this is only a coincidence. Many religions address issues of ethics, but many also have directives that go contrary to this universally acceptable concept of ethics. Being religious is not synonymous to being ethical, as evidenced by the many instances in history where extreme violence was spurred by religious motivations, such as the Crusades and the Inquisition, the Muslim jihads, and the violence in Jerusalem. The advocates of different religions are forever squabbling over the superiority and correctness of their own religion, whereby we can conclude, if we are to be rational, that any one of the ethical systems that they advocate are just as contentious as their religion. Religious institutions have vested interests in many areas that may not be ethical. The human experience is largely self-determined, and does not depend on the supernatural. There is a universal morality that transcends such exclusive institutions as religion; solutions to our ethical dilemmas cannot be based upon religion. As Ambrose Bierce puts succinctly, religion is â€Å"a daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable.† Today many people are not religious, are atheists, even, but their lack of religious affiliation does not exclude them from the realm of ethics. Atheism, agnosticism, or any such lack of religious conviction is often associated (by the religious, no less) with a corresponding lack of morality. But this is not so; although religion does address some ethical issues, this is merely a coincidence; religion, in general, also espouses some profoundly unethical beliefs. Hence religion can, and should, never be a foundation of ethical behavior. Throughout history man has constantly assumed the existence of metaphysical forces that provide a set of rules on

London Transportation Essay Example for Free

London Transportation Essay London, England has long been regarded as a cosmopolitan metropolis with international appeal at the cutting edge of culture and technology, as well as its ancient and innovative transportation options. London’s location next to a major tributary â€Å"in the middle stretch of the Thames valley† , its basin rim terraced with materials formed from sedimentary sand and clay, has played an integral part in its transportation history(a full geographical representation of the city is shown in Appendix A). It was water-borne trade which allowed it to grow and prosper after the Romans, renowned for their road-building systems, built the city they named Londinium. No longer relying just on watercraft as a lifeline to the rest of the world, London today provides a wealth of sophisticated transportation options to its citizens with the vast entirety of its public motor thoroughfares redesigned after World War II. A modern visitor to London can now board a train or bus, descend underground and take a tube (subway), hop on a light rail or take a ride from one of many express terminals. It has taken decades for London to achieve, and then regain, its status as a great city for transportation, however. The second world war nearly devastated the city. During the following two decades, â€Å"London’s status as the hub of the British Empire† declined along with a reduction in public transport options . By 1986, the Greater London Development Council, which had dealt with issues of reconstruction, was abolished and for the first time in 97 years, â€Å"there was no unified representative government† for the city . London was now forced to address its post-war problems including the challenge of providing additional transportation options for the growing populace and creating a federal transport authority. Today, the United Kingdom has a population of 60,776,238, with the majority of this based in London and Great Britain. The country enjoys a strong economy and low unemployment while the government is focusing on â€Å"the improvement of education, transport, and health services, at a cost in higher taxes and a widening public deficit† . The numerous transitions in London’s transportation are examined here in chronological order beginning with its ancient history, its revival post-war, continuing into the 1960’s, a look back at the era of the 1980’s and finally, an overview of mass, affordable transportation options in today’s London society with a forecast for the future. History The Romans were the first recorded populace to recognize the importance of the Thames River. After their invasion of the area in AD 43, the Romans built a permanent bridge over the river as well as a network of roadways . The course of many of these roads is still the basis of modern thoroughfares today. In the 1st century, Londinium’s port was active with commerce. The River Thames was used by invaders as a waterway to storm the city during Viking times and new streets laid out after the takeover by the Saxons, some of which even used lanes much like we would expect today to subdivide them . The famed London Bridge was rebuilt in the late 12th century and during this time many of the streets were named with monikers still in use today. The Great Fire of 1666 prompted the construction of two new streets to intersect city as well as the widening of many of London’s streets and lane. Six new bridges were added to cross the River Thames between 1750 and 1835 and toll roadways were created to pay for repairs to existing thoroughfares. Hansom cabs were first introduced as another form of transportation in 1834 while the first passenger railway appeared just two years later. Deep water basins were added to the river at this time to reduce congestion from shipping. The Thames Tunnel was opened in 1843 to provide another avenue of transport over the river. Victorian London witnessed a revolution in transportation with the arrival of omnibuses, the extension of the railways for passenger trains to completely traverse the city, trams (first horse-drawn, then electrified by the turn of the century) and tube railways. The first underground railroad was opened in London in 1884. It was the very first of its kind and a model for other metropolitan areas in the ensuring decades. Appendix B contains a map of London’s current underground system with its extensive labyrinth of passageways. The growth of the commuting labor force living in the suburbs prompted the construction of new trunk roads and the expansion of the underground system to accommodate them in the years prior to World War II. Subsequent bombings of the city during the war in the 1940’s would escalate redevelopment of its ancient roadways. World War II In the midst of the second World War in September, 1940, Germany instituted the Blitz, a sustained six-month bombardment of London which killed 20,000 residents. After the bombing ended in May, 1941, London became a â€Å"major centre of wartime production† before Hitler renewed his assault on the city in summer of 1944 resulting in 29,890 Londoners killed and 50,507 injured. Underground rail stations were even used as shelters and the tunnels pressed into use for weapons storage. While the negative effects of these bombings included reduction of the population and significant damage caused throughout parts of the city, the end of the war became the impetus for England to start replanning the layout of London and surrounding towns, roadways and public transport and urge relocation from overpopulated areas to the suburbs (see Appendix C for a map of areas affected by bombing). Without a federal transport authority to draw up plans for redevelopment of roadways, much of the work was undertaken by landowners and commercial developers whose interests it would best serve. Construction of an airport began in 1946. In 1947, the legislature passed the Town and Country Planning Act to redevelop the slums of the East End, which had long been largely ignored since the majority of wealthy citizens resided in the West End. Narrow and impassable roads in the area were replaced for a nearly complete revitalization. After years of austerity in the war, it was with great acclaim that Britain crowned their new queen, Elizabeth II, in 1952. Her coronation ceremony, complete with a drive through London in the ancient Gold State Coach, prompted a renewed interest in horse and carriages. The British Driving Society was formed soon thereafter to honor the ancient sport of driving various horse-drawn vehicles . Royalty used the Long Walk at Windsor to display their horsemanship skills while the general public was confined to the pathways of parks in the West End. While Queen Elizabeth began her reign, the last of the famous London trams was officially retired. The decade of the 50’s was one rife with innovation, however. 1953 saw the opening of the newly completed Heathrow Airport in London. The first commercial air service between London and Moscow was launched in 1957 and the city received its first parking meters in 1958. The initial section of the London-Birmingham Motorway opened in 1959, closing out the decade with a loud roar.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Essay Example for Free

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Essay The character Margaret is married to Brick, the son of Big Daddy. They live together in Big Daddys house, along with his wife, Big Mama. We, as readers learn a lot about her character from the way she speaks, by what is said about her and by the stage directions. We also gain a good insight into her relationships with the people around her. Margarets relationship with Brick comes across as quite bizarre. His lack of interest in what she has to say gives the impression that he doesnt care and also shows a slight lack of respect. For example, when Brick replies to Maggies first line in the play, he says Whad you say, Maggie? The stage directions prior to his response read A tone of politely feigned interest, masking indifference or worse. Other stage directions describing his attitude to Maggies statements share the same negativity; such as Without interest., Wryly, Absent mindedly, Dreamily, followed by sarcastic comments. We also get the impression that Brick doesnt find his wife as attractive as other men do. On page twenty-one, Maggie says Way he always drops his eyes down my body when Im talkin to him, drops his eyes to my boobs an licks his old chops! The fact that shes telling her husband how other men show interest in her comes across as a subtle hint to her husband that perhaps he should appreciate her more. Almost reassuring herself, as well as him that shes an attractive woman. Bricks response however doesnt seem like the reply she was looking for. He describes her talk as disgusting. Theres also a sense of insecurity on Maggies front. When she catches Brick staring at her, she asks him continuously what hes thinking when he stares at her like that. On page twenty-five, Maggie says I wish you would lose your looks This is a particular strange request to make of ones partner. It makes readers assume she doesnt want to be attracted to Brick any longer. This assumption is soon backed up with fur ther lines on page twenty-eight when the couple talk of the conditions Maggie has to follow in order for Brick to continue living with her. They also refer to their bedroom as a cage, giving the sense of entrapment. Margarets relationship with Mae seems strained and false. Maggies continuous insulting of Maes children gives the impression that they dont get along particularly well. The topic of children in Maggie and Bricks relationship also seems awkward. Mae seems to take a patronising tone with Margaret on page twenty-nine when she says Maggie, honey, if you had children of your own youd know how funny that is It seems that Mae is well aware of Maggies envy towards her for having children and likes to bring it up from time to time. Margaret often refers to Big Daddy when shes attempting to make Brick jealous. When she was talking of the man who was looking her up and down, she was talking of Big Daddy, Bricks father. She uses him as an example of a man who gives her attention to try and get Brick to do the same. She also talks of Big Daddy not getting along with Gooper, Bricks brother or Mae. On page twenty, she says Big Daddy dotes on you honey. And he cant stand Brother Man and Brother Mans wife Big Daddy is also supposed to be dying of cancer, therefore theres a lot of talk of who will be getting the large share of his will. Margaret is obviously very aware of her sexuality. On the first page of the play, a stage direction says She steps out of her dress, stands in a slip of ivory satin lace. She also cares a lot about her appearance and what Brick thinks of her. I feel this because of her asking Brick what he thinks of her when he looks at her and because of stage directions such as She adjusts the angle of a magnifying mirror to straighten an eyelash Her relationship with her husband seems one sided and cruel. It seems as thought she wants children and a happy marriage like her sister in law however its made obvious that Brick doesnt share the same passion. We know from the continuous talk of Big Daddys will that she has dreams of being rich. So far, Williams has made Maggie seem like a desperate, hurt character that covers her pain up with her loud personality.

Impact and Solutions to the Global Elderly Workforce

Impact and Solutions to the Global Elderly Workforce Summary With today’s advanced medical technology, the life expectancy rate is higher than ever. Life expectancy would increase if the retirement age is fixed at the current age. In effect, there will be more people living on pension while there will be less workforce to offset the difference in income tax which increases the dependency ratio. Increased government spending on pensions and healthcare will result into debt. Higher tax rates will lose potential investors and discourage workforce productivity which leads to the decline in economic growth. Also, the shortage of workers will increase wages which will cause wage inflation. However, businesses linked to elderly such as retirement homes will see an increase of profits. On the other hand, one solution could be the increase of retirement age. Also, incentives such as lower tax rates on late retirement could be implemented. Discussion Higher income tax rates are required due to the increasing elderly population and shrinking workforce. If income tax rates don’t rise, the government will result in debt due to increased spending on pensions and healthcare. This means the dependency ratio is raised. However, high tax rates will discourage international investors and decrease workforce productivity which will decline economic growth. The shirking workforce will drive wages up which will lead to wage inflation. This will affect the country’s GDP. On the other hand, industries related to the elderly such as retirement homes and healthcare will see an increase in business. The proposed increase in retirement age could lead to lower life expectancy and higher workforce. However, this will contribute to skilled Summary Japan is suffering from the problem with an aging population due to low fertility rate and good healthcare. Low fertility rate is due to late marriages as more people are focusing on their careers. It is projected by 2060, 60% of Japan’s population will be elderly people. Also, the demand for health care and pension are expected to increase which means that tax rates must also be increased. According to a demographic expert, the current pension and social security programs in Japan are not designed to meet ends with an aging population. The government has combated this situation by allowing more immigrants to work in Japan for jobs required for the aging population such as in healthcare. Japan’s consumer spending GDP has also been stagnant for the past few months. Discussion I believe the reason for the stagnant consumer spending is because of the elderly as they don’t often shop. As a result, decreased spending will affect’s Japan’s GDP. This will also contribute to long term recessions as most of the money is stagnant in retirement funds. Also, the increased demand for healthcare and pension will cause Japan to increase in spending which will lower Japan’s GDP. To combat Japan’s flawed retirement funds, local 3rd party investment funds such as mutual and bonds should enter the market. These funds could be used to establish better healthcare facilities that are in need by the rising elderly population. The increase of skilled immigrants will keep the aging population down and maintain needs but it could also mean that Japan’s money is going out of the country. This could contribute to a deficit in Japan’s workforce trade. However, Japan could set up trade agreements such as workforce exchange for technolo gy with other countries to maintain a healthy GDP. Summary As a result of increasing elderly population, Japan is set to decline from the world’s 2nd largest economy in place for China. Since 2010, Japan’s workforce will decline 1% for the next 30years. The national debt in Japan is already 200% of GDP as of 2004 and is projected to rise. European countries such as Italy (1.1birthrate), Bulgaria (1.2birthrate), Russia and Germany (1.35birthrate) are suffering from low fertility rates. It’s predicted that the economic will shift from elder countries to emerging countries such as India and China. Discussion As a result of Japan’s declining workforce, the GDP is set to drop and the country’s debt will increase. The increasing debt will even worse in the future because of the decreased workforce income tax. This will cause long term recessions. The problem of the elderly is also suffered by developed countries typically in Europe. This is due to the well-established healthcare and economic systems. This problem will contribute to the shrinkage of their economies. This will result in the economic growth shift to developing countries such as India and China. Unlike Japan and Europe, China is overpopulated. To combat the future elderly problem, China has acted by controlling birth rates in order to prevent overpopulation. Summary Canada’s healthcare expenditure has been substantially increasing. By 2020, it’s projected to cost CAD147billion which is an 83% increase from year 2000. As a result, Canada is one of the top spenders for healthcare on GDP. The majority of the spenders are the elderly. Due to the high demand of healthcare, Canada is currently facing a shortage of medical workers. It is also expected that Canada will have a shortage in other skilled workers. By 2050, it is predicted that the dependency ratio will increase to 4.4 workers for every 10 workers. Canadians are also investing more in risky investments such as stocks and mutual funds compared to 20 years ago. On the other hand, when baby boomers withdraw their pension funds, tax will be generated in the progress. Discussion The increasing dependency ratio will be a complete burden to Canada’s workforce, debt and GDP. To decrease the ratio, healthcare benefits should be reduced. This could allow the privatization of healthcare services which will generate income tax. However, there will be serious negative social outcomes. Canada’s tax rates should be revised to compensate for the increased demand to prevent debt. In addition, the retirement fund programs should also be reviewed. To combat the lack of skilled workforce, Canada could loosen immigration laws or restrict early retirement age. On the other hand, the predicted tax generated from pension funds withdrawal could partially compensate for the increased expenditures. The decrease of younger population will be beneficial as expenditures on education will be reduced. Furthermore, the increase spending in retirement associated items such as retirement homes could generate more tax. In the long run, Canada could increase funding on medica l advances to allow for cheaper and more sustainable healthcare alternatives. Also, the public should also be continually encouraged to invest in privately owned funds. Summary Europe and other developing countries are suffering for unanticipated changes in fertility rates and aging issues. As a result, the workforce has been decreased and is burdened with higher age dependency ratios. In effect, higher tax rates are required to sustain the increased demand. Predictions suggest living standards per capita in Japan, US and Europe will be on a decline over the next 50 years. Europe would suffer a 20% increase GDP debt in the next 50 years while Japan and US would suffer from 21.5% and 10%. It is also expected that workforce productivity rates will decline. Discussion Generally, developed countries have higher elderly population as their healthcare systems have been established. Also, the lower fertility rates could be blamed on education as people are putting off marriages to a later age due to further studies. Another reason is the increased youth dependency ratio. Compared with 3rd world and certain developing countries, it is not sensible to reproduce as children are a liability instead of an asset. For example, children can be used as labor in farms while in developed countries, sending them to school requires cost and time. Also, many couples put off having children because of their demanding career. However, because of this short term microeconomics demands, the long term microeconomics will suffer. Developed countries debt rate are projected to rise, and workforce and productivity rates are set to decrease due to the decrease of income tax. To combat the low workforce rates, countries should invest in technology to increase work efficiency . This will also control wage inflation. Also, countries could encourage immigration to balance out the elderly. Summary To combat the issue of rising elderly population and low fertility rates, France has acted by increasing children incentives. This policy was launched in the 70s and also aims to keep more women in work. As a result, France has succeeded to be Europe’s 2nd highest fertility rate with 1.9children per woman compared to Ireland’s 1.4. Also, France has Europe’s highest female employment rate. Incentives include 3 year paid parental leave, free full time preschool, subsidized day care, fixed wage for nannies, and monthly childcare allowances. In addition, middle class mothers could receive up to 1000 Euros for having a third child. That’s almost like the minimum wage of 1200 Euros. This incentive policy is also seen in other European countries such as Germany cand UK but it’s not as beneficial as France’s. In the future, France plans to increase the grants to keep the birth and women employment rates healthy. Discussion Due to France’s low population rate, an incentive policy to keep fertility rates up is worth the high cost of expenditures. The costly benefits offered to women who work and reproduce is worth it as it keeps the workforce healthy and growing. As a result of increased income, the country’s GDP growth rate would increase as more people are spending their money. That will lead to decreased country debt which means tax rates could be lower. Once the tax rates are lower, local and international investments will bloom which increases a country’s GDP. Also, the extra money could be used to invest that will potentially improve a country’s production cost and productivity efficiency. However, this is only sensible as a long term investment as if it is short termed, the country’s GDP would be greatly affected. France’s plan should be replicated in other underpopulated developing countries to prevent the grey problem. Summary Projection data says that ageing population in Australia is set to double in 40 years. Average work force age is expected to decline. The problems are blamed on low birth rates that unable to sustain the replacement rate. It is also blamed on longer life expectancy. Australia has addressed this issue by creating a program for young skilled immigrants to enter the country. This will relive with the growth of the workforce and the workforce’s skill and productivity levels. However, this is not a viable solution as the immigrants will also age in the future which will force Australia to allow more immigrants in yearly to balance the deficit. Discussion This inevitable issue of the grey population is affecting most industrialized countries. Apart from the decrease in workforce members and productivity and skill levels, low birth rates are unable to sustain the replacement rate. This would result into the drop of Australia’s economy and wage inflation which could drive off potential global investors. Even worse, the wage in Australia is already higher than other countries. The effects of wage inflation are already seen with major automobile companies such as Ford moving away from local manufacturing to other developing countries such as Thailand. Again, the solution of young skilled immigration workforce would not be viable as it’s a short term solution. To truly solve this unprecedented issue, Australia should follow France’s footsteps of providing with children benefits. Summary The rising rate of the greying population in emerging countries are posing a problem as they are getting old before they get rich. It has created problems such as pension plans that are turning non-sustainable. In addition, developing countries tend to suffer more due to the majority in informal labour sector that salaries do not contribute to the country’s pension plans. In a life cycle’s perspective, the economic needs and income making vary over the course of life. Due to the increasing greying population, the elderly consumes more savings than generated during youth. This is critical as the country will result in slower growth compared to a country with more working youth people. This will also result into debt. Discussion Again, increasing woman’s participation in workforce by providing flexible working hours or government funded day care could increase workforce participation. Also, the government can reduce citizen’s benefits or increase the tax to save costs. In contrast, a country without debt will likely experience reduced tax and more growth as it encourages business to invest. Thus, investments in technology will increase efficiency on the country’s production possibilities frontier. Also, it will increase competition which is beneficial for the GDP growth. However, problems related to less income generated from the youth than used by the elderly could pose a serious problem. This will directly result in debt and could possibly start a long and painful recession. To only solution is to generate increased revenue. However, I believe developing countries that do not have established pension plans might not suffer as much as developed countries with high return pensions. Altho ugh we cannot learn about this problem from the past, we still can make long term decisions that will save us from unexpected economy situations in the future.

The Constitutional Principle of Separation of Church and State Essay

The Constitutional Principle of Separation of Church and State It has been suggested that there is currently a culture war taking place in the United States. Depending on who you listen to, you will get vastly different descriptions of the two sides. Some will insist that the fight is between the upholders of strong Christian, moral values and godless, secular-minded, moral relativists. Others will tell you that defenders of religious freedom and rational thought are battling religious fundamentalists who wish to impose their radically conservative views on the whole of the American populace. Regardless of which way you view the debate, the entire so-called â€Å"culture war† boils down to a basic disagreement over the place of religion in public life. In light of President Bush’s recent nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, I believe it is prudent to have a thorough discussion of the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state, because how the Supreme Court rules on issues related to this principle in the future will have a profound impact on how we define ourselves as a country. In order to conduct a thorough inquiry into this debate, I believe it is necessary to start at the beginning and attempt to discern how our founding fathers viewed religion’s place in public life, and how they relayed this view in the First Amendment. After I have done this, I will try to apply some of the principles I have gathered to current hot-button social issues which are likely to come before the Supreme Court in the not too distant future. Proponents of a highly limited separation of church and state often argue that America’s founding fathers would be appalled at the extent to which the Judeo... ...ically examine the people we choose to let sit on our nation’s highest court. No person should be afforded a free ride to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court without some assurances that they will protect and uphold basic Constitutional principles such as the separation of church and state. Failing to do so might well lead to a nation in which we are all less free, just the kind of nation that our founding fathers went to such extraordinary and terrific lengths to avoid. Works Cited Feldman, Noah. "God, government and you." USA Today 10/17/2005. Allen, Brooke. "Our Godless Constitution." Nation 280.7 (2005): 14-20. Isaacson, Walter. "God of Our Fathers." Time July 2004: 62-63. Jacoby, Susan. "In Praise of Secularism." Nation 278.15 (2004): 14-18. Boston, Rob. "James Madison and Church-State Separation." Church & State 54.3 (2001): 10-14.

The Impact of the Violent African-American Stereotype in Rap Music Essa

This paper will show that the stereotype of the violent, criminal African-American portrayed in rap music lyrics can become a self-fulfilling prophecy for African-Americans. Repeated and long-term exposure to this stereotypical behavior in rap music lyrics can lead to increased aggression and this stereotype becoming accepted as a social norm by African-Americans. I intend to support my argument with examples and analysis of the violent African-American stereotype, and by explaining how the stereotype can become accepted as a social norm. The violence that permeates rap lyrics should come as no surprise because music is only one of the numerous forms of media, and violence in the media is often described as being too prevalent. The myth, â€Å"Media violence is only a reflection of violence in society,† can be refuted in different ways. One method is to use real world statistics of crime and violence and compare them to statistics of crime and violence in the media. An estimated 25 million acts of violence occur in television annually, compared to 1.5 million acts of violence in society (Potter 50). This comparison shows that â€Å"violent crime is much more frequent on TV than in real life† (Potter 50). Television depicts murder and assault as the two most frequent acts of crime, while real world statistics show that burglary and larceny â€Å"are the two most prevalent crimes† (Potter 50). The rates of violent crime in television news shows over-represent the rate of violent crime in the r eal world (Potter 56), and television news shows under-represent the percentage of male crime victims while over-representing the percentage of female crime victims. After examining these facts, it is obvious that the statement, â€Å"Medi... ... viewed as what it is—a false representation of reality, instead of a true representation of rea Works Cited Bernd, Simon, and David L. Hamilton. â€Å"Self-Stereotyping and Social Context: The Effects of Relative In-Group Size and In-Group Status.† Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 66.4 (1994): 699-711. Chappell, Kevin. â€Å"What’s wrong (and right) about black music.† Ebony September 1995: 25-28. Christenson, Peter G., and Donald F. Roberts. It’s Not Only Rock & Roll. New Jersey: Hampton Press, Inc., 1998. Ehrlich, Paul R. Human Natures. Washington, D.C.: Shearwater Books, 2000. Kitwana, Badari. The Rap on Gansta Rap. Chicago, Illinois: Third World Press, 1994. Potter, W. James. On Media Violence. California: Sage Publications, Inc., 1999. Steele, Claude. â€Å"A Threat in the Air.† American Psychologist 52 (May 1997): 613-627.

Detective stories have been very popular from the mid 1900’s Essay

The victim in ‘The Speckled Band’ was Helen Stoner and the victim in ‘The Gatewood Caper’ was Audrey, even though she kidnapped herself. Both the victims in the two stories were women and they had a problem with their fathers. Audrey’s grudge was mainly due to the loss of her mother. Both of their fathers had towering figures for example Harvey Gatewood is described as: â€Å"He was a big bruiser of a man, something over 200 pounds of hard red flesh and a czar from the top of his bullet to the toes of his shoes† From this description we can see why Audrey had problems with her father, like when he lost his temper what could Audrey do with a man with that physique this also applied to Helen Stoner as Dr Roylott had the same temperament and physique. However, Dr Roylott was a stepfather. Ms Stoner was completely innocent unlike Audrey who took the law into her own hands instead of seeking help which Ms Stoner did. Ms Stoner was the more traditional as she was helpless and frightened of her father unlike Audrey was who kidnapped herself trying to hurt her father and from victim she turned to villain. The villain in ‘The Speckled Band’ was Dr Roylott and the villain in ‘The Gatewood Caper’ was Audrey, as well as being the victim. Both of the villains were cunning and smart and they both had motives, but Dr Roylott was the more traditional as he was mean and aggressive. Dr Roylott also had a criminal history as Helen Stoner tells us: â€Å"He beat his native butler to death, and narrowly escaped a capital sentence. † Audrey wanted to hurt her father mentally and financially and had an accomplice, which wasn’t traditional as the villain should be alone. The ingredients required to be a villain are present in Dr Roylott and in Audrey as both had quarrels, but unlike Dr Roylott, Audrey didn’t commit an evil crime. Audrey just ran away from home because she was sick of being tied to her father Harvey Gatewood. She fooled everyone by claiming to have been kidnapped because she wanted revenge on her father by getting his money, but there was no real harm done. The villain, Dr Roylott in ‘The Speckled Band’ also added to my enjoyment of the story. Whenever his huge towering figure would arrive in the story I would get so tense and eager because I was worried that his actions would be fatal. This feeling made me feel as though I was inside the story. You couldn’t even identify who the victim and villain was in ‘The Gatewood Caper’ let alone feeling you were a part of the story and there wasn’t enough background information which would make it easy to understand. Both the settings in the stories were good and added to the enjoyment of the story. ‘The Gatewood Caper’ was set in the city in a rich area. However, ‘The Speckled Band’ setting was more isolated and mysterious and was more eerie as it was set in the countryside in a big mansion which for me is more traditional. The fact that there were gypsies and animals in the set made the story more enjoyable to read. The setting also added to my enjoyment of the story mostly because of the extras like the baboon, cheetah and gypsies which made the setting like an extra character in the story. The whole creepy and unusual feeling about Stoke Moran funnily made the setting more pleasant for me to read. The setting of ‘The Gatewood Caper’ was good, but it didn’t get me involved with the plot. Both stories followed my anticipation of a classic detective story structure. ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Gatewood Caper’ had the crime being described at the beginning of the story. The story started with the report of the crime. But in ‘The Speckled Band’ I didn’t discover the problem straight away; I was made to wait for a while which built up suspense, as I was eager to discover the crime. Both stories had a period of uncertainty in the middle of the story where the investigation was proceeding and the detective began to gather evidence. In this section the main similarity between the two stories was the fact that the detective in each story had already solved the crime, but me, being the reader was made to wait until the end of the story to discover the outcome. Both stories also had a period where the case was solved and explained by the detective at the end. The main difference in the structure of the story between the two stories was the fact that unlike ‘The Speckled Band’ the criminals in ‘The Gatewood Caper’ were not punished at the end of the story. I also found the structure of ‘The Gatewood Caper’ hard to follow and confusing at times. Therefore I have chosen ‘The Speckled Band’s structure as being the more classic detective structure. The style of writing in ‘The Speckled Band’ was very detailed, well described and precise. But it moved slowly which led to building up suspense holding my interest. The language was very different, but both were formal and the vocabulary used was of early 1900’s. ‘The Speckled Band’ had been written in Standard English unlike the ‘The Gatewood Caper’ which was written in American English. ‘The Gatewood Caper’s style of writing was less detailed, but it moved fast and got to the point quicker than ‘The Speckled Band’. Because it moved fast it built up the suspense much quicker, but it wasn’t that effective for me. The language was very different from ‘The Speckled Band’ as it was more modern and used vocabulary from the era we are in now. Overall ‘The Speckled Band’s style of writing was more like a classic detectives style of writing. ‘The Gatewood Caper’ moved and started faster and tended to get to the point quicker, which is the style in which writers like to write these days. ‘The Gatewood Caper’ was more modern as well as there wouldn’t have been a shopping mall in the time of Sherlock Holmes and there were not many agencies in traditional detective stories. The themes raised by ‘The Speckled Band’ were exactly what I had expected for a traditional detective story. The themes of a classic detective story were very straightforward and ‘The Speckled Band’ raised all these themes. For instance crime doesn’t pay. Dr Roylott didn’t fulfil his evil motive by killing Helen Stoner. Good beats evil; Sherlock Holmes was able to unravel the evil truth behind the death of Julia Stoner. The themes raised by ‘The Gatewood Caper’ were exactly what I didn’t expect. Because good and evil were not easy to spot as the themes were not what they seemed and the whole truth doesn’t come out. It didn’t seem that Audrey got punished and the whole thing was a waste of police time as the only thing which was solved was a family problem. The morals of the story were quite different from what I expected as running away doesn’t solve problems is not a theme I would expect in a detective story. The theme raised by ‘The Speckled Band’ was another reason that made the story more enjoyable to read. The theme raised by ‘The Speckled Band’ was very common to most detective stories. In normal detective stories you may discover the theme that the guilty are punished after villains are sent to jail, this theme is discovered after a very normal and unimaginative event. But in ‘The Speckled Band’ this theme was demonstrated after a venomous snake had killed the villain, Dr Roylott, in mysterious circumstances. The way the themes were discovered added to the excitement of the story. Both stories had the same issue of the troubles in relationship between father and daughter. In ‘The Speckled Band’ Dr Roylott was more violent and bad tempered and even though he was their stepfather he was practically all the girls had. To save his money he killed Julia and attempted to kill Helen. On the other hand in ‘The Gatewood Caper’ the relationship between father and daughter was less violent as Audrey looked for attention. A classic detective story would have the more violent storyline of ‘The Speckled Band’ as it is more explosive. This relationship issue made Dr Roylott more of a feared character and this induced more tension, which a classic detective story would want. In every category ‘The Speckled Band’ obeyed the rules applied to a classic detective story. The themes raised by ‘The Speckled Band’ were identical to themes raised by a classical detective story. Like a traditional detective story ‘The Speckled Band’ identified the hero, villain, and victim very clearly and they were very simple to follow. ‘The Gatewood Caper’ was unable to do this even at the end of the story I was struggling to identify the villain and victim in the story, as there were two possibilities. For some people this is an enjoyment and they like reading this type of story, but for me I was lost in finding the villain or victim that I couldn’t understand the story. I personally preferred ‘The Speckled Band’ rather than ‘The Gatewood Caper’, and there are multiple reasons for this. I found the plot of ‘The Speckled Band’ extremely entertaining and that it was wrapped up at the end. This is because events such as the snake built up suspense which made me eager to read on. The plot events were enjoyable to read because it was easy to build up a picture from the description. There were far more dramatic events full of suspense and drama in ‘The Speckled Band’ rather than ‘The Gatewood Caper’ which had a lot less description. The main reasons I believe I personally preferred ‘The Speckled Band’ was better because the story had the ability to include interesting characters by using great description. It included many exciting events which built up suspense making me eager to read on and find out what happened. It also included puzzles and mysteries for me to solve during the story. All these factors fulfilled a description of a classic detective story. ‘The Speckled Band’ was like a classic detective story which is why I preferred this story to ‘The Gatewood Caper’ story. To what extent did ‘The Speckled Band’ and Gatewood Caper match the expectations of a traditional detective story ?

Non Biodegradable

Non-biodegradable waste made up roughly one-third of the municipal solid waste produced in the U. S. in 2009 (see References 1, page 6). The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends recycling whenever possible, and disposing of your trash at a combustion facility or in a landfill only when recycling is not possible (see References 1, page 11). Hazardous waste should be handled separately by your local sanitation department or by private companies that specialize in safe disposal of toxins (see References 2).Recycling Separate glass, plastic and metal from other non-biodegradable waste for recycling. Many urban and suburban areas have curbside recycling programs; if such a program is not available, take recyclable materials to the nearest collection facility for processing. Recycling saves space in landfills and reduces the amount of virgin materials that must be mined or manufactured to make new products, saving energy and reducing global climate change in the process. (See R eferences 3) CombustionSome non-biodegradable waste like used rubber tires and plastic can be burned at combustion facilities. Most of these facilities use the heat generated by incineration to make energy in the form of steam or electricity, which reduces their demand for other nonrenewable resources, including coal and petroleum. In 2009, combustion facilities burned 3. 1 million tons of solid waste, mostly used tires. Combustion of municipal waste also reduces the volume of trash that ends up in landfills. (See References 1, page 166) LandfillsLandfills provide long-term storage for non-biodegradable waste. Ideally, landfills are carefully situated to prevent contamination from entering surrounding soil and water, and managed to reduce odor and pests as much as possible. (See References 4) Federal regulations require careful monitoring in and around the site. Hazardous Waste Disposal Some products like motor oil, pesticides, batteries and paint are potentially hazardous to sanita tion workers and the general population as a whole.They are also more dangerous to the environment than inert materials like plastic or rubber. Many communities offer special collection and disposal programs to deal with household hazardous waste as safely as possible. In areas with no such programs, it's legal to dispose of household hazardous waste in the trash. Follow any special disposal instructions listed on the original container. Before doing so, however, contact the manufacturer or retailer of the material you need to dispose of to ask if they accept old materials for reuse or recycling.

Atlantic Slave Trade: Social and Cultural Impact on the Society Essay

In The Atlantic Slave Trade Herbert Klein attempts to go into great detail of the inner workings of the slave trade: how it came to be, the parties involved, as well as the social and cultural impacts it had on the society. When thinking of the slave trade previous to this class, I would think to myself how low we as a humanity once became, and how many of African Americans were exploited to this awful set of events. After reading the book, those same thoughts still remained, however, due to Klein my understanding of the knowledge gave me greater insight into how complex the slave trade really was. How Portugal was one of the leaders in the slave trade, how countries turned against each other, and how much of the world was involved in this horrific set of events were all news to me while reading. Because of this complexity, no matter how clear the author was, the multitudes of information seemed to overwhelm me through my reading. Herbert Klein organized the book in a way that made all the information very precise, however, with all the numerical data I had a hard time keeping track. â€Å"The Chesapeake became the primary tobacco producer for the world, exporting 38 million pounds by 1700 †¦ holding some 145,000 slaves by 1750 †¦ absorbed 40,000 slaves by midcentury. By 1790 there were an impressive 698,000 slaves†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (44). This was all in the matter of a couple of sentences, for myself I could never retain the information that was provided in the first sentence. This quote does however go into precise figures, and is actually well laid out as a whole. Without having a deep prior knowledge though, it is very difficult to follow the what’s all going on. If someone was to read this with prior knowledge of the subject, I’m sure they could weed out a lot of the information and take away more from the book. This book is definitely not for some general educated reader to pickup. It requires a decent understanding of the geography, slight prior knowledge of the subject, as well as the full interest into the subject. â€Å"The first region encountered by the Portuguese as they rounded Cape Bojador and arrived in the western Sudan just south of the Sahara, was the area called Senegambia, which took its name from the Senegal and Gambia Rivers, its two most prominent features† (60). This quote proves as an example, and a simple one at that, that one must know at least where everything is to fully gather the information that is provided in Klein’s book. Without it, one may surely get lost in the reading. Even if a specialist were to read the book, I feel that due to how compact the book is, that they may get lost while reading as well. I don’t feel as though one could read through the book just once and honestly say, â€Å"I understood the majority of the information thro ughout the book,† without getting lost somewhere in the book. Entering this project, nothing really interested me while looking at the end â€Å"Selected Sources† of each chapter. Slavery was the only thing that seemed remotely interesting, not only because it’s such a huge part of history, but also because I didn’t know much about it. I had no clue that so many countries were so directly involved in this business of sorts, that Portugal was the origin of the slave trade, and that the power’s shifted so much in this horrific tragedy that happened in the new world. The book has increased my knowledge of the events that happened during the slave trade, but not necessarily my interest. I never found myself deeply engaged in the book unfortunately, and I found that surprising. I still strongly believe that the slave trade was wrong, but I have neither gained, nor lost interest in it. The importance of the subject is made clear with all the information inside of it. I may not understand every detail as they are going through, but the way the book is organized in a way where the importance of the subject is definitely shown. The importance of the book is to show us readers what the Atlantic Slave trade was all about. The chapter titles, and the information that is reflected in each chapter really shows this. Chapter titles beginning with â€Å"Slavery in Western Development,† and ending with, â€Å"The End of the Slave Trade,† really show how the author wanted to really concentrate on the bigger picture, rather than one specific moment in the Atlantic Slave Trade. Throughout the book, I don’t believe there were any major inconsistencies. I actually felt that Klein went deeper, and was most precise in his book. â€Å"If the slave trade was profitable and the Africans were put to productive use in the Americas, then why did Europeans begin to attack the trade at the end of the eighteenth century and systemically terminate the participation of every European metropolis and American colony or republic in the nineteenth century?† (188). Klein frequently used this strategy of posing a question at the beginning of the chapter, and then answering the same question throughout the rest of the chapter. Using this strategy, any inconsistencies were very infrequent, if none at all. All in all, there wouldn’t be anything in the book that I would need explained more, the author presented the question himself, and provided enough information where I felt he answered the question, and more. Because of how tough this book was to read for myself I probably wouldn’t recommend it to someone who wanted to just read a book. If someone was interested in learning the intricacies, and the numerical data that came along with the Atlantic Slave Trade I would definitely recommend this one. It’s just one of those books that if you don’t have the want, or motivation to read it, then it won’t be enjoyable, and you’ll likely become lost in the plethora of information the book presents.

Small-Scale Fish Farming in Bangladesh

Small-scale fish farming in Bangladesh Introduction For many people in Bangladesh small-scale fish farming is an important opportunity to generate income and is a significant nutritional source providing protein-rich food all year round. It comprises of a range of options that can be adapted to suit the needs and capacity of people living in rural Bangladesh. The two approaches commonly implemented on a small scale are: †¢ Local pond fish farming Open water fish farming in lakes, rivers, dams and reservoirs The benefit to low-income farmers is that they are able to invest in fish cultivation when there is sufficient income, which will then be able to generate additional income and food when other sources of income are limited. Much of Bangladesh is flooded annually during the monsoon season as water flows into the country through the Ganga (Ganges), Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers. This provides an extensive range of habitats for wild and cultivated fish species.Fish catches are h ighest after the monsoon rains when supplies of other foods, such as rice, are low. With so much water, fishing plays a vital role in the economy of rural villages. Fish farming options Capital intensive One of the main trends in fish culture over recent years has been towards capital-intensive, high-input high-yield systems, which can dramatically improve the rate of production if operated in ideal conditions. The development of practical hatching techniques has vastly improved fish cultivation and allowed careful breeding and selection of desired species to take place.Although these techniques were introduced to Bangladesh some years ago, it has taken time for them to become established. Commercially produced fish have become a significant proportion of the total fish supply. But intensive cultivation methods increase the cost of fish production beyond the reach of poorer farmers. Consequently, alternative low-cost approaches have been promoted by NGOs working in the country. Fish farming for the poorAn enormous variety of water bodies, including rivers, irrigation canals, flood plains, beels (large depressions), ox bow lakes and ponds are dispersed throughout Bangladesh offering considerable potential for fish cultivation, but a general lack of capital, access to resources and knowledge means that many farmers are unable to provide all the commercial inputs required for intensive production methods. An alternative low-cost approach is more appropriate for many people, relying on existing water bodies and natural vegetation and household waste, supplemented with animal protein in the form of snails and homemade supplements for fish feed.Many NGOs are adopting strategies to minimise the inherent riskiness of fish culture by undertaking research into low-input systems, low-cost technology, fast growing species and alternative management practices. Pond culture Site selection is an important factor in the success of a fish farm but the ideal site is usually not available to poorer families. Site location will be dependent on a number of factors: †¢ The fish species being raised. †¢ Soil quality, which affects water quality and productivity. †¢ An adequate supply of water. †¢ Land ownership. Marketplace and market conditions. †¢ Fish food and other inputs available to the farmer. †¢ Groups adjacent to water. †¢ More than 1 metre water retention capacity for at least 6 months of the year. †¢ Pollution free. Ideally, the fishpond should be 0. 5 to 1. 0 metres at the shallow end and sloping to 1. 5 to 2 . 0 metres at the drain end. Drain vales, baffle boards or tilt-over standpipes should be incorporated into the design. It should be possible to drain the pond within three days. The edges of the pond should have a slope of 2:1 or 3:1 on all sides.If possible the pond should be located to take advantage of the effect of the wind on the surface of the pond to mix the water; although locations that are too windy can cause erosion of dykes. If the site is very windy the long side of the pond should be at right angles to the prevailing wind. Hedges and trees can be used to protect the pond. In practice, existing ponds and pools are abundant in Bangladesh, often located near to farmers’ homes. Small-scale fish cultivation is mainly a secondary occupation for farmers. These ponds tend to be small (less than 0. 5 acres) and do not have any water drain facility. They are commonly referred to as fishponds but are in fact â€Å"borrow pits†, where earth has been removed for building. Fish breading is just one of the activities that the ponds are used for. Other uses may include domestic water use, washing, irrigation or duck keeping. Ponds are occasionally integrated into paddy fields as additional ditches. Consequently, the ponds have many limitations for producing fish. In managing the ponds there are many potential problems to be considered, including: †¢ Broken pond ba nks; check the pond walls on a regular basis. An irregular water supply, too much water in the monsoon season and too little in the summer. †¢ Predators; check the pond for signs of snake and rat holes. The Boal fish is a particular menace that eats smaller fish. †¢ Grazing animals can damage the pond banks and should be kept out of the way. †¢ Silting or a build up of organic matter; check the bottom of the pond and scoop silt out when required. Mud on the bottom of the ponds can be agitated with a rope to release harmful gasses. †¢ Leakage; check the inlet and outlet on a regular basis. Fish diseases; check the fish on a regular basis. †¢ Poor water quality; lime can be added to improve the water quality. Open water fish farming Open water fish farming is particularly suited to Bangladesh with its many water sources. Cages or pens are used to separate an area of larger water bodies for fish cultivation. The selected water source should be of good quality w ith low turbidity. Dams and reservoirs primarily exist to store water but as a secondary function these bodies of water can be stocked with fingerlings or fry and the fish can be harvested later on using nets.In river locations a slow current is necessary and there should be little disturbance from water traffic. The disadvantages are: †¢ Fish farmers have little control of the water, as they do not own the dam or reservoir. †¢ Water cannot be drained, as the main function of the resource is to provide water. †¢ There are likely to be more predators of the fish in the water. †¢ It is not possible to feed or fertilize the water, as occurs in more intensive fish farming, so there is a reliance on naturally occurring fish food. There is a potential risk from disease but stock held in small-scale cages scattered around villages will probably be less vulnerable than stock held in more concentrated and centralized commercial systems. †¢ The risk from theft and van dalism is a serious problem in some places. This is especially real for the poorest people who are perceived as easy victims. †¢ A significant expansion of cage culture activities in some villages could lead to local depletion of snail or other foods, to the detriment of ducks and other domestic and wild animals. †¢ Multiple ownership of ponds can be a major drawback to the effective use of such resources.Consensus over access to the water for the poor has to be developed. Figure 2: Bilkish Begum and Hamida Begum working with fish cages (Photo credit: Practical Action / Zul) Fish cages Cages are used as a form of farming in their own right within flowing or large bodies of water and can also be used in small pond fish culture to protect fingerlings in the initial stages of development. Small cages with a capacity of one cubic metre are suitable for fingerling protection. The cage can hold up to 300 fish at a time. People grow fish in their local ponds using a simple fish c age known locally as a â€Å"hapa†.A few young fish are put into each â€Å"hapa†, which acts as their home, floating just below the surface of the pond. Cage construction Cages can be made using a few cheap materials. Bamboo poles form an outer frame that is covered in netting; inside is a â€Å"nursery† section for the younger, more delicate fish; and floats are added at the corners. A cage is a very simple means of restraining fish in one place and it can be easily made using local materials. Cage design must incorporate certain physical properties, including the ability to hold fish securely but also to be within the financial means of the cage operators.The cages presently used are small in size, measuring between 1 and 2m3, inexpensive and simple to construct. Farmers use both fixed and floating cages. In general, fixed cages are installed in water where the depth is relatively low and bamboo poles can be fixed into the riverbed or substrate. Floating cage s do not have this limitation and can be used in deep water. Floating cages tend to be easier to manage but when selecting the type and design the following points should be considered: †¢ Ability †¢ Input availability †¢ Natural disaster †¢ Type of water body Water depth †¢ Water current †¢ Water retention period over one year †¢ Social problem †¢ Cage management Fixed cages Fixed cages are very easy to construct and only require a small amount of capital investment. The materials needed to make fixed cages are netting with an 8mm mesh size, bamboo, rope, twine and sinker. Routine management is difficult for these cages and storms, strong currents, tidal surges and flooding may cause damage if precautionary measures are not taken. Fixed cages are difficult to move from one place to another during water fluctuation.A top cover is usually provided on cages to reduce the risk of fish escaping, especially in areas prone to flash floods where wate r levels rise very quickly. A small opening is kept at one edge or in the middle of the top covering for feeding purposes. A feeding platform made of fine mesh is placed on the bottom of each cage to minimise food loss. To fix the cage, four bamboo poles are fixed in the substrate and the four top and bottom corners of the cage are tied to the bamboo poles with nylon rope, allowing the cage netting to stretch.To minimise installation cost and to reduce daily management labour, cages are sometimes fixed in rows with a narrow space between the adjacent cages. Floating cages The size of the cage is usually 1m3. A top net is always used to minimise escapees because the cage is only a few centimetres above the water surface. The top of the cage is on hinges that can be opened to allow feeding, the checking of fish, the removal of waste and harvesting. A layer of fine mesh net is placed along the bottom of the cage and 10 centimetres up each side which reduces food loss.However, where wat er has a high turbidity, the use of fine mesh is not recommended as it clogs up the mesh and causes structural stress on the cage frame. In these areas, feeding trays should be used instead of fine mesh. Buoyancy is achieved by using four plastic floats (buoys) which are tied to the four horizontal frames, approximately 10 centimetres from the top of the cage. Bamboo frame cage To make a 1m3 bamboo cage, twelve one metre long bamboo sticks (about 2cm in diameter) are required and fixed into the holes of the angles, one angle for each corner, giving a box shape. Advantages and disadvantages of fixed and floating cages | |Fixed cages |Floating cages | |Advantages | |Cost per unit is small |Water volume remains constant even with a fluctuation in the water | |Not damaged by storms |level | |Easy age management |Cage can be installed in deep water | |Cage bags spread properly in the water |Floating cage with box type frame gives adequate space inside | |Easy to construct | |In tidal water bodies the effective cage depth is greater | |Disadvantages | |Water depth inside cage varies with the fluctuation of the water |Cost per unit is higher than fixed cages | |level |Algae deposits on cage net affect the water exchange | |Vulnerable to tidal surge and storm |Cage management i. e. cleaning, moving and sampling are not easy | |Cage cannot be installed in all types of water bodies |Due to water flow sometimes the cage bag does not spread properly | |Prone to crab cutting |Easy to steal fish by lifting the cage | |Poorer fish growth and higher mortality rate |During flooding may wash away | Cage managementCare of cages – cleaning of aquatic weeds nearby, removal of water hyacinth, cleaning of waste feeds from cages, cleaning of deposited silts from cage, removal of dead fishes, checking cage frames, floats, ties, anchors, feeding trays etc. , cage shifting, considering the water level, checking water pollution and guarding. Care of net – Algae attachme nt should be cleaned at regular basis to ensure water exchange, net holes must be checked properly and need quick repairing when necessary. Care of fish – profitability depends on proper attention to the fish growth, regular, adequate and quality feeding is important. Fish health and disease should be monitored during feeding and sampling.The fish must be fed daily using aquatic weed or a mixture of rice bran, oil cakes, kitchen waste, chopped snails or cow dung. Minimising risk of cage culture †¢ Appropriate cage design can help minimise failure. †¢ The use of more than one cage per household greatly reduces the risk of an individual losing all fish. †¢ Placing many cages together in clusters also reduces the risk of poaching. †¢ Individual farmers can form groups that can guard the fish and therefore considerably reduce potential poaching threats. Fish types Fish is an important part of the diet for the people in Bangladesh providing protein calcium, fat ty acids and vitamins.Traditionally, a variety of local species were used in ponds, mainly carp, caught from the wild as spawn (fertilised eggs or small fish). One of the main drawbacks of this source of supply is that along with the desired fish species come many undesirable ones Most of the species currently used in the cages in Bangladesh are exotics. However, for decades these fish have bred naturally and distributed themselves throughout the flood plains and the delta. Common fish types The selection a suitable fish species will depend on various biological and economic factors, such as; †¢ Market price †¢ Growth rate †¢ Ability to reproduce simple culture of young fish Match of fish and available fish feed †¢ Water temperature is an important criteria in assessing which fish species is suitable. The main types of cultivated fish are Carp, Tilapia and Catfish. Other fish suitable to cultivation are eel, tawes, mullet, snakeskin, and rohu. Some fish are more suitable to pond conditions than others, some fish will not adapt the confined conditions while others such as the indigenous Koi (Anabas testidunous) have been found to thrive in cages. Small indigenous species In addition to the main cultivated species there are many indigenous breeds of fish that play an important role in the nutrition of the population.These fish are classed as small indigenous species although not all fish within this classification are particularly small. Of the 260 species of fresh water fish found locally, over 140 species are classified as Small Indigenous Species (SIS) and account for over 80% of the total catch, consumed by the poorer section, as preferred species. The term SIS would seem to be a recent re interpretation of the Bangla word chotmach (literally small fish) as opposed to Boromach (literally large fish). Common fish within the small indigenous species category include: Figure 3: Bilkish with prepared food for her fish (Photo credit: Practical Action / Zul) †¢ Small catfish †¢ Knifefishes Snakeheads †¢ Needlefishes †¢ Minnows, Rasboras, and bards †¢ Loaches †¢ Anchovies and sardines †¢ Spiny eels †¢ Climbing perch †¢ Gobies †¢ Mud Perches †¢ Glassfishes †¢ Fresh water prawns Small, low-value fish are particularly important for the extremely poor after the rice harvest when the demand for their labour declines. Feeding the fish With the non-intensive approach it is possible to feed fish on nothing more than scraps and waste, duck weed, oil cake, kitchen waste, rice bran and snails which will provide all the nutrition required. Some low-cost feeds are bought in by the households, typically rice bran and oilcake, but these costs are minimal.Occasionally, the diet may be supplemented with commercially available compound feeds. In most cases a mixture of diets is offered, according to their availability and needs of the fish. Fish harvesting and marketing Growth is r apid in the warm climate of Bangladesh and the fish attain marketable size within 3-9 months, providing farmers with a rapid return on their investment and labour. Fingerling production culture cycle is between 1 and 2 months. Cage nursery producers can sell fingerlings to the pond farmers and ox-bow lake operators. Fish for food culture cycle is between 4 and 6 months. Fish food producers consume the cage fish as well as selling them in the market.Figure 4: A group of landless women discussing finances in Madaripur (Photo credit: Practical Action / Neil Cooper) Profitability depends on many factors including the type of water body and culture, cage construction materials, the choice of fish species, fingerling size and price, stocking density, feed price, availability of protein rich feed, culture duration, cage management, harvesting and marketing. Another concern relates to economies of scale. Almost all enterprises are subject to economies of scale, and cage culture is no except ion. The labour of looking after one small cage is far greater per kilogram of product than that for looking after a large one.The cost of the cage per kilogram of production will also be higher for a small cage versus a large cage. However, co-operative use of labour can be used to realise economies of scale in relation to labour, and this is already done in many villages. The third concern, related to the second, is comparative advantage. A significant proportion of the fish is intended to be sold for cash rather than consumed by the farmer and his family. In the medium term, an important question is whether small-scale producers in villages are well placed to compete – either with larger commercial producers, or producers from elsewhere. If they are not, and if competition increases, then prices – and returns – will steadily decline.In practice there is strong local demand for fish throughout the country, and small-scale producers are well placed to serve wid ely-dispersed rural markets. Secondly, the use of surplus off-season and/or family labour is itself a comparative advantage. Thirdly, in those systems which use local food resources, such as natural foods and kitchen wastes, feed costs are relatively low compared with those for commercial producers. Small-scale fish producers should therefore be able to survive competition in much the same way as village-scale poultry producers have survived, and even to some extent benefit from the increasing number of intensive poultry operations. References and further reading †¢ Small-scale Freshwater Fish Farming by van Ear et al.Agromisa 1996 †¢ Cage and Pen Fish Farming: Carrying Capacity Models and Environmental Impact FAO Fisheries Technicla Paper 225, 1984 †¢ Food, Livelihoods and Freshwater Ecology: The Significance of Small Indigenous Fish Species, ITDG Bangladesh, 1999 For further information, please contact: Practical Action The Schumacher Centre for Technology and Devel opment Bourton-on-Dunsmore Warwickshire CV23 9QZ United Kingdom Tel: + 44 (0)1926 634400 Fax: + 44 (0)1926 634401 E-mail [email  protected] org. uk Website: www. practicalaction. org Practical Action Bangladesh G. P. O. Box 3881 Dhaka 1000 Bangladesh Tel: + 880 – (0)2 – 8111934, 9110060, 9123671 Fax: + 880 – (0)2 – 8113134 E-mail: [email  protected] org. bd