Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Essay

Response to Prompt 1 In the novel Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Henrietta had cells removed from a tumor on her cervix without her knowledge or consent. Henrietta’s family also had no idea that the cells were being removed or the advances they would soon make in medical research. What the doctors and researchers did not realize is that in taking the cells from Henrietta, they were degrading the family and violating her dignity. By definition, dignity is â€Å"nobility or elevation of character; worthiness†. (â€Å"Dignity†) When George Grey took the cells from Henrietta, he was not considering her dignity or her worthiness. He was considering the benefits for himself and for medical research. At the end of chapter eight, we learn that Grey had never visited Henrietta while she was sick. Grey would receive the cells from an assistant and keep doing his research, almost as if the cells did not come from a living, breathing human being. â€Å"There is no record that George Grey ever visited Henrietta in the hospital, or said anything to her about her cells. And everyone I talked to who might know said that Grey and Henrietta never met. Everyone, that is, except Laure Aurelian, a microbiologist who was Grey’s colleague at Hopkins.† (page 66) By Grey never visiting Henrietta, he violated her dignity. As a patient, white or black, she deserved to meet the man that was taking her DNA and sending it to other laboratories for more research. Today, that would be illegal. But back in 1950, it was acceptable. Additionally, the doctors and researchers at John Hopkins violated Henrietta’s dignity by keeping critical information from her and the family about her cancer and the removal of her cells. If Henrietta had been given the right to know her diagnosis and treatment options, she could have made a more informed decision, thereby maintaining her dignity. â€Å"There’s no indication that Henrietta questioned him; like most patients in the 1950s, she deferred to anything doctors said. This was a time when â€Å"benevolent deception† was a common practice – doctors often withheld even the most  fundamental information from their patients, sometimes not giving them a diagnosis at all.† (page 63) Black people were given less opportunities to demand their dignity, and Henrietta was no exception. And when it came to white doctor’s treatment of black patients, the same rules applied. â€Å"This was 1951 in Baltimore, segregation was law, and it was understood that black people didn’t question white people’s professional judgement† (page 63)

Linden Hills Gender Analysis Essay

Linden Hills by Gloria Naylor successfully creates a chilling argument against suppressive patriarchal societies and families. She vividly exposes the implications of what can happen to a society when cultural traits, morality and close family and neighborhood ties take a backseat to the attainment of material things and status become the driving force for people. â€Å"They eat, sleep, and breathe for one thing — making it† (Naylor 39). This quote is from Lester in a conversation with his friends, summing up the people of Linden Hills, of which he begrudgingly is one of. Although he lives on the outermost circle of Linden Hills, he feels nothing but disgust and contempt for the neighborhood as a whole. This scene early in the book Linden Hills lays the groundwork for a journey through the neighborhood with Lester and his friend Willie that reveals the negative impact when a society focuses on things and status and loses touch with it’s sense of community and family. We will see how Willie, an â€Å"outsider† from Putney Wayne with no education and no money, is the one with the greatest amount of character and morality. As Lester and Willie travel throughout Linden Hills in an effort to make a little money, they encounter residents who have compromised themselves in one way or another in order to belong to Linden Hills. The only way to make it into this coveted neighborhood is to be hand picked by Luther Nedeed. Naylor’s description of Nedeed with his â€Å"short squat body† and â€Å"protruding eyes† (3) conjures up an evil and almost satanic picture in the reader’s mind. The original Luther Nedeed passed down not only his name to all the subsequent generations of males, but also his disturbing physical characteristics. The foundation of Linden Hills itself was formed by the original Nedeed who â€Å"sold his octoroon wife and 6 children† (Naylor 2) for the money to buy the land. Over the years the subsequent Nedeeds built on this foundation by carefully choosing the residents. The Nedeeds chose only those who were hungry for materialism and status and would not offer any opposition. Ironically, in Linden Hills, moving up meant moving down. Status increased as you moved down the hill, with the most coveted residences being on Tupelo Drive, closest to Luther Nedeed. Lester and Willie begin their trip into Linden Hills at Lester’s house where the reader meets Lester’s mother, Mrs. Tilson and his sister Roxanne. Both of the ladies of the house give the impression that they are not content being on the outermost circle of Linden Hills and would like to move down the hill. Mrs. Tilson has an over the top propriety to her behavior and states â€Å"I was never one for keeping up with the Jones’s but it’s pretty embarrassing to have the worst house on the block and to just settle for that† (Naylor 51). Roxanne is determined to â€Å"marry well – or not at all† (Naylor 53) and to achieve this she â€Å"had paid her dues to the Civil Rights Movement by wearing an afro for six months and enrolling in black history courses in college† (Naylor 53). She has also used â€Å"a decades worth of bleaching creams and hair relaxers† (Naylor 53). Many of these behaviors deny their unique cultural characteristics, as though in order to make it in this coveted black community, it is necessary to deny what makes them unique and to appear less â€Å"black†. Even Roxanne’s love interest Xavier, a successful black businessman, becomes frightened at the thought of falling in love with a black woman, calling it â€Å"one of the most terrifying experiences of his life† (Naylor 97). He even seeks the advice of a coworker on the matter. In his review of Linden Hills, â€Å"African American Whiteness in Gloria Naylor’s Linden Hillsâ€Å", Tim Engles describes Roxanne as â€Å"an avid social climber interested in marrying rich† who â€Å"actively whitens her natural appetites and those aspects of herself that are commonly associated with blackness†. He also calls her attempts to embrace her race as â€Å"superficial and hypocritical†. On their first day of work in Linden Hills, Willie and Lester encounter the wedding of Winston Alcott. Winston is denying a fundamental part of who he is by marrying a woman. In spite of his hidden long term relationship with David, he is turning his back on it all because as Nedeed tells him, â€Å"it’s the only way if a man wants to get somewhere in Linden Hills† (Naylor 75). As the boys perform work for Mr. Parker, who recently lost his wife, a scene plays out in his house as people come to pay their respects. This scene shows how far removed the residents are from their own culture. While discussing a possible housing project near Linden Hills, the unfavorable comments coming from everyone seem to represent a great deal of discrimination towards their own race. Referring to those that would potentially reside in these houses as â€Å"people like that† and â€Å"remedial cases and trouble makers† (Naylor 133). Where there should be some sense of community and wanting to help those in their own culture achieve better for themselves, these residents are so far removed from any type of community or culture they instead refer to their own race as â€Å"dirty niggers† and vow to keep them out of â€Å"their community† (Naylor 135). Nedeed even encourages the residents to align with the Wayne County Citizens Alliance which is full of â€Å"some of the most despicable racists on this side of the continent†(Naylor 137). The entire motivation for aligning with them is purely financial. The residents are willing to sell their souls to the devil so to speak in order to maintain their financial and material gains. The farther they travel down the hill, the greater the display of wealth as evidenced by the increased size of the houses. On Fifth Crescent Drive, they encounter Reverend Hollis. Willie is familiar with the reverend and thinks fondly of him, as he went to the Christmas parties at the reverend’s church as a child. As the reader learns though, Reverend Holllis has lost just about everything important to him. He may live in a coveted area and preach at the nicest church, but inside he is an unfulfilled lonely alcoholic who has also lost his wife in the process. He doesn’t gain any fulfillment from preaching to his parish. The residents of Linden Hills sit stiff and unmoved in the pews with no sense of community and no spiritual souls. He still has a passion for ministry, however his congregation does not. He tries to inspire his congregation at the funeral service for Lycentia Parker, but the reader gets the sense of the groups discomfort. They are not comfortable with him calling them out on their materialistic ways and pointing out that none of those things matter when you leave this world. The parish sits in the pews with their rose colored glasses on, unwilling to see things as they really are. Laurel Dumont is introduced to the reader, first as a young child who spends many happy summers with her grandmother in the south. It is during these summers that Laurel finds her love for swimming and diving. As an adult, Laurel becomes a very successful business woman at IBM, marries well, and winds up living on Tupelo Drive, the most coveted address in Linden Hills. In the process though, she lost herself. The reader sees everything unravel as she realizes she no longer knows her own identity, even making a trip back home to her grandmother’s in the south trying to find herself. She has the money and the address and the high paying job, but no idea who she is or where she fits in. As a result her marriage fails and she ends up committing suicide. Ironically, she uses her once loved talent of diving to kill herself. Tim Engles in his piece on Linden Hills, points out that â€Å"Naylor suggests that the residents of the lower reaches of Linden Hills have repressed so much of themselves and of their former, sustaining communal connections, that they are beyond recovery†. The final and greatest example of Linden Hills as a neighborhood that has put it’s value in the materialistic instead of the spiritualistic takes place at the very bottom of Linden Hills. I believe Linden Hills was created upside down for a reason. Luther Nedeed lives at the very bottom and can see everything. His position is the most coveted, valued and feared. His being at the bottom is representative of the devil and hell. Through all generations of Nedeeds and their controlling, manipulating, monetary ways, they have created a toxic environment that in the end, leads to it’s demise. Nedeed’s own neighborhood stands by and watches out their windows as his house burns with him inside. The one person who tries to do something to help is Willie, the â€Å"outsider† from Putney-Wayne. He doesn’t have money or a nice house, but he has more compassion and morality than anyone who lives on the hills. They stand at their windows and watch it burn, all compassion and sense of duty to a fellow neighbor non-existent. Whatever doubt Willie had prior to that moment, we see him come to realize what is real and important in life. The reader sees that Willie has figured out how terribly wrong things are in Linden Hills. â€Å"There is a man in a house at the bottom of a hill. And his wife has no name†(Naylor 277). This line from one of Willie’s poems about Nedeed’s wife is representative of generations of Mrs. Nedeeds. The sole purpose of a Nedeed wife was to produce a son and by doing so, perpetuating generations of patriarchal rule by the Nedeed men. The original Luther Nedeed sold his wife and children in order to buy the land for Linden Hills. He eventually brought back a young wife, whose name is not even mentioned, who gave him a son to carry on his father’s work in the morgue and the building up of the land. The story is built around the great great grandson of the original Luther and his wife Willa. It is through Willa’s imprisonment in the basement/morgue of their home that we eventually are introduced to the previous wives and learn how suffocating the patriarchal rule has been for these women. The reader can see early on in the story Luther’s lack of respect for not only his wife, but women in general. He cannot even recall his own mother’s name â€Å"because everyone-including his father- had called her nothing but Mrs. Nedeed†(Naylor18). When his wife bears him a son he feels cannot possibly be his due to the pale coloring of his skin, he locks both the child and his wife in the basement as punishment. Ironically, it is the generations of previous pale skinned Nedeed wives that passed down this trait through Luther that produced the child’s coloring, not infidelity on the part of Willa. Luther does not recognize his role in this and punishes her supposed infidelity in an attempt to â€Å"turn her into a wife†(Naylor19). By locking her in the basement and regulating her food we see his subordination and control over his wife. Luther is attempting to control and break her with his plan that â€Å"in a few weeks she would have learned her lesson† and she would then â€Å"conceive again and he’d get the son he should have gotten in the first place†(Naylor67). Paula Eckard in her piece â€Å"The Entombed Maternal in Gloria Naylor’s Linden Hills† writes â€Å"By crushing her personal will and reproductive prerogative, Luther hopes to restore patriarchal order and control†. Our first introduction to Willa is a bleak one. The reader learns that the child has died while in the basement. Willa is feeling doomed and riddled with grief, willing herself to also die. What began as a search for something to wrap her son in, so when their bodies were discovered people would know he was properly mourned, leads to Willa’s discovery of generations of women before her. She discovers a wedding veil and a bible belonging to Luwana Packerville. After wrapping her son in the wedding veil, she sits down to figure out why Luwana wrote â€Å"There can be no God†(Naylor93) in that bible. What began as a mere curiosity, takes Willa on a journey through three generations of Nedeed wives. As she digs deeper, she uncovers the forgotten and suppressed identities of these wives and comes to the realization that she has also become a faceless, nameless casualty of the Nedeed patriarchy. The women; Luwana, Priscilla McGuire, Evelyn Creton and Willa all entered into a marriage that they thought would bring them security and even a freedom of sorts. After all, they were marrying a successful man who could offer them everything. Luwana thought the fact that she was sold to Luther was merely a formality. She quickly learned once she gave him his son that this was not the case. In her writings she says â€Å"Luther told me today that I have no rights to my son†(Naylor 117). This leads to her realization that â€Å"I had only exchanged one master for another†(Naylor 117). She was property. She had no rights, no freedoms, no individuality. She is isolated and takes to writing letters back and forth to herself as a way to cope. Willa discovers through the readings of Evelyn Creton’s recipes that she attempted to regain some control over her life through her cooking. The reader discovers that Evelyn began concocting recipes for her husband using â€Å"shame-weed†(Naylor 147) in and effort to counter his sexual and emotional coldness towards her. When these things did not work she concocted creams in an attempt to bleach her skin. Finally, we see how tortured and lonely she is as she begins to concoct laxatives as she describes what sounds like a bulimic pattern. As she describes â€Å"her face was becoming sunken, her arms skeletal†(Naylor 190) and it becomes evident that she starves herself to death. It is after discovering Priscilla McGuire that Willa undergoes a transformation – a rebirth. Through pictures we discover that Priscilla entered into her marriage to Luther Nedeed happily and eagerly full of expectations. But as the pictures progress, body language and facial expressions tell the story of a woman who has suffered the same fate as her predecessors. As the pictures progress she slowly fades from them, and becomes insignificant and non-existent. It is here that Willa has an epiphany. Through these women she has decided that she can have a different outcome. â€Å"Now that she had actually seen and accepted reality, and reality brought such a healing calm. For whatever it was worth, she could rebuild†(Naylor 268). This knowledge gives her an inner peace and sets the stage for her rebirth, her reentry into the real world. Willa’s march up the basement stairs while carrying her dead son is one of a fiercely determined woman. Naylor uses the symbolism of comparing Willa to â€Å"a lone army ant, marching in defiance of falling rocks and rushing water along the great Amazon†(300). Paula Eckard writes â€Å"This maternal image, wrecked and battered, also hints at the power and will that she still possesses†. By marching back upstairs, Willa is attempting to take back control of her own life, inspired by generations of repressed Nedeed women. Christopher Okonkow in his piece on Linden Hills points out that â€Å"Willa is reaffirming her importance in the Nedeed controlled family, a domain which would seek to bastardize and depreciate the incalculable worth of a good wife and mother†. Willa’s journey in the basement with the other wives illustrates the importance of female camaraderie and value. The evidence of their resistance of patriarchal oppression is what gave her the strength to persevere and in the process bring down the patriarchal house of Nedeed. Willa is a heroine for sacrificing herself with the fire that brought Luther(Satan) down. It is only by exposing and bringing down generations of evils, that rebuilding can begin. Throughout Naylor’s novel we see the detrimental effects of a materialistic and patriarchal society. When people sell â€Å"the mirror in your soul†(Naylor 59) it leads to an empty existence. This novel teaches the lesson that things and status do not bring true fulfillment in life. A happy and healthy society needs neighborhood and cultural ties with strong spirituality and morality. By illustrating the negative implications of a patriarchal society, Naylor impresses upon the reader the importance of a strong and positive maternal presence for the child, the family, the individual and society as a whole.

Child Marriage in Bangladesh Essay

Juvenile marriage has long been an issue in many developing countries where poverty, lack of education and strong cultural traditions and religious beliefs exist. It is most prevalent in – however not restricted to South Asia, especially Bangladesh where studies have shown that the practice of juvenile marriage is most common and severe. Although the legal age of marriage for women in Bangladesh is 18, some girls are married off as young as seven years old mainly as a result of poverty which consumes 55% of the population and also because Bangladesh is a patriarchal society where there overall attitude towards women is â€Å"galay atkano kata† which is translated to â€Å"the spine of a fish stuck in the throat†. In the rural areas of Bangladesh, certain cultural traditions must be preserved as they have been present for centuries and also contribute to juvenile marriage as dowry, which mainly exists in patrilineal societies, determines how much the bride’s parents must pay to the in-laws which varies upon the age of the girl. On the surface, it would seems as though Bangladeshis accept this atrocity and feel quite passive towards it as they are aware that juvenile marriage is being practiced but do not take action against it. Is it because human rights are not universal? Could it be possible that something such as juvenile marriage is overlooked because the vast majority of the population of Bangladesh is not educated and ignorant to such and through intervention, they could benefit from the first world’s input in regards to their sociocultural â€Å"issues†? It is evident that juvenile marriage is very common and equally problematic in South Asia and seems to be an issue which is most present in developing countries for varies reasons which are customized to that particular culture and region. The marriage of a child is illegal in all of the countries in which it takes place and even in spite of actions such as reinforcement of laws opposing to such, juvenile marriage continues, especially in rural, densely populated areas. This is because these societies are anchored by their cultural traditions and beliefs which have been their way of life for centuries, passed down from generation to generation. Bangladesh in particular operates as a patriarchal society and the women, both rural and rban, traditional and modern, are considered the most oppressed in the world because they live in a social system that condones their being granted an inferior status. â€Å"After birth, girls are viewed as a burden to the parental house hold, whereas boys are regarded as an asset. † (White, 1992). The minute they are brought into the world, girls are resented and considered â€Å"not valuable† as they cannot provide for their natural families financially and they will not carr y out the family name, which is very important in Bangladeshi culture. Girls are taught as early as childhood that women should always be under men’s control because the common attitude towards women is that they are weak and vulnerable and they are treated as such. In Bangladeshi society, women are unable to support and protect themselves and male guardianship is necessary to prevent possible rape and this is very important because society places the utmost importance on female sexual purity and this cannot be guaranteed if a woman is without a male guardian as 97% of all rape incidents go unreported and women are subject to brutality and even murder if they do not terminate the pregnancy before it is too late. However, abortions illegal and expensive in Bangladesh and even if a woman can afford to proceed with the termination, they are often malpracticed and result in severe infection, illness and death. Therefore, protection and security is provided (and guaranteed) through marriage and it is also a local belief that younger girls are more obedient and will become devoted to her in-laws’ family more so than her natal family which is logical considering at a young age, the girl would move to her in-law’s and essentially become more attached to her husband’s parents rather than her own. Girls are also forced to terminate any existing education (if there is any at all) when they get married and are expected to take on house hold responsibilities and cater to her in-laws right away and produce children which often results in failed pregnancies or death as they are too young and malnourished. A UNICEF report says: In many parts of South Asia, due to the poor quality of emergency obstetric care and high levels of malnutrition among young women, particularly anemia and stunting, early marriage presents considerably increased risks to life itself. Teenage mothers have a 2-5 times greater risk of maternal death than women aged 20-25 years (UNICEF, 2001: 7) It would seem that a simple and logical solution to this problem would be to continue the girls’ education as it would alleviate some of the social pressure in regards to house hold responsibilities and child-rearing and it would also provide them with life skills and knowledge which could possibly generate a new attitude towards women without disrupting the deeply rooted nature of Bangladeshi cultural traditions. Opportunities for young mothers to continue their education or to work are often limited because they have little access to resources and are responsible for child-rearing and house hold tasks. The women married at early age are more likely than those who are married off as adults to have early, frequent and unplanned pregnancies, typically from lack of contraceptive use. The children of teenage mothers experience serious health consequences as well. A child born to a teenage mother is twice more likely to die before his/her first birth day than the child of a woman in her twenties. If they survive these infants tend to have higher rates of low birth weight, premature birth and infant mortality than those born to older mothers. † (Kamal, 2011: 218). It is evident that there are very harsh social, psychological and health consequences for both women and their children which occur when a girl is married too young, juvenile marriage is not only recognized as a human rights violation, but it is also a barrier to individual and social development. As mentioned above, girls are forced to terminate their education and in most cases they have not even reached secondary level education which shows in the literacy rate among men and women which is not surprising – 38. 1% rate for women, versus the 55. 6% rate for men. Considering Bangladesh’s dense population, this is quite a significant amount of women who have received education. A study by Farah Chowdhury of the Rajshahi Univeristy in Bangladesh shows the education level of men and women in the village of Chamrabo which is in the Narshingdi District (located 30 miles from Dhaka, the capital city). Her studies indicate that: Out of a population of 261, 130 men and 131 women not including children under six years of age, fifteen of the men and 25 of the women were illiterate. Most of the villagers, both make and female, have had at least minimal schooling. Sixty-two men and 70 women completed primary education (Grades 1-5); and 24 men and 18 women secondary education (Grades 6-10). Five men had a secondary School Certificate (SSC), four a Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and one a college degree. Only one woman had an SSC and none a HSC or college degree (Chowdhury, 2004: 247). Poverty is ften a determining factor regarding education and it can be linked to the age at which a girl is married; if a family is poverty stricken, they will marry off their daughter(s) as early as possible to decrease the size of the dowry. In some cases this age could be as young as seven or younger, according to Chowdhury, the belief in some Bangladeshi villages is that seven is a suitable age for girls to marry and that girls of nine are already old and may be subject to abuse or harassment due to shame they might inflict on themselves and their families as a result of not being desirable for marriage. Naturally parents prefer to marry off their daughters before the girls are regarded as old. † â€Å"†¦ Furthermore, young girls are thought to have greater sexual and procreative power than older girls, and to be less risk of miscarriage. † (Chowdhury, 2004: 247). Although the rate of poverty in Bangladesh has decreased over the recent years, 55% of the population lives below the poverty line and among those, 27% live in extreme poverty. Most of those affected by poverty live in rural and semi urban areas where they cannot afford to send their children to school. However, the problem goes both ways as the Bangladeshi education system also faces challenges such as funding, inflexibility, insufficient ratio of skilled teachers to schools and lack of resources. In recent years, NGO’s like ‘Because I am a Girl’ and ‘Human Rights and Education Program for Women (HERP)’ recognized the deficit of education facilities and have stepped in to rehabilitate the education sector of Bangladesh to create an accessible and affordable system which does not discriminate against women but in fact encourages the enrollment female students by employing female teachers. NGO schools are well resourced, with a network that extends to the remotest part of the country. There schools facilitate the integration of students from economically and socially vulnerable communities, operate at times that are suitable for students (many of whom work during the day or at specific times of the year), offer small class size (with teacher-student r atios of one to thirty), and ensure and interactive learning environment. † (Arndt, Hastings, †¦ & Woods, 2005). Since patriarchal societies such as Bangladesh are very concerned about a women’s personality as they see it as a challenge and do almost anything to contain it, it seems quite logical that girls are pulled out of school early due to marriage as it disables them from knowing anything else outside of their inferiority. It also helps to diffuse the rate at which self-discovery happens by marrying the girls off at a young age which decreases their future opportunities of education and furthermore, they become more submissive to their husbands and simply accept the life they are forced to live as they do not know any other way. Their great, great grandmothers did the same and it is a tradition that has been passed down by many generations. However, with this system in place there is some hope. The educational sector’s main goal and aspiration is to break the cycle of dependent women and rid them of their inferior status. Through education, women can learn how to be self-reliant and resourceful, they will be taught personal development and will understand their bodies as well as become aware of their rights as women. This is interesting because these opportunities could spark a new generation of women who will not tolerate their subjective social roles which could lead to protests and other actions against gender exploitation and oppression. It is not something that would happen overnight of course, possibly over a few decades women would start to realize their worth and become bold enough to speak out and protest but even still, education alone cannot change the rich, traditional cultural soil in which the beliefs of society is so firmly planted. Knowledge will empower the women of Bangladesh but it will not change their sociocultural position and it does not change the existing issue of poverty. Even if the education is provided and accessible, the issue of poverty is still present and as long as poverty exists, poor parents will be inclined to marry their daughters as early as possible to decrease the amount of the dowry owed to the groom’s family. As discussed above, traditional cultural values and beliefs outweigh all other potential blames to child marriage even though poverty seems to be the main cause, it is simply a scratch at the surface to the bigger picture. It would seem as though Bangladeshis practicing juvenile marriage are doing so because they feel it is a divine command and in not doing so they are exempt from society and victims of harassment, dishonor and shame. However, if we examine the situation carefully, we will see that the locals are not marrying their daughters off as young as possible simply to decrease the dowry, it is mostly because of their traditional beliefs about fertility in relation to age. Therefore, juvenile marriage cannot be directly linked to poverty because the strong influence of local beliefs is almost certainly the main cause as ethnic communities are inclined to trust their beliefs as well as respect and preserve their traditions. The locals of rural Bangladesh have relied on the same superstitions, methods and practices for centuries, it is deeply embedded in their culture and essentially it is the glue that holds them all together. Bangladeshi officials are aware that juvenile marriage is taking place in the rural areas and they recognize this as a punitive crime but they do not risk interfering or tampering with such rituals as it could lead to an even bigger problem such as the collapse of a society. It is a local belief that if a woman’s marriage is prevented or interrupted, the woman has been a victim of sorcery and she must be exiled from the community. In most cases these women are children and they are taken outside of the village to remote areas, blindfolded and left there with no food or means of survival which results in death. The girl’s family is said to be subject to harassment, and if they have other children, they will be considered socially condemned and will not be desirable by other in the village to marry. It is also believed that the parents will inherit the age of the girl in years of bad luck, example: if the child was five years old, the parents will inherit five years of bad luck. So, Bangladesh will continue to suffer as a result of such an intricately woven culture, everything is connected and affected by their belief system which makes for a fragile society. In conclusion, juvenile marriage is a violation of human rights and has physical, intellectual, psychological and emotional implications for the young brides. It deprives girls of their childhood and adolescence where crucial development occurs and this is important for the promotion of good mental and sexual health. From an outsider’s point of view, the issue of juvenile marriage seems easy enough to â€Å"fix† with a simple prescription of proper education and the implication of Western knowledge and sociocultural values but it is not that easy to undo centuries of rich and complex cultural values, in other words, we cannot use the †Band-Aid† approach to cover up an issue which needs to be addressed internally. So how can we prevent juvenile marriage? An obvious solution is to change the male views and attitudes towards women which can be addressed by including women’s studies and sexual/personal development in the syllabus of primary and higher levels of education. Also, the state should see that sufficient measures are put in place to ensure that women have the same rights and obligations to look after their natural families both financially and physically because if this became a strong social value, then girls would not be considered a burden to their families and this would increase their sociocultural â€Å"value†. Finally, the belief that women are weak and vulnerable is the result of the lack of social security provided for women in Bangladesh so if the state cannot ensure the security of women, then naturally the people (especially the men) of Bangladesh will be reassured in their beliefs of women and that they are in constant need of protection of their male guardians which will further encourage the practice of child marriage.

Comparative Narratives of Childhood Research Paper

Comparative Narratives of Childhood - Research Paper Example In India, a ban was placed on children below the age of 14 from working; however, this ban has not been strictly imposed. Sonali, a 12-year-old girl from the eastern state of West Bengali is one of these children (Pandey). She worked for two years as a domestic servant in Calcutta and her job was mostly to cook for a five-member household and to clean a three-story house. She also had to endure severe punishments from her employer; one time when she was delayed in serving dinner, burning hot food was poured on her hands. With the help of a neighbor, she managed to escape and was later restored to her family (Pandey). More than a million minor children work at homes or food stalls and the Save the Children organization which works at West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharastra have been monitoring the employment of children and the abuses visited upon them. One of the dangers for these children working is the sexual and physical abuse which is often inflicted upon them. Howeve r, even as the government and other private organizations are seeking to impose the provisions of the ban on minority children working, thousands of children are still working in hazardous industries, including firecracker and matchstick factories, carpet weaving, embroidery, or stitching footballs (Pandey). Most of these children are forced to live these lives of labor because of severe poverty conditions. The Republic of India is an independent country in South Asia which is considered to be a second most populous country in the world and also the world’s largest democracy. Since the 1990s, it has consistently risen as one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a large and skilled workforce; however, it is also plagued with widespread poverty. The country is currently in dispute with Pakistan over the Kashmir region; it has nuclear weapons capability; and enjoys a prolific movie industry with its Bollywood movies (BBC News). It is a federal republic and the head of state is President Pratibha Patil and the head of government is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Political parties of this country include the Indian National Congress (INC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India-Marxist, and other smaller national parties (Department of State). Its capital is New Delhi and its largest and most populous city is Mumbai; and based on 2010 surveys, it has a population of 1.2 billion people covering 3.1 million sq.km of land which varies from the Himalayas to flat river valleys and deserts in its west (Department of State). Its languages include Hindi, English, and about 16 official languages. Major religions in the country include Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism (BBC News). Its monetary unit is the Indian Rupee and in 2009, its GDP estimates totaled $1.095 trillion with a per capita GDP of $3,100. Its natural resources include coal, iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, chromite, thorium, limestone, barite , diamonds, and crude oil (Department of State). Its agricultural products make up about 17% of its GDP with its products mainly being wheat, rice, coarse grains, oilseeds, sugar, cotton, and tea. Its industry is about 28.2% of its GDP with products like textiles, jute, processed food, steel, cement, aluminum, petroleum, chemicals, and computer software (Department of State). Its services and transportation make up about 54% of its GDP.

Artist Statement Visual Arts and Film Studies Personal Statement

Artist Visual Arts and Film Studies - Personal Statement Example Growing up, I always felt confined to rigid thought patterns and strict behavioral expectations. I had to live the way people around me desired, not how I wanted. Added to this was my position as a woman in a highly patriarchal society. I recognize that success would only come from struggle and commitment. My mother once told me that when I was a little girl, she never noticed when I was around because I was introspective, and was always drawing. While my interests and experience has grown significantly since this formative period, I recognize many elements of myself in this early incarnation. Today I remain introspective and committed to art. For me, artistic expression now helps me articulate my feelings and work towards personal development and self-discovery. This is why I love the art of Frida Kahlo. She tells stories about herself and reveals the beauty in this truth. I always care to tell something in my art. I like to draw characters that reflect aspects of my personality â⠂¬â€œ I want my art to speak and to tell the truth. I also recognize that oftentimes things are not black and white; in these instances, art allows me to confront my struggles. When I consider broader issues in my life, I recognize I believe that there is nothing more beautiful than imagination. Without imagination the world’s problems cannot be tackled. ... Psychodynamic theory contends that childhood experiences influence later personal development and motivation. While I am no psychologist, I oftentimes consider that my controlled and restrictive childhood greatly influenced my artistic desire for self-expression. Throughout high school in Kuwait I yearned to simply write my opinion in an essay, yet I always was restricted to what my teacher thought. I remember watching a program about cartooning when I was a child and told my mother that is what I wanted to do with my life. I would dream about becoming an animator and construct stories to songs I would hear. My father was largely indifferent to my aspirations, instead he emphasized math. Still I persisted in my aspirations and still have a dream of becoming an animator. Each time I watch one of my favorite animated films, such as Spirited Away, Triplets of Belleville, or Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, I get inspired about animation. I’m applying to California Institute of t he Arts because of its outstanding Master Degree in Animation program. After researching the program I came to recognize that I would make an excellent fit at your institution and strongly contribute to the artistic environment. Specifically, I appreciate your institution’s emphasis on self-express and diversity of study. I’m familiar with many student films made at your institution and appreciation their process and aesthetic quality. I recognize that many of my artistic conceptions could find expression in such an environment – I have an abundance of plans and projects that I want to bring to life. Being half Arab and half Persian, I have a diverse cultural background that

The Promised Land Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Promised Land - Essay Example Deuteronomistic history reflects about Lord’s blessings and prosperity of the covenant on obeying laws and the Lord’s instructions; whereas, covenant is cursed by the Lord, if being defiant and deciphering apostasy. On the whole, the components of Deuteronomistic history emphasize the theology that explains the principles following which humans can gain boons and blessings from God and deciphering non-abidance to the God become liable for His curse (Tanner, â€Å"The Deuteronomistic History†). Deuteronomistic history is theologically said to be the book of ‘heart and instructions’ rather than a narration of laws. This book provides a spiritual insight about the life that an individual needs to live by following God’s directed ways, with firm beliefs in order to get His love and blessings. The most important feature of this particular book is the ‘Homiletical Style’. In this context, the book revolves around the covenants’ c ultural way of expressing relationship between the God and His people. Thus, it can be mentioned that the book develops the idea that a covenant receives blessings by complying with God’s instructions being obedient and truthful, while receives curse and death by disobeying God’s faith and laws (Tanner, â€Å"The Deuteronomistic History†). 2. Compare and Contrast the Three Models of the Conquest: In Deuteronomy, the ‘book of Joshua’ signifies about the three different models applied by Israelites in conquering the ‘land of Canaan’. The origin of Israel in the Canaan was accomplished by implementing influential conquering models, viz. Conquest, Immigration and Revolt model. The immigration model signifies the findings of the German scholars who developed a model of conquest that was different from surface reading of the ‘book of Joshua’. This model also argued that geography has substantial implications on the events occurri ng within a region, as was the case in Israel. The immigration model further proposes that the Israelites first conquered the highlands and then extended their conquest over the plains. Biblical accounts in accordance with the conquest model further reflected that the initial phase of Israelites’ conquest was Trans-Jordan before they crossed the river. The biblical evidences of the conquest model relate a sharp contrast with the perception of Immigration model in this context, where motives are rendered primary significance as the stimulator of events registered in the then period. Unlike the immigration and the conquest model, the revolt model of conquest discusses about Israel’s social revolution within Canaan as her initial origin of conquest, which contrasts the view presented in the other two models (Newberry and Hasan, â€Å"Joshua: The Conquest of Canaan†). 3. Describe the Theologically Correct Ideals of the Ban and the Holy War in Deut.20:1-18 and In Jos h.6:1-27: Deuteronomy 20:1-18 mainly discusses about war. In this context, it has been mentioned that God prepares His covenants, i.e. Israelites, to fight against their enemies and also supports throughout by giving His blessings to victory. This war has been termed as ‘The Holy War’, the reason being the God himself is going with the warriors to fight against the enemy clan and to impart victory to the Israelites. Furthermore,

Ethical leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical leadership - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that ethical leadership is more respected and leaders who implement ethical practices in their actions are known to be established as role models by the followers. But this definition has certain constraints because it looks at leadership from a relativist point of view. Other scholars argue that ethical leadership is a theoretical concept that is difficult to be implemented in the practical world. Some authors also indicate that ethical leadership is much dependant on the individual leader and his social and cultural background. Brown, Mitchel, and Trevino conceptualizes ethical leadership as a part of their social learning theory. The social learning theory establishes that the ethical leaders can influence the employees to display ethical behavior by implementing ethical practices in their own activities. Ethical behavior of the leaders helps to establish the visible and powerful position for the leaders in the organization and helps them to get the attention and interest of the employees. An ethical leadership involves different formal and personal instances. Though there are different views regarding ethical leadership, the most common consensus goes to the fact that ethical leadership is critical in improving the effectiveness of organizations in the current business environment. Ethical leadership is emerging as an important concept in the retail industry. The ethical leadership practices in a leading multinational retailer, Tesco Plc. can be sued as a suitable example to demonstrate the importance of ethical leadership in the current business world. The former CEO of Tesco, Tarry Leahy focused on building the business based on morally right values so as to attract conscious and morally like-minded employees and customers. Tarry Leahy demonstrated ethical leadership in his tenure as the CEO of Tesco Plc.

International finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International finance - Essay Example This traditional system increased the necessity for the bankers to carefully evaluate the creditworthiness of debtors. However, as the years passed, a huge change was observed in the entire system of raising and borrowing funds. Under the new system it was observed that brokers started raising funds and lent it to the borrowers instead of the bankers. This particular process was termed as â€Å"originate and distribute model† wherein the brokers were paid depending upon the number of mortgages they sold to the borrowers. This in turn played a huge role in causing the financial crisis, as the brokers were not concerned whether the borrowers defaulted from the mortgage owing to limited liability in the transaction; instead they were only concerned about selling more number of mortgages. Consequently, the economies of numerous Asian and European nations were adversely affected by the US securitization system. For instance, there was a 4% fall in the GDP of Japan in the year 2009 wherein there was heavy decline in the overall industrial production of the nation due to which, its economy suffered largely. Thus, it was considered that one of the major causes for the financial crisis was due to the change in the U.S. mortgage industry (Allen and Carletti, 1-43). Global imbalances and the advent of the US housing bubble were also considered as a cause for the financial crisis being faced by the economy of various nations. It was believed that global imbalances resulted in bursting the US housing bubble, due to which, the global financial crisis occurred. Correspondingly, it is argued that the global imbalances was a result of economic policies framed in the East Asian regions, export-led development strategy, undervaluation of the exchange rate in China and accrual of global reserves that was driven by self-insurance purposes. Export-led development strategy was also considered as a cause due to the

Unit 4 Case Project Qeustions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 4 Case Project Qeustions - Coursework Example In the meeting, they became more anxious about security threats since they had recently noticed curious events occurring on the network. They also told you that another consultant told them they would have to abandon RIP to be able to use VLSM. They want a second opinion, so they have hired your company. The company does not expect significant growth of employees in the next five years, but they are interested in updating its capabilities and better secure it. Hogan Enterprises’ move to Variable-Length Subnet Masks (VLSM) is a great idea. Hogan Enterprises has Routers that support VLSM with RIP v2.VLSM addressing scheme will allow growth, and it does not entail wastage of addresses especially on point-to-point links. VLSMs enable secure control on the addressing scheme. Class C, for example, with default subnet mask when used contains 256 addresses in one subnet. VLSM allows adjustment of the subnets and addresses number depending needs of a specific network. VLSM features enable a single autonomous system that integrates networks with several subnet masks. Routing protocols that allow VLSM usage of 30-bit subnet mask for network connections (255.255.255.252); 24-bit mask in user networks (255.255.255.0),or 22-bit mask (255.255.252.0), on networks with a maximum of 1000 users. Hogan Enterprises’ idea of abandoning RIPv1, for RIPv2, is good despite it being suitable routing protocol due to its universal compatibility (supported by most IP routers). The protocol has the following limitations: The consultant was wrong for the advice on leaving RIP, Hogan Enterprises should embrace RIPv2. RIP v2 incorporates prefix routing, that allows it sending subnet data (information) with a route update. It allows use of classless routing whereby different subnets within a given network are able to utilize different subnet masks (VLSM). RIPv2

Mexican Americans and Presidential Elections Essay Example for Free

Mexican Americans and Presidential Elections Essay The United States has generally been a neutral country in its history. However, in 1914, the country was plunged into World War I after being provoked by many attacks. One of many small attacks included â€Å"accidentally† sinking a United States ship that was exporting goods to other England. After the sinking of the Lusitania, once the world’s largest ship, by German U-boats, the United States leaders knew it was time to join the war. Shortly afterwards, United States intervention helped the Allies, mainly France, the United Kingdom, and Russia, end the war, but the country ended up many lives, around one hundred-thousand. While casualties were low in the United States compared to other countries, the country still did not want to suffer more losses. Therefore, the United States went into a state of isolationism following World War I. After 25 years of peace, a second war, World War II, became another prominent issue for the United States. Like the first war, The United States was again provoked into war. On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing over two thousand civilians. Unlike the first war, the United States decided to quickly join its allies after the bombing rather than waiting to be attacked multiple times. The country again plunged into war, but this time, it was in the war for a much larger period of time compared to the first war. As World War II was a bigger war compared to its predecessor, more soldiers were needed to fight. With more soldiers needed to fight in the war, many people had to leave work to defend their country. This meant that jobs would have many open positions, and this wasn’t good for the economy. In order to fill the spots, the United States invited Mexican Americans to fill in the jobs that had been neglected due to war. The program that was then started was the Bracero Program, which was a program started in 1942 to hire temporary workers from Mexico until the war ended and the people returned home. Soon, over one hundred-thousand contracts were signed to get more Mexican American workers to work in the United States. After the war ended, many of the Mexican Americans were deported back to Mexico. However, because they had a taste of having a real job with real benefits, many wanted to return the United States. Therefore, after World War II had ended, many Mexican Americans began to immigrate to the United States, thereby raising the Mexican American population. With a slowly increasing Mexican American population, there will be more political influence in that group. Specifically, as time progresses, the Mexican American population will accelerate in growth, exponentially raising their political influence. This research paper aims to determine how the political influence of the Mexican American group has changed from 1960, when the population was not growing so quickly, to 2012, when the population growth is more prominent. Because Mexican Americans were given a taste of America, many of them wanted to come to the United States even after being deported. Because the Mexican American voting percentage was low in the 1960 presidential election, one could assume that the Mexican American vote wouldn’t affect the election, but with Kennedy winning by such a narrow margin and with a large percentage of Mexican Americans that voted for Kennedy, he won by the narrow margin because of the Mexican American vote. The election was extremely close with â€Å"Kennedy winning by a plurality of only 144,673 votes† (Schmal). Kennedy got just enough votes to surpass his incumbent. Due to the increasing amount of Mexicans coming into the country and being able to vote, more Mexicans were able to vote for Kennedy although it was just enough for Kennedy to win. Also, â€Å"Kennedy, who received about 85% of the national Hispanic vote,† was able to barely squeeze a victory by having Mexican American supporters (Schmal). With such the limited number of Mexican American voters, Kennedy having the majority barely helped put him ahead of Nixon to win the election. So in the end, without the Mexican American vote, Kennedy could have lost that presidential election; he could have lost thousands of potential votes due to the 85% of the Hispanic population that voted for him. One can see that the presence of Mexican American voters helped Kennedy win his election, but Kennedy didn’t exactly try to gain the Mexican American vote through his policies. What this means is Kennedy didn’t single out a specific group of people to help in the United States. All of Kennedy’s policies were intended to help everyone no matter what race, gender, or religion you were. The Mexican Americans that voted for Kennedy, therefore, simply liked his campaign for the nation. In more recent decades, the Mexican American population has transgressed. According to the Pew Research Center, â€Å"in the decade from 2000 to 2010, the Mexican-American population grew by 7. 2 million as a result of births and 4. 2 million as a result of new immigrant arrivals,† so we know that more Mexican Americans are populating the country from births (The Mexican-American Boom). This also means that throughout the 1940s to now, more Mexican Americans have been populating the United States in order to have more births take place in the United States. Also, this 11. 6 million total increase of Mexican Americans is only comprised of newcomers. Compared to 1960, there was quite a large number of Mexican Americans in the United States during the 2012 presidential election. Also, according to the United States Census, the total population of citizens is 262,856,643. Knowing that the population that is able to vote and the Mexican-American population, one can assume that the vote of the Hispanic population is crucial for the victory of a candidate. With a large Mexican American population, there is, of course, more political influence from the group. However, Obama and Romney had different strategies when it came to appealing to the Mexican Americans. One major thing Romney said was that â€Å"had [my father] been born of Mexican parents, Id have a better shot of winning this† in a secretly recorded video in the home of a private donor for a fundraiser (Llenas). He clearly believes if he were Latino, winning would be easier for him. This obviously offended many Latinos, and anyone who is offended by someone would think twice about voting for a man who has a demeanor that basically offends oneself. Romney saying this considerably hurt his campaign with regard to the Latino vote and, subsequently, the Mexican American vote. These types of comments are very sensitive because many are proud of their heritage and background. Even if not many Mexican Americans were offended, other citizens might have felt bad because Romney did not want to be part of his own race. Although it might have been a joke, a candidate must watch his or her public image at all times. However, Obama took a different approach with the Latino population. Obama knew the Latino vote was crucial, and he even stated: â€Å"I will just be very blunt. Should I win a second term, a big reason I will win a second term is because the Republican nominee and the Republican Party have so alienated the fastest-growing demographic group in the country, the Latino community† (Abdullah). Obama is showing that he knows how big of an influence the Mexican American voters will have. Obama also knows Romney made a mistake when he did nothing to appeal to the group. What’s more, Obama also issued an act: the DREAM Act. This Act allowed illegal individuals to reside in the United States so long as the individuals are working or going to school. Because Obama was more sensitive to the Mexican American population, Obama easily got the majority vote for the Mexican American population, leaving Romney in the dust, and the results of the whole presidential election show this: Obama won the election. Millions of Mexican Americans voted â€Å"with resounding 71 percent support for Obama† because Obama has shown patronage to Spanish people (Siegel). By empathizing with the Mexican Americans, Obama clearly showed he cared more about them than Romney. With the presence of Mexican American voters, Obama easily won the 2012 presidential election. One could see that during this presidential election, the Mexican American voting percentage for the nation was less than three percent. However, if one was to look at the Mexican American voting percentage during the 2012 presidential election in the United States between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, it would be around twelve percent. Thus, the percentage of Mexican American voters has been increasing throughout the years; therefore, Mexican Americans have more influence power because more are coming with more political power for the group. Comparing the 1960 presidential election to the 2012 presidential election, one can see big differences. First, the percentage of Mexican American voters in 1960 was a mere 3 percent compared to the rather large 12 percent in only 2010 while the population was still growing due to more births (Schmal). From this, one can conclude that the Mexican American vote in 2012 had more influence on the presidential election than the 1960 presidential election. What’s more is that Kennedy, the winner of the prior election, had not done much in order to get any Mexican American votes while Obama clearly had policies, like the DREAM Act, passed to help with the percent of Mexican American votes he had. Therefore, by comparing these two presidential election results and statistics, one can see that with more Mexican Americans voting, it’s imperative for the presidential candidate to sway the Mexican American voters in order to have a better chance of winning the election.

Identifying Personal Strengths And Weaknesses English Language Essay

Identifying Personal Strengths And Weaknesses English Language Essay A reason for identifying personal strengths and weaknesses is to help achieve success in my professional life, personal life, as well as the role that I play in a learning team to be most effective goals. We also have under developed areas or weaknesses that need improvement. By identifying these strengths and weaknesses, we can better ourselves, and we can improve the weaker areas while using our strengths to our advantage. Part of what makes every person unique is a personality that consists of both strengths and weaknesses. My personal strengths are having a good sense of humour, taking responsibility for my actions, ability to be trained quickly, and finding the most efficient way to execute a process. My weaknesses consist of having a lack of discipline to complete undesirable tasks, procrastination, punctuality, and introversion. MAIN BODY I believe that finding the humour in any situation is my key to maintaining a positive attitude. Having a good sense of humour is very important and helps me deal with lifes day-to-day stresses. I enjoy an open banter with close friends and making fun of their decisions which, in hindsight, were found to be unwise. In addition, I can also laugh about something absurd that I did. It is important that I take responsibility for my decisions and actions. More often, it seems that people are not held accountable. Society, in general, seems to be tolerant of excuses and reasons why a person should not be blamed. If I made a mistake, I am able to accept the consequences of my action. Learning how to do things has always come easily to me. Once I have been shown how to operate something or what process to follow, I am able to repeat it correctly. As a child I effortlessly learned how to play several instruments; the piano and flute. As an adult, when I am given an assignment to complete at college, I will find the quickest and easiest way in order to complete the task. I hope to maintain my effortless ability to learn as I continue through school.   My lack of discipline often causes me to procrastinate with getting things done. If I know something can be accomplished on another day then I will wait. This weakness has caused me to rush around at the last minute to get things done. Often, I get frustrated with myself for not starting sooner, but procrastinating continues to be a challenge.   This weakness also leads to my inability to be punctual. I am frequently late to many functions because I do not leave myself enough time to prepare. Luckily, I have close friends who are tolerant and continue to include me on their invitations. At times, I paid the consequences for being late; doctors appointments had to be rescheduled and opportunities were missed. Because one of my weaknesses is being an introvert, I am often viewed as snobbish and boring. This makes it difficult for most people to relate to me and makes it harder for me to make acquaintances. I look forward to working in teams at school to help me overcome this obstacle. As I spend more time with someone, I get more relaxed around that person and become more outgoing. I am thankful to have a small group of close friends with whom I am very comfortable.   These attributes are a result of outside influences and life experiences. By recognizing my weaknesses, I am able to take the following steps towards making progress in order to avoid procrastinating, I have begun utilizing my planner to schedule my time wisely; whenever I find myself being critical, I remind myself that I am in no position to be judgmental; and when I catch myself being reclusive, I remind myself to not be afraid of making a stupid comment. Everyone has personal weaknesses. Those of us who are wise recognize them and try to overcome these character flaws. Others ignore their personal weaknesses and find themselves repeating mistakes and leading unfulfilled lives. The secret to self-improvement is to discover your fallibilities and either correct them, or find a way to turn them into strengths. I have many weaknesses. Only my mother thinks that I am perfect. But I see the flaws. Just as I look into a mirror and examine my face for wrinkles and gravy hairs on a daily basis, I also look into my soul to see my inner imperfections. While a little Botox and hair colouring can fix your outer defects, the inner journey to self-improvement is not quite as easy. You have to be able to see your own faults. The secret of how to overcome your personal weaknesses lies within you and how willing you are to look within your true self. CONCLUSION What one person considers strength could be viewed by another as a weakness. Knowing my weaknesses helps me to plan ways to overcome them when I am doing tasks and interacting with others. I need to be kinder to myself and less rigid about things being just so. I also need to be more sensitive and understanding of others who do not embrace my perfectionist habits. I believe to be a life learning experience. I have certain personal strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what I am good at and what I am weak in can help me to become better person. Recognizing weaknesses along with having the desire to improve on them is a skill that I have. If I realize I have a weakness in a certain area of my life, I will work to improve myself in that area. I also use my personal strengths to improve myself in the areas where I am weak. Greatest personal strength that permeates into other areas of my life is persistent to be good at anything that I do. I set high standards for myself. I believe in doing things well in order to be successful with what I do and with the commitments I make.   QUESTION 2 INTRODUCTION To drive yourself to have passion in study to look over the material before you read it. Warm up the mind on the subject matter before you begin to study. Get yourself interested in the material that you are about to study. Imagine why it actually is important to you or else make up a reason that motivates you to pay attention. Read with total focused concentration in alpha using the tri-focus technique for the duration of your attention span. In eyes closed Alpha, imagine that you are fully confident that you know the information and will be able to recall it anytime, especially under pressure. Go back over what you just read, very quickly over what you realized that you already knew. Go very quickly over what you totally understood. Although think over, what you dont need to know stop and study only what is left. Review what you know, study only what you didnt get the first time through. MAIN BODY As in a real life as a student I will make myself to have the passion in studying is like I have to keep on studying every day instead of hoping the material will bring you into a focused concentration state, my focus my concentration first on my peaceful place and then shift over to the material I am learning. Another thing about paying attention is that it is much easier to pay attention to something when i have some kind of idea what I am going to pay attention to before I am pay attention to it. Its much easier to move into the process of learning, when the mind/spirit/heart is warmed up. So step one, i scan the material. This is not reading, or even skimming. I were take a look at what I am about to read, just looking at a few words on each page, the words that pop out for me, just thinking about what subject this is, before i read it. The subject of studies is all connected to and revolves around human activity. A study of these is only going to improve the quality of our own life. This thought may help me to love studies. I will make it a part of myself and my lifestyle. If i incorporate studies into my everyday schedule within a short amount of time i will find that it has become second nature for me to study. Regardless of what I am want to study and i should always try to be curious and most importantly enjoy what I am doing. I shall think of new ways to learn and try to apply what I learn to things that i see happening around me. Its great to see myself to enthusiastic and willing to study. I might have to use fantasy. Make myself impressing with the subject I am going to studying. So what do i love in life? Bring it into my studies. While I am studding I should keep it fun.not stressful it is just my interest that i found something interesting, and then i discover how do that? That is study by practice and keenness on the subject. I ought to motivate by myself when I am studying. I provide myself to have a free time. Make sure that I am sitting in a comfortable place, with adequate lighting and no noise. In one of my articles about stress i explained how such external factors can prevent you from concentrating while studying and thus reduce the effectiveness of your studying methods. The key to effective studying isnt cramming or studying longer, but studying smarter. I can begin studying smarter to the passion in studies. Another extremely important studying tip is to make me more passion in studies is to make sure that information is being stored inside me as long term memory and not my short term memory. By writing what i studied or by studying it over and over again me will make sure that the information was stored in my long term memory. So while I am reading i try to make it colourful and pretty of the studying pages an also I willing to choose a room that i feel comfortable being in. Like a library, in a classroom, Starbucks, Tim Hortonsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Anywhere that will make me feel motivate and inspired while I am studying. Also, try to relax, watch a funny show or do something that makes me feel good so that at the next step while am prefer to study i will have the passion to study again. As a student i also have to avoid studying all my subjects at the same time. Research shows that there is better remembering and less interference if only one subject is learned during a particular study session. I use a partner that is another good recitation strategy is to get with a partner and quiz each other. This is most effective when my partner has already done significant studying and of course not only should each partner ask for simple facts from the material, but it is especially helpful if partners make up questions for the other partner to answer. This is kind of study will make me to be passion in the studies well. I will remind myself that study is not only motivate its helps myself to have passion now and forever so all i need to do is just keep taking action on studying. CONCLUSION Lastly, I give myself the time to learn that material, rather than try to take every single bit of information in at once. I put that in the corner of my eye while I am studying. I will definitely going to have the passion in studies and i will be smarter in study with the passion. What I usually do is when i complete one of the studies I set for myself and obligation to give myself a reward. The reward system gives me more an incentive to reach that goals in part of already achieve my passion on studying. This will makes me to drive myself to have passion in study.

Why The Berlin Wall Was Assembled Essay

Why The Berlin Wall Was Assembled Essay To fully understand why The Berlin Wall was assembled, one must know of the events that took place. This wall for 28 years separated families, friends and a nation. Perhaps the major reasons it was assembled were for political and economical issues. Politically, the West side was interfering with the Russian Sector (East side). Economically, all of the citizens from East Germany were getting well educated there and moved to West Berlin for work. In this paper, I will explain the events and circumstances that led to the construction of the Berlin Wall. After the World War II in 1945, the Nazi Germany surrendered, the 4 allied countries, the United States, Great Britain, France and Russia signed the Potsdam Agreement treaty which determined the borders for Germany and Berlin. The Potsdam Agreement divided Germany and Berlin into four administrative zones. The United States, Great Britain and France combined to control three divisions in the Western half of Germany and Berlin, which eventually united to make a federal republic and made the three divided parts West Germany (Berlin 2002). The Eastern portion of Germany and Berlin were controlled by the Russia/Soviet Republic, later to become communist and made East Berlin the capital of East Germany (Tusa 1997). After the division, the economics of daily living was more acute in East Germany than in West Germany. Many suffered under repressions of the Communist party because of a communist system. Like the Soviet Union, the economy was struggling to get back on their feet after the war. It was said that East Germany was much like a Mini Moscow (Tusa 1997). The stores were literally empty and what good they did have were not of good quality. There were shortages of housing, food and health care. The economic of daily living in the West was much better. The economy was a lively urban area much like American cities. This is partially because West Germany and West Berlin were able to get from the United States through the Marshall Plan. (Grathwol 1994). Initially the division between East and West Berlin were uncertain because there was nothing to divide the city. For over ten year after the official separation, East Berlin saw a major emigration of East Germans who were unhappy with the communist system. With nothing to physically separate the East from the West, emigration was from totalitarianism to democracy was as easy as changing classrooms. The Soviet Union went against their promise to the people of East Germany and turned the country to Communist country. This decision separated East Germany even more from the rest of Europe. By the summer of 1952, East Germany was by it self and the border between East and West Germany was closed. Only the border in Berlin was open. (Berlin 2002) Most of the residents of East Berlin and East Germany did not like the communist regime. In fact, most people were not communists. On June 17, 1953, the people of East Germany became dissatisfied with the economic and political conditions of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). And started a riot and marched through the Brandenburg Gate into West Germany. Their intensions were to be combined with the workers of West Germany. To break up the riot, the Soviet Union called in tanks and troops that shot into the crowd on both sides killing or injuring many of them. Realizing that they were trapped and if they wanted to escape East Germany, they would have to risk their lives. It is estimated that by each day 8,000 to 10,000 people left East Germany to escape further west (Taylor 2007). This damaged the creditability and the workforce of the German Democratic Republic. For most of the emigrants under the age of sixty between 1949 and 1961, the legal process for lawful emigration was leng thy and difficult. This successfully in discouraged the young people from leaving the country. Since the elderly had no big role in the growth of the Communist State, emigration for them was fairly easy. To put an end to emigration, it was proposed to build a high wall. This idea later became The Berlin Wall. Winston Churchill would later name this barrier the Iron Curtain. The Berlin Wall was built on August 13, 1961. The German Communist leader under the command of Stalin, Walter Ulbricht organized the construction of a large wall to be built in order to restrain illegal emigration from the East to the West (Taylor 2007). On August 13, 1961, the Soviet premier at that time, Nikita Khrushchev, ordered the Berlin wall built to stop the flow of refugees. (Berlin 2002) In 24 hours, the streets of Berlin were ripped up; barricades of paving stones were erected; tanks were gathered at crucial places and subways and local railway services were interrupted, so that within a day the West of Berlin was completely sealed off from the East (Grathwol 1994). There were many escape tunnels dug under the wall. The tunnel system was dug by hundreds of East Berlin students unexpectedly. The first successful tunnel was in an East Berlin Graveyard and the largest tunnel was found in the basement of a home at number sixty Wernerstrasse. Twenty nine people were freed from this location. That same day citizens of East Berlin and 60,000 commuters were no longer allowed to enter the West side of the city. The GDR claimed that the barricade had been raised to prevent a third world war. On August 23, 1961, GDR ordered all subways, railroads and telephone lines going into West Berlin to be stopped (Bowman 1998). The citizens of East Berlin were no longer allowed to enter West Berlin, including the sixty-thousand workers who worked in West Berlin. However East Berliners still managed to get out through bribery, cigarettes and money. After some people still managed to scale the wall, there was a ban on the sale of rope and twine. On September 20, 1961, to begin construction on the second more permanent concrete wall, the GDR demolished all of the houses near the wall. The Berlin Wall consisted of 67 miles of concrete segment wall which was four meters high, 42 miles of wire mesh fencing, 65 miles of anti-vehicle trenches, 79 miles of signal fence, 302 watchtowers, and 20 bunkers. (Taylor 2007). There behind all of that was a second wall which was called no mans land or death strip. It cut off one hundred-ninety two streets (Taylor 2007). This area made it easy to spot footprints because of the raked gravel; was mined and booby-trapped with tripwires and it offered a clear field of fire to the armed guards who were instructed to shoot on sight. The main crossing point for the American sector of West Berlin was at checkpoint Charley which was six hundred-eighty feet west of the Brandenburg Gate. On October 27, 1961, the United States sent tanks; jeeps and soldiers to Checkpoint to guarantee entrance of US offic ials to West Berlin (Berlin 2002). The wall divided Berlin through the center and the outer part of the city and on the border between West and East Germany, from the Baltic Sea southward through the center of Germany all the way to Hildburghausen. From there it went east toward the border of Czechoslovakia (Taylor 2007). While the wall was being constructed, the United States was opposed to the establishment of the Wall. President John F. Kennedy was crucial to the cause, declaring his commitment with the infamous words: As a free man, I take pride in the words Ich bin ein Berliner (I am a Berliner) (Taylor 2007). At the verge of a nuclear war, the United States and the Soviet Union reached a conclusion, but the Berlin Wall remained but by the mid 80s the relationship between the East and West Germany began to transform. The end of the German Democratic Republic and the Berlin Wall began when Hungary opened its doors to the west. Passage between Communist states was unrestricted; therefore, East Germans could go from East Germany to Hungary and from there to West Germany or any other Western European state. East Germany began to reform. Gunter Schakowsky, the leader of the East Berlin communist party announced on November 9, 1989 that the border to West Berlin would be opened for private trips out of the country. Shortly after his announcement, citizens began hammering and using chisels to knock out pieces of the wall. The Wall had fallen (Taylor 2007). Between November 10, 1989 and later on December 22, 1989 checkpoints were opened for pedestrians at Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate. Finally on July 1, 1990 East and West Germany were united and assumed West Germanys old name, The Federal Republic of Germany. All restrictions between East Germany and West Germany were released. The entire wall was taken down (Berlin 2002). In conclusion, the Berlin Wall was erected for political, economical, as a way for the Soviet Union to maintain their communist system and prevent brain drain in East German. These tactics did not improve the situation for East German as the people did not like the communist regime and still found ways to escape. While the erection of The Berlin Wall did not prove to be successful for the Soviet Union; the fall of the wall reunited families, friends and a divided nation back together.

An Analysis of the Epic Poem, Beowulf - Fame, Kingship, Fate and God in Beowulf :: Epic Beowulf essays

Fame, Kingship, Fate and God in Beowulf The Anglo-Saxons were a people who lived in and ruled England from the fifth century AD until the Norman Conquest. They were a people who valued courage and leadership. They lived under kings who were "keepers of gold" and were guarded by their loyal thanes (knights). They were a Pagan culture until the Normandy conquistadors came. They believed in fate and believed the only way to live forever was if you had fame. In the Anglo-Saxon book, Beowulf, there was a combination of many different people. The characters in Beowulf are defined by their status. Their status was in form of their fame and accomplishments. Beowulf was a very famous warrior, who sails to the Danes to kill a monster who is murdering their people. Beowulf kills Grendal, Grendal's mother and a dragon throughout the entirety of the story. Every time he receives more fame and more glory. Beowulf became a king. He was a great king who received honor and loyalty from his men. Although, during the fight with t he dragon Beowulf's men run away and as a result Beowulf dies. The book claims that Beowulf had fate against him in his last battle against the dragon, but also says that Beowulf had Christian morals. By having two conflicting religions (paganism and Christianity) it makes the story more interesting. This book is composed of four main characteristics: fame, kingship, fate, and God, which play very important roles throughout the book. In Beowulf the Anglo-Saxons longed for fame. To them fame meant immortality. For example, the narrator says, "But Beowulf longing only for fame, leaped into battle" (Raffel 1529). To Beowulf the only reason to risk his life is a battle, is so he can have his moments of fame, hence immortality. Even if a character gains fame, they will always be fighting to receive more. After Beowulf becomes king one of his servants says, "Beloved Beowulf, remember how you boasted, once, that nothing in the world would ever destroy your fame: you fight to keep in now, be strong and brave, my noble king, protecting life and fame together" (2586). So even though Beowulf had fame, he had to keep fighting and being successful in order to protect and keep his fame.

Pros and Cons of Differentiated Instruction Essay -- Education Educati

Pros of Differentiated Instruction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Differentiated instruction is a way of thinking about teaching and learning. It means using a variety of instructional strategies that address diverse student learning needs. It places students at the center of teaching and learning and student needs drive instructional planning. Differentiated learning is a way to enhance learning for all students by engaging them in activities that respond to particular learning needs, strengths and preferences (Wikipedia, 2002). Realization that learners vary in their readiness, interests, and learning is crucial to student success. It is very important that students of diverse cultural backgrounds have a variety of instructional strategies to foster education and learning. It is great to have a melting pot effect but at the same time everyone is different and these differences must be addressed. Understanding this point, educators then work towards mastering the same themes and skills in their classroom but utilize different content, strategies, and products to achieve the curricular goals. If everyone is taught at the same level using the same strategies then education becomes robotic and mechanical. When put in practice, the differentiated learning classroom may appear as chaos but in reality it is a workshop like atmosphere. The teacher becomes more of a facilitator as they travel from group to group, participating with and mentoring students through the activities. The goals of differentiated instruction are to develop challenging and engaging tasks for each learner (from low-end learner to high-end learner). The low-end learner or lower functioning learner needs different strategies and modifications then the average or high-end learner. For example, the low-end learner may need to have the content modified so that it is simplified to meet students’ needs at that level. Low-end learners may not be able to attain grade-level appropriate curriculum objectives; however, all learners need the opportunity to be successful at their individual instructional levels. Average learners are typically able to attain grade-level appropriate curriculum objectives, but may need adapta tions in content such as more time to complete tasks and hands on experiences to reach their full potential. High-end learners may be above the grade-level curriculum objectives and need to be provide... ...do things the way they have always been done in a building can be detrimental to creative, innovative new professionals (Holloway, 2000). Having the expectation that all teachers will differentiate will help to dissolve this kind of negative peer pressure. While it is possible for a teacher to successfully implement differentiated instruction in his or her classroom without the above supports, one can see that teachers and students will be more likely to thrive when the above constraints and roadblocks are removed (Scherer, 2000). References Holloway, J. H. (2000). Preparing teachers for differentiated instruction. Educational Leadership, September 2000, pp. 82-83. Scherer, M. (2000, September). Perspectives/ Standardized instruction - effects may vary. Journal of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 58(1), p. 5. Tomlinson, C. A. (1996). Differentiating Instruction for Mixed-ability Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia (http://www.mywiseowl.com/articles/Differentiated_Learning) is a well organized site for locating information concerning differentiate learning.

Chapter Twenty One .

Chapter 21. Section one. Page 639. 3. The effects of the Teapot Dome scandal on citizen’s views of the government. The Teapot Dome scandal caused the citizens to view the government as corrupt. 4. How Ohio Gang did the tarnish the Harding Administration? Some Members of the Ohio Gang used their position to their personal advantage, to sell government jobs, pardons, and protection from prosecution. Forbes sold scarce medication supplies from veterans’ hospitals and kept the money for himself, costing taxpayers about $250 million. 5. How did the Democrats lose the chance for victory in the election of 1924? The democrats couldn’t agree on a nominee and kept focusing on the issues of scandal in the White House and Harding, who was dead. Coolidge provided the Republicans a man who would not say anything that would damage the cause and let business take care of itself. 6. Harding vs. Coolidge Harding: Politics- 7. Coolidge was a leader; he avoided scandal and supported business prosperity. 8. Newspaper article about the Teapot Dome scandal. Albert B. Fall, U. S. Secretary of the Interior, leased, without competitive bidding, the Teapot Dome fields to Harry F. Sinclair, an oil operator, and the field at Elk Hills, California, to Edward L. Doheny. He received bribes from those two which brought indictments for conspiracy and accepting bribes for Fall. He was convicted of accepting bribes and sentenced to one year in prison anad fined $100,000. Section two. Page 646. 3. What were the factors that led to the new consumer society in the United States during the 1920’s? The factors that led to the new consumer society in the united states during the 1920’s were mass production, easy credit, mass advertisement, and economic prosperity. 4. How did the automobile impact American society? The automobile eased rural isolation and allowed workers to live further away from where they worked. 5. How did the United States government help spur the growth of the airline industry? Governmental airmail service and funds helped spur the growth of the airline industry. 6. New Industries †¢ The Consumer Goods Industry. †¢ The Airline Industry. †¢ The Radio Industry. †¢ The Automobile Industry. 7. How did the growing consumer culture impact the nation’s economy? The growing consumer raised the standard of living and encouraged Americans to buy new goods. . Newspaper Article on Charles Lindbergh. Charles A. Lindbergh not only opened a passageway to Europe; he opened up the hopes of people who never thought they would see outside their continental boundaries. Before Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight, travel was limited to the ground or the sea; and even the amazing â€Å"automobiles† were blocked by waterways. Travel had boundaries prior to Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic, but after his flight people could see beyond those boundaries. Section three. 3. Why did Andrew Mellon work to reduce federal tax rates? He thought that lowering taxes rates would spur the economy by encouraging businesses and consumers to invest and spend. 4. What efforts did the United States make to promote permanent peace and worldwide economic recovery? Were these efforts successful? 5. Treaties 1. Four-Power Treaty †¢ All agreed to respect the others’ territory in the Pacific. †¢ Full and open negotiations in the event of disagreements. 2. Five-Power Treaty †¢ All agreed to freeze naval production at 1921 levels and halt production of large warships for 10 years. †¢ U. S. and Great Britain would not build new naval bases in the western public. . Nine-Power Treaty †¢ All agreed to preserve equal commercial rights to China _ a reassertion of the â€Å"Open Door Policy† 6. What is the difference between politics and the media then and now? Back then there wasn’t a lot â€Å"paparazzi† and it looks like it was more organized and low-key. Nowadays there are people with cameras everywhere and you can barely see what’s actually going on in the center of it all. 7. Cutting Taxes. Good or bad? Chapter Review 12-16. 12. What was the presidency of Warren G, Harding like? Harding urged a â€Å"return to normalcy. The policies of his administration were commonly conservative, especially regarding taxes, tariffs, immigration restriction, labor rights, and business regulation. 13. How did President Coolidge restore public confidence? Coolidge distanced himself from Harding’s administration and named the most capable individuals to his cabinet. 14. What were four new industries, besides the automobile industry, that grew in importance during the 1920’s? †¢ Aircraft †¢ Radio †¢ Motion Pictures †¢ New Electric Appliances 15. How did Henry Ford increase worker loyalty and impact the labor movement? Ford increased workers’ wages and reduced the work day which weakened the power of unions. 16. What were Andrew Mellon’s strategies for maintaining postwar American prosperity? When Mellon took office he had three major goals which were: to balance the budget, to reduce the government’s debt and to cut taxes. 17. How did Automobiles change the standard living during the 1920’s? Automobiles allowed people to travel greater distances a lot faster, it also allowed workers to live outside cities. Rural Americans’ sense isolation also decreased. The success of mass production resulted in new and cheaper consumer goods. 8. How effective were President Coolidge’s attempts to distance himself from the Harding administration? Coolidge’s attempts to distance himself from the Harding administration were obviously pretty effective. He chose effective cabinet members and associating himself with prosperity and big businesses. 19. 20. 21. A. Accordi ng to Coolidge, how should Americans feel about the present economy and the future economy? He thinks that the country should regard the present with satisfaction and appreciate the future with optimism. B. Whom does Coolidge credit for the U. S. prosperity? He thinks it’s thanks to the integrity and character of the American people. 23. A. American Farmers earned less then one-third the average income for workers in the rest of the economy in the 1920’s- fact, it can be proven and it uses statistics. B. President Harding’s choice to appoint Colonel Charles R. Forbes to head Veterans Bureau was his worst decision in office- opinion, can’t be proven, it’s the way someone view the decision. C. The Kelly Act authorized postal officials to contract with private airplane operators to carry mail- fact, its something that is actually true.

How Agriculture Can Be Used to Combat Climate Change in Developing Countries

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ESSAY ON THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURE IN COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES PRESENTED BY; MWAURA PHILIP W DATE; 25TH MARCH 2013 INTRODUCTION Climate change is now recognised as one of the most serious challenges facing the world – its people, the environment and its economies. There is now clear scientific evidence that the high concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere is causing global warming. While the world has experienced climatic changes before, the issue we now face involves human influence.It is a challenge that must and can be dealt with because its impacts will have very dire consequences on us and the generations to come. Greenhouse emmissions results from various sources in our societies. We have emmissions from industries and other human activities such as agricultural practises. It is believed that most global warming we can now observe is attributable to emissions of GHGs that result from human activities, i n particular land use changes such as deforestation, and the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas).All these activities are human influenced and thus something needs to be done at the local, regional and globals levels. This essay highlights the role of agriculture in tackling climate change and some of the mitigation and adaptation measures. CLIMATE CHANGE AND AGRICULTURE The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) define climate change as the term generally used to describe human influences on the climate. The most significant threat is the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which contribute to the ‘greenhouse effect’.The greenhouse effect is a natural mechanism essential to life on Earth, but human activity has altered the balance in the mechanism. Radiant energy emitted by the sun comes through the Earth’s atmosphere and warms its surface. This heat then radiates back into the atmosphere, but some of the sun‘s heat is absorbed in the at mosphere by gases. With increasing concentration of GHGs, this effect is amplified, thus increasing the Earth‘s temperature. There is now little doubt that climate change is happening. Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations. The observed widespread warming of the atmosphere and ocean, together with ice mass loss, support the conclusion that it is very likely that it is not due to known natural causes alone†. These are some of the conclusions of the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2007). Countries and individuals acknowledge the extent of the climate change problem and have agreed that it exists and needs to be addressed.Agriculture can be defined as the spatial distribution of of crops and animals for commercial and subsistence purposes all over the earth’s surfaces. The Food and Agricul ture Organization (FAO, 2008) reports that agriculture and land-use change, such as deforestation, account for about 13 and 17 per cent, respectively of total GHG emissions from human activities. Changes in land use such as deforestation and soil degradation are two devastating effects of unsustainable farming practices that emit large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.Agriculture is a major contributor to emmissions of methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O) and Carbon( iv)oxide (C02). On a global scale, agricultural land use in the 1990s has been responsible for approximately 15% of all the GHGs emmissions. One third of all carbon(iv)oxide comes from land-use changes such as shifting cultivation and intensification of agriculture whereas about two thirds of methane and most nitrous oxide emmisions originate from agriculture ( FAO, 2008). In addition to the direct agriculture emissions mentioned above, the production of agrochemicals is another import ant source of greenhouse gas emissions.Especially the life cycle of fertiliser contributes significantly to the overall impact of industrialized agriculture. The greatest source of GHG emissions from fertiliser production is the energy required, which emits carbon dioxide during its manufacture. Animal farming has a wide range of different impacts, ranging from the direct emissions of livestock, manure management, use of agrochemicals and land use change to fossil fuel use. Climate change presents a dual challenge which involves how to reduce GHG emissions through itigation, while lessening the adverse impacts by adaptation. These challenges are evident in the agricultural sector where a changing climate will have serious impacts on agriculture and food production. A rise in temperature will result into the following impacts( FAO 2008); * affect food supply dramatically by shifting crop growing zones; * change the habitats of pests; * increase risks of plant disease, insects and wee ds; * shrink the area of cropland due to floods; and * raise sea levels. Potential direct effects on agricultural systems: Seasonal changes in rainfall and temperature could impact agro-climatic conditions, altering growing seasons, planting and harvesting calendars, water availability, pest, weed and disease populations, etc. * Evapotranspiration, photosynthesis and biomass production is altered. * Land suitability is altered. * Increased Carbon(iv) oxide levels lead to a positive growth responsefor a number of staples under controlled conditions, alsoknown as the â€Å"carbon fertilization effect†. MITIGATION Agriculture offers options to reduce CHGs significantly.One of them is to reduce emmissions and thereby minimise the production of anthropogenic gases such as methane and carbon(iv)oxide whereas at the same time increasing food production to achieve food security especially in developing countries. Mitigation is a response strategy to global climate change, and can be defined as measures that reduce the amount of emissions (abatement) or enhance the absorption capacity of greenhouse gases (sequestration). The total global potential for mitigation depends on many factors, including emissions levels, availability of technology, enforcement, and incentives.In many situations, the efficiency of agriculture can be improved at a low cost. However, when low cost incentives are unavailable, policy development is important. Mitigating GHG emissions from the agricultural sector will be an important element of climate change and agriculture policy at the national and international levels, and especially so in developing countries where 75 per cent of poor people live in rural areas, most of whom depend on agriculture for their livelihoods directly or indirectly (World Bank, 2008).The Bali Action Plan (BAP), agreed to at COP 13 in December, 2007, identified four pillars to address in reaching a new agreement–mitigation, adaptation, technology developm ent and transfer, and financing and investment. The BAP calls for mitigation actions by all developed countries, including quantified GHG emission reductions objectives, as well as mitigation actions in developing countries, â€Å"that are supported and enabled by technology, financing and capacity building in a measurable, reportable and verifiable manner† (UNFCCC, 2007, p. 1).Agriculture could be an important component of a new climate change agreement, addressing two priorities of the BAP; * Mitigation ; Agriculture must play a role in climate change mitigation by storing carbon in soils, reducing its GHG emissions (for example, transportation and livestock) and providing fossil fuel offsets from biomass; and * Adaptation ; Agriculture must adapt to new climatic conditions (increased temperatures, drought, increased climatic variations, among others) to ensure a sufficient food supply for the world and contribute to the maintenance of rural livelihoods and viable rural eco nomies.Emission reductions in the agricultural sector can also be a meaningful way for many developing countries to contribute to the goal of the convention and participate in a future regime. The IPCC report estimates that 70 per cent of the mitigation potential in agriculture is in developing countries (Smith et al. , 2007). Sustainable agricultural practices that mitigate carbon can have important co-benefits, including increased soil fertility and productivity, enhanced resistance to drought and extreme weather, and better capacity to adapt to climate change.Sustainable agriculture can contribute significantly to increased food production, as well as make a significant impact on rural people’s welfare and livelihoods. Despite the significant potential and important sustainable development benefits, minimal progress has been made to capitalize on opportunities in this sector, mainly because of complexities, perceived or otherwise, around accounting, monitoring, verificatio n, non-permanence and other issues.Mitigation measures in the agricultural sector could contribute to substantial GHG emission reductions up to 2030 with potential ranges from 5 to 20 per cent of total Carbon(iv) oxide emissions by 2030. The global technical mitigation potential of agriculture, excluding fossil fuel offsets from biomass, is estimated to be between 5. 5 and 6 Gigatonnes Carbon(iv) oxide emmissions per year by 2030 (Smith et al. , 2007). However, actually meeting this potential is a complex issue with both technical and economic challenges.An estimated, 89 per cent of the total potential can be achieved by soil carbon sequestration through crop-land management, grazing land management, restoration of organic soils and degraded lands, bio-energy and water management (Smith et al. , 2007). Developed countries are discussing if agricultural soil carbon sequestration should be included in overall accounting of emissions and removals, and how to provide incentives in the a rea of agriculture for developing countries (UNFCCC, 2009).Intensity targets in the agricultural sector are also an issue, recognizing the fact that food production will need to increase to keep pace with rising populations and improvements in standards of living. Mitigation of Methane can provide an additional 9 per cent through improvements in rice management, and livestock and manure management. The remaining 2 per cent can be achieved from mitigation of Nitrous(ii)oxide emissions from soils mainly through crop management (Smith et al. , 2007).The wide diversity of agricultural practices around the world means there is a corresponding large array of possible mitigation opportunities. Agricultural Emissions Mitigation in Developing Countries Developing countries play a central role in agricultural GHG emissions mitigation. Without sufficient mitigation of GHG emissions in coming decades, including those from agriculture, there will likely be severe negative impacts on natural and human systems, including global food supply and food security, and developing countries are most at risk.The technical potential for GHG mitigation in developing countries’ agriculture by 2030 indicates significantopportunities for emissions reductions, together with anenhanced income earning potential for farmers, and associatedbenefits from lower natural resource degradation(Smith et al. , 2007). The agricultural sector is more vulnerable to climate change in developing countries than developed nations, which is a real concern because agriculture in developing countries is a major food provider.Agricultural practices must adapt to changing climatic conditions to ensure sufficient global food supply, while implementing management practices that have the greatest GHG emission reduction potential. Approximately 30 per cent of GHG emissions reduction potential from agriculture can be achieved in developed countries and 70 per cent in developing countries (Smith et al. , 2007).T he mitigation potential of developing countries is about 75 to 80 per cent of the global potential for soil carbon under bio-energy and the restoration of degraded lands; roughly 90 per cent for grazing land management; and 98 per cent for rice management, water management, set-aside management and agro-forestry. Approximately 89 per cent of the technical mitigation potential in the agricultural sector can be achieved through soil carbon sequestration and about two-thirds of this potential is in developing countries (Smith et al. , 2007).The largest mitigation potentials in agriculture are the restoration of cultivated organic soils and degraded lands, and rice management; developing countries have the largest mitigation potentials. Mitigation is generally most cost effective in developing nations. The Food Agriculture Organization report (2008) estimates that mitigation measures in developing countries through agriculture and forestry projects might cost about one-fourth to one-thi rd of total mitigation in all sectors and regions, while generating one-half to two-thirds of all estimated GHG emission reductions.With growing agricultural GHG emissions and the largest and most cost-effective mitigation opportunities in the agricultural sector, developing countries are likely to play a prominent role in efforts to reduce agricultural GHG emissions. However, these countries also have the greatest barriers to overcome. At the national level, agriculture may be eclipsed by other priorities in many developing countries, such as poverty alleviation. A lack of capacity and political will to encourage mitigation are also contributing factors, where efforts in the agricultural sector are mainly focused on securing food for a growing population.Agricultural policy is viewed by many countries as a sovereign right that is linked to food security, meaning that they are reluctant to open up this sector to any perceived control by an international body. Barriers are often coun try or region-related and understanding the situation in different countries is crucial to realizing the mitigation potential in the agricultural sector. Responses to climate change in these countries should involve measures that aim to reduce poverty and ensure food security (FAO, 2008). Developing countries will require technology ransfer,investment and financial support to implement relevant mitigation strategies in the agricultural sector. And these programs will need to be developed with full consideration of economic and sustainable development. Such programs will need to include methods for verifying and validating GHG emission reductions from agricultural activities and for comparing the effectiveness of various mitigation options, as well as the associated environmental, economic and social benefits and impacts for the overall production cycle.The economic potential for mitigation in agriculture depends on the price of carbon and on policy, institutional,and transaction cos t constraints. To date little progress hasbeen made in the implementation of mitigation measures at the global level. The potential for GHG mitigationwould be enhanced by an appropriate internationalclimate policy framework providing policy and economicincentives. The emerging market for carbon emissions trading offersnew possibilities for agriculture to benefit from land usethat sequesters carbon or saves non Carbon(iv)oxide emissions.TheClean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the KyotoProtocol of the United Nations Framework Conventionon Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the most importantmechanism for payments to developing countries. Currently, the CDM limits eligible activities in agricultureto afforestation and reforestation, and reduction of non- Carbon(iv) oxide gases. Hence carbon sequestration activities, such asconservation tillage and restoration of degraded soils, arepresently considered ineligible.Financing options will need to include grant funding, but there is also a need to develop market mechanisms for sustainable development (MMSDs) that will allow farmers and rural communities to benefit from such initiatives and have an elaborate livelihood strategy. On-farm mitigation Improved management practices that reduce on-farm emissions include livestock and manure management, fertilizer management, and improved rice cultivation. Methods to reduce methane emissions from enteric fermentation include enhancing the efficiency of digestion with improved feeding practices and dietary additives.The efficacy of these methods depends on the quality of feed, livestock breed and age, and also whether the livestock is grazing or stall-fed. Developing countries are assumed to provide lower quality feed to livestock, which raises the emissions rate per animal to over that for developed country herds(Smith et al. , 2007). In manure management, cooling and using solid covers for storage tanks and lagoons, separating solids from slurry,and capturing the methane emitted are relevant techniques.Concerning developing countries, applying thissort of manure management may be difficult as animalexcretion happens in the field. Composting manure andaltering feeding practices may help reduce emissions to acertain extent. Improving the efficiency of fertilizer application or switching to organic production can decrease the amount of nutrientload and Nitrous(ii)Oxide emissions. However, overall benefitswould need to be weighed against the potential impact onyield(Smith et al. , 2007). Sustainable Agriculture and Sustainable DevelopmentIn addition to reducing GHG emissions, agricultural mitigation measures have other social, economic and environmental benefits, particularly in regard to sustainable development, food security and making progress towards meeting the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals. The list of co-benefits linked to soil carbon sequestration include reduced soil erosion, improved soil fertility and structure, improved water qualit y, reduced levels of phosphorous and nitrogen pollution, buffering against drought and improved agricultural performance.Another mitigation strategy is considered to be the displacement of fossil fuels through the production of cleaner-burning bioenergy, such as ethanol, biogas, and methane, which can all be derived from agricultural production. Securing food for a growing population is a major global concern for developing countries and is a primary objective of agricultural policies. As such, mitigating climate change must not result in reduced food production (FAO, 2008). There are limits to GHG emissions reductions in the agricultural sector because of its importance in providing food for a growing global population.Improvements in efficiency may be a more reasonable approach than absolute reductions in developing countries GHG emissions from agriculture. Linking Mitigation and Adaptation Efforts Formally defined, adaptation to climate change is an adjustmentmade to a human, eco logical or physical systemin response to a perceived vulnerability (Smith et al. , 2007). Agriculture is a sector that can be used to link mitigation and adaptation policies and actions. Many mutually reinforcing synergies exist between specific mitigation and adaptation solutions that can lead to more efficient allocation of â€Å"climate response† resources (FAO, 2008).Synergies may occur in cases where mitigation-driven actions in agriculture have positive adaptation consequences for example, carbon sequestration projects with positive drought preparedness aspects or when adaptation-driven actions have positive consequences for mitigation for example, residue return to fields to improve water holding capacity will also sequester carbon (Smith et al. , 2007). A large proportion of the mitigation potential of agriculture arises from soil carbon sequestration, which has strong synergies with sustainable agriculture.Linking adaptation and mitigation measures have both positive andnegative aspects, depending on national circumstances and agricultural systems. In addition, many farmers may be ill-equipped to adapt or may notunderstand the risks that climate change imposes. As a result,information sharing, such as that involving climateforecasting, will likely play an integral part in managingclimate change risk. A future climate regime should encourage countries to recognize and enhance positive impacts. Such measures include the following; * Changes in tillage practices or adjusted livestock breeds are short-term measures. Longer-term measures, such as improved water management or the building of irrigation systems, can help in adapting to a changing climate. * Supporting policies that promote adaptation measures can help towards more effective implementation. * Modes of external assistance range from allocating information, advice, and training on adaptation measures, to developing institutional capacities and policies. * Adaptation is not a stand-alone activity, and its integration into development projects, plans, policies, and strategies will be crucial. * Synergies between mitigation and adaptation should be maximized.Adaptation options and their supporting policies should be adopted by the appropriate level of government and implemented by institutions in direct contact with beneficiaries. For example, adaptation responses such as changing planting dates and tillage practices may require technicalservices provided by local extension agents, which are coordinatedby regional universities and research institutions. Agricultural research, including crop breeding to developdrought and heat tolerant crop varieties, will require bothpublic and private investment. Structural adaptation measures,such as creating water arkets and price incentives,will need to be implemented on a national level, most likelyin partnership with economic cooperation unions. National governments, NGOs and the international community all have a role to play i n creatingthe means and cooperation required for adaptation. Conclusion In general, agriculture impacts climate change significantly through livestock productionand the conversion of forest to land cover that haslow carbon sink or sequestration potential. Nitrous oxideemissions from crop production and methane from riceproduction are also significant.Mitigation options thatare the most technically and economically feasible includebetter rice, crop- and pastureland management. Although there are viable mitigation technologies in the agricultural sector, particularly in developing countries,some key constraints need to be overcome. First, rules of access which still do not credit developing countries forreducing emissions by avoiding deforestation or improving soil carbon sequestration must be changed. Second,operational rules, with their high transaction costs for developingcountries and small farmers and foresters in particular,must be streamlined.Climate change is also likely to ha ve a significant negative impact on agricultural production, prompting outputreductions that will greatly affect parts of the developing world. Adaptation, including crop choice and timing, hasthe ability to partially compensate for production declinesin all regions. In addition, to date, only a limited number of studies have focused on theclimate change and carbon fertilization effects related tocrops of importance to the rural poor, such as root crops and millet. As a result of changes in production, food security will beaffected by climate change.Even the most aggressive mitigation efforts that can reasonably be anticipated cannot be expected to make asignificant difference in the short-term. This means thatadaptation is an imperative. Yet, in the face of this imperative,many developing countries are lacking in sufficientadaptive capacity(FAO, 2008). As a result, there is a large role for nationalgovernments, NGOs, and international institutionsto play in building the necessary a daptive capacity and riskmanagement structures. Finally, climate change adaptation and mitigation have to proceed simultaneously.Since adaptation becomes costlierand less effective as the magnitude of climate changesincreases, mitigation of climate change remains essential. The greater the level of mitigation that can be achieved at affordable costs, the smaller the burden placed on adaptation. Policies focused on mitigating GHG emissions, if carefully designed, can help generate a new developmentstrategy; one that encourages the creation of new value inpro-poor investments by increasing the profitability of environmentallysustainable practices.To achieve this goal,it will be necessary to streamline the measurement andenforcement of offsets, financial flows, and carbon creditsfor investors. It will also be important to enhance globalfinancial facilities and to reform their governance, namelyto simplify rules and to increase the funding flows for mitigationin developing countries. we know what to do,and it is therefore the right time to act before it is too late. It is so unfortunate to see people dying from famine in the 21st century.Climate change may worsen this situation, therefore we should cooperate toghether to ensure thatthe global issue of climate change is handled in a manner that it deserves. Agriculture is just one of those options especially by the developing countries. REFERENCES 1) Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) (2008) [Available online at http://cdm. unfccc. int/index. html] DATE accessed 20th November 2012. 2) IPCC (2007) Summary for policy makers. Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change. [Available online at http://www. pcc. ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_spm. pdf ]. 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