History and Culture Essay Example for Free

History and Culture Essay Too long the country has been deprived of its national pride and independence. By 1911-1912, the foreigners were everywhere. The best way was to use them as sponsors for our changes, and let them call me â€Å"a dictator [corrupt and †¦ brutal] surrounding himself as soon as he could with some of the most despicable Chinese agents of the old regime; favoured [†¦] by foreign financiers [in the lust for] money and power and the means of extravagance and debauchery. † This year, the things are really disastrous. Chinas foreign debt reaches 900 million taels. The dynasty has gone bankrupt undertaking expensive reforms of the governmental administration, military and educational system. The new regime followed the West in the enchantment with democratic elements of constitution, representative assemblies, separation of governmental powers, and political parties. On my side, I was more interested to pacify gentry and to centralize state power having been dissolved after foreign intrusions and imperialistic affairs. For me as President, therefore, the prior task is to obtain the loan from the Four Group Powers in order to keep a strong and obedient military resource to establish the right type of government. My fame played to the benefit of the task. I do remember how Dr. Morrison, the then political adviser to the Chinese Government, was trading with Mr. Crisp, the head of the firm of C. B. Crisp Co, about the loan to pay for our administration needs this year, in 1912. We needed it badly in order not to depend so greatly on the Four Power Group, not to speak about Russia and Japan with their greed in regard to concessions. Then, the last persuasion for the â€Å"hard nut† Crisp to lend us ? 10,000,000 was delivered by Morrison in the words about my dictatorial position being the â€Å"benefit† of China. I am afraid, though, that we will have to owe the Four Group Allies ? 500,000,000, at the rate of ? 100,000,000 a year, not to forget about Japan and Russia trying to cut the fattest pieces of our cake in terms of territory, commerce and politics. Now I shall speak about my plans for the future. I really want to establish a â€Å"no-squeeze policy. † I believe that the modern Chinese state and nation should be centralised. The first step to do is to preserve the capital, thus, the centre of administrative authority, in Peking for the whole period of my office of President. Second, as I have never been a republican, I think about establishing a sort of a military dictatorship. I was often called the â€Å"strong man,† â€Å"a reputed reactionary,† and â€Å"arbitrary, tyrannical and self-indulgent† by my contemporaries, and, no doubt, I will be labelled like this by later researchers. My political opponents from the Kuomintang went even further referencing to me as nothing more than â€Å"[t]he fat bewhiskered general†. But even they can not deny that it was I who could build a strong army and placating fighting camps. That is why, in my opinion, there is no need to let those wordy democrats to spend time, effort and money on elections and the qualifications of voters. Let me stay â€Å"the strong dispenser of law and order† identifying the course of state policy by myself. Consequently, I plan to get rid of those tries to establish â€Å"popular sovereignty in the form of political parties and representative assemblies. † I watch them reorganising Sun Yat-sens Revolutionary Alliance into the Guomindang, or Nationalist Party, to dominate National Assembly after its election in December, 1912. I know that the trifle show with democratic elections for National/provincial/county assemblies could jeopardise the institute of centralised power I am planning to introduce. Later on, I will force the National Assembly to elect me as president for a long term, better for five years. Then, I will kick the Guomindang from the parliament because they are likely to assume too much political weight. The best solution will be also to dissolve all the assemblies that resemble a boiling pot, so â€Å"risky and messy† they are. Finally, I will do my best to consolidate all the state power in the hands of one person, and that person would be I. The best form to centralise power is monarchy, how ever discredited it has become. How about the British or Japanese constitutional model of the Emperor co-existing with the parliament? Lately, the title of â€Å"Grand Constitutional Emperor† has occurred to my mind as the best definition of the political system I want to achieve. Reanimating Confucianism as a state religion, there would be a chance to resurrect also the ideology of monarchism and to get back to traditional values, seeing also to the better economic and education opportunities to provide the nation with wealth and development. Bibliography Bowman, John S. , ed. Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000. Cantlie, James, and C. Sheridan Jones. Sun Yat Sen and the Awakening of China. New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1912. Croly, Herbert. Willard Straight. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1924. Eastman, Lloyd E. â€Å"The May Fourth Movement as a Historical Turning Point: Ecological Exhaustion, Militarization, and Other Causes of Chinas Modern Crisis. † In Perspectives on Modern China: Four Anniversaries, edited by Thomas P. Bernstein et al. Armonk, NY: An East Gate Book, 1991, 123-138. Hyndman, H. M. The Awakening of Asia. New York: Boni and Liveright, 1919. Leang-Li, TAng. China in Revolt: How a Civilization Became a Nation. London: N. Douglas, 1927.

Importance of Nick Carraway, Narrator of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Grea

Importance of Nick Carraway, Narrator of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby   Ã‚   In The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the narrator, Nick Carraway, tells a story in which Jay Gatsby tries to attain happiness through wealth.   Even though the novel is titled after Gatsby, Nick analyzes the actions of others and presents the story so that the reader can comprehend the theme. Throughout the novel, Nick is the vehicle used to gather all of the pieces together to learn about Gatsby.   Nick is the only character that changes in the novel from the beginning to the end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nick is the literary device that is employed to learn about Gatsby, which ultimately tells the theme of the story.   Throughout the novel, flashbacks are inserted, courtesy of Nick, to reveal piece by piece about the mysterious Gatsby. Nick patches the pieces of the puzzle together regarding Gatsby's past and lack of a future.  Ã‚   Nick is like the box of a puzzle; the puzzle is impossible to put together without it.   Without Nick, the reader's opinion of Gatsby would be drastically different.   The reader's opinion would be swayed by the idea that Gatsby becomes rich via bootlegging alcohol and counterfeiting bonds.   Nick persuades the observer that Gatsby is "...worth the whole damn bunch (rich class) put together"(Fitzgerald 162).   Even though Gatsby aspires to be part of the upper echelon, he, fortunately, is different from them.   Nick also analyzes Gatsby's behavior in order to provide the reader with details and a summary of the great man.   At the end of the novel, Nick comments on Gatsby's life by stating that "(Gatsby) had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seem... ...ald 172).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the novel, Nick is instrumental as voice that tells the reader about Gatsby.   "Nick is "both within and without, never really assimilating like the rich" (Chambers 41).   Most importantly, Nick is the only character in the novel that changes.   Nick Carraway is the main character of the novel.   Without Nick, the important allegorical message would not be illustrated:   Money cannot buy love or peace of mind. Works Cited and Consulted: Berman, Ronald. "The Great Gatsby" and Fitzgerald's World of Ideas. Tuscaloosa: U of Alabama P, 1997. Chambers, John B. The Novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald. London: Macmillan/New York: St Martin's P, 1989.   deKoster, Katie, ed. Readings on "The Great Gatsby." San Diego: Greenhaven, 1998.   Fitzgerald, F. Scott.   The Great Gatsby.   Simon and Schuster Inc., New York: 1991.

To what extent do the novels Nineteen Eighty Four and the Road support or refute this view?

The dystopian novels The Road and Nineteen Eighty Four demonstrate the push and pull between the utopian and dystopian societies in their narratives. Dystopian literature often seems to be a deterrent to the reader the nightmarish lifestyles presented to us by each individual protagonist characters dehumanized due to the desolate and barren lifestyles presented in each text. However, despite this, the bleak settings seem to send messages of optimism, and to some extent hope, through the interactions of characters in each novel. In The Road the boy and the father are seen to be two people left who are not dehumanized by the new apocalyptic society. They do not conform to cannibalism, rape or murder; however their humanity is tested through the desolate landscapes and their lack of human contact and refusal to help those they do meet in this new society. Although the father only has the boy his humanity is clear as they are â€Å"each other worlds entire† showing he only lives for his son. We can also see the boy knows that without his father he would not be able to defend for himself and would be lonely. When the father asks him â€Å"what would you do if I died† the son replies â€Å"if you died I would want to die too/†¦. so I could be with you† This love between the boy and the father allows us to over look the apparent loneliness the boy has, with the humanity between the two characters shining through. Conflict does exist between the father and the son, when they have different opinions on whether to help fellow survivors or not, yet the conflict itself is not destructive as they always come to a joint decision. Jon Wilkins. Theoretical evolutionary biologist and professor at Santa Fe Institute believe the son and the father â€Å"are two individuals with separate wills but their paths and fates are inseparable†. McCarthy makes use of graphology, or rather a lack of it, to show how desolate and dehumanized life has become, or perhaps draws attention to the things in life that really matter when characters are travelling a dystopian landscape. The setting is said to be sublime. To expand the point, the author's use of declarative sentences makes his prose bleak, and certainly positions the reader in such a way as to be able to empathise with the stark sense of grim reality that the man and boy are confronted with. McCarthy's own remark that he sees no need to â€Å"blot up the page with weird little marks† using as little punctuation as possible, enables him to present a narrative whose prose is as scarce and unwelcoming as the actual highway itself. These sorts of structural decisions on the writer's part add to the sense of inhumanity in The Road but ironically also contribute to the closeness of the relationship between the father and son – although the narrative may appear to lack conventional direction the relationship between the two characters certainly does not. Another way in which the human spirit seems to be alive in McCarthy's dystopian landscape lies in the absurd nature of the world that is presented. The father and son must â€Å"keep walking to survive†, despite the fact that where they are walking to or from is not always clear. As a result their efforts often seem pointless given the inevitability of their death at the hands of roaming bands of cannibals. However, what is clear is that they repeat the same routine every day, drawing parallels to the absurdity of life – this alludes to thee Greek Mythology figure Sisyphus whose existence consisted of rolling a boulder up a hill only for it to fall down on a daily basis. Mundane as it is like a nightmare, it is repetitive nonetheless it is through this repetition that the two characters manage to develop their close bond. It may be the case that the absurd of their journey is dehumanising yet it is through this cyclical process that McCarthy allows their humanity to shine through. In terms of ‘The Road' the man and boy must walk, just as Sisyphus had to roll, however the absurdity of their existence is somewhat lesser than that of Winston from Nineteen Eighty Four. Winston's life is also presented as absurd. Orwell creates a world capable of inducing suicide. The narrative is filled with a nihilistic and soulless atmosphere, where there is no ‘God' present, making the world seem like there is no meaning and no essence to life dehumanising the protagonist. This continues to the portrayal of the dangers of living in a totalitarianism society when has the main objective of control over its subjects to any extent emphasising the absurdity of life. Through oppression and stripping away basic human rights through extreme restriction making, Big Brother himself seems like an absurdist. Although there is no official law about it, it seems to be common knowledge what it is expected for them to do so they are not punished and placed in room 101. Orwell's London becomes more absurd when there is no official rule to punish Winston, and therefore more dehumanising as it is difficult to tell what justice is if individuals can not be truthful on what you know is wrong and right, blurring the lines in terms of what the public know Big Brother is doing. Through the allusions to Everyman, where the Father in The Road, and Winston in Nineteen Eighty= four play as characters they also play a part of the Christian from the Pilgrims Progress, this is allude to the journeys and challenges presented to both of the men bringing another sense of optimism to themselves and to the reader. While this journey tends to out way the dangers and hardships they are going face on their way. McCarthy's journey is a pilgrimage, the father and boy are searching for a place of hope, and it is a contrast with Winston. He is searching for truth in a society that is created through lies, and manufactured stories of the past. Religion seems to be absent in The Road there is no god, but a slight biblical reference â€Å"There is no God, we're his prophets† suggesting that he and the boy are meant to spread the knowledge of the last society. He said â€Å"if he is not the word of God, God never spoke†. McCarthy seems to use â€Å"taken them from this world†. So that we would think the prophets were taken from this world, and suggest a Religious war may have destroyed civilisation. Contrasted within Nineteen Eighty Four where religion is apparent and focused on the antagonist Big Brother as a god like figure although there is no formal religion. He seemingly has omnipotent and omniscient qualities that dehumanise those around him into fear of him as a substitute of patriotic feeling, as they know that â€Å"Big brother is watching you†. We see his use of power through the denial of the past and ever changing present that Winston has to work to keep the system working the way Big Brother wants it to. Thus creating a society with no memory framework, they can not be truly counted as real if they have no recollection events as they continue to change, they just go along with the next story because they have no way of thinking otherwise. This is familiar to how God can see everything and how it seems that they are continuously scrutinized this could dehumanise them as there is no sense of privacy, but in this society there is no way to avoid neither him nor can they get away from his followers. He also seems to be in a god like place as there is no way to tell where he is, or even if he exists at all. Although this could confuse the protagonists as they have their right to choose their own religion taken, so their individuality has been demolished and decided for them. Nevertheless it seems to give the impression of a very primitive religion based around human sacrifice, although the sacrifices themselves seem to be presented as punishment for those who are deemed evil under the acts of a powerful of the â€Å"saviour† represented furthermore dehumanising the protagonists as they have to choice but to be part of the sacrifice. Echoes of atravism behaviour are present in The Road with to us with the flashbacks the father has, each provoking a different feeling like with the Coca Cola he remembers a time when he was happy and then tries to hand over these memories to his son. It provokes a nostalgic feeling in the father. He also recalls the time where he was close to his wife, he wanted to save her scent although remembering this is dangerous as it distracts him from the grim battle between life and death against the bands of cannibals. However the son doesn't appreciate this as he was born into the post apocalyptic world and does not share the feelings of his father. It is also evident when they enter houses the son is cautious of the house when the father seems to assume that the one from his past is safe like in the memories, and how to the father it brings a sense of home, in spite of this it is still dehumanising as he is estranging himself from the new world it also dehumanised him to knows it is impossible for him to get back to these times. The soulless nature in Nineteen Eighty Four suggests there is a lack of aspiration their lives are laid out for them; they have no spirit to do anything in a different way. Yet in spite of this experience Winston Smith offers hope to the reader through his actions, many of which present humanity in an optimistic light. For instance, there is â€Å"hope within the proles† as there are no restrictions as they are seen no better then animals, but they are free. Winston seems to be jealous when he watches the prole woman singing freely a song which was manufactured by the totalitarian world, making him have an ironic feel to it. In The Art of Fiction David Lodge suggests that Orwell's novel should be read as prophetic as it was written for the future. This view adds weight to the argument that it is not just a book about stripping away humanity; if the reader sees it as prophetic then it would seem that Orwell is suggesting that the future might too hold hope, as well as the threat of inhumanity. Lodge remarks that â€Å"Orwell draws on many recognizable features of life in â€Å"austerity† post-war Britain, as well as on reports of life in Eastern Europe, to create a depressing atmosphere of London†. Orwell's vision is bleak is beyond question, but to suggest that there is no hint of humanity and decency in the text would be missing one of Orwell's key themes that he apposes alongside the cautionary nature of the book. Eventually, the worlds which Orwell and McCarthy create dehumanise the individuals from their societies in the protagonists eyes, therefore making them outcasts from their societies, the lack of justice present backs this, as they both have lost legal systems and punishments are not officially known, although in the Road justice as the new post apocalyptic society seems to be chaos. Winston is an outcast but no one else seems to care or even notices and therefore he is dehumanised although he does conform in the end, it is forced on him whereas the father and the son are outcasts within the Road as two of the few people left who are not dehumanized by the new apocalyptic society. They do not conform making them different as they try to hold on to the fathers past giving them aspects of atavism, and an outcast for it, these characters usually can not survive in the new society, Neither society is allowed privacy, someone is always looking into their lives whether they are a controlling leader or a cannibal

Research on Ginger in Meghalaya

Report on the field study of Ginger and Turmeric in Meghalaya PREFACE Meghalaya is a state which is rich in natural resources, be it from flora to fauna to the mineral resources, the state has it in abundance. Agriculture, including crop and animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry and agro processing constitutes the very basis of socio economic lives of India. One of the major activities in the state is cultivation of horticulture crops which includes that of Ginger and Turmeric.Ginger is being predominantly grown in Ri Bhoi District while almost the whole belt of Jaintia Hills, the best quality of Turmeric found in the whole country with the reported cucurmin content up to 7. 6%. However amidst plenty of what we have, there are too many missing links in between for the state to realize the full potential in terms of commercial activities in revenues and most importantly to address the issues of the farmers to increase the income for better livelihoods in the villages.Therefore the mar ket access team from MBDA along with the staffs of Appropriate Technology India (ATI) made a visit to some of the important cultivation belt of ginger and turmeric of Ri Bhoi District and West Jaintia Hills District for assessment of production which includes cultivation practices as well as understanding the organic practices for the potential of organic certification for premium pricing of the products, post harvesting and processing aspects as well as marketing aspects for improving livelihood security in the state.The visit was spanned in six days and within these six days; the program was conducted in the following order: 12th February 2013 On this day the team comprising of three interns from MBDA and five ATI workforce under the supervision of Mr Iai Majaw, the Horticulture Officer with the Government of Meghalaya, left Shillong at around 10 AM and visited the Ginger belt of Ri Bhoi District. Firstly we visited the farm house which is located next to the Highway to Guwahati a t Umsning. There we met and interacted with around twenty five ginger cultivators in and around Umsning.These villages are located within the distance of 1 to 3 kilometers from Umsning. The farmers start sowing ginger from the last week of April throughout the month of May. We came to know that they inherited the ginger cultivation practices from their fore fathers seeing that the climate is conducive for the crop to thrive and that there is a market for all of their produce from year to year. The main area of concern for them is that, the plant is frequently getting infected with root and stem rotting, thus spoiling their effort in time and money.Stem rot is more frequent than root rot and occurs in between the months of June to September. They don’t have any solution to tackle these kind of infections, the only activity that they do is to uproot the whole crop and throw it as far as possible from the cultivation land and sometimes even burning that particular crop but it se ldom help the cause as the infection will start to spread to the whole row and even at times the whole field. They practiced Jhum cultivation with the belief that it softens the soil and helps in the ploughing activity.They also have a fair idea of the reason behind crop rotation and practiced it once in 3 years. They do give manure to the crop once in a while in the form of poultry, pig and cow droppings. They said that they have received training from the horticulture officers but most of the time they apply those methods being taught to them in the beginning phase but revert back to their traditional method of cultivation. They stored the seed in a proper way and have no problem with the occurrence of seed spoilage before the cultivation period.The nearest market for them is the Umsning market which is being held once a week. At the weekly market, traders which are middle men come to purchase their crop at rates of 1,100 – 1,200 rupees per 40 kgs which is a standard unit o f weight being applied in terms of ginger and turmeric in the whole area. However, when they feel that a better price is available at Iewduh market in Shillong or when there is a need to go Shillong for personal work, they carry along the ginger which fetched them a price of around 1,500 – 1,600 per 40 kgs.From there the team moved to Sohpdok village which is approximately 5 kms from Umsning. Here we interacted with the headman of the village and around 15 farmers in the processing unit which is next to the SSA school premises and found out that the ginger cultivation was enlarge by the intervention and help of RRTC, Umran. There are 3 driers, 2 slicers and 1 pulveriser at the processing unit which is not yet functional as they have just received the machines from North Eastern Hill University.The problems and practices regarding the cultivation practices are the same as the ones which have been described above. However, the people said that they rate of ginger that they sell at the village when traders come to collect from the village is around 900 – 1,000 rupees per 40 kgs. The last visit for the day was at Regional Resource Training Centre (RRTC) Umran, which is run by the Catholic Church and presently headed by Father James.The center spans around 400 acres campus and facilitates in imparting training to various livelihood and entrepreneurship program and one of the main activities is the food processing centre which includes turmeric and ginger processing. The ginger after undergoing a series of treatment which includes peeling, trimming, weighing, washing, and processing by boiling with citric acid is then mildly dried and mixed with fine sugar in specific proportions and then properly dried and added with sugar to add as topping. It is then packed and labeled as Ginger Candy.The ginger candy is retailed at an MRP of 35 rupees for 100gms. When asked about the costing, the staff who is taking care of the processing unit said that the whole c ost of labour and various activities from start to finish is around 120 – 150 rupees/kg, while the retail cost is 350 rupees/kg thus making a profit of 200 rupees/kg. The ginger is also converted into powder form firstly dipping the dried ginger in Sodium Carbonate solution to increase the shelf life of the product and then grind to powder and packed.The same goes for turmeric which is simply grind into powder form and retailed at the stores. Their main area of concern is marketing, which they say they have a limited penetration to the market through their retail outlet next to the national highway and some retail shops in and around Shillong. 13th February 2013 The team left for Nongpoh and along with the existing ERPs of MBDA went to Umkon village which is 23 kms away from it. Here we interacted with just around 5 farmers as there is a funeral in the village. Almost each and every ousehold practice ginger cultivation in large scale and turmeric cultivation for their own con sumption on a lower scale. Almost all of the households exceed 500 kgs of ginger production in a year with some of them going up to 3 or 4 tonnes. The main market is at Umden in which the price of the ginger is around 1,000 rupees/40 kgs while the seed is being sold at 35 rupees/kg. The seed is being sold among the farmers from nearby areas and new farmers while the raw ginger is being bought by middlemen and commission agents who then supply either to Guwahati or Kolkata directly.The main areas of concern for the farmers is again the same issue of their inability and lack of knowledge how to tackle diseases such as stem and root rot. However, they shared their success story of how ginger cultivation has improved the general living conditions in and around the area. There is no value added activity for the ginger being produced in the area. Then at around 4 pm we left for Byrnihat to visit the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd (NERAMAC).There is a process ing plant to extract ginger oil from fresh or raw ginger. The plant capacity is around 3 to 5 tonnes per day, yielding 1. 5 liters of oil which retails at 7000 – 9000 rupees/liter. The major problem that they are facing is the availability of raw ginger as most of the ginger which is produced within the region is being sold to middlemen at a higher rate. 14th February 2013 The team left Shillong at around 8 AM for the turmeric belt of West Jaintia Hills District.We stationed at CTC hotel and then under the supervision of Mr Lyngdoh, a horticulture officer with the Govt. of Meghalaya, proceeded to Wahiajer village where we interacted with 2 farmers, one farmer just started the ginger cultivation activity since he saw that there is a market and the soil is very good for ginger to grow, so keeping in mind of the above factors he started cultivating ginger and after harvesting the produce, decided not to sell any of it but to keep it as seed for the next year.When we arrived ther e we interacted with him and asked him to show us the place where the seed is being store and when he dug up some of the seed, even though the ginger quality and size is good, it was found that the whole ginger is moist and wet and infected with fungus, budding has also begun to take place. He said that he has received no training on how to cultivate, harvest and store the ginger so he is not aware of what procedures and process to follow.Then we told him to take out the whole lot of ginger stored there and to dry it in the shade and treat it with organic chemicals which might be available at the horticulture office in the block. Being a starter in the activity he is unaware of the whole system, except the price that he might get if he is to sell the product at the local market. He also practices slash and burn cultivation like the rest of the farmers are doing in the whole area.We then met with another farmer who has been practicing the ginger cultivation activity for quite some ye ars but he confessed that he is quite disheartened with the activity as there is no help from the government side in monetary terms nor in training facilities, so he is contemplating of shifting his cultivation activity from ginger to that of tomato as there is a better market currently prevailing in the whole area. The horticulture department is also neglecting the ginger farmers in the area while promoting that of the tomato.We then proceed to Laskein grinding and processing centre which has a Federation comprising of 9 clusters, 30 villages and around 100 SHGs. The Unit was set up in 2007 with the objective of improving livelihood and income within the area. The processing unit was set up with the help of MRDS which also helps in the training of man power as well as marketing activities. The unit is well equipped with Dryers, Slicers, Pulverisers and for the first time this year an Oil extractor machine is being set up which will be functional from this year onwards, the staffs a lso are yet to get training how to utilize the machine.The steps in the processing of ginger in the unit here are as follows: WASHING BOILING SLICING DRYING GRINDING PACKAGING The production of turmeric powder last year was around 3 tonnes and this year they aimed at a higher quantity. Each and every cluster of villages which falls under the association have a commitment to bring the produce of raw turmeric to the processing centre and the Federation buys it at a rate of 30 rupees/kg, when the turmeric is being sold in powder form at 250 rupees/kg as of last year, 230 rupees is being given back to the farmer and 20 rupees is being kept by the federation.The packaging is done in quantities of 1/4th kg, ? kg and 1 kg for the local market while it is packed in gunny bags of 40 kgs each for the lot which is supposed to be transported to Guwahati. 15th February 2013 The team accompanied by Mr Remi from MRDS went to Umsalait village which falls under Iakitlang cluster, comprising of two v illages, Umsalait and Umsaroo which has 245 and 70 households respectively. There are 6 SHGs in the cluster, out of which 5 groups consist of women and 1 group that of men.The team interacted with around 30 farmers and learnt that they have been practicing the cultivation of turmeric from generation which they inherited from their forefathers but increased the activity to a larger scale as soon as they see that there is a market and it contributes to the generation of income activity. The problems faced by the farmers are almost the same throughout the state in which the major issues are that of diseases and not knowing how to tackle them.They are quite grateful to MRDS which helped them in imparting knowledge and funds even if it’s in small mount, the intervention has helped them to increase their income for a better living conditions. 16th February 2013 The team visited Mr W. Nongspung processing centre situated at Laitkor which is roughly 12 kms from Shillong. Mr Nongspung took advantage of the PMEGP scheme from DIC, Shillong and set up his processing centre there.However, fewer spices products are being processed at his unit since he only supply dry turmeric to a company in Guwahati known as Amalgamated Plantations, located at Christian Basti on a commission basis. His commission stands at 20 rupees/kg. He supplies around 30 tonnes of dry turmeric in a year and the company financed the money entirely in advance. Owing to this, he processed dry turmeric at a very less amount. He then started processing fruit juices such as star fruit, cherry as well as pickling of ginger, radish, chillies and bamboo shoots.His products have Organic tags along with them, while there is no proof of paper work that his products are organic certified. He sources the packaging materials from Industrial estate in Guwahati and get the label locally printed in Shillong. According to him, the major difficulty he is facing is that he doesn’t know how to market his produ cts in a big way and he has no idea about branding at all OBSERVATIONS Below are the few parameters of observation prevailing in the production areas where the team has visited a) AREA AND PRODUCTIONMost of the households in the villages which fall under the area that we have visited do not have a fair idea of the size of their respective plot under ginger and turmeric cultivation. From the conversation that we had we could make out that the minimum area of cultivation per family is around 1 acre up to 4 to 5 hectares. As far as production is concerned, the quantity that each household produces ranges from 750 kg to 5 tonnes. b) LAND USE The land that is used is normally rotational and at times shifting and bun cultivation is a normal practice which is traditional in nature.The area to be cultivated is first covered with the soil on top of the leaves and then slowly burned and often left overnight so as to soften the soil in the ploughing process thus easing the tilling process. Thi s practice also helps in sterilization of the soil. The agricultural land is mostly owned and controlled by individual farmers and some of them have been leased by people who are not engaged in agricultural activities who are mostly traders or government servants or who have migrated from the village on a nominal fee or in exchange for the products the cultivate. ) LAND PREPARATION Ginger and turmeric is normally cultivated in slopes and terrains under the shade of some trees. The land is normally not ploughed but just holed and dug up to 6 to 7 inches for the seed to be buried inside. Very few farmers added manure of animal dung to the crop while the rest just leave it as it is. There are no proper irrigation facilities to retain the water content during the rainy season, thus leaving the crop to absorb as much water as ossible during the rainy season and dried throughout the rest of the months. d) SELECTION OF SEED After the harvest is done, rhizomes which are large, healthy, free from any injury spots and more buds are selected to be stored as seed. The seeds in the case of turmeric are simply stored under the shade above the ground and normally very few infections would occur on turmeric seed, whereas in the case of ginger it is more complicated as the seed is normally infected with fungus and budding usually takes place before the sowing season.The method of storage is traditional in practice as the seed is stored under a pit dug below the ground and simply covered with a thin layer of soil thus attracting moisture and fungus to infect the seed. There are many cases in which farmers have complained that the seed gets spoiled before the sowing season starts. e) PLANTING Planting is usually done in the month of April to May just at the start of the rain. The rhizomes are planted in about 6 inches apart from each other and 6 to 8 inches deep and then covered with soil. During plantation the rhizomes are broken and make sure that they at least have 4 to 6 bud ding sprouts.The turmeric and ginger is normally cultivated along some other vegetables in the field such as beans, maize and pumpkin. f) HARVEST The harvest is done in when the crop attains maturity, the sign given by the death of the stem and leaves. It usually starts from early November and goes till the end of January. The seed is normally left till end of February to attain maximum maturity. Farmers also sometimes look at the market demand and when they know that there is a demand for the product in the market, they normally harvest the crop as and when required. ) MARKETING The marketing of ginger and turmeric usually happens in weekly local markets which are near to the villages and sometimes at Iewduh, in Shillong. Commission agents, middle men and traders purchase the products at a wholesale rate from local markets and then sort out and grade the lot according to the quality and packed them in gunny bags to be transported outside the state. In case of turmeric, trade happen s mostly as a dry material in the form of slices or in powder, whereas in case of ginger trade happens at the raw or fresh ginger state.Thus we can see that the middlemen control the market of ginger and turmeric in the whole state. h) COSTING 1) Cultivation-(umsalait) For 1 hectare land, they need around 10 people for 60 days and labour cost is Rs 200/day. (a) Labour 10 x 60 = 600 (b) Labour Cost 600 x 200 = Rs 1,20,000 (c) Seed Cost Rs 30 x 2000kg = Rs Rs 60,000 ————————————————————————– DIRECT TOTAL COST = Rs 1, 80,000The production from 2000kg seed is around 5 tonnes. And the cost of raw turmeric is Rs 30/kg PRODUCTION OUTPUT= 30 x 5000 = Rs 1, 50,000 Therefore we can see that the expenditure exceeds sale, thus instead of benefitting from the agricultural activity, the farmers are suffering losses, which th ey cannot understand as there is no costing method being followed. 2) Processing-(laskein) Cost of raw turmeric is Rs 30/kg. if 100kg is taken for processing, then cost of procuring raw turmeric will be Rs 3000. kg of raw turmeric when dried will produce only 1kg. Therefore 100kg will produce 17kg of dried turmeric. a) Cost of dried turmeric = 3000 / 17kg = Rs 176/kg b) Other Indirect Cost = Rs 100/kg (sorting, washing, drying, slicing, grinding, packaging, transportation, electricity bills and other miscellaneous fee) ___________________________________________________________ TOTAL COST PER KG = Rs 276SELLING PRICE OF 1kg POWDERED TURMERIC = Rs 250 Thus over here we can also see expenditure exceeds sale which results in a loss for the farmers. From the above analysis, it can be concluded that there is a need to reduce the DIRECT COST and to increase the Seed to Production Output in order to generate higher revenue. Interventions like introduction of power tillers, is not feasible because the cultivated areas are located in far away terrain and slopes, which are not motorable. ORGANIC PRACTICES AND SCOPE OF CERTIFICATIONAs the method of cultivation in the whole state is mostly organic in nature and with the awareness on importance of organic certification that organic products fetches a premium price in the market, there is a need to promote and to create awareness among the farmers to opt for organic certification so as to increase their income from selling their products. While discussing with various farmers, it is found out that organic farming, although practiced, is mostly done using traditional methods which consist mainly of slash and burn and composting.However, the â€Å"slash and burn† method is not considered as organic method because it kills the microbes which fertilize the field. Also, they have no access or awareness about organic pesticides like Trichogramma which is available from the State Biological Control Laboratory in Shillong. And Trichoderma which is use mainly for Ginger and Turmeric is still in the testing stage and will be available shortly. Some of the reasons that the farmers have not under gone organic certifications are mentioned below- 1) No awareness about organic certifications and its potential. ) The farmers have not received any training methods regarding organic farming. 3) They are also not aware of the market and its demand for organic products. 4) The certification process is quite long which takes up to three years. On top of that, the certificate has to be renewed every year. 5) It is also quite expensive. PROBLEMS FACED BY THE FARMERS/ PRODUCERS AT PRODUCTION LEVEL 1) Low yield of the horticultural crops in which the ratio is 1:2. ) Prevalence of bacterial and fungal infections which affect both stem rot as well as root rot 3) Unsuitable farming practices with poor drainage system to retain water 4) Very seldom crop rotation to replenish soil nutrients 5) Jhum cultivation in which the soil microorganisms died in the process 6) No organic manure is being given to the crops 7) There is no treatment of the seed before sowing 8) There is no capacity building measures being taken to tackle infections and other diseases.POST HARVESTING AND PROCESSING ASPECTS 1) 99% of the farmers sell ginger as a raw produce while turmeric is often converted to dry slices or at times into powder form but at a lower scale. 2) The market is being dominated by the middle men 3) There is no system of grading the ginger based on size and quality 4) The seed to be stored is not harvested at the right time so as it is mature enough to resist spoilage and not properly dried to resist fungal infection 5) Lack of knowledge and training how to store the seed ) Lack of knowledge regarding value addition activities which will fetch a premium price 7) Lack of appropriate technology and infrastructure in many aspects of modern storage. SUGGESTIONS FOR TRAINING/MBDA INTERVENTION CULTIVATION LEVEL 1) Treatment of the seed with organic chemicals such as Trichoderma, one day before sowing to control any seed infection later on. 2) Use of organic compost manure to increase the yield and productivity 3) Proper inter-culture activities from month to month ) Digging of horizontal drain-like pit of about ? ft depth perpendicular to the cultivation rows in terrain areas for water and manure retention. 5) Training in capacity building measures to tackle infections and diseases of both root and stem. 6) Practicing rotation cultivation of turmeric and ginger with leguminous plants on a yearly basis to replenish the nitrogen content of the soil 7) The seed which has to be stored needs to be harvested when it has matured. POST HARVESTING ) Grading and segregating the harvest if needed 2) Proper drying of the seed for a week under the shade to avoid moisture content in order to prevent fungus infection during storage. 3) Modern method of storage to maintain the health and freshness of the see d, by digging a hole up to 1 ? ft deep inside the ground and covered with lumps of soil up to 1 ft height and then plaster with a thin layer of wet mud to prevent entry of moisture. 4) Costing method should be taught. 5) Record keeping and internal assessment. ) Awareness of the importance of value addition process post harvesting. 7) Exposure visit. 8) The officers at various levels in District headquarters should play a pro-active role in imparting training and looking at various aspects where there could be an intervention. CONCLUSION In both cases of Turmeric and Ginger, there is hardly any value addition that is being done in the State. Middlemen control the market and influenced the fluctuation in price of both these items.In the case of Ginger alone, except for a meager percentage which gets converted into Ginger Candy at Regional Resource Training Centre (RRTC), Umran and North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd (NERAMAC), Byrnihat, there is no other val ue addition activity being practiced in the State. The whole amount of raw ginger is being packed into sacks of gunny bags of 40kgs and transported directly to Guwahati and Kolkata, thus we are deprived of the real value of what ginger could have fetched if proper knowledge, skills and machineries are being set up for value addition activities within the state.Whereas in terms of Turmeric, people are more aware of the better price which powder turmeric fetches in the market. Beside few turmeric processing units at the village level which were set up by Self Help Groups (SHG) at the cluster or village level, such as one at Laskein Block in West Jaintia Hills and smaller individual Grinding units at Shangpung and Laitkor, there are many small entrepreneurs who take their produce of dry turmeric to grind at any of these grinding units and sell at local markets as well as in the main market, Iewduh in Shillong.Of what we observed, most of the farmers involved in cultivation of turmeric and ginger, are women which comprises of around 70 percent workforce, the men are usually involve during ploughing activity which is more related to strength but as soon as the sowing season started they shifted to other kinds of works or migrated to other villages in search of work. Thus there is a lot desired and to be done in order to improve livelihood security through integration in growth value chains and market linkages in Meghalaya. ______________________________________________________________________

Equality Between Men and Women essays

Equality Between Men and Women essays Introduction Men have always been considered stronger then female, since the beginning of time, women have always been suppressed and have been considered to be the weaker and sublime sex as compared to men. In the early 19th century after the freedom struggles and feminine rallies, women voices were finally heard and women were given the due rights and respect which they have always deserved. Women are now free to vote, work, speak; movement and all the basic fundamental desires are free and available to every woman of the world. Women are now free to go to work, attain education in whatever field they desire and above all women are now provided equal opportunities and privileges, which were once only available to the men. Women in education The differences between boys' and girls' schooling are greatest seen in the regions with the lowest primary school completion rates and lowest average incomes. In Sub-Saharan Africa the ratio of girls' to boys' enrollments in primary and secondary school has hardly changed since 1990, and in 1999 it stood at 82 percent. In South Asia progress has been greater, but girls' enrollments reached only 81 percent of boys' in 1999 as compared to the 92% enrolment of boys. The number of literate women aged 15-24 years in the world went up from 390 million in 1990 to 432 million in 2000. This represents a global increase in the female literacy rate of approximately 3 percentage points from 80 to 83 per cent. At current rates, however, the target of eliminating gender inequality in education by 2015 will not be met, with the literacy rate for women 15-24 projected to be 88 per cent, versus a projected rate of 92 for young men. Various surveys have been conducted by various organizations to find out the percentage of women who ...

Marketing Promotional Mix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Promotional Mix - Essay Example The message must be comprehensible, concise, enlightening and communicative, because this will help to make certain that mothers understand your offering. 1.2 Defining a need the product or service can fulfill Underlying the importance of the Heart Monitor in the best possible manner would create a need in the minds of the customers. Persuasive messages would help more in the cause. The goal would be to convince mothers that the product will provide the best value to them, compared to the competitors. This can be supported by giving competitive pricing and other customer oriented benefits. You may also want to create an urgent demand by proffering limited time offers and other attractive offers. 1.3 Encouraging action from the target: Once you have created an awareness of the product and persuaded the target market, now it is the time to compel them to purchase the product. All the efforts to persuade the customers and to create awareness would go in vain if the customer does not mak e a purchase. It is very important to inform the customers about the product so that they patronise your brand and become a core buyer and make a repurchase. (Alyn, 2009) 2. Promotional Mix 2.1 Advertising Advertising is defined as any paid form of non-personal promotion of products and services by a sponsor. The Heart monitor can be advertised on print and broad media. Although, it can be very expensive, it allows the company to dramatise its products through the artful use of print, sound and color. By placing the ad in different medium the company would get a chance to unleash the product whole heartedly into the market. The customers would get to view the product and would see the various attributes, features and benefits of it. Advertising would enable Mothercare to recur a message numerous times, and would let the buyer receive and evaluate the ad and the underlying messages of various competitors. The ad should be clearly planned out and should be a breakthrough ad; it should be the one which would successfully break the clutter. For this purpose, most organisations take the services of a creative agency which aims at bring the advertising message strategy to life in a distinctive and memorable way. A creative ad would help to build a long-term image for Baby Heart Monitor. It would also trigger quick sales as a result. 2.2 Public Relations Public Relations is defined as building excellent relations with the company's assorted publics or stakeholders by acquiring constructive and positive publicity, strengthening a high-quality communal representation and managing and resolving inauspicious hearsays, anecdotes and events. The Public Relations (PR) department at Mothercare can use many different tools to promote the Baby Heart Monitor; Mothercare can call press and media before launching their product by creating and placing interesting information in the news medium to catch the attention of attention to a person, product or service. Product Publicity i s a free form of promotion and it takes the goodwill of the brand coupled with its image to get publicised. Mothercare can use its goodwill to allow various TV channels into publicising specific products via documentaries and infotainment news. Mothercare can make full use of its positive image, and the goodwill to build and maintain local, national and international relations. Mothercare can also build and maintain relations with legislators and government officials to influence legislation

John Rawls' The Laws of Peoples Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

John Rawls' The Laws of Peoples - Essay Example Think of a brother and sister, having happily grown up in the same house; one goes on to become a millionaire and the other is steeped in poverty. In such a case, too, we must ask: where is justice Cannot their wealth be pooled together, giving rise to a state of happy existence similar to when the two were children It is the world with its differential preferences for different virtues that gives rise to inequalities, and we must do what we can to minimize the phenomenon. Coming to Rawls' reasons for reducing inequalities, he says that one reason is to reduce the hardships of the poor. Why are the poor poor in the first place Naturally, the poor are so because they were born poor, and rising from a depth of poverty is, in many cases, well-nigh impossible. We all know the story: poverty leads to crime, crime leads to imprisonment, which leads to further poverty a society, if it to be civilized, must first ensure that none of its citizens are allowed to fall into the hell-hole that poverty is. The second reason Rawls gives is that some people may be treated as inferior if inequalities exist. Here, we need only take the ancient Indian society, for example: there were (and still are) four castes. The first was the priests and teachers; the second was the warriors; the third was the merchants and such; and the fourth was those that did menial work. To each his role. It was natural for a priest to look down upon a menial worker, and the society was for centuries in that condition - but only until, as is natural, human nature took over and the priests began demanding too much. To call a menial worker "lower" than a priest was to call a spade a spade: we now need only look at Indian history to see how that system failed. Rawls goes on to hint at the idea that inequalities are designed to serve the many ends that peoples share, and that each makes contributions according to capacity. I can tentatively accept this viewpoint, but must question the ideality of a society that allows naturally gifted people to be treated in a superior way. It is human nature, yes, but it is the role of a society to minimize such aberrations. Continuing in this socialist vein, I agree entirely with the premises of the resource distribution principle and the global distribution principle, particularly the latter. A people gets to a happy situation by developing, on its own, a structure conducive to the production of wealth. This is due to the natural gift of that people to do this. Consider, for example, the Mongoloid virtue of hard work. The culture of that race is based around the idea that hard work is fulfilling; that hard work is a duty. And what do we see reflected in the real world One can take any case one cares to - Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea. Now, think of the global egalitarian principle: socialism has not worked, but in an ideal world, it would have. That is my bold point. Why should not a certain people donate - even a small part of - their wealth to a people who have simply not been able to build a civilization for themselves, as in the so-called third-world countries Are the people of such countries not har d-working If they are, why are they underdeveloped It is well-nigh impossible to answer; all

Form of prose for photography projects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Form of prose for photography projects - Essay Example The interpreter basic objective is to find the actual intentions especially in the case of Scripture to know the truth and establish the meaning of the work during the author’s times. Exegesis is written on religious Scripture like the New Testament. In short, exegesis is an inquiry into the meaning of historical facts written in scriptures. Exegesis includes the two aspects of what the author said and why the author said during that time. Hence, exegesis deals with the intention of a written piece of work. Exegesis is also written to know about the primary reader’s response to a historical writing. Thus the interpretation includes the argument of the primary writer’s and reader’s perspective to a literature or scripture. A report is a collection of information put together in a pre-determined format. The information is identified, investigated and reported on the basis of happenings in an organisation or from an investigation. Reports may give rise to fut ure events. The objective of a report is to create awareness in the reader about a particular event or happening. There are three main aspects to a report. They are pre-determined format, independent parts and the unbiased conclusion. Report is different from essays because report includes several headings and sub-heading that convey each event or outcome of an event. Reports usually include numerical representation of an event. A report does not give much freedom to the writer because the report should follow the format.

Cultivation Theory Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cultivation Theory - Term Paper Example It is one of the social theories of mass communication that postulate a kind of relationship between the mass communication and social changes recorded in the community (Aggarwal & Gupta, 2001, p.35). The media reports that appear to have been influenced in some way will give an image that is not typical of the real scenario. For instance, a series of television shows on sexual immorality in a given city may provide a negative image of the city to the public. A series of reports on the corrupt acts by a given company definitely reduces the reputation of the organization among the public. On the other hand, providing only the positive aspects of a given issue by the media houses is also likely to provide a false positive image on the public concerning this issue. The best approach is then to provide balanced and uninfluenced reports by the media houses. Using the skills required in public relations will enable the media houses to provide balanced information that is necessary for deve loping a true picture. Both the negative and positive aspects of a concept should be focused as they occur in the real setting. Thesis Statement Based on the Cultivation Theory, the reports by the media houses can create images on the public that are not typical of the real situation. ... The developments that were put into the theory during this original spot are also examined as well as the current application of the theory in the field of mass communication. Origin of Cultivation Theory The Cultivation theory, also known as the cultivation hypothesis or the cultivation analysis can be traced back to the 1960s and attributed to the research by Professor George Gerbner of Annenberg School of Communication, Pennsylvania University. He focused on the effects of different television programs on the perception of a given concept in a given society (Erlandson, Williams & Telles, 2009). The research project that was referred to as â€Å"Cultural Indicators† investigated into the impacts of media operation on the social life of the public. An analysis of the contents of television programs and their effects on the public led to a generalization of the theory that how the society perceive the reality of a concept is greatly influenced by the programs and reports provi ded by television. The theory developed in 1967 is ‘based on the assumption that mass media have subtle effects on audiences who unknowingly absorb the dominant symbols, images, and messages of the media’ (Aggarwal & Gupta, 2001, p.35). In his investigations, Gerbner divided the audiences under the study into three distinct groups based on the duration that the individuals spent while watching television. He found out that even those who spent long periods watching TV programs were not immediately influenced by the programs. However, it was observed that this long exposure to television broadcasts had long-term effect on the individual perception of reality. The individuals tend to be inclined towards the models provided by the

Free Education In Nigeria Education Essay

Free Education In Nigeria Education Essay Education in Nigeria  is managed by the  Ministry of Education. And the  Local and state authorities  take charge for implementing guidelines for state and public education  and  schools  at a regional level. The education system is divided into Nursery education,  primary education,  secondary education  and  tertiary education. Nursery education begins at age of 2 for most Nigerians: students spend three years in nursery education and graduate with a school leaving certificate in other to progress to primary education. Primary education commences at the age of 4 for most Nigerians; students spend six years in primary school and graduate with a school-leaving certificate. Primary schools students are required to take a Common Entrance Examination which is supported by the government in order qualify for admission into the Federal and State Government Secondary schools, as well as private ones. Students spend six years in Secondary School that is 3 years of JSS (Junior Secondary School), and 3 years of SSS (Senior Secondary School). By Senior Secondary School Class 2 (SS2), students are taking the GCE OLevels exam, which is not mandatory, but most students take it to prepare for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, The Senior Secondary School Exam is taken in the last year of secondary school (SS3). They also have to take examinations like WEAC (West African Examination Council) and JAMB (Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board) Private organizations, the State government or the Federal government manage secondary schools in Nigeria. (author, education in Nigeria) What contributions are made by the Nigerian government to promote free primary education in Nigeria? In 1948, Sidney phillipson,The Financial Secretery of the Nigerian Government appointed to review grants in -aid to education,recommended a univerasal ,free compulsory system of primary and secondary for Nigeria. Seven years later,1955,free primary education was inroduced in the Western Region, and in 1957 in the Eastern Region and in 1957 in the Eastern Region and in Lagos. However,free universal was not introduced in the Northern Region during the period under review.Infact, it was not launched until after the independence. (author, www.equip123.net) As you can see from the text sidney Phillipson constucted a plan to promote free primary education in Nigeria,This is a good because literacy improves the economy, country and improves the way of living. What steps are needed to implement the plans. The government would have to locate areas where children have little or no education The money gotten from the production of crude oil would be used to finance free primary education in Nigeria. The government is going to find teachers to teach in the schools. The government would check the education budget based on the actual needs of the educational sector. The Nigerian government would distribute free notebooks and textbooks. What challenges have been incurred during implementation of plans? One of the greatest challenges that Nigeria is going to face implementing free primary education in Nigeria is financial issues considering it is a developing country with other problems e.g. corruption, poverty and crime. In addition to finance-related issues including teacher training programs, funds for the school, there would also be different arguments about if the plans are going to be a progress. The implementation of free primary education in Nigeria would be hard because it is a matter of political convenience rather than planned education development. Lack of recourses has considered as a challenge because of the increase of children. (author, www.equip123.net) Due to rise of the terrorist group Boko Haram teachers similarly felt abandoned did not make efforts to teach which leads to strikes, they go on strikes because the is no getting enough pay and conditions for themselves? Another problem is shortage of qualified teachers, the government not being able to locate the children in numerous villages that dont go to school. Corruption among government officials, while many stats officials claimed to be spending so much money on books and supplies, teachers werent paid well, students didnt have books and they had to bring chair from home every morning because they lack proper seating. In order to ensure the implementation of free education in Nigeria these steps must be followed and considered: 1. Supervision of teachers and educational workers 2. The government should monitor the way the money is spent in order to check for fraud. 3. Adequate planning and enrollment of teachers, equipment should be acknowledged. 4. Funding should be adequate 5. Implementation of the program by all stakeholders 6. Teachers should be supervised and be paid equally. 7. Teachers should take training in order to improve their techniques 8. Anticipation of increased enrollment 9. Coordination of various levels of the free education in Nigeria program 10. The government should motivate those who have graduated by giving them small loans to start small businesses Several factors may contribute to the failure of the free primary education program in Nigeria, including 1) poor planning; 2) inadequate funding; 3) lack of qualified teachers. 4) Poor implementation; and 5) population explosion. (author, www.equip123.net) What quality of education would be provided? No situation analysis and evaluation of both the quality and extent of primary education preceded its implementation. As such, problems related to adequate funding allocation and infrastructure needs are being accommodated. Furthermore, in some countries, the amount of financing and the way it is distributed may be undercutting the quality of education that is being provided. (author, www.equip123.net) According to the text above no situation analysis of the quality of education has preceded its implementation; The Nigerian government should try to focus on the quality of education that would be provided because it is very important. Does literacy affect Nigeria Economy? Literacy is the ability to use reading and writing to widen and display ones intellectual and economic horizon well enough to be able to tackle very effectively many of the socio-economic problems confronting individuals and the country as a whole. the south Western Nigeria remains the first part of the country to have a major literacy campaign for its people ,They introduced an ambitious literacy programme in form of free and compulsory primary education before other regions began their own programme . The programme guaranteed basic literacy for people this setting the pace for literacy development in Nigeria. Thus, it can be argued that Nigerians had access to basic literacy early enough to prevent a situation where most citizens are illiterates. So, it can be well argued that the major cause of socio- economic problems, that have become endemic in the area, is not lack of basic literacy but functional literacy because most of the people can read and write. it has been realized that not only aim at just reading, writing and calculating but also helps in improving the social ,political and economic systems of given society as a whole. The aim of this study was to examine the strategies that could be used to develop functional literate citizens in the South Western part of Nigeria. (Wang, 1995) Problems of education in Nigeria Experts in the education sector has been able to identify examination malpractices with poor preparation of students for an examination, and lack of self- confidence In view to identify examination malpractices with poor of the rising costs of education (school fees, enrolment fees, cost of books and other materials)students and even their parents will not ordinarily want to be held back by any form of deficit or failure in any of the required subjects, hence will go to any length to ensure success. In some cases, some teachers at the secondary school level are involved by the way of encouraging student to contribute money (cooperation fees) in order to secure the needed assistance during such examinations because they, the teachers are left with no alternative considering the fact that they are aware of the inadequate preparation of their students as well as the lack of facilities to get them properly prepared for the exam. Interview with 50 school heads in Benin City, reveals that more than 50% of our secondary school students on annual basis choose to enroll and write their final year external examination in schools in the interior and some private schools where they are very sure of success at the end of the day (Omofonmwan) Cheating should not be supported because it brings dishonesty, lack of confidence and other problems. What type of education is offered in Ibadan The first university to be set up in Nigeria was the University of Ibadan. There are also a lot of local teach in the native language (Yoruba)There are also numerous public and private primary and secondary schools located in the city. Other noteworthy institutions in the city include the University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital, also known as University College Hospital (UCH), which is the first teaching hospital in Nigeria; the internationally acclaimed International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER). Also the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, the Nigerian Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), and the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IART), all under the auspices of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria; and the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria Before the dissolution of the Western Region, Nigeria, Ibadan and its environs were the home of the most sophisticated and liberal scientific and cultural community on the continent of Africa, as personified by the immortalized Ibadan School of historiography. In 1853, the first Europeans to settle in Ibadan, Reverend Hinderer and his wife, started Ibadans first Western schools. They built churches and schools and the first two-storey building in Ibadan, which can still be found today at Kudeti. The first pupils to attend an elementary school in Ibadan were Yejide (female) and Akinyele (male) the two children of an Ibadan high chief. (Ibadan) Another country that is supporting free primary education is Ghana Ghana has abolished all primary school fees and increased its financial support to schools. Since then more than 1.2 million more children have been able to attend school; this is the equivalent of twice the population of Frankfurt. In 2006 Ghana set aside one fifth of its total budget to spend on education. In conclusion majority of Africas population are poor, and abolishing school fees may not make sense if these children complete primary education and are unable to join secondary school because they are unable to afford fees. I think every child should be given the opportunity to attend school because through education we learn new things every day and it helps people become better and stronger every day. Education makes people brighter every day and improves the way if life. (oxfam international) Bibliography athor, n. (n.d.). oxfam international. Retrieved october 18, 2012, from www.oxfam.org: http://www.oxfam.org/en/about/issues/aid-effectiveness/aid-works/germany-ghana-education author, n. (n.d.). Retrieved october 18, 2012, from www.equip123.net: http://www.equip123.net/docs/e2-SF-PIS.pdf author, n. (n.d.). Retrieved october 18, 2012, from www.equip13.net: http://www.equip123.net/docs/e2-SF-PIS.pdf author, n. (n.d.). Retrieved october 18, 2012, from www.equip123.net: http://www.equip123.net/docs/e2-SF-PIS.pdf author, n. (n.d.). education in Nigeria. Retrieved october 18, 2012, from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Nigeria author, n. (n.d.). education in Nigeria. Retrieved october 18, 2012, from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Nigeria Ibadan. (n.d.). Retrieved october 18, 2012, from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibadan Omofonmwan, L. O. (n.d.). Educational System in Nigeria Problems and Prospects. Retrieved october 18, 2012, from http://www.krepublishers.com: http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/JSS/JSS-14-0-000-000-2007-Web/JSS-14-1-000-000-2007-Abst-Text/JSS-14-1-081-086-2007-541-Odia-L-O/JSS-14-1-081-086-2007-541-Odia-L-O-Tt.pdf

What to do about Music Videos? :: Essays Papers

What to do about Music Videos? What did he say? Have you stopped recently and really listened and watched the music of today? Music has been used in various forms since early human history. According to the Encarta Encyclopedia, â€Å"Music is the organized movement of sounds through a continuum of time. Music plays a role in all societies and its exists in a large number of styles, each characteristic of a geographical region or a historical era.† Music has a been and is presently used in different cultures for different reasons. Music can be associated with religious establishments, dancing, theater, concerts, recording devices, and through out televisions. Overall, it has always been a form of expressing oneself. Specifically, music is as unique as each person here, but should artists express themselves in ways that poorly influence our young people? In 1981, our televisions began to introduce visual expression into our homes through music videos. It was the first advertised-supported televisions network and it was call MTV. In 1985, VH1 was launched as a second network playing a popular music format as opposed to the rock format shown on MTV. For the first time, viewers could â€Å"see† their favorite songs performed and expressed without going to a concert. This allowed our young people to see a world not as readily available before. Music videos in and of itself is not something that can be considered the absolute cause, but rather the catalysis that for some young people gives them the ideas and impressions to look or act in a certain way. Today young people are anxiously looking older and determined to grow up faster than ever before. They have strong desires to emulate some of these performers. In a recent Newsweek magazine, an article was featured about Brittany Spears. She was cited for changing her image in recent concerts and videos to appear much more seductive. As a 17 year old performer, her outfits consist about skin-tight, sexy attire worn during provocative dance sequences. Through the artists use of videos, young people have been encouraged to â€Å"walk the walk†. As a parent of young children, I am very concerned of the influence music and its artists might have on them. Hopefully, as adults we will try to continue to monitor this situation. A rap singer, Todd Smith, also known as LL Cool J is a father of four living in Westchester County, New York.

Promote children wellbeing and safety Essay

The safety and welfare of the children is very important in every se? ng as indicated in sec? on 3 of the statutory framework for the early year’s founda? on stage 2014. All providers must meet the necessary requirements to make sure the children are kept safe and well. In my se? ng we have three rooms which are the baby room, toddler room and pre-school. As I work in the toddler room I care for children age ranging between 16 months to 27months old. The children to sta) ra? o is very important as this ensures that the children’s needs and  safety is met. If the children are under two years old then we have a sta) ra? o of 1 adult to 3 children and if the children are over 2 years old then we have a sta) ra? o of 1 adult to 4 children. The toddler room can hold up to 27 children with 9 members of sta) ranging from a room leader, senior nursery nurse, level 2 and 3 quali+ed and some sta) who are unquali+ed but working towards their quali+ca? on. All sta) members are CRB checked to make sure that the children are safe hands.

How Successfully The Dramatic Device of Disguise is used in ”As You Like It”? Essay

In ‘As You Like It’, the dramatic device of disguise is very important, because of the dramatic opportunities it presents. Shakespeare opens two opportunities: the characters can say what they would otherwise be unable to say, and hear what they would otherwise be unable to hear. The main character who uses disguise is Rosalind, although Celia does too, to a lesser extent. We first see these two characters in Act I Scene 2. In this scene, we find out background information of the characters, for example that Rosalind’s father, the Duke, was banished. We also see Orlando and Rosalind fall in love, after they meet for the first time at the wrestling match in the gardens of the palace. Rosalind gives Orlando her necklace, giving him a sign that she has fallen in love with him. Rosalind: Wear this for me, Rosalind: Sir, you have wrestled well, and overthrown More than your enemies. Orlando also admits to himself that he has fallen in love with her, but gives no indication of such to Rosalind, as he remained silent. Orlando: What passion hangs these weights upon my tongue? I cannot speak to her, yet she urg’d conference. O poor Orlando, thou art overthrown! In Act I Scene 3, Rosalind admits to Celia how much she loves Orlando, and that she is not merely ‘playing’ at falling in love, as they had discussed in the precious scene. Celia’s father, the Duke, then interrupts them, to banish Rosalind. The reasons for his actions are that the people pity Rosalind, because she has lost her father. Also, they admire her â€Å"silence and patience.† So, under the pretence that Rosalind is a traitor, he banishes her, to make Celia â€Å"show more bright and seem more virtuous when she is gone.† However, Celia objects to this, as she loves Rosalind dearly. So, she decides to join Rosalind in her banishment, and that they will go to the forest of Arden, to search for her uncle, Rosalind’s father. They decide to take Touchstone with them, for safety and company. In those times, it was dangerous to travel, especially for rich women. The women realise this, and like Rosalind says â€Å"beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold†. So, Rosalind decides to disguise herself as a male because she is â€Å"more than common tall†. She decides to call herself Ganymede. Ganymede was a Trojan boy, with whom Jove fell in love with, appointed him cupbearer of the Gods, and became immortal. This name is very appropriate since Ganymede was an effeminate boy, while Rosalind would be a woman dressed as a male. Celia decides to disguise herself as a shepherdess, called Aliena, meaning ‘the stranger.’ This name is also appropriate, as it is representative of the way she will act in the country compared to at court; she will not be used to it. The two names are taken from the book â€Å"Rosalynde†, written in 1590 by Thomas Lodge. This could be intentional, or coincidental. We first see Rosalind in disguise in Act II Scene 4, when she realises that now she is disguised as a man, she has to inherit male qualities and act â€Å"courageous to petticoat†. In this scene, Shakespeare explores the male and female side of Rosalind for the first time. In appearance, she is masculine, able to take responsibility for â€Å"the weaker vessel†. However, inside she is feminine, and needy of the support she gives to Celia. Touchstone also mentions that â€Å"when I was at home, I was in a better place† stimulating thoughts about the divide between the rich and the poor of Shakespeare’s time. In ‘As You Like It’, Shakespeare compares the two societies of that time- the rich and the poor. There wasn’t usually a middleclass. In the life at court, ladies did not work for their living. They usually grew up, and were married at a fairly young age, until they died. However, poor women usually had to help at the house, by cooking, cleaning, etc. and were also usually married off as soon as possible. Further on in the play, in Act III Scene 2 Touchstone also debates the merits of the two different lives with Corin, a shepherd. As we know, Celia and Rosalind come from an upper class, rich, royal families, but have to pretend to be poor, working class people when they go to the forest of Arden. Undoubtedly, they would have made mistakes occasionally, showing their true heritage. This would probably seem comical to the audience, because they found it unusual for the two backgrounds to mix. For example, in Act III Scene 2, when Orlando is speaking with Rosalind, he mentions that ‘her accent is something finer than you could purchase in so removed a dwelling.† Fortunately for her, Rosalind quickly thinks of an excuse, â€Å"an old religious uncle of mine taught me to speak†, which Orlando believes. In this act, the weary travellers purchase a cottage and a flock of sheep from Corin. This quick financial exchange might seem humorous to the audience, as it is very unrealistic and theatrical. The audience can also see that strangers, for example Corin, are fooled by Rosalind’s disguise In Act III Scene Two, Celia teases Rosalind, who wants to find out who wrote the poems about her, and nailed them to trees. She reminds Celia that she is a woman, although she is â€Å"caparisoned like a man†. This might also be a reminder to the audience that Ganymede is female. Finally, when Celia admits that she knows the poet is Orlando, Rosalind, dressed as Ganymede, is distressed. She is distressed because she knows she won’t be able to let him woo her if he thinks she is a man, Ganymede, instead of his love, Rosalind. Rosalind: Alas the day! what shall I do with my doublet and hose? However, she then realises that in a man’s attire, she is able to â€Å"speak to him (Orlando) like a saucy lackey†, which she then does for the rest of the play. She teases him about his love, and says he does not look like â€Å"a man in love.† Throughout this scene, Rosalind’s motive to disguise herself as a man has now changed from practical reasons to personal ones; to find out how much Orlando loves her, and perhaps to educate him, on how to love her. For example, in Act IV Scene 1, when Orlando is an hour late for their meeting, she shows that if he would have done that to Rosalind, â€Å"Cupid hath clapped him o’ the shoulder.† Through her disguise, which she uses to her full advantage, she playfully suggests to him that she will pretend to be Rosalind so he can woo her. This Orlando feels able to do, so he can say what he wanted to say when they first met, in Act I Scene 2, and she can hear what she never expected to hear, because they are not bound by social expectations, as Orlando does not know Ganymede is Rosalind. Their relationship stays fun and lively, because he can be open and honest, and express his emotions, and she can willingly accept his proposals, for example in Act IV Scene 1: Rosalind: But come, now I will be your Rosalind in a more coming-on disposition; and ask me what you will, I will grant it. Orlando: Then love me, Rosalind. Rosalind: Yes, faith, I will, Fridays and Saturdays and all. In the play Shakespeare questions the rigid rules of society’s wooing of that time, since he wrote the play with the idea of a traditional romance; (an archetype) a boy meets a girl, they fall in love, and marry happily ever after after overcoming several obstacles and misunderstandings. However, Shakespeare was forward thinking of his time, letting Rosalind orchestrate the wooing, which was very unconventional. As we can see from Act III Scene 4, Rosalind is a very strong and intelligent character, as she has tricked Orlando into wooing her, even though she is dressed as a man. She is also very witty, a characteristic she only feels able to express properly when she is disguised. She is perhaps the wittiest person in the play, apart from Touchstone, who is a professional comedian, after having been a fool or jester at the court for many years. In Shakespeare’s time, royal men at court showed their wittiness by putting down a fool. He is someone we call a ‘stooge’ nowadays. However, Touchstone’s jokes and puns are less friendly than Rosalind’s, who’s aim is simply to tease or humour people, and not make fun of them, like Touchstone does. Today, Rosalind’s role is a sought-after part, since it is one of Shakespeare’s only good main female characters. The reason for this is that the roles of his time were pre-dominantly male, as there were no female actresses then, and men had to act female parts, which would not have been desirable. This adds humour to the play, from the audience’s perspective, because the players with female roles, e.g. Celia and Rosalind, were young adolescent males. So, Ganymede was a teenage boy, acting a female (Rosalind), dressed up as a man. A particularly humorous moment is when Orlando attempts to kiss Ganymede, for two reasons. One is that the player acting Orlando is attempting to kiss his true love, Rosalind, even though he doesn’t know this. But, from the audience’s point of view, this is also funny since the actor Orlando is attempting to kiss another man. Even now, cross-dressing is found humorous, explaining why people watch cabarets and pantomimes. Further on in the play, in Act III Scene 4, we see Rosalind and Celia alone together. Alone with Celia, Rosalind does not pretend to act masculine, instead she talks about her love to Orlando in a feminine way, and Celia teases her. Rosalind: Never talk to me: I will weep. Celia: Do, I prithee; but yet have the grace to consider that tears do not become a man. Then, Corin comes in, and invites them to see Phebe and Silvius together. They do so gladly, and Rosalind takes another opportunity to use her disguise to her full advantage: she insults Phebe, somewhat cruelly. â€Å"What thought you have no beauty- As by my faith, I see no more in you Than without candle may go dark to bed† However, this has an adverse effect, since Phebe falls head over heels in love with Ganymede, who in fact is Rosalind. This is another way Shakespeare has brought comedy to the play using the dramatic device of disguise, for Rosalind is, like she says, â€Å"unable to return the love.† From this we also see that Shakespeare did not think about relationships of the same sex, presumably because that would be too forward of his time. Also, it was illegal to demonstrate homosexual relationships; Oscar Wilde was put in jail, 200 years later for his gay relationships. Using the dramatic device of disguise, Shakespeare also uses Rosalind to expose the shallowness and absurdity of conventional modes of wooing, in Act 4 Scene 1. This is when Ganymede mocks Orlando, which was very unconventional of that time, since normal women did not act like that; they were supposed to be very gentle, docile, etc. However, in Act IV Scene 3, Shakespeare does make Rosalind seem more feminine again, since Ganymede faints, after hearing Orlando was hurt. Fainting was not seen as a manly tribute, which nearly gives away to Oliver than Ganymede is a woman. â€Å"You lack a man’s heart.† When Ganymede awakens again, Rosalind admits that she is tired of disguising herself, and hiding her feelings, â€Å"I would I were at home.† This is not the only time Rosalind makes the mistake of showing her female characteristics. In Act III Scene 2, Rosalind nearly gives away that she is female while Corin is there because Touchstone makes up an offensive poem about Rosalind and she reacts to it vehemently. Rosalind: Let no face be kept in mind, But the fair of Rosalind. Touchstone: †¦it is the right butter-woman’s rank to market. Rosalind: Out, fool! We must not forget that other characters than Rosalind use disguise; Touchstone also disguises himself. He does not disguise himself physically, but he disguises his true intentions of marriage with Audrey: sex. Touchstone is a very humorous character in the play, often joking or making puns. He is probably used by Shakespeare to contrast the different types of love and marriage: Touchstone is marrying Audrey for sex, and Audrey is marrying him so she can become a respected woman. This contrasts against Orlando and Rosalind’s relationship, that was love at first sight, the like as Oliver and Celia. In this scene, we also see that Celia uses disguise. Originally her motive to disguise herself was for protection. However, she uses her disguise as a helpless weak maiden to get food and shelter, in Act II Scene 4. Also, in Act IV Scene 3, she does not tell Oliver who she really is. If she had told him she was the Duke’s daughter, he might not have fallen in love with her, or pushed his feelings aside to bring her back to the court. However, she keeps her disguise until the very end of the play, when all the couples get married. Finally, in the end of the play, Rosalind brings all the couples together to be married, in a triumphant denouement. In the epilogue, she also adds humour through disguise, although she is no longer acting the part of Ganymede. The epilogue is humorous, since she says â€Å"If I were a woman,† which reminds the audience that she is in fact a cross-dressing man, or would have been when it was first performed. Nowadays that is not true, and it is one of the only lines written by Shakespeare that does not transcend time. This is because Rosalind is now played by an actress, as acting is a very reputable profession. However, in 1599, the year the play was written, women were not allowed to become actresses. This inspires thoughts about the way women were and are treated, and how society has changed through time. In Shakespeare’s time, women were supposed to be gentle, subservient, passive, etc. They were expected to marry, bear children, and raise them. They were constrained by society’s rigid rules, especially women at court, like Celia and Rosalind, and had little freedom. Men had much more freedom, and could show their wit, intelligence and humour when they liked. However, it was seen as unfit for females to do the same. Even today, in modern countries in the western world, the two sexes are treated differently, but less so than in other countries such as Islamic ones. Women have more rights nowadays, and laws to protect those rights than in the 1600’s. I think that Shakespeare has used the device of disguise very successfully, since he has not only added humour to the written play, but also through cross-dressing added humour. I think that I would have thought this play funny if I had the same sense of humour as people did then, and understood more of the puns and subtle jokes, that are typical of the Elizabethan times but are not found comical now.

The Texas Revolution essay

The Texas Revolution essay The Texas Revolution essay The Texas Revolution essayHistorically, the territory of contemporary Texas once used to belong to Mexico, however, as soon as the proportion in population changed towards the dominance of the American frontiersmen by the middle of 1830’s, and by that time, their rights were no longer respected properly by the conservative Mexican authorities, the emergence of the national liberation movement was inevitable. At the same time, one of the questions history doesn’t have yet a complete answer to, is how exactly the revolutionary forces that were several times weaker than the Mexican army could eventually win the war of independence. In this paper, the author claims that the reasons for that go far beyond military tactics applied by the Texans on the final stages, in particular after the loss in the Battle of the Alamo, but, not least of all, consist in the underlying social and political miscounts of the Mexican government.IntroductionIn the early 19th century, Texas was pa rt of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas, a sparsely populated territory that was intensively developed by American slave-owning planters. However, in the course of its development and growing significance, the region became less tolerant of Mexican government initiatives, which by the 1830’s led a policy oppressing the rights and freedoms of migrants. As a result of separatist sentiment, Texas independence war began in October 1835 and ended in victory for the Texans over the Mexican army at the Battle of San Jacinto April 21, 1836, despite the fact that the parties’ forces were not equal throughout the course of the revolution (Hardin, 57-59). Thus, at some stages, the Mexican army exceeded the Texas guerrillas’ army by 5-6 times, and the rout of the Texans at the Battle of the Alamo was expected to break the resistance. Despite this, the strengthening of dictatorship of the Mexican government, the growth of Santa Anna’s army brutality, and major mis counts in social policies had the opposite effect, contributed to increase in Texas protest moods as well as made the national liberation movement resistible and mighty to counteract the Mexican army to the level the latter was not prepared for (Johnson, 46).The course of the Texas War of IndependencePrehistorySince its independence in 1821, Mexico received a legacy of vast areas in the north with a very low population density, and the country faced the problem of their colonization and protection of the new boundaries. Thus, in 1825 the state legislature of Coahuila and Texas passed a law which enabled the settlers from the United States to obtain land plots at low cost with payments to be made in installments, as well as tax exemption for ten years. Number of colonists increased rapidly, and by the mid 1830’s more than 30,000 Americans lived in Texas, whereas the actual Mexican population counted 7,800 people (Lack, 24-25).However, in 1829 during presidency of Vicente Guerr ero in Mexico a law was passed abolishing slavery of blacks, which was common among American settlers. Furthermore, in 1834, through a military coup President-General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna established the dictatorship. According to historian Alan Huffines, Santa Anna deliberately carried out several liberal reforms and supported the idea of federalism to win the supporters and come to power. However, having seized power, Santa Anna dismissed Federalist Vice President, disbanded Republican Congress and the state legislature, dismissed all the members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Mexico, and overturned the liberal constitution of 1824 allowing Mexico’s states to settle internal governing issues individually (Huffines, 34-36). In particular, the local legislative council in Monclova was disbanded leaving the Texans without their government representatives and without their own local government which was also disbanded. In addition, under the new laws, the English-speakin g population of Texas had to pay higher taxes than the Mexicans; the government ran the policy of expulsion of immigrants and attempted to take planters’ lands.Fearing protests in Texas, Santa Anna also adopted a decree on disarmament of the population of Texas despite the constant threat of Indian and bandits attacks in the region. Texans made numerous attempts to negotiate with the dictator peacefully, but Santa Anna interpreted any proposal by the Texans as an attempt to revolt, the ambassadors were thrown to prison and Santa Anna’s placemen in the region increased the pressure on the population suppressing any discontent by force of arms (Manchaca, 35-38). Such a situation could not last long, and the outbreak of revolutionary moods was now inevitable. According Huffines, Mexicans did not consider the specifics of the formation of the American nation differing a lot from theirs. Thrust in achieving the goal, Americans are used to cope with difficulties that confron t them. It is possible that the Mexicans simply were not able to timely assume that if all these enterprising and courageous people turned against them, it would have been extremely difficult to cope with them (Huffines, 41-42). In 1835 the Texans having lost hope for the return of the liberal constitution, rose to fight for Texas independence, despite the obvious disparity and lack of a professional army.Measuring military forcesEarly stages. Clash of 150 Texans under the command of John Henry Moore with a detachment of Mexican cavalry (100 people) near the town of Gonzales October 2, 1835 is considered the official start of the war for Texas independence. Initially, the Texans did not have a regular army, their guerrilla squads consisted exclusively of volunteers. Despite this, they have successfully and consistently established control over a number of cities. For example, 90 Texans under the command of Stephen Austin won October 28, 1835 at the Battle of Concepcion over 450 Mexi cans (300 dragoons, 100 infantry, 2 cannons), with only one Texan killed, while the Mexicans lost for various data, 14-76 people killed. October 9 Texans captured a small town of Goliad, where December 10 the declaration of independence of Texas was proclaimed (Robinson, 87-88).One of the reasons for early wins of Texan rebels was the use of hunting rifles that fired at distant targets much more efficient than outdated Mexican muskets Brown Bess. In addition, the siege tactics they used was effective as well. In particular, October 12 Steve Austin’s squad (about 600 Texans) besieged Mexican town of San Antonio de Bexar that was defended by 1200 soldiers of the Mexican army under the command of Kos (Procter, 51-55). December 11 Mexican garrison suffering from a lack of provisions surrendered; Mexican artillery (19 cannons) and Texans got big part of handguns. Later, Jameson noted that with this artillery Texans could defend against the forces ten times superior.However, after the insurgent army expelled all Mexican troops from Texas, many Texas settlers deserted from the Texas army as they were not ready for a long campaign. Since the battle at Bexar the Texas army got a lot of newcomers who recently arrived in the region, primarily adventurers from the United States, to help the colonists gain independence. These volunteers were formed into two regiments of regular Texas army. According to historian Alwyn Barr, their presence pushed Mexicans to the conclusion that the Texan resistance was fueled by outside forces. Angered by the thought of the American intervention in Mexican affairs, Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna personally led a new invasion trying to regain control of the area. It is worth noting that due to the hasty preparations the invasion force, called the Army of Operations, initially consisted primarily of inexperienced recruits, conscripts and convicts. As a result, the Mexican troops had reached the number of 6,000. At the sa me time, Santa Anna ordered the Mexican Congress to authorize the army to handle any foreigners fighting in Texas as bandits, i.e. they were subjected to immediate execution. That moment made a turning point in the war marked by extreme brutality of the Mexican army (Barr, 34-36).The Texas Revolution essay part 2

How the Government Goes essays

How the Government Goes essays A democracy is a system of government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representative. Democracy means people for the people, so loosely translated, democracy is ruled by the people. There are three types of democracy; Direct or Participatory Democracy, Democratic Centralism, Representative Democracy. Direct Democracy is a democratic system of government in which all citizens participate in politics and decision making. Democratic Centralism is the form of government, which operates on the premise that a government is democratic if it serves the true interests of the people, is associated with communist regimes of the twentieth century. Representative Democracy is the most common democratic form in modern times. Instead of allowing all of the eligible citizens to participate in the government, a small number are elected to serves as representative. Democracy (Greek demos,the people; kratein, to rule), political system in which the people of a country rule through any form of government they choose to establish. In modern democracies, supreme authority is exercised for the most part by representatives elected by popular suffrage. The representatives may be supplanted by the electorate according to the legal procedures of recall and referendum, and they are, at least in principle, responsible to the electorate. In many democracies, such as the United States, both the executive head of government and the legislature are elected. In typical constitutional monarchies such as the United Kingdom and Norway, only the legislators are elected, and from their ranks a cabinet and a prime minister are chosen. Although often used interchangeably, the terms democracy and republic are not synonymous. Both systems delegate the power to govern to their elected representatives. In a republic, however, these officials are expected to act on their own best judgment of the needs and int...