Saturday, August 31, 2019

On Teenagers and Tattoos

The Impact on Society of Teenage Tattooing The Impact on Society of Teenage Tattooing Does the tattoo define the person, or does the person define the tattoo? In modern society tattoos are widely accepted except when applied to the skin of an adolescent. Adolescents with tattoos face judgment from a variety of people such as authoritative figures, parents, and their peers. This article (On Teenagers and Tattoos, by Andres Martin, MD. ) provides examples of how society views adolescents with tattoos. Tattoos are something we see on people on an everyday basis, but on adolescents, it is not very common.Many adults believe that those in the younger generation sometimes get tattoos to enrage affronts to their authority. Parents in general do not approve of their children decorating their bodies with modifications such as tattoos because of their irreversible and permanent nature. Like makeup, fashion or hairstyles tattoos can also be just another way to fit in with their peers. When give n the chance it is important to understand the motivations and significance of a tattoo before making an erroneous judgment.Tattooing is a way of fitting into a peer group or expressing one’s own individuality. Adolescents often turn to tattooing as a way to take back some control of their evolving bodies as well as their lives. When an adolescent feels that there is a lack of stability in his life (such as divorce, abandonment, and repeated family relocations) he may feel that getting a tattoo may return a sense of control and stability into his life. Adolescents are often influenced by peers to get a tattoo but do not put any thought into its permanence or how they may feel about it in the future.Author Andres Martin says â€Å"The frequency of self-made tattoos among hospitalized, incarcerated, or gang-affiliated youth suggests such motivations: a sense of stability may be a particularly dire need under temporary, turbulent or volatile conditions. † In every argumen t there are two sides to be heard, and the other side in this case is the adolescents. Adolescents believe in expressing themselves through art. They also believe tattoos are a way of representing their individuality. I believe that teenagers get tattoos for various reasons that are important to the person.Some get them for personal reasons such as a memorial tattoo for a deceased family member, or a ribbon to show support for someone fighting their battle with cancer. An inspirational quote such as a bible verse, poem, or a song lyric may also be another choice for the adolescents tattoo. Fantasy characters are also a popular choice. On the other hand there are various negative reasons teenagers get tattoos as well; for instance, to defy their parent’s authority, to represent a gang affiliation, to draw attention to themselves, and sometimes as a dare.I have observed that some older people have an aversion to tattoos on teenagers as opposed to some young parents that find it acceptable. Older people may assume that the adolescents tattoo is gang related or that they are a troubled youth. Some people believe that the parents of an adolescent with a tattoo may be neglectful or unaware of what is going on in their child’s life. Some older people are against body modifications of any form and look down on those who have them. After reading through this article I found that it thoroughly explains the pros and cons of adolescents with tattoos.Although I do respect the writers view on the subject, I disagree. I personally believe that as a part of growing up a teenager should be allowed to get a tattoo but only after being fully informed of the consequences that getting a tattoo may bring. Some of the problems that might ensue are possible rejection from a specific field of work for the visibility of a tattoo, a wrong assumption about the character of a person with a tattoo, or even later in life having to cover a tattoo or get it removed because your own personal feeling about it has changed.I personally have been debating on getting a tattoo myself, although my family doesn’t approve It’s my body and I will make the final decision. I am very well aware that in five maybe ten years from now I could quite possibly hate my tattoo and regret not listening to my family. I am also aware of how expensive and painful laser removal is but I’m prepared to suffer the consequences if and when I decide to get a tattoo. Most adolescents don’t think beyond the tattoo itself or its ramifications Martin, Andres. Baker College Composition. Revised Edition ed. Boston Ma: Pearson Learning Solutions, n. d. 320-23. Print

Friday, August 30, 2019

Analysis of Female Characters in Shakespeare’s Othello

ANALYSIS OF FEMALE CHARACTERS IN OTHELLO In this paper I have tried to analyse the female characters of Shakespeare’s Othello in the light of Elizabethan Era, and status of women in 12th century, the age from which the character of Othello is taken. I have also discussed the status of woman in Christianity in Shakespearean times. The main purpose of this research article in the analyse the female characters of Othello that they were not different from the real life of Shakespearean times nor alien from the women of 12th Century.Othello a black Moor, a warrior, won many battles, becomes a victim of jealousy and conspiracy of Roderigo. Who hates Othello not due to racial prejudice but rather jealousy that Othello has won fair Desdemona (1-1) Shakespeare’s primary source for Othello was Un Capitano moro, (A Moorish Captain), one of the One hundred short stories in the collection. Gli Hecatommithi published by the Italian, Cinthio (web) (1566-Venice). Cinthio’s story provides the backbone for Shakespeare’s plot although he changed and introduced some minor characters e. ; Brabantio and Roderigo. In Cinthio’s episode Iago’s motive for revenge against Othello was that he loved Desdemona, who out rightly rejected his proposal. The tragedy of Othello takes place in Venice and Cypress, Iago uses Desdemona through Emilia and inflames a good man with jealousy. In the beginning of the play the seed of conflict are sown when Roderigo shouts in dark at Brabantio’s house, the news of Desdemona’s elopement that she: hath made a gross revolt, Tying her duty, beauty wit and fortunes.In an extravagant and wheeling stranger Of here and everywhere† Brabontio thinks that it was due to some black magic that was used by Othello, the black moor, we see that there are hints of hostility within the play about Othello’s Moorish origin and his differences in religion and culture when Othello relates his story of love befo re the Duke in the Venation Senate and he convinces all of them that he never used magic or drugs. Barbantio demands that Desdemona should testify, she affirms her duty to her father (I. iii) (179-180).Who gave her life and education, but asserts she has a higher duty than this to Othello, as he is her husband. My Noble Father I also perceive here a divided duty; To you I am bound for life and education; My life and education both do learn me How to respect you; your are the lord of duty; I am therefore your daughter; but here is my husband. (I. iii. 180-185) Desdemona is presented as a true Christian character possessing all the virtues of honourable woman. She respects her father, admits his love and vows to obey her husband. She suffers more than any other character of the play.Othello also loves Desdemona from his heart in the beginning and utters it as: But that I have the gentle Desdemona, I would not my unhoused free condition Put into circumscription and confine For the seaà ¢â‚¬â„¢s worth (I. ii. 25-28) The love of Othello is corrupted by Iago’s conspiracy and Othello is trapped in his jealousy inflamed by handkerchief plot. His loves turns him mad and he uses the weapon of violence against the fair Desdemona. His hate is so much for Desdemona that he says to Lodovico: Ay; you did wish that I would make her turns.Sir, she turns, and turns and yet go on, And turn again; and she can weep, sir, weep; And she is obedient, as you say obedient, Very obedient. (IV. iii 252-257) Thus Othello implies that Desdemona is available to Lodovico or to any one else, also, because she is as obedient that she can obey any one. What is the significance of handkerchief of Othello? In Othello there are two accounts of handkerchief, in the first Othello warms Desdemona that his handkerchief is love charm with â€Å"magic in the web† given to his mother by an Egyptian.In the record account Othello tells Grantiano it was â€Å"an antique token/ My father gave m y father†. Othello’s two different versions make readers/audience baffle that which one is true. The fatal handkerchief is very important in the play (Andrews) In the beginning in of the play Desdemona is shown as an adventurous spirit when her husband Othello is called for military duty in Cypress, she begs to go with him and cannot think of remaining alone at home without her husband. Even Othello woos Desdemona by telling adventurous stories of actions and danger.She heard all these tales with â€Å"Greedy ears† Desdemona wishes that â€Å"The leavens had made her a man like Othello† (I. iii) Desdemona is very expressive about her love for Othello she is bold and beautiful in expressing her love for Othello even before her father and the duke and she also openly announces that she will go to Cypress, which shows that she was pretty frank about her sexual desire for her husband. Desdemona suffers much more than any other character of the play. She is a g ood natured young and beautiful lady ,and possesses all good qualities and Christian virtues.Then why she suffers so much? Shakespearean conveys the possibility that God’s deeds in the play, a work that prompts playgoers to believe that she deserves happiness (her taking Cassio’s case as her own), directly leads to her death† (Hunt 2004). The character of Desdemona is that if an â€Å"ideal wife† as Carroll Camden calls her in Iago on woman (2004). In Othello Desdemona disobeying her, back chatting with Iago (II. i), lying Othello of her death (V. ii), admiring Lodovico as a â€Å"Proper Man† (IV. I) and pressing Cassio’s suit to Othello.It is important to note that several critics cite Desdemona for violating Elizabethan or Jacobean law and propriety by denying her father and running off with the Moor (Kolin). Desdemona is one the most beautiful heroines of Shakespeare, when Brabantio arrives to confront Othello, he says that if it is imposs ible that â€Å"a maid so tender, fair and happy† (I. ii 66). Would ever love a scary black man like Othello. Cassio describes her beauty â€Å"That paragon description and wild fame† (II. i), here he means to say that Desdemona is more beautiful than ny possible description of her beauty, more beautiful than the wildest story of any woman’s beauty. She is indeed the â€Å"most fresh and delicate creature† (II-iii-19). When Othello saw his handkerchief is Cassio’s hand, Iago encourages Othello’s murderous mood by reminding him that Cassio gave the precious handkerchief to his whore, Bianca. Iago continues to subtly increase Othello’s fury through his use of sexual innuendo as he tells Othello that â€Å"Cassio has the handkerchief and implies that he has confessed to sleeping with Desdemona† (Bate & Rasmussen 2009).Othello was still uncertain; his disjointed language shows the breakdown of his self-control (IV-i). He falls down unconscious as Cassio arrives and Iago tells him that Othello has epilepsy, warning that he breaks into savage madness if woken from fit. It is interesting to note in Othello, Shakespeare uses female characters through Iago for the downfall of Othello. The conspiracies are woven with the help of women. All the three woman characters of Othello and theare used against Othello. It is true that Othello is all male- world- play of Shakespeare.Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca are rejected by their male partners and all three love their men unselfishly, even when confronted by behavior that we would deem grounds for divorce at the very last. All the women are engaged to unequal partnerships. They feel more for their self-centered men than the men are capable for reciprocating. However, the women also display genuine emotions toward each other that is not reflected in any of the male characters. Besides Desdemona, Emilia is an important character, she is elder and cynical than Desdemona. She develops a close relationship with the young married Desdemona.They form a bond of relationship over husband trouble. It is interesting to note that Emilia’s one dishonest act towards Desdemona is the stealing of handkerchief, she did not know the plot of Iago, her act of stealing turns out to have devastating consequences. (IV ) Unfortunately Emilia’s little theft ends up causing her friend’s death. Emilia realizes the importance of handkerchief and when she discovers about Iago’s evil plot against Othello and she relives the truth. She washes the bad name of Desdemona. She also sacrifices her own life so that Desdemona won’t be remembered as a whore.Iago and Emilia are married but their relationship is not based on mutual understanding. Iago always talks trash about woman in general. Emilia is eager to please him. She steals Desdemona’s handkerchief in order to please Iago. â€Å"I nothing but to please his fantasy† (III-iiii). She tries to gratify Iago’s thirst for power and wishes without involving into any evil designs which are in Iago’s mind: who would not make her husband A cockold to make him a monarch? I should venture purgatory for. (IV-iii) Like Desdemona, Emilia craves for affection. She is very submissive like Desdemona and Bianca.It was common in the Elizabethan woman to be submissive and devoted to male figures whether father or husband. Emilia’s bitterness boils over in the final scene during which she says that husbands are usually to blame when their wives cheat on them. After all, men cheat on woman all the time. Why shouldn’t woman have an equal right to infidelity? Although, Shakespeare wrote Othello in the early 1600’s. Emilia’s monologue is about as close as we find in later feminist manifesto. Third female character is that of Bianca, a Venatian courtier, who is in love with Cassio.Cassio always uses her as a laughable nuisance. Bianca’s c haracter is very sympathetic and Cassio uses her for his sexual needs and treats her like a garbage. why is she presented as a prostitute in the play? when there are only three woman characters. Actually Venice was famous for prostitution and promiscuity. She is a foil to the chaste and ever fatithful Desdemona. But hardhearted soldier in Othello does not recognize the difference between these women. He is easily cheated by ‘gentle’ Iago that Desdemona is having extra-marital sex with Cassio.It is also very interesting that all three woman, Desdemona Emilia and Bianca, are accused at some point or another of being promiscuous Each one of these women are rejected by their male partners. It was an error of judgment on the part of Othello that he was not able to understated Iago’s plot to ruin Othello. The woman, especially Desdemona, suffers most in the play. Emilia and Bianca also suffer, and Othello takes revenge and kills Iago when he comes to know about the rea lity. The play ends with a great loss, the death of Desdemona is the most tragic one, because she was the â€Å"the sweetest innocent/that ever did lift up eye†. V-ii). In the fits of jealousy Othello was blind to all love and affections of a human being, he acts like a beast when he says: O, she was foul! I scarce did know your, uncle; there lies your niece. Whose breath indeed, these hands have newly stopped. I know this act shows horrible and given(5) Iago stabs Emilia and when Othello was told the truth of handkerchief and Iago’s plot by dying Emilia. Who announces the innocence of Desdemona to Othello: Moor, she was chaste; she loved three cruel Moor; So come my soul to bliss, as I speak true; So speaking as I think, I die, I die. (Dies)Othello was almost mad after knowing the truth, he comes to know that his wife was innocent, when Gratiano enters into the bedchamber he requests him: O cursed, cursed salve! Whip me, ye devils From the possession of this heavenly sight! Blow me about in words! Roast me in sulpher! Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire! O Desdemona! Dead, Desdemona! Dead! O! ( V-II) The agony and remorse of killing was felt at heart by poor Othello, he stabs himself and gives a proof to world that never allow jealousy over come reason and also washes all the stains from the name of beautiful Desdemona. Othello utters his last words: I kissed thee ere I killed thee: No way but this (falling upon Desdemona) Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. (Dies) ( V-ii) Lodovico, a kinsman to Brabantio, asks Gratiano, Brother to Brabantio. â€Å"Myself will straight aboard; and to the state This heavy act with heavy heart relate† (V- ii) References .Andrews, M. C. (2004). Honest Othello: The Handkerchief once More. Studies in English Literature. camden, C. (n. d. ). Iago on women. Hunt, M. (2004). Shakespeare's Religious Allusiveness. ashgate. Kolin, P. C. (n. d. ). Othello:new critical essays. Rasmussem, J. B. (2009). William s hakespeare. Palgrave Macmillan.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Brief summary abput a case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Brief summary abput a case - Essay Example Therefore, interstate commercial and economic trend can be affected if this ruling failed to be upheld. The congressional federal law had the rationale to regulate any activity that affects interstate economic activity. In this case, the constitutional federal law preempted California state law. SDI, Kaplan and Brunk had filed a case in a district federal court arguing that they had stood to challenge the legality of the search and that their right as stipulated in the fourth Amendments had been violated, (Reilly, 1983, p141). They requested that since the search warrant was vague and overboard then the evidence presented by the IRS agents was inadmissible and should be suppressed, (Reilly, 1983, p141). The district federal court ruled in their favor. The government appealed through the court of Appeal Ninth Circuit. This decision was reversed by the court of appeal. The judges said that there was no evidence that SDI, Kaplan and Brunk made steps maintain the privacy of the items, they had no direct control over the property that was seized as evidence, and they did not have a strong connection with the seized items, (Reilly, 1983, p143). All these were vital requirements for the items to be perceived as private. However, the court acknowledged that they had direct control over both the premises and the entire building. Therefore, there was a certain extent of privacy accorded to them by that virtue alone. However, with regard to their standing to challenge the search, further proceedings were necessary and the decision by the district federal court stood reversed. It was noted that some evidence was admissible while other was not, (Reilly, 1983,

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Product Differentiation and Cost Reduction as Booster of Companys Sale Dissertation

Product Differentiation and Cost Reduction as Booster of Companys Sale - Dissertation Example A primary source is a data obtained by the first-hand interview, observation, filling with questionnaires among other many sources. Secondary source, on the other hand, is the data that is originally collected and published by another researcher for other purposes. Voice recording, video and images determine the qualitative of the collected data while figures, statistics and measurement determine the quantitative of a collected data. Observation, carried out on a traffic jam, which can involve manual counting of the cars, is a source of data. Information from insurance companies is important since in the company's information about the car insurance is available. Interviews will be conducted on the different location from which important information, which may be, was not obtained in other sources will be available. For qualitative data, images of the cars can take. Conduct industries dealing with the cars spare part is also since if the number of cars increases in the location the demand of the spare part due to wear and tear increases.Distribution of questionnaires to the literate people provide information on the increase of the cars or decrease, and this can assist in getting relevant data on whether the step being taken by the company is productive. As research encompasses Mercedes Benz Company and focuses on its product over the others, therefore the data collected mostly should be from the mortars having t he product or any website with relevant information about the product.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Colonialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Colonialism - Essay Example Unfortunately this was not Lumumba and he had to go. Patrice Lumumba was assassinated on 17 January, 1961. His assassination was ploted by the U.S and Belgian governments in conjuction with some Congolese accomplices. A Belgian execution squad was set up to kill him. Foreigners invaded Africa in the late 1800s and early 1900s for many reasons. Various African countries were colonised by different countries who were in pursuit of different agendas. For instance, Kenya was colonised by Britain who wanted to conduct slave trade. The following are some of the reasons why African countries were colonised: i. Search for raw materials. While carrying out their excursions, the European realised that Africa was a very rich continent and its inhabitants were yet to realise this. The continent was rich in raw materials for instance; the Beligium invaded Congo partly for its rubber and ivory. Upon colonising these African countries, the European nations acquired labour from the Africans themselves then exported the materials to their homeland. iii. ‘Western civilisation’. King Leopold was the Belgian King at the time Congo was colonised. He claimed that he wanted to bring western civilisation to African countries for instance Congo. However, this was a mere ruse meant to distract from his real intentions. The King wanted to amass personal wealth in Congo. Most African countries reacted to their colonisation through violent means, however some countries chose not to oppose their reign for instance Burundi who instead collaborated with the foreigners. Congo was one of the countries who responded through violent means. The Congolese resisted colonisation for many years, killing very many of King Leopold’s soldiers. One of the famous uprising was led by a chief in the lower Congo rapids, Nzansu. Leopold however retaliated through the use of even severe means of cruelty. Whoever opposed his

Monday, August 26, 2019

Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Human Rights - Essay Example In addition to these, the power possessed by people of any nation determines whether the people exercise their rights, or not. Simplifying and reducing the number of human rights would not work to the advantage of humanity. The human rights as they are can be easily understood by any human being, hence no need for further simplification. On the other hand, reducing the number of human rights would omit important issues, which stand central to the dignity of man. Therefore, adjustments to the human rights would lead to greater harm than good. In my opinion, female genital mutilation accounts for the biggest human rights challenge of our time. Girls and women are denied their rights through the violence involved in the practice. The act also denies them their physical, as well as mental integrity. This follows the fact that people still practice it in the secrecy of their homes. The various cultures, especially in Africa and the Middle East that advocate for this practice do it without raising an alarm to the outside communities. The girls and women involved in the act take an oath of secrecy; hence, most people do not report the vice. The secrecy emanates from the fight against the many non-governmental organizations, and governments that seek to abolish the act (Snarr & Snarr, slide 8). Consequent to these, efforts aimed at eradicating such abuse of human rights continues to fail, which makes female genital mutilation the biggest human rights challenge of our

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Final Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Final - Statistics Project Example The probability that the 100 randomly selected apples have a mean weight less than 12.5 ounces is about zero. In other words, it is highly unlikely that the 100 randomly selected apples have a mean weight less than 12.5 ounces. 18. A pharmaceutical company has developed a screening test for a rare disease that afflicted 2% of the population. Unfortunately, the reliability of this test is only 80%, which means that 20% of the tested will get a false positive. If a subject is tested positive based on this test, what is the probability that he has the disease? Benfords law, also called the first-digit law, states that in lists of numbers from many (but not all) real-life sources of data, the leading digit is distributed in a specific, non-uniform way shown in the following table. The owner of a small business would like to audit its account payable over the past year because of a suspicion of fraudulent activities. He suspects that one of his managers is issuing checks to non-existing vendors in order to pocket the money. There have been 790 checks written out to vendors by this manager. The leading digits of these checks are listed as follow: 19. Suppose you are hired as a forensic accountant by the owner of this small business, what statistical test would you employ to determine if there is fraud committed in the issuing of checks? What is the test statistic in this case? Two different simple random samples are drawn from two different populations.   The first sample consists of 20 people with 10 having a common attribute.   The second sample consists of 2000 people with 1404 of them having the same common attribute. I do not come up with the same conclusion for Question 21. This is because in case of Question 21, we estimate the common population proportion using pooled proportion and in case of this question, we estimate the population proportions using sample proportions. Thus,

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Manager's Role in an Organization's Ethical Policies and Practice Essay

Manager's Role in an Organization's Ethical Policies and Practice - Essay Example To better establish the prime importance of ethics in making organisational decisions, he first section of the paper centres on the following questions: How should ethics be defined and viewed in organisations and how do ethical and unethical practices impact on the organisation and society as a whole? However, understanding the importance of ethics for business organisations is one thing, but defining who shall take the lead to ensure ethical policies and practice in the organisation –the board or the manager – is another thing. The second section of the paper discusses this question by delving into the decisive role that managers play in the organisation. It asserts that the role of managers in the organisation’s ethical policies and practice is actually more compelling than that of the Board. In fact, the manager’s ethical misconduct and abuse of discretion had caused the downfall of many corporations. Although it is true that the Board takes the higher stake in the organisation than the manager; it is the manager who exactly deals with the in and out daily operation of the organisation. Organisational Ethics Policies and Practice Ethics essentially pertains to what is right and wrong (Sims 2003, p. 7; Lerbinger 1997, p. 293), good and bad, virtuous and evil or that which illustrates fairness, justice and due process, for example not harming others, respecting others, dealing honestly, helping those in need, fulfilling promises and contracts, and more (Lerbinger 1997, p. 293). When ethics is to be incorporated in organisational policies Whitton (2009) emphasises two dimensions: first, that policies should encourage ethical conduct by the rank and file – this includes specific policies on ‘giving and receiving personal gifts, ancillary employment, conflict of interest situations, patronage, political activity, fraud, harassment, political activity, and whistleblower reporting of defined wrongdoing’; and second , that policies should encourage ethical management to safeguard the integrity of the organisation – this concerns policies that define criteria for ‘competent financial management, merit based recruitment and advancement, transparent accountability for ... decision-making, effective protection of [those] who disclose misconduct, fraud and corruption, meaningful program evaluation, and workable disciplinary processes’. As such, Whitton furthers that organisational ethics policy is an assurance that the organisation will live-up to what it commits itself to promote, provide and serve and that it will conduct itself fairly, giving due consideration not only to itself but to society at large. (p. 2) Similarly, this is what Lerbinger (1997) refers to as corporate social responsibility, which to him transcends the law. (p. 293) Evidently so, Whitton (2009) has rightly stated that effective ethics policy must always be considered part of the organisation’s ove rhead cost, because failure to do so would be more costly to the organisation and the society as a whole. In other words, organisations should always pay attention to ethical issues to avoid greater loss. For example data show that, US businesses are losing $40 billion

How And Why Childrens Play Has Changed Over the Last 50 Essay

How And Why Childrens Play Has Changed Over the Last 50 - Essay Example According to the research findings, the digital revolution in the world has brought along with it its related technologies such as the smartphone, digital cameras, video game consoles, e-book readers among others that have led to the decline of outdoor play and given rise to what has come to be known as digital play. While children of the 1950s and 60s would spend their play time outdoors in the fields and terraces interacting with nature, children in our modern era are more likely to be found holed up in their cozy homes playing their favorite video games or browsing on their smartphones. Thus, it is evident that the amount of play time outdoors and the rise of digital play are two related developments where the rise of the latter has led to the fall of the former. A third related development has been the reduction of the amount of time available for children’s play. This has been attributed to economic circumstances of parents where parents in the modern economies spend most of their time in the workplace and lesser time with their children at home. A related factor has been the fact that schools have decided to cut down on the time allocated to play in favor of more time for instructional teaching. These two factors have conspired to reduce the number of time children has left to play. The integration of digital media technology into homes, schools, workplace and other areas of life is now ubiquitous. Digital technology, in terms of smartphones, digital cameras, game consoles, et cetera has now transcended into almost every facet of the human life to such an extent that it would be hard to evade it.

Friday, August 23, 2019

The Correlation of Emotional Intelligence to Job Performance Literature review

The Correlation of Emotional Intelligence to Job Performance - Literature review Example Employee’s Job performance is so important that it can spell the difference between success and failure, viability and demise of an organization in a competitive business world. Job Performance involves quantity and quality of outcomes from individual or group effort attainment (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2005). Robbins (2005) described job performance as the amount of effort an individual will exert in his or her job. Moreover, the essence of the job performance relies on â€Å"the demands of the job, the goals and missions of the organization, and the beliefs in the organization about which behaviors are most valued† (Befort & Hattrup, 2003, p. 17). Job performance is defined as the aggregated value of the discrete behavioral episodes to the organization that an individual performs over a standard interval of time (Motowildo, Borman and Schmidt, 1997) 54 One facet that it needs to explore for the possibility of enhancing employee performance is emotional intelligen ce. To determine if emotional aptitude has a bearing in enhancing employee performance and if there is, on what specific occasion does it prove beneficial to the organization. ...His main focus was to suggest that the understanding and perception of our own feelings, as well as those of others, was a distinguishable difference to that of general intelligence†. Gardner (1983), expanding on the concepts presented in early intelligence work as well as social intelligence theory, developed a theory of multiple intelligences. ...one of the seven areas of intelligence discussed in multiple intelligence theory, personal intelligence, corresponds to earlier theories such as social intelligence. Two domains or divisions exist within the theory of personal intelligence. Intrapersonal knowledge or intelligence describes the ability to access and express personal inner emotions while interpersonal intelligence focuses on a person's ability to recognize and process emotion in others.  

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Mass media not only gives the latest news and trends Essay Example for Free

Mass media not only gives the latest news and trends Essay Over decades, mass media has been used to propagate information to the target audience. It has been a powerful tool that has been used by different people to express their interests on their audience. However, it comes with both positive and negative effects to the society depending on the channel used. Sometimes, channels are not sensitive on the kind of audience thus arousing fear, controversy, violence, or other emotions associated with the message being conveyed. Many experts have conducted research on the effects of mass media on the youth (Guarino Carter, 2013). Their findings indicate that mass media has a positive effect on the young people due to its educative nature. However, they advise that the youth should be exposed to information that is in synch with their development phase. All the media sources enhance knowledge through provision of information. For instance, news increases self-awareness by updating the audience about the daily events happening in the society. This develops concern about social issues within the population segment, which is most productive. Mass media not only gives the latest news and trends, but also contributes to the enhancement of vocabularies and command of language. Young Launer (2011) explain that advancement of general knowledge leads to the rise of a youthful population that is able to express their views with appropriate language that alleviates conflicts and controversies as a result of misunderstandings. The print media is vital for the development of a reading culture in the society. The habits ensure that the youth are well informed on the social trends and other aspects that are vital for socio-economic growth in the whole social matrix (Bacal, 2013). Studies indicate that the methods used to deliver information influences the cognitive processing capacity of the audience. Moreover, the methods improve the learning progress of the youth since their brains are at their optimum learning phase. Axon (2011) states that significant knowledge gains have been witnessed when the participants are exposed to current affairs, social issues, and other forms of information based on varying contexts. Due to the broad range of information being propagated, mass media overwhelms us with tons of information. The nature and amount of information increases the brain’s capacity to gain more knowledge. So, mass media creates an avenue that stimulates the need for exploration and curiosity, which are essential for effective development of the brain (Donohue, 2011). In addition, mass media develops the reflective segment of the brain that processes the factual, objective, and analytic elements, which influence response to varying situations. The development of this segment leads the person to have rational thoughts: they are the ones that determine the formulation of response depending on the situation. Therefore, the youth who are conversant with the dynamics of mass media develop a balance between the real world and the environment created by media activities. The efficiency of knowledge acquisition and retain ability depends on the ability of the mind to access long sequences of information and putting it together in order to establish relationships. Wilson (2011) explains that our culture is dominated by activities which improve declarative memory if well utilized. Therefore, mass media is a major contributor to the development of various segments of the brain, which is an advantageous effect on the young population since they are a part of the target audience. In his article, Debatin (2013) further explains that mass media has profound effects on the modern culture. The availability of constant information influences the social behavior of the youthful population due to the nature of messages being propagated. They not only promote the intended interests, but also stimulate attitudes, moods, and other forms of emotions that define social behavior. Therefore, mass media influences the transformation of the social and cultural values of the general audience. The influential nature of media contributes to positive development of thoughts and behavioral patterns of the youth. The media has contributed to positive transformation of the way people think. In reference to Gentile (2011), cultivation of good behavioral patterns strengthens the social bonds in the community. It also creates a young population that is able to work and live together as a way of developing the country. The advent of media technologies that enable propagation of information to all population segments has led to effective social control. Through media, announcements, advertisements, and messages that require the audience to follow some form of instruction is possible. This has been made successful by the strong link that exists between the youth and mass media (Gunther, 2013). Its positive effect has created an audience that is obedient and flexible to the changes occurring in the society. In addition, the media influences the health status among the youth by providing educative programs about physical fitness and diet. The programs can be used to influence the lifestyle of the young people by offering nutritional recommendations that promote a healthy lifestyle. Statistics indicate that commercials that encourage healthy eating take fourteen percent of the time spent by the youth in mass media platforms (Moran, 2013). Since the young people make up the most active population segment, many companies target them. Products such as alcohol and cigarettes are mostly consumed by the young people. The mass media can be used to influence their consumption behavior through passive advertisements, which discourage their use. Therefore, the mass media can be used as a positive influence on the social behavior of the target population (Sterin, 2011). Oliver Jinhee (2012) explain that one of the positive media effects is the enhancement of interpersonal relationships and communication. They further elaborate that the interpersonal relationships developed influence the complex social dynamics. This is because the messages propagated affect the social institutions depending on their context as a major deciding factor on the choice of their response. Therefore, the efficient delivery of information to the target audience is a fundamental factor for determining effective interactions in the society. Porfilio, Car, Miranda (2011) state that media activities change peoples’ perspective on various issues that affect society. These activities cultivate positive perceptions on the modern youth over time due to continuous exposure to mass media. Although the creation of perceptions is a complex process, it shapes the methods, which the audience approaches social challenges resulting to the development of better social norms. Therefore, the role of mass media in manipulating perceptions within the social context comes with positive consequences on the young population. In conclusion, the amount of benefits derived from mass media depends on how its capacities are utilized. Its influential nature can be used to create social trends that promote better lifestyle, which is an essential factor for optimizing human capital. In addition, it has made the world a global village where information reaches its target audience within a short time irrespective of their locations. This availability of information is vital for expanding the information processing capabilities of the modern young population. It also expands the knowledge base and command of various issues of concern in the society. At the same time, it creates self-awareness and a sense of responsibility among the young population. Therefore, the mass media has positive effects on the population segment under consideration. References Axon, D. (2011). Effects of Mass media on the Society. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from American Communication Journal: http://services. trueserials. com Bacal, R. (2013). Mass Media and the Effects on Society. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Presse Radio: http://www. presseradiotv. com Debatin, B. (2013). Media Ethics in a Fast Changing Media Environment. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Journal of Mass Media Ethics: http://www. tandfonline. com Donohue, T. (2011). Mass Media Flow and Differential Growth in Knowledge. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Public Opinion Quarterly: http://poq. oxfordjournals. org Gentile, W. (2011). Impact of media use on children and youth. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from National Institutes of Health: http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov Guarino, M. , Carter, B. (2013). The rise of new media and Internet power schemes: An impact study of social media rise. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Academia. edu: http://www. academia. edu Gunther, A. (2013). The Persuasive Press Inference: Effects of Mass Media on Perceived Public Opinion. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Communication Research: http://crx. sagepub. com Jacobs, R. (2012). Race, Media, and the Crisis of Civil Society. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www. diesel-ebooks. com Moran, M. (2013). Understanding the Global TV Format. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www. diesel-ebooks. com Oliver, M. , Jinhee, B. (2012). Exploring Implications of Perceived Media Reinforcement on Third-Person Perceptions. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Communication Research: http://crx. sagepub. com Porfilio, B. , Car, P. , Miranda, M. (2011). Youth culture, the mass media, and democracy. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Academic Exchange Quarterly: http://rapidintellect. com Sterin, C. (2011). Mass Media Revolution [Kindle Edition]. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www. amazon. com Swanberg, A. (2013). The CNN effect: can the news media drive social trends. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from CNN: http://www. cnn. com Wilson, B. (2011). The Anatomy of Mass Media. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Journal of Media Psychology: http://services. trueserials. com Young, M. , Launer, M. (2011). The Impact of New Media on Traditional Mainstream Mass Media. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from BBC: http://www. bbc. co. uk

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Federalism uneven regional Development

Federalism uneven regional Development The pursuit to bring together both the goals of regional and national development in multinational countries gave rise to federalism. This is used to describe a system of government in which the sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units like states or provinces. A federal entity is characterised by harmony, conflict, satisfaction and dissatisfaction. (Pritam) Regional development is the provision of aid and other assistance to regions which are facilitated by the national pattern of development. It is likely to lead to a successful and strengthened federation and at the other end, will cause the federation strain in the neglect of a region or a region being sacrificed for the sake of national development. This according to pritam, is as a result of the necessity to centralise control over the utilisation of resources or because of the necessity to transfer resources from one region to the other. (Schoenfield et al cited in Pritam Federalism and development attracts more scholarly attention where federations fail or are in crisis than when they are successful (pritam page 1). Federations as it is, represents some of the largest national entities in the world which includes countries like india, china, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy, United states, Argentina, Germany, Venezuela, Pakistanm, South Africa and Nigeria. Pre-second world war federations like USA, Australia, Canada, and Switzerland have been noted as cases of successful federal entities despite Canada having some crisis in its Quebec region. (PRITAM PAGE 2). Contrary to this, some failed federal entities include Pakistan, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia; Ethiopia has been split into independent nation states (pritam page 2). Other federal entities such as Nigeria and sudan in Africa, india and Sri Lanka in Asia, spain in Europe have felt a high level of tension in theor federal political arrangement(birch 1989, pritam pg 2) Instances of lessening regional inequality and stressing regional inequality have acted as a medium for regions to feel dissatisfied with federal arrangements (pritam pg 2). A situation whereby regional inequalities are accompanied by conflicts of ethnicity and nationalism, the relationship of a region to the federal centre becomes more conflict ridden.(pritam pg2). The most likely cases of regional conflict with the federal centre are likely to be those where the regions because of its relative economic backwardness, feels dissatisfied with prevailing structure of the economic relations with the centre.(pritam pg 2) Uneven regional development is a universal phenomenon with its presence found in almost all large countries, be it a developing or developed country. The problem of regional inequality that results from uneven development is of interest for a variety of reasons. First, the issue of regional disparity is a problem of economic growth. If all regions had grown at the same pace, there would be no income differences between regions in the first place. Even if regional gaps exist, as long as poor regions are able to grow faster than rich ones, the former would converge with the latter and the initial differences would thereby disappear in due course. To find the root causes of regional inequality, we have to trace the long term growth paths of different regions in the national economy and to understand the dynamics of regional growth. Second, regional disparity is an ethical issue. Less the process of economic development is intrinsically even, society is always confronted with the fundamental contradiction between ethically motivated efforts to establish socio economic parity in space and the economically more advantageous strategy of letting inequality increase, as long as it makes the whole economy grow faster. No one denies the importance of attaining a high overall growth rate, but the question being posed is; who benefits from the rapid economic growth? Both economic growth and fairness in the distribution of income are desirable. Unfortunately, the two goals are often in conflict with each other. The maximisation of growth could worsen the problem of inequality, whereas the pursuit of equality may slow down national growth. A development strategy should not concern itself simply with the maximisation of one objective at the expense of the other; it has to consider the trade off between them. On another note, regional disparity is an issue of political significance because regional economic disparities may have adverse effects on the political stability and unity of the nation. The relationship between inequality and political instability is a close one. In countless instances, real and perceived imequities give rise to political conflicts. Inter regional inequality could be a source of political conflict, just as inequalities between groups are. Residents of one region tends to care more about the welfare of other residents than about the welfare of the inhabitanrs of other regions. As a result, there tends to be a widespread sense of grievence among the people living in regions where average incomes are nocticeably lower than in other regions of the country, or the incomes are growing noticeably slower. They may regard an insufficiently sympathetic central government as partly responsible for their plight. Meanwhile, those living in more developed regions are likely to perceive that their economies are the backbone of the nation. If the central government intervenes to corrct regional disparites in such a way that the high income regions have to subsidise the poor one, then these regions are likely to believe that such fiscal transfers to low growth regions ae just a waste of money because in their view, trying to sustain inefficient economic activity is irrational. Thus any attempt to redistribute resources across regions is likely to provoke resistance from rich regions. Thus persistence regional disparities may not only frustrate people living in impoverished regions but also alienate those living in affluent regions. History suggests that when regional disparities becomes excessive, it could lead to massive political consequences especially when ethnic, religious, language differences are combined with ethnic disparities. Examples of such include Biafra in Nigeria, Punjab in India, Wales and Northern Ireland in Great Britain. NIGERIA AS CASE STUDY WITH REFERENCE TO NIGER DELTA REGION Nigeria is the most populous African country with a population of 154 million people who account for 47% of West Africas population and nearly a fifth of sub-Saharan Africas population. Nigeria is Africas largest oil producing country, and it is the eleventh largest producer and the eight largest exporter of crude oil in the world. In 2006, Nigerian oil production averaged approximately 2.45 million barrels of oil per day (World Bank, 2011) Oil has been the dominant factor in Nigerias economy for the past 50 years. In 2007 over 87% of government revenues, 90% of foreign exchange earnings, 96% of export revenues, and almost half of GDP was accounted for by oil (Watts 2008:43). Despite its vast resources however, Nigeria has been a disastrous development experience, and Nigerias performance since independence has been dismal at best. Today, out of a population of 140 million, approximately 70 million people live on less than $1/day, 54% of Nigerians live below the poverty line, over 1/3 live in extreme poverty, 1one in five children die before the age of five, 3 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and 7 million children are not attending school (Higgins 2009). In an attempt to gain access to the allocation of oil revenues, each ethnic group in Nigeria had to seek its own state or local government council. This is why Nigeria, which originally had only 4 regions and 50 local governments, now has 36 states and 774 loca l governments. According to the United Nations Development Program, Nigeria ranks in terms of the Human Development Index (HDI) a composite measure of life expectancy, income, and educational attainment number 158 out of 177 countries, below Haiti and Congo; over the last 30 years the trend line of the HDI has been upward but barely (UNDP, 2006a). Nigeria also appears close to the top of virtually everyones global ranking of corruption, business risk, lack of transparency, fraud, and illicit activity; Nigerian fraud even has its own FBI website. According to former World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, at least $100 billion of the $600 billion in oil revenues accrued since 1960 have simply gone missing. Nigerian anti-corruption chairman noted that 70% of the countrys oil wealth was stolen or wasted; by 2005 it was only 40%, and by most conservative estimates, almost 130 billion was lost between 1970 and 1996. After the discovery of oil in Mongolia, a local leader announced: We do not want to become another Nigeria (Watts 2008:43-44). This rise in oil wealth has not translated into significant increases in living standards in Nigeria, however. In fact, the rise in poverty and inequality coincides with the discovery and export of oil in Nigeria. As Sala-i-Martin and Subramanian (2003:4) show, in 1965, when oil revenue was about US$33 per capita, GDP per capita was US$245. In 2000, when oil revenues were US$325 per capita, GDP per capita was stalled at the 1965 level. Evidence such as this has led to widespread acceptance that Nigeria has suffered from the resource curse and according to Sala-i-Martin and Subramanian (2003:24), waste and poor institutional quality stemming from oil has been primarily responsible for Nigerias poor long-run economic performance. The Niger Delta region is the area covered by the natural delta of the Niger River and the areas to the east and west. The Niger Delta consists of 9 of the 36 states in Nigeria, 185 local governments (UNDP, 2006: 44)occupying about 12% of Nigerias territory (Figure 2).These states include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers state. The Niger Delta is a region that has been somewhat marginalized from Nigerias national development despite being the region that generates Nigerias oil wealth (Higgins 2009:1). The oil boom in Nigeria has been driven by oil extracted from the Niger Delta region. Oil wealth, from the Niger Delta region, is largely responsible for sustaining the Nigerian Federation (UNDP, 2006: 62). Despite fuelling much of Nigerias economic growth, the Niger Delta is somewhat marginalised from Nigerias national development. Higgins writes that, Essentially there is a significant disconnect between the wealth the region generates for the Nigerian Federation and the transnational oil companies extracting oil from the region, and the regions human development progress (Higgins 2009:3). The regions human development index is 0.564 and while this is slightly higher than the Nigerian HDI of 0.448, the area rates far below regions or countries with similar gas or oil reserves (Venezuela is 0.772 and Indonesia is 0.697) (UNDP, 2006: 15). Table 5 shows incidence of poverty in the Niger Delta from 1980-2004, and according to Higgins, Analysis of poverty and human development indicator s paints a dismal picture for the Niger Delta. Poverty incidence increased in the Niger Delta between 1980 and 2004 as Table [5] shows (Higgins 2009:3) As well, when further disaggregated to the local government level, the Niger Delta Human Development Report shows that state and regional HDI scores mask inequalities in human development among oil producing communities. Significantly, local government areas without oil facilities appear to have fewer poor people than those with oil facilities (UNDP, 2006: 15). The report also concludes that decline in the HDI has been steeper for the Niger Delta states than the rest of Nigeria (UNDP, 2006: 137). In addition, the high earnings of some oil industry workers leads to localised price distortions, driving up prices and so constraining the purchasing power of ordinary people and making it difficult for many to meet the costs of basic needs such as housing, healthcare, transportation, education and good and making poverty more pervasive tha n conventional measures reveal (UNDP, 2006: 57). CONSEQUENCES 1. Social and political exclusion: The two post-military national elections (1999 and 2003) are widely agreed to have been extensively rigged in the Niger Delta states, with fraudulent results sustained by violence and threat and so leaving a serious democratic deficit. The political process is held in complete mistrust and considered exclusionary and corrupt. Formal institutions have failed and local customary institutions have become eroded. Youth have turned to violence and militancy to challenge the government and extort oil from oil companies (World Bank, 2007b). 2. Economic exclusion: Despite substantial resource flows to the State government, and significant natural resource endowments the people of the Niger Delta are destitute. The panel described the Niger Delta as an iconic representation of destitution amongst the possibility of wealth. The people of the Niger Delta feel excluded from the wealth generated by their resource rich region substantiated by the region having the highest rate of unemployment in Nigeria (World Bank, 2007b). Remote rural communities have very limited economic opportunities and often cannot tap directly into the employment. benefits of the oil industry because they lack capital resources or skills (UNDP, 2006:17). 3. Poor governance and corruption: Corruption, especially at the state and local level, is endemic and at the root of many of the regions problems. Large sums are received at both the state and local level, but there is little evidence of this being applied to productive development endeavours. This situation exacerbates the sense of hopelessness, exclusion and anger of the citizenry of the Niger Delta, who have lost faith in existing governance structures (World Bank, 2007b). 4. Poor infrastructure and public service delivery: The panel (World Bank, 2007b) describes the current situation as akin to a human emergency and UNDP describes infrastructure and social services as generally deplorable (UNDP, 2006: 15). The general neglect of infrastructure, often rationalised by the difficult terrain of the region, has worsened the populations access to fundamental services (UNDP, 2006: 16). For example, the town of Edeoha, in the state of Rivers, lacks basic services such as water, education, healthcare and electricity and jobs are hard to come by. There is no local government office in the town, the primary schools lacks chairs and desks, and the nearest hospital, which lacks medicine and equipment, is twenty kilometres away (International Crisis Group, 2006: 17). Analysis above highlights the poor human development of the region. 5. Environmental degradation: Oil exploration and production gas led to environmental damage on many levels: land, water and air pollution, depleted fishing grounds and the disappearance of wetlands (World Bank, 2007b). These environmental changes have had significant implications for local livelihoods, and the alienation of people from their resources and land has led to the inefficient use of resources that remain and poor or inequitable land use practices (UNDP, 2006: 17). Measures to counterbalance environmental damage are inadequate and this is a major focus of community disconten (World Bank, 2007b). 6. Escalating violence and disorder: The democratisation of the means of violence has emerged, as the state has lost monopoly power over the use of force. This violence has emerged in many forms, and exists between communities over host community status, resource and land claims and surveillance contracts; within communities over compensation distribution; between communities and oil companies; and between communities and security forces. The fault lines of these conflicts often coincide with, or are justified in terms of, ethnic differences (World Bank, 2007b). Persistent conflict, while in part a response to the regions poor human development, also serves to entrench it as it is a constant drag on the regions economic performance and opportunities for advancement (UNDP, 2006: 16). 7. A vicious cycle of violence: Conflict has become militarised, with the intensive proliferation of arms, sabotage, hostage taking and the emergence of warlords and youth cults. This process is fuelled by the illegal bunkering of oil fuels (World Bank, 2007b). Since January 2006, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) have been central to this violence (International Crisis Group, 2006:i). 8. Landownership: There is much juridical ambiguity over land rights. While the Land Use Decree of 1978 formally vested all land in State governments, the expropriation of this has never been accepted by the individuals, families and communities that have made customary claims to the land. This has resulted in a double system, and combined with weak judicial systems has resulted in long running conflicts and ambiguity at many levels (World Bank, 2007b). GOVERNMENT POLICY TO REVERT THE SITUATION The marginalisation and poor human development progress of the Niger Delta has not gone unnoticed by successive Nigerian federal governments. Since the late 1950s, the Niger Delta has been recognised as a region requiring special development attention (Osuoka, 2007: 5). A number of special agencies have been created by the federal government to address development in the Niger Delta. These have included the Niger Delta Basin Development Board, established in 1965 and the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission, established in 1992 (Osuoka, 2007: 5). it established a new body called the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to offer a lasting solution to the socio-economic difficulties of the Niger Delta Region (UNDP, 2006: 31). In 2006, the NDDC launched the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan, which states the development goals and objectives of the Niger Delta. For the foundation phases (2006-2010), the key programmes are the economy, physical infrastructur e, human and institutional resources, human and community needs and natural environment. Focusing on some key elements, these will seek to create an enabling environment for enterprise; improve the functioning of key markets and access to them; increase agricultural (and fisheries) productivity and micro-investment; protect and develop human capabilities; protect natural resources and mitigate harm. (For a summary of the NDDC Master Plan Programs and Areas of Focus, see Annex 1). The NDDC clearly aims to have a redistributory function, with nearly a quarter of the funding coming from the Federal Government 1, with additional contributions expected from oil companies operating in the Niger Delta, the Ecological Fund and States of the delta. Unfortunately, States have yet to contribute to the Commission, and oil companies are still wrangling over how much they should contribute (UNDP, 2006: 31-32). But assessment of development in the Niger Delta since the NDDC was established shows that poverty reduction progress has been slow, particularly given the Niger Deltas substantial natural resource endowments and additional federal government resources. And, as mentioned above, according to UNDP, the worsening of the HDI has been more acute for the Niger Delta states than for the rest of Nigeria (UNDP, 2006: 137). However, we do not really know how effective the NDDC is. We also do not know much about which programme components are more or less effective at achieving the programmes overarching goals. This is a really important data gap, as given the programmes multisectoral nature clearly attributable information about causality would go a long way to telling us which approaches might be best at reducing spatial disparities and regional inequalities. If we look at a range of indicators, we can see how significant the challenge still is. Disaggregated human development indicators pa int a dismal picture. The prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS is among the highest in Nigeria (UNDP, 2006: 17). Energy availability is poor, despite the region providing the United States with one fifth of its energy needs (UNDP, 2006: 25). For example, in Bayelsa State is not linked to the national electric power grid (UNDP, 2006: 110). Similarly, while the delta region has a dense network of freshwater distributaries and vast groundwater reserves, no part of the region has a regular supply of potable water (UNDP, 2006: 110). Some health indicators are below the national average. As Table 3 indicates, the Niger Delta region (South-South) has a higher than average infant mortality rate and the highest post-neonatal mortality rate in Nigeria (UNDP, 2006: 125). The region also fares comparatively poorly in terms of accessing health treatment. For example, only 25.1% of children with acute respiratory infections and fever sought medical treatment from health providers, compared with 49.5% in t he North Central region and 52.6% in the South West region (UNDP, 2006: 123). The South-South zone also had the largest proportion of births attended by traditional attendants (UNDP, 2006:123). Interestingly, in a 2003 NDHS survey, the Niger Delta had the largest proportion (34.8%) of respondents identifying the distance between their residence and health facilities as a major problem. In this same survey, nationally, 30.4% of women cited a lack of money as a barrier to accessing health care. In the Niger Delta, this was 47.1% and the highest regional figure (UNDP, 2006: 125). Additionally, there is an intense feeling among the people of the Niger Delta that they should be doing far better: the Niger Delta has a self-assessment poverty rate of 74.8% (UNDP, 2006: 58) Policy Recommendations The policy recommendations address the issue of regional inequalities and overall national developmentandmodemisation in Nigeria. As we saw during the review, regional imbalance has been perpetuated in the country over time. The result has been the prevailing unwarranted uneven distribution of resources and benefits of development Warranted unevenness is inevitable during the incipient growth and development of any country because of inadequate administrative machinery, lack of clear direction of redistribution mechanisms, non-diversification of the economy and technology and limited employment opportunities for the majority of people. During the early stage of development income development surpluses and even hierarchy of cities are not adequately distributed. However in a country such as Nigeria where development aided by the petro-dollar has proceeded for quite a long time, the perpetual existence of unwarranted inequalities among individuals and regions is unpardonable. Individual and regional equity based on consensual socio-political policies, especially in the form of Acts, is still possible. Attractive socio-political, economic and administrative consensus policy options that are likely to be acceptable to every region and individual will be those which 74 EbenezerAka promote a change that is desirable in its own right: for example, a multicultural po.licy on ethnocentrism, capacity-building, and sustainable self-reliant peoplecentered development. Ethnocentrism has been a major driving force which has fueled and perpetuated regional imbalance in the country over time. For the problems of ethnicity to be ameliorated in the country, a concerted effort by the local, regional and federal governments is needed urgently. The effort will ensure that all references that vilify individuals or incite unwarranted division and unnecessary competition are removed by law from the mass media and other instruments of propaganda (Nnoli, 1978). According to Nnoli the concept of the existing North/South and East! West that mark the social, cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic divisions and affinities for socio-economic development planning should be applied with caution. At times in Nigeria this creates the notion of us versus them. A new set of references is needed which explains the countrys present socioeconomic predicaments. For example the concept of developed and backward or depressed regions stemming from the differences in regional distribution of natural and mineral resources including income, employment and welfare, should replace the North/South and East/West distinction or dichotomy. Moreover, in order to realise a long -term solution, strategies to accommodate the major ethnic groups in the development process should be pursued. For example, the languages and histories of major ethnic groups should be taught in schools for the understanding and appreciation of each other; information for important social services (public or central services) should beprovided in major languages, and the political system and its policy and decision-making apparatus should be representative of multiethnic groups in the country, in order to allay the fears of the minorities. Socioeconomic planning administration, and management based on the new concepts are likely to enhance socio-economic and political equity if constantly pursued over a long period of time. A cogent remedy to regional inequality also lies in the creation of a nationally integrated economy rather than on the creation of mushroom states based on ethnolinguistic sentiments for sharing the national wealth. The suggestion here is a gradual shift of emphasis from the existing centre-down, urban-biased, productioncentred organisation to a sustainable, self-reliant, people-centred developmenL What is actually advocated is a bi-modal or dualistic strategy of development where both paradigms are operative. According to Korten (1984:309) ifpeoplecentred development is to emerge it will bean offspring of the production-centred industrial era. The new paradigm should focus on ruraVregional development based on the community or basic needs approach. The federal government should use its authority to improve the relative and absolute shares of the poor regions or states because the free market mechanism Regional Inequalities in the Process of Nigerias Development 75 does not operate in Nigeria to guarantee the redistribution of the benefits of socioeconomic development. TIle Nigerian market is imperfect, corrupt and not well developed. Distributive measures should be initiated by the government to include: industrial decentralisation by giving priority to lagging regions; job-training programmes as a targeted policy for the poor, the underprivileged and the minorities; and direct income transfers. The aim is to improve on the economic base of those regions, as well as their employment potential and income which will eventually make the local economy richer. The aim of the people-centred or grass-roots approach to rural and regional development is to create a society that is secure and sustainable. Growth which has occurred so far becauseofa production-centredapproach, has not been accompanied by equivalent increase in employment, thereby resulting in individual and regional poverty as well as socioeconomic inequalities. To create jobs and ensure that all share in the benefits of economic growth, government should make markets more people-friendly by: investing more in basic education and worker retraining; ensuring universal access to markets; redesigning credit systems and fISCal incentives to support small-scale 6nterprises and informal employment; and using tax breaks to encourage labour-intensive technology and production in ruraltowns, agro-towns, or small- and intermediate-sized cities (Collins, 1993:4). The new concept focuses on human security based on environmental sustainability, employment, and provision of basic needs. Perhaps, this is what Strong (1993:5) calls, in both environmental and economic terms, eco-industrial revolution. Strong goes on to say that for the government to effect economic sustainability, it will require a fundamental reorientation of policies and budgets, redeployment of resources, and reshaping of the system of incentives and penalties that motivate economic behaviour. In order for the resources to be adequately managed and for long-term economic sustainability to be entrencbed in Nigeria, the federal government should embark on capacity-building. This will enhance the existing management capacity of Nigerian public institutions and private economic agents, and also help provide the much needed top-level managers and policy-makers. Capacity-building willachieve littleinNigeriawithoutpolitical development. TheNigeriangovemment mustdevelopaform of governance thatpermits free expression and full participation in the development process. Participation empowers the local people to take charge of their lives by increasing their potency ,as theiraltemative ideas, social techniques and technologies are released. Political development is likely to create societywide trust and predictability, and foster a stable political order that is the sine qua non for a long economic growth. Without creating more states in Nigeria, which often depends on ethnocentric sentiments, a decentralised administrative structure can be achieved which is capable of providing stability, creativity, and civic 76 EbenezerAka commitment of every Nigerian, and more importantly, capable of reducing regional inequalities. Regional inequalities can bealleviate in terms of administrative decentralisation. The recently created local government areas throughout the country could be strengthened and employed as a seeding agent for local and regional growth, development, and modernisation. There exist today 449 local government areas with their headquarterS or capitals. These capitals Egunjobi (1990:22) calls third-order centres(6). Administrative decentralisation plays an important function in the redistribution process during a deliberate national development effort, especially by strategically locating the headquarters or capitals for the newly created administrative areas. The local government area capitals should be targeted as development and modernisation diffusion agents, and also as the agro-political units for the provision of basic needs using local materials, manpower, and small-scale enterprises. That is, these capitals can be deliberately employed to act as innovation nodes or poles by which growth and modernisation impulses could diffuse or trickle-down to their tributary areas. Inother words, they should provide development stimuli and act as a change agent to their hinterlands or catchment areas. As a process of national urbanisation, socioeconomic and modemisation strategy, administrativedecentralisation sho

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Influence of Media on Young Peoples Opinions

Influence of Media on Young Peoples Opinions The mass media has a great influence on people and especially on the younger generation. It plays an important role in shaping the opinions and positions of young people. Argue for or against this statement. Quynh Huong Ly As communication technologies and platforms continue to advance and evolve, the mass media is increasingly becoming a more influential factor in modern society. It is a powerful tool that has a strong impact on the population as a whole and in particularly on the younger generation. In modern society, the mass media has the ability to shape both the opinions and positions of the younger generation who are more curious and can more easily be influenced. This can not only create new cultures, but can also change lifestyles to some degree by shaping opinions and positions. This essay will discuss the three major influences that the mass media has on the younger generations and their effects in supporting the statement â€Å"The mass media has a great influence on people and especially on the younger generation. It plays an important role in shaping the opinions and positions of young people†. Firstly, advertisements are changing young peoples views on beauty concepts and stimulat e consumption. Secondly, the influences of social media platforms such as Facebook are shaping behaviour trends and lifestyles. Finally, music has shape emotions and a source of inspiration in creating new career ideas for the younger people. Nowadays, advertisements have great power to impact minds and create new habits amongst the younger generations. Large parts of their lives are connected with advertisements through various forms of media such as the radio, films and magazines. And according to Vitelli (2013) â€Å"Television, Commercials, and Your Child†, advertisers try to target young people by: concentrating on new products with special features, producing advertisements which are familiar with daily life so audiences do not realize they are watching commercials and making them lose the ability to distinguish between reality and the advertising that they are watching every day. More recently, with the development of more far reaching platforms of mass media, the thousands of messages about perfect the body images presented on posters and on television shows have re-shaped opinions on what is the ideal body shape for women. The powerful messages have made women obsessed with the new female body standards. T rying to fit into what is represented as attractive by the mass media, have caused stressed and have had a negative effect on some women, in particular the younger women who feel the need to comfort more. An example about the negative influences of advertisements on the young generations is building up their impossible expectations about attractive appearances by using luxury images of supermodels and celebrities, who they hope to look like (Wikipedia 2014). Therefore, teenagers tend to try keep their body thin through putting themselves on a diet, doing exercise or even getting cosmetic surgery while they are never satisfied with their bodies. In addition, it is suggested that using the dynamic beauty of young people for fast food advertising is also one of the causes of changing eating habits and rising obesity rates on the youth (Ashton 2004). In some cases, they are attracted by the advertisements when people with good shape, are eating fast foods and might think that it is heal thy foods or even eating them will help to keep their bodies as good as in the advertisement. The rates of obesity in children and youth have almost tripled in the last quarter century. Approximately 20% of youth are now overweight with obesity rates in preschool age children increasing at alarming speed (The impact of food advertising on childhood obesity 2014). Although the role of advertising in modern society is undeniable because it is used to both introduce new products to the public and is the shortest way to motivate consumption, it is generally believed that advertisements have consequences on peoples mind, especially on the younger generations because advertisements generally have always exaggerated the truth, also changed the opinions and positions of young people. In recent times, social networking sites have become more popular than ever, they also directly impact on behaviour of people, particularly on adolescents in what way as they decide how to connect each other and how to respect their relationships. Social networking sites have become a major revolution in society. There are a lot of advantages that can be associated with this, but an alarming tendency out of this, is that the young people seem to be more isolated in their own world and don’t learn how interact with society As a result, they gradually lose their communications skills and the intimacy of face-to-face interactions (Dakin 2014). ) In the past, face to face was the best way which people chose to communicate to each other. With the appearance of Facebook, peoples’ lives, minds and the behaviours of the youth have changed. Young people are highly addicted to Facebook as they spend a lot of time on the internet to update status, post on walls, and even whateve r they make. This leads to them ignoring spending time with families or hanging out with friends in order for them to sit in front of computer screen to validate their importance in society. The number of â€Å"Likes† they have, the more this validates their confidence (Sameer 2011). In addition, the development of social networking is one of the reasons why the young people are becoming the narcissist. According to Harrington (2013), in â€Å"Hey you, it’s all about me†, the teenagers are documenting everything they do in their lives and posting selfies on social networking to get more attentions from others, and falling in love themselves. Young girls are more likely to be dissatisfied with their shape and weight, even if they are very healthy and balanced from this (Sameer 2011). For example, with the support of Photoshop technologies, the photos on Facebook are probably more attractive than the real life. This creates pressures on teen girls try to keep thei r appearances as perfect as the pictures on the internet. The revolution of social networking sites impacts strongly on the younger generations through changing their views about communications in a virtual world. One product of the mass media that is a big influence on the youth is music, which deeply affects the lifestyles of teenagers, the controlling of emotions and building up personality on people. In modern society, there are many technologies such as iPhone, iPod which can effectively connect the youth to music where they go. It is believed that the young generations listen to music while they are eating, studying and sleeping. Therefore, music seems to play a special role in shaping their opinions and positions. The explosion of music videos on YouTube brings young people to a new fashion culture when they tend to copy images of their idols (Wixom 2013). For example, new fashion trends often approach the public through the superstars in their music videos. When the youth search and watch the videos on internet, they are easily attracted in styles of celebrities, so they try to dress or let their hair similarly to famous people and might think they look more attractively. Nowadays, the re are young teenagers develop their music career in that way they produce videos, update them on online websites to share with people. If the music products were successful, they could become famous people even after one day. Actually they have made career decisions based on factors of the mass media. Consequently, benefits of music are inspiring and creating a lot of opportunities for the youth to make their dreams come true (Wixom 2013). Furthermore, the lyrics on music songs strongly influence on minds, emotions and behaviours of teenagers. The information on the internet is generally uncensored and young people also are supported by many search tools. Therefore, they can easily be impacted their spirit by the unconformable lyrics which can create rebellious tendencies or the early sexual awareness of young people (Holden 2014). For example, many songs are composed based on the love story and the events in real life. Although the messages on those songs might be given by the ind ividual views, but they still have a great power. Especially, when young children listen to music constantly, they generally tend to react and think as lyrics in songs. As a result, they are aware of the problems in society very soon and grow up faster than their real old. Although the influence of music to young people with both negative and positive, but it is gradually becoming one of the determinants of behaviour and thinking of the younger generations. In conclusion, modern society has created a major mass media revolution with the help of the availability of all the new technologies available such as television, magazine, music, social media and the internet. This has given the mass media an enormous power in influencing the perceptions and lifestyles of the younger people. It could even be stated that the perceptions and lifestyles of the younger generations are mostly influenced by the information provided by the many forms of media, as they search based all decisions from the information provided on the internet. The internet is used for scientific information, entertainment and connecting friends. The ideas and views from the internet are usually derived from the masses, so they have both positive and negative, but young people are given the choice to see and believe what is of value to them. Therefore, they should choose the most appropriate approach in order to get the best value that the mass media are contributing to human . All things as above have proven the mass media shape opinions and positions of youth. References American Psychological Association 2014, ‘The impact of food advertising on childhood obesity’, American Psychological Association, viewed 13 November 2014, http://www.apa.org/topics/kids-media/food.aspx Coleman, R 2008, ‘The becoming of bodies’, Feminist Media Studies, vol.8, no.2, pp.163-179, viewed 12 November 2014, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14680770801980547 Dakin, P 2014, ‘Social media affecting teens concepts of friendship, intimacy’, CBC news, 24 February, viewed 18 November 2014, http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/social-media-affecting-teens-concepts-of-friendship-intimacy-1.2543158 Harrington, S 2013, ‘Hey you, its all about me’, The Sydney Morning Heralb, 20 September, viewed 12 November 2014, http://www.smh.com.au/comment/hey-you-its-all-about-me-20130920-2u5fe.html Holden, M 2014, ‘The Influence of Pop Music on Teens in the US’, Global post, viewed 26 November 2014, http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/influence-pop-music-teens-17843.html Media Smart 2014, ‘Televisions Impact on Kids’, Media Smart, viewed 13 November 2014, http://mediasmarts.ca/television/televisions-impact-kids Pediatrics 2006, ‘Children, Adolescents, and Advertising’, Pediatrics, vol.118, no.6, pp.2563-2569, 01 December, viewed 18 November 2014, http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/6/2563.full Sameer, M 2011, ‘Impact Of Social Networking Sites On Youth’, Youth Ki Awaaz, 02 June, viewed 20 November 2014, http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2011/06/social-networking-impact-youth/ Shah, A 2012, ‘Media and Advertising’, Global Issues, 04 March, viewed 15 November 2014, http://www.globalissues.org/article/160/media-and-advertising Vitelli, R 2013, ‘Television, Commercials, and Your Child’, Psychology Today, 22 July, viewed 17 November 2014, http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/media-spotlight/201307/television-commercials-and-your-child Wikipedia 2014, ‘Effects of advertising on teen body image’, Wikipedia, 24 November, viewed 24 November 2014, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_advertising_on_teen_body_image Wixom, R 2013, ‘The Influence of Music’, The Church of Jesus Christ of latter – day Saints, September, viewed 26 November 2014, https://www.lds.org/youth/article/the-influence-of-music?lang=eng

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Wars by Timothy Findley Essay -- Justifying Wars Timothy Findley E

The Wars by Timothy Findley Justification. Defined as the act of justifying something. To serve as an acceptable reason or excuse for our actions, based on actual or believed information. Throughout the history of not only the modern world, but certainly back to the â€Å"barest essentials of reason† our species have made decisions that have effectively shaped our world into what it is today. Or have not. The judgments made in the past may also have been relatively insignificant to a larger picture, but would still be important in one persons or a group of people’s day-to-day life. Either way, choices made in any way, shape, or form, are based on what the decision maker believes to be true or morally right. Timothy Findley displays the abovementioned opinion-based judgments in the novel The Wars. From the background behind the novel, to the ending scene of the main character being burned to the ground in a flaming barn, many choices are made. Whether large and important or small and insignificant, Mr. Findley asks us as readers and as humans to look into ourselves to uncover the reasoning behind the choices, as well as our own actions and the actions of our leaders. The justification for most of the aforementioned incidents in The Wars can be classified under 3 broad-based ideas: safety, self-interest or the moral/general good. The first of these main ideas brought up in the novel is safety. The time setting of the story starts in 1915, almost a year after the First World War has begun. At the beginning of this war, the first major decision based on the idea of public safety was made: going to war in the first place. Assassination at Sarajevo sparks what would be a catastrophic loss for nations all across the world. This decision that directly affects the main character, Robert Ross, is Britain declaring war on August 5, 1914. This automatically makes Robert’s home country, Canada, at war as well, as they were part of the British Empire. In the past century, public safety has been the main justification for most types of war. But is going to war really safe? The conceived viewpoint of the author, often referring to the battlefield as lifeless and, in essence, counterproductive, says no. 9,000,000 casualties in four years across the world says no. Many attempts at peace by the UN and peacekeeping coun tries such as Canada say no. Yet, world leaders still pos... ...n for his condition after the fire, Robert would have been in prison for his actions. Instead, his almost lifeless body was guarded all day, even though it was stated by doctors that he would never be able to function or be capable or reason again. Or treason again. Second Lieutenant Robert Ross was a tyrant or pioneer. â€Å"Bastard† or â€Å"hero†. This is for us to decide for ourselves. Throughout The Wars, the main character is involved in many decisions, most of which fit under three main ideas or categories of justification: moral/general good, self-interest, and safety. Timothy Findley indirectly asks the readers of his novel to take these ideas into our own lives, and apply them to the decisions we make as a person or as a society. These decisions may be as simple as what type of bread we buy in the morning to more significant, such as who we vote for on Election Day. For any action we take there is always some type of justification or reason for doing what we are doing. It occurs today as it has occurred in centuries before. And surely, as we look into the future, the decisions will remain, only the justifications will differ, based on information we believe or know to be true.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Cycle of Slavery in The Tempest Essays -- Tempest essays

The Cycle of Slavery in The Tempest  Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s The Tempest blends elements of adventure and intellectual inquiry. The plot of Shakespeare’s last work contains comedy, romance, and action enough to sustain the interest of his common audience. However, there lies beneath the eloquent language and exciting plot an intelligent political commentary. Shakespeare uses the setting of a virtually uninhabited island as an experimental testing ground for the institution of slavery. Shakespeare shows through his island experiment that subjugation, once instituted, seems to perpetuate itself. While the most automatic explanation of this cyclical nature of slavery would be to say that this political rule is continued by the subjugators, the surprising reality is that it is the victim of colonialism who continues the cycle of slavery. Caliban, the native "islander"(2.2.36), despises his condition as a slave. However, in his attempt to disrupt and overthrow the political order instituted on the island by Prosp ero, Caliban actually provides evidence of the power of slavery over both man and mind. Caliban’s initial attempt to defy Prospero’s power via a verbal curse actually gives Prospero more authority as master in that the curse acknowledges the duke’s ultimate power. Caliban begins his speech with the vengeful request that all the evil "infections"(2.2.1) under the sun "fall"(2.2.2) upon the "tyrant"(2.2.160) Prospero. While Caliban wishes for Prospero to be so harmed by sickness, the slave does not have the power to make this happen. Instead, he must request that these evils "fall"(2.2.2) of their own accord upon Prospero. Caliban’s lack of authority because of his condition as a slave is immediately contrasted to that... ...tly subjugate Trinculo. This brilliant strategic move on Caliban’s part further perpetuates the cycle of subjugation. Once again it is the victim of slavery who acts as the agent in establishing and perpetuating slavery. In trying to benefit himself by breaking free of slavery, Caliban instead benefits the very practice he so despises. Slavery exerts its power in every aspect of Caliban’s life. In his speech, in his actions, in his thoughts, and even in his attempts to break free of slavery, Caliban cannot escape the powerful effects of subjugation. Caliban does not succeed in breaking the cycle of slavery. Its power and tendency to perpetuate itself are too great. Instead, the slave’s attempt to end his servitude actually propagates rather than abolishes the practice of slavery. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Mineloa, NY: Drover, 1999.

Why Western History Matters :: essays research papers

Critical Analysis for â€Å"Why Western History Matters† by Donald Kagan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Why Western History Matters† is an essay adapted from a speech Donald Kagan delivered to the National Association of Scholars, and was reprinted in the December 28, 1994, issue of the Wall Street Journal. Throughout Kagan’s essay, he describes the essential need for the college course, Western History. He does so by examining older cultures and explaining why they were quintessential to the past and to our future development as a society. I strongly concur with Kagan’s standpoint of the necessity of history, and the realization of how exactly our flourishing society came about. History is a key constituent in determining who we are; for to determine who we are one must first know from whence they came. In the words of George Santayana, â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it†. Donald Kagan argues for the requisiteness of Western History by describing older cultures, and then explaining how these older cultures became a key influence in what our society has become today. He examines the ancient Greek, Christian, and English culture influences that helped form our country. Throughout his essay, his depth of historical research is quite evident. He uses historical research of past cultures to imply the necessity of knowing where we, as Americans, came from. This approach helps establish the author’s credibility, and makes his presentation more plausible. The first ancient civilization that Kagan highlights is the Greek. He writes of their republic city-states, and pioneering of a â€Å"political life come to be shared by a relatively large portion of people†. He uses the Greek culture as an influence of science and reason. â€Å"The Greeks exposed everything they perceived—natural, human and divine—to the searching examination of reason.† Finally he describes the Greek quest for virtue and morality. He uses these examples to show how similar our culture is to the Greek. Second, Kagan explains of the Christian influence on our society. With the controversial idea of Christianity, â€Å"Philosophy led to the powerful divisive quarrels about the nature of God and other theological questions†. The influence of Christianity established itself within great writers of American history, who helped shape our country. Such as John Locke, who influenced our country’s foundation with the idea of God given â€Å"natural rights†, life, liberty and property. All of which define our personal freedom today. Finally, he discusses the influence of the English Revolution.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Power Theft Detection

1. INTRODUCTION The automatic meter reading(AMR) system as become a necessity for most suppliers as deregulation, free customer choice and open market competition occur in the energy supply sector. Power line communication has many new service possibilities on the data transferring via power lines without use extra cables. AMR is a very important application in these possibilities due to every user connected each other via modems using power lines. AMR is a technique to facilitate remote readings energy consumption.Improving the electrical power supply to households as a big issue. The government has set a specific goal to raise the distribution rate of electrical power supply, which is now around 70% to 80% to 100%. Power companies are plagued by power theft. PLC will play an important role in placing anti-theft power system. Illegal electricity may be a serious problem in many countries . This problem has been attempted to be resolved by special skills of humans, such as the police special security etc. These method could not give optimum solution due to their impracticalities. Similar essay: Essay About Snatch TheftMeter reading has been applied by humans and some electronics solutions such as optical reading methods, creditable utilization of electrical energy etc. Many chips which can be used for digital energy metering and PLC modems. The problem of illegal usage of electricity must be solved electronically, without any human control. 2. POWER THEFT Electrical power by altering, slowing, resetting, swapping, or disconnecting an electric meter. Theft also may occur by rewiring circuits to avoid an electric meter, or by tapping into another customer’s electrical lines.The fraudster might use devices to program the theft of power only during certain periods of theday or week. A fraudster may rewire their property to illegally use power from cheaper sources of power, or from meters that are billed at lower rates. The fraudster risks electrocution and detection. Field employees of the power company are trained to spot problems that result in persons n ot being billed for all the electricity they use. Computerized billing systems are designed to detect erratic electricity use Fig No 2. 1 3. PLC installATION.Power meters with PLC  modules will be installed near the top of the power polls. Previously, it was enough to install power meters in high places, not in low places such as the house wall, to prevent users from using power illegally by connecting cables, or by using tampered meters. However, by doing so, the homeowners themselves cannot check how much electricity was used. Therefore, PLC  technology was chosen. Meters installed in high places will send data of the used amount to each household through power lines. Homeowners can then check the amount used on the displays installed in each house.This means that the measurement function and the display function of the meters will be separated. [pic] Fig No3. 1 †¢Ã‚  Power theft is prevented by installing  HD-PLC-mounted power meters on a high position on power polls, while the amount of power used in each household can still be checked Each power meter is connected to an optical fiber network, and information of the amount used by each household is sent to the power companies. If the power companies find that a payment is delinquent, they can remotely stop the power supply by controlling the meters through the optical fiber network.In this way,  HD-PLC  and optical fiber networks enable power companies to prevent power theft, and to grasp the actual amount of power consumed by district or by each household in real time, and also to control the amount of power supply. The waste of power can also be reduced, another big advantage. Furthermore, wide spread use of the power meters with  HD-PLC  modules is expected to reduce regional disparities in information, or the ‘digital divide’. 4 . DETECTION OF ILLEGAL ELECTRICITY USAGE 4. 1 Methods Of Illegal Electricity Usage:In illegal usage, a subscriber illegally use electricity in f ollowing ways: 4. 1. 1 Using the mechanical objects: A subscriber can use some mechanical objects to prevent the revolution of a meter, so that disk speed is reduced and the recorded energy is also reduced. 4. 1. 2 Using a fixed magnet: A subscriber can use a fixed magnet to change the electromagnetic field of the current coils. As is well known , the recorded energy proportional to electromagnetic field. 4. 1. 3. Using the external phase before meter terminals: This method gives subscribers free energy without any record. . 1. 4. Switching the energy cables at the meter connector box: In this way ,the current does not pass through the current coil of the meter, so the meter does not record the energy consumption. Although all of the methods explained above may be valid for electromechanical meters, only the last two methods are valid for digital meters. 5. DESCRIPTION ON PLC Most economically viable technology for transferring Meter data to DCU. Uses the technique of communicating the data over existing Electrical Lines which carry LT power to the site.PLC is a kind of communication technology, which uses Medium Voltage(MV) and Low Voltage(LV) distribution network as the communication media to implement transmission of data, voice and real time image. The components involved in PLC are the; 1. Power Line Carrier Unit which provides signal transmission and reception. 2. There is a Coupler used for â€Å"clamping† around a live wire thus injecting the communication signals into the power line. 3. PLC modem 5. 1 The monitoring system mainly has the following functions: 1. Remote meter-reading 2. Data acquisition 3. Thread PLC transmissions are synchronized to the zero crossing point of the AC power line. It should be transmitted as close to the zero crossing point i. e. within 200 ? s. Square wave with a max Delay of 100 ? s from the zero crossing point The maximum delay between signal envelope input and 120KHz output bursts is 50 ? s. Therefore, it shoul d be arranged that outputs to the within 50 ? s. 5. 2 CODE TRANSMISSION: A Binary 1 is represented by a 1 ms burst of 120 KHz the zero crossing point and a Binary 0 by the absence of 120 KHz. Therefore only the 1 ms â€Å"envelope† need be applied to their inputs.These 1 millisecond bursts should actually be transmitted three times to coincide with the zero crossing points of all three phases in a three phase distribution system. 6. DIFFERENT COUPLING UNITS. [pic] 7. DEFINITION ON AMR AMR(AUTOMATIC REMOTE READING) automates the process of measurement through digital communication techniques. Bring â€Å"intelligence† into the revenue cycle and manage it: The revenue cycle includes metering, billing operating, customer and the services. 7. 1 ADVANTAGES: 1. Smart automated process instead of manual work. 2. Accurate information from the network load to optimise maintenance and investments . Customized rates and billing dates. 4. Streamlined high bill investigations. 5. D etection of tampering of Meters. 6. Accurate measurement of transmission losses. 7. Better network performance and cost efficiency. 8. Demand and distribution management. 9. More intelligence to business planning 10. Better company credibility. 8. DETECTION AND CONTROL SYSTEM The proposed control system for the detection of illegal electricity usage is: [pic] FIG. 8. 1 PLC signaling is only valid over the low voltage -220VAC power lines. The system should be applied to every low-voltage distribution network.The system given in fig 7. 1 belongs only one distribution transformer network and should be repeated for every distribution network. Although the proposed system can be used uniquely, it is better to use it with automatic meter reading system. If the AMR system will be used in any network, the host PLC unit and a PLC modem for every subscriber should be contained in this system. In fig7. 1 the host PLC unit and other PLC modems are named PLC1A,†¦. ,PLCNA and are used for AM R. These units provide communication with each other and send the recorded data in kilowatthour meters to the PLC unit.In order to detect illegal usage of electrical energy, a PLC modem and an energy meter chip for every subscriber are added to an existing AMR system. As given in fig1, PLC1B,†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦,PLCNB and energy meter chips belong to the detector. The detector PLC’s and energy meters must be placed at the connection point between distribution main lines and subscriber’s line. 8. 1 ADVANTAGE OF THIS SYSTEM : Most economically viable technology for transferring Meter data to DCU. Uses the technique of communicating the data over existing Electrical Lines which carry LT power to the site.Since the connection point is usually in the air or at underground, it is not suitable for anyone to access, such that its control is easy. It is very economical and is reliable solution when it is compared with the economical loss caused by illegal usage. 8. 2 CONDITIONS FOR T HIS DETECTION AND CONTROL: PLC signaling must be in CENELAC standards. CENELAC has formed the standard in which the frequency bands, signaling levels, and procedure are specified. 3-9 khz are restricted for use by electricity suppliers, and 95-148. 5khz are restricted to consumer use. The signal level for the band 95-148. khz is limited as follows. For general use ,the signaling level is limited to 116db µV. 9. DETECTION The recorded data in kilowatt hour meters for every subscriber are sent to host PLC modem via PLC modems which are placed in subscribers locations. On the other hand energy meter chips are located in connection point and read the enrgy in kilowatthours and also send the data to host PLC unit. This proposed detector system as two recorded energy data in host PLC unit, one which comes from the AMR-PLC, and the other which comes from the PLC at the connection points.These two recorded energy data are compared in the host PLC; if there is any difference between two re adings an error signal is generated. This means that there is an illegal electricity usage in the network. After that, the subscriber address and error signal are combined and sent to the central control unit. If it is, requested, a contacter may be included to the system at location to turn off the energy automatically, as in the case of illegal usage 10.. ILLEGAL DETECTOR SYSTEM FOR ONE SUBSCRIBER [pic] Fig No 10. 1 11.SYSTEM SIMULATION AND MODELLING OF THE DETECTION SYSTEM OF ILLEGAL ELECTRICITY USAGE FOR ELECTROMECHANICAL KILOWATTHOUR METERS [pic] Figure 11. 1 A host PLC modem, an energy meter chip and its PLC modem, an electromechanical kilowatthour meter and its PLC modem, and an optical reflector sensor system are loaded at the same phase of the power grid. The energy value at the electromechanical kilowatthour meter is converted to digital data using optical reflector sensor. Disk speed of the kilowatthour meter is couted and obtained data is sent to PLC modem as energy valu e of the kilowatthour meter.At the system model, an illegal load may be connected to the power line before the kilowatthour meter via an S switch. While only a legal load is in the system, two meters are accorded each other to compensate for any error readings. The host PLC unit reads two recorded data coming from metering PLC units. If the S switch is closed ,illegal load is connected to the system. , and therefore two recorded energy values are different from each other. The host PLC unit is generated when it received two different records from the same subscriber. This is the detection of the illegal usage for interested users.In these, the tests, the carrier frequency is selected at 132khz, which is permitted in the CENELAC frequency band. In real application, the AMR system may be designed in all CENELAC bands. The data rate between the host and the other PLC modem is 2400b/s. Data signaling between PLC modems has a protocol which includes a header, address, energy value data, error correction bits, and other serial communication bits such as parity and stop bits. The protocol may also be changed according to the properties of the required system and national power grid architecture.In the digital energy meter system, the recorded energy may be received in the digital form directly using the port of the meter. Therefore, there is no need for an optical reflector system in digital meters. 12. AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED DETECTOR SYSTEM The proposed detector system is the equipment and procedure for controlling more remote stations from a master control station. It includes PLC modems, energy meters, control logics, and the system software . 12. 1 PLC MODEMS: These used for two way communication to and from the host station and the remotely controlled targets. 12. 2 ENERGY METER AND CONTROL LOGIC:Energy meter includes metering chip, and some circuit element. control and logic units compare and generate the error signal in the illegal usage. 12. 3 SYTEM SOFT WARE: Assembler program for the microcontroller and the operating software for the management of the overall system. Operator software may be downloaded from a PC and should be placed in the main center of the system. 13. AN AMR SYSTEM FOR AN ILLEGAL DETECTOR PERFORMS THE FOLLOWING FUNCTONS: 1) 1Every user has two PLC modems; one is for AMR and the other is used to send the data from second energy meter chip to host PLC modem. ) An energy meter must be connected in the connection box between a home line and main power lines. 3) The host PLC unit must be placed in the distribution transformer and the configuration of the addressing format of PLC signaling must be designed carefully. 4. The host PLC modem and its controller must include two addresses per every user: one is the AMR and the other for the energy meter. These two addresses must be selected sequentially. 5. Operating software must designed for the information of every subscriber in every sub power network: subscriber ident ification number, billing address etc. . The system has two values of energy consumption for every user, so if there is a difference between them an error signal is generated for the illegal user. 7. The proposed equipment is the only one distributed in the power network. So this system should be repeated for all distribution power networks. All host units in each distribution transformer maybe connected only one main center station via phone lines, fibre optic cable or RF links. 14. CONCLUSION A detector system to determine illegal electricity usage via power line communication is designed and proposed.The proposed system is examined in laboratory conditions. Obtained results from this study show that if the AMR and detector system are used together, illegal usage of electricity may detected. The system functions with real-time monitoring users and burden forecast, which uses MV&LV PLC as its transmission media. The system is integrated with power management and burden control. Und er power theft, the relay is switched off isolating the area of power theft from the EB side . LCD display also indicates power theft. Energy regulation does not epresent an obstacle, since PLC service does not affect the power supply and maintains separate accounts from the core utility business. Once this proposed system is tried in real power lines, the distribution losses can be reduced effectively. 15. REFERENCE [1]Hakki Cavdar, †A solution to remote detection of illegal electricity usage via power line communication†, IEEE Trans. Power Delivery,vol. 19,no. 4,Oct 2004. [2] T. Y. Lim and T. W. Chan, â€Å"Experimenting remote kilowatt hour meter through low voltage power lines at dense housing areas†, IEEE Trans. Power Delivery, vol. 17, pp708-711,july 2002. [3] J.Newbury and W. Miller,† Multiprotocol routing for automatic remote using power line carrier systems†, IEEE Trans. Power delivery,vol. 16 pp 1-5,Jan 2001. ABSTARCT Power Line Communication (PLC) presents an interesting and economical solution for automatic meter reading (AMR). If an AMR system via PLC is set in a power delivery system, a detection system for illegal electricity usage may be easily added in the existing PLC network. In the detection system, the second digitally energy meter chip is used and the value of energy is stored. The recorded energy is compared with the value at the main kilowatt-hour meter.In the case of difference between two recorded energy data, in error signal is generated and transmitted via PLC network. The detector and control system is proposed. The architecture of the system and their critical components are given. This report describes a prototype of the detector system for illegal electricity usage using the power lines. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am thankful to Prof. Sukumaran P R ,Head of the Department for providing me with the facilities for the seminar. I would also express my sincere gratitude to Mrs. Rajashree Raghavan ,for her guida nce and mere cooperation for preparing and presenting the seminar.Above all I thank all the faculties of the EEE Department and my friends for their moral support and encouragement. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION01 2. WHAT IS POWER THEFT? 02 3. How is PLC installed ? 03 4. DETECTION OF ILLEGAL ELECTRICITY USAGE04 5. DESCRIPTION ON PLC:05 6. DETECTION AND CONTROL SYSTEM07 7. ILLEGAL DETECTOR SYSTEM FOR ONE SUBSCRIBER:10 8. SYSTEM SIMULATION AND MODELLING OF THE DETECTION SYSTEM OF ILLEGAL ELECTRICITY USAGE FOR ELECTROMECHANICAL KILOWATTHOUR METERS11 9. AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED DETECTOR SYSTEM:13 10. CONCLUSION:15 11. REFERENCE16