Central Asia: Geography, Culture and Economy Essay

Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area covered. The gigantic size of this country has made it exhibit monotony and diversity in its physical and human geography. The eastern plains of Russia from north to south are covered sequentially by tundra, taiga or coniferous forests, mixed forests with trees that have characteristic broad leaves, steppe or grasslands and a semi desert on the fringes of the Caspian Sea. These changes in vegetation are mainly as a result of climate changes. The eastern European plain covers most of European Russia. The western Siberian plain is the largest plain in the world, and stretches from the Urals to Yenisei River (Rowntree, 2011). The topography and vegetation is usually very uniform in the natural zones. Russia therefore presents a delusion of uniformity. Most of the major vegetation zones of the world are found in Russia except tropical rain forest (Rowntree, 2011). Nearly 11 % of Russia is tundra. This type of vegetation is tree-less and is found in the north most part of Russia extending from the border with Finland in the west to the Bering Strait to the east. This stretch the covers from Kamchatka peninsula in the north to the Pacific coast in the south. The taiga is the vastest natural region in Russia. Covers eastern Russia and western Siberia plains to the north and accounts for 60% of Russia (Rowntree, 2011). Very few tracts of land in the taiga are agriculturally viable. Those suitable for farming are located in the European fraction of Russia. The taiga is however the world’s biggest reserve of coniferous forests. A large section of the mixed forest has been cleared for agricultural purposes due to its agriculture potential. This is especially in Eastern Europe. The steppe is also favorable for agriculture due to modest temperatures and sufficient amount of sunshine and moisture. However, the area is at times adversely affected by excess rainfall and disastrous drought and very dry soils (Rowntree, 2011). There has been established a linkage between poor health and obliteration of ecosystems in Russia. Environmental degradation control measures who normally ignored in Russia till the 1990s when the government realized a vast area of the country was under ecological stress. The three major adverse environment conditions in Russia include; the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl – Ukraine in 1986, aridity of the Aral Sea and irradiation of northern Kazakhstan which is a nuclear testing site (Rowntree, 2011). The cost of rectifying these three events is by far more than the cost of any mitigation efforts else where in the world. Currently nearly 85% of the air in urban Russia is polluted. About 75% of the surface water in Russia is also polluted. Most of the rivers in Russia are agents of waterborne diseases. Nearly 80 million hectares of farm land in Russia has been exposed to industrial toxics, pesticides and other chemicals (Rowntree, 2011). Most of the forests in Russia have also been affected by acid rain from the European and Siberian industries. Radioactive contamination of the water has spread to the Japanese sea resulting into a conflict between the two countries. Indigenous people are currently faced with a tremendous crisis with the dawn of globalization. They are faced with extinction, survival or renewal in a continuously globalizing world. These communities lack a voice and are easily cleared by market forces (Rowntree, 2011). Globalization is therefore not only a marginalization factor for the indigenous communities, but a threat to their very existence. Indigenous people are normally found in the world’s most pristine areas which are most sought after by developers. Such areas are rich in forests, minerals among other valuable natural resources. New technological advances are also alienating the native communities (Rowntree, 2011). Global economic agreements have also contributed to the demise of hunters and gatherers. Finally, most indigenous people have ended up being displaced to pave way for activities such as mining and dam construction (Rowntree, 2011). Most governments do not consult the native communities when making decision concerning international trade. These communities are a rich reserve of indigenous knowledge and culture which are vital in the preservation of the natural world (Rowntree, 2011). Hard access to the coast does not necessarily obstruct trade and industry development on developing nations. Nonetheless, developing countries, which lack access to the sea, record reduced trade expansion, Europe being the only exemption to this occurrence. Being land locked has a major negative impact on trade thus affecting the country’s economy (Rowntree, 2011). Land -lockedness is estimated to reduce trade by about 80%. The distance between a landlocked country and the nearest port is a major factor affecting trade level disparities among landlocked countries. This is a reason why most of central Asia countries are economically affected by their geographic location compared to land locked nations in Europe whose distance is shorter compared to those in central Asia (Rowntree, 2011). For instance, Switzerland and Austria are more advantaged compared to land locked countries in central Asia because these countries lack the bargaining power for reduced transit costs (Rowntree, 2012). Compared to land locked countries in Europe, those in central Asia are remotely located from major world markets. Central Asia is divided into three major zones physically. These are; northern belt steppes (north of Caspian sea, Dzungaria and Tarim basin), southern belt, south of Aral sea (Khorezm, Amu Darya) and north east Iran desert (Khorasan and Margiana) (Rowntree, 2011). Islam is the major religion in central Asia with most of them being Sunni. Initially Zoroastrianism was the major religion. It had roots in Afghanistan. Buddhism was also common before arrival of Islam. Among the Turkic people, Tengriansim was more common before Islam was introduced. In Mongolia, the most common religion is Tibetan Buddhism. In this region shamanism is also common. A form of Christianity called Nestoriansm was commonly practiced in central Asia. Russian is the most common language in this region. However, mandarin Chinese is also common in Mongolia (Rowntree, 2011). Turkmen is mainly spoken by former Soviet Union central Asia nations. Other languages include Tibetan language spoken in the Tibet plateau. Central Asia is also at the cross road of shamantic and Buddhism practices. There is also a form of oral poetry chiefly practiced in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Photography is also common in former Soviet Union nations such as Uzbekistan due to the influence of Russia. Other forms of arts include Manas which is a style of singing in Kyrgyzstan (Rowntree, 2011). Among the five major nations in central Asia, Kazakhstan is the most economically empowered followed by Turkmenistan. The poorest of these nations is Kyrgyzstan with a gross domestic product per capita of $850. Economic progress has been held back by the fact that this region is negatively affected by external influences and has for time served as a battle ground for world powers. Despite its rich natural resources, the region in general has not been able to exert its control on these resources (Rowntree, 2011).

Business ethics in different countries Essay

A Code of Ethics is a business or an organization’s policy applicable to all its activities and relationships. It should identify principal responsibilities its stockholders, shareholders, employees and communities. Its main function is to provide guidance in cases of moral dilemmas. Many corporations have implemented codes of conduct that define unacceptable behavior and serve as a guideline for the practice of ethical conduct. This is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough for an organization merely to have written codes of ethics. Many business organizations are also  taking a more proactive position in the area of promoting the practice of ethical behavior. To reinforce the organization’s values and standards, ethics training programs should be held on a regular basis rather than being a one-shot deal. Business ethics should be practiced in every country around the world. The United States, Hong Kong and Russia are several countries that will be menti oned that practice business ethics. In The United States, business ethics is a topic that businesses are becoming more aware of. An article in USA Today Magazine in January 1998,states, â€Å"Companies are discovering the value of ethics†. The discussion of ethics in the business world goes hand and hand with the term, profit. It was thought that the more ethical a business is, the less profitable it is; the more profitable, the less ethical. In recent times, there is a positive relation between ethics and profit. Ethics serves as a foundation for the success of businesses. An ethical company provides a moneymaking opportunity and can be the source of a competitive advantage. Employee and customer theft is a major problem for businesses, as a shrinking on the job and declining work ethic. A culture in which drug abuse certainly does not help minimize the problem of theft, businesses are ultimately forced to administer drug-screening tests. The expenses for the drug tests incur great costs for the businesses. Employees with the right values would not need to take the drug testing, thus the company would save money. Consequently, employers will try to hire employees who statistically are more likely to be honest. Ethical behavior is like a virtuous cycle between the customers, employees, and suppliers. As a company builds trust, customers, employees and suppliers are less likely to act immorally. Another benefit of ethical behavior is that it provides a solution to what theorists call â€Å"collective action problems†. A way to tackle the problem is to provide incentive so that the cost-benefit ratio is reversed. In certain situations, production of goods or services requires a team effort so that the individual contribution of each team member cannot be isolated or measured. Any team member who acts in a purely self-interested manner would free ride off the others. The benefits of group activity are optimized only when free riding does not take place. When team members or work associates are bounded  by trust and respect a common value will be present. Another benefit of ethical behavior is that it preserves the social capital that makes a free market possible. A market coexists with many other institutions in society, including: the family, the church, and the political, criminal justice, and educational systems. Each of these institutions contributes toward making capitalism possible: The court system enforces contracts; the political system provides monetary stability; and the educational system trains future employees and prepares them for the workforce. Corporate misconduct raises the cost and reduces the amount of social capital. The more businesspeople try to avoid the terms of their agreement, the greater the number of disputes that end up in court. Increased government activity adds to the cost of government. A market system needs moral capital as well. If capitalism is to be successful, there must be a widespread acceptance of certain moral norms, such as truth telling, and fair play. â€Å"As more and more people abandon these moral forms, the social capital that makes market activity possible, is depleted†, as stated by Norman Bowie. Bowie also states, â€Å"America is obsessed with quarterly reports -one that forces managers to focus on the short run, rather than the long run.† If corporations took the moral point of view, they would focus on meeting the needs of their stakeholders and focus on providing secure work for their employees and quality products for customers. If this were done, profits would follow. American capital differs from the capitalism in other countries. Ethical behavior can lower costs, increase productivity, and preserve the social capital that makes capitalism possible. It is in the nations’ interest to ensure that American capitalism is a leader in ethics as well as in product development. To help promote mutual understanding between the people of Hong Kong and foreign countries, as well as the development of business relationship, several major foreign countries have established their own chamber of commerce. â€Å"More recently, the ICAC and six chambers of commerce joined hands to boost corporate education as a way of increasing awareness of ethics in business.† The result was the founding of the Hong Kong Ethics Development Center in 1994. Among those foreign chambers of commerce, the American Chamber of Commerce has been playing an active role in promoting worker welfare and safety, and business ethics. The American Chamber of Commerce was an active participant in the establishment of the Hong Kong Ethics Development Center. â€Å"The American Chamber of Commerce is the only foreign chamber of commerce which incorporates the codes of conduct as part of their position paper.† Although the basis brief of Hong Kong Independent Commissions Against Corruption (ICAC) is to fight corruption, it also helps firms devise codes of ethics. To those international firms with an attempt to set up their Codes of Conduct in Hong Kong, the ICAC provides some advice regarding the basic concepts and contents. Honesty, integrity and social responsibility must be included in the Codes of Conduct. A study surveyed 197 second-year students who attended an international business course in an institution in Hong Kong, both at the beginning and the end of the term. Active learning about business ethics displayed significant effects on later ethical reasoning and judgment. A proactive finding is that business students learned business ethics to a lesser extent than did other students. The relative ignorance of business students needs special concern for enhancing their awareness of business ethics. Although female students were significantly more ethical in exhibiting judgments than male students, they learned about business ethics to a lesser extent. Female students should be of particular concern for promoting their ethical development through business ethics education. â€Å"Known as an amoral society, Hong Kong tends to be at risk for problems of business ethics.† â€Å"A study found that business students in Hong Kong were less ethical toward customers than Taiwanese and Japanese counterparts.† With the help of The American Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong Ethics Development Center, the people of Hong Kong will be on their way to succeed in becoming a more ethical nation. Perhaps, the surveys taken in the future will show outstanding results from Hong Kong’s ethical improvements. The Hong Kong Institute of Land Administration has established their own code of ethics, which have twelve guidelines, which are as follows: 1.This Code is meant to ensure the professional competence and integrity of all members in providing their services to the client or the general public. 2.Members should devote their utmost effort to become competent by qualification and experience to perform services, which they are appointed to take. Furthermore, they have to constantly update and upgrade themselves in new developments, law and technologies to cope with the changing demand, practice and procedures, and Government policies. 3.Members have a duty to contribute towards the improvement of professional standards and the training of their staff as well as any other people interested in the profession through career development, lectures or running courses, etc. 4.Members shall endeavor to co-operate with other professionals, disciplines and individuals so as to achieve optimum results in respect of their tasks and assignments. 5.Members should not take part in any business, malpractice or any act of misbehavior, which may cause an adverse effect on, or damage to the public image and reputation of the Institute. 6.Members should not get involved in any suspected or known illegal dealings especially in connection with their profession or duties. They have the obligation to uphold justice in land administration and in providing their professional services. 7.In the event of any controversies occurred between members of the Institute, the respective Committees of the Council, or the full Council of the Institute should settle them either between themselves or without involving any non-member third party, outside bodies or the public media to safeguard the professional reputation of the Institute. 8.Members should not publicly criticize their fellow members of the Institute without the explicit consent given and in a manner approved by the Chairman in Council Meeting. 9.No member shall injure falsely or maliciously, directly or indirectly, the reputation, prospects or business of other members. 10.Any member charged under the prevailing laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in connection with his/her professional activities or duties whether or not involving the Institute shall report the occurrence forthwith to the Institute. 11.Members must disclose to their employers or clients any personal or conflicting interest involved in the course of performing their duties or assignment. This also covers any benefit gained from a third party even not in breach of their professional responsibilities. If they are acting for their company, then any conflicting interest with other client(s) shall be disclosed to the client. 12.Members must protect the privacy of any data provided by or belonging to their clients for the sake of professional integrity as well as compliance with the relevant legislation of the HKSAR. â€Å"Internally, a Code of Ethics conveys to all staff a clear idea of the accepted conduct for achieving business goals.† It also helps maintain consistent standards of behavior throughout the company. Externally, the Code of Conduct enhances a company’s reputation for fair and responsible dealing. â€Å"It also strengthens Hong Kong’s reputation as an international business center where honesty and fair play prevails.† An effective Code of Conduct reduces costs and enhances profits because: it reduces incidents of corruption fraud and other malpractices, it reduces conflict if interests situations, it enhances the trust of your customers, suppliers and contractors. It enhances the credibility of your buyers and salespersons; it enhances the loyalty and goodwill of your employees and other stakeholders.  Individual companies as well as the Hong Kong business community continue to enjoy a reputation of honesty and fair play. Another country that is practicing business ethics is Russia. Although many people still view Russia as a corrupt country it is trying to modernize in the business world as compared to Hong Kong and the United States. Corruption has become a way of life for Government officials in Russia. Bribe taking, in fact, is a widespread practice throughout the Russian bureaucracy. A number of U.S. and other Western businesses and businessmen routinely pay bribes to Russian Government officials in order to conduct their businesses in Russia. â€Å"Indeed, the most prevalent crime in Russia today is bribery†. â€Å"Of those charged with bribery and corruption in Russia in 1993, over forty-two percent were Government officials and over twenty-five percent were law enforcement officers†. Not only do Russian officials routinely accept and even demand bribes, they have also entered into an illicit partnership with organized crime and with clandestine business groups. â€Å"Former Communist apparatchiks, who continue to work within the Russian bureaucracy, exploit previously made black-marketers relationships to profit in the new post-Revolutionary Russian system.† Not only does the Mafia kill and steal in Russia, it does so in the United States as well. â€Å"The Russian Mafia is increasingly engaged in crime in the West.† Mafia members are involved in â€Å"theft, extortion, money-laundering, gun-trafficking, drug running, prostitution, smuggling, loan sharking, contract killing and more. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has established task forces to deal with the Russian Mafia in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. Thus, U.S. businesses that pay bribes and protection money in Russia may be unintentionally financing Russian criminal activity back in the United States. â€Å"Bribe-taking is standard practice among Russian Government officials, a fact of which the Yeltsin Administration is well aware.† In 1994, the Yeltsin Government reported that seventy to eighty percent of private businesses were paying extortion money to organized criminal gangs. Eighty percent of all U.S. businesses in Russia have bribed a Russian government official at least once. It is not uncommon for businesses in Russia to employ assassins in the collection of business  debts. † In 1993, organized crime controlled forty percent of the turnover in goods and services in Russia, according to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.† Moreover, the growth of organized crime has severely hampered the growth of private small businesses in the Country. The success of Russian democracy represents a fundamental pillar of U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. Government spends millions of U.S. tax dollars to promote democratic and market, economic reforms in Russia. Meanwhile, U.S. businesses and businessmen who pay bribes to Russian Government officials may be unwitting supporters of organized crime in Russia. More importantly, bribery of Russian Government officials undercuts efforts to create an open and democratic government in Russia. On the brighter side the Russian Government is taking action to control the ethical standards of the country. On November 8, 2000, the first Center for Business Ethics (CBE) in Russia was officially registered in St. Petersburg. The new Center evolved out of the private sector voluntary initiative, the â€Å"Declaration of Integrity in Business Conduct in St. Petersburg†, supported by over 130 leading companies in the community. â€Å"The Center for Business Ethics has two founding partners: a US company â€Å"Sovereign Ventures, Inc.† and a Russian firm â€Å"Bronze Lion†. The main counterpart of CBE is the Ethics Resource Center (ERC), headquartered in Washington DC, with over 50 years experience specializing in consulting businesses on corporate culture.† The mission of the newborn organization is to institutionalize ethical business in St. Petersburg. CBE provides an anti-corruption toolbox for businesses from ever industry operating in the region. Members of the new Center can obtain the following services: assistance in development a company’s code of conduct, advice on the effective ways of repudiation of bribery, hints on fair tax payment, development of ethics training programs for employees, publicity for ethical leadership, raising issues connected with business ethics a given industry branch. They can also network with other ethical businesses and thereby find natural partners for growth. â€Å"The Center for Business Ethics is a response to demand from local and  government business leaders who founded the â€Å"Declaration of Integrity† for a non-profit organization that could sustain a variety of new programs designed to create a culture of ethics compliance in St. Petersburg.† – says Matthew Murray, President of â€Å"Sovereign Ventures, Inc.†, who will also serve as the first President of the Board of CBE. The team of business ethics experts working for the Center consists of several Russian attorneys, a senior accountant and a journalist. They have been professionally trained by in the US at the Ethics Resource Center or other organizations in international practices of business ethics. The 6 experts include: Anna Ossipova (director), Anton Andreyev (ethics consultant), Elena Fedyushina (ethics consultant), Alina Mitzkevich (ethics consultant), Natalya Clark (PR manager), Oksana Trofimova (senior accountant). The first project launched by the Center for Business Ethics is an â€Å"Island of Integrity† designed to promote open tenders in the construction business and attract further investment to St. Petersburg. â€Å"It has been less than one week since our Center was opened, and the Open Society (Soros) Foundation has offered CBE a grant for the â€Å"Island of Integrity†. – Announced Anna Ossipova, Director of CBE- â€Å"It shows that the momentum behind voluntary initiatives to undertake honest business is growing†. The Saint Petersburg Ethics Center proposed the development of the St. Petersburg Ethics Center (SPEC). The organization’s mission will be to help cultivate the social capital or core values. SPEC will create the institutional framework to ensure sustainability of business ethics initiatives in the city. It will locally develop and retain important skills and capacities. The organization will serve as the legal framework to raise local and international funds in support of its programs. It will become a resource for the community at large, and the champion of the ethics dialogue in St. Petersburg. Specifically, SPEC will initially undertake a variety of proactive business ethics and anti-corruption initiatives and programs such as: Promoting the declaration of integrity; providing training, education and technical assistance; fostering dialogue about ethics education at the university and professional levels; assisting professional and trade  associations to develop codes of conduct, ethics programs and enforcement infrastructure for their membership. Other programs include: increasing awareness about corruption and the strategies to fight it; identifying concrete steps to encourage public-sector reform and conduct research and generate new learning. â€Å"The new learning generated through these activities will then inform the work of SPEC through the creation of culturally relevant approaches and strategies for the other programs of the organization.† Government corruption in Russia is a historical burden on economic and political modernization. Russia must find its own path to root out corruption, using the multitude of positive values and ethical traditions found in Russian culture. They are beginning a long-term process to integrate their strong moral traditions with international standards of business ethics. The present project is designed to sustain these accomplishments by developing and launching SPEC to institutionalize ethical business practices between businesses and government officials in ST. Petersburg and other regions of Russia. 1 Shrinking occurs when an employee or customer steals from a company in which they work or shop, and the outcome is less profit and shortage in inventory. 2 A Collective action problem occurs when an obvious public good cannot be achieved because it is not in the self-interest of any individual who is part of the problem to take steps to resolve it. 3In Hong Kong, there are the American Chamber of Commerce, the Australian Chamber of Commerce, the British Chamber of Commerce, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. 4According to an article â€Å"International Business Ethics: Hong Kong from Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business 5 According to an article â€Å"International Business Ethics: Hong Kong from  Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business 6 College Student Journal. December 1999.  © 1999 Project Innovation (Alabama) 7 College Student Journal, December 1999. In Ikels, C 1989. Becoming a human being in theory and practice: Chinese views of human development. In D.I. Kertzer & K.W. Schaie (Eds.), Age Structuring in comparative perspective (pp.109-134). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum 8College Student Journal, December 1999. In Nyaw, M.K., & Ng, I. (1994). A Comparative Analysis of Ethical Beliefs: A Four Country Study. Journal of Business Ethics, 13, 543-555. As stated in Corporate Code of Conduct As stated in Corporate Code of Conduct To Whom Belongs Power in Russia? Ministry of Thieves-in-Law: An Attempt at Breaking into Politics, Izvestia, July 20, 1994, at 1, 5 [hereinafter Izvestia]. George Nikides, Journalists Hit TV Mafiya, Moscow Times, Oct. 5, 1994, at 10. While virtually all activities were controlled by the Government in the former Soviet Union, there are now a large number of government officials working in what is now the private sector. Id. As the Author notes: See To Whom Belongs Power in Russia?, supra note 4, at 1, 5; Money Talks, supra note 8, at 10. Stephen Handleman, Comrade Criminal 55-56 (1995). Daniel Klaidman, How To Police an Ex-Police State, Legal Times, July 11, 1994, at 12. Leonid Bershidsky, Aids Say State Loans Still Open to Bribery, Moscow Times, July 13, 1994, at 1-2. Officials in the Yeltsin Administration admitted that bribes often determine who and what organizations get government loans and  assistance. Id. U.S. Business and the Russian Mob As stated in Defense Industry Initiative on business ethics and conduct As stated in the Ethics Resource Center

Brazil Essay Research Paper Brazil is the

Brazil Essay, Research Paper Brazil is the largest state in South America. It stretches about 2700 stat mis from the underside of the Andes Mountains eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. It borders on every state of the continent except for Chile and Ecuador. Brazils functionary name is the Federative Republic of Brazil. Brazil occupies about half of South America and is the universe s fifth-largest state in country. Although its country is merely a little less than that of the United States, Brazil s population is merely approximately 60 % that of the United States. The capital of Brazil is Brasilia. It was built in the Highlandss get downing in 1957 to promote development of the inside. The population in Brasilia is estimated to be about 1,576,657. The largest metropolis is Sao Paulo and it is estimated that the population there is near10, 099,086. Brazil s entire population is estimated to be approximately 150,400,000. History Brazil is the lone Latin American state that takes its linguistic communication and civilization from Portugal. The native dwellers largely consisted of the mobile Tup -Guaran Indians. Adm. Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed the district for Portugal in 1500. The early adventurers brought back a wood that produced a ruddy dye, pau-brasil, this is where the land received its name. Portugal began colonisation in 1532 and made the country a royal settlement in 1549. During the Napoleonic Wars, King Jo o VI, fearing the progressing Gallic ground forcess, ran the state in 1808 and set up his tribunal in Rio de Janeiro. Jo O was brought place in 1820 by a revolution, go forthing his boy as trustee. When Portugal wanted to cut down Brazil once more to colonial position, the prince declared Brazil # 8217 ; s independency on Sept. 7, 1822, and became Pedro I, emperor of Brazil. Harassed by his Parliament, Pedro I abdicated in 1831 in favour of his five-year-old boy, who became emperor in 1840 ( Pedro II ) . The boy was a popular sovereign, but discontent built up and, in 1889, following a military rebellion, he had to renounce. Although a democracy was proclaimed, Brazil was ruled by military absolutisms until a rebellion permitted a gradual return to stableness under civilian presidents. In the last of a long series of military putschs, Gen. Jo o Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo became president in 1979 and pledged a return to democracy in 1985. The election of Tancredo Neves on Jan. 15, 1985, the first civilian president since 1964, brought a countrywide moving ridge of optimism, but when Neves died on April 21, Vice President Sarney became president. Sarney was widely distrusted because he had antecedently been a member of the military government # 8217 ; s political party. Collor de Mello won the election of late 1989, plighting to take down the chronic hyperinflation by following the way of free-market economic sciences. When Collor faced impeachment by Congress because of a corruptness dirt in Dec. 1992 and resigned, Vice President Itamar Franco assumed the presidential term. A former finance curate, Fernando Cardoso won the presidential term in the Oct. 1994 election with 54 % of the ballot. Cardoso has engineered the disposal of bad government-owned monopolies in the telecommunication, electrical power, port, excavation, railroad, and banking industries. In his short clip in office Cardoso # 8217 ; s economic acumen has made a mensurable dent in Brazil # 8217 ; s poverty degree. Culture The cultural diverseness that today characterizes the Brazilian population and the graduated tables of values of the different groups have promoted a civilization, which, far from representing a compact unit, consists of a grouping of different traditions and cultural m Langes. Within the society unmetabolised residues of crude civilizations, that still feed racial bias and favoritism, coexist alongside other universe positions, in peculiar the so called # 8220 ; American manner of life # 8221 ; based on the theoretical account of the industrialised West. The consequence of this is a societal thaw pot, which, similar to the North American 1, supports Braz il’s domination in the continent. The history of Brazilian art may be divided into three periods: The clip prior to the reaching of the Europeans ( up to 1500 A.D. ) , the period between the landing of the Portuguese and independency ( 1822 ) and the period that brings us up to today. As respects the prehistoric period ( from 8000 to 1000 B.C. ) , there are three distinguishable groupings of artistic discoveries: carvings and pictures on stone, which have been discovered in legion vicinities, instruments and comparatively rare sculptures in rock, and ceramics which constitute the most conspicuous grouping. At the beginning of the first millenary new groups, likely of Andean beginning and who had mastered agribusiness and the industry of ceramics, gave rise to a last stage in the development of local art that lasted up until the reaching of the Portuguese. The art of the Brazilian Indians continues to be today. However, it can merely be appreciated in portion since the groups that still pattern the traditional manner of life have been driven to remote internal parts of the state and their merchandises may be seen above all in museums and private aggregations. The 17th and 18th centuries are considered the aureate age for architecture, ornament and ornamentation of edifices. The alleged # 8220 ; Colonial Baroque # 8221 ; is particularly noticeable in domestic architecture, testimony to the traditions and manner of life imported from the fatherland. The drive force behind cultural development during this period were the missional orders. Of similar importance in the architectural field were military installings constructed by European designers. A particular topographic point is reserved, in the Brazilian figurative humanistic disciplines, for the retabulos, communion table pieces that constitute a cosmetic component conceived as a mark of the exultant Church of the Counter-reformation. Sculpture and picture are both basically connected to spiritual life. Neo-classicism arrived late in Brazil and characterized the whole of the nineteenth century. During the twentieth century Brazilian architecture has developed in connexion with the growing of the metropoliss. The most of import undertaking of this century has been the planning and building of the new capital, Brasilia, commissioned by president Kubztschek and designed by the designers Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer. Of these two the latter has left his grade in a manner which, in a atavist to the traditions of the Baroque, creates constructions that have aesthetic every bit good as functional purposes. Government Executive subdivision: head of province: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO ( since 1 January 1995 ) ; Vice President Marco MACIEL note the president is both the head of province and caput of authorities caput of authorities: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO ; Vice President Marco MACIEL note the president is both the head of province and caput of authorities cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and frailty president elected on the same ticket by popular ballot for four-year footings ; election last held 4 October 1998 election consequences: Fernando Henrique CARDOSO reelected president ; per centum of ballot 53 % Legislative subdivision: bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados Elections: Federal Senate last held 4 October 1998 for tierce of Senate ; Chamber of Deputies last held 4 October 1998 election consequences: Federal Senate per centum of ballot by party NA % ; seats by party PMDB 27, PFL 20, PSDB 16, PT 7, PPB 5 ; Chamber of Deputies per centum of ballot by party NA % ; seats by party PFL 106, PSDB 99, PMDB 82, PPB 60, PT 58 Judicial subdivision: Supreme Federal Tribunal, 11 Judgess are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate

Scio Consulting International, LLC Research Paper

Scio Consulting International, LLC - Research Paper Example ave to advance market entry strategies which entails identifying the market gaps, developing products which are tailored to specific needs and demands of the identified potential market, and conducting product standardization or differentiation depending on the preferences and customer tastes (Hossain, Patrick, & Rashid, 2012). In addition, small firms must conduct both macro and micro-environmental analysis to help identify the potential internal and external variables with the ability to impact on the performance and productivity of the firms. A born-global firm (established with the objective of multination operations in the mind) should be able to mobilize adequate financial resources and employ technical management team with the much needed skill and experience to run its global operations (Hossain, Patrick, & Rashid, 2012). The driving forces behind globalization for firms is to expand its market share, cut on its operation costs, and gain access to the global resources. The first strategy for small firms interested in global ventures is either importation or exportation or both. These initial steps are later followed by the more advanced non-export/import strategies such as franchising, licensing, strategic alliance formation, and delocalization/decentralization of its operations (Hossain, Patrick, & Rashid, 2012). The success of small firms in the international market is restricted by political risks, managerial and economic risks which potentially affects the performance and prospects of growth of these young firms. Politically, legal trade restrictions and other regulatory frameworks in the new business environment will restrict the success and the penetration ability of the new firms. Besides, other politically instigated factors such as corruption and bribery serve as a threat to the success of small firms. Economic risks which affect the success of international businesses are high inflation rate, mismanaged financial and economic policies, and

Multi National Companies- Boon or bane of globalization PowerPoint Presentation

Multi National Companies- Boon or bane of globalization - PowerPoint Presentation Example On one hand poverty remains as it is and on the other global corporate giants make their way commercially into poor nations. The second and third pictures show the outcome of Vogue photo shoot in India where the luxury brands are put on the poor people on the streets of New Delhi who perhaps strive to arrange for two square meals a day. The concept behind the advertisement is that the expensive fashion brands might wish to make this section of people their customers some day. This would be a far-fetched idea to come true and more than that it is ethically incorrect to put such contrasting scenarios in the photos. The photos also capture the attempt at forced westernization in the fashion industry. This is not only concerning the textiles segment but also other industries like sports and machineries. A burning question thus emerges whether multi-national corporations that is to globalization as white pigeon to peace is a boon or curse to the world? In what ways MNCs have affected glob alization? The multi-national corporations might be considered as the harbinger of globalization. A multi-national corporation is a firm that has its assets spread over many other countries along with its country of origin. In terms of the size; these firms are huge and some of them has turnover that might overshadow the GDP of a developing or less developed country. Ironically much like its parental body globalization; multi-national corporations are surrounded with much debate. In what ways do MNCs affect national governments? The classical and new classical economists consider globalization as a boon to society and votes against government intervention. As multi-national corporations are the direct product of globalization that consider the world as a borderless playing field and strongly depend on market force; hence an indirect support towards multi-national corporations can be drawn from the classical and neo classical economists. On the other hand the radical economists from Marxist clan always referred globalization and free market mechanism biased towards the haves and hence for a just social allocation supported government intervention. Little or no support can be found from the Marxist and Keynesians regarding multi-national corporations. If a national government becomes heavily dependent upon the FDI then inefficiency might creep up into its revenue accumulation system. All its development expenditure might then become dependent on FDI and if the MNC decides not to invest in the concerned nation all might collapse rapidly. Again at the worst a nexus of bribery might form between the government official and the multi national corporation that will again result in inefficient allocation of resources. As many MNCs have higher level of revenue than the GDP of developing and less developed countries hence if it withdraws its fund invested in a country and other MNCs follow suit then in no time it will bring a catastrophe to the concerned countryi. What are some of the potential positive consequences of this rising power of MNCs? The arguments favoring multi-national corporation stresses on its huge capital power that a country may take advantage if that multi-national corporation invest in that country. This is especially important if that country belongs to the developing or less developed clan. Since unemployment is a huge problem in those countries, hence fresh investments by the multi-national

Ethical and legal issues of do not resuscitate orders Essay

Ethical and legal issues of do not resuscitate orders - Essay Example Who decides how and when should a terminally ill patient die? Should we or shouldn’t we prolong the life of a patient who has no hope of a having a good life in the future? What is morally right and ethical? Should the patient be made to decide whether or not he/she wants to be resuscitated or do we â€Å"play God† and decide how life should be taken away? The issuance and the implementation of Do Not Resuscitate orders (DNR) in hospitals have been a very sensitive issue in all walks of life not just the medical sector most especially those cases involving the operating room where time is clearly of the essence and sometimes, decisions have to be made outright by the healthcare practitioners attending to the patient. In cases of patients in the OR, where there are no clear advance instructions, there is no time for healthcare practitioners to confer with the patient or his/her immediate family, thus, often times, decisions are made relying solely on the medical judgment of the attending healthcare practitioners. As these develop, many arguments have been presented and cases have reached the courts arguing the validity and morality of a DNR most especially those involving the operating theatre. This resulted in formal attempts to define the physicians’ obligations in such cases, resulting to varied and sometimes contradicting conclusions. Consent of the patient for example, have generated different reactions in terms of legislations. The state of New York passed legislation in 1988 mandating patient consent to DNR orders [New York State Public Health Law, 1988]. However, recent joint statement by the British Medical Association, the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Royal College of Nursing [BMA, RC (UK) RCN. 2001] in the United Kingdom did not specifically require patient consent to DNR orders. It does however

Renewable Energy in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Renewable Energy in Canada - Essay Example The second largest renewable source is wind that generates 1.6 percent of Canadian electricity. The third largest source is biomass with 1.4 percent share. Moreover, wind and photovoltaic energies are rapidly growing renewable sources in Canada. This paper briefly explores renewable energy and its contributions in Canada (NRCAN). Renewable energy is a kind of energy obtained from natural resources which can be renewed and regained within human lifespan, for instance, moving wind and sunshine. Numerous technologies and equipment are developed in order to exploit the potential natural resources. These equipments produce energy in the form of electricity, thermal energy, industrial heat, and transportation fuels (NRCAN). Canada's leading energy (renewable and other) resource is hydroelectric power. Most of this power is generated in water-rich and less populated Northern Canada in order to provide for urbanized South, for instance, Quebec's export to the U.S. Rapidly growing form of ren ewable energies are wind , solar, geothermal, and biomass. In 2009, Canada's generating capacity was 125,485 MW with 60 percent generated from renewable resources. Hydro power generation meets 90 percent of electricity demand in British Columbia and Quebec. However, British Columbia is a net importer while Quebec is a net exporter. Oil and natural gas resources are plentiful in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and Manitoba and Northern Ontario is rich in coal. On a national level, 20 percent generation is from nuclear source, 15 percent coal, and 5 percent is from natural gas source. Wind and solar energy are also gaining popularity through feed-in tariff (FIT). Enacted in 2009, FIT forced Ontario to trailing in North American market activity.FIT is supported by investor due to the money that flows upfront into the project (Wagman, 2011). It is estimated that Canada's generating capacity of 19,000 MW will retire by 2050.In addition, 45,000 MW generating capacity is required to meet the exi sting growth projects. Federal government's goal is to generate 90 percent of Canada's energy through non-emitting resources by the year 2020(Wagman, 2011). Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has signed 40 large-scale renewable energy projects under the province FIT program. These new projects include, solar, water, and wind projects which are expected to attract $3.04 billion in private sector investment. It will generate over 872MW renewable power, of which, 357MW is from 35 solar projects, 500KM from water project, and 615MW from four wind projects. It is claimed that these projects will produce 240 wind turbines and one million solar panels in Ontario. Canada's wind capacity is 3,549MW in 2011, and Ontario is the leading provider with1, 248MW or one third of the total wind energy production. Moreover, another one third is generated by Quebec (663MW) and Alberta (656 MW). Seven other provinces generate the final one-third of total energy. According to CanWEA, there is tenfold increase in wind energy production over the last six years (Wagman, 2011). Another comparatively untapped renewable technology is geothermal energy. Canada shares the same continental shelf and geology as Latin America, Mexico, and United States, and has other undeveloped 200 hot springs. However, federal government and provinces have failed to implement policies and regulations for further development of geothermal energy (Wagman, 2011). According to

Oceanographt- Chapter 11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oceanographt- Chapter 11 - Essay Example However, their individual inertias keep them apart so that they cannot smash or interfere with each other’s orbiting track. In addition, I have also learnt that, tides’ forces similar to wind can be useful in energy production, though this venture has not received adequate funding and implementation. This is especially in US, where despite Roosevelt outlining benefits, which the state can attain from utilizing tides’ energy, the regime during then failed to embrace this idea. The state refused funding the venture despite seeing its benefits in France, though US regime’s then decline was due to differences emanating from its parties’ varying policies held by each side. The excerpt contends that, among the numerous benefits, which the state utilize tides; the dominant encompasses traditional shipping though presently there are improvements. Since, they have resulted to utilizing diesel driven equipments that are faster than traditional yachts. The intriguing aspect encompasses how tidal friction leads to the slowing of earth’s turning. Since, the daily action of these tides normally entails immense energy expenditure, which in turn dissipates it as heat; hence, slowing earth turning by hundredths of a second in every century. Consequently, this has prompted the earlier one year that had approximately between 400 to 410 days to reduce as well as its day duration, which presently comprise of long days. This is because the moon faces one side, hence prompting one day in the moon to be almost a month comparable to earthly time. It is also intriguing how tides’ actions array aquatic lives forms into diverse categories according to their species and size. This is evident in the chapter’s illustration depicting grunion at the shore though proven scientists’ studies contend this is a process of this fish’s species

Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Advertising - Essay Example An advertisement has three chief types of copy; that is, the headline, body copy, and slogans (Bovee et al, 2007). The headline is the most significant and is usually positioned at the top in broad letters. This is because 80% of readers read the headlines only (Bovee et al, 2007). A typical American comes across more than 500 advertisements daily (Fowles, 2007). Therefore, copywriters must acquire the aptitude to appeal to reason, that is Logos, since the headlines must begin with pieces of evidence, and be able to draw conclusions from the evidence in the headline. The headline must have Ethical appeal, Ethos. This is a key element for consideration in an advertisement as it examines the integrity of the advertisement. The headline must depict respect to races, religion and the society itself; therefore a copywriter must consider Ethos when designing the headline. It brings the demand for affiliation (Fowles, 2007). Individuals need the feeling of friendship; thus copywriters ensure people feel that they need a product to be accepted in the society. The headline must have pathos, which is the appeal to emotions. This is the need to aggress (Fowles, 2007). When a reader reads an advertisement with a headline that assures to make them even with their foes, they fall for the product. The body copy is the second main element of an advertisement, and is graphical; since too many words bore the readers and too little words confuse readers (Bovee, 2007). They are catchy, colourful and complement the headline. The body of the advertisement must appeal to reason (Logos) that is, the reader must remember the picture he/she saw because it has to be reasonable. This is the requirement for aesthetic sensations, like pictures of landscapes and art (Fowles, 2007). The graphic picture must be ethical that is the argument appeal Ethos. Pictures that are disturbing or those that makes the populace uncomfortable should be shunned. These pictures evoke the feeling of

Delima Case Aummary Essay Example for Free

Delima Case Aummary Essay Delima Enterprise was founded in 1981 by Encik Zayed. It conducted trading and supplying related products including manpower supplies to the oil and gas industries. In 2004, the enterprise was incorporated as Delima Enterprise Sdn. Bhd. Encik Zayed as the Managing Director and his wife Puan Hashimah as the Chief Operating Officer managed the company. The other personnel were Puan Balqis as the Operation Manager and Encik Salam as the Human Resource and Administration Manager. Both of them were family members of Encik Zayed and Puan Hashimah with only secondary school background and likewise Encik Zayed and Puan Hashimah. As the company was incorporated as Delima Enterprise Sdn. Bhd. the company expand their business operation into provision of engineering services. Their mission was to become a leading service contractor and provide quality and excellent services. In May 2006, the company had employed Cik Amy as Finance Executive. She was responsible for maintenance of the accounting and financial matters, including the preparation of accounts. Subsequently, in May 2006, the company had secured a contract worth RM 750,000 to be implemented a duration of six months. However, due to shortage of funds, the company had submitted applications to Maybank and CIMB Bank Berhad for banking facilities totaling RM 1 million. The banks required the company’s Audited Financial Statements for the last two years. This was when Encik Zayed realized that the company had never been audited. Therefore, his friend had introduced an audit firm and shortly after, Aziz Co. was engaged to perform audit and to be completed as earliest as possible to meet the bank’s requirement.

Fragment Allocation In Distributed Database Design

Fragment Allocation In Distributed Database Design A database that consists of two or more data files located at different sites on a computer network. Because the database is distributed, different users can access it without interfering with one another. However, the DBMS must periodically synchronize the scattered databases to make sure that they all have consistent data, or in other words we can say that a distributed database is a database that is under the control of a central database management system (DBMS) in which storage devices are not all attached to a common CPU. It may be stored in multiple computers located in the same physical location, or may be dispersed over a network of interconnected computers. Collections of data (e.g. in a database) can be distributed across multiple physical locations. A distributed database can reside on network servers on the Internet, on corporate intranets or extranets, or on other company networks. Replication and distribution of databases improve database performance at end-user worksites. To ensure that the distributive databases are up to date and current, there are two processes: Replication. Duplication. Replication involves using specialized software that looks for changes in the distributive database. Once the changes have been identified, the replication process makes all the databases look the same. The replication process can be very complex and time consuming depending on the size and number of the distributive databases. This process can also require a lot of time and computer resources. Duplication on the other hand is not as complicated. It basically identifies one database as a master and then duplicates that database. The duplication process is normally done at a set time after hours. This is to ensure that each distributed location has the same data. In the duplication process, changes to the master database only are allowed. This is to ensure that local data will not be overwritten. Both of the processes can keep the data current in all distributive locations. Besides distributed database replication and fragmentation, there are many other distributed database design technologies. For example, local autonomy, synchronous and asynchronous distributed database technologies. These technologies implementation can and does depend on the needs of the business and the sensitivity/confidentiality of the data to be stored in the database, and hence the price the business is willing to spend on ensuring data security, consistency and integrity. Basic architecture A database User accesses the distributed database through: Local applications Applications which do not require data from other sites. Global applications Applications which do require data from other sites. A distributed database does not share main memory or disks. Main Features and Benefits of a Distributed System A common misconception among people when discussing distributed systems is that it is just another name for a network of computers. However, this overlooks an important distinction. A distributed system is built on top of a network and tries to hide the existence of multiple autonomous computers. It appears as a single entity providing the user with whatever services are required. A network is a medium for interconnecting entities (such as computers and devices) enabling the exchange of messages based on well-known protocols between these entities, which are explicitly addressable (using an IP address, for example). There are various types of distributed systems, such as Clusters [3], Grids [4], P2P (Peer-to-Peer) networks, distributed storage systems and so on. A cluster is a dedicated group of interconnected computers that appears as a single super-computer, generally used in high performance scientific engineering and business applications. A grid is a type of distributed system that enables coordinated sharing and aggregation of distributed, autonomous, heterogeneous resources based on usersà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ QoS (Quality of Service) requirements. Grids are commonly used to support applications emerging in the areas of e-Science and e-Business, which commonly involve geographically distributed communities of people who engage in collaborative activities to solve large scale problems and require sharing of various resources such as computers, data, applications and scientific instruments. P2P networks are decentralized distributed systems, which enable applications such as fil e-sharing, instant messaging, online multiuser gaming and content distribution over public networks. Distributed storage systems such as NFS (Network File System) provide users with a unified view of data stored on different file systems and computers which may be on the same or different networks. The main features of a distributed system include: Functional Separation: Based on the functionality/services provided, capability and purpose of each entity in the system. Inherent distribution: Entities such as information, people, and systems are inherently distributed. For example, different information is created and maintained by different people. This information could be generated, stored, analyzed and used by different systems or applications which may or may not be aware of the existence of the other entities in the system. Reliability: Long term data preservation and backup (replication) at different locations. Scalability: Addition of more resources to increase performance or availability. Economy: Sharing of resources by many entities to help reduce the cost of ownership. As a consequence of these features, the various entities in a distributed system can operate concurrently and possibly autonomously. Tasks are carried out independently and actions are co-ordinate at well-defined stages by exchanging messages. Also, entities are heterogeneous, and failures are independent. Generally, there is no single process, or entity, that has the knowledge of the entire state of the system. Various kinds of distributed systems operate today, each aimed at solving different kinds of problems. The challenges faced in building a distributed system vary depending on the requirements of the system. In general, however, most systems will need to handle the following issues: Heterogeneity: Various entities in the system must be able to interoperate with one another, despite differences in hardware architectures, operating systems, communication protocols, programming languages, software interfaces, security models, and data formats. Transparency: The entire system should appear as a single unit and the complexity and interactions between the components should be typically hidden from the end user. Fault tolerance and failure management: Failure of one or more components should not bring down the entire system, and should be isolated. Scalability: The system should work efficiently with increasing number of users and addition of a resource should enhance the performance of the system. Concurrency: Shared access to resources should be made possible. Openness and Extensibility: Interfaces should be cleanly separated and publicly available to enable easy extensions to existing components and add new components. Migration and load balancing: Allow the movement of tasks within a system without affecting the operation of users or applications, and distribute load among available resources for improving performance. Security: Access to resources should be secured to ensure only known users are able to perform allowed operations. Several software companies and research institutions have developed distributed computing technologies that support some or all of the features described above. Fragment Allocation in Distributed Database Design On a Wide Area Network (WAN), fragment allocation is a major issue in distributed database design since it concerns the overall performance of distributed database systems. Here we propose a simple and comprehensive model that reflects transaction behavior in distributed databases. Based on the model and transaction information, two Heuristic algorithms are developed to find a near-optimal allocation such that the total communication cost is minimized as much as possible. The results show that the fragment allocation found by the algorithms is close to being an optimal one. Some experiments were also conducted to verify that the cost formulas can truly reflect the communication cost in the real world. INTRODUCTION: Distributed database design involves the following interrelated issues: (1) How a global relation should be fragmented, (2) How many copies of a fragment should be replicated? (3) How fragments should be allocated to the sites of the communication network, (4) What the necessary information for fragmentation and allocation is. These issues complicate distributed database design. Even if each issue is considered individually, it is still an intractable problem. To simplify the overall problem, we address the fragment allocation issue only, assuming that all global relations have already been fragmented. Thus, the problem investigated here is determining the replicated number of each fragment and then finding a near-optimal allocation of all fragments, including The replicated ones, in a Wild Area Network (WAN) such that the total communication cost is minimized. For a read request issued by a transaction, it may be simple just to load the target fragment at the issuing site, or it may be a little complicated to load the target fragment from a remote site. A write request could be most complicated since a write propagation should be executed to maintain consistency among all the fragment copies if multiple fragment copies are spread throughout the network. The frequency of each request issued at the sites must also be considered in the allocation model. Since the behaviors of different transactions maybe result in different optimal fragment allocations, cost formulas should be derived to minimize the transaction cost according to the transaction information. Alchemi: An example distributed system In a typical corporate or academic environment there are many resources which are generally under-utilized for long periods of time. A à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"resourceà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  in this context means any entity that could be used to fulfill any user requirement; this includes compute power (CPU), data storage, applications, and services. An enterprise grid is a distributed system that dynamically aggregates and co-ordinates various resources within an organization and improves their utilization such that there is an overall increase in productivity for the users and processes. These benefits ultimately result in huge cost savings for the business, since they will not need to purchase expensive equipment for the purpose of running their high performance applications. The desirable features of an enterprise grid system are: Enabling efficient and optimal resource usage. Sharing of inter-organizational resources. Secure authentication and authorization of users. Security of stored data and programs. Secure communication. Centralized / semi-centralized control. Auditing. Enforcement of Quality of Service (QoS) and Service Level Agreements (SLA). Interoperability of different grids (and hence: the basis on open-standards). Support for transactional processes. Alchemi is an Enterprise Grid computing framework developed by researchers at the GRIDS Lab, in the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department at the University of Melbourne, Australia. It allows the user to aggregate the computing power of networked machines into a virtual supercomputer and develop applications to run on the Grid with no additional investment and no discernible impact on users. The main features offered by the Alchemi framework are: Virtualization of compute resources across the LAN / Internet. Ease of deployment and management. Object-oriented Grid thread programming model for grid application development. File-based Grid job model for grid-enabling legacy applications. Web services interface for interoperability with other grid middleware. Open-source .Net based, simple installation using Windows installers. Alchemi Grids follow the master-slave architecture, with the additional capability of Connecting multiple masters in a hierarchical or peer-to-peer fashion to provide Scalability of the system. An Alchemi grid has three types of components namely the Manager, the Executor, and the User Application itself. The Manager node is the master / controller whose main function is to service the user Requests for workload distribution. It receives a user request, authenticates the user, and distributes the workload across the various Executors that are connected to it. The Executor node is the one which actually performs the computation. Alchemi uses role based Security to authenticate users and authorize execution. A simple grid is created by Installing Executors on each machine that is to be part of the grid and linking them to a Central Manager Component. Advantages of distributed databases Management of distributed data with different levels of transparency. Increase reliability and availability. Easier expansion. Reflects organizational structure database fragments are located in the departments they relate to. Local autonomy a department can control the data about them (as they are the ones familiar with it.) Protection of valuable data if there were ever a catastrophic event such as a fire, all of the data would not be in one place, but distributed in multiple locations. Improved performance data is located near the site of greatest demand, and the database systems themselves are parallelized, allowing load on the databases to be balanced among servers. (A high load on one module of the database wont affect other modules of the database in a distributed database.) Economics it costs less to create a network of smaller computers with the power of a single large computer. Modularity systems can be modified, added and removed from the distributed database without affecting other modules (systems). Reliable transactions Due to replication of database. Hardware, Operating System, Network, Fragmentation, DBMS, Replication and Location Independence. Continuous operation. Distributed Query processing. Distributed Transaction management. Disadvantages of distributed databases Complexity extra work must be done by the DBAs to ensure that the distributed nature of the system is transparent. Extra work must also be done to maintain multiple disparate systems, instead of one big one. Extra database design work must also be done to account for the disconnected nature of the database for example, joins become prohibitively expensive when performed across multiple systems. Economics increased complexity and a more extensive infrastructure means extra labour costs. Security remote database fragments must be secured, and they are not centralized so the remote sites must be secured as well. The infrastructure must also be secured (e.g., by encrypting the network links between remote sites). Difficult to maintain integrity à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ in a distributed database, enforcing integrity over a network may require too much of the networks resources to be feasible. Inexperience distributed databases are difficult to work with, and as a young field there is not much readily available experience on proper practice. Lack of standards there are no tools or methodologies yet to help users convert a centralized DBMS into a distributed DBMS. Database design more complex besides of the normal difficulties, the design of a distributed database has to consider fragmentation of data, allocation of fragments to specific sites and data replication. Additional software is required. Operating System should support distributed environment. Concurrency control: it is a major issue. It is solved by locking and time stamping.

Grammar Should be Secondary for Composition Teachers Essay -- informati

I have a knack for creating a series of run-on sentences and calling them an essay. I have a knack for beginning sentences with And or But. I also have a writing degree. I still have not mastered the use of the comma and somehow the Academy granted me that little piece of paper anyway. You, reader, may be wondering my point. My point is this: that despite my ill-formed paragraphs and run-on sentences I have existed and prospered within the formal writing environment. And so, I was elated to read Patrick Hartwell’s essay that contests that teaching grammar has a negligible effect on the development of a student writer (183). Clearly, there are different types of grammar, which Hartwell distinguishes in his essay. Borrowing from Francis’ â€Å"The Three Meanings of Grammar,† and his lengthy definition of grammar in three parts, Hartwell extends to the five categories of grammar. In dissecting grammar, Hartwell divides and conquers the argument that formal grammatical training is of great use to a developing writer. Instead, Hartwell sees grammar as a recognition tool, a way to keep the writer and reader on the same page. It is a tool of orientation rather than a prerequisite for â€Å"good writing.† Harvey Davis, an author I found by way of Hartwell’s end-notes, makes a great distinction between the necessity of grammar texts for educators and students. In his book, Famous Last Words: The American Language Crisis Reconsidered, Daniels recognizes that grammar books, â€Å"while they may be good for the publishing business, and may comfort anxious teachers, they are unlikely to help students much† (241). Books devoted to the teaching of grammar or the integration of grammar into writing programs simply create names for lessons and rules alread... ...n of all threads of thought, with a process of shaping afterwards. Grammar lay waiting for the guillotine in the arena of composition. The main concern of any composition teacher, as well as his students, should be the production of writing. Since the rules are so flexible and easily changed for matters of style, grammar should be an afterthought, rather than a pre-writing tool. To take writing time away from our students and force them to familiarize themselves with formal grammar does them a disservice. Bibliography Daniels, Harvey. Famous Last Words: The American Language Crisis Reconsidered. Edwardsville, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1983. Hartwell, Patrick. â€Å"Grammar, Grammars, and the Teaching of Grammar.† Cross-Talk in Comp Theory: A Reader. ed. Victor Villanueva, Jr. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1997. 183-212 Grammar Should be Secondary for Composition Teachers Essay -- informati I have a knack for creating a series of run-on sentences and calling them an essay. I have a knack for beginning sentences with And or But. I also have a writing degree. I still have not mastered the use of the comma and somehow the Academy granted me that little piece of paper anyway. You, reader, may be wondering my point. My point is this: that despite my ill-formed paragraphs and run-on sentences I have existed and prospered within the formal writing environment. And so, I was elated to read Patrick Hartwell’s essay that contests that teaching grammar has a negligible effect on the development of a student writer (183). Clearly, there are different types of grammar, which Hartwell distinguishes in his essay. Borrowing from Francis’ â€Å"The Three Meanings of Grammar,† and his lengthy definition of grammar in three parts, Hartwell extends to the five categories of grammar. In dissecting grammar, Hartwell divides and conquers the argument that formal grammatical training is of great use to a developing writer. Instead, Hartwell sees grammar as a recognition tool, a way to keep the writer and reader on the same page. It is a tool of orientation rather than a prerequisite for â€Å"good writing.† Harvey Davis, an author I found by way of Hartwell’s end-notes, makes a great distinction between the necessity of grammar texts for educators and students. In his book, Famous Last Words: The American Language Crisis Reconsidered, Daniels recognizes that grammar books, â€Å"while they may be good for the publishing business, and may comfort anxious teachers, they are unlikely to help students much† (241). Books devoted to the teaching of grammar or the integration of grammar into writing programs simply create names for lessons and rules alread... ...n of all threads of thought, with a process of shaping afterwards. Grammar lay waiting for the guillotine in the arena of composition. The main concern of any composition teacher, as well as his students, should be the production of writing. Since the rules are so flexible and easily changed for matters of style, grammar should be an afterthought, rather than a pre-writing tool. To take writing time away from our students and force them to familiarize themselves with formal grammar does them a disservice. Bibliography Daniels, Harvey. Famous Last Words: The American Language Crisis Reconsidered. Edwardsville, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1983. Hartwell, Patrick. â€Å"Grammar, Grammars, and the Teaching of Grammar.† Cross-Talk in Comp Theory: A Reader. ed. Victor Villanueva, Jr. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1997. 183-212

The Searching Game :: Internet Computers Essays

The Searching Game In today's ever increasingly technological world, the Internet is playing a crucial role. This network has the capability to store and make public a wealth of information. Organizing this information and making it easily accessible is a daunting job, but there are many Internet search engines out there that are trying to do just that. A few of the more popular search engines includeYahoo, AltaVista, and Lycos. In comparing these, the most important criteria would be the effectiveness in obtaining information. However, these web sites also have many added perks to keep users on the page. One thing can be certain, web search engines are a much needed service. The First Impression The first time one surfs on to a site's homepage is a critical stage. The page must convey to the user that it is useful, yet not too complicated. These web sites have different approaches to the first impression. One of the first things that jumps out to a user is the page layout. This would include colors, graphics, and the general layout of the links on the page. Yahoo's homepage does not contain a lot of color. It consists of a simple blue background with the traditional blue links. There are a few graphics and the page is sectioned off into different areas. This may be so as not to distract the user and give the impression that Yahoo is a simple, yet effective search engine. Lycos' homepage is also on a simple white background. This page has a few more colors and graphics present to draw the users attention to certain things. One thing that is noticeable is that the search box is outlined with a bold blue. This box is the most important part to a search engine, so it seems only fitting that it be highlighted. AltaVista's web page used a bold color combination for the homepage. The search box is also highlighted here, but this time with a bright yellow. The header is a deep blue which compliments the yellow search box as well as the yellow side bar. Although aesthetics is important for all web sites, they must also be functional. The most important part of a search engine is the search box. For these three search engines, this is always located at the top of the page, for easy access. Some sites bring more attention to this than the others, but it is usually the focal point of the page.

The Hero Essay -- essays research papers

The Hero A hero is not just the title of an action-packed kung-fu flick with subtitles. A hero these days has many meanings; depending on the time and reason that person is called a hero. According to Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, the definition becomes very broad. It starts as being â€Å"a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability† and becomes â€Å"a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities.† The last definition listed is probably the most modern of the many, being â€Å"an object of extreme admiration and devotion.† These definitions are in the same order as listed in the dictionary, but also seem to be chronologically listed as well, because overtime the meaning of the word hero adjust it’s self to the people using it. Thus, the definition of a hero changes parallel to the evolution of society, religion, and politics, in order to placate the desires of the people involved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If we look back, over a thousand years ago before Christianity became the omnipotent religion of the West, we hear of stories of heroes being passed down orally from generation to generation. In â€Å"Beowulf† we have this invincible brute tearing the limbs off of hideous friend Grendel, all in the name of fame and glory. A few hundred years later, when â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† was jotted down, we still have people being dismembered, but our character traits have changed a little. Sir Gawain is not the c...

Critical Thinking Over Other Academic Skills Education Essay

This essay will reason why critical thought is the most successful accomplishment used for survey in the university.In the university assorted accomplishments are needed to be embraced by one to accomplish uttermost booming out of one ‘s academic calling, but one accomplishment stands apart and poses distinguishable characteristics that set the foundation for other accomplishments to construct positively in 1s larning procedure. This accomplishment is referred to as critical thought and brings us to the inquiry what is critical thought? Critical thought has been defined by many bookmans over recent times. Harmonizing to Michael scriven ( 1997 ) provinces, † critical thought is skilled and active reading and rating of observations and communications, information and debates † . He observed that critical thought involved thorough probe of thoughts and theories, prosecuting in statements and organizing equal decisions on each topic affair presented before him or her. Another writer John Dowey ( 1990 ) defined critical thought as † an active, relentless, and careful consideration of a belief or supposed signifier of cognition in the visible radiations of the land which support it and farther decisions to which its terminals † ( p.9 ) and besides saw critical thought as a procedure of brooding thought. He was of the sentiment that critical thought was an active procedure which implied you thinks things through yourself, raise inquiries and happen out information yourself instead than larning in a mostly inactive manner. The procedure of critical thought enables one non to take anything for face value but merely delve profoundly into it understanding it and organizing your ain beliefs and theories.it is non merely what the author presents to you but how and why did he get to those theories.it besides involves metacognition. During critical believing one has to determine the standards of credibleness, entree statements and must be prone to logical false beliefs. The activity of critical thought in big portion aims to expose this aims and public facet of the statement. Therefore when Socrates responds to Protagoras he is implicitly subjecting his adversary ‘s claim to one litmus trial of cogent statement: rationality. In fact, Protagoras claim fails this trial. It ‘s paradoxical. Critical thought involves logical logical thinking and all other academic accomplishments are besides of import for survey in the university. Academic accomplishments such reading accomplishments, composing accomplishments, listening accomplishments, talk accomplishments, being an independent scholar, exam readying accomplishments are all sets of accomplishments that if a pupil exhaustively abides by its rules is on his manner to an un stoping success throughout his staying at the university. Reading accomplishments at the university throws more accent on academic reading instead than leisure reading.it exposes one to assorted accomplishments such as skimming, scanning, elaborate reading accomplishments so that when one is reading academically he should be able to pick out information rapidly and be more efficient while reading.it besides enlightens one to the additions of active and critical reading and the hazards and storms of inactive reading.it besides educates one to reading critically and reflecting back to your reading. Writing accomplishments at the university besides throws more prominence to academic writing.it exposes one assorted composing techniques such as punctuation, presentation of Hagiographas, standardisation and agreements of Hagiographas so that written work could run into up to criterions and outlooks and besides expose pupils to try Hagiographas, missive Hagiographas and journal Hagiographas so that approaching alumnuss would be able to run into up to challenges in assorted organisations and every sector of the economic system. Lecture skills provides pupils at the university the assorted techniques used for acquiring the really best after talk has been conducted.it makes accent on seminal before categories, reading before categories, taking notes in category all spur a pupil to achieve and accomplish every bit much as he can in each talk. Exam readying accomplishments, provides talk on the assorted accomplishments to be used by university pupils so that they can come out top of their game at any test taken topographic point non merely I the university but besides external scrutinies. Independent larning accomplishments provides pupils with the assorted abilities of pull offing the learning.it educates pupils on the direction of clip puting disputing but come-at-able ends, being motivated to larn and besides changeless contemplation on your acquisition procedure. Notwithstanding the assorted relevancy of the assorted academic accomplishments, experience as shown infinite figure of times that critical thought forms the footing of process for other academic accomplishments to run. All other academic accomplishments depend on critical believing one manner or another. As described earlier despite the assorted impact of reading accomplishments to a university under alumnus faculty members calling which enables him to absorb and pick out relevant information from a text, much accent is being made on critical reading which involves high application of the rules on critical thought which enables the reader to understand the transition exhaustively without merely achieving the inactive significance of the author. Besides in composing accomplishments besides relates to critical thought. Many believe † critical thought is a stipulation for composing a good essay †this has farther being analyzed and explained that during composing an essay, m issive or a journal one demand to read and believe critically of the significance of the essay inquiry, understand what the tester wants from the author before composing the essay. Critical thought besides relates to exam readying accomplishments and independent larning accomplishments in the same mode as authorship and reading accomplishments. It helps a pupil to believe anxiously about the exam inquiries and supply suited replies for each inquiry. Independent larning accomplishments besides makes mention to critical thought in the line of doing determinations, puting come-at-able ends and brooding acquisition. Other academic accomplishment have comparative importance to a pupil in the university as they have contributed efficaciously to him or hers academic calling has explained above but critical thought has proven to be the most successful accomplishment for a pupil to stand out at the university due to the undermentioned grounds First and foremost the province of instruction in the university varies with the degree of doctrine and appraisal of the pupils. The current theoretical account suggests pupils who can practise a series of memorized facts will remember those facts one time the trial is complete and will hold learned what is supposed to hold learned. Critical thought gives pupils the capableness to understand, assimilate and digest cognition of whatever is being taught during talk and categories besides while reading academically acquire the most out of every point assimilated. Second, Critical thought accomplishments encourages pupils in the university to believe for themselves, cultivate hypothesis, interrogate bing hypothesis and besides put this hypothesis to prove against already known facts facts. Third, critical thought will help university pupils differentiate statements based on steadfastly grounded cogent evidence from those that float along on misconception or desirous dreams. Although other academic accomplishments depend on mental adulthood and instruction, even immature kids have the basic capacity to believe critically, although they may non acquire much recognition for it. We one time know about a 4th grader who when told antediluvian Greece was the †cradle of democracy † replied, †but what about adult females who were disenfranchised? Was Greece a democracy for them? That surely critical thought and one can get down to develop accurate points about Grecian civilisations. Many university pupils have been able to organize acquire right replies but can non organize rational statement for it or see through equivocal advertizements that play on their emotions. They may non cognize how to entree a political proposals or campaigner or come up with fruitful solutions to their jobs but critical thought enables one to do rational and equal determinations at the right clip. Fourthly, critical thought is non inessential in ordinary life, but besides cardinal to all scientific discipline and is peculiarly relevant in section of psychological science in the university. For one thing, the field itself includes the survey of concluding, job resolution, creativeness, and other facets of critical idea. It besides involves the survey of hindrances to clear thought such as human leaning for justification, self-deceit, and misperception. Many scientists need to bring forth many viing findings on hot subjects of personal and societal relevancy, such as dependence, memory, sexual orientation and function of genetic sciences in behaviour ; people need to critical thought helps pupils to measure these findings and their possible deductions. In decision Critical thought can non supply replies to all inquiries in the university and other life predicaments. Furthermore critical thought is a procedure, non a once-and -for -all achievements. No 1 of all time becomes a perfect critical mind wholly non affected by some sorts of emotions. We are less unfastened minded to believe we can jab in another adult male ‘s statement than to critically analyze our ain places. Harmonizing to philosopher Paul Richards ( 1984 ) points out, critical thought is truly †fair-mindedness brought into the bosom of mundane life †

Communication in nursing Essay

Introduction. Communication is a necessary skill to have in the nursing profession. We use communication to exchange information between patients, co-workers and all the people around us (Kozier et Erb 2004). No matter the form of communication we are constantly presenting and interpreting people’s ideas and thoughts. Communication is a method we utilize to connect the gap between knowledge and comprehension (Kozier et Erb 2004).This paper will discuss an observation of the personal care home environment, modes of communication such as; verbal and non-verbal, effective communication methods and barriers to communications. Observation Of Personal Care Home Environment. I visited an urban personal care home in the inner city. I will be identifying this personal care home as PCH â€Å"X†. I walked into the facility and it was very clean and spacious. I conducted my observation during lunch time in the dining room. This area was poorly lit and the temperature was very humid. There was also music playing in the background during mealtime. This personal care facility was very respectful, kind and caring to the residents in their care. The communication I observed in general was very clear and concise. Verbal and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication is a mode of communication that uses both written and spoken words (Kozier et Erb 2004). Here is an example of verbal communication: At PCH â€Å"X†, a nurse was giving medication to a resident and he introduced himself. The resident did not respond to the nurse so the nurse approached him in a different manner. He crouched down to the resident’s level and spoke to him again in a calm voice and lightly touched his shoulder. The resident later complied with his directions to take his medication. The nurse took a different approach with his verbal communication by speaking softly. Verbal communication is largely used due to the fact that people usually chose the words they use (Kozier et Erb  2004). Another mode of communication is non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication involves other forms of communication such as gestures, facial expressions, and touch (Kozier et Erb 2004, page 423). Most people who use verbal communication use various forms of non-verbal communication simultaneously. The nurse in the example above used non-verbal communication, when he crouched down to the resident’s level and lightly touched his shoulder. This second example involves non-verbal communication: A Health Care Aide was about to assist a resident with lunch. The resident was not aware of his environment and had difficulty feeding himself. The Health Care Aide asked the resident to open his mouth but he did not respond. As a result, the Health Care Aide opened his own mouth and the resident mimicked him and they were able to continue feeding. Effective communication methods. Effective communication is a very important aspect in a nursing career. Here is a summary of some effective communication strategies that I have observed at PCH â€Å"X†: *Health care workers appeared to be neat and tidy wearing uniforms. This will convey a non-verbal communication method of professionalism. Clothing and apparel can be a source of information about a person (Kozier et Erb 2004). *A staff member asked a resident how their lunch tasted. The staff member paraphrased what the client was saying and reinstated the resident’s feelings. This showed the resident that the staff member was actively listening (Kozier et Erb 2004). *Health care workers seemed interested in what clients had to say and differentiated the real from unreal (Kozier et Erb 2004). Health care workers talked to residents about daily activities. One client stated â€Å"I have to go to work; my daughter will be picking me up soon†. The nurse responded â€Å"your daughter will be here to visit but you are retired and you  do not have to work anymore.† These are a few effective communication strategies I have witnessed at PCH â€Å"X†. Communication promotes understanding and can build a constructive relationship with clients and co-workers. As nurses we must be aware of what we say and how we act towards others. Barriers to communication. It is critical to be aware of the good communication methods as well as the bad communications methods. This particular personal care home was very respectful to clients. However, here are some barriers to communication I observed when I was at PCH â€Å"X†: *One resident had a language deficit and had difficulty speaking. The resident was calling out and it seemed as though she wanted something. It was difficult for the staff member to understand what she was saying. He overcame this barrier by asking her yes and no questions until he finally solved what she was trying to say. *Residents were being talked to like children. The clients were often referred to as â€Å"dear, sweetheart, or darling†. During lunch, I also overhead someone saying â€Å"we have to change you diaper you made a pooh-pooh†. This may demean a client however; this communication barrier can be resolved by calling residents by their name and by respecting their dignity as a person. *Residents can also be hard of hearing. A nurse was talking to a resident with his back turned asking him questions and he did not reply back. She continued to speak louder and the resident later asked why she was yelling. The nurse should have faced the client while speaking to him so he could realize that he was being spoken to. Nurses need to recognize the barriers to effective communication. Barriers make communication become non-therapeutic. Non-therapeutic strategies to communication can be detrimental to a healing relationship. Conclusion. In conclusion, communication is extremely important especially to a nurse. To properly assess clients’ needs we must be able to communicate with them verbally and non-verbally. If we can identify the barriers to communication we can find effective strategies to resolve them. We have to be clear when we communicate to our patients. A misinterpretation of instructions, plans, and vital information can be harmful to a client’s health and well being. Caring and comforting is an important aspect of nursing and that can only be demonstrated through effective communication techniques. References Kozier & Erb, Barbara, et al. Fundamentals of Nursing. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.

Peter Tosh: a Pioneer of Reggae and Trailblazing Rastafarian

Peter Tosh: A Pioneer of Reggae and Trailblazing Rastafarian Peter Tosh was not only an incredible Reggae musician, but an incredible person as well. He had a history of doing his part to help those in need of help, fighting for those who were unable to fight for themselves. Tosh, a pioneer of the Rastafari movement, would lead the people of Jamaica through his selfless actions and his music. Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh, was born in Westmoreland, Jamaica on October 9, 1944 to parents, Alvera Coke and James McIntosh. Tosh’s father would have nothing to do with his upbringing or even acknowledge that Tosh was his son.In fact, they would not even meet until Tosh was ten years old. His mother, unable to care for Tosh herself, asked her sister to raise him, which she did in Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica. Due to the feeling of rejection that this placed inside of him, Tosh grew up extremely self-reliant and independent, which would help him later on in his fight for his peopl e. During the time of his upbringing, life in Jamaica was extremely difficult. Jobs were scarce and money even more so. The majority of families were struggling to make ends meet, scrounging for money and building supply scraps to keep roofs over their heads.Jamaica’s government was extremely corrupt and the wealthier, land-owning class was taking advantage of those less fortunate. Tosh recognized this and would later become a modern day Robin Hood, using his presence in the public eye to his advantage by speaking on behalf of his fellow Jamaicans to raise awareness on the issue. Tosh began playing music at a very young age, keeping him away from gang life. He had no formal training of any instrument, aside from six months of piano lessons when he was in fifth grade. Music was his passion and he excelled in it.Tosh moved to Trenchtown with his uncle after his aunt grew very ill and nearly died. It was here that Tosh would develop his musical talents and go on to form the most influential band in reggae history. Trenchtown, named because of the many trenches that ran through it carrying sewage waste away from Kingston, was filled with music. While walking through town one day, Tosh came across a guitarist by the name of Joe Higgs, among others, singing and playing in the street. During the jam session, he met a couple who were looking for other vocalists to join a group. The couple was impressed by Tosh’s guitar playing and his baritone voice. Johnson) The couple, Bob Marley and Bunny Livingston, and Tosh, who taught Bob Marley how to play guitar, would hold jam sessions in Higgs’ backyard. These sessions became more and more serious and would eventually lead to the forming of the influential ska-style band called the Wailing Wailers in 1964. The Wailers went on to record twelve albums including One Love, When the Well Runs Dry, and Simmer Down and released groundbreaking singles including ‘Stir it Up’, ‘Get Up, Stand Upà ¢â‚¬â„¢, and ‘Trenchtown Rock’. (http://reggaediscography. blogspot. com/2009/10/peter-tosh-discography. html) By 1966, the band began to fall apart.Marley had moved from Jamaica to the United States to pursue a solo career and Tosh was arrested and served a short stint in jail. By 1972, the Wailers would slowly diminish until they finally broke up. It would be absurd to speak of Peter Tosh and not mention the Rastafari movement, which he had begun to get heavily involved in by this time. The movement was founded in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica in the 1920’s and 1930’s by a man by the name of Marcus Garvey. (www. religionfacts. com) Garvey taught that Africans are the true Israelis and that Ethiopia, referred to as Zion, is the real holy land.He further proclaimed that Africans were exiled to Jamaica and other parts of the world outside of Africa (the America’s and Europe are referred to as Babylon) as a form of divine punishment. (ww. religionfac ts. com) In the 1930’s, peaceful communities had begun popping up in Kingston and Rastafarians began to adopt their own culture to include a distinctive dialect and hair style, and developed their own style of art and music. It was their music that would help spread the ideology of the Rastafari movement across the globe. The music of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh would become messengers of Jah (God) spreading the word throughout the world.After the Wailers went their separate ways, Tosh focused on a solo career. His first album, Legalize It, went public in 1976. The name of the album, as well as the title track, refers to his stance on the legalization of marijuana. Tosh believed that smoking marijuana was a path to enlightenment. It was a way for the working class of Jamaica to get relief from the stresses of life. He further believed that the government made marijuana illegal as a way of oppressing Jamaicans and keeping them in order. Tosh only wrote songs after he had smoked marijuana because he felt he could see clearly. (www. thetalkingdrum. com)By the time of the One Love Peace Concert of 1978, Jamaica was in the midst of a political civil war. The concert was held in an effort to set aside the differences of Jamaicans and promote peace, love, and harmony. Tosh took this concert, at which Bob Marley and the Wailers were headlining, as an opportunity to speak to the audience. Tosh bluntly put the government down, accusing them of using Jamaica and the people that lived there for their resources with little regard as to what would happen to them. He spoke his mind, as always, without caring who would hear. He spoke for the rights of his brothers and sisters of Jamaica.That concert was the first time that a person held in such high regards amongst the public had spoken out against the Jamaican government. It was at this moment that Peter Tosh became a heroic figure and a public rights leader. The high regard in which he was held by his peers would turn out to be a blessing and a curse. Four months after the One Love Peace Concert and his lecture against the Jamaican government, Tosh was brutally attacked by up to ten police officers and nearly died. This was the first of many attacks, both verbal and physical, but this is where Tosh wanted to be.He wanted to be the center of attention, not for his own ego but to be in a position to speak on behalf of his people. It was a way for him to voice their concerns and demand corrective action. The One Love Peace Concert not only boosted Tosh in the political eye, but would end up boosting his American musical career as well. Mick Jagger, of the Rolling Stones, was in the audience at the concert and would go on to sign Tosh under the Rolling Stones’ record label. Tosh would go on to release two albums under the label, Bush Doctor and Mystic Man. The short life of this relationship ended when Tosh felt he was not being promoted properly. www. talkingdrum. com) Two years after releasi ng Wanted Dread or Alive, Tosh had hit the pinnacle of his career in 1983, which was the time of his European tour promoting Mama Africa. These two albums would go on to become known as Tosh’s best work. (www. talkingdrum. com) While on this tour, Tosh appeared on stage with his signature M-16 [military assault rifle] guitar. The guitar was significant in the fact that it was a symbol for Tosh’s music being his weapon against the corrupt politicians and evils in the world. (www. talkingdrum. com) His concerts were more than just music. They were spiritually enlightening and informative.It was not uncommon for Tosh to set aside some time during a show to talk to the audience about his views on the evils of the world. Despite the public being supportive of Tosh and his cause, he was murdered by three assailants on September 11, 1987. Record has it that three men, one of whom Tosh knew and tried to help find work after a term in jail, had approached him at his home demand ing money. When Tosh replied that he had none, he was shot three times. The assailant that Tosh knew turned himself in to the authorities, while the other two were never found. The story of the robbery, however, remains under scrutiny.According to reports, nothing from Tosh’s home was missing. The three men who went there to rob him took nothing. Many speculate that it was a hit to forever silence Tosh and his outspoken ways. From the moment he was born, it seems Peter Tosh was destined to live the life he did. He was a man with many admirable qualities, most importantly the courage to speak up for those who were not in a position to do it themselves in effort to better the lives of his fellow Jamaicans. He was a pioneer for the Rastafari movement and a prominent figure in the development of Reggae music, forming it into the shape it holds today.