A financial quagmire Essay

The whole world is in a financial quagmire. A myriad of financial woes have engulfed financial institutions and any other corporations in this domain all the world round. This financial meltdown came to the light following the collapse of Lehmann Brothers, after which this financial crunch came to be addressed in the open and by all the governments. The United States of America was at the core of this crunch. This was further aggravated by the fact the Bush administration was finalizing on its clench to power. A presidential election was looming and the major rivals; Barack Obama and John McCain were faced with the uphill task of unveiling their plans regarding keeping the crisis at bay and mitigating the effects. Both unveiled their economic plans to the American public and the public chose to go as per Mr. Obama’s plans; a bailout through a federal stimulus package (BRUNE, para 4). After his election, the Congressional Democrats in partnership with President Obama came forth with an $825 billion dollar fiscal recovery package known to many as the Federal Stimulus Package. This would give the unemployed Americans a chance to improve their lives and ensure that each and every American faces little or no difficulty in dealing with the costs of living during this period. Analysts have come forward and allegedly claim that the effects of this crisis would be felt for the next several years. The package would be used on education, aid to states for Medicaid costs, increase in unemployment benefits and on an arena of public works and projects in order to increase the jobs available to the public (HERSZENHORN, para 2 ). The proposal of the stimulus came under serious criticism and has become subject to a lot of intense haggling, fierce lobbying by the Republicans and its core details have come under intense negotiations. A lot of pessimism has been expressed over this stimulus. Many bear the taciturn notion that it will only plunge the country into deeper waters. The Americans would have to face an ugly recession, which is in its all-time high, and a nationwide unemployment rate of 12%. The plan, christened by the Democrats as â€Å"American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009†, has been President Obama’s core agenda as many see it as the determining factor of the direction of his presidency. The fact that it was one of his major campaign promises that gave him an edge over his rivals leaves him with no choice but to be more pragmatic and see to it that this succeeds. A breakdown of the package includes $87 billion towards the aid to states for Medicaid costs, $79 billion for colleges and local public schools to avoid cutbacks, $90 billion for infrastructure, $54 billion to push for the production of energy from renewable sources, $10 for science and research, $6 billion for enhancement of broadband services in rural areas, $13 billion for the disabled students, $1 billion towards technology enhancement and $43 billion to extend jobless benefits and retraining; to name but just a few. Though viewed by critics as a step of misplaced ambitions and misdirected energy, it is a major leap and a good example of walking the talk rather than sitting back to let nature take its course (HERSZENHORN, para 8). Economic experts are quick to add that though the stimulus is huge, it is not close to enough in stabilizing the economy of the United States of America. This is the highest amount of bailout that a single government has ever instituted on its economy. It is a great effort and jolt to the American economy, seen as a move to curb economic catastrophe. Bearing in mind that there is no other viable fiscal plan at hand, the stimulus package is worth a try. Many are wise enough to note from history of The Great Depression that counteraction is the measure and any procrastination would translate to nothing short of economic suicide. Work Cited: HERSZENHORN, D. M., Congress Moves on Stimulus Bill and Bailout Money. Retrieved on 2nd April 2009 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/business/economy/16webstimulus.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1, 2009 BRUNE, T., Economic stimulus package could reach $1.2T. Retrieved on 2nd April 2009 from: http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/nation/ny-usstim085956982dec08,0,5280976.story, 2008

Michelle Obama Speech NAACP Essay

In Michelle Obama’s speech â€Å"Remarks to the NAACP National Convention,† she laments that childhood obesity is a serious issue in America today, back when she was young children were always out playing and being active, nowadays children would rather sit inside and play video games then do anything else. Since most children are seldom most of the time and spend hours upon hours watching television â€Å"every extra hour of TV they watch is associated with the consumption of an additional 167 calories.† (423). Children aren’t just becoming lazier, they’re actually becoming more and more unhealthy as time goes on developing â€Å"diabetes and cancer, heart disease, asthma.† (420). In an effort to try and help fix childhood obesity Obama launched the â€Å"Let’s Move† campaign, which even features commercials on Disney Channel showing the Disney celebrities outside playing some kind of physical activity. The four main points to this campaign are; The first one consists of giving parents knowledge to give their children healthy food not fast food. The second point states that the government is attempting to replace fatty foods in schools with healthier options, regardless of how the children will feel about it. The third part of the campaign is just trying to show children that being active actually is fun, it doesn’t just have to be challenging. The final point Obamas’ campaign states is that all families no matter what their income is, wealthy or struggling, should have the ability to get fresh and healthy food without breaking the bank. Works Cited Page Obama, Michelle. â€Å"Remarks to the NAACP National Convention.† They Say / I Say with Readings. Ed. Gerald Garaff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 417-433. Print.

Life and accomplishments of W. E. B. Du Bois Essay

Life and accomplishments of W. E. B. Du Bois - Essay Example After graduating from Harvard as the first African American with a doctorate, he becomes a professor of History, sociology and economics at Atlanta University. Throughout his life, it is estimated that Du Bois wrote over four thousand articles, essays, and books. As a result of his contributions, many university and government institutes have been named after Du Bois and currently he even has a face book appreciation group. His contribution to societal development through activism and scholarly work has been applauded by many scholars. He underwent a lot of hardships to accomplish his doctorate degree at Harvard University which was a remarkable achievement as was he was considered the first African American to earn such kind of honor. Through his determination and need to see a society free from racism and discrimination he cofounded National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). His contribution to African studies has been evidenced through his scholarly writings m ore so touching African American way of life. For example, According to Gooding (178), Du Bois contributions particularly provided an important but often overlooked perspective of Africana culture, history and philosophy. He also participated in the redevelopment of Africana studies and relating it to the events of the 21st century. Among his major scholarly works included The Philadelphia Negro and The Souls of Black Folk these books endeavored to show that Africans had same capabilities as their fellow whites and there was no reason for discrimination. On the other hand, his contribution to Africana philosophy of education was through such writings that demonstrated intellectual struggle, personal sacrifice, group leadership, and African historical and cultural grounding in understanding Africana studies. Through such contribution it has provided a pedagogical paradigm that helps to understand and explain African ability to excel. W. E. B. Du Bois has also been hailed for his exem plary political activism which contributed to black liberation, racial justice and the liberation of poor masses. Throughout his career life, Du Bois was instrumental in championing women liberation and black liberation. His writings particularly provided an important insight on Africana history, culture, and philosophy–informed framework for redeveloping Africana studies and crises associated to it in the 21st century. He has also been important in the development of critical social theory making Africana studies multicultural in its approach. The scholar has also contributed to Africana studies through relating critical theory to radical political mentality. Additionally Du Bois’s theoretical perception and pragmatic findings were trend setting as he challenged ideologies about black inadequacy. Unlike others during his reign Du Bois enhanced his theoretical beliefs on black dilemma, and the black middle class with experienced research documenting structural racism a s the major perpetrator of racial inequality. Throughout his teen years Du Bois developed an interest in race relation and went ahead to become the local correspondent for the New York Globe. He spent two years at the University of Berlin in Germany studying economics and history. During his studies in Germany, Du Bois saw the frequency of racism in a globalized context. Du Bois worked in a

1936 Coca Cola Print Advertisement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

1936 Coca Cola Print Advertisement - Essay Example This "1936 Coca Cola Print Advertisement" essay outlines the characteristics and peculiarities in the advertisement industry in the 1920's-1930. The image of this particular advertisement seems to show an opposition of the trend happening at that time. It was bold enough to create an image that women were still capable to do the things that ought to do during this time. The good point about this is that they slowly introduced safety and slowly erased fear in the majority of the women population. The concept of a male-dominated society was not taken for granted as the poster was created. An image of a male opera conductor was included to convey an equal treatment between the two genders. The male object indicates the importance of men in the slow liberation of women in the society. It provides a clear intention of making masculine concept bold and important in producing the advertisements. Looking at the totality of the printed advertisement and comparing it with the printed advertise ments of the contemporary era, it can be seen that there are more similarities in conveying information and catching attention. Both eras use colorful schemes that were important to catch the attention of persons passing by. The bright color schemes and hues were an upgrade of the old version of black and white advertisements. The incorporation of worded information is still being used to provide information to most individuals. These are primarily helpful in clarifying doubts about the message that might be drawn from the image alone.

Economic Comparison between Brazil and Argentina (Economic Development Term Paper

Economic Comparison between Brazil and Argentina (Economic Development And Growth) - Term Paper Example Introduction Population and economic size Brazil became independent on September 7, 1822. It covers 8,511,965 sq. km with a population size of 203.4 million1. Its population growth rate is 1.02 percent per annum. Brazil is the leading economic powerhouse and regional leader in South America. It is the eight world largest economy in the world. However, the country is bedeviled by high unequal income distribution and crime. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development strategy. The country has a well developed service, manufacturing, agriculture and mining sectors. The Brazilian economy experienced solid economic performance even in the face of global financial crisis. The economy recovered early as compared to other countries. It was during Lula’s reign when the country experienced high economic growth and improved social programs that improved lives of millions of Brazilian citizens. Domestic consumption is the key driver of the country’ s economic growth. However, the country experiences rising unemployment rates. Sound fiscal management, inflation control and floating exchange rate provided strong impetus for Brazilian economy to grow and develop over the years. The currency of Brazil is Brazilian reais. On the other hand, Argentina became independent on July 9, 1816. Its area coverage is 2.8 million sq. km with a population of 41,769, 7262. Its population growth rate is 1.017 percent annually. Argentina’s economy has experienced both good and bad times3. The country has suffered hyperinflation, currency depreciation, domestic debt default worth $85 billion, World Bank’s loan default and frozen banking system among others. This is because of poor governance by government officials. Between 1975 and 1990, Argentina paid interest on foreign debt. Furthermore, during the same period, the country experienced capital flights and tax evasion. In 2002, unemployment was 25 percent. The government also starte d repaying defaulted bonds worth $100 billion in an attempt to end shame from 2003. The Argentina’s economy grew at the rate of 9 percent annually from 2003 to 2007 following expansionary policies adopted by the government. The growth was negatively affected by global credit crunch between 2007 and 2009, which reduced growth rate to 0.8 percent. However, the economy rebounded and 8.5 percent growth in GDP was experienced in 2010. The Argentine currency is Argentina pesos. In fact, Brazilian geographical area, population, and economy is larger than that of Argentina. Argentina’s economy is less stable and volatile as compared to that of Brazil due to many past economic hardships. In 2008-2010 global financial turmoil, Argentina experienced diminished domestic growth as well as reduced domestic and global demand, which caused a mild recession in 2009. In 2008, many more people in Argentina are poorer than those in Brazil. In 2008, the population below poverty line in Bra zil was 26 percent while there are 30 percent in Argentina. Section one outlines each country’s natural resource deposits; section two indicates Gross Domestic Product; section three indicates unemployment rates; section four shows the budget; section five shows the inflation and section six shows foreign direct investment. In addition, section seven indicates international trade; section eight outlines exchange rate regime; section

The Psychology of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Psychology of Marketing - Essay Example This might not have been possible without the existence of those valuable possessions. This approach depicts a unique psychology of the consumers, which would be discussed in details in this essay. This trait or characteristics which the consumers portray can be evaluated within the domain of the consumer behaviour. The psychology of consumers cannot be understood without referring to the personal values. Though consumer researchers have largely ignored the importance of value in consumer behaviour, but consumer value has shown signs of being a challenging area in consumer research. Personal values have significant implications for the consumer researchers. The term value means different things in different disciplines. In anthropology value signifies the social elements which drives out or provokes reaction from an individual. In case of sociology, value means to focus on the customs or ideologies. It is a concept which groups together to form a mode of behaviour in the society. Psy chology examines value from the perspective of personal motives and attitudes. Values are accountable for the assortment and protection of the goals which human beings struggle to achieve and at the same time regulate the manner and the method in which the struggle takes place (Vinson, Scott, and Lamont, 2002, p. 44-45). Possession reveals the characteristics of the possessor. So if possession is measured in terms of material values, then a relationship can be drawn between personal values and possession. The link between these two aspects is materialism. Materialism is actually the value which symbolizes the perspective of an individual regarding the position possession should have in his/her life. It has been discussed that the individual holding solid material values put possession and also acquisition of such as a centre of their lives. Value possessions are means to achieve happiness and acts as an indicator of success for the possessor. Thus it can be said that materialism is closed tied to value possession and its usage in an individual’s life (Richins, 1994, p. 522). In this context the difference between personality and value can also be studied. Value has an evaluative component which lacks personality and it relates to our belief that we should do. Personality on the other hand involves those things that we naturally do, without pretending what we are doing. Personality traits of an individual do not conflict with each other, but values do (Parks, and Guay 2009, p. 677).The perception, values, attitudes, self-concept affects the consumption pattern of an individual. It reflects the type of products or services the consumer is willing to use or required. The consumption pattern is also largely affected by personality traits of an individual such as aggressiveness, compulsivity, etc. Apart from this self-identity, or self concept also affects consumption. The elements of value such as ethics, materialism, influence the buying behaviour or consu mer behaviour largely (Ruvio, and Shoham, 2011, p. 1089-1091). There are three psychological terms that needs to be discussed in this context are the self-image, self-identity and self concept. It becomes important to discuss these concepts which evaluating the significance of personal values and possessions. Self image denotes the total subjective insight of oneself, which includes the impression of the individuals’ personality and capabilities. It has been also said that self-image is the mental

Golden Age of Hollywood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Golden Age of Hollywood - Essay Example Katharine Hepburn was born in May 12, 1907, growing up in Hartford environs, Connecticut in a loving family, she attended her primary education at the Kingswood-Oxford School located in Hartford and later she attended college at Bryn Mawr. She in history and philosophy in the year and it is here she knew and later married Ludlow Ogden Smith, Katharine’s acting interest developed from college by participating in plays. Immediately after graduating, the next day she travelled to Baltimore where she met a producer, Eddie Knopf who cast her to play in various local routine productions. This marked as her start in professional acting and by 1928; she began to be known in Broadway in the plays like â€Å"These Days.† During this period, Katharine appeared in several plays but she developed a reputation of arguing with directors and was therefore, dismissed from several productions (Edwards 125).  Ã‚  Katharine’s success in the studio system came in 1932 when she play ed Amazon princess in a lead role in the play â€Å"The Warrior’s Husband.† George Cukor a director from Radio-Keith-Orpheum pictures was excited on how she played this role and decided to give her first role in a movie. She accepted to work with him and demanded a high salary in the film â€Å"A Bill of Divorcement† where Katharine’s performance was highly praised. She worked with Cukor in many other movies and therefore, raising to stardom. In 1933, Katharine won her first Oscar.... That same year she had an astounding performance as Jo in the successful screen adaptation of â€Å"Little Women.† Further, she had her second Oscar nomination in 1935 after appearing in the film â€Å"Alice Adams† and she became a rising star (Edwards 177). However, after her success, Katharine had a series of box-office failures threatening her career. The films â€Å"Spitfire,† and â€Å"Break of Hearts† in 1934 failed in box office while in 1935 â€Å"Sylvia Scarlett† did not do well. Further, â€Å"Mary of Scotland† in 1936 and â€Å"Quality Street† made in 1937 failed to succeed. It is was disappointing that even the film â€Å"Bringing Up Baby† created in 1938 that paired Katharine with the star Cary Grant as a comedy was not appreciated by the public although today it is honored as a comedy classic. In 1938, Katharine failures continued as she was voted â€Å"Box Office Poison† in 1938, which was largely because o f her reputation of failing to follow the behavior expected of super stars. She often refused to put on makeup, she wore trousers at the time when they were not fashionable for women, she did not want to give autographs or pose for photographs, and refused to talk to reporters (Edwards 224). Katharine fought to bring back her career success and she left Hollywood to find a stage project. She accepted an offer to star in Philip Barry’s play â€Å"The Philadelphia Story† that highlighted a character incorporating humor, aggression, nervousness, and vulnerability. She financed part of the play together with Howard Hughes and bought the film rights that were used in its creation. The play came out in 1940, it was an immediate success going for two fruitful tours, and Katharine

Old Testament and New Testament Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Old Testament and New Testament - Essay Example This essay analyzes and then compares the passages from the Old and the New Testament. The fact of similarities between them is well established, if one considers the fact that the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled in the New Testament. The several ways that the passages of the New Testament and the Old Testament bear similarities shall be elaborated in this paper. Events like the Passover and the Last Supper justify the similarities between the New Testament and the Old Testament. The lives of great people in the Bible like Moses, David, Elijah, John and Jesus can also be used as a basis for comparison between the Old and the New Testament. The Last Supper was also a feast of unleavened bread just like the Passover in the book of Exodus. This is a clear sign that the Last Supper of Jesus with his twelve disciples evolved from the Passover in the book of Exodus. Another way that the New Testament fulfilled the prophecy or interpreted the message of the Old Testament was in the life of Moses. From the events that took place in the Bible and the characters of notable people in the Bible, it has been clearly shown that the New Testament is an interpreter of the Old Testament. The Old Testament and the New Testament were written by different authors that lived through different timelines, but the fact that the Bible as a whole was inspired by God shows that there must be a link between the Old Testament and the New Testament and it is this link that has been proven and established in this paper.

International Relations and Postmodernism Essay

International Relations and Postmodernism - Essay Example The essay "Postmodernism and Poststructuralist" discusses international relations and postmodernism. Post modernists believe that the previous theorists in this field are traditional and that a new conception of ideas in the field has to be embraced, if the theme has to achieve a form of reality. In the research conducted by Edkins, he indicates that the field cannot be based on theoretical factors that do not have tangible evidence and explanations of aspects that lead to making mere assumptions. In practical view points, assumptions must be intertwined by evidence, a vital aspect by of post modernists. It is vindicated to argue that, post modernists endeavour to merge the ideas of the previous liberalists and realists and come up with a workable solution on the basics of International Relations. This essay shall aim at highlighting the opinions and suggestions of the post modernists and the aspects that have created a lot of antagonism between them and the conventional theorists wh o have dominated the IR field for decades. In the research conducted by Jarvis, the concept of postmodernism in the field of International Relations will indeed cause a lot of hostility from the fact that this era of analysts and researchers are not bound by the theories, but will be quick to critique all forms of concepts and assumptions that have been previously made by theorists. Jones indicates that, in the quest to bring out their view points, the postmodernists have constantly evaded the aspects of realism.

Disrupting the Recruitment Process to Exploit Weaknesses in Terrorist Research Paper

Disrupting the Recruitment Process to Exploit Weaknesses in Terrorist Organizations - Research Paper Example This paper explores recruitment practices in the global Jihad as they play out in America and Europe. Whereas the focal point of the discussion is terrorism, the paper explores a distinct form of contemporary terrorism, Global Jihad, which embodies religiously inspired conflicts with a global vision. Nevertheless, the paper does not necessarily centre on terror groups with nationalistic or secular motives. The global Jihad is entangled with individuals, organizations, and ideologies from the Middle East, South East Asia, Central Asia, and North Africa. There are four distinct levels of commitment within terrorist organizations. These include passive supporters, active supporters, cadre, and leaders. Although all play a critical part in the running of the terrorist organizations, the cadre can be singled out to be the level that has a phenomenal influence in the recruitment process. Cadre encompasses the nucleus of active members engaged in the overall running of the terrorist operations inclusive of recruiting new members. Terrorist organizations employ both hierarchical and networked structures of organization. Islamic radicalization can be considered as the lynchpin to homegrown terrorism, especially in the West. Delegitimizing radicalization is arguably an effective way of disrupting recruitment process. ... Most recruitment processes into terrorist organization feature aspects such as targeting of the alienated and marginalized, spiritual quest, radicalization, gradual seclusion and cell formation, adoption of violence as a legitimate political means, linkage with a gatekeeper, and eventual operation of the cell. Terrorist recruitment cells can be delimited into four separate cells; management cell, information gathering cell, preparation cell, and execution cell. Disrupting Recruitment Process Most international terrorist organizations are actively engaged in recruitment of Westerners into terrorist organization via facilitation of travel to foreign training camps and mounting grounds. Foreign terrorist organizations have shifted their strategy from passive influence of western radicals into directly motivating, inspiring, and training, especially through internet-based propaganda. Recruitment of Western radicals has worked for foreign terrorist organizations as they can conceal the id entity as the recruits hold â€Å"clean† citizenship. The employment of homegrown terrorist cells has complicated the ability to infiltrate terrorism recruitment rings (Cortright & Lopez, 2007). The four principal ingredients to a thriving terrorist’s organization include recruitment, motivation, funding, and haven. Terrorism is affected by interplay of factors such as a haven, leadership, and the underlying conditions within the society. Terrorist organizations leaders avail motivation, mobilization, and organization functions within the organizations. In addition, leaders within terrorist organizations act as principal sources of propaganda besides acting as symbolic figureheads

Architecture Research Paper Kansai International Airport Essay Example for Free

Architecture Research Paper Kansai International Airport Essay The Kansai International Airport designed by architect Renzo Piano is a very fascinating and unique building. It construction combines a man-made island, a high-tech new age looking structure and creative architectural design to create one of the biggest and most expensive airports in the world as seen to right in (Figure-1a). Human use of Kansai Airport is best expressed by the lecture topics discussed in class that include: Designation and Organization of Use, Architectural Determinism, Humanism at a Personal Scale, and Humanism at the Scale of Neighborhoods / Communities/Bureaucracies and Meaning in Architecture. In the Professor Speck’s class lecture over Designation and Organization of Use, there are many themes that I feel parallel with the design of Kansai International Airport. In lecture Professor Speck said that the overall environment a building is in encourages both the behavioral aspects and the physical environment, which in turn alters the shape behavior of the building. This statement correlates perfectly to Kansai Airport, because first of all the building is built of the coast of Osaka, Japan on a made-island. So before the building is built there is already a sense of behavioral and physical difference that sets it apart from other buildings. According to the lecture space is designated for three reasons. The first reason being the practicality of the designated space, then the injection of certain cultural values and taboos and finally the intrinsic human need to claim pace- intervals and community. Also, he said that when architects are planning the zoning for building they consider time, efficiency and machines. Kansai Airport was built because of a need for a big international airport; however, Piano had to find an alternate location due to the crowdedness of the Osaka Bay area. Thus, he used the theme of designation and organization use to come to the conclusion of a manmade island. Piano decision for the island can be compared to early American houses expressed in the book The Place Houses. In the book the authors describe how the early houses in New England, Virginia and Deep South differed in design to help adapt to there environment. However, after Piano solved the problem of where the airport would be built he still had to decide how long to make the island so it could house the massive structure. The final decision was for the island to be four kilometers long and one kilometer wide. The Phaidon Press describes this well in the book On Tour with Renzo Piano when they write, â€Å"Projects such as Kansai International Airport are so large in scale that they are almost impossible to grasp. †(p. 7). The size of the island is seen from an aerial view above in (Figure 2-a). Architectural Determinism, as mentioned by Professor Speck, played an important role in the design and construction of the Kansai Airport. The interior of the building is very easy to navigate around. Transparent glass helps calm people down and at the same time speed up the process of arrival and departure. The long and narrow design allows for a nearly infinite field of vision, creating a stress free and carefree environment. This is described well in the book Renzo Piano when Emilo Pizzi writes, â€Å"The desire to maximize transparency between the various areas allocated to embarkation and arrival procedures mans that precedence is given at every point to the passengers need to find their way, as well as enabling them to see the planes parked in front of the building through windows. † (p. 228). Rather than some buildings where people can feel like a needle in hay stack and get lost easily, Kansai International is very easy to navigate through even with its massive size. The transparency of the interior that results in easy and efficiency of movement from one place to another is apparent in (Figure 3-a) right and above. The next issue presented in lecture related to the Kansai Airport is Humanism at a Personal Scale. The assortment of different kinds of plant life inside the terminal give let the airport connect with the people walking through it. The plants help to offset the cold, unwelcoming feeling that is given off by the vast amount of steel, high ceiling and open spaces. Also helping to offset this unwelcoming feeling is the beautiful view of the Osaka Bay. The large glass windows combined with sun reflecting off the water allows a lot of natural light into the terminal. As expressed in the book The Place of Houses natural light helps give a warm vivid feeling to room that will stay in our minds long after we walk out of that room. Another small but import feature of Kansai Airport is the small signs that give directions. While all airports have these signs, they are especially important particularly in this massive terminal. Convenience of restaurants and stores also helps the airport to connect to the people walking through it on a more personal scale. This range of activities helps everyone that is arriving or departing feel a little bigger in such a enormous place. All of the small tributaries from the restaurants, stores, etc. lead to a â€Å"canyon† area that is the focal point of the terminal. Again this is to try and make arrival and departure run more smoothly. This is explained well in the book Renzo Piano when Emilo Piano writes, â€Å"Inside, the different levels convene into the â€Å"canyon,† a tall atrium occupying the fall of the height of the building, which acts as a sorting point for those arriving or disembarking off the planes. † (p. 28). The importance of focus is also cited in the book The Place of Houses, which says that the â€Å"focus† of a room is one of the most important and critical characteristics, because they (foci) are meant help to organize the room around the center of interest. In this case is canyon is both the center of interest and the â€Å"gateway† to the re st of the terminal. In (Figure 4-a) right and above one can clearly see how the â€Å"canyon† along with the massive signs help to make Kansai International Airport more manageable and how it helps to cater to people on a more humanistic and personal scale. Humanism at the Scale of Neighborhoods/Communities/Bureaucracies is the next issue I will discuss and its connection with the Kansai International Airport. I think that buzzing, busy atmosphere makes the people in the terminal feel warm and jovial. While it could be argued that to many persons walking scurrying through the airport at the same time could be disturbing and annoying, I think that like the plants, stores and restaurant the sea of people helps to fill the gigantic inside space of the terminal. However, if Kansai were compared to a city I would definitely compare it to one of the larger metropolises in the US, simply because of number of people and the crowded feeling it gives off. I think that the feel in the terminal would be like an exaggerated effect of what west campus is like during the afternoon of a school day. Both require a lot of walking and there is almost no opportunity to drive an automobile through either. Although I do not believe that Kansai Airport is necessarily a bad environment, it is certainly not a nurturing one. In lecture Professor Speck pointed out that there are eight principles of nurturing communities. They are as follows, convenience, wide range of articles, wide range of activities, sense of human presence, personal human scale, variety of visual experiences, freedom from intrusion of disturbance and natural relief. In my opinion Kansai Airport satisfies all of them except for intrusion of distraction, which is definitely does not satisfy because of the mass amounts of people. Emilo Pizzi explains this well in Renzo Piano when we he writes, â€Å"The place seems to evoke the turmoil of Japanese cities, but also the spirit of a millenary civilization†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 228). Although Kansai is not terrible as far as its Humanism at the Scale of Neighborhood/Communities/Bureaucracies is concerned it is definitely not as personable as the examples given in lecture, such as Kresege College in California, Byker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne in England, Tapiola New Town, Finland or the Crown Fountain, Millennium Park, Chicago. The final issue that Professor Speck discussed about in lecture was the Meaning of Architecture. The issue begins with the visual culture progression in the past fifty years leading to both greater reading comprehension and greater visual comprehension; architecture had to progress as well. Thus, architects started to use certain ways to â€Å"communicate† these ways of communication include Literal Direct Communication (LDC), Literal Indirect Communication (LIC) and Abstract. An example of LDC is a billboard of a cow with the caption â€Å"eat more,† so physically the meat is depicted. An example of LIC would be a picture of Bevo with the caption â€Å"We’re Texas. † Finally Abstract is defined as depicting certain feeling, colors, shapes, etc. I believe that Kansai International Airport is a combination of LDC and Abstract, because it looks like an airport with runways, planes, etc. but also is made of very unique shapes that set it apart from any other building. The uniqueness of Kansai that make it abstract are demonstrated well in Renzo Piano when Emilo Pizzi writes, â€Å"From the air, the building looks like a shining flag that cheerfully greets the traveler from the vast artificial island. The image stays in the mind when, having landed, the plane comes to a halt in front of the large metallic facade of the building. † (p. 224). A visual Kansai is flag-like structure and its Abstract communication is clearly depicted in (Figure 5-a) below. In conclusion, Professor Speck discussed many issues in lecture that distinguished the human and personal use of buildings all over the globe. The issues consisted of : Designation and Organization of Use, Architectural Determinism, Humanism at Personal Scale, Humanism at the Scale of Neighborhoods/ Communities/Bureaucracies and Meaning in Architecture. These issues/topics are especially vital in expressing the personal and human architectural use of Kansai International Airport. Theses issue give a small sample of truly how creative and unique Kansai Airport’s Architect Renzo Piano is and how impressive and world renounced Kansai International is by both world-class architects and just the every day observer alike. This airport with its manmade island and unique high-tech look will always be remembered and will mostly definitely used as a model for airports and other buildings in the future.

Have Discount Retailers gone upmarket in the UK?

Have Discount Retailers gone upmarket in the UK? Preliminary Information Working Title of Dissertation: Have Discount Retailers gone upmarket in the UK? If so, how and why? Research Question and aim: To investigate location of Aldi and Lidl stores in relation to income/social class of catchment area(compare 1991, 2001 and 2011 census data) to understand store strategy. Why would more affluent household shop at hard discounters? Understand hard discounters non-locational strategy. Introduction The review aims to look at theoretical explanations of retailers change such as the Wheel of Retailing and the Conflict Theory. It then focuses on research studies which try to understand consumers store choice decision and factors influencing it. Finally, it will briefly look at methods which are used to understand retailers store decisions. All the sources are either books or peer-reviewed journal articles. Understanding the current literature available is important as it would help support my research findings and improve my research methods based on other academics research. The most widely used model in explaining retail growth is the Wheel of Retailing created by McNair in 1958. The details of his work are mostly described in Hollander (1960) work. The model describes most retailer start as a low margin or focuses on low prices such as the discount grocery retailers. Investment in facilities and services increases, therefore, leads to increasing cost and price with its emphasis on service which allows a higher profit margin. This leaves a gap for lower margin retailers to enter the market which will make traditional retailers vulnerable to competition.ÂÂ   Hollander also identified the factors causing the changes which are Management Deterioration, price competition and excess capacity in factories. The Retail life cycle is a similar theory propose by Davidson et al (1976) cited in Levy et al (2005). It describes 4 stages of a retailer: Introduction, Growth, Maturity and decline. The focus is the profit level and the market share whereas the Wheel of Retailing focuses on the price-quality continuum. Sparks (1990) case study on Kwik Save provides an excellent case study on how it has progressed through the cycle with the name discount removed from their store in 1986 suggesting a move to the maturing stage. These cyclical theories are simple to understand and supportive examples can be found, however, Roth and Klein (1993) found that it is very difficult to test it with limited expense data and Brown (1991) criticise that it only considers price and quality and ignores other factors such as assortments and store size. Also, it assumes that there is only one path to retail growth, therefore alternative theories such as the Big Middle (Levy et al, 2005) was developed. It considers another path of development through innovation targeting at a higher income market which then moves into the Big Middle to benefit from economies of scale and where there is the highest demand focusing on services. There are also non- cyclical theories. The conflict theory suggests competition is the main reason for changes in retailing. Stores can be classified as thesis which has higher margins and antithesis which have a lower margin (such as discounters). Over time, a merger could occur which will lead to synthesis to reduce competition or increased price competition through introduction of value private labels (Burt and Sparks, 1994). Changes in the environment also encourage retail changes. Levy et al (2005) mentioned Dresseman s(1968) work which uses Darwins natural selection theory as an analogy for retail changes where only the fittest store will survive. Roth and Klein (1993) also identifies environmental factors such as demographics, regulation and demand encourage retailers to adapt otherwise they would be outcompeted. Overall, the theories suggest that retailer change due to a changing environment and try to avoid competition, especially price which is the focus of retailers who just joined the market. Consumers store choice Understanding consumers shopping behaviour is important as it allows retailers to strategically plan their store location, format and the assortments. Therefore, this is an area which is widely researched. Fox and Sethuraman (2010) and Leszczyc et al (2004) provides a summary of consumers store choice and segmentation. There are three types of consumers: price, service seekers and cheery-pickers. Price seekers are usually from lower income households who are more price conscious (Katsaras et al., 2001) and would travel to an everyday low pricing (EDLP) stores which are usually cheaper, larger stores to do their main shopping. This includes the deep-discounters. For service seekers who usually are single household who have a higher income and time-deprived due to work commitments, they therefore value convenience store more which provides better services such as Tesco Express Shops. They are known as High/Low Price Store (Hilo) who offers discount by promotion. When doing a Multi-Purp ose Trips, both groups will visit stores near shopping centres and would visit both types of stores. The final type of shopper is the cherry-pickers who go to different stores to look for the best deals, hence they would visit both types of stores and have a lot of time to do shopping but also has the lowest loyalty to a brand or store. Apart from price and convenience, assortment is another factor affecting store choice. Briesch et al (2009) found that it is the 3rd most important factor and it is measured in Store Keeping Units (SKU). Generally, store size is used as a proxy for assortments hence EDLP stores usually has higher SKUs and are more attractive to customers who want choice. However, Broniarczyk et al (1998) study found that retailers could make significant reduction in SKUs and customers perception will remain the same. Briesch et al (2009) also concluded that only the number of brands and availability of favourite brands would affect store choice suggesting assortment could be less important than brands in consumers store choice decision. Brands can be separated into private labels and National brand. The UK is a unique market that the private labels are stronger than in continental Europe. For example, Tesco own private label has three grades: Value, Finest, Normal (Krafft and Mantrala, 2010) which is different from other countries where private labels are seen as low cost and quality(Burt, 2000) hence able to directly compete with National Brand. In the same paper, he mentioned previous studies in the USA by Myers, 1967 found that there is no socio-economic difference in choosing National or private brands but Liversey and Lennin (1978) found that more affluent and young people are more likely to take risks to buy new national brands than lower income people. Hence there is no clear consensus whether private and national brands are targeting different groups. During economic recession, people become more price orientated hence Hard-Discounters would be popular during the period as their price are 15-40% cheaper than traditional retailer (Lamey, 2014). According to Colla (1994) study, he found that 1/3 of people in the sample thinks that the quality in discounters is high due to the basic display hence shop from them. This means traditional retailer are not only competing with hard discounter on price but also on its quality which means after recession, these customers are very likely to be retained. Also, this shows different customer has different view on factors such as quality, therefore different literature provides a different view and there is no consensus on the most important factor. It is now becoming common for retailers to use models to help decide where stores should be located. The three methods that will be discussed are Regression, GIS and Spatial Interaction Model. Regression can be used to accurately predict how one factor affects another with known values. This allows understanding of the relative importance of each factor. Leszczyc and Timmermans (1997) work used regression to analyse variables such as income with repeated trips, store loyalty etc. using data collected from consumer. GIS can be used to help to understand store location decision by doing simple catchment area analysis. This involves drawing a buffer of a certain travel time or distance on the program to show how far people would travel to a store (Benoit and Clarke, 1997). Neighbourhood data could also be incorporated which will help to identify potential new site and analyse current store strategy of a retailer. However, this paper and Birkin et al (2002) raises issues of using the method. How should the buffer be defined and when the buffers overlap, how can we allocate the number of consumers or revenue to each store? The second problem could be solved by using a spatial interaction model which according to Brown (1993), it considers the Trade-off between distance and attractiveness of alternative of shopping area. Hence revenue can be allocated according to the attractiveness (e.g. Floorspace) and its accessibility relative to another. This will improve the accuracy of the analysis. The literature review showed that a wide range of theories have been constructed to understand changes in retail and through research has been done on consumers behaviour and how they are analysed. However, more research is still needed in understanding customers perception of different store types as results still vary a lot. The review of the methods helped me to consider other methods to analyse the relationship between discount retailers and income and the store choice review would help me with the questionnaire design to understand consumer behaviour for discount retailers. Finally, the theory review would help explain the findings in GIS analysis. References Benoit, D. and Clarke, G.P. 1997. Assessing GIS for retail location planning. Journal of retailing and consumer services. 4(4), pp.239-258. Birkin, M., Clarke, G.P. and Clarke, M. 2002. Retail Geography and intelligent network planning. Chichester: Wiley. Briesch, R.A., Chintagunta, P.K. and Fox, E.J. 2009. How does assortment affect grocery store choice? Journal of Marketing Research. 46(2), pp.176-189. Broniarczyk, S.M., Hoyer, W.D. and McAlister, L. 1998. Consumers perceptions of the assortment offered in a grocery category: The impact of item reduction. Journal of Marketing Research. pp.166-176. Brown, S. 1991. Variations on a marketing enigma: The wheel of retailing theory. Journal of Marketing Management. 7(2), pp.131-155. Brown, S. 1993. Retail location theory: evolution and evaluation. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. 3(2), pp.185-229. Burt, S. 2000. The strategic role of retail brands in British grocery retailing. European Journal of Marketing. 34(8), pp.875-890. Burt, S. and Sparks, L. 1994. Structural change in grocery retailing in Great Britain: a discount reorientation? The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. 4(2), pp.195-217. Colla, E. 1994. Discount development in france: The introduction of the format and the competitive response. Journal of Marketing Management. 10(7), pp.645-654. Fox, E.J. and Sethuraman, R. 2010. Retail Competition. In: Krafft, M. and Mantrala, M.K. eds. Retailing in the 21st century, current and future trends. [Online].London: Springer, pp.239-255. [Accessed 19 March 2017]. Available from: https://www.dawsonera.com/readonline/9783540720034 Hollander, S.C. 1960. The Wheel of Retailing. Journal of Marketing. 25(1), pp.37-42. Katsaras, N., Wolfson, P., Kinsey, J. and Senauer, B. 2001. Data mining: A segmentation analysis of US grocery shoppers. St. Paul, MN: The University of Minnesota, The Retail Food Industry Center, Working Paper. p01. Krafft, M. and Mantrala, M.K. 2010. Retailing in the 21st century: current and future trends. Berlin: Springer Verlag. Lamey, L. 2014. Hard economic times: a dream for discounters. European Journal of Marketing. 48(3/4), pp.641-656. Leszczyc, P.T.P., Sinha, A. and Sahgal, A. 2004. The effect of multi-purpose shopping on pricing and location strategy for grocery stores. Journal of Retailing. 80(2), pp.85-99. Leszczyc, P.T.P. and Timmermans, H. 1997. Store-switching behavior. Marketing Letters. 8(2), pp.193-204. Levy, M., Grewal, D., Peterson, R.A. and Connolly, B. 2005. The concept of the Big Middle. Journal of Retailing. 81(2), pp.83-88. Roth, V.J. and Klein, S. 1993. A theory of retail change. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. 3(2), pp.167-183. Sparks, L. 1990. Spatial-Structural Relationships in Retail Corporate Growth: A Case-Study of Kwik Save Group P.L.C. The Service Industries Journal. 10(1), pp.25-84.

Msg And Its Neurological Effects Biology Essay

Msg And Its Neurological Effects Biology Essay Due to evolving since in fields such as food science pharmacology, pediatrics, medical psychology, and toxicology, various food additives have come under a sharp review. In the medical field, a controversy has been ranging as to whether MSG should be used at all since diverse research case studies have not only shown its negative effects on health in general but also its neurological effects. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) has been used as a flavorant in the food industry for close to one hundred years in foods consumed by the masses daily. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies MSG as a food ingredient that is considered generally safe for use by the public, a number of researches such as by Schwartz have shown that it is harmful to the users health and should therefore be banned. Glutamate is naturally found in foods such as milk, poultry, meat and vegetables. Further, the body naturally produces glutamate which is essential for the nervous system. However, syntheti c manufacture has been proven to be harmful. This study purposefully outlines such effects on the nervous sytem and serves to support other recent findings against the use of MSG. Introduction MSG is a food additive that is found in most of the commercial foods. It improves the flavor of the food hence attracting customers. In itself, there is no value addition in terms of nutrition. It actually does nothing to food, but to the eater it is detrimental to their health. MSG is referred to as an excitotoxin or neurotoxin. This is the case since it widely involves the neuroscientists field in that it has degenerative and deadly effects on the brain and the nervous system. MSG actually over stimulates the brain neurons to exhaustion leading to their death. MSG goes to the brain through the membranes in the mouth and the throat. It also enters the blood stream through the digestion of food in the digestive system. MSG will trick the brain to thinking that it is getting value from the foods that are being taken in. MSG is not natural in nature. It is manmade from glutamic acid which is an amino acid which is found in complete proteins. Amino acids do occur naturally from many pla nts and animal tissues. The artificially created types of Amino acids are processed through the breakdown and the change of the natural form of glutamate. Some of the natural substances used for this purpose are molasses, grain starches and corn. The manipulation process produces various form of glumate. The d-glumate is never found naturally. The free glumates could enter the body 8 to 10 times faster than the bound or the natural glumates. Natural glumate is found in foods like tomatoes, milk and the mushrooms. The commercial methods or techniques used to manufacture glumate were not in use until the 1960s. The MSG in use today is not at all natural Literature review The current research shows that MSG is the cause of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers Huntingtons, Parkinsons and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuroscientists, such as Adriene, have explained that MSG attacks the blood-brain barrier of the brain cells which is responsible for protection and regulation of the delicate chemical exchange within the brain cells. The chemical exchange process is normally well balanced and its functionality is unquestionable. Under normal conditions also the brain and the body immune system handles all kinds of pollutants, diseases and stress. A very small amount of toxic substance can actually cause the brain call to over react leading to excessive exhaustion and death (Samuels). MSG is one of the major excitotoxins and is widely known to cause damage to the brain part that governs or controls other systems in the human body. The damage will probably appear as a disorder in the nervous system and the endocrine system. This can be manifested in the cases of unusual sleeping patterns, persistent hunger and food cravings. This usually leads to obesity. MSG is also known to cause migraine headaches, behavioral disorders, asthma attacks, depression, heart irregularities, arthritis, sinus problems and digestive problems (Anglesey). MSG is a neurotoxin that takes a very short time to create a widely diverse and dramatic effect on the human body. An individual may take a mild dosage of a prescription drug and have mild effects which may even be favorable. However, another person may take the same prescription drug and instead, get depressed, have stomach disorders, a swollen tongue and aching joints. The different parts of the brain do govern various body functions. The part which is attacked will directly depend on the brain part that has been attacked by the excitotoxin. If for example a person has had a head injury, a genetic pinch in a given part of the brain, has had a fever that is attacking parts of the brain, or even has had a stroke, then it is certain that the part of the brain that has been affected will be due to the toxins. Some of the foods that are sold are sold as weight loss promotions to the people. When food substances such as fat and sugar are removed from the foods, MSG together with aspartame is usually added. These excitotoxins are known to cause obesity and irregular heartbeats in many people. FDA usually allows the labeling of MSGS as natural flavors, hydrolyzed proteins and autolyzed yeast when used as just a component ingredient in an additive and not purely MSG. Americans today are consuming 160 million pounds of MSG per annum. A toxicologist and an author by the name Dr, George Schwartz claims that two table spoons of MSG on a piece of bread could kill a medium sized dog within a minute. The FDA in the year 1995 claimed that no one can react to less than 3 grams of MSG per meal. However, despite their confirmation, they have warned that MSG should be avoided by children, pregnant or lactating women, the elderly and those who suffer Asthma. A highly sensitive individual can react even to less than a gram of MSG (Blaylock). Effects and Related disorders Research has shown that in the late 1950s, an estimated amount of 12 grams per person per year of MSG was used by the Americans. Looking at the same issue today, the estimate has shot to between 400 and 500 grams per person per year. This is an amount that needs evaluation by FDA. (Anglesey) The wide usage of MSG came in the mid 1970s. It gained much popularity with producers of food through the 1980s. Two powerful excitotoxic food additives that took the food industry by storm were the MSG and aspartame. MSG has been widely associated with a wide range of diseases, symptoms and complaints. As earlier stated, it affects the neurological system of the body. The same ailments are today being reported to be on their rise. Often the ailments are quite unexpected and hard to explain either. Neorological effects of MSG and statistics of interest published by national organizations have been listed here-in. Fibromyalgia: this is a growing epidemic. Its patients eliminated MSG and aspartame during the study conducted by Florida University which reported complete relief of symptoms in 2001. However, the most cognitive study was carried by Smith, Shmidt and Guns who sought to prove the link between Fibromyalgia and MSG with several other additives as a common rheumatologic disorder. In this case, 4 patients were diagnosed for 2-17 years with fibromyalgia syndrome. However, they had undergone various modalities of treatment while failing to consider MSG as the causative agent. After eliminating aspartame and MSG from their diets, complete or near complete resolution of symptoms diagnosed were recorded within months. In this case analysis, the subjects were women who had multiple comorbidities and recurring symptoms after the ingestion of MSG. It is therefore indicative that t he excitotoxins, present in substances such as Aspartate and MSG, become excitatory neurotransmitters once ingested, and if consumed in excess can lead to neurotoxicity. These 4 patients may therefore represent this fibromyalgia syndrome and act as a link to conclusively establish a link to MSG. Therefore, persistent studies, if carried out on a larger sample, might serve to link the fibromyalgia syndrome to MSG and aspartame more concretely (Murray). Further, a study posted in MSGTruth.org is instrumental in linking MSG to pituitary adenomas. MSG overstimulates the hypothalamus which consequently leads damage on the neurons. The hypothalamus is responsible for directing the pituitary glands actions, which is also referred to as the master gland since it in turn directs all other glands in the body and their actions such as metabolism, development of sex and reproductive organs and other key development functions. Statistics have shown that 25% of Kenyans develop a pituitary adenoma in the course of their lives. However, studies linking pituitary adenomas to MSG are inconclusive. Some studies had previously depicted this as a genetic disorder but have however been proven wrong. About half of the pituitary adenomas secrete prolactin. Prolactinomas vcan become extremely large over time to crowd the optic nerve thereby affecting vision. It is however detected early in women since it interferes with menses and stops ovulation. This prevents conception or pregnancy in general. Further, since prolactin is responsible for lactation, secretion can cause lactation in the victim even if they were never pregnant or even if they are male. Hence, men with these adenomas develop breasts which have the capacity to secrete milk. Unlike in women who are forewarned by the effects on vision or associated headaches, this condition is deadly in men since the tumor can only be detected when it is large and dangerous. Further, research records by most governments are only kept for cancerous tumors while benign tumor, such as in this case, are neglected hence making it the more difficult not only to research on especially as to its link to aspartine and MSG but also to treat. Trea tment is very expensive. There are only two treatments with Dostinex, a carbegoline, is normally preferred which costs approximately $ 30 a tablet. Therefore, there is a need to sponsor more research as to the link to MSG and brain tumors (Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and Aspartame). Other effects that have been attributed to MSG and its neurological disorders are headaches and migraines, asthma, obesity among others. In headaches and migraines: an approximate amount of $ 2.2 billion per year are being spent on drugs which treat headaches. This chronic condition has received a 74% increase from the years 1980 to 1990. Secondly, Asthma has been linked to MSG and related to the brain effects. According to statistics there was a decline of asthma until the mid-eighties. Since then however, there has been a recorded 100% increase in the rate of death among the children and the seniors. This incidence has increased 600% in the last 10 years. FDA has identified that the uncontrollable asthma can be caused by MSG, unfortunately no further measures are taken to deal with the situation. Defects of birth and disorders of production: MSG has been identified as a mutagen i.e. mutates fetuses. It is said to cause damage to the intellectual development, reproduction, growth pa tterns and the gonadal functions. However, such research has not been concrete. Other effects are neurological or emotional disorders. Laboratory studies have shown devastating effects on brain development. This includes autism, attention deficit, dyslexia, hyperactivity, violent episodes or rage, panic attacks, depression, paranoia, seizures and cerebral palsy. Rats were used for this study. However, human beings are 5 times more sensitive to MSG than rats. Obesity too has been linked to MSG and the nervous system. This is the most consistent effect of excitotoxins exposure and can be termed as a growing problem that does not respect age or sexual boundaries. In fact scientists uses glumate to feed animals used in the laboratories with an aim of inducing obesity. MSG will trigger insulin or adrenalin or fat storage or even a food craving response. This actually depletes the serotonin levels which in turn trigger headaches, depression and fatigue and also leads to food cravings. Finally, it is vital to note the following maladies and diseases are also attributed to MSG. Heart maladies: for the Americans, more than 70 million of them do suffer one or more forms of cardiovascular disease. 43% of all deaths in America are related to this same problem. Cardiovascular operations in the US went up with 287% from the year 1980 to 1990. Alzheimers disease: in the 1980s, this disease was nowhere among the highly identifiable health threats. It is however ranked third in todays statistics after cancer and heart disease. There are 4 million people afflicted by the disease at a cost of $47,000 per person per year in healthcare costs. Parkinsons, ALS, MS and the Huntingtons diseases like Alzheimers are all progressively growing neurogenic diseases that show brain and nerve cell damage. There are also other symptoms of MSG sensitivity that include swollen throat and tongue, joint pain, skin disorders, sleeping disorders, burning, tightness of the face or its redness, vert igo and gastrointestinal complaints. This subject of disorders in behavior for children is becoming a common discussion among professionals. The Studies that are already done have widely associated the violent behavior, attention deficits and emotional instability to chemical imbalances occurring in the brain. The reason that young brains are developing the blood-brain barrier, it is now becoming an extreme possibility that there will be early damage caused by excitotoxins. In April 1994, a time magazine article confirmed the rising problem of behavioral disorders. The magazine stated that the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was not in existence 15 years ago. It is however said that it is now affecting 3.3 million American children. This magazine article quotes a prominent research which 10 years ago stated that symptoms of ADHD and ADD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) vanished with maturity. Today however, ADD is now the fastest growing diagnostic category for the adults. The combination of excitotoxins i.e. MSG and aspartame came into wide usage in the 1980s. The drug sale rate for these disorders has shot up by almost 400% in a period of 4 years only. MSG is now a known mutagen. Its damage occurs in the womb as chemicals pass from the womb of the mother into the blood system of the fetus. The old people do show high vulnerability rates to the progressive neuro-generative diseases. An example of such diseases is Alzheimers.

Marketing External Environments :: essays research papers

I ¡Ã‚ ¦m not sure if I am taking the right definition of  ¡Ã‚ §external environments ¡Ã‚ ¨ in my answer, but I will talk about them in the way I have learned about them before. There are always a number of external factors that affect customers, and if a marketing team is good they will take all of them into consideration. Demographics: Defined as: The characteristics of human populations and population segments, especially when used to identify consumer markets. I think this is one of the most important factors to look at because in take into account many things about the population including, but not limited to:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Æ’Ã ¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Race Æ’Ã ¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gender Æ’Ã ¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Average Income Æ’Ã ¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Location Æ’Ã ¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Population This makes a huge difference in marketing because marketing to middle aged Hispanic females may need a totally different campaign then elderly white males, although they may both be interested in the product. This is generally used in the initial stages of planning to decide if a certain area will even be profitable to market in. Political Factors: Depending on the political group of the area there may be bans on certain advertising or activities. Certain businesses may be supported more by specific political groups. For example a gun shop may flop in a more democratic area but be a huge success in a primary republican area. You could compare say, Texas and Massachusetts. In Republican Texas the gun ownership percentage is much, much higher then in Democratic Massachusetts. Economic Factors: This includes things like interest rates, exchange rates, government policies on taxation and spending, among other things. One of the most common examples of this is car dealerships advertising  ¡Ã‚ §Lowest Interest Rates Ever! ¡Ã‚ ¨ It may be much more successful to push a product more when interest rates are lower, and more appealing to consumers. Technological Factors: The technological world is booming, products are moving from Version 1.5 to Version 6.7 in a matter of months. With so much new technology being introduced it ¡Ã‚ ¦s important to remain user friendly, cost conscious, and efficient. Competitors: This one is huge. Companies and consumers alike need to be aware of the competing business in the area. Cost conscious consumers will look in flyers to see if Big Y or Stop and Shop has cheaper grapes, and the businesses need to be aware of this so they can appeal to the customer in a way the other business is not. If there are competing businesses in a specific area, you will RARELY see one advertise and the other abstain, for the simple fact that you need to do everything your competitor is doing and then some.

Essay --

Scotland is a country famous all over the world for its culture and warmth, In political terms Scotland isn't really on the map, however next year marks a huge event for Scotland as the people of Scotland are going to be put to the polls to decide if Scotland will become an independent country or stay within the UK. Scottish independence has been a topic for many years however now it may be a reality which would appease many people but also anger others. Scotland joined in a Union with England in 1707 after it essentially went bankrupt by attempting to colonize a part of Panama and name it 'Caledonia', it was unsuccessful due to poor planning and also weak leadership, this was a huge contributing factor towards Scotlands financial mess. Scotlands export was nothing compared to Englands at the time and was generally over shadowed by its powerful neighbour (Baynes, Thomas Spencer 1888). The two countries prior shared a monarch for over 100 years when King James VI of Scotland also became the King of England. They were numerous attempts prior to 1707 to join Scotland and England together, however in 1707 both countries appointed 31 commisioners to conduct the negotiations. Most of the Scottish commisioners favoured the union and similar with the English commisioners, however it is important to note that the tories were against it. Many people in Scotland felt betrayed at the time, and many also do today, they think that our dignity and nationality was wiped off us in exchange for money. Famous poet Robbie Burns was quoted saying 'We're bought and sold for English Gold, Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation'. With contrast to the above the English wanted a union with Scotland to ensure that Scotland would not choose a monarch differen... ... religion, however Marxists defend the right of 'oppressed' nations to self-determination, up to and including independence. On the question of Scottish independence, the Left in Scotland is similarly caught on two minds. There are those in the Labour Party and the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) who maintain that independence would disunite the British working class and only go to serve the interests of the bourgeoisie. However, others on the Left, most notably in the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) and the Communist Party of Scotland (CPS), believe that the breakup of the British state is a precondition for securing progressive, socialist change for the peoples these islands since it would open up opportunities for the Left, both in Scotland and south of the Border, to promote a radical political agenda that otherwise would remain excluded from mainstream politics.

Analysis of A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift :: essays research papers

This essay by Jonathan Swift is a brutal satire in which he suggests that the poor Irish families should kill their young children and eat them in order to eliminate the growing number of starving citizens. At this time is Ireland, there was extreme poverty and wide gap between the poor and the rich, the tenements and the landlords, respectively. Throughout the essay Swift uses satire and irony as a way to attack the indifference between classes. Swift is not seriously suggesting cannibalism, he is trying to make known the desperate state of the lower class and the need for a social and moral reform in Ireland. Jonathan Smith goes to extreme measures to explain his new plan to raise the economic wellbeing of his country. He explains what age is too young and what age is too old, in order to eat the tenants children when they are at their prime juiciness. He also gives a list of suggestions on how to cook them, ?A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled, and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout.? All of this talk about eating children comes as a surprise because previous to this disturbing suggestion, Swift is ironically discussing the plight of starving beggars in Ireland. The reader is unprepared for the solution that he suggests. The idea of eating all the youth in the country is obviously self-defeating and is not being seriously suggested by the writer. He is simply trying to show how desperate the lower class is in Ireland. Swift introduces the reforms he is actually suggesting, taxing absentee landlords, of encouraging the domestic economy by buying Irish goods, of discouraging pride, vanity, idleness, by dismissing them in his essay by saying that they are impractical. However, these reforms greatly differ from his ?modest proposal? because instead of the poor sacrificing their children, it would involve the rich sacrificing some of their luxuries. He is trying to point out the fact that reforms that would be practical and beneficial to the people of Ireland are being overlooked for the convenience of the rich.

Education and Girls Essay

This strategy is a first step to get us back on track. It acknowledges that we all need to do substantially more to help girls get into school. It reminds us of the value of education for lifting nations out of instability and providing a more promising future to their people. And regardless of whether they live in a wealthy or poor country, nothing has as much impact on a child’s future wellbeing as their mother’s level of education. We do not need complex international negotiations to help solve the problem of education. We just need to listen to governments, local communities, children, parents and teachers who know what challenges remain. And we need to provide them with enough funding to put their ideas on education into practice. To this end, we plan to spend at least ? 1. 4 billion over the next three years. This money will provide additional support to governments and more resources to strengthen international efforts to coordinate action on girls’ education. The example set by countries like Malawi, where the Minister for Education announced free schooling and immediately increased enrolment rates, shows just what can be achieved when there is a clearly defined plan of action and enough political will to implement it. In 2005, the UK will hold the Presidencies of the G8 and the EU. We will use our leadership role to make achieving gender parity in education a priority for the international community. iii Girls’ education: towards a better future for all As Meda Wagtole’s words make clear, keeping our promise on girls’ education will not just give girls better prospects; it holds the key to giving their families, communities and countries a better future as well. Rt Hon Hilary Benn, MP iv Contents Foreword iii Summary 1 1. Introduction 2 Education matters 2. Education is a right – but it is still beyond the reach of many 3 A timely strategy 4 What prevents girls from getting a quality education? 6 Educating girls is costly for families 7 Girls may face a poor and hostile school environment 9 2. Women have a weak position in society Conflict hurts girls most Tackling girls’ education on the ground 12 12 Making girls’ education affordable 15 Making schools work for all girls 17 Charities, religious and other voluntary organisations are good for girls 18 Supporting policies that work 19 Focusing international efforts on girls’ education. 21 More resources are needed 21 Donor actions in support of country-led development 22 International organisations need to work together for girls’ education 23 Civil society’s role in building global momentum and local support 5. 11 Political leadership and empowerment of women matter 4. 11 Tackling social exclusion 3. 10 24 Towards a better future for all 27 Annexes 29 Endnotes 33 v vi Summary There are still 58 million girls worldwide who are not in school. The majority of these girls live in subSaharan Africa and South and West Asia. A girl growing up in a poor family in sub-Saharan Africa has less than a one-in-four chance of getting a secondary education. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to get as many girls as boys into primary and secondary school by 2005 is likely to be missed in more than 75 countries. We need to make much better progress. There is growing international commitment and consensus on what can be done to improve girls’ education. This strategy sets out the action DFID will take and the leadership we will provide, with others in the international community, to ensure equality of education between men and women, boys and girls. †¢ We will work to narrow the financing gap for education. Over the next three years, DFID plans to spend more than ? 1. 4 billion of aid on education. †¢ We will work with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to strengthen its capacity to co-ordinate action on girls’ education. †¢ We will use the UK’s Presidencies of the G8 and EU and our role as co-chair of the Fast-Track Initiative (FTI) to push gender equality in education up the political agenda. †¢ We will support the efforts of governments in developing countries to produce plans that prioritise girls’ education. This will include providing financial help to those wanting to remove school fees. †¢ We will work with our development partners to increase educational opportunities for girls; civil society will be a key partner in this work. †¢ We will increase our efforts to promote awareness within the UK of girls’ education in poor countries. Educating girls helps to make communities and societies healthier, wealthier and safer, and can also help to reduce child deaths, improve maternal health and tackle the spread of HIV and AIDS. It underpins the achievement of all the other MDGs. That is why the target date was set as 2005. That is also why in 2000, at the Dakar Conference, donors promised that every country with a sound education plan would get the resources it needed to implement it. Progress has been hampered by a number of factors: a lack of international political leadership, a global funding gap of an estimated $5. 6 billion a year for education, a lack of plans and capacity within national education systems to improve the access to and quality of schooling for girls, and locally many poor families who simply cannot afford to send their children to school. This paper marks a new phase in the UK’s support to girls’ education. Now is the time to act. 1 1 Chapter One Introduction Education matters In September 2000, 188 heads of state from around the world signed the Millennium Declaration and established the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). While most goals aim to achieve significant progress in development by 2015, one goal was to be achieved by 2005 – gender parity in primary and secondary education. But, more than 75 countries are likely to miss this goal. We are falling well short of our promise. Women are at the heart of most societies. Regardless of whether they are working or not, mothers are very influential people in children’s lives. Educating girls is one of the most important investments that any country can make in its own future. Education has a profound effect on girls’ and women’s ability to claim other rights and achieve status in society, such as economic independence and political representation. As the following examples demonstrate, having an education can make an enormous difference to a woman’s chances of finding well-paid work, raising a healthy family and preventing the spread of diseases such as HIV and AIDS. †¢ †¢ 2 An educated woman is 50 per cent more likely to have her children immunised against childhood diseases. 3 †¢ †¢ An infant born to an educated woman is much more likely to survive until adulthood. In Africa, children of mothers who receive five years of primary education are 40 per cent more likely to live beyond age five. 2 †¢ A South African girl at her high school graduation. ( © Giacomo Pirozzi/Panos) Women with at least a basic education are much less likely to be poor. Providing girls with one extra year of schooling beyond the average can boost their eventual  wages by 10 to 20 per cent. 1 If we had reached the gender parity goal by 2005, more than 1 million childhood deaths could have been averted. 4 For every boy newly infected with HIV in Africa, there are between three and six girls newly infected. Yet, in high-prevalence areas such as Swaziland, two-thirds of teenage girls in school are free from HIV, while two-thirds of out-of-school girls are HIV positive. In Uganda, children who have been to secondary school are four times less likely to become HIV positive. 5 Introduction. Education is a right – but it is still beyond the reach of many For all these reasons, girls’ education has long been recognised as a human right. Past international commitments include addressing gender equality within the education system, the first step to eliminating all forms of discrimination against women (see Annex 2). This right to education is denied to 58 million girls, and a further 45 million boys, even at the primary school level. 6 More than 75 countries are likely to miss the 2005 MDG target for gender parity in primary and secondary enrolments. 7 One-third of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. On current trends, more than 40 per cent of all countries with data are at risk of not achieving gender parity at primary, secondary or both levels of education even by 2015. Figure 1. 1: Prospects for gender parity in primary enrolments Progress towards the target Gender parity in primary enrolments At risk of not achieving by 2015 Likely to achieve by 2015 Likely to achieve by 2005 Achieved in 2000 (20) (14) (13) (78) Source: Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2003-04. Grey shading indicates lack of data. These figures hide significant variation across continents, across countries, and across communities. †¢ There are 23 million8 girls out of school in sub-Saharan Africa, distributed across more than 40 countries. A further 22 million out-of-school girls are in South and West Asia, yet the majority of these are concentrated in just two countries: India and Pakistan. †¢ In Niger, less than one-third of all school-aged girls are enrolled in primary school. By contrast, in Rwanda more than four out of every five girls are enrolled in primary school. †¢ In Mali, the proportion of girls enrolled in primary school is around six  times higher in the city of Bamako than in the more remote areas of Mali. 3 1 Girls’ education: towards a better future for all There is an alarming difference between the numbers of girls attending primary and secondary school. The vast majority of school-aged girls in sub-Saharan Africa are not enrolled in secondary school, because the relatively high costs of secondary education are acting as a major disincentive for poorer parents. In Pakistan, the gross enrolment rate for girls in secondary education is 19 per cent. 9 In Niger, Tanzania and Chad it is only five per cent. There are exceptions to the rule, but generally in countries where girls fare poorly in primary education compared with boys, they do even worse in secondary education, as illustrated by the graph in Annex 3. Nevertheless, countries are making progress, sometimes dramatically so. †¢ In Bangladesh, equal numbers of girls and boys now enter secondary school. In 1990, there were only half as many girls as boys in secondary education. †¢ Nepal has nearly nine girls for every ten boys enrolled in primary school, compared with seven girls for every ten boys in 1990. †¢ In Kenya, over 1 million extra children have enrolled in primary school since the removal of school user fees in 2003. A timely strategy This paper is a first step to identifying – and implementing – the actions that will allow us collectively to keep the promises we made. 10 It serves as a reminder for us to speed up the work we are doing in education. Examples of our work in education include: †¢ Supporting education in Nigeria where there are 7. 3 million children of primary age out of school, of whom 62 per cent are girls. 11 The federal Ministry of Education in Nigeria is implementing an education programme with support from UNICEF and DFID to achieve gender parity and universal basic education. DFID is providing a ? 26 million grant, which will directly benefit girls as well as boys in six northern states. †¢ Allocating ? 10. 8 million to the government of Kenya initiative SPRED III (Strengthening of Primary Education), which aims to reduce the burden of the cost of primary education on parents. In the first year of this programme, enrolments increased from 5. 9 million to over 7 million and are still rising. Listening to local people has been an invaluable way of identifying the main constraints that keep girls from entering school, remaining in school, and learning effectively. Our country experience is also providing us with concrete evidence of how governments are overcoming these challenges. We are using this evidence of what works as the basis for the actions we intend to take to speed up progress on girls’ education. 4 Introduction DFID’s experience in tackling girls’ education is drawn from the 25 priority countries where our work is focused. Our education effort in these countries is aimed at supporting governments to provide education for all, particularly for girls. These 25 countries contain nearly three-quarters of all girls who do not have access to basic education as shown in Figure 1. 2. Global support for development, while on the rise, remains well below what is needed to make achieving the MDGs a reality, particularly in countries that are unable to work towards poverty reduction. International bilateral support for education amounts to about $4 billion a year, with much of this money going towards secondary and university schooling. International support for basic education is less than $1 billion a year – less than $2 a year for every school-aged child in the developing world. We need to do better. And we can do better. Figure 1. 2: Distribution of girls out of school in DFID’s 25 priority countries Outside DFID’s 25 priority countries 28% DFID’s 25 priority countries 72% India Rwanda Lesotho Cambodia Malawi Zimbabwe Zambia Vietnam South Africa Nepal Mozambique Ghana DRC, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda (separate data not available) Kenya Indonesia Bangladesh Pakistan Sudan United Republic of Tanzania Afghanistan China Ethiopia 5 2 Chapter Two. What prevents girls from getting a quality education? In many countries and communities in both the developed and the developing world, parents can take it for granted that their daughters receive a quality education. Yet in many other places around the world, providing every child with an education appears to be beyond reach. There are five main challenges we identify that make it difficult for girls to access education. These include: †¢ the cost of education – ensuring that communities, parents and children can afford schooling; †¢ poor school environments – ensuring that girls have access to a safe school environment; †¢ the weak position of women in society – ensuring that society and parents value the education of girls; †¢ conflict – ensuring that children who are excluded due to conflict have access to schooling; and †¢ social exclusion – ensuring girls are not disadvantaged on the basis of caste, ethnicity, religion or disability. These challenges are not exhaustive, but they are recurrent themes in many countries. They constitute additional hurdles girls need to overcome to benefit from quality education. As donors, we need to support countries in meeting these challenges. Ours is a supporting role, not a leading role. And our support works best if it is based on countries’ own national strategies to reduce poverty and make progress in education. In particular we need to support countries to have in place the essential elements of quality education for girls (see Box 2. 1). 6 What prevents girls from getting a quality education? Box 2. 1 Essential elements of quality education for girls †¢ Schools – is a school within a reasonable distance; does it have proper facilities for girls; is it a safe environment and commute; is it free of violence? If not, parents are unlikely to ever send their daughter to school. †¢ Teachers – is there a teacher; are they skilled; do they have appropriate teaching materials? Is it a female teacher? Are there policies to recruit teachers from minority communities? If not, girls may not learn as much at school and drop out. †¢ Students – is she healthy enough; does she feel safe; is she free from the burden of household chores or the need to work to supplement the family income; is there a water source close by? If not, she may never have a chance to go to school. †¢ Families – does she have healthy parents who can support a family; does her family value education for girls; can her family afford the cost of schooling? If not, economic necessity may keep her at home. †¢ Societies – will the family’s and the girl’s standing in the community rise with an education; will new opportunities open up? If not, an education may not be in the family’s interest. †¢ Governments – does the government provide adequate resources to offer sufficient school places; do salaries reach the teachers; do teachers receive quality training; is the government drawing in other agencies to maximise the provision of schooling; is there a clear strategy and budget based on the specific situation faced by girls? If not, the conditions above are unlikely to be fulfilled. †¢ Donors – are donors supporting governments to provide adequate resources; do donors contribute to analysing and addressing the challenges girls face; are donors conscious of local customs and traditions; are donors prioritising the countries’ needs rather than their own agendas or existing programmes? If not, governments may simply not be in a position to provide a reasonable chance for all girls to get a quality education. Educating girls is costly for families. The education of girls is seen as economically and socially costly to parents. Costs come in four forms: tuition fees and other direct school fees; indirect fees (such as PTA fees, teachers’ levies and fees for school construction and building); indirect costs (such as transportation and uniforms); and opportunity costs (such as lost household or paid labour). These costs have a significant impact on whether and which children are educated. 7 2 Girls’ education: towards a better future for all. Educating girls can incur extra direct costs, such as special transport or chaperones for safety and ‘decency’. The price of attending school for the 211 million economically active children may be the family losing vital income. 12 An education may actually reduce girls’ marriage prospects and raise dowry payments to unaffordable levels. Investing in sons, rather than daughters, is perceived as bringing higher financial returns for families as boys are more likely to find work and be paid a higher salary. The high cost of education is the biggest deterrent to families educating their daughters. Many of the countries DFID prioritises for support have removed tuition fees or are working towards their removal. For example, there are no tuition fees in our Asia priority countries except Pakistan, and a number of Africa priority countries have recently removed school fees. In Africa, school fee removal has led to a dramatic increase in enrolments. A girl does her homework on the blackboard painted on the wall of her house in Ghana. Her older sister, with baby on her back, checks her exercise book. ( © Sven Torfinn/Panos) But it has also increased the cost of education for governments. For example, in Uganda, it is projected that there will be a 58 per cent increase in the total number of primary school students between 2002 and 2015, requiring more than double the number of teachers. Given that teachers’ salaries are the single biggest cost in education budgets, this represents a high burden. Most governments have increased both their education budget and the share that is allocated to primary education to finance these extra costs. But the challenge remains to find enough money to sustain an education of sufficient quality – while simultaneously reducing other costs that prevent children from poor families, especially girls, from enrolling. 8 What prevents girls from getting a quality education? Box 2. 2 AIDS – making the household economics worse Girls are often the first to be taken out of school to provide care for sick family members or to take responsibility for siblings when death or illness strike. 13 A sudden increase in poverty, which accompanies AIDS in the household, undermines the ability to afford school. The fear of infection through abuse or exploitation in or on the way to school particularly affects girls and may reduce attendance. Orphans seem to be at greater risk of exploitation. In the worst cases, girls may resort to prostitution to provide for themselves and the family. In Zambia, the majority of child prostitutes are orphans, as are the majority of street children in Lusaka. 14 Programmes of support are often not targeted to these most vulnerable groups. Girls may face a poor and hostile school environment A school environment that may be acceptable to boys may be hostile to girls. The physical and sexual violence against women that is common in many societies is reflected in the school environment in a number of countries. Physical abuse and abduction are not only a major violation of girls’ basic human rights, they also present a major practical constraint in getting to school. Parents feel a duty to protect their daughters and may decide to keep them at home if they feel the school is too far away. Violence against girls and women has been identified as a key barrier to girls’ education in many DFID programmes. In South Africa, DFID supports Soul City, an educational television soap opera that raises public awareness of violence against girls and women. Within developing countries, better recruitment procedures and working conditions need to be adopted to help increase the number of women teachers, who often become important role models for the young women they teach. Teachers need training to be effective in supporting girls and to intervene when violence is threatened. When teachers themselves perpetrate violence, early response systems need to be implemented to prevent such violence continuing. Alongside training to combat all forms of discrimination in the classroom, there needs to be an effective monitoring and inspection system that engages teachers, especially where there are violations of teacher authority. Governments also need more education officials and teachers who have the knowledge, understanding and status to ensure that girls have access to quality education. 15 Expertise is required to assess the problems and solutions for the education system according to the country context and real need, rather than the trends of the development agencies. 9 2 Girls’ education: towards a better future for all Women have a weak position in society Within communities, girls have to overcome many obstacles before they can realise their right to an education. DFID’s recent partnership with UNICEF to support the federal government of Nigeria will help overcome many of the problems girls have in gaining access to school and remaining there. Before girls can attend school and benefit fully from their education, a number of major social constraints have to be addressed. Girls often have limited control over their futures. Early marriage is a reality for many, where families wish for the social and economic benefits this brings. In Bangladesh and Afghanistan, more than 50 per cent of girls are married by age 18. 16 Adolescent pregnancy almost always results in girls halting their education. Girls are also more likely to drop out of school because of their domestic responsibilities, and are often discriminated against in terms of the quality of the schools they are sent to, and the costs parents are willing to pay for their education. Despite the progress being made, gender equality is likely to take generations to achieve. The UK’s own history illustrates the relationship between women’s position in society and the demands for better education for girls. One reinforces the other, but change comes slowly. Box 2. 3 Progress on gender equality in education in the UK Until the 1960s, many British girls were directed towards the commercial and technical streams in secondary school, and did not acquire qualifications for higher paying employment. Until the mid-1980s, for instance, it was still relatively unusual for girls to do well in or continue studying subjects such as mathematics or science to university level. However, the 1990s saw a sharp rise in girls’ performances at school. This has been linked to a range of factors, including families’ prioritisation of their daughters’ education, a shift in perceptions of gender linked to the women’s movements in the 1960s and 1970s, government policies on comprehensive schools, promoting further education and reform of the exam system and gender equality strategies in local education authorities and schools. Policies such as, areas in schools just for girls, strong anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies, and the promotion of science and mathematics for girls were put in place. In addition, growth in the service sector facilitated demand for girls in the labour market. Currently there is concern about why improved academic performance for girls has not translated into equality in employment opportunities and earning power. 17 10 What prevents girls from getting a quality education? Conflict hurts girls most Girls are particularly vulnerable to abuse and unequal access to schooling in fragile states. States can be fragile for a range of reasons, including conflict, lack of resources and people, high levels of corruption, and political instability. What sets these countries apart is their failure to deliver on the core functions of government, including keeping people safe, managing the economy, and delivering basic services. Violence and disease, as well as illiteracy and economic weakness, are most intensively concentrated in these areas. Of the 104 million children not in primary school globally, an estimated 37 million of them live in fragile states. Many of these children are girls. 18 Girls’ absence from school may be due to fears of violence or due to the reliance on their role as carers in the family. In Rwanda, for example, it is estimated that up to 90 per cent of child-headed households are headed by girls. 19 For girls who have been victims of violence in conflict situations, trauma can impair their ability to learn. More than 100,000 girls directly participated in conflicts in the 1990s, yet they are often invisible in demobilisation programmes. 20 Our humanitarian support and education support programmes in Rwanda have demonstrated the importance of education in promoting peace and protecting human resources in countries emerging from conflict. Our work in these environments is a reminder of the need to link education with attempts to build democracy, provide better health systems, offer social protection to the very poorest and develop multilingual and multicultural policies. Tackling social exclusion Social exclusion is an additional barrier to girls going to school. Certain groups of girls are more likely to be excluded from school on the basis of caste, ethnicity, religion or disability. In Nepal, Dalit girls are almost twice as likely to be excluded from school as higher caste girls. In Malawi, Muslim girls are more likely to be excluded than their non-Muslim counterparts. Disabled children, and among them disabled girls in particular, constitute a significant group that is denied access to education. In a recent World Bank report it is estimated that only about 1-5 per cent of all disabled children and young people attend schools in developing countries. 21 At the World Conference on Special Education Needs in Salamanca, 92 countries and 25 international organisations committed themselves to providing educational opportunities for disabled people. The challenge is to support governments to act on this commitment, and provide quality education for excluded groups. In India we have worked with the government to address social exclusion in the government of India’s SSA (Education for All) plan. 11 3 Chapter Three Tackling girls’ education on the ground As outlined in the previous chapter, countries wanting to develop and implement a policy of promoting girls’ education face a number of challenges. But for every challenge, there are examples of promising good practice that should form the basis of the way ahead. DFID will support governments to: †¢ strengthen political leadership and empower women; †¢ make girls’ education affordable; and †¢ make schools work for all girls. We will also support NGOs, religious and other voluntary organisations. This support will enable governments to develop poverty reduction strategies and education sector plans to improve girls’ access to quality education. And we will provide increased and flexible funding to support the development and implementation of national plans. 22 DFID’s bilateral funding commitments for basic education averaged at ? 150 million a year up to 2001. Since the World Education Forum at Dakar and the Millennium Summit in 2000, the UK has significantly increased its new commitments for education programmes and we will continue to do so. As a result, we expect to spend an average of ? 350 million a year on education (a total of over ? 1 billion) over the period 2005-06 to 2007-08. This would roughly double the resources going directly to education programmes in developing countries since we first adopted the MDGs. In addition to our bilateral contributions, we expect to spend ? 370 million through multilateral agencies, bringing our total funding for education over the next three years to over ? 1. 4 billion. 23 Political leadership and empowerment of women matter We will support governments in their efforts to create political leadership for women’s empowerment. We know that national leaders who speak out against gender inequality can have a significant impact. Heads of government in Oman, Morocco, China, Sri Lanka and Uganda have advocated strongly in support of girls’ education. Women leaders have been particularly effective. Ethiopia has benefited from the long-standing involvement of the Minister of Education, who has also been chair of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). Successes in Ethiopia demonstrate the importance of local leadership, as in Yemen, Mexico, India, and Egypt. However, political leadership needs to be accompanied by demand for change at the grassroots level. Without it, new initiatives may have little support, and policy makers may divert the resources earmarked for girls to other purposes. The example in Box 3. 1 shows sustained political support to girls’ education. 12 Tackling girls’ education on the ground Box 3. 1 Supporting political leadership: the case of Yemen Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world and has high gender disparities in education. Gross enrolment rates for girls are only two-thirds as high as those for boys at primary school and only half as high at secondary school. In 2003, the Yemen government committed itself to full primary enrolment by 2015, with a special emphasis on gender equity. Girls’ education is now a central element of Yemen’s poverty reduction strategy and the Basic Education Development Strategy. Some of the factors, which made this possible include: †¢ personal commitment from prominent Yemenis, for example the first Minister for Human Rights in the 2000 government; †¢ sustained donor commitment, UNICEF’s support to the 2000 Girls’ Education Strategy being a prominent example; and †¢ the establishment of Girls’ Education Units in the Ministry of Education at central and local levels since the 1990s. This led to Yemen becoming one of the countries to receive support under the global Education for All Fast-Track Initiative. DFID has been a partner in this process, providing ? 15 million towards the government’s US$121 million Basic Education Development Project alongside the Netherlands and the World Bank. Empowering adult women – building their confidence and education levels – can have a powerful impact on enrolling more girls in schools. Evidence from countries such as Uganda, Nepal, Bangladesh and Ghana24 shows that women who participate in literacy classes are more likely to send their children to school, keep them there, and watch their progress closely. 13 3 Girls’ education: towards a better future for all Box 3. 2. Supporting women’s empowerment and demand for girls’ education in India: Mahila Samakhya in India Mahila Samakhya, a programme implemented by the government of India in several states, is concerned to transform women’s lives through education. The programme facilitates the establishment of Samoohs (women’s groups) which provide women benefits such as education, health schemes and savings and credit. A large number of Samoohs have run campaigns for girls’ education, which have increased girls’ access to education. Many Samoohs have also built Jagjagis, non-formal education centres, often.