15 Quotes for Christmas Decorations

Decorating your home during Christmas can be a lot of fun, especially when done with your loved ones. It is a great way to bond with family and friends. Colorful festoons, fairy lights, snowflake cutouts, and ribbons can make the atmosphere festive. So work up your imagination, and create magic with Christmas decorations. Theme-based decorations are a big hit with kids, regardless of age. You can even bake a cake with the theme, to add a dash of excitement. Instead of posting  Christmas cards  with your family photographed hugging each other, you can do something better. If you are a whiz at art and craft, you can make your own Christmas decorations rather than using store-bought trinkets. Get your family and kids to participate in making Christmas decorations and make this a family project. Besides saving money, you will also enjoy doing the project together. Hang photographs of your family during childhood, adulthood, best days and worst days. Take your friends for a  walk down memory lane with old pictures. Nothing is more charming than reminiscing good old days with a bunch of friends. These quotes from the famous and not so famous can inspire you decorating ideas that can help make your home and Christmas tree stand out in the neighborhood. Eva K. Logue A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; it makes no noise at all, but softly gives itself away; while quite unselfish, it grows small. Burton Hillis The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: The presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I heard the bells on Christmas Day / Their old, familiar carols play, and wild and sweet / The word repeat of peace on earth, good-will to men! Charles N. Barnard The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect! Larry Wilde Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. Roy L. Smith He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. Lenore Hershey Do give books—religious or otherwise—for Christmas. They’re never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal. Ashley Tisdale Love Christmas, not just because of the presents but because of all the decorations and lights and the warmth of the season. Mary Ellen Chase Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. Charles M. Schulz Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone. G. K. Chesterton When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? Peg Bracken Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. Richard Paul Evans The smells of Christmas are the smells of childhood. Norman Vincent Peale Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. Kin Hubbard Nothing’s as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas.

Cecilia s Death The Virgin Suicides - 976 Words

It is evident that Cecilia’s death is an influential event, especially to those close to her, in the passage from pages 152-153 on Jeffrey Euginides’ The Virgin Suicides. The author shows how Cecilia’s suicide attempts led to more frightening events; the deaths of her sisters. Cecilia’s death did not remain mysterious, but became the explanation for her sisters’ suicides. The people in the Lisbon’s community did not remain curious as to what caused Cecilia’s death because they think that it is better to stop future incidents. The people of the community think that Cecilia and her suicides are the reasons for the death of the remaining Lisbon girls. In order to express the influence of Cecilia and her suicide in relation to her sisters, the author accentuates the idea of the uncanny with the use of unrelated metaphors, such as cooking and disease, and imagery. The uncanny in this passage is expressed as something that is dark, uncomfort able, weird and dangerous. In this passage, the author conveys the claim with at least two formal elements. The first element that I will be talking about in this essay is metaphor. With the authors’ use of unrelated metaphors, the weirdness of the situation is emphasized. The author compares Cecilia’s suicide attempt to â€Å"cooking in the broth of her own blood†. Cooking can sometimes be dangerous. While cooking, there’s a chance of cutting yourself. Cecilia’s actions are similar to cooking because the way she did her first attempt at suicide isShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Jeffrey Eugenides The Virgin Suicides And Edith Pearlman s `` Honeydew ``1616 Words   |  7 PagesJeffrey Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides and Edith Pearlman’s â€Å"Honeydew† display how women are constantly suppressed by men s actions, while capturing the reaction women have to their suffering. The Virgin Suicides illustrates the five Lisbon sisters who are outcasts within their ‘cookie cutter’ community, constantly being watched by the neighborhood boys, and eventually they kill themselves because of the confinement the boys create. Meanwhile in â€Å"Honeydew† Emily an anorexic girl is isolated becauseRead MoreThe Virgin Suicides1588 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿How does the Sofia Coppola, in The Virgin Suicides, use a range of stylistic features (film techniques) to display the movies themes and with what effect on the audience? INTRO: Director Sofia Coppola uses a range of film techniques to display themes of obsession, the superficiality of vision and isolation from the real world in her film The Virgin Suicides. Through use of symbolism, characterization, setting and techniques specific to a film such a soundtrack, Coppola is able to constructRead MoreJeffrey Eugenides s The Virgin Suicides2263 Words   |  10 PagesEugenides’s The Virgin Suicides would be its first person-plural narrative voice. Literary scholars have often addressed the issue of the narrative voice and the effect that having multiple narrators has on the story. In her article ‘A story we could live with’ Narrative voice, the Reader, and Jeffrey Eugenides’s The Virgin Suicides Debra Shostak addresses how the â€Å"we† inadvertently draws attention to the â€Å"otherness† of the Lisbon girls. She attempts to dispel the belief that The Virgin Suicides is a misogynisticRead MoreThe Source Woman Of A Great Family And The Virgin Suicides By Jeffrey Eugenides Essay1508 Words   |  7 PagesWomen’s Place in Renaissance Italy: Alessandra, Letters from a Widow and Matriarch of a Great Family and The Virgin Suicides written by Jeffrey Eugenides. Immediately reading the first paragraph of Women’s Place in Renaissance Italy, it strongly resonated with The Virgin Suicides in a way. I thought these two would make an interesting comparison due to the way they both address men, death, complexity of being a female, and family. In the primary source, it talks about women from the upper class whoRead MoreThe Great Gatsby And The Virgin Suicides1563 Words   |  7 Pagesand affectionate, or aggressive and violent. Often, the targets of obsession are females. In The Great Gatsby, The Virgin Suicides, Lolita and Fear, there are men who obsess over a female character. These female characters are all shown to be powerless, whether it be at the hands of their obsessor or because of other factors in their lives. In The Great Gatsby and The Virgin Suicides, the theme of obsession is prevalent. It is shown through Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy and the boys obsession withRead MoreThe Virgin Suicides By Jeffrey Eugenides2468 Words   |  10 PagesSuicide is something that is influenced by a multitude of factors. It is a complicated topic and is often overlooked, in fact it needs to be talked about and researched much more. The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugenides, is a book about suicide and how it can affect not only the victims but also an entire town. In the book, five sisters commit suicide over time through the influence of many factors in their lives. The book presents how suicide can destroy a family and how it is something peopleRead MoreTragedy : The Soul Of Tragedy940 Words   |  4 Pagesforms an idea of the character’s actual character. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, Directed by Sofia Coppola is a perfect example: The story of five adolescent girls is describes like so- In Aristotle’s terms it is arguable that Lux, Bonnie, Cecilia, Theresa, and Mary Lisbon were both the plot and participating characters. Without following their life and connecting to them to try and understand what caused the action of suicide, there would by no plot- no soul to this tragedy. The story

What is your opinion about using animals for research free essay sample

What is your opinion about using animals for research? When thinking about how much I love and adore animals, I also think about how far we have gotten scientifically because of their sacrifices. When reading the APA website I agree with the Justification of the Research and that Research should be undertaken with a clear scientific purpose. There should be a reasonable expectation that the research will: 1. Increase knowledge of the process underlying the evolution, development, maintenance, alteration, control, or biological significance of behavior. 2. Determine the replicability and generality of prior research. 3. Increase understanding of the species under study. 4. Provide results that benefit the health or welfare of humans or other animals APA( 2014) My opinions were not really affected by the articles. I do not like the mistreatment of animals and if they are treated and respected for their sacrifice we as humans can accomplish many great things to advance our medical knowledge. We will write a custom essay sample on What is your opinion about using animals for research? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I do understand that some people have a passion for helping and their determination has made for great advances in the replacement of live animals with simulation animals and humans as well. If this can be done I would rather the scientists use the simulated animals instead of live ones. I believe I would advocate for stem cell research in animals because of all the good it could do for adults and children alike. When done correctly it can prevent or cure diseases that claim millions! The Pros of stem cell research are many, for one this research can lead to cures for almost any disease caused by damaged organs or tissues as stem cells have the possibility to completely regenerate organs and tissues from any part of the body. Also the stem cell testing can lead to medical help for animals. I think the use of advanced technology, such as fMRI, will eventually make animal testing less common but not obsolete. In order for us to find out the results of new drugs or atmospheric change without â€Å"test subjects† would be very difficult. The fMRI is very helpful in seeing what the results are from the testing. Using both would make the testing better. The safeguards I think would be needed in order to protect participants in studies using neuroimaging methods would be that we would need to consider if an abnormality identified in a brain image would be considered a disability, and if this abnormality would then be protected under Title 1 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The answer to this question would likely influence the levels of privacy afforded to imaging results, as well as the degrees of stigma attached to them. Ethical dilemmas generated by neuroimaging do not just lie in the production of these images. Just as many, if not more, of the dilemmas arise from the limitations in interpreting results and accurately conveying them to the public. When sharing the results of neuroimaging, neuroethicists must address topics such as privacy of unspoken thought and decision-making. Assignment of personal responsibility must be redefined and our concept, of how a healthy brain should look and function will be transformed. (Progress report on, 2007)

Similarities and Differences of Mesopotamia and Shang China Essay Example

Similarities and Differences of Mesopotamia and Shang China Paper Features | Mesopotamia | Shang China| Community Development * Large settlements * Stable food supply * Trade and communication | Most of the settlements began along the borders of Mesopotamia and date from the 10th to the 9th millennium BC. Because of the dry climate and flooding of the river, farmers had to adapt and eventually began to grow crops of fruits and vegetables. | People settled towards the middle or lower parts of the Yellow River in places called urban centers. They built the 1st real cities in China; they also built palaces and temples. The settlements began to start crops along the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. In the growing industry fishing became popular just like agriculture, even handcrafting. | Organized Systems * Religious systems * Military authority * Civil authority * Economic authority | Sumerians believed in Polytheism and devoted all their prayers and offerings to their Gods, in believing that they controlled the nature of their agriculture. City-states ruled by a king who claimed divine authority. The government helped regulate religion and enforce duties, also providing a system of courts for justice. To keep his people in order King Hammurabi created a document for his people creating justice for the innocent and the guilty. Each city-state regulated their own trade and controlled much of their own businesses. Their business dealt with agriculture and clothing, basic needs for a society. | The Shang Dynasty practiced Polytheism; their most important God was Di. They also believed in ancestor worship which was probably around for thousands of years after they started it. We will write a custom essay sample on Similarities and Differences of Mesopotamia and Shang China specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Similarities and Differences of Mesopotamia and Shang China specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Similarities and Differences of Mesopotamia and Shang China specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A Shang king could gather an army of about 5,000 for in border campaigns or call all his forces in a grand army around 13,000 to face down serious threats such as insurrection and invasion. The king began to tax the people for agriculture and this outraged them and attacks started to happen. The Shang began to lose control. In their economy, they began to fish as an industry; they also sold hand crafted goods, which became industries. | Complex Social Structures * Division of labor * Division of power * Gender roles * Class structure | Division of labor meant that farmers would buy goods from other workers. Kings thought of themselves as superior to all, they believed of themselves as divine authority. In gender, the men were the hunter-gatherers and women picked berries. The Sumerians had a specific class system. The highest class was the priests, middle class were merchants, and the majority was city-states, which was lower class, made up of farmers. | In the class structure and division of labor, nobles had the most power followed by craftsmen, peasant farmers, and then slaves. Most of the Shang people were farmers. Even though class differences affected gender roles lower-class women were to stay home cook, clean the house, take care of the kids, and make clothes for the whole family. But the division of labor was also important between men and women in different civilizations and social classes. | Form of Writing * Statement of values * Business records * Legal records * Continuity of traditions | To keep track of their trades, the Sumerians had to develop a writing system. They wrote all of their transactions on clay tablets. These were the first legal records, displaying numbers of their traded goods. The Shang people showed the importance of family and Shang society. This value was carried out through China’s history to present day. Even the ritual of ancestor worship. | Artistic Achievements * Visual arts * Literature * Architecture * Music | Art was made up of natural resource; stone, shells, and marble. The societies depended on art in order to find organization and structure. Peo ple of Mesopotamia recorded all their literary works on clay tablets, which include folktales, prayers, hymns, proverbs, personal letters, and fables. Religion played a big part in architecture. Temples were centers of city-states to be worshipped. Instruments are commonly present in many forms artwork; musical notes and lyrics have been found. Music was a significant and sophisticated role. | In the industry of hand crafted goods their pottery showed various types of patterns carved or painted onto them, even stones had fine pictures painted onto them. They usually wrote in a special ink, they had various forms of writing like hieroglyphics, and self-explanatory characters. They usually carved these onto animal bones or tortoise shells. Architecture was built into houses made of wood or carved out of the earth into rows. They listened to folk music and palace music. With their practice in bronze they made fine musical instruments, people engaged into music but they were divided into 3 sections; Wu, music slavery, and Gu. | Developed Technology * Technical process * Technology and work * Technology and settlement patterns | The development of the calendar was based on their observations and studies of the stars, moon, and sky. They also established a number system; a year was cut into 12 months, a month into 30 days, a day into 12 hours, an hour into 60 minutes, and a minute into 60 seconds. They also divided a circle into 360 degrees of the 60 arc minutes. Settlement patterns were based on the environment of the area and the need for a stable water supply. | The Shang developed the cycle of the moon, their calendar lasted for 366 days, and they have many records about solar eclipse, lunar eclipse and nova. The calendar system continued to advance and in the area of math. Settlement patterns on the Shang period are dispersed, in a variety of villages and they also have ritual or ceremonial centers. | Features | Mohenjo-Daro | Egypt | Community Development * Large settlements * Stable food supply * Trade and communication| Mohenjo- Daro is one of the largest Indus cities also being one of the best preserved urban centers of Indus Civilization. Their food consisted of wheat, barley, millet, fruit, vegetables and fish. They were able to grow grain and vegetable because the river would flood sometime. They also had fish because the city was along the Indus River. Their trading network moved from the coast to the Indus plain, and trade routes passing the Bolan Valley to the west. | Different environments affected settlement areas but the earliest known settlement is the Nile Valley or Mermida on the western Delta. Another settlement would be The Fayum. Both these settlements were along the Nile and all inhabitants found had a good supply of fish, meat, and cereal grain for their diet. The Egyptians would trade gold and farmers harvested all year long, especially flax since it was an important source in textile fiber. Organized Systems * Religious systems * Military authority * Civil authority * Economic authority | Artifacts point to Polytheism, certain plants and animals were sacred to them. There was no military strength instead they were governed through trade and religion. There haven’t been any signs of weapons being used. The rulers carried animal symbols each having their own meaning. It is said that the people ruled themselves; there is no evidence of leader’s authority. Their economy was entirely dominated by agriculture, but there was also hunting, pottery, metal and minerals. The Egyptians believed in polytheism, the main Gods they worshipped were, Amon-Re, Osiris, Set, and Isis. They strongly believed in the afterlife thus their need for mummification. The Egyptians had a powerful military force; an important attribute of the pharaoh was martial prowess. The king was the only landholder, warrior, priest, and judge. Everyone else worked below him. The Egyptian economy was made up of trading gold and wheat. The Egyptians served their king by building cities and markets to keep the economy going. Complex Social Structures * Division of labor * Division of power * Gender roles * Class structures| Their social structure is almost like the one we have today; divided up into wealthy and skilled workers. Women were responsible for gathering, cooking and taking care of the children. The men were to hunt. | Egyptians had a rigid class system from top to bottom, it was possible to move up classes but it was highly unlikely. What your father was, you were. The people at the top of the class structure owed a duty to those at the bottom. It was also a culture where women were valued unlike most cultures today; they worked and were praised for it. Pharaohs were always at the top of social classes, they were superior. | Form of Writing * Statement of values * Business records * Legal records * Continuity of traditions | Forms of writing were found in the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro. The seals often show animals are written in an unknown language. It is said that the language could be Dravidian or Sanskrit, but it is still undecided. | They Egyptians system value was just as important to them as it is to us today; it is also quite similar to ours. The difference would be what the Egyptians gave to their value system, like a secular and religious side. | Artistic Achievements * Visual arts * Literature * Architecture * Music | They made sculptures, clay models, and beaded items. These art pieces each had a different purpose and meaning. The clay models were for children’s enjoyment, sculptures were to show a person’s image or a place, and beaded items were used for decoration and jewelry, like today. Their buildings were made up of brick that goes on for miles in every direction; each block is centered on a grid. Pharaohs and Dignitaries kept their records on scribes, in the writing system called hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics used picture symbols for ideas or sounds. Egyptian literature includes hymns to the gods, mythological and magical texts, and an extensive collection of mortuary texts. In stories; instructive literature, known as wisdom texts, poems, biographical and historical texts, and scientific treatises , even mathematical and medical texts. Architecture was based on perpendicular structures and inclined planes since there was no structural assistance except the strength and balance of the structure itself. Architects had to carefully plan out the way of the building. A ramp of adobe brick can be seen leading to the top of temple walls this was to allow artists to decorate the tops of walls and pillars. Egyptian art depicted their everyday lives. In tomb and temple drawings they show everyday living, models of people and animals, glass figures and containers, and jewelry made from gold and precious stones. | Developed Technology * Technical progress * Technology and work * Technology and settlement patterns | The closest technology would probably be their cleanliness. They had great drain and sewage systems. It was known as aquatic culture, where water and bathing played a central role. | Egyptians developed a water clock, sundial, pyramids, and tools to build these pyramids, and a time system. | Features | Olmec | Chavin | Community Development * Large settlements * Stable food supply * Trade and communication | San Lorenzo de Tenochtitlan, La Venta, Tres Zapotes, and Laguna de los Cerros, Olmec settlemenst have been found in these places. The Olmec relied on maize, and sunflower. Later they domesticated beans. They also gathered corozo palm nuts, squash, and chili. The Olmec had extensive trade routes. They traded raw materials and finished goods were traded across hundreds of miles. | A site of early monumental architecture in Peru and one of the oldest urban settlements of the New World. It is composed by several stone structures such as temples, squares and other buildings. The Chavin people developed an extensive trade with distant communities. | Organized Systems * Religious systems * Military authority * Civil authority * Economic authority | The Olmec practiced Shamanism, believing that every person had an inner animal spirit. There really isn’t any evidence of any military, the Olmec people governed themselves. They each took care of themselves and provided for themselves together. | Chavin was a ceremonial center run by priests and rulers, they were a cult. They were responsible for uniting a large part of the region for the first time. The cultural influence helped the Central Andes region take a large step toward true civilization. Chavin was just a ceremonial center and didn’t seem to have a military enforcement. Most people were farmers, herders, and hunters who adapted to the mountainous terrain. Complex Social Structures * Division of labor * Division of power * Gender roles * Class structure | There really hasn’t been a known class structure because they were such a complex society but evidence shows elaborate housing for the upper classes and simpler accommodations for the middle class and the poor. | People who lived nearer the center ate their food off ceramic serving dishes and owned many goods from foreign places, the houses on the edges of the town had none of these goods and conveniences. People who lived on the outskirts of town were clearly not as wealthy. Form of Writing * Statement of values * Business records * Legal records * Continuity or traditions | The Epi-Olmec script is logophonetic, the Olmec people had phonetic values. | The Chavin people did not invent a writing system but they were skilled architects, stonemasons, potters and goldsmiths. | Artistic Achievements * Visual arts * Literature * Architecture * Music | They made fine pottery and carved jade jewelry. The Olmec used wood, basalt and jade to make the statues. | They adapted their own artwork, called Chavin style. They were master artists in metalwork, especially gold, and in textiles and ceramics. They distributed their religious ideas through a complicated system of artistic imagery. Using iconography they expressed a variety of religious concepts that would be understood in far off places. | Developed Technology * Technical progress * Technology and work * Technology and settlement patterns | | Chavin technology in tiles, ceramics, dyeing techniques, metalwork, stonework, and other fields found its way into distant settlements. |

Halloween Quotes for Kids

Halloween Quotes for Kids Halloween has special significance for children. Kids look forward to October 31 when they can play out their imagination and spook their friends. Retailers have realized the importance of this holiday and stock up a variety of wild costumes for kids. You can get any costume- from a pirate to Pinocchio. On Halloween night, kids dress up in zany costumes, pretending to be scary monsters and weird creatures. They travel door to door, usually accompanied by an adult and yell, trick or treat! If the friendly neighbor chooses to be tricked, the kids play a naughty prank on the neighbor. Most people enjoy treating kids with candy. Kids also love to share ghost stories, and spooky tales of dead people to add to the thrill. If your children enjoy Halloween, join them in their naughty adventures. Share these wonderful Halloween quotes for kids to make the night a truly memorable one. Organize a Halloween costume party and encourage kids to dress up in wicked and wacky costumes. Titus Lucretius Carus For as children tremble and fear everything in the blind darkness, so we in the light sometimes fear what is no more to be feared than the things children in the dark hold in terror and imagine will come true. Robert Brault I dont know that there are real ghosts and goblins, but there are always more trick-or-treaters than neighborhood kids. David Arquette The first horror film I remember seeing in the theatre was Halloween and from the first scene when the kid puts on the mask and it is his POV, I was hooked. R. L. Stine When I was a kid my family was really poor and I remember one Halloween I wanted to dress up really scary and my parents came home with a duck costume. I wore that costume for years! I hated it. Gavin DeGraw When I was a kid I got busted for throwing a rock through a car window and egging a house on Halloween. Larry, Curb Your Enthusiasm [When trick or treating kids ask for some candy] Yeah, its Halloween but that doesnt mean you can go around to peoples houses and bilk candy from them. Emily Dickinson One need not be a chamber to be haunted;One need not be a house;The brain has corridors surpassingMaterial place. Dexter Kozen Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,Voices whisper in the trees, Tonight is Halloween! Henry C. Link Fear is natures warning signal to get busy. Virna Sheard Hark! Hark to the wind! Tis the night, they say,When all souls come back from the far away-The dead, forgotten this many a day! Scottish Saying From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us! Theodosia Garrison At first cock-crow, the ghosts must goBack to their quiet graves below. William Motherwell Men say that in this midnight hour,The disembodià ¨d have powerTo wander as it liketh them,By wizard oak and fairy stream. John Kendrick Bangs Bring forth the raisins and the nuts-Tonight All-Hallows Spectre strutsAlong the moonlit way. Henry David Thoreau I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. Dennis Yost and the Classics IV Just like a ghost, youve been a-hauntin my dreams, So Ill propose on Halloween. Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you. Shakespeare O horror! Horror! Horror! Tongue nor heart Cannot conceive nor name thee! Steve Almond Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night. William Shakespeare Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out, Contagion to this world. J. M. Barrie A house is never still in darkness to those who listen intently; there is a whispering in distant chambers, an unearthly hand presses the snib of the window, the latch rises. Ghosts were created when the first man awoke in the night. Janet Little, On Halloween At Halloween, when fairy spritesPerform their mystic gambols,When ilka witch her neebour greets,On their nocturnal rambles;When elves at midnight-hour are seen,Near hollow caverns sportin,Then lads an lasses aft convene,In hopes to ken their fortune,By freets that night. Nina Willis Walter The witches flyAcross the sky,The owls go, Who? Who? Who?The black cats yowlAnd green ghosts howl,Scary Halloween to you! Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Haunted Houses The spirit-world around this world of senseFloats like an atmosphere, and everywhereWafts through these earthly mists and vapours denseA vital breath of more ethereal air.

Learning Mandarin vs Cantonese

Learning Mandarin vs Cantonese Mandarin Chinese is the official language of Mainland China and Taiwan, but it is not the only language spoken in the Chinese world. Besides the regional variations of Mandarin, there are several Chinese languages which are mutually unintelligible with Mandarin. Cantonese is one of these languages. Cantonese is spoken in Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, Hainan Island, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia and many overseas Chinese communities. Worldwide, there are about 66 million Cantonese speakers. Compare this with Mandarin, which is spoken by about 1 billion people worldwide. Of all languages, Mandarin is the most widely-spoken. Is It Better To Learn Cantonese? With 66 million speakers, Cantonese cannot be considered an impractical language to learn. If your main objective, however, is to do business or travel in Mainland China, you would be better off learning Mandarin. But if you want to do business in Hong Kong or Guangdong Province, is it better to learn Cantonese? Consider these points taken from hanyu.com: Cantonese has a lack of good learning materials.Cantonese does not have a standard Romanization system (like Pinyin for Mandarin). Yale Romanization is most commonly used in textbooks, but it is unknown to native Cantonese speakers.Cantonese is heard less often in Overseas Chinese communities as new Mandarin-speaking immigrants arrive from Mainland China. And Cantonese speakers are increasingly learning Mandarin to find work in Mainland China. So it seems as though Mandarin is more practical than Cantonese. That’s not to say that learning Cantonese is a waste of time, and for some people it may be the better choice, but for most people wanting to speak Chinese, Mandarin is the way to go.

Relationship between cllage and avant-grade in the 20th century Essay

Relationship between cllage and avant-grade in the 20th century - Essay Example The two-dimensional collages that they developed were implemented using newspaper clippings, colored papers, tobacco wrappers, and wallpapers. After the cubists embraced collage, various other artists and movements joined the train and started recognizing its potential as an aspect of art. In parts of Italy, the futurists received recognition for successfully adopting the use of collage to express the principles of the machine age. In Russia, the constructivists adopted the use of collage in developing posters that announced the Russian Revolution. More recently, neo-Expressionists have integrated certain aspects of collage into primarily painted surfaces (Ryder, 2009, pp.2). For instance, this can be best illustrated in the way Jeff Koon continually interprets aspects of pop culture, just as he designed a balloon twisted into an animal shape and cast in ceramic with a metallic finish. The objective of this paper is to discuss the role of collage in the development and divergence of twentieth century notions of the avant-garde; and determine whether Greenberg is being reductive behind the whole idea of avant-garde. Discussion Initially, the term avant-garde was used to describe â€Å"the foremost part of an army advancing to war.’ Currently it is also used to describe a grouping of artists who perceive itself to be innovative and unique. Others use this French originated term to describe a movement advancing radical social change. More progressively, the term was linked to movements formed to champion art issues. Such groups direct their attention fundamentally more towards developing and diversifying cutting edges of aesthetic experience, and not aggressive social change (Pronko, 2003, pp.1). Fundamentally, the idea of avant-garde is used to describe â€Å"artists, writers, thinkers and theorists† whose contribution in the field of art contradicts mainstream culture systems and frequently has an incisive social or political edge. Most of these g roups of individuals and groups made affirmations regarding vanguard culture in the seminal periods of modernization (Pronko, 2003, pp.2). However, the first authoritative statement issued on the subject of avant-garde was in Clement Greenberg’s essay titled â€Å"Avant-Garde and Kitsch.† This was a New York based art critic whose work still receives a lot of recognition until today. In this piece of work, he argued that vanguard culture over the years had been critical of the mainstream culture, as well as the synthesized mass culture that is attributed to the process of industrialization. To this art critic, these forms of culture admittedly ought to be described as Kitsch; meaning counterfeit and mechanical. Notwithstanding Greenberg’s critical arguments, other quarters have misleadingly suited and misused the term â€Å"avant-garde†, primarily as a marketing strategy to popularize other forms of art such as music and films. Currently, it is not surpri sing to hear people refer to rock superstars and film celebrities as avant-garde. With all this counter arguments, it is important to understand the role played by ancient art forms, particularly the collage, in the development and divergence of the notion of avant-garde as understood in the twentieth century. Schwitters was a well recognized artist in the nineteenth century who developed his first

Role of the Government in the Prevention of Recession Essay

Role of the Government in the Prevention of Recession - Essay Example This wall was constructed in the 1640s by the Dutch. History has it that the West Indians from the West Indian Company bought the Manhattan land from their predecessors by paying them with goods worth $25. This took the Indians that lived in Manhattan then by surprise because to them land could not be privately owned. When they realized that the Dutch West Indian company had taken their land, they began to demand their land back. For this reason, the Dutch Indians constructed the wall to keep the Lenape Indians out. Lenape is the name used for the people that lived in Manhattan. The Dutch Indians made use of the African slaves, and the white colonists to construct the wall to a height of 12 foot by 1.1 km length, all along the length of the original fortifications (Gigante?s, 99). The Wall Street developed into a business location around the year 1685 when traders used to gather in distinct locations to purchase and sell bonds and shares. Over time, the trade developed, and there was the specialization of these merchants into dealers and auctioneers. The Wall Street also became a place where people hired slaves. Due to these continued trading activities on this street, the New York City Common Council declared Wall Street to be a slave market, where people could buy slaves or hire them. In the year 1792, the formation of the Buttonwood Agreement led to the formation of the New York Stock Exchange. Over the centuries, the Wall Street developed its own institutions and individual personality with very little interference from other societies, or none at all. Within these years, there has also been many changes on the wall street. At first, there was the development of the agricultural trade, and then came the industrial, and finally there was the financial development, in the 19th century. In 1888, the stock exchange started to be tracked. In the early years of the20th century, there was the construction of business buildings, which were skyscrapers. The 20th cen tury also saw the introduction of taxes on stocks transfers, though this was protested by stock clerks. The Wall Street is currently the centre of the largest stock exchange market in the world. In the 19th century, there was the development of a class of businessmen that were very wealthy. This extremely wealthy class used brutal and dishonorable ways to maintain their dominance in the major industries. This was referred to as the as the robber barons. For instance, they exploited the workers of industries such as the railroads, petroleum mad steel among others. These industries became monopolies due to exploitation by these robber barons (Gigante?s, 89). This period of domination by the robber barons lasted for a while, but people rebelled against their dominance; thus they were brought under control. For instance Cornelius Vanderbilt, subjugated the whole of the transport industry of the united states. He amassed a lot of wealth from his domination of the fleet of steamboats; the also owned and dominated the railroads. Cornelius Vanderbilt was said to be the richest man in the united states in the year 1877. Robber barons were also used to refer to the German lords who charged tolls on the roads that crossed their lands. Some also charged huge toll on the ships. The year 1929 brought about a turn in the economic history of the United States. During this time, the New York Stock Exchange experienced a financial crisis that had ever been experience. There were huge losses that were made during this time. This was also known as the â€Å"Black Tuesday†. It started in October 1929 and extended for a long time. This crash in the New York Stock Exchange lasted for ten years. This would lead to negative effects on the industrialization of most of

Adult Learning Theory Essay Example for Free

Adult Learning Theory Essay Holt (2011), it is stated that it is necessary to bring both concepts of the Bible teaching and contemporary adult learning theories together for the most effectiveness. In the Holt article; it is shown that Biblical explanation and interpretation assist the adult learner in gaining knowledge. The choices one makes gives real world perspective and power can only be obtained by the Holy Spirit. The article discusses the styles in which adult learning makes a difference, whether androgogy, transformative learning or self-directed learning (Holt). Adult Learning Theory for the Twenty-First Century† discusses the goals of educators to better prepare themselves to better deal with adult learners. Over the last 15 years, learning theories have changed very aggressively (Merriam, 2008). As adults continue to develop human physiology changes, thus learning teaching styles have to change to keep up. It has been recognized that with time everything that adults experience is part of the learning process. It has been further recognized that educators have to increase their tool set to involve creative and artistic modes of teaching to reach a wider audience. Both articles cover the ever-changing dynamics of the human psyche and educational styles and requirements in dealing with adult learning. Educators have to continue to increase knowledge both for themselves as well as those whom they are educating. Where the styles of the teaching process in the Holt (2011) article differ from the Merriam (2008) article, they both recognize the changes in adult learners. It has been recognized over years and will continue for years to come that educators of adults will have to continue honing their skill sets to accommodate the learning styles of adults. Since adults learn differently from children it is important to include the learning styles necessary to maximize the efforts of educators. As adults learning styles change it will be necessary for those educating adults to change also. Reflection After reading both articles and realizing the application in my own life and learning style, I conclude that adults learn differently. There were moments of complete frustration as I was putting my thoughts together as I can tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist. I had the realization that time management and organizational skills are imperative when completing an assignment of any type. The Holt (2011) article caught my attention initially because of how I tend to study and read the Bible in particular. I am coming to understand more and more how I learn and further realize that the concepts of knowledge, choice and power are applicable in my own life. I am intrigued by the concept mentioned in the Holt article and will consider its application to my current Bible study methods. The Merriam (2008) article is interesting in the fact that I had no idea how challenging it is for educators to keep up with the learning curve that is necessary to continue teaching the increasing number of adult learners. Being out of the college environment for so long, I realize it is not as easy to just get things done with all of the demands of life as I know it. I can see how both articles and their teaching styles have a positive impact on dealing with adult learning. With all of the influences of culture, music, art, etc, it is imperative that educators find a way to keep up with the demands of educating the population of adults returning to increase their knowledge to keep up with fast paced American culture. I now have a new respect for teachers on all levels. It is interesting that adult educator’s find is so necessary to effectively reach adults. It is increasingly more common for adults to return to school for a number of reasons, and are driven to succeed for just as many reasons. Thankfully educators realize the change necessary to comprehend the goals of those adults striving for successes related to educating themselves. References Holt, R. A. (2011). Teaching that transforms: Facilitating life change through adult Bible teaching. Christian Education Journal,  8(2), 450+ Merriam, S. B. (2008). Adult learning theory for the twenty-first century. New Directions For Adult And Continuing Education, Volume 2008, Issue 119, 93-98. DOI: 10. 1002/ace. 309

Japanese colonialism :: essays research papers

It is interesting to find that only some political economists emphasize the fact that Japanese colonialism in Korea played a large part in the development of a high-growth economy. In both readings we get to see that Japanese colonialism greatly differed from European colonialism. In one way, this is because European colonialism rarely introduced heavy industry into the economy, or even pushed the economy with such a heavy hand. As well, Japan left Korea with a relatively high level of industrialization, not something we commonly see with European colonialism. In Kohli's article we see that Japan came into Korea at the very beginning of its colonial rule and transformed the state, not just when creating speedy economic growth. I liked this article in that Kohli took a very systematic approach to writing it, noting the many steps it took for Korea to industrialize, as well as noting extensively the extent to which Japan played a role. Bruce Cumings' article was different in that it looked more towards Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. In his article, he not only looks at Japan as a colonizer, but also an industrializer. I think that in both of the readings, it is amazing that each of the countries examined were able to industrialize so quickly. Northeast Asia industrialized in only decades, whereas it's taken the rest of the world centuries to do the same. In response to this, it is important to note the argument around the state's role in economic development, what Atul Kohli says is "the extent to which state intervention was 'market conforming' versus 'market distorting' or, to use a related set of concepts, the extent to which the state 'led' rather than 'followed' the market." In each article we see what factors went into each country's economic development. It is interesting to note that Japanese colonial governments were fairly harsh in ruling its colonies, but despite this, its subjects continued to work hard and obey. The stronghold Japan have over Korea was immense. Even wealthy landowners, the Yangban elite, were controlled by the state, and any political organizations and national movements that threatened the authoritarian state were squashed. Possible the fact that both Korea and Taiwan, as well as Japan, were fairly small countries amounted for something when struggling to industrialize late. Kohli suggests that land area might well be a factor in successful colonization. This is, he says, is one of the reasons for the lack of problems the Japanese had in establishing authority between the center in Seoul and the periphery. In Bruce Cumings' article he illustrates that Korea and Taiwan became "receptacles for declining Japanese industries." It is still interesting to see that Korea and Taiwan managed to industrialize so fast

Cultural Hybrids Essay

There are many people from different countries with different cultures who want to live the American Dream. They want the idea of freedom and they feel that United States is the only country in the world who can give the people the liberty it offers. The life of a person whom no one speaks with because of one’s difference can be quite miserable. The story â€Å"This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona† by Sherman Alexie shows the audience how different the life of Native Americans are compared to modern day Americans. Throughout the story, details about events that happened in Victor and Thomas’s life which combines the Indian and American side of their heritage were given. Alexie was trying to tell the readers how the Indians in the reservations want to hybridize their Native American and modern American culture. Since Thomas and Victor both grew up in the reservation, they see a big difference their lives are compared to the modern day Americans. The first detail that illustrates my thesis was the Fourth of July celebration when Victor and Thomas were kids. Thomas states, â€Å"It’s strange how us Indians celebrate the Fourth of July. It ain’t like it was our independence everybody was fighting for† (16). Alexie displays how Indians try to act more Americanized in order to fit in better with the modern American crowd. Back then, no one besides their own might have spoken to them because they were different so they want to be accepted. For example, the event when they were in the airport and had talked to the gymnast, Victor says, â€Å"Everybody talks to everybody on airplanes. It’s too bad we can’t always be that way† (19). Alexie sends the readers a message of how in their minds, the only way that they were going to be liked was by forgetting their Native American culture and acting more like the modern Americans. Another factor the author provides the audience of this hybridization was through the remains of Victor’s father. Alexie writes, â€Å"They set him down carefully behind the seats, put a cowboy hat on the wooden box and a Dodgers cap on the cardboard box. That’s the way it was supposed to be† (20). The cowboy hat displays the Indian side of their heritage and the Dodgers cap conveys the American side. In this situation, Alexie provides a clear view of how the characters combine their two different cultures. It is not the fact that they are forgetting the beliefs they grew up with; they blend the two cultures together to better their lives in both nation. Next was the Spokane falls incident with Thomas and Victor’s father. Thomas utters, â€Å"He drove me over to Denny’s, bought me dinner, and then drove me home to the reservation† (20). Denny’s is an American fast food restaurant. The way Alexie combines the fact that they eat at a modern American restaurant and then goes home to the reservation once again shows the mixture of the two customs. In addition to the modern American cultures, Alexie also shows how Victor and Thomas hold on to their Native American heritage. When Thomas and Victor were kids, they had stolen a car and parked it in front of the police station. Now in the modern days, if a kid was to do this, it would be a crime and the kid would be punished. Yet the turn out for this was the exact opposite. Instead of being scolded, everyone cheers â€Å"You were very brave. Very brave† (17). They even thought of themselves as warriors. Moreover, the fact that they still call each other junior also shows a way they keep their tradition alive as Native Americans. Nowadays, people do not often call each other with respect. They just call a person by their name no matter the age. The Native Americans, on the other hand, gives the people who are older a term that shows respect. Thomas states, â€Å"Everybody on this reservation is named Junior† (17). Victor and Thomas were two of the youngest people that live in the reservations therefore everyone to them are called Junior. It is a symbol for elderly. Alexie uses Victor and Thomas Builds-the-fire as the representation of these two cultures. Thomas is the person who sticks to the old fashioned, Native American values while Victor illustrates the modern day Americans and wanting to fit in. Thomas is more traditional. He demonstrates the old Native American beliefs. Victor, on the other hand, lives in the present. Both holds on to their Native American beliefs while also trying to grasp the modern American traditions. Alexie clearly represented the hardships the Native Americans have had living in the poor reservations by using details about Thomas and Victor’s life growing up. Being judged at by the way a person is or what culture they came from is a big reason why Victor and Thomas, but mostly Victor, try to act more like the modern day Americans. Although some traditions were forgotten as they grew up, in many ways, they still held on to the fact that they are still Native Americans. Some events in their life displays Victor and Thomas turning away from their culture but still is able to remember it. No matter where a person is or who they communicate with, a culture one grew up with can never be easily forgotten.

Equal Opportunity in Early Childhood Essay

Children should be treated and respected as individuals in their own rights. Like any individual, children have rights to shelter, food and education. They too should be treated fairly and equally. Many a times, we have failed to recognise these needs and as adults, we think we know best for the child. If we are able to recognise these rights, it will greatly assist in a child’s development both emotionally and spiritually. According to Bruce and Meggit (2002), â€Å"equality of opportunity means opening up access for every child and family to full participation in early childhood services. There can be no quality in early childhood services unless there is equality of opportunity†. Children should not be denied of their rights based on their race, nationality, gender or abilities, boys and girls should not be treated differently. Also, equal opportunities can be defined in general as not discriminating a person by his or her race, gender, family orientation or whether they belonged to the minority in the society. I truly agree with this statement and advocates for equal opportunity to be practiced in every way. It is now the 21st century but can we safely say that children in this world are treated equally? Some parents tend to treat their children differently if they are a boy, especially in the Eastern culture; succession is through boys instead of girls. Several parents have stereotyped the colours that their children should wear, boys should be in blue and gals should be in pink. Stereotyping basically means unduly fixed mental impression (Oxford, p. 546). Society too, plays a role in influencing the parents when it comes to bringing up their children in this part of the world and to a certain extent the children’s interest will be sacrificed. Children are expected to excel academically and those who do not will be branded as slow and they will be frowned upon by the society due to the competitive environment. Parents are ? pressured’ to have an academically sound child and as a result, children will feel ? inferior’ if they are unable to excel academically and this would hinder their fitting into the society in the future. In order to uphold the rights of the children in the world, UNICEF introduced the â€Å"Convention on the Rights of the Child† which was adopted by Unite Nations General Assembly on the 20th November 1989. (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/UNICEF_FS_-_Understanding_the_ CRC. pdf). There are four principles that the Convention rests on and they are; non discrimination, best interests of the child, the child’s right to life, survival and development and respect for the views of the child . (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/UNICEF_FS_-_Understanding_the_ CRC. pdf ). The main idea of having this convention is to recognize that children should be treated fairly as human beings and they should be brought up in a safe and conducive environment in order for them to realize their full potential in life. Malaysia signed the convention in March 1995 and being a multi cultural country that also advocates for human rights has made many changes to its legislation to adopt the convention especially in the area of education and healthcare. However, a question that many Malaysians will ask today; are the changes sufficient to provide the children in Malaysia equal rights? Here, let us look into the two major areas to analyse the impact of the convention on Malaysia’s legislation concerning children. According to article 28 of the CRC, â€Å"The child has a right to education, ? † (CRC, p. 19). Malaysia however has reservation on seven articles and article 28 is amongst them. The preschool education is Malaysia is under the responsibility of a few government departments and social agencies such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Unity and Social Development, Ministry of Rural Development and also several states departments (http://porta;. unesco. org/education/en/ev. php-URL_ID=46167&URL _DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201. html) Under the Child Care Centre Act 1985, there are 2 categories of childcare centre, one being a home based childcare centre which takes in less than 10 children. The other being an institution based centre which caters for 10 or more children (The Star, 24th March, 1996). The curriculum guidelines of pre-schools are guided by the Ministry of Education and it has to provide a holistic development of the child being in social skills, intellectual skills, physical skills and spiritual skills (www. unesco. org/wef/countryreports /malaysia/Rapport_1. html) which is in accordance to article 29 of the CRC (CRC, p. 21) Due to the increasing awareness of the importance of early childhood education and also the increase in women joining the workforce, many private childcare centres have sprung up especially in the urban areas. These centres are mostly run by the private sectors that cater to mostly working parents from the middle to high income families and they charge a fee for their services. For the poor or rural areas children, the pre school programs are run by the government agencies and to a certain extent Non Government Organizations (NGOs). (http://unescodoc. unesco. org/images/0012/001279/127984e. pdf). The next area that Malaysia made changes to embrace the principles in the Convention is the healthcare policy. Child mortality in Malaysia has decreased significantly due to the effective healthcare programs that the government has implemented since the First Malaysia Plan 1996 (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/ /children_4162. html). The most widely available health care service in Malaysia is public hospitals and for the rural community, there are over 1600 community health clinics (http://www. childpolicyintl. org/countries/Malaysia. html). Generally, children in Malaysia are provided with very comprehensive health services from vaccination to clean water supply and also sanitation. The government has taken steps to promote health programs to children in the rural areas integrating the promotion of health in its rural development strategies and programs. This is in accordance to Article 24 of the CRC where it states â€Å"The child has the right to the highest standard of health and medical care attainable†. Although Malaysia has taken various measures to improve its education system to embrace the CRC, sad to say that there are still children in Malaysia who are deprived of the right to education. This is especially apparent in vulnerable groups like children from the indigenous populations and also children in the rural areas. The indigenous children in Sabah and Sarawak have very little access to education and the curriculum in government schools do not cater to them culturally. Also, Malaysia has lifted its reservation on Article 22 which guarantees the child’s rights seeking refugees’ status in 1995 but until today, there have not been changes when it comes to undocumented children (New Sunday Times, June 25th 2006). Undocumented children basically mean children who are born in Malaysia to migrant parents. Children in this category are deprived of education due to fact that they are not even recognized as Malaysian citizen. Although children in Malaysia are rather well taken care of in terms of healthcare services, there are still children who do not have access to their basic needs like healthcare. These are children born to poor parents, sex workers, alcoholics and sex workers. (New Straits Times, p. 19). Also, with the increase in HIV/AIDS cases in Malaysia and many children and women from the rural areas are still complacent of this disease. A child’s formative years are extremely important as it will affect their growth in the later years. If Malaysia sees the significance of its younger generation, the government should seriously look into its commitment to uphold the Convention guidelines Firstly, awareness amongst the community is extremely important if Malaysia seeks to promote equal opportunity in the early childcare settings. Government should take steps to promote awareness amongst the people in order to change their attitudes towards children and this can be done by including the CRC as part of the school curriculum (The Star, p. N47). Secondly, early childhood education should be made compulsory to all children in urban or rural areas and available to all children in regardless of their background as every child has the right to education. Curriculum for children below the age of four should also address the current issues like AID/HIV and sex education. Materials and books used in the early childhood education should contain pictures of the different ethnic group in Malaysia. Activities organized by the childcare centre should be diversified as this would promote respect of various cultures amongst the children. More importantly, the curriculum should be sensitive to children from various cultural backgrounds especially the indigenous group. After all, Malaysia takes pride in its diversity of culture. Teachers in the early childcare sector should be trained in gender studies and also human rights (http://www. europeanchildrensnetwork. org/resources/infoDetail. asp? ID =12592). As childcare practitioner, the attitude of the person is utmost important in making sure that children under their care is not being discriminated. They have to be fully aware of the child’s rights in order for the child to grow up in a positive environment as it is damaging for the child’ development. A child’s potential to learn and develop their full potential should not be limited by prejudice (http://ferl. qia. org. uk/content_files/resources/organisations/caderdale_ council/sharon_chapman/equalops/prejandisc. htm).

When to Use a Bug Bomb to Control Pests

When to Use a Bug Bomb to Control Pests Bug bombs, also known as total release foggers or insect foggers, use an aerosol propellant to fill an indoor space with chemical pesticides. These products are often marketed as all-purpose extermination tools that are easy for a homeowner to use. But is a bug bomb always the right choice when confronted with a home pest problem? Learn when to use a bug bomb, and when you shouldnt. Bug Bombs Work Best on Flying Insects When should you use a bug bomb? Almost never, to be honest. Bug bombs are most effective on flying insects, such as flies or mosquitoes. They dont provide much control for cockroaches, ants, bed bugs, or other pests that most concern homeowners. So unless you live in the Amityville Horror house, you wont find a bug bomb to be of much help with your insect problem. Consumers are fooled into using bug bombs for roaches and bed bugs because they believe the airborne pesticides will penetrate every crack and crevice where these insects hide. Quite the opposite is true. Once these hidden pests detect the chemical fog in the room, theyll retreat further into walls or other hideaways, where youll never be able to treat them effectively. Got Bed Bugs? Dont Bother With a Bug Bomb Are you battling bed bugs? Dont bother using a bug bomb, say entomologists at Ohio State University. Their most recent study showed bug bomb products are ineffective for treating bed bug infestations. The researchers studied three brands of foggers that list pyrethroids as their active ingredient. They used 5 different bedbug populations collected from Ohio homes as their variables, and a laboratory-raised bed bug strain known as Harlan as their control. The Harlan bed bug population is known to be susceptible to pyrethroids. They conducted the experiment in a vacant office building on campus. The OSU entomologists found the foggers had a little adverse effect on the 5-bed bug populations collected from the field. In other words, the bug bombs were virtually useless on the bed bugs that are actually living in peoples homes. Just one strain of the field-collected bed bugs succumbed to the pyrethroid foggers, but only when those bed bugs were out in the open and directly exposed to the insecticide mist. The foggers simply did not kill bed bugs that were hiding, even when they were only protected by a thin layer of cloth. In fact, even the Harlan strain- bed bugs are known to be susceptible to pyrethroids - survived when they could take shelter under a piece of cloth. The bottom line is this: if you have bed bugs, save your money for a professional exterminator, and dont waste your time using bug bombs. Using ineffective pesticides inappropriately only contributes to pesticide resistance, and doesnt solve your problem. Dont believe it? Read the OSU study yourself. It was published in the June 2012 issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology, a peer-reviewed publication of the Entomological Society of America. Bug Bombs Can Be Hazardous Regardless of the targeted pest, a bug bomb should really be a pesticide of last resort, anyway. First of all, the aerosol propellants used in bug bombs are highly flammable and pose a serious risk of fire or explosion if the product is not used properly. Second, do you really want to coat every surface in your home with toxic pesticides? When you use a bug bomb, a chemical cocktail rains down on your counters, furniture, floors, and walls, leaving behind an oily and toxic residue. If you still feel a bug bomb is your best pest control option, be sure to read and follow all directions on the label. Remember, when it comes to pesticide use, the label is the law!  Take all necessary precautions to prevent accidents or health hazards. If the bug bomb treatment doesn’t work the first time, dont try it again- its not going to work. Consult your county extension office or a pest control professional for help.

Ronald Reagan Assassination Attempt

Ronald Reagan Assassination Attempt On March 30, 1981, 25-year-old John Hinckley Jr. opened fire on U.S. President Ronald Reagan just outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. President Reagan was hit by one bullet, which punctured his lung. Three others were also injured in the shooting. The Shooting Around 2:25 p.m. on March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan emerged via a side door from the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C. He had just finished giving a speech to a group of trade unionists at the National Conference of Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. Reagan only had to walk about 30 feet from the hotel door to his awaiting car, so the Secret Service had not thought a bullet-proof vest to be necessary. Outside, waiting for Reagan, were a number of newspapermen, members of the public, and John Hinckley Jr. When Reagan got close to his car, Hinckley pulled out his .22-caliber revolver and fired six shots in quick succession. The entire shooting took only two to three seconds. In that time, one bullet hit Press Secretary James Brady in the head and another bullet hit police officer Tom Delahanty in the neck. With lightening quick reflexes, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy spread out his body as wide as possible to become a human shield, hoping to protect the President. McCarthy was hit in the abdomen. In the mere seconds that all this was taking place, another Secret Service agent, Jerry Parr, pushed Reagan into the backseat of the awaiting presidential car. Parr then jumped on top of Reagan in an effort to protect him from further gunfire. The presidential car then quickly drove off. The Hospital At first, Reagan didnt realize that he had been shot. He thought he had maybe broken a rib when he had been thrown into the car. It wasnt until Reagan began coughing up blood that Parr realized Reagan might be seriously hurt. Parr then redirected the presidential car, which had been heading to the White House, to George Washington Hospital instead. Upon arrival at the hospital, Reagan was able to walk inside on his own, but he soon passed out from loss of blood. Reagan had not broken a rib from being thrown into the car; he had been shot. One of Hinckleys bullets had ricocheted off of the presidential car and hit Reagans torso, just under his left arm. Luckily for Reagan, the bullet had failed to explode. It had also narrowly missed his heart. By all accounts, Reagan remained in good spirits throughout the entire encounter, including making some now-famous, humorous comments. One of these comments was to his wife, Nancy Reagan, when she came to see him in the hospital. Reagan told her, Honey, I forgot to duck. Another comment was directed to his surgeons as Reagan entered the operating room. Reagan said, Please tell me youre all Republicans. One of the surgeons responded, Today, Mr. President, were all Republicans. After spending 12 days in the hospital, Reagan was sent home on April 11, 1981. What Happened to John Hinckley? Immediately after Hinckley fired the six bullets at President Reagan, Secret Service agents, bystanders, and police officers all jumped on Hinckley. Hinckley was then quickly taken into custody. In 1982, Hinckley was put on trial for attempting to assassinate the President of the United States. Since the entire assassination attempt had been caught on film and Hinckley had been captured at the scene of the crime, Hinckleys guilt was obvious. Thus, Hinckleys lawyer tried using the insanity plea. It was true; Hinckley did have a long history of mental problems. Plus, for years, Hinckley had been obsessed with and stalked actress Jodie Foster. Based on Hinckleys warped view of the movie Taxi Driver, Hinckley hoped to rescue Foster by killing the President. This, Hinckley believed, would guarantee Fosters affection. On June 21, 1982, Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity on all 13 counts against him. After the trial, Hinckley was confined to St. Elizabeths Hospital. Recently, Hinckley has been awarded privileges which allow him to leave the hospital, for several days at a time, to visit his parents.

Apple Computers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Apple Computers - Essay Example Yet, as we look forward to a happy ending, earnings taper off and it appears as though the saga may be over after all. However, a feeling of quiet confidence gradually takes over the observer, as both Apple Computers and Jobs negotiate through each downturn with aplomb. Must a company's journey through time be so turbulent This document tries to draw lessons from the Apple experience and to suggest stable ways for commercial firms to manage their planning and operational processes. There are two over reaching factors that seem to have influenced strategic change at Apple Computers. The first is the frenetic pace of technological change. No other industrial sector has witnessed the continuous and rapid improvements in processor speeds, storage capacity, transmission options and software development. This has been a source of strength and an opportunity for the entrepreneurial culture of Apple Computers, but it has proved to be a handful for people such as Sculley who labored so hard to bring a semblance of order and discipline to the highly individualistic style of functioning to which die-hard company employees have become accustomed. A second factor which has affected strategy in this company has been the tumultuous and disorderly change of guard at the top. There is no precedent for such a striking founder to leave his creation while remaining in the business. Even more unusual has been the return of Jobs as a mere consultant to the company which he once owned. These moves, and indeed the manner of Sculley's departure have posed special challenges for the company. Strategy Review Systematic and regular environmental scanning seems to be a lacuna in the planning process at Apple Computers. Every enterprise needs a deep understanding of the values that its products and services deliver in an environment of global competitiveness (Ohmae, 1991, 61-74). The success of Jobs to see the opportunity in the graphic user interface which Xerox apparently missed, did not repeat itself when the company invested resources in Newton. It leads one to suspect that iPod may have come about by chance more than by a designed set of steps to understand dynamic customer needs. Environment scanning is an important and integral part of formulating strategy. We do not know if Apple Computers made the effort to reach out across the world, as for example IBM has always done, to weave market realism and new trends in consumer needs in to they way it thinks and works as an organization. The genius of Jobs could have been a drag for the company he founded, for he is clearly a person who th inks way ahead of his time. The story of Apple's strategy could be seen in the light of essential differences between a University Research Department and the function in a pharmaceutical concern which creates solely for profit. Jobs seems to have erred in mixing business and more visionary roles in a manner that continued to haunt the company long after he had left. We do know from the case that Sculley tried hard to rectify matters, but perhaps his 'sugary water' background prevented him from managing the environmental scanning process with the technological orientation it deserved. This is reflected in IBM and even prime rival Microsoft making good business use of some key Apple innovations! Overall, every business needs sound and

Education ch6,8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education ch6,8 - Essay Example that religion contributes to the development of the fundamental peace through progressive inclusion of various religions in the education system globally. By analyzing the input of Thomas Aquinas, the author of the book further asserts that religion contributes fundamental societal values that help constrict cohesive societies. Religion is therefore a fundamental aspect of the society whose inclusion in the education system is paramount. Education serves the purpose of communicating the values to successive generations thereby influencing the social structures and relations among people. The values further influence the interactions among the learners and the educators. Discipline is an essential aspect of education that contributes to the success of the entire exercise. The religious values often influence the creation of laws to guide the conduct of the learners and the development of appropriate ethical codes of conduct for the teachers. This way, each group appreciates the other and acknowledges the need for respect a feature that enhances the success of the learning process. In chapter 8, the author analyses the contributions of John Calvin to the development of education. In doing this, he discusses the American education movement often giving keen attention to the contributions and ideas of John Calvin. Among the fundamental aspects of the chapter is the rise of nationalism. Just as the name suggests, nationalism refers to the love of an individual’s country. The historical rise of nationalism is therefore an essential aspect of historical studies since it helps understand the historical relationship among people in a society. Additionally, nationalism led to the development of modern day government. The historical analysis of nationalism thus helps understand the nature of contemporary politics in the country. Additionally, John Calvin also makes fundamental religious contributions to the development of education as he explains the need for translation

Kindly read the instruction and follow it. read carefully and then Essay

Kindly read the instruction and follow it. read carefully and then start write the paper - Essay Example My mother took me to a therapist to help me deal with the pressure I was experiencing in school owing to the condition. Dealing with pressure however did not solve the underlying issues of how I felt about myself but workouts changed my life. Two years down the line, a friend suggested that I start working out to lose weight and this was the turning point and the beginning to finding solutions to the psychological torture I had undergone. At such a tender age, I enrolled in a certain fitness club in the neighborhoods and started exercising with the adults that were the majority members of the club. At the club, I met a friend who was two years older than I and this really inspired me and made me realize that I was not alone. My major goal was to lose weight and the instructor came up with a good plan that would enable me achieve my goal. The plan included my daily exercises, tasks and a diet plan that I would using from that time. It seemed quite had at the beginning and I never thought I would make it but with time I got used to the new lifestyle with workouts. Before joining the fitness club, I used to stroll with my mother every evening and considered that enough exercise for a day. However, when I joined the fitness club, my workout habits completely changed. Every morning before going to school, I would wake up and run for thirty minutes, which were the instructions from my instructor at the club. In the evening from school, I had to go straight to the gym where we engaged in various activities that could help individual lose weight. The kind of physical strain at the gym required perseverance and willingness to be there. The friend I met at the club and the instructor were the source of inspiration and they really made me put more efforts towards achieving the goal I desired. My diet and eating habits changed completely. I had to avoid eating specific types of food such as junk food. The instructions from my instructor

Poverty: A Global Issue

Poverty: A Global Issue 2.1 Introduction Poverty is a global issue. All the countries around the world face the problem of poverty, but there are some countries which are poorer than others like the developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. There is no one size fits all definition of the concept of poverty. The poorest people in an industrialized nation maybe well off than the average citizens in a less-developing country. The definition of poverty alternate from regions across the planet. According to the United Nations Human Development Report 1996, the average per capita income of the poorest one-fifth of Americans was $5,814 in 1993. That figure is ten times Tanzanias average per capita income of $580 per year. By Tanzanian standards, Americans in that bottom 20 percent may seem quite well-off. However, by U.S. standards, they are not. They point out that most poor American families own more luxury items and consumer appliances than average Europeans do (UN 1996). Although there are some regions have made considerable progress in reducing poverty, about two thirds of the worlds poor live in Asia and the Pacific, based on a poverty line of one dollar a day. That regions number of the worlds poor exceeds two thirds if the poverty line becomes two dollars. There are more than one billion people in the region whose income is between one and two dollars a day. There are two types of poverty, extreme poverty or absolute poverty and relative poverty. Extreme poverty is known as destitution or absolute poverty and it could be injurious to peoples health and life. In the United States, absolute poverty is traditionally defined as having an annual income that is less than half of the official poverty line (an income level determined by the Bureau of the Census). Absolute poverty in developing nations, as defined by international organisations, like the World Bank, means having a household income of less than US $ 1.25 a day in 2005. Relative poverty is the condition of having fewer resources or less income than the others within a society or country, or compared to worldwide averages. Relative poverty is socially defined and dependent on context, it is a measure of income inequality. The reasons for poverty are not clears. Some people believe that poverty results from a lack of adequate resources on global level-resources such as land, food, and building materials-that are necessary for the well-being or survival of the worlds peopl e. (Adapted from Wikipedia 2012). Other defines poverty as being an effect of the uneven distribution of resources around the world. According to this second line of reasoning, it helps to understand the inequality between the two worlds, one where some people have more than they need to live and one where the people do not have enough to survive. There has been considerable interest in recent years in the ability of non-governmental organisations to work with the poor in order to improve their quality of life and economic status through the provision of credit, skills training, and other inputs for income-generation programmes. The term non-governmental organisation can be broadly viewed as being composed of a wide variety of organisations variously known as private voluntary organisations, civil society organisations and non-profit organisations (McGann and Johnstone,2006). In the cases in where NGOs are totally or partially funded by governments, the NGO maintains its non-governmental status by excluding government representatives from membership in the organization. Defining the term NGOs is ambiguous as they are confusing, contradicting, and sometimes overlapping in defining the terms. The NGOs sector is extremely divers as these organisation have very different structures, goals and motivations. NGOs are generally compos ed of non-profit, voluntary citizens, groups which are organised on a local, national or international level and they have certain interests, causes, or goals. NGOs work in many different fields, but the term is generally associated with those seeking social transformation and improvements in quality of life. There are many NGOs, who are affiliated with international aid and other donors, but NGOs happens not to funds and they try to generate their own, such as selling handicrafts or charging for services. In the recent decades, NGOs have moved from backstage to centre stage in reshaping the world of politics, and are exerting their power and influence in every aspect of international relations and policymaking. NGOs have a positive impact on local and international issues, such as poverty alleviation, conservation of human rights, preserving the environment, and providing worldwide relief. The growth of NGOs has been too a large extent fuelled by the inability of both domestic and international institutions to respond adequately to major economic, social and political changes which have been taking place at a fast pace (Heap, 2000). The nu mber of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) alone rose from 6,000 in 1990 to reach 26,000 in 1996 (The Economist, 1999), and 37,000 in 2002 (UNDP, 2002). Figures for NGOs operating at national level are much higher: Russia, for instance is estimated to have some 277,000 NGOs and India between 1 million and 2 million NGOs (Chicago Tribune, 2007). In 2006, it was estimated that there were some 1.5 million NGOs in the USA alone (McGann and Johnstone, 2006). 2.2 Evolution and Growth of NGOs International non-governmental organizations have been dating back to at least 1839. In 1914 there were 1083 NGOs (UN 2007). International NGOs played a big part in the anti-slavery movement and the movement for womens suffrage, and reached a peak at the time of the World Disarmament Conference. However, the term non-governmental organization only came into popular use with the establishment of the United Nations Organization in 1945 with provisions in Article 71 of Chapter 10 of the United Nations Charter for a consultative role for organizations which are neither governments nor member states (UN 2007). Globalization occurring during the 20th century gave importance to the rise of NGOs globally and most importantly in developing countries. International treaties and international organizations such as the World Trade Organization centred their interests mostly on capitalist enterprises. In an attempt to counterbalance the interests of these international organizations and internati onal treaties, NGOs were developed to emphasize humanitarian issues, developmental aid and sustainable development. Though the term NGO became known to the world in the year 1839 the voluntary sector around the world is much older than this. In England voluntary work made its way back in the medieval time where the poor were being looked after by the monastery. The poor people and the beggars were taken care by the monasteries and churches. It was like this that in England there was the introduction of the Poor Law and later it became the Welfare States. But in the beginning it all started as voluntary work as the clergy men were not paid to help the poor. Voluntary work has always been present, especially among the religious organisations, giving food or money was common. NGOs in its traditional form have been working in different religious trust-based schools, hospitals and orphanages. In India NGOs became known in 1980s but voluntary work started after the independent from the British in 1946. In independent India, voluntary organizations started by Gandhi and his disciples were to fill in the gaps left by the government in the development process. In the 1980s, however, the groups who were now known as NGOs became more specialized, and the voluntary movement was fragmented into different groups. 2.3 Evolution of NGOs in Mauritius NGOs in Mauritius started with voluntary works for the welfare of society. In the past, such type of social works started with the bourgeoisie class, the young girls from the upper class where were doing charity work to help the poor like giving them food and sometimes educating them. Later on this voluntary work was untaken by other agencies like the church or other religious bodies, like for example Arya Samaj who helps poor people by giving free education to their children and till now it is still done. Much of the charity work and voluntary work which are done now were performed in the past by religious organisations. They worked dependently from the government even if the government were allocating them money. NGOs are present where the government or other organisations have failed to cater for those in need. There are a large number of religious organisations that are considered to form part of NGOs according to Macoss. Some examples of these organisations are: Al Marjaan Islam ic Secular Institute, Hindu Maha Sabha, Jummah Mosque Port Louis, Arya Sabha, and Adventist Development Relief Agency. NGOs became known quiet recently thought Macoss (Mauritius Council of Social Service) in Mauritius. The Mauritius Council of Social Service was founded in November 1965 and it was incorporated, under Act 55 of 1970, voted in Parliament, providing the legal framework of the Council. As an Umbrella organisation for NGOS, Macoss seeks to promote Social and Community Development and Voluntary Actions through Non-Governmental Organisations. It helps its members by initiating communication, collaboration and networking among NGOs and between NGOs, Government and private sector, primarily through meetings, workshops, consultation and institutional development activities. Macoss also facilitates its members organisations and strengthens their organisation capacity. Macoss plays a leadership role in good governance, policy, advocacy, capacity building and innovation for a vibrant, efficient and effective Non Government Organisation sector and Civil Society Organisation. 2.4 Causes of Poverty Poverty is like a vicious circle. Poverty causes poverty. Just as the rich people get richer as they are already rich and the poor get poorer because they live in poverty. Poverty has many causes and some of them are very basic. Some experts suggest that poverty is caused due few employment or lack of food. The basic factors that may lead to poverty are: inadequate education and employment opportunities overpopulation, inability to meet standard of living and cost of living, certain economic and demographic trends, the unequal distribution of resources in the global economy, welfare incentives and environmental degradation. 2.4.1 Overpopulation Overpopulation is the situation where large numbers of people have too few resources and too little space, and this is closely associated with poor people. This overpopulation can result from high population density, which is the number of people to land suface, usually showed as numbers of people per square kilometre or square mile, or there are low amounts of resources, or from both. Very high population densities put stress on resources that are available. Only a certain amount of people can be supported on a given surface of land, and that number depends on how much food and other resources the area can provide. In countries where people live by primary means of basic farming, gardening, herding, hunting, and gathering, even where there are larger land surfaces the production of food is still low given the number of people are small is due to the production means. The production means is not intense enough to produce large amount of food to feed large amount of people. 2.4.2 High Standards of Living and Costs of Living People in developed countries generally enjoy a higher standard of living because these nations may have more in terms of resource and wealth than those in developing countries. People who may have adequate resources and wealth in a developing country maybe be considered as poor in a developed country. For example people in America, on average, tend to expect to make, about $30,000 per year. They may also expect to rent a house or an apartment with electricity facilities and water supply, to able to buy food to eat and clothes, and get health care provision. In addition, many of these people hope to afford other expenses, such as, the purchases material not need for survival, such as cars, entertainment and high priced food. In comparison, people in most developing countries usually may consider themselves to be well off if they have productive agriculture, some cattle, and a house made out of mud-bricks. In the rural areas, people can be used to not having water facilities, electric ity, or adequate health facilities. Developed countries tend to have a high cost of living, even the most basic lifestyle with few or no luxuries; can be relatively expensive as compared to developing countries. Most people in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, western European nations, and other developed countries cannot obtain adequate food, clothing, and shelter without ample amounts of money. In some areas, even people with jobs that pay the legal minimum wage may not be able to cover their basic expenses. People who cannot find well-paying jobs often have no spare income for emergency expenses, and many rely on state welfare to survive. In Mauritius about 106,000 citizens or 8.5% of the population live in absolute poverty; this is according to figures released by the Ministry of Finance. These figures reveal that the number of Mauritians living under the poverty line is increasing. From 8.2% in 1996/97, it fell to 7.8% in 2001/2002 to reach 8.5% in 2006/2007. The minimum wage for an adult living in a poor family is estimated at Rs 3,821 monthly. In Rodrigues, the rate of poverty is higher. It is estimated at 32.4% in 2006/2007 against28.7% in 2001/02. 2.4.3 Inadequate Education and Employment Illiteracy and lack of education are very frequent in developing countries. Very often the state of developing countries cannot afford to cater for good educational facilities to the people, especially those living in rural areas. Whereas in industrialized countries nearly all children have access to at least the basic education, in sub-Saharan Africa only about 60 per cent children go to elementary school. Without education, most people in the developing countries are unable to find income-generating work. Poor people are also often propelled schooling so as to concentrate on earning a minimal living. In addition, developing countries tend to have fewer employment opportunities as compared to developed countries, especially for women. Resulting in the fact that, schooling is perceived as being crucial to people. Even in developed nations, unemployment rates may be high. When people do not work, they cannot earn a living; thus, high rate of poverty is a result of high unemployment. The amount of employment that is available also tends to fluctuate; creating high unemployment periods. If the unemployment level in countries with high population increases with only a few points, this leads to millions of people who are able to work and earn a living. Because unemployment figures indicate only the number of people eligible to work who have no job but are seeking employment, such figures are not necessarily an accurate indicator of the number of people living in poverty. 2.4.4 Economic and Demographic Trends Economic trends can sometimes be linked with poverty in many developed countries. In the year 1950s and 1960s, for example, in the United States most people experienced a growth in their income due to economic boom and in Mauritius it was in mid 1970s. The average income of a family was doubled in that period even with inflation. However, there was a rise in the standard of living taking into consideration inflation, between the years 1970s and the years 1990s. Young people and less-educated ones are more affected when there are periods of economic recession as they find it difficult to get a job and support them. Poverty levels have also been increased with changes in labor markets in developed countries. In many developed countries the amount of poor has increased resulting from the inequalities in the distribution of resources. For example, since the 1970s, the 20 percent poorest of all U.S. households have earned an increasingly smaller percentage of the total national income while the wealthiest 5 percent of households have earned an increasingly greater percentage. During mostly of this period, due to an increase in the cost of living the middle and those at the bottom in the distribution line have worsened. 2.4.5 Individual Responsibility and Welfare Dependency There are different schools of thought about individual responsibility for poverty. Some believe that there is a proportion of the society who would stay in poverty no matter what due to the structure of society. While some other thinks that due to some dysfunctions of some social institutions such as the labour force, poverty would be pertaining. According to this school of thought poverty id beyond the control of the people who are in it, but this problem can be remedied if proper policies are implemented. There are other people who think that the poor people tend to stay in poverty intentionally. For example, there are people who choose to take drugs voluntarily leading them to stay in poverty these people can be blame for their situation. Adding to that there are those who think that many people in developed countries tend to throw the blame on cycles of poverty, people who have the tendency to remain poor, or they depend on the generosity of the welfare institutions. Those who support this view includes some politicians, criticize the government to spend too much on the poverty though welfare programs. They argue that such welfare programs encourage people to stay in poverty in so as to benefit from payments continuously. They also argue that these welfare programs discourage marriage and work. In the American society and several other developed countries, being employed reduces their welfare supports and it is the same if a single parent gets married. 2.5 NGOs Performance in Poverty Alleviation in Other Countries According A.K.M. Ahsan Ullah, Jayant K. Routray, (2007), a very important aspect of poverty in Bangladesh is unemployment or being under-employment. These people are dependent mostly on agriculture to survive in the rural areas and most of the time they are not owners of the land or own too little land to be able support their family. There are more than 20,000 NGOs have been performing in Bangladesh with two major aims of alleviating rural poverty and empowerment of the women. However, the phenomena of poverty in Bangladesh are much higher as compared to the East Asian countries and the South Asian neighbours. Since, poverty is persistent in Bangladesh, the great majority of the poor do not own their land, and there is relatively few number of formal sector employment opportunities in rural areas, poverty alleviation strategies of NGOs have focused particularly on the possibilities for generating income as a solution. One of the major reasons for the increasing use of NGOs in countr ies like Bangladesh in the developmental activities is to find an alternative and better channel for development aid in the third world countries. All the NGOs work with two basic missions, to alleviate poverty and empowering the poor, especially women (Lovell, 1996; BRAC, 2000) by organizing them into small groups at the village level, arranging adult literacy programmes, providing necessary training and regular discussions on particular issues. Nearly, 60 million people of the population of Bangladesh have been brought under different health programmes by NGOs. These programmes aimed at reducing childhood and maternal morbidity and mortality; and increasing awareness about sexual health. NGOs non-formal primary education programme has covered about three million children from poor families. Among which the majority of the children are girls. Non-formal primary education programme of the BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) is regarded as the worlds biggest private sector educational system and is being replicated in other countries of the world as well (BRAC, 2000; Proshika, 2001). According to Keith M. Henderson author of Alternatives to imposed administrative reform: the NGOs: In the Caribbean, NGOs serve as intermediate between the micro-level of the poorest household and the formal institution of the state (a role which might otherwise be served by political parties or trade unions). NGOs and local development organizations (LDOs) are widely seen as agents for alternative development, particularly because, as a sector, they have begun to formulate development policy in order to improve considerably the life of the citizens and often with a direct impact on official aid policies. Along with the larger efforts, such as the Village Awakening Movement in India which operates in thousands of villages, and the related Sarvodaya Shramadana movement in Sri Lanka which focused on small scale village improvement projects in more than 8,000 villages, are the Christian Base Communities found in Brazilian rural areas. The State very often is unable to cater for these poor villages in India and rural areas in Brazil. These movements perform important service-delivery functions. In Latin America, pervasive distrust of the US has resulted in a variety of indigenous organizational forms often unsustainable and a fertile ground for grass-roots movements. Considerable attention has been given to the political role of such activities; much of the literature is in Spanish. In Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics, the term foundation covers a multitude of private groups organized for collective action. In Africa, numerous small-scale self-help projects, such as banking schemes, food storage arrangements, barter exchanges, family planning, and traditional medicine centres, have been initiated by peasant farmers with the help of NGOs. According to Mritiunjoy Mohanty (2006) NGOs in Bangladesh have been using the microcredit as a means to alleviate poverty there. Microcredit is the extension of very small loans to impoverished borrowers who typically lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history. It is designed not only to support entrepreneurship and alleviate poverty, but also in many cases to empower women and uplift entire communities by extension. In many communities worldwide, in developed and developing nations alike, women lack the highly stable employment histories that traditional lenders tend to require (2012). Noting the pioneering work done by Mr. Yunus and the Grameen Bank, it is worth recording that it has been providing the poor in Bangladesh as a medium of access to financial resources. There are other NGOs that have walked, struggled and prospered down the same path, as the Grameen bank has since the 1970s and the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee or BRAC. To draw attentio n to the role of other NGOs involved in microcredit is not to take away from the catalytic role Mr. Yunus and the Grameen Bank played both at home and abroad in furthering the microcredit movement but it is to show the work they have accomplished together in poverty alleviating in Bangladesh. 2.6 NGOs Performance in Poverty Alleviation in Mauritius There is a number of NGOs working in order to alleviate poverty in Mauritius such as SOS Poverty, Caritas Mauritius and Currimjee Foundation, Le Centre Des Pauvres, Maison Familiale Rurale Du Nord, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ These NGOs help people in different ways like for example in Maison Familiale Rurale Du Nord they try to eradicate poverty by sensitizing youngsters from poor families. The young people are given training in hotel mechanics, agriculture and hospital services. They promote a sense of entrepreneurship among these young people and encourage a sense of social inclusion to help them come out of their poverty. SOS Poverty is a non-governmental and charitable organization set up to fight poverty and social injustices in the country. So far they have implemented a global plan of actions, comprising of several micro projects implemented, laying emphasis on two major factors: Education and Economic. Their field of action consist of pre-primary education, women empowerment like org anising a corporate organisation in order to help women wanting to work and earn a living to come out of poverty. They endeavour to combat poverty through inclusive education/ training programmes and self-help socio-economic programmes. The Currimjee Foundation in association with several other NGOS and NEF (National Empowerment Foundation) has planned out a project on poverty alleviation in Mauritius. The project is about helping people in absolute poverty who cannot afford to build a house. They would be constructing 50 houses in concrete with aluminium ceiling with square metres of 21to 25 and costing around Rs 165,000 each. The Currimjee Foundation also sponsors scholarships of Rs 20,000 to needy students attending University of Mauritius and University of Technology of Mauritius. Le Centre Des Pauvres which is found at Grand Riviere Nord Ouest Port Louis provide poor people with clothes and organise food donation. Children are give education materials such as books, copybooks pencils etc and to smaller children toys are given to them. NGOs have been performing well in different countries around the world. They have been able to help people especially where the government have somehow failed to provide for their citizens. They have brought some light to the peoples life. There are countless things that the NGOs have done the state would not have been able to do as the NGOs works at a micro level. It is easy for them to target the needy people. They have more personal contact with the individual and they are very often on field. And the people also know where to turn to seek help. Poverty alleviation is a tremendous task for every country in the world is it developed countries or developing countries, without the efforts showed by NGOs one third of the work accomplished now would not have been done left alone on the state and other institutions.