Wednesday, November 27, 2019

A Selection of Quotes From The Picture of Dorian Gray

A Selection of Quotes From The Picture of Dorian Gray The Picture of Dorian Gray  is the only known novel by Oscar Wilde. It first appeared in Lippincotts Monthly Magazine in 1890 and was revised and published as a book the following year. Wilde, who was famous for his wit, used the controversial work to explore his ideas about art, beauty, morality, and love. The Purpose of Art Throughout the novel, Wilde explores the role of art by examining the relationship between a work of art and its viewer. The book opens with the artist Basil Hallward painting a large portrait of Dorian Gray. Over the course of the novel, the painting becomes a reminder that Gray will age and lose his beauty. This relationship between Gray and his portrait is a way of exploring the relationship between the outside world and the self. The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul. [Chapter 1] I knew that I had come face to face with someone whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself.[Chapter 1] An artist should create beautiful things, but should put nothing of his own life into them.[Chapter 1] For there would be a real pleasure in watching it. He would be able to follow his mind into its secret places. This portrait would be to him the most magical of mirrors. As it had revealed to him his own body, so it would reveal to him his own soul. [Chapter 8] Beauty While exploring the role of art, Wilde also delves into a related theme: beauty. Dorian Gray, the novels protagonist, values youth and beauty above all else, which is part of what makes his self-portrait so important to him. The worship of beauty also shows up in other places throughout the book, such as during Grays discussions with Lord Henry. But beauty, real beauty, ends where an intellectual expression begins. Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of any face. [Chapter 1] The ugly and the stupid have the best of it in this world. They can sit at their ease and gape at the play. [Chapter 1] How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June... If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always  young,  and the picture that was to grow old! For that-for that-I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that! [Chapter 2] There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could  realise  his conception of the beautiful. [Chapter 11] The world is changed because you are made of ivory and gold. The curves of your lips rewrite history. [Chapter 20] Morality In his pursuit of pleasure, Dorian Gray indulges in all number of vices, giving Wilde the opportunity to reflect on questions of morality and sin. These were questions that Wilde, as an artist writing in the Victorian era, struggled with his whole life. A few years after the publication of Dorian Gray, Wilde was arrested for gross indecency (a legal euphemism for homosexual acts). The highly-publicized trial led to his conviction and two-year imprisonment. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful. [Chapter 2] I know what conscience is, to begin with. It is not what you told me it was. It is the  divinest  thing in us. Dont sneer at it, Harry,  any more-at  least not before me. I want to be good. I cant bear the idea of my soul being hideous. [Chapter 8] Innocent blood had been split. What could atone for that? Ah! for that there was no atonement; but though forgiveness was impossible, forgetfulness was possible still, and he was determined to forget, to stamp the thing out, to crush it as one would crush the adder that had stung one. [Chapter 16] What does it profit a man if he  gain  the whole world and  lose-how does the quotation run?-his own soul? [Chapter 19] There was purification in punishment. Not Forgive us our sins, but Smite us for our iniquities should be the prayer of a man to a most just God. [Chapter 20] Love The Picture of Dorian Gray is also a story of love and passion in all of their varieties. It includes some of Wildes most famous words on the subject. The book charts the fluctuation of Grays love for the actress Sibyl Vane, from its inception to its undoing, along with Grays destructive self-love, which gradually drives him to sin. Along the way, Wilde explores the distinctions between selfish love and nobler passion. His sudden mad love for Sibyl Vane was a psychological phenomenon of no small interest. There was no doubt that curiosity had much to do with it, curiosity and the desire for new experiences; yet it was not a simple but rather a very complex passion. [Chapter 4] Thin-lipped Wisdom spoke at her from the worn chair, hinted at prudence, quoted from that book of cowardice whose author apes the name of common sense. She did not listen. She was free in her prison of passion. Her prince, Prince Charming, was with her. She had called on Memory to remake him. She had sent her soul to search for him, and it had brought him back. His kiss burned again upon her mouth. Her eyelids were warm with his breath. [Chapter 5] You have killed my love. You used to stir my imagination. Now you dont even stir my curiosity. You simply produce no effect. I loved you because you were  marvellous, because you had genius and  intellect,  because you  realised  the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art. You have thrown it all away. You are shallow and stupid.[Chapter 7] His unreal and selfish love would yield to some higher influence, would be transformed into some nobler passion, and the portrait that Basil Hallward had painted of him would be a guide to him through life, would be to him what holiness is to some, and conscience to others, and the fear of God to us all. There were opiates for remorse, drugs that could lull the moral sense to sleep. But  here  was a visible symbol of the degradation of sin. Here was an ever-present sign of the ruin men brought upon their souls. [Chapter 8]

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Theory and Practice Behind the Creeping Barrage of WW1

Theory and Practice Behind the Creeping Barrage of WW1 The creeping/rolling barrage is a slowly moving artillery attack acting as a defensive curtain for infantry following closely behind. The creeping barrage is indicative of the First World War, where it was used by all belligerents as a way to bypass the problems of trench warfare. It did not win the war (as once hoped)  but played an important role in the final advances.   Invention The creeping barrage was first used by Bulgarian artillery crews during the siege of Adrianople in March 1913, over a year before the war began. The wider world took little notice and the idea had to be re-invented again in 1915-16, as a response to both the static, trench-based, warfare into which the swift early movements of the First World War had stalled  and the inadequacies of existing artillery barrages. People were desperate for new methods, and the creeping barrage seemed to offer them. The Standard Barrage Throughout 1915, infantry attacks were preceded by as massive an artillery bombardment as possible, intended to pulverize both the enemy troops and their defenses. The barrage could go on for hours, even days, with the aim of destroying everything under them. Then, at an allotted time, this barrage would cease - usually switching to deeper secondary targets - and the infantry would climb out of their own defenses, rush across the contested land and, in theory, seize land which was now undefended, either because the enemy was dead or cowering in bunkers. The Standard Barrage Fails In practice, barrages frequently failed to obliterate either the enemys deepest defensive systems and attacks turned into a race between two infantry forces, the attackers trying to rush across No Mans Land before the enemy realized the barrage was over and returned (or sent replacements) to their forward defenses...and their machine guns. Barrages could kill, but they could neither occupy land nor hold the enemy away long enough for infantry to advance. Some tricks were played, such as stopping the bombardment, waiting for the enemy to man their defenses, and starting it again to catch them in the open, only sending their own troops later on. The sides also became practiced at being able to fire their own bombardment into No Mans Land when the enemy sent their troops forward into it. The Creeping Barrage In late 1915/early 1916, Commonwealth forces began developing a new form of barrage. Beginning close to their own lines, the creeping barrage moved slowly forward, throwing up dirt clouds to obscure the infantry who advanced close behind. The barrage would reach the enemy lines and suppress as normal (by driving men into bunkers or more distant areas) but the attacking infantry would be close enough to storm these lines (once the barrage had crept further forward) before the enemy reacted. That was, at least, the theory. The Somme Apart from Adrianople in 1913, the creeping barrage was first used at The Battle of the Somme in 1916, at the orders of Sir Henry Horne; its failure exhibits several of the tactics problems. The barrages targets and timings had to be arranged well beforehand and, once started, could not be easily changed. At the Somme, the infantry moved slower than expected and the gap between soldier and barrage was sufficient for German forces to man their positions once the bombardment had passed. Indeed, unless bombardment and infantry advanced in almost perfect synchronization there were problems: if the soldiers moved too fast they advanced into the shelling and were blown up; too slow and the enemy had time to recover. If the bombardment moved too slow, allied soldiers either advanced into it or had to stop and wait, in the middle of No Mans Land and possibly under enemy fire; if it moved too fast, the enemy again had time to react. Success and Failure Despite the dangers, the creeping barrage was a potential solution to the stalemate of trench warfare and it was adopted by all the belligerent nations. However, it generally failed when used over a relatively large area, such as the Somme, or was relied upon too heavily, such as the disastrous battle of the Marne in 1917. In contrast, the tactic proved much more successful in localized attacks where targets and movement could be better defined, such as the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Taking place the same month as the Marne, the Battle of Vimy Ridge saw Canadian forces attempting a smaller, but much more precisely organized creeping barrage which advanced 100 yards every 3 minutes, slower than commonly tried in the past. Opinions are mixed on whether the barrage, which became an integral part of WW1 warfare, was a general failure or a small, but necessary, part of the winning strategy. One thing is certain: it wasnt the decisive tactic generals had hoped for. No Place In Modern War Advances in radio technology – which meant soldiers could carry transmitting radios around with them and co-ordinate support – and developments in artillery - which meant barrages could be placed much more precisely - conspired to make the blind sweeping of the creeping barrage redundant in the modern era, replaced by pinpoint strikes called in as needed, not pre-arranged walls of mass destruction.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Educational Excellence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Educational Excellence - Essay Example The area of improvement encompasses mathematics. The data was compared between those who were born in 1983 and those born in 1997. When 20 students of the 4th grade born in 1983 were examined for proficiency in reading and writing, only 6 were found to be proficient while 20 students born in 1997, when examined for similar proficiency 7 students were found to be proficient in reading. The area showed less improvement (US Department of Education: A Nation Accountable). When 1983 born 4th class students were observed for proficiency in mathematics, only 4 were found to be proficient. Students born in 1997, when examined for proficiency in mathematics 8 out of 20 were found to be proficient in mathematics. Indicating that proficiency in mathematics increased two-fold. On close observation it is observed that 20 children born in 1983, entered school in 1988, of these 20, 14 graduates on time in 2001, of these 14, 10 started college but by 2007 only 5 could earn their degrees (US Department of Education: A Nation Accountable). California has shown very poor improvement when compared to other states of United States. According to 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), California stands seventh lowest in 8th grade mathematics when compared with other states of USA. When their competitive spirit was calculated, California was at the bottom quarter. The students of 8th grade when compared for their reading skills they were the third lowest and just above the Hawaii and Columbia. The Californian students were poor in science they stand second lowest and just above the Mississippi. Indicating the education excellence could not meet the perfection in California (States vs. Countries in Math). According to the NY Times, Massachusetts shows maximum of 51% of mathematics proficiency, as compared to California which has 24 percent of proficiency in mathematics when students from eighth-grade were compared between various states and different

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Survey Paper of open-source software and it's use in enterprise and Essay

Survey Paper of open-source software and it's use in enterprise and government - Essay Example Open source software enables businesses and government institutions to access and offer certain services that otherwise would have cost lots money to install and use. This survey paper aims to conduct an in depth analysis of past research literatures on the use of open source servers by enterprises and government organizations. Further, the paper analyzes how these organizations use the open source servers to efficiently perform their activities. Objectively, this survey paper seeks to relate elementary analysis of open source servers in business and government institutions as studied by other researchers in the past. Finally, the paper puts into context all the exclusion as well as inclusion results of the analyzed literature reviews about open source usage in businesses.   As a result of the widely and broad technological improvement and innovations, businesses and government organizations all over the world are in the rash to cope with these changes. It should be noted that the basic aim of any business is to maximize profit while minimizing cost. However, a successful business should also consider long term growth plans through installing an effective business operations system. On the other hand, government institutions may also want to put into place effective service delivery systems to its citizens (Bitzer & Schroder, 2006). The later considerations bring about the importance of integrating computing system into these organizations. There are different types of computer systems and some of them are more sophisticated than others. In addition, some of them have strong variance in their functionalities while others are more or less related. While business and government institutions may afford to use premium computing systems, there has been a growing demand and usage of open source servers. This reality could be attributed to the fact that some of these computing systems are free or cost effective as

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Question of Reality (Metaphysics) Assignment

The Question of Reality (Metaphysics) - Assignment Example Indeed, many religions resort to the concept of faith in arguing that their particular version of reality is the accurate and true version. Through an examination of cosmogony and determinism, this essay explores my personal understanding of the nature of reality; namely, I believe that the origin of the universe cannot be explained through merely physical phenomenon and that we are ultimately living in a universe subject to determinism. This personal conception of the nature of reality suffers from many of the same problems that religion does, namely that it cannot unarguably be proven through the scientific method and rational discourse; nevertheless, through reason and understanding, I believe that this is the most accurate interpretation into the question of reality. With Edwin Hubble’s 1929 discovery of a red shift in the universe the theory that the universe was expanding emerged and slowly took hold in the scientific community. (Coles 2001) By the time of discovery of cosmic background radiation occurred in 1965 by Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson at the Crawford Hill location of Bell Telephone Laboratories, the majority of scientific thought recognized that what humanity understands as the universe originally emanated from a big bang type explosion that has seen expanded, and continues to expand, into what we know as the universe today. For many individuals, this constitutes the ultimate nature of reality, but I believe that this doesn’t go far enough in explaining existence. While most scientific research acknowledges there was a big bang type explosion (Dodelson 2003), I believe that there must have been an impulse that originally started the universe. I lack the scientific background required to speak on a complex and s ophisticated level on the subject, yet I believe knowledge of the ultimate reality is not a question that can be articulated through contemporary linguistic or scientific devices.  

Friday, November 15, 2019

Chat language

Chat language Chat Language Chat Language is a recent concept which is characterized by overwhelming acceptance. Chat language can be justly described as the result of the worldwide impact of Internet and Cosmopolitan culture. Chat Language refers to the whole range of abbreviations and smileys which have become an integral part of the process of chatting. Usefulness of Chat Language The usefulness of chat language is well illustrated by the overwhelming acceptance of the language. In fact, chat language is one of the most commonly used medium of communication amongst the youngsters. Chat Language is most prevalently used by the people living in big cities where the impact of Internet is more profound. Chat Language has simplified and speeded up the process of transmitting messages. You can make use of this short and sweet chat language to aptly communicate your thoughts and feelings to your dear ones. In fact, a smiley also enhances the look of the messages, thereby, expressing your feelings properly. Chat Language proves to be less time consuming. Knowledge of Chat Language In order to make use of the chat language efficiently, you need to learn the short forms and smileys properly. In order to expand the scope of your knowledge about Chat Language, you can make use of the handy and easily understandable Chat Dictionary. A Chat Dictionary provides with an entire list of abbreviations that are used in chat and are easy to remember. In chat language, the spelling of a normal word is shortened. For example, AFK stands for Away From Keyboard while FYI means For Your Information. Below is a list of some of the most commonly used short forms and smileys: ASAP As Soon As Possible BBL Be Back Later FWIW For What Its Worth GTSY Glad To See You IC =Â » I See IRL =Â » In Real Life LY =Â » Love Ya TNT =Â » Till Next Time o:-) =Â » Angelic >:-( =Â » Angry |-I =Â » Asleep : =Â » Crying :-) =Â » Crying with Joy :-( =Â » Crying Sadly :-9 =Â » Delicious, Yummy

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Asean

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has plans to fast track the integration of its member countries over the next few years. Aside from encouraging cooperation through traditional diplomatic and cultural activities, there are also ambitious proposals for ASEAN to issue a single visa and currency, and even form a united regional Olympic team. The advantages of a united ASEAN are easy to imagine. A cohesive ASEAN would likely bring tremendous benefits to Southeast Asians in the forms of more jobs, more tourists, stronger defense forces and improved camaraderie among competing neighbors.Besides, who would oppose the idea of unity and greater economic coordination in the region? But ASEAN’s basic problem is not merely an absence of unity. Wasn’t unity the main objective of ASEAN when it was established in 1967? The fact that after four decades, the group is still pushing to integrate its ten member countries suggests a pretty significant failure to foster sol idarity in the region. Without undermining the laudable efforts of the ASEAN Secretariat, many doubt it can realize the One Community vision by its announced target date of 2015.How can it, if it continues to use the same approach that has singularly failed to unite its members to date? ASEAN unity will remain an impossible vision as long as its members continue to demand it for the wrong reasons. In truth, each member nation views its association with ASEAN as a means to pursue its national interests. Sacrificing the national agenda to realize the regional good is largely an alien concept to ASEAN members. Member nations are in favor of unity as long as it doesn’t conflict with their respective national objectives.To be sure, ASEAN has successfully coordinated aid and relief efforts when natural disasters have devastated the region. But the group should be more than the region’s answer to Red Cross. But such instances are usually when ASEAN unity is invoked, namely, w hen a member is overwhelmed by a problem it can’t solve or when it is affected by a neighbor’s woes. Today, for example, we hear demands for ASEAN to intervene in Burma’s Rohingya Dilemma, maritime disputes in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea, and human trafficking across the region.ASEAN’s next step will most likely be to decide whether to issue a joint statement to address these issues. In the absence of disasters, and in between ministerial conferences, however, ASEAN has failed to engage in the essential task of building regional unity. ASEAN hasn’t even been able to prevent members from accusing each other of being bad neighbors. East Timor’s attempts to join the club have been blocked by Singapore, among others, which view its entry as a threat to their national interests, although the reason given to the public is usually East Timor’s internal conflicts.Ultimately, ASEAN’s unwillingness to form a more united an d powerful regional grouping has been exploited by global powers like the United States, China and Japan, which are aggressively promoting their geopolitical interests in the region. A unified ASEAN could challenge the political and economic resources of these big nations. Instead, each ASEAN member has preferred to negotiate individually. It’s tragic enough that ASEAN is not united.It’s more tragic to hear ASEAN members articulate and advance the interests of non-ASEAN superpowers during ASEAN summits. At the minimum, a united ASEAN could prevent colonial powers old and new from dominating the region. But that’s just a start. After asserting its independence, it would be great to see ASEAN aspire to become a global power in its own right. With this vision in mind, perhaps it’s time to unite and promote the Southeast Asian way of life as a viable alternative to the world. Asean The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has plans to fast track the integration of its member countries over the next few years. Aside from encouraging cooperation through traditional diplomatic and cultural activities, there are also ambitious proposals for ASEAN to issue a single visa and currency, and even form a united regional Olympic team. The advantages of a united ASEAN are easy to imagine. A cohesive ASEAN would likely bring tremendous benefits to Southeast Asians in the forms of more jobs, more tourists, stronger defense forces and improved camaraderie among competing neighbors.Besides, who would oppose the idea of unity and greater economic coordination in the region? But ASEAN’s basic problem is not merely an absence of unity. Wasn’t unity the main objective of ASEAN when it was established in 1967? The fact that after four decades, the group is still pushing to integrate its ten member countries suggests a pretty significant failure to foster sol idarity in the region. Without undermining the laudable efforts of the ASEAN Secretariat, many doubt it can realize the One Community vision by its announced target date of 2015.How can it, if it continues to use the same approach that has singularly failed to unite its members to date? ASEAN unity will remain an impossible vision as long as its members continue to demand it for the wrong reasons. In truth, each member nation views its association with ASEAN as a means to pursue its national interests. Sacrificing the national agenda to realize the regional good is largely an alien concept to ASEAN members. Member nations are in favor of unity as long as it doesn’t conflict with their respective national objectives.To be sure, ASEAN has successfully coordinated aid and relief efforts when natural disasters have devastated the region. But the group should be more than the region’s answer to Red Cross. But such instances are usually when ASEAN unity is invoked, namely, w hen a member is overwhelmed by a problem it can’t solve or when it is affected by a neighbor’s woes. Today, for example, we hear demands for ASEAN to intervene in Burma’s Rohingya Dilemma, maritime disputes in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea, and human trafficking across the region.ASEAN’s next step will most likely be to decide whether to issue a joint statement to address these issues. In the absence of disasters, and in between ministerial conferences, however, ASEAN has failed to engage in the essential task of building regional unity. ASEAN hasn’t even been able to prevent members from accusing each other of being bad neighbors. East Timor’s attempts to join the club have been blocked by Singapore, among others, which view its entry as a threat to their national interests, although the reason given to the public is usually East Timor’s internal conflicts.Ultimately, ASEAN’s unwillingness to form a more united an d powerful regional grouping has been exploited by global powers like the United States, China and Japan, which are aggressively promoting their geopolitical interests in the region. A unified ASEAN could challenge the political and economic resources of these big nations. Instead, each ASEAN member has preferred to negotiate individually. It’s tragic enough that ASEAN is not united.It’s more tragic to hear ASEAN members articulate and advance the interests of non-ASEAN superpowers during ASEAN summits. At the minimum, a united ASEAN could prevent colonial powers old and new from dominating the region. But that’s just a start. After asserting its independence, it would be great to see ASEAN aspire to become a global power in its own right. With this vision in mind, perhaps it’s time to unite and promote the Southeast Asian way of life as a viable alternative to the world.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Gun Ownership

Gun Ownership A well known fact, the United States of America is the largest private gun ownership in the world. The shooting happened frequently has caused wide public concern over the recent years. Nowadays, the gun ownership has been a hotly debated issue on all classes of society; even it has continued to spark national debate. Many people firmly believe they should be allowed to own a gun because guns can protect themselves and they have the right depend on the Declaration of independence.Other people in today’s society may think that gun ownership is necessary because of a few people living on hunting and gun culture of United State America. However according to the development of modern society, the gun ownership should be outlawed because it has not direct connection with the gun culture and it has being result in more and more crime and death, make a lot of irremediable damage to the innocent and guns become an unmanageable affair for the government, and it is not the only easy tool to protect themselves and hunting, but also a terrible lethal weapon to suicide and murder.A number of people insisted that they should be allowed to own a gun because America has a tradition of national gun ownership and use dating to the nation’s origins. In 1970, an articleAmerica as a Gun Culture was wrote by the noted historian Richard Hofstadter. He used the short phrase to describe America's long-held affection for guns, embracing and celebrating the association of guns and America's heritage. The people of a pro-gun culture believe that it is fanciful to imagine that guns will ever disappear from America and guns deeply embedded in its history and its culture.Guns are not the only tool of self-protection, but also a kind of culture. â€Å"The American gun culture as it exists today is founded on three factors: the proliferation of firearms since the earliest days of the nation, the connection between personal ownership of weapons and the country's rev olutionary and frontier history, and the cultural mythology regarding the gun in the frontier and in modern life. †(Spitzer, Robert J1). â€Å"Two elements of the modern American gun culture have survived since the earliest days of the country; the hunting/sporting ethos and the militia/frontier ethos. (Spitzer, Robert J3). Obviously, gun culture is a part of American culture, and it is a very important part. They have never imagined they will give up their culture of gun and the gun ownership. Although the United States of America has a tradition of national gun ownership and use dating to the nation’s origins, the gun ownership should be outlawed because the gun culture has no direct connection with gun ownership, and people can keep the gun culture in the place of public entertainment. Every country has own culture, however a few bad cultural should be abandoned and keep the good ones.Think about it. Every people knows what will happen if everyone has a gun in the w orld. There are endless wars, countless death and dislocated society if everyone has a gun. At that time, any people and any organization all have no power to stop these bad things. The life of people is more important than the gun culture, though culture and history of countries are important for human beings. In my opinion, People can enjoy the games of guns, and they will make more friends whom also like playing guns in the club of guns although they have no private gun.With this way, American also can keep their gun culture and gun original. For this point, the gun ownership is not necessary for people. A few people think they should be allowed to own a gun because they some people hunt wild animals for the basic survival demands in the world. When America was an agrarian nation in which hunting was a valuable source of supplying food for settlers, guns were a means of protection from animal predators, and the market for furs could provide a source of income.Also, hunting as an interesting to a few people, they enjoy this activity of outdoor. For the others, they live in wild and far away from the big city and the crowd. They live on hunting, and they are unable to survive without guns in the wild and forest. So they think the gun is a necessary tool for some people. The gun ownership is direct connection with the people who hunt wild animals for the basic survival demands despite the fact that some human feel that a few people live on hunting because it does not means that gun is the only one tool to keep their living.This kind of people is small, and do not give up the interests of the most people because the interests of a small number of people. The people who hunt wild animals for the basic survival demands are less than offenders who buy the guns and other weapons through legitimate channels but do some illegal things. In order to rule out these bad conditions, the gun ownership should be outlaw. For these people who living on hunting, the government can help them with other better ways. The government of nation forbids hunting and kills wild animals because many animal species are endangered.Uncontrolled hunting will result in destroy of ecological balance and lead to threaten human beings. A majority of Americans strongly believe the gun ownership should not be outlawed because the constitution ensures their right to own a gun in United States. Many legal experts, politicians and historians maintained that the Declaration of independence and the Constitution of the United State provide the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. â€Å"In District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U. S. 70 (2008), the Supreme Court of the United States held that the Second Amendment protects the right of an individual to own a firearm for the purposes of self defense within the home, while at the same time reaffirming the constitutionality of a wide range of long standing gun control laws. † (Adam Winkler 1). Over yea rs, the National Rifle Association has headed off most attempts to restrict gun ownership, insisting that the freedom to own gun is the people only against oppressivegovernment. â€Å"Guns do not kill people,† they say. People kill people†. The shooting events have nothing to do with the gun ownership, instead of somebody who tyrannous and cold-blooded. The Declaration of independence and the Constitution of the United State provide the right of the people to own guns. However, I still believe that the notion above is dangerous for the innocent because it is an unmanageable affair for the government and increasingly difficult to protect citizens from danger. It is so hard to hold the balance point between the right of keep guns and the life of people.That is why the shootings were continually happened to innocent people in the Unites State of America. In the United Kingdom firearms are tightly controlled by law, and there is little political debate and no strong public opposition to control. The United Kingdom had one of the lowest rates of gun homicides in the world since gun control legislation became stricter in the late twentieth century. In England & Wales in 2009 there were 0. 073 recorded intentional homicides committed with a firearm per 100,000 inhabitants; for comparison, the figure for the United States was 3. , about 40 times higher(United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime). Since the United Kingdom had stopped the right of keep and bear guns, the shooting events and crime has greatly decreased. The shooting events continue to be a big problem in the United States of America because guns are difficult affairs to manage and increasingly degree of difficulty of social security for the government. Therefore, the gun ownership should be outlaw to maintain social stability. Some people support gun ownership is necessary for them because they think it for personal self-protection in the home.They think that they protect themselves from harm with guns when they are in dangerous. It cannot be ignored the fact that people are more likely to be attacked if they do not have a weapon on their person. They have no any ability to protect themselves if they have no guns while their life and property are threatened. Victims who defended themselves with guns were less likely to report being injured than those who either defended themselves by other means or took no self-protective measures at all. And they have a pretty well reason to support their opinion which is â€Å"when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns†.They mean that they would be more dangerous whether the guns ownership is outlawed and the gun is an effective method to protect them. Although the gun is an effective tool to protect their family and property, people cannot ignore that the effective tool is also the most dangerous tool because it is an easy way to suicide and murder. Some abnormal killer shot with the innocent to vent the anger and depr essed of the hearts. The studies have shown that gun kept in the home for â€Å"protection† is 22 times more likely to be used on a family member than an intruder.The original intention of gun ownership was to provide a method for self-protection. However, following up later is crazy shooting and death to innocent victims, which is the exact opposite of the original intention. With the mortality rate of shooting increasing, people be allowed to own a gun should be outlawed. There were a few shooting that the shooting of movie theatre, Empire state building shooting and so on. It is with these happened terrible shooting in people’s minds that they often buy guns because they feel afraid they might become victims of a crime.John Donohue of Stanford University said, â€Å"Criminals are more likely to use a gun if prospective victims are carrying guns,† that creating a vicious cycle. With all these guns so easily available, is it any wonder that so many people are d ying. Also, some people attempt to end their trouble of life by suicide with guns. Over 30,000 Americans are killed by guns, slightly over half in suicide every year. Every day, twelve children in the United Stated die in gunfire (Deborah White 1). These casualties bring human beings great pain of spirit, especially for the family of victim.Nothing can mend their hearts, though, times. On this point, the gun ownership should be outlawed in order to avoid with the serious shooting happen to innocent people and pure children. In conclusion, the law on the limitation of guns can greatly reduce the rate of death and crime. Although gun culture is a very important for Americans and people have right to keep and own guns, the gun ownership has not direct connection with the gun culture and guns have become a big problem which is hardly managed by the government.Perhaps there are a few people living on hunting by guns and it is a tool to self-protection, however it is not the only method t o protect themselves and way of survival. On the contrary, the gun is a terrible lethal weapon to suicide and murder. That is why guns make a lot of irremediable damage to the innocent. The gun ownership should be outlawed because only in this way can reduce the rate of crime and death. Cited work 1. Spitzer, Robert J. : The Politics of Gun Control, Chapter 1. Chatham House Publishers, 1995. Web. Sep 25, 2012 2. Linder, Doug (2008). â€Å"DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, et al. , PETITIONERS v. DICK ANTHONY HELLER†.Exploring Constitutional Law. University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School. Retrieved 2008-07-26. Web. Sep 25, 2012 3. Adam Winkler. â€Å"Shooting Blanks. † The daily Beast. Mar 3, 2010. Web. Sep 25, 2012 http://www. thedailybeast. com/articles/2010/03/03/shooting-blanks. html 4. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Homicides Statistics- Homicides by firearm. Oct, 2009. Print. Sep 27, 2012 5. Deborah White. â€Å"Pros & Cons of Gun Ownership & Use Laws for Indi viduals. † About. com US Liberal Politics. Mar 6, 2007. Web. Sep 25, 2012 http://usliberals. about. com/od/patriotactcivilrights/i/ProConGunLaws_2. htm

Friday, November 8, 2019

Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. Biography

Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. Biography Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr., one of the first black astronauts, entered the corps in June 1967. He had a bright future ahead of him but never made it into space. He began his training and was putting his experience as a pilot and chemist to work as he also trained on  support aircraft. Several months after he began his astronaut training, Lawrence was a passenger on a training flight aboard an F104 Starfighter jet when it made a too-low approach and hit the ground. Lawrence died instantly during the December 8 mishap. It was a tragic loss to the country, and to his wife and young son. He was awarded a Purple Heart posthumously for his service to his country.   The Life and Times of Astronaut Lawrence Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. was born October 2, 1935, in Chicago. He received an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Bradley University in 1956 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant into the U.S.  Air Force upon graduation at age 20. He took his flight training at Malden Air Force Base, and eventually ended up providing flight training. He logged more than 2,500 hours of flight time throughout his time in the Air Force and was instrumental in compiling flight maneuver data that was eventually used in the development of the space shuttles. Lawrence later earned a PhD. in physical chemistry in 1965 from Ohio State University. His interests ranged from nuclear chemistry to photochemistry, advanced inorganic chemistry, and thermodynamics. His instructors called him one of the most intelligent and hard-working students theyd ever seen. Once in the Air Force, Lawrence  distinguished himself as an exceptional test pilot and was among the first to be named to the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program. That mission was a precursor to todays successful NASA space shuttle program. It was part of the manned spaceflight program the Air Force was developing. MOL was planned as an orbiting platform where astronauts could train and work for longer missions. The program was canceled in 1969 and declassified later on. Some of the astronauts assigned to MOL, such as Robert L. Crippen and Richard Truly, went on to join NASA and fly other missions. Although he applied twice to NASA and didnt make into the corps, after his experience with the MOL, Lawrence may well have made it in on a third try, had he not been killed in the flight accident in 1967. Memorial In 1997, thirty years after his  death, and after much lobbying by space historians and others, Lawrences name was the 17th added to the Astronauts Memorial Foundation Space Mirror. This memorial was dedicated in 1991 to honor all U.S. astronauts who lost their lives on space missions or in training for missions. Its located at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation at the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida and is open to the public. The African-American  Members of the Astronaut Corps Dr. Lawrence was part of a vanguard of black Americans to join the space program. He came along early in the programs history and hoped to make a lasting contribution to the countrys space efforts. He was preceded by Ed Dwight, who selected as the first African-American astronaut in 1961. Unfortunately, he resigned due to government pressure.   The honor of being the first black  to actually fly in space was Guion Blufords. He flew four missions from 1983 to 1992. Others were Ronald McNair (killed in the space shuttle Challenger accident), Frederick D. Gregory, Charles F. Bolden, Jr. (who has served as NASA administrator), Mae Jemison (first African-American woman in space), Bernard Harris, Winston Scott, Robert Curbeam, Michael P. Anderson, Stephanie Wilson, Joan Higginbotham, B. Alvin Drew, Leland Melvin, and Robert Satcher.   Several others have served in the astronaut corps, but have not flown in space.   As the astronaut corps has grown, it has grown more diverse, including more women and astronauts with a wide range of ethnic backgrounds.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Education System in Nigeria and Kenya Compared Essays

Education System in Nigeria and Kenya Compared Essays Education System in Nigeria and Kenya Compared Essay Education System in Nigeria and Kenya Compared Essay Essay Topic: Education TASK Write a well documented paper on the education system with specific reference to: brief background, aims/goals of education,thestructureoftheeducation system, administration, financing,teachingprofession,challengesand lessons Kenya would learn or borrow. Choose one of these countries Nigeria, Australia, Canada, or China. Background of Nigeria Education Nigeria education has evolved through a number of phases. The education system in Nigeria has been formed by a number of influences, the colonial influence, the influence of the military rule in Nigeria and then the impact of independence and a new constitution. The progress of education in the southern states of Nigeria reveals the involvement of the Christian missionaries towards the education system in Nigeria during the colonial period. Nigeria education was slowly but soundly developing during the colonial time until the conclusion of World War II. The Christian missionaries introduced the western education system in Nigeria in the mid nineteenth century. Three fundamentally distinct education systems existed in Nigeria in 1990. They were, the indigenous system, the Quranic schools, and formal European-style educational institutions. Higher Education in Nigeria originated with the colonial government launching the Yaba higher college. Education in Nigeria became the responsibility of the state and local councils according to the 1979 constitution. First six years of primary education was made mandatory, which was a significant factor in the development of education in Nigeria. There has been a noticeable upgrading of educational facilities in Nigeria in the latest years. The apparent rate for adult illiteracy in the year 2000 is 35.9%. The Structure of Nigeria Education System The local and state governments manage primary and secondary education in Nigeria. Higher education is the responsibility of both the federal and the state governments. Education is free but not compulsory at present in Nigeria. The formal education system includes six years of primary school, three years of junior secondary school, three years of senior secondary school, and four years of university education consequently directing towards a bachelors level degree in the majority of the subjects. The annual term of school in Nigeria stretch through ten months, and is sectioned into three ten to twelve weeks periods each at the pre-primary, primary, junior and senior secondary stages. Nigeria Education includes a significant stage of language education. Primary education in Nigeria starts in the native language but brings in English in the third year. Administration and Organization of Education System The current administrative system is divided into the Federal Capital Territory and 36 states. The management of education in Nigeria is based on this federal system, so that while basic educational policy regarding structure, curriculum and school year is centrally determined, some powers over educational delivery are devolved to state and local government. In effect, education is administered by three branches of government: primary education is under the control of local governments, secondary schools fall under the jurisdiction of the state government and higher education is administered by both the federal and state government. Administrative Bodies and Agencies * The Federal Ministry of Education, through the National Council of Education (NCE), coordinates education policies and procedures through the federation. * The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) is an independent body of professional educators acting in an advisory capacity to both the federal and state ministries of education, universities, institutes of education and other education agencies. * The National Universities Commission (NUC) operates under the Federal Ministry of Education and is mandated to approve programmes, to monitor universities and to accredit programmes. The NUC provides a full listing of recognised federal, state and private universities in Nigeria. * The National Examinations Council?   (NECO) is responsible for conducting the Junior and Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), as is the West African Examination Council (WAEC). * The National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) conducts the National Technical Certificate (NTC)/National Business Certificate (NBC) examinations, as well as the advanced level versions of these exams in a number of trades/discipline such as engineering and construction. * The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has responsibility for the establishment of minimum standards in polytechnics, technical colleges and other technical institutions in the Federation. In addition to providing standardised minimum guide curricula for technical and vocational education and training. The NBTE supervises and regulates, through an accreditation process, the programmes offered by technical institutions at secondary and post-secondary levels. It is also involved with the funding of polytechnics owned by the Government of the Federation of Nigeria. The NBTE provides a full listing of approved polytechnics and technical colleges in Nigeria. * The National Commission for Colleges and Education co-ordinates all aspects of non-degree teacher education in Nigeria. * The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) conducts the Matriculation Examination for entry into all universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria. * The National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) was established in 1972 to encourage, promote and coordinate educational research programmes in Nigeria. This agency provides significant data on educational problems within Nigeria and its work underpins the reform agenda nationally. The Federal Ministry of Education owns and runs universities, polytechnics, technical colleges, colleges of education and secondary schools. The remaining tertiary institutions are owned and funded by state governments, while other secondary schools are owned and funded by state governments, communities and private organizations.The administration and management of state government-owned secondary schools falls under the remit of state Ministries of Education. The administration of public primary schools falls under the local education authorities. Aims/Goals of Education in Nigeria The purpose of education refers to the aims, goals and objectives of education. Abimbola (1993), while clarifying curriculum aims, goals and objectives, cited Zais (1976) who proposed the use of purposes as targets because he, (Zais) is of the opinion that aims, goals and objectives are purposes at differing target distances and levels of specifity. Aims are the expression of purpose at the highest level such as the national level which can only be achieved in a distant future after the child has passed out of school. Aims according to Broudy (1971), are statements that describe expected life outcomes based on some value schemes either consciously or unconsciously borrowed from philosophy (p. 306). Aims are not related directly to school or classroom outcomes. Goals and Objectives are educational purposes directly related to school and classroom outcomes respectively. Goals are expression of purposes specified for achievement at each level of education. When the purpose of education for a country is being discussed, the term aim of education may be used. Purpose of Education in Nigeria The purpose of education in Nigeria includes unparalleled development of science and its application to industry and technology for better living. The National Policy on Education spells out the purpose of Education in Nigeria as an Instrument par excellence for effecting national development; to use education as a tool to achieve its national objectives; to make such education relevant to the needs of the individual and set its goal in terms of the kind of society desired in relation to the environment and realities of the modern world and rapid social changes (p. iv).In section 1, (p. 7) of the National Policy on Education,the observation is made that since the national policy on education is geared toward achieving that part of its national objectives that can be achieved using education as a tool, no policy on education ban be formulated without first identifying the whole philosophy and objectives of the nation. Reference is therefore made to the five main national objectives of Nigeria already stated in the National Development plan and endorsed as the necessary foundation for the National Policy on Education. These are the building of: a free and democratic society; a just and egalitarian society; a united, strong and self-reliant nation;a great and dynamic economy and a land of bright and full opportunities for citizens The implication of this is that the Nigeria Philosophy of Education according to Adeyinka (1992) is based on: The integration of the individual into a sound and effective citizen; and Equal education opportunities at all levels, both within and outside the formal school system. For the philosophy to be in harmony with Nigerias national objective, it has to be geared towards the values, aims and objectives stated at the National curriculum conference of 1969 and specifically stated in the National Policy on Education as the General Objectives of Education in Nigeria which are as follows: (a) The inculcation of the right type of values and attitudes for the survival of the individual and of society. This is an objective which can concern mainly the affective domain; (b) The inculcation of national consciousness and national unity. This is also an objective mainly in the affective domain; (c) The training of the mind in the understanding of the world around. This is aimed at developing the intellectual aspect of human beings. (d) The acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competencies both mental and physical as equipment for the individual to live and contribute to the development of his society. This objective is aimed at developing the intellectual, affective and psychomotor domains of human nature simultaneously. This is why education should be seen as aiming to develop all aspects of human persons simultaneously. Aims of Education in Nigeria Nigeria has been classified over the years among the developing nations of the world. That is, among those nations that are not as technologically advanced as Europe, United States of America and the Russia. These Countries are known to be largely illiterate and poor. They lack medical facilities especially when compared with the technologically advanced countries. The aims of education in these countries will be how to eradicate these problems. The aim of education in developing countries has been summarized by Adeyinka and Kolawde (1995) as follows: 1. Learning to live according to the old traditions of the people (society). 2. Learning to live according to the traditions of other countries in order to imbibe their religion, their culture and their social life. 3.Learning to live modern life of technologically advanced countries. Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Lesotho, all in Africa, have a common trend. All of them were colonies under European countries which became independent after serving their masters for a number of years. These countries and some others have been striving for a stable government, dynamic economy and education that can deliver the goods. This is the root of the aims of education in developing countries stated below: 1. To promote national unity and international understanding; 2. To remove social inequalities, poverty, high-way robbery, hunger, diseases, squalor; illiteracy, ignorance, superstition, pride and fear; 3. To provide individual happiness and pleasure, self- realization, public morality and aesthetic development; 4. To train for good citizenship, health improvement, vocational competence, industrial and commercial developments and adult literacy; 5. To produce adequate manpower for economic development so that there could be less dependence on expatriates; 6. To create a society with high moral standards; 7. To eradicate the problem of economic and technological dependence on the advanced countries of the world; and 8. To promote public enlightenment and civilized behavior. (Adeyinka, et al; 1995) Financing of Education in Nigeria Financing of basic education All three tiers of government†federal, state, and local†fund primary education. Federal and state governments: Capital expenditures (buildings, books, and furniture) come from the federal and state governmentsâ„ ¢ share of the Federation Account.The Federation Account holds all federally collected revenues. The funds are divided among the three tiers of government according to a formula determined by the NationalAssembly. Some of the funds in this account accrue from government-owned mineral resources, a set percentage (13%) of which is returned to the states, apportioned on the basis of the statesâ„ ¢ original contributions. Thereafter, 15% of VAT revenues are distributed to the federal government, 50% to state governments, and 35% to local governments. Of the funds remaining within the Federation Account, 54.7% goes to the federal government, 24.7% to state governments, and 20.6% to local governments.State governments also pay the recurrent costs for managing State Primary Education Boards (SPEBs), Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs), and primary schools. Local governments: The local governmentsâ„ ¢ 20.6% share of the Federation Account results in two types of local funding for education. First, at the state level, a percentage of the local share (a first charge) is set aside for primary school teachersâ„ ¢ salaries and allowances. Local governments may then use a part of what remains for direct assistance to primary schools. They also contribute own-source revenues to primary education. Financing Higher Education. Higher education relates to all forms of post-secondary education such as the Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education, Monotechnics and Professional schools (Abdu 2003). Oghenekohwo (2004) classified the funding of higher education into two regimes namely: Pre-deregulation regime Deregulation regime In the pre-deregulation regime, higher education funding in Nigeria was done by government or public funding alone. High priority was accorded to funding higher education, thereby creating a wrong impression amongst Nigerians that funding of higher education is the exclusive preserve of governments. On the other hand in the deregulation regime, which is mostly a post Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) inevitability, things began to change. The benefits of the acquisition of any higher education programme now went largely to the individual as a private good for which beneficiaries and their families should pay.In the submission of Okebukola (2003), he noted that an additional concomitant of the private good is that, grants have been changed to loans, pacing major burdens on many university graduates. The financing of education should be the function of all the major stakeholders. This is because government alone cannot fund higher education. There are many stakeholders involved in the success of any educational system. The major stakeholders include the governments, educational institutions, parents/guardians and the private sector that employs the output of these institutions. Others include the students and the society in general. In private institutions, the incidence lies mostly on the individual while for the public sector ownership it lays on the public sector. The benefits of higher education should be identified. Some studies argued that education service should be above market forces and therefore should be provided free meaning that government should bear the cost of education so that the poor in the society can also get education. Other studies believed that not all levels of education ensures equity but rather there is higher private returns in higher education and as such individuals should be made to bear the cost of their higher education (Psacharopolous, 1996), while funding by the government should be limited to the basic education alone. Teaching Profession in Nigeria. In the past, to teach in primary school a person needed a Teacher Certificate Grade II (TCGDII) from four years of secondary school at a Grade II Teacher-training college. These were phased out after 1998, when the Nigerian Certificate of Education (NCE) became the required diploma for all primary and junior secondary school teachers. In 1996, out of approximately 420,000 primary school teachers in the country, about 80 percent had either the NCE or TCGDII (equally divided between the two). The government created the National Teachers Institute (NTI) in 1978 to conduct programs that would upgrade teacher qualifications to the NCE level, with most of this training carried out by distance learning. Between 1993 and 1996, the NTI graduated 34,486 in their NCE distance learning programs. In 2000, it trained 20,000 teachers. A Bachelor of Education program with NTI received approval by the government at the end of 2000. NTI also conducts workshops and conferences on curriculum development and in other areas of teacher training. To teach in senior secondary schools a person must have either a bachelors degree in education or a bachelors degree in a subject field combined with a postgraduate diploma in education. The faculty in senior secondary schools are among the best qualified in the country, almost all holding bachelors degree. A few teachers possess the NCE. The bachelors degree programs in education are offered at major teacher universities. Of the 63 colleges of education offering the three-year NCE program, about a third are owned by the federal government, and about half by state governments. The remaining are privately owned. All are under the supervision of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), which sets and maintains standards and approves of courses and programs for all universities in Nigeria. To teach at Nigerian universities, teachers must have qualifications that are similar to professors at U.S. and European universities, usually a doctorate. At the university level, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) represents university faculty, and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) bargains for the senior non-academic workers. The Academic Staff Unions of Polytechnics (ASUP) represents polytechnic faculty members. These unions are very active. The major teacher organization representing primary and secondary school teachers is the Nigeria Union of Teachers. Although it is very active, NUT has been unable to change the unsatisfactory conditions under which teachers work. Another major concern of teachers is salary. Not only is payment often incomplete, but the salaries are low. Salaries are set by the local, state, and federal governments, depending on which level controls the institution.. Challenges of Education in Nigeria Education is the bedrock of development. But unfortunately education in Nigeria is bisected with myriads of problems. These include: Poor Preparation and Malpractices: Experts in the education sector have been able to identify examination malpractices with poor preparation of students for an examination, and lack of self confidence. In view of the rising costs of education students and even their parents will not ordinarily want to be held back by any form of deficit or failure in any of the required subjects hence will go to any length to ensure success.In some cases, some teachers at the secondary school level are involved by way of encouraging students to contribute money in order to secure the needed assistance during such examinations because they, the teachers are left with no other alternative considering the fact that they are aware of the inadequate preparation of their students as well as the lack of facilities to get them properly prepared before examination. Exploitation and Educational Standard:A close assessment of activities in schools have revealed that, students are made to suffer undue amount of exploitation by school heads at both private and public schools in the name of enrolment fees and assurance of success in their examination and this they do in collaboration with the ministry officials who are suppose to inspect and monitor activities in schools to ensure standard compliance. Despite the fact that most of the schools lack basic learning facilities and a complete set of teachers. In like manner, students are being surcharged in a number of ways in tertiary institutions either in the name of dues that are not accounted for, force purchase of reading and other learning materials at exorbitant rate or on services of which staff are being paid for as assigned responsibility and official provision made by the respective institution. All these lead to lowering of the academic ability of students. Orientation and Educational Standard: In view of the prevalence of examination malpractices and other related irregularities in schools at all levels this day, the interest and habit of reading, procurement of books and other skills development materials has drastically dwindled among a number of students. This trend is also observed to have close relationship with rising sexual promiscuity among students. Poor Parenting /Guidance Parenting, entails caring, protection,guidance, provision of basic needs for a child up keep in order for him or her to be properly equipped to meet with the challenges of life, in accordance with the laws of the land. In desperation, many parents have decided to bring in additional innovation by way of not only involve in encouraging, but also finance activities in and around examination venues to effect malpractices in order to brighten the chances of their children or wards in qualifying examination to higher institutions and some even progress on this act through the tertiary level of education. Poverty and Fall in Standard: Acquisition of Education knowledge is supposed to help us fight against-poverty, ignorance and disease. The process of acquiring this well desired knowledge has gradually turned money spinning venture for many of those in dire need of the knowledge and skill. It is now a source of exploitation from the service seekers with little or no consideration for quality of service rendered and facilities on ground, and made an offer for the highest bidder. A trend which has cut across all levels of education, from nursery school to tertiary institutions. The concept, poverty, refers to a situation and process of serious deprivation or lack of resources and materials necessary for living within a minimum standard conducive for human dignity and well being (NEST, 1992: 16). Admission and being in school today is merely an ability to pay what is demanded in monetary terms by school operators and not on what could be offered academically. And this in essence widens t he scope of poverty prevalence as well as the gap between the rich and the poor which education is designed to bridge. Little wonder why graduates from many of the institutions exhibits ignorance towards societal realities and lack of creativity, due to the inadequacies associated with the learning and training process which is also observed to be partly because many of those that offer this service do so with greed. The Need for Research Development: This research sub-sector that is grossly neglected in Nigeria and play upon indiscriminately is the basis for the socio economic, political, scientific and technological advancement of our most admired developed nations of the world today. Therefore, conscious effort towards qualitative and durable educational system needs to be put in place for posterity in Nigeria. Funding /Constrains: The gross under funding of the educational sector in the country in general and the neglect of the maintenance of the physical facilities. Instructional and living conditions have deteriorated in many of these schools, classrooms, libraries and laboratories are nothing to write home about, all leading to decline in academic standards. Attention must be focused on these areas too if these educational institution are to get out of the woods and this is only possible through adequate funding. Since 1986 when the federal military government introduced the structural adjustment programme SAP, allocation of financial resource started to fall coupled with the consistent decline in the value of local currency till date. Which have also consistently affected the procurement of imported technical and scientific equipments, books, journals and other instructional needs in the educational system. Education system in Nigeria today, needs a total overhauling and restructuring, this reform is required to improve the performance of higher education in the country, the nation entered the 21st century insufficiently prepared to cope or compete in the global economy, where growth will be based even more heavily on technical and scientific knowledge (World Bank 1994). It is also a well known fact that the inadequacies always observed among many undergraduates and graduates alike is as a result of the inadequacies associated with the primary and the secondary education system in Nigeria. Though, the system is expensive to keep afloat, quality however in any form is partly a function of the total fund made available to the system and judiciously utilized for the purpose to which it is meant for. Funds are required and necessary to maintain both the human and material resources of the system in order to achieve desired goals. Also there is the need for an effective monitoring of the management of fund presently being allocated to the sector, as effort should be intensify to improve on what is currently being allocated to the system. Organizational Influence on Educational Standard Many viewers have observed that, most corporate organizations today in the country are fond of employing series of measures which are in effect bias and unproductive. They indulge in an unfair selective judgment on applicants seeking employment opportunity into their establishment, by way of using certificate grades as well as institution attended as prerequisites for interview attendance and recruitment. In some cases, they rather prefer candidates with first class and second class grade certificate and those that attended the first generation universities at the detriment of some others with lesser grade who might be better if given equal opportunity. This is their own way of encouraging irregularities and malpractices in the process of grade acquisition by prospective job seekers, therefore compromising standard and perpetual dependence on the services of foreign expatriates for both medium and high tech services. Lessons for Kenya. It has been said that the criteria for assessing any educational system are: the curriculum of study, the state of infrastructural facilities, the quality of students, the quality and quantity of staff, the competence of leadership, the level of funding and the direction and consistency of policy. In the area of curriculum and policy in Nigeria, the main problem is not with formulation as such but implementation. The implementation of laudable policies has often been hampered by incessant change of government, unstable academic calendars, poor and inadequate facilities, lack of motivation for staff, insecurity of life and property and the unwillingness of the products to make positive contribution to society. In this, Kenya can learn the importance of consistency in implementation of education policies despite changes in political leadership. Also the importance of proper motivation of teachers to ensure efficient and effective curriculum implementation. Failure to adhere to effective curriculum implementation may lead Kenya the Nigerian way i.e. the Nigerian system churns out a morally decadent and intellectually inept child who is a threat to both parents and society. The Nigerian youth are yet to imbibe the right type of values and attitudes. Rather, Nigerian schools and campuses have become breeding grounds for cultism, gangsterism, hooliganism, armed robbery, sexual promiscuity, examination malpractices, and a host of other vices. Instead of producing pragmatic and altruistic students, the Nigerian educational system churns out students who are egoistic, individualistic and escapists who are not interested in solving societys problems. In Nigeria, another area of serious decline is that of staffing. Time has gone when teachers were the best both in character and learning. What we have today is a pathetic story of pathetic teachers producing pathetic citizens. Kenya can learn the critical need of proper vetting of teachers to weed out rogue teachers before they teach wrong doctrine by bad example. A body to do the same needs to be put in place as the TSC seems overwhelmed by its broad mandate. Teacher qualification is another area Kenya can borrow from Nigeria. While in Kenya people with a teaching certificate teach in primary schools, Nigeria is moving to diploma holders at this level. Their tactic of systematic neglect has turned Nigerian educational institutions to an arena of the absurd. Apart from under-paying teachers (which had led to massive brain-drain), the money allocated to education falls kilometers short of the UNESCO recommended 25% of annual budget. The Kenyan primary free education concept can learn the importance of proper funding and the need to follow up to ensure the money ends up in the right use failure to which the poor state of infrastructure and consequent poor performance in public institutions will persist. With the coming into being of county governments in Kenya, the system of financing lower cadres of the education system can be adopted from Nigeria so that the central government concentrates on the higher levels of education financing. Bibliography Abimbola (1993) Guiding Philosophical perspectives U.M.O Ivowi, (Ed.) Curriculum development in Nigeria, (pp. 4-16) Ibadan: Sam Bookman Educational And Communication Services. Zais, R.S. (1976). Curriculum: Principles and foundations. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company. Inc. Broudy, H.S. (1971). The philosophical foundations of educational objectives. In M. Levit (Ed.) Curriculum: Reading in philosophy of education. University of Illinois Press. Adeyinka, A.A. (1992). Book of reading in educational theory and practice in A. Akinyemi, (Ed.) llorin:Institute of Education, University of llorin, llorin, Nigeria Adeyinka, A.A. Kolawole D. (1995). History and philosophy of education. Unpublished Manuscript, Available for the Department of Education Foundations University of llorin, llorin, Nigeria. Abdu, P.S (2003) The Cost and Finance of Education in Nigeria Education Today Quarterly; June, Vol. 10 (1); 12 â€Å" 16 Oghenekohwo, J.E. (2004) Deregulation Policy and Its Implication of the Funding of the University Education in Nigeria in Journal of Research ion Education, Jan June Vol 3 (1) Pg 204-224. Okebukola, P (2003) Issues in Funding University Education in Nigeria. NUC Monograph Series, Abuja, MUC. Psacharopoulos, G. (1984) The Contribution of Education to Economic Growth International Comparisons in J. Kendrick (ed) International Productivity Comparisons and Cause of the Showdown. Cambridge Mass: Ballenger Aina, A.T. and A. T. Salau.1992. The challenge of sustainable Development in Nigeria. Nigerian Environment Study/Action Team (NEST). An NGO report prepared for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, June 1-12, p. 8, 16. World Bank (1994). Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience. Washington D.C: The World Bank. Online sources rti.org/pubs/Financing_Education_Nigeria.pdf accessed on 26th January 2011 mapsofworld.com/nigeria/education/ accessed on 26th January 2011

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Analyse an existing food and wine festival in Australia. 2750 Words Essay

Analyse an existing food and wine festival in Australia. 2750 Words - Essay Example â€Å"The festival celebrated its 60th Anniversary in 2007. With the theme Celebrate the Blend the festival showcases the rich diversity of the Barossa region and celebrates the food, the wine and the people. Today, the Barossa is South Australias leading wine tourism asset along with the Barossa Vintage Fest.† (Barossa valley events 2000). Variety of wine products is available in the festival, some of them rare. The ‘Rare and Distinguished wine auction is a peculiar event in the festival. We can meet the manufacturers of the wine through the â€Å"legends behind the barrel† program. Many types of family programs and entertainment activities are arranged in the event. The event commencing from Easter Saturday lasts over nine days. All of the Barossa community take part in the event. More than 100 stage events are presented by many groups of the community. Along with food and wine, arts, crafts, music an historical events are also staged. The vintage festival encompasses all the aspects of the Barossa community such as businesses, civic groups, churches and individuals. They all participate by engaging in different activities and this is the major factor for success of the event. (Barossa vintage festival n.d.). In this report the potential tourism development opportunities related to the Barossa Vintage Festival are discussed. The report first discusses the potential opportunities of the destination as a food and wine and event tourism location in connection with the festival. Vision, Planning, SWOT analysis, marketing and sponsorship, legal and risk management and evaluation relating to the event are analyzed in order to find out its current marketing position for providing appropriate recommendations for improvement. Tourism is an important sector of the economy of Australia. There are many special events conducted in the country as part of their tourism development activities.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Marketing Objectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Objectives - Essay Example The new product is code named as M2030. Marketing Objectives The target market of the company is all the households and offices of that are looking for lighter and efficient products. The product is aimed for UK market. M2030 will be a good choice for families considering the product’s ease and efficiency. â€Å"UK Households spent an average of ?474 per week in 2010.† (Office of National Statistics, 2011) As per the statistics department, fuel and power form one of the major components of the expense items. It is also seen that consumers have spent more disposable income for consumer durables in 2010. This trend is expected to continue in 2011. The product will be more focused on London, Northern Ireland, South East, East and South West. (Office of National Statistics, 2011) The marketing objectives of the product M2030 are as follows: 1. To become the best in class product in the product category 2. To make the product available in all the leading electronics stores 3 . To offer the product to the customers at a highly competitive price 4. To create an impact in the minds of the customers regarding the benefits of the product. This report will further look into the detailed aspects of marketing of M2030 in UK. A detailed analysis of the competition and environment is also included in the report. Competitive Situation Analysis G’s products can be classified based on the three way consumer classification system of convenience, shopping and specialty goods. The products of G Electronics are kettles, toasters, juicers, mixers, ovens, dish washers, and micro waves. All these products can be classified as Shopping Goods. (Kurtz, 2011) The following five force model analysis will analyze the competitive situation of Company G. Supplier Power: The Company maintains excellent relationships with the existing suppliers. But for producing M2030, the company requires new materials which are different from those supplied by the existing suppliers. The s upplier power is comparatively less for G as the numbers of suppliers are high. Threat of Substitutes: The threat of substitutes is comparatively higher for Company G. Products that are not as efficient as M2030 are available at a lesser price in the market. But then this happens only if the customers prefer cost benefit over efficiency. Switching cost is comparatively low for this product category. Buyer Power: Buyer power is very high in this case. The customers are flooded with numerous products by various brands. All products differs each other in terms of the design, price, efficiency, etc. Buyer concentration is high for microwave oven market. Also, the chances for customers to have inclination towards a particular brand are very high. Threat of new Entrants: Threat of new entrants is low in this industry though there are big companies who still foray into unrelated businesses. Brand identity and research costs are two main factors that hinder companies from entering this indu stry. There is definitely a threat from big companies who has the capital and knowhow to enter the segment. Degree of Rivalry: Some of the strongest players in the industry are Philips, IFB, Panasonic, Samsung, Siemens, LG, Sharp, Whirlpool, Daewoo, etc. There are just the leading brands. Apart from this there are other brands that has significant cumulative market share. Therefore, the degree of rivalry is high in this industry. (Mindtools, 2011) SWOT Analysis