My Marriage Proposal

As many American girls, I have grown up dreaming of my wedding day. I pictured myself in a stunning, white gown, standing next to someone who resembled the black Ken doll, the male Barbie. I would vision a crowd of friends and family that were there to see me enter into a never ending fairytale. For some reason, I always left the most important part out. Which is, having the man that God created just for me ask me to marry him. I experienced a life defining moment on January 15, 2004. That was the day that Demetrius, also known as the most perfect man in the world, asked me to marry him. The weather that day was so nice, the sun was shining, and the air was fresh and crisp. We decided to take a walk in the park to admire the scenery. I did notice that Demetrius’s smile was a little wider than normal, and I assumed he was up to something. I had no idea of what he was about to do. When he asked if we could sit on the bench so he could give me a foot massage, I was positive that something was about to happen. I went along with him, anxious to see what he had in store. About twenty minutes passed before he casually asked â€Å"where do you see us in five years? † As I thought of the answer to that question, he stared right into my eyes. I answered, â€Å"Happy no matter where just happy. That’s when he gave me a soft kiss on the lips and dropped to one knee. I closed my eyes and thought wow, is this really happing. I was in shock. When I opened my eyes to look at Demetrius, he had pulled the ring out of his pocket and pushed it towards me. Alisha, will you marry me? † he asked. He anxiously waited for an answer while I sat there speechless. He finally interrupted the chaos that was going through my mind by saying, â€Å"Well? † I stumbled across the words, â€Å"Of course. † That was such a great day. I knew, without a doubt, that this was the man that I am supposed to marry. This is the man that I will grow with, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I praise God for sending such a wonderful person into my life.

Physical and Behavioural Indicators of Possible Child Abuse Essay

Emotional abuse: Emotional abuse can severely damage a child’s mental health or social development, leaving a lasting impact on his life. Physical indicators: There are not really physical indicators of emotional abuse, but the child may have frequent psychosomatic complaints, headaches, nausea, abdominal pains. Behavioural indicators: The child may have mental or emotional development lags. Sometimes the child’s behaviour is inappropriate for the age. The child may be scared of consequences of actions, often leading to lying. The other indicators are aggressiveness poor peer relationships or overly compliant, too well-mannered. Neglect: Child neglect is a very common type of abuse – a parent’s inability to satisfy basic needs of the child, whether it is adequate food, clothing, hygiene, and adequate monitoring and care for him. Physical indicators: You can understand that that the child is being abuse by unattended medical and dental needs. When the child is inappropriate dress for weather conditions and has poor hygiene. Other indicator is when the child is not attending school or is not registered. Behavioural indicators: Emotional indicators are depression, poor impulse control or have lack of parental participation and interest. Also the child misuse of alcohol/drugs or regularly displays fatigue or listlessness, falls asleep in class. The child may start stealing food, or begs for food from classmates. Physical abuse: Physical abuse includes physical injury or trauma to the child. It may be the result of a deliberate attempt to injure the child, but not always. It can be the result of strict discipline, the use of belt or physical punishment, inappropriate for the child’s age or it’s condition. Many abusive parents and guardians insist that their actions are simply forms of discipline, a way to educate children. But there is much difference between the use of physical punishment to enforce discipline and physical abuse. The main effect of discipline is to teach children what is right and what is not, rather than live in fear. Physical Indicators: Physical indicators may be injuries as bruises, welts, cuts, burns, bite marks, fractures, that are not consistent with the explanation offered (e.g. extensive bruising to one area).Also repeated injuries over a period of time or injuries that form a shape or pattern that may look like the object used to make the injury for example buckle, hand, iron, teeth or cigarette burns. Other indicators are facial injuries in infants and preschool children for example cuts, bruises or sores. Also bald patches on child’s head where hair may have been torn out or repeated poisonings and/or accidents. Behavioural indicators: Behavioural indicators are runaway attempts, fear of going home or stilted conversation, vacant stares or frozen watchfulness, no attempt to seek comfort when hurt, also when the child describes themself as bad and deserving to be punished. You can understand that the child is being abuse when cannot recall how injuries occurred, or offers an inconsistent explanation and often absent from school/child care. Abused child may flinch if touched unexpectedly and may be extremely aggressive or withdrawn .The child may also use abusive behaviour and language in play. Sexual abuse: Sexual abuse is a very complex form of abuse beacause of feelings of guilt and shame. Important to note that sexual abuse does not always involve contact with the body. Physical indicators: Physical indicators may be sudden weight change, cuts or sores made by the child on the arm or recurring physical ailments. Also when the child has difficulty in walking or sitting and unusual or excessive itching in the genital or anal area due to infection. Other indicators are torn, stained or bloody underwear, also injuries to the mouth, genital or anal areas for example bruising, swelling, sores or infection. Behavioural indicators: You can understand that the child being abuse when it is sad and cries often, also if the child inserts objects into the vagina or rectum. The child may also change or loss of appetite and has sleep disturbances and nightmares .Also the child has fear of home or a specific place, excessive fear of men or women or lacks trust in others. The child may has age-inappropriate sexual play with toys, themselves or others for example replication of explicit sexual acts.

How has Globalization shaped Energy Systems in Emerging Economies and Essay

How has Globalization shaped Energy Systems in Emerging Economies and the Global South Illustrate your answer in reference to y - Essay Example History Though no consensus exists in the emergence of globalization, many historians, and social scientists have come up with different views of globalization history (Lule, 2012:22). Nevertheless, the majority of these scholars agree that globalization emerged during the first movement of people out of Africa into other parts of the world (Young and Kent, 2013:443). This is the case because the immigration caused interaction, exchange, and adaptation of customs, ideas, and products. The term globalization emerged in the 1960s, but it first appeared in the Merriam website dictionary in 1944.The term later became popular in the 1990s and the first article containing globalization content became published in 1983. Definition A general definition that befits globalization is that it is a process, which encompasses several aspects like route, origin, and outcomes of both intercultural and international combinations involving human and non-human activities. However, there still lies a he ated debate on the real definition of globalization. Diverse authors’ argue that globalization cannot undergo definitions; neither can it be encompassed within a set period simply because it is not a single concept. This means that globalization involves and encompasses vast aspects like economic incorporation, transmission of knowledge, inter-border transfer of policies, cultural stability, and discourse of power among many others. Therefore, globalization covers a multitude of disciplines, cultures and communities, which allows a range of viewpoints. This has resulted to various definitions from vast scholars who base their interpretation on the background of different disciplines. For instance, peter dicken argues on the economic perspective by claiming that globalization is an intricate and advanced form of internationalization that fosters a level of functional incorporation between internationally dispersed economic activities (Anderson, 2000:6-7). Other authors chip in and argue on cultural basis where he suggests that globalization is another image that influences cultural forms and patterns as well as drawing attention to the union of cultural styles as western forms of consumption that spreads all over the globe. Additionally, Amin and Thrift 1997, add up political definition by arguing that globalization is essentially about changes in the way the world performs its governance (Hennis, 2005:14). Another definition emerges from sociology whereby Robertson 1992 claims that globalization is a process where the constraints of geography on cultural and social arrangements withdraw, and that it's also a process where people become increasingly aware that they are withdrawing or receding (Robertson, 1992:10). Nevertheless, in spite of the vast globalization definitions offered by different authors, globalization is inherently geographical in its scope and impacts because it the physical expansion of the geographical domain of the globe, which means that it is an increase in scale and volume of global flows. How Globalization shaped Energy Systems in South Africa South African energy overview Before analyzing the impact of globalization in South Africa’s energy system, it is crucial to review the country's energy system. South Africa is among the largest and most developed countries in Africa. It also has

Database Apps SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Database Apps SLP - Essay Example Furthermore, the SQL Server database has many more features of storing, retrieving, and updating data as compared to the Microsoft Excel. Basically, the Microsoft Excel is utilized for storing less data comparatively in the form of columns and rows. The video moves on explaining the uses of the SQL Server database in the websites and the software applications. It is established in the video that the SQL Server database is used to store information received from the interface of the website. In actual, the forms of the website take information from the users over the internet and then the website sends all the information to the database. The SQL Server database is utilized for managing and maintaining data similarly in the software application. The video ends while illumination of the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is a software tool / application allows creating and managing databases for the software applications to be developed. Overall, the video is one of the best techniques for the beginners learning SQL Server database and the database management systems. The title of the second video is â€Å"Understanding Database Tables and Records† pertains to the development of databases, tables and rows. The video contains information on how to develop a new database in the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. It is necessary to create tables right after the creation of the database. However, the video informs that before creating the tables, there are certain concepts required to be cleared include, but not limited to the data types, primary key, foreign key and candidate key. The video gives details that each and every table should have a primary key and demonstrates on how to create the primary key in the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. Similarly, the video enlightens the diverse data types which can be applied to each column / attributes of the table so that the data which fulfil the data type can be stored in

Individual Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual Assignment - Essay Example According to Weitz (2012), the use of multiple retail channels enables the consumers to buy what they want, when they want and wherever they want. This strategy has provided great convenience to consumers in that they can enjoy shopping from the comfort of their homes. They can also do shopping whenever they want in an environment that promotes interaction with the retailers. The other advantage of multi channel retailing is that the customers can have access to a variety of products. The buying behaviour of the consumers is also influenced by different cultural factors. Basically, every consumer belongs to a specific culture and these cultural factors help the consumers make sense of and relate to the environment (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010). It can be noted that specific behaviour are related to certain aspects of the culture. Thus, culture is comprised of a set of basic values, perceptions, work patterns as well as products and food customs among other factors. All these shape the behaviour of the customers. Therefore, it can be seen that the products offered in mainland Hong Kong are tailored in such a way that is meant to fulfill needs and interests of the targeted consumers. Given such a scenario, it can be observed that the mainland consumers are under no pressure to look further than their boundaries to purchase different products since they can get them from their own country. The products are also designed to attract new customers while at the same time r etaining the already existing buyers. Certain categories of products benefited most in the past and they include the following. For instance, the department stores sales dropped down to 5.3% y/y drop in December and this was a reversal of the +6.0% y/y growth that was witnessed in November. On the other hand, it can be observed that medicines and cosmetics growth slowed down to

The concept of first mover advantage is widely used in gametheoretical Essay

The concept of first mover advantage is widely used in gametheoretical models and international trade theories. Discuss it in th - Essay Example A perfect example of first movers includes companies such as, Coca-cola and eBay, who were the first companies to enter their respective market. Where Coca-cola was first company to produce cola and made their products available to the public in 1886, eBay was the first company to introduce the auction process online in 1995. Both these companies have been a recurrent powerhouse in their respective industries ever since they were founded. It has been witnessed very often that first movers are generally pursued by competitors who try to capitalize on the original company’s success, brand value and recognition. They try and acquire the market that has already been penetrated by the first moving company (Poulsen, 2007). The competitors try and bring about certain modifications and improvements in their product line and make them available to the public in order to market their products, as being better than the products offered by the first moving company. However, by the time th e competitors lay their foundation in the already penetrated market, the first mover has already accumulated huge market share, customer loyalty, satisfaction and expertise in this particular field of work, which is required to stay at the pinnacle (Markides and Sosa, 2013). ... One of the crucial characteristics as far predicting the second mover’s reaction is concerned, is the second mover’s payoff function. First mover advantage is associated with pioneering products that benefit from advantages attained from a long-term market share. In addition to that, they also enjoy advantages in distribution of those products, the improved product-line, breadth, and quality (Chen and Pereira, 1999). First mover advantages are characterized by a pioneering firm’s ability to earn positive economic profits (profits in excess of the cost of capital). First mover advantages transpire endogenously within multi-stage process (Lieberman and Montgomery, 2002). The multi stage process is depicted in figure 1. The first stage involves the generation of an asymmetry that enables a particular company to gain competitive advantage over the rival companies. This opportunity to make the first move is a result of the firm’s possession of some unique infor mation sources or foresight or may be simply out of luck. Once this asymmetry is established, a firm may be able to exploit its advantageous position by following variety of mechanisms. These mechanisms thereby enhance the durability and magnitude of the first mover profits. Figure 1: Endogenous generation of first mover advantages (Source: Lieberman and Montgomery, 2002) Game theory Game theory is the process of modelling the strategic interaction between two or more players in a situation containing set rules and outcomes (Heap and Varoufakis, 2004). While used in a number of disciplines, game theory is most notably used as a tool within the study of economics. The economic application of game theory can be a valuable tool to aid the fundamental

Global Economic Business a Substitute for Warfare Dissertation

Global Economic Business a Substitute for Warfare - Dissertation Example Why are you doing it? For this, a large number of literatures have been referred. It takes into account the nature and types, and reviews some of the leading theories of war and the manner in which they are related to the business corporation. It mainly focuses on the element of competition and all other aspects that are related to it. The main objective of the research report is to justify and analyse the statement – ‘Global Economic Business a Substitute for Warfare’. The research includes an extensive survey of literature with the purpose of finding relevant information that will provide a comprehensive understanding of the present scenario of business environment throughout the world. The report also includes the major findings of the research along with its proper analysis. In this report articles of renowned authors have been referred from various sources like online journals, books etc. Most of them have been authored by renowned authors across the globe. The articles relate the various aspects of war with modern day businesses. The simi larity has been shown so as to get a better understanding as to whether war is a substuotute for business.(You might discuss briefly the type/kinds of material you studied) Finally, the study also includes a primary research study and data analysis in the form of a questionnaire survey to determine find out whether economic business could be referred to as a substitute for warfare. The questionnaire survey would be analyzed using SPSS and correlation and regression analysis etc various analytical tools and software. The response generated from the survey would be evaluated to find out the respondents’ view regarding the topic of study. War has been in the memory of with human beings since time immemorial.

Leadership Challenge and Charge Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership Challenge and Charge - Research Paper Example Strategic thinking is similar to that of cognitive ability. Strategic thinking involves proper analysis of the problem. It does not end with mere analysis of the problem, instead planning and arriving at a solution is also considered as strategic thinking. The team leader or the manager should analyze the problems in all perspectives so that the corresponding decision or solution eradicates the problem. Another important factor is managing change and strategic thinking revolves around this concept which highlights the most prominent features of this concept. The cognitive ability, strategic thinking and analytical skills are considered as the basic requirement of a leader. Decision making skill is also one among the most important skills which a leader should possess. It is the ability to arrive at a decision based on the problem and in certain cases it might also depend on a particular situation. (Manning & Curtis, 2003). Apart from these factors, the skill to manage the difference in opinion among the team members is also required. This skill brings about several changes in the organization and hence it is considered as the crucial one. The scenario changes after every decision and this is the main reason why a leader is expected to possess the decision making skill. Though these skills play a major role in shaping up a leader, the interpersonal skills are also equally important. The Art of Leadership also includes coaching ability and learning skills that will help the leader to manage the team effectively. (Grint, 2001). Team leaders or managers must know how to coach the team members or the trainees. This in turn will enable the employees to perf orm in a better way. The interaction with the team increases the productivity of the organization as it motivates the employees to work towards achieving their goal. The art of leadership not only covers these skills, but

International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 4

International business - Essay Example Their expectation is that these additional aircraft will allow Ryanair to double in size to over 84 million passengers each year by 2012. Moreover, Ryanair currently employs a team of 4,200 people, comprising over 25 different nationalities (About Ryanair). Ryanair’s competitive strategy is quite simple. The company offers the lowest fares of any airline operating in Europe. The firm has succeeded by holding its average fare below â‚ ¬50, which is about a third lower than even EasyJet’s, its strongest low-price competitor. The company sells seats on a one-way basis. Fares are set on the basis of demand for particular flights and by reference to the period remaining to the date of departure of the flights; higher fares are charged on flights with higher levels of demand made nearer to the date of departure. The secret of Ryanair’s success in their business could be drawn out of how they were able to narrow the value network by eliminating non core activities and to shorten the value network by eliminating processes that are part of the value chain. The company’s aircraft handling, ticketing and other services at certain airports are handled by third party contractors, which is Servisair. The company has its own internet booking facility and reservation centre, and generates the majority of its sales through direct selling (through website and telephone reservations). Ryanair also provides various ancillary services and engages in other activities connected with its core air passenger service, including non-flight scheduled services; in-flight sale of beverages, food and merchandise; and internet-related services. As part of its non-flight scheduled and internet-related services, Ryanair offers accommodation services, car rentals, rail tickets, and travel insurance through both its website and its traditional telephone reservation

Major depression with poly-substance abuse Assignment

Major depression with poly-substance abuse - Assignment Example He had emotional problems and would cry even for silly reasons according to his wife. He had no job, despite being a graduate. The last job he did was an year ago after which he did not try for any new employment. For the past one week, James ate very little food, was restless most of the times, had easy fatigability and complained of tiredness several times. He was brought to the hospital in view of deteriorating health status. On examination, James appeared dehydrated and confused. He appeared unhygienic, dirty and unattended. he had poor oral hygiene. Pulse rate was 100 per minute, respiratory rate was 20 per minute, blood pressure was 130/90mmHg. He was afebrile. He had pallor and icterus. Systemic examination revealed tenderness in the right hypochondriac region. James was admitted to the psychiatric ward and investigations were sent. Complete blood picture revealed mild iron deficiency anemia, liver function tests were suggestive of acute hepatitis, urine analysis was suggestive of marijuana abuse. Ultrasound abdomen revealed acute fatty liver. James has Major Depressive Disorder or MDD. The condition is a common mental illness that falls into the category of mood disorders. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV, 2000, diagnosis of MDD is made as in table-1. Depressed mood, irritability, low self esteem, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and guilt, decreased ability to concentrate and think, decreased or increased appetite, weight loss or weight gain, insomnia or hypersomnia, low energy, fatigue, or increased agitation, decreased interest in pleasurable stimuli (e.g., sex, food, social interactions) and recurrent thoughts of death and suicide The importance of MDD lies in the fact that it causes considerable impairment in social functioning, role functioning, employment and physical health of the afflicted person (Wells et al, 1989). Experts are of the opinion that depression is actually a

Capital Punishment Essay Example for Free

Capital Punishment Essay Death penalty is one the debatable topics throughout the world. There is a conflict between law and ethics. Public opinion does not coincide with the state opinion. There are 33 countries, which use death penalty as capital punishment. According to Amnesty International Report, in 2011, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and USA topped the list. According to statistics, in USA 33 states use death penalty as capital punishment and other 17 does not. (Amnesty International, 2011) Death penalty’s primary goal is to make people think twice before doing crime. The Death penalty helps to decrease the murder’s rate, however it could violate human right. The main argument in favor the death penalty is the effect of deterrence people from doing something illegal and unethical. The initial purpose of deterrence effect is to set up the highest price for murder, in order to decrease the rate of homicide. The former president of USA George W. Bush stated in the 2000 Presidential debate, â€Å"I think the reason to support the death penalty is because it saves other people’s lives†. However, according to Donohue Wolfres (2006) death penalties deterrence effect is not based on facts. Deterrence effect is good in theory, but in practice the effect is minor. As Ernest Van Dan Haag (1968,p 281) identified : Even though statistical demonstrations are not conclusive, and perhaps cannot be, capital punishment is likely to deter more than other punishments because people fear death more than anything else.† Incapacitation means taking away a persons freedom so that he or she cannot commit another crime. While the typical form of incapacitation is incarceration, and the most common form is relatively mild (probation), the ultimate form of incapacitation is death. Since the goal of incapacitation is to reduce crime by restricting the freedoms of criminals, we could conclude that incapacitation is achieved by capital punishment. However, according to Marquat and Sorensen the possibility of murderer to kill again is one out of one hundred. (Radelet Borg, 2000). The second argument supporting death penalty is providing justice for murder victims. For the most cruel and harsh crimes, punishment should also be strict. And death penalty is the right choice in these kinds of situations. Beccaria (1764) argues that the punishment should be as strict as the sufficient deter others. Justice is taking responsibility for your own actions. The System of Law is not perfect and it makes mistakes. As long as the death penalty is irrevocable process, northing can be changed after the execution. Discovering innocence of the executed can’t return him back. There are many examples of wrongful convictions. According to Amnesty International there Illinois: Madison Hobley, Aaron Patterson, Stanley Howard and Leroy Orange, pardoned in 2003. Sent to death row on the basis of confessions extracted through the use of torture by former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and other Area 2 police officers in Chicago. They were pardoned by outgoing Governor George Ryan, who also commuted the remaining 167 death sentences in Illinois to life imprisonment. I cannot support a system which, in its administration, has proven so fraught with error and has come so close to the ultimate nightmare, the states taking of innocent life Until I can be sure that everyone sentenced to death in Illinois is truly guilty, until I can be sure with moral certainty that no innocent man or woman is facing a lethal injection, no one will meet that fate. According to Death Penalty Information Centre, since 1973, 141 people in 26 states have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence. (Death Centre Information, 2011). Racial Discrimination is one of the most unpleasant factors in capital punishment process. According to Tabak, sentencing death penalty depend on two factors, first is the race of defendant, and the second is the race of the victim. (1999). However, discrimination is based also in the financial status of the defendant. According to Amnesty International, in January 2003 study released by the University of Maryland concluded that race and geography are major factors in death penalty decisions. Specifically, prosecutors are more likely to seek a death sentence when the race of the victim is white and are less likely to seek a death sentence when the victim is African-American. In 2007 study of death sentences in Connecticut conducted by Yale University School of Law revealed that African-American defendants receive the death penalty at three times the rate of white defendants in cases where the victims are white. In addition, killers of white victims are treated more severely than people who kill minorities, when it comes to deciding what charges to bring. (Amnesty International, 2011). Another important part of the death penalty issue is the financial cost of the trial and executions. A 2003 legislative audit in Kansas found that the estimated cost of a death penalty case was 70% more than the cost of a comparable non-death penalty case. Death penalty case costs were counted through to execution (median cost $1.26 million). Non-death penalty case costs were counted through to the end of incarceration (median cost $740,000).(Survey by the Kansas Legislative Post Audit,2003). In Tennessee, death penalty trials cost an average of 48% more than the average cost of trials in which prosecutors seek life imprisonment. (Report from Tennessee Comtroller of the Treasury Office of Research, 2004). In Maryland death penalty cases cost 3 times more than non-death penalty cases, or $3 million for a single case. (Urban Institute, the Cost of the Death Penalty in Maryland, 2008) In California the current system costs $137 million per year; it would cost $11.5 million for a system without the death penalty. (California Commission for the Fair Administration of Justice, 2008). One of the main alternatives for death penalty is life-long imprisonment without possibility of parole plus restitution. Restitution means that prisoner can be put into labor work, and that’s how he can compensate for the victim’s family. Just killing the killer is not the best solution for the existing problem In conclusion, I would like to say that death penalty is one of the controversial topics. Death penalty abolition is the key of key factor of democratic society. . Actually, in the world there is a trend to abolish the death penalty. However, there is no evidence of deterrent effect of death penalty Nevertheless Death penalty is unethical and inhumane, it helps to achieve the balance in the country. 0

Humor in Mathematics Classroom Essay Example for Free

Humor in Mathematics Classroom Essay INTRODUCTION To make the learning in classroom more fun, teachers do make a different strategies or techniques. Game and laughter is very important in learning, that’s why teachers that do have humor make their class more enjoyable and interesting. Anyone who has paid attention to great speakers would know that humor is an excellent method for eliciting sympathy from the audience and opening them up to your message. Every teacher also knows that a sense of humor is necessary to winning the hearts of students. How should this inform teaching? Should the teachers focus on creating an entertaining show for their students? Or would the teachers change their lessons into therapy sessions? This study presents a teaching approach that is built around math problems that are for the student at the same time Cheerful (entertaining, funny, cool) and Challenging (difficult). We call this CheCha mathematics. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The technique of using humor to enliven lectures is as ancient as the Babylonian Talmud. Rabbah (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbos 30b), a Talmudic sage who lived 1700 years ago, would say something humorous before starting to lecture to the scholars, and they would laugh; after that, he would begin his lecture. Rabbi Meir (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 38b), another Talmudic sage, was an expert in fox fables and would devote one-third of his lecture to parables. These sages recognized the value of humor in education, even in ethical and religious instruction. Most statistics textbooks do not use a humorous approach, with exceptions such as Runyon (1977) and Pyrczak (1998). Blumenfeld and Alpern (1985) discuss ten reasons to use humor in the classroom. These include such factors as opening communication and the humanizing effect of humor on image. Berk (1996, 1998) claims that humor has the ability to decrease students’ anxiety, improve the ability to learn, and boost self-esteem. This, in turn, can encourage a more receptive learning atmosphere. One researcher found that having students watch an episode of Seinfeld helped calm them and reduced their heartbeats when they were later forced to do something stressful, give an impromptu speech about Bosnia, a subject they knew very little about, in front of a camera. The heart rates of students who had watched the humorous Seinfeld episode rose from an average of 70 to averages of 80 to 85 beats per minute while speaking; the heart rates of students who had not been inoculated with humor rose to a mean of 100 (Burkhart 1998). Lundberg and Thurston (1992) discuss various ways humor can be used in the classroom. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK CheCha math method is based on three educational approaches: acknowledging the role of affect in math learning (Hannula, 2006), using humor in teaching (Grecu, 2008) and use of open-ended problems in math teaching (Pehkonen, 2004). Affect in mathematical thinking and learning In order to study affect in math education in contexts of actual classrooms there are three main elements to pay attention to: cognition, emotion, and motivation. Achievement without motivation is not sustainable, and neither is motivation without enjoyment. All three domains have a more rapidly changing state-aspect and more stable trait-aspect. (Hannula, 2006). One fundamental principle of human behavior is that emotions energize and organize perception, thinking and action (Izard, 1991). Research has confirmed a positive relationship between positive affect and achievement. It seems that the affective outcomes are most important during the first school years, as they are less likely to be altered later on. Two key elements of a desired affective disposition are self-confidence and motivation to learn (Hannula, 2006). Advances in our understanding of the neuropsychological basis of affect (e.g. Damasio 1995, LeDoux, 1998) have radically changed the old view of the relationship between emotion and cognition. Emotions are no longer seen as peripheral to cognitive processes or as noise to impede rationality. Emotions have been accepted as necessary for rational behavior. Moreover, research has also shown although not yet fully understood that certain emotions facilitate certain type of cognitive processing (Linnenbrink Pintrich, 2004). Focusing on motivation we may find ways to influence what the subjects want to do, not only how they try to achieve it. In the existing literature, psychological needs that are often emphasized in educational settings are autonomy, competence and social belonging (e.g. Boekaerts, 1999). These all can be met in a classroom that emphasizes exploration, understanding and communication instead of rules, routines and rote learning. However, this requires that all feel safe and perceive that they can contribute to the process. A possible approach to meet all these conditions would be the open approach, and more generally focusing on mathematical processes rather than products (Hannula, 2006). Humor Already Kant (1952) considered the nature of humor. He stated Laughter is the result of expectation which suddenly ends in nothing (p. 199). His classical statement has started considering humor as a mental mechanism resulting in laughter. As another early scientific approach to humor, Freud (1991) divided comic into wit, humor and actually comic. Many kinds of activity, including wit, are directed on reception of pleasure from intellectual processes. A person feels pleasure from suddenly released energy, which is splashed out in the form of laughter. From this perspective already, we can perceive how a good joke can generate a joyful atmosphere and create a positive emotional background of activity. The comic, humorous contents can be reached in various ways and techniques. For example, Veatch (1998) suggests a list of types that are funny: finishing to the point of irrationality, satire, literal understanding of metaphors, irony, ambiguity, word-play, contradiction, discrepancy, excessive rationality and a deviation from the usual. Each of these types of the comic can be expressed as a joke or a problem in math context. As an example of a math contradiction we take a joke, here framed within the world of Winnie the Pooh: Pooh and Piglet sit on a small bench and talk. Eeyore has sent them a box. In the box there are ten sweets and a note. In the note Eeyore tells them to divide them: seven for Pooh and seven for Piglet. Piglet: How is that? I do not understand. What do you think of it?† Pooh: I do not even want to think. But I have already eaten my seven sweets. Humor can also act as means of a psychological discharge, and promote efficiency of pedagogical activity. Suhomlinsky (1975) wrote: I would name laughter as a back side of thinking. To develop ability to laugh in the child, to enhance his sense of humor means to strengthen his intellectual forces, abilities, to teach him to think and to see the world wisely. Grecu (2008) has considered use of humor in teaching. She highlights seven basic functions of humor in pedagogical activity: 1) informatively-cognitive (Opens essential features and properties of subjects and the phenomena. Rejecting standard approaches, the humor bears in itself any discovery), 2) Emotional (the Humor can act as means of creation of creative state of health and as means of emotional support) 3) Motivational (The humor can serve as a stimulator of volitional processes) 4) Communicative (the Person with humor is attractive for people) 5) Developing (Humor promotes development of critical thinking, a sharpness of vision of the world, observation and consequently intellect) 6) Diagnostic (by the laughter maintenance at what the person laughs, it is possible to judge about his merits and demerits) and 7) Regulative (the humor gives the chance to look at oneself from an unexpected angle, allowing self-evaluation). In CheCha method most of these are relevant, the most important functions being on top of the list. Grecu suggest the following techniques for designing of humor for educational tasks. These pedagogical techniques are paradox, finishing to the point of irrationality, comparison by the remote or casual attribute, return comparison, wit of absurd, pseudo-contrast or false opposition, a hint, a self-exposure of own faults, intentional ignoring of things that might cause laughter, and exaggeration of the certain features of behavior. Grecu has offered also classification of means of the comic: 1) word-play based on violation of language norm (carrying of terminology over to a context unusual to it). Consider the following riddle: I am it while I do not know that I am. But I am not it when I know that I am. What am I?† 2) Comparison, authors original neologisms, based on artistic expressive means (double entendre, an ambiguity). Examples are easy for finding in Carrolls books (2006, s. 50): â€Å"Explain yourself!† â€Å"I can’t explain myself.† 3) Paradox, an example being the claim â€Å"I am lying now†. Also Dzemidok (1993) distinguishes several humoristic methods: modification and deformation of the phenomena, unexpected effects and amazing comparisons, disproportion in attitudes and communications between the phenomena, imaginary association of absolutely diverse phenomena, creation of the phenomena which deviate from logic. As an example of the latter method consider the following: There were only 3 students attending a professors lecture in University. Suddenly 5 persons left the room. The professor said: If 2 students enter this room, there is nobody attending. Most types of humor and their techniques could be used at mathematics lessons. Thanks to entertaining tasks and comical contents of the problems the classroom climate promotes a positive interaction between the teacher and students. However, one must be aware that opportunities of humor as pedagogical means have their limits. Grecu (2008) gives several suggestions regarding these limits. She suggests that one should use humor gently and support humor of students. She also warns not to ridicule student’s person, laugh at what the student is not able to correct or change or laugh at an involuntary mistake of the student. Rough joking would indicate lack of customs and disrespect of the student and hence is absolutely unacceptable for the teacher. Moreover, the teacher should avoid being the first to laugh at ones own joke, as it can cause the reaction opposite to expected. Problem solving and open-ended problems Problems are said to be open, if their starting or goal situation is not exactly given and they usually have several correct answers (cf. Pehkonen 2008). Open-ended problems emphasize understanding and creativity (e.g. Nohda, 2000, Stacey 1995). This would not mean lowering the expectations, quite the contrary. If an open task allows the solver to gain deeper and deeper insights (a chain of discovery; Liljedahl, 2005) it can facilitate a state of sustained engagement. This would also lead to more intensive working. Research has shown that problem solving can be engaging and enjoyable for many students, but it does not attract everyone. Schoenfeld (1985) defined an individuals beliefs or mathematical world view as shaping how one engages in problem solving. For example, those who believe that math is no more than repetition of learned routines would be more likely to give up on a novel task than those who believe that inventing is an essential aspect of mathematics. Unfortunately, there are students who do not see the potential for engagement and enjoyment in a math problem. We see humor as a means to engage also those students who do not perceive math problems enjoyable to begin with. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The purpose of this study is to answer the following questions: 1. What mathematical problems are entertaining from the students point of view? 2. How CheCha method influences the atmosphere in mathematics lessons?

Imagined community

Imagined community According to Benedict Anderson, what is an ‘Imagined Community? How does this relate to the contemporary world? â€Å"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can† George Bernard Shaw (Wisdom Quotes, 2009). Such views demonstrate that communities are an integral part of day-to-day life within the contemporary world, be this in a tiny, remote village in rural India or the thriving capital city of Beijing, China. This essay examines communities within the international sphere, focusing primarily on Benedict Andersons theory of ‘Imagined Communities. The first section of this essay examines Anderson as an academic scholar and his views towards nationalism, including of course a detailed understanding of his theory of ‘Imagined Communities. The second section then goes on to explore other political theorists take on Andersons work, focusing on three such theorists: Ernest Gellner, Anthony D. Smith and Eric Hobsbawm. This theory and reasoning behind Andersons and these three other theorists work, is then used as the foundation on which to build when looking at the contemporary world, focusing on the case study of Great Britain and how this study is of relevance to contemporary political issues. Communities within Britain are examined in terms of the imagination Anderson refers to, namely the Ukrainian community and also the Sikh community, both within multicultural British society. Andersons background is that of anthropology and when assessed, it is clear that he falls within the Modernist school of thought, arguing that nations are simply a product of modernity, in existence to cater to political, economic and military needs. Andersons theory of ‘Imagined Communities has been widely spread and applied to the field of international relations and political science, a theory which has been influential in carefully examining the politics of identity and the formation of communities across the globe, also known as nationalism. Anderson explores the modern nation in terms of its development throughout history, aiming to understand the emergence of these nations and how they have remained as nations in terms of status (Higson, 1998, p.355). Nationalism took form and began as an ideology during the eighteenth century, and more recently has undergone a global movement across the varying borders and boundaries of nations. It has three generic goals: â€Å"natio nal autonomy, national unity and national identity, and for nationalists, a nation cannot survive without a sufficient degree of all three† (Smith, 2001, p.9). National identity in particular is fundamental to the order of the contemporary international sphere. According to Anderson (1991) therefore, the building and construction of nation states is an imitative action in that it follows similar patterns and trends as used by fellow nation states. Nationalism, in Andersons (1991) eyes is thus an instrument and product of such social constructions and all of this was in actual fact an American construction. Additionally, he contends that nation building is consistent of and on a par with fictional narratives, a point which agrees which Smith (2001), discussed later on in this essay. With such a clear focus on nationalism, Anderson (1991) studies the idea of membership of a community, the idea of membership as boundaries defining ‘us and ‘them, and the idea of the community as an equal comradeship, thus collectively leading to the creation of an identity. Under the umbrella of nationalist thought therefore, Anderson is largely interested in the formation and preservation of political identities. His key argument is as follows: communities are in fact imagined ones as, in truth, individuals residing in one particular place i.e. Britain, will never know, see, meet, converse or have any sort of relationship with all other residents, yet this ideological concept of a ‘British community still exists. Anderson thus is focusing on nationalism, in particular nations and their identity building processes, a nation being â€Å"an imagined political communityimagined as both inherently limited and sovereign† (Anderson, 1991, p.7). In his argument, the a nation is imagined as limited in that, even the one holding the greatest number of human beings, each community has finite boundaries, beyond which are other nations (Anderson, 1991, p.7). The nation is imagined as sovereign as the concept emerged during a time in which â€Å"Enlightenment and Revolution were destroying the legitimacy of the divinely-ordained hierarchical dynastic realm† (Anderson, 1991, p.7). Finally, the nation is imagined as a community as despite inequality and exploitative behaviour that may occur, the nation remains a â€Å"deep, horizontal comradeship† (Anderson, 1991, p.7). Such ‘imagined communities are in actual fact socially constructed entities, consisting of individuals who have similar, if not identical, interests, these interests forming the basis for their grouping choices and decisions, and allowing the individuals to identify with one another. Andersons theory therefore comes from the location of individuals within specific ordered communities, as members of bounded communities whose members have common traits and concerns. His idea of this type of a community existing emerges from how the general public, according to him, identifies and understands themselves with respect to the community of their nation. As a result, all individuals have a horizontal relationship with all other members of their supposed ‘imagined community and this creates identity. Such identity provides safety and security to members of the imagined community, providing a sense of belonging to a group of people who are on the same wavelength and have similar i nterests and motivations (Anderson, 1991). This is of course, opposed to the previous identification which was wholly concerned with pre-existing religious systems and dynasties, which have now collapsed. Anderson (1991) then goes on to examine the fall in access to privileged scripts and discourse such as Latin, the movement to eradicate ideas and commands of the monarchy and divine rules of power and finally the emergence of print capitalism in terms of the media and how this is related to the concept of nations. The final point here is of greatest relevance to this essays discussion. From first thought, it is common to think that no real relationship exists between media and communities, yet on closer inspection, it becomes clear that this is not the case. Anderson (1991) argues that the media is the key group creating these ‘imagined communities through their mass audience targeting procedures. The media often makes generalisations to the ‘public and when thought about, is most definitely an ‘imagined community in itself. Anderson (1991) therefore argues that national media and education systems have a critical role in ensuring a nation imagines itself as  "a coherent, meaningful and homogenous community† (Higson, 1998, p.355). His primary concentration however lies with newspapers, which he argues are a fundamental part of print-capitalism, this being the key commodity in the generation of new ideas and concepts (Anderson, 1991, p.37). Print-capitalism contributed greatly to the imagined communities that exist within nations and will continue to do so in the future. He argues that newspapers allow shared experiences of resenting authority to take form, this not being beneficial as this gives rise to the marketplace, where print-capitalism is produced and invoked within consumer society in terms of profitability. Print-capitalism is, in Andersons opinion a commodity which is vital to current and forthcoming generations of completely new ideas and concepts (Anderson, 1991, p.37). His argument focuses primarily on the impact of the Reformation, this being: â€Å"the coalition between Protestantism and print-capitalism, exploiting cheap popular editions, quickly created large new reading publicsand simultaneously mobilized them for politico-religious purposes† (Anderson, 1991, p.40). He posits that much of the success of the Reformation is as a result due to print-capitalism itself (Anderson, 1991, p.39). Thus in Andersons critique with regards to the promise of the media in the public sphere and whether or not they invoke public debate, his answer is yes i.e. it was a vehicle for the American war of independence. The key example however given in his work is that relating to the Protestant and print-capitalism coalition, which he argues, was detrimental through the exploitation of cheap popular print-works (Anderson, 1991, p.40). Such â€Å"administrative vernaculars† (Anderson, 1991, p.41) led to religious and printing upheaval during the sixteenth century, and is regarded by himself as an â€Å"independent factor in the erosion of the sacred imagined community† (Anderson, 1991, p.41). In terms of ‘imagined communities and its relationship with the media, film and cinema are good areas to explore. Film is often indicative of â€Å"consensual images of communities† (Higson, 1998, p.355) and is keen to show individuals from varying backgrounds coming together in shared interests. The British musical Sing As We Go (1934) (cited in Higson, 1998, p.355) for example deals with this same image as explained above and ends with the ‘imagined community being explicitly â€Å"nationalized† (Higson, 1995, cited in Higson, 1998, p.356) in the final scene. It is important to distinguish though that not all of the ‘imagined communities Anderson refers to are united. Particularly within the contemporary multicultural location that is Great Britain, nations can be presented and represented as being in disarray (Higson, 1998, p.356). Higson (1998) refers to the British film named The Beautiful Laundrette and how this is demonstrative of such a thing, providing images of â€Å"social and cultural disturbance and fragmentation† (Higson, 1998, p.356) as opposed to images of consensual imagined communities. This is therefore raises questions of what it is like to be British and to hold such an identity. Films like this consequently oppose what Anderson claims to be the truth, displaying that national identity in contexts like this one are not â€Å"as consensual but as hybrid, not as pure but as variegated† (Higson, 1998, p.356) and so this challenges Andersons point. This theory of ‘imagined communities has often led to various branches of thought, one of the key ones with relation to this topic being that of ‘imagined geographies, a concept which has emerged from Edward Saids work on ‘Orientalism a theoretical framework which argues that Europeans define themselves against their cultural contestants i.e. people from the Orient and as a result define themselves against this. Back to ‘Imagined geographies though, this is a form of social constructivism, referring to the perception of space and boundaries within texts, illustrations and of course, discourse. Arguably, there is no real geography and that imagined geographies can be compared with, thus posing problems of comparative analysis. So the argument lies that such imagined geographies must not be taken as given, but rather they should be deconstructed in order to display the various power sources which have been embedded in them. Ultimately, although Anderson is sceptical of the general public in their decision to be part of ‘imagined communities, he acknowledges that in the current day and age, nationalism and the idea of community has taken to other extremes i.e. projecting fear and hatred towards the ‘Other, being deeply affiliated with racist and discriminative behaviour (Anderson, 1991, p.141.) He critiques this though by reinforcing how such communities are supposed to bring individuals together as opposed to dividing them further, and thus communities need to be reminded that â€Å"nations inspire love, and often profoundly self-sacrificing love† (Anderson, 1991, p.141). Other theorists however conflict with what Anderson (1991) poses as the function of nation building, namely Ernest Gellner, Anthony D. Smith and Eric Hobsbawm. Their proposals of national identity vary with respect to one another. Firstly, anthropologist and philosopher Gellner (1983) argues that nationalism is ultimately political in that it acts as the foundation for politics and nations as being on an equal footing. In his critique, nationalism only emerged within the modern sphere very recently, becoming a necessity in sociological terms, and thus has not been embedded within history. Smith (2001) was a student of Gellner yet did not completely agree with the argument made by his teacher. His argument therefore depends on his creation of an approach to nationalism termed ‘ethnosymbolism, this being a combination of traditional as well as modern views toward the theory and practice of national identities (Smith, 2001, p.13). Smith (2001) distinguishes between the concept of the term ‘nation and another word he terms ‘ethnie, this being: â€Å"a named human community connected to a homeland, possessing common myths of ancestry, shared memories, one or more elements of shared culture, and a measure of solidarity at least among the elites† (Smith, 2001, p.13). Thus in his critique, the imagined communities Anderson speaks of do have a cultural and historical background to them, and so they arent completely imagined but have some substance behind them. Smith (2001) on the other hand, studies nationalism in terms of ethnic groupings. To him, the concept of the nation is: â€Å"a named human community occupying a homeland, and having common myths and a shared history, a common culture, and a measure of solidarity at least among the elites† (Smith, 2001, p.13). Within this though he narrows down further his understanding of nations, consisting of what he terms â€Å"ethnie† (Smith, 2001, p.13): â€Å"a named human community connected to a homeland, possessing common myths of ancestry, shared memories, one or more elements of shared culture, and a measure of solidarity at least among the elites†(Smith, 2001, p.13). Hobsbawm (1992) too examines nationalism, a concept which he refers to as the same as defined by Gellner: â€Å"primarily a principle which holds that the political and national unit should be congruent† (Gellner, 1983, p.1, cited in Hobsbawm, 1992, p.9). He contends that imagined communities act as a shield for and to religious-based nation states, which in turn allows individuals from a vast array of backgrounds to come together through the notion of compromise (Hobsbawm, 1992, p.14). One of his key arguments is that nations are: â€Å"dual phenomena† (Hobsbawm, 1992, p.10), by which he means that they are socially constructed from both above and below, with regards to the â€Å"assumptions, hopes, needs, longings and interests of ordinary people† (Hobsbawm, 1992, p.10). Thus he reinforces the central and underlying importance of nationalism throughout history in relation to political evolution. With respect to this, we identify that no real national conscienc e is forged within his text, and later on he makes clear the number of incited mass movements of nations i.e. he refers to the liberalisation of countries like Italy. National identity has a huge role to play within countries across the globe. In particular, it is focused on and can be identified during sporting games i.e. football or cricket, avid fans supporting their nation to be successful and triumphant. National identity can however also be associated with negativity and can create tensions, as demonstrated politically within international relations more generally. This section focuses on Britain as its key contemporary example but compares and contrasts the experiences within Britain with those of other countries too. Britain, quite clearly, consists of a multicultural society, one which is made up of a variety of community groupings. Community-World (2009) provides examples of many of the community groupings that are existent in modern day Britain, i.e.: regional, ethnic, religious, charity/voluntary and finally miscellaneous ones which include vegetarianism and so on. In many cases, such communities are reflective of Andersons thought of ‘imagined communities. An example of this can be seen with respect to the South-Asian community in Britain, formed of Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and many more, yet all come together under the umbrella term of South-Asian community even though it is most definitely likely that not all of these community members know each other nor have they seen each other nor, in reality, will they ever really do so. Such a community, although to be congratulated in bringing people of similar backgrounds together, is in actual fact a socially construct ed entity according to Anderson. In my critique of this however, such groupings are embedded in human nature in that terms like this have not been created as a product of society and societal views but rather because of religious, cultural and historical backgrounds. Thus they are not socially constructed. Andersons concentration of the media too is useful here when looking at Britain in that, in the contemporary world, his point that the print media, namely newspapers, is largely to blame for the creation of communities is only somewhat true. This is due to the rise of other media forms, particularly the internet, which has led to newspaper sales and general success of them falling over recent years. Greenslade (2009) in review of 2009 and the past decade identifies the spectacular decline of this once thriving industry: the Daily Mail recorded a fall from 2,777,501 to 1,260,019, a decline of 55%, whilst the Daily Express experienced sale plunges of 33.7%, the Daily Telegraph losses of nearly 27% and the Guardian a fall of just over 23%. Although newspapers are now widely available online, combining the previous paper form with the recent phenomenon of the internet, this does contradict with Andersons core argument. As sales of print newspapers have fallen, this suggests that readers hip too has declined and thus communities are less likely today to identify with communities within such media. Fisk (2010) makes an interesting point though in his work, arguing that many human communities within Great Britain have been abandoned since the Middle-Ages and so he works to commemorate such communities and identify their reasons for abandonment. Contrastingly, Hall (2004) examines the process of immigrants becoming citizens, with a particular focus on the Sikh community within Britain, namely second-generation ones. Her argument is that cultural politics have a huge role to play and in terms of the formation of nations, yet many more cultural processes are also at work: the role the media has in circulating religious, national and ethnic illustrations and political imaginaries; youth movement between cultural worlds in the home, at school and professionally; the frequently contradictory nature of the schooling system; and the cultural matters which flow across transnational and diaspora networks and communities (Hall, 2004, p.118). Thus Hall (2004) is suggesting that although this Sikh community may live and reside in Britain, this does not instantaneously make them a fundamental part of the imagined ‘British community, but rather due to their heritage and ancestral roots, many British Sikhs often find themselves to b e torn between identifying with Britain and identifying with their parents country of origin. Hence individuals can be part of a series of imagined communities as opposed to simply one as posed by Anderson (1991). Hall (2004) does however agree with Anderson (1991) to the extent that the media is incredibly influential in the contagion of national and cultural identities across various borders and boundaries. Similarly, Smith and Jackson (1999) studied ‘imagined communities with respect to Ukrainian communities living in Bradford, UK. Their argument was one of this sense of community, being shaped by Ukrainian history and the ever-changing global political climate (Smith and Jackson, 1999, p.367). For many Ukrainians living in Bradford, Ukraines independence in 1991 was symbolic of de-stabling an unsettled, often imaginary, sense of â€Å"Ukrainianness† (Smith and Jackson, 1999, p.384). Furthermore, they propose that recent cultural and historical change has led to an over-complication of the way in which the Ukrainian community within Bradford, UK is imagined and thus poses problems in terms of narratives and discourse. In my critique, although cultural influences are considered by all of the previously discussed political theorists, economics in terms of social status and inequality is not considered. It is no surprise that the creation and preservation of ‘imagined communities as discussed by Anderson (1991) leads to â€Å"fractionalization† (Alesina et al, 2003, p.155). My argument contends that such fractionalization is the cause of the observed rise in cross-country inequalities, Britain included, and Anderson (1991) fails to account for this. A broad view of heterogeneity demonstrates that anything that generates groups, as Andersons theory does, has both political and economic consequences, ultimately leading to greater inequality. In Britain for example, we can see that Central London, in most cases, is a highly affluent area. The outskirts of Greater London though vary in affluence such that groups are formed and located according to these same groups. Research has proved such theses to be correct i.e. Alesina et al (2003) examined approximately one hundred and ninety countries, concluding that â€Å"ethnic, religious and linguistic fractionalization† (Alesina et al, 2003, p.155) increases corruption, infant mortality and illiteracy, and reduces democracy and political rights indexes. Thus this supports my point of critique, that although ‘imagined communities bring people together from similar backgrounds and who have shared interests, the creation of such groupings leads to divisions and ultimately, in many cases, such divisions are indicative of social status, welfare and affluence. Hence Anderson (1991), along with Gellner (1983), Smith (2001) and Hobsbawm (1992), did not investigate this. Theorists in future should therefore research this area, building on the work mentioned above. In an age where it is extremely common for â€Å"progressive, cosmopolitan intellectuals to sit on the near-pathological character of nationalism, its roots in fear and hatred of the Other, and its affinities with racism† (Anderson, 1991, p.141), it is crucial to remember at all times that â€Å"nations transpire love, and often profoundly self-sacrificing love† (Anderson, 1991, p.141). Hence whether communities within these nations are imagined or not, which Anderson (1991) would say they are, they act as the fundamental foundation for society to communicate, evolve, exchange information and knowledge and ultimately to progress. Thus communities are incredibly important in multicultural Britain but also on a transnational scale too. To conclude, Andersons work on ‘Imagined Communities is one which has been used largely within the realm of political science and international studies. It does provide the reasoning as to why people commune together in the majority of instances yet at the same time, is rather broad in its explanation and thus has limited generalisation and applicability to the modern world that is the twenty-first century. The theory of ‘Imagined Communities is rather useful though in terms of understanding community and group formation with regards to historical, religious and cultural contexts across the world. This essay has examined what Anderson terms to be an ‘Imagined Community and how this has been used within the Social Sciences, in particular International Relations and Political Science. It has then later gone on to look at Britain as a contemporary example of how a series of ‘Imagined Communities have been formed i.e. the Sikh community and the Ukrainian communit y. Thus it is important to recall that nationalism is not simply a â€Å"sociological or cultural phenomena: it is also a powerful political instrument which†¦has played an important part in both the creation and the reform of modern states throughout the world† (Jackson, 2003, p.610). Bibliography Alesina, A.et al (2003) â€Å"Fractionalization† in Journal of Economic Growth, Vol.8, No.2, pp.155-194. Anderson, B.R. (1991) Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (Revised ed.), London: Verso. Community-World (2009) Community-World UK [online] Available from: http://www.community-world.co.uk/ (2001) in Durham, M.G. and Kellner, D.M. (eds.) Media and Cultural Studies: Keyworks, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Fisk, A. (2010) Abandoned Communities [online] Available from: http://www.abandonedcommunities.co.uk/ [Accessed 14th March 2010] Gellner, E. (1983) Nations and Nationalism, Oxford: Blackwell. Greenslade, R. (2009) Newspaper sales plunge over the decade [online] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/dec/14/national-newspapers-sales-decade [Accessed 14th March 2010] Habermas, J. (1989) The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society, Cambridge: Polity. Hall, K.D. (2004) â€Å"The Ethnography of Imagined Communities: The Cultural Production of Sikh Ethnicity in Britain† in Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 595, pp.108-121 Higson, A. (1998) â€Å"Nationality: National Identity and the Media† in Briggs, A. and Cobley, P. (eds.) The Media: An Introduction, Harlow: Longman, pp. 354-364 Hobsbawm, E.J. (1992) Nations and Nationalism since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality (2nd ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Inglis, F. (1993) Cultural Studies, Oxford: Blackwell. Jackson, J. (2003) â€Å"Book Review Nationalism and the state: John Brueilly, 2nd edition (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1993), pp. 474,  £40.00 H.B.,  £14.99 P.B.† in History of European Ideas, Vol.21, No.4, pp.608-610. Smith, A.D. (2001) Nationalism: Theory, Ideology, History, Cambridge: Polity. Smith, G. and Jackson, P. (1999) â€Å"Narrating the nation: the ‘imagined community of Ukrainians in Bradford† in Journal of Historical Geography, Vol.25, No.3, pp.367-387 Wisdom Quotes (2009) Community Quotes [online] Available from: http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_community.html

Essay --

Linguistic profiling is the auditory form of racial discrimination by making judgment solely based on the way a person speaks and sounds. This type of racial discrimination has been detected in regards to housing, job opportunities and the criminal law. The effects of linguistic profiling is detrimental to individuals who are perceived as having an undesirable accent. These perceptions often lead to stereotypical misconceptions that society has created or attached to a certain race group. Dr. John Baugh, a professor of linguistics from Stanford University of California, was the inventor of this term. He conducted an experiment to examine the reaction of Americans to different accents. He calls properties that are advertised for rent and uses different accents. He uses an African American accent, a Latino accent and finally a neutral American accent. During these calls there was no mention of job history, qualifications, credit scores or educational background. His findings concluded that the minority dialects inquiries were often disregarded particularly in the affluent communities. Many times the researchers determined that those with the minority accent were often told by the property managers that there were no Ladesh 2 vacancies, but openings were available to those who spoke in a Standard English accent. â€Å"Those who sound white get the appointment,† Baugh says. â€Å"When challenged in lawsuits, many businesses deny that they can determine race or ethnicity over the phone. However, Baugh’s ongoing study shows that over the phone many Americans are able to accurately guess the age, race, sex, ethnicity, region of heritage and other social demographics based on a few sentences, even just a hello.† (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.) Baugh ... ... confused and even shocked. That is when John realized that when he spoke to them on the phone he used his professional voice and often he was criticized for â€Å"sounding white†. That’s when he made the discovery that they were shocked because they expected him to be white. In fact, four agents told him the properties were no longer available. This whole idea of linguistic profiling encompasses steering, redlining, and overall racial discrimination towards individuals based on their personal characteristics. The assumptions and preconceived notions, the stereotypical associations are what is keeping racism alive. The way Ladesh 7 in which we talk shouldn’t be a negative, but in fact should be embraced by our cultural differences. The content of our words can be debated and questioned, but the way we sound when we speak these words should not.

Comparing Advertisements by Garnier and Neutrogena Essay -- Adverts, C

We are surrounded by advertisements which be found on the television, radio, newspapers, magazines, street hoardings, taxis, buses and through the post. Everything we purchase or watch is advertised. This is a technique used to persuade people to buy their products. Companies use the power of persuasion to lure their target audience into buying the product being promoted. Advertisements are used to make the audience believe they need the product being marketed. Some advertisements are more successful than others and I intend to investigate why, using two examples which promote skin cleansers one by Garnier and the other by Neutrogena. The first advertisement I will anatomise is the Garnier. The Garnier advertisement takes up an A4 page in a magazine. The main picture takes up approximately 60 percent of the page which makes it stand out and shows it is an important ingredient to making the advertisement efficacious. The main picture is split up again but it is not a 50/50 split it is more like 40/60. The smaller picture shows the girl applying the product to her face and the larger picture shows the outcome of using the merchandise. The picture of the product application is smaller as it does not show you how well the product works or what the end result is which is most important. The larger section is of the girl after application, the girl is very beautiful with clear skin, and this may make the target audience want to buy the product because they have the aspiration to have the perfect skin she does. On the picture in white writing is "GENTLY CLEASNSES PORES DEEP DOWN." "LOOK, THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE." it is divided on the two ... ... preferred the Garnier; the reason is it is straight to the point and aesthetically pleasing it is very fresh and informative without the need for a whole chunk of text explaining who uses it, the product speaks for itself. The reason I disliked the Neutrogena advertisement is that its too busy and also it has too much text which will not appeal to its target audience as most teenager do not pay attention to the text on advertisements. At first glance the Neutrogena looks like an article and once read tells you about the life of a dancer which will not really interest many people, even though the point is that the pore range is quick and easy to use there is no need to explain the history of the users life. Therefore to conclude my essay I came to find the Garnier advertisement is a better campaign than the Neutrogena.

DYSTHYMIC DISORDER Essay examples -- essays research papers

DYSTHYMIC DISORDER & BRIEF THERAPY DEPRESSION  Mild, chronic depression has probably existed as long as the human condition, although it has been referred to by various different names. The DSM-III replaced the term â€Å"neurotic depression† with dysthymic disorder--which literally means ‘ill-humored’-and it was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 1980  Dysthymic disorder, also called dysthymia, is a type of depression involving long-term chronic symptoms that do not disable an individual, but keep them from functional at full steam or from feeling good.  Despite the long-term nature of this type of depression, psychotherapy is effective in reducing the symptoms of depression, and assisting the person in managing his/her life better. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS  Characterized by a chronic course (i.e., seldom without symptoms), with lowered mood tone and arrange of other symptoms that may include feelings of inadequacy, loss of self-esteem, or self-deprecation; feelings of hopelessness or despair; feelings of guilt, brooding about past events, or self-pity; low energy and chronic tiredness; being less active or talkative than usual; poor concentration and indecisiveness; and inability to enjoy pleasurable activities. IDENTIFYING DYSTHYMIC DISORDER  Negative thoughts and thinking are characteristic of depression. Pessimism, poor self-esteem, excessive guilt, and self-criticism are all common. ...

Philippine Literature Essay

Multilingualism became one of the key factors why unity cannot be thoroughly assessed in a specific country. It became the basis here in our country that having many languages implies a rich culture, diverse culture but carries with it the brand that national unity might be generally impossible due to regionalistic factors. Our country experienced so many shifts in language policy. Colonizers from Spain and America became the key contributors for it to happen. Looking back on the time of Spanish regime. Not all people can speak Spanish so the Spaniards made serious efforts to use Spanish to teach and speak it and make it as a national language. During that time, increasing number of tagalong users were growing. Slowly, it established the title as one of the major local language and until now, was strengthened and included as part of the school curriculum. To counter the growing number of Filipinos using other foreign languages, local literatures emerged to battle out the western culture. Filipinos during that time made use of their local language that is commonly spoken on that specific place and then use this language to write literary pieces like poets, production of drama; and sometimes as a form of entertainment during fiestas, other writers create a play using the foreign language emphasizing how it is awkward to speak the foreign language using ridicule included in the play. Though Filipinos made serious efforts to preserve the culture, some are slowly being converted to use the foreign language, and that approach is in the form of a religion. During the Spanish regime, it became a must to use Spanish as a medium of speaking while inside the church. And many people was moved that if they will not do church work, they will not go to heaven, they became a â€Å"panatiko† without realizing that religion; Roman Catholicism; became the way for the Spaniards totally colonize the culture and imply the Spanish culture.

Saving the Mentally Ill: Ethical Judicial Reform

The p set abouts of the morally sick(p) arrive been seen across various cultures throughout the historical tale of humanity. The imposed consequences of nightclub on individuals demonstrating deviant behavior, often considered to be mentally visitation, range from penaltys as light as a ticket or fine and ranging to immurement or nonetheless public presentation. The interrogation remains for parliamentary procedure today, atomic number 18 extreme punishments such as incarceration or public presentation rational solutions in wish to the manipulation of mentally grim quite a micro who break the sociable norms of prophylactic?Figuring out how top hat to get l embolden with the fringes of high monastic order often called criminals barely demote termed mentally failure mint is question which has no doubt been with humanity for a very long time. However, it is a unspoiltify opinion to state that mentally ill people ar indeed commend up to(p) of relegate treatm ent than incarceration or execution. Despite the sometimes harmful behaviors of mentally ill individuals, there are better actions to take in the bettering of human society than to punish the most tormented and delicate members of society.A very important overbearing aspect of allowing mentally ill offenders to fix in the tutelage of psychological treatment rather than being locked into the regimen discriminatory agreement and chinks is simply being able to look at an offender with grace and the hope of recuperation rather than with dis worry and the desire to maltreat the offender. Jailing and execution, even chela fines, is simply an evil act in response to an evil act. The basic lesson that dickens wrongs outweart make a business is an ethical foundation that most people learn in their bambino coursesto treat a neighbor as one would like to be treated.In punishing the mental ill, sometimes to the extreme of slayinging them through execution, humanity lonesome(p renominal) demonstrates a desire for revenge and a lack of patience. Although some states, for example Virginia, bill the execution of the mentally retard, there is yet widespread resistance to barring the execution of the mentally ill, and currently unaccompanied com be sickerized axial tomography prohibits this act of in besidesice (Slobogin). Clearly, there is restrained widespread resistance to both fellow feeling the sick actions of individuals as well as working cooperatively to try to aid these poor people.One has to wonder where the occupation is drawn between the mentally retard, the mentally ill, and the insane, and what these terms mean in regard to aiming to define civil justice. Although some states have prohibited the execution of mentally retarded people, the Supreme Court has barred the execution of insane mortals, still non of mentally retarded persons (Miller). In psychological diagnoses of mental illnesses, there is no concrete border drawn between th e mentally retarded and the mentally ill, and the term insanity is non even used professionally.Although psychosis whitethorn be what the courts refer to in regard to insanity, there is still no hard and immobile line drawn between people exhibiting psychosis and those exhibiting neurosis. These people are all considered to be mentally ill. However, in considering the idea of just punishments for any individual, healthy or ill, it is important to not the hypocrisy and paradox problematic even in the term just punishment. Is there ever a groovy maltreatment or a needful evil?A rational person would have to say no. Forgiveness, understanding, and broad rehabilitative treatment are essential for all offenders. Society should offer this to the offenders incisively as an example of what it means to not offend, an extension of humane wisdom and good give. In put one overing the witnesss of the mentally ill individuals who are incarcerated, it is disquieting to note the extreme p unishment received in modern jail settings.As if being forced to hold up in a awfully enwrap and barred setting for multiple year or even lifelong sentences were not enough of a criminal offence against humanity, many an(prenominal) mentally ill individuals who are incarcerated or on death row experience further injustice in jails by the high rate of occurrence of dent and death, the inappropriate use of force by personnel, and the deliver of mentally ill people from jail who have received little to no psychological treatment (Erickson & Erickson).On a smaller and perhaps to a greater extent easily identifiable scale, its like experiencing a puppy who chews furniture and decision making to kick the dog or put the dog in a cage in rather than allowing the puppy the natural surround of a caring haveer with a yard or countryside for free roaming. The offender whitethorn need to be cover in a safe area, but the treatment administered to the offender for humane recuperation wo uld not be physical wo(e) or a tiny cell, it would be person centered health care in an environment tailored to collect the sensitive needs of the sick individual, destiny them whole nubedly on the short or long path to better living.In regard to changing the way courts view mentally ill people when they rouse offenses against humanity, it is important to note not exactly the voices of judges, psychologists, and policeyers in their aim to provide the best situation for the offender, but to value the wishes of the offenders themselves. as luck would have it there is an increasing interest in mentally ill people as well as their clinicians to choose their own health care plans and service providers.By viewing mentally ill offenders as needing social help rather than punishment, society can besides offer these individuals choices in the steps toward their recuperation. In allowing for a mediation work on by which the offender and societal representative, such as a government counselor, social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist, can come along to an agreement about the terms by which the mentally ill individual will engage in a process of ongoing health care, the court system may be able to abase the need for more formal and big-ticket(prenominal) court process and reduce the be associated with involuntary care (Fleischner).It is also well-grounded to consider the desires of the offender who wishes to be released without care. In truly believing that two wrongs dont make a right, it may be prudent to invest affection in the option of allowing for the immediate release of offenders who wish to be freed without treatment. Although this action may endanger society, it very well may not. The power of pardon is highly underestimated in many field of studys.In aiming to administer justice, society has to consider what is just in either case, not yet in some. If murder is wrong, then murder is wrong, not only in the case of the victim being murdere d, but also in the case of the offender being murdered. If enclosing a person in a tight dark box is wrong for a parent to do to a small fry day after day, then it is also wrong for the government to do this to social offenders.Anyone any person commits a crime against humanity, then the person committing the crime is sick, mentally ill and not thinking or behaving logically. When viewing the ill actions of offenders in a judicial process, one must also honestly view the ill actions of the judiciary. So many crimes are committed by the mentally ill, and many of the mentally ill people are not the ones receiving the sentence, but people who are ordering the sentences or standing on the sidelines in sustain in injustice.Only when humanity opens its heart to all people in forgiveness and a sincere attempt to right wrongs will humanity be innocuous and delivered from her sins. No person deserved to be tightly jailed, left without health treatment, or cast out of society by even harsh er means such as death. Ostracizing the weakest and most needy members of society only results in a crumbling of true ethical motive and suffering in hypocrisy. Democracy is discharge without ethics, and arbitrating law means nothing when the law is empty of morality and goodwill.

Goa Tourism

A project on GOA tourism 2013 Divyanshu Sharan BBM(IB) div C 192 3/18/2013 introduction : goa Goa, a tiny emerald land on the west coast of India, the 25th State in the Union of States of India, was liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961. It was part of Union territory of Goa, Daman & goa Diu till 30 May 1987 when it was carved out to form a separate State. Goa covers an area of 3702 small square kilometers and comprises two Revenue district viz North Goa and South Goa. Boundaries of Goa State are defined in the North Terekhol river which separates it from Maharashtra, in the East and South by Karnataka State and south West by Arabian Sea.It is known for its nightlife and beach parties.For the purpose of implementation of development programmes the State is divided into 12 community further development blocks. As per 2001 census, the population of the State is 13,42,998. Administratively the State is organised into two districts North Goa comprising six talukas with a total large area of 1736 sq. kms.Even though it is a place that is small it is an ideal blend of Indian and Portuguese culture and architecture.

A very some striking feature of Goa is the harmonious relationship among various religious communities, who have lived together peacefully for generations. Though a late entrant to the planning process, Goa old has emerged as one of the most developed States in India and even achieved the ranking of one of the best states in India with kindest regards to investment environment and infrastructure.Goa is Indias smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.Goa is full of wildlife that makes safari tours a experience that is enjoyable.Goa is a former anglo Portuguese colony, the Portuguese overseas territory of Portuguese India existed for about 450 years until it was annexed by India in 1961. Renowned for its beaches, places of worship and world heritage architecture, Goa is visited by large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year.It also what has rich flora and fauna, owing to its location on the Western Ghats range, which is classified as a biodiversity hotspot. Geography Goa encompasses an large area of 3,702 km2 (1,429 sq mi).A.

Goas main rivers are Mandovi, Zuari, Terekhol, Chapora and the Sal. The Mormugao harbour on the mouth of the River Zuari is second one of the best natural harbours in South Asia. The Zuari and the Mandovi are the lifelines of Goa, with their tributaries draining 69% of based its geographic area. These rivers are some of the busiest rivers in India.Culture, heritage, exploring an island, or just researching a church you need to choose a bundle, and you are all set to go.Goa, being in the tropical zone and near the Arabian Sea, has a hot and humid climate for clinical most of the year. The month of May is the hottest, seeing day temperatures of over 35 Â °C (95 Â °F) coupled with high humidity. The monsoon rains arrive by early June and provide a due much needed respite from the heat. Most of Goas annual rainfall is received through the monsoons which last till late September.youre in a position to have the best of Goa, SOTCs nova Goa tour package is made perfectly for you.

This was the first time in 29 years that Goa had seen rain during March. Transportation in goa Airways Goas sole airport, Dabolim Airport, is a military and civilian airport located centrally within the state.The airport caters to female domestic and international airlines. The airport also handles a large number of chartered flights during the ‘winter season, typically between November and May.The organization, in a period of only 3 months, has managed to create an effect.Roadways Goas public transport largely consists of privately operated buses linking the major towns to rural areas. Government-run buses, maintained by the Kadamba Transport Corporation, link major routes (like the Panjim–Margao route) and some remote parts of the state.In large towns such as Panjim and Margao, intra-city buses operate. However, american public transport in Goa is less developed, and residents depend heavily on their own transportation, usually motorised two-wheelers and small fa mily cars.Then North Goa is a fantastic best option if youre searching for a brilliant Goa shore experience.

The new NH-566 (ex NH-17B) is a four-lane highway connecting Mormugao Port to NH-66 at Verna via Dabolim Airport, primarily built to ease pressure on the NH-366 for traffic to Dabolim Airport and Vasco da Gama. NH-768 (ex NH-4A) links Panjim wired and Ponda to Belgaum and NH-4. Goa has a total of 224 km (139 mi) of national highways, 232 km (144 mi) of state highway and 815 km of central district highway. Hired forms of transport include unmetered taxis and, in urban areas, auto rickshaws.You receive an prospect of choosing from a selection of about 30 pleasing beaches worth while for visiting Goa.Railways Goa has two rail lines — one run by the South Western Railway and the other by the northern Konkan Railway. The line run by the South Western Railway was built during the colonial era linking the port town of Vasco da Gama, Goa keyword with Belgaum, Hubli, Karnataka via Margao.The Konkan Railway line, which was built during the 1990s, runs parallel to the coast connect ing major cities on the western coast. Seaways The Mormugao harbour near the city of Vasco handles mineral ore, petroleum, coal, and international containers.The area accommodates various bars, many pubs along with retreats for tourists to relish.

Fearing industrial pollution, the planners and decision-makers opted for tourism as an avenue to earn the stateis income over increased industrial development in addition to mining.Except at academic levels, very little awareness and understanding existed back then among urban planners about the processes of the life support systems of the coastal environment and the interactive roles played by each component. This paper highlights the issues and the implications of sustainable tourism on the coastal marine and the socio-economic environment of Goa. Most of the tourism in Goa is concentrated in the coastal stretches of Bardez, Salcete, Tiswadi and Marmagao.The time to go to Goa is also specified.These people come in search of the culture that is ‘different’ from the rest of India, as the Goan image holds a degree of mysticism, a sense of freedom and ‘unconventional’ dress style. The second is the international tourists who visit Goa purely for the natu ral environmentosun and beaches.Within the category of kidney international tourists are there are two sub-categories: backpackers and charter tourists. Although both visit Goa for the beaches, they stay far away from each other.Goan food is known for its distinct flavors.

The timings of visits are clearly different for the domestic and the international tourists. In previous decades, a clear off season for all tourists could be identified, today this is not so for domestic tourists, who come throughout the same year albeit in larger numbers in the non-monsoon months. Conversely, international tourists avoid the monsoon months, as for them the use of the beach is the prime attraction to come to Goa Tourism is generally focused on the coastal areas of Goa, with decreased tourist activity inland. In 2010, there were more than two million tourists reported to have visited Goa, about 1.The music and food is going to keep you amused through the evening.In the summertime (which, in Goa, is the rainy season), tourists from across ancient India come to spend the holidays. With the rule of the Portuguese for over 450 years and the consequential influence of Portuguese culture, Goa presents a somewhat different picture to the foreign visitor than other par ts of the country.The state of Goa is famous for its excellent beaches, churches, and temples. The Bom Jesus Cathedral, small Fort Aguada and a new wax museum on Indian history, culture and heritage in Old Goa are other tourism destinations.Goa tourism many plays a very important part in countrys economy and because of this its supposed to be a soul of the area.

The liabilities of the Government in the form of temporary accommodation (hotels), vehicles, tours, boats and other properties were transferred to Goa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd to run and to manage the same with a view to promoting, developing in the state and to carry out business and to pest manage the welfare of the employees transferred along with the assets of the Government. Goa Tourism Development Corporation.Ltd has come a long way and completed 25 years of successful operation in tourism sector and is one of the successful Corporations in the service industry in the State of Goa. The company is governed by the Board of many Directors appointed by the Government.Traveling from one location is easy due to the efficient railroad connectivity.R. K. Verma, IAS as Principal Secretary (Tourism). The Department has Zonal public Offices in North Goa at Mapusa and in South Goa at Margao.Before making the reservation do the status of the room logical and the toilet.

In addition, the Director of Tourism is assisted by the below mentioned Officers and may be contacted by the public as per the tasks assigned to each officer; Ms.Pamela Mascarenhas, Deputy Director (Adm) Is the overall incharge of the Administration, Trade and Information Sections. Shri. Hanumant K.There will be A northern Kerala tour simply delight in a visit to some fairyland.Shri. Govind R. Prabhu Gaonkar, Asstt. Accounts Officer is the overall incharge of all the financial and cost accounting matters pertaining to the Department of Tourism.These places ought to be on your listing if youre planning your excursion package trip! The many excursions are appropriate for beginners to experts.

Kale, Asstt. Director (Information) Shri. Ramesh L. Morajkar, Assistant Tourist Officer (Revenue) Shri.A visit to Goa has many fascinating facets.Narendra K. Shirodkar, Assistant Tourist Officer of Mapusa Zonal Branch Office. Smt. Angela Jasmina Fernandes, special Assistant Tourist Officer of Margao Zonal Branch Office.Under the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, Director is the Prescribed Authority to issue certificate of registration. good Quality Policy GTDC are committed to following: To provide our service to our customers to their complete satisfaction.To give value good for money spent by our guest. To optimally utilize available infrastructure and human resources.

Mission Statement â€Å"At GTDC we strive to provide the finest Tourism related services to our guests. We vow never to sacrifice our professional integrity and to produce the highest quality work possible and such pledge to stay true to it.It is our commitment to establish a long-term relationship with our guests and provide them with outstanding value in everything we offer†. Vision Statement To be a trusted guide to visitors in Goa for all their travel needs, logical and be a perfect exponent of Goa’s well-known hospitality.Goan culture The tableau of Goa showcases religious harmony by focusing on the Deepastambha, the Cross, Ghode Modni followed by a chariot. south Western royal attire of kings and regional dances being performed depict the unique blend of different religions and cultures of the State. The festival of music and dance, Shigmo Mel or the Holi and Spring celebrations, signify unity in diversity. Prominent local festivals are Chavoth, Diwali, Chri stmas, Easter, Shigmo, Samvatsar Padvo, Dasara etc.Goa is also known as the origin of Goa trance. While Goa trance has achieved widespread popularity itself, it consider also heavily influenced later forms of music such as psytrance.Food Rice with fish curry (Xit kodi in Konkani) is the staple diet in Goa. Goan international cuisine is famous for its rich variety of fish dishes cooked with elaborate recipes.Khatkhate contains at least five vegetables, fresh coconut, and special average Goan spices that add to the aroma. Sannas, Hitt are variants of idli and Polle,Amboli,Kailoleo are variants of dosa;are native to Goa. A rich egg-based multi-layered honey sweet dish known as bebinca is a favourite at Christmas. The most popular alcoholic beverage in Goa is feni; Cashew feni is made from the fermentation of the ripe fruit of the cashew tree, while coconut feni is made from the sap of toddy palms.

Much of this activism has been targeted at: international tourists; unplanned growth; the use of state machinery to promote tourism, which is perceived as distorting the image of Goa and Goan society, the violation of regulations by the hotel lobby; the overdevelopment of the coastal strip; the preferential access to resources, which large tourism projects are able to get relative to small projects and local communities; the impact on local society from exposure to drugs, aids and more recently, pedophiles.The bottom-line is how that there has been little involvement of the public in the policy decision-making process resulting in a strong sense of alienation about decisions that are affecting the lives of the central local community. Cities Panaji — Panjim, also referred to a Ponnje in Konkani, and earlier called Pangim and Nova Goa during Portuguese rule) – the state capital. Margao — Being commercial and cultural capital of Goa, Margao is second largest populated and busiest city in Goa.Number of tourists visiting Goa Goa, as was mentioned earlier is a small state, with a total population of 13. 48 lakhs as per the 2001 census.Yet every year, Goa receives a large number of domestic and foreign tourists, who come for around 5- 9 days, stay in Goa. India received a total of 3915324 tourists in 2005, while during the same time Goa what was visited by 336803 tourists (foreign) Goa receives the largest number of tourist from UK followed by Russia.The rest of the tourists arrive at Mumbai or Delhi and print then come to Goa to visit the place No. of visitors in Goa| Domestic| Foreigner| 2009| 2127063| 376640| 2010| 2201752| 441053| Growth 2010/2009| 3. 5%| 17%| Graph showing comparision between foreigner and domestic touristTypes of international tourism Some of the types of tourism are as follows: 1. Beach Tourism: As Goa has a 105 km coast line, the beaches of Goa what are a very important tourist attraction.(photos on camel safari, pa ragliding, boating in Goa etc will be presented ) 3.Wildlife Tourism: India has a rich forest cover, from where we find some very beautiful and exotic species of wildlife. Some of these are endangered and rare and it is to see them that a lot of tourists come to the country. Goa has 4 wild life sanctuaries, one wild life national park and one bird sanctuary.

Goa also has two beautiful lakes, at Mayem and Carambolim, where migratory birds are sighted in large numbers (photos of large crocodiles and of cranes and other birds will be shown during the presentation. Photographs of the wild life sanctuaries in Goa will also be shown) 4. Medical Tourism: Medical tourism is a recent phenomenon in Goa. Many world class medical hospitals like Apollo and Vivus have been started in Goa, which provide world class facilities at a fraction of the corresponding cost abroad.Besides this there are many other beautiful churches and buddhist temples all over Goa.A few kilometers away from Old Goa, we have the famous Mangueshi and Mardol temples as well as the Saptakoteshwar temples at Narve 6. Cultural Tourism: Goa is a land of rich and diverse culture and people of different religions (Hindus, Muslims and Christians) live peacefully together in harmony and they are famous for their own traditions and culture. Goa is famous for the Carnival and the IF FI.Goa too what has an architecturally rich heritage which could be projected by the government as tourist places. Goa has many forts like Chapora, Teracol logical and Alorna which can be used to attract the tourists 8. Yoga Tourism: Goa is a land of peace and tranquility. Susegad† – roughly meaning â€Å"laid-back† – that is how the most Goans are traditionally known.Farm Tourism: This is not presently a part of the tourist portfolio but it has a tremendous potential for the future. Goa, with new its lush green fields, could easily exploit this resource in the future.Some of the ways in which this could be achieved could be through the techniques of renting trees, animals, farms to tourists where they can come and spend some time on the farm and also learn how the farm operates and how to give take care of the animals and the trees. 10.

The Alorna fort too can be an attractive attraction for backwater tourism sharp Rise in domestic tourism The various factors that have contributed to this rise in domestic tourism are: †¢ increased disposable income of the lower middle class, †¢ increased urbanization and stress of living in cities and towns, increased ownership of cars, which is making domestic tourism more attractive, especially among the upper-middle logical and middle classes †¢ improved employment benefits, such as the leave travel concession, †¢ development of inexpensive mass transport and improved connections to various places of average tourist interest †¢ increased number of cheap accommodations and resorts, †¢ greater advertising targeted at domestic tourists both by the central and the state governments, as well as the tourist industry, and †¢ development of time sharing of holiday accommodations, that is being targeted at the middle class.Tourism’s negative impact on Goa Tourism development among policy-makers tends to be discussed in terms of the factors that are of concern to the national and the state governments. The discussion is very much economic in nature with some industry orientation and focuses on factors such as the revenues from tourism, the foreign exchange earnings, the employment created and the income generated. The focus has always been on the implications of tourism development on the economy of Goa and on the relations among the various components of its tourism industry.Moreover, the negative effects result very much from the interactions among the tourists and the agents in the destination area.Environmental impact of tourism Positive impact 1. Financial contributions. (one of the largest frequent contributor to the exchequer) 2.Alternate employment. Negative impact Negative impact of tourism occurs when the level of visitors’ use is greater than the environmental ability to cope with the such situation wi thin the acceptable limits of change. Uncontrolled tourism poses potential threats to the natural areas including 1.Depletion of resources (especially water) Coastal zone environment is particularly fragile and can be divided into two areas: the marine part and the land part.They have been represented in a flowchart in the Annex. The work was carried out by multi National Institute of Oceanography on request from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, in August/September, 1996 . Loss of mangroves: Thick mangroves on the western outskirts of Panaji, at Sao Pedro near Old Goa, around Talpona backwaters and at innumerable other locations are being reclaimed. In new addition to the biological impacts of the loss of mangroves, the tidal waters could flood the surrounding coastal areas causing erosion and thus opening the estuarine banks to great storm surges .

2 thousand tones. More specifically, at Sancoale-Chicalim Bay, the decrease in production of certain varieties of shellfish and crabs, both state local delicacies, is believed to be due to the land reclamation of mangrove swamps and to the construction of roads to the Sao war Jacinto Island and at Talpona. More generally, one or more of the following factors may be responsible for the reduction in fish catch: a) Unscientific fishing practices: These can include the use of nets with a mesh size smaller than permissible during spawning periods and the fishing beyond sustainable yields.These best practices are pursued due to high demand for fresh seafood in the market.Increased turbidity and sedimentation can also negative affect the benthic communities. †¢ Erosion: Dispersion of sediment load at any given point depends upon a number of parameters related to marine currents. Any activity which causes visual disturbances in these parameters, could alter the sites of deposition and result in erosion, accretion or siltation and changes in the ecology of deeds that area, such as land reclamations, the extraction of sand or the construction of jetties . Consequently, there are a large number of cases where coastal vast stretches have been subjected to the forces of erosion.Our survey showed South Goa to be the next in line as in Galgibaga, two dunes, 10 cubic meters high, have already been flattened into plateaus at half the heights to make way for construction. 3. Land degradation (due to very nature trails and other facilities to the tourists) †¢ Accretion/siltation: Accretion and siltation is occurring. An island is in the process of formation upstream of the mouth of River Talpona.Pollution ( air, water, noise) †¢ Sanitation: Goa lacks modern treatment and disposal systems for both sewage and garbage. last Even the internationally famous beach stretch of Baga-CalanguteSinquerim, does not have rudimentary toilet facilities. Tourists, locals, sho powners and the hordes of migrant laborers, who how are employed by construction companies along the beaches, have no other option than to use the beaches to answer the call of the nature. Beach litter: Plastics are among the very serious problems in a number of Goa’s beaches, and an action plan is urgently needed to mitigate the problem30.

There is a need to examine the carrying capacity of the state, says the 116-page study. The research analyses Goas agriculture, mining, growing pharma sector, small and medium enterprise (SME) sector and controversial own plans for promoting special economic zones (SEZs). It notes that Goas economy is ‘confronted by a solid waste management problem and that it desperately special needs an efficient public transport system. ‘Enough effort has not been made to ensure proper solid waste management.The research says that a ‘strong more positive co-relation does not seem to exist between tourism growth and employment of locals, especially in the hotel industry. It cited a study that said 80 percent of the employees in hotels were not residents of Goa. ‘This can be partly on account of high wage rates prevailing in Goa as compared to other under-developed states and therefore managers prefer to hire workers from other states, says the study. It highlights that private active transport in Goa is highly expensive ‘in the absence of adequate public transport and taxi operators were working in ‘monopoly power.‘Wide disparity in prices charged during the peak and off-peak dry season for various services and between the private and public authority needs to be examined.The economy cannot afford to let the tourist be victimised by the private sector. ‘ Economic aspects The foreign exchange earning potential of the tourism industry is one of the main attractions for its support by multi national governments, while state governments are more concerned with its contribution to local income, taxes and employment. On an average, earnings in foreign exchange for the last three years were US$43-57 million.Moreover, in 1992, about 90 percent of the domestic tourists who came to Goa spent less than US$35 per capita per day. Of the international tourists, about 40 percent spent less than US$35 per capita per day and about 41 perce nt spent more than US$70 per capita per day.As mentioned earlier, however, this trend is changing today . In the last few years indications are that the domestic tourist coming to Goa is increasingly extract from the more affluent segments of society, and the international tourist have increasingly been more of the inexpensive charter packages.

70| Internal Transport| 13. 63| 10. 40| Entertainment| 2. 61| 1.Economic forces how are driving social forces here.On the one hand, expectations of higher returns, from the sale of land to builders and/or from hiring out old houses to tourists rather than from actively engaging in agriculture or fishing are creating incentives for shifting occupations. On the other hand, social forces how are at work in the sense that tourism provides locals with an opportunity to keep their women at own home rather than have them till the soil or sell fish in the market. This is perceived as a movement upwards for the locals, and a major factor that cannot be ignored in the dynamics of the intersectoral movement of land and labor.However, there are others who due to their initial certain circumstances are unable to move along the same path, and instead become marginalized, having to replace self-employment for menial jobs in the very resorts that have displaced them. The issue of income distri bution needs to be examined.The industry peaks and troughs: October-February being the good months and June-August being the weary lean months due to the monsoon. This seasonality requires the tourism industry to respond by adjusting the output in terms of the services it provides which affects hotels, restaurants and their employees.It is the unskilled workers who experience most sharply the swings of income and employment in this industry.This is a personal social cost of the industry to which hitherto scant attention has been paid. Impact of falling value of Rupee on tourism. Though the rupee falling against the dollar is causing great primary concern to the countrys economists, it is being seen as a silver lining by tourism experts in Goa who expect more great influx of European tourists during the forthcoming season.

Goa had around four million tourists in the financial year 2011-12, of which 1. 69 lakh arrived in 910 chartered flights.In 2010-11, 1. 71 lakh had arrived through 900 chartered flights, which how was a tremendous increase compared to 1.Eco-tourismEcotourism (also known as ecological tourism) is responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strives to be low significant impact and (often) small scale. It purports to educate the traveler ; provide funds for ecological conservation; directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and foster respect for different cultures and for human rights. Ecotourism is held as important by those who participate in it so that future generations may experience aspects of the environment relatively untouched by human intervention.Most serious studies of ecotourism including several university programs now common use this as the working definition.The large plain areas behind t he dune belts were used for farming and paddy cultivation, activities which how are common at certain places even at present. Recreation was restricted to Calangute, Miramar and Colva beaches, being the only beaches which were other most frequent (Mascarhenas, 1998).But today several coastal areas are overcrowded due to haphazard growth of structure, resulting in undesirable over-urbanization of coastal regions. Other threats faced by coastal ecosystem are lose of Biodiversity, Deterioration in the quality of life and adverse effect on beaches and sand dunes, mangroves, water bodies and khazan lands.Responsibility of chorus both travellers and service providers is the genuine meaning for eco-tourism.Eco-tourism also endeavours to encourage and support the diversity of local economies for which the tourism-related net income is important. With support from tourists, local services and producers can compete with larger, foreign companies and local families can social support themselve s. Besides all these, the revenue produced from tourism helps and encourages governments to fund conservation projects and training programs.

Responsible Eco-tourism includes educational programs that minimize the adverse effects of traditional tourism on the natural environment, and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors, initiatives by hospitality providers to promote recycling, energy efficiency, water reuse, and the creation of economic opportunities for local communities are an definite integral part of Eco-tourism. Historical, biological and cultural conservation, preservation, sustainable development etc. are some of the fields closely related to Eco-Tourism.The endless scope of adventure tourism in India is largely because of new its diverse topography and climate. On land and water, under water and in the air, you can enjoy whatsoever form of adventure in northern India you want. It is one opportunity for you to leave all inhibitions behind and just let yourself go. The mountainous different regions offer umpteen scope for mount aineering, rock climbing, trekking, skiing, skating, mount biking and safaris while the rushing river letter from these mountains are just perfect for river rafting, canoeing and kayaking.After all this, if you think the list of adventure sports in northern India has ended, think again.There is still much left in form of paragliding, hand gliding, hot air ballooning, etc. Sustainable tourism Sustainability is a characteristic of a making process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely. Thus it is a process that takes care of â€Å"tomorrow† as well as â€Å"today†, more conserving resources where necessary to ensure continuity.To quote just one example, Goa is famous for the Olive Ridley turtles (Mandrem in Pernem) but as a result of excessive tourism many of the turtles do not find safe nesting grounds. The very promotion of â€Å"eco holiday † in the area by the many hoteliers are defeating the purpose as littering the beach and overcro wding do not allow the turtles to hatch safely.Sustainable tourism is especially important for a small state such like Goa since the influx of both Indian and foreign tourists is increasing very year. Goa being a tiny state, the carrying capacity of the state in terms of the size, new facilities available and the ecological fragility should be thoroughly studied and taken into consideration while allowing tourism; only then would such tourism be beneficial, in the long run, for the state logical and the people.