Give Advice to a Business Visitor to Your Country free essay sample

SaharaI would like to say if anybody comes in our country, it’s our duty to ensure that when they go back they say it was a good country to visit and the people were also good, helping and polite. So I will start by giving you some Moroccan specialties and show the way of life in Morocco. First, let’s begin with the gift-giving. Moroccans like to get to know you before giving or receiving gifts. You should wait until after the first meeting to present a gift. When you are invited to a Moroccans home, you should bring a gift for the hostess. Gift of pastries, nuts or flowers are appropriate, then you mustn’t open a gift when received. Second, for women, being professionally dressed for business could be a business suit, dress or pant suit while still ensuring that you covered down to the below the knee and most of the arm. We will write a custom essay sample on Give Advice to a Business Visitor to Your Country or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For men, a dark colored business suit is appropriate. Third, the conversation in Morocco is a bit different as we discuss more about daily life, movies, series and football, Moroccans love football and support for the two biggest Spanish clubs is high here with a lot of rivalry. Also a greeting from a Moroccan will be a handshake at the first meeting and until they get to know you. Once a relationship has been established the greeting will be a kiss on both cheeks. What more can I tell you about my country. Oh I forgot to tell an important thing, if you are invited to a Moroccans home you should always remove your shoes before entering and you must eat from the section of the bowl that is immediately in front of you. Finally, traditionally, the left hand is considered unclean and the right hand should be used for pretty much everything. Do not gesture or eat with your left hand, even if you are left handed. That’s all what you have to know about Morocco, you are welcome and make yourself at home.

Journal Analysis essays

Journal Analysis essays In the journal entry that I read, stereotyping and how it impacts us, there are many different type of studies that they use to find the information that they have come to. Stereotyping can influence people in many different ways because they think that they can be like the ones they stereotype. In the first study Gray looked at the subtle and blatant acts of self-relevant stereotypes. The goal of her study was to find out if the thought that Asians are as good in mathematics as they are thought to be. She wanted to find out if the myth was true and to be able to see if many of the ideas are told to be subtle or blatant. The method of choice made by Gray was to design a test that would show that seventy-three Asian Americans attending Harvard would do experiments and to help her reach her goal. The subtle condition in her study was to show Asians were associated with prime stereotypes. The students were asked a series of questions to put them into a stereotype. The blatant condition was completed by; reading and analyzing another question there. The procedure Gray used was individually evaluating the Asians after the test a final questionnaire was given and showed if they were talented in math. The results found from this experiment were the same in both the blatan t and subtle stereotypes. I feel that the conditions the Asians were put under were greatly different in each of the two tests. I would ask only one question; if one were all around smarter than another would the outcome be significantly different? A strength in the study would be that they were looking for only math and no other subjects. A weakness that was brought to my attention would be that the study shows answers given under two different conditions. The second study shows the impact of positive stereotypes on targets and non- targets. The purpose of this study is to find the effects on presentation by different stereotypes. ...

Russian Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Russian Politics - Essay Example The implication of this is that previously, the citizens would not be allowed to take sides in any political contest and those who involved themselves in political contests were meted with harsh penalties; however, there has been a transition that was brought about by the collapse of the formers Soviet Union. Though the democracy in Russia cannot be said to be perfect, it is worth analyzing as the regime has tried to bring some democratic ideals in the Russian society as opposed to the prevailing conditions in Russian politics in the 1980s at the peak of Soviet rule (Hancock et al, 2012). Since 1991 under Boris Yeltsin, Russia, Russia has undergone numerous changes in its politics that had an effect of improving the economic and social aspects of the citizens in Russia. The reforms that were carried by President Boris Yeltsin are a continuation of those that were initiated during the Soviet Union leader under Mikhail Gorbachev. Russia under President Putin The current regime in Russi a under the strong leadership under President Putin’s United Russian Party cannot be described as a democracy despite the citizens of Russia being allowed to participate in democratic elections. ... The democratic process in Russian elections is also subverted through the offering of financial aid and support to largely unpopular candidates fronted by the regime. The Russian elections of political leaders has been proved to be unfair as there have been rampant falsification and improprieties of the elections whereby officials close to the regime disqualify competitors on unwarranted technicalities as well as using state resources to campaign for political posts. The regime has also broken the law by breaking the laws that control election campaign spending. At the election campaigns of 2007-2008, Putin and his supporters played politics of incrimination of the liberal opposition as plotters of the fall of Russia through the help of external forces. Putin claimed that the opposition had learnt from external western players on organizing revolutions and that they had been trained in those countries to do the same in Russia. He also claimed that the opposition forces were funded by foreign missions. President Putin also employs propaganda through the control of the Russian information space where the conspiracy theory is put into great use to win elections and support. Hancock et al, state that after 2011, Russia adopted a new sense of politics in the wake of the protests occasioned by the society’s tedium with tolerance for oppressions and uncompetitive elections of the previous decade. The climax of the society’s frustrations reached its climax when thousands took to the streets to find expression for their anger following the State Duma election that was marred with election fraud. This protest movement continued persistently throughout 2012, as the regime experienced an extraordinary wave of mass protests in cities

Education Policy and No Child Left Behind Act Research Paper

Education Policy and No Child Left Behind Act - Research Paper Example From the discusssion it i clear that the education in the US schools has been passing through crisis and that is what has been opined by the experts time to time. When Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is already active since 1965, what is the need to enact a new legislation under the name and style of the NCLB Act of 2001? In order to get an appropriate reply to this basic question, it will be most pertinent to scrutinize the prevailing state of educational affairs in the US schools. Some of them are worth pondering as being listed in the ensuing paragraph.This essay stresses that  that only 30 percent of students entering high school are able to read at grade level. This simply means that only one-third of the students are ready for college education. Only 50 percent of students of color go for higher studies after finishing their high school. The dropout rates are fairly high at nearly 7,000 high school students on every school day. In the highly competitive job mark et, the high school dropouts are at odds to get a good-paying job. They are more at risk of turning less healthy and die earlier. They are likely to become parents relatively at young age and need social welfare assistance in their life impacting society at large. Students' performance highly depends upon the teachers and their skills. Schools who cater to poor students find it most difficult to recruit certified and experienced teachers.; moreover, almost 50 percent of the teachers leave the profession in five years and 33 percent within 3 years of their joining. Surprisingly, the US schools spend over $ 2.6 billion every year just to replace the teachers who have left the profession. It is astonishing to note that about 70 percent of all eighth-grade students are unable to read at their grade level; this is what has been reported by the National Assessment of Educational Progress in their report card (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2012). The shortcoming comes in the way of the students especially, the students of color and English language learners to pass high school diploma. Research indicates that students drop out due to their weak performances in Math and English. It is quite obvious that students cannot master higher courses at graduate level when they find difficulty in reading and comprehending the content offered in their textbooks. They remain weak in Math because they are unable to understand the theories explaining Math. Arguments against NCLB Some of the major arguments that have been proposed against NCLB can be described as per the following (Carleton, 2012). 1. The program has not been funded adequately by the federal government ever since its inception. 2. How students perform on math and multiple-choice reading tests could be the sole basis of their achievements. 3. All efforts of the teachers are directed and focused toward 'test' because of the fear that in the event of students failing the test their own jobs may be in jeopardy. Expe rts argue that due to this narrow approach creativity has been lost in the education. 4. A special emphasis has been given to math and reading

Raynauds Phenomenon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Raynauds Phenomenon - Essay Example The primary type may proceed into secondary which may in severe cases culminate in gangrene and necrosis. Raynaud’s phenomenon is thought to result from over activation of the sympathetic system, which is characterized by vasoconstriction leading to a state of lack of oxygen in the tissues. In a patient with Raynaud’s phenomenon, there may be three skin color changes; at first the skin may undergo pallor which is primarily due to constriction of arteries (Spencer, 1998). This may be followed by cyanosis which is blueness of the tissues due to hypoxia, with the final change settling in as rubor that is redness due to return of blood into the arteries of the affected parts. However, it is not obligatory that all patients have a triphasic change of colors. In fact, it is now believed that most patients present only with bluish discoloration of digits, which is known as acrocyanosis (Sharathkumar, 2011). However, some groups of thoughts negate the idea, they believe that ac rocyanosis is distinct from Raynaud’s phenomenon since it is characterized by continuous cyanosis (Wigley, 2002). Raynaud’s phenomenon in infants is a rare finding. One such finding was relegated by a research paper consisting of a case report regarding an infant presenting with unilateral cyanosis at 1 month of age, who was later diagnosed to have primary Raynaud’s phenomenon at 9 months of age (Sharathkumar, 2011).

Comparative Political Systems France Germany Politics Essay

Comparative Political Systems France Germany Politics Essay France is a democratic republic with a parliamentary founded on the principle of the division of powers: executive, legislative and judiciary. The Federal Republic of Germany has a democratic constitution and its constitution was elaborated in 1949 with the great West powers help such as the United States, Great Britain and France. Their parliamentary and democratic constitution is based on the Constitution of the United States and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789. But Germany is a federal country and differs with France by its original organization. Firstly, what is a federal state? In fact, it is like an association of different states where the central power coordinates several departments. However, each state itself has significant autonomy. Each federated state has its own government, its own deputy chambers. After the First World War, the Weimar Republic also had a federal system. The only period without federalism was under the third Reich with Hitler in 1949. The notion of native country is very strong in every German speaking country. Indeed, the native country is more important than the nation. In addition of being a federal country, German political system is very structured. The executive power is in the hands of the President, the chancellor and the Là ¤nder. The president is not elected by the universal suffrage and in fact, has just a representative role. The president is elected for a term of five years, not more than two terms by a federal assembly which is constituted by deputies of the Bundestag, the federal dieting and by the Landtage delegates. Moreover, during the French-German summits, we can see two public figures on stage; on the one hand is the German chancellor and on the other hand is the French president. Thus in France, unlike in Germany, the President is the most important figure. The French presidential election proceeds like the legislative elections. There is then a second round if none of the candidates obtains the majority in the first round. The candidature to the presidential election obliged the candidates to obtain 500 signatures of elected people, whether they are Deputies or local Counselor. The French President appoints the Prime minister who appoints the government. The President leads the ministers council. The President approves or refuses to promulgate new laws or to appoint the public officials. He is the head of the national protection and has the highest power to decide to use the French nuclear or not. He is also the head of the foreign affairs, one of his most important representative roles. He can dissolve the National Assembly after consulting the Prime Minister who is the head of the National Assembly and the Senate. The German chancellor, or prime minister, is in charge of the Federal Government, is appointed by the Parliament and finally forms the Government. The Là ¤nders are elected by the universal suffrage, have their own parliament and their local government. The French Prime Minister, appointed by the President, can recruit the ministers he wants and suggests them to the president. The prime minister exerts a strong power on the Assembly and leads the French government. The German legislative power is the federal parliament which is constituted by two chambers: the Bundestag or the deputy chamber which is elected by the universal suffrage for four years and the Bundesrat which represents each Là ¤nder. The members of the Bundesrat are appointed by their local government. The Bundestag votes the laws, elects the federal chancellor and controls the government. Half of their deputies are directly elected by a simple majority, the other half are locally elected and have to have at least 5 five per cent in the party they are in to be represented. The Bundestag has 656 seats. The Bundesrat represents the sixteen federal Là ¤nder and is composed of sixty nine delegates appointed by the local government. Each Là ¤nder is represented by three to six delegates who can only express their opinion in a whole. When the Bundestag and the Bundesrat disagree, an arbitration committee is formed with members of these two chambers. The French fifth Republic is a democratic and parliamentary regime. It is bicameral with the presence of the National Assembly and the Senate. Both of them form the Congress. The Senate represents regions and villages and is composed of 422 members called senators. Their term of office is very long because it lasts nine years. One third of the senators are reelected every three years. They are indirectly elected by the senator delegates. The senate discusses the laws which have been voted by the National Assembly and approves or refuses them. The senate tends to be conservative and this can explain the left parties toughness with their members than with the right parties. Unlike Germany, France is a totally centralized country where the central power is in Paris. Doubtlessly, the different regions exist but hardly have autonomy because decisions are taken in Paris. This can be explained by the wishes of all the kings of France since Hugues Capet in 987, later followed by Louis XIV who all wanted to attract aristocratic people in order to watch them closely. The French revolution and then the emperor Napoleon had just strengthened the French centralization. Despite many clashes in France, French people are more patriotic than German people. French people feel that they are the heirs of a long cultural and state tradition. They feel that they belong to an entity, the nation which is for them something stable, immutable, or even endless. The French communist PCF (parti communiste franà §ais) party was the second most powerful party in the West after the Italian communist party. During these last three decades, the French communist party has always had the dissenting role. Despite their high affinity with the working class, they are left out of the national government. Their role is almost only local where there is a high amount of working people. The extremist FN (Front National) party like the National Front has always been led by one man named Jean-Marie Le Pen who is the heir of a tradition which is the extreme right. Their supporters and the extreme left have in common the basic dissatisfaction of their present governing political party. Like the leftist, the extreme right hates the ruling and political class which are for them part of the general conspiracy against people. This party dream of a fundamental change of the society. Unlike the extreme right party which is anti-individualistic and anti-Semitic, the extreme left is individualistic and anarchistic. Their ideal is a hierarchical society, strictly ordered and disciplined. This party is hardly happy because they think that their country is gnawed by virus which is composed of Jewish people, crooked politicians, selfish intellectuals, homosexuals, immigrant workers, and sick people from the HIVà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Jean-Marie Le Pen supports the idea of xenophobia which is widespread in France because some French people are overwhelmed by a swarthy immigrants and colored peoples wave. The feeling of their powerlessness caused by this immigration is growing more and more because all these hated people have the French nationality. Jean-Marie Le Pen and his supporters want to modify the French nationality regulation, making it restrictive. The oldest and one of the greatest parties in Germany is the SPD which is a social democrat party. This party was founded before the Second World War. The CDU party was founded in 1945 after the Second World War for the socialist reorganization of the society. This party thinks that the Marxist socialism is the best way to come to the Christian ideals. This party is like the PSU party, they are both communist. The FDP is a liberal politic German party founded in 1948. This party defends the basic freedom and free trades. This party is nowadays the third party of the Bundestag by their seats number which has 96 deputy seats. It is also present in five out of sixteen Là ¤nder. It is the party of the executive people, the high and middle class. The FDP has governed for 42 years in total and is now still governing after ten years of opposition. To conclude, these two countries have slightly different political systems but they are both one of the worlds power. The Federal Republic of Germany is the most populated country in the European Union with about 80 million inhabitants since the reunification of Germany in 1990. Moreover it is the third economic power after the United States and Japan. Thus, it is an important part of the European Union like France with their economic power. France is historically one of the firmest supporters of European Integration and this has benefited French industrialization significantly.

Skin Care Essay -- essays research papers

The eyes are described as the windows of the soul, the mouth as the courier of thought, and the nose as the servant of olfaction. The skin is just the frame to the picture. Unfortunately, many judge themselves according to this frame. They could either have feelings of content or censure of their own physical features. Good health and self-esteem go hand-in-hand during the process of exercising and establishing good health habits. The skin's clarity of acne, wrinkles, and sunburns is merely an assistance to their stature of confidence. Having healthy skin is a step to confidence. Becoming worry-free of appearances is Practicing good sleeping, eating, and drinking habits lead to the success of a healthy looking person. Adolescents need about 8-10 hours of sleep a night, and adults need less than that. However, the body needs to rest and save energy for ongoing activities. Eating properly from the four basic food groups maintains the balance of proteins and nutrients. Fluid consumption of water is more recommended by doctors than the choice of soft drinks that are out on the market. Water provides plenty of water is a the key to have that fresh natural look. When actress, Rebecca Gayheart, (the commercial model of Noxema) was interviewed by Shape magazine in the 1998 November issue, she said, "My beauty routine is basically plenty of sleep and lots of water." Exercising regularly will circulate blood and keep skin firm and toned. Getting involved in an activity t...

Causes and Consequences of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu

Causes and consequences of the battle of Dien Bien Phu Examine the causes and consequences and consequences of the battle of Dien Bien Phu, 1954, which affected the lives of the Vietnamese until the 1960's. Dien Bien Phu, 1954, was the final battle of the first Indo-China war. Lasting 55 days, the battle had French troops attempt to hold an armed camp against the Viet Minh, who greatly out-numbered them. Dien Bien Phu was situated in a valley in Northern Vietnam, surrounded by mountains.The French believed this strategic setting would give them an advantage, but the Viet Minh were clever. They tunnelled their way into the the French camp and after seven weeks of brutal, intense fighting the French commander; Henri Navarre, ordered a ceasefire. The causes of this event are; the division of Vietnam, 1946 and the first Indo-China war, 1946-54. The battle of Dien Bien Phu also had important consequences that affected the lives of the Vietnamese. These are; the Geneva conference, 1954 and the appointing of Ngo Dinh Diem as Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam.The first cause of the battle of Dien Bien Phu was the division of Vietnam in 1946. After thousands of years of occupation, Vietnam and it's people had developed a strong sense of nationalism. During World War II, it was once again occupied, this time by the Japanese. When Japan surrendered in 1945, Vietnam was free for the first time. Ho Chi Minh and his fighting force; The Viet Minh, took control of the country. On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. However, their happy independence did not last long.The Allies of WWII agreed that Indo-China should be occupied by the Chinese nationalists, who were fighting the communists at the time, with the South being controlled by the British. When the British arrived, their general, Gracey, began to organise the return of the French. With the Chinese nationalists busy fighting a civil war at home in China, Ho Chi Minh's democr atic republic was allowed to continue, however, in February 1946, the Chinese nationalists handed northern Vietnam back to the French. Things were once again how they had been before the Japanese occupation in WWII.This lead to the battle of Dien Bien Phu, as the Viet Minh were angered that their newly gained independence had been stripped away. The French were back in control of the entire country of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh's forces were prepared to fight to regain the independence they had yearned for for centuries. The second cause of the battle of Dien Bien Phu was the first Indo-China war, 1946-54. With the French back in control of Vietnam, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was crushed. Neither the French nor the Viet Minh like the others' presence in Vietnam.Tensions were high and war was coming. Finally on 23 November, 1946, the French planes and ships bombed the Vietnamese section of the Haiphong Port. This attack killed approximately 6,000 people. For a few weeks there we re acts of revenge from the Vietnamese, and counter-revenge by the French, until war began on 19 December. The Viet Minh's tactic was guerrilla warfare, while the French tried to proceed with a more traditional style of fighting. The French decided to put the former emperor; Bao Dai, back on the throne, to placate to Vietnamese people.This lead to two opposing groups of Vietnamese fighters. By 1949, Mao Zedong won the civil war in China, meaning Ho Chi Minh now had an ally on the northern border. With Mao's influence, the Viet Minh's tactic changed from guerilla warfare to mobile warfare, meaning they now launched larger, deadlier offensive attacks. Chinese materials supported their assault, while the US sent materials to the French. When China became involved in the Korean War in 1950, materials ceased to flow into Vietnam, although the Viet Minh were persistant and despite their lack of resources, they continued to fight back.By this point, war had been on for a duration of six ye ars. The French began to recruit Vietnamese soldiers, although they distrusted them greatly. Even so, it became apparent that the Viet Minh vastly outnumbered them. By 1953, the French knew the war had to end, fast. General Navarre devised a plan to trap the Viet Minh into attacking the village of Dien Bien Phu. The first Indo-China war was a cause of the battle of Dien Bien Phu, as it was set up by the French as a way to end the war, although this didn't exactly go to plan.The first consequence of the battle of Dien Bien Phu was the Geneva conference. In February 1954, Britain, France, the USSR and the United States planned a conference to decide the fate of Korea and Indo-China. On April 26, 1954 the conference opened. Korea was the main focus of the conference until the day after the battle of Dien Bien Phu, at which point the focus changed to Vietnam. Besides the four main powers, others attending the conference included; China, Cambodia, Laos, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the State of Vietnam.The US was strongly opposed to the idea of a united, communist Vietnam, due to plans such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. It was decide that Vietnam would be split at the seventeenth parallel, with Ho Chi Minh controlling the communist North and Bao Dai in charge of the capitalist South. The people of Vietnam had 200 days to choose which side of the border to move to and the Viet Minh had 300 days to move back to the North. The idea was that a general election would be held in July 1956, at which point the people of Vietnam would vote to decide its fate.This declaration was never signed, but was simply a verbal agreement, which was opposed by both the US and the State of Vietnam. This conference was a consequence of the battle of Dien Bien Phu, as it signalled the end of French control in Indo-China. A second consequence of the battle of Dien Bien Phu was the appointing of Nga Dinh Diem as Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam. Due to the com munist control in the North, Vietnam had gained the express attention of the United States.Due to their strong anti-communist stance, the US decided to back to back Ngo Dinh Diem as Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam. This was due to the fact that Diem was a devout Catholic and ardent anti-Communist. Diem took office on 1 July 1954, he had heavy financial support from the US to help fix Vietnam, much of which has been destroyed in the war. His immediate task was to crush his rivals; this included two religious sects; the Cao Dai and Hoa Hao, which he destroyed with military offensives and bribes. Also his firing line was emperor Bao Dai, who he got rid of by rigging a referendum.Diem promoted members of his family into high government positions, which lead to more of a mess than an organised government. In 1956, Diem felt strong enough to refuse the planned elections to untie Vietnam. He had gained many enemies, and decided to isolate himself, relying on his family for informati on. In response to the hatred of Diem, a South-Vietnamese communist movement was organised, they were named the Viet Cong. They gathered support from the people of South-Vietnam by using brain-washing techniques; they also launched a guerrilla attack against the enemy.As the Viet Cong's powers grew, so did the American support. But Diem became even less popular, and his number of enemies grew. In October 1963, the American government cut off some of its aid to Diem’s government. On 1 November Diem and his brother fled the presidential palace, but were captured and shot by their own generals. This was the end of Diem. His appointment was a consequence of the battle of Dien Bien Phu, as it is was a solution to the strong communist presence in the country that resulted from the success of the Viet Minh in the battle.The battle of Dien Bien Phu was a monumental event in Vietnam which decided the fate of Vietnam for the next 50 years. The causes of which were the division of Vietn am in 1946, and the first Indo-China war, 1946-54. There were also consequences that affected the people of Vietnam, such as; the Geneva conference, 1954 and the appointment of Ngo Dinh Diem as Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam. These consequences are not directly linked to the battle, but they are consequences of it nonetheless. Without the battle of Dien Bien Phu, who knows how Vietnam would have turned out.

The True Nature of the Private Sector in Nigeria

The True Nature of the Private Sector in Nigeria Free Online Research Papers The True Nature of the Private Sector in Nigeria By Ikechukwu A. Ogu. Generally, every free market economy is divided into two sectors, the public sector and the private sector. The former is â€Å"the portion of a nation’s affairs, especially economic affairs, that is controlled by government agencies†, while the latter is â€Å"the part †¦ that is made up of companies and organizations that are not owned or controlled by the government.† Despite this distinction, instances exist where the state invests in private sector concerns and becomes part-owner thereof, in addition to floating new companies or commercializing existing ones to compete with private sector organizations in economic activities. The above distinction between the two sectors is upheld in Nigeria on paper. But a scrutiny of the composition and modus operandi of most ‘private sector’ organisations and the intricate connection between them and ‘public sector’ institutions and officials in Nigeria reveals something quite contrary to the commonplace understanding of the two expressions. This distortion is rooted in the pervasive corruption and mal-administration which give every principle a different colouration and meaning in the country. As a result, we have the Nigerian version of almost every concept, such as the amusing Nigerian â€Å"home-grown democracy† which is nothing but a pervert of the generally accepted principles of democracy. As we shall soon see, many ‘private sector’ outfits in Nigeria are actually owned by public officers, their relations or fronts. This creates the impression that such organisations are extensions of the public sector and makes it difficult to know, in real terms, what constitutes the ‘public sector’ and ‘private sector’, respectively, in Nigeria. However, I will present my perception of the true nature of the Nigerian private sector, by looking at the actual structure and operations of the organisations which are passed off as such in Nigeria. This analysis does not pretend to be exhaustive. In the first group, we have corporations and institutions built and operated with public funds which are privatized and sold, under suspicious circumstances, to persons or companies fronting for high-ranking government officials, and thereafter presented as ‘private sector organisations’. Often, these government institutions are first run down by the officials who are bent on privatizing them, in order to justify their privatization. Then they are undervalued and sold at a discount, with no store set by the value of their assets and government’s investments therein. The funds used to purchase them, which were initially looted from public treasury, are further looted after their ‘remittance’ by the ‘buyers’ to government coffers. Till date, no one can point to any specific, genuine project to which the proceeds of the privatization of public institutions in Nigeria were channelled. The new owners may liquidate the company, merge or combine it with existing companies to form a monopoly or cartel for the exploitation of poor Nigerians. For instance, it was alleged that the ‘core investor’ who ‘bought’ the Ajaokuta Steel Company was busy cannibalizing and taking outside Nigeria the raw materials and products found within the complex. The next group is made up of companies incorporated by serving government officials, either using their names or (often) those of family members and friends as members/directors. What do these government officials do? They channel almost all juicy contracts in their organizations to such companies, while exploiting their links in other government institutions to secure more lucrative jobs for them. Such contracts are hardly ever executed according to specifications; most times, from the outset, the intention to do a shoddy job is shared by the parties, yet the company gets paid handsomely and continues to earn patronage from public institutions. Closely related to the above is another group consisting of companies owned by retired high-ranking government officials who corruptly enriched themselves while in service. These persons become contractors immediately upon leaving public office, use their ill-gotten wealth to establish blue chip corporate outfits and continue the looting of government funds in a private capacity. Where they have a good rapport with their successors-in-office, they easily secure very lucrative contract awards based on quid pro quo basis, and also exploit their connections in other government agencies to the same effect. The fourth group comprises private companies or organizations that depend solely on government patronage in order to remain afloat; they have no other customer(s) outside the government and its officials. These corporate outfits do everything – including bribing and blackmailing influential government officials – to secure contract awards from governments, its ministries and agencies. Thereafter, they supply substandard goods, render low-quality services, fail to execute jobs or execute same poorly, and then share the windfall with their benefactors. The companies here could be owned by politicians-cum-contractors, retired or serving public servants and their private fronts. From the proceeds of such corrupt contracts, some of these people make a public show of acts of philanthropy and arrogate to themselves the appellation ‘philanthropist’. The fifth class consists of companies owned by expatriates and their Nigerian collaborators. Here, we have the multi-national companies which have acquired the status of sovereign nations, being treated as extensions of their countries of origin. These outfits, whether owned solely by expatriates (which Nigerian law permits) or in association with their Nigerian fronts, create the impression of being in the country to do genuine business. The reality is that their mission is profit maximization, even at the loss and pain of their host nation. Aided by their local fronts and collaborators, they do everything to milk the country dry and contravene its laws. The recently unearthed bribery scandal involving the USA company Halliburton and some Nigerian officials is a case in point. In the sixth type are banks which depend heavily on deposits by the government and its agencies. Although they complement this with unwholesome, sharp banking practices against innocent depositors, most of these banks will soon collapse should state funds be withdrawn from them. Under the dubious ‘public private partnership’ (PPP) arrangements, these banks collude with public officials in a sham sponsorship of public projects by applying government funds in their custody thereto, which moneys are then presented as coming from the banks and to be repaid by the government with high interest charges. Also within this group are some private estate developers. Rumour has it that, based on underhand deals between them and some government officials, they easily get land allocations from the government and funds from public institutions like the National Housing Fund (NHF) with which they execute mass housing projects. These low-quality houses are then offered for sale to Nigerians at cut-throat prices, under the guise that the funds came from the private estate developers. This may explain why the NHF hardly ever gives housing loans to civil servants who are entitled to same, being legally bound to make monthly contributions to the Fund. At this juncture, I commend President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to give housing/land loans directly to public servants. In the seventh group are some prominent Nigerians who are granted oil blocs by the government or granted licences to lift crude oil or import refined petroleum products. These select few undeservedly feed fat on our common wealth and short-change Nigeria and Nigerians. In a country with more than 80% of its citizens in the throes of abject poverty, where successive governments ascribe their abysmal failure to ‘paucity of funds’, one is dumbfounded that few persons are given official licence to amass immense wealth from what belongs to all. Where is the sense in an oil-producing country, with four refineries, importing refined petroleum products? Some past rulers, after defrauding Nigeria, use their loot to build refineries in other countries to which our crude oil is now sent for refining! Again, allegations are rife that the licensed importers lift refined petroleum from Nigeria, move some nautical miles away, return to the country and make claims on government for impo rting same! This unchecked fraud accounts for the huge money successive regimes in Nigeria since the middle 1980s claim to be spending as ‘subsidy’ in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry! The eighth category is made up of companies which, apparently, may not depend much on government patronage in the real sense of it for their operations, but rely on the complicit indifference of regulatory agencies to their unwholesome business activities whereof they rip off poor Nigerians. The telecommunications and transport outfits are some very handy examples. These companies subject Nigerians to subhuman treatment and untold exploitation, while the authorities exhibit inertia. For instance, it is certain to the average Nigerian that the Nigerian Communications Commission, National Assembly and Ministry of Information and Communications are apathetic to the exploitation of Nigerians by the providers of mobile telephony. These companies impose whatever tariffs that suit their fancy, and arbitrarily review same upwards. The use of the expression ‘private sector organisations’ here includes the supposed non-profit oriented NGOs and companies limited by guarantee. A common characteristic of almost all these ‘private sector’ concerns is their penchant to do everything to frustrate any form of regulation in their relevant industries. The government agencies charged with their regulation easily become victims of regulatory capture, willingly or owing to blackmail, enabling the companies to feed fat on corrupt contract awards and profiteer at the expense of Nigeria and poor Nigerians. Without prejudice to the pervasiveness of this version of ‘private sector’ in Nigeria, one does not deny the existence of some private sector concerns in the real sense of the expression. Granted that some of the proprietors here may be fraudulent and predatory, others eke out an honest living in the midst of epileptic power supply, high expense on alternative power supply, bad roads, insecurity of lives and properties, high cost of transportation and other militating factors. Most of these people sold their family lands, buildings or other choice assets or even borrowed money from shylock-like money lenders to establish their businesses, and have no connection with public funds in terms of inflated, poorly executed or unexecuted contracts and corrupt deals through which public funds are embezzled in Nigeria. In my humble view, the foregoing is the true nature of the Nigerian private sector. It is this ‘private sector’ that successive Nigerian governments since the middle 1980s claim is duty-bound and best positioned to provide and manage basic amenities such as motorable roads, potable water, hospitals, schools, housing and electricity for the citizenry! But how organizations and proprietors that depend solely on government patronage, corrupt deals with public officers, shady contract awards from government agencies, the inertia of regulatory agencies, and who hardly deliver on such jobs are considered better placed to carry out this alien ‘duty’ remains a mind-boggling puzzle to me. Against this background, it is no wonder that despite huge annual budgetary allocations to capital projects and overheads, no appreciable progress has been made in Nigeria over the years. Almost the entire funds meant for capital projects and overheads end up in the pockets of serving or retired government officials, their fronts and private persons who are parasites on government funds. The much talked-about Public Procurement Act has not changed anything, for it is still business as usual in the award of government contracts. Government contracts are still awarded to the categories of ‘private sector’ organisations whose modus operandi we have seen above. Contrary to the accusing fingers the government points at the impoverished civil servant who earns less than N18,000 monthly, it is the incidence of corrupt contract awards, other corrupt deals, outrageous salaries and allowances of Federal legislators and political office holders, wastage of huge resources on white elephant projects, Nigeria’s sponsorship of several ventures which benefit foreign countries, etc, that deplete government funds. Within a space of four years, the salaries of political office holders have been reviewed upwards twice because same is no longer realistic under the prevailing economic conditions, while poorly paid civil servants are not considered equally entitled! It is not large workforce but misappropriated capital and overhead budgetary votes that greatly account for Nigeria’s stagnation. Is it the poor civil servant that awards contracts or disburses overhead votes? By induction from the foregoing, one can confidently say that Nigeria serves both the privileged public servant and the ‘private entrepreneur’ and nobody serves the country. If this ugly, unfortunate and dangerous trend is not checked, Nigeria will never move forward. In the midst of these corrupt practices, whatever lofty plans the government may have will certainly come to naught. May the merciful God salvage Nigeria and poor Nigerians from evil Nigerians in Jesus’ name, amen. Ikechukwu A. Ogu, a legal practitioner, writes from Central Business District, Abuja, Nigeria (ikechukwuogu@yahoo.com). Research Papers on The True Nature of the Private Sector in NigeriaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaTwilight of the UAWDefinition of Export QuotasThe Project Managment Office SystemUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductStandardized TestingIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalBringing Democracy to AfricaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

California Water Essays - Plumbing, Home Appliances, Water

California Water Essays - Plumbing, Home Appliances, Water California Water What do we use all this water for? Of all the water that falls to California, 60% is immediately returned to the atmosphere by evaporation or native plant use. The rest runs off into rivers, lakes, streams and the water table, where it is available for human use. We will explain what happens to all this water, show exactly how much water we do use, and give ways to reduce water use in and around your home. The single largest user of water is industry. Industries use 46% of our annual water supply. One industrial use is manufacturing, in various ways such as cooling of materials, washing of materials, products, tools, and equipment. For example, by the time a Sunday paper gets to your door, 1000 liters (280 gallons) of (poop)water have been used to produce it. A pound of steel uses 110 liters (32 gallons), but production of a pound of aluminum uses 3800 liters (1000 gallons) of water. A pound of synthetic rubber requires 1100 liters (300 gallons). The production of a car uses, on average, an incredible 380,000 liters (100,000 gallons). To refine 1 liter of gas, it takes 10 liters of water. Another big industrial use of water is disposal of waste products. They use water to wash away all the garbage on the floor, and to flush away dirty or contaminated water. They also throw out the hot water that is left after they cool metal. The second biggest user of water is agriculture and food processing, at 42% of total annual water use. More than 380 billion liters (100 billion gallons) of water are used for irrigation of crops each day in the United States. A fully grown cotton plant uses about a gallon a day. It takes about 3,040,000 liters (800,000 gallons) of water to grow an acre of cotton. Irrigation is the main agricultural use, but much of the water is used to feed and clean animals. Food processing uses lots of water, in preparation, washing, and packaging. Just think of all the water in a can of fruit cocktail or peaches. To get an egg from non-existence to your refrigerator takes 150 liters (40 gallons) of water. An ear of corn requires 300 liters (80 gallons). A loaf of bread takes double that at 600 liters (160 gallons). To produce a pound of beef takes 9,500 liters (2,500 gallons) of water! The most obvious use of water is in the home. We use water for cooking, bathing or showering, cleaning dishes, clothes, and cars, watering plants and lawns, drinking, and the all-important toilet. One person uses an average of 50 gallons of water a day just in the house. First, cooking. Most foods need to be prepared, and most of that uses water. Think of boiling things, all the recipes that call for water, making rice, potatoes, muffins, cake, almost every food uses water in some way. Washing a load of dishes uses between 8-12 gallons of water. Kitchen uses account for 7 of the daily 50 gallons. A normal shower head uses between 3-10 gallons a minute, and a low-flow shower head uses between 2-2.5 gallons a minute. A bath normally uses around 30-40 gallons. The 50-gallon total uses an average of 15 gallons a day for bathing or showering. A top-loading clothes washer uses between 40-55 gallons a load. A front loading washer uses 22-25 per load. This is 8 gallons per day! on average. A person only drinks about ? gallon of water a day, the rest of consumed water comes from foods and beverages. An old toilet (manufactured before 1976) uses about 4-6 gallons per flush. A normal toilet uses around 3.5 gallons per flush, while a low-consumption toilet (manufactured after Jan. 1st, 1994) uses only 1.6 gallons per flush. The bathroom (I'm popping wood right now) faucet uses 3-6 gallons a minute if it was made before 1976, and .5-2.5 per minute otherwise. Each person (on average) uses about 19 gallons in the bathroom (excluding shower/bath) each day. 7 People use about 50 gallons a day outside the home in a day, bringing the total to 100 gallons a day! The outside uses include washing cars, watering lawns, watering

International Maritime Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Maritime Policy - Essay Example However, the regime formation process has been extremely slow paced since the very beginning. Issues associated with national sovereignty and political interests of national players were arguably among the key reasons for that. The threats are not distributed evenly between different coastal countries. As a result, domestic policies of each country seek to address those problems which are present in its coastal area while problems perceived as less serious draw much less attention. However, these problems may be primary for the neighbouring countries: this difference in assessment of threats results in numerous difficulties accompanying the attempts to find a solution acceptable for the involved parties. Long-entrenched political interests prevent many states from giving the problem of creating effective international marine environment protection system. For example, during the negotiations over NOWPAP disputes over political issues (such as use of the name 'Sea of Japan' and legal terminology) not environmental issues dominated. Although regime building efforts have accelerated due to such events as the Nakhodka oil spill in January 1997 the overall progress in the field leaves much to be desired. Recent research into the factors that clarify the content, timing, and membership in various environmental agreements clearly demonstrates that the power and political or other interests of influential states create pressures for, or constraints on, progress in formation of effective environmental governance (Mitchell 2003). Apart from national and political interests that can be reasonably addressed as the most serious obstacles on the way of formation of effective marine regime, the issue of fitting the new regime into the existing framework of domestic and international legislation seems to be almost equally important. Many traditional norms of international and domestic marine law must be modified and removed in order to make the new marine regime a genuinely effective tool of dealing with contemporary threats. Therefore, research and political and legislative dialogue should continue in order to find the most adequate guidance that would help create effective marine regime without going into the traditional stumbling blocks of national sovereignty, long-entrenched national interests of different kind, etc. Question 2 The tragedy of the commons is a very interesting environmental theory which involves a conflict between short-term individual interests and the common good. The basic idea of the tragedy of the commons as presented by ecologist Garrett Hardin in his famous paper is the following: free access to limited communal resources, coupled with absence of restrictions for their use will inevitably lead to negative consequences for the whole community. Hardin demonstrates this rule using a simple example of sheep and herders, whom over-exploit a communal pasture paying attention only to selfish economic benefits, but it is also true for any other kind of resources such as water, fertile soil, forests, etc. The tragedy occurs because the benefits of exploiting such resources accrue to individuals, and each of these individuals wants to maximize use of the resource to further increase the benefits while the costs of such intensive exploitation of finite resources falls upon the whole

Hinduism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Hinduism - Essay Example To overcome the fear they turn to religion. This is evident from the statistics that show that those who are religiously active have lower mortality rates and lower levels of anxiety and depression. There seems an inherent human drive to believe in something transcendent, unfathomable and otherworldly, something beyond the reach or understanding of science (Henig, 2007). This paper will discuss the origin and belies of Hinduism and compare it with the beliefs of Christianity. Matter will be drawn from academic literature available. Hinduism is not a religion but a concept, a way of life that encompasses many religious thoughts and views. Its origin is in such remote past that it cannot be traced back to any particular individual. Some scholars are of the opinion that Hinduism must have existed even in circa 10000 B. C. and the ancient scripture Rig Veda was composed well before 6500 B. C. (Das, 2008). In fact even the term ‘Hindus’ is not found in any text. It was in traduced by foreigners to refer to people living across the river Indus around which the Vedic religion has believed to be originated. Unknowingly, many Hindu concepts were absorbed by everyone like the worship of the formless God. In fact the British coined the word Hinduism and to them Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism were all part of Hinduism (Ninan, n.d.). Hinduism has remained the most enduring concept and culture in the world. India is a land of diversity and is generally believed that the main religion is Hinduism. Hinduism is not really a religion; it is a way of life. It upholds the principals of virtuous and true living. The Hindu faith has no hierarchy, no organization, no founder, no structure and no central administration (HAWA, 2005). Anyone who believes in the omni-present, omnipotent and the omniscient non-dual Absolute, is a Hindu. Various names have been given to this Absolute –