Problems with morden life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Problems with morden life - Essay Example But modern science and technologies have made life the easiest ever. After man learned to travel fast from place to place within hours, during the present age of Information, they invented the Internet to communicate with others within seconds. All of these invented science and technologies have helped human beings to make their lives comfortable a lot. Now, human life has become more modern. Although, modern life may be convenient, it has negative sides too. The more life becomes easier and comfortable, the more man becomes idle. As a result, idle hours in modern life have caused serious damages the health of modern people. In our industrially developed corporate culture, we, the office-goers, can’t get enough exercise in modern life, because of sedentary jobs, cars and too many machines. As we know, sedentary jobs make people sit in the office andwork all day; they can’t do any exercise on their chairs. If people sit on a chair for a long time without any movement, their back may hurt and theirspinemay curve. It is really harmful for their bodies. Again the car is one of the great inventions in human civilization. It has changed humans’ lifestyle a lot. But, not all things that the car brings to us are good. One bad point is that people exercise less. In the past, when only wealthy people could buy a car, the commoners walked or rode bikes to go somewhere. Both of them are good exercise for people. But when cars become easily accessible to common people, they lose the chance to ride bicycles and also to walk. Thus, people became lazy and started to drive cars anytime instead of wa lking and riding bikes. The last thing that causespeople to get less exercise is too many machines of convenience.People need not only big movement but also small movement. Small movement is like using scissors to cut paper. It helps people to exercise their small muscles and sometimes it is important in preventing arthritis. However, when some machines of convenience

Educational interests and goals, educational background, special Essay

Educational interests and goals, educational background, special interests, and plans for when you return to your home country - Essay Example In 2006, I was given the Most Outstanding Boarder award from Hills International, as well as a Certificate of Achievement for academic results for demonstrating diligence in studies. I feel proud to state that, in 2007, I was among the top 10 percent of the Hills International graduating class. I received commendations for academic excellence in English and Mathematics, and in Physical Education. I also received the prestigious Caltex All Rounder Award for achievement at school and in the broader community. I was College Captain of Hills International College in 2007, and was also a student of the Hills International Golf Academy in 2006-2007. Sport has been an important part in my life-golf is a passion with me. Interest in the game developed because of my family-especially my dad-who, having served three terms as club captain of the Sabah Golf and Country Club, also takes keen interest in junior golf development in Malaysia. I started golf at the age of 12 under my father's coaching, and later trained under British and Australian PGA's. I have received many awards in the sport (a detailed list is enclosed), among which are the First Place for Girls Under 12 Sport Excel Junior Circuit qualifier (Sabah-2002) and the Best Overall Position for All Sabah Players-2003(international Event). In Australia, I represented the Methodist Ladies' College in the golf tournament for Western Australian schools, and also the Royal Fremantle Golf Club in all junior tournaments. My current scores are: average scores 9 rounds, 693 strokes, average 77; Personal Best Tournament Score 72 (par). I derive inspiration for my game from Jason Day, who studied at Hills, and is a golf buddy. Jason was the World Junior Champion in 2004. I spend an average of four hours a day practicing golf. I also play badminton, basketball and touch football for fun. I represented my school in Badminton, cross-country and middle distance running. I am also a PADI open water diver and have logged over 50 dives. I frequently dive at Sipadan Island, which has some of the best diving spots in the world. I read a lot during my free time, especially after my golf practice, which helps me to unwind. I have participated in arts and musical events too while in school. I passed the examination in Pianoforte with high honors, and obtained the third position in the 21st Inter-Secondary Schools Choral competition. I now play the piano for relaxation. I also received an 'Outstanding Achievement' mention in the poster competition for the theme Sports against Drugs under the Rotary Youth Leadership Development Program (2002). I have had some work experience, having worked as 'Assistant Banker' at the Commonwealth Bank, Claremont (W Aus.) in 2005. I have also done voluntary work with the deaf and dumb center at Bukti Padang, Malaysia. Here I participated in activities with hearing impaired children, and was a 'buddy' to a child at the center. I learned sign language for this purpose. I enjoyed my time and learned a lot during the past 3 years in Australia. I had the chance here to meet many friends and people from different parts of the world. It is this experience away from home as a student-athlete, which taught me the importance of being independent, as well

Effect Of Globalisation On Social Welfare

Effect Of Globalisation On Social Welfare To understand the concept of Glocalization, an understanding of globalization as a process is to be gained. Since glocalization has basically two positions, both defined by the concept of globalization. The two statuses of Glocalization are: Firstly, glocalization can be seen as a result of and an alternative to globalization, and secondly, it may also be referred to as an opposition to globalization. Since most of the scholars involved in explaining glocalization, has often taken the understanding that it emerged because of the grave problems and the negative impacts or consequences of the globalization process. Globalization as a process of integration and interconnectedness in terms of economic, social and political forces has led to various outcome. It has led to greater interaction among states and also led to the increase of non-state actors like transnational corporations and multinational corporations in the economic sector all around the world. And it also brought a decrease in the role of the state and led to the emergence and proliferation of a number of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and non-state actors in the economic, political and social sectors which operated and had implications on the global and the local arena. Such interaction of the global and local forces is termed as glocalization, the interaction of local-level government with the state and the interaction of this state and its representation in the international/global arena is what glocalization captures. Glocalization basically refers to the interaction or a blending of the local forces with the global forces, or vice-versa, impacting and influencing the other sector. Glocalization in terms of the social aspect basically refers to the impact of globalization on social aspects such as culture, and also in terms of social welfare it relates to the forces involved in the matters of rights, education, women and children and also the ecology. Insecurity is what its based on; earlier insecurity existed only in military terms; of one country going into war with the other; however the concept of security and insecurity now deals with other sectors i.e. the non-traditional security relating to the environment and others. Globalization increa sing the interaction among nations and bringing about a homogeneous notion of culture, security and economy has now led to a proliferation in matters of insecurities. It has added more problems to the world today. Globalization and increasing economic interconnectedness was supposed to be directed towards the entire world contributing to world economy in order for everyone to be well off, however such economic accomplishments have only been diverted mostly towards the developed or the rich countries, thereby it is felt that globalization has increased the level of poverty mostly in the already poor developing or underdeveloped or undeveloped countries, especially the third world countries. When the arguments of the hyper globalists are taken we see that globalization was intended on creating one world, a homogeneous entity. Homogeneous in terms of economy, political and socio cultural aspects, glocalization on the other hand has been seen to emphasize heterogeneity; mainly in terms of culture the term associated would be Creolizaiton- referring to the evoking of cultural fusion and the emergence of new cultures across the globe. Other synonyms for glocalization of culture, and creolization would be mixture or hybridization. On cultural terms we see glocalization to stand contrary to what globalization advocates. One definition of glocalization to be noted is; Glocalization can be defined as an interpretation of the global and the local, resulting in unique outcomes of different geographic areas, it emphasizes global heterogeneity and tends to reject the idea of the West/ Americanization. The concept of glocalization is seen to be contrary to Modernization Theory, which dealt with issues of central concern in the West and the rest of the world to blindly follow the West. Tony Blair, Globalization as a process has been termed as an irreversible and an inevitable process: Bill Clinton, Globalization is not a policy choice, it is a fact. This shows that the west had too much faith in the process of globalization and its impacts. Therefore, it is here that glocalization provides for a critique and an alternative to the globalization, since globalization now is taken as an important process and many have ignored the problems caused by it, glocalization theorists point out to these problems and therefore formulate their idea of the concept that developed. Economically, glocalization would mean the local control of the economy and fair distribution locally. Technology and Information to be encouraged to flow when and where they could strengthen the local economies. The problems of globalization, first would be that with its idea of liberalization, increases the integration of markets and also increases interference. Colin Hines mentions that this leads to reduction of democratic controls over economic affairs, international competition leads to increases interference and therefore leads to erosion of social welfare standards and an environmental regulation with regard to international trade is lost. The burden basically falls on the third world developing countries. In this context what Hines suggests is localization, that is the seen as an alternative to the problems created by globalization, by localization, Hines means which reverses the trend of globalization by favoring the local. Why the critique of globalization emerged, was because with the principles of integration and interconnectedness globalization was to provide an overall development, that is development of countries all over the world, a global process of development was to foster growth in the economic, political and social sector of the entire nation states. However this was not so, instead it has been pointed out that there was a global rise in inequality, declining social and environmental conditions and a loss of power by the sovereign state, local governments and citizens and the major beneficiaries of these processes were the Transnational Corporations (TNCs) and the multinational corporations (MNCs), there was a sharp increase in underdevelopment and underpayment. In the 1 960s the income of the richest fifth of the worlds population were 30 times greater than that of the poorest fifth, and in 1991 it was over sixty times and the 1998 report by United Nations, it was seventy-eight times high. In the 1990s the International Labor Organization reported that one third of the worlds population were underemployed. The 1990 report by the International Labor Organization mentioned that one-third of the worlds population were underemployed.1 Globalization therefore was seen to have negative impacts on nation states, the gap between the rich and the poor were widening. Globalization stands for delocalizaiton i.e. displacement of activities which were local and turning it into a world-wide activities. Globalization stood for the lifting of social activities out of the local knowledge and placing them in networks in which they are conditioned by and condition world-wide events. The process of globalization stands for homogenization, where the processes around the world become one and the same for all the countries. Global actors or institutions like the TNCs engage themselves in different countries, however they do not totally bring about homogenization, certain companies do get involved and adapt to local conditions to maximize local demand for products and service and to minimize their chance of being discriminated against by trade and investment. This is known as Glocalization, defined as a companys attempt to become acc epted as a local citizen in a different trade bloc and little control is given to the area of strategic concern. On economic matters, due to globalization the delocalization gaps between the rich and the poor countries are widening. GLOCALIZATION AS A PROCESS: Glocalization involves the blending of the global and local forces. Its evolution was based on a Japanese term Dochakuka which meant the adoption of farming technique to ones local condition. In the business world the term actually mean global localization, according to Wordspy, glocalization refered to the creation of the products or services intended for the global market, but customized to serve the local cultures, in social sciences the term used or a synonym for glocalization is indigenization. 2 Ronald Robertson has been an important figure in the study of globalization. For him, globalization was not a recent phenomenon, it has existed as a part of the modernization theory, with its emphasis on convergence and homogenization (basically westernization), and he mentioned globalization as the interpenetration of the universalization of the particularization and the particularization of universalism. Globalization and glocalization was to be thought of as interdependent processes, Robertson argued that local and global instead of constituting analytical opposites locality can be regarded, with certain reservations, as an aspect of globalization. 3 Hines, Colin. 2000. Localization: A Global Manifesto, London: Earthscan. Khondker, Habibul.H. Glocalization as Globalization: Evolution of a Sociological Concept, Bangladesh e-journal of Sociology, Vol.1, No.2. July 2004. Eade, John. Living the global City: Globalization as a local process, Routledge Publ. Robertson mentions glocalization to be an accurate term to describe the global/local relationship. There exits the globalization of the locality and the localization of what is global. As such the processes are that of macro localization and micro globalization. Habib in his work Glocalization as Globalization: Evolution of a Sociological Concept, cites examples of such micro globalization and macro localization. For the former he cites the example of social movements like the feminist and the ecological movements which start in small local spaces and then gets expanded to a larger area, also a global arena. Contrary to this view of globalization and glocalization being interdependent processes is the view of the likes of Midgley, who view globalization to be harmful for local economies, as they undermine the role of the sovereign states and uphold the roles of corporations and also create unemployment and poverty in various parts of the world. They believe that globalization leads to a lack of accountability in the new emerging era and as increased economic forces and complex international relations make it difficult to identify the source of the problem, as such so assigning of little responsibility to nation state or companies for any harm that maybe inflicted upon society as a whole and therefore scholars prefer glocalization to enhance the social welfare of citizens. In the era of globalization the role of the state in the social arena is decreased and therefore glocalization here presents a potential to create new social actors and structures that are essentially local in spirit and global in character capable of responding to local social problems brought on by neglect of welfare state in a format backed by global insight and power. Philip Hong and In Han Song suggested development of a globalized social policy assisted by and international organization that together can establish and advocate a common set of solutions to increase global pressures and create opportunities for investing more in such things as education, employment and vital public services. Through this top-down approach of global forces acting at local levels, authors argue that glocalization of social work might offer a means for advancing local welfare and contribute the strength needed to comfort increasing complex global social problems more pronounced into the future. Glocalization and social welfare can be assessed through the analysis of civil society organizations and the Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs). Glocalization for social welfare through NGOs etc. means pressing for certain rights, protecting the local globally/from global to local/going local. Local government officials have been the most useful when they have supported local problem solvers. What Hines suggested was localization which mean de-globalization i.e. the reversal of the process of globalization, turning back everything under local control and local management, which now seems quite possible since globalization has been an age old phenomenon and has brought about innumerable changes which cannot be reversed, as it is difficult to reverse or its removal or reversal is undesirable since globalization has not only had negative effects but positive ones too. As such its reversal would not really be feasible. So glocalization serves as a suitable policy process, since it doe s not demand for a reversal of the globalized process but emphasizes the combined functioning of both the local and the global forces, neither complete globalization nor completes localization, it serves as a neutral policy, gaining from both aspects. It is said that glocalization provides for a blend of local and global forces and in the name of such a blend an example that can be cited is that of the United Nations (UN). The UN being an international/ global organization comprised of member countries from all over the world provides policies for social welfare sectors like that of health, education, environment, rights, the question of women and children and culture. The impact of UN policies are great, it looks into matters which have effect on local levels as well, citing example of the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs), formulated in terms of eradicating poverty, promoting proper health and education, ecological protection and others have been adopted by member nations and these MDGs have also been taken up on state level. According to Scholte, glocalization involves the formulations of certain rules and regulatory institutions for better governance of local agendas with respect to global matters. It is argued that the global governance institutions lack the kinds of formal accountability that national and local governments can provide. World bodies like Commonwealth, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and the World Bank, they all lack popularly elected executive and therefore this hampers accountability. Insufficient accountability compromises most problems like poverty, inequality, environmental defense, disease and violence are not effectively addressed or eradicated. Therefore through civil society organizations help could be provided, however the sceptics argued such civil society organizations run by elites would further increase the problem of accountability. Contemporary society operates through global frames alongside social spaces. Along with local NGOs there also exists inter-regional associations like the European Union, Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), ASEAN ( Association of South East Asian Nations), Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) which has been termed as the most developed interregional arrangement. Along with this there exists trans-localism, with groups like UCLG- United Cities and Local Governments, ICLEI, local governments for sustainability. Therefore global governance involves international institutes, inter-regional institutes and trans-local institutes, and good governance in this respect means that these institutes as actors are answerable for its action to the beneficiary for whom they are acting. Glocalization brings out the best in dealing with the local problems with tis reference to global issues though civil society. Such CSOs as human collectivity, people relate to one another on the basis of openness, tolerance, respect, trust and non-violence. Secondly, also a political space where citizens congregate to deliberate upon actual and prospective circumstances of their collective life. The qualities of civil society initiatives like peace movements, human rights advocates, advanced dignity of disabled persons, indigenous populations, outcasts, people of color, sexual minorities and women, citizen campaigns for animal rights and ecological integrity. Certain NGO staff members have represented several small island states in multilateral negotiations on climate change- in china and parts of Africa the relationship between civic groups and the state has sometimes been so close that the associations in question have been dubbed as GONGOs-Government organized NGOs. Some environmental organizations have held observer status in the body that oversees implementation of 1987 Montreal Protocol on substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the Codex Alimentarius Commission- a Rome based supra-state agency on world food standards and the International Organization have consulted global companies in the process of setting norms. Each country, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child- has always received an alternative report from civic groups. By 1990, most major UN organs had established a special division for liaison with NGOs. Marrakesh Agreement establishing WTO provided for appropriate arrangements for consultation and cooperation with NGOS. Suggestions for proposals regarding a Peoples Assembly or chamber of companies to be created in the UN alongside General Assembly of States have been made. NGO forums exercised notable influence on declarations and programs of action at various UN sponsored global issue conferences of 1990s. New politics emerged when several civic groups channel important part of their efforts to shape official policy though supra-state agencies as through governments. This has been apparent in environmental regeneration, autonomy of indigenous people, position of women, opportunities for the disabled and world peace. E.g. Movement for the survival of the Ogoni people (MOSOP) created in 1990. MOSOP used support of trans-border environmental, religious, human rights organizations. In other words, it is possible in contemporary politics for grassroots groups to advance their causes though coalitions with NGOs, global governance agencies and even global companies. Two private sector policy makers have been influential in influencing many programs at low levels, these are namely: Ford Foundation and World Economic Forum. Ford Foundation established in 1936 to fund social programs in Michigan. Its funds and grants were to go to NGOs and were to be free from the scrutiny of the state governments. 1960s, ford foundation played a major role in educating development economists, promoting Green Revolution in agriculture, sponsoring population control programs and linking environment and development policies. World Economic Forum, was launched in 1971 was instrumental in launching the Uruguay Round of World Trade negotiations and helped forge links between local and global capital in China, India, Latin America and Russia and post-apartheid South Africa. World Economic Forum also addressed inter-state conflicts with conciliation attempts in affairs as the Arab-Israeli and Greeco-Turkish disputes. Non-official initiatives in environmental regulation are the Ford, Packard and Rockefeller foundation supported major conservation programs. In 1980, World Conservation union (IUCN) and WWF collaborated with UNEP to launch a World Conservation Strategy that developed guidelines for states. World Resources Institute (WRI) formulated the Tropical Forestry Action Plan in 1980 jointly with the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and UNDP. International Council of Science Union plays an advisory role to the World Meteorological Organization and UNEP in setting up and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 1988. The Secretariat for the Convention on International Trade in endangered species of wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has worked in close cooperation with the IUCN and the WWF. IUCN, WRI and UNEP jointly organized the Bio-Diversity Conservation Strategy Program. NGOS and emancipatory new social movements provide a progressive way forward to more effective and just regulation. Lena Dominelli mentions that initiatives have to be taken to engage in mutual exchanges between local and global players. Locality specific versions of social work was directed to be a resistance to the homogenizing trends embedded in social relations driven by profit motives and the desire of entrepreneurs to appropriate other peoples labor, material resources, geographic spaces and intellectual property. Human, social and environmental degradation is increasing and despite government rhetoric about equal opportunity, elimination of poverty particularly among children within the UK, and on a global scale of twenty-eight billion people expressed and agreed at World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995 and Millennium Development Goals pronounced at the UN. The roles of associations like the IASSW International Association of Schools of Social Work, International Council on Social Work (ICSW) and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), promoting cross border solidarity in matters of this kind. The benefits of globalization have been contested by anti-globalization movements which demanded economic growth should sustain human beings and the environment in which they live rather than gathering profits for the few. International organizations include such as the Red-Cross OXFAM, and the Save the Children are NGOs that practice on issues like poverty, disasters and health matters, mostly associated with aid and relief. The American New Deal under Franklin D. Roosevelt was nearest the USA could come to guaranteeing provision for families with dependent children and for older people. The concerns with extreme levels of deprivation and threat of social disorder and devastation by second world war especially Europe were picked by Roosevelt and other at United Nations and led to an agreement around Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). UDHR covered civil, political and social rights including the right to welfare. In addition to the organizations of the UN system and the Washington-based financial institutions, such as the international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like the Human Rights Watch and CARE, such transnational corporations as Shell and Citibank, and global media like the BBC and CNN exerted a growing influence on state policies, and also brought to a large extent the proliferation in the number of NGOs. The involvements of such actors are basically a part of the good governance agenda. They help especially in the Third World and Eastern Europe to bring about changes, certain scholars have been critical of the World Bank intervention in these countries, and mentioned that instead of good governance, what World Bank policies have led to is bad governance. As such, UN commentary on good governance has led to certain ideas namely, the universal protection of Human Rights; non-discriminatory laws; efficient, impartial and rapid judicial processes; transparent public agencies; ac countability for decisions by public officials; devolution of resources and decision making to local levels from the capital and meaningful participation by citizens in debating public policies and choices.4 A report from UNDPs Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States emphasized the prerequisites for equity, legitimacy and efficiency: A legitimately strong government can be described as one that commands sufficient confidence in its legitimacy to allow for a strong civil society, and for a network of non-governmental institutions and regulations that ensure the development of a well-functioning economic system, the strengthening of democratic procedures and a widespread participation by people in public life. Giving the state a role to play in the domestic arena may lead to capacity building; in such a way there may be more effective partnerships and institutions internationally and at home, emphasized by the World Development Report 1997. UNDP has since the early 1990s shifted from traditional public sector management to addressing sensitive issues of governance as the human rights etc. And thus emphasized on capacity building; with this emphasis on capacity building for civil Weiss, Thomas.G. Governance, Good Governance and Global Governance: Conceptual and Actual Challenges, Third World Quarterly, Vol. 21. No.5. (Oct.2000).pp. 795-814. society and the private sector has mean that the UN system has a comparative advantage in many of the developing countries. Good governance entails the working of state and civil society actors closely together, Mahbub ul Haq has given the concept of good governance as to be directed towards the notion of human development and thereby leading to Humane Governance. This humane governance has also been emphasized by J.A. Scholte in his book Globalization: a critical introduction, he has mentioned the various issues as insecurities, basically as a result of globalization. Such insecurities are not that of traditional security in terms of the military security and defense but this includes that of Ecological integrity, Health, Poverty, Employment, Working conditions and identity and local knowledge. We can make out from these various insecurities that Scholte talked in aspect of social welfare. The emphasis is on the negative impacts of contemporary globalization on human security. ECOLOGY INTERGRITY: The global environmental issues have become a very critical source of insecurity, global capitalism or global races for capital and development have been particularly harmful for the ecology. Such race have particularly been harmful for the countries of the South, since most ministries have abandoned the environmental projects and policies in an effort to achieve the fiscal targets connected with globally sponsored structural adjustment programmes. Environmental issues are a very good example of how local and global forces interact with each other or affect each other. Various movements at the local level for environmental protection have been raised against the global forces which push countries towards the process of development which are harmful to the ecology of the country. To cite an example would be the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) in India. A fight a dam Sardar Sarovar Dam to be built on the river Narmada in Central India, this NBA consisted mostly of peasants and tribals, le d by people like Baba Amte and also later activists like Medha Patkar were successful in fighting against the project which was to be funded by the World Bank. They were successful in stopping the Bank from funding the project and thereby got the project banned. This NBA was able to succeed in their efforts since they were able to well-establish links with environmental groups overseas. The Japanese environmentalists persuaded their government not to advance money for the Narmada Valley Project and also US groups were sympathetic to the cause and were also able to persuade their government to do the same. Support from environmentalist from both these countries also helped to persuade the World Bank to give up on the project.5 Environmental issues in industrialized countries had to do with the quality of life, whereas in Africa, Asia and Latin America it mostly was based on survival, the rights to live and work in a healthy environment, the responsibility to protect habitats, livelihoods and systems of life support from contamination, depletion (extraction), and destruction, and also the determination to restore or rehabilitate what has already been harmed. These are the issues that the countries of the South face in terms of ecology, and more sensitive to this issue have been women, ecofeminism as can been referred to. There are inter-linkages in the experience of grassroots environmental movements worldwide namely: the struggle to save old growth forests in Europe, womens initiatives to secure Rangarajan, Mahesh. Environmental Issues in India, Chap.22. Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. safe food supplies in the industrial core of Poland, community efforts in Spain to fight toxic waste dumping, womens movements to retain access to land and forest resources in Kenya, and womens participation in the struggles of the rubber tappers union to protect their forest homes and work places in the Brazilian Amazon.6 Women carry a disproportionate share of responsibilities for resource procurement and environmental maintenance however they have very limited rights to determine the future of resource availability and environmental quality. Women have been at the forefront of emerging grassroots groups, social movements and local political organizations engaged in environmental, socio economic and political struggles. These phenomena are not localized; it is taking place around the world. Sound environmental policies and practice are required in order to achieve sustainable development. In this respect there are certain assumptions that are given: firstly that the involvement of women in collective action around the world, there are critical linkages between global environmental and economic processes and the recent surge in womens participation in public for a, particularly in relation to ecological and economic concern. This surge in womens activism is a response to actual changes in local enviro nmental conditions as well as to discursive shifts toward sustainable development in national and international political circles. Secondly, relates to women are beginning to define their identities and the meaning of gender through expressions of human agency and collective action emphasizing struggles, resistance and cooperation, and also have now included womens knowledge, experience and interests as a worldwide phenomenon, and that the process and results in any one place reflect historical, social and geographical specificity. There are various victories claimed by womens participation in environmental protection at local levels; namely the widespread planting of tress by the Womens Green Belt movement of Kenya, the protection of the Himalayan forests from timber concessionaries by the Chipko Movement in India, in North America grassroots movements led by women have prevented the disposal of toxic wastes. International level organizations that bridge the gap between local and the global have been Womens Congress for a Healthy Planet, WEDO- Women, Environment and Development Organization; WEDNET- Women, Environment and Development Network; and Worldwide Network for women all bring concerns of these locally based movements to national and international policy fora. Global Governance of ecological matters has made notable advances, even though the UN Charter of 1945 did not mention environment, but UN-sponsored global summits on the environment at Stockholm (1972), Rio de Janeiro (1992) and Johannesburg (2002 ) have raised awareness of the problems dealing with environment and brought it to public concern. The ozone regime established through the 1985 Vienna Convention and the 1987 Montreal Protocol has proved successful, and by 1997 world production of the main ozone-depleting substances had fallen considerably, and also the Global Environment Facility (GEF)- operative since 1994 and administered between UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank has pledged some two billion dollars to help poor countries make investments that benefit ecological integrity. Efforts to address global warming has not really proved to be successful, and conferences have been continuously held, but mostly countries which contribute to global warming have been in denial and refuse to limit emissions of Rocheleau, Dianne, Barbara Thomas-Slayter and Esther Wangari, Feminist Political Ecology: Global Issues and local experiences, Published by Routledge.

Essays --

Animals have always been evolving and are constantly adapting to their changing environments. All organisms require the intake of food and disposal of waste, the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen, and respiratory gases. To determine how much of this each organism needs, it is based on each organism’s volume. Organisms are able to exchange materials the fastest when the surface-to-volume relationship is larger. Because larger organisms have a smaller surface-to-volume relationship, the exchange of materials and the ability to lose heat is more difficult. Organisms have changed from single, to multicellular. A single celled organism has a large surface-to-volume ratio, which means it is able to efficiently exchange and remove materials. As these organisms evolve over time and grow larger, they eventually become multicellular and must increase their surface area. Sea Anemones and Tapeworms are a perfect example of this as they have elongated, flat bodies. Thus, the d iffusion between the organism and its environment only require a short time. Question 2 The various structures of porifera include Asconoid, Syconoid and Leuconoid. Asconoids have the simplest structures, an atrium lined with choanocytes. Incurrent ostia allow water directly into the chamber. Asconoids eventually increased the thickness of their body wall and became Syconoids. Syconoids have choanocyte chambers that extend into the body wall. An even thicker body wall was created and Syconoids evolved into the most complex structure, the Leuconoid. Leuconoids have choanocyte chambers isolated deep within a body wall. Incurrent and excurrent canals lead to them from the outside, which then leads to the atrium. With each organ exchanging specific ... ... development was muscle tissue. The platyhelmiths are the first animal with true musculature. Muscle from the mesoderm is attached to the endoderm and ectoderm. Endoderm muscles line the pharynx and are surrounded by muscles that allow it to be extended, withdrawn and suck in food. There are also longitudinal muscle fibers that allow the body to elongate and perform the various turning and bending activities of the worm. A protonephridium is a network of dead-ending tubules, also known as flame cells, that function is osmoregulation and ionoregulation. Each cell has one or more cilia and their beating creates an outward going current and pressurization. The pressure created drives waste fluids from the inside of the animal to the protonephridium. The terminals are large enough for small molecules to pass through, but larger proteins are kept in the animal.

Causes of Teenage Suicide Essay

The American Psychological Association states that, â€Å"Teen suicide is a growing health concern. It is the 3rd-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24† (Teen Suicide is Preventable). As youth suicides are becoming more publicized, society is gradually becoming more aware of this global concern. Although most people do not understand why teenagers commit suicide, the three social sciences, anthropology, sociology, and psychology, provide insights that go beyond what the media reports as causes because through cross cultural studies, they provide information of many societal and psychological processes which confirm and expand on our understanding of this complex issue. Most people only understand adolescent suicide to the points expressed by the media. The media claims that the suicide risks are higher for those who go through depression, anxiety, mental illness, substance abuse, social isolation, bullying, or sexual abuse, and also for those who have disabilities or are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender) youth. The media also claims that LGBT youth have higher suicide risks than others as they tend to have added stress and high levels of anxiety and depression, and are likely targets for bullies (Teen Suicide, 2011). The facts proven my the media are not to be underestimates, however, the media is often ignorant about how teen suicide works in other cultures. Teenage suicides in other societies work in different ways than in our Western society. On the islands of Micronesia, suicide has become a regular ritual for teenagers (Gladwell, 2002, p. 218). This act, considered mindless in our society, is an important form of self-expression in theirs (Gladwell, 2002, p. 220). The adolescent suicide epidemic of Micronesia can easily be compared to the teen smoking epidemic of our society. Like smoking in Western and European cultures, young people experiment suicide in Micronesia. Anthropologist Donald Rubinstein noted that in Micronesia, boys as young as 5 years old lean on a noose where unconsciousness follows, for experimental play (Gladwell, 2002, p. 219). They risk dying from anoxia, the shortage of blood to the brain (Gladwell, 2002, p. 218), as teens in our society risk dying from lung cancer or other illnesses. Youth suicides on the islands are becoming more frequent in communities as younger boys are affected by the contagious  self-epidemic of self-destruction, as younger people in Western and European cultures are by smoking, in forms of experimentation, imitation, self-expression, and rebellion (Gladwell, 2002 p. 219-220). Like Gladwell (2002) said, â€Å"the way we have tended to think about the causes of smoking doesn’t make much sense†, as do the ways we think about the causes of suicide (p. 221). It is unknown of how to fully prevent it or to even fully comprehend what it is. People smoke even though the overestimate the risks and suicide victims are equally aware of the results when they decide to end their own life (Gladwell, 2002, p. 221). The three social sciences provide thorough insights of the suicidal triggers displayed by media. In the situation of the Innu adolescent suicides where youth inhale gasoline, anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists, identify causes that are unfamiliar to most people. Anthropologists observed substance abuse and family violence among Innu families, which are clear signs of cultural collapse (The Innu, 2001). Cultural collapse occurs as they lose effective control of their lives, in this case, by the government and immigrant populations. They lose their self-esteem and their value of lives (The Innu, 2001). The Statistical Profile on the Health of the First Nations in Canada for the year 2000 shows that suicide and self-inflicted injuries are the leading causes of death for First Nations youth (First Nations, 2013). Statistics show that the suicide rate for First Nations youth is around 5 or 6 times greater than of non-Aboriginal youth. The suicide rate for First Nations males is 126 per 100,000 compared to 24 per 100,000 non-Aboriginal males, and the rate for First Nations females is 35 per 100,000 compared to 5 per 100,000 for non-Aboriginal females (First Nations, 2013). Sociologists have blamed colonialism and past government policies such as residential schools contributing to a sense of powerlessness and inferiority among the Innu youth. This has led to escalating levels of self-hatred and self-destructive behaviour (The Innu, 2001). Cultural hegemony has made the Innu feel inferior that their cultural practices have no value or place in the modern world (The Innu, 2001). The suicides of the Innu youth would be anomic suicide, which is a suicide that is caused by the failure of social order (Summary, n.d.). It occurs when rapid and extreme changes in society overwhelm and threaten a group. The  individuals would become uncertain of what behaviour is expected of them, leading to role confusion and then the act of taking one’s life (Kok & Goh, n.d.). From a psychologist’s point of view, role confusion is a key factor in the emotional disturbance of the Innu youth (The Innu, 2001). According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the Innu do not even have their first and basic needs being met (McLeod, 2007). They do not have running water, sewage disposal, and proper insulation for Canadian winters (The Innu, 2001). They also so not have their second and third needs which are safety needs and social needs. They do not feel secure and safe in the environment they live in and they lack social needs of belongingness, love, and relationships with others (McLeod, 2007). And because they do not have these first three needs, they cannot move up the hierarchy and achieve esteem needs of achievement and independence, and self-actualization needs of seeking personal goals (McLeod, 2007). Psychologist Erik Erikson notes that youth must resolve two life crises, the first being the crisis of identity vs. identity confusion. The individual must find their own unique identity and have a sense of belonging at the same time. If they are unsuccessful, they can become socially disconnected or develop an exaggerated sense of self-importance, and therefore end up being unable to be emotionally mature adults (Oswalt, n.d.). The second crisis is the crisis of intimacy vs. isolation, where youth must learn to maintain close relationships with others. If they are unsuccessful, they can become self-contained, needy, dependent, isolated, or vulnerable, and unable to have honest or mutual relationships (Oswalt, n.d.). The situations presented my Maslow and Erikson lead to results of the teenagers being aimless and lacking purpose in life, because of a lost sense of self. This second crisis applies well to the Micronesian youth, who end their lives as a result of not being able to emotionally deal with a domestic conflict within a domestic relationship. There was a teenage boy who committed suicide because his parents would not give him a few dollars for beer, another who ended his life because he was scolded by his brother for making too much noise, and a number of teen boys who killed themselves because they saw their girlfriends with another boy (Gladwell, 2002, p. 217-218). Many adolescents in Micronesia become emotionally susceptible and commit suicide as actions of self-pity and protest against mistreatment (Gladwell, 2002, p. 218). We can understand that suicide involves many societal and psychological processes which confirm and expand on our understanding of this complex issue. In Micronesia and Japan, the youth suicides are classified as egoistic, which is caused by excessive individualism (Summary, n.d.). It occurs when an individual is overwhelmed by a group and they isolate themselves as they become excessively independent (Kok & Goh,n.d.). In Japan the Aokigahara Forest, also known as the â€Å"suicide forest† on Mount Fuji, is a place where individuals commit suicide, usually by hanging, after isolating themselves completely by hiding in the wilderness of the forest. Those who still doubt about ending their lives walk in the forest while leaving a trail of coloured tape so that they do not get lost, and others camp for a few days in the wilderness before making their final decision (Suicide Forest, 2012). The suicides in the â€Å"suicide forest† increased in number as it was gradually pub licized, starting with a novel by Kuroi Jukai, where a young lover commits suicide in a forest (Suicide Forest, 2012). Since then, the suicide numbers reached over 100 deaths a year. The area holds so many bodies that homeless people are paid to remove the corpses (Suicide Forest, 2012). Sociologist David Philips conducted a number of studies on suicide and the results concluded that suicides are influenced by the contagious effect (Gladwell, 2002, p. 222). Immediately after stories of suicides appeared locally, the number of suicides in that area jumped. When there was a suicide story publicized nationally, the national suicide rate jumped (Gladwell, 2002, p. 222). This contagious effect is an act of imitation, and Philip states that it is a â€Å"permission to act from someone else who is engaging in a deviant act† (Gladwell, 2002, 223). This applies to the cases of suicides that continue to take place in the â€Å"suicide forest† and also in Micronesia. In the early 1960s, suicide in Micronesia was extremely rare and yet by the end of the 1980s the suicide rate was higher than anywhere else in the world (Gladwell, 2002, p. 217). According to Statistics Canada, the suicide rate in 2009 for Canadian males between 15 and 24 was about 15 per 100,000. In contrast, the suicide rate in Micronesia for males between 15 and 24 is 160 per 100,000 (Gladwell, 2002, 217). In a community on the Micronesian island of Ebeye, the first s uicide in that area led to a second, third, and twenty five more over twelve years (Gladwell,  2002, p. 226). Further studies show that people who are influenced by the contagious effect commit suicide using the same method as the one used in the event they were effected by. Stories of suicide where the victim was a driver resulted in an increase in single-car crashes. Stories of suicide-murders resulted in an increase in car crashes with victims of a driver and passengers (Gladwell, 2002, p. 224). This copycat suicide is common among youth, and is displayed in Micronesia. Almost all the suicide cases of teenagers take place in a remote spot or empty house, and involve a specific process of hanging by leaning on a noose until unconscious and dying from anoxia, the method that children play around with (Gladwell, 2002, 218). And because of this contagious effect, the media takes precautions when publicizing suicides. For example, some suicides in the Toronto subway systems are neve r reported in the press (Teen Suicide, 2011). Even though most do not understand why teenagers commit suicide, the three social sciences provide information to expand our understanding of this complex issue. Anthropologists help us to understand how suicide is affected by the way people live, and how people in different cultures respond to suicide, such as the little boys in Micronesia who experiment with it. Sociologists have figured out the contagiousness of a suicide and how easily it can cause others. Psychologists help us to understand what teenagers deal with, such as the two crises that Erik Erikson has noted. With these thorough understandings provided by the social sciences, people should be able to be aware of what causes teenage suicide, as it can happen anywhere at anytime and an effort should be made to prevent it. Already many communities have taken action to bring awareness of teen suicide, inspired by suicides of loved ones, so that it may be looked for and be prevented. There is no simple solution to adolescent suicide, however, efforts can be made to avert as many as possible. References First Nations and Inuit Health (2013, February 4). Health Canada. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/promotion/mental/index-eng.php Gladwell, M. (2002). The Tipping Point. Boston, MA: Back Bay Books. Kok, J.K. & Goh, L.Y. (n.d.). Anomic or Egoistic Suicide: Suicide Factors among Malaysian Youths. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity. Retrieved October 1, 2013, from http://www.ijssh.org/papers/67-H083.pdf McLeod, Saul (2007). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology. Retrieved October 1, 2013, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Oswalt, Angela (n.d.). Erik Erikson and Self-Identity. Seven Counties Services. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from http://www.sevencounties.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=41163&cn=1310 Suicide Forest in Japan (2012). Top Documentary Films. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from, http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/suicide-forest-in-japan/ Suicides and Suicide Rate, By Sex and By Age Group (2012, May 31). Statistics Canada. Retrieved October 5, 2013, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/hlth66e-eng.htm Summary of Egoistic Suicide and Anomic Suicide (n.d.). Iowa State University. Retrieved September 25, 2013 from http://www.public.iastate.edu/~s2005.soc.401/summary1(jan21).pdf Teen Sui cide: Breaking the Silence (2011, November). CBC News in Review. Retrieved September 26, 2013, from http://newsinreview.cbclearning.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/nov11suicide.pdf Teen Suicide is Preventable (n.d.). American Psychological Association. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from http://apa.org/research/action/suicide.aspx The Innu: Another Cry for Help (2001, February). CBC News in Review. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from http://newsinreview.cbclearning.ca/wp-content/uploads/2001/02/innu.pdf

Burglary Criminal Data Comparison

The year 1929 marked the conception of the Uniform Crime Reporting program (UCR) by the chiefs of police international association to gather for the required reliability and homogeneous crime data for the country. The mission of collection, publication and archiving of this information was rendered to the FBI in 1930. At present, numerous yearly statistical data such as â€Å"Crime in the United States† is published from information provided by approximately 17,000 U. S. law enforcement organizations. UCR Program later formulated the NIBRS-National Incident Based Reporting System as an answer to necessitate the want for in-depth and flexible data.Crime Indicators In a period not less than 30years the United States has had two national crime indicators: the UCR program and the NCVS-National Crime Victimization Survey that gathers a statistics from a nationally balanced representative sample of persons 12 years and above who produce crime estimates independent of the recorded pe rformances of the criminal justice organization. Information from both is normally used jointly to present a more inclusive evaluation of crime in the United States. BurglaryBurglary as defined by the Uniform Crime Reporting program is the illegal entrance into a structure to commit an offense or theft. For an offense to be classified under burglary the use of force to attain entry is not a must. The program has 3 subdivisions for burglary: entry by force, illegal entry without use of force and attempted entry by force. The same applies to the UCR’s classification of structure which includes barn, apartment, and houseboat or house trailer is used as lifelong residence, ship vessel, office, railroad car excluding automobiles.Legal enforcement urgencies in 2005 reported an approximated 2,154,126 burglary crime which represents a 0. 5% rise from the 2004 figures. An assessment of decade trends shows a 1. 8% rise in burglary rates in comparison with the 2001 approximation, and a 14 % decrease from the 1996 figures. Based on the table’s approximation of committed property crimes, burglary accounted for over 21 percent of the total with an average dollar loss of 1,725 USD.Statistics show that of the residential burglary offences that occurred in 2005, a majority 65% took place during daytime, however for nonresidential structures most burglary offences (58 percent) happened in the night- that’s between 1800hours and 0600hours. This information can aid one on drawing trends of burglary offences considering the population, form of life and city structure. New York Metropolitan Area In recent years police survey information show that burglary in the core counties of the New York Metropolitan region’s core counties has been on the decline.And as anticipated the UCR burglary rate was lower than the NCVS total burglary rate, this is attributed to the reluctance of victims to report with only about 61% of burglary incidences recorded by the poli ce. Most occurrences were reported from lower class residential areas with high unemployment rates with the offenders being violent youths mostly. Chicago Metropolitan Area Police and survey estimates agree of decline in burglary incidences since 2000 but still the NCVS rate was higher than the UCR with only 52% of burglary incidences reported over this period.Rates were high in suburban areas of Illinois and generally performed during the day but not violently. Its noted that the offenses were executed mostly by men but some of them usually nonviolent were an act of the female gender. Conclusion It should be noted that most of those local state agencies with the interest to review rates or crime trends, classically draw analysis about felony in their regions basing singly on police statistics. This study has examined the comparison of police figures to victim survey information on burglary and other crimes for the big cities in the country.Gender ,age and class form the most notewo rthy burglary variables compounded with the effects of class i. e. unemployment and location. Unlike men, females have a tendency to start burglary in their later stages in life with lower/ underclass females involved than young women. References Maston, C. and Klaus, P. (2006). Criminal Victimization in the United States, 2005 statistical tables. Violent Crime since 1993, US Department of Justice. http://www. ojp. usdoj. gov/bjs/glance/tables/4meastab. htm. Retrieved on March 13, 2009.