Business and Industry involved in the development of Community College Essay

Business and Industry involved in the development of Community College programs - Essay Example In order to cater for the diverse needs of the businesses and industries, diverse programs have been developed by the community colleges as a direct influence of the former. People have also come to change their perspectives on community colleges, which consequently has resulted in the introduction of adult classes, part-time graduates enrollment programs to sharpen their skills. Businesses and industries have sponsored community colleges in different ways, provided internship opportunities for their students and influenced their curriculum, just to mention a few. Initially, community colleges were believed to be set up for the handicapped and underprivileged to provide them with general education and tradition liberal arts. However, with time, people began appreciating them. This was as a result of the rise of new businesses and industries which were in demand of labor. The short courses offered in community colleges as compared to other educational instructions provided the urgent workforce needed. The different industries and businesses establishments needed different and diverse skills. As a result, diverse courses came into being and students were taught programs like home economics, business studies teaching, secretarial studies, general courses and music. These trainings acted as links between semi-skilled laborers and professionals. All this made it possible for the students to get jobs after immediate completion of their courses. Gradually, people changed their perspective on community colleges, adult classes were introduced, part-time classes came into being and even graduates enrolled to sharpen their skills. This resulted in the enrollment of a huge number of students leading to the growth of community colleges. Business and industries play a major role in the development of Community College Programs. This state of affairs started back in the 1990s when there was immense business potential in America as new businesses and industries were

British Rule in India to the French One in Algeria Essay Example for Free

British Rule in India to the French One in Algeria Essay Critically Compare the British Rule in India to the French one in Algeria. Throughout the nineteenth century, the rivalling countries of Britain and France were both looking to expand into different continents and build a successful empire. There are many reasons for this thirst for expansion, including economic growth and territorial gains. According to Gildea the emergence of non-European countries such as United States and Japan as great powers fuelled the nationalistic appetite for the extension of borders and influence. The British rule in India; later coined the ‘British Raj’, began in 1858 and although coming under much strain in periods throughout, lasted until 1947 when they were finally given their independence. The French rule in Algeria spanned from 1830 to 1962 following the conclusion of the Algerian War and the signing of the Evian agreements. It is clear when examining both the rules of Great Britain in India and France in Algeria that there were significant differences in the ways the two countries were ran. The French used military might to control the population and quell any uprisings; one instigator of such revolts was Abd al-Kader. These heavy handed tactics seemed to be less successful when compared to how the British reacted to Indian violence. Great Britain decided to grant concessions when faced by fierce opposition limiting the amount turmoil and essentially making it easier to diplomatically push western ideas upon them. France’s colonisation of Algeria was not the first time that they had tried to expand their borders and compete on a world stage with the other world powers, infact before looking to Africa France had the second largest empire in the world, second only to Great Britain. In 1605 France had secured a territory in what is now Nova Scotia in Canada. Throughout the 17th century they had been highly successful in adding much of the North American continent, also the West Indies. However after a string of conflicts such the ‘Seven Years War (1756-1763)’ and the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) the other world powers had been successful in annexing these territories from France. The end of what has been labelled the ‘First French Empire’ was now coming to an end. In 1830 during a meeting between the French ambassador and the Algerian Dey regarding loans and trade the Dey struck the French ambassador with a fly whip. This act is said to be the final trigger cause which lead to the French occupation. However it is a wider known fact that there was a distinct lack of political support for the new monarchy and this act of war would help stir up national pride and increase confidence. Whilst appearing on the front of it a petty reason for declaring war on a country and occupying it for 132 years, there are other motives behind the bold political decision to initiate a ‘Second French Empire’. Algeria was seen to be of high strategic significance as it offered a springboard into the rest of Africa, including such nations as Tunisia, Libya and Niger. Gildea agrees with this argument noting â€Å"Algeria, which it [France] occupied in 1830, was the cornerstone of her Mediterranean and African ambitions†. Therefore, by occupying Algeria and furthermore Congo and Niger in 1880 they had secured themselves once more as a successful Empire capable of competing in the world stage. In 1869 the Suez Canal was officially opened for traffic, this narrow strip of water dissecting what is now Saudi Arabia on one side and Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia, offered a significantly faster shipping route into the East. It also eradicated the need for trading ships to visit the perilous coastline of Cape Horn in South Africa where piracy was rife. This vital water passage was also utilised by the British in order to transport good to India. The East India Trading Company was founded in 1600 with the purpose of travelling to Asia in search of previously unsourced trading links. They operated under the authority of the British crown and even controlled a military force. They were responsible for directly trying to impose Western beliefs and cultures on India much too soon in the occupation and too forcefully. This lead to a largely hostile reception and in 1857 there was a large scale rebellion. The British had been religiously insensitive towards both the Hindu and Muslim populations. The British had issued new gunpowder cartridges which were believed to be greased using cow or pig fat. This practice would have been unacceptable by both the Hindu and Muslim sepoys, however it wasn’t just the Bengal Army who wished to be rid of the British; the Indian aristocracy had lost vast amounts of power and influence. Officials such as Sir Thomas Munro could see little use in â€Å"a parasitic land owning class† commenting on how preferential methods of governance would be village communities as â€Å"it fitted better with the europeanized and more efficient type of administration that had been built up during the nineteenth century† The British leant many lessons from the 1857 Rebellion, and as subsequently the British Raj was created. This is a far more sympathetic approach t o ruling over India. No longer did the British Government and the East India Trading Company underestimate the need to be culturally aware. This issue of religion and culture provides a distinction between the British methods in the India and the French methods in Algeria. In comparison the French continually used military force to repress uprisings. Abd al-Kader, as previously mentioned was an instigator of such uprisings, however after the French Army swelled in size it became possible for them to employ ‘scorched-earth’ tactics, ferociously supressing the local population, consequently al-Kader was forced to surrender in 1847 . In the late 19th Century France began emigrating large numbers of Europeans into Algeria, â€Å"By 1881 there were 300,000 Europeans (Half of them French) in an area of 2.5 million Arabs.†Another example of France trying to reduce Islamic culture comes from after the Second World War. Charles de Gaulle; the leader of the French provisional government offered to grant French citizenship to certain Algerian Muslims, however in doing so they would essential renounce their faith and religion. In India Britain used a ‘divide and rule’ policy in order to retain peace. Akhtar Sandhu suggests â€Å"the British adopted the policy to maintain harmony and peace. They valued unity and tranquillity in the British India.† These are the act of a â€Å"conqueror who decides to stay and rule†. It is clear that the British way of integrating Western culture within Indian society was more successful than the equivalent process involving the French in Algeria. This can be seen from the fact that within the upper classes of Indian society a new elite was being born. These people had respected professions, such as â€Å"lawyers, doctors, teachers, journalists and businessmen†, they had â€Å"established a Western life-style using the English language and English schools† Outside the upper class Great Britain had introduced Western technology to help improve the livelihood of the population. The introduction of railways and the improvement of irrigation methods had improved both industrial and agricultural efficiency. In Algeria the French also brought about Western civilisation to some extent, creating schools and building cities as well as constructing hospitals, however they spent 162 years with almost constant violence. Their eagerness to us military force to resolve issues lead to resentment from many Algerian nationals. In Conclusion, there were a number of similarities when looking at the resistance of the colonial occupation in both Algeria and India, however what differed is the reactions of the occupying country’s and how they learnt from their mistakes. The British at first tried to force Western ideals against the Hindu and Muslim Indians. However they quickly learnt that countering their revolts with over aggressive military action was counter-intuitive to their cause. Instead they began to offer concessions in order to appease the nationals. The policy of divide and rule ensured there would be minimal friction between the multiplicities of religious beliefs. In contrast the French confronted violent upheaval with similarly vicious tactics such as the policy of ‘scorched-earth’ instead of pacifying the African ideals. However, both the French and British Empires did to differing extents manage to integrate Western technologies such as railways and modern irrigation methods. In addition both occupations were valuable building blocks in which to expand their empires; France into Africa and Great Britain into Asia. Bibliography -Carter., M, From the East India Company to the Suez Canal, (Duke, 2004), pp. 667-668 -French Colonial Empires, http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/notes/frenchempire.html, (Accessed 10th January 2012) -Gildea., R, Barricades and Borders: Europe 1800 – 1914, Third Edition (Oxford, 2003) pp. 337 -Gildea., R, Barricade and Borders: Europe 1800-1914, Third Edition, (Oxford, 2003), pp. 338 -Jones., J, Algerian Independence, http://courses.wcupa.edu/jones/his312/lectures/algeria.htm, (accessed 8th January 2012) -Pritchard., J.S, In search of Empire: the French in the Americas, 1670-1730, (Cambridge, 2004) Sandhu., A.H Reality of ‘Divide and Rule’ in British India, Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol.XXX, No.1, 2009 -Thompson, E and Garratt., E.T, History of British rule in India, Volume 2, (Cambridge,1999), pp. 426 -Tanford., L.S, Countries and their Culture: Algeria, http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Algeria.html#b, (accessed 14th January 2012)

Environmental Destruction Essay -- Chemical War, Pollution, Recycling

For thousands of years the environment stayed close to its natural state, exerting its influence on living forms. But in the past century, things have changed drastically as human beings have altered the paradigm of the environment. Now they are the masters, putting their stamp on the earth through pollution and contamination and poison. There needs to be action to monitor such destruction, but consideration of both sides of the environmental issue should be taken into account to determine what form of action should be taken. The person who almost singlehandedly brought this environmental destruction to the forefront of the public’s awareness was Rachel Carson. In a chapter of her book Silent Spring called â€Å"The Obligation to Endure† she talked about the various poisons that were afflicting Americans without their knowledge or consent (Carson 54). Many forms of contamination infiltrated waterways, air and earth. Pollution became rampant and difficult to reverse. Radiation, in the form of Strontium 90 was being unleashed. It permeated the atmosphere after governmentally approved nuclear explosions. Acid rain and fallout occurred. It got in the soil and the food supply and eventually into the bodies of human beings, staying there until death (Carson 50). In addition, pesticides were being developed at an alarming rate, and were used indiscriminately, killing both good and bad insects. When the bad insects bounced back, deadlier products were developed, causing an endless cycle in the chemical war (50-51). She asked the question, â€Å"Can anyone believe it is possible to lay down such a barrage of poisons without making it unfit for all life?† Despite the destruction wreaked, she documented that ma... ...eaving the lights on, failing to recycle, and using plastic grocery bags instead of paper. The new heresies include failure to compost, or failure to go organic† (3). None of these statements are meant to belittle the environmental cause. It is real. It is worthy of our attention. And we must take action. The first way to take action is to be aware that there is a problem with the environment and it must be monitored through both governmental regulations and individual responsibility. While there is a problem, we don’t have to go overboard, but we do need to take action ourselves. We can do so by doing our part to decrease our carbon footprint, whether by recycling, organic farming, or refusing to pollute. It is a noble thing to address the needs of the planet. But all things have to be done in moderation and we need to proceed accordingly. Environmental Destruction Essay -- Chemical War, Pollution, Recycling For thousands of years the environment stayed close to its natural state, exerting its influence on living forms. But in the past century, things have changed drastically as human beings have altered the paradigm of the environment. Now they are the masters, putting their stamp on the earth through pollution and contamination and poison. There needs to be action to monitor such destruction, but consideration of both sides of the environmental issue should be taken into account to determine what form of action should be taken. The person who almost singlehandedly brought this environmental destruction to the forefront of the public’s awareness was Rachel Carson. In a chapter of her book Silent Spring called â€Å"The Obligation to Endure† she talked about the various poisons that were afflicting Americans without their knowledge or consent (Carson 54). Many forms of contamination infiltrated waterways, air and earth. Pollution became rampant and difficult to reverse. Radiation, in the form of Strontium 90 was being unleashed. It permeated the atmosphere after governmentally approved nuclear explosions. Acid rain and fallout occurred. It got in the soil and the food supply and eventually into the bodies of human beings, staying there until death (Carson 50). In addition, pesticides were being developed at an alarming rate, and were used indiscriminately, killing both good and bad insects. When the bad insects bounced back, deadlier products were developed, causing an endless cycle in the chemical war (50-51). She asked the question, â€Å"Can anyone believe it is possible to lay down such a barrage of poisons without making it unfit for all life?† Despite the destruction wreaked, she documented that ma... ...eaving the lights on, failing to recycle, and using plastic grocery bags instead of paper. The new heresies include failure to compost, or failure to go organic† (3). None of these statements are meant to belittle the environmental cause. It is real. It is worthy of our attention. And we must take action. The first way to take action is to be aware that there is a problem with the environment and it must be monitored through both governmental regulations and individual responsibility. While there is a problem, we don’t have to go overboard, but we do need to take action ourselves. We can do so by doing our part to decrease our carbon footprint, whether by recycling, organic farming, or refusing to pollute. It is a noble thing to address the needs of the planet. But all things have to be done in moderation and we need to proceed accordingly.

Dharma in the 21st Century: “The Life of Tibetan Buddhist Nuns” Essay

Living in the 21st century connotes a busy and modern life, a life that is influenced by materialism, globalization and modern technology; a life with hardly any room for spirituality. This is the kind of life that is common in the Western world where everything is fast paced and humans have moved from relying on a greater being on to highly relying on gadgets everyday. We rely heavily on modern contraptions to make living easier for us – from a simple alarm clock in the bedroom to a high-powered microwave oven in the kitchen, from the multi-functional mobile phone in our pockets to our Internet-connected computers everywhere. From living based on religion, we now live based on technology. We cannot imagine life with out modern technology; we need it to cook our food, we need it to get to work, we need it to communicate; we just simply need it, or so we think? In this modern life of ours, we have become so engrossed with materialism and technology. We try to find ways to make things easier for us through technology but the more we use gadgets, the more complicated life seems, and as it gets complicated we forget about our inner being. We have forgotten what it is like to live simply and what it is like to be truly happy and be at peace without all the materialism. This is life with modernization but in places where materialism is not important and spirituality is highly upheld, all that we know and live by in the 21st century is absurdity for them. Theirs is a life of simplicity, meditation and seclusion; a life of being one with nature and their creator; a life of gaining wisdom and inner happiness. This is the life of Buddhism. Buddhism is not only a religion; it is a philosophy and a way of life (White 1). It is slowly growing in the Western world[1], where some try to look for peace in their everyday modern chaos (ibid). In the Orient, where Buddhism originated, modernization and a western way of life is slowly influencing the people due to economic reasons, such as in Thailand, but they still keep in touch with their spirituality, and monasteries where monks and nuns live still abound. In Tibet, Buddhism is their religion and politics; the Dalai Lama used to be both their religious and political leader (Simhanada Home page). With China taking over their country 50 years ago, the Tibetan government is in exile[2] and the more than 6,000 monasteries and nunneries in the Tibetan regions of U-Tsang, Dotà ¶ and Domey were damaged and destroyed by the Chinese (Office of Tibet 1). The Tibetan people and the few Tibetan monks and nuns in Tibet still seek spiritual guidance from the Dalai Lama in the North Eastern borders of India. With Tibetan monasteries built outside of Tibet after China’s invasion and with a few Tibetan monks and nuns still living in Tibet, it is of great interest how Tibetan Buddhist monastics, particularly the nuns, live like now and view the world especially with most of them in exile, with China as an economic tiger ruling over their land and with modernization happening all over the world. This paper will look into the lives of Tibetan Buddhist nuns in this present day and what has changed in their ways from the earlier times. A brief history of the Tibetan Buddhism will be given in order to understand the role of Tibetan nuns. Views on the role of women in Buddhism will be given and excerpts from the stories of different Tibetan nuns will also be shown in order to understand their belief and values system, and more importantly the condition of their life today. History of Tibetan Buddhism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Generally, Buddhism is a love of wisdom and it has three paths: (1) to lead a moral life, (2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions and (3) to develop wisdom and understanding (White 1). It has four noble truths which are (1) suffering exists, (2) suffering arises from attachment to desires, (3) suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases and (4) freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the eightfold path, which is to have the right view, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and contemplation (Simhanada 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Buddhism was introduced in Tibet by Buddhists in India in 173 CE and it was gradually assimilated, disseminated and integrated into the Tibetan way of life due to the efforts of the religious kings of the country (Office of Tibet 1). Tibetan Buddhism as described on the Simhanada Tibetan Buddhism page is as follows: Tibetan Buddhism makes use of a wide variety of practices, i.e., the entire scope of Buddha’s teachings from the Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayan levels. Tibetan Buddhism successfully preserved the Vajrayana tradition†¦it is based most directly on the view that appearances can be used and transformed in order to recognize one’s Buddha nature and the emptiness of the mind†¦emphasis on intense Calm-abiding and Insight Mediation is stressed, along with the gradual accumulation of merit and purifying of obstacles. Extensive study of scripture, astrology, medicine, math and debate are common for Tibetan practitioners. Meditation on enlightened deities†¦is a unique feature of the Vajrayana†¦it uses the technique of having the practitioner identify themselves with an enlightened deity —in order to realize the nature of enlightenment. The religion spread because gurus from India were invited into Tibet to teach the Buddhist scriptures and translate them for the people. The religious king Tri Ralpachen introduced a decree that every monk should be supported by seven households, and thousands of temples were constructed in his time. Unfortunately, the king’s successor did not support the Buddhist teachings and monks were made to disrobe and join the army (ibid). Buddhism entered into a dark age but was revived after some time when three monks escaped the Domey region of Tibet and established monastic lineages in other parts of Tibet and eventually revived it in central Tibet (Office of Tibet 1). In Western Tibet, the most vigorous revival of Buddhism was taking place care of Lha Lama Yeshe Ãâ€". He helped spread the doctrine through translation, teaching and establishing of monasteries with the help of the great translator Rinchen Zangpo and Legpai Sherab (ibid). Lha Lhama also composed the famous Buddhist test A Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment, which set the pattern for all graded path texts found in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition (ibid). Four schools of Tibetan Buddhism[3] were also established from the practices and the Buddhist gurus. These are the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelugpa. Nyingma literally means â€Å"old school† (ibid)that places a great deal of emphasis on meditation to achieve merit and wisdom; Kagyu is the Oral Lineage that is concerned with the experiential dimension of meditation where there is single-minded contemplation exercises and meditative therapy to attain psychic good health. Milarepa, an eleventh century Tibetan mystic practiced this tradition and meditated for many years in caves prior to reaching enlightenment. Sakya represents the scholarly tradition and means â€Å"gray earth† (ibid), and the Gelugpa school translates into the â€Å"virtuous school† (ibid) where scholastics are emphasize highly and monks are encouraged to achieve the Geshe degree of the Doctor of Buddhist Philosophy where a student practices lamrim or the paths[4]. Meditation is encouraged as well, like in all Buddhist practices and development of compassion is an essential part of the teachings of this school, which is also the basis of Tibetan Buddhist schools. The special features of Tibetan Buddhism are the status of the teacher or â€Å"Lama†, preoccupation with relationship between life and death, important role of rituals and initiations, rich visual symbolism, element of Bà ¶n, the earlier Tibetan faith, and mantras and meditation practice (BBC 1). Role of Women in Tibetan Buddhism There are two sectors in the Tibetan community: the lay people and the monastics (Chodron Home Page). The monastics, which are the monks or bhikshus and the nuns or bhikshunis, chose to vow to a life of simplicity, â€Å"a life directly related to the preservation and dissemination of the Dharma[5] to benefit others† (Chodron Home Page). Though women have been admitted by Buddha himself into his Order thousands of years ago due to pressure that women had become nuns in the Jaina religion (King 40), women are belittled in the orders. There are sutras or teachings that say â€Å"women could never become Buddhas† (SGI 1), and for centuries this conception has persisted. It has been commonly believed that women would have to be reborn as men to attain Buddha-hood (ibid) because there is â€Å"absolute preference for a male body†¦no Buddhist in her right mind desires a female body† (Buddhist-Christian Studies 220). The book Himalayan Hermitess: The Life of a Tibetan Buddhist Nun (Buddhist-Christian Studies 221) the author wrote about the life of Orgyan Chokyi who is a Buddhist nun that had reached high levels of understanding by the end of her life. This was not common during her time since she was living in the late 17th century to the early 18th century, and during this time women in Buddhism were really inferior to the men. The book revealed and translated manuscripts of her life, and this was really rare because manuscripts of nuns were not written by the scholars during the early times since their stories are thought to be not worth recording (Buddhist-Christian Studies 222). It is said that Orgyan Chokyi laments to be a woman and female rebirth in general, and she prays often that no being should be subject to a female rebirth (ibid). This is clearly indicative of how sexist Buddhism was then. She became a significant figure because of her life ordeals- she was born to parents who mistreated her because they wanted a son and she would often weep and one day a monk observed her and told her that if she studied the Dharma, she would soon develop great compassion. Like other nuns she was required to do manual labor in the monastery and this was the time she laments her gender. After being a novice, she received meditation instructions form the master of the monastery and a senior nun; she was made to do Tibetan oral traditions and go on pilgrimages to sacred sites of Tibetan Buddhism. Despite these, she was still made to do manual labor for more years but she was filled with joy and she wrote songs about this. Later on, she changed her attitude about female rebirth and writes that â€Å"a woman’s body is a ground for samsara† (Buddhist-Christian Studies 223). In her death, she clearly defied what was believed then: that enlightenment cannot be achieved in a female body (ibid); her meditation master told her that she did not need to do more meditations because she had â€Å"fully protected her vows and commitments† (ibid). This meant total enlightenment and she laid the path for Buddhist nuns to achieve Buddha-hood as well and to call for equality from society. Some also say that women enter the nunneries because they cannot wait for a man to wed them, they are too old to marry or they are orphans or widows (King 41). This shouldn’t be so since Buddhism calls for equality as seen in the Lotus Sutra, which is also called the teaching of non-discrimination, reveals that â€Å"there is no difference between men and women in terms of their capacity to attain Buddha-hood† (Soka Gakkai International [SGI] 1). Guru Rinpoche, who taught the dharma in Tibet, even had a principal disciple that was a woman called Lady Yeshe Tsogyal (Simhanada 1). In these early years of Buddhism, it was recorded that â€Å"women engaged in learned debates with the Buddha himself† (King 40) and that there is a recording of more than 500 verses in the Therigatha created by Buddhist nuns in the ancient Pali Canon (ibid). This shows that they are as capable as the monks. Nuns have been seen as inferior due to traditions way before Buddhism came and due to the impositions of patriarchal and sexist values in societies where Buddhism flourished (Shih 1). For a woman to become nun means liberation, however, they are bound by rules â€Å"over and above those followed by monk[6]† (King 40). These rules may have been developed at a later time to restrict women’s freedom or to simply express the existing social inferiority of women (ibid). Though she gains some freedom, a nun receives little recognition of her status from society since â€Å"rituals performed by monks are considered more efficacious and meritorious than those performed by nuns† and the donations given to monks are greater because it is considered to produce more merit for the donor than when given to a nun† (Buddhist-Christian Studies 220). Education for nuns was also quite limited because they had to do manual labor or housework to earn money for their supplies or to build their cells; thus, opportunities for them to perform their religious practices were limited (ibid). Even if the nuns have completed the required number of mantra recitations, they have to call on a monk to perform the ï ¬ re puja or burnt-book offering to perform it on their behalf (ibid). The Dalai Lama says that â€Å"all Buddhist nuns have a unique role to play in the evolution of Buddhism where the universal principle of the equality of all human beings takes precedence† (Chodron Home Page). Other Tibetan religious leaders have also stated publicly in a faith international congress that â€Å"men and women have an equal capacity for enlightenment† (Buddhist-Christian Studies 221), thus erasing the traditional beliefs that nuns are of inferior status to monks and that a woman must be reincarnated as a man to achieve enlightenment. And even if the prophecy that the Dharma will cease to exist after 500 years of admitting women into the Buddhist order, since it has already been 2,500 years (Fitz-Gerald 1), some traditionalists are still disregarding this idea because nuns are proving themselves to be more capable than what traditional norms have been dictating for years. Tibetan Buddhist Nuns Today In the recent decades, equal treatment of nuns with monks are being called for and with conferences being held yearly for Buddhists and other faiths, the pressure is great. Buddhism was not inherently sexist, but with the male domination in India where the Tibetan Buddhism came from, it just came to be because of the culture at that time (Fitz-Gerald 1). And this culture is changing in the 21st century. The Venerable Chodron (Home Page) says that in these times, Buddhist nun have three levels of ordination: sramanerika or novice, siksamana or probationary, and bhikshuni or full. The bhikshuni, for the Tibetans, means that it is already possible for them to attain the geshe or Doctorate degree, some are already taking the Vinaya class[7] which entails that the first generation of geshe-mas nuns will be produced and will earn them the degree equal to the monks (ibid). Before 1953, the highest rank that a nun could attain was even lower than the lowest rank of the monks (Shih 1). The Dalai Lama even made a statement about this topic, saying that â€Å"This is the 21st Century. Everywhere we are talking about equality†¦Basically Buddhism needs equality†¦the key thing is the restoration of the bhikshuni vow† (ibid). In this modern world, women are challenging the male-dominated social structures and â€Å"Buddhists need not only to tolerate such change, but to actively support it both within the general social structure and within Buddhism itself. Not only is change along feminist lines not incompatible with the teachings of the Buddha, it will be necessary for the continued flourishing of the Dharma† (Fitz-Gerald 1) since the number of monks is decreasing while the number of nuns is increasing (Chodron Home Page). Also though times are changing and the Buddhist nuns are gaining respect, their monastic life is more difficult now than it was before; as Shih (1) states, â€Å"Monasteries are by no means harbourages for those who seek easy lives. Therefore, there would be no reason for one to take on the challenges of such a life with much more hardship unless it were for the sake of religious pursuit.† Women no longer want to become nuns just because they are widowed, orphaned, abandoned or could not be wed, they enter for spiritual and religious purposes, thus they should gain the respect of everyone. The access women now have to education has brought them the want for enlightenment. In a research conducted by Arai (Shih 1), in the past for forty years, the average age of nuns entering in the order was 16; they were either raised in a temple or entered it because of their parents requests. Recently, however, the age of nuns entering the nunneries has risen to 43 and are single or married, and have definitely had more life experiences that those who were entering the nunneries in the 1950s (ibid). This suggests that nuns are more competent now and are making a more conscious and mature decision to commit themselves to the religion and to the life of seclusion; they are more capable of fulfilling their social roles and responsibilities (ibid).   Aside from earning equal respect and treatment with monks, nuns are facing a bigger problem which all of Tibet is experiencing, and that is the occupation of China in their land. Tsultrim Doma, a Buddhist nun in Tibet, says â€Å"The Chinese want our land, but they don’t want the Tibetan people. The women in our village were called to be sterilized, one by one. Those who refused must pay a fine. They have no money, so they have no choice† (Vincanne 77). Tibetans are experiencing a cultural and physical genocide; the Chinese are forcing Tibetan women, even nuns, to marry and Chinese nationals and bear their children. Tibetan women are forced to abort their babies just to reduce the Tibetan population (ibid). The Chinese are torturing the nuns and monks because they are the bearers of Tibetan culture, which is heavily rooted in religion; the monks and nuns are the suspects of political criminality in Lhasa (Vincanne 80). Hundreds of nunneries and monasteries have moved out of Tibet since the Chinese occupation and into the countries of India, Thailand, Nepal, Australia and others. Though Chinese are also Buddhists, they are persecuting the Tibetan Buddhists and they are faced with the challenge of renewal and reformulation (Shih 1) not only with their ways in treating the Buddhist nuns but with their survival. A Tibetan nun said that â€Å"the strength of our devotion frightens them† (Vincanne 81) since it is their devotion and religion that may liberate them. Their Buddhist belief in peace and liberation from suffering is timely with what they are experiencing, and together with their belief in karma, this enables them to endure their torments[8] and fight a rather peaceful battle for liberation than the Chinese government’s choice of using artillery and blood shed. The values of tolerance, inner transformation and enlightenment also enable the Tibetan Buddhists to be patient with what China has been doing, however, with the recent news of riots being broken out in China by the Tibetans, where monastics are accused of heading it, we do not know until when the Tibetan Buddhists- monks, nuns and lay people, can tolerate the injustices of China. Conclusion Buddhism was introduced in Tibet by the Indians in Tibetan in 123 CE and it replaced the mystic religion of Tibetans which was Bà ¶n. This mystic religion, however shaped the beliefs of the Tibetan Buddhists and made them somewhat different from other Buddhist sects. Their specific features are their distinct belief in life and death, important role of rituals and initiations, rich visual symbolism, element of Bà ¶n, the earlier Tibetan faith, and mantras and meditation practice. The Buddhist nuns have gone a long way from being admitted into the order by Buddha 2,500 years ago and only attaining a rank that is lower than that of the lowest rank for monks, to being ordained as a bhikshuni or a full nun and allowing the possibility of earning a geshe-ma or doctorate degree for them that will make them equals with monks. Though they are facing opposition from traditional lay-persons and monastics, the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist sects are on their side, calling that now is the time for equality and that Buddha-hood can be achieved by both man and woman. This is so because it was believed that women cannot achieve enlightenment, only men can achieve Buddha-hood and women must be reincarnated to do so. Some say that though Buddhism teaches equality, the patriarchal society in which Buddhism spread into has caused such inequality among men and women, thus making the lives of Buddhist nuns much harder than their monk counterparts. Women entering the nunneries today are much older than the women who were entering in the 1950s; from the average age of 16 it has risen to 43 in the past 40 and more years, showing that women have a more conscious decision to commit themselves to the Dharma and the religious life and shedding the notion that they are entering it because of lack of choice. In this time and age, were equality is being called for in all sectors of society Buddhists are being pressured and as said the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist Leaders are supporting the Buddhist nuns. Also, another challenge is faced by the Tibetan Nuns and that is they are forced to be disrobed and be sterilized, that is marry into a Chinese national and give birth to a Chinese child. The nuns, together with the monks are the ultimate symbol of Tibetan culture since their culture is deeply rooted in religion, therefore they are the ones tortured by the Chinese government’s cleansing of Tibetan from their people. As one Tibetan nun said, the Chinese only want their land and not the people that is why they are being physically and culturally erased. Because of the Chinese occupation many nunneries in Tibet have been destroyed by the Chinese and the nunneries have moved out together with the government-in-exile of Tibet into India and other countries. Their belief in suffering, peace and karma allows them to endure the tortures they are receiving from the Chinese that are occupying their land. Tibetan nuns are not only fighting for their equality they are also the voice, together with the monks and the Dalai Lama that is calling for a peaceful fight for the liberation of their land. Works Cited BBC Religion & Ethics Web Site. 2008. BBC. 1 April 2008 . Buddhist Christian Studies Book Review. 8 October 2006. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press. 2 April 2008 King, Ursula. â€Å"World Religions, Women and Education†. Comparative Education, Special Number (10): Sex Differences in Education. 23.10. (1987): 35-49. 31 March 2008 Tibet Website. 10 November 1997. The Government of Tibet in Exile Family of Sites. 3 April 2008 . Shi, Juo-hsueh. â€Å"Buddhist Nuns from a Modern Perspective† and Fitz-Gerald, Kerry. â€Å"Buddhism Needs Feminism.† Sakyaditha Newsletter. 3.2 (2002). 2 April 2008 . Soka Gakkai International. â€Å"Enlightenment of Women.† SGI Quarterly Magazine. (April 2000). 2 April 2008 . Simhanada Family of Sites.2006. Simhanada Buddhists. 2 April 2008 . Venerable Thubten Chodron’s Web Site. (n.d.) Ven. Thubten Chodron. 2 April 2008 from . Vincanne, Adams. â€Å"Suffering the Winds of Lhasa: Politicized Bodies, Human Rights, Cultural Difference, and Humanism in Tibet.† Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 12.1. (1998): 74-102. 31 March 2008 White, Bryan. A 5 minute Introduction to Buddhism. 1993. Buddha Dharma Education Association Network. 2 April 2008 . [1] See online articles and publications of Buddha Dharma Education Association [BDEA] for more information on Buddhism in Western countries. [2] Refer to the official webpage of the Tibetan Government in Exile: http://www.tibet.com [3] The Tibetan Buddhist Canon discusses this more extensively and can be found at the BDEA Web page, as well as in the eSSortment Web page. [4] 3 Principles of the Path is the (1) intention leave cyclic existence, (2) generate the intent to free all sentient beings and 93) correct view of emptiness (Simhanada   1) [5]Dharma refers to the Buddhist teachings or the path to truth and enlightenment. [6] A nun is subject to eight basic rules while a monk is only to follow four; when fully ordained a nun must observe 311 daily rules and the monk only 227 (King 40) [7] Vinaya class is the last class taken prior to taking the geshe exam and is required for the geshe degree. [8] Refer to Vincanne’s article of Suffering the Winds of Lhasa for detailed accounts

Describe and Evaluate Lifespan Changes in Sleep

Describe and Evaluate Lifespan changes in Sleep As humans grow from infancy to old age there are major changes in the amount and kind of sleep experienced. Babies sleep a lot more than children and adults also have different sleep patterns and different stages of sleep. They tend to sleep about 16 hours a day. But their sleep is not continuous. By the age of six months a circadian rhythm has become established (one main sleep wake cycle). By the age of give, children have EEG patterns like those of adults but they are still sleeping more and having more REM activity.During childhood, it is not uncommon for children to experience a variety of sleep disorders such as sleep walking and night terrors. During childhood, the need for sleep decrease, but in adolescence, it increases, to about nine of ten hours a night. Circadian rhythms also change so that teenagers feel naturally awake later at night and have more difficulty getting up early (a phase delay). Adult sleep is typically about eight hours a night, with 25% REM sleep. Childhood parasomsineas are rarer in adulthood but there is an increasing frequency of other sleep disorders, such as insomnia and apnoea.With increased age, the pattern of sleep changes; REM sleep decreases to about 20% of total sleep time. Older people also experience a phase advance of circadian rhythms – feeling sleepier early in the evening and waking up earlier. This approach to psychology is called the developmental approach and is important in highlighting the changes across a person’s lifespan. One suggestion as to why babies’ sleep patterns are so different from those of adults is that their sleep is an adaptive mechanism to make their parents life easier – daytime sleep means that parents can get on with their chores which enhances survival.Infants’ greater amount of active/REM sleep may be explained in terms of the relative immaturity of the brain, and is related to the considerable amount of lea rning taking place. The change of sleep patterns in adolescence may be linked to changes in hormone production at this age. These hormones are primarily released at night and therefore sleep patterns are disturbed leading to sleep deprivation. Hormone changes can also explain the upset to the circadian clock, which has been described as a delayed sleep phase syndrome by Crowley et al. ome researchers go as far as saying that schools should begin later to accommodate the poor attention span of adolescents in the early morning (Wolfson and Carskadon). In adults, the common perception is that a good night’s sleep is related to good health. To test this, Kripke et al surveyed over a million adults and found that there in an increased mortality risk associated with too much sleep. However, this was a correlational theory, and therefore does not account for extraneous variables. This means that a casual relationship cannot be established.It could be the sae that underlying illness may lead to increased sleep needs and to increased mortality. Reduced sleep in old age is partly a consequence of physiological changes, but may also be explained in terms of actual problems staying asleep, such as sleep apnoea or medical illnesses. The resulting sleep deficit in old age might explain why older people experience impaired functions, for example, of their alertness. Various treatments can be used to increase sleep at night, including relaxation techniques and melatonin to increase sleepiness.The research in this area shows that sleep patterns vary considerably with age, but these patterns are also influenced by cultural values as well as lifestyle habits (such as consumption of a alcohol, amount of exercise and so on). Tynjala et al found that sleep may also reflect cultural differences/ moreover in Korea, the mean sleep time was about 6. 5 hours (Shin et al) and the mean sleep time in Iran was 7. 5 hours (Glanizadeh et al), both supporting the view that sleep duratio n is shorter in Asia then Europe.

Pretests Effective Tools to Target Instruction

Pretests Effective Tools to Target Instruction At every grade level, and in every discipline, teachers need to know what their students know and can do before beginning a new unit of study. One way to make this determination is to use a pretest that  assesses student proficiency in the skill(s) that will be taught in a unit.   The design of that effective  pretest can be  developed using a process of backwards  design  that was popularized by educators  Grant Wiggins  and  Jay McTighe  in their 1990 book  Understanding by Design.  The book detailed the idea of  backwards design  which is  defined in the Glossary of Education Reform: Backward design begins with the objectives of a unit or course- what students are expected to learn and be able to do- and then proceeds backward to create lessons that achieve those desired goals.​ Wiggins and McTigue argued that lesson plans  that target student weaknesses  are those which begin with the final  assessment  in mind.  Therefore, before teaching, teachers should carefully review the results, the data, from a pretest. In reviewing the pretest data, a teacher will be able to decide how to spend time in the classroom in teaching a skill set, because there is no reason to spend classroom time on a skill set that students have already mastered. Pretests allow teachers to see the degrees of proficiency students have with the material. There may be different standards of measuring proficiency such as:  below basic, basic, approaching mastery, mastery. Each of these measurements can be converted to a grade (numerical) or grade level standard.   Take, for example, the use of a geography pretest to assess how well students understand the concepts of latitude and longitude. If all students know how to use these concepts in identifying locations (mastery), then the teacher can skip that lesson. If a few students are still unfamiliar with longitude and latitude, a teacher can individualize instruction to bring those students up to speed. If the majority of students, however, are struggling with locating geographic elements using these ideas, then the teacher can continue with the lesson on longitude and latitude. Key Advantages of Pretests Pretests help measure student learning over a period of time. The pretest marks a students level of understanding before instruction while a final assessment or post-test measures student learning. A comparison of pre- and post-tests can  provide a teacher with an opportunity to track student growth in one class or over several years. For example, a  pretest  in linear equations in algebra can be used to see how well one group of students have learned compared to other students in different classes or different school years.Pretests give students a preview of what will be expected during the unit. This pretest is often a students first exposure to key terms and concepts, and the more frequent the exposure, the more likely students will retain the information. For example, a pretest in botany may be filled with terms such as hybrid, stamen, and photosynthesis.  Pretests can be used diagnostically to determine if there are additional gaps in student learning. There may be quest ions connected to the topic that can be a partial review. The results of a pretest may help generate ideas for a future lesson. Depending on the way the pretests are created, teachers might find knowledge gaps that they did not expect. Armed with this knowledge they can make changes to lessons to include further instruction and review. Pretests can be used to measure the effectiveness of the curriculum. Changes in the curriculum may be measured over time using student assessment results on pretests.   Problems with Pretests There is always a concern about the amount and the frequency of testing of students since testing can take time away from instruction. Consider that a pretest generally does not require prior knowledge which means it is not time sensitive. When a pretest is given at the beginning of the unit, and the post-test is given at the end of a unit, the timing can mean a student will need to take two tests back-to-back. One way to avoid this complication of extended testing times is to give a pretest for quarter two/or trimester two in the middle of quarter one/or trimester one.  Teachers should be cautioned that a poorly written pretest will not provide the information necessary for targeted instruction. Spending time creating an effective pretest can improve instruction by recognizing areas of student strengths and targeting  areas of student weaknesses. Creating Pretests Teachers writing  pretests  should always remember their purpose. Since pretests  can be used for comparison to post-tests, they should both similar in format. The same procedures should be used in delivering the post-test as were used in the pretest. For example, if a passage was read aloud in the pretest, then a  passage should be read during the post-test. The passage and questions, however, should not be the same. Ultimately a well-designed pretest will mirror the design and concepts of the final assessment in part and can reveal many gems to the savvy teacher. Pretests should also be reviewed as to their effectiveness in improving instruction. Teacher feedback is critical to the development of good pretests  and is an excellent way for teachers to grow in their field. By providing kids with pretests and using that information wisely, teachers can target students with more individualized instruction- and not teach what students already know.

capital punishment on metal re essays

capital punishment on metal re essays As I read Atkins v. Virginia, I was easily reflected on my own experiences with family members and close friends, who suffer from mental impairments. The views and opinions of people vary from mild too extreme. First and far most we are constantly reminded of this by the media. In such case where the criminal is aware of their actions and the consequences tend to plea for insanity in lieu of a lighter sentence. However, we must not forget those who are truly classified as mentally retarded. According to the definition from the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEAS) and in the state of Virginia, psychological evaluation on an individual current level of functioning and met IQ requirements Substantially limited in present functioning that is characterized by significantly sub-average intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with related limitations in two or more of the following: applicable adaptive skills area; communication; self-care; home living; social skills; community use; self direction; health and safety; functional academics; leisure and work manifested before the age 18. www.co.henrico.va.us/mhmr. Mental retardation can under the law can only be considered by the approach of a realistic picture of the individual. It also recognizes that the picture can change. As the person grows and learns, his or her ability to get along in the world grows as well. The prosecution and trial of Capital defendants are notoriously flawed. These flaws are magnified when the defendant has mental retardation. Once the person is competent to stand trial, the mental retardation person is deemed capable of understanding the nature and purpose of the legal proceedings and of cooperating, communicating and working with defense counsel. Many people with retardation relinquish critical rights simply...

10X Marketing Formula Book Launch - #OverheardAtCoSchedule

10X Marketing Formula Book Launch The 10X Marketing Formula  is finally here! If you’ve been following for the past few months, you might know it’s our CEO and co-founder Garrett Moon’s new book. It explains how grew from zero to over 8,000 customers in less than four years by pushing back on conventional marketing wisdom. Best of all, it shows how you can do the same. This isn’t just another marketing book, though. It’s packed with actionable advice that actually works, sharing the same strategies we implement every day at . You’ll learn all about: What should marketers do when content marketing doesn’t work? What is competition-free content, and how can a blue ocean strategy drive results? And above all, how can marketers push past work that drives 10% improvements, and focus on projects that drive 10X results? On this episode of Overheard At , we’re getting Garrett’s insights into what The 10X Marketing Formula  is all about. This marks a major milestone for all of us here, and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the book.

Home Birth (personal writing) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Home Birth (personal writing) - Coursework Example While on the other hand many argue that home births are dangerous for both women and the child and they should be avoided. It is seen that the rate of home births is quite less in comparison to the hospital births but this can only be associated with the recommendations of the health professionals regarding the homebirths. I have chosen this topic as I have witnessed this situation in the case of my own mother. My mother wanted to have a home birth with all six of her pregnancies but due to varying circumstances she was unable to do so. My mother had to undergo her delivery in UK for her third baby and she wanted to have a home birth but she could not go ahead with it because of certain problems. My mother knew so much about birth at home as she previously had undergone homebirth in our native city which is because she developed a fear for the hospitals. When I went with my mother for the first anti-natal check up at my local hospital I told the doctor that my mother would prefer to have birth at home but was told that it is my mother’s first pregnancy in UK so it would not be possible. I asked why not? I was told that because it was my mother’s first pregnancy in UK and they have no idea how would she be able to cope with this pregnancy at home so they recommended a hospital birth to my mother. I realised for the first time that home births were not recommended in the UK. My mother had no choice but to go along with the decision because of which she was very disappointed. The choice of homebirth for my mother was best suited because she had a normal pre natal examination. The proponents of home birth put forward that the women who do not have complications in their natal examination should not be recommended a hospital birth but should rather be recommended a home birth. They put forward evidence which clearly shows that home birth is a satisfying and safe practice for the women who experience uncomplicated births (Wiegers et al 1996; Ogden et al 1997). It is still seen that the home births in UK are only about 2% whereas if women were allowed to opt for a choice the rate would be much higher. Homebirths are a safer practice for women who do not have complicated births and these can prove to have a strong psychological effect on the women. Research has also shown that women who undergo home births undergo less stress than the ones who undergo hospital births. This stress may also be one of the causative factors because of which the women undergoing hospital births feel more pain while the delivery. Research shows that women undergoing home births have less pain and receive a lower number of pharmacologic interventions. These women also feel greater satisfaction while giving birth at home because they don’t undergo much stress (Davies 1997). These women are also free to do things when they undergo home birth where as in a hospital they are not allowed to do certain things after their delivery. Moreover studies have al so shown that women prefer home births rather than hospital births because of the control and autonomy that they have at their home rather than the influence of the physicians in the hospitals (Viisainen 2002; Andrews 2004). Home birth gives women a psychological advantage that their child would be normal. Many women believe that hospitals are associated with a disease while pregnancy is

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Reaction Paper - Assignment Example In this paper, I will focus on the long-term maintenance and management of persons who are addicted to Opioid drugs. Methadone is recently been used as a treatment for persons suffering from opiate addiction. However, its reception in the country and internationally has not been positive, in the sense that, it has brought many controversies. Conversely, in my opinion methadone has been a great boost for persons addicted to opiate drugs, as well as, heroin. This is because it blocks the euphoric and numbing effects of opiates. Secondly, cravings for opiates are relived, which has been stated to be a major factor for relapse. Besides, from reducing cravings, it has helped in reliving symptoms associated with withdrawal from opiates. The fact that methadone does not cause any intoxication or euphoria in the body causing a person to work effectively is the major reason methadone is the appropriate maintenance treatment. Therefore, the use of methadone as a long-term drug for drug addiction maintenance is effective. Because according to the research conducted by Proctor et al. (2014), it is clear that the advantages of methadone over buprenorphine were many. In the research conducted by Akhondzadeh et al (2014), the research indicated that the use of self-help group was most preferred because of the higher agreeableness, as well as, lower neuroticism that were seen in people who attended NA meetings. Although the use of methadone is, a good approach of dealing with people who are opiate addicts in this time and age people are too busy to find time to attend NA meetings. Additionally, it was established that people who attend NA meetings had a lower level of education and come from poor backgrounds than those who used methadone as a form of maintenance for drug addiction (Matesa, 2011). For that reason, it is clear that although there are different methods of drug maintenance they

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Project management week4 - Essay Example Perhaps the most important element of a communication plan is the audience, which receives and responds effectively to the message conveyed (Pritchard, 2014).   According to Taylor and Dow (2013), some critical audiences must be involved in effective communications plan in order for the message to gain wide acceptance. Pritchard (2014) states that the audiences vary greatly and they may include the project sponsor who is the main audience, professional groups, opinion leaders, employees, media, local community, and government. All the audiences differ greatly in opinion and they may respond variedly depending on their mood and the nature of the message in the communication plan (Ramsing, 2009). Essentially, the project sponsor, media, and the local community are the major stakeholders that will especially receive the full communication (Taylor & Dow, 2013). When it comes to the information that the audience will receive the project sponsor is entitled to full information including the confidential information while the local community ought to receive partially classified information (Tennyson & Ray, 2005). On the other hand, the media must only receive the general information to protect the project secrets. Concerning all the information, the communication plan will consist of verbal, written, and audio-visual information (Pritchard, 2014). It will apply to all the three groups of audiences, as comprehensively understand the info being communicated (Pritchard, 2014). The frequency with which the information will be shared will depend on the prevailing circumstances, as it will not be possible to gather all the stakeholders at once. Therefore, the project sponsor will receive the full copy of the communication plan while the public and the media will be kept updated daily (Ramsing, 2009). If the audiences do not receive the message effectively, then they will be separated into groups so that each group receives more attention

Provide an economic analysis of Netflix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Provide an economic analysis of Netflix - Essay Example Netflix drives its revenues from two sources: monthly subscriptions from users who can instantly stream TV shows and movies over the internet and delivery of DVDs and Blu-ray discs to customers’ homes. The major cost components or Netflix include fixed-fee licenses, revenue shared and direct purchases made from studios and other content providers. The company also has to spend money in maintaining its streaming services through Amazon Web Services and Content Delivery Networks. There are many factors that impact the supply and demand of the company’s business. One of the primary factors determining demand is the economic situation. The demand also depends on the quality of content produced. As can be seen from the list of competitors, all the competitors have a different unique characteristic in the way they are providing entertainment video to the customers. While cable providers and direct-to-home service providers offer a fixed list of entertainment videos on a monthly fees, internet based content providers provide customers which is more similar to Netflix. The other competitors are retailers which provide entertainment videos to customers through brick and mortar shops. This can be said to be a monopolistic competition. Monopolistic competition can be defined as the market structure where there are many sellers of the same commodity but there is a slight difference in the way the service is provided (Jain & Ohri, 249). Although there are many companies that provide similar service to customers, however, none of the companies providing online companies have been able to come close to Netflix in areas of market share or revenue. Thus, the company is having significant market power and drives the market. The company has been very successful in increasing its subscriber base over the period of time. It had a total subscriber base of 20 million at the end of 2010. The company’s revenue was $2.16

SLP- Information Sensitivity and Protection of Data Essay

SLP- Information Sensitivity and Protection of Data - Essay Example The reason why the present in-house learning system is that the hospital information system (HIS) has been described as one of the most complex, which if practitioners do not get very familiar with could lead to several health complications for service users (Miller and Sim, 2004). In addition to the in-house learning system, there has also been the acquisition of enough information system equipment and technology tools that caters for modern trends and changes in health service delivery. The assurance of confidentiality of data and information constitutes an ethical consideration for the new hospital information system implemented within the organization (Devaraj and Kohli, 2000). This is because it is important that the organization adheres to national and international provisions of health service delivery such as HIPAA regulations, which enshrines that patients receive maximum security and confidentiality on their data and information (Chaudhry et al, 2006). Presently, the organization uses a technology based policy that makes it impossible for data and information within the database of the organization to be accessed by people who are not directly involved in a given department of the organization to which the information belongs. For example, regardless of the network provision on the system, those in the pharmacy section cannot access information from the laboratory department without prior approval from the laboratory department. Moreover, there is the use o f a password system in the protection of data such that only a limited number of people are allowed access to the system. This policy also goes a long way to ensure reliability of data as the possibility that there will be doctoring of key information is almost an impossibility. Finally, there is a special biometric identification and coding system that identifies patients and people whose information is stored on the system rather than the use

Provide an economic analysis of Netflix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Provide an economic analysis of Netflix - Essay Example Netflix drives its revenues from two sources: monthly subscriptions from users who can instantly stream TV shows and movies over the internet and delivery of DVDs and Blu-ray discs to customers’ homes. The major cost components or Netflix include fixed-fee licenses, revenue shared and direct purchases made from studios and other content providers. The company also has to spend money in maintaining its streaming services through Amazon Web Services and Content Delivery Networks. There are many factors that impact the supply and demand of the company’s business. One of the primary factors determining demand is the economic situation. The demand also depends on the quality of content produced. As can be seen from the list of competitors, all the competitors have a different unique characteristic in the way they are providing entertainment video to the customers. While cable providers and direct-to-home service providers offer a fixed list of entertainment videos on a monthly fees, internet based content providers provide customers which is more similar to Netflix. The other competitors are retailers which provide entertainment videos to customers through brick and mortar shops. This can be said to be a monopolistic competition. Monopolistic competition can be defined as the market structure where there are many sellers of the same commodity but there is a slight difference in the way the service is provided (Jain & Ohri, 249). Although there are many companies that provide similar service to customers, however, none of the companies providing online companies have been able to come close to Netflix in areas of market share or revenue. Thus, the company is having significant market power and drives the market. The company has been very successful in increasing its subscriber base over the period of time. It had a total subscriber base of 20 million at the end of 2010. The company’s revenue was $2.16

Histort Essay on Globalization Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Histort on Globalization - Essay Example The Internet has made products more accessible to people all around the world and corporations are willing to dip their hands in the pockets of other countries. Globalization is basically an effort for a business to provide a product on a multinational effort in search for profit from wherever they can possibly get it, even if that includes having products manufactured for little cost overseas. This then has resulted in a lack of jobs in the United States due to globalization and has ultimately led to an economic downward spiral. Corporations thrive on the globalization of their business, able to make millions and offer their goods to developing companies. Occupy Wall Street is an anti-globalization group that currently protests shipping jobs overseas and keep the work here in the United States. It ks a movement designed to completely protest globalization because they expect for economic movements to stay local within our own government here in the United States. The western worlds currently dominate the majority of the world's economy and the United Nations plays a huge role when it comes to globalization. The United States plays a huge part in the United Nations due to the country being a giant in the corporate and developing realms of business. Alternately, globalization is also impacted on by embargoes that are set up in other parts of the world that can otherwise effect the rest of the world that are unable to trade goods. The economy as a whole is deeply affected in a negative way, particularly in the United States while there is a huge economic crisis going on. The value of a dollar is going down and will also affect other areas in the world and exchange rates which then also effects People on the political left have the tendency to want change while the people on the right wing do not want change. Conflicting visions are typically the topic of most political issues. Globalization is just another means for conflict in politics. It also results in a stru ggle between states. Some states have different resources to offer than others so globalization can effect the local economy as well as the overall national economy. The current Obama administration has the same policy that was passed from the Bush administration. Obama's stimulus package also plays a huge role in globalization not just in the United States, but also in other parts of the world because many other countries rely on the United States. Though it appears that Obama has tried to impact the economy, when looking at the bigger picture, there are still major issues in the United States that lead to unemployment, the middle class is the suffering class, and therefore contributing to the issue of globalization. It may have been a gesture of collective action but it was not quite effective enough or at least Americans are still feeling the burn of globalization's effects. The lack of jobs seems to be the largest sour idea when it comes to globalization, from the perspective of an American. Corporations not only are making money off of high priced items, but are shipping their jobs overseas to be performed at extremely low costs. Additionally, globalization is changing the world. Change does not just make the United States uneasy, but people in other economies do not know what to expect either. As a giant powerhouse of a country, many of the moves of other countries are impacted by the decisions of the United States. 2. The United States is struggling from economic recession and though it is the

Review of Blue Lagoon Essay Example for Free

Review of Blue Lagoon Essay The Blue Lagoon Explores the Garden of Eden The Blue Lagoon is often ridculed as a fluff piece of adolescent nudity. However I believe The Blue Lagoon raises interesting questions about human sexuality. How did we discover sex, and what about our sexuality is innate? The movie presents the case of an innocent boy and girl from the Victorian Age, shipwrecked on a beautiful tropical island. They are soon without any adult guidance whatsover. As children, the two are inseparable, but the movie presents a plausible change in their relationship as they start to go through the changes of puberty. They dont understand the physical changes that are happening to their bodies. And they start to become distant and secretive and angry with each other and they dont quite understand why. What they dont realize is that these changes are part of the process of moving apart and developing a separate sexual indentity from each other. Only after we see the steps of this transformation to sexual maturity completed do we see they are ready to discover humans oldest instinct in each other, which comes naturally to them in time. They then go on to discover the mysteries of parenthood and the psychological changes that come with that. Other themes such as religion and law are explored as well. What keeps this movie watchable is the beauty of the actors and the beauty of the island. The scenes on the lush tropical island and the bright blue ocean are beautifully shot and dreamlike. The natural beauty evokes a Garden of Eden. And this movie seems to try and explore the relationship that might have existed between Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, learning about love, sex, and children all on their own. And I think the movie gives it a pretty good shot. The Blue Lagoon is much deeper than people give it credit for.

Malaysia As A Fully Developed Country Politics Essay

Malaysia As A Fully Developed Country Politics Essay The purpose of this paper is to present before you some thoughts on the future course of our nation and how we should go about to attain our objective of developing Malaysia into an industrialised country. Also outlined are some measures that should be in place in the shorter term so that the foundations can be laid for the long journey towards that ultimate objective.   Hopefully the Malaysian who is born today and in the years to come will be the last generation of our citizens who will be living in a country that is called developing. The ultimate objective that we should aim for is a Malaysia that is a fully developed country by the year 2020. What, you might rightly ask, is a fully developed country ? Do we want to be like any particular country of the present 19 countries that are generally regarded as developed countries ? Do we want to be like the United Kingdom, like Canada, like Holland, like Sweden, like Finland, like Japan ? To be sure, each of the 19, out of a world community of more than 160 states, has its strengths. But each also has its fair share of weaknesses. Without being a duplicate of any of them we can still be developed. We should be a developed country in our own mould. Malaysia should not be developed only in the economic sense. It must be a nation that is fully developed along all the dimensions: economically, politically, socially, spiritually, psychologically and culturally. We must be fully developed in terms of national unity and social cohesion, in terms of our economy, in terms of social justice, political stability, system of government, quality of life, social and spiritual values, national pride and confidence. Malaysia As A Fully Developed Country One Definition By the year 2020, Malaysia can be a united nation, with a confident Malaysian society, infused by strong moral and ethical values, living in a society that is democratic, liberal and tolerant, caring, economically just and equitable, progressive and prosperous, and in full possession of an economy that is competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient. There can be no fully developed Malaysia until we have finally overcome the nine central strategic challenges that have confronted us from the moment of our birth as an independent nation. The first of these is the challenges of establishing a united Malaysian nation with a sense of common and shared destiny. This must be a nation at peace with itself, territorially and ethnically integrated, living in harmony and full and fair partnership, made up of one Bangsa Malaysia with political loyalty and dedication to the nation. The second is the challenge of creating a psychologically liberated, secure, and developed Malaysian Society with faith and confidence in itself, justifiably proud of what it is, of what it has accomplished, robust enough to face all manner of adversity. This Malaysian Society must be distinguished by the pursuit of excellence, fully aware of all its potentials, psychologically subservient to none, and respected by the peoples of other nations. The third challenge we have always faced is that of fostering and developing a mature democratic society, practising a form of mature consensual, community-oriented Malaysian democracy that can be a model for many developing countries. The fourth is the challenge of establishing a fully moral and ethical society, whose citizens are strong in religious and spiritual values and imbued with the highest of ethical standards.   The fifth challenge that we have always faced is the challenge of establishing a matured, liberal and tolerant society in which Malaysians of all colours and creeds are free to practise and profess their customs,cultures and religious beliefs and yet feeling that they belong to one nation.   The sixth is the challenge of establishing a scientific and progressive society, a society that is innovative and forward-looking, one that is not only a consumer of technology but also a contributor to the scientific and technological civilisation of the future.   The seventh challenge is the challenge of establishing a fully caring society and a caring culture, a social system in which society will come before self, in which the welfare of the people will revolve not around the state or the individual but around a strong and resilient family system.   The eighth is the challenge of ensuring an economically just society. This is a society in which there is a fair and equitable distribution of the wealth of the nation, in which there is full partnership in economic progress. Such a society cannot be in place so long as there is the identification of race with economic function, and the identification of economic backwardness with race.   The ninth challenge is the challenge of establishing a prosperous society, with an economy that is fully competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient. We have already come a long way towards the fulfilment of these objectives. The nine central objectives listed need not be our order of priorities over the next three decades. Most obviously, the priorities of any moment in time must meet the specific circumstances of that moment in time.   But it would be surprising if the first strategic challenge which I have mentioned the establishment of a united Malaysian nation is not likely to be the most fundamental, the most basic.   Since much of what I will say this morning will concentrate on economic development, let me stress yet again that the comprehensive development towards the developed society that we want -however each of us may wish to define it -cannot mean material and economic advancement only. Far from it. Economic development must not become the be-all and the end-all of our national endeavours. Since this Council must concentrate on the issues of economic development and economic social justice, which for this nation must go hand in hand for the foreseeable future, let me expand on the perception of the central strategic challenges with regard to these two vital objectives.   At this point it is well to define in greater detail the objective of establishing an economically just society.   Of the two prongs of the NEP no one is against the eradication of absolute poverty -regardless of race, and irrespective of geographical location. All Malaysians, whether they live in the rural or the urban areas, whether they are in the south, north, east or west, must be moved above the line of absolute poverty.   This nation must be able to provide enough food on the table so that not a solitary Malaysian is subjected to the travesty of gross under-nourishment. We must provide enough by way of essential shelter, access to health facilities, and all the basic essentials. A developed Malaysia must have a wide and vigorous middle class and must provide full opportunities for those in the bottom third to climb their way out of the pit of relative poverty.   The second prong, that of removing the identification of race with major economic function is also acceptable except that somehow it is thought possible to achieve this without any shuffling of position. If we want to build an equitable society than we must accept some affirmative action. This will mean that in all the major and important sectors of employment, there should be a good mix of the ethnic groups that make up the Malaysian nation. By legitimate means we must ensure a fair balance with regard to the professions and all the major categories of employment. Certainly we must be as interested in quality and merit. But we must ensure the healthy development of a viable and robust Bumiputera commercial and industrial community.   A developed Malaysia should not have a society in which economic backwardness is identified with race. This does not imply individual income equality, a situation in which all Malaysians will have the same income. This is an impossibility because by sheer dint of our own individual effort, our own individual upbringing and our individual preferences, we will all have different economic worth, and will be financially rewarded differently. An equality of individual income as propounded by socialists and communists is not only not possible, it is not desirable and is a formula for disaster.   But I do believe that the narrowing of the ethnic income gap, through the legitimate provision of opportunities, through a closer parity of social services and infrastructure, through the development of the appropriate economic cultures and through full human resource development, is both necessary and desirable. We must aspire by the year 2020 to reach a stage where no-one can say that a particular ethnic group is inherently economically backward and another is economically inherently advanced. Such a situation is what we must work for efficiently, effectively, with fairness and with dedication.   A full partnership in economic progress cannot mean full partnership in poverty. It must mean a fair balance with regard to the participation and contribution of all our ethnic groups including the Bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak in the high-growth, modern sectors of our economy. It must mean a fair distribution with regard to the control , management and ownership of the modern economy.   In order to achieve this economically just society, we must escalate dramatically our programmes for national human resource development. There is a need to ensure the creation of an economically resilient and fully competitive Bumiputera community so as to be at par with the NonBumiputera community. There is need for a mental revolution and a cultural transformation. Much of the work of pulling ourselves up by our boot-straps must be done ourselves. In working for the correction of the economic imbalances, there has to be the fullest emphasis on making the needed advances at speed and with the most productive results at the lowest possible economic and societal cost.   With regard to the establishment of a prosperous society, we can set many aspirational goals. I believe that we should set the realistic (as opposed to aspirational) target of almost doubling our real gross domestic product every t en years between 1990 and 2020 AD. If we do this, our GDP should be about eight times larger by the year 2020 than it was in 1990. Our GDP in 1990 was 115 billion Ringgit. Our GDP in 2020 should therefore be about 920 billion Ringgit in real (1990 Ringgit) terms.   This rapid growth will require that we grow by an average of about 7 per cent (in real terms) annually over the next 30 years. Admittedly this is on optimistic projection but we should set our sights high if we are to motivate ourselves into striving hard. We must guard against growth fixation, the danger of pushing for growth figures oblivious to the needed commitment to ensure stability, to keep inflation low, to guarantee sustainability, to develop our quality of life and standard of living, and the achievement of our other social objectives. It will be a difficult task, with many peaks and low points. But I believe that this can be done. In the 1960s, we grew by an annual average of 5.1 per cent; in the 1970s, the first decade of the NEP, Malaysia grew by an average of 7.8 per cent; in the 1980s, because of the recession years, we grew by an annual average of 5.9 per cent. If we take the last thirty years, our GDP rose annually in real terms by an average of 6.3 per cent. If we take the last twenty years, we grew by an annual average of 6.9 per cent. What is needed is an additional 0.1 per cent growth. Surely if we all pull together God willing this 0.1% can be achieved.   If we do succeed, and assuming roughly a 2.5 per cent annual rate of population growth, by the year 2020, Malaysians will be four times richer (in real terms) than they were in 1990. That is the measure of the prosperous society we wish and hopefully we can achieve.   The second leg of our economic objective should be to secure the establishment of a competitive economy. Such an economy must be able to sustain itself over the longer term, must be dynamic, robust and resilient. It must mean, among other things: A diversified and balanced economy with a mature and widely based industrial sector, a modern and mature agriculture sector and an efficient and productive and an equally mature services sector; an economy that is quick on its feet, able to quickly adapt to changing patterns of supply, demand and competition; an economy that is technologically proficient, fully able to adapt, innovate and invent, that is increasingly technology intensive, moving in the direction of higher and higher levels of technology; an economy that has strong and cohesive industrial linkages throughout the system; an economy driven by brain-power, skills and diligence in possession of a wealth of information, with the knowledge of what to do and how to do it; an economy with high and escalating productivity with regard to every factor of production; an entrepreneurial economy that is self reliant, outward looking and enterprising; an economy sustained by an exemplary work ethic, quality consciousness and the quest for excellence; an economy characterised by low inflation and a low cost of living; an economy that is subjected to the full discipline and rigour of market forces.   Most of us in this present Council will not be there on the morning of January 1, 2020 Not many, I think. The great bulk of the work that must be done to ensure a fully developed country called Malaysia a generation from now will obviously be done by the leaders who follow us, by our children and grand-children. But we should make sure that we have done our duty in guiding them with regard to what we should work to become. And let us lay the secure foundations that they must build upon. Some Key Public Sector Economic Policies Some Key Public Sector Economic Policies For The Forseeable Future Since the early 1980s, we have stressed that this country will rely on the private sector as the primary engine of economic growth. In a way we were ahead of the rest of the world, even the developed countries in entrusting economic growth to the private sector.   In the early years, our fledgling private sector could not fully respond to the challenge that was issued. Then came the unpredictable and difficult recession and slowdown years. However in the last three years the private sector has bloomed and responded. The policy is now bearing fruit. The outcome: in 1988, we grew in real terms by 8.9 per cent; in 1989, by 8.8 per cent; in 1990, by 9.4 per cent without expansionary budgetting by the Government. Even the tiger economies of North East Asia have not done so well.   No nation can afford to abandon a winning formula. And this nation will not. For the forseeable future, Malaysia will continue to drive the private sector, to rely on it as the primary engine of growth.   In the meantime the Government will continue to downsize of its role in the field of economic production and business. The State cannot of course retreat totally from the economic life of Malaysia. It will not abdicate its responsibility for overseeing and providing the legal and regulatory framework for rapid economic and social development.   The Government will be pro active to ensure healthy fiscal and monetary management and the smooth functioning of the Malaysian economy. It will escalate the development of the necessary physical infrastructure and the most conducive business environment consistent with its other social priorities. And where absolutely neccessary the Government will not be so completly bound by its commitment to withdrawal from the economic role, that it will not intervene. It will play its role judiciously and actively. The process of de-regulation will continue. There can be no doubt that regulations are an essential part of the governance of society, of which the economy is a part. A state without laws and regulations is a state flirting with anarchy. Without order, there can be little business and no development. What is not required is over regulation although it may not be easy to decide when the Government is over regulating. Wisdom lies of course in the ability to distinguish between those laws and regulations which are productive of our societal objectives and those that are not; and it lies in making the right judgements with regard to the trade offs. Thus Governments will be neither foolish nor irresponsible, and will cater to the needs of the wider society as well as the requirements of rapid growth and a competitive, robust and resilient economy. It will be guided by the knowledge that the freeing of enterprise too not only laws and regulations, and state intervention can contribute to the achievement of the wider social objectives. In this light and given the fact that there are clear areas of unproductive regulation which need to be phased out, you can expect the process of productive de- regulation to continue. The recent move of Bank Negara to de-regulate the BLR regime is an example in point. Privatisation will continue to be an important cornerstone of our national development and national efficiency strategy. This policy is not founded on ideological belief. It is aimed specifically at enhancing competitiveness, efficiency and productivity in the economy, at reducing the administrative and financial burdens on the Government and at expediting the attainment of national distributional goals. In implementing our privatisation policy, the Government is fully aware of the need to protect public interest, to ensure that the poor are provided access to essential services, to guarantee that quality services are provided at minimum cost, to avoid unproductive monopolistic practices and to ensure the welfare of workers. There will be problems. No endeavour comes without a price tag. But it is clear enough that this policy has thus far generated positive results and we can expect its implementation to be accelerated in the future. With the completion of the Privatisation Master Plan Study, I believe that many of the bottlenecks and rigidities that obstruct the progress of the needed privatisation will be removed, thus accelerating its smooth implementation. There will be in the years ahead an Accelerated Industrialisation Drive, a drive that is not based on a fascination with industry but on the simple truth that if we want to develop rapidly -in a situation where the developed economies will be moving out of industrialisation into a post industrial stage this is the way to go. If we are to industrialise rapidly, we will need to capitalise on our national strengths and forcefully tackle our weaknesses. In pursuit of this policy, the Government will need to deal with the problem of a narrow manufacturing base. In 1988, 63 per cent of total Malaysian manufactured exports came from the electrical and electronic and textile industries. Electronics alone accounted for 50 per cent of total manufactured exports. We must diversify. Despite the most rapid development in the free trade zones insignificant demand has been generated for local intermediate products. We will have to deal with the problem of weak industrial linkages. There is inadequate development of indigenous technology. There is too little value- added, too much simple assembly and production. There is also a need to counter rising production costs brought about by rising costs of labour, raw materials and overheads by improving efficiency and productivity. There is a serious shortage of skilled manpower. All these and many more issues will need to be addressed. Small and medium scale industries have an important role to play in generating employment opportunities, in strengthening industrial linkages, in penetrating markets and generating export earnings. They have a crucial role as a spawning ground for the birth of tomorrows entrepreneurs. The Government will devise appropriate assistance schemes and will seek to raise the level of management expertise, technological know-how and skills of the employees in this very important and in many ways neglected sector of our economy. The SMIs will be one of the primary foundations for our future industrial thrust. The Government is fully committed to its healthiest development. Just as we must diversify the products we export so must we diversify the markets we export to. Malaysian exporters must look also at the non traditional markets. It will require new knowledge, new networks, new contacts and new approaches towards dealing with unfamiliar laws, rules and regulation. It will be uncomfortable but it would be a mistake to consider that it is not worth the discomfort to deal with these markets. Alone they may be small but cumulatively the market of the developing Asian, African and Latin America countries are big. If the developed countries find it worth while to export to these markets then it must be worth while for us also. The Government will help but the private sector must play their part. Reliance on export- led growth is still the way to rapid growth. Entry into the world market pits our companies against all comers and subjects them to the full force of international competition. This is a challange we must accept not simply because the domestic market is too small but because in the long run it will actually enrich our domestic market and reduce our dependence on export. We must persist with export-led growth despite the global slowdown, despite the rise of protectionism, trade blocs and managed trade. When the going is tougher, we must not turn inward. We simply have no choice but to be more lean, more resourceful, more productive and generally more competitive, more able to take on the world. 56. The liberalisation of the Malaysian economy has had beneficial result and contributed towards a more dynamic growth. Obviously, liberalisation must be undertaken responsibly and in stages so as not to create economic uncertainty and impose excessive structural adjustment costs. We should take into the fullest consideration Malaysias capacity to undertake liberalisation. We should not dismiss the infant industry argument, but we should not bow to illegitimate pressure. At the same time, productive liberalisation ensures that our private sector will be less reliant on artificial profits and on protection, which benefits some producers at the expense of consumers and other producers. Infants must grow up. They must grow up to be sturdy and strong. And this cannot be done if they are over-protected. For reasons that are obvious, the Government will continue to foster the inflow of foreign investment. This is essential for Malaysias Accelerated Industrialisation Drive. Again, we will not abandon a winning strategy. But we will fine-tune it to ensure that measures are in place to ensure that Malaysia maximises the net benefit from the inflow of foreign investment. In the past, the domestic private sector has largely failed to meet the targets set in successive Malaysia Plans. Apparently domestic investors feel that the Government has not devoted enough effort to the fostering of domestic investment as we have devoted to those from overseas. This is not completely true but we will redress the situation as we get better feed back. Small and medium scale enterprises must be assisted to grow bigger. Surplus savings and domestic capital must be more productively channeled into investments. Entrepreneurs must be spawned. Where necessary, technological and training help must be extended; and infrastructural support must be given. It is worthwhile to stress again that the development that we need cannot take place without the infrastructural underpinning. We must keep one step ahead of demand and need. In the recent Budget, we clearly stated what we will do in the shorter term. The Sixth Malaysia Plan will make clear what we will do in the medium term while the second outline perspective Plan will indicate the direction over the long term. The Government is fully aware of the infrastructure bottlenecks and of the need for massive investments in the years to come. We will not let growth to be retarded by excessive congestion and investment indigestion, as has happened in many countries. In our drive to move vigorously ahead nothing is more important then the development of human resources. From the experience in the last two decades of all the economic miracles of the countries that have been poor in terms of natural resources, it is blindingly clear that the most important resource of any nation must be the talents, skills, creativity and will of its people. What we have between our ears, at our elbow and in our heart is much more important than what we have below our feet and around us. Our people is our ultimate resource. Without a doubt, in the 1990s and beyond, Malaysia must give the fullest emphasis possible to the development of this ultimate resource. Malaysia has one of the best educational systems in the Third World. But for the journey that we must make over our second generation, new standards have to be set and new results achieved. We cannot but aspire to the highest standards with regard to the skills of our people, to their devotion to knowhow and knowledge upgrading and self-improvement, to their language competence, to their work attitudes and discipline, to their managerial abilities, to their achievement motivation, their attitude towards excellence and to the fostering of the entrepreneurial spirit. We cannot afford to neglect the importance of entrepreneurship and entrepreneural development, which goes, of course beyond training and education. We must ensure the correct mix with regard to professionals, sub-professionals, craftsmen and artisans, and the correct balance with regard to those with competence in science and technology, the a rts and social sciences. In the development of human resources we cannot afford to neglect half the population i.e. the Bumiputeras. If they are not brought into the mainstream, if their potentials are not fully developed, if they are allowed to be a milestone around the national neck, then our progress is going to be retarded by that much. No nation can achieve full progress with only half its human resources harnessed. What may be considered a burden now can, with the correct attitude and management be the force that lightens our burden and hasten our progress. The Bumiputeras must play their part fully in the achievement of the national goal. Inflation is the bane of all economic planners. Fortunately except during the first oil shock when inflation went up to 17%, Malaysia has managed to keep inflation low. We must continue to keep it low. The Government, the business sector, and the people must be committed to keeping it low. The only real way to combat inflation is to live within ones means. If we cannot afford we just dont buy. In Malaysia this is possible for we can produce practically all we need in terms of food, shelter and clothing. When recently we had a recession, life was bearable because we were able to buy our needs at roughly the same price i.e. we had practically no inflation. Now that we have more money, demand pull is slowly forcing prices up. So although we may be more prosperous now, although we may be financially wealthier now, but in terms of purchasing power we are not as well-off as we should be. The public must understand what causes inflation and must be disciplined enough to combat it . In some countries when inflation rates go up to thousands of per cent per year, Governments have been changed again and again without inflation being contained. The reason is that the people are not disciplined and prepared to restrain themselves. No Government can put a stop to inflation unless the people are prepared to accept the discomfort of austerity. In the fight against inflation nothing is more effective than education and discipline among the people. In an interdependent trading world, the exchange rate plays a vital role. Too cheap a currency will increase import bills and debt payment but it will make exports competitive. But the full benefit of a low exchange rate on export can be negated by the cost of imported material which go into the exported products. A high currency value will enrich our people, particularly in terms of buying imported luxuries but our exports will not be competitive and the economy will eventually be adversely affected. Clearly the management of the exchange rate is of extreme importance to the progress of our nation. There is only a limited ability to manipulate. In the final analysis it is how we balance our trade that will determine how our currency is valued. Malaysia must learn to be competitive through higher productivity rather than through manipulating exchange rates. Again the people must understand their role, particularly with regard to productivity. In a world of high technology Malaysia cannot afford to lag behind. We cannot be in the front line of modern technology but we must always try to catch up at least in those fields where we may have certain advantages. We have already adopted a National Plan of Action for Industrial Technology Development. This is the easy part. We must now proceed expeditiously to the enormously difficult task of implementation. The Government will certainly provide the necessary commitment and leadership to this national endeavour. The institutional and support infrastructure will be put in place to ensure rapid, realistic, focussed and market driven development of our technological capabilities. But let us never forget that technology is not for the laboratory but the factory floor and the market. The private sector and our people must respond. Far too often the results of research are ignoured in favour of the tried and tested moneyspinners. It has been said that the secret of Japans success is its skill in applying research results to marketable products. If we dont do this we are going to be left behind whatever may be the level of our technology. While increasing our industrial manufacturing sector, Malaysia must make sure that our agriculture and services sector will not be neglected. We must advance. We must strive for efficiency, modernity and competitiveness. These should be the key guiding principles of our national policy towards agriculture, tourism and the fullest development of the entire services sector. Nor can we afford to neglect the rural sector of our economy and society. In the years ahead, we must work for a second rural development transformation, restructuring the villages so as to be compatible with both agriculture and modern industry. Less and less farmers should produce more and more food, thus releasing manpower for an industrial society. While doing all these we must also ensure that our valuable natural resources are not wasted. Our land must remain productive and fertile, our atmosphere clear and clean, our water unpolluted, our forest resources capable of regeneration, able to yield the needs of our national development. The beauty of our land must not be desecrated for it s own sake and for our economic advancement. In the information age that we are living in the Malaysian society must be information rich. It can be no accident that there is today no wealthy, developed country that is information -poor and no information-rich country that is poor and undeveloped. There was a time when land was the most fundamental basis of prosperity and wealth. Then came the second wave, the age of industrialisation. Smokestacks rose where the fields were once cultivated. Now, increasingly, knowledge will not o