African American Oral Tradition Essay

Modern African American Literature was formed under a stressful time for Africans, slavery. The only way the stories of the indigenous people of Africa were passed down was through oral recollections, or stories of the events. In America this was especially difficult for the slaves because of laws preventing them from learning English. By not being allowed to learn English, the slaves had to learn English solely on auditory purposes. This essentially made the slaves illiterate. When the slaves transferred the language that they heard to paper, a new style of language was formed which was referred to as dialect. Dialect is what the slaves thought they heard and the correct spelling of those words, not standard English. Dunbar, who wrote fluently in both standard English and dialect was praised by white critics only for his dialect poems, and not praised for his poems in standard English. His literacy works are still alive today, however the dialect works were attached with a stigma. Usually whites despised the African’s dialect. Therefore, the slaves would not try to publish any type of work with dialect because the slaves did not want to be associated with the stigma. In all, by creating a unique dialect gave the slaves a bilingual type of style. By not being able to write, slaves also made Genres such as, spiritual, folk songs and gospels. Songs such as these were ways of passing down stories to the next generation. These songs also contained secret messages. These messages may have contained information about escape routes or even the underground- railroad. However most of the songs were spiritual in nature. The songs also progressed through the years. The originals slave folk songs, spirituals, and gospels are now prevalent in modern day jazz and the blues. Martin even gives the example of Hayden, who mixes his song ideas with the ideas of Bessie Smith. Even though African are allowed to read and write, this is a form how their culture is still expressed today. Martin made the emphasis that the oral tradition is part of the African Americans distinct culture.

Early 1920s and Hitler’s Rise to Power

The Rise of Hitler 1. Why did so many German people join the Nazi Party? In the early 1920s, Germany was especially hard-hit during the Great Depression after the first World War, mainly because of the Treaty of Versailles, which made Germany go into an extreme hyperinflation. People could not buy anything with a reasonable price. In 1922, a loaf of bread costed 163 marks. In September 1923, it would have costed 1,500,000 marks and in November of that same year which was the peak of the hyperinflation, the loaf of bread would be worth 200,000,000 marks.Prices were going up faster than people could spend their money. Naturally, workers were unhappy with the social and economic conditions in Germany. Then came Adolf Hitler, who formed a party known as the Nazis which promised many things that the workers and the people of Germany wanted and implemented his ideas through his propaganda. Hitler told people that he would make sure everybody got a job and that he would help the peasants. T hese ideas were implemented into his propaganda and proved to be very effective. . Why did the Munich Putsch 1923 fail? The Munich Putsch of 1923, also known as the Beer Hall Putsch was Adolf Hitler’s attempt to overthrow the Weimar government of Ebert and establish a nationalistic one instead in its place. The Munich Putsch failed because of several factors. First, Hitler had only about 35,000 supporters at that time so there was a shortage of rebels. Second, the Kahr had called in army and police reinforcements and 16 Nazis were killed.Hitler was threatening to shoot anyone that left the Beer Hall and didn’t rebel so not everyone was happy about participating in it, so when the police and army reinforcements came, most of them fled since they didn’t even want to be there in first place. Overall, the reason for the Munich Putsch failing is because the Nazis, despite not having enough supporters at the time, tried to force itself into power against superior mili tary and political forces. 3. Why did Hitler receive such a light sentence at his trial for treason?What were the consequences of his trial and time spent in prison? In 1923, after being arrested for participating in the Munich Putsch, Hitler served a fairly light sentence of 5 years and a 200 mark fine after being accused of high treason. Hitler actually only served 9 months of those 5 years in prison. However, the usual consequence of high treason was death. The question is, why didn’t Hitler get executed? In the courtroom at the time of the trial, Hitler used that time to make another one of his speeches, causing more people to join his cause.This also made the judge like him, so the judge gave him a particularly light sentence. However, even if the judge didn’t like him, he would have gotten a lighter sentence anyways. This is because there were many more German people supporting Hitler now and if the judge sentenced Hitler to death, then that might have caused an uprising or a protest. Therefore, the judge decided to send him to pay a 200 mark fine and serve a 5 year prison sentence, although he would be eligible for parole after 9 months.

Evaluate the different interpretations of the role of the state Essay

There are many different views about what the role of the state is and should be. All mainstream parties have concluded that there is some need for welfare provisions in a modern day liberal democracy. However with historical variations to each ideology it is sometime difficult to group an ideology as one. Also many variations agree with other ideological variations. The role of the state is a controversial issue with many differing ideas. Traditional conservatism stresses the importance of a strong state in order to maintain and uphold society. Authority and tradition are embedded in the state and act as the state to hold it together. Although Burke is a strong advocator of this view it is clear that from such a role the state could become a totalitarian state, especially with Conservatives believing that being born into society simply means you must follow its rule. A criticism of this view would be found in classical liberal ideology, with theorists such as Locke and Hobbs that would argue that by having a strong state individual freedoms were being eroded away. Also by no having any welfare provisions they were upholding a strong state that was full on inequality and exploitation of the working class especially during industrialisation. A one-nation approach then emerged that tried to solve some of the criticisms of traditional conservative ideology. Having a state as a welfare provider was a key principle to this variation. It is much he same as modern liberalism in the idea of protecting the working classes. However where as modern liberals wanted to liberate the working class from social evils to give them back their freedom, one-nation conservatives were more concerned with a social uprising by the lower orders (Disraeli) and therefore called for a more paternalistic approach to the state in order to protect the very make up of society. Never the less this improvement of welfare can be criticised mainly by classical liberals who state that individual freedoms were being restricted once again because of the welfare provisions being placed on individuals. As a result the criticism of a ‘nanny’ state caused the New Right conservatives to emerge. They believed in have the state as night watchmen, with free markets. However they have an inconsistent set of ideals as there are too different strands of New Right conservatism. Neo-conservatives call for a strong but minimal state, two things that contradict each other, where as neo-liberals call for minimal state and free markets. It is clear that this most recent form of conservative ideology is not coherent. Modern liberal ideology is one that has been subscribed to by both one-nation conservatives and social democrats, and is clearly a viable choice of role for the state. Green and Hohouse call for a need for a welfare state to free those who are exploited through industrialisation. It answers the criticism of Classical liberalism, that doesn’t provide any safe guard against social inequality, by providing a welfare state. It also avoids the possibility of unrest and revolution from the lower orders. Anarchists would argue that no state is required and put trust in the good nature of humans in running a society. I agree to some extent with Paine (classical liberal) that the state is a ‘necessary evil’ but I see the state as more of a safety net, there to protect when needed. Modern liberals believe that a welfare state answers the question of removing social inequalities, where as Marxists believe that removing the state initially is the answer. By radically redistributing wealth among society and eventually dissolving the state, it aims to eradicate an unfair class system, as it sees itself. However in order to achieve this stateless state, a strong state is required in order to implement it! Another ideology that doesn’t have a consistent set of ideas. I also believe that Marxism goes too far and encroaches too much on individual freedom. Never the less Gramsci would argue that because we are living in a liberal democracy we do not know what are actual needs are. We have our felt needs such as the vote and welfare provision, but we lack freedom for class oppression. This line of argument is flawed however because there is in this case then no-one who has no been influenced by a liberal democracy to inform us of what our actual needs are. Marxist ideology does have some credit in that they are attempting to eradicate class oppression which I believe is a credible aim but on the other hand the ideology is incoherent and difficult to imagine people subscribing to. Less radical forms of socialism are influenced by Marx but take a more practical approach to implementing his ideas. Social democrats see the capitalist economy as a part of the state but wish to humanise it to eradicate exploitation. Much as modern liberals attempted to do by implementing a welfare system. However a gradual change is required, and equality of opportunity is focused on; which is contrasting to democratic socialism who believes in a radical redistribution of wealth by taxation and nationalisation, with a focus on opportunity of outcome. Classical liberals would criticise this because by imposing such a large state, individual freedoms are being ignored. However feminists may argue that a radical change to the state may allow them to adapt the state to promote more equality for women. Clearly the aim to eradicate social inequality is plausible but the amount of state intervention into the economy in order to achieve this aim is just too greater price to pay for total e quality. In conclusion there is a clear consensus that a welfare state has its merits in a liberal democracy. It is the modern liberal approach, that both one-nation conservatism and social democrats have been influenced by, that protects its citizens whilst still allowing them individual freedoms. Although there is a clear argument that by imposing a welfare state individual freedoms are eroded but this is a small price to pay in order to protect against rebellion and unrest. But as Hobhouse and Green would highlight, a welfare state s needed to protect the individual freedoms that are eroded away through free capitalist societies. Although social democrats have a strength to their argument for a full remake of the economy and the framework of society I believe this goes too far. To remove the class system, would be to remove tradition and that is not necessary in order to protect individual freedoms, it could even go some way to eroding them further. A welfare state that doesn’t seek to become a ‘nanny’ state such as one-nation conservatism, but one that puts protection of individual freedoms at the forefront of its ideas would be a desirable way to run a state.

Ethics at the Top Two Auction Houses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Ethics at the Top Two Auction Houses - Essay Example The value for money stretches from a few hundred dollars (e.g., wine) to millions in expensive paintings. (CEC 7) The auction sale of private collections may be held either with a certain motif, under a class of the commodity, or the art's genre or given time period. In 1996, Sotheby's sold at auction the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis as a collection, while other public dealings were categorized in 'Old Master Paintings' or 'Jewellery'. Sotheby's fiercest competitor, Christie's also hold such glamorous, multi-million-dollar auction events, as the richest of richest of men grace such occasions. (CEC 7) Although both auction houses hold 'regular' auctions at their subsidiaries throughout the world (Rome, Geneva, Zurich, Amsterdam, Milan, Melbourne and Hong Kong), high-profile auction events are generally held at their London and New York headquarters. (Ashenfelter & Graddy 3-25) The auction houses, which accept items to be auctioned (on a consignment basis), handle each necessary arrangement for the event, including planning, design and distribution of high-class brochures, advanced publicity as well as viewing opportunities. To facilitate sales, merchandise are sold individually (called 'lots'), even large collections are separated and auctioned as a single item. As seller of the consignor's items, the auction house manages all the account procedures: bills the buyer, remits the consignor the money after the purchase of the merchandise, minus the commission, taxes and other expenses. The commission is computed within the 'hammer price,' when the item is settled to the winning bidder. Regarded as 'seller's commission' or 'vendor's' commission, a certain percentage is taken from the consignor. The 'buyer's premium,' or a percentage from the hammer price is also charged to the buying public at the auctions (CEC 8). A percentage of the hammer price, called the buyer's premium, is also charged to people making purchases at auctions. This practice was initially introduced in the main auction rooms of these two auctions giants, sometime in 1975-only a few weeks from each other. Both firms made several changes on this practice through the years (independently from each other), but eventually both of their practices became similar. Auctioneering is not the only source of income of these two firms as both are engaged in other commercial activities, such as offering loans against the security of works of art. Nonetheless, the main sources of revenues remain the buyer's premium and vendor's commission. (CEC 8) The turgid exercise of auctioning fine arts produce a discriminating product market effect other than conventional ventures of selling or buying the items that serves the purpose of assessment value, based on the following (CEC 8). Firstly, clients consider the great importance of consigning their items at auctions due to the high standard of publicity for the merchandise. Likewise, consignors achieve the highest possible

THE BLIND ASSASSIN BOOK BY MAGARET ATWOOD (Book Report) Essay

THE BLIND ASSASSIN BOOK BY MAGARET ATWOOD (Book Report) - Essay Example This sense that somehow Iris was once whole and is now damaged is communicated, when she calls herself â€Å"†¦a brick-strewn vacant lot where some important building used to stand.† (Atwood 43)1 It becomes clear later that her ruin is of her own making, brought about through her deliberate blindness towards her own motivations that underlay the choices she made. Thus she says: I did believe, at first, that I only wanted justice. I thought my heart was pure. We do like to have such good opinions of our own motives when we’re about to do something harmful, to someone else. (497) In old age, Iris is painfully aware of at least some of her motives. However, she is still not entirely honest because it is quite clear that she knew ‘back then’ as well. Thus â€Å"we do like to have such good opinions of our own motives† (497) communicates a sense of ‘deliberate’ self-deception. Her primary punishment is reserved for Laura, for the role she played in the lives of Richard and Alex and perhaps also because she was ‘good’. She also vindictively destroyed her husband’s career. What was it she wanted? Nothing much. Just a memorial of some kind. But what is a memorial, when you come right down to it, but a commemoration of wounds endured? Endured and resented. Without memory there is no revenge.† (508) Revenge then was what Iris had wanted all along. This manifests itself also clearly in the spiteful way in which she communicates Alex’s death to Laura. â€Å"Laura, I hate to tell you this, I said, but whatever it was you did, it didn’t save Alex. Alex is dead.† (488) This ‘whatever’ Laura did to save Alex was giving in to Richard’s sexual demands and Iris was fully aware of Laura’s ‘martyr’ mindset. Her sister had been a heavy burden to the young Iris and once, after Laura tried to sacrifice herself for her dead mother, Iris had been close to ‘letting go’. Now destroying Laura’s

Perceptions and leaders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Perceptions and leaders - Essay Example Although many scholars concentrate on the leaders and their roles only, it is important to note that both the leader and follower are equally important in leadership as they depend on one another. (Bertocci, 2009) There are two theories that talk about leadership and this are transformational leadership and transactional leadership. In transformational leadership, the follower is there to be recipients of the leaders influence and behavior while in transactional leadership the followers and leaders both take part in the leadership process. Therefore, to look at how followers’ perceptions affect the leader’s style, two types of leadership will be important in our discussion. In looking at the perception that the followers have on their leader and how it affects the style of leadership, it is important to look at the behavior of the leaders (Schumann 2011). The leader behavior is divided into two categories that is, initiating and consideration. Those who are initiating are goal centered they focus on rules, tasks and coordinating the followers. While the consideration leaders are open to followers suggestions and are supportive to the followers. From this, it is possible that some followers perform their duties because they fear the leader while others accomplish their duties because they want to please the leader and later be rewarded. Therefore, it is proper to say that the behavior of the leader and the perception of the follower can determine the leadership style that the leader uses. To assess your leadership style you need to look at the behavior of the follower. The followers always have certain expectations that they expect their leader to meet .if he meets those expectations then the followers ascribe authority to you as a leader they respect and trust you. However, if he fails to meet the expectations of the followers, the relation between them is strained, and the followers develop mistrust towards the leader. If, as a

Management Problem Solving - Facquier Gas Company Case Study

Management Problem Solving - Facquier Gas Company - Case Study Example After making inquiries from the design engineer, Pat Wilson, it became evident to Murphy that the new project would require pipes of different specifications from those used in previous projects. In his opinion, Murphy considered the time span from January to June sufficient in conformity to the mill’s lead-time. However, Murphy had not received such details in April, although the project was scheduled to commence in June, and due for the conclusion in September. The supply management, construction and design organizations were under the headship of the vice-president of operations. The design engineer, Pat Wilson and construction engineer Sam Law fail to approve the pipe specifications in good time, compelling Murphy to inquire from Wilson, only to realize that the pipes required were of different specifications. Time had lapsed until April 14, leaving Murphy worried about the limited time for the procurement process of the materials required in a bid to meet the June deadline, the scheduled time for the onset of the project. One of the possible solutions would involve Murphy consulting with Clive Byers, the project manager and highlighting that the specifications were yet to be communicated. This would compel Murphy to schedule a meeting with Byers as soon as possible. Byers would then inquire from Sam Law and Pat Wilson. After receiving information from them, he would strive to ensure that the specifications are communicated to Murphy. In this solution, Murphy would have acted wisely by not overreaching Byers, since he heard the initial information about the project from him. Byers has the capacity to inquire from the Wilson and Sam Law because he is the project manager, and has the mandate of ensuring that execution of projects occurs within the set timelines. Moreover, this would serve to solve the problem at the lower level without involving higher authority. Alternatively, Murphy would approach the Charlie Buck, the design superintend, and inquire from him.  

Physics in The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Research Paper

Physics in The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment - Research Paper Example This paper discusses the physics involved in the experiment and how it is used to understand the effect of changes in the atmospheric layers on the ozone layer over the Arctic pole. Various parameters like temperature, pressure, etc. have been measured by custom made apparatus like the interferometers, spectrometers, spectrophotometers, etc. Launch- ACE used two major instruments in the mission. While the first instrument was a Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS), the other instrument was a dual optical spectrometer (Bernath, na). It was launched by NASA on August 12, 2003 using a Pegasus XL rocket at 650km above the Earth. The satellite was launched at an angle of 740 and orbited the Earth to cover tropical, mid-latitude and the Polar regions. The satellite operated in the UV-Visible-NIR region of the spectrum with the ACE-FTS being used in the NIR region while the MAESTRO Spectrophotometer was being used over the UV-VIS-NIR region (ACE, 2009). FTS operated in the range of 2-13 microns with a high resolution of 0.02cm-1 and a vertical resolution of 4km to up to 150km. the MAESTRO spectrophotometer operated in the UV-VIS-NIR spectral region of 285-1030nm with a vertical resolution of 1-2 km. ... Apart from this information, the satellite was also used to provide vertical profile information for temperature, pressure and the various molecules and their mixing ratios present in the atmospheric layers (ACE, 2009). Constituents- The primary instruments in the satellite are the FTS and the MAESTRO. The ACE-FTS is a Michelson interferometer with two corner cubes for producing the path difference with an end mirror which increases the path difference. The interference fringes are produced with a diode laser operating at 1500nm which are further Fourier Transformed to give the spectra. It has two detectors operating below 100K. Two imagers, one a Visible imager and other a near-IR imager at 0.525 and 1.02 microns are used to study the atmospheric absorption of aerosols and the clouds in the region. These two wavelengths are used for study as they are free of any absorption by the molecules present in the two layers, particularly the stratosphere (Bernath, 2005, pp25-26). The altitude profile information is sun tracked by detectors with 256x256 pixel sensors and a field view of 30mrad and a signal-to-noise ratio of more than 1000. The MAESTRO uses two spectrographs in the two overlapping windows which are 280-550nm and 500-1030nm with a resolution of 2nm. It is noted that the use of two spectrographs enhances the stray-light performance and enables the simultaneous measurement of two spectral bands at a narrow resolution. It also consists of photodiode detectors and a concave grating with an entrance slit always held horizontal to the sunset and sunrise. It also has a vertical resolution of 1-2km and a signal-to-noise

Research Methods in Clinical Sciences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research Methods in Clinical Sciences - Essay Example Depending on the requirements of the research, methodology can be given either qualitative or quantitative approach. Qualitative approach looks at why a certain trend is taking place (Minichiello, Aroni, Timewell, and Alexander, 1995). It explains reasons as to why a certain behavioural pattern is taking a certain shape, and the forces behind that particular trend. Quantitative research on the other hand looks at the magnitude of a specific phenomenon. It is a deductive process that estimates the quantities of the items involved in the study. It measures the extent to which the involved items in the research affect or are affected by other variables in the study. Most scientific research demands for both types of research methodologies as there may be the need to measure the extent to which the variables involved affect each other and the level of relevance for each (Mould, 1998). An investigation into decision making in health professional’s treating traumatically injured Jeh ovah’s Witnesses will demand for a qualitative approach to the investigation. This research involves explanation as to why a healthcare professional needs to take care of the patients’ interests in regard to their cultural and other beliefs. This may not be explained quantitatively as the data will be given a detailed explanation other than providing statistical overview. When a health professional is dealing with a patient, there are decisions that must be made, some of which may be against the beliefs of the patient. The main objective of this professional will be to ensure that the life of the patient is saved at all cost (Grbich, 1999). To have a full insight into the stages that are involved in this process of making decision during treatment, a qualitative method will be the most appropriate approach. French, Reynolds and Swain, (2001) assert that qualitative research into a topic provides a detailed knowledge into the subject matter, especially when it involves question of why a certain activity or action has taken place in a certain manner. 2.0 Annotated Bibliography Menezes MA., 2010. Life on the front line: exploring personal and professional Impacts on healthcare professionals working with fetal anomaly. Ph D Thesis, The University of Melbourne. Web. 9th January, 2012. In this article, the author explains that currently, health professionals are able to conduct both antenatal screening for pregnant women. This process may reveal certain anomalies in the foetus. In case such a professional detects such a case in a patient, then the professional must strive to rescue such a patient because such anomalies may be fatal if not treated in time. The concerned health professional must therefore make a quick decision on how to approach the issue in order to save the patients life. The main objective of the health expert is to save the life of the patient at all cost, irrespective of beliefs of either the health expert or the patient. Journal of Emergency Primary Healthcare: An International e-Journal of Prehospital Care Research, Education, Clinical Practice, Policy and Service Delivery. Web. 9th January, 2012. This article talks about the management of mass casualty events through adoption of grander scale. Most health experts are faced with very many cases of emergency that require urgent attention.

Football teams for the prison inmates Essay Example for Free

Football teams for the prison inmates Essay Starting in the early 1930’s, state penitentiary facilities began forming football teams for the inmates. Because many people of that time thought this was inappropriate, prison football teams did not become common until the 1970’s. They play a 16-game season in the fall and have a prison Super Bowl in December. Each facility has 3 teams of 25 players each, with 8 players per team on the field at a time (5 linemen and 3 backs) instead of the usual 11, due to the smaller fields. The convicts compete with the teams within the prison, as well as with teams from other prisons within the state, and willing semi-pro teams. The coaches and players are selected by the facility officials after tryouts, some of which who make it on the teams actually having experience from college and pro football leagues before incarceration. The equipment is donated by state colleges and high schools, and ultimately does not cost the prison hardly any money. But do the full-contact games ever get out of hand? â€Å"In the beginning, almost every game ended in a fistfight. But I think the program is more organized and better supervised now. Overall, the players display good sportsmanship, while at the same time venting a lot of frustrations† says prison guard and referee, Stan Cioccia. So what could prison football be compared to? Babe Wood, prison athletics director at the Tennessee State Prison, has an answer. â€Å"I’d say teams are equal to a junior college team. Once there was a player here from Memphis who could have made any major college team in the country. It’s so sad to see a talent like that wasted. † But what thoughts do students have on a prison football league? â€Å"I think it’s probably better that the inmates are relieving tension through football, as opposed to beating up each other† answered Briana Egger (10). However, Parents of the students had different opinions. â€Å"If you committed a crime bad enough to get yourself into the state penitentiary, then I don’t think you should have the privilege of playing sports† countered Carla Murphy.

Health And Safety In The Workplace

Health And Safety In The Workplace Human resources are one of the most important features of many businesses. A business success relies heavily on the effectiveness to which this resource is managed. Policies and practices used by the firm, set out the standards to which they seek to aspire. They are designed to govern the operation of the business; especially in todays economy where there is such a rise in service industries (Biz/ed, 2010). This topic is of importance to us because it has proven to be a neglected field in todays corporate world; especially in Grenada. In this regard, this paper seek to highlight the importance of Workplace Health and safety to the business, to develop an understanding of how its effective management can affect the performance of a business, outline how this can be effectively carried out with the interest of the company in mind. It is often said that, the health of a nation is the wealth of a nation (Fraser, 2004), the same concept applies to business. The health and safety of a companys human resource is an enormous contributor to the success of that business. Human resources account for a large proportion of many companys costs; it is the people that invariably drive a business (Biz/ed, 2010) According to the Bureau Veritas, Workplace Health and Safety refers to, the evaluation of risks relating to the health and safety of an organizations workers and others (including the public) who may be affected by its activities (Bureau Veritas, 2007). Who establish workplace health and safety? The health and safety of a workplace is established through different sources. Firstly, on a national level occupational health and safety is instituted in accordance with legal regulations that were created by legislative decisions and is enforced and monitored by agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), for the U.S., and the Ministry of Labour in Grenada. OSHA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Labour, has the responsibility of assuring the safety and health of Americas workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging (OSHA, n.d.). On a national and/or on a company level there are also instances of regular inspections by a safety representative. This can be self requested or legally mandated. This is done to ensure that companies follow the stipulated guidelines that are set to govern the safety and health of the workplace. Also, from a corporate standpoint, the health and safety standards of the company can be establish by the declaration of it in the Companys general worker manual and/or in the separate manual set aside for clearly laying out, the standards by which the company seek to keep its work environment and the people that use it safe and healthy. A more informal, but still an effective method is employee observation. This is simply employees reporting hazards that go unnoticed to the inspection representative and/or management. These options are in place to ensure accordance of a company to monitor and control the health and safety of the workplace, and to maintain it. In-adherence of regulations set by the above regulatory bodies can result in an employer being fined or sentenced to jail time (Cascio, 1998). Reasons for Maintaining Workplace Health and Safety There are reasons why a business should maintain a safe and healthy workplace. It purges the environment of possible risks to everyone that uses the facility. An organizations productivity is directly related to the health and safety of its workforce. Therefore, proper health and safety practices safeguard the productivity of its employees. When the workforce is unhealthy it affects productivity; quantity and quality. Proper practices maintain the health of the workers and it protects human rights; the human right to a safe and healthy environment and the human right to a safe and healthy workplace (PDHRE, n.d.) A major reason for maintaining health and safety in the workplace is that failure to do so cost too much. The consequences of not up keeping proper health and safety practices can range from having expensive monetary payouts, to death (users of the workplace). Other repercussions are Lower productivity levels sick or injured worker do not produce the same quality and quantity as do health workers. Poor quality products and services the direct relation between quality of workforce and quality of products or service they produce. High levels of complaints from customers lower quality of products or services delivered to customers would make them unhappy. Loss of customers and subsequently lower revenues if the quality of the production isnt addressed it can result in a loss in the customer base and later loss in revenues because of lower sales. Higher costs this increase in cost can come from different sources including: payment of insurance claims for damages, cost of substitution for sick or injured workers (training and wages), and benefits for sick or injured workers. Higher staff turnover as persons get sick or injured on the job they tend to leave. If the health and safety practices of the workplace are dreadful employees would not stay therefore higher turnover. Poor industrial relations poor health and safety practices would attract attention from unions who fight for the rights of employees. Thus, addressing safety and health issues in the workplace saves the employer money and adds value to the business (OSHA, n.d.). When workers remain safe and healthy, the direct cost-savings to businesses include: lower workers compensation insurance costs reduced medical expenditures smaller expenditures for return-to-work programs fewer faulty products lower costs for job accommodations for injured workers less money spent for overtime benefits Safety and health also result in substantial decreases in indirect cost (OSHA, n.d.). This is as a result of: increased productivity higher quality products increased morale better labour/management relations reduced turnover better use of human resources Employees and their families benefit from safety and health because (OSHA, n.d.): their incomes are protected; no financial shock because of illness or injury their family lives are not hampered by injury; no loss of income destabilization because of illness and injury they have less stress; because of a com Workplace health and safety extend way beyond the boundaries of the worksite. The families of workers and other users of the worksite can also be impacted by health and safety in the workplace (OSHA, n.d.). It is of a misconception that health and safety in the workplace only entails ensuring that there arent any hazards on the worksite however it should be noted that the hazard can be the employees themselves. Employees who are sick (communicable/non communicable), who have a drug or alcohol problem, who have psychological problems can also pose great threat to the health and safety of others in the workplace. Violent employees can also be classified as a hazard (Cascio, 1998). In this regard testing of the individual together with the worksite is necessary; drug and alcohol testing, psychological tests etc. Whose responsibility is it? The health and safety of a workplace should be part of the business HR strategy. It should be an initiative that is deeply rooted into the culture of a business. No one person should be responsible for it. Given this, all employees, supervisors and managers should undergo training in this area to suit their position. Managers especially should possess an attitude that support good health and safety practices because it is usually mirrored by employees; if the manager care about health and safety, the employees will do too (OSHA, n.d.). Both the employer and the employee are responsible for ensuring that the workplace is healthy and safe for all users. Employers are legally obligated to maintain and provide a working environment that is conducive for comfortable operations. They also have to provide safe systems of work and facilities that would sustain the welfare of its employees. They are also responsible for providing employees with any information, instruction, training and/or supervision that is needed to ensure that workers are safe during operations no matter the job. As a result of this responsibility to ensure employees are safe at work, an employer may institute regulations and policies that would call for the attention from and compliance of employees (Directgov, 2010). Employees are also expected to play a part in ensuring proper health and safety of the workplace. They are to make certain their own personal health and safety and that of other persons in the workplace; whether colleague, customer, supplier, etc. Importantly, workers are expected to adhere to the directions given by management to guarantee health and safety. If workers are to ignore these directives it creates a hazard in the workplace not only for themselves but also for others (Directgov, 2010). Effective management of the resource Each workplace is different and dynamic. Therefore the strategy used to effectively manage the human resource should also be different and dynamic. This strategy should include clear and concise plans for the addressing the types of accidents that and exposing the health and safety hazards that could occur at the worksite (OSHA, n.d.). An effective plan, as based upon the safety and health program management guidelines given by OSHA in January 1989 is the Four Point workplace Program. The Four Point Workplace Program as its name suggests, it is a program that contains four elements in approaching optimum effective health and safety standards. These elements Commitment and Employee Involvement The manager or management team leads the way, by setting policy, assigning and supporting responsibility, setting an example and involving employees. Worksite Analysis The worksite is continually analyzed to identify all existing and potential hazards. Hazard Prevention and Control Methods to prevent or control existing or potential hazards are put in place and maintained. Training for Employees, Supervisors and Managers Managers, supervisors and employees are trained to understand and deal with worksite hazards. Conclusion: The success of a business rests to a large degree on the quality of the workforce successful management of this crucial resource is critical (Biz/ed, 2010) The Employer has a responsibility to ensure that his/her employees are safe at work, and so may institute regulations and policies to ensure this. It is now the responsibility of the employee to make certain that they follow these rules. As an employee, one has rights and responsibilities for their own wellbeing and that of their colleagues and by extension the public (customers) (OSHA, n.d.). The key to the success of a safety and health plan is to see it as a part of the business operation and to see it reflected in the day-to-day operations.  As the implemented plan is incorporated into the business culture, health and safety consciousness will become engrained into the psyche of everyone. (OSHA, n.d.). Protecting people on the job is in everyones best interest our economy, our communities, our fellow workers and our families. Safety and health add value to businesses, workplaces and lives (OSHA, n.d.).

Air Pollution In Beijing Environmental Sciences Essay

Air Pollution In Beijing Environmental Sciences Essay Air pollution is the substances that accumulated in the atmosphere, which will endanger human health or produce other measured effects on living matter and other materials. [1]Air pollution is mainly emitted from the exhaust of motor vehicles, the combustion of fossil fuels as well as the burning process of coal and oil. As can be seen, the production of electricity generates the most of the pollution through coal burning. Generally speaking, pollutants can be in the form of solid particles or gases. In addition, they may be natural or man-made. [2] Pollutants in the air can be classified as either primary or secondary. Usually, primary pollutants are substances directly emitted from a process by human or natural sources, such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, dust, sea salt, smoke from forest fires, ash from a volcanic eruption and chemicals from human activity. (See picture1.1) Picture1.1 Sources of primary pollutants Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly, they occur when primary pollutants react with atmospheric gases to make new, hazardous substances. An important example of a secondary pollutant is ground level ozone. [3] However, some pollutants may be both primary and secondary: That is, they are both emitted directly and formed from other primary pollutants. As is addressed in an overview by World Bank of the 20 cities exposed to highest concentrations of particulate matter, which are tiny subdivisions of solid or liquid matter suspended in a gas or liquid, quite a lot of Chinese cities were mentioned, as Beijing is the sixteenth. In fact, not only the concentration of particulate matter, the overall environmental situation of Beijing is indeed a serious problem. Since the mid-1960s, industrialization took the place of agriculture and became Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s primary economy. However, the pollution generation and resource depletion followed, which directly contributes to environmental degradation. The high density of fine particulate matter, ozone as well as SO2 and NOX is the major air problem in China. When it comes to the effects of air pollution, the damages to human health, vegetation and materials fully account for the reasons why it is important to pay attention to air pollution management. Exposure to these air pollutants has been associated with the increases of mortality and hospital admissions due to respiratory and cardiovascular disease. In fact, air quality management is not simply a euphemistic synonym for air pollution control; rather it represents a well defined process or rationale for establishing and enforcing regulations governing emissions of a wide array of pollutants from diverse urban and rural sources. Beijing, a typical representative of rapid developing cities, is an example to illustrate the measures that are applied in urban air pollution controlling and management concerned with a sustainable perspective. Conclusion and Limitation Conclusion As can be seen from this dissertation, the most serious air pollution in Beijing is the concentration of PM10, which is mainly from dust-soil, coal burning, construction, vehicle exhaust emission, waste incineration, concrete manufacturing, metal smelting industry emission, as well as urban road traffic. In addition, because Beijing is located at the downstream of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia which are the source areas of the dust storms, and therefore makes the density of PM10 more complicated. In addition to the PM10 problem, the influences caused by O3 and SO2 could not be ignored. High temperature and relative humidity conditions in summer accelerate the transformation of air pollutants, which results in high concentration of O3. While in winter, high demand of coal consumption leads to the dramatic increase of SO2 concentration. Due to the damages such as human health, vegetations and materials, caused by these air pollutants, the municipal government of Beijing starts to pay mor e attentions to this aspect. To reduce the air pollutants in Beijing, a more reasonable transportation system had been implemented already. For example, the new city planning called à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Two Axles, Two Corridors with Multi-centeredà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  was adopted by the government, which could divide the traffic flow effectively during the rush hour. This leads to the reduction of air pollutants from vehicles when they are at idle. Moreover, public transportation like bus, light rail, and subway are encouraged, the amount of such public transportation is increasing, and light rail and subway were sped up several times. When the usage of public transportation is at an increasing trend, trips by private cars are at a decreasing tendency, and then the emissions from vehicles reduced. What else, the quality of vehicle fuel was also improved, Euro 5 standard tends to be adopted around 2012 in Beijing, the content of sulfur in Euro 5 standard for gasoline and diesel is less than 10 ppm. Beijing municipal governm ent also carried out a lot of incentives on vehicle retrofit, scrappage and purchase to make the on-road vehicles cleaner and emit less air pollutants. Apart from traffic system, there is also transition in energy system. For example, government encourages the usage of renewable energy such as nuclear, solar, wind, biomass, and hydrogen, etc. Economic incentives are applied to encourage the enterprise to invest in the renewable energy. For customers, there are discounts when purchase the electricity that produced by the renewable energy. What is more, green planning is also important in controlling the air quality in Beijing, because trees can absorb air pollutants. And vegetation can also conserve the soil, which would improve the dust storm situation. Although the air pollution level is still high compared with some European countries, it is developing at a satisfied trend with these efforts from municipal government of Beijing, which means a gradual improvement of air quality every year. In the August of 2008, the average air pollution index was about 56, which was 30% lower than API 80 at the same period of last year. The PM10 concentration during the Olympics stayed at a satisfied level, and there were even 9 days, in which, the concentration of PM10 came to be lower than 50 micrograms per cubic metre, achieving the WHO air quality target. With regards to the density of O3 in this period, the mean value in the daytime came to 42 ppb, which was the lowest point during these three years. These improvements provided a sound environment for the Beijing Olympic Games. Limitation Before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Beijing municipal government carried out a set of phased measures and policies such as the odd-even day vehicle operation and closure of some construction sites. There were also restrictions for the coal-burning facilities. The results of these policies were significant, which made the air quality during the Olympics even achieve the WHO air quality target instead of the WHO interim target for developing countries. However, from the perspective of author, air quality during Olympics has its particularity, and the specific measures that were applied to improve the air quality during this period have their limitations when continue after the Olympics. For example, coal is still the primary energy in China and this situation will last a very long time in future. In addition, coal burning industries could not be restricted too much, which may affect the economic growth significantly. Therefore, attentions should still be paid to the general policies or measures the author mentioned above. Developing a better city map and improving the vehicle fuel quality are necessary. The encouragement of public transportation and renewable energy can contribute to air quality. Furthermore, improving the efficiency of energy and expanding the green areas in urban area of Beijing should be advocated by government and citizens. These measures are mainly applied within Beijing, in the authorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s opinion it is not enough. As is propounded that the surrounding provinces Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, and Shanxi contribute a lot of air pollution to Beijing through the activities such as rural biomass burning, which is an important contributor to fine PM concentrations. The emitted air pollutants pervade the entire region and add to the local pollution in Beijing during transport on the prevailing winds. These four provinces are also the most polluted provinces in China. [68] So in order to improve the air quality in Beijing, the measures should not only be implemented in Beijing, but also applied in the surrounding provinces. Further researches and investigations of the surrounding provinces are of consequence needed. Furthermore, the whole dissertation is based on the analysis of relative literatures, without any research activities such as questionnaire and interviews, and this may make the dissertation less realistic. To improve this situation, more research methods such as empirical study and observations should be encouraged if available in the further research. What is more, sometimes the opinions and conclusions from the authors of the relative literatures may be subjective which would influence the analysis results. As a student at the university, both the analysis ability and research ability are sometimes not skillful enough for academic work.

The Plastic Pink Flamingo :: Literary Analysis, Jennifer Price

Since the 1930's, plastic pink flamingos have been a trendy statement piece at hotels and in yards across the country. Jennifer Price, the author of "The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History", uses tone, satire, and diction to show her view on United States culture. Price's view is that United States culture is flashy, cocky, and that Americans tend to try and stand out to get attention. "The pink flamingo splashed into the fifties market, it staked" (Price lines 1-2). Plastic flamingos are unable to splash like real flamingos, therefore Price is demonstrating satire. Also, the plastic flamingos are staked into the ground. "Americans had been flocking to Florida" (Price line 4) is humorous because the Americans flocking to the southern east coast like flamingos. The plastic pink flamingo became "synonymous with wealth and pizzazz"(Price line7-8). After the Great depression and the war, Americans had a lot of pride for their country, and this was one way of showing it. "This was a little ironic, since Americans had hunted flamingos to extinction in Florida" (Price lines 13-14). Price may be putting down American because Americans tend to follow the crowd and copy what everyone else is doing. The flamingo could be a metaphor of how Americans are followers and do not come up with their own ideas. The plastic pink flamingo gave an "extra fillip of boldness" (Price line 20). The flamingo was a way for Americans to stand out in the crowd and be noticed. Americans were flashy, cocky, and maybe even a little bit conceited. "And the Flamingo was pink- a second and commensurate claim to boldness" (Price lines 30-31). American culture is very flashy and bold. By being bold and flashy, it makes Americans stand out from the crowd and be noticed. Pink was the thing to have, it showed wealth and status. "The hues were forward-looking rather than old-fashioned" (Price lines 36-37). The pink flamingos were a way for the Americans to show pride after World War II. The plastic flamingos were the Americans' way of coming back out after the Depression and the war. They are the symbol that marks the beginning of a new era. "Even a real flamingo is brighter that anything else around it" (Price lines 48-49). The Americans wanted to be recognized after the war and show their pride for their country. The flamingo was a symbol of status and power.

The Eyes of the Dragon Essays -- essays research papers

â€Å"A kingdom is in turmoil as the old King Roland dies and its worthy successor, Prince Peter, must do battle to claim what is rightly his. Plotting against him is the evil Flagg and his pawn, young Prince Thomas. Yet with every plan there are holes – like Thomas’s terrible secret. And the determined Prince Peter, who is planning a daring escape from his imprisonment†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (very first page)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sequence of events that occur in the plot go like this: Two sons are born from Queen Sasha and King Roland, Prince Peter then Prince Thomas. Fearing that the Queen Sasha would ruin his plans, Flagg, the several hundred years old magician and royal advisor succeeded in deposing of her when Peter is only five. Eleven years later, after Peter served the King his nightly glass of vine, Flagg came in and killed Roland by offering him a second glass of wine that was poison. Peter was found guilty of the murder, as Flagg had planned, and was sentenced to life imprisonment atop a tower called the Needle by Anders Peyna, the Judge-General. Peter would spend a good five years in the Needle until he decides to make a successful escape, only to encounter Flagg for a final confrontation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas, one of the main characters, is a particularly interesting character for several reasons. First the narrator, portrayed as a storyteller, describes Thomas as the weak, vulnerable, sad, confused, lonely younger brother of Prince Peter, who was the heir of...

Elizabethan Gardening

Aspects of Elizabethan Gardening and Landscape Architecture The reign of Elizabeth I was a golden era in English history, a time which abounded in men of genius. Among the many branches of art, science, and economy, to which they turned their attention, none profited more from the power of their wits, than did the art of gardening. Not having shared her father’s personality, nor his desire to not let the people live in more beautiful surroundings than his own, Elizabeth encouraged this art and persuaded her subjects to build delightfully-complex and extravagant gardens by proposing visits. The queen and her retinue would travel across the country and award the proprietors of the gardens she particularly liked. She also encouraged noblemen to support researchers, writers and other great minds who took on the task of contributing to the improvement of landscape architecture in one way or another. Lord Burghley was the patron of John Gerard, a remarkable English herbalist who published a list of rare plants cultivated in his garden at Holborn, still extant in the British Museum, and the famous work Great Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes. To Sir Walter Raleigh, a notable poet and aristocrat of the time, we owe the introduction of tobacco and of our most useful vegetable, the potato. An age of navigation and exploring, the Elizabethan era prided itself with the culture of various new flowers and plants (many of which were medicinal herbs) brought from India, America, the Canary Islands and other newly-discovered parts of the world. While re-editing Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles, in 1587, William Harrison states that he has seen over four hundred new species of plants entrusted to British soil and that, day by day, the people begin to think of them as belonging to their country. Lord Salisbury, Lord Burleigh’s son, commissioned a family of highly-skilled and educated Dutch gardeners (the Tradescants) to travel and bring back for his garden foreign species that could have been acclimatized. Written in his lively conversational English style, full of his own personal ideas and fancies, Francis Bacon’s Essay on Gardens is familiar to everyone. Always practical and focused on what it was possible to do, Bacon wanted to put forward a scheme in better taste for the gardens he saw about him. During Elizabeth I’s reign, the persecution of the Protestants on the Continent drove many of them to find a safe refuge in England. They brought with them some of the foreign ideas about gardening, and thus helped to improve the condition of Horticulture. The Elizabethan garden was the outcome of the older fashions in English gardens, combined with the new ideas imported from France, Italy, and Holland. The result was a purely national style, better suited to this country than a slavish imitation of the terraced gardens of Italy, or of those of Holland, with their canals and fish-ponds. There was no breaking-away from old forms and customs, no sudden change. The primitive medieval garden grew into the pleasure garden of the early Tudors, which, by a process of slow and gradual development, eventually became the more elaborate garden of the Elizabethan era. What one currently understands by a â€Å"formal† or â€Å"old-fashioned† garden, is one of this type. However, as genuine and unaltered Elizabethan gardens are rare, it is generally the further development of the same style a hundred years later, which is known as a â€Å"formal old English garden†. The garden of this period was laid out strictly in connection with the house. The architect who designed the house, was also responsible with designing the garden. There are some drawings extant by John Thorpe, one of the most celebrated architects of the time, of both houses and the gardens attached to them. The garden was held to be no mere adjunct to a house, or a confusion of green swards, paths, and flower-beds, but the designing of a garden was supposed to require even more skill than the planning of a house. â€Å"Men come to build stately sooner than to garden finely; as if gardening were the greater perfection†, states Bacon in his essay, underlying the general idea of the period. Sir Hugh Platt's opinion seems to have been the exception that proves the rule, as most other writers were particular in describing the correct form for a garden, but he writes: â€Å"I shall not trouble the reader with any curious rules for shaping and fashioning of a garden or orchard how long, broad or high, the Beds, Hedges, or Borders should be contrived†¦ Every Drawer or Embroiderer, almost each Dancing Master, may pretend to such niceties; in regard they call for very small invention, and lesse learning. In front of the house there was typically a terrace, from which the plan of the garden could be studied. Flights of steps and broad straight walks, called â€Å"forthrights† connected the parts of the garden, as well as the garden with the house. Smaller walks ran parallel with the terrace, and the spaces between were filled with grass plots, mazes, or knotted beds. The â€Å"forthrights† corresponded to the plan of the building, while the patterns in the b eds and mazes harmonized with the details of the architecture. The peculiar geometric tracery which surmounted so many Elizabethan houses, found its counterpart in the designs of the flower-beds. William Lawson, a north-countryman of the time, of whom little is known except for his own experiences which he put down in his work, A New Orchard and Garden, mentioned that â€Å"the form that men like in general is a square†. This shape was chosen in preference to â€Å"an orbicular, a triangle, or an oblong, because it doth best agree with a man's dwelling†, as Shakespeare tells us in his play, Measure for Measure. This sort of house gardens we can get a fleeting glimpse every now and then in Shakespeare’s plays, literary works in which he mentions details such as the knotted patterns of the beds, the high brick or stone wall with which the square garden was usually enclosed, the arbour of box where eavesdroppers could find good cover etc. Another common custom regarded covering the walls with rosemary. According to John Parkinson, an important English botanist of the time, at Hampton Court rosemary was â€Å"so planted and nailed to the walls as to cover them entirely. Gerard and Parkinson both refer to the custom of planting against brick walls. In the North of England, Lawson tells us, the garden-walls were made of dry earth, and it was usual â€Å"to plant thereon wallflowers and divers sweet-smelling plants†. With the seventeenth century, the interest in gardens began to make an appearance in belles lettres, quite independently of real practical work and theoretical professi onal advice. One of the most visionary spirits of the age, Francis Bacon, was the first to direct attention to the matter in this way, though he was neither architect, nor gardener. Bacon formulated several noteworthy plans for organizing gardens: â€Å"The garden is best to be square, encompassed on all four sides with a stately arched hedge. The arches to be upon pillars of carpenter's work, of some ten foot high, and six foot broad, and the spaces between of the same dimension with the breadth of the arch. † This â€Å"fair hedge† of Bacon's ideal garden was to be raised upon a bank, set with flowers, and little turrets above the arches, with a space to receive â€Å"a cage of birds† – â€Å"and over every space between the arches, some other little figure, with broad plates of round colored glass, gilt, for the sun to play upon†. It is not likely that such fantastical ornaments to a hedge were usual, though it reminds one of the arched arcades and does not seem to be at all a new idea of Bacon's. When discussing in Gardener’s Labyrinth the various models of fencing a round garden, Thomas Hill, a well-known astrologer of the time, describes palings of â€Å"drie thorne† and willow, which he calls a â€Å"dead or rough enclosure†. He refers to the Romans for examples of the alternative of digging a ditch to surround the garden, but â€Å"the general way† is a â€Å"natural enclosure†, a hedge of â€Å"white thorne artely laid in a few years with diligence it waxed so thick and strong, that hardly any person can enter into the ground, sauing by the garden-door; yet in sundry garden grounds, the hedges are framed with the privet tree, although far weaker in resistance, which at this day are made the stronger through yearly cutting, both above and by the sides†. He gives a quaint method for planting a hedge. The gardener is to collect the berries of briar, brambles, white-thorne, gooseberries and barberries, steep the seeds in a mixture of meal, and set them to keep until the spring, in an old rope, â€Å"a long worn rope†¦ being in a manner starke rotten†. â€Å"Then, in the spring, to plant the rope in two furrows, a foot and a half deep, and three feet apart†¦ The seeds thus covered with diligence shall appear within a month, either more or less, which in a few years will grow to a most strong defense of the garden or field†. These old gardeners had great confidence in all their operations, and but rarely in their works do we find any allusion to possible failure. Yews were greatly use for hedges, but more for walks and shelter within the gardens, than to form the outer enclosure. In the larger gardens there were two or three gates in the walls, well designed, with magnificent stone piers surmounted with balls or the owner's crest, and wrought-iron gates of elaborate pattern; or else there was one fine gate at the principal entrance, the rest being smaller and less pretentious, merely â€Å"a planked gate† or â€Å"little door†. The main principle of a garden was still that it should be a â€Å"girth†, a yard, or enclosure; the idea of such a thing as a practically unenclosed garden had not, as yet, entered men's minds. But because the garden was surrounded with a high wall, and those inside wished to look beyond, a terrace was contrived. As in the Middle Ages, we find an eminence within the walls, as a point from which to look over them; so at the time, the restricted view from the mount did not satisfy, and to get a more extended range over the park beyond and the garden within, a terrace as raised along one side of the square of the wall. Some pieces of information regarding these aspects we can find in Sir Henry Wotton’s writings on architecture: â€Å"I have seen a garden into which the first access was a high walk like a terrace, from whence might be taken a general view of the whole plot below. † De Caux, the designer of the Earl of Pembroke's garden at Wilton, made such a terrace there â€Å"for the more advantage of beholding those plots†. Another is described at Kenilworth, in 1575, by Robert Langham: â€Å"hard all along by the castle wall is reared a pleasant terrace, ten feet high and twelve feet broad, even under foot, and fresh of fine grass†. The terraces, as a rule, were wide and of handsome proportions, with stone steps either at the ends or in the centre, and were raised above the garden either by a sloping grass bank, or brick or stone wall. At Kirby, in Northamptonshire, a magnificent Elizabethan house, nowadays rapidly falling into decay, all that remains of a once beautiful garden, â€Å"enrich'd with a great variety of plants† (as John Morton portrays it in his Natural History of Northamptonshire), is a terrace running the whole length of the western wall of the garden. At Drayton, an Elizabethan house in the same county as Kirby, there is a wide terrace against the outer wall of the garden with a summer-house at each end, as well as a terrace in front of the house, and other examples exist. The â€Å"forthrights†, or walks which formed the main lines of the garden design, were â€Å"spacious and fair†. Bacon describes the width of the path by which the mount is to be ascended as wide â€Å"enough for four to walk abreast†, and the main walks were wider still, broad and long, and covered with â€Å"gravel, sand or turf†. There were two kinds of walks, those in the open part of the garden, with beds geometrically arranged on either side, and sheltered walks laid out between high clipped hedges, or between the main enclosure wall and a hedge. There were also the â€Å"covert walks†, or â€Å"shade alleys†, in which the trees met in an arch over the path. Some of the walks were turfed, and some were planted with sweet-smelling herbs. â€Å"Those which perfume the air most delightfully, not passed by as the rest, but being trodden upon and crushed, are three that is, burnet, wild thyme and water-mints; therefore you are to set whole alleys of them to have the pleasure when you walk or tread†. Thomas Hill, in one chapter of his book, mentions that the â€Å"walks of the garden ground, the allies even trodden out, and leveled by a line, as either hree or four foot abroad, may cleanly be sifted over with river or sea sand, to the end that showers of rain falling, may not offend the walkers (at that instant) in them, by the earth cleaving or clogging to their feet†. Parkinson also has something to say about walks: â€Å"The fairer and larger your allies and walks be, the more grace your garden shall have, the less harm the herbs and flowers shall receive, by passing by them that grow next unto the allies sides, and the better shall your weeders cleanse both the bed and the allies†. The hedges on either side the walks were made of various plants box, yew, cypress, privet, thorne, fruit trees, roses, briars, juniper, rosemary, hornbeam, cornel, â€Å"misereon† and pyracantha. â€Å"Every man taketh what liketh him best, as either privet alone or sweet Bryar, and whitethorn interlaced together, and Roses of one, two, or more sorts placed here and there amongst them. Some plant cornel trees and plash them or keep them low to form them into a hedge; and some again take a low prickly shrub that abided always green, called in Latin Pyracantha†. Regarding the cypress, Parkinson mentions that, for the goodly proportion it has, â€Å"as also for his ever green head, it is and hath been of great account with all princes, both beyond and on this side of the sea, to plant them in rows on both sides of some spacious walke, which, by reason of their high growing, and little spreading, must be planted the thicker together, and so they give a pleasant and sweet shadow†. Gerard, writing of the same plant, says: â€Å"It grows likewise in diverse places in England, where it hath been planted, as at Sion, a place near London, sometime a house of nuns; it grows also at Greenwich and at other places; and likewise at Hampstead in the garden of Master Waide, one of the Clarkes of his Majesty’s Privy Council†. Another interesting aspect of the period’s gardening literature was the fact that, in several writings, there began to appear ideas for protecting and sheltering delicate and exotic plants, which a little later developed into orangeries and greenhouses, and finally into the hothouse and stove. Sir Hugh Platt, particularly, in the second part of The Garden of Eden, not printed until 1660, recurrently mentions the possibility of growing plants in the house, and making use of the fires in the rooms to force gillyflowers and carnations into early bloom. â€Å"I have known Mr. Jacob of the Glassehouse†, he writes, â€Å"to have carnations all the winter by the benefit of a room that was near his glasshouse fire†. Holinshed, while admiring the rchards of his day, states that he has seen capers, oranges and lemons, and heard of wild olives growing here, but he does not say how they were preserved from cold. Gerard also describes both oranges and lemons, while also being, too honest, however, to pretend that they grow in England. A few oranges, nonetheless, were successfully reared in this country. In his treatise on the Orchard, Parkinson focuses on describing the surprising looking after and tending of the Orange tree, as opposed to the Citron and the Lemmon trees. The former used to be kept in great square boxes and lift there to and fro by iron hooks attached to the sides in order to move them into a house or close gallery in the winter time. Other writers suggest that, if planted against a concave-shaped wall, lined with lead or tin to cause reflection, they might happily bear their fruit in the cold climate if these walls did stand so conveniently, as they might also be continually warmed with kitchen fires. The experiment of growing lemons was tried by Lord Burghley. There are some interesting letters extant in which the history of the way in which the tree was procured is preserved. Sir William Cecil wrote to Sir Thomas Windebank around 1561, requesting to have a lemon, a pomegranate and a myrt tree procured for him, along with the instructions on how they should be kept, because he desired to enrich his collection of exotic vegetation (collection which the orange tree was already part of). Although these foreign species of trees became widespread many years later, having been regarded as rarities for half a century, these fist instances of their importation are useful for us in forming a general idea about the level of cultural and scientific development the Elizabethans had reached. An indisputable proof of the progress gardening was making during this period was the growing importance of those practicing the craft in and around London, until at length, at the beginning of King James I’s reign, they attained the dignified position of a Company of the City of London, incorporated by Royal charter. In that year all those â€Å"persons inhabiting within the Cittie of London and six miles compass thereof doe take upon them to use and practice the trade, craft or misterie of gardening, planting, grafting, setting, sowing, cutting, arboring, mounting, covering, fencing and removing of plants, herbs, seeds, fruit trees, stock sett, and of contriving the conveyances to the same belonging, were incorporated by the name of Master Wardens, Assistants and Comynaltie of the Company of Gardiners of London†. The botanical interest of Elizabethan England was shared by most countries of the time, aspect which led to the creation of a strong bond in commerce and political relations. In consequence, this great delight in growing flowers for domestic decoration was a marked feature in English life at this period. Many travelers who visited the kingdom found themselves absolutely charmed with the English comfort and architectural artistry. In one of his works, published in The Touchstone of Complexions, Thomas Newton, an illustrious scholar of the time, quotes the Dutch explorer and physician Levimus Leminius, who came to England around 1560: â€Å"Their chambers and parlors strewn over with sweet herbs refreshed me; their nosegays finely intermingled with sundry sorts of fragrant flours, in their bed chambers and privy rooms with comfortable smell cheered me up and entirely delighted all the senses†.

U.S. Army 8 Person Funeral Detail

8 SOLDIER FUNERAL DETAIL COMPOSITION OF DETAIL C-12. The 8 man funeral detail normally consists of an OIC or NCOIC (depending on the rank of the deceased veteran), an NCOIC of the firing party, a five or six soldier firing party (who also act as pallbearers) and a bugler, if available. For this description there is an OIC of the funeral detail and an NCOIC of the firing party/pallbearers. DETAIL, WEAPONS ARE IN PLACE C-13. Weapons are pre-stacked in an appropriate position, in plain view, and a good distance from the gravesite. The firing party, acting as pallbearers, is pre-positioned along the roadside; awaiting the arrival of the hearse.The OIC is located where the hearse will stop. RECEIVING THE CASKET C-14. As the hearse approaches, the NCOIC orders the detail to â€Å"ATTENTION† and â€Å"Present, ARMS. † Once the hearse has passed the detail, the NCOIC calls the detail to â€Å"Order, ARMS† and â€Å"Parade, REST. † The OIC comes to attention and pr esent arms as the hearse approaches his position. The OIC terminates his salute when the hearse comes to a halt. C-15. After the vehicle has come to a halt, the driver gets out and opens the rear door. The driver prepares the casket for movement to the gravesite by removing the stock.The driver pulls the casket to the rear of the hearse. The OIC, with a nod of his head, signals the NCOIC to move the pallbearers to the end of the hearse, three on each side, to remove the casket. The NCOIC marches the pallbearers into place, then orders â€Å"Mark time, MARCH;† â€Å"Detail, HALT† and â€Å"Center, FACE. † After the pallbearers are facing inward, the individuals closest to the casket will grasp the handrails and pull the casket from the hearse. Each pallbearer, in turn, grasps a casket handle as it reaches him. The OIC will render a hand salute while the casket is being removed. Moving the Casket C-16.On the NCOIC's command of â€Å"Ready, FACE,† the pallbe arers will execute the appropriate facing movements so that they are all facing the feet of the casket. The NCOIC orders the detail to â€Å"Forward, MARCH. † Led by the OIC, the pallbearers incline to the proper direction to move to the gravesite, ensuring the casket is level and feet first. Once the casket is over the gravesite, the NCOIC commands â€Å"Mark Time, MARCH,† and â€Å"Detail, HALT. † Once at the head of the gravesite, the OIC will come to render a hand salute until the casket is placed on the lowering device. To maintain uniformity the pallbearer NCOIC will command â€Å"Center, FACE. When pallbearers are facing center, the casket is set on the lowering device. After the casket is set down, the pallbearers come to attention and the OIC will drop his hand salute. MOVING TO THE WEAPONS C-17. On the command â€Å"Ready, FACE,† by the pallbearer NCOIC, the pallbearers all face toward the head of the casket. The next command is â€Å"Forward, MARCH. † The pallbearers move from the gravesite to the location of the weapons. Just prior to reaching the stacked arms, the firing party NCOIC, and formerly the pallbearer NCOIC, gives â€Å"Mark Time, MARCH† and â€Å"Detail, HALT. The firing party NCOIC assumes their position and gives a â€Å"File from the Left, Forward, MARCH. † On the command â€Å"March† the firing party performs the proper movements to form a single file to the rear of the weapons. When the firing party are to the rear of the stacked arms, the NCOIC gives â€Å"Mark Time, MARCH† and â€Å"Detail HALT,† and the appropriate facing movement to face the rifles. Retrieving the Weapons and Conclusion of Religious Services C-18. The next command given is â€Å"Take, ARMS. † On the command of execution, the stack man secures the first two weapons. The left and right soldiers receive the weapons from the stack man.The left and right soldiers then pass the weapons to the outside soldiers. The stack man grasps his center weapon. The left and right soldiers step toward the stack and remove their weapons, returning to the position of Attention. Once the left and right soldiers retrieve their weapons, the stack man secures his weapon and comes to the position of Attention. Once all of the firing party is at Order Arms, the firing party NCOIC gives them â€Å"Parade, REST. † The firing party will remain at Parade Rest until the end of the religious services. Once the religious services are over, the Chaplain steps away from the casket.The OIC steps to the head of the casket and renders a hand salute. This is the signal for the firing party NCOIC to command the firing party â€Å"ATTENTION. † Firing of Honors C-19. After bringing the firing party to Attention, the NCOIC gives the command of â€Å"Ready. † At the command of Ready, each rifleman executes Port Arms, faces Half Right, and moves his right foot to the right ten inches. Each rifleman then chambers a round, places his weapon on Fire, and resumes Port Arms. When the firing party has completed the movements, the firing party NCOIC gives the command â€Å"Aim. On the command of Aim, the detail shoulders their weapons with the muzzles of the weapons at a 45-degree angle from the horizontal. When the NCOIC commands â€Å"FIRE,† the detail fires and returns to Port Arms. On the subsequent commands of â€Å"Ready,† each rifleman pulls and returns the charging handle of his weapon. After the third round is fired each rifleman resumes Port Arms, and the firing party NCOIC commands â€Å"CEASE FIRE. † Each rifleman places his weapon on Safe, resumes the position of Order Arms, and faces Half Left. The firing party NCOIC then commands â€Å"Present, ARMS† for the playing of â€Å"Taps†.The bugler plays â€Å"Taps. † If a bugler is not available, one soldier is positioned to turn on the high quality recording (and is n ot part of the firing party). STACKING ARMS C-20. After â€Å"Taps†, the NCOIC brings the firing party to â€Å"Order, ARMS,† and then commands â€Å"Stack, ARMS. † On the command of execution, Arms, the stack man grasps the barrel of his rifle and places his rifle directly in front of him. At the same time, the left and right soldiers grasp the barrels of their respective rifles, step toward the center and insert the muzzles through the sling loop of the stack man's weapon.Both soldiers swing the butts of their rifles out and then down to the ground ensuring the stack is steady. The two outside weapons are then passed to the stack man, who adds them to the stack. RETURNING TO GRAVESITE OR SHELTER C-21. After Stack Arms is complete, the NCOIC moves the firing party two steps backward and gives the appropriate facing movement to have the firing party move back to the gravesite. From this position, the NCOIC will form the firing party in two columns by giving the command â€Å"Column of Two to the Right, MARCH. † Once in Column of Two formation, the NCOIC takes the last position, and gives â€Å"Forward, MARCH. The firing party marches to the gravesite along either side of the casket. Once at the gravesite the NCOIC gives â€Å"Mark Time, MARCH,† and â€Å"Detail, HALT. † The NCOIC gives â€Å"Center, FACE,† to ensure that all of the pallbearers are facing the casket. FOLDING THE FLAG C-22. After the pallbearers have faced the casket, they use their peripheral vision to take their cues from the NCOIC. As a unit, the pallbearers reach down and secure the flag. Once flag is secured, the detail folds flag. The flag is first folded with the lower stripe area over the blue field. It is then folded so that the folded edge meets the open edge.The triangular fold is started at the striped end and is continued until only the blue field remains. The flag margin is then tucked in and the flag is ready for presentation. PRES ENTING THE FLAG. C-23. After the flag has been folded, it is passed down to the soldier closest to the right side of the OIC. This soldier executes a Half Left as the OIC executes a Half Right and the flag is then passed to the OIC at, chest level. After the pallbearer has passed the flag, he salutes the flag for three seconds then executes Order Arms. The soldier executes a Half Right as the OIC executes a Half Left and resumes their original position.At this time the pallbearers will leave the gravesite. The NCOIC commands â€Å"Outward, FACE,† (pallbearers face towards the head of the casket) and â€Å"Forward, MARCH. † Once the detail is out of the area, the OIC will present the flag to the next of kin or Chaplain, it next of kin is not available. The OIC recites the following passage: |†Ma'am (sir), this flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation and the United States Army as a token of appreciation for your loved one's | |honorable and faithful servic e. † |C-24. At the conclusion of the remarks and presentation, the OIC will render a hand salute and hold the salute for three seconds then assumes Order, Arms. OIC then executes marching movement and marches back towards the direction of the pallbearers. CONCLUDING THE CEREMONY C-25. The firing party returns to the location of the stacked arms in the same manner as before. When commanded to â€Å"Take, ARMS,† the party retrieves the rifles in the same manner as before. After retrieving the weapons, the NCOIC marches the detail away from the funeral site to clear and inspect the weapons.The firing party will police all of the brass after the service is over and the next of kin have left the area. The OIC is not required to escort the next of kin back to his/her vehicle. 2 SOLDIER FUNERAL DETAIL RECEIVING THE CASKET C-26. The OIC is located where the hearse will stop. The NCO is to the left of the OIC. As the hearse approaches, the OIC brings himself and the NCO to â₠¬Å"ATTENTION† and â€Å"Present, ARMS. † The OIC gives the command of â€Å"Order, ARMS,† after the hearse has come to a halt. The funeral director is responsible for removing the casket from the hearse and placing it on the lowering device at the gravesite.When the casket is being removed from the hearse, the OIC commands â€Å"Present, ARMS. † Once the casket has cleared the peripheral vision of the OIC, then the OIC commands â€Å"Order, ARMS,† and â€Å"Parade, REST. † CONCLUSION OF RELIGIOUS SERVICES C-27. Once the religious services are over, the Chaplain steps away from the casket. The OIC commands â€Å"ATTENTION. † The OIC commands â€Å"Ready, FACE,† and the OIC and NCO face in the direction of the casket. OIC then commands â€Å"Forward, MARCH,† The OIC marches to the head of the casket, and faces the head of the casket, while the NCO marches to the foot of the casket facing the OIC.If a bugler is not available , the NCO moves to the device that will play the high quality recording of â€Å"Taps. † FOLDING THE FLAG C-28. The OIC gives the command to the NCO to secure flag. Once the flag is secure the bugler will play â€Å"Taps† and both the OIC and NCO execute Present, Arms. When â€Å"Taps† is complete, both the OIC and NCO execute Order, Arms. The OIC gives the command to side step march (just far enough to preclude the flag from touching the casket). Once the OIC and NCO have cleared the casket the OIC nods to begin folding the flag.NOTE: If a bugler is not available, once the casket is on the lowering device, the NCOIC will march to the recording device and wait for the Chaplain to conclude religious services. He will play â€Å"Taps† after the OIC is positioned at the head of the casket. When â€Å"Taps† is complete, the NCOIC will march to the foot of the casket and then assist in folding the flag. C-29. The flag is first folded with the lower stri pe area over the blue field. It is then folded so that the folded edge meets the open edge. The triangular fold is started at the striped end and is continued until only the blue field remains.While folding the flag the NCO moves towards the OIC. The flag margin is then tucked in by the OIC and the NCO presents the flag to the OIC. Once the NCO presents the flag to the OIC, the NCO renders the hand salute and holds the salute for three seconds then executes Order, Arms. The OIC is ready for presenting the flag to the next of kin. PRESENTING THE FLAG C-30. After the flag has been folded and passed to the OIC, the OIC then moves in the direction of the next of kin and presents the flag to the next of kin while the NCO marches away from the gravesite.The OIC will present the flag to the Chaplain if the next of kin is not available. The OIC recites the following passage: |†Ma'am (sir), this flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation and the United States Army as a token of a ppreciation for your loved one's | |honorable and faithful service. † | C-31. At the conclusion of the passage and the flag presentation, the OIC will render a hand salute and hold the salute for three seconds then assumes Order, Arms.OIC then executes a marching movement and marches away from the gravesite. CONCLUDING THE CEREMONY C-32. The OIC is not required to escort the next of kin back to his/her vehicle. NOTES C-33. The meaning of the word gravesite also includes a committal shelter. The meaning of the word casket also includes a receptacle containing the cremated remains of the deceased. On windy days, the flag should already be anchored to the casket by the funeral director. If the flag is not secured, the detail will fold the flag immediately after placing the casket on the lowering device, then hand the flag to the OIC. d

Impact of Terrorism and Violence on Global Tourism

Introduction According to World Travel and Tourism Council 1997, â€Å"Tourism Industry is the world’s prominent industries contributing $3. 6 trillion to the global gross domestic product (GDP) and employing 255 million people†. (Apostolopoulos, Sonmez &Tarlow 1999). It is also considered one of the most exciting and progressive industries which has a big impact on all other industries. Although tourism industry has shown tremendous growth in recent years providing incredible experiences to its consumers yet it remains highly prone to natural (e. g. Tsunami, Hurricane & volcanic eruptions) and human caused calamities (e. g. war, crime & terrorism). This essay therefore discusses about terrorism in relation to tourism. It focuses on the impacts of terrorism on global tourism and provides an understanding of the relationship between political instability, terrorism and tourism. Tourism, Political Instability and Violence Definition of terrorism† : ?† The US Department of State defines terrorism as â€Å". . . premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against civilians and unarmed military personnel by sub national groups†¦ sually intended to influence an audience†Ã¢â‚¬  ? (Sihmez 1998)   Definition of political instability† : ?† Political instability describes the condition of a country where a government â€Å"has been toppled, or is controlled by factions following a coup, or where basic functional pre-requisites for social-order control and maintenance are unstable and periodica lly disrupted†Ã¢â‚¬  ? (Cook 1990, cited in Sihmez 1998). The study of D’Amore & Anuza 1986 states that, â€Å"Closer scrutiny of terrorism- for the purpose of understanding some of its underlying currents-begs a look at world conditions. As a new millennium is about to begin, nations wrestle with hunger, disease, and numerous other socioeconomic and environmental problems, which are further exacerbated by the alarming growth in the world’s population rate, the combination of which may nurture terrorism. It is suggested that terrorist organizations can easily recruit members by offering better conditions to people living in undesirable circumstances in undeveloped nations†. Therefore, in a situation where terrorism is on rise, safety and stability are the two factors that cannot be ignored while undertaking travel to other countries. Over the years, tourism industry has undergone tremendous changes wherein crime and violence have increased to a great extent. Such exertions have had a big impact on tourists altering their travel. Political instability can be categorised into various forms such as: international war, riots, social unrest, civil war, terrorism etc. â€Å"Most of the evidence on tourist motivations points to fear and insecurity as a major barrier to travel and thus a limitation on the growth of the industry. In addition to the openly stated fear there is often an expression of lack of interest in travel, which can mask an underlying fear. In these circumstances, the possibility of terrorism, however remote, will have an effect on the tourism demand of a large number of potential tourists. † (eds Mansfeld & Pizam1996) Political instability and tourism can be best explained with an example of crackdown by Chinese government on students who protested in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square In a volume edited by Mansfeld & Pizam (1996), â€Å"The sight of tanks rolling into the Square; the violent battles between students and troops; the steadfastly uncompromising attitude of Chinese authorities; it was all watched by the world on prime-time television. And most people living in free societies felt revulsion and anger; those planning holidays to China cancelled, while those with a vague notion of visiting the country put it on hold for the distant future- if ever† General impacts of terrorism and political disturbances upon the tourism industry Even its demonstrated economic success does not shield international tourism from the sinister power of terrorism† (Sonmez, Sevil F. , 1998). No country is safe from the threat of terrorism and research has shown that no part of the world has been spared by it. The fear of a totally unexpected terrorist attack grips the mind of today’s tourist, irrespective of region he is travelling to. Terrorism started to t ake its toll on tourism from mid 80’s, when international tourism was at its peak (Sonmez, Sevil F. 1998), and it became a major concern for many countries. Its impacts vary from direct to indirect and individual to global. Usually, after a terrorist attack or violence erupted due to political clashes, a destination recovers back to its normal inflow of tourists in about a quarter, but some major incidents can also affect tourist visitation for a longer period of time, the reason being over popularity by the media (Sihmez, 1998). For example, India was overexposed in the media after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008 which has had a negative effect on inbound tourism to India during the first quarter of 2009 (Tourism Forecasting Committee, 2008). Political disturbance, on the other hand, has long-term and deeper effects on a destination as it threatens the economy, the law and the society as a whole, thus jeopardizing the potential of a country as a tourism destination (Sihmez 1998). Economic impacts Terrorism and political turmoil mainly affect the economy of a country or a region. Worst hit are the countries, which are majorly dependent on the tourism industry. A good example can be given from 1986, when 54% of Americans who planned to go to Europe, cancelled their bookings because of the risks implied by the rise of terrorist activities during that period (D’Amore and Anuza 1986, cited in Sihmez 1998). Furthermore, countries located nearby a politically agitated country may suffer from a perceived lack of safety by tourists who associate the neighbouring countries due to geographical proximity, although travelling in the former may be without any risk. Countries often have to bear the costs of terrorism, in terms of investments in security, terrorism risk insurance premium, airport screening opportunity costs and consumer welfare losses to ensure safety and security for their people (Keefer P. , 2008). Psychological impacts Impacts of terrorism on tourist behaviour and decision-making process (Sihmez, 1998 pg. 13) however, depend on the type of tourists: business travellers and leisure travellers will not react the same way in regards to risk, as they do not have the same motivations and needs for travel. Image deterioration / Negative images Natural events such as floods, tsunami or earthquakes do not have the same impact on a country’s image as a terrorist attack has. Natural calamities may draw sympathy, and may affect inflow of tourists for a short period, but people know that natural disasters are unavoidable, so the image they form of a destination is different. Fall in tourist arrivals in these destinations may recover earlier because these destinations are not perceived as ‘unsafe’, as in case of a destination, where terrorist activity is prominent. Politically unstable environment of a destination usually has a negative and a much stronger impact on people’s mind over a longer period of time because human action is deliberate and physical injury is most of the time the aim of these actions. Examples and focus on a particular region or destination There are a lot of tourist destinations which suffer from terrorist attacks. Egypt which had almost 4 billion dollars in tourist receipts in 1999 depended a lot on the tourism revenue. However, the revenue from this sector of economy decreased due to the terrorist attacks by al-Gama’a al-Islamiya. The first attack occurred on October 1, 1992. One British tourist was killed and two others were wounded. During the five year period about 100 tourists were killed in the attacks including the tourists from Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Japan and Great Britain. One year after the first attack tourism revenue in Egypt felt by 11 percent. However, it increased by four percent in 1994 and by 34 percent in 1995. Moreover, net increase in tourist receipts between 1993 and 1997 was 93 percent (Essner, 2003). The Egyptian government managed to sustain its tourism sector and contribute to the GSP by 5% (Weaver). The factors of this success are the huge historic and cultural heritage of Egypt that keeps drawing international visitors, but also incentive measures taken by the industry in order to sustain inbound tourism. For instance, the national airline, EgyptAir, cut its airfares by 50% after the 1997 Luxor massacre of 58 tourists (Weaver). â€Å"Event in New York City and Washington D. C. on September 11, 2001 was one of the most significant terrorism attacks which occurred recently. This event influenced the economies of states which depended on the tourism industry a lot. Furthermore, the whole economy of the USA was demolished which led to the global economic slump† (Pizam, 2002). Certain sectors of the tourism industry suffered from the terrorist attack. Hotel occupancy rates decreased dramatically. It â€Å"plummeted to 41. 8 percent the week following the attacks, a 52-percent decrease from the same period in 2000† (Stafford et al, 2002). In total, 3016 people died including passengers and crew on the planes, people within or beneath the Twin Towers and on the ground at the Pentagon. This attack has certain impacts on travel and tourism industry in the USA. Security measures at the places where large number of people including tourists are likely to gather were reconsidered. The number of US National guards in the airports increased and other security measures in the airports such as better screening and checking of passengers and baggage technologies were introduced. Security measures were improved in seaports, bus stations and train station as well. It included increasing of the surveillance cameras and checkpoints. The number of security guards in these places grew up as well. Moreover, the Federal Aviation Administration set up the program of increasing the number of bomb-sniffing dogs. The FAA trained 175 dogs for 39 airports (Goodrich, 2002). Many other countries which have high rates in tourism receipts also suffered from the terrorist attacks. Establishing of an Islamic Palestinian State in place of Israel resulted in the attacks initiated by both Israelis and Palestinians. This disturbance led to dramatic drop in 1996 in the number of tourists which grew steadily between 1970 and 1994 (Sihmez Sevil F. 1998). Another example of suffering from terrorism attack is Peru. Attacks by the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), a Maoist terrorist group caused the decrease in number of tourists from 350,000 in 1989 to 33,000 in 1991 (Sihmez Sevil F. 1998). Word of mouth and previous experience Media Reporting & Image making Intergovernmental relationsGovernment policies and interests Figure 1: Political instability, violence and the imaging process Hall &O’Sullivan study (cited in Mansfeld & Pizam 1996) The above figure is a model of various factors that lead to image creation of the political stability of the destination region. Three factors: word of mouth, media and the government lead to the images creation of destination, in the tourist generating regions. Domestic tourism is equally affected by the occurrence of any kind of violence or terrorist activity. Many factors such as: promotion, tourist attractions, development, new routes, travel prices contribute in to reasonable changes in domestic as well as international tourism. As per the study of Bar-on (cited in Mansfeld and Pizam 1996), act of violence can affect tourism in following ways: â€Å"Tourists may fear being killed or injured. † Security checks, especially at airports, may take a long time and even be unpleasant for some tourists. † â€Å"Tour operators, travel agents and airlines may not want to risk organizing trips to specific regions. † â€Å"Travel insurance of tourists and airlines may be difficult, limited or expensive. † â€Å"Friends or relatives at the destination may advice against the proposed trip. à ¢â‚¬  This is also supported by Hall and O’ Sullivan study (cited in Mansfeld & Pizam 1996) which states that, â€Å". . . tourism may decline precipitously when political conditions appear unsettled. Tourists simply choose alternative destinations. Unfortunately, many national leaders and planners either do not understand or will not accept the fact that political serenity, not scenic or cultural attractions, constitute the first and central requirement of tourism. † Although, political violence may not last for a longer period yet it has the tendency to leave a formidable impact on the tourism industry for many years which further can affect the confidence of the tourists and also the investors in tourism industry. Crisis management and recovery methods employed by the tourism industry Tourism has been a way for under-developed and developing countries to get more revenue. Therefore tourists are a potential target for terrorist groups looking to destabilise and undermine these countries by cutting the revenue they get from tourism activities. Recent events such as 9/11, the Southeast Asian tsunami and the Bali bombings have had devastating consequences upon the tourism industry and have shown crisis management and recovery measures have become critical in managing a destination (Robson 2008). According to Santana (cited in Weber 1998), crisis management comprehends five steps: signal detection, preparation/prevention, containment/damage limitation, recovery and learning. Planning and training before, during and after the crisis have also been highlighted (Santana, cited in Weber 1998). On the one hand, research has shown the tourism industry was able to fully recover from terrorist assaults in a period of six to twelve months, at the condition these events were not repeated in the future (Pizam and Fleischer, cited in Arana 2008). However, appropriate management methods must be employed and applied by destination managers in order to ensure image destination rehabilitation. To this end, the management and coordination of human and financial resources as well as public relations through the media for example are critical when it comes to managing terrorist events at a destination (Stafford et al 2002). For instance, a set of recommendations compiling crisis management, preventive management and recovery methods through marketing could be useful for the tourism industry to restore a destination’s image (Sonmez 1998) and prevent any negative publicity from spreading (Stafford et al 2002). Furthermore, collaboration between tourism industry actors and government organisations can often be preventive and mitigate the impacts of the crisis (Stafford et al. 2002). In terms of preventive and recovery methods, tourism destinations should promote the use of information for locals and visitors (Weber 1998) in order to ensure their own safety, for example by signalling any suspicious piece of luggage in a public space through the use of official signs posted in public areas such as airports, railway stations and stadiums. The role of advertising and education as recovery methods is also of importance. For example, the ‘Vigipirate Plan’ was put in place by the French government in 1991 after several terrorist attacks took place in Europe in the nineties. It is made up of 4 levels of emergency (yellow, orange, red and purple) and has been greatly promoted in France at the local administration levels as well as to the general public, especially after massive terrorist attacks such as the March 2004 Madrid attacks and the July 2005 London bombings. Furthermore, government initiatives such as the Australian travel advisory (smartraveller. gov. au) which issues travel recommendations to destinations presenting a certain degree of risk is a preventive way to avoid any accidental or dangerous event. For example, the Australian Government gives tips about Cyprus in terms of safety and security in both the Cypriot and Turkish part of the island, as well as details about local laws, entry and exit requirements and health issues (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2009). On the other hand, tourism may be a way to enhance peace, mitigate tensions between countries and recover from any negative effects of terrorism. An example of this is given by the situation between North and South Korea (Kim 2007). Research was conducted in order to evaluate the reactions of South Koreans after visiting a natural site, Mt Gumgang, an emerging tourist destination located in North Korea. The findings suggested that South Korean visitors to North Korea had a better image of the country and the people after their tourist trip, although both countries have technically been at war for decades (Kim 2007). To conclude, tourist destinations have the possibility to prevent terrorism actions from happening or mitigate their effects through combined policies of crisis management involving different participants such as governments and private/public tourism bodies. Nevertheless, although tourism is often a victim of terrorism and political disturbances, it can also be used as a tool to promote and enhance peace between countries affected by political tensions. References Adams, S. 2004, All the Troubles: Terrorism, War and the World after 9/11, Simon Adams, Australia Arana J. , 2008, The impact of terrorism on tourism demand, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 299–315. Apostolopolous Y. , Sonmez S. & Tarlow P. 1999, Tourism In Crisis: Managing the Effects of Tourism, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 38, No. 1, viewed 17 May, http://jtr. sagepub. com. ezproxy. lib. uts. edu. au/cgi/content/abstract/38/1/13 Bar-On R. , ‘Measuring the effects on tourism of violence and of promotion following violent acts’, in Mansfeld Y. & Pizam A (eds), Tourism, Crime and International Security Issues, John Wiley & Sons Ltd. , pp. 159-160 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2009, last viewed May 17th 2009, http://www. smartraveller. gov. au/ Essner J. 2003, Terrorism’s Impact on Tourism: What the Industry May Learn from Egypt’s Struggle with al-Gama’a al-Islamiya, viewed on May 15,2009, http://sand. miis. edu/research/student_research/Essner_Tourist%20Terrorism. pdf Hall C. & O’ Sullivan V. , ‘Tourism, political instability and violence’, in Mansfeld Y. & Pizam A (eds), Tourism, Crime and International Security Issues, John Wiley & Sons Ltd. , pp. 105-114 Kim S. , 2007, Using tourism to promote peace on the Korean peninsula, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 291–309. Mansfeld Y. & Pizam A. , ‘Conclusions and Recommendations’, Tourism, Crime and International Security Issues, John Wiley & Sons Ltd. , pp. 311-312 Mueller J. 2007, Reacting to Terrorism: Probabilities, Consequences and the persistence of Fear, Ohio State University, viewed 17 May, http://scholar. google. com. ezproxy. lib. uts. edu. au/scholar? hl=en&lr=&q=REACTING+TO+TERRORISM%3A+PROBABILITIES%2C+CONSEQUENCES%2C+AND+THE+PERSISTENCE+OF+FEAR&btnG=Search Pizam A. 2002, Tourism and Terrorism, Hospitality Management, Vol. 21, No 1–3 Robson, L. , 2008, Crisis Management in Tourism, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 600–601. Sihmez Sevil F. 1998, Tourism, Terrorism and Political Instability, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 25, No. 2. Sonmez, S. F. 1998, Tourism, Terrorism and Political Instability, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 25, No. 2. Stafford, G. Et al, 2002, Crisis Management and Recovery, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 27, Cornell University Tourism Forecasting Committee, 2008, Forecast 2008, Issue 2, Tourism Forecasting Committee, Canberra, pp 91-92 Weaver D. , Tourism Management, 2000 Weber, S. 1998, War, Terrorism and Tourism, Annals of Tourism Research, Volume 25, Issue 3, Pages 760-763 ———————– Tourists Destination Region Generating Region Media Government