Chipko Movement Case Study Essay Example

Chipko Movement Case Study Essay Case Study on Chipko Movement The Chipko movement of the Uttarakhand region in the northwest part of India began as a communal reaction of local villagers to protect their forests from commercial deforestation practices. The term Chipko which literally means to embrace, was designated to these villagers who reacted by actually hugging the trees. It became so popular that the movement spread throughout all of India and different parts of Asia. Local women of the region are central to the movements success and continue to be its backbone. In fact over the decades, Chipko has been known for its ecofeminist strategies. This case study will examine the development of the envrionmental problems over the decades and study the social and cultural elements implicit in the communities of the Uttarkhand Himalyan region. From 1815 to 1949 Uttarakhand was divided into two kingdoms, Tehri Garhwal state and the colonial territory of Kumaun (Shiva, 7). The political structure of hill society in those two kingdoms was distinct from the rest of India in that along with the prescense of communal tradition, there as an absence of sharp class division (Shiva 14). The land was understood to belong to the community rather as a whole even though there was a caste system in place. The natural environment for the hill people consisted of a system of tillage and methods of crop rotation (Shiva 15). The production was directed towards subsistence in which the surplus was exported to Tibet and southwards to the plains. In fact, the communities living in the hill usually had six months of stock in grain with supplement of fish, fruit, vegetable, and animal meat (Shiva, 15). We will write a custom essay sample on Chipko Movement Case Study specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Chipko Movement Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Chipko Movement Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The hill district constituted over 60% of owner-cultivators and 80% of the total population farmed with the help of family labour. By the turn of the century, nine-tenths of the hill men cultivated with full-ownership rights . The absence of sharp inequalities in land ownership within body cultivating propietors who formed bulk populationwas basis for sense solidarity village community. Because those who owned worked community together to sustain their existence. men not only maintained household economy by collecting fooder fuel and food family they equally with husbands field cultivated reared cattle as well. The absence of intermediaries and class divisions within the villages is also due to the ecological characteristics of mountain society. look at page 30 for the way tradition played a role in the preservation of the environment and the way villagers worked with nature. The building of railway network that began the science forestry and social change of the community. Forestr y in Gharwal Forestry in Kumaun Early Resistence to the forestry techniques and rules. In the recent decades, the availability of natural resources to the rural communities of the Uttarakhand region as well as in other rural communities has eroded tremendously due to two linear, interrelated processes that have undermined the traditional institutional arrangement of resource use and management which existed in many of the areas: 1) the degradation of the forests both in quantity and quality and 2) the appropriation of land by state to preferred ndividuals and the privatization of land to timber or profit-seeking corporations. As a result there has been a shift away from community resource management and control which was proven to be more effective in ecological regeneration and deteriorating soil conditions, depleting water resources, and disappearing forests. Although there is no exact data as to the extent of the degeneration, there is enough that indicates the depletion of the resources as real and substantial, increasing at a rapid rate under the control of external hands.

Jap Politics essays

Jap Politics essays According to Webster democracy is a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodic elections. The question at hand is does this apply to Japan, or more specifically postwar Japan? If this isnt what Japan has then what type of government do they have? Garon and Mochizuki argue that it has been a managed form of democracy. What exactly is a managed democracy? These are the questions that I hope to answer. Garon and Mochizuki were describing the business like structure of the Japanese political system when they called it a managed democracy. This means that the democracy in Japan is a somewhat controlled system. The people dont really have any power; the members of the Diet control the government on their own terms. What they are basically saying is Japan doesnt really have a democracy, but if thats what it must be called then it should have the managed tagged to it for warning. Are Garon and Mochizuki correct in their statement? Yes, I believe that they have accurately described how Japans government operates. Japan uses a system of Democracy, that doesnt really fit the definition. The supreme power is supposed to be vested in the people, but this isnt the case. They do have elected officials, but the Diet hasnt always had power, even now they dont hold all of the cards. The bureaucracy has had all the power in the past. There has been a slight change in this respect in recent years, but they still hold a great deal of power, which isnt very democratic considering they have no ties to the electorate. Also when one party is in power for thirty years it is hard to have a democratic system flourish. The LDP ruled Japan for what seems like an eternity, and in all that time Japan was definitely a managed democracy....

Link Between Academic Success and a Students Perceived Self-worth Essay

Link Between Academic Success and a Students Perceived Self-worth - Essay Example There is a vast body of research on the intricate link between academic success and a student’s perceived self-worth. There is also a large amount of research detailing how the dynamics of student-teacher interactions play a key role in the formation of self-worth by these same students. However, Fay and Funk (1995) point out that educators only have access to the formation of such perceptions when providing feedback to behavior. Schroeder (n.d.) points out that feedback also involves the methods by which the educator communicates correctness of student responses to academic questions. Jim Fay’s (1995) discussion of three major teaching styles reminders readers that feedback sends not only the overt message of the words used but the covert messages of tone, actions and general body language. Of the three teaching styles - helicopter, drill sergeants, and consultants – it is the consultant teacher who embodies the overt and covert â€Å"messages of personal worth , dignity, and strength† (Fay & Funk, 1995, p. 197). When looking to the strategies employed by consultant teachers, it becomes obvious that these can be used with all teaching styles to provide corrective feedback in a whole instruction setting. First, educators should make sure the questions being asked are of appropriate difficulty and cognitive levels while being stated as clearly as possible. Schroeder (n.d.) suggests that questions dealing with new material should be such that 80% of the responses given are correct and 90+% for review materials. Educators may find that low-level questions that ask what, where, and who are best for this. Such pedagogical procedures will promote self-esteem as well as momentum needed to progress with instructional activities. Students will then be more willing to work for answers to higher order questions dealing with the why and how. Secondly, teachers should react to responses in such a way as to encourage student answers. Quick, certain responses that are correct need only affirmation that they are indeed correct. Correct but hesitantly given responses need the affirmation of correctness as well as praise and perhaps a short review of why the response is correct. Incorrect responses that are due to a careless error need only a quick reference to the error and time for the student to be allowed to provide the correct answer. Incorrect answers based on a lack of knowledge should be met with prompts and hints that may engage the needed information. Clarifying, rephrasing, or even changing the difficulty level may also assist these students (Schroeder, n.d.). Educators should provide students with every opportunity to get a correct answer but should not prolong the experience once it becomes obvious that the student lacks the knowledge needed. Third, instead of issuing orders teachers should present expectations as a challenge of something the student can and will do - positive expectancy. There are many procedures that will engender such an atmosphere. However, students sometimes resist the challenge even though a sense of positive expectancy has been created. Effective teachers will continue to work with the student and try to help him identify how to meet the expectation.Such teachers are engaging in tenacity (Saphier & Gower, 1987). Tenacious teachers engage in a "no excuses" policy. In this procedure the teacher will ask why the student is unable to meet the expectation. She will then refuse to accept such excuses. Work may be sent back to be done over; supplies may be procured and provided to the student; help and individual instruction may be offered more often; and eventually the consequences of the performance - superior, adequate, or poor - will be given without anger (Saphier & Gower, 1987).

Writing a memoir Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing a memoir - Essay Example I once came face to face with my own feelings toward a bully that made me reassess my own ability to feel empathy toward someone who had never done anything but expressed profound hatred toward me and others. This bully's name was Fidel and he had a habit of picking on people. One day a kid fought back and Fidel was on the receiving end of a good old-fashioned whooping. My sympathy went toward Fidel who had been such a perfect model of a bully rather than the little kid who had avenged us all. Why Why on earth did I suddenly feel this compassion toward a person for whom I had never felt anything but contempt I realized that day that the mind is far more than a mystery; it is a comic mystery, forever capable of upending expectations. What I learned from feeling an unexpected depth of emotion toward someone that I normally feared and despised was that placing some kind of expectation upon emotions is senseless. Whenever I hear someone say something like "nobody would ever react in such and such a way" what they are really saying is everybody reacts the same way to every circumstance. My compassion for a brutal bully allows me to laugh at people expressing such remarkably unimaginative beliefs. The experience with Fidel and the intrusio

Biography of Dr. Avraham Biran Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Biography of Dr. Avraham Biran - Research Paper Example To embellish his achievement, he also made it as the head of several archeology bodies both in Israel and the United States. He also had great interest in biblical archeology. This trait he always said he obtained from his mentor who also shared similar perceptions in biblical archeology. His vast knowledge of and interest in archeology made his speaking abilities more elegant. By then lectures had no importance as students and the general public were not regular attendants. Lectures and talks involving Avraham Biran used to be full to capacity as thousands of people flocked to grasp part of his knowledge. According to General Books LLC,2 it was only a person sharing the same features as Avraham Birian who was capable of achieving what he did with so many factors against his success. He was among the first archeology to help nurture a generation of well informed and knowledgeable archeologists. What made Biran an exceptional archeology is the fact that he gave a lot back to his count ry. This saw him achieve major awards in his home country. He unraveled the archeology potential of Israel. He also has in his name numerous articles and publications on archeology. Avraham Biran was born on 1909 in Petah Tivkah, part of the Ottoman Empire. Before changing his surname to Biran, he had the surname Bergman. He and his family moved to Rosh Pina which was a land of his ancestors. This made him adapt to the name Mayflower Israeli. He had his roots in Palestine where his great grandfather had first settled. In his youth his family moved to Egypt. His father managed to obtain a small farm in which he managed and produced some products for their support. His great grandfather had granted them the Palestinian roots after settling there and forming a political Zionism in 1897.3 However, he was Romania-born. A few years later, his father died. After which his family moved back to Palestine and spent his life in times with his grandparents until he reached the age of 13. Mr. Bi ran studied at the Hebrew Reali School of Haifa. It is from the school that he got the inspiration he needed in life. In his own words, he said that the impression the school left in him was lifelong. It was the time he spent at Reali School of Haifa that made him gain interest in archeology. The influence his principal had in him was very great. The principal Mr. Arthur Biram taught him the Bible and ancient history. At this time he attended many hikes in which he never left his Bible behind. They visited ancient Samaria, Jerusalem, Hebron and the Western Wall. With his Bible and exposure to ancient sites, his interest in archeology grew even greater.4 At times he used the Bible to relate to the archeological sites he visited. It was this great interest and passion that made Professor Albright, one of the greatest archeologists, call him to study with him. He then moved to Israel and continued his studies at the David Yellin Teacher’s College in Jerusalem. He then went back to teach in Haifa where his education started. In 1930 he moves to the United States to continue his studies. He enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. A year later, he enrolled as a student in Near Eastern studies under Professor Albright at John Hopkins University in Baltimore. It was from the two institutions that he received his MA in 1934 and a PhD in 1935 respectively. He retired from his archeology career at the age of 93 when he moved back to

Impact of New Media on Civil and International Conflict

Impact of New Media on Civil and International Conflict Introduction In this essay I am going to elaborate on the role that the media play on civil and international conflict in today’s world. I will start with a brief introduction of war and its causes and effects, the roles that the media plays and the impact of their coverage before, during and perhaps after the conflict. War as we know is characterised by extreme violence and violence goes with the destruction of people, human societies are deeply affected by wars as residential areas, public infrastructures, hospitals and the very basis of human existence are destroyed. Education is completely denied the youth, no hope and aspirations for the future. Crops for livelihood will be completely destroyed and causes stagnation all over the place, no economic development, and no access to basic needs. Suffering lingers, poverty and backwardness become the people’s heritage. The last two decades have witnessed a lot of conflicts that are mainly dominated by civil wars which are classified armed conflict, very deadly and devastating takes place between the people in the same country, and these countries are usually experiencing sectarian or political transitions/changes, because it (democracy) is sweeping across the countries of the world today. And as nature will have it, such changes must not come without opposition and violence. When these wars occur the media is used as a tool. The mass media is the platform through which the people receive information. This information can be transmitted either through radio, television broadcasting, newspapers/magazines, internet or mobile phones. This makes the media very powerful and influential. Because of its ability to inform the entire population at the same time could produce a positive or negative result. The media’s role in spreading incorrect information or hostile propaganda becomes an issue of great significance. For the fact that these wars often occur in remote areas and have complicated histories, the international community’s view of them will depend to a large extent on how journalists present and explain the conflict. On the other hand some of the deadliest conflicts receive little or no publicity in the global media. An example was the Sierra Leone war which received little mention globally (Hamburg, Vance, 1997) a number of examples in the 1990s suggest that the impact of media reporting may generate political action. Michael Beschloss wrote in 1993 that the war in Bosnia was only â€Å"the latest example of an overseas crisis in which hunting television pictures arouse the American people to demand their government do something.†(Rotberg, Weiss, 1996) also in the late 1980s before the Bosnia war there was famine in Somalia that killed a lot of people through starvation that led to the decision of the United States to launch Operation Restore Hope. It was the presence of media and their reporting clearly the true situation at hand that made it politically difficult for the government not to intervene to rescue the situation. The presence or absence of media attention may mean life or death for affected populations. Accuracy is one of the most important concerns about media reports, this is particularly important when distance and time limitations are involved so as to avoid delays before the situation gets out of hand. The role mass media play in today’s conflicts around the world is very important. This role can be classified into two different categories. The media could take: An active part in the conflict and has responsibility for increased violence, Or stay independent and out of the conflict, thereby contributing to the resolution of conflict and alleviation of violence (conflict and the role of the media, 2006). The role taken up by the media in any conflict at any period whether before and after depends on a complex set of factors. This strictly depends on the media’s relationship with the actors in the conflict and the independence the media has to the power holders in society. It is because of the challenges and difficulties that the media faces during conflict that led to the establishment of International Media Support (IMS) in 2001. This was prompted after the Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia massacres that took place in the 1990s; situations in these conflicts and in fact other conflicts in the past where the media was being manipulated and used as a tool to fuel violent conflict. For instance, during Rwandan genocide the media (radio and newspaper) means were used to instigate killing, mobilize the majority, the Hutu’s to constantly remind them about the already made plans to totally wipe out the Tutsi minority. The international media turned a blind eye, and before the world could actually know what was going on nearly a million people had been killed. The purpose for setting up the IMS: To support local media so as to maintain operations and conduct their work as professionals. To work and enable media to seek to promote peace, reduce conflict, Strengthen democracy and bring about dialogue in close partnership with local media And media support organisations nationally as well as internationally. Taking broad sector approach to media development, this means the media sector must be addressed to achieve well-functioning and independent media that ensures a free media environment, a strong media infrastructure and professional media content. South Eastern Europe is one such region where ethnic tensions have had such a disintegrating effect. In the last decade, political and civil changes in the region have changed citizen’s ideas on democracy, civic participation, and cultural tensions. Throughout the New Europe, hate speech has been increasingly in general use online (Gaines, 2000). Racist and nationalistic discourse continues to be spread widely on regional media. Press radio, and television programs all increase to the severity of already existing tensions (Thompson, 1994). George Krimsky (1996), cofounder of the International Centre for Journalists (ICJ), notes that â€Å"irresponsible and inaccurate journalism (or its wicked cousin, the hate-mongering media) can fan the flames of violence in ethnic or communal confrontations.† Irresponsible journalism has played a huge role in the increase of conflict in the region, that media practitioner Maida Bebic of radio Kameleon in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovinian, has announced, â€Å"The media started the war in the former Yugoslavia; they will have to end it, too.† (Cited in Burton, 2001) The international community can help to prevent conflict and assist people affected by war to recover. This can be achieved through different ways. This can be achieved through building local capacity in broadcast and print media, and introducing new media, in order to produce and distribute objective and accurate local content. In the developing world radio broadcasting is particularly very vital considering the availability of other media accessibility, like internet, satellite television or smart phone which could be scarce or limited and plus the high rate of illiteracy and poverty; majority of the people can afford radio, so it can be used as a medium to dispatch information. Independent journalists face very serious challenges in the conflict areas, and some of the journalists/editors get harassed, kidnapped, put in prison, even murdered. There is need for every government, especially government from the developing countries to stop harassing and jailing journalists. Egyptian government is holding Aljazeera journalists in prison and has now sentenced some of them to ten years imprisonment on false accusations including other journalists that were also sentenced to serve several years imprisonment, and some of them like Peter Greste have spent over three hundred days in jail without trial. All these arrests and detentions are to intimidate and silence journalists and to tag them with bad reputations (The Print edition, Al Jazeera, June, 2014) some of these journalists have been sentenced in absentia, without them being present in court. Rather than government putting journalists in prison, they should provide them with security, especially international journalists; make environment conducive and if possible provide training facilities for them so as to be able to execute their job even though they are already working in a war-torn zone. It is very vital and essential to encourage the use of media to promote peace, nonviolent problem solving and decent understanding between ethnic groups. UNESCO has long supported the development of local independent film, radio, television, and internet-based media in developing and transitional countries, including in conflict and post-conflict areas. UNESCO’s extensive work program includes sponsoring research and knowledge-sharing conferences, defining best practices, offering in-field professional training and financial and operations support (Stauffacher, 2005) beyond media development, it has employed innovative techniques in conflict zones; for example, funding NGOs in Afghanistan to create travelling cinemas that move from village to village to present educational and health information. UNESCO held a conference in Belgrade in May 2004. This was to support the media in violent conflict and countries in transition and the concluding Belgrade Declaration. (World Press Freedom day, 2004) Conference was organised in Copenhagen for two days the 26th and 27th of November 2004 to build upon the conclusions presented in the Belgrade Declaration from the UNESCO conference. The subject of discourse of the conference was the perplexing situation facing media development in the wake of peacekeeping and humanitarian aid operations in conflict-affected areas. The need for rapid and effective dissemination of information from aid organisations and peacekeeping forces sometimes collides with the development of an independent media sector (IMS, 2004) The attitude towards the media in Burma, Myanmar is now much more clearly defined, though not for better. Even the lowest attempts to report the facts are ruthlessly crushed. The military Junta keeps a strict control on the media, leaving no freedom either to local or foreign journalists. The Burmese press operates under strict censorship and citizens risk jail if they are found guilty of giving false information domestically or internationally (Herbert, 2013) International Media Support has been working to assist in alleviating the problems of strict control on the media for some time now. IMS is carrying out a comprehensive media development programme comprising a wide range of activities including working to support policy reforms, capacity building of media and journalists. IMS in collaboration with Myanmar Peace Centre providing conflict sensitive journalism training workshop throughout the country. The BBC Afghan Education Projects (BBC AEP). The aim of this program is to bring reconciliation among different groups and raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in other to avoid an epidemic in post-conflict Afghanistan. BBC AEP produces these programs in different formats, drama, soap opera, educational features and cartoon magazines, all these reach more than half of Afghan population. (Stauffacher, 2005) In Sri Lanka and Nepal the journalists are under constant harassment and intimidation because of civil wars and internal conflicts going on in these places. The Sri Lankan government who is fighting against the Tamil separatist movement, imposed direct censorship of military news under emergency regulations (Herbert, 2013, p. 104) The Philippines president Joseph Estrada took office in1998, since then several developments has brought his administration’s commitment to freedom of the press into question. He has been accused of curtailing media freedom in a country that has embraced the principles of free expression in recent times. The Philippians most widely circulated paper the Philippian’s Daily Inquirer was being boycotted in retaliation for criticizing the government. Turkey is said to have the most number of journalists in detention more than any other country in the world. Those journalists are advocating for the independence of Kurdish people and at such being thrown in jail. NGOs play very important role in media development. For instance, All Africa Global Media is a multimedia content service provider, systems technology developer, and the largest electronic distributor of African news and information worldwide. The website posts over 1000 stories daily in English and French and offers multilingual programming as well as over 900,000 articles in a searchable archive. Conclusion This essay has highlighted the critical role and importance of the media during wars and crisis and of course the power and influence they have. Most conflicts occur in domestic political settings where there are signs that the means of mass communications continue to increase in importance, this is suggesting that continued efforts are needed to understand the role of national media in conflict. Bibliography Blankson, I. A, and Murphy, P. D. (2012) ‘Negotiating Democracy: Media transformations in  emerging democracies’ (Google eBook) Suny Press Blondel, Y. I (2003) ‘Violent conflict and roles of the media’ Uppsala University Publishers Hamburg, D. A and Vance, C. R. (1997) ‘Preventing deadly conflict’ DIANE Publishing Herbert, J. (2013) ‘practicing global journalism: Exploring reporting issues worldwide’  CRC Press Puddephatt, A. (2006) ‘Conflict and the role of the media’ International Media Support  Publication Rotberg, R. I. and Weiss, T. G. (1996) ‘from massacres to genocide: The media, public policy, and humanitarian crisis’ (Google eBook) Brookings Institution Press Stauffacher, D. (2005) ‘Information and communication technology for peace: The role of  ICT in preventing, responding to and recovering from conflict, Vol. 198 United  Nations ICT task Force. The Print Edition, (June, 2014) ‘Egypt Court sentences Al Jazeera journalists,  Al Jazeera Publications Thompson, E. P. (1994) ‘Witness against the beast: William Blake and the moral Law’  Cambridge University Press

Essay --

Child Soldiers: Child soldiers need to be psychologically deconstructed after they’re programmed by warlords. They spent most of their childhood fighting in a war or running away from it. The world needs to start helping children around the world that go through war and fighting in it. Psychology abuse effects on former child soldiers were more likely to present severe mental health problems such as symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. As children continue to be exploited by armed groups all over the world, special mental health interventions for child soldiers are ever more necessary. Children who were abducted at younger ages were more likely to report symptoms of depression over time than those who were older. The emotional consequences for the majority of the children are sad moods, preoccupations, suicidal thoughts and fears. Most of them experienced loss in relation to the death of members of their family and social status as a result of their actions. Most of the child soldiers were separated from their parents for a long period and many have lost the sense of family belongingness. Their family ties are wrecked. These children are separated from their cultural, social and moral identity, and it makes them vulnerable to psychologi cal and social ill effects. Those with PTSD have intrusive memories of the war, flashbacks, emotional arousal, emotional numbing and various other anxiety related symptoms. Many avoid places and conversations related to their past experiences. Some children are reluctant to go back to their native villages may be due to shame or guilt. In order to make children pliable, it is essential that recruitment be as traumatic as possible so that they will be psychologically w... ...ainwashing as well as brutal treatment to motivate them to fight and endure the deprivations of the campaigns. Children are sometimes abducted from their families and communities by warlords and military groups in need of fresh troops. Others join â€Å"voluntarily† they join because of hunger and extreme poverty or family dissolution. Children who find themselves orphans as a result of war may decide to join a paramilitary group in order to get food, clothing and relative protection. However, whichever way they became part of armed forces, children are all initially submitted to cruel and brutal treatment, beatings and humiliation of different sorts to make them dependent upon the armed group and deter escape attempts. When military leaders are the sole protection against widespread violence, children identify with them and become dependent on them for their every need. Essay -- Child Soldiers: Child soldiers need to be psychologically deconstructed after they’re programmed by warlords. They spent most of their childhood fighting in a war or running away from it. The world needs to start helping children around the world that go through war and fighting in it. Psychology abuse effects on former child soldiers were more likely to present severe mental health problems such as symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. As children continue to be exploited by armed groups all over the world, special mental health interventions for child soldiers are ever more necessary. Children who were abducted at younger ages were more likely to report symptoms of depression over time than those who were older. The emotional consequences for the majority of the children are sad moods, preoccupations, suicidal thoughts and fears. Most of them experienced loss in relation to the death of members of their family and social status as a result of their actions. Most of the child soldiers were separated from their parents for a long period and many have lost the sense of family belongingness. Their family ties are wrecked. These children are separated from their cultural, social and moral identity, and it makes them vulnerable to psychologi cal and social ill effects. Those with PTSD have intrusive memories of the war, flashbacks, emotional arousal, emotional numbing and various other anxiety related symptoms. Many avoid places and conversations related to their past experiences. Some children are reluctant to go back to their native villages may be due to shame or guilt. In order to make children pliable, it is essential that recruitment be as traumatic as possible so that they will be psychologically w... ...ainwashing as well as brutal treatment to motivate them to fight and endure the deprivations of the campaigns. Children are sometimes abducted from their families and communities by warlords and military groups in need of fresh troops. Others join â€Å"voluntarily† they join because of hunger and extreme poverty or family dissolution. Children who find themselves orphans as a result of war may decide to join a paramilitary group in order to get food, clothing and relative protection. However, whichever way they became part of armed forces, children are all initially submitted to cruel and brutal treatment, beatings and humiliation of different sorts to make them dependent upon the armed group and deter escape attempts. When military leaders are the sole protection against widespread violence, children identify with them and become dependent on them for their every need.

Crisis in Rwanda Brief Background Essay

The pre-colonial Rwanda was characterized by a fluid of ethnic divisions between the majority of the population (Hutus, comprising of about 85% of the population in 1999) and the minority of the population (Tutsis, comprising of about 8-14% as per the time of the genocide in 1994), and could not reportedly be considered as separate tribes. Inter-communal conflict did not exist. These existed even though Tutsis were dominant in the small Rwandan aristocracy. According to Wrage (2000), mass murder similar to the one in 1994 was unheard of and there were no common ethnic lines before 1960. The records of Belgium indicate that Rwandans had a sense of belonging to their nation. The Belgians, who took over the country during the World War I from Germans who had colonized the country from 1894-1916, ruled the country until their independence in 1962. The Belgians granted preferential status to the Tutsis and this was the root cause of the massive killing which led to a loss of about 800,000 people (Jones, 2000). According to Prunier, the Belgians highlighted the differences that existed among the two tribes and Tutsis (who had an appearance more like the Europeans’ compared to the Hutus) were considered the master race and were granted preference in the Belgium’s Rwandan auxiliaries by 1930. This earned them hatred from the Hutus. The identity cards introduced by the Belgians in 1933 designating people as Hutu, Twa or Tutsi played a role in the genocide because it helped genocide architects distinguish their Tutsi victims. The more educated and prosperous Tutsis led struggle for independence after the World War II and the Belgians switched to allege to the Hutus. In between 1959 and 1962, revenging Hutus murdered about 15,000 Tutsis and made more than 100,000 to flee to the neighboring countries. The assassination of the President Habyarimana on 6 April 1994 seemed to have been because of his acceptance to accommodate the Tutsis’ Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) in the Rwandan government by signing a peace treaty, which was not welcome by some Hutus including those powerful in the government. RPF was formed by Tutsis in Uganda and had plans to invade Rwanda and overthrow the president. The opposing Hutus seemed to give a solution to the problem, instead of welcoming them. Tutsis were killed massively, and some Hutus who were assumed to be Tutsis. The daily death rate is said to have been at least five times that of the Nazi death camps and the most concentrated incident of genocide in human history, together with that of the Soviet prisoners-of-war (Prunier, 1995; Gourevitch, 1998). Implications of the genocide: Current issues that are affecting Rwanda to date that need more attention The Rwandan government released figures of a first major census in February 2002, aimed at an effort to establish the number of those who lost their lives during the genocide. The findings asserted that about a seventh of the population-1 million, and seventy four thousand people-lost their lives. Among these, 94% comprised of Tutsis. Men were the major target in this genocide. The number of men can only be estimated and there are suggestions that they were 75-80% (Jones, 2000). The Rwandan work force was affected whose effects on economy may be felt to date. According to Prunier, the Rwandan economy stills remains badly hurt and no signs of quick recovery. Many teachers died in the genocide and this has led to suffering of the education sector. Hutu and Tutsi extremists link solution to annihilation of the other, and this could lead to another wave of killings. Issue 1: Loss of human labor necessary for growth of the Rwandan economy, due to the massive killing in the 1994 Genocide killings †¢ An estimated number of males killed consisted of 75-80% of those who died in the genocide. There are reports that indicate low percentage of adult male, such as the 20% of adult men consisting of 20% of the whole population in Gitamara district in Central Rwanda (Gough, 2000). This was because of the gendercidal killings which have led to demographic imbalance which may continue for longer (El-Bushra; cited in Jones, 2000). It is obvious that the killings resulted to loss of human labor in all sectors of the Rwandan economy. Low food productivity in highly attacked areas has been linked to physical inability of women. Issue 2: The number of the HIV and Aids victims in the present Rwanda is partly because of the genocide killings †¢ Women were forced into sexual relationships with the killers with the threats that they would be killed if they refused (Jones, 2000). This resulted into transmission of the killer disease. Rapes, forced â€Å"marriages† and mutilation of the vagina and pelvic areas with weapons was also experienced by women (‘Shattered Lives: Sexual violence During the Rwandan Genocide and its Aftermath’, 1996). According to McGreal (2001), orphans whose fathers were killed by machetes and mothers by HIV would be in tens of thousands. In 2001, two thirds of the tested 1200, of the 25000 Tutsi women belonging to the Widows of Genocide organization (Avega) were HIV-positive (McGreal, 2001). Issue 3: The current indication of lack of trust, and suspicion may indicate that there is potential for another massive killing like that experienced in the 1994 †¢ According to Jones, many Hutus feel proclaimed guilty by association, many Tutsis’ convictions that repressing Hutus will assure them of their survival, and the belief by extremists on both side that annihilating one another is the only solution. The situation may spark another wave of killings. Recommendation Regarding Crisis in Rwanda The following are recommendations that may alleviate the current situation in Rwanda, regarding the economy, security stability and sexual violence and HIV and AIDS illnesses. †¢ Recommendation for the sexual violation 1. The families of those whose rights were sexually violated continue to suffer to date. The government should strengthen its support for the children of the families where rape cases were witnessed resulting in the contrasting of the HIV and Aids. The government should put in place a national program to search for the victims regardless of their tribe and support their children by funding for their education to completion. 2. The government should encourage and fund support programs by the local authorities for the women who were mutilated on their genitals and who experienced gang rape. The support program must include compensation to the victims which will help them establish business and other self-help ventures. The people who were the sources to root causes of the genocide event like Belgians, and who participated in one way or the other must come in and support the country in compensating for the victim. †¢ Recommendation for the shortage of labor 1. The government should continue to invest on current-technological labor force while the population balance is set to increase in the near future. The government should identify areas that were massively affected and launch special programs to ensure production of food and other labor shortages are catered for. 2. The government should look for outsourced labor from the neighboring countries to take care of the human power shortages like lack of enough teachers and other personnel in other fields. Besides, the government should focus more resources on funding the education system to raise more professions. This is by funding education for the poor and the economically disadvantaged that form the majority of the population. 3. The government should ensure that the public and the private sectors have arrangements to work through out for 24 hours to increase man hours for production and rendering of quicker services. The government should also look for the possibilities of removing all the barriers affecting or delaying production processes and investments in any way. †¢ Recommendation on potential for another genocide event 1. The government should have institutions that are all-inclusive in all sectors for different social groupings. The government must always venture into constructive consultative means of making its major decisions in order to avoid conflicts on political issues and defiance by the masses which may be linked to certain interest groups like the tribe groupings. Besides, criminals must be deals with as provides the law without any discrimination, favor or fear. Those who were involved in the genocide and are yet to be prosecuted must be made to carry their own cross without any consideration to their political inclinations and background. This is by ensuring that the country has an all-inclusive, proper constitution and judicial system. Bibliography Chris McGreal. â€Å"A Pearl in Rwanda’s genocide horror†. The Guardian. UK, December 5, 2001. Retrieved 15 November 2008 from http://www. gurdian. co. uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4313577,00. html Gough. â€Å"Husband-hiring hastens the spread of Aids in Rwanda†. The Guardian. February 8, 2000. UK Gourevitch Philip. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998, p. 3 Jones Adam. â€Å"Case Study: Genocide in Rwanda, 1994. † 2000. Retrieved 15 November 2008 from http://www. gendercide. org/case_rwanda. html Prunier G. â€Å"Rwanda’s Struggle to Recover from Genocide,† Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 Prunier G. The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide. Columbia University Press, 1995. p. 261 Shattered Lives: Sexual Violence During the Rwandan Genocide and its Aftermath. Human Rights Watch, 1996. Retrieved 15 November 2008 from http://www. hrw. org/summaries/s. rwanda969. html Wrage. (2000). â€Å"Genocide in Rwanda: Draft Case Study for Teaching Ethics and International Affairs. â€Å"

Illegal Street Racing

Illegal Street Racing Hi today I will be talking to you about illegal street racing. The purpose of this speech is to persuade you not to illegally street racing. The specific purpose is to persuade you not to illegally street race because of the dangers. I will be talking to you about the things that can happen while street racing, some facts about illegally street racing, things that have happened to some people, And lastly some things you can do to prevent street racing. Well I know some of you are wondering what is wrong with illegal street racing. For starters illegally street racing is against the law. And I know some of you are like so is popping fireworks in sirten states but fireworks doesn’t kill 37,000 people yearly in the United States of America. Street racers either drive their car with excessive speed on public roads causes deadly accidents or get crushed at illegal racing events. Car accidents are the leading cause of death of youth aged 16 to 20. The total of street racing fatalities was 72 in 2001. Street racing drivers can be arrested for months losing their license to drive to drive permanently and their cars will be impounded. Police pursuit accidents have an average of 300 to 400 deaths per year. More people die from street racing than in gangs. More people die from street racing than wrong way driving. In 2001, the National Highway Safety Administration reported that the police listed street racing racing as a factor in 135 fatal crashes. According to the California office of traffic safety, more than 800 citations for illegal street racing were issued in 2001. In San Diego, where the street racing problem has been termed â€Å"epidemic†, 16 death and 31 injuries were directly related to illegal racing in 2001. In Florida in 2011, 216 citations were issued for racing on the highway. When the sun goes down, drivers say illegal racing takes off on Tulsa streets. Tulsa police say a Friday night accident that injured four people was the result of street racing. A car racing southbound on Yale Avenue hit another driver turning onto the Creek Turnpike. Driver, David Morreau says he races for the thrill, â€Å" You get a pretty good adrenaline rush. It feels good,† but says he doesn’t race on Tulsa streets. Morreau thinks racing should stay on the track. Don Falleti lives near Memorial Drive. Police say it's another hot spot for street racing. â€Å"Friday nights and Saturday nights if you want a thrill just come on over at 9:30 or 10 o’clock at night,† Falleti said. Both drivers say they see no end in sight. â€Å" If you are going to do it, you can’t stop people from doing it. People are always going to do it, â€Å" Morreau said. Police warn if you are cought street racing you could end up with a reckless driving ticket that would cost $365. 00plus court costs and a higher insurance rate. . Street racing is a global problem that affects us all regardless of participation. More of our young people illegally street race than older. Street racing can be prevented by just going to were you need to go. People can stop street racing by playing video games. If you want to street race I advise you race a drag track. So I have hope you want illegally street race. So I have told you about the thing that can happen while street racing, some facts, things that have happened to people, and lastly thing you can do instead of illegally street racing. Thank you and have a great day

We Ask Admissions Officers Whats the #1 Fact You Wish Applicants Knew

We Ask Admissions Officers What's the #1 Fact You Wish Applicants Knew SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips College admissions can be confusing, with a lot of contradictory information thrown around. It's hard to separate fact from fiction, which is frustrating since the stakes are high and you may not realize you made mistakes until it's far too late. In this exclusive article, we decided to consult university admissions officers and counselors around the country to break through the noise. We asked them a simple question: "What's the #1 fact you wish college applicants knew about admissions?" The results might surprise you. #1: We Want a Well-Rounded Class, Not Well-Rounded Students We've all heard the adage of schools liking well-rounded students, so many hopeful applicants try to do a little bit of everything at once. This might be a huge mistake. Jeannine Lalonde, Senior Assistant Dean of Admission at University of Virginia, tells us: The area that students seem to divert so much applicant time and energy away from more important things is the extracurricular section of the application.When I was in school, someone came up with the phrase "the well-rounded student" and I fear that term has become and albatross that hangs around everyone high school student's neck. They think there's a check list that we use as we read and we want to see leadership, athletics, community service, something creative, something academic, etc. They think that if they don't do everything, then they must be an expert in one thing. So either be a jack of all trades, or headed to the Olympics. The fact is that the philosophy at my school and many others has evolved. We're looking to build a well-rounded class. A well-rounded class has all kinds of students in it. Really, though, academics will always come first. So amount of community service will make an admission officer forget that a student didn't challenge themselves in high school. When I read a file, most of my time is spend analyzing the transcript, reading the recommendations, and reading essays. Extracurricular activities are...extra! #2: Demonstrate Your Character - Be Someone Colleges Want In Their Community Applications aren't just about your test results and achievements. Colleges want you to be someone they're comfortable accepting in their community. Your job is to demonstrate that you have the character to be this person. Carol Barash, former English professor and admissions counselor at U Michigan, Rutgers, and Douglass College, writes: The thing that matters mostthe one thing you can control in the admissions process and for the rest of your lifeis your character. When you show up, what can people count on you for? This is really what colleges want to know. Colleges are communities, and admissions officers are building diverse communities of individuals who will coalesce and work togetherin classrooms, dorm rooms, and across the broad range of activities that make up the college community. Use the college process to explore your character: what are your strengths, your passions, and especially your commitments? Once you have a sense of where you are going, look back into your life experience and uncover the stories that are connected to that place you are going. Where are the moments when you changed, grew or made a difference? Those defining moments are the cauldron of character; those are the moments you want to write about in your college admission and scholarship essays. #3: Use the Admissions Office to Your Advantage Admissions offices seem daunting - they can decide your fate and thousands of other students in a single stroke. But you should realize that the office is made up of people who care about the school and about their students. Jeff Knox, former Admissions Officer at University of Pittsburgh, advises: The average college admissions professional is young, usually in her 20s. Students tend to think admissions committees are made up of a bunch of older curmudgeons perusing their applications and essays over bifocals.Don’t be afraid to call or email the admissions offices. They are (almost always) super nice and helpful. In my experience, I deal with a lot of students stressing out over pretty simple questions that could easily be answered with a simple phone call. Especially because colleges have different policies and preferences and because student questions are often so specific, it’s important to go to the source with many questions. Rather than guessing or trying to figure it out on your own, just contact the admissions office directly. #4: Maximize the Effectiveness ofthe Supplemental Essay Private admissions counselor and Harvard PhD Robert Kohenbelieves that students underestimate the value of the supplemental essay. Treating this as an afterthought is a big mistake: Students dedicate so much time to perfecting their personal essay that they often forget to leave adequate time for the smaller, supplemental questions that most colleges ask on the application. These essays usually ask about why the student wants to attend a particular school. It's imperative that students both spend adequate time researching the college and fine-tuning these essays. The most common mistake students make is simply repeating generic information about the university: it's in a great city, its academics are spectacular, and the campus is beautiful to boot. Instead, students should write about specific details that align with their own interests and show they've done their homework. For example, does the university offer a particular type of student group unique to that school? Does it have a particular professor the student is interested in working with, or a special research institute that speaks to the student's academic interests? It's critical that students include these types of details in their supplemental essays in order to stand out from the crowd. What's Next? Is there a burning question you want answered by college admissions officers? We'll reach out to our network. Just leave a comment below about what you want us to ask. Want to excel on the SAT or ACT? Read our famous guides to scoring a perfect SAT score or a perfect ACT score. How good of an SAT/ACT score do you need to get into your target college? Calculate your target score for the SAT or the ACT. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

S5W5DQs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

S5W5DQs - Essay Example As a result, it is likely that the truth will be either unrevealed or distorted as indicated by Roth (2011), in the recount of the Yugoslav and Rwandan tribunals. However, with the promise of fairness and legal immunity, most of the institutions like the truth justice and reconciliation commission that was first employed in South Africa have been able to unearth the truth because of the number of people that come forward to testify. In such cases, such institutions have helped to promote reconciliation because it is clear that it is only through allowing people to freely narrate their experiences that healing between communities has been effective in post war regions (Norwich University, 2007). Another major challenge, which faces domestic legal institutions, is that at times they lack the peoples trust and confidence hence not a good alternative for carrying out legal processes. This may be because they lack the powers to prosecute people against the wish of those who might be yearning for justice to prevail. In some instances, institutions like the ICC have only prosecuted individuals bearing the greatest responsibility that might leave most of the perpetrators still roaming in the streets. The various tribunals, truth commissions and amnesty laws have been effective in the healing of communities in post war nations even though sometimes there have been difficulties because of the way the victims on one hand and the perpetrators on the other have responded to such institutions. First, some of the institutions like the truth and reconciliation commissions have been seen as helpless in bringing the guilty to book. The main work of that commission in to find out the historical injustices that may in turn open up new wounds that may result in counteraccusations. The two warring sides may therefore start to view each other suspiciously. Tepperman (2002) further indicates this by stating the way such

How to make current handgun control laws stronger, and more Research Proposal

How to make current handgun control laws stronger, and more enforceable - Research Proposal Example Instead it offer an umbrella protection to everyone by making laws which are definitely worth their weight in gold but are not actually imposed by all states. The gaps between state and federal gun control laws make the problem even worse. Federal gun control policy is simple: firearms must not reach irresponsible or dangerous people. This approach is particularly uncontroversial and hence approved by most quarters. Some of the key laws in this regard are the 1968 law passed in response to the killing of Robert Kennedy, the federal law prohibiting sale of firearm without background check, and prohibition on sales to illegal aliens. These laws should have been good enough to stop some incidents like the Virginia Tech massacre but the reason they failed lies in gaps existing between state and federal laws. Due to these gaps, Seung-Hui Cho was never reported to the federal police as he has already been termed mentally ill. According to 1968 federal law, people who are "adjudicated as a mental defective" are prohibited from possessing firearms. This is probably the most significant piece of legislation on gun control in last 50 years. Even though attempts have been made to pass other laws too, none have been as significan t in their impact as the Gun Control Act of 1968. The main objectives of the Act were as follows: (1) Eliminating the interstate traffic in firearms and ammunition that had previously frustrated state and local efforts to license, register, or restrict ownership of guns. (2) Denying access to firearms to certain congressionally defined groups, including minors, convicted felons, and persons who had been adjudicated as mental defectives or committed to mental institutions. (3) Ending the importation of all surplus military firearms and all other guns unless certified by the Secretary of the Treasury as "particularly suitable for ... sporting purposes."2 The country needs stricter gun control laws but a recent US Supreme Court decision may give another message. In June 2008, US Supreme court gave an emphatic nod to firearm owners when it overturned a Washington DC ban on possession of guns. No other recent decision was as vital in significance as this one since it offered an interpretation of the Second Amendment and also explained how constitution treats the subject. In writing the majority opinion, Justice Scalia, ruled that the Constitute does not infer "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home.3" For this reason gun control laws are definitely one of the most controversial issues in the country. Even though we acknowledge the need for stricter gun control laws, the Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitutions and other rights, often create a hurdle for the implementation and passing of these laws. Jenson (2007) writes: "Gun control legislation has had a long and inconsistent history in the United States. Congress first passed laws controlling firearms in the early 20th century. Throughout the past century, the issue has been debated frequently by opponents and proponents. Each side has used a different interpretation of the Second Amendment of the Constitution, a provision giving citizens the right to bear arms, to boost its arguments for or against gun control.