Marx Philosophy and the End of History

Karl Marx is, without a doubt one of the most influential thinkers to emerge in the nineteenth century, and the theories he proposed, have influenced various regimes in different parts of the world. His success is the result of the flexibility present in his theories to adapt themselves to the times. In his mid twenties Marx, turned away from philosophy and concentrated his attention more towards the economic and political aspects of the society. It was in the light of economics that he viewed the problems in society and sought to provide a remedy to it. He viewed society not as an independent entity. Contrarily, he saw, society as a reflection of the progress made by History. The progress made by history always left behind a legacy in its trail. This legacy had a profound impact in the shaping of society. The validity of this statement can be proven, by citing the example of the poverty in the Africa Americans as the legacy of their history as slave labourers. However the direction of History was uncertain and could not be predicted. It was dictated by the economic factors present in society. The only certainty was that an, ‘end of history’ was inevitable. In his theory on Historical Materialism, Marx carefully analyses the various factors influencing the different stages in the growth of society from slavery to modern day capitalism. Thus the views of Marx can be summed up under, four basic principles. Firstly, he believed that society followed a straight law of motion and underwent various phases in order to get to the final stage of Communism. Secondly, the laws governing the society were purely economic in nature, for the only thing that shapes society are the ‘material tools of production. Thirdly, he believed that these laws would continue to be in force until the end of History. Fourthly, the classes and the State would perish with the end of History. However this end would be brought about by a bitter struggle of one class against another. It must be mentioned in this context, that Marx borrowed the concept of a dialectical history, with a cognate beginning, middle and end from Hegel. Marx’s main concern was the ‘State’, which he viewed as the main tool of exploitation. It is the State and its various institutions that are utilised by the dominant class to wield their power. He advocated that the State was the most powerful tool of exploitation, whose sole purpose was to represent the interests of the ruling class. He chose to study the State through the annals of History. To him only ‘History’, could reveal the secrets at work behind the evolution of the state and determine its future shape. However, Marx did not consider History to be an open-ended process. Instead he saw a definite ‘end in history’. This end would result in the downfall of Capitalism and ensue the coming of a new era of Communism. An end in History did not signify an end to human life, it simply meant that there would no longer be any changes in the underlying principles or institutions for all the major problems had been solved and man’s major needs fulfilled. Before we can elaborate on the ‘end of history’, as predicted by Marx, it is essential that we know what history is all about. Marx claims that History has not progressed in a straight line. The coherent development of human societies through the ages has been a result of the various regimes that it has undergone. Marx thus traces the evolutionary process from, tribal based societies which were dependant on slavery and agriculture for subsistence, to theocracies, monarchies, feudal aristocracies, modern liberal democracies and finally to the technologically driven Capitalism. In his study Marx points out that the fundamental element present in all these different societies is the ‘class’ system and the ‘means of production,’ which determined which class would be dominant in the society. The ‘Class’ and the subsequent ‘class struggle’ were the sine qua non of Marx’s theory. History showed that the class who controlled the means of production was the dominant class in society. It is the tools of ruthless dominance and exploitation used by the dominant class to maintain their authority that would one day turn against them and spearhead the inevitable revolutions. History has shown that every revolution brought about a change in the social structure. This change did not bring about an egalitarian order it simply replaced the old dominant class with a new one. The unequal social structure continued to exist. Every revolution just changed the composition of the oppressor and the oppressed. The day that the society became classless would be the day that History came to an end. This end was possible with the rise of Communalism. While proclaiming the advent of Communalism, Marx refused to give a cognate shape to his ideal society. He claimed that the final shape of Communism would be the result of the different historical processes that society underwent. It was not a realisation of a predetermined moral idea. When it came to classes, Marx outlined two major segments into which society was divided. They were the oppressed or the ‘Proletariat’ as he called them and the oppressor or the ‘Bourgeoisie’. When the levels of oppression reached its penultimate point the oppressed class rose in rebellion and the outcome of this rebellion was a new society. Thus Marx stated, â€Å"The history of all hitherto existing societies has been the history of class struggle.† The day history ceases to exist; classes shall also cease to exist. Marx in his theories always stressed on the Historical aspect and asserted that every society contained within itself the forces of contradiction, known as the ‘Thesis’ and ‘Anti Thesis’. When these two contradictory forces clashed against one another, a class struggle emerged that sought to change the shape of society and replace the existing dominant class with a new one. This change was not permanent but would cease with the end of history, and there would finally emerge a classless society where each person enjoyed the fruits of his own labour. In his theory on History Marx, points out that in a divided society the tools of production are owned by the dominant section of society who exploit the weaker classes in order to amass more wealth and gain strength. But, there would come a time, when the levels of consciousness would rise among the oppressed class and they would unite in a struggle against the oppressors. History is replete with such examples. The slave society was replaced by the feudal society and the feudal society by the Industrialists or the Bourgeoisie. The coming of the Industrialist Revolution brought a boom in the industry and a new class emerged as the dominant section. They were the Capitalist class who owned the means of production. Like its predecessors the Capitalist society also contained within itself the seeds of dissent. The Capitalists became the dominant class who usurped the means of production and relentlessly exploited the working class or the proletariat. It resulted in the alienation of the worker. The working class was denied of the fruits of its labour and while the rich grew richer the poor grew poorer. The chasm continued to widen with the increase in wealth in the hands of the Capitalists. Despite the contradictions in the Capitalist regime, the ‘Communist Manifesto’ begins by praising the Capitalist system. It says that the Capitalist system has played a revolutionary role in History. It has shown what man’s endeavours can achieve. It has accomplished wonders, which surpasses the wonders of the world. It has conducted exoduses, which have overshadowed all past crusades in the world. Having praised the Capitalist system they go on to say that Capitalism by nature is based on ‘competition’ and the ‘market’. The same dynamics that propel capitalism will also be the reason of its downfall. When there are no more markets left to explore and exploit, the entire buying and selling cycle would collapse. Capitalism would  Ã‚   suffer from the phenomenon of ‘overproduction’ and   would be brought down to its knees. Harping on the ills of Capitalism, the Marxian philosophy, states that the Capitalist system would soon displace the smaller and individual producers. Marx went to the extent of saying that History would witness the replacement of indigenous farming with industrial and mechanised farming. Once this level of exploitation was reached the end of history would not be far away. This exploitation would unleash an era of unemployment and misery among the working class. When living under such miserable conditions became unbearable, history would witness a revolution spearheaded by the working class. Thus what Capitalism produces above all is its own ‘gravediggers’. It is the working class that would lead the final revolution to successfully remove the yoke of Capitalism. But the end of History or Communism as Marx viewed it was not to be achieved easily. The intermediate stage between Capitalism and Communism was the ‘Dictatorship of the Proletariat’. It was in this stage that the proletariat had complete control over the means of production as well as over the various institutions. The downfall of Capitalism, Marx claimed, would bring about the end of History. The phrase ‘end of history’ indicates a society based on Communism. It is a classless and egalitarian society where every man has full right over the fruits of his labour. From the ‘end of history’ there would emerge the final shape of the society. It would no longer undergo any more transformations, since all the major ills plaguing its predecessors had been removed. It was a society where man attained true economic freedom. Keeping in mind the fact that Marxism has a great deal of supporters it cannot be overlooked that the society Marx depicted in the end was more of a utopia rather than a reality. Though Marx’s philosophy has stood the test of times his views on the ‘end of History’ is yet to materialise. If we study the history of the world carefully we can see instances when the Marxian theory has borne fruit, but there have also been instances when the theory failed miserably. The theory of Marx was put to the test with the Russian Revolution. The theory defended itself by proclaiming that Russian society had not passed through the necessary stages in order to qualify as a successful communist society. Though the country was growing rapidly the society was predominantly feudal in nature. It had not been through the phase of Capitalism. The Soviet Union that was the glowing example of the success of Communism also faced failure. The downfall of the Soviet Union exposed the inherent corruption, inefficiency and irrationality present in the society. This picture of a communist society seemed to be absolutely contradictory to the egalitarian and classless society in a Communist Regime envisaged by Marx. The most important fact is that the ‘end of history’ is yet to manifest itself. With the ongoing scenario in the world Capitalism seems to have gained an even stronger foothold. Rather than an impending doom, capitalism is on a rise. The State that was supposed to wither away with the end of history is a far cry away. The State seems to be playing an even more important role today. It is far more intervening in the ways of man than predicted by man. Instead of being a tool of oppression the State has helped in maintaining stability, law and order in society. The end of history as envisaged by Marx is not easy to implement in practice. While envisaging an equal society Marx placed complete faith on the just and truthful nature of man. But man is by nature greedy. His wants keep increasing and to meet these wants he needs to amass resources. Thus, to think that man would be happy in his own little share would be a folly. It is inevitable that a man or a group of men would want to take over the reigns of power. Such a situation would lead to nothing but anarchy and chaos. It is because of the above reasons that the end of history seems such a far-fetched thought. The Marxian theory was not about right or wrong it was simply a theory of history. It followed the trends that had occurred in the past and on the basis of those sought to predict the future trends that would ensue. In so far that the theory acknowledged the presence of exploitation and domination in history it stands fully justified. It is only when it comes to predicting an end to Capitalism that the theory seems to falter. It seeks to attain the unattainable. In view of the above mentioned arguments, and in the light of the real world scenario, we can safely say, that, even though the political, economic and social institutions proposed By Marx are dead or dying away, his theory and influence on the world continue to exist. Works Cited Marx, . Karl,   Fredrick   Engels   and   David   Mclellan   ed,   The   Communist   Manifesto,   Oxford   World's   Classics   1848

Mid-Term Break and On My First Sonne Comparison Essay

Discuss the ways in which these poets explore the universal themes of grief and loss. (Seamus Heaney’s ‘Mid-Term Break’ and Ben Johnson’s ‘On My First Sonne’. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting the two poems ‘Mid-Term Break’ by Seamus Heaney and ‘On My First Sonne’ by Ben Johnson. I will be focusing on their elegaic qualities aswell as their universal themes of grief and loss. ‘Mid-Term Break’ is about the aftermath of Seamus Heaney’s 4 year old brother’s tragic death and how his family and friends express their emotions and cope with the sudden loss. Whereas the 17th Century poet, Ben Johnson is writing to express his sorrow for the death of his 7 year old son dealing with his feelings of loss rather than thinking about the reasons for the death or the effects of this on the rest of the family. These are the intended effects they both have which I will be exploring and I shall be outlining reasons for this aswell in the rest of this essay including the interesting poetic devices and structure Ben Johnson and Seamus Heaney use and how they are similar and different from each other. ‘On My First Sonne’ was published on the year 1616 and is therefore more religiously based as at that time life was dominated by religious views. ‘Mid-Term Break’ was published in the 1980s so this will help me analyse the views of the 20th Century in comparison to the 17th Century and this is a main area I will be focusing on after an in-depth analysis of the intended effects of these poets when writing their poems. ‘On My First Sonne’ has a different intended effect overall in comparison to ‘Mid-Term Break’. One of the main reasons for this is that Ben Johnson is writing as a literal attempt to reach out to his son to say his final farewell with lines such as ‘Rest in soft peace, and, ask’d, say here doth lye’ which makes it seem that Johnson is communicating with his son. Seamus Heaney’s poem is more of a narrative describing what happened on the day of his four year old brother’s sudden death. In my opinion it seems as if Seamus Heaney is sharing his experience with other people who may have suffered in the same way and is exploring the emotions of more than just his own. To exemplify this point, on lines 4 and 5 it says ‘I met my father crying – He had always taken funerals in his stride.’ This contrasts between ‘On My First Sonne’ and ‘Mid-Term Break’ on two levels, the first being that Ben Johnson has only included his own feelings in this poem such as on line 2 which says ‘My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov’d boy’ This has the effect that his poem is private between him and his son and is like a one-sided conversation. Whereas ‘Mid-Term Break’ has a different intended audience altogether, I know this because the style of Heaney’s poem is a first-person point of view in the format of a story and there are more emotions and feelings described including his parents and family members’ aswell as friends. By analysing the poetic voice and intent I can confidently make an opinion that ‘Mid-Term Break’ elegizes Heaney’s loss of his brother and ‘On My First Sonne’ is a lamentation for the loss of Johnson’s son. Both poets explore the themes of grief and loss in their poems. An example of the emotions of grief in ‘Mid-Term Break’ can be explained by line 4 which identifies the many elements he has incorporated in a subtle and in this case a distinct manner which says ‘I met my father crying’, this blatantly shows the mourning of a close family member. But this feature does not appear in ‘On My First Sonne’, not only that he has not described anyone’s feelings other than his own but he does not show expressions of grief in such a blunt form as in Heaney’s poem. Johnson has described in line 5, ‘O, could I loose all father, now. For why’, that he has intense grief and is questioning faith for why it happened to him. But the abrupt features account for the theme of loss in each poem aswell which is similarly very open in ‘Mid-Term Break’ leaving nothing to the imagination, it paints a full picture of the scene in line 16, saying ‘Snowdrops and candles soothed the bedside I saw him for the first time in six weeks. Paler now,’ this tells the reader the loss that everyone suffered and a place of mourn was set up for a long time in Heaney’s brother’s old room. Also, the themes of loss do not only reflect on what family members and friends suffered. It suggests the loss of a childhood in two forms, Heaney and his brother. The reason being that obviously a child has passed away, but Heaney had to act very mature and throw away his child-like naivety to be told the horrible truth and to cope with the situation. I know this because it says ‘When I came in, I was embarrassed by old men standing up to shake my hand’ which is on lines 8 and 9, he was uncomfortable with the maturity and attention he had to face and so shows embarrassment when he had to deal with people in a mature manner. On the other hand, ‘On My First Sonne’ does not fully show the reader that Johnson has encountered loss but with such lines as ‘Seven yeeres tho’ wert lent to me, and I thee pay,’ (line 3) it tells the reader that he has had seven years of joy with his son and relates it to ‘borrowed’ time that was paid back to god, subtly including his religious views which dominated the era of the 1600s. The themes of grief and loss are overall shown in a more distinct manner in Heaney’s poem whereas Ben Johnson has mainly kept these descriptions more subtle and suggestive. There is a highly effective word, ‘father’, that in context of line 3 ‘could I loose all father, now’ is a great example to the religious as opposed to secular world of the 17th century as it has two meanings; the first is that father is another name for God, Christianity was the dominant religion and is a very dramatic word even in the 21st Century for religious believers as he is questioning his faith for why God has bestowed a horrible life-changing experience against him. In other words, he is saying ‘could I lose all faith, now’. The other meaning for ‘father’ is that Johnson had lost his son and status as a parent. Alternatively, in Seamus Heaney’s poem he has used next to no religious suggestions and phrases at all. Instead, he has entered a mainly secular approach with sentences that have hidden meanings such as ‘The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram’ which represents the care-free, naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve life of a child. Each poem has a completely different structure from one another; the first factor I can clearly see is the layout of the stanzas which in ‘Mid-Term Break’ has a clear 3 line pattern. But underneath this outline shows enjambment from stanzas 3 to 5 which is very effective in linking the stanzas together. This technique is used probably to tell a story of what happened when he went into his home on the first day home from college since his brother had died and is effective at creating a scene as it wasn’t limited to 3 lines in a stanza. ‘On My First Sonne’ is entirely different altogether in the fact that the full poem has only one stanza which is 12 lines long but is similar in a way that it isn’t limited to a number of lines in separate stanzas. A small factor I can also see is the final line in ‘Mid-Term Break’ which has a great effect in compelling the reader to make up their minds on how he was feeling in an eerie final sentence. In terms of the language choice he has used in my opinion he is expressing anger by using the dramatic metaphor ‘A four foot box, a foot for every year’ which means that his brother was only four years old. Ben Johnson has included a dramatic sentence that represents the bad influences and effects the world has on a child and that his son has escaped it in line 7 which says ‘To have soon scap’d worlds and fleshes rage’, this represents that he has escaped evil and temptation (In the Lord’s Prayer). Overall, my opinion on these two poems is that Seamus Heaney’s ‘Mid-Term Break’ and Ben Johnson’s ‘On My First Sonne’ although similar in representing the themes of grief and loss, are two very different poems in factors such as their intended audiences and religious / secular views. The structure of the poems are very different in stanzas and grammar (Because of era when published) and both of the poems do explore the themes in a similar way but for different intended purposes.

The Innovation of Electric Cars and Its Commercial Impact Essay

The Innovation of Electric Cars and Its Commercial Impact - Essay Example The researcher states that the electric car industry started with the development of the first electric car models and has grown to a bigger and a wider industry today. The first people to develop the electric cars originated from such countries as the Netherlands, United States, and Hungary. They invented with the idea of using a battery to power a vehicle that enabled them to develop small-scale electric vehicles. In the 2nd half of the 19th century, the first practical electric car was designed the French and the English innovators. In the US, William Morrison was among the first people to come up with an electric car in 1890. The popularity of these vehicles started growing in 1900. In the same period, the electric cars occupied a third of all the vehicles on the road in the United States. The electric car industry before 1900 was composed of the few models of the ancient innovators. For instance, Ferdinand Porsche developed an electric car in 1898 called P1. Today, Ferdinand Por sche is the founder of a sports car company. Companies started having an interest in the industry in the year 1900 after many factors convinced many companies to invest in an electric car. Such factors included the ever increasing costs of fuel and the environmental pollution by the cars that used gasoline. Henry Ford, who is the founder of the Ford Company, produced an electric car called Model T that came as a blow to the auto industry because it cost almost the same as any other car. For instance, in the year 1912, cars using gasoline cost $650 while the Model T car cost $1750. Due to increased development and discoveries of the gas oil, the production of electric cars declined until the 1960s when it revived. The cheap prices of gasoline had also made the demand for electric cars decrease hindering other companies from investing in the industry. In the 1970s, the American Motor Company and GM Motor Company produced electric cars. This signaled the revival of the electric car ind ustry.

The general characteristics of Temple Architecture Essay

The general characteristics of Temple Architecture - Essay Example One of the key characteristics of ancient temple architecture was their dedication to a deity. Most of the ancient temples were built as a dedication to the gods that were worshipped in those times. The Roman temple of Fortuna Virilis is also referred to as the temple of Portumnus because it was in dedication to the Roman god Portumnus, the god protector of the harbors and trade at sea (history of roman). The Greek temple of Poseidon in Paestum, Italy was also a dedication to the Greek sea god, Poseidon and even had a massive statue of him in its main hall (Cape Sounion,2008). While the temple of Amenhotep was largely a dedication to his father amen, the northern part of it was dedicated to the Egyptian god Osiris (Andrews, 2005). The Mesopotamian white temple was built at a very high place, on the ziggurat platform, because the people of Mesopotamia believed that it was in high places that their god would visit the earth (Sumerian Art). Thus as part of their architecture, most of th ese temples had statues that represented the deities to which they had been dedicated All temple architecture was inspired by religious beliefs but perhaps none portrays this so much as the Egyptian Temple designed by Amenhotep the third during his reign. This is the largest temple to ever be built in Egypt. It boasted 385,000 square meters coverage and was built in such a manner that it could flood when the waters of the Nile rose, leaving only the inner part dry. This was based on the religious belief that when the water level went down, the re-emergence of the temple would signify a sort of rebirth of the world, like in the time of creation (Andrews, 2005). The Greek Poseidon temple was also based on the religious belief that since Poseidon was the sea god and the temple was located near waters then it would only be fitting to dedicate it to the sea god in order to win his favor (Cape

Gospel of Matthew and Gospel of John Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gospel of Matthew and Gospel of John - Essay Example Gospel of Matthew reveals the substance of Teaching.Here Jesus' image is of a Messiah King,Anointed One, Son of God, Kingdom of God, etc.with an emphasize on Jesus' kingly rule and divine authority. Jesus' image is drawn through His authority over nature with the means of miracles, authority over sin by forgiving, and authority over death through the resurrection. This starts with the depiction to be as descendant of King David with the miracle birth story. The historical correctness about the lineage presents Jesus more with human aspects and less with the incarnation. The most apparent is the factthat Jesus' image is consistent with the Gospels of Mark and Luke with a dependency upon history. "Matthew collected the sayings of Jesus in the Hebrew tongue." Taking liberty with the historical framework, the Gospel of John,presents a unique perspective varying not only from the Gospel of Matthew but also from theother remaining gospels. The interpretation is presented with spiritual theme rather than the historical events. With differentiation this provides with John's unique record of his first hand accounts of experiences with Jesus during His life on earth beginning with His identification as "the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Just in the second chapter Jesus performs His first miracle by converting water into wine; and also He predicts His resurrection. Jesus' image is built with vivid lessons, instructions, and the priorities of life using many parables tolearn from effectively. Jesus explains the significance of having a relationship with Him with true difference in life, in addition to the importance of living life on earth and determining our eternal destiny after death. Here, He is a Jewish Messiah. John subs tantiates His purpose and the reason He was sent to earth by God. Jesus' persona clarifies the truth about God, eternity, and making a choice to accept Him as our personal Savior. He becomes flesh and makes His dwelling among us. He came to earth in human form by stooping to the human level with a vision of dying a physical death for taking away our sins. From the beginning John's Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God. Jesus is the key to membership in God's family. Matthew's ministry of Jesus is restricted only to Galilee with Jerusalem trip in the end; whereas for John that is full of traveling with diverse locations. John's Jesus issupposed to be questioned; some explanation is released upon question. Whereas Matthew' Jesus is the preacher with the conclusion without a need of clarification. Both depictions conjure up Jesus to be the God; but Matthew's Jesus reflects a journey from human to God, while John's Jesus remains God throughout. Matthew's presentation is of a human form, initially, that later on develops into the vast personification of God; Johns' presentation is of the God Himself since the onset taking birth as a human to help and save the people. The scenepresented in Gospel of Matthew exhibits a tendency of "no question" because He is the God. Jesus in Gospel of John, though being a divine power, helps people with explanation. Iftheformer is just a Teaching, then the later is a kind of Learning. If the former is a story of Reali zation, the later is a story of Incarnation. However, the illustration by Matthew is believed to be more correct due to being in accordance with the "original voice" and the historical actuality. The illustration of John is

Bioethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bioethics - Essay Example We have to listen to all sides in order to get a wider idea of the complexity of this debate. But we also have to be firm in our position once we have reached a sound and factual conclusion. That way we avoid any kind of hypocrisy, and there will not be any double talk in our grasp of the issues at hand. Scientists, lawyers, policymakers, theologians, ethicists, and lay people have something to say about this matter. Many have spoken their minds raising up high their heated arguments. All of them have the right to give their opinions, and we will listen to some of them as we move forward up to our concluding words. We have to keep in mind the fact that at the end God is the centre of the debate. According to the position that we might defend, human freedom of choice becomes an alibi for behaving as we please, or it is the subject of a higher dimension in the eyes of God. When dealing with new reproductive technologies, we should study the bioethical aspects of such new instruments of Science. The mere production of spare embryos as well as their use for scientific research raises some serious bioethical questions that need to be answered. Just from the natural point of view, we have arguments in favor of showing respect for any kind of embryos, even if they are classified as "pre-embryos". C. W. Kischer gives us some useful information about the idea behind the term "conception", and its relationship with the beginning of human life: ""When animal experiments were done in the 18th and 19th centuries, deductive reasoning led to the conclusion that life began at conception; and, finally, this was observed directly by the first in-vitro fertilization procedures with human gametes some 40 years ago" (Kischer 2002). Following this kind of reasoning -not taking God into account, just from the natural point of view- Kischer arrives to this conclusion: "We should respect a microscopic human embryo because at that time it is an integrated whole organism, just as the human is at every moment in time until death. Every human embryo deserves as much respect as you or I because it is formed as a new individual human life within the continuum of life as a manifestation of NATURAL LAW!" (Kischer 2002) (Kischer's own emphasis in capital letters). Kischer speaks about a "continuum of life", and there are three different opposing views on this idea as R. Hoedemaekers explains in detail. He states that there are three fundamental positions with regard to the moral status of a new unborn human life: the first one is "continuity in development", and this view gives personhood to the embryo from the very beginning, that is, from conception, with the same degree of value and dignity as a human being; the second one is "discontinuity in development", and this position treats the embryos from two different angles, first as a property at conception, and much later as a person, depending on the age in development; and the third one is "incremental or gradual development" that assigns a lesser to a greater degree in personhood to the

Discuss the main barriers to business development in the assigned Essay

Discuss the main barriers to business development in the assigned country. Croatia - Essay Example 2011). Croatia was one of the wealthiest Yugoslav republics before the break up. It suffered badly during the 1991-95 period when output collapsed and the Croats missed the early opportunities of waves of investments in Europe that was followed after the collapse of the Berlin wall. But due to increased and sustained efforts to build the battered economy, its recovery started during 2000 and 2007. It had a moderate and steady GDP in between 4% and 6%. There was a rebound of the tourism industry which contributed well to the GDP growth. Moreover credit driven consumer spending also was another reason for the growth of GDP. Inflation was controlled and the currency Kuna was stable. But in spite of these growth potentials, difficult times still remain in Croatia. There are growing unemployment, increase trade deficit and unbalanced regional development. In Croatia, the state retains larger part of the economy. Privatization efforts are often met with stiff public resistance. Although ma croeconomic stabilization has been achieved in the economy, there is a lag in structural reforms because of the resistance against privatization and lack of interest shown by politicians. Joining to the EU may somewhat change things in Croatia. It could accelerate fiscal and structural reforms in the country. ... However during recent years the Croatian economy has shown signs of revival. Its latest GDP purchasing power parity is estimated to be $78.52 billion; the GDP official exchange rate is $59.92 billion. But the real GDP growth rate has gone down to negative 1.4% in 2010. The GDP per capita income is $17500 making its rank to 67th in the world. The unemployment rate in the country is 17% and the public debt is 55%. It has an external debt of $59.7 billion (The world fact book. 2010). Over the last three years, the Croatian economy has undergone vast changes. Thousands of new private enterprises have sprung up. Government owned enterprises are in the process of transformation and privatization. It has abundant natural and human resources as well as a long standing business tradition. Moreover after the collapse of communism, new legal systems which would steer the economy are being developed in Croatia. There is tremendous hope that the economy would be a market driven economy in the fut ure (How to do Business with Croatia?2010). One among the significant barriers that has affected the business sector in Croatia is the hangover of communist regime. Even though Croatia is now very well advancing towards attaining membership in the European Union, the aftermath of communist rule in the country has significantly damaged some developments with regard to privatization. Many large commercial companies in Croatia still are supported alone by the state, notably the shipyard industry. Attempts made to sell of the assets to private enterprises have failed due to tough resistance. It is inevitable that a renewed effort is needed to address these problems effectively. The economy of the country has contracted over the last two years due

Compare and contrast the approaches taken by John Lewis Partnership Essay

Compare and contrast the approaches taken by John Lewis Partnership and Tesco plc with regard to their social and community resp - Essay Example This management style and culture is analyzed by assessing the social and community responsibilities of both the organizations. As with any company, both the organizations have put a great focus towards their corporate social responsibility. Both the organizations have worked immensely towards the building of society and shown great care towards the environment in which they operate. The only difference between the two organizations is the fact that Tesco plc operates around the globe whilst JLP has just to focus on its UK market community only as it operates over there only. Both the companies are heavily involved in volunteering and fundraising for charities and other local communities. Besides the community, the company has kept a great focus on the environment in which they operate. Both the companies are heavily involved in contributing a great deal towards the environment, both of these companies have a major focus on reducing their carbon footprints, Tesco has kept a long term view in this perspective, it aims to be a zero carbon business by 2050. Both the companies have kept huge objectives for themselves with respect to the environment in which they operate. ... it aims to plant 950,000 trees in Thailand, reducing carrier baggage use by 70% and 20% in UK and Japan respectively. As Tesco is a large organization, it has to cater to all the countries demands and has to focus within every country in which it operates so that it does not lose its appeal and goodwill created amongst its customer. This focus onto the environment is considered to be one of the major steps in creating greater goodwill amongst the customers of both the organizations. Tesco, as opposed to JLP has been really focused on to the climate change factor. Tesco knows that the climate change factor has been highly debatable these days and that is the reason that Tesco has aimed to create awareness amongst its customers about the climate change factor and how the reduced usage of packaging material and high focus of green recycling can help in contributing towards a better climate and environment. As far as the products are concerned, Tesco offers a wide variety of products as opposed to JLP. But as for the method of sale, both the companies have kept great quality standards within their products. Both the companies have ensured that their respective products are of the greatest value to their customers. Proper laws are also followed while selling off these products. Both the companies tend to ensure their customers that the products being offered are produced responsibly. The companies have kept special focus and great relationship with their suppliers as strong bondage with these suppliers ensure long term growth for both the company as well as the suppliers. The companies also have a great focus towards their customers as customers are the only people that generate funds for the company. Both the companies have had a great

Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Personal statement - Essay Example The second main attribute that grasped my attention, was the association of this school to moral and religious values. The values of this school, J-CHIEFS, hold every possible element that a human needs to flourish in a career like pharmacy, which requires brilliance in order to serve mankind. I feel it is the spiritual aspect incorporated in the curriculum of this establishment, which is makes it stand out from all other pharmacy institutions. For me, it is not just strict pharmaceutical education that I would like to learn about, but also the fundamentals a human need to make him kind and modest. Besides the religious portion, the excellence in teaching pharmacy provided here will help me develop into the pharmacist I dream to be. Being a nurse, every single day I deal with people who have injuries, which sometimes can be cured and are sometimes disabling for life. No matter how much property, finances or education you have, sometimes it is just one miracle that saves your life. When no medicine or cure is available for a disease or condition, it is our prayers and faith that help so many among us to survive. Being in a medical care profession, I have seen people, with all the privileges in the world, dying in a single instant. On the other hand, I’ve witnessed many survive miraculously; in that very miracle, I have seen a glimpse of God, and no doubt it has been one of the most moving experiences of my life. And it is with that spirit and emotion in my mind and heart that I’ve chosen Pharmacy through which I can be a part of this miracle; I can save a life. Working in the profession of nursing, I developed a sense of wanting more for myself and others. It was the passion and the drive to do more, to serve more, that my interest in the field of Pharmacy grew stronger. I have seen many patients go through pain and suffering, and ultimately dying because there was no cure or medication for the illness

The Islam Controversy Essay Example for Free

The Islam Controversy Essay In the recent years, Islam has been closely associated with terrorist and violent actions, as well as lack of respect for women and their rights. There have been numerous ideas and beliefs about the Muslim faith and culture that are misconceived and misplaced. It is said the Muslims conquered everything by sword and fire- an idea that has built a belief that the Islamic faith and culture is rooted in terrorism and violence. On the other hand, there exist the true and ideal traits of the Islamic faith. These aspects are little known to most of the non-Muslim people; and the few who know them are more like brainwashed by the stereotypes about this culture and faith. Therefore, there is need to take a look at the things that have made Islam receive the perception it has today, and at the same time compare them with the ideal beliefs and pillars of the Muslim faith and culture. Having in mind that the population of Muslims has increased considerably with the past few years, it is vital to harmonize the perceptions non-Muslims have about Muslims with the true aspects of the Islamic faith. This can only be done by getting ample knowledge on both sides of the coin and getting real about them. It is a fact that Islam is a religion and culture characterized by unending controversy. The Muslim society on the other hand has come into light clarifying and justifying its stand in regard to the perceptions and stereotypes directed towards it.

Deforestation And Displacement Of Tribals Environmental Sciences Essay

Deforestation And Displacement Of Tribals Environmental Sciences Essay Today we are living in a globalized world where we measure everything in terms of profit and with a sole aim of development. We lead our lives even without looking back for once. This competition motive may take us to a developed, technologically advanced era, but we are losing our own lives by destroying the environment without thinking for the consequences. Environment before fifty years and the condition of today has a hell and heaven difference. In the name of development we are using all the natural resources that are available to us, and displacing indigenous people from their own land, to construct big dams, industries and urbanizing that area to get a better employment opportunity and to raise our standard of living, but we are forgetting that nature has also limitation, it is also losing its automatic cleansing capacity. People who are forced to flee from a disaster or conflict usually receive sympathetic attention and international aid from outside. The same cannot be said for the millions of people worldwide who have been displaced by development, because everyday this process is continuing in various parts of the world. The argument that has been put forth by so called developed and modern people that displacement is necessary for this traditional society to change them into a modern and developed society. Seen in this light, large-scale, capital-intensive development projects accelerated the pace toward a brighter and better future. If people were uprooted along the way, that was deemed a necessary evil or even an actual good, since it made them more susceptible to change.  In recent decades, however, a new development paradigm has been articulated, one that promotes poverty reduction, environmental protection, social justice, and human rights. In this paradigm, development is seen as both bringing benefits and imposing costs. Among its greatest costs has been the displacement of millions of vulnerable people. If people have to push out from thei r place for any natural disaster then media come out with various reports but when people are displaced everyday for any mega projects then nobody shows sympathy to them. Odisha is a State which is the best example of how developmental projects exploiting innocent people and in the light of human rights these developmental projects are showing the way towards destruction. A state gifted with rich mineral resources, yet so poor, Plenty of resources, plenty of poverty too, why Orissa is so poor with so much abundant natural resources? Orissas poverty unexplainable, these are among the most talked about statements on Orissa. A summary of the standard and typical statements and interpretations on the state and its situations would suggest that the State of Orissa is endowed with plenty of natural resources like forests, inland water, mineral deposits, raw materials, very beautiful long coastal belt full of natural beauty and amazing lake like chiliki, which the most essential elements required for pursuing the goal of modern development. Its long coastline combined with potentially viable ports inspires for developing Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and turning Orissa into one of the most industrially developed states. Planners, developers, and Government, all are tensed that even after all these mega projects and natural beauty, Odisha is still poor and peo ple are compelled to starve. Surveyors and researchers point out that the State has come one-step down from an All India rank of 14th in 1960-61 to that of 13th in 1997-98 in terms of Industrialization. The poverty ratio of the state is still one of the highest in the country. The state is generally taken as a poor, traditional, backward and non- industrial State and it is suggested that there is no way out to deal with the problems of poverty unless a process of rapid industrialization is initiated. However the Government is using big capitalist to make noticeable change in the State by investing multi-dollar projects in various areas where natural resources are easily available. The entire mineral, forest, water, and fertile agricultural land are handed over to national and multinational corporations to ruthlessly loot the state and pauperize local populations. Today Odisha is the symbol of starvation deaths, farmers suicides, large-scale labour migration, destitution and poverty. Its own rulers are throwing away the natural resources to the multinational sharks for their super profit. But Odisha also has become the beacon of hope for the struggling workers and peasants of this country in their heroic struggle against the predatory mining and industrialization of the state uprooting the toilers of the soil. Massive peoples resistance is going along the length and breadth of the state. Some prominent ones are Kalinga Nagar, Niyamgiri, anti-POSCO (Korean Steel Company), and anti- Vedanta University peoples struggles. CHAPTER-2 AN OVERVIEW Since Independence, different rulers in Odisha have sold the mineral resources cheap, and have given very low priority to agriculture, which has resulted in a phenomenal drain of mineral wealth and absolute impoverishment of broad masses of Oriya people. Even after more than sixty years of Independence the social indicators is leading the country in chronic poverty and starvation deaths, massive labour migration, displacement, under-nutrition, high maternal and infant mortality rate, etc. Though Odisha is very rich in natural resources like land forest, and minerals, its indices in human development are very low, in fact the lowest in India. (Source- www.HYPERLINK http://www.mapsofindia.com/mapsHYPERLINK http://www.mapsofindia.com/ofindia.com) There are thirty districts in Odisha and the districts are divided in to various mining zones by the State Pollution Board according to the mining sector and its impact on environment. These are, Zone-1 Keonjhar, Sundergarh Iron Manganese ore area Zone-2 Angul Talcher coalfield area. Zone-3 Sambalpur, Jharsuguda coalfield area. Zone-4, Jajpur,Dhenkanal Keonjhar Chromite area. Zone-5 Koraput Rayagada Kalahandi Bauxite area. Zone-6 Biramitrapur Limestone Dolomite belt Zone-7 Baula-Nuasahi chromite belt of Keonjhar and adjacent Balasore district. Zone-8 Gandhamardhan adjacent areas of iron ore in Keonjhar Zone-9 Mayurbhanj district, Iron ore China clay area. Zone-10 Beach sand mining area of Ganjam district and adjacent Puri district. Zone-11 Tumudibandh (Gangam, Gajapati and adjacent areas)- Graphite area Zone-12 Bolangir-Baragarh areas- Bauxite and Graphite Zone-13 Kalahandi district around Titlagarh- Graphite, Quartzite and Gemsstones Zone-14 Boudh, Sonepur Phulbani area- Small deposits of bauxite and graphite, but potential area for coal, diamond, gold, gemstones and dimensional stones Zone-15 Cuttack adjacent Dhenkanal areas Khurda district Zone-16 Western Orissa, Malkalgiri Nawarangapur, Nuapara district- Good potential for limestone dolomite, China clay, iron ore, tin ores, bauxite, besides gold, diamond, graphite, gemstones and dimensional stones While talking about mines and ores Odisha has 60% of bauxite reserve, 25% coal, 28% iron, 92% nickel, and 28% manganese reserve in India. It has rich forests, agricultural land and a long coastline with the most beautiful beaches in the world like Chandipur. The most important thing is that Odisha is a State where all type of natural resources are available, so the State can be used and developed for tourists and it can earn huge amount of money out of tourism, but regretfully the available mines and ores are being used for industrial establishment in the name of development and the tourism side has been neglected by the Government since a long. Perhaps this is the reason that the State is poor and its resources are neither used by good purposes and in a proper way, but are only exploited by the multi-dollar companies. It is one of the poorest states in India in a wide variety of socio-economic indicators. It has the lowest per capita income and very high below poverty level compared to all-India average. Odishas Human Development Index compared with other states is 27. Inspite of various mega projects that have been taken by the Government, the number people below poverty line and unemployment is increasing, the annual rate of growth in the year 1993 94 to 2003-04 was 1.75% compared to the all India grant of 6.19%. The National Infrastructure Index was 107, while for Odisha it was 75. The development policy pursued by successive government in Odisha after Independence produced massive poverty and displacement in Odisha. The National Advisory Council estimates 90 lakh people have been displaced from different development projects in Odisha. CHAPTER-3 MINING OPERATION AND MAGNITUDE OF DISPLACEMENT Mining and displacement caused by mega projects like big dams and senseless industrialization is one of the most important factors in the present predicament of Odisha. Mining is a very large factor in large-scale deforestation in Odisha. From 1980 to 2005 the Government of Odisha has given permission for mining in 15,386 hectares of forestland. Odishas contribution is second in India regarding the income from mining sector in India. According to the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) in the year 2004-2005 out of the total minerals extracted, 10% was from Odisha, the market price of which was Rs. 5,820 crores at that time. Metals comprise the main component in the mineral extraction in Odisha. There have been a lot of changes in the mining sector in Odisha. If one takes into account the data shows that the market price of 1997-98, it has increased three times. In 1997-98 the price of total minerals extracted in Odisha  was Rs. 2,237 crores. From 1997-98 to 2001-02 it grew by 6%, but from year 2002-03 it grew at a phenomenal rate by 27%. The reason being globalized modern market and the growing investment sector, which plays a vital role in this regard. According to income from minerals, Odishas main two mineral resources are coal and iron ore. In the year 2004-05 the income from coal was 46%, and 35% from iron or other main minerals one chromite 12%, and the other bauxite 2%. Due to stiff resistance in bauxite mining areas like Kashipur, Niyamgiri and Gandhmardhan, exploitation of bauxite is not high in Odisha until Nalco bauxite mining and alumina complex was established in early 1980s. In Panchpatmalli which is in Koraput district, the local Adivasis (tribals) are resisting bauxite mining by Hindalco Company and others. According to IBM, Odisha had also extracted minor minerals worth 45 crore US dollars in the year 2004-05. By the year 2004-05 mineral extraction was in done in 99,952 hectares. In the year 2005, 605 leases were granted in Odisha  for mining, out of which around 45% was not functional. Odisha  Mining Corporation controls around 20% of mines. Most of the districts, except Jajpur and Angul, are predominantly trib al; they have been evicted from their traditional habitats through predatory mining. Mining is one of the major reasons for the displacement of Adivasis but they are putting up stiff resistance to mining in Niyamgiri, Deomali, Khandadhar, Kashipur and Keonjhar as they donot want to be displaced from their soil where they are residing since time immemorial. Apart from that mining has caused widespread deforestation, soil erosion and degradation, and drying up of water sources. The mining trade is extremely exploitative and messy in Odisha, where successive rulers of Odisha have given mines to national and international big capital at a throw away price. After the economic reforms in 1991, the process has accelerated, and various policies and sector specific policies have been proving as catalyst for these big companies to start partnership and to inaugurate their projects. For bauxite and manganese minerals, the Government of Odisha  gets royalty from Rs. 20 to 25 a tonne, while the international price is about Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 5,000 per tonne. Khandadhar iron ore mines, which will displace about 30 villages, are being given as   captive mines to POSCO who will make super profit only from mining, apart from its steel plant at Jagatsinghpur. POSCO is facing stiff resistance from both these places. Displacement A conservative estimate puts the number of displaced people from Independence to the end of the millennium at about   1 crore. It is one-fourth of the present population of Odisha.   Almost 80% of the people displaced are Adivasis and Dalits because where they live, the natural resources are also available in plenty of amount in those hilly areas. It is shocking but true that most of the displacement took place in the areas of Adivasi districts of west and south Odisha, including districts like Sundergarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj, which are predominantly Adivasi districts, where most of the large dams, mines and factories are located. The following Table shows the amount of land and village lost due to mega projects. Type of project No of villages displaced/ affected No of families displaced/ affected Total land acquired (in hectare) mines 79 3143 10,947.00 industries 177 10704 48,358.00 Thermal power 73 2426 3155.31 Irrigation/hydro power 1181 64903 595918.6 total 1446 81176 623463.94 (Source Kundan Kumar Dispossessed and displaced: A brief paper on tribal issues in Orissa. epgorissa.orgApril 2007.) The large dam at Hirakud on Mahanadi River was the first mega development project in post-independent Odisha,   which submerged more than 1.53 lakhs of fertile agricultural land and displaced around 350 villages in the then districts of Sambalpur. Nobody knows their fate now. The undivided district of Koraput is the tragic story of tribal displacement and destitution in India. The Adivasis like kandhas, bandas and kolhas of Koraput, who were once the lords of the forests, now work as casual and manual labourers in different industrial centres and their wives work as maid servants. First they were displaced in the Kolab and Machkund dams, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at Sunabeda in the 1960s and again in Nalco Alumina Refinery and mines at Damanjodi and Indravati Dam in the 1980s and 1990s. Rourkela Steel Plant displaced hundreds of Adivasi villages in Sundergarh district in the early decades after independence; Rengali Dam displaced more than 250 villages in then undivided Sam balpur and Dhekanal districts. It was supposed to be a multipurpose dam, after spending thousands of crores and displacing lakhs of farmers it could irrigate only 10% of the proposed command area. After 1990s,   thousands of acres of Adivasi land were acquired for setting up the steel hub at Kalinga Nagar. Vedanta Aluminium Limited has displaced scores of villages in Lanjigarh Block to set up the alumina refinery polluting and poisoning the entire area which has an adverse impact on local agriculture. Thousands of acres of fertile land all over the state were acquired for thermal power stations and other projects. People of Baliapal fought against the national missile testing range in the 1980s and successfully stopped it, thus preventing the displacement of hundreds of prosperous villages. People of Gopalpur in Ganjam district under the banner of Gana Sangram Samity fought a heroic battle against TATAs in 1990 and successfully stalled it, though TATAs still have 3,500 acres in th eir possession. In the early 1990s the fishermen of Chilka fought against the privatization of Chilka Lake for industrial shrimp cultivation. After economic liberalization, the successive governments of Odisha  have signed hundreds of memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with national and international corporate houses. 43 MoUs have been signed for steel plants alone, which will require 4,013 million tons of iron ore for a total installed capacity to produce 58.04 million tons of steel. Decades of destructive development projects have totally pauperized and dispossessed the rural poor in Odisha, overwhelmingly the Adivasis and Dalits. It has deprived them of  land, water and forests. Without any sources of gainful employment in their own villages, they migrate to other states to work as contract and casual labourers. The loss of agricultural land and drying up of water sources has endangered the food security of the rural poor. The Donghria Kondhs are resisting bauxite mining by Vedanta in Niyamgiri hills. The farmers of Dhinkia, Gobindpur, Patna and Nuagaon are fighting against the TATAS proposed steel plant by POSCO in Jagatsinghpur district under the banner of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samity. In Kalinga Nagar, the Adivasis under the banner of Visthapan Virodhi Janmanch have put up a heroic resistance against the TATAs proposed steel plant. The adivasis under the banner of Vishthapan Viredhi Janmanch have put up a heroic against the TATAs proposed steel plant. The Adivasis of Kashipur are fighting against bauxite mining and alumina refinery for the past 15 years under the banner of Prakrutik Sampad Suraksha Samity. There is a struggle going on against bauxite mines in Deomali in Koraput district, and also against displacement caused by a big dam at lower Sukhtel in Bolangir district. The Adivasis in Narayan Patna Block in Koraput district are fighting against  bondage and alienation of their land. To keep the situation under control Odisha Government often using illegal detention as a weapon and in some instances are there where police has fired bullets in extreme conditions and killed Adivasis on the spot. For example the police fired on the peaceful crowd in Maikanch, in Kashipur Block of Rayagada district and killed 3 people who were protesting against Utkal Alumina in Kashipur. It has detained scores of activists of Kashipur struggle for months on false criminal charges. Since the past six months inhuman combing operations are going on in Narayan Patna where the cobra, central paramilitary forces and state armed police go on demolishing Adivasi homes, sexually assaulting Adivasi women, destroying their household belongings and brutally beating up the male members. What we are witnessing in Odisha and other places in India is a kind of revolutions generated by tribals demanding the protection of their rights and which ends in blood and dead-bodies. The Government of India has launched Operation Green Hunt to handover the rich mines, forests, water resources and agricultural land to national and international corporate houses. Operation Green Hunt seeks to open up mineral resources for appropriation and plunder. As per the Ministry of Mines, the states that fall under the proposed area of Operation Green Hunt, Andhra Pradesh Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Bengal, account for 59% of the countrys mineral production. In the period 2006-2009 environmental clearance was given to 120 projects to either expand existing or to open new mines in Jharkhand and Odisha. These mineral rich areas are home to the poorest of the poor and mostly Adivasis and Dalits. The state has launched a brutal repression to suppress all the democratic move ments which oppose handing over their land, water and forests to profit-hungry corporations. But the peasants, workers and Adivasis of Odisha have refused to buckle under state pressure; they have put up stiff resistance to corporate plunder and forcible eviction all over the state. Niyamgiri, Jagatsinghpur and Kalinga Nagar have become advanced outposts of anti-imperialist resistance. CHAPTER-4 IMPACT OF MINING AND SPECIAL FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES The exploitation of mineral resources through surface and underground  mining has in the past caused a wide range of environmental  problems such as health degradation, air, water and noise pollution,  decline in agricultural production, deforestation, displacement  and other socio-economic impacts. However, over the past number  of years, stakeholders in the industry have been striving to  avoid and mitigate the potential detrimental effects of mining  on fragile ecosystems and local communities. Governments are   increasingly formulating and adopting policies to ensure the  sustainable development of their countrys mining industry  and mining companies are striving to be better environmental  citizens. Environmental groups have become increasingly involved  in mining disputes. However, a lot has to be achieved to ensure  mining in carried out in a sustainable way.   There are various problems which arise due to mining sectors. Such as, Adverse impact on Land, Atmosphere, Water Regime, Ecology and Society. Increase in temperature in the area- due to industrial activity and decrease in vegetation. Drilling and blasting contribute to explosive fumes. Changes in surface and ground water regime. Pollution of surface water bodies Run off from mines Leaching from dumps Noise pollution due to blasting and subsequent vibration drives away wild animals. The present Government minomics is resulting in decreasing in breeding of various aquatic animals, such as crocodiles and the Olive Reedley tortoises. Mining operations cut off the corridors and results in elephants deaths and most of the time men-elephant conflicts. The mining companies must be asked to regulate blasting time which is ideally 9a.m. to 11 a.m. but very sadly these are not being implemented by the State Government. The ground water is polluted and all the rivers have lost their natural cleansing systems. Various operational methods like drilling, blasting, hauling, loading, transporting, crushing causes noise and air pollution by fugitive emissions of gases like methane, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide and it ultimately results in Green house gas effect and acid rain fall. The water is used for spraying haul roads; therefore it leads to excess exploitation of ground water resources. Run-off water causes water pollution leading to harm to the aquat ic animals and sea plants. To mitigate the problem, the Environmental action plan should be regulated which include Domestic Effluent Treatment Plant, Workshop effluent treatment plant, Mine Water Discharge Sedimentation plant, Dust Suppression majors, tree plantation, and spreading for Bio reclamation and environmental monitoring. It also leads to climate change and the bio diversity areas of Odisha is being adversely affected by the mining operations. Never before have had wild animals and habitat faced the kind of threat they face today and just as dangerous is the threat to the survival of species from habitat destruction. Ecological destruction due to lopsided development projects and organized poaching has threatened the very existence of the species. The current paradigm of development has resulted not only in the depletion of natural resources of the state, but also threatens to wipe out irreplaceable ecosystems. According to reports, more than 100 open cast iron ore mines c overing over 60,000 hectares of land area is in operation and maximum area is under illegal operation within Keonjhar forest division. Orissas Baitarani Elephant Reserves (ERs) in Keonjhar and Jharkhands Dalma wildlife sanctuary of Singhbhum ERs, both corridors have been virtually cut-off because of the mining activities. The Schedule-I Gharial crocodile is also under threat. The sensitive crocodiles are fast vanishing from the river systems of the country. The ground water experts and Odishas Pollution Control Board scientists have declared the alarming situation. According to the wildlife conservation strategy, 2002, lands falling within 10 kms of the boundaries of national parks and sanctuaries should be notified as ESAs under provisions of Environment Protection Act, 1986. Acting on the orders of the apex court, the ministry of Environment and Forests had written to all states in 2006 to identify such areas. Declaration of such areas surrounding protected areas is vital in order to safeguard the interests of wildlife by preventing disturbing activities like mining or industries being located close to their borders. CHPTER-5 HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION OF DISPLACED PEOPLE Out of 414 principal tribes found in the country, as many as 62 ethnic groups are found in the old hilly districts of Oridha. Statistical figures say, till 2000, about 29 lakh people have been directly affected by development projects. Their problems are uncountable and some of them are as follows, Common property turns into State property or you can say, nature turns into property. No compensation could be adequate for them, who have lost their culture, monuments, art and natural habitats and togetherness and kinship. Impediments towards rights to development. It also leads to child labour and child prostitution in that area. People run out from their State and work as daily labour in other State and people exploit them very easily, because these people are very simple in nature and they do not know how to survive in this complicated outside world. It also leads to health problems. Right to healthy environment is or constitutional right.. but vety sadly I can say that due to poison gas emissions and the metals that mix with water it leads to dangerous diseases, sometimes causes serious impact on children and women. It also raises temperature in air. Since last 10 years Odisha is facing this problem. One of the area called titlagarh in Bolangir district where the temperature rises to 50 degree centigrade in hot summer. Human rights watchdog Amnesty International alleged that the government and Vedanta had failed to protect Orissas indigenous communities from health hazards of mining, but the mining major hit back saying the claims were based on an outdated document. It also alleged that the 8,000 strong community, mainly adivasis (tribals) in Orissas Lanjigarh suffered violations of human rights to water and health, due to pollution by Vedantas aluminium refinery. Vedanta Aluminium Ltds alumina refinery has led to water and air pollution, seriously undermining the quality of life and threatening the health of nearby communities, some of whom live only a few hundred yards from the refinerys boundary walls. The Amnesty report said that it also alleged that the Centre failed to obtain free, prior and informed consent of the Dongria Kondh people living in forests of Niyamgiri Hills before approving this project.The Centre, on its part, said it is yet to receive the Amnestys report and as such, a new Act (the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act) is on the anvil to take care of issues, including tribal rights and welfare.Reacting to the report, Vedanta said: The majority of the report is based on an outdated document which was subjected to intense scrutiny by the Supreme Court.The firm claimed that it offered for joint verification of allegations in eight villages, and dialogue on every aspect of the report but it was rejected. CHAPTER-6 CASE ANALYSIS AND NATIONAL AND SECTOR SPECIFIC POLICY Kalinga Nagar situation The situation is real shape of a beast. Kalinga nagar in Jajpur district, the activists from the Visthapan Virodhi Jana Manch clashed with the supporters of the upcoming Tata Steel Project. And the activists were attacked with traditional weapons and police have deployed platoons at the site to prevent any further incidents. The SP and DM acted there as pro-Tata people, they turned priest for Tats bhumi puja and officially resumes the construction work that had stopped after 2nd January,2006 massacre. The work has been done on the area where people were displaced and not accepted the rehabilitation and resettlement package. A crowd of women stood and protested but the media came up with the news very shamelessly that those tribal women welcomed and did bhumi puja for Tata. Since the past three months a reign of terror has been unleashed in Kalinga Nagar. The people there have been peacefully agitating against the construction of an approach road. Instead of negotiating with the peopl e, the state government has reacted with brutal force. There has been a virtual blockade in Kalinga Nagar for the past few months. 29 platoons of armed police, 2 platoons of NSG, 70 police officers and 7 magistrates were deployed in Kalinga Nagar a week before the police brutally fired on peacefully agitating men, women and children. On 28thMarch 2010 the District Collector of Jajpur told the people of Kalinga Nagar that the district administration is willing for a negotiated settlement of the issues raised by them. However, shockingly on 30th  morning the police forces entered the village of Baligotha and started to fire indiscriminately on unarmed men, women and children. More than 30 villagers were injured; 7 of them are still battling for life. This explains how brutal force is used in Odisha to evict people from their habitat and handover mineral rich areas including fertile agricultural land to national and international big businesses. For the past few years hundreds of peo ple have been arrested in Kalinga Nagar, Jagatsinghpur and Narayan Patna on false criminal charges. This anti-people white terror is perpetrated on the peasants, workers, Adivasis and Dalits of Odisha to handover thousands of acres of fertile land, water and forests to the profit-hungry corporations displacing millions from their homes and habitat. Vedanta and illegal expansion Niyamgiri Hill is located in the Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi district. It is a scheduled V area, and is inhabited by Dongaria Kondhs, a primitive tribal group. Niyamgiri hills belong to the Eastern Ghats, and in-situ reserves of metallurgical grade bauxite have been reported from this area. More than 75% of  the Niyamgiri hills landmass is covered with dense forests and it is one of the biodiversity hotspots of Eastern Ghats. The northernmost hill of this hill country is proposed to be mined by Vedanta Alumina Ltd. who is also setting up an alumina refinery at the bottom of the hill by displacing local Kondh tribals.  The proposed mining and refinery has led to local and tribal people resistance as well as opposition by environmentalists. A case against the Vedanta Alumina Ltd. was filed  in the Supreme Court, where the petitioners have indicated that massive irregularities have taken place in the proposed project, especially on the environmental aspects along with human right s violations. The Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court strongly recommended that the Niyamgiri shouldnt be allowed to be mined on environmental and biodiversity grounds. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court overruled the recommendations of its own Central Empowered Committee and decided to allow Vedanta to carry out mining on Niyamgiri. At present, Vedanta is awaiting the final clearance for mining the Niyamgiri from Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Meanwhile on ground the local tribals, including the Dongaria Kondhs have vowed to oppose the mining of Niyamgiri at all costs. The working process continues till March 2010, but Vedanta could not start mining on Niyamgiri due to strong oppositions by tribal peoples. Recently, a committee of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India has submitted detailed reports documenting violation of environmental and forest laws by Vedanta which says that Vedanta has violated Forest Rights Act, with out taking consideration of the tribal rights and environmental aspects in to account and started work on the p

Binary Reasoning :: essays research papers

Binary reasoning limits our knowledge for it oversimplifies the subject being studied. Computers operate in binary mode, that is they only can understand a 1 or a 0, and this fact is what makes artificial intelligence so hard to achieve. The fact that humans can work outside of simple duality is what distinguishes us from other animals and machines. Certain issues cannot be studied on their integrity unless they are looked upon without using the â€Å"two-valued logic† system. Two examples would be: whether light is a particle or a wave and whether Adolph Hitler was a Fanatic or an Opportunist. These two examples illustrate a problem of reason as a way to acquire knowledge in the fields of a natural and a human science. Physicists have studied light for centuries and they have always been mystified in deciphering whether it is a particle or a wave. The ancient world believed light was an extremely light and small particle that moved at incredible speeds. More recently, physicists have conducted experiments that proved that light has wave-like properties. In the early 19th century, Thomas Young, a British scientist, conducted a famous experiment in which he proved that light would interfere and diffract. A broad discussion about the nature of light emerged in the scientific world. The theories that light reflected of a surface just like a ball would, was revised because the explanation that it was a reflecting wave was a more convincing one. The fact that light would bend with a large amount of gravity cannot be revoked and this attributed light a certain amount of mass. Since waves are not supposed to have a mass, in the same way that particles are not supposed to diffract, reflect, and refract. The contemporary scientists are intended to abide in the â€Å"wave-particle theory† which combines all the facts of light and place it in a category that does not follow the duality reasoning behind the wave or particle division. Some historians often oversimplify their analysis of historical figures, by stating that they fall under a type of people because of their personality. Alan Bullock does not belong to that group of scientists, which makes him stand out for his originality. Instead of thinking that Hitler was either a fanatic or an opportunist, he is able to view the dictator as both. Furthermore he is able to identify moments in history when Hitler shifted slightly his position.

Biography And History: Harriet Jacobs The Life Of A Slave Girl :: essays research papers

Biography and History: Harriet Jacob's The Life of a Slave Girl To be a good writer, you must posess a careful balance between detachment and association, a delicate waltz where you are not so wrapped up in the events of a story that it alienates the reader, and yet not so far separated from the subject matter that the readers cannot get into it. This is espectially the case in an autobiographical narrative. In this case, it is very difficult to detach yourself from the main subject matter, that is, yourself. Yet it must remain a story, and the story at its heart is a reconstruction of facts from the memory of the author. In the case of Harriet Jacobs, it was also important that she make sure the readers understood slavery from a woman's perspective. The hardships she had to endure not only entailed the work and the punishments, but also the sexual aspect of being a slave-girl. Her task is difficult, because in order for the reader to really understand her position as a woman and a slave, she must make the story extremely personal. If it is too personal, however, the reader looses sight of the bigger picture, and does not relate all these hardships to the condition of the general female slave. She accomplishes this in two ways, through her writing style, and the writing content. The style that the novel is written varies from a dialogue to a narrative, depending on the subject matter being written about. For example, the dialogue where Mrs. Flint confronts Linda (Jocobs) and asks her what has been going on with her husband is handled very effectively, because as a conversation between two people, we are able to pick up on the nuances of meaning. Also, it makes the situation seem to the reader as very exhilarating, because we don't know what's going to happen next. Two paragraphs later, though, the story has turned back into narrative, because Jacobs is trying to examine the entire situation in her present day, as a free woman. She has to be detached from the conversation in order for her to draw any conclusions. The conclusion she draws is that even though they are in different circumstances, (Linda is a slave and Mrs. Flint is her mistress), they both have a shared problem as women -- that is, the problems of infedelity. This general topic cannot be dealt with effectively unless it is done at a distance, looking back with the experience she has gained. Jacobs does this a lot -- she takes her own present-day experiences and

Bacteria :: Science Chemistry Biology Experiment Essays

Bacteria Bacteria are the most common and ancient microorganisms on earth. Most bacteria are microscopic, measuring 1 micron in length. However, colonies of bacteria grown in a laboratory petri dish can be seen with the unaided eye. There are many divisions and classifications of bacteria that assist in identifying them. The first two types of bacteria are archaebacteria and eubacteria. Both groups have common ancestors dating to more than 3 billion years ago. Archaebacteria live in environments where, because of the high temperature, no other life can grow. These environments include hot springs and areas of volcanic activity. They contain lipids but lack certain chemicals in their cell wall. Eubacteria are all other bacteria. Most of them are phototrophic, i.e. they use the sun's energy as food through the process of photosynthesis. Another classification of bacteria is according to their need of oxygen to live. Those who do require oxygen to live are considered aerobes. The bacteria who don't use oxygen to live are known as anaerobes. The shape of specific bacteria provides for the next step in the identification process. Spherical bacteria are called cocci; the bacteria that have a rodlike shape are known as bacilli; corkscrew shaped bacteria are spirilla; and filamentous is the term for bacteria with a threadlike appearance. Hans Christian Joachim Gram, a Danish microbiologist, developed a method for distinguishing bacteria by their different reaction to a stain. The process of applying Gram's stain is as follows: the bacteria are stained with a violet dye and treated with Gram's solution (1 part iodine, 2 parts potassium iodide, and 300 parts water). Ethyl alcohol is then applied to the medium; the bacteria will either preserve the blue color of the original dye or they will obtain a red hue. The blue colored bacteria are gram-positive; the red bacteria are identified as gram-negative. Bacteria contain DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) just like all cells. However, in bacteria the DNA is arranged in a circular fashion rather than in strands. Bacteria also contain ribosomes which, like in eukaryotic cells, provide for protein synthesis. In order for a bacterium to attach itself to a surface, it requires the aid of pili, or hairlike growths. Bacteria, just like sperm cells, have flagella which assist in movement. But, sperm cells only have one flagellum, whereas bacteria contain flagella at several locations throughout their body surface.

Refractive Indices of Water And Turpentine Oil Essay

To find Refractive Indices of Water And Turpentine Oil using a plane mirror, a equiconvex lens (made from a glass of known refractive index) and an adjustable object needle APPARATUS: A convex lens, an optical needle, a plane mirror, a clamp stand, a spherometer, a plumb line, metre scale, water and turpentine oil Theroy : Let’s add small amount of water on a flat, plane surface and place a convex lens over it. This forms a plano-concave lens of water between the lower surface of convex lens and plane mirror. Let f 1 and f 2 are the focal lengths of water lens and convex lens respectively, then focal length of the combination is: The focal length of the plano-concave lens is, †¦(i) From Lens Maker’s formula, =( R 1 = R and R 2 = for water lens. The refractive index of water is , †¦(ii) (where ‘R’ is the radius of curvature of the concave surfaces of the plano-concave lens). The Radius of curvature of the lens, is  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦(iii) PROCEDURE †¢ For finding the focal length of convex lens: †¢ Measure the rough focal length of the convex lens. †¢ Place the plane mirror with the convex lens placed on it above the horizontal base of a clamp stand horizontally as its tip lies vertically above the optical centre of the lens. Adjust the needle at a height a little more than the rough focal length of the convex lens. †¢ Try to remove the parallax between the tip of the object needle and its image tip. †¢ Note the distance of the tip of the needle from the centre of the upper surface of the lens. Let it be x 1. (Use plumb line). †¢ Remove the convex lens and measure the distance of the tip of the needle from the plane mirror. Let it be x 2 . (Use plumb line). 2 (vi) Repeat and record all the observations. †¢ For finding the focal length of the plano-concave lens: Pour few drops of water over the plane mirror and place the convex lens over it. Repeat steps (ii) to (iv) as done above.Repeat the procedure with turpentine oil also. †¢ For finding ‘l’: Determine the pitch and least count of scale of the spherometer. Place the spherometer on the dried surface of the convex lens. Turn the screw downwards very gently till the tip of the screw just touches the lens. Read and record the reading. Keep the spherometer’s legs on the base of a paper and adjusting the central screw, find the pricks A, B and C of the three legs of the spherometer. Join the centres of the three pricks and measure the lengths with the half-metre scale. Note the values of AB, BC and AC Conclusion Pitch of the spherometer= 1 cm Least count of the spherometer = 0.01 cm Distance between the legs: †¢ AB = 3 cm †¢ BC = 3 cm CA = 3 cm S.No Initial reading of the C.S. on the convex lens (a) No. of complete rotations (n) Final reading of the c.s on the glass slab Additional C.S div. moved h=n x pitch + m x L.C Mean â€Å"h† 1 62 0 6.5 55.5 0.555 0.5775 2 64 0 4 60 0.6 Aim is to find the refractive index of a) water, b) coconut oil using a plane mirror, and an equiconvex lens made of glass and an adjustable object needle. The theory behind liquid lens is based on the properties of one or more liquids to create magnifications within a small amount of space.The focus of a liquid lens is controlled by the surface of the liquid .Water normally forms a bubble shape when adhered to materials such as glass.This desirable property makes water a very suitable candidate for the production of liquid lens.Essentially the liquid must be transparent so as to study its effects. To generate a liquid lens , a liquid is sandwiched between two pieces of a clear plastic or a glass. Oil (necessarily transparent) can also be chosen to be used as a fluid in a liquid lens system. The surface profiles of the liquid determines the focal length of liquid lens system and how the liquid lens focusses light rays. Theory: In optics, refractive index or index of refraction ‘n’ of a substance (optical medium) is a dimensionless number that describes how light or any radiation propagates through that medium.It is defined as n = c/v where’ c’ is the speed of light in vaccum and ‘v’ is the speed of light in a substance. Eg : ‘n’ of water is 1.33, which means, light travels 1.33 times as fast in vaccum as it does in water. The historically first occurance of refractive index was in Snell’s law of refraction. ie are the angles of incidence of the ray crossing the interface between 2 medias with refractive indeces n_1 and n_2. In this project, we shall make use of the property of liquid lens to find the refractive index of water and coconut oil. Requirements A convex lens, plane mirror, water, coconut oil, an optical needle, an iron stand with base and clamp arrangement, a meter scale etc†¦. Procedure : †¢ Finding the focal length of convex lens:- †¢ Place the plane mirror with the convex lens placed on it above the horizontal base of a clamp stand horizontally as its tip lies vertically above the optic centre of the lens. Adjust the needle at a height a little more than the rough focal length of the convex lens. †¢ Bring the tip of the needle, at the vertical principal axis of the lens, so that the tip of the needle appears touching the tip of its image. †¢ Move the needle up and down to remove the parallax between tips of needle and its image. †¢ Measure the distance between tip of the needle and upper surface of the lens by using a meter scale. Let it be (x1 ). †¢ Again measure the distance between tip and upper surface of the plane mirror. Let it be x2 †¢ Finding the focal length of the combination: †¢ Take a few drops of the given transparent liquid and place it on the surface of plane mirror. The convex lens is placed over it as before. (A plano concave lens is formed between plane mirror and convex lens). †¢ Repeat the steps (ii) to (v) †¢ Record the observations. †¢ To find the radius of curvature of the liquid lens. (R of convex lens surface in contact). The convex lens is turned towards a source such that, the required surface is away from the source the distance is to adjusted that the image is, formed on the side of the source. The distance ‘d’ between the source and the lens is measured. The radius of curvature ‘R’ of the lens is given by Finally the refractive index of liquid lens is given by. n = 1+ R/f2 Result : The observations of the experiment is tabulated as follows Precautions †¢ The parallax must be removed tip to tip properly. †¢ The lens and plane mirror should be cleaned thouroughly. †¢ The liquid taken should be essentially transparent. Only few drops of liquid should be taken so that the liquid lens layer is not thick Sources of error : †¢ Liquid may not be quite transparent †¢ The parallax any not be fully removed †¢ The needle may not be properly horizontal The distance x1 and x2 may not be essentially clean The experiment described in this project is an effective and simple method of measuring the refractive index of any liquid (transparent) using a convex lens and plane mirror. If we keep the mirror behind a lens and put an object at the focus point of the lens above it, the image of the object will form at the same focus point where the object is. If it is an extended object, its image will be inverted and the size of image is same as that of the object. This property has enabled the efficient use of liquid lens to find the refractive index of a fluid by this method. If a liquid is sandwiched between the lens and the mirror, the focal length of liquid lens can be calculated knowing the focal length of the combination and that of the convex lens, from which the refractive index of the fluid can easily be estimated.

An examination of the importance of going onto higher education and the impact that has on employability?

I am going to explore to what extent does attending university (higher education) have an impact on the graduate's employability. There are three sub research questions I will be focusing on. Firstly, I will be analysing the benefits and problems there are of going onto university in the hope of increasing employability. In order, to do this I will be identifying the relevant corpus of academic and policy related literature and documentation concerning university and employability. The reason for this is that it is vital to realise that it's still important to assess existing knowledge that's associated with education and compare it with my research. Secondly, I will be focusing on to what extent has investing in a degree and other financial costs such as accommodation for example with going onto university has achieved the desired outcome for degree graduates. To find out this information, I will be looking at degree graduates, and how they believe their employability has affected their employability. Finally, I will be looking at how 18 years not going onto HE, to what extent has that helped their desired outcome. I am now going to briefly explain the structure of my report. I will now provide a critical literature review analysing policy documents and academic literature and review what others have done. This will show how my research fits in with what others have done about my subject. This is my first research objective as I've mentioned earlier. I will then explain my research project and methodology used to gather and analyse data. After, I have decided my methodological approach; I will then report my research results. I will undertake a critical analysis of public perceptions and carry out a small study, and provide evidence in my appendix to verify my research results. I will then discuss my findings in a critical manner and relate my results back to the literature material. In my ethical form under proposed methodology, I mentioned that I would find out information by not only questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, but also surveys. I have decided not to do surveys and face-to-face interviews the reason being is that it is very difficult to access surveys associated to my area of study. Moreover, the time and money spent on getting this information would hinder time being spent on my study. Therefore, as a result I have decided to exclude the use of surveys in my research. I am not doing face-to-face interviews because of the availability of time for other students to be available to answer questions. In order, to resolve this problem I am going to add open-ended questions in my questionnaire to get insight. Progressing onto university (higher education) can greatly enhance wherever you want to go in the future. The reason for this is, that it illustrates to employers the ability to acquire information in a specialised subject. (Directgov. 2005. ‘ The benefits of higher education' [online] Available from http://www. direct. gov. uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/index. htm [Accessed 3 Jan 2007]) Therefore, this stands to reason graduates coming out of university and entering employment will have higher earning potential to those who don't go on to higher education. However, in a report in the telegraph it stated that a third of university graduates are in jobs that do not require a degree in 2004-05. This brings out the question; does it really enhance career prospects? In the same article, Boris Johnson says about a degree. ‘It is a wonderful thing to have irrespective of the kind of job you are doing. ‘ I am very critical of this statement because the main reason of going into higher education is to enhance your career. What is the point of attaining a degree, if it doesn't? (Smith. H {25th July 2006} ‘Third of graduates in non-graduate jobs' Telegraph [online] Available from http://www. telegraph. co. uk/news/main. jhtml? xml=/news/2006/07/23/nuni. xml Accessed 17th December 2006]) Is it right from degree graduates to find difficulty in finding graduate jobs and fall into ‘non-graduate jobs'? In which they could of entered prior going to university and without the associated financial costs? I aim to find out the value of a degree in the economic market and whether it is actually worth it considering the New Labour's target of 50% for 18-25 year olds to enter HE. The more graduates flooding the market, the less graduate jobs would be available? There are contrasting views of going into higher education. The article written by Directgov provides a biased view of higher education, in my opinion. The reason being is that Directgov is a site produced by the Central office of Information, associated with the government. As a result, it will would emphasis the benefits of the HE, and they would do this to reach their target of 50%. In contrast, to the telegraph newspaper, there could be a tendency to over exaggerate words and statistics, in order to engage the ready and boost sales. I have chosen this topic of research as education as it affects not only me but also people around me. I am investing my time and money in a degree in the hope of attaining a qualification, which will enhance my career prospects, but in the current climate, it may not. Therefore, which is the best route for a successful career (a graduate/non-graduate) and does it matter? I will explore and come up with conclusions to these questions later on in my report, by collecting and analysing information. I will be gathering both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data is data in which can be categorised and have a numerical relationship. Whereas, qualitative data the information can't be categorised numerically, the data type is unstructured and may involve long sentences. (Becker S and Bryman A. 2004. ‘Understanding research for social policy and practise' pp 403-4) Quantitative research illustrates indicators to act as a measure that can stand for a point. Therefore, it can show relationships between variables (independent and dependent. ) For example, if the taxes are increased these would mean that there would be more financial muscle for public services. The questionnaires that the people fill in will help provide this type of information and to show correlations between variables. In contrast, to qualitative data where the main aim is to understand people's beliefs, values and behaviour. The qualitative data I will gain from face to face interviews will help me to explain the quantitative data. (Becker S and Bryman A. 2004. ‘Understanding research for social policy and practise' pp 92-7) I am going to ask ten people who are graduates and that are a non-graduate on their views on higher education. This will aid me into find finding some conclusions on this issue. There is a different questionnaire for graduates and non-graduates . The questionnaires are available in the appendix. Prior to giving out my questionnaires I had to pre test these questions to check that they are as clear as possible. I did this by asking the general public on their views and amending any necessary faults in the questions. I have to reassure the sample of respondents that I will not disclose any personal details and that the research details will remain confidential. In my questionnaire, I didn't ask for their name, as I see that it is of no relevant to the study. I am now going to discuss the results I have discovered in my research. In the first section of the questionnaire, I have included a question about the respondent's ethnicity. In my opinion, this is a question worth asking, because of evidence being illustrated that there is a trend. Gary Craig, professor of Social Justice in 2002, interviewed 16-18 year olds about their experiences of not being in education. ‘ Of the 64 young people interviewed, 41 were of African- Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. Craig G and Britton L. 2002. ‘Missing connexions'? Bristol/York: The policy press 4 (2) p. 39-41) This is backed up by my research as, only 10% of the university graduates I interviewed were black. Despite, the figures the research done by Gary Craig, can't be completely related to my research as he interviewed the 16-18 year old category. Despite, Gary Craig focusing on a different age category to me (18 and onwards), the issue of the high number of African Caribbean not going onto HE, in comparison to other ethnic groups, stems from an early age. An article in the Times shows that only 27% of African- Caribbean achieve five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C. (Baldwin T. {13 March 2005} ‘ It's not race that keeps black boys back' The Times [online] also available from http://www. timesonline. co. uk/tol/comment/article426390. ece [Accessed 2nd January 2008]) In the same article it is mentioned that Trevor Phillips the chairman of the commission for racial equality. He did an experiment and found that black boys performed 12% better from all different races. This has sure to raises eyebrows with comprehensive secondary schools. In 1956, labour politician Anthony Crosland, introduced the idea that the pupils in secondary schools be streamed into separate classes according to their academic ability. ‘ In my opinion, with the influence of Trevor Phillips's findings, I think we should question the way the pupil are ‘streamed. ‘ (Alcock P. 2003 ‘ Social Policy in Britain,' Second edition pp. 44-5) The reasons why graduates decided to go to university were to increase their chances of employability, higher earning potential and enhance personal development, as I expected. Whereas, the non-graduates suggested that they didn't have the discipline and motivation to stay in education any further. They also felt that they weren't getting anything out of the years they had stayed in education before they left. In 2006, a study from the department for education and skills (DfES) found that the earnings between graduates and being educated at A Level is 45%. (Prospects Career Service Desk. ‘ How do graduates and non-graduates salaries compare? ‘ Available at http://www. prospects. ac. k/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Main_menu___Research/Labour_market_information/Labour_market_FAQs/How_do_graduate_and_non_graduate_salaries_compare_/p! elkFpLg;jsessionid=a630e2bd2c3b6b3225f1 [Accessed 2nd January]) The public perception of the benefits of going onto HE still remains and is clearly shown in my research. In the second question, I asked the respondent's to answer on a scale of 1-10 to answer how had a university degree helped their career. The mean answer yie lded a value of 8. 7, in comparison to the non-graduates with a value of 4. 5. This shows that the public are aware of the benefits and importance of HE. The reasons included that the graduates felt they took their education as far as they can, to enable them with to have the best opportunities as possible. One candidate actually mentioned Labour's government target of 50% of 18-25 year olds going into HE, which meant the value of a degree, is still invaluable. In contrast, to the non-graduates they stated that since they didn't follow through with education, they were left with limited opportunities that have affected their career. 60% of the candidates mentioned that they were always going to be second best to those who gone into HE. Despite, all the benefits of going into HE, in the current climate it is difficult to find jobs for graduates. In the article, in the telegraph it mentioned that over a third of graduates were in jobs in which they couldn't see the benefits of being a graduate in the first place. (Smith. H {25th July 2006} ‘Third of graduates in non-graduate jobs' Telegraph [online] Available from http://www. telegraph. co. uk/news/main. jhtml? xml=/news/2006/07/23/nuni. xml [Accessed 17th December 2006]). My research illustrates this point as only 40% of the graduates felt that they have been helped with investing in HE. The remaining felt that their university degree hasn't helped them as yet, but will do in the long run. The graduates have faith with the opportunities of HE, despite being in a current role, in which they couldn't see the benefits of HE. 95% of the total respondents would recommend an 18 year old to enter HE. The graduates felt that it is essential for personal development, two candidates mentioned ‘ to find yourself. ‘ Going onto university does have many benefits, like expanding you social scene, broadening horizons and learning more about the world we live in. These benefits help graduates in choosing the right and suitable path they want to go in terms of a job, because of the job prospects. In my opinion and my research shows this is that HE is important in the economic market. The literature documents I have used, doesn't mention the class of students who got 1st, 2. 1 etc. This could explain why graduates were in ‘ non-graduate' jobs. The research they have provided could have been more extensively. As we all know, the majority of university students are not going to get 1st class degree, as a result, they may not get their desire job. The job market has become such a competitive, as more and more students are going into HE. Therefore, it is becoming increasing likely that graduate jobs are going to be offered to those who have graduated with a 1st class from a top university. This raises the issue, why is the government raising the tuition fees and still wants people to go into HE? Is it right for someone who is attending university with the exception of Oxford pay the same fees? These are issues, which still need to be considered, because of university league tables. The university league tables have enabled employers to judge how well universities are doing. Therefore, is it right that the university which is last in the table be paying the same fees as the university at the top, whilst the job opportunities would be reduced? This area is very broad and brings about different questions, which still need to be looked. When New Labour took over they said their priorities is ‘education education education. ‘ Blair was quoted, as saying he wants to still ‘technocratic values,' in which he wants the country to be as educated as possible, which in turn would have a positive effect on the economy. To what extent does attending university have an effect on the graduate's employability? From my research, I have gathered that HE does help you in terms of employability, to what extent? It depends on the individual, if they are attending at a good university and enter the job market with a good class degree. There is no reason that the HE, can increase employability and the individual's career. The full extensive benefits of HE can be seen, if the individual makes use of this education to the best of their ability. It all depends on the individual.