Argument Essay Thomas Paine Essay

America is the most diverse country in the world and people come here to live the â€Å"American Dream†. Paine’s assertion is still true today that America is a diverse nation, however, the â€Å"the taxes are few† and there being â€Å"nothing to engender riots and tumults† is in fact not true today. America is known as the world’s â€Å"melting pot† for a reason. People want to come to the greatest nation on Earth. Throughout the history of America people have immigrated from a wide variety of war-torn, famine, poverty-stricken nations to come to a country that ensures an opportunity to make something of yourself. It has been a safe haven for people even before it became a country; the puritans escaped religious persecution from England in the 17th century. Then the Irish left a potato famine to come to America. This led to many more countries in the Eastern Hemisphere immigrating here to America. They came because there is no National language, no national religion, no dictatorial government. This is America where everyone is ensured equal inalienable rights, wherever a person is from. But Paine was wrong when he said â€Å"the poor are not oppressed, the rich are not privileged. There is poverty in America and the rich are very privileged. New York City would prove this exactly. There’s the rich: walking the town, head high, looking through the expensive shops and eating at lavish restaurants. And on the other side of the street there is the homeless: head down, looking through trash cans for food, walking down the side walk begging for loose change. This is not the America Thomas Paine envisions. And his statement of a riot free country has never existed. It starts with Shay’s rebellion in the 1880’s, consisting of western Massachusetts farmers rioting over taxation- another thing Paine says will be few; then with the suffrage movement for women in the early 20th century. And a very large one took place in the 1960’s for Civil Rights’ which was led by Dr. Martin Luther King. Even today people protest government decisions such as Gay marriage or abortion, There will always be people who disagree with the government. Thomas Paine’s view of a perfect America will never happen. We are the country that people dream to come to and we are the most diverse.

Christian Worldview Essay

I. What is a worldview? A worldview is the way that each individual interprets the world and how they see everything as a whole. The way people were raised and brought up has a lot to do with how they perceive the world. It provides us with a foundation for the way we live. II. Articulate the Biblical/Christian Worldview for each of the following questions The question of Origin When you think about how life began and how everything became into existence on this earth, what comes to mind? Through a Christians eyes there can only be one answer, and that is â€Å"God created the Heavens and the Earth† (Genesis 1:1) and In Psalm’s David talks about how earth was formed by God’s hands (Psalm 95:5). There is no question, God is our creator. The question of Identity What does it mean to be a human? And are humans more important than animals? God, the all-powerful Creator, cares for his most valuable creations which is us, mankind. We are created above any animal (Psalms 8:5) and God gave us so much authority to be in charge of the earth. He also says that we need to take care of and be responsible for all animals (Psalms 8:6-9). The question of Meaning/Purpose Why does mankind exist? According to Christianity we are here to have a personal relationship with God, the one who created us. He wants us to live life more abundantly (John 10:10). God is our Heavenly Father and he wants a relationship with each of his children. The apostle John talks about the relationship we are to have with God in 1 John 3:1-3. God is building His own family and we will have an eternal relationship with our Heavenly Father if we have accepted Him as our one and only Savior. Paul tells us that God desires all men to be saved and come to know truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Then we will have eternal life. The question of Morality What is meant by right and wrong and how should a Christian live? All men are born sinners and cannot be saved by anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ. We all know the difference between rights and wrong, it’s just whether or not we apply critical thinking when we are faced with a decision. Like everyone says just think What Would Jesus Do! The Bible says that it should be our final authority. (2 Timothy 3:16). God created the Ten Commandments so His people would know right from wrong. (Revelation 22:14-15). If we sin, we need to ask God for forgiveness because if we don’t He will chastise us and we will have to endure the consequences. The question of Destiny Is there life after death and what will happen to me when I die? Yes, there is life after death it is called eternal life. If you have accepted Christ as your one and only savior you will be spending eternity with God in Heaven. In John 3:36 God says whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior you will be cast into the lake of fire to live eternally in Hell. There will be intense grief and anger in Hell. (Matthew 13:42). The free gift of eternal life is available to all who will accept Jesus Christ but if we don’t accept it now we will not have another opportunity after death. III. How might/should a biblical worldview influence the way you do the following Vote in local or national elections The way we vote should line up with God’s word. We should do as much research on the people running for office as possible and see what they believe in. See if they are for pro-life, or what their religious beliefs may be. God says, if any man teaches of another God let that man be a curse (Galatians 1:6-9).Voting for a Christian candidate is so important and will affect how things change in your community and nation as a whole. Think about, treat, and speak to others on a daily basis As Christians we should not just always speak to others with respect but we should also think with respect. God knows everything even our thoughts. If we have a wrong thought we should ask for forgiveness. John 15:12 says â€Å"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.† Treat people with kindness and love, just as you want to be treated. And do not judge others, Luke 6:37 says â€Å"Judge not and you will not be judged.† We should always try to live according to Gods word because one day we will have to provide an answer for the way we act.

Export Finance in India Essay

Credit and finance is the life and blood of any business whether domestic or international. It is more important in the case of export transactions due to the prevalence of novel non-price competitive techniques encountered by exporters in various nations to enlarge their share of world markets. The selling techniques are no longer confined to mere quality; price or delivery schedules of the products but are extended to payment terms offered by exporters. Liberal payment terms usually score over the competitors not only of capital equipment but also of consumer goods. The payment terms however depend upon the availability of finance to exporters in relation to its quantum, cost and the period at pre-shipment and post-shipment stage. Production and manufacturing for substantial supplies for exports take time, in case finance is not available to exporter for production. They will not be in a position to book large export order if they don’t have sufficient financial funds. Even merchandise exporters require finance for obtaining products from their suppliers. This term paper is an attempt to throw light on the various sources of export finance available to exporters, the schemes implemented by ECGC and EXIM for export promotion and the recent developments in this field. Concept of Export Finance: The exporter may require short term, medium term or long term finance depending upon the types of goods to be exported and the terms of statement offered to overseas buyer. The short-term finance is required to meet â€Å"working capital† needs. The working capital is used to meet regular and recurring needs of a business firm like purchase of raw material, payment of wages and salaries, expenses like payment of rent, advertising etc. The exporter may also require â€Å"term finance† for medium and long term financial needs such as purchase of fixed assets and long term working capital. Export finance is short-term working capital finance allowed to an exporter. Finance and credit are available not only to help export production but also to sell to overseas customers on credit. Objectives of Export Finance: †¢ To cover commercial & Non-commercial or political risks attendant on granting credit to a foreign buyer. †¢ To cover natural risks like an earthquake, floods etc. An exporter may avail financial assistance from any bank, which considers the ensuing factors: a) Availability of the funds at the required time to the exporter. b) Affordability of the cost of funds. Appraisal: Appraisal means an approval of an export credit proposal of an exporter. While appraising an export credit proposal as a commercial banker, obligation to the following institutions or regulations needs to be adhered to. Obligations to the RBI under the Exchange Control Regulations are: †¢ Appraise to be the bank’s customer. †¢ Appraise should have the Exim code number allotted by the Director General of Foreign Trade. †¢ Party’s name should not appear under the caution list of the RBI. Obligations to the Trade Control Authority under the EXIM policy are: †¢ Appraise should have IEC number allotted by the DGFT. †¢ Goods must be freely exportable i.e. not falling under the negative list. If it falls under the negative list, then a valid license should be there which allows the goods to be exported. †¢ Country with whom the Appraise wants to trade should not be under trade barrier. Obligations to ECGC are: †¢ Verification that Appraise is not under the Specific Approval list (SAL). †¢ Sanction of Packing Credit Advances. Guidelines for banks dealing in Export Finance: When a commercial bank deals in export finance it is bound by the ensuing guidelines: – a) Exchange control regulations. b) Trade control regulations. c) Reserve Bank’s directives issued through IECD. d) Export Credit Guarantee Corporation guidelines. e) Guidelines of Foreign Exchange Dealers Association of India. Export-import bank of India (EXIM Bank) The Export-import bank of India (EXIM Bank) was set up in January 1982 as a statutory corporation wholly owned by central government. It is managed by the Board of Directors with repatriation from Government, financial institutions, banks and business community. The main objective of Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank) is to provide financial assistance to promote the export production in India. The financial assistance provided by the EXIM Bank widely includes the following: †¢ Direct financial assistance †¢ Foreign investment finance †¢ Term loaning options for export production and export development †¢ Pre-shipping credit †¢ Buyer’s credit †¢ Lines of credit †¢ Re-loaning facility †¢ Export bills rediscounting †¢ Refinance to commercial banks The Export-Import Bank also provides non-funded facility in the form of guarantees to the Indian exporters. †¢ Development of export makers †¢ Expansion of export production capacity †¢ Production for exports †¢ Financing post-shipment activities †¢ Export of manufactured goods †¢ Export of projects †¢ Export of technology and software’s Export financing programmes provided by EXIM Bank India EXIM INDIA offers a range of financing programs that match the menu of Exim Banks of the industrialized countries. The Bank provides competitive finance at various stages of the export cycle covering. EXIM INDIA operates a wide range of financing and promotional programs. The Bank finances exports of Indian machinery, manufactured goods, and consultancy and technology services on deferred payment terms. EXIM INDIA also seeks to co-finance projects with global and regional development agencies to assist Indian exporters in their efforts to participate in such overseas projects. The Bank is involved in promotion of two-way technology transfer through the outward flow of investment in Indian joint ventures overseas and foreign direct investment flow into India. EXIM INDIA is also a Partner Institution with European Union and operates European Community Investment Partners’ Program (ECIP) for facilitating promotion of joint ventures in India through technical and financial collaboration with medium sized firms of the European Union. The Export- Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) provides financial assistance to promote Indian exports through direct financial assistance, overseas investment finance, term finance for export production and export development, pre-shipping credit, buyer’s credit, lines of credit, relending facility, export bills rediscounting, refinance to commercial banks. Loans to Indian Entities: †¢ Deferred payment exports: Term finance is provided to Indian exporters of eligible goods and services, which enables them to offer deferred credit to overseas buyers. Deferred credit can also cover Indian consultancy, technology and other services. Commercial banks participate in this program directly or under risk syndication arrangements. †¢ Pre-shipment credit: finance is available from Exim Bank for companies executing export contracts involving cycle time exceeding six months. The facility also enables provision of rupee mobilization expenses for construction/turnkey project exporters. †¢ Term loans for export production: Exim Bank provides term loans/deferred payment guarantees to 100% export-oriented units, units in free trade zones and computer software exporters. In collaboration with International Finance Corporation. Washington, Exim Bank provides loans to enable small and medium enterprises to upgrade their export production capability. †¢ Overseas Investment finance: Indian companies establishing joint ventures overseas are provided finance towards their equity contribution in the joint venture. †¢ Finance for export marketing: This program, which is a component of a World Bank loan, helps exporters implement their export market development plans. Loans to Commercial Banks in India: †¢ Export Bills Rediscounting: Commercial Banks in India who are authorized to deal in foreign exchange can rediscount their short term export bills with Exim Banks, for an unexpired usage period of not more than 90 days. †¢ Refinance of Export Credit: Authorized dealers in foreign exchange can obtain from Exim Bank 100% refinance of deferred payment loans extended for export of eligible Indian goods. †¢ Guaranteeing of Obligations: Exim Bank participates with commercial banks in India in the issue of guarantees required by Indian companies for the export contracts and for execution of overseas construction and turnkey projects. Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Government of India came forward to set up the Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) in July 1948 under a Special Act. The Industrial Development Bank of India, scheduled banks, insurance companies, investment trusts and co-operative banks are the shareholders of IFCI. The Government of India has guaranteed the repayment of capital and the payment of a minimum annual dividend. Since July I, 1993, the corporation has been converted into a company and it has been given the status of a Ltd. Company with the name Industrial Finance Corporations of India Ltd. IFCI has got itself registered with Companies Act, 1956. Before July I, 1993, general public was not permitted to hold shares of IFCI, only Government of India, RBI, Scheduled Banks, Insurance Companies and Co-operative Societies were holding the shares of IFCI. Management of IFCI: The corporation has 13 members Board of Directors, including Chairman. The Chairman is appointed by Government of India after consulting Industrial Development Bank of India. He works on a whole time basis and has tenure of 3 years. Out of the 12 directors, four are nominated by the IDBI, two by scheduled banks, two by co-operative banks and two by other financial institutions like insurance companies, investment trusts, etc. IDBI normally nominates three outside persons as directors who are experts in the fields of industry, labour and economics, the fourth nominee is the Central Manager of IDBI. The Board meets once in a month. It frames policies by keeping in view the interests of industry, commerce and general public. The Board acts as per the instructions received from the government and IDBI. The Central Government reserves the power up to the Board and appoints a new one in its place. IFCI also has Standing Advisory Committees one each for textile, sugar, jute, hotels, engineering and chemical processes and allied industries. The experts in different fields appointed on Advisory Committees. The chairman is the ex-officio member of all Advisory Committees. All applications for assistance are first discussed by Advisory Committees before they go to Central Committees. Financial Resources of IFCI: The financial resources of the corporation consist of share capital bonds and debentures and borrowings. a) Share Capital: The IFCI was set up with an authorized capital of Rs. 10crores consisting of 20,000 shares of Rs. 5,000 each. This capital was later on increased at different times and by March, 2003 it was Rs. 1068 crores. b) Bonds and Debentures: The Corporation is authorized to issue bonds and debentures to supplement its resources but these should not exceed ten times of paid-up capital and reserve fund. The bonds and debentures stood at a figure of Rs.15366.5 crores as on 31st March 2003. c) Borrowings: The Corporation is authorized to borrow from government IDBI and financial institutions. Its borrowings from IDBI and Govt. of India were Rs. 975.6 crore on March 31, 2003. Total assets of IFCI as on March 31, 2003 aggregated Rs. 22866 crore. Functions of IFCI: o Granting loans or advances to or subscribing to debentures of industrial concerns repayable within 25 years. Also it can convert part of such loans or debentures into equity share capital at its option. o Underwriting the issue of industrial securities i.e. shares, stock, bonds, or debentures to be disposed off within 7 years. o Subscribing directly to the shares and debentures of public limited companies. o Guaranteeing of deferred payments for the purchase of capital goods from abroad or within India. o Guaranteeing of loans raised by industrial concerns from scheduled balls or state co-operative banks. †¢ Acting as an agent of the Central Government or the World Bank in respect of loans sanctioned to the industrial concerns. IFCI provides financial assistance to eligible industrial concerns regardless of their size. However, now-a-days, it entertains applications from those industrial concerns whose project cost is about Rs. 2 crores because up to project cost of Rs. 2 crores various state level institutions (such as Financial Corporations, SIDCs and banks) are expected to meet the financial requirements of viable concerns. While approving a loan application, IFCI gives due consideration to the feasibility of the project, its importance to the nation, development of the backward areas, social and economic viability, etc. The most of the assistance sanctioned by IFCI has gone to industries of national priority such as fertilizers, cement, power generation, paper, industrial machinery etc. It has sanctioned nearly 49 per cent of its assistance for projects in backward districts. IFCI introduced a scheme for sick units also. The scheme was for the revival of sick units in the tiny and small scale sectors. Another scheme was framed for the self-employment of unemployed young persons. The corporation has diversified not only merchant banking but also financing of leasing and hire purchase companies, hospitals, equipment leasing etc. were the other new activities of the corporation in the last few years. Promotional Activities: The promotional role of IFCI has been to fill the gaps, either in the institutional infrastructure for the promotion and growth of industries, or in the provision of the much needed guidance in project intensification, formulation, implementation and operation, etc. to the new tiny, small-scale or medium scale entrepreneurs or in the efforts at improving the productivity of human and material resources. (a) Development of Backward Areas: –IFCI introduce a scheme of confessional finance for projects set up in backward areas. The backward-districts were divided into three categories depending upon the state of development there. All these categories were eligible for concessional finance. Nearly 50 per cent of total lending of IFCI has been to develop backward areas. (b) Promotional Schemes:- IFCI has been operating six promotional schemes with the object of helping entrepreneurs to set up new units, broadening the entrepreneurial base, encouraging the adoption of new technology, tackling ‘the problem of sickness and promoting opportunities for self development and Self employment of unemployed persons etc. These schemes are as such: 1. Subsidy for Adopting Indigenous Technology 2. Meeting Cost of Market Studies 3. Meeting Cost of Feasibility Studies 4. Promoting Small Scale and Ancillary Industries 5. Revival of Sick Units 6. Self-development and Self employment Scheme Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC) In order to provide export credit and insurance support to Indian exporters, the GOI set up the Export Risks Insurance Corporation (ERIC) in July, 1957. It was transformed into export credit guarantee corporation limited (ECGC) in 1964. Since 1983, it is now know as ECGC of India Ltd. ECGC is a company wholly owned by the Government of India. It functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Commerce and is managed by a Board of Directors representing government, Banking, Insurance, Trade and Industry. The ECGC with its headquarters in Bombay and several regional offices is the only institution providing insurance cover to Indian exporters against the risk of non-realization of export payments due to occurrence of the commercial and political risks involved in exports on credit terms and by offering guarantees to commercial banks against losses that the bank may suffer in granting advances to exports, in connection wi th their export transactions. Objectives of ECGC: †¢ To protect the exporters against credit risks, i.e. non-repayment by buyers †¢ To protect the banks against losses due to non-repayment of loans by exporters Covers issued by ECGC: The covers issued by ECGC can be divided broadly into four groups: âž ¢ STANDARD POLICIES: issued to exporters to protect them against payment risks involved in exports on short-term credit. âž ¢ SPECIFIC POLICIES: Designed to protect Indian firms against payment risk involved in (i) exports on deferred terms of payment (ii) service rendered to foreign parties, and (iii) construction works and turnkey projects undertaken abroad. âž ¢ FINANCIAL GUARANTEES: Issued to banks in India to protect them from risk of loss involved in their extending financial support to exporters at pre-shipment and post-shipment stages. âž ¢ SPECIAL SCHEMES: such as Transfer Guarantee meant to protect banks which add confirmation to letters of credit opened by foreign banks, Insurance cover for Buyer’s credit, etc. STANDARD POLICIES ECGC has designed 4 types of standard policies to provide cover for shipments made on short term credit: †¢ Shipments (comprehensive risks) Policy: – to cover both political and commercial risks from the date of shipment. †¢ Shipments (political risks) Policy:- to cover only political risks from the date of shipment †¢ Contracts (comprehensive risks) Policy:- to cover both commercial and political risk from the date of contract †¢ Contracts (Political risks) Policy :- to cover only political risks from the date of contract RISKS COVERED UNDER THE STANDARD POLICIES: 1. Commercial Risks a) Insolvency of the buyer b) Buyer’s protracted default to pay for goods accepted by him c) Buyer’s failure to accept goods subject to certain conditions 2. Political risks a) Imposition of restrictions on remittances by the government in the buyer’s country or any government action which may block or delay payment to exporter. b) War, revolution or civil disturbances in the buyer’s country. Cancellation of a valid import license or new import licensing restrictions in the buyer’s country after the date of shipment or contract, as applicable. c) Cancellation of export license or imposition of new export licensing restrictions in India after the date of contract (under contract policy). d) Payment of additional handling, transport or insurance charges occasioned by interruption or diversion of voyage that cannot be recovered from the buyer. e) Any other cause of loss occurring outside India, not normally insured by commercial insurers and beyond the control of the exporter and / or buyer. RISKS NOT COVERED UNDER STANDARD POLICIES: a) Commercial disputes including quality disputes raised by the buyer, unless the exporter obtains a decree from a competent court of law in the buyer’s country in his favour, unless the exporter obtains a decree from a competent court of law in the buyers’ country in his favour b) Causes inherent in the nature of the goods. c) Buyer’s failure to obtain import or exchange authorization from authorities in his county d) Insolvency or default of any agent of the exporter or of the collecting bank. e) loss or damage to goods which can be covered by commerci8al insurers f) Exchange fluctuation g) Discrepancy in documents. SPECIFIC POLICIES The standard policy is a whole turnover policy designed to provide a continuing insurance for the regular flow of exporter’s shipment of raw materials, consumable durable for which credit period does not normally exceed 180 days. Specific policies are issued in respect of Supply Contracts (on deferred payment terms), Services Abroad and Construction Work Abroad. 1) Specific policy for Supply Contracts: Specific policy for Supply contracts is issued in case of export of Capital goods sold on deferred credit. It can be of any of the four forms: a) Specific Shipments (Comprehensive Risks) Policy to cover both commercial and political risks at the Post-shipment stage b) Specific Shipments (Political Risks) Policy to cover only political risks after shipment stage. c) Specific Contracts (Comprehensive Risks) Policy to cover political and commercial risks after contract date. d) Specific Contracts (Political Risks) Policy to cover only political risks after contract date. 2) Service policy: Indian firms provide a wide range of services like technical or professional services, hiring or leasing to foreign parties (private or government). Where Indian firms render such services they would be exposed to payment risks similar to those involved in export of goods. Such risks are covered by ECGC under this policy. The policy covers 90%of the loss suffered. 3) Construction Works Policy: It covers civil construction jobs as well as turnkey projects involving supplies and services of both with private and foreign government. This policy covers 85% of loss suffered on account of contracts with government agencies and 75% of loss suffered on account of construction contracts with private parties. FINANCIAL GUARANTEES Exporters require adequate financial support from banks to carry out their export contracts. ECGC backs the lending programmes of banks by issuing financial guarantees. The guarantees protect the banks from losses on account of their lending to exporters. Six guarantees have been evolved for this purpose:- (i). Packing Credit Guarantee (ii). Export Production Finance Guarantee (iii). Export Finance Guarantee (iv). Post Shipment Export Credit Guarantee (v). Export Performance Guarantee (vi). Export Finance (Overseas Lending) Guarantee. These guarantees give protection to banks against losses due to non-payment by exporters on account of their insolvency or default. The ECGC charges a premium for its services that may vary from 5 paise to 7.5 paise per month for Rs. 100/-. The premium charged depends upon the type of guarantee and it is subject to change, if ECGC so desires.

Freedom of speech in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Freedom of speech in the United States - Essay Example The subject of free speech is among the most contentious issues in the liberal countries such as the United States (Sunstein, np). Freedom of expression becomes a volatile matter when it is highly valued. The reason for this being that only then does the boundaries placed upon it turn out to be controversial. The appropriate philosophical framework for deciding the free speech cases can be as follows: The first issue to take into consideration in any sensible argument for freedom of expression is that it will have to be restricted. It is prudent as a justice to establish whether the case does not go beyond the limitations of freedom of expression. Furthermore, it must determine whether the case is tantamount to violation of the National Defence Authorization Act provision. Important controversies that arise in free speech can be resolved by clear definition of the limits of freedom of expression. One manner of solving this is to stipulate noticeably the issues that are considered to be beyond the restrictions of free speech. The thing that ought to be protected is the interest of the people in light of exercising their freedom of expression (Calvert et al., 635). Like, in this case, the concerns of the defendant should be protected by the law regardless of his opinion towards the government. What’s more, in as much as the freedom of speech is vital to the people, there are some things that should be circumscribed. For instance, the people should be restricted to engage on issues that are a threat to the national security, as well as private security.

Reading Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Reading Journal - Essay Example The ecological and social disaster did not fix itself to Punjab. In Wrangal, Andhra Pradesh, farmers are committing suicide. Traditionally, farmers in the region grew paddy, millets, and pulses. However, seed companies lured farmers to adopt cotton farming by portraying them as more profitable. Seed merchants referred to the hybrid cottonseeds as white gold supposed to turn farmers into millionaires. Instead, farmers became paupers (Shiva, 2000). The merchants are attempting to introduce genetically engineered seeds thought to be more productive than hybrid cottonseeds. However, genetically engineered cottonseeds increase ecological and costs risks. They need more water and thus have lead to deep tube wells drillings, which have consequently caused water famine in India. Unlike the previous crops, the new crops require a lot of water. Due to the difficulties caused by the introduction of new crops, Shiva thinks that a sustainable development is not achievable under globalization. Development ought to be regional based and not based on global demands. For her, globalization has led to unforgivable and brutal impact on the poor forced to feed the world. The rich variety and sustainable systems of food production were destroyed in an attempt to increase food production. Various and rich sources of nutrition were eliminated. In the industrial fisheries and industrial agriculture, nutrition per acre is low. Instead, the form of fisheries and agriculture encourage production of a single crop or product per area. Therefore, they lead to high yield of a single product or crop and consequently a low output of diverse products or crops. In her article, Shiva targets policy and decision makers. In her eighth paragraph, she points out the need to reevaluate the development founded on globalization because it has negatively affected the poor. According to

Employment relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Employment relations - Essay Example Employment relation is used to exist when an individual performs services or works under several conditions in return for salary or wage. It also can be defined as the obligations and rights created between employees and employers. Employment relations have three important faces, such as problem solving, science building and ethical. In the science building phase, employment relation assumes that labour markets are not perfectly competitive. In addition to this, employment relation scholarship also assumes that there are some conflicts of interests used to exist between employees and employers due some particular aspects, such as higher profits versus higher wages. The concept and root of employment relation emerged during industrial revolution. It has created modern employment relationship by generating large-scale industrial organizations and free labour markets. It is true that global societies wrestled with several massive economic, social and political issues. Now-a-days, the as pect of good employment relation has become necessary for each and every large and small organization as it is highly important to retail skilled and effective employees in this competitive global market place. The essay will critically analyze and evaluate the importance of employment relations to the successful organizations. It is true that several leading organizations in this world are trying to enhance effective relationship between the employers and employees in order to maintain their existing position in market pace. It is true that employment relations can be considered as a valuable part of industrial relations. Employment relations have its roots in the industrial relation. The concept of employment relation was emerged due to several industrial issues, such as long working hours, low wage rate of labours, abusive supervisory practice, and dangerous and monotonous work. High employee

What is Wrong With the Dream Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is Wrong With the Dream Act - Essay Example On the positive side, the Act perhaps advances national security because it provides a wider field for eligibility of military service. In addition, illegal immigrants have an opportunity to become lawful permanent residents, and in time citizens. It is an exaggeration of the benefits of the policy because it disregards trifling issues that may arise later in its enactment. Depressingly, it affects immigration policies and the entire immigration system, besides being a costly process (Sands 642). It is virtually impossible to swear an oath for the United States when one is still theoretically a citizen of another country, in case the unlawful immigrants serve in the military. The DREAM Act affects the immigration system because lawful immigrant would face discrimination in enjoying invaluable benefits of being a citizen. It is bigoted because lawful immigrants take three years to gain citizenship wile unlawful immigrant only need two years to acquire citizenship. This promotes unlawful immigration and destabilizes the immigration system. The Act benefits only a small population, which will enjoy education and work opportunities, while undermining the efforts of a vast majority of lawful immigrants and American citizens who are

Perspectives of Early Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Perspectives of Early Psychology - Essay Example Behaviorists, recently discounted as questionable, do not account for the inner workings of the mind, as behaviorists believe that they are beyond the realm of understanding. Cognitive theorists, however, look deeper into the mind to attempt to discover the reasoning behind our actions. Cognitive theory had its basis in the Gestalt psychology of Wertheimer, Khler, and Koffka (Hufnus, n.d.). However, Cognitive theory diverges from Gestalt in that it promotes the idea that solutions to problems are much like formulas. Gestalt views the whole problem. Cognitive sees the independent parts. The Cognitive process goes through a series of steps that are not consciously understood by the subject. In this way Gestalt and Cognitive are similar. It is somewhat like having an automobile. Gestalt knows we can get from point A to point B by operating the car. However, Cognitive looks inside the workings of the car to determine how it goes from point A to point B. Both Gestalt and Cognitive rely on the study of the mind, but Cognitive attempts to look deeper and more scientifically into the thought process. Sociocultural psychology is a relatively recent entry in the realm of psychology, though may have the greater influence on our understanding of behavior and pro

Foundation of Occupational Therapy practice Essay

Foundation of Occupational Therapy practice - Essay Example There are standards, roles, and meaning that an individual derives from the occupations that they engage in. These activities and processes that an individual performs through his or her life, in some context, can collectively be referred to as occupation. The individuals’ occupation will be defined within the societal culture and norms and thus are geared towards the collective development and wellbeing of the society. An individual’s occupation will determine his or her contribution towards the objectives of the society. In this context, occupation can be put into three categories depending on their purpose namely self-care, productivity, or leisure activities. There is need to ensure a good balance in these activities. Different activities will involve sequential interrelated tasks that collectively constitute an occupation. These tasks will need different skills- an individual’s abilities to carry out the activities that will reflect on his performance of the given occupation. These skills can be enhanced through constant practice by the individual. Other than the mental abilities and skills, an occupation will also involve other physical actions. It is important that an individual engage in activity that is not stressful and that provides little or no threats to his or her life. The occupation should be meaningful and of some value to an individual. However, there are factors that can prevent an individual from engaging in an occupation that is of some value to the individual and the society. Occupational therapy is a practice that involves promoting health and well-being of an individual by engaging the individuals in some occupations. The occupational therapists will identify the social, political, cultural, environmental, mental, and psychological and even the political factors that can impede an individual’s engagement in an occupation. Having identified these factors, an occupational therapist will take the appropriate init iative to enable the individual to participate in an activity. This practice has no boundary limit and borrows from other disciplines like psychology (Creek, 2003, p.7). The therapist may encourage the individual to engage in activities and processes that will eventually provide them with an opportunity to be engaged in some occupation. The therapist may also attempt to alter the environmental condition to promote the individual’s participation in some occupation. As a profession, occupational therapy has a number of core values and beliefs that become the guiding philosophy of the practice and that are behind its principles and procedures. Firstly, the practice of occupational therapy is humanistic and self-centered. The practice shows human concern and respects the human values. Secondly, the practice does not consider the individual aspects of human function but provides a holistic perspective to depict individuals as being unique and independent. The physical, spiritual, emotional, cognitive, and social aspects of human function are incorporated in occupational therapy practice. It is believed that every individual has his own ability. The difference that exists in the individual human values is also recognized in the practice. Besides, much value is attached to involvement in some occupational activity. Engagement in some occupation is regarded as a basic requirement that is essential for good health of the individual. The OT is supposed to provide the client with information, provide the necessary support, and

A rose for emily by William Faulkner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A rose for emily by William Faulkner - Essay Example â€Å"A Rose for Emily† embodies the subtle correlation between Southern Gothic and Faulkner’s interest in the moral inferences of history. William Faulkner’s story, â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, is a famous example of southern gothic literature because of its rich gothic elements such as sense of horror, gloomy setting, signs of understated violence, uncertainty of point of view, the unidentified narrator, and necrophilia. Faulkner’s story is fraught with dark imageries and actions such as Emily’s effort to prevent her father’s corpse from burial, her necrophilia (attraction to Barron’s corpse), the decaying mansion, the strange vanishing of a servant and the murder of Barron. These gothic elements inevitably facilitate the development of the theme of the story: the gradual decay and death of the aristocratic old society and the emergence of the new class. In fact, Faulkner’s protagonist, Emily herself symbolizes the dying aristocracy in the first half of the 20th century. She wants to cling to her aristocratic superiority as well as seclusion. Though she falls in love with B aron, a layman, she fails to cope with the class-gap between her and her lover. Faulkner has kept the motif of Baron’s murder secret and left it to the readers’ assumption. In fact, this technique of keeping the motif open to interpretation necessarily allows the readers to investigate deep into Emily’s motif behind the murder in relation to her aristocratic social status. Indeed, there is a number of possible motifs behinds Baron’s murder: Baron’s homosexuality, his non-marriageable nature, Emily’s mental sickness, etc. But whatever the reasons are, they are all related to a central reason: that is the status-gap between Emily and Baron. Faulkner uses mainly three literary techniques -point of view, unidentified narrator, characterization- to

Porters Five Forces. External Environment Analysis of Southwest Term Paper

Porters Five Forces. External Environment Analysis of Southwest Airlines - Term Paper Example Threat of Entry Since the phase of deregulation, many new entrants have entered into the airlines industry in USA. 22 new airlines had been formed and another 43 of them has entered till 1982. Experts suggested that the industry had inefficient scale economies which supported the entry of numerous new entrants in the industry. However, since 1993 and during the recent years many of these start-ups have been consolidated, established and incorporated as large and major airlines. The high threat of new entry in the airlines industry in US also gets reflected through the fact that 8 major airlines existing in the market have become bankrupt merged with other companies or has simply vanished from the radar screen (Desai, Patel & Quach, 2002, p.4). Substitutes Trains, buses and cars account for major substitutes for air travel. However, the importance of trains and buses as substitute products has declined over the years. The Switching costs associated between air travel and its substitute services remain quite low; however, experts suggests that the importance of the substitutes are likely to change as per the customer type, route and reason for travel. For example, travelling through seas across US for long journeys would reduce ground transportation to a certain extent. Business travel could generate more flying demand while vocational travel could demand more driving. Due to the fact that leisure travellers are considered to be more price sensitive as compared to business travellers, they are more likely to use substitute services considering the opportunity costs incurred (Desai, Patel & Quach, 2002, p.4). Bargaining Power of Suppliers Employee bargaining powers are expected to vary according to unionization of employees or the charac teristics of employees. Wage rates have accounted for major operating expense of airlines leading to many union strikes during the post liberalization era. The bargaining powers of pilots have remained low since there are numerous pilots available in the market. Moreover, airplane manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing, enjoy high powers of bargaining since they huge switching costs are associated with changing the airplanes (Desai, Patel & Quach, 2002, p.4). Bargaining Power of Buyers The individual powers of buyers remain low because of the inability of the airline customers to coordinate and organize among themselves. The extent of price discrimination employed by airlines would also depend largely on routes and type of the customers. Routes which remain heavily flooded by different flights more likely to charge competitive prices because of the existence of substitute airlines. On the contrary the long distance flights which have less hubs and schedules are likely to be dominat ed by too many airlines and which consequently would charge exorbitant price from customers. Corporate discounting, i.e.,

Inclusive Instructional Strategies & Accommodations Essay Example for Free

Inclusive Instructional Strategies Accommodations Essay Diana Pastora Carson is a special education teacher and founder of Ability Awareness in Action organization. She always had an interest in changing the lives of disabled people from pitiful life and exclusion to inclusion and life full of dignity and hope. The concern in Diana’s nature came from presence of a brother who was preserved from others as a disabled and dependent human being. Diana’s Brother, Joaquin, was diagnosed with Autism at an early age. While he was in school, he had been placed in an exclusive classroom for students with significant mental retardation. He was twice placed in a state institute due to misunderstanding of his character and his attempts to communicate with his services. Currently, Joaquin resides in a state institute, where he is ill, emotionally and physically, from being locked up in a building away from his friends and family. He expressed his feelings about living in such environment to his sister in a painful way as he once said: â€Å"Diana, people are so boring here†. His family has been trying to get him out of there as soon as possible. They have also taken his case to the court and are waiting for the final decision to be made. They want to get Joaquin out of there and bring him in a home of his own with people who love him instead of staying in that institute any longer. The training, titled ‘Inclusive Instructional Strategies and Accommodations’, is about including all children, whether they have a disability or not, in general education classrooms specifically, and in the community, generally. Everybody deserves to belong to and live in their communities. A teacher has an enormous role in making all students belong to that classroom through her knowledge about each and every student of his/hers, and through recognizing uniqueness in each one of them. This should make the teacher create a supportive environment that meets each student’s needs, and an atmosphere that promotes acceptance of differences and diversity, learning, hope, and collaboration. Moreover, the teacher is responsible for building a curriculum that meets each student’s level and accommodates tests and homework. A great teacher would avoid labels that discriminate individuals with disabilities to avoid lower expectations. Those labels may help professionals recognize what disabilities the students have, in order to provide them with services that meet their needs. However, people within the same label or disabilities may vary; therefore, we cannot always judge someone based on the labels. Moreover, it is very unprofessional to address someone by his/her disabilities as no one likes to be looked at for something that they did not choose for his/her self and it may affect his/her self-confidence. Students’ dignity must be preserved by the teacher and whoever is around, for instance, peers, and family. Professionals working with disabled people should advocate the community about appreciation of diversity and encourage students to speak out their thoughts, make choices, and blend in the society. Most importantly, the teachers should listen to students attentively; look at their body language, written expressions, and vocalization for effective communication. During the training, many strategies and activities to develop a classroom community were shared by Diana, such as setting roles for the classroom, encouraging reading books that promote diversity and discussions, and different cooperative games. Diana also explained how a customized lesson should be designed as a teacher must know her/his students in order to alter lessons based on each student’s needs. Teachers should also know how to model, guide, and measure students’ independent achievements through knowledge of students’ strengths and limitations. Diana enlightened the importance of giving students’ time to process new information, retrieve old information, and speak out their answers. It is very important to break the lesson into smaller parts along with asking questions in between to check students’ comprehension and to encourage discussions about the lesson. It is very essential to bring movement and interaction into the curriculum, serve the different types of intelligences and most importantly honor every student for who he/she is and be aware of the impact teaching will have on his/her future life. Furthermore, visual aids can assist students in organizing their thoughts, memorizing them, and make learning more enjoyable and personal to them. Finally, commitment to learning, inclusion of all children, and building a quality future for each child is a must step for developing a loving community where everyone belongs. By having a brother with a disability, whose community isolated him from others by not providing him with education programs that serves his needs, making public places inaccessible for him, and not advocating the public about disabilities, Diana has learned to honor diversity and anyone who is working towards treating people with disabilities with dignity and respect. It has encouraged her to change the lives of those who are different from normal people, whether with a disability or not. It has motivated her to include all of them in a classroom that promotes collaboration, understanding, and hope. Furthermore, it has opened her eyes to the importance of advocating the society about disabilities and their inclusion, to change the image and future of the disabled in the community.

Management of Mandibular Condylar Fractures (MCF)

Management of Mandibular Condylar Fractures (MCF) Summary This paper reviews the literature of evidence based studies and textbooks on the management of mandibular condylar fractures (MCF). It also provides a brief outline of the signs and symptoms as well as the classification system of MCF. Optimal management of MCF is a controversial topic and there is also no consensus on its associated classification system. Overview The mandibular condyle is an articular surface that is part of the temporomandibular joint which facilitates the rotational and translational movement of the mandible. The condyle varies in appearance between individuals and also by age group to accommodate developmental variations, and also due to malocclusions, trauma and diseases. The condyle is a weak point due to its relatively low stiffness and as such is more prone to fractures than other parts of the mandible. The condyle acts as a buffer primarily to reduce intracranial injuries. Based on review of two studies, Boffano et al, 2015, reported that condylar fractures ranges from 35% to 43% of all mandibular fractures. According to Afrooz et al, 2015 condyle fractures represent 27.4% of all mandibular fractures. Based on their review of the US National Trauma Data Bank records, they also conclude that mandibular fractures are primarily caused by external causative factors such as assault, motor vehicular accidents and falls. Internal causative factors of fractures can include osteomyelitis and tumors; but are not as significant as the external factors. Signs of Mandibular Condylar Fractures Condylar fractures can be unilateral or bilateral. A patient with condylar fracture can show the following signs (Peterson Kruger, 2011): Occlusal Prematurity Reduction in vertical height of the mandible on the injured side as a result the injured side makes contact first; sometimes followed by rocking motion and then occluding to maximum intercuspation. Careful observation of the mandibular closure will show the alteration in the alignment Inability to Achieve Maximum Intercuspation In bilateral fractures, due to the fracture of both condyles there is a premature contact of the posterior teeth with a large anterior open bite. Bilateral condylar fractures along with symphysis fracture can cause posterior cross bites and anterior open bites Ipsilateral Laterognathia- In unilateral fractures there is laterognathia on the side affected by the condylar injury. Due to retrodisplacement of the mandible on the injured side, there may be Class II molar malocclusion on that side. Ipsilateral Deviation on Opening- In unilateral fractures, while opening the mandible gets deviated to the side of the injury Balancing Side Occlusal Interference during Contralateral Mandibular Translation Balancing side interferences may be present when performing contralateral jaw movements in unilateral condylar fractures Limited Mouth Opening This can be attributed to interferences of the fracture, displacement and/or rotation of the segments, coronoid impingement, bleeding, edema and pain from joint splinting. Classification of MCF There has been a lack of general consensus on the classification of the anatomical mandibular condyles which in turn has caused disagreement on the most effective way of management of MCF. There are a few systems used for classifying Condyle fractures. In the earlier days, a number of classification systems were based on radiological X-rays and were not supported by surgical experiences and findings. These systems included those proposed by Kohler, Reichenbach and Wassmund. The Lindahl system developed in 1977 is a popular method of classifying condylar fractures. In this method, the position of the fracture is the main determinant as to whether it falls in the condyle head, the condyle neck or the condyle base. These areas are delineated by specific landmarks and reference lines. This system was refined further by Loukota et al in 2005 by subdividing the condylar process more precisely and delineating defined anatomical landmarks[1]. However a drawback of this classification method is that the degree of displacement or dislocation which is essential to surgical intervention is not captured. The Spiessl method categorises the condylar fractures according to the point of occurrence of the fracture (low or high) without displacement and with displacement or dislocation as well as condylar head fractures. This classification system has been used in clinical and scientific use however there is still a limitation in that it does not define the degree of angulation nor clearly articulate the borderlines between low or high fractures. Management of MCF The management of mandibular condylar fractures has been a controversial subject. The options to management of condylar fractures include: do nothing (observation), closed reduction or open reduction techniques. With the do nothing option only practical in the simple and straight forward cases, the real debate is whether to pursue closed or open reduction. A number of variables must be taken into account to determine the treatment method. These variables include the patients age, presence of teeth, severity of fracture of the condyle and associated fractures of the mandible, fracture height, extent of malocclusion, patients adaptation, patients masticatory system and unilateral or bilateral occurrence. A literature review of many evidence based studies was undertaken with advantages and disadvantages of both the closed reduction and the open reduction methods as postulated by researchers and clinicians. The summarised findings are outlined below. Eckelt et al, 2006 undertook a study on 66 randomised patients and compared the results of open versus closed treatment of fractures of the mandibular condylar process. They stated that correct anatomical position of the fragments was achieved significantly more often in the operative group in contrast to the closed treatment group. They also found that the patients who had operative treatment reported less pain. In terms of mandibular function impairment, they reported that the persons who had operative treatment had less pain and discomfort. They also reported that there was significant differences in mouth opening/lateral excursion/protrusion between both groups (open 47/16/7mm versus closed 41/13/5mm). They concluded that both treatment options for condylar fractures of the mandible yielded acceptable results. However, operative treatment, irrespective of the method of internal fixation used, was superior in all objective and subjective functional parameters. In a study conducted on 27 patients in India, (Ragupathy, K 2016) comparing the outcomes of surgical vs nonsurgical treatment of mandibular condyle fractures, he reported that no group had malocclusion. Of the 11 persons in the open reduction group one person had a post-operative infection and two had temporary facial nerve weakness. In the closed reduction group, nine patients had loss of vertical ramus height and six had reduced mouth openings (less than 35mm). He concluded that .. nonsurgical treatment gives satisfactory clinical results, though the condyle is not anatomically normal in radiographs, whereas surgical treatment provided more accurate results clinically as well as radiographically. Kysas, 2012 et al undertook a meta -analysis of 20 studies involving analyses of 1,186 patient comparing closed reduction to open reduction in patients with condyle fractures. It must be noted that only 4 out of the 20 studies were randomised control trials (RCT). In addition, they noted that there was significant variation between treatment protocols, follow-up periods, and outcomes measured. Kysas considered a number of post treatment functionalities such as status of the post-treatment occlusion, mouth opening, protrusion, facial height, pain and the presence of postoperative ankyloses. They also considered facial nerve weakness and scarring in the case of open reduction method. The 4 RCT studies reported statistically significant conclusions favouring open reduction method over the closed reduction method; however Kysas et al found some shortcomings in these studies methodologies. Kysas et al concluded based on their meta-analysis that open reduction method for condylar fractures may be as good as or better than closed reduction. In addition, they reported that morbidity associated with surgery is low. However, they caution that available evidence is of poor quality and as such not strong enough to change clinical practice. Choi et al, 2012 summarised the advantages and disadvantages of both open and closed reductions methods. Advantages of Closed Reduction No injuries to nerves or blood vessels. No post-operative complications such as scar or infection. No tooth germ injury occurs because there is no establishment of crown of permanent teeth; this is beneficial for pediatric patients. Disadvantages of Closed Reduction Because of the insufficient reduction of bone fragments, there can be disorderly or excessive growth of the mandible and displacement of the ramus or mandibular deviation can occur. In addition there can be injury to the periodontal tissue and buccal mucosa, poor oral hygiene, pronunciation disorder, imbalanced nutrition, mouth opening disorder, and respiration disorder. Advantages of Open Reduction Minimise the number of displaced bone fragments to the best location possible. Prevent future complications such as respiratory disorder, original pronunciation and minimise nutritional imbalance Disadvantages of Open Reduction Possibility of damage to blood vessels and nerves exists. There is potential for post-operative complications. A permanent scar is very likely. Choi et al suggests that for pediatric patients, because of their elastic bone structure and thick soft tissue coverage, thin cortical bone and significant premature trabecular bone, no severe impact occurs upon receiving trauma. As such treatment methods can differ between pediatric and adult patients. They suggest that because most of the growing crown of the permanent tooth has not yet been completed, the ratio of bone tissue to the tooth is relatively low. In addition, in developing dentition, the teeth are in different stages of formation and maturation; they can also easily be in the line fracture which in turn can cause delayed eruption and ankylosis. Intermaxillary fixation of more than 2 weeks is not recommended for these pediatric patients and open reduction is not normally used since it is invasive and there is risk of facial nerve injury. They also report , no significant difference in prognosis is found compared to closed reduction. Conclusion Management of MCF remains a subject area where there is a lack of consensus on whether open reduction or closed reduction method is more suitable. Where there are some convergence of ideas include that intracapsular fractures are better treated closed6, it is better to deal with pediatric patients with closed reduction where practical and that physical therapy post treatment is important. Traditionally, closed reduction techniques were more prevalent; however with enhancement in tools available for surgical intervention, open reduction techniques are being practised more, with the added benefit of evidence based studies on such techniques becoming more available. References Afrooz, P., Bykowski, M., James, I., Daniali, L., Clavijo-Alvarez, J. (2015, December). The Epidemiology of Mandibular Fractures in the United States, Part 1: A review of 13,1442 Cases from the US National Trauma Data Bank. Journal of Oral and Maxiloofacial Surgery, 73(12), 2361-2366. Buffano, P., Kommers, S., Karagozoglu, K., Gallesio, C., Forouzanfar, T. (2015). Mandibular Trauma: A two centre study. International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 44(8). Choi, K.-Y., Yang, J.-D., Chung, H.-Y., Cho, B.-C. (2012, July 291-300). Current Concepts in the Mandibular Condyle Fracture Management Part I: Overview of Condylar Fracture. Archives of Plastic Surgery, 39(4). Choi, K.-Y., Yang, J.-D., Chung, H.-Y., Cho, B.-C. (2012). Current Concepts in the Mandibular Condyle Fracture Management Part II: Open Reduction Versus Closed Reduction. Archives of Plastic Surgery, 39(4), 301-308. Eckelt U1, S. M., KL, G., E, K., R, L., M, R., J, S., H, T. (2006, July). Open versus closed treatment of fractures of the mandibular condylar process-a prospective randomized multi-centre study. Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, 34(5), 306-14. Goldman, K. E., Meyers, A. D. (2015, August 31). Mandibular Condylar and Subcondylar Fractures. Retrieved from Medscape: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/870075-overview#a8 Hegde, S., Praveen, B., Shishir, R. (2013). Morphological and Radiliogical Variations of Mandibular Condyles in Health and Diseases: A Systematic Review. Dentistry ISSN, 3(1), 1. Kyzas, P. A., Saeed, A., Tabbenor, O. (2012). The treatment of mandibular condyle fractures: A meta-analysis. Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, 40(8). Neff, A., Cornelius, C.-P., Rasse, M., Torre, D., Audige, L. (2014, December). The Comprehensive AOCMF Classification System: Condylar Process Fractures Level 3 Tutorial. Craniomaxillofacial Trauma Reconstruction, 7. Peterson, L., Kruger, G. (2011). Petersons Principles of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Connecticut: Peoples Medical Publishing House. Raghupathy, K. (2016). Outcomes of surgical versus nonsurgical treatment of mandibular condyle fractures. International Surgey, 3(1). [1] (Neff, Cornelius, Rasse, Torre, Audige, 2014)

Alaska Airlines Flight Human Factors

Alaska Airlines Flight Human Factors The term human factors can be defined as anything to do with humans. In aviation maintenance human conditions like stress, illness, complacency are important because if these factors are not taken care of can lead to fatal accidents. Human factors in aviation industry have become more significant as over the time it has been realized that in most airborne accidents, human error is the main reason rather than mechanical failure. Human Factors are too broad a definition for our understanding of its application in aircraft maintenance. It focuses on a wide range of challenges faced by any human in his/her day to day personal or professional life and when combined how they can lead to human errors and ultimately to a fatal accident. This report is the case study of one such incident, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, a McDonnell Douglas MD 83, which crashed into Pacific Ocean near Anacapa Island, California killing all 88 people on board. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determines that the probable cause of this accident was a loss of airplane pitch control resulting from the in-flight failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew assemblys acme nut threads. The thread failure was caused by excessive wear resulting from Alaska Airlines insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly (NTSB (2003). Loss of Control and Impact with Pacific Ocean Alaska Airlines Flight 261. WASHINDTON, DC: NTSB. 180.) After going through the accident and studying all the possible causes of this fatal accident it has been observed that it was the chain of events that led to one error after the other. The Cheese Error Model is used for analysis to explain the causes. C:UsersYashikaDesktopswisscheese2.gif Fig 1 (http://www.aviation.unsw.edu.au/about/articles/swisscheese.html) SYNOPSIS According to NTSB report 2003, on January 31, 2000, about 1621 Pacific standard time, Alaska Airlines flight 261, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, N963AS, crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island, California. The 2 pilots, 3 cabin crewmembers, and 83 passengers on board were killed, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. Flight 261 was operating as a scheduled international passenger flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Lic Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, Washington, with an intermediate stop planned at San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. (NTSB. (2003). HISTORY OF FLIGHT. In: NTSB Loss of Control and Impact with Pacific Ocean, Alaska Airlines Flight 261. WASHINDTON, DC: NTSB. 1.) PROBABLE CAUSE The National Transportation Safety Board carried out an intense investigation to find out what brought the flight 261 down and founded many reasons responsible for this accident. The NTSB report considered the main reason as the loss of airplane pitch control due to the in-flight failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew assemblys acme nut threads. The thread failed because of excessive wear resulting from Alaska Airlines insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly. NTSB reports also mentions about the design flaw of McDonnell Douglas MD-80 as it didnt have fail safe mechanism to prevent the disastrous effects of failure of acme nut threads. AEROPLANE INFORMATION The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 is low wing, twin engine commercial aircraft. The horizontal stabilizer is mounted on top of the 18-foot-high vertical stabilizer in a T-tail configuration and controls the pitch movement of an aircraft. The horizontal stabilizer is about 40 feet long and its movement is provided by the jackscrew assembly, which consists of an acme screw and nut, a torque tube inside the acme screw, two gearboxes, motors an alternate and a primary trim motor, and associated components. C:UsersYashikaDesktopAlaska 261 1.gif Fig 2 http://www.tailstrike.com/310100.htm The movement of horizontal stabilizer is controlled either by autopilot automatically when engaged or manually by the pilots by de-pressing either set of dual trim switches (located on each control wheel), moving the dual longitudinal trim handles on the center control pedestal, or moving the dual alternate trim control switches on the center pedestal. Through these controls one of the two electric motors that rotate the acme screw by applying torque to the titanium torque tube that is held fixed inside the acme screw gets activated. When autopilot senses that the horizontal stabilizer has reached the desired pitch trim condition or when pilot commands are terminated, or when the horizontal stabilizer reaches its maximum travel limits the motor is de-energized. The MD-80 horizontal stabilizers design limits are 12.2 ° leading edge down, which results in airplane-nose-up trim, and 2.1 ° leading edge up, which results in airplane-nose-down trim. In Alaska flight 261, horizontal sta bilizers went beyond its design limit plunging the aircraft nose and rolling the plane to 360 °. ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION The captain and first officer of Alaska Flight 261 were highly qualified and experienced pilots of Alaska Airlines. There were no medical problems or any other drug abuse that could have affected the performance of either pilot. The Alaska Airlines Flight 261 was dispatched in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and approved procedures by Alaska Airlines. Prior to take off and during the initial phase of the flight, the longitudinal trim control system was functioning normally and did not record any problems but as they reached 23,400 feet pilots realized the horizontal stabilizer on tail plane was not moving and they immediately carried out a standard checklist to try and free the stabilizer. They tried to troubleshoot the problem by repeatedly trying the two switches that operate the stabilizer. The primary motor is activated by both the switch on the control stick known as pickle switch and a longitudinal sliding handle on the pedestal but both the sy stems were inoperative so they decided to disengage the autopilot and fly the plane themselves. The jammed stabilizer was pushing the nose of aircraft towards the ground therefore it was taking lot of physical strength for the pilots to keep the plane at level altitude. Meanwhile they contacted ground maintenance to seek advice or if there is any hidden switch or system they are not aware of but dint get any considerable help. As they were approaching to the destination the problems got worst. For one more time pilots tried to free the jammed stabilizer by turning on both alternate and primary motors at same time. The plane plunged downwards for over a minute. Pilots tried to level the plane and they did with lot of efforts. They slowed the plane and informed Air Traffic Controller at Los Angeles and made a decision for emergency landing at Los Angeles. They tried to contact the ground maintenance again but they did not appreciate the significance of the situation and pilots had no appreciable advice from them. They slowed down the plane and headed towards Los Angeles when suddenly the jackscrew holding the horizontal stabilizer broke moving the stabilizer way beyond its aerodynamic limits. The aircraft plunged rapid losing altitude. It rolled 360 degrees and ultimately crashed into Pacific Ocean killing 5 crew members and 83 passengers onboard. After going through all the incident and report of NTSB, it is clear that it was not just the mechanical failure of jackscrew assembly but it was a sequence of events that ultimately led to failure of acme nut threads which was paid off by the lives of 88 innocent people on board. Number of factors contributed to the crash of flight 261. The summative economical and organizational pressure led Alaska Airlines to increase the lubrication interval of jackscrew assembly and FAA oversight to those extensions and use of unapproved tools and measures. Along with these the maintenance staff falsified the records of work done when actually the work wasnt done. This evaluation involves the use of Swiss Cheese Model to explain the chain of events like design flaw, inadequate maintenance, extended lubrication and end play check intervals and deficient maintenance procedures of Alaska Airlines that led the tragic end of Alaska airlines flight 261. The design of McDonnell Douglas MD-80 had major design flaw to it. The horizontal stabilizer jackscrew assembly did not have the fail safe mechanism to prevent the disastrous effects of failure of acme nut thread. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification procedures for DC-9 did not sufficiently considered the consequences of excessive wear in context to horizontal stabilizer jackscrew assembly. Designers of the system presumed that at least one set of the jackscrew assemblys acme screw and nut threads would always be sound and engaged to act as a load path. Therefore, the consequences of stripped acme nut threads and the corresponding effect on the airplane (including the possibility of the acme screw disengaging from the acme nut) were not considered in the design of the horizontal stabilizer trim system. After the accident the investigators recovered the wreckage from 700 feet underneath the sea. The horizontal stabilizer jackscrew assembly were found intact and attached to the horizontal stabilizers front spar. The acme screw was found cracked but attached to the support assembly. Metallic filaments were found wrapped around the central part of the acme screw. Fig 3 http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpostid=a406ede6-772f-4c84-a95f-410a0744a8ca The probable cause of this was the inadequate maintenance procedures of Alaska Airlines. In aviation industry there is enormous pressure to maintain, rectify and deliver the plane on scheduled time to prevent the delay in departure of flight. The economic turn down in early 1990s had hit the company badly and they started to fly their fleets more intensively thereby sharply increasing the planes average daily use and thus altering the maintenance intervals. The initial C-check interval of Alaska Airline was 2,500 flight hours. The recommended C-check interval according to MRB (Maintenance Review Board) report was either 3,500 flight hours or 15 months, whichever came first. In 1988, Alaska airlines extended its C-check intervals to every 13 months (which was about 3,200 flight hours, based on the average airplane utilization rate at Alaska Airlines at the time). In 1996, again the C-check interval was extended to 15 months (which was about 4,775 flight hours, based on the average air plane utilization rate at Alaska Airlines at the time). The task of lubrication of jackscrew assembly was to be accomplished in every B-check intervals which was increased to 500 hours in 1987 from 350 hours in 1985. However in 1988, Alaska Airlines removed B-checks and the entire tasks of B checks were conjoint with A-checks and C-checks. Lubrication of jackscrew assembly was due at every eighth A-check or every 12,000 hours of flight but in July 1966 the task of jackscrew assembly lubrication was removed from A-check and was placed on a time-controlled task card with time interval of 8 months. At that time there was no accompanying flight-hour limit and thus based on airplane utilization rates at that time, 8 months was about 2,550 flight hours. Also the investigators found widespread deficiencies within the Alaska Airlines maintenance procedures. Two years before, during the crashed airliners last overhaul one of the lead mechanic at airlines Oakland maintenance facility had ordered the jackscrew for this particular aircraft. He then went off shift and his recommendation was over ruled by the next shift personnel and the plane was put back to service. It would be 2 years for the next due overhaul but the time ran out and flight 261 faced the fatal consequences. Fig 3 http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2002/AAR0201.pdf Along with extended intervals Alaska Airlines changed the lubrication grease from Mobilgrease 28 to Aeroshell 33 even after McDonnell Douglas didnt approve it completely. Alaska Airlines notified FAA about this change but FAA dint reply to this change until the flight 261 accident after which it disapproved the use of grease Aeroshell 33. Not only this, the maintenance personnel at Alaska Airlines were not trained properly for the lubrication task. It was evident when in interview with the mechanic responsible to carry out the lubrication task stated that the lubrication task took about 1 hour, whilst Boeing documents and testimony said that, when properly done, the task should take more than 4 person hours. INCOMPLETE: small access panel (include in design flaw), important senior managers positions vacant for 2 years, missing records. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..Page no 171 of NTSB report. FAA oversight CONCLUSION Following can be concluded from the above analysis: The flight crew on Alaska flight 261 was fully qualified and had received sufficient training as per the federal regulations. Both the pilots did not have any preexisting medical conditions that could jeopardize with flights safety. The flight 261 was dispatched in accordance with the FAAs regulations and Alaska airlines procedures. The weight and balance of the plane was within the limit. Weather was not the factor for the accident and there was no evidence of fire or bird impact or any other foreign object damage. Both the engines were functioning normal during the flight. Air traffic control personnel was properly certified and qualified for the respective jobs. The horizontal stabilizer was functioning normally during the initial phase of flight but jammed at 23,400 feet. Neither the pilots nor the ground maintenance staff could understand the reason for this jam. The worn threads inside the horizontal stabilizer acme nut were incrementally sheared off by the acme screw and were completely sheared off during the accident flight. As the airplane passed through 23,400 feet, the acme screw and nut jammed, preventing further movement of the horizontal stabilizer until the initial dive. As there was no checklist present to land as soon as possible and the circumstances confronting the flight crew, their decision not to return to Lic Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, immediately after recognizing the horizontal stabilizer trim system malfunction was understandable. The flight crews use of the autopilot while the horizontal stabilizer was jammed was not appropriate. The flight crews decision to divert the flight to Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California, rather than continue to San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California, as originally planned was apposite. Alaska Airlines dispatch personnel appear to have attempted to influence the flight crew to continue to San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California instead of diverting to Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California. There was no effective lubrication on the acme screw and nut interface at the time of the Alaska Airlines flight 261 accident.

Gustave Courbets Reclining Nude Essay -- Courbet Painting Art Nude Es

Gustave Courbet's Reclining Nude In the Philadelphia Museum of Art are five paintings by Gustave Courbet; of all of these I found Reclining Nude (1868, Oil on canvas, The Louis & Stern Collection, 63-81-20) the most interesting. It depicts a nude woman lying on the beach beneath a billowing canopy. A dark, but tranquil sea is in the background. The sky is dark as if the final rays of the sun were disappearing over the horizon. There are a few clouds in the sky, they are dark but not threatening. The picture is very dark in general and there is no obvious light source. The edges of the painting are so dark it is impossible to tell what the nude reclines against. A very dim light falls on the woman, who lies on her right side. The upper half of her torso is twisted to her left and her hips and legs face the viewer. Her right leg is bent slightly so her calf is beneath her straightened left leg. The woman is not as thin as classical nudes, her hips are somewhat broad and her thighs are slightly heavy. Her arms are crossed languidly over her head. Because her arms are crossed over her head, her face is almost completely in the shadows; this shadowing covers the detail of her face in such a way that she could be almost anyone. She gazes wistfully at the ground to her left. The woman is rendered very softly and is in a very sensuous pose. This picture would have been found scandalous for its sexual overtones as was Courbet's La Demoiselles au bord de la Seine. A scarlet cloth lies in front of her; it has a very rumpled look which has sexual implications. The vacant, wistful look and the languid crossing of her arms suggests that she is thinking of a lover who has just left her. The car... ...f vision one is more able to appreciate Courbet's careful attention to the curves and anatomy of the woman's body, as well as his eye for small detail such as the two tiny boats on the horizon. While many critics of Courbet's time could not understand his choice of subject matter, they could appreciate his execution of the subject matter. Gustave Courbet's subject matter may not have been understood or considered proper in his day, but now they are considered to be more acceptable. One, whether of the past or present, must appreciate his technical abilities; his mastery of line, form, and balance. Though his lack of color is disappointing, the picture in itself is very pleasing to look at because it is such a tran- quil, restful scene. While Courbet was not totally appreciated in his day, he is in these times considered to be an excellent artist. Gustave Courbet's Reclining Nude Essay -- Courbet Painting Art Nude Es Gustave Courbet's Reclining Nude In the Philadelphia Museum of Art are five paintings by Gustave Courbet; of all of these I found Reclining Nude (1868, Oil on canvas, The Louis & Stern Collection, 63-81-20) the most interesting. It depicts a nude woman lying on the beach beneath a billowing canopy. A dark, but tranquil sea is in the background. The sky is dark as if the final rays of the sun were disappearing over the horizon. There are a few clouds in the sky, they are dark but not threatening. The picture is very dark in general and there is no obvious light source. The edges of the painting are so dark it is impossible to tell what the nude reclines against. A very dim light falls on the woman, who lies on her right side. The upper half of her torso is twisted to her left and her hips and legs face the viewer. Her right leg is bent slightly so her calf is beneath her straightened left leg. The woman is not as thin as classical nudes, her hips are somewhat broad and her thighs are slightly heavy. Her arms are crossed languidly over her head. Because her arms are crossed over her head, her face is almost completely in the shadows; this shadowing covers the detail of her face in such a way that she could be almost anyone. She gazes wistfully at the ground to her left. The woman is rendered very softly and is in a very sensuous pose. This picture would have been found scandalous for its sexual overtones as was Courbet's La Demoiselles au bord de la Seine. A scarlet cloth lies in front of her; it has a very rumpled look which has sexual implications. The vacant, wistful look and the languid crossing of her arms suggests that she is thinking of a lover who has just left her. The car... ...f vision one is more able to appreciate Courbet's careful attention to the curves and anatomy of the woman's body, as well as his eye for small detail such as the two tiny boats on the horizon. While many critics of Courbet's time could not understand his choice of subject matter, they could appreciate his execution of the subject matter. Gustave Courbet's subject matter may not have been understood or considered proper in his day, but now they are considered to be more acceptable. One, whether of the past or present, must appreciate his technical abilities; his mastery of line, form, and balance. Though his lack of color is disappointing, the picture in itself is very pleasing to look at because it is such a tran- quil, restful scene. While Courbet was not totally appreciated in his day, he is in these times considered to be an excellent artist.

Romeo and Juliet: Act 1 Scene 5 is a Microcosm of the Entire Play Essay

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy about a pair of lovers, from two opposing families, fated to their death, Act 1 Scene 5 is a microcosm of the entire play, it contains a rollercoaster of emotions and many different themes such as love, hate and death but they are all expressed at their best in this part of the play. The build up to the scene creates tension and expectation for the audience. The prologue, said by the Chorus who have no character or emotion, gives the overall structure it tells the audience they will meet, fall in love and then die, it briefs them as to what is going to happen but does not let them in on too much information. From the start they are described as ‘star crossed lovers’ that are fated to disaster. Romeo has a vision that a chain of events starting at the party will lead to his death, he says he feels like fortune’s fool and whatever he does, it’s inevitable; he cannot escape or change fate. The overall information given in the prologue is not too much for the audience; it gives them a brief overview of the play but does not spoil it for them. In a way it makes them feel as if they are being let in on a little secret because they get a hint of what is going to happen, without learning too much. Shakespeare describes Romeo and Juliet as victims in love as if they are caught in a trap, and cannot escape. However, Brooke the original playwright presents them as fools in love, which gives a different message to the audience, it comes across to them that Romeo and Juliet know that they won’t be accepted by either family but they still choose to love each other and everything that happens is their own fault. In the prologue, the quote ‘ A pair of star crossed lovers take their life’ tells you they a... ...y. This scene also appeals to the audience because it is a calm moment in an otherwise busy place, the party. In conclusion, Shakespeare makes this scene appeal to an audience by the build up to it, by the prologue telling you what happens and giving a brief summary, The range of action in it and the mood changes; from aggression with Tybalt to when Romeo and Juliet first lay their eyes on one another, Also, the use of language, Our pair of lovers talk in a religious form in the sonnet that they share to come across to the audience that they do have a good side and to make them seem more innocent. And finally, the character development, we learn more about the main characters in this scene than we do in any other, we get to see the different sides to them which changes the mood and why it makes it more appealing and keeps the audience entertained and interested.

Life of Thomas Jefferson :: essays research papers fc

Thomas Jefferson was drafted to write the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Soon after, in 1779, Thomas was elected governor, which he served for two years. He suffered an inquiry into his conduct during his last year in office that although finally fully repudiated, left him with a life long pricklishness in the face of criticism. In 1784, he re-entered public services. First as a trades commissioner and then as Benjamin Franklin’s successor as a minister. In 1790, he accepted the post of secretary of the state. Then, in 1796, as a presidential candidate of the Republicans, he became vice president after losing to John Adams by three votes. Four years later, in the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson and another Republican, Aaron Burr won the majority of the votes. They each had 73 votes. The House of Representatives were to vote because of this extraordinary tie. They voted thirty five times, each time, it was the same thing, a tie between Jefferson and Burr. Finally, after a long day of stressful decisions and arguing, one man named James Bayard broke the tie and voted for Thomas Jefferson. He became the third president of our proud United States. Also he became the first peaceful transfer of power. Jefferson, with the help of the congress, reshaped the government into Republican goals. Republicans believed that strength of a nation depended on liberty and land ownership. So Jefferson, with a great deal of trading, offerings, arguing, and purchasing, finally made what is called The Louisiana Purchase. In 1806, Jefferson began building another house in a popular forest. Through 1807 to 1824, remodeling Monticello was in the process Life of Thomas Jefferson :: essays research papers fc Thomas Jefferson was drafted to write the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Soon after, in 1779, Thomas was elected governor, which he served for two years. He suffered an inquiry into his conduct during his last year in office that although finally fully repudiated, left him with a life long pricklishness in the face of criticism. In 1784, he re-entered public services. First as a trades commissioner and then as Benjamin Franklin’s successor as a minister. In 1790, he accepted the post of secretary of the state. Then, in 1796, as a presidential candidate of the Republicans, he became vice president after losing to John Adams by three votes. Four years later, in the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson and another Republican, Aaron Burr won the majority of the votes. They each had 73 votes. The House of Representatives were to vote because of this extraordinary tie. They voted thirty five times, each time, it was the same thing, a tie between Jefferson and Burr. Finally, after a long day of stressful decisions and arguing, one man named James Bayard broke the tie and voted for Thomas Jefferson. He became the third president of our proud United States. Also he became the first peaceful transfer of power. Jefferson, with the help of the congress, reshaped the government into Republican goals. Republicans believed that strength of a nation depended on liberty and land ownership. So Jefferson, with a great deal of trading, offerings, arguing, and purchasing, finally made what is called The Louisiana Purchase. In 1806, Jefferson began building another house in a popular forest. Through 1807 to 1824, remodeling Monticello was in the process

The Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal – The Taj – is the â€Å"King Emperor† amongst the World Wonders. The Taj is the final achievement and acme of the Mughal Art. It represents the most refined aesthetic values. It is a fantasy-like grandeur. It is the perfect culmination and artistic interplay of the architects' skill the jewellers' inspiration. The marble in-lay walls of the Taj are amongst the most outstanding examples of decorative workmanship. The elegant symmetry of its exterior and the aerial grace of its domes and minarets impress the beholder in a manner never to be forgotten. It stands out as one of the most priceless national monuments, of surpassing beauty and worth, a glorious tribute to man's achievement in Architecture and Engineering. The Taj is threatened with deterioration and damage not only by the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions which aggravate the situation with even more formidable phenomena of damage or destruction. A private sector preservation organization called â€Å"World Monuments Fund† (American Express Company) has published a list of 100 most endangered sites (1996) in the World. The environment of Agra is today beset with problems relating to the inadequacy of its urban infrastructure for transportation, water and electricity. Residential fuel combustion, diesel trains and buses, and back-up generators cause the densest pollution near the Taj Mahal. Constitution of the proposed Agra Ring Road and Bypass that would divert the estimated daily 6,50,000 tons of trans-India truck traffic financing. Strict controls on industrial pollution established in 1982 are being intensively enforced following a 1993 Supreme Court Order. The Asian Development Bank's proposed $300 million loan to the Indian Government to finance infrastructure improvements would provide the opportunity to solve the chronic problems. Agra contains three World Heritage Sites, including the Taj Mahal. † According to the petitioner, the foundries, chemical/hazardous industries and the refinery at Mathura are the major sources of damages to the Taj. The Sulphur Dioxide emitted by the Mathura Refinery and the industries when combined with Oxygen – with the aid of moisture – in the atmosphere forms sulphuric acid called â€Å"Acid rain† which has a corroding effect on the gleaming white marble. Industrial/Refinery emissions, brick-kilns, vehicular traffic and generator-sets are primarily responsible for polluting the ambient air around Taj Trapezium (TTZ). The petition states that the white marble has yellowed and blackened in places. It is inside the Taj that the decay is more apparent. Yellow pallor pervades the entire monument. In places ugly brown and black spots magnify the yellow hue. Fungal deterioration is worst in the inner chamber where the original graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal lie. According to the petitioner the Taj – a monument of international repute – is no its way to degradation due to atmosphere pollution and it is imperative that preventive steps are taken and soon. The petitioner has finally sought appropriate directions to the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to stop air pollution in the TTZ and save the Taj. The court considered the affidavit filed by the board and directed the board to issue a public notice. Pursuant to the courts order, the board filed affidavit (5. 8. 93), wherein it stated that public notice was published in two national newspapers calling upon the industries to file their replies during the extended time. The affidavit also states that all listed industries were polluting industries and 507 out of them had not even installed any air pollution control device. The 212industries that did not respond to the notice and failed to take any steps towards installing the pollution control devices were closed by order-dated 27. 8. 93. The court was assisted in its efforts to improve air quality in the TTZ by the reports prepared by the NEERI (National Environment Engineering Research Institute), Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) on the supply of fuel gas to industries in the area and the study conducted by the Vardharajan Committee, which was constituted in May 1994, by the MoEF. Varadharajan Committee made, among others, the following recommendations: â€Å"Steps may be taken to ensure that no new industry including small industries or other units which can cause pollution are located north-west of the Taj Mahal. Efforts may be made to relocate the existing small industries particularly the foundries, in an area southeast of Agra beyond the Taj Mahal so that emissions from these industries will not be in the direction of the monuments. Similar considerations may apply to large industries such as Fertilizer and Petrochemicals. Such industries, which are likely to cause environmental pollution, may not be located in the neighbourhood of the refinery. The Committee further recommends that no large industry in the Agra region and its neighbourhood be established without conducting appropriate detailed studies to assess the environmental effect of such industries on the monuments. Location should be so chosen as to exclude any increase in environmental pollution in the area. †¦ The Committee wishes to record its deep concern regarding the existing level of pollution in Agra. It recommends that an appropriate authority be created which could monitor emissions by industries as well as air quality at Agra on a continuous basis. This authority should be vested with powers to direct industries causing pollution to limit the level of emission and specify such measures as are necessary to reduce the emissions whenever the pollutant level at the monuments exceeds acceptable limits. The Committee particularly desires that recommendations made in regard to reduction of existing pollution levels at Agra should be covered to a time-bound programme and should be implemented with utmost speed. The Committee also recommends that studies should be undertaken by competent agencies to explore the possibility of protecting the monuments by measures such as provision of a green belt around Agra in the region between Mathura and Agra. Even though assurances have been obtained from IOC that adequate precautions would be taken to contain the pollution on account of using coal in the power plant, the Committee is of the opinion that till such time this problem is studies in depth and suitable technologies have been found to be satisfactorily in use elsewhere the use of coal in the refinery power plant should be deferred. The National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) gave an â€Å"Overview Report† regarding status of air pollution around the Taj in 1990. â€Å"The sources of pollution, including small and medium-scale industrial units, are scattered all around Taj Mahal. High air pollution load is thus pumped into the Taj air shed. Sudden rises in concentrat ion level are often recorded in all directions in gaseous as well as particulate pollutant depending upon the local micro climatic conditions. On four occasions during the five-year air quality monitoring, the 4 hrly average values of SO2 at Taj Mahal were observed to be higher than 300 ug/m3, i. e. 10 folds of the promulgated CPCB standard of 30 ug/m3 for sensitive areas. The values exceeded even the standard of 120-ug/m3 set for industrial zones. Statistical analysis of the recorded data indicate that 40% (cumulative percentage level) has crossed the standard set for sensitive receptors/zones. The SPM levels at Taj Mahal were invariably high (more than 200 ug/m3) and exceeded the national ambient air quality standard of 100 ug/m3 for SPM for sensitive locations barring a few days in monsoon months. Another study during 1985-87 brought to fore that the overall status of the ambient air quality within the trapezium has significantly deteriorated over this period. â€Å"The Taj Mahal marble samples analyzed by NEERI in 1993 reveal that the black soot on certain protected surfaces contains 0. 6% Calcium and traces of Sulphate. X-ray diffraction studies indicated that soot and quartz (Silicon Dioxide) and the major constituents of the black coating at Taj Mahal (Lal and Holden, ES & T, April 1981). The origin of soot can be traced back to the fuel consumption around the sensitive receptor, while quartz is derived from geocrustal origin and causes surface abrasion. Soot in itself is not chemically destructive, but with tar it acts as a soiling agent. Absorption of the acidic gases is enhanced due to the presence of soot/smoky matter resulting in long-term effects. Further, the presence of soot reduces the aesthetic value of the monument. Ambient air around Taj Mahal is polluted primarily from point/line sources and has adverse impacts on building material by alteration of marble and sandstone structures at microcrystalline level. The earlier studies have revealed that the concentrations of gaseous pollutants and SPM (predominantly soot and carbon particles) are relatively high during winter months due to the frequent inversion conditions restricting vertical dispersion. During monsoon seasons, suspended particles are washed away and this cycle of pollutant builds up and subsequent removal continues exposing fresh surface of the monument to the pollutant. The period industrial development of Agra-Mathura region has resulted in acidic emissions into the atmosphere at an alarming rate. This causes serious concern on the well being of Taj Mahal. †¦ The gaseous pollutants being acidic in nature, significantly both the as well as the biotic components of the ecosystem like plants and building material like marble and red stone. The sources of pollution in Agra region as per the report of the Central Pollution Control Board are iron foundries, Ferro-alloyed industries, rubber processing, lime processing, engineering, chemical industry, brick refractory and vehicles, Mathura Refinery and Ferozabad Glass Industry. On 3 August 1995, the court formed a tentative view that polluting industries in the TTZ would have to be relocated and sought the assistance of the Union Government to device an appropriate solution. Taj, being a cultural heritage is an industry by itself. More than two million tourists visit Taj every year and this is a good source of revenue for the country. The court had monitored this petition for over three years with the objective of preventing and protecting the Taj from deterioration and damage due to atmosphere and environmental pollution. It cannot be disputed that the use of coal/coke by the industries emits pollution in the ambient air. The objective behind this litigation is to stop pollution while encouraging development of the industries. The old concept that development and ecology cannot go hand in hand is no longer acceptable. The development of the industries is essential but not at the cost of the environment. Orders passed by the court time to time indicate that the relocation of the industries from TTZ is to be resorted to only if the Natural Gas, which has been brought at the doorstep of TTZ is not acceptable/ available by/to the industries as a substitute for coal/coke. The GAIL has already invited the industries in the TTZ to apply for gas connections and industries operating in TTZ with the gas connections need not relocate. The atmospheric pollution in the TTZ has to be eliminated at any cost as it's not just the preservation of monument, which is essential, but also the human life. In August 1999, the Supreme Court struck again, ordering the closure of 53 iron foundries and 107 other factories in Agra that had not cleaned up their act. The order has become a call to arms for foundry owners, workers, trade union representatives and small-scale industry. However, industry is buying time: it filed a review petition through the Uttar Pradesh State government and obtained a reprieve on the court order's implementation. The matter comes again before the Supreme Court this summer. In the meantime, Agra's Iron Founders' Association is building up their case. They argue that 3,000 cottage and engineering units depend on the foundries, and that they directly or indirectly employ about 300,000 workers. They hold that the technology for using natural gas in their industries is not yet ready. Taj trapezium project's phase II gets green signal Buoyed by a decline in the pollution levels around the Taj trapezium with the successful implementation of the first phase of the afforestation project, the state administration has okayed the Rs 15. 0-crore second phase. The success of the plantation scheme assumes significance since a report prepared by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, had pointed out how â€Å"pollution inventory of Agra reflected high concentration of NO2, SO2 and CO2†. Apart from a vigorous re-run of the plantation campaign in the Taj city, this ph ase envisages greening of â€Å"sensitive receptors† of pollution like the heritage monuments and the 42-hectare land strip along the NH-2 (Delhi-Agra-Kanpur), NH-3 (Delhi-Agra-Mumbai) and NH-11 (Jaipur-Agra) highways. A 3