Culture Shock in Japan Essay

Culture is a condition of confusion and anxiety affecting a person suddenly exposed to an alien culture or milieu. There are many different ways to experience culture shock. It can be experienced across the world or as near as one’s backyard. Many Americans would venture that they consider themselves very culturally accepting. Often, when these same Americans travel abroad, they experience culture shock. It is not always a negative thing. Often to some American coming to Japan and adjusting to life in Japan can be difficult, since even the most mundane things could be done differently than they would have been done in the U.S, so here are some basic facts of Japan. And remember be patient. Home. When entering a Japanese home you are expected to remove your shoes before stepping up from the entry area into a Japanese home known as the genkan. There in the genkan you must change from outdoor shoes into indoor slippers. When entering the genkan, you have to remember to step out of your shoes, and step into the house proper. Then you must turn around, kneel or bend down, and turn the outdoor shoes around so that they face the door, ready to be slipped into again when they leave. This custom is also required in many traditional Japanese restaurants, all department store dressing rooms, temples, and a few other businesses. On an extra note it is wise to buy clean socks since you will be taking off your shoes when you enter homes or some resteraunts. And you don’t want to embarrass yourself with dirty socks. Food. In the U.S many people carry their lunches in lunchboxes, but in Japan people use Bento boxes which are pre-prepared lunches, sold in every convenience store in Japan or brought from home. Usually a bento box consists of a box divided into several sections, containing perhaps, noodles, rice, pickles,  meat or fish, and maybe a little fruit. If there is a need to heat their lunches almost all stores also have a microwave so that you can heat the bento in the shop. When traveling to Japan one must be aware of the proper way to eat. In the U.S slurping is generally considered rude, so it is useful to know that the Japanese people consider it correct to slurp whenever eating noodles, ramen or soup etc. By making slurping when one eats their soup or noodles is considered to be polite, also by slurping you compliment the person who cooked it. More than that slurping serves a practical purpose, as noodles, ramen etc, are often served very hot, slurping draws air into the mouth which helps to cool the food as well as bring out the flavor. Knowing how to use chopsticks can make life in Japan a bit easier, but you have to remember the certain etiquette that concern using chopsticks. Just as there are good manners when it comes to using a knife and fork in the west, the Japanese have definite rules of thumb when it comes to using chopsticks. Don’t point at people with your chopsticks, move plates with them or wave them or stick them. Do not stick chopsticks into your food, especially not into rice. Only at funerals are chopsticks stuck into the rice that is put onto the altar. Education. Education in Japan is similar to that of the education system in the U.S, since it was adopted based on the U. S education system by the Japanese after World War II. But some things are quite different. If you are a parent sending your child to school in Japan, there are some key facts you must know In Japan competition for entering a good University is fierce, for that reason many student start at a young age go to Juku, which are cram schools, parents send their kids to, so that they have a better chance of doing well on University exams. In Japan if you are able to go to a good University than the chances of a good and stable job is quite high. It quite common for kids to finish school then go at night for 2 to 3 hours to a cram school. Hygiene. When bathing Japanese style, you are supposed to first rinse your body outside the bath tub with some water from the tub, using a washbowl. Afterwards, you enter the tub, which is used for soaking only. The bath water tends to be relatively hot for Western bathing standards. If you can barely enter, try not to move much, since moving around makes the water appear even hotter. After soaking for a while, leave the tub and clean your body with soap. Make sure that no soap gets into the bathing water. Once you finished cleaning yourself and rinsed all the soap off your body, enter the bath tub once more for some more soaking. After leaving the tub, do not drain the water, since all household members will use the same water. There are three types of toilets commonly found in Japan. The oldest type is a simple squat toilet, modern Western-type toilets and urinals and the state of the art is bidet toilets However traditional toilets are usually the most common type in most public places, universities, restaurants etc. The tradition toilet is known as the squat toilet, it essentially looks like a miniature urinal rotated 90 degrees and set into the floor. Most squat toilets in Japan are made of porcelain, though in some cases (like on trains), stainless steel is also used. Instead of sitting, the user squats over the toilet, facing the wall in the back of the. A shallow trough collects the waste, instead of a large water-filled bowl as in a western toilet. In Japan, being clean is very important; the bidet toilet is like the western flush toilet. While the toilet looks like a Western-style toilet at first glance, there are a number of additional features, such as blow dryer, seat heating, massage options, water jet adjustments, automatic lid opening, flushing after use which are included either as part of the toilet or in the seat. These features can be accessed by a control panel that is either  attached to one side of the seat or on a wall nearby, often transmitting the commands wirelessly to the toilet seat. For an American coming to Japan for the first time, the squat toilet or the bidets could be quite a shock and could take some time getting used to. Gambling entertainment. If you want to gamble in Japan you must remember that gambling is illegal so to compensate there is the wildly addicting game known as Pachinko a type of vertical pinball machine. The winnings are in the form of more balls, which the player may use to keep playing or exchange for prizes such as pens or cigarette lighters. Cash cannot be paid out according to Japanese law, but players can then exchange certain prizes for cash at small centers located nearby, but separate from the parlors. In America there are cartoons and comic books in Japan there are manga and anime. Remember when reading manga or any Japanese book, guide for the matter, you must start at the â€Å"last† page and work â€Å"backwards†. The same applies to the panels within the pages. They should be read right to left, not left to right. Transportation. In Japan, cars drive on the left side of the road and have the driver’s seat and steering wheel on the right. And unlike the U.S which has a minimum driving age of 16, the legal minimum age for driving in Japan is 18 years. While you are waiting for the train to arrive, you stand in politely in neat rows, calmly waiting for your train. When the train arrives, the first rule you must bear in mind is that no matter how crowded it looks, there will always be room for one more. If you have any doubt about the above rule, there’s a white gloved attendant ready to shove you in. Then, once you get one the train, you must remember certain rules. Don’t drink coffee in the morning, save drinking anything for the ride back home. The morning rush hours peak on weekdays between 8am and 9am, while the evening rush hours are more spread out and commence around 5pm. Rush hours are most extreme in Tokyo, but also pretty heavy in Japan’s other major cities. So if you plan on riding the train it is best to go before rush hours. As you stay in Japan you as individual can learn to grow towards multicultural perspectives and develop alternative futures for his or her self, thus making his or her self a more culturally accepting person.

Martin Luther King V. Malcolm X

Alan Mason Period 8 Martin Luther King v. Malcolm X Martin Luther King has been known for using peace to help him get equality among all people but especially African-Americans. He was not the type of leader that resorted to violence in order to get the equality that he fought for. King has been known for moving people by the use of his speeches like King's I Have a Dream and Vie Been to the Mountaintop speeches. King shows through these speeches that even though he was determined to get equal rights for every African-American, he as only going to stick to subtle, nonviolent ways like court cases, protest, and boycotts.This philosophy is the exact opposite to Malcolm X, another Civil Rights Leader, who thought that African American should not waste their time on protest and boycotts (Document 7). Malcolm, like King, was not in favor of violence but believe that African Americans should by all meaner use violence to protect themselves when they â€Å"attacked by racists† (Docum ent 9). But, Martin Luther King's philosophy was more beneficial for the African-American community then Malcolm Ax's because the effort that he put Into his nonviolent philosophy made gaining rights more successful and more meaningful.Martin Luther King showed that he had the better philosophy compared to Malcolm X because of his stance on violence. One way King upheld his beliefs was through protest. King said In his Our God Is Marching speech, â€Å"We are on the move now. The burning of our churches will not deter us. We are on the move now. The bombing of our homes will not dissuade us† (Document 4). So Protesters, Including King himself were having their homes burned down for retesting for what they believe Is right. In March of 1965 King and other protesters walked In order to raise awareness of the need for a Voting Right Act. This Act was passed later that year.But even though they achieved their goal for voting right does not mean that the protesters did not receive opposition for their actions. Mass arrest, police attacks, and state troopers blockading all occurred throughout the walk. If King chose to fight back then that could have either delayed getting the Voting Right Act approved, or It may have been felt that African-Americans did not deserve to get the Act approved. But King Just showed by obtaining from violence you can still get what you want. Martin Luther King showed that there were other ways to fight for what you want aside form fighting Itself.King did this by using boycotts and strikes. He said, â€Å"There Is nothing quite so effective as refusal to cooperate economically with the forces and Institutions. † King realized that one of the ways he was going to get American to give them the rights that African-Americans wanted was by disrupting the flow of money that was going Into the Caucasian shops. This meaner by not buying from places that o not offer Jobs for African-Americans then those businesses would see how much they needed the African-American community, even If It meant having to hire African- American workers.Malcolm X did not agree with boycotts and strikes he said, â€Å"We have to learn how to own and operate the businesses of our community and develop to be involved in picketing and boycotting other people in other communities in order to get a Job† (Document 7). But this idea completely went against the philosophy of being together not separate. If this would have happened then the country would eave always been separate and things would have never been equal.Martin Luther king has been known for using his words instead of his fist when it comes to defending what he many thousands of others believed to be correct. King once said in his I Have a Dream speech that he had a dream that â€Å"former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood†¦ They will not be Judged by the color of their skin but by their charac ter†¦ We will be able to work together, pray together, to struggle together, to go o Jail together, to climb up for freedom together† (Document 2).King fought for African Americans rights by using his words. He told the people of his desires for and equal and fair life where people could live in harmony with each other and not be judged by their skin tone. He thought of a time where there would be no more separate but equal as were stated prior, people would be able to â€Å"work together†¦ And go to Jail together. † (Document 2) So by using his speeches where thousands of people came to listen to him talk, he moved a nation to be in favor of his reasoning's.In conclusion, Martin Luther Kings philosophy was more beneficial for the African- American community then Malcolm Ax's because the effort that he put into his nonviolent philosophy made gaining rights more successful and more meaningful. King kept up with his no violence idea by participating in other thi ngs that got America's attention like protest, boycotts and speeches. King strives to achieve equality and because of his hard efforts he has succeeded in more ways than one to help African-Americans get the same civil rights as Caucasian Americans.

Policy development Essay

In layman’s terms, policy may be defined as a deliberate plan of action that is used to guide decisions and thereby achieve rational outcomes. There is a fallacy that policies only apply to governments. Policies may also apply to private sector organizations, groups and individuals. Difference between policy and law To a great extent, laws are used for compelling or prohibiting behaviors. Conversely, policies are used to guide actions so that the desired action may be achieved. There various types of policies. These include public, fiscal and urban policies. Consequently, policies may then be understood as the political, management and administrative mechanisms arranged to reach certain explicit goals. Involvement Various individuals and groups in society try to shape up policy by way of advocacy, education and the mobilization of interest groups. The aim of doing so is to sway the policy makers to make decisions that will be in their favor. It is all about interest at the end of the day. If particular groups in society feel it is in their interest that certain policies be made in their favor, they try as much to advocate for them by way of lobbying. According to Cohen, De la Vega & Watson, in advocacy, certain groups or individuals in society take it upon themselves to educate the public and also the policy makers about the nature of the problems, the kind of legislation required to deal with the said problems including the funding required to provide the necessary services and/or conduct research (2001). In my community located in a small town in Pennsylvania, the major issue of concern is access to clean water. Water is life so the saying goes. However, in my small community, more and more people are finding it considerably hard to access reliable and safe water. Most of the local streams where the majority of the people obtain their water from are becoming openly polluted (Clean Water Action, N. d. ). This makes the water an issue of serious concern. As an individual member of our local community organization, known as, Water is Life, involvement is usually in the following policy areas. The reason I am involved in the policy is, unless the issue is addressed sooner rather than later, it may turn disastrous. There is no life without water. Lobbying The aim is to influence our representatives to institute meaningful change (Richan, 2006). The local town council which is an arm of the government needs to make sure that clean water is availed. The mayor’s election pledge was that clean water will be provided to the residents of the community as soon as he got into office. It has been six months and the taps are still dry. Consequently, I have established that the most effective lobby methods to use so as to reach the locals are letter writing, phone calls and meetings. This way the residents stay informed on the activities that the organization is involved in. However, the use of e-mails has proved to be much faster and convenient. With the growth of information and communication technology, members of the community have access to the internet (Grassroots lobbying techniques, N. d). However, it is not only the resident of the community who have been receiving the letters, emails and phone calls but also the mayor and Governor Rendell. Advocacy Cohen, De la Vega & Watson, define advocacy as the quest of influencing outcomes that in one way or another have an effect on people’s lives (2001). Advocacy is an integral part in policy and resource allocation decision. Advocacy is necessary if the adoption of the Buffer 100 policy is to become a reality and also if the protection of the streams and provision of clean water is to be realized. Through advocacy, the community organization Water is Life, has been able to give a voice to the residents of the community. More over, it has helped to mobilize them towards a common goal. Community mobilization The single most important resource that a community may use to influence policy is the people. When the people get together, they are better able to provide solutions to their most immediate problems. As part of the mobilization efforts, I am involved in handling out of pamphlets and organizing village meetings (Handbook, N. d). However, it is important to note that all these endeavors may not be successful without some kind of education. The locals have to be clearly informed on why their participation is important. Accordingly, the community organization (Water is Life), which may be regarded to an interest group pushing for the needs of the community and the policy implementers (the town council, the Office of the Mayor and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) may be referred to as the main actors. They are the main players in this policy issue. The individuals who have mostly been affected by the policy are the residents of the community. These actors are involved in different parts of the policy development process, right from the identification of the problem all through to the evaluations stage. Issue of concern There are many people in the community who are facing the possibility of not being able to access safe water. The residents should unite and support the implementation of the Buffer 100 policy which will protect the Pennsylvania streams from pollution (Clean water Action (N. d. ). Clean water has many uses. For drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning. There is as strain on the availability of safe water because the population has increased while water sources have remained constant while some have been destroyed. It is hard to imagine what the situation will be like in a few years time with population growth. There will be more demand for clean drinking water though the supply will be next to none. While the community was able to support a smaller population in the early 1980’s comfortable with the water resource given by Mother Nature, it has become considerably hard to continue with the trend. Human activity (pollution), the clearing of forests and other water catchments areas plus the effects of global warming are all to blame (Real Estate Futurist, 2009). The Clean Water Act is the chief federal law in the United States used to govern water pollution (Ryan, 2004). The clean water issue is contained within the broader realm of environmental policies. To a great extent, the formulation of water policy heavily relies on input from numerous parties/actors; from individuals, groups, communities and policy implementers. Their main duty is to avail critical information and expertise necessary for the understanding and addressing of water provision concerns. Extent to which the issue affects a larger number of people It has already been established that clean water is an absolute necessity. Without clean water, the existence of life becomes precarious. According to United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on climate change, a massive 2 billion people will not have access to clean drinking water by the year 2050. What is even more shocking is that the number may rise to 3. 2 billion people by the year 2080 (Associated Press, 2008). For evidence and proof that indeed water has become a scarce resource one only needs to open the newspapers and /or watch news for pictures of dry barren lands and animal carcasses under the scorching sun in such parts of the world as Africa. In the US, some regions are at the limit of their fresh water supplies. One major region that is experiencing water shortage is California. It is expected that between the year 2000 and 2015, the population will have doubled up. Think of the resulting stress on the provision of clean water. The lack of water has far reaching consequences. There will be less food production. Think of the West part of America which relies on irrigation to sustain agriculture (Real Estate Futurist, 2009)? Less food production will then mean that food will become more expensive. In the US, the people who may be most affected by the lack of safe water are the very young and the old. Thus, these include children of school going age and the old people most of who live in retirement homes. More over, people from marginalized communities for instance, the Latin Americans and immigrants from other countries may be affected. In terms of gender, women may be most affected as they are the ones who are mostly charged with the duties of looking for water. More over, they perform most of the activities where water is primal such as cooking and cleaning. Nevertheless, people who are in the lower end of the income bracket will also be more affected. Think of the people in manual/temporary labor who earn less than one dollar a day. In the event of water shortage, they will not have any money to spare for the purchase of water. They may then result to using contaminated water which is a health hazard. There is need for the adoption of better policies that will guarantee better access to safe water regardless of race or social class. Conclusion Policies are deliberate plan of actions used to not only guide decision but also to achieve a logical and rational outcome in particular issues and activities. Some of today’s policy issues are to be found in the environmental, health and education sectors. The availability and provision of safe water is a serious local and global issue in the environmental realm. Individuals and groups alike are involved in advocacy and lobbying as a way of influencing actors involved in policy development and implementation such as government representatives to act accordingly. The aim is to voice the concern of the people most affected by the issues; local communities. Unless, the water issue is addressed now there will be worse things to worry about in future. References. Clean water Action (N. d. ). Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www.cleanwateraction. org/ Clean Water. (2009). Real Estate Futurist. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www. realestatefuturist. com/re-environmentwater. asp Cohen, D. , De la Vega, R. & Watson, G. (2001). Advocacy for social justice. Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press Inc. Experts warn of severe water shortages by 2080. (2008). Associated Press. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/27781117/l Gerston, L. (1997). Public policy making: Process and principle. New York: M. E. Sharpe. Grass root lobbying techniques. (N. d. ). Retrieved March 20 2009 from http://fsalc. com/root. html Handbook: Non-formal adult education facilitators. (N. d. ). Retrieved March 20, 2009 http://www2. unescobkk. org/elib/publications/nonformal/M1. pdf Richan, W. (2006). Lobbying for social change. New York: Routledge. Ryan, M. (2004). The Clean Water Act handbook. Chicago: American Bar Association. Smith, B. (2003). Public policy and public participation: Engaging citizens and community in the development of public policy. Health Canada. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www. phac-aspc. gc. ca/canada/regions/atlantic/pdf/pub_policy_partic_e. pdf

Accidental Buddhist Essay

I’d never heard of this book before I started this class. I’ve always been interested in the nature and customs of different cultures in other countries. That may be one of the reasons why I took this class. I believe another reason is that I had already taken Western Religion and wanted to learn more. This book didn’t really spark my interest at first but after I got to reading it I seemed to keep going back to it and reading more. In the book the author Dinty Moore takes a year and begins to ponder the shift to Buddhism. He does this along with a couple other Americans. Along with some other things that he does he got to a strict Zen Monastery and a loose Theravada Center. Moore also interviews experts and visits a pair of struggling cushion makers. The author gets the extreme honor and pleasure of being able to ask the Dalai Lama a question when he attends a talk at Indiana University. This inspires a little of his own quest for meaning after the God from his childhood left him for the most part but also left a sense of suffering. His travels proved worth while and often modestly told exploration of one mans mid-life quest for something that was spiritually missing. This book moves more towards the less visible and un-promoted side of how Buddhism is starting to filter into today’s American life. For Moore this fits better than the shaved head, mantra chanting, and incense wreathed thought that most Westerners have associated with Dharma. The author looks for something or someway for him to replace what he lacked from his childhood faith. In the book, he seeks guidance towards confronting and being able to answer the big questions that leave us dissatisfied and wanting more information. My favorite parts of this book were Chapters 6 â€Å"Catholic Boy Zen† and 9 â€Å"The Plain-Spoken Theravada. † In Chapter six the author talks to Fr. Robert Jinsen Kennedy who is a Jersey Jesuit that combines Zen and Catholicism. Their intelligent conversation addressed the lack of maturity in ways that Catholicism has been presented to those who came from his generation. There were the last ones to get the pre-Vatican II version of the negative â€Å"thou shalt not† mindset which was combined with a simplified version of God and Jesus that was manufactured for an easy transmission to about a billion followers. Moore acknowledges that his current attraction towards Buddhism may be an overreaction to the Catholicism from his childhood. Even the Dali Lama’s own caution for Westerners not to over romanticize Buddhism as opposed to their â€Å"Judeo-Christian† mentality hits a nerve as the author listens to the Tibetan leader respond in Indiana to his own question. Inside Chapter Nine it reveals a growing comfort with Dharma. Moore takes pains not to glamorize those who adapt to Buddhism. Being well-read in this field his sources remain largely invisible and he aims for an accessible jargon-free presentation that anyone can understand. The author concentrates on overcoming his â€Å"rock† with in, his resistance and his angst, his entrapment in the cycle of suffering, and keeping his anger in. this is similar to many Irish Catholic males of at least a certain age and upbringing. Everything that has happened in his life has compelled him to look for what is missing and wanting to find out more about Buddhism. Moore attempts to get over the thing that permeates our mental habits which he calls the â€Å"if only† postponement of happiness. The author compares this to missing the sights and sounds of a hiking trail because your rushing down it eager to finish. He also compares it to him driving down the interstate thinking of how the vehicles engineering detracts from distractions but it also blurs any sense of the journey’s own beauties and discoveries. One of the things that challenge Mr. Moore to slow down and appreciate wisdom is his fear that forty-five years of work and the worry of twenty years over lost opportunities will zip past him. The author knows full well a few hours of practicing Buddhism over a years’ time won’t bring on dazzling illuminations. However, after he attends a second Zen retreat gets a glimpse of more than he had in the beginning. He tries as a mediator to silence the restless â€Å"monkey man† inside, before calming down: â€Å"Maybe enlightenment is when the monkey just sees the sunset and when the sunset ends that monkey just looks at the stars. Another thing Moore brings up is that â€Å"You can’t slow the brain down with a few brief attempts any more easily than you can stop a speeding freight train with a white picket fence. † To the authors astonishment he adapts well to being able to sit still. Even though there are no dramatic changes in his life he grows calmer, more equitable, and perhaps become a lot happier. Instead of being a self-promoting journey towards insight this book ends up being very quiet. If this book were found at the right time and in the right mood it should be satisfying to a patient and quiet seeker. However, this could be too much for the eager inquirers to handle. Concerning whether God exists or not Moore realizes that he isn’t going to worry to much about it. â€Å"If God does in fact exist, I should live my life according to the principals of kindness, compassion, and awareness. Even if there isn’t a God the same principals apply which is his summation of an intimate Buddhist perspective. † I recently had the opportunity to go and see Dinty Moore speak here at Sinclair. I learned quite a lot about him during his talk starting with that he was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. One of the things that I learned about him is that he sees writing and Buddhism as being connected. While Mr. Moore was on his journey to finding himself he traveled around the country. I learned two aspects of Buddhism are you can’t control outside aspects and you can control the reaction people have. He informed the group that came to see him speak that after writing the book he became a writing teacher. He also let us know that to him Buddhism and other religions have wide similarities.

Bring Safe Drinking Water to the World Essay

Lack of clean water for drinking affect many people in every continent. Around one-fifth of the population in the world stays in areas of physical scarcity while five hundred million people are said to be approaching this situation. This problem is more serious in Africa than in any other continent. Lack of safe water for drinking is explored in the accompanying paper. In this paper, results of lack of clean drinking water in Africa is assessed more so in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper also explores the impact of water scarcity on stability of Africa and the World. It further evaluates how United Nations have helped solve the problem and ways in which developing countries can ensure they have adequate clean water. Lack of safe water for drinking is a one of the leading problem in the world. It has an impact on over 1.1 billion people all over the world. Safe drinking water is defined by World health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund and Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation as water that has microbial, physical and chemical characteristics that meet the guidelines of National standard on quality of drinking water (Campbell, Caldwell, Hopkins, Heaney, Wing, Wilson, et al. 2013). Lack of safe drinking water is looked through a population to water equation treated by hydrologists as 7,700 cubic meters per person. This is the threshold for meeting water requirement for every industrial, agricultural production and the environment. It is said that a threshold of less than 1,000 cubic meters of water represent water scarcity and below 500 cubic meters of water represent a state of absolute scarcity. Inadequate safe drinking water is a major challenge to many countries. It is a major problem for developing countries that are racing forward towards physical limits of expansion of fresh water, expanding urban settlement, commercialization of agriculture and industrial sectors. Fresh water is a crucial resource in development of Africa. It is said that Africa continent has a population of 800 million people. 405 of the total population in Africa lack access to safe drinking water. It is argued that half of people living in rural areas of safe drinking water. It is reported that Sub-Saharan Africa has more water stress than other parts of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa has a population of over 320 million people have no access to quality water. It is said to be the only region in the world that will not be able to meet the 2015 millennium development goal. In 2012, a Conference on ‘’Water Scarcity in Africa: issues and Challenges† was presented with information that by 2030, 255 million to 760 millions in Africa will be staying in areas with high water stress (Barone, 2008). Scarcity of safe drinking water has lead to poor heal in Sub-Saharan Africa. People in water deprived areas use unsafe water that causes spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, typhoid fever, malaria, trachoma, typhus and plague. Scarcity of safe water forces people to respond by storing water in their households. This further increases chances of water contamination and spread of malaria due to mosquitoes. Infected people with waterborne diseases reduce chances of community development and productivity due to lack of strength. Government resources are used to buy medicine for these people. This takes away funds meant for food supply, school fees and other development projects. It is estimated by Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council that treatment of diarrhea caused by water contamination in Sub-Saharan Africa takes away 12% of countries’ health budget. Government in the areas channels their energy and part of fund allocated for other expenditures to helping people affected by lack of water at the expense of other essential services like maintaining peace and security in the region. Human Development report suggests that use of water by human is mainly on agriculture and irrigation. In Sub-Saharan Africa, agricultural activities account from over 80% of the total water consumption. Majority of people in this region depend on agriculture. In rural areas, 90% of families rely on producing their own food hence water scarcity leads to loss of food security. Conflict arises in this region due to political interferences in irrigated land due to land tenure and ownership problems. Governments in this part of the world lack funds and skilled human resources that can support technology and infrastructure needed for good water management and crop irrigation. Scarcity of safe water makes people use waste water for irrigation. This makes a lot of people to eat food with disease causing organisms. Women in this part of the world are burdened by lack of clean water for drinking. They are the collectors, managers as well as guardian of water in domestic spheres which include household chores such as washing, child rearing and cooking. They spend a considerable amount of time fetching water (Dreibelbis, Winch, Leontsini, Hulland, Ram, Unicomb, et al., 2013). This causes a decrease in the time available for education. Their health is also at risk of skeletal damage caused by carrying heavy loads of water every day over long distances. Loss of potential school days and education prevents the next generation of women from holding professional employments. Access to safe water for drinking will make women in Sub-Saharan Africa increase time allocated to education which will make them take leadership positions. Scarcity of water makes many children in this region drop out of school to help in household chores which are made more intense by lack of water. Increase in population in Africa and lack of safe water for drinking has caused a lot of strain and conflict on relations between communities and between countries.It has been argued that Nile River is a source of conflict in nine countries. Water fro Nile River is the only source of sustaining life in both Sudan and Egypt. Egyptians use military force to make sure they retain control over Nile River because she has no other source of water. This conflict runs from the colonial era when England textile factories depended on Sudan and Egypt agricultural activities. After the colonial era, Egypt continued to create political instability in Ethiopia. It blocked international financing agencies from giving loans to Ethiopia in order to finance projects on the river. The conflict is now real because Ethiopia has now managed to carry out water projects on her own like building hydro-power dams and irrigation programs. Egypt has been reported to issue threats of war to Tanzania and Ethiopia. In 1970s, Egypt armed Somalia separatist rebels in Ethiopia in the Somali invasion. The nine involved states have had agreements and treaties in a bid to control conflict. However, treaties and agreements have resulted to inequitable rights of using water from Nile River between countries. An example is a treaty between Great Britain and Ethiopia, Emperor Menelik II, king of kings of Ethiopia. He agreed with the government of His Britannic Majesty not to construct or permit construction projects across Blue Nile, the Sobat and Lake Tana in 1902. In 1906, an agreement between Britain and Government of Independent state of Congo would not construct or permit any construction of projects over or near Semliki or Isango rivet that would reduce the amount of water entering Lake Albert. In 1925, conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia escalated because Ethiopia opposed earlier agreements (Dreibelbis et al., 2013). The League of Nations demanded Italy and British government give an explanation on sovereignty of Ethiopia on Lake Tana. The League of Nations did not help resolve the conflict because there was no self enforcing and reliable mechanism to protect the property rights of stakeholders which is necessary for international water development to be applied. Due to failure of United Nations to help solve the Nile basin conflict, nine riparian states formed a partnership called Nile Basin Initiative. Its mandate is to develop Nile River in a cooperative way, sharing social-economic benefits that promote regional security and peace. World Bank agreed to support the work of Nile Basin Initiative as a development partner as well as an administrator of multi donor Nile Basin Trust Fund. Disputes have also erupted in Niger River Basin. Disagreements and disputes in this basin are caused by limited access to safe drinking water. The disputes are between communities in Mali, Nigeria, and Niger. River flows and rainfall have reduced from 1970s leading to tension between two communities that live in the basin. The two communities are pastoralists and farmers. Pastoralists are forced by lack of water to travel farther with their herds. On the other hand, farmers expand their cropland to take care of increasing population. This reduces pathways that are available to herder and their livestock. Tension increased due to poor policy decisions. In Lokoga in Nigeria, government started dredging Niger River in early 2009 to increase commercial shipping (Huang, Jacangelo & Schwab, 2011). The government of Nigeria argued that dredging would help reduce flooding but late farmer suffered from floods in 2010. Farmers resulted to building homes and cultivating land away from the river leading to reduction in land available for grazing. This has facilitated conflict between the two communities greatly. New dams rose built by the government of Nigeria raised ecological issues that provoked hard negotiations over sharing of resources equitably in Niger Basin (Loftus, 2009). It was reported that Mali and Niger did not support construction of dams across the river. Navigation of the river was also constrained by the availability of large boats when water is deep enough. Climate change in Niger Basin has caused a high degree of variability in river flows, rainfall and temperature. The international community is doing little in helping the conflicting countries in the Niger Basin resolve the conflict. Scarcity of safe drinking water has also led to a lot of competition in Volta River basin. Volter River basin is said to be one of the poorest part in Africa continent and is shared by six West African states. People in the basin depend on agriculture as their means of livelihood. The population in West Africa is growing at the rate of 3% thus putting pressure on water resources and land. Burkina Faso is increasing agricultural development upstream using surface resources such as water (Okun, 1991). Water development in Burkina Faso has had a negative impact on Akosombo Dam which Ghana depends on for its energy supply. In 1998, low water level caused energy crisis in Ghana which ended up blaming Burkina Faso water project. Low water levels could have been caused by other factors such as unreliable rainfall variability. Peaceful conflict resolutions could be hindered in the future by insufficient communication between Ghana and Burkina Faso (Ram, Kelsey, Miarintsoa, Rakotomalala, Duns ton, & Quick, 2007). Ghana wants to create dams for power generation while Burkina Faso plans to use water for irrigation hence causing conflicts of interest. This conflict received international community recognition which formed a major inter-governmental program to enhance regional cooperation. Green cross water for peace project was put in place to ensure full and also active involvement of representatives of civil societies across the region in generation of basin’s agreement, management policies and principles. Developing countries can learn form developed countries on how to have adequate water supply and sanitation facilities, management of floods, pollution, management of rivers and large dams. Ram et al. (2007) argues that good governance can help address the lack of safe drinking water. He further argues that good governance is essential in procuring loans and aid for water projects form international organizations like world bank, International Monetary Fund, Africa Development bank and from developed countries like Britain, Germany, china, France, united Sates of America and Russia (Rosenberg, 2010). An example of a country that applied good governance to address water problem is South Africa. After Apartheid, the government of South Africa inherited huge problems of access to safe drinking water. It had a population of over 15 million people lacked access to clean water. The government managed to commit itself to high standards and investment subsidies to achieve its goal. From that time South Africa has made good progress to a point where it reached the universal access to improved water source in its urban centers. Similarly, the percentage of people in rural areas with access to clean water increased from sixty six percent to seventy nine percent from 1991 to 2010 (Loftus, 2009). Good governance will help government in developing countries partner with institutions that will help turn all underperforming utilities into good service providers. They would also benefit from the expertise in local, national and international sectors. Research has shown that it is difficult to change processes in water sectors. There has been friction between stakeholder and partners in determining priorities. This led to ambiguities in the role and responsibilities allocation resulting to the high cost of transaction. Just like in developed countries, good governance in developing countries will enable providers and policymakers are accountable to water users. This assists in improving services and enhancing consumer understanding the need for changes and the possible contribution of public private partnership (Ram et al., 2007). Great relationship with international financial institutions will enable developed countries have an adequate supply of safe water. World Bank is known to finance building of infrastructure such as funds to dig boreholes. It usually subsidizes the cost of infrastructure through inter-governmental transfers, donor projects and social development funds (Okun, 1991). Developing countries should consider the use of use Decentralized Mebran Filtration system. This technology provides safe drinking water that is clean. This system employs effective ways of removing surrogate bacteria and parasites from drinking water hat is responsible for contamination of water. This method is affordable to low income countries. Decentralized Mebran Filtration system is appropriate where central municipal water treatment is not possible. It aims to apply integrated bench scale and field scale approach in evaluating sustainability of Decentralized Mebran Filtration system in providing safe drinking water (Huang et al., 2011). Another possible solution is applying desalinization technology. This technology is said to filter salty water through membranes and removing salt through a process of electro dialysis and the reverse osmosis. The technology has worked in over one hundred and thirty countries in Middle East and in North Africa. With this technology, countries that are currently using it produce over six billion gallons of safe drinking water a day. Recycling and filtration should also be encouraged because the two methods are easy and cheap. Conserving water can also be achieved on a smaller scale beginning with improvement in homes (EMD, 2009). Developed countries should explore and exploit underground water. A country like Kenya and Namibia has discovered a 10,000 year old supply of water in underground aquifers. This underground water can satisfy the needs of Namibia for over four hundred years. Researchers argue that throughout Africa, there is twenty times more underground water than volume of surface water. The population of Africa is expected to increase to over two billion in 2050. This implies that countries need to explore other sources of water since traditional sources of fresh water are affected by changes in climate, lack of rainfall and rises in temperature that evaporate lakes and rivers. Other methods that developing countries should encourage their citizens to use include boiling water. It is an efficient method of water sterilization though boiling is costly in terms of fuel use. Another method is solar disinfection by use of ultraviolet radiation. This method is cheap and less damaging. It involves putting water in transparent plastic bottles and exposing it to sunlight for about forty eight hours. This technology cost people nothing by only plastic bottles full of water on corrugated metal roof. Low income countries should also start water projects like water dams and rain catchment systems. These methods are simple and inexpensive. A well close to a village or in a village ensures people do not walk long distances in search of water. It saves time hence making sure there is enough time allocated for other things like learning (Barone, 2008). Campbell et al. (2013) argues that integrated research can help countries achieve adequate supply of safe water for drinking. He attributes the lack of water to fear and inadequate reorganization by communities. He points out that global research can help solve the problem of water scarcity and proper sanitation. This implies that United Nations should put more effort in bringing solutions to water problems. African countries can achieve adequate supply of clean water if they invest in integrated research and funding. They should also put in place policies and infrastructures that attract foreign investments from developed countries such as United States of America, France, China and Russia. Lack of safe water for drinking is a global problem. It affects both developed countries as well as developing countries. United Nations should look for ways to deal with water scarcity and amicable ways of resolving political instabilities resulting from water stress. Developing countries should learn from developed countries on the most appropriate ways of providing clean water. They should maintain good governance and a good environment that can attract foreign investors as well as donors. Through collective effort from all stakeholders, the problem of water can be solved. References Barone, J. (2008). Better Water. Discovery, 29(5), 31-32. Campbell, R. L., Caldwell, D., Hopkins, B., Heaney, C. D., Wing, S., Wilson, S. M., et al. (2013). Integrating Research and Community Organizing to Address Water and Sanitation Concerns in a Community Bordering a Landfill. Journal of Environmental Health, 75(10), 48-50. Dreibelbis, R., Winch, P. J., Leontsini, E., Hulland, K. R., Ram, P. K., Unicomb, L., et al. (2013). The Integrated Behavioural Model for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: a systematic review of behavioural models and a framework for designing and evaluating behaviour change interventions in infrastructure-restricted settings. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1015. EMD Millipore (2013, September 23). EMD Millipore Donates $30,000 to Charity: Water in Recognition of World Water Week. Pharma Business Week, p. 22. Huang, H., Jacangelo, J. G., & Schwab, K. J. (2011). Decentralized Membrane Filtration System for Sustainable and Safe Drinking Water Supply in Low-Income Countries: Baseline Study. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 137(11), 981-989. Loftus, A. (2009). Rethinking Political Ecologies of Water. Third World Quarterly, 30(5), 953-968. Okun, D. A. (1991). A Water and Sanitation Strategy for the Developing World. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 33(8), 16-43. Ram, P. K., Kelsey, E., Miarintsoa, R. R., Rakotomalala, O., Dunston, C., & Quick, R. E. (2007). Bringing Safe Water to Remote Populations: An Evaluation of a Portable Point-of-Use Intervention in Rural Madagascar. American Journal of Public Health, 97(3), 398-400. Rosenberg, T. (2010). The burden of thirst. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Magazine. Source document

Marketing Management Individual work week11 Coursework

Marketing Management Individual work week11 - Coursework Example Point-of-purchase promotions have been popularized as a method of increasing sales as it is reported to have a great impact in influencing consumer buying behavior. While there are consumers who are insistent on brand loyalty, most of them decide to purchase and try new brands especially when their preferred brands are out of stock. If such a product happens to be better than the original brand, consumers can make the decision to switch the brands. Some of the promotions that I recently came across include McDonald’s food products, apparel stores and grocery stores (Jones et al, 2003). At the point of sale, McDonald’s burgers, fries, burgers, beef and all their food products are displayed on a screen in a very appealing way. The purpose of such display is to entice consumers who are passing by to feel hungry even when they are not really hungry, and thereby end up buying their food. The point of sale advertisement of their food items is also aimed at adding to, rather than changing the beliefs of people who believe that their products are high in fat by promoting the sweet tastes and convenience of their food. I felt that he point of purchase of McDonald’s beef was very helpful as it was not interested in changing my perception about the dangers of eating product with so much fat, but revealing why it is convenient for me to have such beef once on a while, and therefore they influenced me into purchasing a piece of McDonald’s beef. This type of media is very effective and I would recommend that McDonald spend their advertising budget on this f orm of media. Sometimes people go inside the stores and come out without there being major variations inside. However, the apparel stores are changing that by making their front door an invaluable tool of enticing consumers to enter the store and make a purchase. This is done by displaying the best designs and

Article Review 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article Review 1 - Essay Example The study by The Employment Policies Institute, a nonprofit research organization, proves that for every 10 per cent increase, the unemployment among minorities like the Hispanics, teenagers and African Americans has increased considerably. Moreover, low-skilled unemployment among high school drop-outs has also grown. Studies by Dr. David Neumark, a University of California, Irvine economist, support these findings and states that the law has â€Å"the largest negative effects on low-skilled employees, such as teens and minority teens†. By destroying the opportunities of entry-level jobs for many, the law robs them of the right to learn skills and develop good work habits which would help them develop a career. James Sherk, a labour policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, points out that the law also has the negative effect of reducing many workers’ job opportunities and working hours. He observes that â€Å"wage hikes cause businesses to reduce the number of workers they hire and the hours they ask their employees to work†. Though there are some workers who initially earned near the minimum wage experience gains, the general impact would be a negative one for those who seek entry-level jobs, as Neumark’s study suggests. According to the Hoover institution, 20 per cent could lose their jobs unless there are offsetting tax cuts for small businesses. Lambro points out that there is an increasing tendency among industries to replace workers with machines, computers and the internet facility, to avoid the extra expenses they would have to meet by paying the minimum wages to a large number of people. Such job reduction will accelerate if the law continues to impose burde n on small businesses. Moreover, Sherk’s study also points out that the general benefactors of the law are not poor, dispossessed people, but teenagers from affluent families. This again reduces the