Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Bush donate a buck to the Africa :: essays research papers

AIDS IN AFRICA: Mission Control - Pres. Bush's plan to triple US spending on fighting AIDS in Africa President Bush's new $15 billion AIDS-fighting initiative for Africa will triple U.S. spending on the crisis. It is a "work of mercy," says Bush-a mission-one undertaken by a "blessed country" that recognizes its moral responsibility to help the wretched of the earth. It's no surprise that Bush speaks of the plan in the language of religious mission. He himself is a believer, and his decision to commit massive resources to the African catastrophe reportedly was influenced by his meeting with evangelical Christian leaders. We applaud the president's tender heart for suffering Africans, but we hope he keeps a hard, clear head as the program is implemented-and that he stays in close touch with those evangelicals. As our Rod Dreher reported in NR's last issue, experts have had solid evidence for at least a decade that the only effective way to arrest the HIV infection rate in Africa is with an education program emphasizing abstinence and fidelity, with condoms as a safety net should the first two strategies fail. Uganda, almost alone among African nations, tried this approach, working closely with religious groups preaching traditional morality. Most other African nations followed the condoms-only advice of Western experts. Result: HIV infection rates peaked in Uganda in the early 1990s, while the crisis in the rest of Africa raged out of control. Behavioral change is the only thing shown to have worked to bring down HIV infections in Africa. Yet this is the strategy that the vast majority of the Western AIDS establishment-doctors, scientists, public-health bureaucrats, donor organizations, activists-resists with all its might, in large part because it sees this approach as "moralizing." If the president wishes to avoid throwing good money after bad, these experts must not be allowed to continue excluding proven behavior-change strategies from their AIDS-fighting arsenal. Fully half the budget of the new program will go to pay for anti-retroviral drug therapy for those already suffering from AIDS, which would reduce their infectiousness. This is needed, as are the monies set aside for other medical interventions. (We trust, however, that the administration will work to make sure that any legislation precludes the possibility that AIDS funding will be diverted to the promotion of abortion.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Philosophy Meaning Essay

PHILOSOPHY greek meaning â€Å"love of wisdom†, encompassed the love of all wisdom, but only in recent centuries came to refer to a special branch of enquiry, separate from other sciences, such as â€Å"natural philosophy†. * is universally defined as â€Å"the study of the wisdom or knowledge about the general problems, facts, and situations connected with human existence, values, reasons, and general reality. † It seeks reasons, answers, and general explanations to life and its factors. Thus, if we talk about philosophy, we talk about a school of thoughts. â€Å"philosophers† which makes a profession of studying things in their separation from human life and practice. The main branches of Philosophy are Logic, Epistemology, Metaphysics and Ethics. Western philosophy is referred to as the school of thought from Greek philosophy that influenced the greater part of Western civilization. * takes its roots from Rome and Christianity, specifically Judeo-Christianity. * Latin * Rational, Scientific, Logical schools. Western civilization is more individualistic, trying to find the meaning of life here and now with self at the center as it is already given and part of the divine. Eastern philosophy is based mainly in Asia, more specifically the Chinese philosophy. * Confucianism, Mahayana Buddhism, and Taoism. Chinese. Hinduism, Integral Yoga, Islam, Zen * Relationship with religion; Integration Search for absolute truth: * Systemic approach – all events in the universe are interconnected * Searching inside yourself – by becoming a part of the universe through meditation and right living. Eastern philosophy is drawn much more into groups or society or people’s actions and thoughts as one in order to find meaning in life as they try to get rid of the false â€Å"me† concept and find meaning in discovering the true â€Å"me† in relation to everything around them, or as part of a bigger scheme. Summary: * Western philosophy is mainly used in the Western parts of the world, such as in the European countries, while the Eastern philosophy is prevalent in Asian countries. * Both philosophies center on virtues. * West’s Individualism ( and the East’s Collectivism (A human being is an integral part of the universe and the society. People are fundamentally connected. Duty towards all others is a very important matter. Collectivism is stronger. ) * Eastern philosophy takes more of a spiritual approach while Western philosophy is more hands-on. The Ionian Philosophers * comes from Aristotle; first source to attempt systematic exposition of their doctrines. Thales * Prediction of the eclipse, and other astronomical activities. * Prediction of solstices * Mathematical discoveries (geometry ) * Cosmology * Natural phenomena – including the heavens – could be discussed as processes governed by natural laws. * Believed that the Earth was a large (? at) disk ? oating on an in? nite ocean of water, and that earthquakes resulted from disturbances in this ocean that shook and cracked the Earth. * concept of â€Å"unity underlying diversity† – some fundamental principles tying together all the multitude of things we see on Earth * water was the fundamental element from which all things were derived. Anaximander * Zoogony and anthropogony * thought the Universe formed out of an in? nite chaos he called the â€Å"boundless† due to a â€Å"separating out† of opposites (such as hot and cold, wet and dry). * ? rst recorded attempt to model the Universe. (the Earth was a cylinder and that the Sun, Moon and stars were all located on concentric cylinders, or hoops, rotating about the Earth. ) Anaximenes * one ruling material principle is air; imperceptible. * Air was the fundamental material of all things. * ? rst attempt to explain the diversity of the world with qualitative differences in terms of quantitative differences. Babylonians and Egyptians were excellent at mathematics. Greeks began to move away from their mythical view of the world and started to seek explanations of natural phenomena; later called science. * All questioned the origin of the Universe, what was here in the beginning, and what things are made from. They all believed that material substance (rather than some spiritual or supernatural substance; thus the name materialists) made up the Universe. In other words, matter is the only substance, and reality is identical with the actually occurring states of energy and matter. * ‘physicalism’. to distance oneself from what seems a historically important but no longer scientifically relevant thesis of materialism.

Friday, November 8, 2019

The eNotes Blog eNotes Student of Change Amena Mian, and the Fashionably ConsciousNGO

Student of Change Amena Mian, and the Fashionably ConsciousNGO I dreamt up Project Sina in college and always thought that I would pursue the endeavor later on in my career. I guess there is a perception that one has to be of a certain age and have collected a number of accolades before doing something entrepreneurial Frustrated by a narrow job market, I was compelled to create my own opportunities regardless of who or what entity deemed me qualified.  - Amena Mian In our new blog series, we’re interviewing students and recent graduates who have taken their studies and done something profound with them. Some are doing great work at home, while others have traveled to far off destinations to help communities in need. Whatever path they’ve chosen, these inspirational Students of Change prove that being young and recently graduated are never hindrances to doing what you want to do. Amena Mian  is a graduate of UC Davis, with a degree in Global Community Development. She has an extensive amount of experience working for mission-driven nonprofits both in the US and South Asia  and she was  selected as a Fellow for the IDEX Fellowship in Social Enterpise 12-13. Her non-profit fashion label Project Sina is generating opportunity for women through a stitch, employing Pakistani artisans to create beautiful, hand-crafted clothing and repaying them with fair wages and education.   Amenas  efforts to promote literacy and equality for South Asian women make her our hero and this weeks Student of Change. Read on to learn more about her and her co-founders noble cause! Tell us a little bit about your NGO, Project Sina. What inspired it and what does it do for women in Pakistan? Project Sina is an ethical fashion brand based in Karachi, Pakistan that strives to provide its employees with a fair wage and educational programming for their hand embroidered shirts. Growing up in a Pakistani-American household, I was surrounded by traditional garments and always wondered why I couldn’t find the same beautiful Eastern detail on modern, Western silhouettes.  Pakistan’s culture is very much artisan driven, whereby ready made clothing is a novelty and most individuals are their own fashion designers. They choose their own fabric, trim, and have their own tailors. Yet, after studying abroad in Delhi, I  came to realize that the majority of artisans creating this beautiful hand embroidery, almost all of them women, live  well below the poverty line. Furthermore,  Pakistani women, although arguably the most underprivileged group, show the most potential in terms of their very specialized skills. So, starting Project Sina my aims were to fill both the gap for South Asian-inspired garments in the fashion market as well as the need for womens advocacy in Pakistan. Project Sinas philosophy is simple: although underprivileged, the women we work with are never without potential. All they need is the right footing in the global marketplace and a venue for sales, and thats where we come in. Having studied community development, I found that most development projects abroad only seemed to highlight what communities were lacking. Project Sina instead strives to highlight the talents and acute skills of women in Pakistan. Doing that, were able to bring their products  to the world, rewarding them at the rate  they deserve for their work. A Project Sina artisan holds up her entry to one of the charitys design competitions Starting an NGO seems like an impossible task to most people. Can you talk us through how you turned this dream into a reality? I dreamt up Project Sina in college and always thought that I would pursue the endeavor later on in my career. I guess there is a perception that one has to be of a certain age and have collected a number of accolades before doing something entrepreneurial. However, lucky me, I graduated in 2011!  Frustrated by a narrow job market, I was compelled to create my own opportunities regardless of who or what entity deemed me qualified. Immediately after graduating, I was also fortunate enough to re-connect with an old friend, Anum, who had similar project ideas of making beautifully embroidered garments that would help lift women out of poverty in Pakistan. It was through this re-kindled connection that the stars aligned in a way. Obsessed with this idea, Anum and I put our heads together and began chipping away at our business plan. It took about a year for us to build up our network and get people excited about Project Sina. By way of Indiegogo, we were finally able to raise enough money to start  operations and create our initial inventory. What are some of the most valuable things youve learned along this journey? One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned through starting up is that authenticity goes a long way. It is those individuals who I have genuine connections with and people who are really excited about creating greater opportunity for women in Pakistan that have been most instrumental in giving this project wings. So I guess you can say being open and honest about project challenges and opportunities is something I consider a best practice now instead of constantly trying to sell or solicit. What advice can you give the students that use about pursuing their dreams? The best advice I can give other eNoters with any kind of dream or entrepreneurial idea – stay consistent! Excellence is a habit, not a trait. Turning your vision from dream to reality does indeed require a lot of planning and work. I of all people know how difficult it can be to work on your skill or project in between a hectic work or school schedule. But if you stay consistent about it and don’t give up hope, good things will come. You never know who or what opportunity can be around the corner, you just need to keep putting that energy out into the universe. Sound advice! So, where do you see Project Sina in  the future? We have come quite far. Up to this point we’ve worked with about 30 women who receive a fair wage and are now some of the first literate females in their family. But Project Sina certainly has a long way to go in terms of expanding the number of women we reach and developing our product. We’ve definitely had a good run in terms of piloting operations in Pakistan and seeing how the market has reacted to our concept and product. The  next step were currently working on is developing a new inventory of tops on high quality fabrics. Within the next 2 years, I hope that Project Sina is able to really carve out a niche within the ethical fashion space, becoming a brand that is known for both our distinct aesthetic as well as the impact we make in the lives of women in Pakistan. Within the next 5 years, through the brands own success, I hope to prove to the larger fashion industry that you can indeed be profitable and create positive social change at the same time, rather than one at the cost of the other. By that 5 year point, I would like to expand operations into other countries, turning Project Sina into a truly global movement. Everyday eNoter Questions: The Everyday eNoter’s bookshelf is always full, what’s your current favorite read? I am currently reading Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found. I lived in Bombay for a bit and felt that there was a profound complexity to the city that I never understood. The author Suketa Mehta, walks you through the dark underworld that you always knew existed but never had a tour guide for. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received from a professor or teacher? I wouldn’t say advice, but I certainly had a very special Hindi Professor at UC Davis that appreciated my quirky personality and big mouth (few professors do). If it weren’t for him and that class, I probably would have never ended up India or started Project Sina. If you could change one thing about the education system, what would it be? Why? Tough Question! For starters, I would somehow try to reform the structural inequalities that exist in the education system, whereby those that are the right race and are privileged enough to go to a good school tend to stay in school and go to good universities. It breaks my heart when I look at a child and know that for the most part, a bright future has been robbed from them simply because of their race and the neighborhood they live in. I’m also really into the concept of child-centered learning, whereby a child’s curiousity guides their curriculum – whereby we highlight their talents as opposed to negatively conditioning them and reinforcing what they aren’t good at. Looking back, what advice would you give your freshman self? I would have talked to my professors more! They are usually great resources if you actually talk to them like normal human beings and utilize office hours. What’s your go-to music/soundtrack for homework or writing? Right now I am listening to a lot of electronic music. Disclosure in particular. I’d like to think that I can still party when working. Where to find Project Sina: Follow the below links to find out more about Amenas project and support the cause. Projectsina.com Project Sinas Online Store Project Sina on Facebook

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

European Alliances essays

European Alliances essays The alliance system, which was started by Bismark, helped keep the peace throughout Europe. Although the reason it was started was to keep Germany from ever having to fight a war on two fronts (France and Russia). So Germany had an alliance with Austria-Hungary and also had an alliance with Russia. Then Bismark was dismissed and the Kaiser did not renew the treaty with Russia. Instead a Triple Alliance was made between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. This made France and Russia very nervous so they decided to form their own alliance which was called the Franco-Russian Alliance. Britain tried to stay out of the alliances, but Britain highly distrusted Germany after the Boer war and so they joined forces with France and Russia. This formed the Triple Entente Alliance. In the years that followed, several crisis happened within the alliances to lend fuel to the start of the war. First of all there was the Tangier Crisis. In which the Kaiser wanted to try out his new army and Britain and France negotiated peace to avoid a fight. I think the Kaiser wanted to beat the French to show the Brits how much stronger his army is. Then there was the Agadir Crisis, the Bosnian Crisis and the Balkan wars. All of these were smaller battles between two or three countries which very easily could have involved the other allied countries. Instead people got angrier and more power-hungry. It built upon itself until the final straw which was the assassination of Ferdinand. ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Problem solving skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Problem solving skills - Essay Example The math trial is to be done by students who will be divided into two groups to promote team work among them. The maths trail will have four stops of 6 minutes each so that the pupils get to answer questions and do not have much time to lose concentration, (Ollerton, 2007). Questions to be asked would be: are all the chimes in the park of the same length? Do they make the same sound? How is the length of the chime and pitch of the tone related? They will be determining the period. One pupil will sit on the swing, the second will count the number of 10 back and forth swings and divide by ten. This is to be repeated using different distances. Does this affect period? Other swings with different lengths of chains are also to be tried with the same experiment to determine if the length of the chain affect period of the swing. The last questions will be counting the number of trees that are in the resting place, measuring and comparing their diameters too. The first stop will be at the chimes. Chimes are fascinating due to the beautiful musical motes they make. Some need to be stricken by a stick to make sounds. This exercise will help pupils in learning to explore and observe, (Morgan, 2006). The second stop would be at the slides. Slides usually provide a lot of fun to both adults and children. Some are usually steeper than others. The third stop will be at the swings. Swings provide a feeling of relaxing when playing on it. This will require pupils to help each other. Three will volunteer to dot is as others watch and help in observation. The last stop will be in a protected open field that has a few trees and shrubs. This will help pupils in developing observational skills, estimation, measuring and content knowledge, (Ollerton, 2007). In conclusion, math trials offer huge learning experiences at all ages easily. Math trials can be organized to address specific topics or just help the

Saturday, November 2, 2019

A discussion of a contemporary play by an Asian or Asian-American Essay

A discussion of a contemporary play by an Asian or Asian-American playwright - Essay Example truggling; a forty year old mother, who sacrificed everything for her family; a forty five year old carpenter, who wants to promote his ancestors’ arts; director Ma is fifty years old and is very bold and flaunt-natured. Name of each character shows appearance of people belonging to their specific age groups. They are waiting for a never arriving bus; if, by any chance, it arrives, it never stops for its passengers. The place where eight characters are desperately waiting is a bus stop; however, the bus almost never arrives at this bus stop, and when it does, it passes by without stopping. There are two iron railings where time and again all the passengers ask each other to form a queue. Sign board is almost erased due to being so old, and people wait for endless hours on the bus stop and then leave without ever catching a bus. Time is passing very slowly and the waiting passengers are looking at their watches over and over again. Somebody says it’s an hour, another says that a whole year has elapsed. In China, the most common and most convenient way of traveling is through bus, and, therefore, people from every class use it quite often. That is why whatever is happening at the bus stop is the portrayal of the real life issues. Even though a lot of their time is wasted while they are waiting for the bus, which, in turn, makes them annoyed, rude, irritated and violent, yet they still go through this whole process of waiting every day. They pass their time by talking and discussing different things with each other. Although all of them are destined to go different places and have different purposes and ambitions of life, this bus stop is the element that connects their lives, links them to each other, with people belonging to every group of age. The bus stop has become an important part of their lives, where they expect to find someone with whom they can indulge in discussions about things of common interest and who can help solve problems by talking about

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Continue American Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Continue American Airlines - Essay Example 352). The airline industry is gravely affected by the rising fuel costs in the global market, rapid evolution of the internet, and other technological factors. 2. Competitive Forces of the Airline Industry Competition in the airline industry is becoming more aggressive since the â€Å"world is experiencing massive expansion of both domestic and international air travel† (Williams, 2009, p. 80). However, the industry has been shakedown by highly dynamic environment that influenced the industry’s competitive forces which include entry of competitors; threat of substitutes; bargaining power of suppliers; bargaining power of buyers; and rivalry among the existing players (Hubbard, 2004). The entry of competitors is determined by the existing barriers that include intense competition, differentiation and the high capital costs of entry. However, when the market is deregulated the liberalized the industry is becoming saturated with new entrants like the LCCs. In terms of thre at of substitutes, customers can also use other carriers such as train, bus or cruise lines in order to reach the desired destination. Furthermore, the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers is among the critical competitive forces of the airline industry because of its direct impact on prices, volume, and profit (Porter, 1998, p. 45). Air travel carriers particularly those that are sharing the same routes need to have their own effective strategies in order to attract travelers, considering that the industry is centered on Boeing and Airbus suppliers. Lastly, competitive rivalry in the airline industry is high because of its low-cost nature; high fixed costs and competitive pricing make the industry grow at a very slow rate. 3. Airlines Firm Competes Today In the history, the airline industry is heavily regulated wherein almost all of the firm’s activities are highly supervised. This isolated manner of competition had initiated in the U.S.; however, it has been remodeled a nd â€Å"for the first time of history of commercial aviation, an open market situation in which competitive market pricing was to be the norm, and market entry was to become legally open to new airlines† (Williams, 2009, p. 78). The fact that U.S. is one of the highest performing countries in the world, and the reform strategy has been effective in the country, then the other countries are encouraged to adopt the diverse market deregulation. Today, airline firms are competing based on their sizes, assets count, competitive pricing and technological advancement. 1. Firm Competitiveness: Their Key Strengths and Weaknesses AA is one of the world’s largest air freight carriers, and they remain to be competitive despite of the existence of LCCs because they believe on their strengths from the principles of low costs, valued customers, cooperation, and strong financial condition (Subbarao & Murthy, 2005, p. 75). AA’s key strengths include 621 passenger fleet in more than 251 destinations in 41 countries, its alliances and partnerships with American Eagle and AmericanConnection (regional affiliates), Oneworld Airline Alliance, and trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific joint business agreement. All these activities are realized by AA because of their strong relations with the government. Their key weaknesses include unstable financial position because of on-going economic crisis, high operating expenses and