Factors That Shape The Learning Experiences Of Our Students

As educators we are called to analyze important issues that shape the learning experiences of our students. One of the major concerns of today’s educators is the so called racial or class groups that are present in our lower income demographics. These groups, which tend to encompass minorities and other non-dominant cultures, are affecting the quality and experiences of thousands of students nationwide. The children of these groups are suffering from external hindrances in pursuing their education. These hindrances come in many forms but equal out to less opportunities and fewer tools for success. Through this critical analysis, outside forces such as; economic and race privilege, prejudice or racism, and discipline data will be explored to answer the question of why these ‘gaps’ in student learning are occurring. A common idea that has garnered some attention these last few years is the idea of ‘white privilege’ and its existence and affect in the school system at large. Both sides of the argument have varying understandings of how to approach, let alone deal with, the problem. In her essay Brown Plus 50 Counter-Storytelling: A Critical Race Theory Analysis of the â€Å"Majoritarian Achievement Gap† Story, Barbara J. Love states that â€Å"African American children receive a very different education from that received by white children. They are more frequently disciplined, detained, suspended and expelled.† This is continued in the article with Love saying that these students areShow MoreRelatedHigher Education Is The Foundation For Critical Thinking.Critical1154 Words   |  5 PagesHigher education is the foundation for critical thinking. Critical thinking leads students into making important goals so that they can achieve them successfully. With higher educat ion allowing students to be successful, it creates a great pattern on how students learn more effectively. 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Some of the students have not had prior experience with school or day care. The students all come from different backgrounds, lifestyles, and cultures. Those factors can make the identification of a connection between symbols and objects difficult. Some students do not have the same knowledge or background to makeRead MoreEducation Is An Important Factor1725 Words   |  7 PagesIn our society today, e ducation has become an important factor in our live. The ways we have increasingly progressed over the many years have influenced our perspectives of what education really is. Although education is thought to mean acquiring knowledge obtained from textbooks and school, I believe that it is one of a broader sense; allowing not only students, but everyone to expand their experiences, thus creating what Spayde and Kagen would consider â€Å"real world† education. In my personal pointRead MoreTransformative Learning Theory : Learning Theories975 Words   |  4 PagesTransformative Learning Theory The transformative learning theory is based on the belief that transformative learning is†a shift of consciousness that dramatically and permanently alters our way of being in the world†. Transformative learning changes how we know. It leads to a more discriminating, inclusive, and integrative perspective. This theory shows that with more knowledge and understanding the way people think about themselves and the world goes through a conversion. Read MoreEducating All Students : Creating Culturally Responsive Teachers, Classrooms, And Schools992 Words   |  4 PagesGaining learning and experience about other cultures background will enrich my multicultural knowledge. Therefore, as an educator I must learn about others culture. As I begin to learn about others cultures I will understand how values influence the ways families interpret the instruction that feels right to them. A close study on Figure 3.1 implies that a teacher’s point view or the way the students are treaty can affect their learning. It keeps narrating the story of a teacher that had to learn

The Wolf of Wallstreet Movie Review - 1477 Words

Every day, people in current society are reminded to follow a certain code of conducts or ethics to live a legal and proper life. These codes may be simple and contain common sense, such as following the law or not cheating other people. However, in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, it not only promotes these actions, it shows it to the live audience the positive effects it may produce. The Wolf of Wall Street is based on a true story of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who served 36 months in prison for defrauding investors during the 1990s. It involved the corruption of Wall Street and the corporate finance world. Belfort, in the movie, is portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, and begins the movie as an innocent and fresh low-level stockbroker at an established Wall Street firm. However, shortly after, the firm goes through bankruptcy as a result of Black Monday. Black Monday refers to Monday, October 19, 1987, when stock markets around the world crashed (Jordan Belfort). The rest of the film shows Belforts lifestyle after he starts doing drugs, defrauding, and cheating many people. The film, The Wolf of Wall Street, while trying to inhibit the actions from the movie to real life, promotes the extravagant and dishonest lifestyle of drugs, sex, and money. The film depicts the occurrence positively showing only the fun and joy of this lifestyle and allows the audience to immerse in these illegal activities with a sympathetic characterization of Jordan Belfort. While one can say

Camera shots free essay sample

There is a convention in the video, film and television industries which assigns names and guidelines to common types of shots, framing and picture composition. The list below briefly describes the most common shot types (click the images for more details). Notes: The exact terminology varies between production environments but the basic principles are the same. Shots are usually described in relation to a particular subject EWS (Extreme Wide Shot) The view is so far from the subject that he isnt even visible. Often used as an establishing shot. Very Wide Shot VWS (Very Wide Shot) The subject is visible (barely), but the emphasis is still on placing him in his environment. Wide Shot WS (Wide Shot) The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible. AKA: long shot, full shot. Mid Shot MS (Mid Shot) Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject. We will write a custom essay sample on Camera shots or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Medium Close Up MCU (Medium Close Up) Half way between a MS and a CU. Close Up CU (Close Up) A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame. Extreme Close Up ECU (Extreme Close Up) The ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail. Variation: Chokercut-in Cut-In Shows some (other) part of the subject in detail. Cutaway CA (Cutaway) A shot of something other than the subject. two-shot Two-Shot A shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot. over-the-shoulder shot (OSS) Over-the-Shoulder Shot Looking from behind a person at the subject. noddy Noddy Shot Usually refers to a shot of the interviewer listening and reacting to the subject. point of view (POV) Point-of-View Shot (POV) Shows a view from the subjects perspective. weather shot Weather Shot The subject is the weather. Can be used for other purposes, e. g. background for graphics. Extreme close-upECUThis is a very close shot showing the detail of an object or the physical features of a person. To make the viewer aware of some specific detail in the film. It can be used to heighten tension. Very close-upVCUThis is a face shot taken from the mid-forehead to above the chin. This shows the close detail of the characters eyes and mouth. It can be used to heighten tension. Big close-upBCUThis is full head height and the head takes up the entire screen. It contains little or no background. This shows the detail of the character’s face. Close-upCUThis is a shot taken of a person’s head from just above the head to the top of the upper chest. It can also be used to film an object at close range. It contains little or no background. This used to introduce a character and allows the character to show emotions. It can be used to heighten tension. Medium close-upMCUThis shows the upper half of the body. The shot is taken from the above the head to lower chest. Good for conversation between two characters. Medium shotMSThis shows half of the body. The shot is taken from above the head to just below the waist. This allows you to get to know the character more closely by viewing their facial expressions and body language. Medium long shotMLSThis shows the whole person as well as some of the background. Places the person in context. Long shotLSThis shows the whole person and other characters, but the background dominates the shot. This allows the viewer to understand the relationship between the characters and their environment. Extra long shotELSThis shows the landscape of the film or a barely visible character

Summer Experience at Stanfords EPGY and UC Berkeleys SIG Program

Going to summer school doesnt always sound appealing at first, but its often more rewarding and exciting than it seems. Take it from TerenceZ! Now a USC student, he shares his experience at Stanfords EPGY and UC Berkeleys SIG Program. Summer is truly the most fantastic time of the year — we are finally rewarded with a break from the dull monotony known as school. But to college admission officers, how you spend your summers is key. Gone are the simple summers where all that happens is â€Å"nothing much, relaxing at home,† or â€Å"nothing, just having some friends over.† That certainly doesn’t mean you stop having fun, though. I was blessed with the opportunity to attend EPGY at Stanford and SIG at UC Berkeley during my sophomore and junior summers, respectively. Both were on-campus summer programs that give students the opportunity to either pursue a subject area further than what typical high school classes allow with other students that share similar interests. There were a plethora of different courses offered at both camps, thus allowing every student to find at least one thing that they love. The biggest benefit of the two summer programs is that because of their prestige, they attract the best and most passionate students in each field. It’s surprising how much more one can learn when the entire class is constantly engaged, attentive, and always willing to test theories out. I was amazed when I got to the â€Å"Frontiers of Physics† class at EPGY and discovered the passion students had for exploring the edge of our universe and the mysteries it holds. The teachers were also highly specialized and enthusiastic, and I quickly realized the advantages—we got to experiment with explosives (under supervision, of course) at SIG and at EPGY we got the opportunity to visit the Lick Observatory, a large telescope owned by the UC system. Of course, if you’ll be living, eating, and learning with the same people, you are bound to make some pretty close friends. And yes, that’s one of the main benefits of investing three weeks of your summer to attend a summer program. I personally have made friends that I still talk to, even two years down the road. As an underclassmen, you’ll also have the advantage of knowing friends who’ll go through the application process before you, and will be able to help you out when it’s your turn. Plus, you get to visit when they are in college and get a personalized tour! Finally, we also got to experience the â€Å"college vibe† at both schools before we applied. If you have a school that you are interested in, spending a few weeks of your summer there will definitely learn more about the school’s academic offerings and culture. Both summer programs provide a rather extensive tour of the school, so students get to know the environment and the resources you’ll have access to as a college student. It’s a shame there weren’t that many college students on campus, but the ones that were there were often enthusiastic and happy to answer any questions you have about their school. Some may even give you a tour.

Founding Brothers Essays

Founding Brothers Essays Founding Brothers Essay Founding Brothers Essay Essay Topic: O Brother Where Third they took slavery, the most threatening issue off the agenda. [17] The fourth and final theme was that the politicians knew they were making history on which their reputation would rest. Knowing that people were watching them kept them on their best behavior. [18] Ellis ties his points together in a way that helps illustrate logic among the scattered principles that the Founding Brothers established for this young nation. With a newly emerging country on their hand, the amount of deliberation and diverse opinions brought upon a number of differences. Adams and Jefferson did not meet eye to eye. Having recently liberated this young country from a tyrannical nation, both men sought only the well being and prosperity of America. Demonstrated by their dedication to one another in many forms, such as an immense amount of letter writing exchanged between them. On January 1, 1812, Adams wrote a cordial note relaying family news and saying two pieces of Homespun were on their way. : Jefferson thought the homespun referred to domestically produced clothing, but it was a metaphor to a copy of John Quinsys book, Lectures on Rhetoric and Oratory. This was the beginning of a 158-letter correspondence, which eventually brought back the friendship. [222, 223] Adams initiated the road to an understanding between the two men. It wasnt in vain because it ultimately helped tie up loose ends within the meaning of the revolutionary war. It also served as a way to fully merge both trains of thought on the occurrences of the revolution. In other words, the correspondence between the two men helped bring the revolutionary war into a full circle allowing thoughts to be expressed and unfinished business to be dealt with. In the end, these two feuding people came to an understanding and eventually, collaborated. Before the Internet and cell phones, politicians main way to communicate was by face-to-face interaction with each other. This helped illustrate the intimacy that these men shared with one another. Though perhaps hostile at times, they served as ways to bring everything to the table. Which Jefferson literally did when he invited Hamilton and Madison to a dinner in mid-June of 1790. With this meeting they were able to collaborate in a way that allowed for immediate feedback and in some case, debate. Jefferson brokered a political bargain of decidedly far-reaching significance: Madison agreed to permit the core provision of Hamiltonians fiscal program to pass; residence of the national capital would be on the Potomac river. [49] Jefferson was the peacemaker between the two men who came to agreements and allowed them to improvise. Ellis quoted, The Compromise of 1790 would top the list as the most meaningful dinner party in American history. [50] With so much going on in the political system at the time, there is never Just a single issue that needs to be addressed. The Founding Brothers knew that in order to have a successful run at a new country, slavery had to be put on the back burner. Congress was prohibited to pass any law from The Constitution of abolishing or restricting the slave trade until 1808. [82] It was perhaps the wisest decision they made. In a newly forming country, adding on this weight could have tilted the scales and created more turmoil than that they could handle. In the end they knew the issue of slavery had to wait so that we would not be separate countries with separate histories in the North and in the South. Ellis believed that the Founding Brothers had pulled off one of the hardest maneuvers in political history. Not only had they led a successful revolution against England, the greatest world power at the time, they had maintained and cultivated their own governmental system, independent of the British Crown. They had achieved this with the diverse characters and ideologies of their members. The face to face communication between said members which kept the country a personal matter and of utmost importance. Leaving the issue of slavery to be addressed after the country was more secure. Lastly, the Founding Brothers pulled off this miracle of a feat by living with the knowledge that they were being watched by future generations of Americans to come and their example would be important. Ellis would agree that this is how they did it.

How to Break Into the Greeting Card Industry

How to Break Into the Greeting Card Industry Making extra income doesnt have to take hours away from your leisure time. In fact, if you have a way with words, you can make as much as $75 in as little as half an hour. The greeting card industry is enormous and boasts billions of dollars in sales annually. Greeting card companies are always on the lookout for the next best idea and pay contributors very well. The pay scale ranges from $75 to $300 for a few heartwarming, romantic or funny lines. This makes greeting card writing one of the best-paid gigs for clever writers.   Anyone who has ever stood in a greeting card aisle and thought, I could write a better card than that, is welcome to send submissions to the dozens of card lines looking for freelance writers. Theres some basics that writers should know before pitching their ideas to card publishers: 1. Artists and writers are hired separately. A writers input on artwork may or not be solicited. Dont send your artwork unless its expressly permitted in the publishers submission guidelines. 2. Shop markets akin to your writing. Blue Mountain Arts creates poetic cards. Smart Alex creates racy humor cards. Peruse the companys current line so that you dont accidentally submit a raunchy birthday card to a devoutly Christian publisher and get yourself blacklisted. 3. Track markets and submissions.   Refrain from simultaneous submissions of card ideas. Feel free to submit rejected content to similar markets once its returned to you. Create a spreadsheet to help you keep track of when and where you sent each submission. Number your card ideas to make them easier to track. 4. Less is more. Writing cards isnt rocket science, but it is a distinct style of writing. Use words sparingly and intentionally. Cards are written in a conversational tone, not glittering Elizabethan prose. You should write greeting cards as if you are talking to your best friend, spouse or grandma, but not at the same time. That may make for an awkward card. 5. Broad approach has greater reach. Not everyone has had a Persian cat named Pocahontas recently pass away. However, there are many people who have recently lost a beloved pet. To those card buyers I send my condolences, because its awful to lose a pet. To card writers, I offer a piece of advice: Keep your ideas broad enough that they appeal to a large market, but narrow enough that they feel genuine to readers. 6. Request writers guidelines or research them online. Each card publisher has distinct tastes and submission preferences. In that way, they are very similar to literary agents and publishers. Take the time to do your homework. Many card publishers post their submission guidelines on their sites. Some will send their guidelines and current needs if you request them. This is the preferred method, because it clues you in to what they are shopping for in their next line. 7. Follow the publishers submission format. Greeting card publishers do not subscribe to a specified submission format. In this way they are akin to literary agents and publishers, but thats where the similarities end. Greeting card submissions are much shorter and far easier to compose than queries. This doesnt mean writers may fling grammatical caution to the wind. Be sure to follow the format so your submission isnt tossed. If the submission guidelines dont specify a format, the one provided below is acceptable: OCCASION: Birthday OUTSIDE TEXT: Place outside text here INSIDE TEXT: Place inside text here OUTSIDE IMAGE SUGGESTION: Place any art ideas here Marilyn Dunroe, mdunroe@gmail.com, 321-321-3321 8. Search for additional markets. Check the backs of the cards being sold in your local chain and specialty stores for publisher info. Most cards are imprints of American Greetings and other large publishers. They occasionally hold contests, but hire staff writers to create their content. Smaller publishers are more apt to accept unsolicited submissions. Card writing is a great way to earn extra income from the comfort of your home for the small sum of your clever quips. Ready to get started? Good. Heres a list of card publishers that accept submissions from freelance writers: Oatmeal Studios: Style: lighthearted humor Blue Mountain Arts: Style: poetic heartfelt verse Calypso Cards: Style: modern, sassy (offers a line of divorce cards) Smart Alex: Style: controversial and crude humor

New Keynesian Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

New Keynesian Model - Essay Example A major advantage of the NKPC compared with the traditional Phillips curve is said to be that the latter is a reduced-form relationship; whereas, NKPC model has a clear structural interpretation so that it can be useful for interpreting the impact of structural changes on inflation (Gali and Gertler 1999). The key New Keynesian models of incomplete nominal adjustment Dynamic Stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) is a new Keynesian economic model whose foundation is hinged on the microeconomics elements. The key purpose of the DGSE model is to integrate monetary policies and theories with real business cycles impacting the economies. The model acknowledges and specifies preferences of economic agents such as individuals and firms who wish to maximize utility ad profits respectively. The DGSE model depends on the current choices of economic agents to predict future economic outcomes. It also allows stochastic disruption on the technology of production and applies the competition princi ple to compute equilibrium price and quantities under the function of preferences, tastes, technology and random shocks (Geweke 2009). There are many assumptions that are made in the DSGE model. The first assumption is that the model relies on complete markets. Complete markets allow competitive monopolistic economic agents (firms) to set prices in response to market conditions. The set prices cannot be adjusted instantly without incurring some additional costs. Second assumption is that prices and wages are sticky. Economic processes are influenced by various factors that delay price and wage adjustments making it difficult to attain full equilibrium. Such factors include failure of firms to reduce prices even if marginal cost decreases in order to increase their level of profits. If demands fall, firms are likely to hold prices constant and reduce production rather than reduce the prices of goods or services. Thirdly, the model assumes that economic agents are rational. This means that economic agents choose appropriate consumption paths that maximize utility and production paths that maximize profits. Fourthly, resources are fully utilized in each period. This means that there are no resources spilling to the next budget period. Fifth, input decisions are determined by people who decide how much time they work, the quantity of goods and services they consume as well as the amount of income they save and invest in line with costs associated to those decisions. Sixth, the economy is closed. This indicates that they are no international goods or services that flow in or out of the economy. Seventh, money markets do not exist in the economy. Finally, the eight assumption of DGSE model is that people know policies that affect them a next in advance. For example, people know the exact tax policy that affects them in the coming year. These are policies that are likely to be sustained though they are likely to experience stochastic disturbances. The model takes int o consideration random shocks such as technological change, fluctuations in price of oil and errors in macroeconomic models. Though the model is considered superior, it has been criticized that it was not useful in analyzing the financial crisis of 2007-2010. It is also considered as too stylish

Fashion Textile Futures Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fashion Textile Futures Theory - Essay Example The essay "Fashion Textile Futures Theory" draws a distinction between clothing and fashion. Clothes are the media through which cultural ideas flow. Clothing helps us to order our cultural categories; class, status, gender and cultural principles i.e. values, belief and ideas are determined which we hold regarding our world. It is pertinent here to define Culture which may be defined as the way of life, with share abilities, habits, beliefs and customs of people or social groups. It is the entire complex of learned behavior, transmitted to subsequent generations in an ever changing cumulative dynamic way. We may call the artifacts; consumed and produced in a culture, a material culture. These artifacts are produced to express the unexpressed beliefs since the artifacts are understood in particular culture. Artifacts are unconscious and unintentional medium of attitudes, values and beliefs. But Prown says that artifacts are intentional expressions of an aesthetic which is equal in me aning and important to the unintentional expression.4 Cordwell and Schwarz noted that clothes were ignored in the studies of material culture. But later on it was realized that clothes; artifacts, are associated with ‘a complex sentiments’ and it channels the emotions and helps people to move in a ‘culturally appropriate manners. To Schwarz clothing has a symbolic role to play more than any other material objects. It arbitrates the relationship among nature, people and their ‘socio-culture environment.... M. J. & Gruel. L.M. (1981). The Second Skin. Boston: Houghton - Mifflin. 4 Prown. Jules D. et al (1985). "Material cultural studies: A Symposium" Material culture. 5 Cunningham. Anne. Patricia. Lab.Voso.Susan. (1991) Understanding Dress and Popular Culture. Bowling Green State University: Popular Press To Schwarz clothing has a symbolic role to play more than any other material objects. It arbitrates the relationship among nature, people and their 'socio-culture environment.'6 The Study of Blue Denim jeans helps us to understand the statement of Schwarz and particularly his emphasis on the symbolic role of clothing. Blue jeans are all pervasive on the scene of cultural history of America since 130 years. During that period of time jeans exemplified different meanings and messages for the society. It became a symbol of rebellion, an outlet of personal freedom and creativity then it serves as an icon of awareness of fashion also. Change in the style of jeans is actually a sign of change in manners and attitude in the American society. These changes are the subtle but accurate barometers of trends in contemporary popular culture.7 In 1960s the concept of "Jeaning of America" came on the surface to give a jean new role in the American society. It was a great shift in the attitude of the society and particularly in youth when the new clique of rebels; "beatnik", the bohemians, started putting on black sweaters with blue jeans as daily wear to represent the urban intellectual, a dissenter, to rebel against the 'conformist society of the day.' To wear plain jeans and dark colors was to reject the more-is-better, new-is-better mentality of the Organization Man World. 8 By 1967, the youth dominated the sub-culture. Who had

Mathematics and Linguistics Essay Example for Free

Mathematics and Linguistics Essay How is Mathematics and Linguistics related with each other? Linguistics is the science of language. Linguists seek to understand the proper uses of natural human language. How languages are structured, how and why they vary and change, how they are acquired, and how people, in communicating use them. Mathematics on the other hand is the language of science. It is used to understand areas as diverse as the structure of DNA and the motions of planets. Mathematics abstracts the fundamental issue at the heart of an example, frequently  finding connections with other, initially contradictory problems. Language is a universal theory. Everyone uses language as a form of communication. This is the same in Mathematics. Math, like linguistics can be broken down into many different sub-categories such as geometry, trigonometry, algebra, etc. Algebra, being a great example of this because, instead of using words, it uses symbols to convey an idea. Forming sentences is like forming an equation. Once the pattern is understood, a person who speaks this type of language is able to understand. Once  one knows the pattern, it is easy to understand the overall meaning of a language without even knowing the vocabulary; therefore linguistics like mathematics is a universal concept. In my research and study of mathematics and linguistics I discovered how important and inter-related both subject areas are to each other. Mathematical linguistics is the study of statistical structure of texts and the construction of mathematical models of the phonological and grammatical structure of languages. Today, the fields of linguistics are used by computer scientists, engineers, and by  mathematicians who are interested in the nature of language processing. To summarize,math deals a lot with patterns, as does linguistics, so understanding patterns is very important. Noam Chomsky , a notable Linguist and Philosopher once stated â€Å" A linguist does not need to have deep understanding of the more complicated fields of mathematics; However a good linguist, is educated enough to see a pattern in language and from there, they are able to properly study and dissect the on going patterns and changes that occurs with languages everyday. †

Steven Spielberg :: Essays Papers

Steven Spielberg Steven Spielberg is an American motion-picture director, producer and executive, who has achieved great commercial success and is among the most popular film-makers of the late 20th Century. Spielberg made his first film at the age of 12. In 1969, his short film â€Å"Amblin† came to the attention of Universal Pictures and he signed a seven-year contract with them. His earliest commercial efforts were television movies, which included the f m â€Å"Duel† made in 1971, and which gained him wider recognition. In 1975 Spielberg made the film â€Å"Jaws†, a thriller based on Peter Benchley’s novel about a great white shark. â€Å"Jaws† proved to be a tremendous success and quickly established Spielberg’s reputation and fame. After this, with only few exceptions, almost every motion picture that Spielberg has handled has become a box-office hit, and he has been increasingly regarded as a film-maker of genuine artistic ability. Subsequent films have included â€Å" Close Encounters of the Third Kind†(1977), â€Å"1941†(1979), â€Å"Raiders of the Lost Ark†(1981) and it’s sequels: â€Å"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom†(1984) and â€Å"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade(1989), also â€Å"E.T.† (1982) which has been said to have been his greatest achievement, â€Å"The Color Purple† (1985), â€Å"Empire of the Sun†(1987), â€Å"Always†(1989) and â€Å"Hook†(1991). In 1993 Spielberg released two films that had tremendous commercial and artistic impact. â€Å"Jurassic Park† featuring computer-createad dinosaurs, which within four weeks of it’s release became the top-grossing motion picture up to that time. He als released â€Å"Schindlers List†, an epic of the Holocaust, this proved him to be a director of grear power and sensitivity, he received an academy award for best director and best picture. In 1987 he had received the Irving Thalberg Award. In 1994, with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, Spielberg formed a new studio, Dreamworks SKG, they also annouced the formation of a creative partnership with Microsoft Corporation - Dreamworks Interactive - to produce interactive games, videos a teaching materials.

Create and sell an accessory collection (starting a small business) Essay

The main reason I’ve chosen this topic is because as you will also read in the introduction, making accessories is something I really like doing; It is the first time I can accomplish a school task that has been given to me, doing something that I enjoy. It is just perfect! It will not only help me with my school life, but it could also be the beginnings of a promising future. The aim of my project, parallel to the fact of making accessories and selling them is to see if determination and skills are enough to start a business of my own. I do not believe it would be difficult to design and sell the new collection. What I have to see is how I will finance the whole process. But I am really enthusiastic about it and I will really try hard to put all my ideas into action. Since we had to do a project to pass the middle age program I tried to do a project that nobody else has ever done and something I really liked to do, so the best thing I could think was this topic I’ve chosen, I love doing accessories, it is very original, and I get a profit from it. Every day I work a little bit on this project since October of 2002 when they told us about it. I’ve been designing, creating, promoting, and selling my creations. But in order to do it right, I take down notes of every single thing I do as regards this job. How much I sell, I buy, I design, etc. I have divided my project into subtitles to organize the information in the way it will be easier for the reader to understand the whole process. The areas of interaction related to my project is: Approaches to learning, I had to do methodological work, my sense of effort, being able to hand in a project that hasn’t got any mistake, order of the project, communication and expression of experiences and searching for information and summarizing it. Homo Faber, I started a project of a small business and crated a project that is relatively new, inventing designs, and putting into practice purposes of Homo Faber. Environment, accessories are really involved with fashion and I take the designs from my surroundings, what is fashionable, styles, etc. Social Education, to show people that teenagers can start their own little business and to encourage young people to develop what the really like since they are little because maybe when they grow up they can still do what they did when they were young and to develop their ideas and imagination. In my opinion Homo Faber is the predominant area of interaction because I am starting a business with its pros and cons, also I am working with my imagination and time in order to accomplish my objective. When they told me that I had to write a personal project in Level 4, I wanted to do something different, something that nobody else had ever done before, and it had to be personal, something that I really like doing and what I really like is to design accessories When I was only eleven (11) years old, my mother brought home some big beads and some elastic. I started playing with them and I made my first bracelet. I realized it was entertaining and I preferred spending my time making accessories instead of watching TV. My grandmother gave me some more money and I bought my first working material, since then I have spent days and nights making accessories. My parents complained because they said that because I devoted all my time and energy to this, I did not study. But now I have my opportunity to do both things. Do what I really like doing that is beaded accessories, and also comply it with my schoolwork. This is really great! The idea is not only to design my own accessories but also to see if an adolescent can handle and manage a small company. This of course meant a lot of work, because I have to design the accessory, then promote it and sell it etc. In October 2002 Miss Pat O’Malley told us that we had to chose a tutor for our projects, she said tutors could only have 4 or 5 students, I choose Miss Claudia Zacarian but she already had her 5 students, but after talking to Pat O’Malley they allowed me to be with her. We started working and giving a little bit of shape to the project, I plan the whole essay with her. At March 2003 for my surprise, I got the news that Miss Claudia was not working at school any longer. I felt disappointed because of all the work we have been doing we came to trust ourselves and got to know us better. I had to chose someone else, but it was quite difficult because most of the teaches I Level 5 were new and I wanted to choose a tutor who liked what I was doing and that could help me with my project because she is interested and not because is a school task, so I asked Gabriela Flaiban the level 5 coordinator to be my new tutor, I asked her because I knew she liked accessories. I kept on working with her and she showed me several projects to organize myself better and what was that I had to include in the different sections and to give me a guide on what to do as regards my written work, also she proposed many things (I will explain later) which were really useful to me. It was very difficult for me to organize my work. I told my tutor and she advised me to go slowly. I wanted to sell the accessories I had to think about the colors, shapes, sizes, etc. My tutor told me to start doing surveys and end up doing the design that was the most voted in order of not loosing time or money. But I had to make a difference between people of 12- 20, 25-40, and more than 40 years old. The first thing I had to do was to design the accessories, I drew on a paper different designs and I showed them to different people with different ages and evaluate their opinion and if they will succeed or not. The results are attached at the annexes pages†¦. I went shopping, visited different places and read piles of magazines, and keep doing it actually in order of having buyable. I could get to the conclusion that on the first part of my project, spring- summer collection I stepped against a romantic, and hippie style with lots of colors. But on the other side the autumn- fall collection is full of yellow, red, orange and brown. And both of them had bright colors such as pink turquoise, blue and green in all their varieties. By doing surveys and consulting people I can get to do things that people can get identified with, and as a result they will buy it, this is a tactic that many enterprises use in order to evaluate how much will the selling be so as to produce an amount of products that is adequate to the amount of demand it has. The first thing I did after meeting with Gaby Flaiban (tutor) was the survey. The survey was organized in the following way. It was repeated several times with different accessories. There were 10 (ten) accessories and I showed them to different people of different ages, they had to put them in order from worst to best. In that way I could see which were the three accessories people different ages liked the most. After choosing the final designs, to start businesses, I must have a budget; even tough it is a small one. Five years ago I asked my mother and Grandmother for money, they gave me $100 (mom $75 and grand mother $25). So I went to buy all my working material, and started working. Time made me perfection my style, and neatness but, no matter how good the beaded crafts were I was scared that I will never return my credit, it is very common that when you start a business you can be scared or believe that it won’t be good. So I had to work really hard. Now, five years after, I also asked for a credit, this time a little bit bigger than the first inversion, I had my savings, I used $100, and asked my mother for another $100, my grandmother didn’t keep behind and bought me beads, and wool. After I do an accessory I immediately cost it, the things I take into account are: the cost of materials, hand labor, and how many exemplars I do of it (obviously if I do 10 of them and if there is a big offer of them I will price it less in order to sell it). Cost is very important because if I sell the final product in less money that the one I invested, I’ll be loosing money, but I must have an idea of how much I’ve spend on doing it because the price must be reasonable. Hand labor is also important in this branch there are included several things, time I have spent on doing it, work I had to do and promotion of the product. Offer and Demand are really important. If I do something really exclusive, I will cost more that if I do a dragonfly that are seen everywhere. And if there are lots of demand of something the price will be higher (this is the ABC, of economy) Promoting is as important as doing it, because if I do and don’t sell is the same as if didn’t do anything. As regards the estrategical view where to sell is a very big deal, especially nowadays. Propaganda is extremely important. I could say vital for this job. I usually give a certain amount of accessories to people that are close to me, like friends or relatives so whenever they go to parties or places where there are lots of people they are able to promote my collection, and that creates very good results because sometimes I get a phone call asking me to do a very important request of accessories or maybe people ask who was the one that did the accessory and when they get to see me they are still wishing to buy it, like the one they seen or maybe another they liked best. I also created a web page; you can find it at www. . com. In this web page which I specially created I will show every design I made and the final selling price, so if people like any accessory they can contact me by sending me an e- mail or calling me and buy any piece that has caught their attention. Web pages are a very interesting way of attracting people because as Internet is very used and calls a lot the attention, mainly because of the animation and colors. A very important fact is that being on the net creates a professional image, and that is what I want the customer to think about me because if people think I am professional they will believe that the quality of the accessories are better and that I am a person to trust on because a good image is really important. As an example we have Kosiuko the quality of clothes is not that good but as they do very good graphics, the clothes is original and they promote themselves very good by using very famous people as models such as Britney or Pampita they succeed on the industry. Nevertheless the most important way of selling is to get in contact with a boutique or a fair because I can leave my material and they sell it for me, in a way they make me save a step. As I said before promoting is really important. I tell everybody I do beaded crafts, and they ask me to show them, but it is not enough, shops are really important they make you save time and steps. Having good contacts is important too, the fact of having a friend working in a magazine or being a friend of somebody who is famous, can help me to sell better. This is the part I hate the most and I really don’t like it because I have problems telling the price, and persuade people to buy. I ask them if there’s a possibility of leaving them some of my accessories at their store and if they allow me to do so, they charge them a little bit, for them to be able to get profit out of it (usually 20% -25% of the price I ask for). To be able to keep continuity with the boutiques I am always renovating my stuff for them to keep calling and asking me to do different designs, keep doing that accessory that was very successful or maybe to invent new things such as napkin holders, handbags, sandals or belts, because continuity is very important if not you loose a contact and loosing contacts is a pity. I am actually giving my things to Cool Site, to Captiva and to different fairs in San Isidro. In the economical, fashionable, and practical view there are lots of advantages, but also disadvantages. To start with the disadvantages, the price of the material in Argentina has raised a lot and now I can do less with the same amount of money, materials raised 350% comparing to the past yea, with all the default problem, so it is really difficult to buy the same peaces of material I bought before with the same price or less charged as possible. Besides they are brought from, Brazil, Indonesia, china, and Thailand. A very important issue is that economical problems here in Argentina are serious; people won’t spend money buying accessories if they suffer from hunger. But in order to sell I must sell very cheap knowing the cost of the material for not to loose any money, because nowadays the hand labor cannot be well paid, as it was before. The advantages are that beads are very fashionable, so they are sold a lot, they stick to the fashion and they are really trendy, for every age since 5 to 99 but for each age there are different designs and that is something I like, I do different models following a trend and if they are for old or young people, and I can do with the same beads accessories dedicated to any age or style because it depends the person who is wearing them to see if that is an accessory is for her/him or not. Another advantages is that the crisis has pushed and prohibited people on buying new clothes and also the commodity of cotton has decreased 50% comparing to last year so every piece of clothes is really expensive, specially cotton clothes, that’s why people use old attires but they modernize them by using a beaded handbag or a big pin that calls more the attention than the attire itself so the attire doesn’t look old anymore and the whole outfit is brand new because of a little change, because beaded accessories are very cheap comparing them with the price of clothes. Another advantage is as I sell a lot I have my savings and I can use it for buying things for me like clothes or going on a trip, etc. This is a hobby that gives me money and that is really important for me. I like it and also can get a profit from it. When I started on October I asked the girls of my class, shop owners and my family what they would like me to do, it was an informal survey, because I haven’t wrote it down as a survey actually. But nevertheless I put it into practice. They asked for peace signs, lots of colors, many stars, and many earrings and pins. I kept everything I sold on a diary (annex page†¦) I worked September, October, November, December, and January. February was my holiday month so I didn’t work at all, also march, April, May, June and July. On that summer- spring collection I earned $520 with a mean of $100 a month and my expectations for the autumn-fall collection is better yet. Because I added one more store to give my accessories and promoted myself even better. BOOKS: * â€Å"Bead lings† BY Julie Collins and Candice Elton, Klutz editorial Magazines * Revista † mostacillas† 4th edition Evia ediciones * Internet * http://www.eviaediciones.com * http://www.klutz.com * http://www.mujer.tercera.cl/2001/10/27/moda.htm * http://www.derrochasvip.com.ar/latrama/canutillos.htm

4 Paragraphs Essay

-My room is in a mess because I had a party with my best friends last night. I have to clean my room before my mom arrives from work. The underwear is hanging on the lamp, my books are all jammed in the closet, the scarf is beneath the TV and my shoe is under the bed. -We have the best cafeteria, they offer different type of foods, the food menu is so big it consists of Arabian, Indian, American, Mexican and Chinese food. They have a special Indian dish called â€Å"Chicken Tekka Masala† its a dish of roasted chicken chunks in a spicy sauce. Breakfast Burritos is a special Mexican food that contains Eggs, bacon, salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla, hot sauce is optional. My favorite dish in the cafeteria menu is Shawarma, it’s an Arabian food made with chicken and bread. See more: Distinguish between problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping Essay -David is a dangerous driver, I hate the way he drives the car, he either drive too slow or too fast. One day we were in the Himalayan mountains, he was behind the steering driving uphill, he was driving so fast we almost fell of the cliff. The way he brakes the car is so scary, it reminds me of how my grandmother drives. Neighbors are so important if they are willing to help you in time of need. My favorite neighbor is Mrs. Shirley , I remember the day when the government cut off our water, she was the first one there to help us, she even offered us to stay at her place. She is so generous and I like the way she hosts me.

Cooperatives in Kenya Essays

Cooperatives in Kenya Essays Cooperatives in Kenya Essay Cooperatives in Kenya Essay Co-operatives are user-owned, user-controlled and user-benefited organisations. They could be agricultural, non-agricultural, unions, or Savings and Credit co-operatives. They operate in different sectors of the economy including, agricultural, handicraft, Jua kali, transport, housing development, building and construction, banking and many other such spheres of the economy. Clearly, the cooperative movement has had its tentacles in every possible sector of the Kenyan business world. These co-operatives, and more strongly established, the agricultural cooperatives , play a major role in production, especially in the marketing bit. However, the broad objective of the co-operative concept is to promote the economic interests and general welfare of members in accordance with co-operative principles, and thus, pivotal in economic growth and alleviation of poverty. The policy objective of the Kenyan co-operative movement is to spur sustainable economic growth by focusing on achievement of desired outcomes through strengthening of the movement, improving operation extension service delivery, corporate governance, access to markets and marketing efficiency (International Monetory Fund 2007). The co-operatives have an immense potential to deliver goods and services in areas where both the public and the private sector have not ventured into. In most cases, co-operatives are local institutions that address local needs, employ local talent and are lead by local leaders, either directly or through branches. The co-operatives in Kenya are organized into service and producer co-operatives. The producer co-operatives’ objectives are to promote the use of modern technology and contribute to national development through production. The service co-operatives are responsible for procurement, marketing and expansion services, loan disbursement, sale of consumer goods and member education. The co-operatives have made remarkable progress in agriculture, banking, credit, agro-processing, storage, marketing, dairy and housing. Service co-operatives are the closest to communities and are organized on a shareholder basis, formed by individual members of organizations voluntarily working in a specific geographical area. For instance, primary level sugarcane farmers co-operatives provide a collection point for ,the farmers’ prooduce and even negotiate the per ton cost of sugarcane. Considering the substantial benefits that the cooperative movement has to our economy, and considering its significance to the livelihood of many, the Government recognizes the need for urgently improving management structures and accountability of co-operatives, so as to create a sustainable environment for their existence and operations. Just some few numerical facts to back my case as to influence of co-operatives to the society: -The cooperative is almost 103 years old, having started with the Dairy Societies in 1908. -In Kenya, we have about 12,000 registered co-operatives out of which 5000 are SACCO’s (Savings and Credit Co-operatives). -The Co-operative movement in Kenya has a membership of over 7 million individuals, making it the largest in Africa. It impacts directly and indirectly on 70% of Kenya’s population. SACCOS themselves have mobilized over 150 Billion Kshs in savings, more than 30% of the National Domestic Savings. -There is an entire Ministry, Ministry of Co-operative Development that provides enabling policy, legal and institutional framework. The co-operative movement in Kenya is organized into a system comprising of primary and secondary societies. The structure coalesces into a four tier structure of primary co-operatives, Unions, National co-operative Organizations (NACOs) and one Apex body, the Co-operative Alliance of Kenya (CAC). At each level, different functions can be performed. While the structure is stable, the performance and linkages within the various levels is weak, but there is room and potential for the co-operatives to work together much more through local, national, regional and international structures than the current prevailing situation. Historical Origin of Co-operative movement in Kenya – A Timeline survey 1908 – The first co-operative in Kenya formed, exclusive to the white settlers. 1945 – A new Co-operative Societies Ordinance was enacted allowing African participation. 946 – A department of co-operatives was established and a Registrar appointed. 1952 – Colonial civil servants began joining the movement. About 160 co-operatives registered. 1954 – Application of the Swynnerton plan boosted the co-operative movement. 400 registered. 1963 – Upon independence, co-operative movements were the key cornerstone of nation building. Around 1000 soc ieties had been registered. 1967 – The Government initiated KNCDP (Kenya Nordic Co-operatives Development Program), which was funded by Nordic countries and also the World Bank. 974 – Kenya had a fully fledged Ministry of Co-operative Development. 1997 – A new policy was formulated to provide for a member based, autonomous and member controlled movement, through Sessional Paper no. 6 of 1997. 2004 – The Co-operative Societies Amendment Bill, 2004 sought to re-introduce Government control while recognizing a free market economy. Principles upon which the Co-operative movement is founded. Voluntary and Open membership – There should be no limitation to membership in a co-operative society. Limitations may only be placed where a certain skill or profession is required. Therefore, co-operative membership is open to all who are willing to accept the responsibilities of membership without gender, social, political or religious discrimination. Democratic member control – It works on the following principles: 1)Members must have the final authority in making decisions concerning their society. 2)Every member has one vote notwithstanding his or her share contributions. 3)There must be a small group of members elected by other members which forms the committee which manages and administers the society. Autonomy and Independence – Co-operatives are self-help organizations controlled by members. All contracts entered into by the co-operative is done without external influence and by collective decision of the members themselves. Member economic participation – A co-operative is formed not for the motive of profit, but to provide services. This is branched into 2: 1)Limited rate of interest on capital – A share capital of a co-ope rative gets a limited rate of interest. Key aim is to benefit members collectively and thus applying capital generally to development of the co-operative. 2)Disposal of surpluses – In a co-operative there should be a fair and just system of distribution of surplus. Therefore surplus is either reinvested for the benefit of the society in general, or distributed in proportion to a member’s business transaction with the society. Promotion of education, training and information – A member of a co-operative must be informed of everything about the co-operative organization. This includes his rights, obligations, the principles that guide the society, the management and administration and its activities. Co-operation among co-operatives – This principle was established to strengthen the co -operative movement through mutual assistance at local and international level so as to bring about social and economic development of people regardless of their background. Concern for the community – Co-operatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies approved by the members. The general upliftment should be the key thought upon co-operative decision making. Moral values upon which the Co-operative movement is found Self-help – A Co-operative is formed by members to help themselves achieve a certain objective or benefit which would be difficult, or almost impossible to achieve as individuals. Chief concern is to help members themselves. Self responsibility – A co-operative movement is self-sustained, it has its own management, makes its own decisions and undertakes its own responsibilities. Every member accepts the risks associated thereto, and in case of a mishap, every member shall bear the brunt of it collectively. Democracy – Every member has 1 vote in decision making regardless of the proportion of shares held. All decisions and resolutions made by a co-operative are made collectively with maximum member participation. Majority rule prevails. Equality and Equity – A co-operative treats all members as equal regardless of their capital or investment. All members are given equal rights and are subject to the same obligations. Rules and principles of a co-operative are also applied uniformly, and decision making is also every member’s right and not a decision of a chosen few. Solidarity – All members of a co-operative are very adamant and firm on their cause and purpose for which the union was formed. There is a sense of unity that binds them together. Moreover, every co-operative helps another co-operative for furtherance of the collective co-operative movement. Honesty – Members are required to come to the co-operative with truth and honesty. They should also be willing to undertake their duties with due diligence, and report every profit or benefit gained personally in the pretext of the co-operative. Openness – Co-operative members are required to be open to each other in the sense that they should disclose information in their possession which would have been beneficial to the co-operative, and even to share ideas and thoughts of other members amongst themselves, not for personal gain, but for mutual benefit. Social responsibility – The chief aim of the co-operative movement is to promote the economic welfare of the members and even the general public at large. A co-operative movement should ensure the development and poverty alleviation of the people of the region where it is situated. Benefits of Co-operative organizations to the community at large When it comes to agricultural co-operatives, they help farmers in the collection, transportation, processing and marketing of agricultural produce. A common example would be the Kenya Co-operative Creameries (KCC) which has over the ears helped dairy farmers get value for their milk. Co-operatives enable many individuals pool their funds, to undertake bigger projects and investments which they would otherwise not be able to do, e. g Cashew nut farmers came together to form a co-operative through which they erected a plant to process their produce, since the Government had banned exports of raw cashew nuts abroad. The co-operatives could distribute farm inputs more efficiently and thus boost agricultural production while cutting costs. A common example would be the import of seeds. Many farmers would get access to high quality highbred seeds which would be imported by the co would be to purchase a common item used by every member in bulk, so as to enjoy quantity discounts. Previously, small-scale farmers used to sell their produce to middlemen who would be the link to the actual buyers. This would mean, a substantial portion of the profits would be chewed up by the middlemen. After the establishment of co-operatives, the co-operative eliminated the middlemen. This meant, the entire profits would be retained by the members themselves. Social control mechanisms become an acceptable substitute for physical assets as collateral for loans. The co-operative may also allow its assets, upon agreement by other members, to be used as collateral to seek loans for the upliftment of one of their members. Poverty can be alleviated by planning, organizing, implementing and managing income-generating activities. Co-operatives promote even the smallest of farmers to gain a fair value for their produce. This encourages many individuals who are below poverty lines to farm for themselves. Single and widowed women even have a way to earn for themselves. They are catered for through their co-operatives. Development funds are channelled to individual members. Individuals with exceptional ideas are motivated and encouraged where funds are commonly pooled via the co-operative and distributed to those requiring them. Members can be educated on economic and social issues affecting the industry, including development of entrepreneurial skills. The co-operatives organize workshops and trainings for their members to build their knowledge and skills in their areas of expertise. The co-operative also undertakes to solve common problems together. E. g KCC (Kenya Co-operative Creameries) helping dairy farmers save their cattle from ticks. Wealth and capital can be created and owned jointly by large groups of low income earners. There is a common pool through which capital is owned and invested in specific areas for profit generation for all the members of the co-operatives. The co-operative concept encourages a common sharing of ideas. When members come together, they exchange ideas to come up with ingenious solutions for their problems, or clever solutions for their common investments. Challenges facing co-operatives in Kenya Lack of integrity on the part of the union, society committee members and employees. The corrupt people in management mismanage and misapply funds which act to the detriment of other members. Some co-opera tives have even been opened as a con, a money making scheme for the certain few. Excessive costs in handling member produce, and high administration costs. Sometimes the administration costs of the co-operative tends to supercede the profits and gains of the co-operative, this renders a co-operative not viable, and eventually spell its dissolution. Poor management. Some of the co-operatives, especially the ones for low income individuals are poorly managed, since those in management of the co-operative are illiterate and not well educated, therefore there would be serious lapses and judgemental errors and inefficiencies in their decisions. Lack of basic understanding among the co-operatives about the purpose and functions of the movement. Some of the members do not understand the purpose of the co-operative movement, hence they are unaware of how exactly to capitalize on the co-operative for their own benefit.. Inadequacy of resources. Majority of the co-operatives are formed by low income earning individuals whose very quest is wealth upliftment. Therefore the investment of such individuals in the co-operative is minimal, and thus, leaves the co-operative handicap – with a lot of ideas, but few resources to cater for its implementation. Some of the co-operatives fail to reach up to the standard acceptable by consumers and most importantly, acceptable by export standards. Therefore, many co-operatives, due to poor delivery of quality, do not get value for their products. This greatly hampers their income generating ability. Government involvement. Sometimes the government involvement is too excessive, and thus it makes some of the co-operatives too dependent on Government support and foreign aid. Such an attitude prevents the co-operative from operating on its 100% capacity and ability. Some co-operatives face stiff competition for their products, from rich investors who deal in the same product. This would not allow the small co-operatives to grow into being businesses to enable them to compete with the rich investors. SUGGESTED REFORMS The Ministry should undertake constant training and workshops for members of co-operatives and most importantly the management of the co-operatives to enable the co-operative to be steered in the right direction, in the most efficient of manners. Help co-operatives to deal with technological changes by informing them of new developments, and also to undertake research which would help the co-operatives to deliver quality products. The Government should easen up their lending rates for co-operatives to enable them access easy finance, to enable them to undertake larger projects so as to grow enough to compete with other investors in the same industry. Corrupt managers and co-operative members be subject to the stringent of rules, and punished severely for their misdeeds, so as to curb con men from using the co-operative movement as their money mint. Threaten to deregister any co-operative which con ducts its operations with low integrity. This would instil more confidence of the public into the co-operative movement, and encourage them to be part of it. POWERS OF THE REGISTRAR OF DISSOLUTION OF SOCIETIES. If the registrar after holding an inquiry or making an inspection or receiving an application made by at least three quarters of the members is he of the opinion that the society ought to be dissolved he may in writing order its dissolution and subsequent cancellation of registration. Any member who feels aggrieved by this order may within two months after its making appeal against it to the Minister with a final appeal to the tribunal. Where no appeal is filed within the prescribed time the order shall take effect on the expiry of that period but where an appeal is file within time the order shall not take effect unless confirmed by the minister or by the tribunal. When the registrar makes that order, he must make a further order relating to the custody of the books and documents of the society and the protection of its assets. It should be noted that no society shall be dissolved or wound up except by an order of the registrar. Where a society has less than the prescribed number of members the registrar may in writing order its dissolution and that order takes effect immediately and where registration is cancelled the society ceases to exist as a corporate body from the date the order takes effect. It should also be noted that Section 64 applies the provisions relating to winding up of companies to winding up of cooperative societies. Where a registration is cancelled the registrar may appoint one or more persons to be liquidator or liquidators of that society and all the property of such a society vests in him from the date upon which the order of cancellation takes effect CONCLUSION To reach large numbers in the low income sector, requires an able and strong co-operative ministry, which has a firm co-operative policy guiding it. The co-operative policy should be capable of meeting diverse needs of different segments of the population and varied speres of the economy. Co-operatives and strategic alliances are very important in setting pace for individuals to venture into entrepreneurship, or self wealth creation, especially for low income households, a sector of the economy which has been severely neglected by the commercial Kenya. These households would get a blessing in disguise in the shape of a co-operative. Promotion of the co-operative movement should be seen as one way of promoting social and economic justice, especially in developing countries which are ravaged by poverty, diseases and hunger. In Africa, co-operative development is certainly the nest frontier for low income earners who want to strike it big. This is a movement which has enormous potential for expansion and growth. Once again, I emphasize that the cooperative structure and the cooperative philosophy are very effective and flexible in satisfying the needs of the poor. This makes the cooperative model very idea for channelling agricultural products, and the idea of farming into the masses. I wish the cooperative movement in Kenya a fruitful future, and wishing them luck in their battle against poverty eradication coupled with high inflation. ******************************** REFERNCES: -Class Notes -Article by Nelson Kuria of CIC Insurance Ltd in the Daily Nation -www. cooperative. go. ke -www. ilo. org -Handout by Mr. Mweseli, from the KLSS Bureau -Nutshells – Business Law

Why Trenches Were Used in World War I

Why Trenches Were Used in World War I During trench warfare, opposing armies conduct battle, at a  relatively close range, from a series of ditches dug into the ground. Trench warfare becomes necessary when two armies face a stalemate, with neither side able to advance and overtake the other. Although trench warfare has been employed since ancient times, it was used on an unprecedented scale on the Western Front during World War I. Why Trench Warfare in WWI? In the early weeks of the First World War (late in the summer of 1914), both German and French commanders anticipated a war that would involve a large amount of troop movement, as each side sought to gain or defend territory. The Germans initially swept through parts of Belgium and northeastern France, gaining territory along the way. During the First Battle of the Marne in September 1914, the Germans were pushed back by Allied forces. They subsequently dug in to avoid losing any more ground. Unable to break through this line of defense, the Allies also began to dig protective trenches. By October 1914, neither army could advance its position, mainly because war was being waged in a very different way than it had been during the 19th century. Forward-moving strategies such as head-on infantry attacks were no longer effective or feasible against modern weaponry such as machine guns and heavy artillery. This inability to move forward created the stalemate. What began as a temporary strategy evolved into one of the main features of the war at the Western Front for the next four years. Construction and Design of Trenches Early trenches were little more than foxholes or ditches, intended to provide a measure of protection during short battles. As the stalemate continued, however, it became obvious that a more elaborate system was needed. The first major trench lines were completed in November 1914. By the end of that year, they stretched 475 miles, starting at the North Sea, running through Belgium and northern France, and ending in the Swiss frontier. Although the specific construction of a trench was determined by the local terrain, most were built according to the same basic design. The front wall of the trench, known as the parapet, was about 10 feet high. Lined with sandbags from top to bottom, the parapet also featured 2 to 3 feet of sandbags stacked above ground level. These provided protection, but also obscured a soldiers view. A ledge, known as the fire-step, was built into the lower part of the ditch and allowed a soldier to step up and see over the top (usually through a peephole between sandbags) when he was ready to fire his weapon. Periscopes and mirrors were also used to see above the sandbags. The rear wall of the trench, known as the parados, was lined with sandbags as well, protecting against a rear assault. Because constant shelling and frequent rainfall could cause the trench walls to collapse, the walls were reinforced with sandbags, logs, and branches. Trench Lines Trenches were dug in a zigzag pattern so that if an enemy entered the trench, he could not fire straight down the line. A typical trench system included a line of three or four trenches: the front line (also called the outpost or the fire line), the support trench, and the reserve trench, all built parallel to one another and anywhere from 100 to 400 yards apart. The main trench lines were connected by communicating trenches, allowing for the movement of messages, supplies, and soldiers and were lined with barbed wire. The space between the enemy lines was known as No Mans Land. The space varied but averaged about 250 yards. Some trenches contained dugouts below the level of the trench floor, often as deep as 20 or 30 feet. Most of these underground rooms were little more than crude cellars, but some, especially those farther back from the front, offered more conveniences, such as beds, furniture,  and stoves. The German dugouts were generally more sophisticated; one such dugout captured in the Somme Valley in 1916 was found to have toilets, electricity, ventilation, and even wallpaper. Daily Routine in the Trenches Routines varied among the different regions, nationalities, and individual platoons, but the groups shared many similarities. Soldiers were regularly rotated through a basic sequence: fighting in the front line, followed by a period in the reserve or support line, then later, a brief rest period. (Those in reserve might be called upon to help the front line if needed.) Once the cycle was completed, it would begin anew. Among the men in the front line, sentry duty was assigned in rotations of two to three hours. Each morning and evening, just before dawn and dusk, the troops participated in a stand-to, during which men (on both sides) climbed up on the fire-step with rifle and bayonet at the ready. The stand-to served as preparation for a possible attack from the enemy at a time of day- dawn or dusk- when most of these attacks were likeliest to occur. Following the stand-to, officers conducted an inspection of the men and their equipment. Breakfast was then served, at which time both sides (almost universally along the front) adopted a brief truce. Most offensive maneuvers (aside from artillery shelling and sniping) were carried out in the dark when soldiers were able to climb out of the trenches clandestinely to conduct surveillance and carry out raids. The relative quiet of the daylight hours allowed men to discharge their assigned duties during the day. Maintaining the trenches required constant work: repair of shell-damaged walls, removal of standing water, the creation of new latrines, and the movement of supplies, among other vital jobs. Those spared from performing daily maintenance duties included specialists, such as stretcher-bearers, snipers, and machine-gunners. During brief rest periods, soldiers were free to nap, read, or write letters home, before being assigned to another task. Misery in the Mud Life in the trenches was nightmarish, aside from the usual rigors of combat. Forces of nature posed as great a threat as the opposing army. Heavy rainfall flooded trenches and created impassable, muddy conditions. The mud not only made it difficult to get from one place to another; it also had other, more dire consequences. Many times, soldiers became trapped in the thick, deep mud; unable to extricate themselves, they often drowned. The pervading precipitation created other difficulties. Trench walls collapsed, rifles jammed, and soldiers fell victim to the much-dreaded trench foot. Similar to frostbite, trench foot developed as a result of men being forced to stand in water for several hours, even days, without a chance to remove wet boots and socks. In extreme cases, gangrene would develop and a soldiers toes, or even his entire foot, would have to be amputated. Unfortunately, heavy rains were not sufficient to wash away the filth and foul odor of human waste and decaying corpses. Not only did these unsanitary conditions contribute to the spread of disease, they also attracted an enemy despised by both sides- the lowly rat. Multitudes of rats shared the trenches with soldiers and, even more horrifying, they fed upon the remains of the dead. Soldiers shot them out of disgust and frustration, but the rats continued to multiply and thrived for the duration of the war. Other vermin that plagued the troops included head and body lice, mites and scabies, and massive swarms of flies. As terrible as the sights and smells were for the men to endure, the deafening noises that surrounded them during heavy shelling were terrifying. Amid a heavy barrage, dozens of shells per minute might land in the trench, causing ear-splitting (and deadly) explosions. Few men could remain calm under such circumstances; many suffered emotional breakdowns. Night Patrols and Raids Patrols and raids took place at night, under cover of darkness. For patrols, small groups of men crawled out of the trenches and inched their way into No Mans Land. Moving forward on elbows and knees toward the German trenches and cutting their way through the dense barbed wire on their way. Once the men reached the other side, their goal was to get close enough to gather information by eavesdropping or to detect activity in advance of an attack. Raiding parties were much larger than patrols, encompassing about 30 soldiers. They, too, made their way to the German trenches, but their role was more confrontational. Members of the raiding parties armed themselves with rifles, knives, and hand grenades. Smaller teams took on portions of the enemy trench, tossing in grenades, and killing any survivors with a rifle or bayonet. They also examined the bodies of dead German soldiers, searching for documents and evidence of name and rank. Snipers, in addition to firing from the trenches, also operated from No Mans Land. They crept out at dawn, heavily camouflaged, to find cover before daylight. Adopting a trick from the Germans, British snipers hid inside O.P. trees (observation posts). These dummy trees, constructed by army engineers, protected the snipers, allowing them to fire at unsuspecting enemy soldiers. Despite these strategies, the nature of trench warfare made it almost impossible for either army to overtake the other. Attacking infantry was slowed down by the barbed wire and bombed-out terrain of No Mans Land, making the element of surprise unlikely. Later in the war, the Allies did succeed in breaking through German lines using the newly-invented tank. Poison Gas Attacks In April 1915, the Germans unleashed an especially sinister new weapon at Ypres in northwestern Belgium: poison gas. Hundreds of French soldiers, overcome by deadly chlorine gas, fell to the ground, choking, convulsing, and gasping for air. Victims died a slow, horrible death as their lungs filled with fluid. The Allies began producing gas masks to protect their men from the deadly vapor, while at the same time adding poison gas to their arsenal of weapons. By 1917, the box respirator became standard issue, but that did not keep either side from the continued use of chlorine gas and the equally-deadly mustard gas. The latter caused an even more prolonged death, taking up to five weeks to kill its victims. Yet poison gas, as devastating as its effects were, did not prove to be a decisive factor in the war because of its unpredictable nature (it relied upon wind conditions) and the development of effective gas masks. Shell Shock Given the overwhelming conditions imposed by trench warfare, it is not surprising that hundreds of thousands of men fell victim to shell shock. Early in the war, the term referred to what was believed to be the result of an actual physical injury to the nervous system, brought about by exposure to constant shelling. Symptoms ranged from physical abnormalities (tics and tremors, impaired vision and hearing, and paralysis) to emotional manifestations (panic, anxiety, insomnia, and a near-catatonic state.) When shell shock was later determined to be a psychological response to emotional trauma, men received little sympathy and were often accused of cowardice. Some shell-shocked soldiers who had fled their posts were even labeled deserters and were summarily shot by a firing squad. By the end of the war, however, as cases of shell shock soared and came to include officers as well as enlisted men, the British military built several military hospitals devoted to caring for these men. The Legacy of Trench Warfare Due in part to the Allies use of tanks in the last year of the war, the stalemate was finally broken. By the time the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, an estimated 8.5 million men (on all fronts) had lost their lives in the so-called war to end all wars. Yet many survivors who returned home would never be the same, whether their wounds were physical or emotional. By the end of World War I, trench warfare had become the very symbol of futility; thus, it has been a tactic intentionally avoided by modern-day military strategists in favor of movement, surveillance, and airpower.

Juvenile Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Juvenile Justice - Essay Example Delinquent offender is a crime or antisocial behavior that is committed by juveniles and is also considered as a crime if committed by adults. Status offenses are only committed by juveniles (Elrod and Ryder 362). Juveniles’ courts have intervened in the lives of status offenders. There are several arguments that have been put forward for and against for the legal basis of juvenile courts intervening in the lives of status offenders (Elrod and Ryder 363). Proponents of juvenile court intervention assert that status offenders have unique needs that can only be provided by the juvenile court intervention. For instance, many status offenders suffer from family neglect (Elrod and Ryder 363). Treatment of the status offenders require more financial resources than delinquent offender’s treatment thus this services can only be provided by juvenile courts. Status offenses will escalate to more criminal behaviors in the future since running away from home may lead to robbery if the courts fail to intervene. Status offenders are at more risk of victimization and death since incorrigibility expose the youths to drugs and prostitution. Juvenile courts have a primary mission of protecting the interests of children thus they have a duty of supporting lawful parental authority. Compulsory education laws would be undermined if juvenile courts relinquish authority over status offenders (Elrod and Ryder 363). On the other hand, critics of juvenile court involvement in Status offender lives assert that such intervention is ineffective and inappropriate since it may lead to more harm (Elrod and Ryder 364). Social agencies are better equipped to deal with Status offenders since juvenile courts lack the necessary expertise and financial resources to offer the required services. The processing of the status offense lead to labeling thus status offenders receive harsh punishment and are likely to engage in more antisocial behaviors (Elrod and Ryder 364). Status offenses revolve around family problems thus no need of juvenile court intervention since it hinders the responsibility of schools and social institutions in solving the community problems (Elrod and Ryder 364). In my opinion, the juvenile courts should not intervene in Status offenses since it is a violation of the constitution since all citizens should be protected equally regardless of age, race or color. The laws tend to be harsh towards children from poor families who are more likely to be subjected to cruel punishment like the delinquent offenders. Such intervention removes the parental responsibility on the behavior of juveniles and transfers it to the children. Juvenile courts involvement in the lives of status offenders dates back to the development of the parens patriae legal concept (Elrod and Ryder 365). Juvenile courts were designed to deal with delinquent juveniles and also troublesome children. The state has the duty to protect children and several statutes outline the duties of parents and teachers to the children. Legal statutes require the children to attend school regularly and obey curfews, and not to run away from the family (Elrod and Ryder 366). Some states refer status offenders as children in need of supervision (CHINS). The historical basis for juvenile courts intervention in status offenders is rooted in the Biblical passage that children are supposed to obey their parents

Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Literature - Essay Example He doesn’t have the handicap most literary characters have of catching onto something long after the reader has already figured it out. He is educated and ambitious, and entirely motivated to succeed, but this also leaves him vulnerable to failure. The love he shares with Medina-sarote is as stable as his existence I the world of the blind. She is very sweet and kind and while she enjoys Nunez’s tales of sight, she doesn’t believe him anymore than the rest of the village. The concept of a land of blind citizens is one that can be taken into multiple contexts. Every story from Plato’s the Allegory of the Cave to The Matrix has a metaphor of blindness verse truth. Well’s tale can just as easily be connected to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave as it is to Freud’s theory. The Allegory of the Cave is a metaphor in Platos Republic.   The story basically asks the reader to imagine a prisoner whose been confined since birth deep within a cave.   Their arms and head are confined so that they may only perceive one direction, staring directly at a wall.   Behind the prisoner is a fire and a pathway.   Along this pathway the prisoners captures walk and carry animals and cast shadows.   When the captures talk their words echo off the walls of the cave and the prisoners believe them to be coming from the shadows.   Plato presents all of the possibilities that fall within this situation.   He points out that if one prisoner wer e to escape their eyesight would be sensitive to the sun when they leave and if they were to return.   Platos purpose of telling this story is to show the human nature thats inherent in being naà ¯ve to reality.   It is often connected to the theory of George Berkeley, more simply put, that we dont truly know any object we see beyond our mental reaction. strange disease had come upon them and had made all the children born to them there—and, indeed, several older children also--blind. It was to seek some charm or antidote against this

High Flight Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

High Flight Airlines - Essay Example The underlying idea of HFA is to provide its employees with an atmosphere for excellence and growth (Singapore Airlines, "Singapore Airlines - About us"). The primary objective of HFA is to fill a niche in the emerging air-travel and cargo markets linking destinations all over the world in order to achieve soaring and profitable load factors by identifying and serving key routes that are currently unexplored, un-served or inadequately served. Their idea is to reach out to places where considerable unmet demand exists. HFA plans to set a new benchmark for air service and professionalism both in the target market and beyond. The underlying strategy of HFA is to utilize the latest technologies related to aviation in order to design efficient and effective systems and to build quality control from the onset in order to ensure the highest level of operations, safety and services, which are all based around the comfort, convenience, needs and wants of the passenger and the cargo clients. P ESTLE Analysis The company is planning to expand in the South-East Asian region. The regional headquarter as decided by the board members will be set up in Thailand, given the consistent economic and financial performance of the country over the last few years. In addition to that, another aspect that influenced the board members to choose Thailand as the destination for setting the regional headquarters is because of its position relative to other South-East Asian countries and its connection with them. The following section is an in-depth PESTLE analysis of Thailand which will help the company to assess the degree of favorability as far as setting up a regional headquarter in the country is concerned. Political Analysis Thailand has implemented a parliamentary, democratic structure of government, with the King as Head of State under the Constitution, exercising the sovereign power in the administration as Thailand is a sovereign state which is free to perform her internal and exte rnal affairs without pressure, control, or intervention from other countries. The government, also known as the administration, along with the legislature and the judiciary, is the national authority whose primary responsibility is to govern the country and formulate strategies that ensure national development from different aspects. Economic Analysis Thailand, demonstrating a strong fiscal and financial stability over the past few years, has also established a suitable structure and foundation that supports economic development. The country has always accepted the free trade mechanism and has been at the forefront promoting international trade and development. As an export oriented country, its stability depends on the world economy. The government emphasizes a lot on developing the country's infrastructure and stimulating all aspects of the economy in a variety of ways. Year 2012 2011 2010 2009 Thailand's GDP per capita (World bank, "GDP per capita (current US$") $5,480 $5,192 $4, 803 $3,979 Currency Baht Currency Code THB Fiscal Year October 1 - September 30 1 USD 31.9849 THB (Oanda, "Currency converter") Socio Cultural Analysis Thailand's population is diverse in terms of ethnicity and race. Citizens of Thailand are from Thai, Mon, Chinese, Khmer, Lao and Indian descent. In addition to that

Uk British Muslim Identity Sociology Essay

Uk British Muslim Identity Sociology Essay The purpose of this essay is to focus on the historical and contemporary construction of British-Muslim identity in U.K. and analyse its perceived relationship with radicalism. The first part of the essay will shed light on the problem of this umbrella term British-Muslim by highlighting the extent to which the religious identity of Muslims in Britain is beyond ethnic and national identities. In addition to this, this section will discuss whether putting a label of British-Muslim identity is legitimate, in terms of structure, meaning and a body of people who subscribe to the label. The next part of the essay examines why and how the British-Muslim identity has come to be associated with radical extremism. This section will include debates of integration and assimilation and discuss why some Muslims in the UK fail to achieve a sense of belonging in Britain and thus consequently turn to radical extremist organisations. In the end pertinent conclusions will be drawn based on the precedi ng arguments. Contemporary estimates suggest that the total population of British Muslims in the UK is approximately 2 million, or around 3.3% of the national population. This population is comprised of people from approximately 56 national backgrounds speaking around 70 languages including groups originating from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, North-Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, Iran and more recently Somalia, Iraq, Nigeria and Afghanistan as well as an increasing number of European Muslims including English converts.  [1]  Within these national backgrounds are a host of further ethnic divisions. For example, within the British Pakistani Muslim population there are Kashmiris, Punjabis, Sindhis and Pathans (Dahya, 2004: 77). Even further, many differentiate themselves based on Biraderi or clan, so that within the British Paksitani-Kashmiri Muslim population, there are Chaudaries, Rajputs, Kumars, Mistries and others. Such divisions based on Biraderi can heavily inform day to day rela tionships, marital and business partnerships as well as political allegiances (Shaw, 2000: 137). Within the wider framework of the British Muslim population there are strong denominational differences. There are the more widely known differences between Sunni and Shia Islam and the classical differences between the Hanafi, Shafii, Maliki and Hanbali Sunni schools of law. Then there are relatively recent denominational sects such as the Wahabi, the Deobandi, the Barelwi, the Ahl-e-Hadith as well as various Sufi brands of Islam (Raza 1993). Amongst British Muslims there are newly arrived immigrants, second and third generation immigrants whose parents and grandparents were born in the UK as well as indigenous converts to Islam whose ancestors came to the UK hundreds of years ago. On top of all these wide ranging attributes we must include the full spectrum of practicing and non-practicing Muslims, beginning with the very practicing for whom Islam is a complete way of life that informs every decision he/she makes, and ending with those for whom Islam is a mere relic of an ancient heritage, no longer important in contemporary life. In addition, socio-economic status can play a decisive role in the formation of identity within Muslim communities. Ansari notes that middle and upper-middle class Jordanians, Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians appear to possess more multiplex relations with each other than with their own working-class compatriots (Ansari, 2004: 3). With all of these multifaceted differences it is clear that the term British-Muslim is one that is extremely complex and any accurate picture of the typical British-Muslim must be absent of colour, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status, political or denominational affiliation. However, one may then wonder, that despite such disparate and potentially conflicting sub-identities, how this term British-Muslim he come to be used so commonly among social scientists, academics, policy makers and the mass me dia. The next part of the essay discusses how, to a significant degree, many Muslims in the UK have overcome these internal differences and increasingly represent themselves as a united group of British-Muslims. Over the past few decades there has been heightened awareness and a greater level of self-representation of a British-Muslim identity among all sectors of Muslims in Britain. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, despite the vast array of varying cultures from which Muslims in the UK descend, Islam as a religion has inculcated a high degree of cultural uniformity across all regions in which it has spread. In the Development of Islamic Ritual, nineteen authors explore different aspects of Islamic ritual that are observed and performed through the Islamic world including the ritual performance of prayer 5 times a day, pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca and fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.  [2]  Many Muslims learn Arabic as a common language, share common names, use the same form of greeting and have the same dietary prohibitions. In recent years, the wearing of the Islamic headscarf has been adopted by females from a diverse range of ethnic and national background s as a powerful and expressive form of Muslim identity. In Why the French Dont like Headscarves, Bowen argues that for many Muslim women, the wearing of the Islamic headscarf is a conscious and deliberate display of Muslim identity that promotes social solidarity and community consciousness amongst the Muslim population. Thus, despite wide variances in the way Muslims from different backgrounds dress, there are numerous outward markers of Islamic identity that bind together disparate groups, whether they be in the performance of Islamic rituals or the wearing of Islamic clothing. Secondly, there has been a consistent drive from leaders amongst Muslims in the UK to form organisations representing Muslims at a national and international level. Mandaville (2003) argues that the media plays a key role in the development of British-Muslim identity, catering to second and third generation Muslims in the UK creating a public space in which issues relating to citizenship and belonging can be discussed. In Imagined Communities, Anderson argues that the invention of the printing press and the subsequent production of literature in vernacular languages across different regions of Europe helped to solidify nationalist sentiments by creating a sense of imagined community amongst those of the same linguistic background. Similarly, the growing British-Muslim media industry promotes a greater consciousness of Muslims from different backgrounds within the UK. The satellite TV channels named above cut across cultural, national and ethnic boundaries and serve as a unifying plat form of dialogue, news coverage and religious transmission heightening a sense of imagined community amongst Muslims in the UK.   ADD STUFF FROM MANDAVILLE and CESSARI Thirdly, despite the differences between the range of backgrounds from which Muslims in the UK originate, there are certain common interests which have brought together disparate groups of Muslims to lobby the government at a local and national level. For example, in 1994, Muslims in the UK launched the Halal Food Authority, an organisation to monitor and authenticate the halal meat and poultry trade in the UK, a service pushed for by Muslims from all backgrounds. Several arbitration tribunals, such as the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal, have been set up around to provide Muslims in the UK with legally binding dispute resolution mechanisms based on Islamic Sharia principles on family matters, inheritance and various commercial and debt disputes. During the outbreak of the Iraq War in 2003, much of the frustration felt by Muslims in the UK towards the government was channelled through peaceful protest facilitated by organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain and Muslims of all b ackgrounds galvanised to speak with a louder and more unified Muslim voice. Such initiatives have required cross-cultural co-operation to achieve common aspirations amongst Muslims in the UK. Furthermore, Muslims in the UK have rallied together to show solidarity against perceived threats towards their community both nationally and worldwide. Samad (1996) and Saeed (1999) view the mobilisation of a British-Muslim identity as a response to the public devaluation and disparagement of Muslims that has lead to increased in-group solidarity. According to Ansari, the publication of the Satanic Verses (1988) and the first Gulf-War (1991) meant Muslims, more than ever, came to be imagined as outsiders, excluded from the essential notions of Britishness which, steeped in nostalgia, continued to be perceived as homogenous, Christian, white and rooted in past centuries (Ansari, 2004: 1). Such feelings of exclusion strengthened during the conflict in Boznia-Herzegovina (1993-1996), the War on Afghanistan (2001 to present), the War on Iraq (2003 to present), the publication of the cartoons depicted the prophet Mohammed (2005), EU immigration, asylum, race and security polices, includi ng the Terrorism Act 2006, which target Europes Muslim communities (Fekete 2009), the continuous demonization of Muslims in the media (Poole 2002, Gottschalk 2007) as well as Islamaphobia on a street level, which have all contributed towards a defensiveness among Muslims in the UK and a sense of common hardship. Ballard (1996) argues that that the increasing self-identification of second and third generation Pakistanis as Muslim is a reaction to their external rejection by the White majority and it is religion rather than ethnicity that takes prominence because it is the Muslim aspect of their identity which they feel is under attack. Thus, the increased ascendency of the Muslim aspect of a highly complex individual identity among some Muslims in the UK can be partly explained as a defensive reaction to perceived external threats. Moreover, Archer (2001) and Hopkins (2006) have argued that the transcendence of a British-Muslim identity above an ethnic or national based identity among young Muslims in the UK can be partly explained through an analysis of gender stereotypes and the performance of masculinity and femininity. Archer (2001) argues that young men construct a strong Muslim identity to counteract stereotypes of a weaker passive Pakistani or Bangladeshi identity and that talk of violence, action and hardness through religious idealism and martyrdom, drawing inspiration from ancient tales of Islamic conquest and bravery, can be seen as evoking a particular form of Muslim masculinity. Further, Archer argues that Islam provides a channel, whether scripturally legitimate or not, for men to discuss and define female behaviours as un-Islamic and thus an Islamic identity is expedient for the control and domination of women. Conversely, Akram-Nadwi demonstrates in Al-Muhaddithat: The Women Scholars in Islam, t hat Islam has for many generations, provided an avenue for female empowerment as an escape from the culture-bound patriarchy.  [3]  In Women and Islam: Images and Realities, Moghissi (ed.) expound upon the highly complex multifaceted realities of Islam, gender and female empowerment, revealing how both women and men selectively appropriate elements of Islamic doctrine in order to maximise their own empowerment within the scope of their circumstances. The politics of gender has made at least some contribution to the ascendency of a Muslim identity above ethnic or national identity for the UKs Muslim population. Finally, Muslim identity is used as an act of empowerment and to promote sense of belonging to an international body of people. Glynns study of Bengali Muslims in London (2002) shows that Islam provides young Muslims a positive alternative to the drug-culture to which they are exposed to within inner-cities. He writes the growing polarity between the drug culture and Islam is often remarked on. Islamic brotherhood is a potent antidote to alienationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Islam is something to be proud of, with a great history and international presence as well as religious promises of future glory, which can all transport its followers from the grey confines of the inner city (Glynn, 2002: 975). Through Islam, many Muslims obtain a sense of purpose, direction, history and belonging to a community broader than the narrowly restricted confines of their own neighbourhoods. Islam has also been used as a tool for empowerment within the family context. Macey (1999) suggests that Islamic prohibitio n on forced marriage is used by young Pakistanis in the UK to challenge parental pressures. Further, Islam is used to justify inter-racial marital relationships and to challenge the emphasis placed on colour, caste and ethnicity found in many cultural practices. Through Islam, many young Muslims in the UK find internal empowerment and tools to challenge parents and communities. For all of these reasons, a British-Muslim identity has emerged to unite disparate groups of people from a wide range of ethnic and national backgrounds. That there are Muslims in the UK is a fact, but the idea of a strong British-Muslim identity has only relatively recently come in to fruition and begun to assert itself. However, while many Muslims in the UK increasingly subscribe to this identity, it is not yet clear what it means to be a British-Muslim. We are now entering into the period in which the definitional boundaries of the British-Muslim identity are being constructed. In this period, competing fo rces, both internal and external to the British Muslim population, are actively contesting the details of the identity, pushing forward varying images of what a British-Muslim is supposed to be. A key arena in which this contest is taking place is in relation to radical extremism.    In light of these discussions, the next part of the essay will focus on radical extremism and the British-Muslim identity. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York and the 7/7 bombing in London, much work has gone in to identifying the root causes of how a Muslim, born and raised in the UK, could be brought to take his own life and the lives of others with the sole aim of creating maximum devastation within his home country. Rather than limiting research to the exploration of the potential psychopathic tendencies of those individuals responsible for the terror atrocities, much research has suggested that the terror attacks were symptoms of deep rooted nation-wide problems with British-Muslim identity as a whole. It is alleged that such problems are responsible for the creation of radical extremist mentalities, broadly regarded as mentalities that foster violent hostility towards aspects of the British state. It is within this context that efforts by the UK Government t o prevent violent extremism operate. In order to better understand this context, it is necessary to explore how the perceived problems with British-Muslim identity have come to be associated with radical extremism. In Radical Islam Rising: Muslim Extremism in the West, Wiktorowicz provides a detailed study of Al-Muhajiroun, a UK based organisation aspiring towards the re-establishment of an Islamic Caliphate through both non-violent and violent means.  [4]  Al-Muhajiroun are a banned organisations in the UK under the Terrorism Act 2006 for glorification of terrorism. Wiktorowicz argues that Muslims in the UK who join this group are initially inspired by a cognitive opening which provides individuals with a willingness to expose them to the ethos of the organisation. This cognitive opening takes the form of an internal identity crisis that causes the individual to question what it means to be a Muslim in a non-Muslim society. Wiktorowicz suggests that one of the key triggers to this type of identity crisis is an individuals perception that Muslims are not accepted by British society. It would follow therefore that perceptions of discrimination would precipitate feelings of not belonging to B ritish society and leave an individual vulnerable to the message and ideology of organisations such as Al-Muhajiroun. Maxwells study of the 2003 Home Office Citizenship Survey revealed that according to the survey, there was no significant relationship between an individuals socio-economic well being and their perceptions of being discriminated against on the whole. However, the analysis showed that young university students were more likely than others to perceive that they were being discriminated against, despite being socially and economically better off than those who either could not afford or were otherwise unable to attend university. Wiktorowicz writes the experience of both racial and religious discrimination has prompted some young Muslims to think about their identity and how they fit into British society. This is particularly true of young university students who suffer from a sense of blocked social mobility (Wiktorowicz, 2005 :56).   According to this theory, it is frustration at being unable to accomplish what the individual perceives as being rightfully theirs that results in a heightened sense of alienation. This alienation provides some individuals with the cognitive opening necessary for joining organisations such as Al-Muhajiroun. An alternative theory suggests that young university students are more likely to perceive greater levels of discrimination due to knowledge acquired within the university environment. Taji-Fourakis work on Hizb-at-Tahrir (1996), another organisation aiming towards the establishment of an Islamic caliphate, suggests that the main appeal of Hizb-at-Tahrir for young university students is the organisations intellectual sophistication. University environments provide young Muslims the tools to research and debate issues relating to injustices of European colonisation and the partitions of the current Islamic world, giving some individuals the impetus to question their own place within the wider framework of interna tional political identities. Fouraki suggests that Hizb-at-Tahrir are able to capitalise on such thought processes and provide an avenue for such individuals to channel their grievances in a way that provides them with an opportunity to be a part of the supposed re-assertion of superiority of the Islamic world. According to these analyses, issues of identity play in to some individuals feelings of inferiority and rejection by the dominant host society. Such feelings provoke hostility, particularly among young highly educated Muslims, and lead to individuals wanting to become part of a greater force capable of retaliation towards the UK Government and institutions.  Ã‚   Herriots (2007) work on social identity theory suggests that people join groups and internalise the groups identity for two main reasons. The first reason is to fulfil the human need for self-esteem. Herriot suggests that many of those attracted to organisations such as Al-Muhajiroun and Hizb-at-Tahrir are those potentially lacking in a sense of dignity, acceptance or approval from the wider society. As such, some individuals substitute a divine power in place of society as the source of their self-esteem, finding dignity and validation in the performance of that which is understood to be gods will. The second reason is to fulfil the human need for certainty. Again, such organisations provide members with defined beliefs, values and norms, with the weight and authority of ancient and sacred texts that provide clear guidelines on what should and should not be done. Further, Herriot argues that the process of internalising a groups identity leads to the loss of an individual sense of s elf in favour of acting in accordance with the definition of identity provided by the category to which they belong. He writes individuals then behave as group members. Their actions are those of, for example, a radical Muslim or a born-again Christian. They are no longer those of Mohammed Atta or Howard Ahmanson as unique individuals with personal identities, but rather those same persons as members of categories to which they perceive themselves to belong (Herriot, 2007: 30). The individual is then less concerned about the elevation of the ego and more concerned about the advancement of the organisation as a whole. From this perspective, it is perhaps easier to understand why the actions of some members belonging to such organisations may seem self-deprecating or counterproductive to the individuals status or security, or even, as was the case with the 7/7 bombers, suicidal. Such explanations of the processes by which individuals join radical extremist organisations attribute blame to problems associated with British-Muslim identity. It is suggested that many Muslims in the UK struggle to find a social identity among the mainstream population in which they feel a sense of dignity, self-esteem and belonging and therefore resort to a competing identity which defines itself in opposition to the mainstream. It is within this context that the UK Governments policy directive towards preventing violent extremism finds justification for direct intervention in to the construction of British-Muslim identity. The rationale of such intervention supposes that violent extremism is caused by deep-rooted issues with the way in which Muslims in the UK conceptualise their belonging to British society. As such, the prevention of violent extremism requires intervention to neutralise such complications and promote a greater sense of belonging to British values, beliefs and p ractices among British Muslims. The manifestation of the UK Governments decision to intervene in the construction of British-Muslim identity is the PVE Fund. Chapter One analysed the construction of a British-Muslim identity, identifying the process by which a hugely diverse range of people from different backgrounds increasingly subscribe to this identity. The perceived problems associated with this identity provided a pretext for government intervention in to the British-Muslim identity through the PVE Fund and related measures to prevent violent extremism