National Stepfamily Resource Center Essay

The first step towards blending of a stepfamily is both parents taking a commitment to constantly work at their problems and not give up when the going gets tough. Both of them have to understand the complexity of the situation before getting into it, since children with sensitive minds are going to be involved in the process. They also have to consider the financial part of the whole deal, well in advance, to prevent conflicts at a later time (APA Health Center 2004). The biological parent has to convey the idea of starting a stepfamily to the child, long before it actually becomes a reality. This is to ensure that the child is given enough time to cope up and become comfortable with the new arrangement. Before starting a stepfamily, both partners have to ensure that they have sorted out issues from their past marriages. They should take adequate time to heal and recuperate from the old relationship, so that they are emotionally ready to start another relationship. After all, a bad relationship certainly cannot sow the seeds for a successful stepfamily. Kids are very susceptible to their environment during their formative years. Hence, both parents should exercise extreme caution and restraint to prevent the child from witnessing conflicts and arguments, in order to be healthy role-models (Way2Hope). Parents should be mentally ready to handle disappointments and maladjustments at first, since a stepfamily is certainly not designed to be an ideal arrangement. The key is to gradually build respect and trust with members of the stepfamily. Children need to be constantly reassured that they were not responsible for the breakup of the previous marriage with the biological parent, especially if the cause of separation is the death of a parent. There needs to be an open communication channel with the children in the form of small discussions, so that children are not left stranded with confusions, unanswered questions and pent-up emotions. A parent has to ensure that stepchild and biological child are not discriminated and given equal attention. It is indispensable for a parent to talk alone with the biological child as well as stepchild, so that they can understand each other better. They have to find ways to connect to the children by forming new family traditions that take place on a regular basis. One of the aspects of a closely-knit family is doing things together, which brings in team spirit and the joy of sharing. Once a family tradition starts to happen regularly, it gives a sense of togetherness to the children and would be a step in the right direction towards building a blended family. Family game nights, monthly picnics, yearly vacation and Thanksgiving Day dinner could all very well be good family traditions that could live on for years, maybe even generations. Care has to be taken to ensure that the relationship between the stepchild and biological parent is sustained, since the child needs care from the biological parent to experience a wholesome childhood (All About Life Challenges). However, children growing under joint custody of separated parents end up being raised under two households with different rules and practices (National Stepfamily Resource Center). Hence, this may lead to the child getting mixed messages from both parents and being forced into a state of confusion. Hence, both the biological parent and step parent have to talk with each other and come to a conclusion about the methods of disciplining and treating the child. Even after doing these things right, if the child finds it hard to adapt to the blended family, the parents should give it some time for things to work their way out naturally and be open to the idea of seeking professional help if needed. Giving children space to make up their own minds at their own pace is the key to building new relationships with them. For instance, it is not fair to expect a stepchild to address a step parent as â€Å"dad† or â€Å"mom† since their biological parent is not replaceable (Jaffe et. al 2008). In due course of time, family bonds would eventually grow stronger as the child gains respect for the step parent. Reference: All About Life Challenges. Blended Families – Common Sense. Retrieved 9 July 2008, APA Health Center. (2004). Families: Making Stepfamilies Work. Retrieved 9 July 2008, Jaffe. J, Segal. J, Hutman. S & Barston. S. (2008, 8 January). Blending Families: a Guide for Stepparents. HelpGuide. Retrieved 9 July 2008, National Stepfamily Resource Center. Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved 9 July 2008, Way2Hope. Blended Family Problems. Retrieved 9 July 2008,

History of Gladiatorial Games Essay

History of gladiatorial games Origins Early literary sources seldom agree on the origins of gladiators and the gladiator games.[1] In the late 1st century BC, Nicolaus of Damascus believed they were Etruscan.[2] A generation later, Livy wrote that they were first held in 310 BC by the Campanians in celebration of their victory over the Samnites.[3] Long after the games had ceased, the 7th century AD writer Isidore of Seville derived Latin lanista (manager of gladiators) from the Etruscan word for â€Å"executioner,† and the title of Charon (an official who accompanied the dead from the Roman gladiatorial arena) from Charun, psychopomp of the Etruscan underworld.[4] Roman historians emphasized the gladiator games as a foreign import, most likely Etruscan. This preference informed most standard histories of the Roman games in the early modern era.[5] Reappraisal of the evidence supports a Campanian origin, or at least a borrowing, for the games and gladiators.[6] The earliest known Roman gladiator schools (ludi) were in Campania.[7] Tomb frescoes from Paestum (4th century BC) show paired fighters, with helmets, spears and shields, in a propitiatory funeral blood-rite that anticipates early Roman gladiator games.[8] Compared to these images, supporting evidence from Etruscan tomb-paintings is tentative and late. The Paestum frescoes may represent the continuation of a much older tradition, acquired or inherited from Greek colonists of the 8th century BC.[9] Livy dates the earliest Roman gladiator games to 264 BC, in the early stages of Rome’s First Punic War against Carthage. Decimus Iunius Brutus Scaeva had three gladiator pairs fight to the death in Rome’s â€Å"cattle market† Forum (Forum Boarium) to honor his dead father, Brutus Pera. This is described as a munus (plural: munera), a commemorative duty owed the manes of a dead ancestor by his descendants.[10] The gladiator type used (according to a single, later source), was Thracian.[11] but the development of the munus and its gladiator types was most strongly influenced by Samnium’s support for Hannibal and subsequent punitive expeditions by Rome and her Campanian allies; the earliest and most frequently mentioned type was the Samnite.[12] The war in Samnium, immediately afterwards, was attended with equal danger and an equally glorious conclusion. The enemy, besides their other warlike preparation, had made their battle-line to glitter with new and splendid arms. There were two corps: the shields of the one were inlaid with gold, of the other with silver†¦The Romans had already heard of these splendid accoutrements, but their generals had taught them that a soldier should be rough to look on, not adorned with gold and silver but putting his trust in iron and in courage†¦The Dictator, as decreed by the senate, celebrated a triumph, in which by far the finest show was afforded by the captured armour. So the Romans made use of the splendid armour of their enemies to do honour to their gods; while the Campanians, in consequence of their pride and in hatred of the Samnites, equipped after this fashion the gladiators who furnished them entertainment at their feasts, and bestowed on them the name Samnites. (Livy 9. 40)[13] Livy’s account skirts the funereal, sacrificial function of early Roman gladiator combats and underlines the later theatrical ethos of the gladiator show: splendidly, exotically armed and armoured barbarians, treacherous and degenerate, are dominated by Roman iron and native courage.[14] His plain Romans virtuously dedicate the magnificent spoils of war to the Gods. Their Campanian allies stage a dinner entertainment using gladiators who may not be Samnites, but play the Samnite role. Other groups and tribes would join the cast list as Roman territories expanded. Most gladiators were armed and armoured in the manner of the enemies of Rome.[15] The munus became a morally instructive form of historic enactment in which the only honourable option for the gladiator was to fight well, or else die well.

The Great Gatsby Character Analysis

Fell in love with luxury/grace/charm, lied about his past to woo her First speaking role in chapter 3 Initially aloof, enigmatic host, surrounded by luxury, powerful and beautiful people Subject of gossip Chi- learn of his childhood Chi- proof of criminality Later on- lovesick, naive, innocent, hopeful, centered on dreams Delayed revelations- 'emphasis the theatrical quality of Gatsby approach to life' Transformed self into a persona ‘Ability to transform hope and dreams into reality' Title = reminiscent of The Great Houdini/adolescent' etc. Suggesting Jay IS only an illusion Dream of Daisy falls apart (Wall Street Crash) Contrasts Nick & Tom Passionate, active Loyal and good hearted Loses love interest to Tom, like George Wilson. Temporarily lost touch with father MASC. political commentator Chris Matthews sees him as the eternal American striver: â€Å"Gatsby needed more than money: he needed to be someone who had always had this blind faith that he can retrofit his very exi stence to Daisy's specifications is the heart and soul of The Great Gatsby. It's the classic story of the fresh start, the second chance. ‘appears to be the quintessential American male hero†¦ Powerful businessman with shady connections, drives a glamorous car'(- Michael Kismet and Amy Aaron's) Often used as a symbol for wealth Believes American dream New man = born when he met Dan Cody Restless- like America, resourceful and active Never cynical or corrupt Cannot see daisy fault (using him for a release from her boring life & retaliation from husband) Pretends he, not Daisy, killed Myrtle Killed by George Wilson â€Å"Jimmy was bound to get ahead.He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he's got about improving his mind? He was always great for that. He told me I et like a hog once, and beat him for it† â€Å"Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once. † â€Å"it's more that he was a German spy during the war. He was n ever quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand. Consumed with wonder at her presence' (Daisy) Nick Caraway Sober, reflective Narrator Slowly moves to forefront From upper Midwest, family in America a little over 70 years Sent substitute to war (therefore of a wealthier class) Acts similarly to an ‘Everyman' Is not blinded by glitz and glamour Disgusted by realization of shallowness, hollowness, uncaring and self-serving attitude of his superiors.Distances self instead of catering to them More racial and down-to-earth than Buchannan and Jordan Baker (and so distances himself) Has personal integrity Affected by Gatsby death grows, from a man dreaming of a fortune, to a man who knows only too well what misery a fortune can bring romantic relationship with Jordan Baker calls himself â€Å"one Of the few honest people that have ever known Daisy Fay/Buchanan Enigmatic Tom's wife, Gatsby love interest, Nick's second cousin one removed, mother of Pam Beautiful, charming Selfish, shallow, hurtful See the world for what it is, cruel (why she's happy her child is a daughter so he can be a ‘beautiful little fool' Character built on light, purity and Innocence Otherworldly- angelic White- purity or void? Name- pure, centered around gold (wealth, status and money) Finds nouveau riches to be tedious and vulgar Materialistic â€Å"Thinking about Gatsby stretching his arms out to the green light across the water, we can't help thinking of the Sirens: the mythical island dwellers whose singing was so seductive that sailors would throw themselves into the sea and drown trying to reach them. † Capacity for love and wants to be loved Idealized image of relationship with GatsbyFickle Tom makes decisions for her undecided Us Percival ‘her voice is full of money' low, thrilling voice High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl. Human orchid of a woman Tom Buchanan Cold-hearted, arist ocratic bully Daisy's husband Staggeringly rich, for centuries Relatively young Arrogant Questionable love for Daisy Racist (more accepted then) Confident dads George to believe Gatsby is at fault It was a body capable of enormous leverage-?a cruel body. Brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen â€Å"Go on. He won't annoy you. I think he realizes that his presumptuous little flirtation is over. George Wilson Myrtle's husband Suicide Kills Gatsby Owner of run-down auto shop by the Valley of Ashes Respectable? The Great Gatsby character analysis Throughout The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby plays the main character. He is slowly introduced and revealed by Nick Carraway, his neighbor. Gatsby does both right and wrong things, he has acquired his great amounts of wealth through shady business and all to attain a financial situation that is equivalent to that of his love, Daisy Buchanan. Those actions and motives makes him a morally ambiguous character and greatly contributes to some of the bigger themes in the story as well as furthering the main plot.There are two sides to Jay Gatsby, a lovesick and determined young man that represents hope and loyalty, and a shady, corruptive man that represent his decay of morality. He is known all over the city for his extravagant parties full of alcohol and jazz music. This makes his name well known all over New York city, but he maintains the hard facts of him and his past hidden. He associates with a man who Gatsby claims â€Å"fixed the World’s Series back in 1919. † and he†™s in the business of bootlegging (illegal trafficking of liquor).Although Gatsby sounds like a despicable man he does all of this to reach his dream who is Daisy buchanan. Jay Gatsby has been emotionally loyal to Daisy since they fell in love when he was a young soldier, but she is already married and is part of an â€Å"aristocratic† class that ridicule people like Gatsby. When they are reunited Gatsby yearns for her approval by showing of his imported clothes and grand home and feeling helpless when she doesn’t enjoy his parties.These contradictions are sustainable proof of Gatsby’s moral ambiguity. Gatsby’s obsession with repeating the past is what results in his moral ambiguity and makes everything else servile to his dream. Bootlegging and fixing world series’s all seem like nothing if it means it’ll help him get to a financial level close to daisy’s. His shady business affairs and hopeful dreaming deepen the main plot and con tribute to the theme of the american dream that is extremely present throughout the whole story.Gatsby is able to attain his dream but in a non decent way that leaves people wondering if it was worth it or if that was the only way. He represents the rebellion and lack of morality of the 1920’s and the ostentatious ways in which the newly rich of the time live. Gatsby’s moral ambiguity can be shown through his determination to attain the one he loves, even if it means becoming a criminal. It contributes to various themes and lessons taught by the novel, like the dangers of not leaving the past behind.

Socrates and Euthyphro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Socrates and Euthyphro - Essay Example As Socrates and Euthyphro argue over the definition of piety, we will examine them to find out as to what facts are relevant in this dialogue of Euthyphro. Euthyphro, a priest comes to the court to prosecute his own father, on charges of killing the former’s servant. In this context Socrates (who is in the court because he has been accused of impiety) wanted to find out as to what is really meant by the term piety (or morally good), since Euthyphro, by his own version, is doing an act of piety by defying all conventions and prosecuting his own kin, his father. So Socrates starts by asking Euthyphro the definition of piety, to which Euthyphro says his very act of coming to the court to prosecute his father in order to fight for justice, is piety (first definition). However, Socrates disagrees and tells him, that the act is certainly pious, but does not define the term piety. To explain this in simpler terms we can say take any sentence as an example. When asked to define the term ‘bread’, the sentence ‘this basket contains bread’, may be a correct statement, but certainly does not define the term ‘ bread’. Realizing his mistake Euthyphro then comes forward with the second definition, where he says piety is an act loved by the gods. Here again Socrates intervenes, and tells him that there may be instances where the Gods may disagree amongst themselves. Then the act cannot be pious, since there is no clear consensus between the Gods. The third definition that Euthyphro then puts forward is that acts of piety are loved by all the Gods. After this definition, Socrates puts forward the question â€Å"Is what youre doing pious because it is loved by the gods, or do the gods love what youre doing because what youre doing is pious?†(Cahn, ibid). Here lies the dilemma, that is, if we accept certain act to be pious just because God commanded them to be so, then the distinction between good and bad becomes the

Research and recommend environmentally friendly elements to be used in Essay

Research and recommend environmentally friendly elements to be used in the construction of a multi storey commercial building - Essay Example These ensure client satisfaction and deign excellence. The chief task of this paper is to recommend environmentally friendly elements to be employed in the use of the construction of a multi-storey building. Green building is both cost effective and environmentally friendly. Recommendation Wood is among the core materials used in the construction of buildings. In context to multi-storey buildings, the ratio of steel, glass and concrete, is significantly more. However, in green building, this ratio must change. In this endeavor, timber-concrete composite is favorable for this building. It comprises of timber beams being interconnected to slabs of concrete that are then cast on timber members (GLAVINICH, 2008). This introduces cost saving measures and efficient control of building materials. The picture below was taken from a case study of Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney, east London. It demonstrates the strength associated with timber concrete composite. In context to the roof , clay roofing tiles are the best environmentally friendly option to pursue. Clay is a hundred percent recyclable as such the core rationale for its inclusion as a preferred building material. The durability of clay will lead to significant savings. This will be in terms of cost of repair. An additional factor for clay is that an increasing number of clay manufacturing companies are offering post consumer recycled clay tiles. Thus, the roofing system will always be up to date. The ten storey building is expected to consume a significant quantity of energy. As such, in achieving the sustainability of the building, energy efficiency is imperative. When the appropriate energy efficient solution is found, the rising costs of energy are controlled. The design and construction of the building should capture energy efficiency. Thus, solar energy is reliable since it is incident and available for a larger part of the year (YUDELSON, 2008). In the past, systems for harnessing solar energy we re not efficient in the creation of electrical energy. However, technological advancements have made it possible to source reasonable output from the solar panels. However, solar energy is expected to work in unison with the conventional power source. The picture below is a depiction of a Sandtoft product. The rationale for using Sandtoft rests on the premise that since they produce both clay roofs and solar panels, it would be more economical to buy from Sandtoft. The picture is from a case study conducted in Leeds where the owner reported significant energy savings since dealing with Sandtoft. Painting has been discovered to be among the most toxic chemicals in buildings (RIDER et al., 2011). Therefore, environmentally friendly paint must be used. The paint to be used on the building should be of low or no VOC paint. Natural pigmented paints should be the only paint to be used. As such, Ecosure Matt by Deluxe Trade is the best alternative. A case study conducted on Rimrose Hope CE Primary School explicates on both the sustainability and performance of this natural paint. The normal insulation systems are a product of toxic materials. An environmentally friendly insulation system comprises of blue jean denim (MULVANEY, 2011). It entirely uses recyclable materials. It has almost zero waste materials. Widows and doors form a core element in the energy profile of a building. When these products are

Reflections on the use of electronic health record data for clinical Essay

Reflections on the use of electronic health record data for clinical research - Essay Example Of course, the electronic health record system is not perfect. There are still several aspects that need improvement such as standardization and completeness of data. Further improvements need to be done to ensure accuracy and completeness of data as well as standard use of terms in all hospitals. Electronic health records may be also used for clinical research, given the wide database of different patients with similar, if not the same, medical cases. This data would prove to be useful in determining effectiveness of treatment and would provide different views on medical approaches. However, this task is not as simple as it may seem. Getting data from electronic health records is a complex and intricate task because one would need clear and concise data for it to be used effectively in clinical research. There are too many discrepancies in data and differences in terms and abbreviations used in transcribed notes that make collection of data more difficult. After reading the article, I realized that electronic health records are useful in ways more than one. I never really thought about EHR as a vital tool in clinical research. I know that it is important for records’ sake and that it would provide all necessary information to improve the quality and stability of patient care. Its use in clinical research is very interesting. It would not only aid health care providers in identifying specific patterns in diseases, but it would also help in comparing different treatments which could show researchers the more effective ones. The use of electronic health records could also further methods of assessing quality of care given to patients. The possibilities are endless and the benefits are seemingly overwhelming. The use of EHR’s, however, can also result in violation of privacy. Privacy is an important aspect of quality health care. The problem with transcribed data from health care providers in that it includes the name of the patient, which

Managing people in team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managing people in team - Essay Example Problem-solving skills are essential in this case since the team is made up of individuals with different views and interests thus bound to conflict. One question though that lingers on most organisations is how to manage a teams performance. Who should be credited for team’s success, is it the manager or the workers? This is an issue that has received considerable debate over the years. Adam Smith considered managers as ‘principle clerks’ thus assuming away any role for managers (Berri, Leeds, Leeds & Mondello, 2009). The workers were believed to be the ones contributing to success. Early researchers differentiated managers from entrepreneurs and viewed entrepreneurs as more active in ensuring productivity. However, recent studies have started acknowledging the role played by managers in improving productivity and ensuring workers are always motivated. Another crucial role is that of team leaders. These are entrusted with leading the group to success and as such have a big role to play in ensuring team effectiveness. The aim of this report is to evaluate the role of managers in overseeing performance as well as the importance of leadership role in team performance. This will entail interviewing managers of two organisations to find out their views on how they manage and lead their teams in eliciting excellent performance. Marks and Spencer is one of UK’s leading retailers of clothing, food, home products and financial services. It has an employee base of 78,000 employees in the UK and abroad and serves 21 million customers. It has more than 700 UK stores and a turnover of  £8 billion. It is committed to offering superior quality products to its customers at attractive prices (Corporate.marksandspencer.com, 2013). This is enhanced by its various teams which are headed by sectional managers as well as retail managers. Bluebird Garments is a textile company situated in the UK. It has a total of 2000 employees who are involved in

How will climate change affect National Grid(UK) and how they do PowerPoint Presentation

How will climate change affect National Grid(UK) and how they do business - PowerPoint Presentation Example On the other hand, it is suggested by Koomey et al. (1997, 1) that ‘the common perception among many policy makers and industry leaders is that the twin objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting a more competitive economy are inherently contradictory’. Many efforts have been made by the states globally in order to create a mutually – accepted plan for the reduction of greenhouse emissions; however this plan has faced significant oppositions mostly because it is against of the interests of specific parts of the population within each country globally; gas emissions and pollution in general seem to serve the interests of a specific group of people who ignore the effect of increased industrial activity on a continuous basis and promote personal interests even if they are related with severe damages on climate worldwide. Current paper focuses on the activities of National Grid, ‘an international electricity and gas company and one of the larg est investor-owned energy companies in the world’ (corporate website) in terms of their relationship with the climate changes globally. More specifically, the effects of climate changes in the international context are being identified and evaluated trying to locate the relationship between the firm’s activities and the climate change as they can be observed in the firm’s daily operations specifically in Britain. Climate has changed dramatically in all regions around the world. One of the main reasons for this change has been considered to be the extremely high percentage of carbon dioxide released by industries, households and a wide range of other sources (e.g. automobiles, fires and so on). Regarding this issue, it has been found by Marland et al. (2007) that ‘since 1751 roughly 315 billion tons of carbon have been released to the atmosphere from

Rise of South Korea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Rise of South Korea - Essay Example The paper tells that Heavy and Chemical Industry Drive did not play any positive role in the South Korean growth miracle because in any case, some of the industries were headed towards expansion. Secondly, during the HCI drive, South Korea was still a low protection nation and the aimed industries had to quickly compete in the world market. Instead, the HCI drive harmed the South Korean economy as its growth rate fell by 2.3% between the years 1963-1982. Between 1979-1980, there was a decline in the EOCD manufacturers imports’ share, which was as a result of fall in light manufactures. Therefore, targeted sectors’ growth was at other sectors’ expense. Actually, South Korea’s economy only grew following the end of HCI in 1979, with more trade as well as financial liberalization following in the eighties. Trade openness policy/Outward orientation was one of the most important factors in South Korea’s growth. During 1961-1980, Korea’s exports gr ew at 23.7% in real terms. Over the period 1960-1975, export expansion was directly responsible for more than quarter of the growth of manufactured output. Next was Heavy and Chemical Industry (HCI) Drive (1973-1979), which targeted the development of selective heavy and chemical industries (e.g., steel, automobiles, shipbuilding, etc.). This drive comprised Tax concessions policy and Trade policy reversal. It also comprised policies that directed bank credit at low interest rates – almost 60% of the bank loans and 75% of the manufacturing investment went to targeted industries. In April 17, 1979, Comprehensive Stabilization Program was developed, and it ended HCI drive. In the short run, there was tighter fiscal and monetary policy and liberalization in the long run. In 1980s, Stabilization and Liberalization policy was developed – import liberalization saw the reduction of average nominal tariff rate 24% (1983) to 19% in 1988 and to 11% in 1990. Due to the liberaliza tion financial sector, there was no more preferential interest rates for export industries and Chaebols, commercial banks were privatized, directed credit was relaxed, and the financial sector was opened up to FDI. Growth returned to pre-HCI levels of 9.9% 2. What was the role of Chaebols in South Korea’s economic performance before and after the East Asian Crisis? Chaebols were large family-managed business groups that had close relationship with the government of South Korea and depended on Korean government finance heavily. They received preferential allotment of grants, preferences in taxation and benefited from government sale of â€Å"enemy property† factories. The Chaebols followed the Confucianism approach to management and they took advantage of quick growth in exports and demand and expanded very quickly in the world market and became producers of major international brands. In 1950s and 1960s South Korea experienced economic success and Chaebols were major c ontributor in this – they were able to respond to market signals and outward looking export let strategies. The success factors of the Chaebols can be attributed to the fact that they ssuccessfully responded to such market signals as price, market opportunity and factor cost, outward looking strategies favoring export-led growth and a non-discriminatory government policy towards them. The Chaebols were therefore positive contributors of the amazing economic transformation and industrialization in South Korea, with the annual per capita GDP current prices reaching 79 dollars in 1960. This was particularly before the East Asian Crisis. However, Chaebols failed during the AFC 1997-1998, which marked the beginning of South Korea’s structural problems. Chaebols debts foreign and Non performing loans were exposed and in 1999, the government, under the pressure to get tougher with them, introduced a policy to rationalize their activities and do away with non-performing choebo l affiliates as well as

Article on a Person I Admire Essay Example for Free

Article on a Person I Admire Essay Depressed bulimic is a role model However inadequate to being a role model a depressed person struggling with bulimia might seem, our history holds an unquestionably notable one. Married to The Prince of Wales, Diana Frances became the first high-profile celebrity to be photographed touching an HIV-infected child and at once the most loved Princess of all times. Her life and activities had a significant impact on changing people’s attitudes and making the world a better place, for which I admire her greatly. The first Englishwomen married into the Royal Family had it not downhill, but no sooner had she been allowed to speak for herself irrespective of the Palace opinions than she became immersed in numerous charitable causes including getting involved in the AIDS research, which was strongly disapproved of by the Royals. Despite all criticism Lady Di continued throughout her marriage to patronise over one hundred nonprofit organisations. Increasing public awareness of the land mines issue and its dreadful consequences is also an achievement we should ascribe to The Princess of Wales. Doing all the charity stuff is, one may say, one thing and changing people’s lives is another, but still we have to give credit where credit is due, and the „Queen of Hearts† sure deserves one. Having problems as serious and discomforting to talk about as the rest of the nation (loveless marriage, bulimia, depression) and openly talking about them brought her closer to people than any other prominent figure has ever been. Her strength and confidence while overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles inspired others and encouraged them to make the best of a bad job. Although it has been over a decade since her death, Princess Diana is still looked up to and thought of as a women who was at once a royal personage and a compassionate friend. She would use all the media attention she was being given due to her position, status and fame to help those in need, especially the victims of diseases, poverty and social intolerance. (337)

Understanding Your Personal Worldview

Understanding Your Personal Worldview Understanding your personal worldview is important because this is how we assess all aspects of life the world around us and our place in it. The Christian worldview the laws of logic are universal and unchanging because they reflect the nature of the living God. How do people define the terms God, Ethics, and Knowledge? How do the terms affect the daily lives of others? I have found during my worldview search, that these three components play a huge role in how I shape my thoughts experiences, education, and life decisions. My beliefs about the existence and the character of God (Theology), the nature of Knowledge (Epistemology), and discussing the main question is truth relative? In addition I have discussed my beliefs about Ethics (Morality) and who is right and wrong? Who defines right and wrong? Are the moral laws the same for all people in all cultures? It is difficult for the natural man to believe in something he cannot see, touch, or feel (1Cor.2:14).The question for the Christian is solved with the first verse in the Bible. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Gen.1:1) the greatest proof in addition to scripture is our daily fellowship in prayer, Gods revelations and our personal experiences. (Psalms 19:1) states The Heavens declare the Glory of God and the firmament shows His handy work. This passage is clearly saying there is no excuse for man not to believe in God, for the beauty and the glory of the Heavens speak loudly saying God exists. Knowledge is possible because of how God has made us. We learn from our senses our experiences, but all true knowledge is ultimately dependent upon God. (Proverbs1:7).The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom an instruction. Ethics, or that which is good, is a reflection of the character of God. God is the standard of good by which all things are measured, and his standards are revealed through his word. Moral laws are pretty much the same in all cultures, but their moral reasoning can be different depending on the specific culture. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.(Matthew 6:33). The only real ethic is to glorify God by having faith in him and giving his kingdom priority in our lives. God has given us his revelation and to guide us in ethics, in knowing what we should and should not do. The book of Proverbs was given to us to teach us the right conduct. To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice and judgment, and equity: to give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Clearly the Bible teaches that truth is absolute and that it exists under the authority and revelation of Jesus Christ. Religion describes our connection to God as the one thing that exists. From this foundation we see the clear connection of how our worldviews are formed. Understanding ones personal and Christian worldviews are important, because they are determining factor of our moral code and ethics, and other beliefs. These worldviews give us a general picture of all reality, which we relate our experiences and knowledge. It helps us to put our daily experiences and choices into clearer prospective. (Cosgrove, p. 28) As a Christian my worldviews are important for my on salvation, for the well-being of my family, for the betterment of my community and workplace. A Christian worldview is powered by knowing the Spirit that lives inside of us is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. I can do no less than to love the Lord thy God with all my heart and soul. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all men through Him might believe.(1 John 7) Conclusion In conclusion the personal world view is a substantial part of how we relate to life, world events, each other, and helps us determine our part in this introspective living experience. The Christian Worldview and how it supports Christianity, which is necessary in building a relationship with the Living God. People across the world have their individual personal views relating to God, ethics, and knowledge and strive to perfect their religion, which is necessary in building a relationship with the creator.

Impact of Congestion Growth in Muscat

Impact of Congestion Growth in Muscat CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW Statement of the problem Most of the countries experienced significant increases in car ownership over the past two decades, resulting in rapid increases in total travel on the roads, and declining absolute market shares for public transport. Bonsall (2000) notes that, in the UK, car ownership rose from 30% of households in 1960 to 70% in 1995. In the US, by 2000, car ownership had exceeded an average of one car per licensed driver in many urban areas. Similar patterns are evident in many other countries around the world. With this burgeoning of car ownership has come the obvious consequence-escalating road congestion. As a result, policy makers have become increasingly focused on the idea of reducing congestion (Stradling, 2000). The mechanisms for reducing congestion are several. Included among these are increasing ride sharing (a mainstay of Transportation Demand Management policies in the US, for example), increasing the use of public transport, providing high occupancy vehicle lanes on various roadways, etc. Initially, Singapore, and then several cities in Norway experimented with introducing congestion charges for central cities. Most recently, London has introduced congestion charging for the central area, in an effort to reduce central Londons congestion levels. Following on the heels of that, many other cities around the world are now seriously considering similar congestion. Therefore, Muscat as the capital of Sultanate of Oman, the increasing of car ownership is one of the higher growths per household. In 1999 the passenger cars estimated 174 per 1000 people by comparing Muscat with wealthy Asian cities car ownership 123 per 1000 people (Nicholas Low and Brendan Gleeson,2003). 42 percent more than Asian wealthy cities, in the same time the population of Muscat is much lower than any of Asian cities. Therefore, Muscat is one of the cities, which suffering from congestion in this world. Current traffic situation Past trends Many factors influence the travel behaviour and cause disturbances through unexpected external effects, such as oil prices, economic recession etc. (Known as explanatory variables). Thus if one understands these factors, one can forecast future behaviour on the basis of projections of these variables. However, it is conventional to base travel forecasts on past trends described by time series data over a period of years. In Muscat, the principal weakness is a lack of reliable traffic flow data to identify trends in past growth. It is reasonable to assume therefore, that increases in population and economic activity will result in increased road traffic and land use development. Land use development relates to the need to house population increases and to new employment opportunities created by economic growth. Analysis of available data from 1980 to the present showed that: The population of Oman has increased at an average rate of about 10 per cent per annum. The national economy has grown at rates varying between -3 and + 17 per cent per annum. The national vehicle stock has increased at an average rate of 12 per cent per annum (the national car stock has grown even faster, at an average rate of 15 per cent per annum). Current conditions and characteristics Local conditions need to be thoroughly examined before any remedial measures can be taken. The study has observed and identified many problems and characteristics concerning the traffic and road network conditions. It has been estimated that the total AM peak. hour flow over the whole of the network is about 35000 vehicles, out of which 8000 vehicles on Sultan Qaboos street alone (two way flow) which constitute 23% of the total network flow. Comparing this with the car ownership (estimated to be 11 0 per 1000 population) implies that there is significant travel. demand on the network. The Stage I identified the following characteristics and problems, all of which will be exacerbated by future traffic growth: The road network in Muscat modern but depends, to a great extend, on the satisfactory operation of a single main road: Sultan Qaboos Street. The demonstrably high (but unqualified) traffic growth rates of recent years mean that this spine route is reaching its operational limits at times of peak demand. Peak period delays are occurring at important junctions (Such as Al Khuwair, Al Ghubra Roundabout etc..) and on the highway. There are no alternative routes at present, until express way open, which be expecting in the end of 2010. Traffic signal equipment in the important commercial centre of Ruwi is not exploiting the full potential of the existing road system. All parking is free of charge and demand in the CBD is reaching levels that are creating supply problems. The operation of the road system is adversely affected by on-street (verge) parking in a number of locations. Public transport services (buses) are provided by the Oman National Transport Company. It is understood that the scheduled ONTC services are subsidised by profitable charter services. The overall financial performance of ONTC, which is a state owned company, is just profitable. This performance is forcing modernisation of the bus fleet not to take place hence, reducing its appeal to potential customers. The average age of the bus fleet is increasing thus reducing the attraction of public transport. Bus services are supplemented by minibus and taxi services. Public transport is rarely used in preference to a private car. This applies particularly to scheduled bus services. The future role, ownership and organisation of ONTC were supposed to be the subject of a separate study. Coordination between the development of land use and transport policies at a local level is limited and could be improved. Operational road safety and traffic control are the responsibility of ROP. Traffic control is to an acceptable standard although the manual control of some important signalised junctions in Ruwi should be reviewed. As in all countries, there is scope for improved standards of road safety through established driver education programmes. The economic cost to the community of road accidents is not systematically quantified in Oman. In countries where such costs are quantified, they are found to be large and are used to justify traffic and safety management investment programmes often concerned with junction improvements to reduce accident risk. Purpose of the study In scientific research the purpose statement indicates why you want to do the study and what you intend to accomplish (Locke, Spirduso, and Silverman, 2000). According to this; The purpose of this sequential, mixed methods study is to first explore the impact of congestion growth in Muscat city as well as determining the percentage growth over the last ten year. Then based on the experiences and needs defined, the second phase will be to develop a solution that suits and match the requirement of transport provision needs based on the previous information as well as information collected in this phase; namely observation of both modern and professional ways of improving traffic demand management Potential significance This research study are important to different sectors. Because, the congestion is not only effecting the road users, but also society, economic, environment, and human. However, its important to consider externalities from congestion by implementing traffic demand management and improve public transport as one of the holistic solution in Muscat city. Statements and rationale for mixing methods This research is intended to follow a mixed methods research design. According to this, the aim of this section is to define and give a rationale for using this specific research design for this specific study. Mixed methods research design is defined as the collection or analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study in which the data are collected concurrently or sequentially, are given a priority, and involve integration of the data at one or more stages in the process of the research (Creswell, 2003). Historically mixed research method is relatively not a new idea. It probably originated in 1959, when Campbell and Fiske used multiple methods to study validity of psychological traits. Their encouragement to others to use their multimethod matrix prompted others to examine using mixed methods in their enquiry (Creswell, 2003). Recognizing that all research methods have limitations, researchers felt that biases inherent in any single method could neutralizes or cancel the biases of other methods another advantage of using mixed research methods design is that it allows researchers to simultaneously generalize results from a sample to a population and to gain deeper understanding of the phenomenon of interest (Hanson, Creswell, Creswell, Plano Clark, Petska 2005). In this respect, this study will mix different research methods, for the purpose of being able to generalize research results that will be obtained, from a representative sample, but at the same time give insights and understanding of issues tackled through quantitative techniques. This will ultimately be achieved through the use and integration of data in the various research stages namely; data collection, data analysis and discussion and reporting of findings. One rationale is that, in order to generalize weather road congestion in Muscat city have implications to the road users and public transport, a quantitative tool need to be used and applied. At the same time, the in depth of such suffering needs to be qualitatively addressed. As well as describing the processes of managing congestion by local authority. Another rationale for using mixed methods research is to convey the needs of supportive bus services and thus this research is intending to explore their issues, which are related to road congestion Although there are many challenges in using mixed methods research design, such as; the researcher should be familiar with both quantitative and qualitative research methods, also the need for extensive data collection (Creswell, 2003). But the growth and the developments of using this method proved the successful and the advantages of using this specific design, as stated earlier. In conclusion, for the purpose of this study a mixed methods research design will be used in order to achieve its stated purpose. Research questions This research will attempt to answer the following questions: What are the challenges faced by road authority in Muscat? What coping strategies for congestion growth? Is there any improvement in public transport in regard to coping congestion? What type of traffic demand management and technique used in Muscat? Is there a clear vision of improving public transport? Literature review Sustainable transport systems A sustainable transport system is one in which fuel consumption, vehicle emissions, safety, congestion and local and economics access are of such levels that they can be sustained into the indefinite future without causing great or irreparable harm to future generation of people around the world Richardson(1999). To achieve sustainable transport system, it should balance socio-economic and environmental consideration in recognition of the following: Economic: A sustainable transport system is one that is affordable, operates fairly and efficiently, offers a choice of transport mode, supports a competitive economy, as well as balanced regional development; Environmental: A sustainable transport system limits emissions and waste within the planets ability to absorb them, uses renewable resources at or below the rates of generation, and uses non-renewable resources at or below the of development of renewable substitutes, while minimizing the impact on the use of land and the generation of noise; and Social: A sustainable transport system allows the basic access and development needs of individuals, companies, and society to be met safety and in a manner consistent with human and ecosystem health, promotes equity within between successive generations. Transportation facilities and activities can have significant Environmental issues Surface transport accounts for approximately 25% of all C02 emissions globally, and transport is the only sector where emissions are increasing. While there are significant advances being made in reducing C02 emissions from other sectors such as industry and construction, technology has so far failed to find a solution for transport. Any technological advances in reducing C02 emissions have been more or less cancelled out by the increasing number of trips we are making. There is a fairly simple correlation between increasing GDP and higher trip levels. At the same time, developing countries are fast adopting the private car as their preferred mode of choice, and this is impacting on global C02 levels. This is set to increase with the introduction of the ultra low cost cars, such as the Nano car from Tata Motors in India, which has a price of about $3800. In addition to C02 issues, there are also issues related to noise and air pollution. Increasing traffic levels lead to increased visual intrusion, noise, and polluted air. Monitoring stations are already set up in many world cities to measure the impact of traffic on noise and air. However, these issues are not solely related to the private car. There are also significant environmental issues related to freight, whether this is by road or by sea. Traffic alone is responsible for breaching air quality standards in Muscat City The hot climate is very important influence of travel behaviour Key sensitive environmental areas are in close proximity to Muscat City (wetlands) Globally, there have been several important decision making meetings set to resolve global warming, which have included discussions on the role of-transport. The Kyoto Protocol was agreed in December 1997, and was in operation by February 2005. The Protocol requires industrialised countries to reduce their total emissions of greenhouse gases by about five per cent compared to 1990 levels by 2012. Each country that signed the protocol agreed to their own specific target. Developing countries were not required to meet quantitative emission goals. The world is now working towards a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, but one that can be agreed by all countries. Economic issues In Europe time wasted while delayed on traffic congested roads costs close to 1 % of the European Unions GDP. This high cost explains the desire to improve European transport networks, and reduce reliance on road based vehicles. The Middle East is increasingly experiencing similar. issues to Europe in terms of traffic congestion, and this is expected to result in a similar impact on GDP. With the rapidly growing economies of the Middle East, China, India, and Russia, there is an ever increasing demand for transport, and much of this is being planned for by road. However, for these counties and regions to realise their full potential, there is a need for fast and reliable transport links that are not subject to congestion or delay. These links are required between their raw material suppliers and manufacturers, and ultimately to their customers, i.e. a national, regional, and worldwide network. An efficient transport system will be vital to achieving Plan 2020 economic goals Need to effectively involve private and public sector provision Governments and developers understand the importance of transport as a catalyst for regeneration, improving productivity, and creating profit, but are reluctant to invest the high infrastructure costs, particularly when delivery of this is likely to be in the long term. Roads are often seen as a lower cost solution, but this is only related to construction and maintenance. The cost to the environment and to the social well being of the people is rarely included. New economic solutions to investing in new schemes are also being devised, particularly for high cost infrastructure schemes such as new rail lines. These are developed to maximise the success of implementing a new scheme. One solution gaining favour is a property transport levy, whereby affected businesses, residents, and developers pay a lump sum for new transport infrastructure on the basis that property values and rents will increase as a result of the new transport scheme. An example of this is the Crossrail scheme in London, which is partly funded by contributions from private businesses in the financial districts. Social Issues We have already noted that on a global scale, car use is increasing, while public transport, walking, and cycling are in decline. It is becoming common place for children to be driven to school rather than walk, cycle or use public transport. Workers are increasingly using the private car for their commuting trip, and short leisure and shopping trips are driven rather than walked. For example, in suburban London it has been recorded that 32% of car trips are less than one mile. There is also strong evidence of worsening global health in the form of increasing levels of obesity, childhood diabetes, and heart disease. If healthier options for travelling were introduced globally, and people were encouraged out of their cars, this could provide a strong boost to health worldwide. Walking 20 minutes a day is one way to incorporate exercise into a daily routine to maintain a minimum level of fitness, but if there is no infrastructure to allow this, then car use will be preferred, even for the shortest trips. Road traffic accident rates in Muscat amongst the highest in the world Pedestrian accidents (at 40% of total) are a particular concern Muscats city road network leads to major severance issues Road network is very pedestrian and cycle unfriendly Unique social mix makes provision of public transport more challenging For a country to maximise its economic performance, it is important that its citizens have access to jobs, services, and goods. For a fully functioning global world class economy, this access should not be restricted to only those who are able to afford access to a car. Access for all is promoted in many countries around the world, with the provision of public transport. infrastructure, and walking and cycling routes. Countries without this level of access tend to find they have disconnected communities, with reduced opportunities to break the cycle of poverty. The other movement issue related to transport is the severance effect of building new transport corridors, whether these are road or rail based. Given their longitudinal nature, they tend to split and divide communities, where only selected crossing points are provided for pedestrians and cyclists. Linked to the risk of overcoming transport barriers is the connection between vehicular movements and road traffic accidents. These are either vehicle vehicle accidents or vehicle  ­pedestrian I cyclist accidents. One of the reasons for road traffic accidents is the provision of corridors which encourage speeding, through the creation of what is known as a canyon effect. This is when drivers feel separated from their environment, through the incorporation of pedestrian barriers and banning of the other users. This lead driver to have little regard for other more vulnerable users. In contrast, the safest streets tend to be those which either have limited or no access to private car. Effects of congestion The current literature is very limited especially with respect to Arab countries. Therefore, I will use literature from Europe and state as well as some of the experience of development countries. The first problem with congested traffic conditions is that these conditions are inherently unstable. That is, vehicles may flow quite well at speeds that are only modestly reduced from free-flow speeds, but flow may also easily break down, with the formation of queues, stop-and-go conditions, and average speeds that are very low. This instability produces one of the negatives of congestion- travel time unreliability. A second negative of congestion, is that extra time is required under these conditions, time that may be considered to be non-productive time. For those who are caught in congested conditions and who are driving outside normal working hours, it is questionable as to whether the time losses from congested conditions have an economic impact. Redmond and Mokhtarian, (2001) show that many commuters do not perceive congestion as necessarily an evil of their daily commute. Based on their study, Nasser (2002) notes that, in these modern times, many people can find complete pri vacy in only two places-the car or the toilet. For many, there is actually peace and relaxation commuting alone. For many, its the only time they have to read (by listening to books on tape), enjoy music they like, catch up on the news, smoke without being chastised or make personal phone calls in total privacy (Nasser, 2002). Such attitudes do not bode well for carpooling, which is often seen as one of the alternatives to reduce congestion. New road to reduce congestion Anthony Downs (1992), argues that building our way out of existing traffic congestion problems doesnt work because of triple convergence.; When a road is widened to reduce traffic congestion, three responses occur over time to reduce the benefit of increased capacity. First, drivers who previously used alternate routes will switch to the newly expanded facility. Second, drivers who previously traveled on the congested facility during off-peak hours will switch to the peak period. Third, many people who car pooled or used public transit to avoid the hassle of stop-and-go traffic during the peak period will choose the convenience of driving alone on the newly uncongested link in the transportation system. The cumulative effect of the three types of individual behavioral responses to increased capacity ends up forcing equilibrium traffic flow on the expanded facility back toward its initial congested state. This scenario exactly happening in Muscat, government continuously focusing to improve road infrastructure to solve a congestion problem, but within certain of time traffic volume build up by moving road users from congested routes to the new road and encouraging people to use their own private transport. Recent studies show that building or widening highways induces more traffic, called induced travel. Shortly after the lanes or road is opened traffic will increase to 10 to 50% of the new roadway capacity as public transit or carpool riders switch to driving, or motorists decide to take more or longer trips or switch routes. This is short-term induced travel. In the longer term (three years or more), as the new roadway capacity stimulates more sprawl and motorists move farther from work and shopping, the total induced travel rises to 50 to 100% of the roadway ¹s new capacity. This extra traffic clogs local streets at both ends of the highway travel. The following table summarizes these studies. Accessibility and mobility Accessibility can be defined as the ease of reaching destinations (Levine and Garb, 2002), whereas mobility may be defined as the ease of movement. While these two concepts are clearly related, they are not the same thing. If a person lives in an area where there are many possible destinations close by, accessibility may be very high, even though mobility might be constrained, as in a CBD. On the other hand, if a person lives in a relatively remote area, accessibility may be poor because considerable travel time and cost is required to reach any destination, although mobility may be high. In 1960, world inhabitants travelled an average of 1820 km by car, bus, railway or aircraft. Three decades later, the annual distance travelled had increased to 4390 km. In light of a 75% world population growth, absolute motorised mobility rose by a factor greater than four( Schafer, 1998). As Levine and Garb (2002) point out, mobility and accessibility are measured in different ways. Mobility is measured as a generalised cost of travel (time plus money) per kilometre; accessibility is measured as the generalized cost of travel per destination. Generally, mobility is closely related to the level of service provided on the transport system. Higher levels of service represent lower costs per kilometre of travel. Thus, increases in capacity of the system will almost always lead to an increase in mobility, at least in the short term. Accessibility, however, is related to destinations, and therefore, requires attention both to land use patterns and to the quality of destinations. Miller, (1999). Increasing congestion is likely to produce decreases in both mobility and accessibility. Longer travel times and increased monetary costs of travel, as a result of congestion, obviously increase the travel cost per kilometre. At the same time, these increased travel times may also result in reduced accessibility, by making potential destinations more expensive to reach. However, different methods for tackling congestion will be likely to have quite different effects on each of mobility and accessibility, as is discussed subsequently in this paper Increasing public transport use Public transport has an important role to play within most urban areas. There still remain significant groups of the population who either cannot afford to own and operate a car, or who make a conscious choice to avoid the car. There are also specific movements within the urban area to which public transport is better suited than the car, under virtually any circumstances. This is particularly the case for work trips going to the central business districts of many cities. It is also an important means of travel for the elderly who can no longer drive or no longer wish to, and for young people who are not yet old enough to hold a drivers license, or who cannot yet afford a car. In modern history, and perhaps in all of transport history, there has never been success in shifting people into public transport at the rate that is called for in many contemporaneous policy statements. This alone, however, does not mean to say that such shifts into public transport are not possible. It may just be that no one has come up with the appropriate policy mix (carrots and sticks) to produce these sorts of market shifts. It is also possible that there has not existed previously the political courage to implement what must be done if such large shifts in public transport markets are to occur. It is, however, important to look at the magnitude of what is required. Demand Management Toolbox Demand management is playing important factor to solve traffic growth. There is a broad range of TDM measures, including: Transportation Management Associations: leverage public and private funds to increase the use of ridesharing and other commuting options that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality Including or improving pedestrian-oriented design elements, such as short pedestrian crossings, wide sidewalks and street trees. Requiring users of parking to pay the costs directly, as opposed to sharing the costs indirectly with others through increased rents and tax subsidies. Including and improving public transportation infrastructure, such as subway entrances, bus stops and routes. Subsidizing transit costs for employees or residents. Bicycle-friendly facilities and environments, including secure bike storage areas and showers. See Bicycle transportation engineering Providing active transportation (AT) facilities including bike lanes and multi-use trails. Flex-time work schedules with employers to reduce congestion at peak times Congestion pricing tolls during peak hours. Road space rationing by restricting travel based on license plate number, at certain times and places. Workplace travel plans Road space reallocation, aiming to re-balance provision between private cars which often predominate due to high spatial allocations for roadside parking, and for sustainable modes. Time, Distance and Place (TDP) Road Pricing, where road users are charged based on when, where and how much they drive. Some transportation experts believe TDP pricing is an integral part of the next generation in transportation demand management Sustainable Mobility The common strategy of sustainable mobility should contain the impact on the environment, while allowing transport to continue to fulfill its economic and social function, particularly in the context of the single market, and thus ensure the long term development of transport in the community. It should also contribute to social and economic cohesion in the community and to the new opportunities for the peripheral regions (Banister,2000) Our sustainable strategy in Muscat focusing on economic issues only. However, we will end up by heavily a congestion road, and we cant be coping with the economic growth. Unless we prepare green transport strategy, which provide better integration of land use and transport, and taking serious consideration of social and environment as well as economic concern. The Intuitional Issues Urban Policies and Development The institutional issue refers to how the country, society and private agencies define and implement transport -related public policies. Several public policies influence socio-spatial organization, including urban development, land use, housing, transport and traffic. For my research topic three main areas are relevant: Urban planning; Transport planning; and Traffic management These are associated with three objectives: land, circulation of structure and means, and circulation patterns. The urban planning and transport planning are considered to be most important public action. Traffic management is often considered to be secondary importance, related more technical, simple objectives that should be dealt with engineers. While urban planning is mainly concerned with land use provision of public services, transport planning involves of definition of circulation infrastructure and means. Urban planning The Higher Committee for Town Planning government body responsible for implementing plans of economic and social development in the Sultanate in the fields of physical and spatial, and through the preparation of detailed plans at the regional and urban areas. Has been formally established by Royal Decree No. 27/85, dated the twenty-fourth of February 1985, was rebuilt more than once on the requirements of the public interest. The main tasks of the Commission: policy-making of urban planning at all levels of in accordance with economic considerations, social and environmental development strategy of urban development so as to achieve overall development goals and sustainable development in all provinces and regions of the Sultanate approvals planning the allocation of land for various purposes in establishing controls and propose the necessary legislation to regulate and direct the work of the establishment of the Urban Planning an integrated system for geographic information includes databases and maps for

Shakespeares Tempest :: essays research papers

I love the way Prospero speaks! Although I hate his character, his way of speaking is eloquently biting—whether he is speaking lovingly to his daughter or abusively to Caliban, he gets his point across beautifully. I tried with all my might to decide whether I like Prospero†¦ but to no avail. I had a bad taste in my mouth from the get-go because I remembered a comment about the ambiguity of the Caliban situation—how maybe he did try to rape Miranda, but maybe he didn’t, so maybe Prospero was noble by enslaving Caliban†¦ but maybe he was tyrannical. Prospero definitely reminded me of The Duke (Measure for Measure). Both played God-like roles, deceiving for a good cause yet deceiving nonetheless. I also love how Ferdinand sees Miranda, walks up to her, and says, â€Å"Hey baby, you single? A virgin? Attached? Wanna be a queen?† and that’s all he has to do. Besides Prospero’s fake-objections and all the wood-hauling, Miranda is as good as won. They have some really great lines between them—it’s one of my favorite love-dialogues. It probably helped that he thought he was gonna die and she had only seen two other men in her entire life. But love’s love. My favorite part was how he, a prince, stooped to a â€Å"patient log-man† level to prove his love for her, and how she offered to help while he rested! When Ferdinand first sees Miranda and promptly begins wooing, Prospero accuses him of attempted usurpation. I thought this was ironic†¦ and then realized that usurpation may be a theme that runs through the course of the play. Which it is. I think. Because Antonio usurped Prospero (right?), Prospero usurped Caliban, Sebastian is thinking about usurping Alonso, and Caliban is lookin to usurp Prospero. Maybe ‘usurp’ isn’t the right word for all of these cases—maybe ‘kill’ would suffice. I’m not sure of the exact definition of usurp, but I’m pretty sure a transfer of power via overthrow or murder plays a part. Onward to conventions! I saw lots of dark/light imagery, storms (of course), magic (also of course—there was a magic cloak, after all), nature vs.

Total Quality Management Essay -- business, TQM, productivity, perform

Before diving into the ideology of Total Quality Management, we need to have an understanding of what the term Quality means. The term quality is frequently used to signify the level of distinction of a product or service. The term ‘Quality’ in some engineering organisations may be used to specify that a piece of metal conforms to a definite physical dimension and characteristics often set down in the form of a particular ‘compact’ specification. The motion of quality development generally and total quality management in particular have become very popular in America during the past three decades. The fierce competitiveness of the global market is the force that generates this motion. As the parallel rebuff of the American economy in the late 190’s became perceptible, many U.S industries started transforming the traditional way of doing business into an organisational approach paying focus on the continuous development so as to become comp etitive. America in the 1980’s embarked on the journey for the Quality development motion journey. The prestigious Malcolm Baldridge national quality award is the most distinguished symbol of America’s quality revolution (Hiam, 1992). Actually, quality has been one the private sector’s principal concentrations for a long time. The fact still remains so today. In the early years of the quality trend, the focus on quality was on quality circles (Barra, 1983), quality control and quality assurance (Ishikawa, 1991). The top plan of many organisations in the private sector’s to improve and develop on quality, productivity and competitive position is the drive for total quality management (TQM) (Hunt, 1992). Since the 1990’s TQM has started to be extensive beyond the private sector ... .... 2. Chartered Quality Institute (2013) Total Quality Management (TQM). [Online] Available from: http://www.thecqi.org/Knowledge-Hub/Resources/Factsheets/Total-quality-management/ Accessed on 21st Oct, 2013. 3. Prof. Bagad, V. S. (2008) ‘Total Quality Management’ in Total Quality Management. India: Sharniwar peth. 4. Tolsma, Denis (2011) ‘Total Quality Management’ in Macro-organizational factors. Switzerland: Geneva. 5. Rawlins, R. A. (2008) ‘Total Quality Management’ in Total Quality Management. Indiana: Bloomington. 6. Phu, V.H. (2011) ‘Historical Evolution of TQM literature’. Total Quality Management Approach to the Information Systems Development Processes: An Empirical Study. 1,2 : 10-11 7. Inc. (2013) Total Quality Management (TQM). [Online] Available from: http://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/total-quality-management-tqm.html/2 Accessed on 27th Oct, 2013.

Metal Protection Crossion

DBT 303 METALS PROTECTION ASSIGNMENT 1 1) 2) 3) What is meant by oxidation and reduction processes? What is meant by anode and cathode? Write both half reaction equations and total equations in an electrochemical cell that consists of Pb and Zn in their respective 1M ion solutions. 4) Write both half reaction from the total equilibrium electrochemical cell below? Define what happen for each half reaction? Calculate the voltage that is generated Zn + 2HCL->ZnCl2 + H2 5) What is meant by Corrosion Penetration Rate, CPR? (i) (ii) Define CPR. Give its unit. ) 7) 8) State three (3) corrosion medium? State the difference between EMF series and galvanic series that you know? What is meant by? (i) (ii) Corrosion? Corrosion rate? 9) One half of an electrochemical cell consists of a pure Nickel electrode in a solution of Ni2+. The other is a Cadmium electrode immersed in a Cd2+ solution. (i) If the cell is a standard one, write the spontaneous overall reaction and calculate the voltage that is generated. (ii) Compute the cell potential at 25? C if the Cd2+ and Ni2+ concentrations are 0. 5 and 10-3 M, respectively.Is the spontaneous reaction direction still the same as for the standard cell? 10) 11) Define passivity. Give an example of passivity. Briefly explain how passivity behaviour protects the metal surface from further corrosion. 12) 13) 14) 15) State two (2) examples of metals that displays passivity behaviour. Define erosion corrosion and how does it happen? What is crevice corrosion? Give an example of crevice corrosion. Where are intergranular corrosion always occur? How to prevent intergranular corrosion? 16) A piece of corroded steel plate was found in submerged ocean vessel.It was estimated that the original area of the plate was 15 in. 2 and approximately 2. 8 kg had corroded away during the submersion. Assuming a corrosion penetration rate of 180 mpy for this alloy in seawater, estimate the time of submersion in unit of years. The density of the steel is 7. 9 g/cm3. 17) 18) 19) 20) How does Activation Polarization occur? Explain about sacrificial anode and in what environment can be used? Explain about impressed current and how does it operated? Give four (4) common methods to apply metallic coating?

Pedagology of the Oppressed Essay

A careful analysis of the teacher-student relationship at any level, inside or outside the school, reveals its fundamentally narrative character. The relationship involves a narrating Subject (the teacher) and patient, listening objects (the students). The contents, whether values or empirical dimensions of reality, tend in the process of being narrated to become lifeless and petrified. Education is suffering from narration sickness. The teacher talks about reality as if it were motionless, static, compartmentalized, and predictable. Or else he expounds on a topic completely alien to the existential experience of the students. His task is to â€Å"fill† the students with the contents of his narration – contents which are detached from reality, disconnected from the totality that engendered them and could give them significance. Words are emptied of their concreteness and become a hollow, alienated, and alienating verbosity. The outstanding characteristic of this narrative education, then, is the sonority of words, not their transforming power. â€Å"Four times four is sixteen; the capital of Parà ¡ is Belà ©m.† The student records, memorizes, and repeats these phrases without perceiving what four times four really means, or realizing the true significance of â€Å"capital† in the affirmation â€Å"the capital of Parà ¡ is Belà ©m,† that is, what Belà ©m means for Parà ¡ and what Parà ¡ means for Brazil. Narration (with the teacher as narrator) leads the students to memorize mechanically the narrated content. Worse yet, it turns them into â€Å"containers,† into â€Å"receptacles† to be â€Å"filled† by the teacher. The more completely he fills the receptacles, the better a teacher he is. The more meekly the receptacles permit themselves to be filled, the better students they are. Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Instead of communication, the teacher issues communiquà ©s and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat. This is the â€Å"banking† concept of education, in which the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits. They do, it is true, have the opportunity to become collectors or cataloguers of the things they store. But in the last analysis, it is men themselves who are filed away through the lack of creativity, transformation, and knowledge in this (at best) misguided system. For apart from inquiry, apart from the praxis, men cannot be truly human. Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry men pursue in the world, with the world and with each other. In the banking concept of education, knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing. Projecting an absolute ignorance onto others, a characteristic of the ideology of oppression, negates education and knowledge as processes of inquiry. The teacher presents himself to his students as their necessary opposite; by considering their ignorance absolute, he justifies his own existence. The students, alienated like the slave in the Hegelian dialectic, accept their ignorance as justifying the teacher’s existence – but, unlike the slave, they never discover that they educate the teacher. The raison d’à ªtre of libertarian education, on the other hand, lies in its drive towards reconciliation. Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students. This solution is not (nor can it be) found in the banking concept. On the contrary, banking education maintains and even stimulates the contradiction through the following attitudes and practices, which mirror oppressive society as a whole: a) the teacher teaches and the students are taught; b) the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing; c) the teacher thinks and the students are thought about; d) the teacher talks and the students listen – meekly; e) the teacher disciplines and the students are disciplined; f) the teacher chooses and enforces his choice, and the students comply; g) the teacher acts and the students have the illusion of acting through the action of the teacher; h) the teacher chooses the program content, and the students (who were not consulted) adapt to it; i) the teacher confuses the authority of knowledge with his own professional authority, which he sets in opposition to the freedom of the students; j) the teacher is the Subject of the learning process, while the pupils are mere objects. It is not surprising that the banking concept of education regards men as adaptable, manageable beings. The more students work at storing the deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop the critical consciousness which would result from their intervention in the world as transformers of that world. The more completely they accept the passive role imposed on them, the more they tend simply to adapt to the world as it is and to the fragmented view of reality deposited in them. The capability of banking education to minimize or annul the ‘students’ creative power and to stimulate their credulity serves the interests of the oppressors, who care neither to have the world revealed nor to see it transformed. The oppressors use their â€Å"humanitarianism† to preserve a profitable situation. Thus they react almost instinctively against any experiment in education which stimulates the critical faculties and is not content with a partial view of reality but always seeks out the ties which link one point to another and one problem to another. Indeed, the interests of the oppressors lie in â€Å"changing the consciousness of the oppressed, not the situation which oppresses them†;[1] for the more the oppressed can be led to adapt to that situation, the more easily they can be dominated. To achieve this end, the oppressors use the banking concept of education in conjunction with a paternalistic social action apparatus, within which the oppressed receive the euphemistic title of â€Å"welfare recipients.† They are treated as individual cases, as marginal men who deviate from the general configuration of a â€Å"good, organized, and just† society. The oppressed are regarded as the pathology of the healthy society, which must therefore adjust these â€Å"incompetent and lazy† folk to its own patterns by changing their mentality. These marginals need to be â€Å"integrated,† â€Å"incorporated† into the healthy society that they have â€Å"forsaken.† The truth is, however, that the oppressed are not â€Å"marginals,† are not men living â€Å"outside† society. They have always been â€Å"inside† – inside the structure which made them â€Å"beings for others.† The solution is not to â€Å"integrate† them into the structure of oppression, but to transform that structure so that they can become â€Å"beings for themselves.† Such transformation, of course, would undermine the oppressors’ purposes; hence their utilization of the banking concept of education to avoid the threat of student conscientizacÄ o. The banking approach to adult education, for example, will never propose to students that they critically consider reality. It will deal instead with such vital questions as whether Roger gave green grass to the goat, and insist upon the importance of learning that, on the contrary, Roger gave green grass to the rabbit. The â€Å"humanism† of the banking approach masks the effort to turn men into automatons – the very negation of their ontological vocation to be more fully human. They may perceive through their relations with reality that reality is really a process, undergoing constant transformation. If men are searchers and their ontological vocation is humanization, sooner or later they may perceive the contradiction in which banking education seeks to maintain them, and then engage themselves in the struggle for their liberation. But the humanist, revolutionary educator cannot wait for this possibility to materialize. From the outset, his efforts must coincide with those of the students to engage in critical thinking and the quest for mutual humanization. His efforts must be imbued with a profound trust in men and their creative power. To achieve this, he must be a partner of the students in his relations with them. The banking concept does not admit to such partnership – and necessarily so. To resolve the teacher-student contradiction, to exchange the role of depositor, prescriber, domesticator, for the role of student among students would be to undermine the power of oppression and serve the cause of liberation. Implicit in the banking concept is the assumption of a dichotomy between man and the world: man is merely in the world, not with the world or with others; man is spectator, not re-creator. In this view, man is not a conscious being (corpo consciente); he is rather the possessor of ÃŽ ± consciousness: an empty â€Å"mind† passively open to the reception of deposits of reality from the world outside. For example, my desk, my books, my coffee cup, all the objects before me – as bits of the world which surrounds me – would be â€Å"inside† me, exactly as I am inside my study right now. This view makes no distinction between being accessible to consciousness and entering consciousness. The distinction, however, is essential: the objects which surround me are simply accessible to my consciousness, not located within it. I am aware of them, but they are not inside me. It follows logically from the banking notion of consciousness that the educator’s role is to regulate the way the world â€Å"enters into† the students. His task is to organize a process which already occurs spontaneously, to â€Å"fill† the students by making deposits of information which he considers to constitute true knowledge.[2] And since men â€Å"receive† the world as passive entities, education should make them more passive still, and adapt them to the world. The educated man is the adapted man, because he is better â€Å"fit† for the world. Translated into practice, this concept is well suited to the purposes of the oppressors, whose tranquillity rests on how well men fit the world the oppressors have created, and how little they question it. The more completely the majority adapt to the purposes which the dominant minority prescribe for them (thereby depriving them of the right to their own purposes), the more easily the minority can continue to prescribe. The theory and practice of banking education serve this end quite efficiently. Verbalistic lessons, reading requirements,[3] the methods for evaluating â€Å"knowledge,† the distance between the teacher and the taught, the criteria for promotion: everything in this ready-to-wear approach serves to obviate thinking. The bank-clerk educator does not realize that there is no true security in his hypertrophied role, that one must seek to live with others in solidarity. One cannot impose oneself, nor even merely co-exist with one’s students. Solidarity requires true communication, and the concept by which such an educator is guided fears and prescribes communication. Yet only through communication can human life hold meaning. The teacher’s thinking I authenticated only by the authenticity of the students’ thinking. The teacher cannot think for his students, nor can he impose his thought on them. Authentic thinking, thinking that is concerned about reality, does not take place in ivory tower isolation, but only in communication. If it is true that thought has meaning only when generated by action upon the world, the subordination of students to teachers becomes impossible. Because banking education begins with a false understanding of men as objects, it cannot promote the development of what Fromm calls â€Å"biophily,† but instead produces its opposite: â€Å"necrophily.† While life is characterized by growth in a structured, functional manner, the necrophilous person loves all that does not grow, all that is mechanical. The necrophilous person is driven by the desire to transform the organic into the inorganic, to approach life mechanically, as if all living persons were things†¦.Memory, rather than experience; having, rather than being, is what counts. The necrophilous person can relate to an object – a flower or a person – only if he possesses it; hence a threat to his possession is a threat to himself; if he loses possession he loses contact with the world†¦He loves control, and in the act of controlling he kills life.[4] Oppression—overwhelming control—is necrophilic; it is nourished by love of death, not life. The banking concept of education, which serves the interests of oppression, is also necrophilic. Based on a mechanistic, static, naturalistic, spatialized view of consciousness, it transforms students into receiving objects. It attempts to control thinking and action, leads men to adjust to the world, and inhibits their creative power. When their efforts to act responsibly are frustrated, when they find themselves unable to use their faculties, men suffer. â€Å"This suffering due to impotence is rooted in the very fact that the human equilibrium has been disturbed.†[5] But the inability to act which causes men’s anguish also causes them to reject their impotence, by attempting †¦to restore [their] capacity to act. But can [they], and how? One way is to submit to and identify with a person or group having power. By this symbolic participation in another person’s life, [men have] the illusion of acting, when in reality [they] only submit to and become a part of those who act.[6] Populist manifestations perhaps best exemplify this type of behaviour by the oppressed, who, by identifying with charismatic leaders, come to feel that they themselves are active and effective. The rebellion they express as they emerge in the historical process is motivated by that desire to act effectively. The dominant elites consider the remedy to be more domination and repression, carried out in the name of freedom, order, and social peace (that is, the peace of the elites). Thus they can condemn—logically, from the point of view—â€Å"the violence of a strike by workers and [can] call upon the state in the same breath to use violence in putting down the strike.†[7] Education as the exercise of domination stimulates the credulity of students, with the ideological intent (often not perceived by educators) of indoctrinating them to adapt to the world of oppression. This accusation is not made in the naà ¯ve hope that the dominant elites will thereby simply abandon the practice. Its objective is to call the attention of true humanists to the fact that they cannot use banking educational methods in the pursuit of liberation for they would only negate that very pursuit. Nor may a revolutionary society inherit these methods from an oppressor society. The revolutionary society which practices banking education is either misguided or mistrusting of men. In either event, it is threatened by the spectre of reaction. Unfortunately, those who espouse the cause of liberation are themselves surrounded and influenced by the climate which generates the banking concept, and often do not perceive its true significance or its dehumanizing power. Paradoxically, then, they utilize this same instrument of alienation in what they consider an effort to liberate. Indeed, some â€Å"revolutionaries† brand as â€Å"innocents,† â€Å"dreamers,† or even â€Å"reactionaries† those who would challenge this educational practice. But one does not liberate men by alienating them. Authentic liberation—the process of humanization—is not another deposit to be made in men. Liberation is a praxis: the action and reflection of men upon their world in order to transform it. Those truly committed to the cause of liberation can accept neither the mechanistic concept of consciousness as an empty vessel to be filled, not the use of banking methods of domination (propaganda, slogans—deposits) in the name of liberation. Those truly committed to liberation must reject the banking concept in its entirety, adopting instead a concept of man as conscious beings, and consciousness as consciousness intent upon the world. They must abandon the educational goal of deposit-making and replace it with the posing of the problems of men in their relations with the world. â€Å"Problem-posing† education, responding to the essence of consciousness—intentionality—rejects communiquà ©s and embodies communication. It epitomizes the special characteristic of consciousness: being conscious of, not only as intent on objects but as turned in upon itself in a Jasperian â€Å"split†Ã¢â‚¬â€consciousness as consciousness of consciousness. Liberating education consists in acts of cognition, not transferrals of information. It is a learning situation in which the cognizable object (far from being the end of the cognitive act) intermediates the cognitive actors—teacher on the one hand and students on the other. Accordingly, the practice of problem-posing education entails at the outset that the teacher-student contradiction be resolved. Dialogical relations—indispensable to the capacity of cognitive actors to cooperate in perceiving the same cognizable object—are otherwise impossible. Indeed, problem-posing education, which breaks with the vertical patterns characteristic of banking education, can fulfil its function as the practice of freedom only if it can overcome the above contradiction. Through dialogue, the teacher-of-the-students and the students-of-the-teacher cease to exist and a new term emerges: teacher-student with student-teachers. The teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach. They become jointly responsible for a process in which all grow. In this process, arguments based on â€Å"authority† are no longer valid; in order to function, authority must be on the side of freedom, not against it. Here, no one teaches another, nor is anyone self-taught. Men teach each other, mediated by the world, by the cognizable objects which in banking education are â€Å"owned† by the teacher. The banking concept (with its tendency to dichotomize everything) distinguishes two stages in the action of the educator. During the first, he cognizes a cognizable object while he prepares his lessons in his study or his laboratory; during the second, he expounds to his students about that object. The students are not called upon to know, but to memorize the contents narrated by the teacher. Nor do the students practice any act of cognition, since the object towards which that act should be directed is the property of the teacher rather than a medium evoking the critical reflection of both teacher and students. Hence in the name of the â€Å"preservation of culture and knowledge† we have a system which achieves neither true knowledge nor true culture. The problem-posing method does not dichotomize the activity of the teacher-student: he is not â€Å"cognitive† at one point and â€Å"narrative† at another. He is always â€Å"cognitive,† whether preparing a project or engaging in dialogue with the students. He does not regard cognizable objects as his private property, but as the object of reflection by himself and the students. In this way, the problem-posing educator constantly re-forms his reflections in the reflection of the students. The students—no longer docile listeners—are now critical co-investigators in dialogue with the teacher. The teacher presents the material to the students for their consideration, and re-considers his earlier considerations as the students express their own. The role of the problem-posing educator is to create, together with the students, the conditions under which knowledge at the level of the doxa is superseded by true knowledge, at the level of the logos. Whereas banking education anesthetizes and inhibits creative power, problem-posing education involves a constant unveiling of reality. The former attempts to maintain the submersion of consciousness; the latter strives for the emergence of consciousness and critical intervention in reality. Students, as they are increasingly posed with problems relating to themselves in the world and with the world, will feel increasingly challenged and obliged to respond to that challenge. Because they apprehend the challenge as interrelated to other problems within a total context, not as a theoretical question, the resulting comprehension tends to be increasingly critical and thus constantly less alienated. Their response to the challenge evokes new challenges, followed by new understandings; and gradually the students come to regard themselves as committed. Education as the practice of freedom – as opposed to education as the practice of domination – denies that man is abstract, isolated, independent, and unattached to the world; it also denies that the world exists as a reality apart from men. Authentic reflection considers neither abstract man nor the world without men, but men in their relations with the world. In these relations consciousness and world are simultaneous: consciousness neither precedes the world nor follows it. La conscience et le monde sont dormà ©s d’un meme coup: extà ©rieur par essence à   la conscience, le monde est, par essence relative à   elle.[8] In one of our culture circles in Chile, the group was discussing (based on a codification[9]) the anthropological concept of culture. In the midst of the discussion, a peasant who by banking standards was completely ignorant said: â€Å"Now I see that without man there is no world.† When the educator responded: â€Å"Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that all the men on earth were to die, but that the earth itself remained, together with trees, birds, animals, rivers, seas, the stars†¦wouldn’t all this be a world?† â€Å"Oh no,† the peasant replied emphatically. â€Å"There would be no one to say: â€Å"This is a world’.† The peasant wished to express the idea that there would be lacking the consciousness of the world which necessarily implies the world of consciousness. I cannot exist without a not-I. In turn, the not-I depends on that existence. The world which brings consciousness into existence becomes the world of that consciousness. Hence, the previously cited affirmation of Sartre: â€Å"La conscience et le monde sont dormà ©s d’un mà ª coup.† As men, simultaneously reflecting on themselves and on the world, increase the scope of their perception, they begin to direct their observations towards previously inconspicuous phenomena: That which had existed objectively but had not been perceived in its deeper implications (if indeed it was perceived at all) begins to â€Å"stand out,† assuming the character of a problem and therefore of challenge. Thus, men begin to single out elements from their â€Å"background awarenesses† and to reflect upon them. These elements are now objects of men’s consideration, and, as such, objects of their action and cognition. In problem-posing education, men develop their power to perceive critically the way they exist in the world with which and in which they find themselves; they come to see the world not as a static reality, but as a reality in process, in transformation. Although the dialectical relations of men with the world exist independently of how these relations are perceived (or whether or not they are perceived at all), it is also true that the form of action men adopt is to a large extent a function of how they perceive themselves in the world. Hence, the teacher-student and the student-teachers reflect simultaneously on themselves and the world without dichotomizing this reflection from action, and thus establish an authentic form of thought and action. Once again, the two educational concepts and practices under analysis come into conflict. Banking education (for obvious reasons) attempts, by mythicizing reality, to conceal certain facts which explain the way men exist in the world; problem-posing education sets itself the task of demythologizing. Banking education resists dialogue; problem-posing education regards dialogue as indispensable to the act of cognition which unveils reality. Banking education treats students as objects of assistance; problem-posing education makes them critical thinkers. Banking education inhibits creativity and domesticates (although it cannot completely destroy) the intentionality of consciousness by isolating consciousness from the world, thereby denying men their ontological and historical vocation of becoming more fully human. Problem-posing education bases itself on creativity and stimulates true reflection and action upon reality, thereby responding to the vocation of men as beings who are authentic only when engaged in inquiry and creative transformation. In sum: banking theory and practice, as immobilizing and fixating forces, fail to acknowledge men as historical beings; problem-posing theory and practice take man’s historicity as their starting point. Problem-posing education affirms men as beings in the process of becoming – as unfinished, uncompleted beings in and with a likewise unfinished reality. Indeed, in contrast to other animals who are unfinished, but not historical, men know themselves to be unfinished; they are aware of their incompletion. In this incompletion and this awareness lie the very roots of education as an exclusively human manifestation. The unfinished character of men and the transformational character of reality necessitate that education be an ongoing activity. Education is thus constantly remade in the praxis. In order to be, it must become. Its â€Å"duration† (in the Bergsonian meaning of the word) is found in the interplay of the opposites permanence and change. The banking method emphasizes permanence and becomes reactionary; problem-posing education—which accepts neither a â€Å"well-behaved† present nor a predetermined future—roots itself in the dynamic present and becomes revolutionary. Problem-posing education is revolutionary futurity. Hence it is prophetic (and, as such, hopeful). Hence, it corresponds to the historical nature of man. Hence, it affirms men as beings who transcend themselves, who move forward and look ahead, for whom immobility represents a fatal threat, for whom looking at the past must only be a means of understanding more clearly what and who they are so that they can more wisely build the future. Hence, it identifies with the movement which engages men as beings aware of their incompletion—an historical movement which has its point of departure, its Subjects and its objective. The point of departure of the movement lies in men themselves. But since men do not exist apart from the world, apart from reality, the movement must begin with the men-world relationship. Accordingly, the point of departure must always be with men in the â€Å"here and now,† which constitutes the situation within which they are submerged, from which they emerge, and in which they intervene. Only by starting from this situation—which determines their perception of it—can they begin to move. To do this authentically they must perceive their state not as fated and unalterable, but merely as limiting—and therefore challenging. Whereas the banking method directly or indirectly reinforces men’s fatalistic perception of their situation, the problem-posing method presents this very situation to them as a problem. As the situation becomes the object of their cognition, the naà ¯ve or magical perception which produced their fatalism gives way to perception which is able to perceive itself even as it perceives reality, and can thus be critically objective about that reality. A deepened consciousness of their situation leads men to apprehend that situation as an historical reality susceptible of transformation. Resignation gives way to the drive for transformation and inquiry, over which men feel themselves to be in control. If men, as historical beings necessarily engaged with other men in a movement of inquiry, did not control that movement, it would be (and is) a violation of men’s humanity. Any situation in which some men prevent others from engaging in the process of inquiry is one of violence. The means used are not important; to alienate men from their own decision-making is to change them into objects. This movement of inquiry must be directed towards humanization—man’s historical vocation. The pursuit of full humanity, however, cannot be carried out in isolation or individualism, but only in fellowship and solidarity; therefore it cannot unfold in the antagonistic relations between oppressors and oppressed. No one can be authentically human while he prevents others from being so. Attempting to be more human, individualistically, leads to having more, egotistically: a form of dehumanization. Not that it is not fundamental to have in order to be human. Precisely because it is necessary, some men’s having must not be allowed to constitute an obstacle to others’ having, must not consolidate the power of the former to crush the latter. Problem-posing education, as a humanist and liberating praxis, posits as fundamental that men subjected to domination must fight for their emancipation. To that end, it enables teachers and students to become Subjects of the educational process by overcoming authoritarianism and an alienating intellectualism; it also enables men to overcome their false perception of reality. The world—no longer something to be described with deceptive words—becomes the object of that transforming action by men which results in their humanization. Problem-posing education does not and cannot serve the interests of the oppressor. No oppressive order could permit the oppressed to begin to question: Why? While only a revolutionary society can carry out this education in systematic terms, the revolutionary leaders need to take full power before they can employ the method. In the revolutionary process, the leaders cannot utilize the banking method as an interim measure, justified on grounds of expediency, with the intention of later behaving in a genuinely revolutionary fashion. They must be revolutionary—that is to say, dialogical—from the outset.