The growth of Clostridium botulinum Essay Example for Free

The growth of Clostridium botulinum Essay 1. Give an account of the properties and uses of phenol. (1) Phenol is acidic and its conjugate base, phenoxide ion is stabilized by resonance. However, phenol is not acidic enough to liberate CO2 from phenol because an aqueous solution of carbon dioxide is a stronger acid than phenol. An aqueous solution of phenol has a pH value of 9. This means phenol reacts with NaOH but not NaHCO3. Phenol dissolves in NaOH(aq) to form sodium phenoxide, an ionic salt. (2) Phenol is corrosive and is a useful antiseptic. (3) Phenol is a colorless solid of low melting point. Its pink appearance is due to the presence of impurities. (4) When attached to a benzene ring, a hydroxyl group does not show the properties of an alcohol. The delocalization of electrons into the ring makes the -OH group inert towards replacement. On the other hand, the -OH group activates the ring toward electrophilic substitution at the ortho- and para-positions. Therefore, phenol reacts with (a) NO2+, (b) CH3+, (c) CH3CO+, (d) Br2(aq). Phenol is so reactive that it easily decolorizes bromine water in an electrophilic substitution as follows: C6H5OH + 3/2 Br2 C6H2Br3OH (2,4,6-tribromophenol). (5) In alkaline medium, phenol changes into phenoxide ion, a good nucleophile, C6H5O- easily undergoes reaction with i. Halogenoalkane to form an ether C6H5O- + Cl-CH3 C6H5OCH3 + Cl- ii. Ethanoyl chloride to form an ester C6H5O- + Cl-COCH3 C6H5OCOCH3 + Cl- (6) Phenol reacts with methanal to form a thermosetting plastic with high melting point. In the plastic, the phenol molecules are joined together by -CH2 units derived from methanal HCOH. (7) Phenol reacts with stable diazonium salt formed from aromatic amine, forming an azo dye via a -N=N- link at the ortho- or para-position. 2. The preservation technique must not have a detrimental effect on the nutritive value of the food nor be potentially harmful, either immediately or cumulatively, to health. (1) Food preservation techniques involve the killing of micro-organisms, inhibition of microbial growth, or the retardation of chemical changes leading to food spoilage. Principles of food preservation include i. Removal of moisture By making water unavailable for microbial growth and chemical processes, it is possible to preserve food. This technique includes drying and dehydration. , ii. Altering temperature Bacterial cells and spores are destroyed at high temperature, while at low temperatures, the growth of micro-organisms and the rate of reactions which cause food spoilage are retarded. These methods include heat treatment and freezing. iii. Changing pH The use of vinegar in pickling and the production of lactic acid in yoghurt which retards the growth of potential spoilage organisms. iv. Use of osmotic pressure Adding sugar or salt increases the solute concentration within the aqueous environment of the food. The microbial cell loses water to the surrounding concentrated sugar or salt solution by osmosis. The micro-organisms cannot reproduce and multiply, and therefore would not cause food spoilage. v. Use of chemical additives Nitrate and nitrite are used in meat curing for their antimicrobial properties. Anti-oxidants are added to certain food products such as potato crisps to reduce rancidity of fats and oils, thereby prolonging the shelf-life of these foods by chemical changes vi. Irradiation ? -rays prevent spoilage from inside fruit and vegetable and the unbroken skin prevents aerial oxidation. This method significantly increases the length of storage. (2) Food preservation technique i. Heat treatment Cooked food and milk sterilized by UHT. Heat kills micro-organisms, alters protein structure, destroys enzyme activity of micro-organisms in food. ii. Chilling and freezing at -20oC slow down microbial activities and chemical changes resulting in spoilage. Freezing promotes the retention of nutrients and does not destroy nutrients. iii. In canning, food is cooked under pressure in sealed containers. Cooking destroys enzymes and micro-organisms and most canned foods keep well for more than one year. iv. Sugaring and salting remove water essential for enzyme action and microbial growth. v. Pickling in vinegar reduces growth of micro-organisms. vi. Chemicals such as nitrate and nitrite prohibit the growth of micro-organisms. vii. Benzoate, sulphite and vitamin C retard chemical spoilage in fruit juice. 3. Give an account of the uses of food additive. Food additives include monosodium glutamate, benzoic acid, vitamins, butylated hydroxytoluene(BHT). Food additives prevent oxidation, add flavor, texture and color, kill bacteria, increase vitamin content, etc The chemical preservatives that are used as food additives are of two kinds: antimicrobial and antioxidant. Antimicrobial agents like the nitrates(III) and nitrates(V) of sodium and potassium have been added to cured meats like bacon, sausage, luncheon meat for a long time. Nitrates(III) are valuable in preventing the growth of Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that produces deadly botulism poisoning in canned foods. Sulphur dioxide and sulphates(IV) are another group of antimicrobial preservatives that have been added to alcoholic beverages and dried fruits for centuries. They have been included in fruit juices, jellies and jams. They prevent the growth of yeast and are useful as bleaches and antioxidants to prevent browning in alcoholic beverages dried fruits, fruit juice and vegetables. Antioxidants are used to oppose the oxidative decay of food due to microbial activity. Atmospheric oxidation is the chief cause of destruction of fats and oils in food. Fats and oils deteriorate rapidly by air oxidation, producing carboxylic acids, aldehydes and ketones, which together give spoiled fats their characteristic rancid taste and odor. An antioxidant added to the food can hinder oxidation. BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) are common antioxidants used in food to retard this development of oxidative rancidity in unsaturated fats and oils. These phenols appear to work by donating the H-atom of the -OH group to the free hydroperoxide radical (ROO. ) involved in the autoxidation of fats and oils, thereby stopping the chain reactions in oxidative spoilage: AH + ROO. ROOH + A. where AH represents the antioxidant, and A.is a radical derived from the antioxidant, e. g. An effective natural antioxidant is vitamin E, which, like BHT and BHA, is a phenol. Vitamin E, is more expensive than the synthetic antioxidants. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and sulphur dioxide. An acidic antioxidant like vitamin C can slow down the fast browning of a piece of apple exposed to air. Sulphur dioxide and sulphates(IV) also act as antioxidants (or reductants) which preferentially react with oxygen and prevent the oxidation of ethanol to ethanoic acid in wines.

War in Iraq on the US economy Essay Example for Free

War in Iraq on the US economy Essay The United States’ minding the business of Iraq has been classified as a good deed by some people especially the people of Kuwait. Here Iraq invaded Kuwait to annex it as one of its provinces under the leadership of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. However, some quarters feel that this is an invasion into the private affairs of Iraq. One article called the United States under George Bush as the Pentagon Zionists. They both claim that the uninvited meddling of the internal affairs of Iraq has precipitated into weakening of the United States Economy as well as the other countries that have aided them in the war against Iraq. The weakening of the economy has been characterized as the skyrocketing world oil prices caused by the war on Iraq. Likewise, the war in Iraq has been characterized by too much money funneled out of the United States economy and into the war in Iraq. For, it costs money to buy the war planes, war boats, war ammunitions, the hiring of soldiers to go into Iraq and other military operating expenses (Petras, 2005) . Likewise, the United States war on Iraq has similar characteristics with the war it has fought in the prior years such as the Korean War, the Civil War, World War I and World War II. Meaning, the United States’ entry into the warpath shows how a well oiled war machine and ideology based coherent and monetarily blessed few with their highly placed thinkers in the highest policy making organizations of the state can bend official government policy to favor the needs of the foreign power over and against recognized economic interests (Ibid). Further, the oppositionists to the United States’ meddling insists that the generalized invasion of Iraq by the American Zionists against an Arab State and its citizens. The reason for the Iraq Invasion was because the United States wanted to help the Jews of Israel to expand their borders well inside the Palestinian state. For, there is an open agreement between the United States and Israel to push their Zionist influence well into Arab territories. This was code named A Middle East Common Market plan. This was the basic formula adopted for a permanent war in the Middle East. The oppositionists believe that the Zionist want to install their philosophy of free market and democracy. This formula was thought to be heartily embraced by both the liberal and the conservative politicians in the United States thereby depriving the Iraqi people their right to basic democratic rights as well as their own domestic markets(Ibid). Introductorily, some quarters believe that the United States continues to increase their daily losses from money and casualties together with their coalition partner countries with their continued involvement in the Iraq territory’s internal affairs. Some quarters believe that many of the war partners of the United States have already gone home to their own countries leaving the United States and its closest friends behind in Iraq. For the enemies of the United States believe that there are a few Zionists running the government and influencing it to wage war against Iraq. Some quarters believe that the continued presence of the American Forces in Iraq is one of the major forces that caused the devaluation of the United States dollar. Consequently, many of the people inside and outside the United States wants to put an end to the Iraq war by rallying being their message to the United States government to bring back home their sons, fathers, brothers, cousins, neighbors, friends and the like from the war torn district of Iraq. For, many members of the United States military feel that of the disillusionment that the war on Iraq has brought to the soldiers of the United States and their allies from a couple of countries as well as the civilian populations in those countries. The most vocal of which is France who staunchly rallied behind a no –invasion of Iraq policy in the United Nations. The few people in the United States government were so good at selling their plan to send military troops into Iraq (Ibid). In terms of macroeconomics, the United States admittedly suffered large casualties in Iraq and the war debt generated by the United States from their uninvited adventures into Iraq has been growing by an average amount of billions of United States dollars per day. Some quarters believe that the few Zionist people in the United States government were instrumental enough to poison the other members of the government to almost cut their ambassadorial relationship with France and the other European nations that were steadfast in their decision not to interfere with the internal affairs of Iraq. Economically, the main purpose of the United States’ trespassing into Iraq’s territorial jurisdiction was to ensure that the United States would control the privatization as well as the denationalization of the Iraq oil industry. Another goal of the United States’ invasion of Iraq and the removal from power of Saddam Hussein was to decapitate the current European benefits that came from the reconstruction of Iraq not to mention the United States’ plans to give Israel an added advantage in the Middle East. Indeed, the United States’ open stand that it wants to control the world has its consequence of continuous invasions into other countries to expand its empire. Many military think tanks believe that the United States did not take into account the large scale destruction of the assets located in Iraq by peppering some historic buildings with guided missiles and other explosive materials. Likewise, the cost of starting and maintaining a war needs lots of money. This causes the United States money to literally bleed. In addition, the Unites States gives out one of its famous lines that in order to maintain a living space, the maintenance of the controlling presence of the soldiers, politicians and ideologically biased individuals or groups. For, the United States Zionists believe that in order to maintain a peaceful environment to live in, the United States must literary have absolute supreme sovereignty and control. The purpose of this paper is to show that the United States’ decision to pierce the veil of privacy of Iraq by uninvitingly pushing the aircraft missiles’ button was because the United States felt that it had a right to control the oil fields of Iraq. Meaning, there was already a harmonious relationship between United States multinationals in the Petroleum industry and the oil companies in Iraq before the war. Thus, the United States and its few allies ventured into Iraq without thinking beforehand of the large amounts of cash outflows involved in a long protracted war between the United States and Iraq. Also, the attack of Iraq was fueled the ground zero event where many people died. The ground zero event in New York represents people who died when three commercial airplanes were hijacked and rammed into the White house and the twin towers were brought down to ground zero level (rubble).

The Sinking Economy Of Japan

The Sinking Economy Of Japan The country which almost ruled the world in economy for decades even being one of the tiniest countries of the world setting an example of perfection in most of sectors is presently suffering from some drastic challenges which have mesmerized the people across Japan as its economy is sinking and national debt is touching sky. The revolutions of growth which started right from the 1868 in the Meiji Period rarely witnessed great slumps till 1990s. Adaptation of free market economy and North American type of free enterprise capitalism took Japan to such great heights from where it never looked to topple down, but alas the growth slowed markedly in the 1990s (i.e. during the Lost Decade), substantively because of the after effects of Japanese asset price bubble and somewhat deliberative domestic policies which caused to extract speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. In the present decade, less stable governments although left no stone unturned to revitalize the gian t economy but were thrashed down by global economic crisis of 2008. In 2010, Japan could do nothing but see its position being acquired by another economy giant China as Japan was ranked 3rd as per economic size in terms of GDP  [1]  based on data from the International Monetary Fund. Besides economy, there are several other sectors which are facing jittery crisis. In this essay Im going to discuss these problems illustratively. Challenges before Japan in a Nutshell: 1) Economic Outlook: * Japans Export Competiveness: Japans blazing economic growth of 1980s was thrashed by the 1990s stock market crash followed by a recession of almost 10 years. Countrys economy revived again but the global economic crisis of 2008 debilitated the economic growth and consequently, Japans ability to produce and export a wide variety of goods is getting constrained resulting in lesser demand in countries across the globe in contemporary times. Since the start of the present decade the contraction in export is almost entirely due to a steep fall in external demand, the reasons may be a shift in global demand structure, arrival of global recession in Japan relatively late with greater severity, impact of yen appreciation etc. The now fragile economic recovery of Japan is running out of stream because of the slow growth in key export markets. As a result private consumption also didnt take off for the simple reason because Japan heavily depends upon exports. It seems that Japanese economy is governed by short term policy making. Appreciation in the value of yen is debilitating Japans competitive power in global arena. So, responsibility is heavy on the government Bank of Japan to take effective decisive action against currency moves. The comparison visible below tells the story: * Decrease in manufacturing: Manufacturing industries make a substantial part of Japans secondary sector with employing almost 28% workforce of Japan. But, due to current sluggishness of economic growth, Japans rank in manufacturing is grasped by china as it toppled to 3rd position and the graph below suggests that USA manufactures almost twice as China, double what Japan makes  [2]  : Developed markets like that of Japan and Euro zone are struggling with stalled recoveries, as in the fourth quarter annualized GDP in 2009 was a mere 0.9% in Japan and 0.1% in Euro Zone. While much stronger rates of economic growth are visible among some fastest growing economies of China, Brazil India. Deflationary conditions are still persisting in Japan. In December, 2009 the overall Consumer Price Index (food items energy sectors not included) stopped at 1.2% which was below than that of December, 2008  [3]  . This happened to be the largest such decline for CPI in history of Japanese economy. The danger inherent in deflationary conditions is that consumers tend to defer purchases as they wait for prices to fall even further. Consumer prices are influenced through changes in governmental policies, so government should make efforts to control deflation. In April-June quarter, the GDP deflator which is considered as the broadest measure of public trends was -1.8% showing a mild improvement from the -2.8% in previous quarter  [4]  and is also suggestive of the fact that how deeply entrenched deflation Japan is experiencing. In order to achieve fiscal reforms, it is a prerequisite to get deflation at 0%. Now lets examine what happens when people start expecting inflation: Since the Global Economic Depression of summer 2008, Japanese companies could not help seeing a steep drop in domestic overseas demand which provoked companies to make adjustments in production to reduce their inventories. It resulted into fast downfall in production mostly in machinery, digital automobiles industry. In 2009, real GDP contracted at an annualized figure of -11.9% in Jan-March, the second straight quarter of double-digit negative growth following a -10.2% fall in Oct-Dec  [5]  . Even in 2010 no great recovery could be registered in economy of Japan as between April and June this year GDP grew by 0.1%, much lower than expected  [6]  . The fatal impact of the global economic recession on world economy caused recurring profits to fall sharply (which were at boom in 1990s) along with mitigation of sales in Japan overseas. The housing market of Japan has not witnessed any positive growth signs since the revision of the Japans Building Code in 2007. Even in 2010 when the effects of the revision of the Building Code have extinguished, housing sales could not notice recovery signs. The reasons may be attributed to the expectation of further fall in housing prices and stagnation of labor industry to create employment environment. Due to the factors above mentioned allied with others, in August, 2010 China replaced Japan as the worlds second biggest economy after overtaking Germany as the largest exporter with a nominal GDP region of $1.337 trillion compared to Japans $ 1.228 trillion  [7]  . To deal with such economic challenges, I think, Japan should first slash expenditures and then increase tax burden as minimum. It is advisable that there should be more focus on spending cuts than focusing on tax increase. The aim of fiscal reform should be equalizing the primary balance i.e. creation of such environment in which current expenditures is financed by current revenues to protect the financial position from further deterioration. * Banking Policies in Japan: challenges and prospects- Japan began the decade of 1990s with a heavily regulated financial system controlled by a resolute undeterred Ministry of Finance (MoF) and ended the decade with great market reforms, a complete restructuring of the financial institutions which were regulatory in nature and providing greater independent to the Bank of Japan amid collapse of asset prices, a looming bank crisis, worsening unemployment the lowest interest rates in industrial world. In the aftermath of the bursting of Japanese asset price bubble which choked the banking system, most of the Japanese banks unveiled unconventional monetary policy measures to cater to the challenges posed by monetary crisis created by aforementioned asset price bubble of 1990s. But had the Bank of Japan cut its policy rate to a great extent immediately after the bursting of the asset price bubble, deflation would have been avoided. The unpractical recommendations made to bank of Japan like all that the bank of Japan needs to do is to set a high inflation rate target and purchase all types of assets including physical assets to achieve the target the central bank should credibly promise to be irresponsible did not help in any way. Although Japan began the decade of 1990s with a heavily regulated financial system controlled by a resolute undeterred Ministry of Finance (MoF) and ended the decade with great market reforms, a complete restructuring of the financial institutions which were regulatory in nature and providing greater independent to the Bank of Japan amid collapse of asset prices, a looming bank crisis, worsening unemployment the lowest interest rates in industrial world. What is the problem and where does the devil lie who has pestered Japanese economy so far; lets examine  [8]  : The decrease in the risk taking capacity of many economic entities which resulted in drastic reduction in effectiveness of conventional monetary policies and in such monetarily pathetic atmosphere, the overnight interest dropped down to zero, limiting the room for additional easing through conventional monetary policy formulae. In the context of Japan, the overnight interest fell to 0.5% five years after the real estate prices peaked in 1990. It took time to recapitalize the banking system. Uncertainty regarding the transmission mechanism of monetary policy is bigger than that of normal times. When the central banks try to create fruitful policy measures in the constrained atmosphere for effectiveness of traditional monetary policies, they are obviously introduced to the vicious area of fiscal policy. Consequently, policymakers are in fear of being accountable to for such policy actions in the Japanese democratic environment. What should Banks do? Maintain the stability of financial markets and the financial system. Inject the capital into the banking system together with the provision of liquidity in order to kill the pressure on the financial intermediation process. Banks may take measures to take on individual credit risk such as corporate debt when there is a major risk that credit market functions shall become worse and consequently, the feebleness of financial conditions is capable of causing loss to the economy of Japan. Communication with the market is very important in order to effectively conduct monetary policy as the effectiveness of unconventional policy is always uncertain and through communication with the market Banks are able to show their commitment to the stability of financial market and financial system. 2) Piracy: a threat to be crumpled down- Japanese industries are facing problems in achieving value creation through the utilization of Intellectual assets due to raising graph of counterfeit, fake pirated products. These issues have rattled the Japanese governments cage to force government to take strict and specific measures to combat as it is opening its first overseas army base in Djibouti to counter rising piracy in the region  [9]  . But neglecting non-cooperative attitude of some countries is posing problems to crush the evil of piracy. 5) Japan Haunting Indebtedness: Economy of Japan got mired in the worst recession since WWII and got edged into deflation. In the 90s Japan was worlds top creditor nation whilst now it ranks 1th among worlds largest debtor nations  [10]  (vide the graph below). Taro Asos government planned 27 trillion yen (almost $282 billion) in stimulus spending since the great recession of 2008 began to worsen the financial system of Japan  [11]  . But stimulus efforts from past economic problems have heaped a mountain of public debt in the region of around 189% of GDP which is highest in developed nations which consequently debilitated Japans capacity to spend its way out of the recession. The great indebtedness of Japan is worrisome because once a government incurs significant incremental debt it results in a political impossibility to go back to the levels of indebtedness it had earlier. The debt levels become almost eternal and even if a practical government runs a surplus, there is a dim hope that ruling politicians would utilize much of that surplus to pay the debt. In order to absolve itself from raising heap of debt, Japanese government should make efforts to attract buyers to the nations increasing debt. Bank of Japan should adopt measures to buy corporate debt and enhance the buying of government bonds to keep funding problems at bay which would have resulted in further derailing of economy of Japan. Despite a debt-to-GDP ratio  [12]  as 189.30% as shown below, the Bank of Japan never seemed to lose ability to set the key overnight interest rate, which remained below 1% for about a decade and the debt didnt drive long term rates higher either. Low taxes: Although getting a horrible increase in government debt, taxes in Japan are relatively low among the countries of Developed world. Japan is the country with the lowest government revenue-to-GDP ratio (31%) and currently the second- highest government net debt- to- GDP ratio (78%), even then its 33% marginal tax rate on average income workers is one of the lowest in developed countries  [13]  . A comparison is shown below: 11) Governance and the Political System: (i) The factor that weakens the power and functioning of cabinet in Japan is the dual power structure of ruling party and cabinet. In a successful cabinet system, cabinet executes the policies of the ruling party as power within a ruling party is focused in the cabinet and the ministers who form the cabinet are the partys prime movers and rest members of the ruling party generally dont defy the polices of cabinet. But it is on earth in Japan that members of the last ruling Liberal Democratic Party (before 2009 elections) who did not become part of cabinet acquired more power than the cabinet and subsequently, many policy decisions were framed through repeated contact, behind the scenes, negotiations arm twisting among top politicians of ruling LDP. It also included disregard of cabinet by tribal lawmakers with close ties to specific political lobbies and powerful bureaucrats. Thus, the decision making power of the cabinet in Japan was totally hampered. The LDP also had its own polic y consideration section called the Policy Affairs Research Council which would examine the Bills and similar policy proposals put forward by the cabinet. Further, government bills cleared by the Policy research council were then approved by the partys General Council before submitting to Diet. This took form of a Prior Screening Sanctioning, a system alien to most of great democracies across the globe. The government Bills would also got modified or vastly changed in this prior screening process and this system reinforced the impression that any proposal approved by the ruling party would be approved by the Diet, reducing the role of the Diet as a mere rubberstamp. The LDPs powerful policy tribes (zoku  [14]  ) had steadily emerged as a shadow government. Thus, Policy Affairs Research Council zoku deliberated in major policy decisions, leaving Diet Committees to fight over politics rather than the substance of the legislation. While all the major political parties have a similar structure including the present ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Japan is forced to possess a weak cabinet, bureaucrats-led-politics, non-transparent decision making process in high political institutions. But the issues aforesaid are not fundamental institutional issues and there is a scope to deal with these issues to overhaul the conflicting political interests within the parties. (ii) The ministerial coordination and cabinet leadership in Japan has taken a backseat contrary to the spirit of an actual democratic setup. Ministers have become just the figureheads who simply acquire a position on top to promote the existing policies without innovating distinct policies and give priority to bureaucratic advice which makes it difficult for government to give effect to drastic policy shifts to changing social, economic political circumstances. (iii) In 2010, Japan is ranked 24th for democracy, after all developed countries but Italy, Greece Singapore. Astonishingly, it is placed behind even three developing countries: Uruguay, Costa Rica and Chile. These figures present the picture of democracy in Japan. 12) Straining Foreign Relations: Japan needs to address the challenge of Chinas rising regional clout, while keeping ties with this giant which is Japans biggest trading partner on an even keel. Although Sino-Japanese relations have seen positive improvement in recent decades but territorial and maritime disputes still simmer coupled with growing mistrust over military hegemony like China and Japan dispute the ownership of a string of five small uninhabited islands in the East China Sea near the place known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China- which are believed to hold seabed oil deposits. There also exist tensions with USA on various issues including the issue to move the U.S. Marine air Station Futenma off the island of Okinawa as Okinawans have long complained about the noise and intrusion of the base and rape of a 12 year old local in 1995 and the charge that a US Marine sexually abused a young Japanese girl in early 2008 renewed public outcry against the bases thus resulting into increased tensions between the residents of Okinawa and marines. Japan and USA are military allies under treaty concluded in 1951 and revised in 1960  [15]  . But the ruling party DPJs past criticism of the bilateral security arrangement may further complicate alliance management issues such as the planned realignment of US forward deployed forces in Japan and the Host Nation Support (HNS) that Japan provides to help defray costs associated with the stationing of US bases across the Japanese archipelago. Besides this, political shifts turmoil in Japan since 2006 appear to have slowed down some of the increased cooperation in the US-Japan alliance. 13) Dullness in Employment Sector: Japans labor market witnessed a recessionary financial system in recent decade with a difficult employment environment. In such a turbulent time, the conservative concepts of employment in Japan are in question and unconventional ideas concepts are emerging throughout the companies of Japan. Ideas such as lifetime employment and seniority based payment are being revised and being replaced with new innovative as well as creative ideas in the process of revitalizing the financial system. Various techniques are entering into Japanese labor system in form of work-sharing, overseas jobs, and part time employment to provide opportunity to people who are unemployed or not considering employment to enter the workforce and contribute to economic development. Solution: (i) According to a report of the Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training (JIL)  [16]  released on work sharing in Japan, it is generally believed that when a country is in recession, the number of part-time and non-regular workers tends to decrease in order to lower costs and maintain the number of regular workers. But, in context of Japan this lacks reality as number of part-time workers has increased while the number of full time regular workers has decreased. In Japan, work-sharing has been utilized to combat the rising number of part-time workers and has been a highly controversial topic among the employer class. JILs report outlines three types of working sharing: Employment Maintenance Job Creation Diversified working Patterns Employment maintenance work-sharing mainly targets midlevel employees, allowing them to reduce their work hours and share these hours among themselves, thus, this facilitates employees to stay employed with their wages adjusted for the hours they work. Job creation work-sharing intends to cut down hours of work at the national company levels aiming at increasing the overall number of jobs. Diversified work-sharing allows employees to pin-point their hours of work in order to allow persons previously unemployed to enter the labor sector. The working patterns mentioned above are useful in many ways. For example, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. announced in Jan, 2003 that they going to introduce work sharing program in one of their factories and over 200 hundred employees were involved in the program which required workers to take three more days of vacation per month and reduce their basic pay y 12%. As per companys estimate, it could save almost 100 million yen and was successful in retaining its employees  [17]  . So, more emphasis should be laid down to implement these patterns to save the sinking Japanese employment sector. (ii) Working abroad either for foreign or Japanese companies may prove an excellent cure to rapidly diminishing job market tighter job vacancies in Japan. Besides, the opportunities stored in the West, there is also great scope in growing economic markets of Asia like China, India, Thailand etc. (iii) Non-regular jobs: The global recession and tattered economy of Japan has forced many companies to severely restrict the number of new graduate recruits so that they can retain their mid-level and senior employees. Thus, surging demand for employment can be checked through establishing job placement offices for part-time offices and distributing incentives in form of subsidies. In 2009, the number young workers with non-regular jobs surged to 1.78 million  [18]  . So, there is a need to frame new policies to assist the young part-timers in gaining full time regular employment. Demographic Challenges: Japans demographic problems seem to end nowhere as the combination of low birth rate, strict immigration practices, and a rapidly aging population are haunting the think tanks of Japan. Japanese women are avoiding marriage child-bearing to meet the difficulties of career and family. The countrys birthrate has fallen to 1.25 which is below the necessary rate i.e. 2.1 to sustain a population size  [19]  . The countrys current population is roundabout 128 million which may fall to about 100 million till 2050  [20]  . So, Japan is on the verge of full-fledged population decline. As per estimates of government of Japan, the nations total fertility rate will continue to fall and that even in 2055, it may only recover to the 2005 levels at the most. In developed countries, it s found that there is a mild tendency for birthrates to rise when female employment is bigger. But, Japan is low in the ranking of both the fertility rate and the female employment rate. Hence it is suggestive of the fact that if more women were to join labor force, birthrates would grow high. However such deduction lacks practicality due to a host of reasons. Another factor responsible for low birth rates is that in Japan the percentage of children born before marriage is also low in comparison to countries like UK, France Sweden where birthrates have recovered. As per my opinion, to improve birth rates, Japan government should hike the allowance for children, increase the allowance for childbirth, provide medical-care subsidies, enhance augment child care centers and give education assistance to support the marries ones as it is quite expensive in Japan to nurture the children. Japan is also suffering from the tag of being the oldest country in the world with a high elderly share of 20% and it will further rise up to 30% in till 2025 and 40% till 2050  [21]  . Another vital fact is that Japans workable population is shrinking which may result in a sharp economic decline. However, 29% of men aged 65 and over remain in labor force which is quite commendable than 20% of USA, 5% of Germany 2% of Japan. To meet the challenges of aging population, the government must ensure that support systems for elderly are not only sustainable but also adequate; government should strengthen the private employer pension system by requiring that all benefit promises including severance pay must be fully funded.

Religion vs magic in dealing with problems Essay -- essays research pa

All societies and human beings have a set of beliefs for ordering the world. Religion and magic are belief systems used by many societies. This essay will discuss the function and moral dimensions of both magic and religion, and focus on the need to explore human beliefs and behaviours in the context of the society in which they occur. I will also discuss the way in which magic and religion use various processes to provide psychological reassurance to individuals, leading to the conclusion that both belief systems incorporate equally rational ways of dealing with problems. Religion can be seen as an overarching controlling force in the universe that sustains the moral and social order of the people, serving to validate people’s lives. The main purposes of religion function to set a moral code and sense of community and security, to explain misfortunes in life and most importantly, to help people through crisis and problems, providing hope and faith. There is some evidence of hostility in Western belief systems toward magic, with magic tending to be understood as an erroneous and unreliable belief knowledge system. Some anthropologists believe it is necessary to distinguish between religion and magic, seeing religion as a rational belief system and magic as irrational. Many evolutionist anthropologists maintain the belief that magic and religion equate to different stages of social evolution, holding that ‘the deeper minds may be conceived to have made the great transition from magic to religion’ (Frazer, J 1890). This phrase is misl eading because it suggests that some societies are less complex, rational or primitive than other ‘advanced’ societies, enhancing the common misconception that religion is a more rational way of dealing with problems than magic is. Religion is generally associated with developed cultures and magic is associated with undeveloped, so-called primitive cultures, hence encouraging the idea that magic belongs to superstitious, irrational individuals with limited intellectual abilities. Magic, through various forms including activities and rituals, provides a means to influence the supernatural. It is a way of gaining information about the unknown, and also gives a sense of control over events and happenings of life. Magic, like religion, provides meaning and purpose, reducing uncertainty, effectively counteracting the forces of fe... ... breadth of experience in terms of something fundamental. There is a basic human unwillingness to think of the universe as random†¦For events that have moral dimensions, as unexpected misfortunes do, we often seek moral causes (Bowen, J. 1988:88). Both magic and religion, with differing methods, aim to seek patterns, causes and reasons for things. There is little point distinguishing between magic and religion. They both provide a way of dealing with problems, are rational within the context of society they exist in, and in some cases, coexist in society. Anthropologists should explore what forms of religion and magic mean to people, how they help to make sense of the world and solve problems, and how they give meaning and direction to different forms of human existence (Eriksen 1995:211). References: Bowen, J. R. 1998. Explaining misfortune: witchcraft and sorcery. Chapter 5 of J.R. Bowen Religions in Practice: An Approach to the Anthropology of Religion. Allyn and Bacon. Eriksen, T. H 2001. Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology. London: Pluto Press. Evans-Pritchard, E. E. 1965. Theories of Primitive Religion. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Strengths and Weaknesses Essay -- essays research papers

The objective of this paper is to show you the personal strengths and weakness that I identified by asking friends and family their opinion on the topic regarding yours truly, and by examining myself for areas that I am really good at (also known as strengths) and areas I need to improve (otherwise known as weaknesses). After I have identified them, I will tell you how recognizing my strengths and weakness can help me to improve myself to achieve a more peaceful and satisfying personal life. I will start with the unflattering information first and list my most obvious weaknesses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My weaknesses were hard for me to identify but with the help of friends I was suddenly very informed on what they were! I was able to identify one weakness on my own and it is impatience. There is an old saying that patience is a virtue. Any single one of my friends will agree with me that patience has never been one of my virtues. I want everything done right now and all the questions answered immediately. Given the chance I would go straight from A to C and would skip the B without a moments’ hesitation. My second weakness combined with impatience makes the situation even more pronounced. I am very impulsive which can be a good thing on occasion but usually ends up being a bad thing. I do not think about what I am going to do or say next or moderate the tone I say it in. I often sound very irritated and come across as being rude when that is not really true. In ...

white fang :: essays research papers

White Fang By Jack London   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  White Fang, by Jack London is an amazing tail of survival and the wild. White fang is a wolf born into a cruel life, but endures it and becomes stronger because of it. He finds hate, but then finds love in the epic tail of this amazing animal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Two men, Henry and Bill go sledding with six dogs. Each night they camp in the merciless wilderness, a dog is killed by a wolf pack. The wolves come closer to camp every night, until there are three dogs left. One of the wolves is different and bigger then the rest, a she-wolf, who’s use to people and afraid of guns. One day the men’s sled overturned and got caught up in trees. They had to untie the dogs to fix things. One of the dogs saw the she-wolf and took off after her, only to be ambushed by a dozen wolves. The dog ran for his life, while Bill went with his gun to save him. Bill and the dog both became a meal to the wolves. A couple of nights later, so did the rest of the dogs. The only thing that saved Henry was sheltering in the middle of a fire he’d made. By the time the fire had died, other men came with sled dogs to his rescue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The she-wolf had taken off with her pack, only to abandon them to be with her one-eyed mate. They traveled to an Indian camp and stayed a few nights, then found a cave where the she-wolf had her five puppies. The father loyally went out hunting for them and let them eat before he did. Sometimes food got scarce though and all but one pup died from hunger. The father also died from tangling with a sphinx. The last pup was curious one day, While his mother was hunting, he went out of the cave and got his first kill, baby birds. He also fought with the mother bird, but lost the battle from getting pecked. Later a hawk ate that bird. Then the pup walked up to a stream and accidentally fell in. he was quickly swept downstream. Downstream the cub swam to shore and was met by a weasel and her babies. The pup attacked and was nearly killed by the mother weasel, but his mother came to the rescue. She killed the weasel and they ate it.

Creating Effective Learning Environments for Learners Essay

Introduction Environment is all the physical and social conditions that surround and can influence a person’s health. A learner’s physical environment on the other hand include the class surrounding like locker ,chairs and other items that are physical found either inside or outside and around the class. Social environment refers to the immediate social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual was educated or lives in, and the people and institutions with whom they interact. An urban area is a town, a place that has developed in the various sectors including infrastructure and other institutions hence noise and other destructible deeds become order of the day. Due to scarce land for building, schools end up being built next to pubs or even on top of pubs. In defining an effective learning environment it’s important to first consider the uniqueness of learners and how they learn. Physical environments a) Space and materials The teacher should take into consideration who should be arranged in the rows and columns. The class arrangement matters a lot for effective teaching to occur. First, students should be arranged facing the teacher for easy monitoring as the teacher is teaching. Secondly, the teacher should now all the students individually and there by now the different problems the learners have which might help him/her to plan the class. For instance students with eye sight problems should sit where they are comfortable in order to understand the teacher well as suggested by Roger Hiemstra. Siegel has found that there is direct relationship between architecture and collaboration of teachers. The arrangement of space has immediately and far reaching consequences for teachers. The arrangement of space has immediate and far reaching consequences for teachers’ ability to effectively and efficiently accomplish daily activities; the formation of social and professional considerations of the spaces where teachers meet and collaborate is just as important as the design of classroom. Desirable designs include having friendly environment and agreeable areas, supervised private areas for students, as well as public areas that foster a sense of community with particular attention to the color used. A good class room should be inviting, have the necessary learning material readily accessible, eliminate or cover destructing features either inside or outside the class. Class concentrations should be avoided because it encourages laziness among students due to lack of proper supervision by the teacher. Therefore during class arrangements, at least there should be space where the teacher can move around and monitor the learner’s progress. Also work groups can be convenient for those learners that want to indulge in group work and discussions. b) Sitting position and types of furniture Knight and Noyes performed a study on class furniture in relation to children’s behavior and sitting positions between traditional and ergonomically designed furniture. They found that children showed a significant improvement in task behavior and marked change in sitting positions following the new designed furniture that makes students to sit upright. In relation to sitting positions, Linton e tal(1994) didn’t observe any different sitting position in the children in their study using ergonomically designed furniture was more comfortable. Chairs that are not upright encourage loss of class concentration hence leaving room for poor class concentration. c) Use of visual items to enhance better understanding The benefits arising from use of visuals for instance chats illustrations and others has provided multiple opportunities for children to process, reflect on and integrate information presented in a story since the spoken language is fleeting in comparison to a visual representation of the same material according to Gersten and Baker. Obviously biology students can’t be taught the topic on bones without even seeing a sample which there by illustrates visual items enhance understanding hence facilitate effective learning. A visual chat make learning more interesting and makes learners understand better what is being taught. d) Temperature and air quality Earthman rates temperature, heating and air quality as the most individual elements for student achievement in learning. A class that is well lit, warm when environment is cool or cool when it is hot is more suitable to accommodate effective learning. Furthermore if the classroom is up to date and current technology is available, the student will keep pace with their peers who have access to this equipment. Where classes are positioned in a school matters a lot. Class next to staffrooms where teachers crack jokes can distract the students concentration and learning in class. Classes should be situated in areas away from paths that distract pupils. An example is a class next to the main road leading to the main gates will always have cars; people and this will hinder effective learning because students will always be staring at anything passing outside instead of listening to the teacher. Police cars that enter in school will freak out students because they will always be curios on wh at is going to happen. e) Lighting There is a considerable amount of literature relating to light and classroom. In relation to student suitability to learning, day light is seemed to have positive effect to the learners studying environment which is suitable for learning. However day light source can’t be had in class because it’s impractical. Benya suggested that for lighting to be effective, day light must be supplemented automatically by controlled electric lighting that dims in response to day light levels. Barmitt suggests that good lighting can only be achieved by combination of direct and indirect lighting. Indoors lighting can be different depending on color and temperature its bringing and different light intensities. Jago and Tanner argue that the visual environment affects a learner’s ability to perceive visual stimuli and affects his/her mental attitude and thus performance. Knez found evidence of lighting conditions that induced positive affect improved performance. Web, puts forward various incidences of learners being hospitalized because of use of kerosene lamps which emitted smoke that is harmful to human beings’ health. Results of the smoke include irritating eyes, coughing and chest aches due to the harmful smoke. All these can be overcome by installing good electric lighting systems which somehow have lesser side effects hence enhancing favorable learning environments. f) Noise and its resolutions Noise next to noisy areas that can’t be avoided can be reduced through several measures which include: Using sound absorbing materials like carpets, under blocks, foam surfaces on carpentry bench nets in gross motor areas. Using sound barriers like carpets, upholstered furniture, grass in outdoor areas, upholster dividers and acoustic tiles also is an efficient way of controlling noise. A good school should separate noisy areas from the quite ones for instance libraries should not be situated next to the play fields. Also laboratories should be separated from the kitchens to avoid contamination of food. g) Color According to some findings, colors also affect all individuals at two levels: behavioral response and learned response. A behavioral response is a response that’s automatic, inherited and not affected by age, sex, culture, financial considerations or environment. This type of response occurs naturally; the individual is not aware of making a response for instance using bright, intense colors e.g. red to decorate an infant’s room can prevent the infant from sleeping well(Chinazzarl 1998). This is not a surprising issue as the red color is seen to elevate blood pressure according to liber man (1991) h) Teacher According to Talis, teacher’s beliefs, practices and attitudes are important for understanding and improving educational processes. They are closely linked to teachers’ strategies for coping with challenges in their general wellbeing and they shape students learning environment and influence students motivation and achievement. Talis illustrates that many studies have described aspects of teaching practice which are related to effective classroom learning and student outcomes. Close monitoring, adequate pacing and classroom management as well as clarity of presentation, well-structured lessons, in formative and encouraging feedback has generally shown positive impact in student learning achievement while teachers provide learning opportunities, these must be recognized and utilized by the student to be effective. Motivation goals and outcomes have to be taken into account as well. Also researchers agree that the teacher is responsible for creating opportunities for interaction and communication among classmates and between students and the instructor. Vitale (2010) suggests that well planned and defined discussion questions help the students to understand the course content, especially the application of new knowledge to clinical practice situation. Communication Galton et al, (1999) assumes that it is important for teachers to be able to communicate effectively with pupils, although it is sometimes less certain how this should be defined. Moos’s (1979) evaluation of classroom environment addresses this since subscales relating to teacher behavior and classroom management such as ‘teacher support’ and ‘rule clarity’, clearly involve communication. A study of disruptive behavior in a particular school (Badger, 1992) found that both pupils and teachers often explained problem behavior in terms of failures of communication, with teachers advocating more discussion and improved relationships as ways to improve the situation. Another aspect of communication is that which goes on with parties outside the school. Effective communication has been highlighted as key to the improvement of schools in developing countries by Dalin et al (1994), though in this case it is communication with government and other authorities which is being suggested. More generally, communication with those beyond the school building is an issue referred to in the education literature, but again without necessarily examining the setting that may facilitate it. For instance, in his study of disruptive behavior, Badger (1992) found that teachers often mentioned that there was a need to improve relationships with parents, while Idea (1970) argue for the importance of involving parents and the wider community in school design. Such intentions clearly involve more communication and are involved in the general issue of the school’s place in the wider community, which has already been considered. Commonly abused Drugs and learning The pub can be a source of some of the drugs like alcohol. Alcohol has many effects on students who drink too much which may include staying out late and wakening up exhausted with a hangover. As a result, they may have a number of absences and their school work may suffer. Younger children may find it difficult to get ready for school without clean clothes or a ride, as the parent is hung over or drunk. As a result, truancy, delinquency, poor school performance may be present. Underachievement, emotional distance from peers and withdrawal may be noticed. Drinking alcohol can lead to reduced coordination, slurred speech, blurred vision, slower reaction times and an impaired memory. People under the influence of alcohol have less impulse control and impaired judgment. Some of these effects are temporary while others are more long-lasting. Alcohol consumption can also lead to blackouts and lapses in memory. Long-term alcohol abuse can cause Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which is a brain disorder that causes mental confusion. All this affects learners’ studies hence affecting the learning environment negatively. The American medical association recently announced that underage drinkers were found to have hippocampuses that were 10 percent smaller than non-drinkers. This matters when it comes to learning because the hippocampus is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory and learning. Because of the changes that the teen brain is going through, alcohol use can â€Å"seriously damage long- and short-term growth processes . The brain isn’t the only factor in a person’s ability to learn. The external environment also plays a crucial role in determining how much a person can and will learn. Alcohol use, especially among teenagers, can lead to social problems that can have long-term effects on learning. Underage drinking has been linked to poor academic performance and harmful behaviors such as illegal drug use and promiscuous sexual behavior. These social problems can reduce the opportunities students have to learn as they may be denied access to certain educational offerings or compromise their ability to get into schools or training programs. Alcohol use has been linked to higher truancy rates, which translate into fewer learning opportunities ————————————————- Ways of reducing drug consumption in schools: a. ————————————————- Putting talk sessions to heighten the dangers of drugs to health and school studies ————————————————- According to Bruce and David (2011), guidance and counseling should act as pre rehabilitation centers for the students because when they get to know the effects of a certain drugs to their health, definitely some group of students will change their minds and attitudes towards doing drugs like alcohol. This small achievement will later become huge because students do mostly what others do and a small change will bring an anti-drug environment which is a start to a good learning environment. Peers have a lot to accomplish in terms of behavior. The peers should be modeled to reinforce good behavior between them hence achieving positive results towards learning. Also according to Taylor (2001) students at youth level tend to give in what other youths say compared to advice given from people much older than them. Therefore an organization like the guidance and cancelling department should organize for people who are at least in a youthful age to give talks on effects of drugs. Chronicle addicts who have changed behavior due to the terrible effects of drugs can really touch some of the students and hence initiate change in behavior among the students thus fostering good learning environments in the schools b. ————————————————- Random register checks and school monitoring ————————————————- Tricks like skipping classes and ditching preps for luxury in the pub can mostly be curbed down through this strategy. Random student registers also keep students on their toes and hence this reduces class absenteeism because of alcohol and other drugs. Students who are always absent and caught doing drugs should severely be punished for them to serve good examples to the school. Therefore addicts will always be afraid of being caught on the wrong hence reducing the number of drug addicts. ————————————————- Expelling can be used to show examples of what happens to naughty behaviors. Expelled students bring their parents and hence their issues discussed by four parties which include the teacher, parent, student and school committee. From an effective meeting resolutions can be made and learners can change behavior. c. Approach of doing things that interest and occupy the students mind Charllottas, Web (2007) suggests that youth students are very sensitive people and in order to make them interact well with their environment; they should be made part of the environment. Sessions where learners are supposed to meet teachers and air out issues affecting them is crucial in helping them with the effective environment issue. To facilitate learning, an entertainment hall can be built to cater for the student’s refreshment needs hence vanishing ideas of dodging school and preps for the refreshments at the pub. Also during shows like talent shows; one can make students gain interest in wha t they are best at and this will motivate students who might not be that perfect in class and have eventually lost hope in studies. d. Putting age restrictions in refreshment areas and pubs: Jordan (2009) gave out the approach that in order to stop students from drinking, the pub should enforce certain laws and restrictions. Through collaboration between the teachers and the pub supervisors, the pub attends should inform teachers of any suspicions that students might have been seen in the pub. Also the pub should enforce laws like no underage people are allowed in the pub. At the entrance, every person should produce identity cards to extinguish adults from the school kids. Effective learning experience Building quality teaching, learning and assement environment. Building quality teaching and learning environment According to Oliver and Omar 1999, there is growing movement toward designing learning environments that recognize the communicative power of the internet to support an active and constructive role for learners. Factors influencing learning experience include the quality of learner support systems, the assumption made by learners and educators about the experience itself, the educational design and support networks for learners and educators. Considering complexity of these factors can have on learning experience, possible resolutions to these issues tend to assist and learning also, where assements task drive the learner and the technology support the learning process. Effective learning is used in the sense of bringing about change to professional practice. Investigation with teachers say that they experience were of the less effective forms of professional development. They include: * passive didactic expenditure experiences where is an overreliance on external expertise * external training events * one off training events These experiences may result in a quick fix but they do not often result in lasting change and may in fact be counter product (Carnell 1999). The less effective forms of professional development are of low complexity context free. They are single track, usually focusing on content or skills and don’t require judgment. The more effective forms are of high complexity. These take into account teachers experiences and emotions and are dependent on the particular learning and social context. They are multi track, meaning they focus on and connect different aspect of the context, development understanding, facilitate tearing and change. They require refection analysis, judgment, and dialog. Teachers need a strong knowledge base in child development which enables then to make decision regarding what activities, materials and experiences will be appropriated for children of various ages. Learners are mostly interested in the moving classical technological advancements. Books are cruci al but also computers are making big strides in enhancing the students’ learning. Bransford, Brown, and Cocking illustrate four essential elements of effective learning environments: they are learner- centered, knowledge centered, assessment centered and community centered. In a learner-centered learning environment, teachers take the knowledge and prior experiences of individual learners into account in their teaching and try to accommodate learners’ strengths and interests. This approach is based on cognitive research findings that prior knowledge is the basis for constructing all new understanding. An example of a learner-centered approach might be a social studies teacher’s asking students about their daily routine as they study the human impact on the environment and how individual actions do make a difference on a global scale. In a knowledge-centered learning environment, teachers direct learning activities toward developing students’ deep understanding. Research has demonstrated that deep understanding is necessary for learners to appl y knowledge in a given situation and to transfer it to new ones. This requires teachers to make a careful analysis of what they want learners to know and be able to do when they finish a learning activity or course and to provide students with the foundational knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for the successful application and transfer of that learning. For example, a social studies teacher might focus a unit about the civil war on its causes and political context and to support this higher-level conceptual understanding might ask can then guide students’ continued thinking and revision strategies. The importance of this aspect of an effective learning environment is supported by research findings that students who are active in and take charge of their learning can better regulate and improve their approaches and efforts. It is also consistent with research showing that students build new knowledge on existing knowledge and that the more visible their thinking is to them, the more effectively they can modify and refine it. For example, a social studies teacher might allow students multiple opportunities to demonstrate their developing understanding throughout a government unit by asking them to create and update a concept map of similarities and differences between local and state governance. In a community-centered learning environment, students need not only to feel safe to ask questions and to reveal their ideas and difficulties they have in understanding the subject matter, but also to develop norms of behavior that contribute to successful learning in that learning environment. Research shows that social interactions and norms within a community of learners will affect how learners approach their work and that connecting the curriculum to communities beyond the classroom will influence the degree of understanding that students develop. For example, a social studies teacher might put students in contact with other students from another culture or geographic setting to better understand the influence of culture on the topic they are studying. Therefore it’s of worth to recognize these four elements believed to support learning hence allowing teachers to improve upon their learning environments for more effective teaching and learning. SCHOOL CRISES a. Causes of school crises They include: * Physical causes caused by school facilities for instance broken water pipes, cracked walls in campus, bad prepared food and many others. * Physiological and mental causes. A good example is break out of diseases like congenital diseases, emotional distance * Contextual causes involve crisis caused by social factors like if there was an aging population in a school district, there would be a decrease in the number of school aged pupils and hence the age enrollment rate. It might eventually lead to class reduction or even closure. If there are drug addicts near a school, teachers and students might be disturbed or even injured. * Ethical and moral causes: losses resulted from behavior constitutes a violation of professional integrity among members of school. * Disorder causes: if school members had low awareness of school discipline and rules, low morale or the tendency to careless, procrastination and chaotic behavior may easily trigger off various kinds of accidental incident. b. Effects of school crisis * Physiological damage, health hazard, disability and evidently this will disrupt the learning environment because an upright person who becomes disabled will not be having what he/she had before the accidents * Property loss will disrupt the learning environment because subjects like chemistry will require lab practicles and without labs it will be hard to experiment. * Taking responsibility which includes direct or indirect legal, economical and moral responsibility for example a school might have to take responsibilities if a pupil was injured during school activity. * Education damage involving relation between the school members deteriorates after the experience of the crisis. c. Managing school crises in order to foster learning Crisis management includes the measures and policies taken to deal with incidences that enviably disrupt learning. Siegel (1991) suggests that before working on a crises management one should figure out nature, meaning and related variables of the school crises. Schools should eliminate all possible causes of risk, and convert them into predictable and controllable variables. They should device long term preparation plans for preventing damages in future crises, and develop members’ ability to handle emergency situation effectively. As that world `becomes more complicated and fast changing than ever before there is much increasing impact on current school operation, resulting in various kinds of school crises. School crises definitely do not support effective learning hence should be abolished as much as possible. Some of them are and foreseeable of which the management could devise necessary strategic or operational plans deal with , or arrange to means of insurance to compensate for loss; while others are usually dormant but may suddenly disrupt school operation or even cause injury and death or destruction of school property (Raffan, 1984) Through good school management most of these crisis can systematically predicted and managed, loss minimized and operation and development of schools can also be maintained hence fostering good learning environment. The management tactics vary from among school crisis. Technology enhancing an effective learning environment Educational technology has been cited to make major milestone in improving the learners’ learning environments. Educational technology includes hardware such as personal computers, smaller peripherals such as Global Positioning Systems (GPSs) and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) that interface with computers and other equipment that can interface with such digital tools such as video cameras and VCRs. Also included in this definition is the software that runs on these devices and networks that allow them to send and share information among them. Bransford, Brown, and Cocking analyzed in their research that educational technology can make important contributions to effective learning environments hence they concluded that technology can enliven teaching and learning by facilitating the incorporation of real-world problems into the curriculum. Educational technology can help make a learning environment more learner-centered by providing a greater variety of resources that allo ws students to follow their own interests and build upon their strengths. It can also help teachers motivate students to work toward deep understanding or transfer by illustrating how what is under study in the classroom relates to the world beyond it such as by accessing real-time data on current events. Technology can help teachers meet students’ differentiated needs, by serving as a tool for enrichment or review or for presenting information in additional formats. According to Driscoll (2002) and Rieber (1996) the research literature describes how educational technology can serve as a tool that supports learning by allowing the learner to engage in more complex than otherwise possible. For example, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can layer data about population density on top of information about political party affiliation and socio-economic status. Seeing such data simultaneously in tools such as GIS, or simulations, or computer-based micro worlds, can contribute to making a learning environment more knowledge-centered by helping students better see complex relationships and address more analytical questions than otherwise possible. The research summarized by Bransford, Brown, and Cocking has also shown that technology can make it easier for teachers to provide students with feedback about their work. For instance, it can aid in capturing performances for review and display, and it can provide multiple practice opportunities and track or calculate changes in performance along the way. It can also make it easier to communicate within and outside the classroom, providing additional opportunities for feedback in relation to Driscoll (2002)’s opinion. Thus, technology can aid teachers in making an educational environment more assessment-centered. Networked educational technology can also support communication among learners, as well as between their parents and their teachers. By allowing asynchronous and synchronous communication, whether by bulletin board, email, web pages, or chat rooms, technology can enable an exchange of ideas and questions and develop a sub-culture focused on learning and on intellectual habits productive for learning. In these ways, educational technology can aid the development of a community-centered learning environment. Conclusion: A good learning environment is crucial to promoting effective learning. In order to improve the learning environment the teachers, parents, learners and the community at large should join hands to make sure a good environment is achieved through peaceful co-existence of these four parties. REFFERENCES: Ceng, Y, C (2005) New paradigm for Re-engineering Education. Globalization and Industralization.Netherlands.Springer Higgins e tal(2004) Chronic noise, exposure impairs Cognitive Functioning with a number of studies. New York. Palgrave Press Marks,J(2001) The Educational Facilities Laboraties:National Clearinghouse for Educational facilities.Washington D.C.Edfacilties publishers Schultz, F (2001) Education.Dushkin.McGraw Willis (1996) Managing todays classroom. Finding alternatives to control and compliance.McGraw.Dushkin Bofetta, P. & Garfinkel, L. (1990) Alcohol drinking and mortality among men enrolled in an American Cancer Society prospective study. Epidemiology. New York. Palgrave Press Burke, C & I Grosvenor (2003) The School I’d like: Children and Young People’s Reflections on an Education for the 21st Century. London. Routledge Falmer.