Current Economic Development of Oil Exporting Countries

Current economic development of oil exporting countries. (by the example of Saudi Arabia) Introduction3 OPEC and oil prices. 4 History4 Common development problems of OPEC member countries6 Saudi Arabia8 History8 Economic development9 Main goals9 Role of the government10 New industry sectors10 Private sector11 Foreign labor11 Social and politic structure12 Conclusion14 Literature15 Introduction. The subject of this research is the economy and society of the oil-exporting countries while the topic can be described as current economic development of the oil-exporting countries and their prospects. As the best example we have chosen Saudi Arabia. The oil-exporting countries are important players on the world market. They can set up oil prices reducing or increasing extraction rates, and mostly this is the only way they get money for their budgets, oil deposits have great influence on their economy. That’s what is called Dutch disease and what their biggest problem is. Some measures in many fields should be taken to get rid of this disease, to change economic and social structure, to make a shift to new phase in their development. This statement constitutes the thesis of this term-paper. The general purpose of this research is to find common stages and common problems of oil-exporting countries development, try to explain them and suggest some solutions. The goals can be determined as the following: 1. To look at the OPEC, its history and common problems of the Member Countries; to follow the interconnectedness between oil price and prosperity of the oil-exporters. 2. To consider brief history of Saudi Arabia for better understanding of that country. . To estimate the role of the government, private sector, new industry sectors, foreign labor and social and politic structure in economic development; to show current situation and topical problems in all these spheres. 4. In conclusion try to forecast the possible ways of further development. This term-paper can be used for further research in this sphere. OPEC and oil prices. Today oil is natural resource that has great influence on the development of oil-produ cing countries like Russia or the OPEC countries. If a country exports huge amount of oil its price determines budget of the country, political situation, prices for a wide range of goods. It's so because oil isn't just raw material for gasoline production, also for plastics, construction materials and so on. Many oil-exporting countries can set up oil prices reducing or increasing extraction rates, and in the same time no one in the modern world can live without gasoline or electricity. So, we can say that oil is a race in which the main targets are power and money, huge sum of money. But sometimes oil exporters go to the extremities – their budgets depend only on oil prices, in fact this field is a real money spinner. That's how the Dutch disease begins. A good example could be the OPEC countries. OPEC has the biggest oil deposits in the world (almost 80%) and they play a crucial role in oil pricing. This organization controls extraction rates (what leads to controlling of oil prices), foreign policy and strategy of Member Countries. That's why we'd like to consider OPEC itself, its history and common problems. History. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a cartel of 12 countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. The organization has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965, and hosts regular meetings among the oil ministers of its Member Countries. T he OPEC Member countries came together to form this international organization with several aims. Some of the aims are: †¢To protect the interest of the member countries. To make sure that the price of petroleum products do not change much. †¢To make certain a regular supply of petroleum oil to other countries. †¢To make sure that member countries get suitable income from sale of oil products. †¢To decide policies to follow relating to production and sale of petroleum oil. However, OPEC has not always been able to achieve all these aims. Venezuela was the first country to move towards the establishment of OPEC by approaching Iran, Gabon, Libya, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in 1949, suggesting regular and closer communication among oil-producing countries. It was a topical question because all oil-exporting countries were exploited by such corporations as British Petroleum, Chevron, Exxon, Gulf, Mobil, Royal Dutch, Shell and Texaco, which controlled crude oil refining worldwide. These corporations organized a cartel and reduced procurement prices. Initially the OPEC wasn't taken into account. Europe and the U. S. didn't believe than Arabic governments could find a compromise and reduce extraction rates. Honestly speaking first 10 years wasn't very successful for OPEC. But in the 1970-s with help of 1973 oil crisis, Arab-Israeli conflict and second crisis in 1979 OPEC transformed into important political and economic force. By the way being part of OPEC is a huge responsibility. High oil prices are the consequence of low extraction rate. But if one country in pursuit of higher incomes tries to sell a little bit more than its quota is, then price goes down even for those countries that did everything right. Nowadays oil prices are still high in comparison with 1990-s (when normal price per barrel was 22-28 dollars), but since June 2008 they have dramatically fallen, as it is shown on the graph below. The war in Iraq and increasing demand in Asian-Pacific Region, especially in India and China that are consuming large amount of fuel, can be named as a reason for such growth. Anyway the OPEC countries still have their problems and many of them are much the same because of cultural, historical, governmental and economical similarity, some countries almost overcame them and others didn't. Most illustrative will be the example of Saudi Arabia as the country having the biggest oil deposits in the world. Common development problems of OPEC member countries. Below is the list of the typical problems which OPEC countries usually face. Not long ago Arabic countries were under the reign of the USA and Europe, which exploited their resources leaving countries themselves underdeveloped. In the end of XX century everything changed. Briefly the scheme of their development could be described this way: 1. Dependence on western countries. 2. 1970-s crises. Inflow of petrodollars. 3. Euphoria, thoughtless investments and projects. 4. Attempt to create a new type of social structure. 5. Admitting mistakes, appearing of new aims like development of different industry sectors, not only oil-extracting. All these periods have their common difficulties. Firstly, Arabic countries fell behind all developed countries and because of their cultural specialty weren’t ready to radical innovations which were so needed. Women are still not interested in education; almost 50% of them are illiterate. By the way it is one of the crucial problems in such countries – the lack of educated people, especially with higher technical education, consequently appears deficit of well qualified workers on the plants and other enterprises. Employees were absolutely not ready to start working on advanced equipment. That's way many executive positions are occupied by foreign specialist, what isn't very good option for the country. Second main problem is the Dutch disease – too strong dependence on one industry sector. Budget, living standards, national projects – all these depends only on oil prices, which are not always foreseeable and controllable. For example too warm winter reduces consumption of fuel, what reduces oil demand and consequently oil price. Many other factors have the same influence, and all of them hit oil-exporters, making them too vulnerable. In Saudi Arabia 85% of budget are petrodollars, so it's clear how important for them oil price fluctuations are. And the last important problem is that government not always can make reasonable investments. Arabic sheikhs started huge constructions and projects â€Å"to the glory of the country† which were usually unprofitable. Only later this wish to spend money became weaker and investments – more useful. Actually, these are main difficulties of OPEC countries. In every oil-exporting country governments more or less successfully tried to find proper solutions to these problems. Saudi Arabia. History. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an Arab monarchical state. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Persian Gulf lies to the northeast and the Red Sea to its west. It has an estimated population of 27. 6 million, and its size is approximately 2,150,000 square kilometers. Today it is one of the few fastest growing countries in the world with a high per capita income of $20,700 Some figures: Population: 27,601,038 (0. 3% of world population) Density: 11/km2 Urban population: 80% GDP (2007): $555,055 billion Oil resources: 261. 2 billion barrels, 26% of world oil resources (amount that is enough for 86 years of consumption) Extraction rate: 8 million barrels per day. Among Arabic countries Saudi Arabia is the richest, because its oil deposits are the biggest, like its OPEC quota. Country itself isn't very big, but population is growing. Literacy rate is very low – only 63% and it is very serious problem, as was said earlier. Economic development. As it was mentioned, economy of Saudi Arabia depends on oil market and it's impossible to analyze it without taking into account oil industry. Because of oil export and money inflow this country made visible leap in development and today some indexes are just like in Europe or in the U. S. Society is developing too, leaving behind prejudices. Main goals. There are three main goals for the state: 1. GDP growth 2. Diversification of national economy. 3. Development of human resources. These goals were set 30 years ago and still being a topical question. But a lot of efforts were put to reach these goals. For example in 1970 GDP was 22. 9 billion riyals and in 1982 already 524. 7 billion. A diversification is also present. The role of oil sector is reducing. Processing industry was established, and there are a lot of financing projects. What is not less important, financial sector has appeared. But anyway, as of 2007, non-oil manufacturing contributed 10% to Saudi Arabian GDP and less than 6% of total employment. But development of human resources is falling behind. Actually the problem of lacking qualified labor force was solved by inviting foreign specialists. Role of the government. Initially the most profitable oil deposits were exploited by western companies, but today the biggest oil producing company – ARAMCO – was nationalized and oil policy was reviewed. Now extraction rates became smaller and deposits were used in more rational way. Today more than 95% of all Saudi oil is produced on behalf of the Saudi Government by the ARAMCO. In June 1993, ARAMCO absorbed the state marketing and refining company (SAMAREC), becoming the worlds largest fully integrated oil company. But the second problem was how to spend money. Governors were wrong hoping that petrodollars inflow will last forever. Money was invested in useless projects, and some spending was just uncontrolled. It all led to overheated economy. Also there was an effort to copy western system of production, but it also wasn't successful. All these things were a reason to work out a new plan of economic development, attracting more private capital and making more reasonable investments. In the last few years there is a privatization tendency in Saudi economy, of course except ARAMCO. Also government supports oil industry, giving money for development of the new deposits. New industry sectors. In the world Saudi Arabia plays the role of crude oil exporter, and it isn't the best position on the world market. That's why they are trying to find new profitable spheres. And one of them could be petrochemistry. This field grows every year and today Saudi Arabia is the main manurial supplier on the Middle East. Of course today it's impossible to cure the Dutch disease, but maybe someday oil exporting countries will not depend so much on oil prices. Private sector. In 70-80-s government created good conditions for private sector. Such things like transfers, legislative support, special banks and funds were aimed at supporting this sector of economy. Powerful oil industry till now is a good base for economic development. The government is still attempting to promote growth in the private sector by privatizing industries such as power and telecom. Saudi Arabia announced plans to begin privatizing the electricity companies in 1999, which followed the ongoing privatization of the telecommunications company. Shortages of water and rapid population growth may constrain government efforts to increase self-sufficiency in agricultural products. But this governmental support has the second side – private enterprises are still hoping on help and transfers from government and western partners. Without such support it's more profitable to invest money abroad. And that's the problem. But anyway private sector is growing and private capital goes to high-tech development and research. Foreign labor. As was said, there is a lack of well educated specialists on the plants. The government tries to promote so called Saudization – national policy to encourage employment of Saudi nationals in the private sector instead of workers from South and Southeast Asia. Despite these efforts, the country draws a significant portion of its labor force from foreign countries, especially from South and Southeast Asia (notably India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal, and Sri Lanka), East Asia, East Africa and from other Middle Eastern countries. There are also some people from North America, South America, and Europe. Hundreds of thousands of low-skilled workers and skilled workers from regions of the developing world migrate to Saudi Arabia, sometimes only for a short period of time, to work. Although exact figures are not known, skilled experts in the banking and services professions seek work in the Kingdom. Social and politic structure. An Arabic country always remains an Arabic country with its own culture, social and politic structure. Saudi Arabian culture mainly revolves around the religion of Islam. Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, are located in the country. Also it shouldn't be forgotten that it is the monarchical state. All it leaved an imprint on people and their set of mind. Although huge sums of money were spent on health care and educational programs, the social structure didn't change a lot. It is still important to which family or place you belong; ruling establishment stayed the same, just like the attitude to women. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are banned from driving on public roads. Women may drive off-road and in private housing compounds, that can be very huge. Their attempts to change something usually lead to nothing. Several international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Committee have issued reports criticizing the Saudi legal system and human rights violation in various political, legal, and social areas, especially severe limitations on the women rights. The Saudi government typically dismisses such reports as being outright lies or asserts that its actions are based on its adherence to Islamic law. Political structure also is very traditional – the monarch makes all decisions and any attempts to loosen his power, like advisory board, have failed. There is no freedom of speech and no political opposition, although there are a lot o people abroad who criticize such policy. So, development of Saudi Arabia is very controversial. On the one hand, financial and oil-producing sectors are growing in high gear. On the other hand people's set of mind didn't change and with this excess baggage it's impossible to move forward. Other controversial thing: government wants to keep Islamic values, but in the same time educational system is an exact copy of the American one, and American talk-shows and cartoons are demonstrated on the national television. There is an opinion that all it happened because of too fast growth. The society wasn't ready for petrodollars and all these goods which it gets. That's why people have very vague ideas of what they need today or in the future – new way of life or traditions and Islamic values. Conclusion. To sum it all up, we'd like concern possible future of oil-exporting ountries. In a foreseeable future it is impossible to find alternative energy sources which could fully substitute oil and gas. World demand will grow and there are only four countries which can increase extracting rates. These are: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Nigeria and Gabon. It means that political and economic power of OPEC will grow. But also it's obvious that raw materials like crude oil are cheaper than processed goods like gasoline. That's why huge sums of money must be invested in the development of oil refineries and it's a very important long term investment. By the way this developing process must involve not only industries but also people themselves, because a state can change only after its citizens. Anyway, dependence on oil prices is very unreliable and undesirable, like any dependence, even if it helps to finance social projects. Current economic crisis has shown that. Governments of oil exporting countries must find a compromise between this Dutch disease with massive capital inflows and healthy but maybe not so rich economy.

Communication Opinion

Kevin Molder Imagine a world with no communication. No way to express feelings of anger or Joy, no longer waving goodbye as someone leaves, communicating via email, text or pen never existed. The mere thought is absurd. Communicating is key to success in most any situation, whether it is in the work place, personal life or everyday tasks. The basic elements of communication and how they differ from the basic rules of healthcare communication are covered in this paper.Cultural differences and how hey influence communication, as well as how healthcare providers might encourage their patients to be more open and honest about their health will be covered first. The integration of cultural societies has come to be . In cities such as Chicago, New York, and Los Angels, an individual using public transportation is going to encounter people from different cultural backgrounds. With such a diverse society, how is communication influenced?Having the same cultural beliefs does not necessarily m ean any two people will react the same in situations (Goanna, 2011). Generalizations an provide clues on what one might encounter and the way communication will be affected (Goanna, 2011). Examples of three generalizations: Cultures are either high- context or low context. The choice of medium used to communicate may have cultural undertones. The United States for instance, favors electronic and written technology while Japan prefers oral or face-to-face communication (Goanna, 2011). Next, cultures are either sequential or synchronicity.If a culture thinks of time sequential-as a linear commodity to spend, save, or waste, whereas asynchronously-as constant flow to be experienced in the moment as a force that cannot be controlled or contained (Goanna, 2011). German and Swedish cultures give full attention to one task at a time, but other parts of the world multi-tasking is the norm (Goanna, 2011). Last, cultures are either affective or neutral. A great example of an affective cultura l is Italian. They tend to be very passionate and readily show their emotions. The Dutch are more of a neutral culture-very controlled with emotions and do not telegraph them (Goanna, 2011).Communication among healthcare providers and patient is imperative. Many times an individual is embarrassed to revel symptoms or past medical history in fear they might be rejected or Judged. The thought of another patient getting a glimpse of their medical chart is reason to withhold information or perhaps the medication prescribed makes them feel strange or sick? No matter their reasoning, holding back pertinent information could be costly and in worst cases deadly. There are a plethora of ways healthcare providers can ease the minds of individuals and ensure the line of communication between them stays open and honest.Patients want to believe their healthcare provider truly cares for their well- being. Verbal and non-verbal communication helps providers express interest and concerns to patient s. Making eye contact, listening and questioning with thought, demonstrating understanding and compassion are examples of verbal and non- verbal communication. Bridging any social gap that may be present will help establish open communication between provider and patient. Viewing the relationship as a partnership in which each party contributes to maximize the outcome is an essential element in provider/patient relationships.The choice of words a provider uses can affect the line of communication between them and their patients a great deal. If an individual has no knowledge of the medical terms a physician is using they may become embarrassed by it and not ask the proper questions or pretend to know what is being said. Effective communication relies on five basic elements, the sender, the receiver, the medium, the channel, and the feedback. The sender initiates the communication. Verbal and non-verbal techniques are used to properly convey the message and the sender should have an understanding of who is receiving the message.The party in which the sender is transmitting communication is the receiver. To correctly absorb the message the receiver should listen carefully and not get distracted. The medium is most important of the five elements. It can come in many different forms and is what the receiver is trying to communicate to the receiver. The channel is how the communication is being sent, whether it is mail, text, email or oral. Finally, the feedback describes the receiver's response or reaction to the sender's message.Feedback may come from skiing questions, body language or facial expressions. Health care communication differs from basic communication because patient care becomes a factor. Peoples confidentially and concerns need to be taken into consideration. How the individual receives and interprets messages and information. The family member's reaction is important as well. Co-workers need to make sure they are not open with private information. In conclusion, culture differences can be bridged in communication if the sender and receiver are aware of how each party communicates.

Universal education and gender parity essay

Some 104-121 million kids of primary school age are non in school, with the worst deficits in Africa and South Asia. Girls are disproportionately affected, peculiarly in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and East Asia and the Pacific, where 83 % of all out-of-school misss live ( UNESCO, 2004 ) .Cosmopolitan Education and Gender Parity EssayIn this essay I will discourse whether I believe that Africa will make the planetary end of cosmopolitan primary instruction and gender para at all degrees of instruction by 2015. I will utilize my findings to separate whether I believe Africa will make the specified ends by 2015. First I will concentrate on whether Africa will make the planetary end of cosmopolitan primary instruction by 2015. Harmonizing to African Development Bank Group ( 2009 ) Most African states are on path to accomplish cosmopolitan primary registration by 2015, if current tendencies continue, nevertheless even though harmonizing to The United Nations ( 2010 ) registration in primary instruction has continued to lift and is making 89 per cent in the development universe the gait of advancement is still deficient to guarantee that, by 2015, all misss and boys finish a full class of primary schooling. The African Development Bank Group ( 2009 ) states that if actions are taken to better entree to primary instruction for kids from hapless families, for kids who live in rural countries, and for HIV orphans will decrease the job at manus. With all Inquisitions the African Development Bank Group ( 2009 ) states that Africa as a whole has an addition in the primary completion rates nevertheless The United Nations ( 2010 provinces that half of the sub-Saharan African states have at least one in four kids of primary-school left school in 2008 therefore although acquiring kids into school is a critical first measure one needs to maintain the kids go toing categories, this will so increase the chance that one will have the full benefits of instruction. Harmonizing to The United Nations ( 2010 ) Household information from 42 states show that rural kids are twice every bit likely to be out of school as kids populating in urban countries. The information besides show that the rural-urban spread is somewhat wider for misss than for male childs. But the biggest obstruction to instruction is poverty. Besides the rural-urban spread, there was an mean addition of 5.3 per centum in completion rates in 17 African states between 2005 and 2006 ( African Development Bank Group 2009 ) . The mean primary completion rate is low in states in struggle and in states emerging from struggle and therefore current tendencies show that the continent is improbable to accomplish the primary completion mark ( African Development Bank Group 2009 ) . Harmonizing to the United Nations ( 2010 ) in order to run into the end, states will besides necessitate to guarantee that there are adequate instructors and schoolrooms to run into the demand. Between now and 2015, the figure of new instructors needed in sub-Saharan Africa entirely equals the current instruction force in the part ( United Nations 2010 ) . Harmonizing to the United Nations ( 2010 ) many states educating misss is widely perceived as being of less value than educating male childs which now brings me to the whether Africa will make gender para at all degrees of instruction by 2015. Harmonizing to the African Development Bank Group ( 2009 ) the continent continues to do advancement toward gender equality and authorization of adult females, the African development Bank Group stated the misss ‘ primary school registration rate outstripped that of male childs between 2000 and 2006 nevertheless despite these additions, misss still account for 55 per centum of the out-of-school population in the part farther more it was found that In 2008, there were 96 misss for every 100 male childs enrolled in primary school ( United Nations 2010 ) . Harmonizing to the United Nations ( 2010 ) in Secondary Education 95 misss for every 100 male childs enrolled in secondary school. In 1999, the ratios were 91:100 and 88:100 for the two degrees of instruction, severally. Despite this advancement, gender para in primary and secondary education-a mark that was to be met by 2005-is still out of range for many developing parts ( United Nations 2010 ) , hence most African states have yet to accomplish gender para in secondary instruction, about four old ages after the mark day of the month of 2005. Merely 11 states have achieved this mark ( African Development Bank Group 2009 ) . Harmonizing to the African Development Bank Group ( 2009 ) even though topographic points such as Lesotho and Namibia had more misss enrolled in secondary schools than male childs it is extremely improbable that African states will make the mark of gender para in secondary instruction by 2015, if current tendencies continue, nevertheless 10 states have a gender p ara in secondary instruction. Harmonizing to the African Development Bank Group ( 2009 ) the advancement towards gender para in third instruction is besides slow and merely eight African states have achieved gender para in third instruction. In sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, for illustration, merely 67 and 76 misss per 100 male childs, severally, are enrolled in third degrees of instruction ( United nations 2010 ) and therefore many African states have reported advancement in gender para in regard to adult literacy, in 2007 eight states reported the mark as achieved ( African Development Bank Group 2009 ) . The African Development Bank Group ( 2009 ) say that with the addition in adult female in third instruction work forces ‘s societal and economic places are threatened, hence immature work forces are withdrawing into traditional and spiritual establishments that shore up their places and authorization. This is ensuing in increasing force against adult females and on juncture, to spiritual and other cultural struggles in society ( African Development Bank Group 2009 ) . Consequently, in order to safeguard the promotion of adult females ‘s authorization, a set of policies should besides be introduced to guarantee that male educational and employment chances are non significantly eroded in the procedure ( African Development Bank Group 2009 ) . Harmonizing to the United Nations ( 2010 ) adult females do stand for a big portion of waged workers ; nevertheless it does non intend that they have secure, nice occupations. In fact, adult females are typically paid less and have les s unafraid employment than work forces. Therefore in decision I feel that Africa will non make the planetary end of cosmopolitan primary instruction and gender para at all degrees of instruction due to the ends holding a mark of guaranting that by 2015 kids everyplace male childs and misss likewise will be able to finish a full class of primary schooling and to extinguish gender disparity in primary and secondary instruction sooner by 2005 and in all degrees of instruction no subsequently than 2015 ( United Nations 2010 ) . Already harmonizing to the United Nations ( 2010 ) most African states have yet to accomplish gender para in secondary instruction, about four old ages after the mark day of the month of 2005 and that many scholars leave school before making their concluding twelvemonth in the primary instruction sector and many of them being misss. This consequences in less girl scholars making secondary and third instruction which causes so the gender issue within the secondary and third degrees of instruction. Therefore for Africa to make these ends by the allocated clip they need to get down taking drastic steps and concentrate on making schooling chances for the hapless and unless this occurs we will non make these ends.

Martin luther the priest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Martin luther the priest - Essay Example Martin went to University of Wittenberg in 1508 to teach dialectics and philosophy. His stay there was short-lived as he was sent to do other assignments, one of which was spending some time in Rome. He returned to the University of Wittenberg in 1512 and after receiving a doctorate in Theology was appointed as lecturer on the Bible shortly afterwards. He studied a lot. It was during this period in his life that he came to realize that one receives justice through the grace of God and not from doing good works. This new doctrine justification by faith started to develop. Luther also became dissatisfied with other aspects of religious life. He realized that the parishioners of the Wittenberg church of which he was priest would habitually buy indulgences. He made his uneasiness public with the posting of his 95 Theses on the church door. This started confusion. Luther was accused of being a heresy and was denounced as a heretic by Emperor Maximilian. They even threatened to burn him at the stake. In 1520 he was handed the Papal Bull of excommunication and he was asked to retract his conflicting statements. He responded by burning the Papal Bull. He later married and had six children .He died on 18 February

Violence and Its Impact Upon Adolescents Research Paper - 1

Violence and Its Impact Upon Adolescents - Research Paper Example , this can potentially have some very dire effects on them it is critically important to â€Å"establish exactly what is violence, the different forms that adolescent violence can potentially take, and the varied effects of violence on adolescents.† According to The term violence first appeared in French at around the beginning of the thirteenth century and was essentially used to characterize a brutal and quick-tempered person. It was also used to describe to indicate a power relationship that is aimed at constraining or subjecting another person. Over the centuries that followed, violence was given a fundamental role by western civilizations where on one had it was seen to quite fiercely denounce the excesses of violence and openly declared it to be illegitimate, However, on the other hand, Western civilization was also seen to give violence a rather elevated position where it was legitimized so as to validate the actions of knights who were forced to shed blood in the noble defense of the orphans and widows as well as defend the just causes of the Christian kings against the Infidels, and trouble makers (Muchembled 7-9). The brutality of all human relations was accepted as being a universal social language in addition to its being considered to be absolutely normal and quite necessary in most western societies up until the seventeenth century. While cultural ideals might have gradually evolved over time, violence is seen to still play a prominent role in modern society and equally affects people of all ages hailing from the different walks of life. The violence perpetrated against the young people is found to be particularly worrying as it can significantly affect their future development and negatively impact the future human society. The Transactional Model of Development: This development model is seen to greatly emphasize the importance of the roles that are seen to be played by both the environment and the child in the determination of the child’s

Work control and conflict in formal organizations Essay

Work control and conflict in formal organizations - Essay Example Using Edwards’ definition of labor markets, Company A is an Independent Primary Market (p.418). Employment is stable and job security high because there is never a lack of criminal offenders. There are possibilities of being promoted to a higher rank, or transferring to one of many other positions within the jail. Specific physical and educational requirements must be met and the pay is competitive. In 2004 Company A won a battle to decertify the existing Teamsters Union and form its own Guild in an attempt to secure a better bargaining position with the county. The conflicts at Company A are many and diverse. The line officers and administrative staff (the decision makers) have different views on inmate and officer safety concerns, work hours and conditions and types of initiatives the officers are permitted to take regarding inmate discipline or operating procedures. Teams of personnel who work well together are being assigned separate posts, and there is no longer the feeling of camaraderie that was the norm a few years ago. On a daily basis, the work environment at Company A exemplifies several of Dalton’s descriptions of conflict (p. 153). The new administration, in its attempt to exert control and in an honest effort to improve efficiency, holds many meetings to develop new policies, techniques, and work standards. Whether to return to prior norms or to antagonize management, line officers frequently and deliberately create situations so that these new ideas will fail. The main reason for this worker behavior is that, with few exceptions, management style at Company A tends toward the Initiating Structure Leadership style (Pool, p. 272) and technical control (Edwards, p. 415). The result is micro management. Leaders utilizing the Initiating Structure Leadership style as defined by Pool organize and define the relationships of the group and dictate how the work is to be

The Story of Arthur Wergs Mitchell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Story of Arthur Wergs Mitchell - Essay Example Arthur Wergs Mitchell was born on December 22 1883, at Roanoke, Alabama and was the son of former slaves Taylor and Ammar Mitchell. His father has worked as a modest farmer to raise his family. Mitchell studied in public schools and has financed his college education at the Tuskegee Institute by working as a university assistant and farm laborer. After a year at the Tuskegee Institute, Mitchell transferred to Snow Hill Institute, where he was mentored by a Washington protà ©gà © in the person of Professor William J. Edwards. Mitchell’s beliefs toward his own teaching skills and capabilities have later on led him to putting up a vocational elementary school, the West Alabama Normal and Industrial Institute that was exclusive for African American children. These milestones have also brought difficulties to the life of Mitchell. He was accused of deceiving the poor blacks to working for cheap labor and was even charged of defrauding them to obtain their land titles. He was sued by the black farmers, but has managed to avoid prosecution. Nonetheless, the charges filed against Mitchell did not hinder him to moving toward his goal of becoming a lawyer. Eventually, Mitchell has left Alabama and moved to Washington. Then, he went to Chicago to pursue law. On 1919, he has moved to Washington D.C., where he has tried to familiarize himself with the law and has gone to real estate by establishing the Mutual Housing Company of Washington D.C (Asseln 1995). In spite of his lack of formal law education, Mitchell passed the bar in Chicago, Illinois in 1927 (Asseln 1995). He has later on ventured into the practice of law by opening a law office that has paved the way for him to creating a connection with the Republican Party (Asseln 1995). This then marked the beginning of his political career as the first African American democrat in the country. Mitchell has worked for the Republican Party and has managed the campaign of the Republican presidential bet Herbert Hoover (Nordin 2007). This responsibility has made him inspired to entering the arena of politics. Upon joining politics, Mitchell left the Republican Party and became a Democrat. As a democrat, he had the advantage of representing the black community, for he was seen by the party leader as one who will not intrude in the plans of the white political leaders that may be unfavorable for the black constituents (Nordin 2007). Arthur Mitchell replaced Harry Brooke as candidate of the Democratic Party for Congress Representative due to his sudden death (Arthur Wergs Mitchell 2013). Mitchell rivaled with fellow African American Oscar De Priest, but Mitchell managed to defeat Brooke, thereby, electing him as the very first African American Democrat to represent a state in the American Congress in November 7, 1934 (Arthur Wergs Mitchell 2013). Mitchell expressed his support to â€Å"President Roosevelt and the New Deal† during his tenure in Congress (Arthur Wergs Mitchell 2013). On the one hand, Mitchell got involved in a controversy that prompted him to file charges against the Illinois Central and Rock Island Railroads. The

Social Activism and Taiwan Sunflower Movement Essay - 4

Social Activism and Taiwan Sunflower Movement - Essay Example The movement also served to advance Taiwan democracy by allowing the country’s citizen to decide on issues affecting them. The movement revitalized the civil society of Taiwan and renewed the hope of Taiwan nationalities that had lost their hope. In addition, it united other Activists to a common cause who previously fought each other. Another indication of success was the fact that the sunflower movement became the primary focus of various international academic conferences. The issue of the protest kept on recurring in a number of activism discussion. It was argued that it effects would likely outlive its presence in the mainstream media (â€Å"Was Taiwan's Sunflower Movement Successful?†). Student protesters who incited the masses to occupy the Taiwan legislature led the movement. In addition, 54 civic groups and a number of Non-Governmental Organization took part in the protest Thousands of Taiwanese showed their support and, as a result, it made headlines in the major news outlet. The movement was nothing like the Arab spring or other regime change movement. The students did not demand a regime change; they only asked the politicians to respect the public opinion. The public was against the government efforts to increase the ties with China. The movement was characterized by ideological speeches from various student leaders. The movement was named a sunflower movement by the Taiwanese media. The sun symbolizes people’s hopes for brighter days devoid of China economic influence in Taiwan. The tolerance showed by the Taiwanese police towards the protest was commendable as long as it remained a peaceful protest. The social media and the international media were a buzz with the activities of the protest. Songs, banners, vigils, and protest also characterized the Sunflower movement. The student protestors marched through the streets carrying banners and chanting Occupy Parliament. Following the student  occupation of the Taiwan parliament, riot police evicted them out forcefully.  

Use of ict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Use of ict - Essay Example Positive ICT investments and policies are undoubtedly beneficial to HEIs, even if ICTs have not managed adequately to replace classroom-based instructing models. Generally, ICTs offer effective access for various target learners besides academically termed as vehicles meant for enhanced pedagogical experiences. This is especially to distance learners whose separation between them and their respective HEIs id due to space as well as time (Surry, Stefurak & Gray, 2011, p.45). In most HEIs, some of the major ICT facilities used include, Together with the ever-rampant utilization of ICTs in basic education, most students get to campus with higher hopes in terms of technology uses and corresponding pedagogies. The gaps that exist between higher educational practices and student social media abilities are likely to broaden unless respective administrators ensure educational practices that bring about adequate reforms. Generally, from a pedagogical outlook, network technology such as social media tools avails greater potentials for both collaborative and interactive learning. Tools that employ networking knowhow avail students with an open as well as an innovative development platform (Surry, Stefurak & Gray, 2011). In addition, it also avails an opportunity for aiding collaborative and interactive ways of learning mainly for those having exceptional needs (Surry, Stefurak & Gray, 2011, p.46). The enhancement of a wireless knowhow such as mobile wireless expertise has ensured generation of a significant level of excitement among academicians and practitioners. Reason being, it leads to a shift in the academic environment from out-dated settings to mobile learning (m-learning) settings (Ehlers & Schneckenberg, 2010, p.14). Certainly, augmenting numbers of HEIs provide courses using wireless technology (for example, m-learning) as an substitute to learning and teaching tools. However, despite such interests in

Nuclear Weapons should be Extirpate Essay Example for Free

Nuclear Weapons should be Extirpate Essay Nuclear weapons are considered serious threats to the human race and have made the world an insecure residence for living organisms. Nuclear weapons are destructive weapons that obtain its force from nuclear fission and nuclear fusion reaction. Both are theses producers are very harmful for the living organism. Nuclear weapons were first conducted in world war2 on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan. It killed approximately 70,000 died immediately from the explosion and another 70,000 died from radiation within five years. The killing included the women and children. All nuclear weapons must be abolished around the world for making world secure, and save budget money. The entire world will be more secure if the planet will free of the nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are the only type of weapons in existence that have the capacity to annihilate the human species and countless other species. The reactions of the nuclear weapons live alive after many years of its used. The best example is Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan. The nuclear bomb was used on these cities during the world war2, but Nagasaki and Hiroshima are still suffering with the reaction of nuclear bomb. Japanese cannot grow any crop in Nagasaki and Hiroshima because the fusion reaction of nuclear bomb is still alive. Without abolition, there is always the danger that nuclear weapons will proliferate, that more and more countries will obtain them. The existence of nuclear weapons leaves open possibility that a nuclear exchange might take place. The nuclear weapons are extra ordinary costly, and the costs continue into the indefinite future. Billions of dollars are wasted each year to pay for nuclear weapons. The cost of research, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance of the nuclear program is very high. Even it becomes higher, when we include the costs of damage to the land, illness of uranium miners,  cancer deaths from nuclear pollution, and the storage of nuclear wastage. Since early 1940s the U.S. alone has spent $4 trillion on nuclear arms. If current policies are implemented, the U.S. will continue to spend some $25-30 billion on nuclear forces. What is the more important education or nuclear bombs that can kill the human? Today, Congress and Administration are watching government spending, shrinking and eliminating programs and taking measures to reduce the deficit. Despite this, the central feature of national security spending for the past fifty years, nuclear weapons, has been rarely touched. Possession of nuclear weapon does not mean that the country is powerful. Many developed countries such as, Australia, Germany, and Spain do not have nuclear bomb. Some countries have already given up nuclear weapons, showing that it is possible for a nation to be secure without nuclear bomb. Three former Soviet republics, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, became nuclear weapons free states by volunteering transferring their nuclear warheads to Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union. South Africa actually developed a small nuclear arsenal clandestinely, and then dismantled it. Argentina and Brazil have also eliminated their nuclear weapons programs even though they achieved initial success in these programs. These countries give a massage to the nuclear powers that you can succeed without nuclear bomb. In summary, the above analysis shows that nuclear weapons are weapons of great destruction. Our government wastes over thirty- three billion dollars a year of our tax money. Furthermore, nuclear weapons pose serious health risk to those around them, including the citizen. There has not been a significant impact on world affairs by nuclear weapons since world war2. Having a nuclear bomb does not guarantee the better life of the citizen, and development of the country. For these reasons, the nuclear weapons should be banned in entire world.

Water Quality Management Issues In DEWA Company Environmental Sciences Essay

Water Quality Management Issues In DEWA Company Environmental Sciences Essay This paper will discuss water quality management issues in a Dubai company called DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority). This is a governmental organization that is in charge of producing and distributing water and electricity to the whole of the Dubai population. Water quality issues were among the concerns of the third UNEP report on the environment. Gordon (1998:1) notes, The Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-3 report) identified a wide spectrum of existing and emerging water issues that need to be addressed if the world is to achieve sustainable development. One of the general issues in water management is the threat of depletion of groundwater due to the rising demands for land for agriculture and for building urban centres. Majority of communities living near water catchment areas such as forests are depleting rather than preserving them. Hydro-development and geothermal projects are another threat to abundance of water sources and the quality of water because they divert it to uses such as irrigation and generation of electricity. Another concern is the threat to quality of water due to pollution by fertilizers, pesticides and factory chemical emissions. Poor quality of water has a negative effect on human, animal and plant populations, and can occur due to natural or artificial factors. One cause of problems in the quality of water is natural chemicals in the air and ground that enter into contact with water sources and pollute them. Another factor, which is also the largest contributor to poor water quality, is human use of chemicals that pollute water bodies in activities such as farming and industrial production. Sources of water pollution can be fixed, such as manufacturing plants, or mobile, for example, farming activities. The first category has pollutants that are very strong while those of the latter group are mild but are extensive in area of coverage. Moreover, it is easier to estimate and alleviate pollution from the first category than the second because the latter affect a wider region. As Ongley (1999:5) observes, Water quality degradation can pose serious threats to public health, agricultural and industrial production, ecological functions, and biodiversity. Water quality problems can arise from high concentration of naturally occurring elements such as arsenic, fluoride, or selenium. But most water quality problems are caused by the discharge of pollutants from human activities. Pollution sources include point sources-specific points of discharge of high-pollutant concentration-and nonpoint sources-low-concentration sources covering a large area. Point source discharges from sewers, wastewater treatment plants, and factories are visible and can be chemically characterized relatively easily. However, substantial loads of pollutants can also enter water bodies from nonpoint sources, such as fertilizer use for agriculture. In the case of the DEWA Company, poor quality of water is likely to result from emissions from point sources rather than nonpoint ones because the firm undertakes the supply of water to the nation. Consequently, the company has facilities set up to clean water before pumping it to consumers. For example, in 2010 the company set up a facility at Jebel Ali to purify water from salty substances. The chemicals used to desalinate the water and purify it may be a threat to its quality. Another possible threat to the quality of water that the firm supplies is likely to be poor hygiene of the storage tanks, distribution pumps and pipes. If management does not ensure that these facilities are clean, contamination of water is likely to occur. If the storage tanks are left bare, contamination of the water contained therein is likely to occur. Moreover, the residue of chemical substances, especially chlorine, used to clean these facilities is likely to pollute the water when in storage or during distribution. In addition, the company can cause pollution of external water masses through emissions from its water treatment facility. At the same time, since it supplies electricity to consumers, generation of this source of energy can cause gas emissions that pollute not only the air but also the water masses nearby. The World Health Organization has set maximum levels for chemicals present in water, especially for human consumption. World Health Organization (1958: 9) Water intended for human consumption must be free from chemical substances and micro-organisms in amounts which would provide a hazard to health is universally accepted. Supplies of drinking-water should not only be safe and free from dangers to health, but should also be as aesthetically attractive as possible. Absence of turbidity, color and disagreeable or detectable tastes and odors is important in water-supplies intended for domestic use. Fluoride levels should not be lower than 0.5 mg/l as this will contribute to dental decay in the population, especially in children. Nitrates, on the other hand, should not exceed 50 mg/l and 100 mg/l. If bacterial organisms of the coliform type are present, this means that the water has faecal contamination and therefore is not fit for human consumption. Moreover, the water should be free of any taste and smell. The table below presents the acceptable levels in drinking water for other chemical substances. World Health Organization (1958:29) Chemicals affecting portability of water Total solids 500 mg/l 1500 mg/I Colour 5 units 50 units Turbidity 5 units 25 units Taste Unobjectionable Oduor Unobjectionable Iron (Fe) 0.3 mg/l 1.0 mg/l Manganese (Mn) 0.1 mg/l 0.5 mg/l Copper (Cu) 1.0 mg/l l.5 mg/l Zinc (Zn) 5.0 mg/l 15 mg/l Calcium (Ca) 75 mg/l 200 mg/l Magnesium (Mg) 50 mg/l 150 mg/l Sulfate (SO) 200 mg/l 400 mg/l Chloride (Cl) 200 mg/l 600 mg/l pH range 7.0-8.5 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤6.5 or à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ 9.2 Magnesium + sodium sulfate 500 mg/l 1000 mg/l Phenolic substances (as phenol) 0.001 mg/l 0.002 mg/l Burke (2002:1) notes that the main aim of monitoring the quality of water is to ensure its clean and safe supply. Some of the variables to check in order to get an indication of water quality include temperature of the water, alkalinity and acidity, density, amount of salt, gas levels such as oxygen and nitrogen, chemical substances such as nitrate and phosphorous and micro-organisms such as protozoa, among others. One may therefore carry out the process from a physical, chemical or biological perspective or use all of these angles of analysis. However, this process also involves checking the hygiene levels of water bodies in use by many stakeholders and those that offer a habitat for animal and plant populations. Since water is one of the resources in the natural environment, it is susceptible to effects from manufacturing plants that utilize natural resources. These include geothermal plants, quarries where mining takes place and the timber industry that makes use of wood from forests. Monitoring the quality of water therefore involves assessing the impact of such industries on water, water bodies and catchment areas. Another reason for monitoring the quality of water is to check whether a particular type of water mass meets the standards set for it. The standards depend on the use of the water body. These include for water for drinking purposes, leisure, fishing, habitat for wildlife, farming and industrial use. She adds that there exist three main ways of monitoring the quality of water. Burke (2010:1) mentions discrete, mechanical, and automated methods. In the first instance, which is the old way of monitoring water quality, one measures a single aspect. This is done either in the field or in a laboratory. This method is tiring and time-consuming. At the same time, it is subject to the operators bias and judgment when collecting the samples as well as when doing the analysis in a laboratory. The second method involves leaving bottles in a water mass for some time to collect water then taking these to a laboratory. This method reduces the manual effort and time spent collecting samples of water. However, it is subject to bias from laboratory analyses and at the same time, leads to loss of time spent waiting for the bottles to collect water. The third method makes use of devices that will sense the aspect of water quality being tested and these in turn store the information. This method is fast and likely to yield more reliable results than the other two as it does not rely on the subjective judgment of the analyst in a laboratory setup. In the monitoring of water quality, screening methods have become more common than other techniques. This is because they are fast and easy to use due to their advanced technology. Gonzalez, Greenwood, Quevauviller (2009:16) note, Screening methods are often chosen by field operators for rapid and simple measurement of water quality. They are also called alternative methods or emerging tools. There are different types of alternative method such as ready-to-use methods (test kit method), handheld devices (handheld instrument with generally no reagent needed), online sensors (generally in an industrial context) and methods for biological monitoring (such as bio markers, whole-organism tests). To improve the process of monitoring water quality, DEWA has integrated an automated system among its management programs. According to DEWA Company (2009:15), 7-Technologies has entered into agreement with our German system integrator, Cegelec, for the supply of an AQUIS real-time water management system to DEWA in the United Arab Emirates. The AQUIS platform supplied includes all the AQUIS modules: Hydraulic, Water Quality, Surge, Load Forecaster, Leak Detection, GIS and SCADA Interface. The real-time system will provide asset and process performance monitoring and give early warnings of potential operational problems. This will improve planning and design, serviceability, water quality and leakage reduction. For this topic, I choose the automated technique of measuring water quality because it is fast and yields more reliable results. This method makes use of devices capable of sensing the variables under consideration. Since the DEWA Company distributes water for human consumption, it has to ensure that it stores and distributes enough water for the population. DEWA Company (2009:3) DEWA has a policy to maintain bulk storage of potable water equivalent to two days of system peak demand. This implies that it has an extensive reservoir and distribution system, which is not possible to monitor manually on a regular basis. Moreover, the stored water is susceptible to residue of chemical substances such as chlorine and this may affect the quality of water the firm distributes for human consumption. The company therefore requires continually monitoring of the quality of the stored water and the automated technique would be the most appropriate. The technology applicable here would be the online sensing devices that would read the chlorine levels in the tanks as well as the input and output pipes. To monitor water quality in the DEWA Company (2009:5), analyzer stations consisting of transmitters and sensor assemblies for measuring pH, residual chlorine, conductivity and temperature may be installed at specified locations as per DEWAs specifications. The quality of the water that DEWA produces is as follows: DUBAI ELECTRICITY WATER AUTHORITY TRANSMISSION DISTRIBUTION: WATER DIVISION OPERATION DEPT. LABORATORY TYPICAL RANGE OF COMPOSITION OF DEWA WATER ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY 250-800 MICROMHOS/CM pH 7.5-8.5 TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS 125.0-400.0 Mg/l CHLORIDE AS CI Mg/l BICARBONATE AS HCO3 50.0-75.0 Mg/l SULPHATE AS SO4 Mg/l NITRATE Mg/l CALCIUM AS Ca 15.0-25.0 Mg/l TOTAL HARDNESS AS CaCO3 50.0-120.0 Mg/l MAGNESIUM AS Mg 2.0-20.0 Mg/l SODIUM AS Na Mg/l FLUORIDE AS F NIL TASTE, COLOUR AND ODOUR UNOBJECTION-ABLE COLIFORM BACTERIA NIL The above table incorporates variables of assessing quality of water from a chemical, physical and biological perspective. From the data, it appears that the DEWA Company produces relatively high quality water. This is because, according to the above table, the water is free from any taste, smell and has no color and is therefore transparent. In addition, it is free from contamination by coliform bacterial organisms, meaning the water has no faecal pollution. However, there is no fluoride present in the water meaning that it is likely to cause dental problems in the consuming population. As the World Health Organization (1958:28-29) notes, If the fluoride concentration in the drinking-water of a community is less than 0.5 mg/l, a high incidence of dental caries is likely to occur. To prevent the development of dental caries in children, a number of communal water-supplies are fluoridated to bring the fluorine concentration to 1.0 mg/l. Moreover, the water is safe for consumption because its nitrate levels do not exceed the World Health Organization directives of 50 mg/l and 100 mg/l. The water pH does not raise concerns since the levels of alkalinity and acidity of the water are within the accepted range. It is therefore possible that there are few land use activities in the areas from which the company sources its water. Consequently, fewer chemical substances such as fertilizers and pesticides wash off into the water sources. In addition, the amount of chloride is also on the lower end of the permissible range, which means that salinity of the water is low. However, the amount of dissolved matter is less than the permissible level therefore the water density is low, but on the other hand, this means that the salinity levels are low. The magnesium, calcium and sulphate contents are also lower than the acceptable minimum, which means that though the water lacks essential components, it has low salinity levels. According to the above table, the water from the DEWA Company is relatively good for consumption because it does not contain toxic substances such as lead or cyanide. The presence of nitrates in the water that the firm supplies is likely to be due to the discharge of treated sewage water while that of sodium is due to the use of this compound to clear chlorine residue. On the other hand, the absence of fluoride in the water may be due to changes in climate in the areas where the company sources its water. The high potential of the water to conduct electricity may be due to the presence of radioactive matter. This is also evident in the presence of hydrocarbons in the water. The salinity of the water is low meaning that there is a higher amount of freshwater than salty water entering into contact with the sources of the DEWA water. Since the amount of dissolved solids in the water is less than 1000mg/l, it appears then that the DEWA water is fresh. It appears that the water is soft because the levels of magnesium and calcium are low. Moreover, the amount of solids dissolved in the water is low indicating that the saline content is also low. According to Statgraphics (2006:1), An important technique used to determine how well a process meets a set of specification limits is called a process capability analysis. A capability analysis is based on a sample of data taken from a process and usually produces: an estimate of the DPMO (defects per million opportunities), one or more capability indices and an estimate of the Sigma Quality Level at which the process operates. From the above table, it appears that the water quality management process at the DEWA Company is capable of meeting the needs of the population. In addition, it appears that the company is capable of providing good quality water for human consumption to its consumers. The strengths of the system include its ability to lower the saline content and the amount of dissolved solids therefore producing water that is fresh. Furthermore, the water does not contain toxic substances such as cyanide, lead, among others, and this implies that it is fit for human consumption. Moreover, there is a balance between the water acid and alkaline levels as the pH is within the acceptable range. The nitrate levels are also within the acceptable range and therefore do not pose a threat to human health. In addition, the water is soft rather than hard due to reduction of magnesium and calcium elements. Another strong point is that the management system has preserved the waters aesthetic quality since there is no odor, color and taste present. Moreover, the water is free from faecal pollution as there is no contamination by bacterial organisms of the coliform nature. According to DEWA Company (2009:7), DEWAs water system consists of a transmission network where pipe diameters range from 550 mm to 1200 mm, and distribution network where pipe diameters range from 100 mm to 450 mm. This means that the company is able to transmit and distribute large amounts of water at any given time due to the large capacity and volume of its transmission system. On the other hand, the water production system has fewer defects than the strengths listed above. The defects include production of water with no fluoride element, which can lead to tooth decay. In addition, the electrical conductivity of the water is very high indicating the possibility of contamination with radioactive matter. However, the strengths of the system of water production outweigh its weaknesses. The indicators of the systems capability to produce good quality water are the variables that the company uses to measure the quality of water. These include lack of taste, smell, color, coliform bacterial organisms that are indicative of faecal pollution, few nitrate, calcium and magnesium contents that are an indication of low salinity levels, normal alkaline and acidity levels, a low amount of dissolved solids and the absence of poisonous substances such as lead and cyanide. In conclusion, it appears then that the company is capable of producing good quality water for the con suming population. Consequently, we can also say that the management system of the DEWA Company in relation to the production and supply of water is one that is effective in terms of ensuring good quality water.

Posture Recognition Based Fall Detection System

Posture Recognition Based Fall Detection System A POSTURE RECOGNITION BASED FALL DETECTION SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AN ELDERLY PERSON IN A SMART HOME ENVIRONMENT ABSTRACT The mobile application is capable of detecting possible falls for elderly, through the use of special sensors. The alert messages contain useful information about the people in danger, such as his/her geo location and also corresponding directions on a map. In occasions of false alerts, the supervised person is given the ability to estimate the value of importance of a possible alert and to stop it before being transmitted. This paper describes system for monitoring and fall detection of ELDERLY PEOPLE using triaxial accelerometer together with ZigBee transceiver to detect fall of ELDERLY PEOPLE. The system is composed of data acquisition, fall detection and database for analysis. Triaxial accelerometer is used for human position tracking and fall detection. The system is capable of monitoring ELDERLY PEOPLE in real time and on the basis of results another important parameters of patient can be deducted: the quality of therapy, the time spent on different activities, the joint moveme nt, etc. The system, including calibration of accelerometers and measurement is explained in detail. The Accidental Fall Detection System will be able to assist carriers as well as the elderly, as the carriers will be notified immediately to the intended person. This fall detection system is designed to detect the accidental fall of the elderly and alert the carriers or their loved ones via Smart-Messaging Services (SMS) immediately. This fall detection is created using microcontroller technology as the heart of the system, the accelerometer as to detect the sudden movement or fall and the Global System for Mobile (GSM) modem, to send out SMS to the receiver. INTRODUCTION The leading health problems in the elderly community. They can occur in home as well as in hospitals or in the long-term care institutions [1]. Falls increase risk for serious injuries, chronic pain, long-term disability, and loss of independence, psychological and social limitations due to institutionalization. Nearly 50% of older adults hospitalized for fall- related injuries are discharged to nursing homes or long-term care facilities [2]. A fall can cause psychological damage even if the person did not suffer a physical injury. Those who fall often experience decrease activities of daily living and self-care due to fear of falling again. This behavior decreases their mobility, balance and fitness and leads to reduced social interactions and increased depression. The mortality rate for falls increases progressively with age. Falls caused 57% of deaths due to injuries among females and 36% of deaths among males, age 65 and older [3]. Majority of falls result from an interaction between multiple long-term and short-term factors in person’s environment [4]. Common risk factors include problems with balance and stability, arthritis, muscle weakness, multiple medications therapy, depressive symptoms, cardiac disorders, stroke, impairment in cognition and vision Detection of a fall possibly leading to injury in timely manner is crucial for providing adequate medical response and care. Present fall detection systems can be categorized [7, 8, 9] under one of the following groups: User activated alarm systems (wireless tags), Floor vibration-based fall detection, Wearable sensors (contact sensors and switches, sensors for heart rate and temperature, accelerometers and gyroscopes ), Acoustic fall detection, Visual fall detection. The most common method for fall detection is using a triaxial accelerometers or bi-axial gyroscopes. Accelerometer is a device for measuring acceleration, but is also used to detect free fall and shock, movement, speed and vibration. Using the threshold algorithms while measuring changes in acceleration in each direction, it is possible do detect falls with very high accuracy. Using two or more tri-axial accelerometers and combining them with gyroscopes at different body locations it is possible to recognize several kinds of postures (sitting, standing, etc.) and movements, thereby detecting falls with much better accuracy. An easy and simple method to detect fall detection of ELDERLY PEOPLE is using accelerometer together with ZigBee transceiver to communicate with Monitoring System through wireless network, and in this paper a system for monitoring and fall detection of ELDERLY PEOPLE using mobile MEMS accelerometers will be presented. . The first three functions provide recording in a database, and also a text message is sent to the supervisor with latitude, longitude and other useful data. Afterwards, you can detect the elder person through Google maps. Additionally, an application was implemented for the attending physician, which is connected with the database, through which s/he can obtain a complete picture of the patients’ status, to draw useful conclusions and proceed to possible change in medical treatment. EXISTING SYSTEM: An application for Apple IOS by using an accelerometer to detect falls. A possible drawback is that the development platform Apple IOS is not accessible to the average user. An application in Symbian s60 using machine learning algorithm takes 64 samples every two seconds from the accelerometer and decides whether there is a fall. PROPOSED SYSTEM: In this paper, we designed an application with the ability of automatic fall detection, by using the mobile sensors, warning signal by pressing a button in cases of emergency, detection and automatic notification to supervisors as well as visual display to passerbies. The application uses basically two incorporated mobile sensors, namely the accelerometer and the gyroscope sensor.A counter starts counting loudly on the screen from 30 to 0. If the counter reaches 0, then an SMS message is sent to the caregiver or relative and an entry is made to the Database. The first service detects the patient’s position and calculates whether the patient is further away than a set distance. When activated can give directions to the patient what route to follow to return back to home. APPLICATIONS: Automatic fall detection. Warning if the elder moves away from the place of residence directions given on the map. ADVANTAGES: Elder’s safety can be assured. Fast First aid or medical treatment can be guaranteed. DISADVANTAGES: Device Sensor should be carried out whenever the person moves over. SYSTEM DESIGN Architecture Diagram SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AND FALL DETECTION The whole system consists of a set of sensors (two or more sensors on the patient, usually MEMS sensors) which the patient wears on himself, local units to collect data that are placed in patient vicinity and systems for collecting. The tiny sensors in the strap are capable of measuring user orientation and motion in three-dimensions and it is constantly monitoring and analyzing the signals in real-time looking for movement indicating a fall. From the comparison Table Error! No text of specified style in document. .1, it shows that the system maybe a hindrance to the consumer in terms of price over the years. The aim of this project is to be able to provide equal standard of care at an affordable cost. The system is shown in Figure 1 the space is divided into sections which are defined by interior and exterior of the institution in which a system is operated. Each room is stocked with local receivers. Local receivers collect data from sensors that the ELDERLY PEOPLE are wearing on the clothes. The sensors are small and lightweight. One sensor is located in the upper garment and the other at the bottom. This is not limited to two sensors, if necessary, there may be more, but for the detection of falls to the back the system must have at least 2 sensors Local receivers pass information to the server. The server information is processed local health care service. Personal computers are used to browse the database collected a t the server. The database contains information about the mobility of ELDERLY PEOPLE, treatment efficacy, joints. All these data can be analyzed offline and used to adjust patient therapy. This has served a double function of the system Real-time patient monitoring and early detection of the fall in order to deliver medical assistance as soon as possible. In this application Free scale TM ZSTAR wireless sensing triple axis board is used (Fig. 2). It is very practical because of low power consumption, portability, and the ability to be mounted in small pockets inside the clothes of ELDERLY PEOPLE. Board is divided into sensory and receiver part. The sensor is placed at the patient and is equipped with an accelerometer, microprocessor, and transceiver with the antenna which sends the measurement data to the receiver. The receiver also has a microprocessor that adjusts the signals received through the antenna to send with the USB protocol. These data are sent to the server. The server collects process and stores the data. Each sensor that is connected to the patient is personalized, and its data are stored in a file under persons name to get an overview of all activities and physical stress of the patient FALL DETECTION USING TWO ACCELEROMETERS In this chapter the operation of the system through one of its functions and to the detection of fall will be described. The figures have been simplified for better understanding of the system. The algorithm used is improved algorithm given in, with better detection of backwards falls. Setup for accelerometer fall detection, consists of the measuring sensors with transmitter, receiver and server for data processing and fall detection. The fall is detected by the algorithm described in. It can be seen that fall detection algorithm uses data from both sensors that are monitored at the same time. This algorithm is able to distinguish between falls (forward, back word fall into a sitting position) and the normal daily activity, such as walking, mastering stairs, sitting in a chair, lying walking is also detecting by the sensors. However, these impacts are not isolated, and after them there is no significant change in orientation between the two sensors. Vectors are in the area that will call common zone .if an isolated stoke which causes a change in orientation of the body is detected, or the orientation of certain body parts in relation to the situation before the stroke, then with some certainty it can be said that the fall had occurred. Dataflow Diagram SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION Modules details Phase 1 Modules Fall Detection Location Tracking Phase 2 Modules Communication Route Map Integration Fall Detection: The FALL DETECTION is something that we have developed at Alert1 so you can be safe at all times. Whether you are a senior citizen and want to maintain your independence, a concerned family member looking for peace of mind, or a caregiver with patients, this tool has been developed for you. Prevention is key. Use it to inspect and detect hazardous areas in your home that could result in a fall. If you answer no to the questions, you have already taken action to reduce your risk of falling. If you answer yes to any of the questions, consider making the recommended change or adaptation to reduce your risk of falling. Location Tracking: Real-time locating systems (RTLS)are used to automatically identify and track the location of objects or people in real time, usually within a building or other contained area. Wireless RTLS tags are attached to objects or worn by people, and in most RTLS, fixed reference points receive wireless signals from tags to determine their location. The physical layer of RTLS technology is usually some form ofradio frequency(RF) communication, but some systems use optical (usuallyinfrared) or acoustic (usuallyultrasound) technology instead of or in addition to RF. Tags and fixed reference points can be transmitters, receivers, or both, resulting in numerous possible technology combinations. RTLS are a form oflocal positioning system, and do not usually refer to GPS,mobile phone tracking, or systems that use only passiveRFIDtracking. Location information usually does not include speed, direction, or spatial orientation. Communication: The table that maintained the mapping between the agent’s name and the landmark location is shared and updated by the agents who were on nodes within the landmark’s coverage. When the node is not a landmark node, the table is used as a cache table. If communication with the other agent succeeds, the locations and the agent names are registered in this cache table. It is possible for the agent to periodically get the location of the target agent and store it in the cache table. The use of a cache table enables agents to initiate direct communication with each other and reduce the communication overhead to landmarks. When the cache misses, the agent sends a request to the landmark to get updated information. Agents can also delete the information from the cache table. The communication between landmarks is implemented, however we only use this communication to call the target agent when there is no target agent within the coverage area. This primitive is used when the pro grammer deploys agents and makes deployment of agents easy. Routemap Integration: The integration of spatial maps in mobile was investigated using a spatial analog to sensory preconditioning. The GPS chip outputs the positioning information which is transferred over a GPRS link to the mobile operator’s GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node) and then to a remote server over a TCP connection. The TCP server stores the incoming positional data in a mySQL database. When a user clicks on the tracking page., Zope, which is an open source web application server, serves up an HTML page with an embedded javascript code. The javascript would run in the users browser and has instructions to retrieve the positional information from the mySQL database every second. It then integrates this information into Google Maps through Google Maps API which displays the position on a map. Since the positional information is retrieved every second and the maps updated at the same frequency, a real time GPS tracking effect is achieved. CONCLUSION Triaxial accelerometers can be used for detecting fall of ELDERLY PEOPLE. They offer low cost solution, and together with wireless connectivity solutions such as ZigBee provide efficient solution for both ELDERLY PEOPLE and medical personnel l. In this paper I have presented an intelligent mobile multimedia application that can be incorporated into modern mobile smartphones in order to be used for the needs of the elderly. It is in our future plans to evaluate this system in order to test its efficiency in actually helping these people sufficiently. It is also in our future plans to extend the system’s capabilities by incorporating new services. These services include the following: Embed a belt measuring heart rate as an external sensor Integrate a gyroscope sensor instead of an orientation sensor, for more accurate results Integration of social networks to alert senders Integrate public agency to alert senders Add a system administrator feature. References: A. Chan and N. Vasconcelos, â€Å"Counting people with low-level features and Bayesian regression,† IEEE Trans. Image Process., vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 2160–2177, Apr. 2012. E.Auvinet, F. Multon, A. Saint-Arnaud, J. Rousseau, and J. Meunier, â€Å"Fall detection with multiple cameras: An occlusion-resistant method based on 3-d silhouette vertical distribution,† IEEE Trans. Inf. Technol. Biomed., vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 290–300, Mar. 2011. Y. Hou and G. Pang, â€Å"People counting and human detection in a challenging situation,† IEEE Trans. Syst. Man, Cybern. Part A: Syst. Humans, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 24–33, Jan. 2011 Y. Chen, L. Zhu, A. Yuille, and H. Zhang, â€Å"Unsupervised learning of probabilistic object models (POMs) for object classification, segmentation, and recognition using knowledge propagation,† IEEE Trans. PatternAnal. Mach. Intell., vol. 31, no. 10, pp. 1747–1761, Oct. 2009 F. Lecumberry, A. Pardo, and G. Sapiro, â€Å"Simultaneous object classification and segmentation with high-order multiple shape models,† IEEETrans. Image Process., vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 625–635, Mar. 2010

The Division of Church and Teens… Essay -- Essays Papers

The Division of Church and Teens†¦ It seems in today’s world every night on the news we see examples of high school aged Americans who are committing crimes and hurting people around them. Whether it is a school shooting, kids being busted for drugs, underage drinking, or vandalism we are seeing more examples of high school aged kids doing things that are severely looked down upon. This problem has not been resolved because we keep seeing it as a continuing issue in the news everyday. With the cutting of extracurricular budgets for schools and other organizations the availability of good programs for high school kids to participate in is declining year by year. Therefore many kids are spending their time doing unconstructive things that may lead to ill-advised behavior. Although there are thousands of explanations for this irrational behavior ranging from violence on TV to the availability of guns, a significant reason is a lack of spiritual values associated with religion and the church. However, to und erstand this reason you must recognize that by referring to spirituality and the church I am encompassing all religions. Nevertheless due to the restrictions on the length of this paper I will use specific examples and not be able to fully explore every religion. Furthermore I will be focusing in general on specific examples occurring in America because they relate better to this essays projected audience. In addition, by asserting my above statement I am also implying that all religions have â€Å"good† values and that these values are a possible solution to this increasing problem. In general this is a true statement because I believe all of the larger more populous religions reinforce stability and a given set of values ... ...assertion is contradictory to my argument because I am implying that they are related. - â€Å"Religion, parental input protect from effects of violence†. Academic Search Premier. December 10, 2003. Biotech Week. 24 February, 2004. . This article talks about how religious beliefs help to keep kids out of conduct trouble and relates to my argument because it supports my claim about teenagers avoiding bad behavior by embracing religious values. - â€Å"Town to bury first shooting victim as police pursue third suspect†. CNN.com. April 24, 1999. Cable News Network. February 24, 2004. http://www.cnn.com/US/9904/24/school.shooting.01/index.html> Relates facts about the Columbine shootings in which a mother supports my argument that high school students need to be more devoted toward religion.

Interview Essays - A Local Rock Star -- Interview Essays - A Local Roc

Local Rock Star Sitting at the table with long, thick, blonde hair and a hint of Brad Pitt’s facial features sits Brian. He is a 17 year old high school junior, a guitarist in a local band, and he is my interview. He will begin nearly all his sentences with â€Å"uhh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  but then proceeds to long, interesting answers. I started by asking him about when he became interested in music, and who his influences were. â€Å"I’ve always listened to music,† he said, â€Å"my first album ever was Nirvana’s Nevermind; it was a cassette tape. I also listened to a lot of Michael Jackson—don’t laugh, I mean like Thriller and stuff.† What inspired you to play an instrument? â€Å"The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ CD Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic was the first time I realized I wanted to play an instrument.† What instruments do you play? â€Å"I’ve played guitar for the last four years, saxophone for the last two—though only in the school band,† he said. â€Å"The keyboard, bass and drums I can ‘musically understand,’ though I don’t usually play them.† So tell me about the band. What’s the significance of the band’s name, No Name Charlies? â€Å"Uhh†¦ well we had, like, 100 names that we had gone through and we didn’t really like. Then Greg, our former trombone player, said that whenever his teacher in elementary school would get an essay without a name on it, she’d call it a ‘no name Charlie.’ We all kind of liked it; it’s definitely grown on us since then.† He told me the band came together in November 2001, and their first show was in spring 2002. There has been a lot of movement in terms of the band members: some have come and gone, some have come, gone and come back again, some switch instruments, and others have stepped in. The configuration, as i... ...ur first one,† he says, referring to their 2003 demo Shut Up and Listen! They met Pat Kays, bassist for the band Catch 22, when they opened for his band last year. Kays told the boys he liked their sound, and was interested in engineering and, to an extent, producing. â€Å"It was mutual,† Brian said, â€Å"because we had been wanting to record, and he had wanted to engineer. It all kind of fell into place.† Youthful endurance, continuing optimism and a small—but steadily growing—fan base have all contributed to the No Name Charlies’ local success. When asked whether the band would take the chance to become famous—if the chance was given—Brian said they would take it without question. However, he thinks balance is important, and would not sacrifice a college education for it. When asked if he thinks the band will make it big, Brian replied, â€Å"I’d like to think so.†

The Mist Countries

THE THE MIST COUNTRIES – Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea & Turkey: Are MIST countries becoming the new BRICs? : For many investors, Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey have taken over from the BRICS becoming the four biggest emerging markets, and growing faster than their major rivals. BRIC inventor Jim O’Neil from Goldman Sachs proposed the new term MIST term for Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey, which are the four biggest markets in the Goldman Sachs N-11 Equity Fund. The MIST economies more than doubled during the last decade, according to Bloomberg, and continue surging despite global economy concerns.Mexico’s IPC Index has climbed 11% this year, comparing with a 2. 8% growth of Brazil’s Bovespa. Meanwhile Turkey’s ISE National 100 gained 28 percent, compared to 13% gain of BSE India Sensitive Index and 2. 6% gain in Russia’s MICEX. Though the MIST nations outperformed the BRIC in pace of growth, its economic output still ca n’t approach the BRIC. Total GDP for the MIST nations was $3. 9 trillion last year, compared to $13. 5 trillion of BRIC economies and $7. 3 trillion for China alone. Comment: If you go to the Wikipedia page about BRIC you will read that Mexico and South Korea tried to become part of BRIC.It was used the name BRIMC†¦. But it failed because the BRIC were Core-Hubs in their areas (Eurasia, South America, Far East, South East Asia) while the MIST are a second dependent layer around the Hub. In fact, and to be precise there are three World Hubs-Cores: USA, GERMANY (Eurozone) and CHINA. Turkey depends on Europe, Mexico depends on the US, South Korea depends on China†¦. So, if those hubs are hit, the MIST will be hit MUCH MORE, as we remember from the Bhat crisis. Russia could be an Eurasian and Energy Hub-Core†¦. even if still not fully developed, so it is still a layer of the E. U. Hub. Mexico Economy – overview:Mexico has a free market economy in the trillio n dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas distribution, and airports. Per capita income is roughly one-third that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, Mexico's share of US imports has increased from 7% to 12%, and its share of Canadian imports has doubled to 5%.Mexico has free trade agreements with over 50 countries including Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade Area, and Japan – putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. In 2007, during its first year in office, the Felipe CALDERON administration was able to garner support from the opposition to successfully pass pension and fiscal reforms. The administration passed an e nergy reform measure in 2008 and another fiscal reform in 2009. Mexico†s GDP plunged 6. 2% in 2009 as world demand for exports dropped, asset prices tumbled, and remittances and investment declined. GDP posted positive growth of 5. % in 2010 and 3. 8% in 2011, with exports – particularly to the United States – leading the way. The administration continues to face many economic challenges, including improving the public education system, upgrading infrastructure, modernizing labor laws, and fostering private investment in the energy sector. CALDERON has stated that his top economic priorities remain reducing poverty and creating jobs. GDP (purchasing power parity) $1. 657 trillion (2011 est. ) $1. 596 trillion (2010 est. ) $1. 514 trillion (2009 est. ) note:  data are in 2011 US dollars GDP (official exchange rate) $1. 185 trillion (2011 est. ) GDP – real growth rate . 8% (2011 est. ) 5. 4% (2010 est. ) -6. 2% (2009 est. ) GDP – per capita (PPP) $1 5,100 (2011 est. ) $14,400 (2010) $13,600 (2009) note:  data are in 2011 US dollars GDP – composition by sector agriculture:  3. 8% industry:  34. 2% services:  62% (2011 est. ) Population below poverty line 18. 2% note:  based on food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty amounted to more than 47% (2008) Labor force 49. 17 million (2011 est. ) Labor force – by occupation agriculture:  13. 7% industry:  23. 4% services:  62. 9% (2005) Unemployment rate 5. 2% (2011 est. ) 5. 4% (2010 est. ) note:  underemployment may be as high as 25%Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 total:  10% male:  9. 7% female:  10. 6% (2009) Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:  1. 5% highest 10%:  41. 4% (2008) Distribution of family income – Gini index 51. 7 (2008) 53. 1 (1998) Public debt 37. 5% of GDP (2011 est. ) 36. 9% of GDP (2010 est. ) Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3. 5% (2011 est. ) 4. 2% (2010 est. ) Central bank d iscount rate NA% (31 December 2010 est. ) 4. 5% (31 December 2009 est. ) Commercial bank prime lending rate 5% (31 December 2011 est. ) 5. 287% (31 December 2010 est. ) Stock of domestic credit $407. 4 billion (31 December 2011 est. $374. 2 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Market value of publicly traded shares $454. 3 billion (31 December 2010) $340. 6 billion (31 December 2009) $232. 6 billion (31 December 2008) Agriculture – products corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products Industries food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism Industrial production growth rate 3. 9% (2011 est. ) Current Account Balance -$11. 27 billion (2011 est. ) -$5. 724 billion (2010 est. ) Exports $336. billion (2011 est. ) $298. 5 billion (2010 est. ) Exports – commodities manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits , vegetables, coffee, cotton Exports – partners US 73. 5%, Canada 7. 5% (2009 est. ) Imports $341. 9 billion (2011 est. ) $301. 5 billion (2010 est. ) Imports – commodities metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts Imports – partners US 60. 6%, China 6. 6%, South Korea 5. 2% (2009 est. ) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold $142 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) 114 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Debt – external $204 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $195. 6 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Stock of direct foreign investment – at home $321. 5 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $326. 1 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Stock of direct foreign investment – abroad $84. 92 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $78. 38 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Exchange rates Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar – 12. 39 (2011 est. ) 12. 636 (2010 est. ) 13. 514 (2009) 11. 016 (2008) 10. 8 (2007) Fiscal year calendar year Indonesia Economy – overview: Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, grew an estimated 6. % and 6. 4% in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The government made economic advances under the first administration of President YUDHOYONO (2004-09), introducing significant reforms in the financial sector, including tax and customs reforms, the use of Treasury bills, and capital market development and supervision. During the global financial crisis, Indonesia outperformed its regional neighbors and joined China and India as the only G20 members posting growth in 2009. The government has promoted fiscally conservative policies, resulting in a debt-to-GDP ratio of less than 25%, a small current ccount surplus, a fiscal deficit below 2%, and historically low rates of inflation. Fitch and Moody's upgraded Indonesia's credit rating to investment grade in December 2011. Indonesia still struggles with pov erty and unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, corruption, a complex regulatory environment, and unequal resource distribution among regions. The government in 2012 faces the ongoing challenge of improving Indonesia's insufficient infrastructure to remove impediments to economic growth, labor unrest over wages, and reducing its fuel subsidy program in the face of rising oil prices.GDP (purchasing power parity) $1. 121 trillion (2011 est. ) $1. 054 trillion (2010 est. ) $993 billion (2009 est. ) note:  data are in 2011 US dollars GDP (official exchange rate) $834. 3 billion (2011 est. ) GDP – real growth rate 6. 4% (2011 est. ) 6. 1% (2010 est. ) 4. 6% (2009 est. ) GDP – per capita (PPP) $4,700 (2011 est. ) $4,400 (2010 est. ) $4,300 (2009 est. ) note:  data are in 2011 US dollars GDP – composition by sector agriculture:  14. 7% industry:  47. 2% services:  38. 1% (2011 est. ) Population below poverty line 13. 33% (2010) Labor force 117. 4 million (2 011 est. )Labor force – by occupation agriculture:  38. 3% industry:  12. 8% services:  48. 9% (2010 est. ) Unemployment rate 6. 6% (2011 est. ) 7. 9% (2010 est. ) Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 total:  22. 2% male:  21. 6% female:  23% (2009) Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:  3. 3% highest 10%:  29. 9% (2009) Distribution of family income – Gini index 36. 8 (2009) 39. 4 (2005) Public debt 24. 5% of GDP (2011 est. ) 25. 7% of GDP (2010 est. ) Inflation rate (consumer prices) 5. 7% (2011 est. ) 5. 1% (2010 est. ) Central bank discount rate 6. 37% (31 December 2010) 6. 46% (31 December 2009) ote:  this figure represents the 3-month SBI rate; the Bank of Indonesia has not employed the one-month SBI since September 2010 Commercial bank prime lending rate 12. 2% (31 December 2011 est. ) 13. 252% (31 December 2010 est. ) note:  these figures represent the average annualized rate on working capital loans Stock of domestic cre dit $305. 2 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $254. 1 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Market value of publicly traded shares $360. 4 billion (31 December 2010) $178. 2 billion (31 December 2009) $98. 76 billion (31 December 2008) Agriculture – products ice, cassava (manioc), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra; poultry, beef, pork, eggs Industries petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, footwear, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, food, tourism Industrial production growth rate 4. 1% (2011 est. ) Current Account Balance $5. 704 billion (2011 est. ) $5. 654 billion (2010 est. ) Exports $208. 9 billion (2011 est. ) $158. 1 billion (2010 est. ) Exports – commodities oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber Exports – partners Japan 16. 3%, China 10%, US 9. 1%, Singapore 8. 7%, South Korea 8%, India 6. %, Malaysia 5. 9% (2009) Imports $172. 1 billion (2011 est. ) $127. 4 billion (2010 est. ) Imports – commodities machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs Imports – partners China 15. 1%, Singapore 14. 9%, Japan 12. 5%, US 6. 9%, Malaysia 6. 4%, South Korea 5. 7%, Thailand 5. 5% (2009) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold $136. 2 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $96. 21 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Debt – external $158. 8 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $196. 1 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Stock of direct foreign investment – at home $105. 7 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $86. 5 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Stock of direct foreign investment – abroad $41. 89 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $32. 85 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Exchange rates Indonesian rupiah (IDR) per US dollar – 8,696. 1 (2011 est. ) 9,090. 43 (2010 est. ) 10,389. 9 (2009) 9,698. 9 (2008) 9,143 (2007) Fiscal year calendar year South Korea Economy – overview South Korea over the past four decades has demonstrated incredible growth and global integration to become a high-tech industrialized economy. In the 1960s, GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia.In 2004, South Korea joined the trillion dollar club of world economies, and currently is among the world's 20 largest economies. Initially, a system of close government and business ties, including directed credit and import restrictions, made this success possible. The government promoted the import of raw materials and technology at the expense of consumer goods, and encouraged savings and investment over consumption. The Asian financial crisis of 1997-98 exposed longstanding weaknesses in South Korea†s development model including high debt/equity ratios and massive short-term foreign borrowing.GDP plunged by 6. 9% in 1998, and then recovered by 9% in 1999-2000. Korea adopted numerous economic reforms following the crisis, including greater openness to foreign investment and imports. Growth moderated to about 4% annual ly between 2003 and 2007. With the global economic downturn in late 2008, South Korean GDP growth slowed to 0. 3% in 2009. In the third quarter of 2009, the economy began to recover, in large part due to export growth, low interest rates, and an expansionary fiscal policy, and growth was 3. 6% in 2011. In 2011, theUS-South Korea Free Trade Agreement was ratified by both governments and is projected to go into effect in early 2012. The South Korean economy†s long term challenges include a rapidly aging population, inflexible labor market, and heavy reliance on exports – which comprise half of GDP. GDP (purchasing power parity) $1. 549 trillion (2011 est. ) $1. 495 trillion (2010 est. ) $1. 409 trillion (2009 est. ) note:  data are in 2011 US dollars GDP (official exchange rate) $1. 164 trillion (2011 est. ) GDP – real growth rate 3. 6% (2011 est. ) 6. 2% (2010 est. ) 0. 3% (2009 est. ) GDP – per capita (PPP) 31,700 (2011 est. ) $30,600 (2010 est. ) $28,90 0 (2009 est. ) note:  data are in 2011 US dollars GDP – composition by sector agriculture:  2. 6% industry:  39. 2% services:  58. 2% (2008 est. ) Population below poverty line 15% (2006 est. ) Labor force 25. 1 million (2011 est. ) Labor force – by occupation agriculture:  6. 4% industry:  24. 2% services:  69. 4% (2011 est. ) Unemployment rate 3. 4% (2011 est. ) 3. 7% (2010 est. ) Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 total:  9. 8% male:  11. 9% female:  8. 5% (2009) Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:  2. 7% highest 10%:  24. 2% (2007)Distribution of family income – Gini index 31 (2010) 35. 8 (2000) Public debt 33. 3% of GDP (2011 est. ) 35. 1% of GDP (2010 est. ) Inflation rate (consumer prices) 4% (2011 est. ) 3% (2010 est. ) Central bank discount rate 1. 5% (31 December 2011) 1. 25% (31 December 2009) Commercial bank prime lending rate 5. 9% (31 December 2011 est. ) 5. 508% (31 December 2010 est. ) Stock of dome stic credit $1. 356 trillion (31 December 2011 est. ) $1. 275 trillion (31 December 2010 est. ) Market value of publicly traded shares $996. 7 billion (31 December 2011) $1. 093 trillion (31 December 2010) $836. billion (31 December 2009) Agriculture – products rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish Industries electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel Industrial production growth rate 3. 8% (2011 est. ) Current Account Balance $29. 79 billion (2011 est. ) $28. 21 billion (2010 est. ) Exports $556. 5 billion (2011 est. ) $466. 4 billion (2010 est. ) Exports – commodities semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals Exports – partners China 24. %, US 10. 1%, Japan 7. 1% (2009 est. ) Imports $524. 4 billion (2011 est. ) $425. 2 billion (2010 est. ) Imports – commodities machinery, electronics and electr onic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics Imports – partners China 16. 5%, Japan 13%, US 8. 5%, Saudi Arabia 7. 1%, Australia 5% (2009 est. ) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold $306. 4 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $291. 6 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Debt – external $397. 3 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $359. 4 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Stock of direct foreign investment – at home 130. 3 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $127 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Stock of direct foreign investment – abroad $190. 4 billion (31 December 2011) $164. 8 billion (31 December 2009) Exchange rate South Korean won (KRW) per US dollar – 1,107. 3 (2011 est. ) 1,156. 06 (2010 est. ) 1,276. 93 (2009) 1,101. 7 (2008) 929. 2 (2007) Fiscal year calendar year Turkey Economy – overview Turkey's largely free-market economy is increasingly driven by its industry and service sectors, although its traditional agri culture sector still accounts for about 25% of employment.An aggressive privatization program has reduced state involvement in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication, and an emerging cadre of middle-class entrepreneurs is adding dynamism to the economy and expanding production beyond the traditional textiles and clothing sectors. The automotive, construction, and electronics industries, are rising in importance and have surpassed textiles within Turkey's export mix. Oil began to flow through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in May 2006, marking a major milestone that will bring up to 1 million barrels per day from the Caspian to market.Several gas pipelines projects also are moving forward to help transport Central Asian gas to Europe through Turkey, which over the long term will help address Turkey's dependence on imported oil and gas to meet 97% of its energy needs. After Turkey experienced a severe financial crisis in 2001, Ankara adopted financial and fiscal refor ms as part of an IMF program. The reforms strengthened the country's economic fundamentals and ushered in an era of strong growth – averaging more than 6% annually until 2008.Global economic conditions and tighter fiscal policy caused GDP to contract in 2009, but Turkey's well-regulated financial markets and banking system helped the country weather the global financial crisis and GDP rebounded strongly to 8. 2% in 2010, as exports returned to normal levels following the recession. Turkey's public sector debt to GDP ratio has fallen to roughly 40%. Continued strong growth has pushed inflation to the 8% level, however, and worsened an already high current account deficit. Turkey remains dependent on often volatile, short-term investment to finance its large trade deficit.The stock value of FDI stood at $99 billion at year-end 2011. Inflows have slowed considerably in light of continuing economic turmoil in Europe, the source of much of Turkey's FDI. Further economic and judici al reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost Turkey's attractiveness to foreign investors. However, Turkey's relatively high current account deficit, uncertainty related to monetary policy-making, and political turmoil within Turkey's neighborhood leave the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence.GDP (purchasing power parity) $1. 026 trillion (2011 est. ) $981. 2 billion (2010 est. ) $906. 9 billion (2009 est. ) note:  data are in 2011 US dollars GDP (official exchange rate) $763. 1 billion (2011 est. ) GDP – real growth rate 4. 6% (2011 est. ) 8. 2% (2010 est. ) -4. 7% (2009 est. ) GDP – per capita (PPP) $14,600 (2011 est. ) $13,800 (2010 est. ) $12,900 (2009 est. ) note:  data are in 2011 US dollars GDP – composition by sector agriculture:  9. 3% industry:  28. 1% services:  62. 6% (2011 est. ) Population below poverty line 16. 9% (2010) Labor force 27. 3 million note:  about 1. 2 million Turks work abroa d (2011 est. ) Labor force – by occupation agriculture:  25. 5% industry:  26. 2% services:  48. 4% (2010) Unemployment rate 9. 8% (2011 est. ) 12% (2010 est. ) note:  underemployment amounted to 4% in 2008 Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 total:  25. 3% male:  25. 4% female:  25. 1% (2009) Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:  2. 1% highest 10%:  30. 3% (2008) Distribution of family income – Gini index 40. 2 (2010) 43. 6 (2003) Public debt 42. 4% of GDP (2011 est. ) 43% of GDP (2010 est. ) ote:  data cover central government debt, and excludes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment. Debt inst ruments for the social funds are sold at public auctions. Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7. 8% (2011 est. ) 8. 6% (2010 est. ) Central bank discount rate 5. 25% (31 December 2011) 15% (22 December 2009)Commercial bank prime lending rate 16% (31 December 2011 est. ) 19% (31 December 2010 est. ) Stock of domestic credit $573. 8 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $496 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Market value of publicly traded shares $306. 7 billion (31 December 2010) $225. 7 billion (31 December 2009) $117. 9 billion (31 December 2008) Agriculture – products tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, hazelnuts, pulses, citrus; livestock Industries textiles, food processing, autos, electronics, mining (coal, chromate, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper Industrial production growth rate 9. 2% (2011 est. Current Account Balance -$71. 94 billion (2011 est. ) -$47. 74 billion (2010 est. ) Exports $133 billion (2011 est. ) $120. 9 billion (2010 est. ) Exports – commodities apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment Exports – partners Germany 10. 1%, UK 6. 4%, Italy 5. 7%, France 5. 3%, Iraq 5. 3%, Russia 4. 1% (2009 est. ) Imports $212. 2 billion (2011 est. ) $177. 3 billion (2010 est. ) Imports – commodities machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment Imports – partners Russia 11. 6%, Germany 9. 5%, China 9. 3%, US 6. 6%, Italy 5. 5%, France 4. 4%, Iran 4. 1% (2009 est. )Reserves of foreign exchange and gold $96. 05 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $86. 08 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Debt – external $313. 6 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $290. 7 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Stock of direct foreign investment – at home $98. 98 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $86. 98 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Stock of direct foreign investment – abroad $18. 63 billion (31 December 2011 est. ) $16. 88 billion (31 December 2010 est. ) Exchange rates Turkish liras (TRY) per US dollar – 1. 668 (2011 est. ) 1. 5028 (2010 est. ) 1. 55 (2009) 1. 3179 (2008) 1. 319 (2007) Fiscal year calendar year