Greek and latin christianity Essay

Christianity is the state of being a Christian it plays a very big part in the everyday lives of people, and their faith in what they believe. For most Christians they believe that God’s spirits was uncreated and the creator of all things who works on the redemption of the world through his son Jesus Christ. With their beliefs in the divinity of Christ and as for the Holy Spirit to be spoken as the doctrine of the holy trinity, that describes one divine substance exist such as the Father, the Son â€Å"Jesus Christ† and the holy spirit. Christians regards the Holy bible a book containing the word of God, it is divided into two parts the Old Testament and New Testament. In the Old Testament it has all the Jewish tanakh. As for the New Testament it has all the gospels from Matthew, Luke, Mark, John, etc. for most Christians they believe that when a human body dies it under goes specific judgment either a reward to eternal heaven or to be condemn eternally to hell. II. Greek Christianity Separated from the western church in the 15th century on doctrinal and liturgical grounds, and was officially called the holy oriental Orthodox Church. Over 97% of the people born in Greece are being baptized as Christians and the church regards ancient religious practice as pagan. In the early days people from the church haven’t attended flame ceremonies at Olympia due to reference is made to the ancient god of music and light Apollo. After the conversion of the roman emperor Constantine Christianity took hold in Greece in 4th century. Emperor Theodosius wiped out the last vestige of Olympian gods after he abolish the Olympic Games in 394AD. In the early days polytheistic groups perform secretly ancient temple, but now a days they were granted permission to perform a ceremony at the temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens Greece. These native people are really serious about their belief that the twelve Olympian gods really exist. In 1992 an agreement was made amongst the American theologians stating the differences between eastern and oriental orthodox Christians even though up to this day it hasn’t formally recognized yet together with the so called â€Å"church of the east†. III. Latin Christianity As for many people they intend to see the Catholic Church as an old-fashioned, obstructive, and reactionary. But if you look somewhere else you might find that the Roman Catholicism has never been that conservative. Throughout the times it keeps on disturbing feudal society by means of expanding papal and clerical powers. You might find a hard time understanding what Europe is, unless you try to understand what Christianity is really like if the papal’s power never exist in the very first place. The most remarkable issue for this topic is about the monophyletic churches and the orthodox churches. Monophysite has a numerous number of members that are Christian minority in Muslim lands Like Egyptian Copts. As well as the Ethiopian Christianity which is also, monophysites. The Orthodox Church is a group of several self-governing churches that are mostly Greeks or Slavonic. These people are well renounced during the 15th century schism. Deriving from the Roman Catholic in terms of a more compound and gradual union that was developed in 858AD to 1204AD. Monophysite theories were taken as a form of resistance to the dominant Greek culture from eastern Roman Empire. IV. A. The difference between the Greek and Latin Christianity Latin Christianity differs from the Greek Christianity through its definition and beliefs of the nature of Jesus Christ. Most early Christian’s theory disputes around several ideas that are found in the gospels. In short the orthodox believes that Jesus Christ was one person with two natures, as what do Roman and protestant. There are such differences occur academic interest wise, there are nothing left at stake. This had a big effect on the average Christians because they don’t even know what to believe. B. The split between Greek and Latin Christianity It was year 450 when there are only few Western European people who could read and understand the Greek language. And after a couple of years. Byzantium still called it self the Roman Empire but there were only few of the Byzantium who were able to speak Latin, knowing that it is the language of the Romans, even Photius a well renounced scholar during the 19th century could not even read Latin,until in 864 Michael III a Roman Emperor at Byzantium called the language were Virgil wrote â€Å"a barbarian and scythic tongue†. If Latin’s were able to read Greek or vice versa, so they could do it as well with their translations. It is so remarkable to note how this religious division happened. While Christianity were on its mission it tended to be associated with the three cultures namely; the Semitic, the Greek, and the Latin. As an out come to this separation the Semitic Christians of Syria were cut off from the rest of Christendom then followed by the second split religious split that initiated a wedge between the Greek and Latin traditions of Christianity V. Martyrdom Taken from the Greek language used to describes the apostles who witnessed Christ life and resurrection, meaning â€Å"witness’. As for Judaism it is referred to a Hebrew phrase meaning sanctification of God’s name. Martyrs are those people who undergo a lot of suffering for the sake of faith, and then only to die for that faith. Martyrdom occurs as the endurance and heroism of an individual who submits to death rather than forswear his religion, especially those who suffered to death for their religious principles. Work cited: Oxford university press The new international Webster comprehensive dictionary (encyclopedic edition) The bloody theater or martyrs by: Thieleman Van Bright Books of Martyrs by: John fox http://www. catholoic –forums. com/saint/martyrs. htm http://www. pravmir. com/article_153. htm

French and Indian War DBQ Essay

For many years, throughout the 17th century and 18th century, Britain maintained a neutral relationship with its American colonies. By upholding salutary neglect, the British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws, the American colonies remained obedient to Britain. However, after the French and Indian War (1754-1763), Britain’s relations with its colonist were drastically altered. The war greatly damaged Britain’s economy and because of its pyrrhic victory, a series of taxes were implemented on the American colonists.  The unfair taxation ideologically changed the Americans’ views on Britain and they felt they were not represented in Parliament. The French and Indian war altered the relations between Britain and its American colonists politically by giving Britain control of the east, economically by putting Britain in extreme debt and compelling Parliament to impose taxes on its colonists, and ideologically by shifting the colonistsâ€⠄¢ loyalty towards rebellion against Britain. The French defeat in the war paved way to the expansion of British territory throughout the eastern coastline (Document A). The colonists began to settle on the land beyond the Appalachian Mountains, which resulted in tensions with the Natives who primarily resided there. Canassatego, chief of the Onondaga Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy, delivered a speech to the representatives of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. In the speech, he speaks with an accusatory tone as he is angered by the unrightfully settling of the American colonists (Document B). He sees the white settlers as people who spoil his hunting and addresses to the representatives that they know the colonists have no right to settle in the Natives’ land. Because of this  speech and Pontiac’s Rebellion, Britain was forced to implement the Proclamation Line of 1763, which prevented American settlers from moving past the Appalachian Mountains. Generally, this angered the settlers because they believed they deserved the land due to their service in the war. This was an initial step to the Americans’ shift of ideology to rebellion. At the end of the war, Britain’s economy rapidly declined and it struggled to pay its war debts. As a means to solve this issue, it enforced a series of acts on the American colonists. A British Order in Council of 1763 concluded that the current revenue from the colonies was not sufficient to pay a fourth of the cost to collect it (Document F). It deemed it necessary to impose the controversial Stamp Act, a tax on all paper goods. The council speaks with concern as it stresses the income from the colonies is not nearly enough to relieve the debt. The council, however, only looks from Parliament’s view of needing to relieve the debt rather than the colonists’ view of unfair taxation. Colonists began to organize protests, chanting â€Å"No taxation without representation† as their slogan. On August 9, 1765, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to a close ally, John Hughes. In the letter, Franklin informs his friend of the uncertainty of the removal of the Stamp Act. Though he says it would be wise to stay loyal to Britain because if they were caught talking about expelling an act, they would be tried with treason (Document G). Franklin’s point of view is prudent because he cares for the future of him and his ally. He goes on to tell Hughes if he attempts to repel the act, his traits will always be remembered by the colonists. Another tax implemented by the British was the Sugar Act, which added a three cents tax and sales tax on sugar, a high value commodity. The series of taxes provoked the American colonists to boycott all British goods. The boycott severely weakened the already damaged economy of Britain. As colonial unity was formed within the boycott, colonial ideological values differed tremendously after the war. Colonists were already filled with resentment due to the Proclamation Line of 1763 and the taxation caused Britain’s and the colonists’ relationship to decline further.

Early Jamestown Essay

Imagine a land that seems to go on forever. It has a beautiful, lush forest that spans for miles. It also has a fresh-water river that runs into the coast. You’re just settled here with two of your best friends. However, you realize that none of you have skills that will be beneficial to your colony. You also realize that the Indian tribe who lives nearby may be a problem. The last thing you realize is you have many environmental problems. You are in the land of Jamestown, circa 1607, and these are the three main reasons why your colony is about to come crashing down. The first reason that Jamestown was unsuccessful was the lack of the settlers’ skills. The settlers did not have enough doctors. (Doc. C) They also had no farmers, cooks, or hunters. (Doc. C) They had too many gentlemen and only four carpenters. (Doc. C) They also had no woman. (Doc. C) They had seventy-five gentlemen as well. (Doc. C) This means they wouldn’t have the skills required to do jobs needed for their colony. The second reason that Jamestown failed was Indian relations. From 1607-1608, only seven settlers died from Indian attacks. (Doc. E) In 1609 Francis West and thirty-six men forced the Powhatan Indians to trade grain. (Doc. D) This made the Indians mad. In 1609, 143 settlers died from Indians attacks. (Doc. E) The Indians attacked so much in 1609 because of Francis West’s invasion. The last reason that Jamestown did not succeed is environmental problems. The river in Jamestown was the colony’s main source of water. The river would flood with ocean water a lot because it was connected to the ocean. (Doc. A) As a result, the water was brackish. (Doc. A) There weren’t a lot of fish in the river during winter. (Doc. A) This caused drought and starvation. In 1998, scientists examined the growth rings inside of trees from Jamestown and discovered that because of the rings in the trunks being close together, Jamestown didn’t get enough rain. (Doc. B) In conclusion, the three main reasons colonists died in Jamestown are lack of settlers’ skills, Indian relations, and environmental problems. I think environmental problems were the best reason because there were more difficulties with the environment. The lost colony of Jamestown is significant because it is important to know our history and where we came from.

Position essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Position - Essay Example after a high-profile spokesperson named Celerino Castillo, a former high-ranking Drug Enforcement Agency operative, testified and gave first-hand information about the substantial involvement of the CIA in the drug trade. The following discussions center on the issues regarding how the CIA gets involves in drug trades. The CIA was created by a Wall Street investor and lawyer named Clark Clifford through the National Security Act of 1947 (Corruption Enablers in Legal-Judicial Areas, 2009). Corruption was rooted with the CIA when it was created (Stitch, 2009). The leaders of this US government transformed section supported the illegal trade, including Clifford. The CIA got involved in this trade to finance their operations and later on became a money producing machine for some money-hungry operatives. This information was included in Celerino Castillo’s report. In the early 1950’s all the way up to the mid 1970’s the U.S. military participation in Laos, Indochina had a lot to do with illegal drugs. Research shows that heroin and opium were flown by â€Å"Air America† into a lot of different nations, as well as Vietnam (Stitch, 2007). Because of CIA’s drug trafficking, Southeast Asia became the major producer of heroin and opium. It is assumed that Southeast Asia produces 80% or the world’s heroin and opium (Stitch, 2007). The good image of South Vietnam was also tarnished by the drug trade brought in by the CIA from Laos. Cultures like that of the Hmong in Laos delivered 40,000 men for the CIAs underground Laotian military (Stitch, Rodney, 2007). Nevertheless in the development, opium production took over the Hmong people and many became addicted. To back the Hmong drug addiction, the CIAs â€Å"Air America† transferred rare opium beyond the Laotian mountains to the drug test centers. During the mi d-70s, Army health officers gave estimation that roughly twenty percent of American fighters had become addicted to the drugs because of the CIA (Stich

Case Study Analysis of Whole Foods Market Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Analysis of Whole Foods Market - Case Study Example In the last 30 years, sales of organic products have increased by 30 percent, driven by changing consumer habits in healthier eating and lifestyle (Gemma, 2009; Thompson, 2008). More consumption of organic products and healthier lifestyle products have made this an attractive procurement model for many different grocers and specialty stores to keep up with this increase in consumer demand. Thus, Whole Foods no longer corners the market and runs the risk of losing market share to new competition in key target markets. Using Porter’s Five Forces as the relevant example, Whole Foods operates in a market environment where there is relative ease of entry by competition, a market where competitive rivalry does not require complex technologies or capital investment to differentiate, where there is relative ease of product substitution for consumers, and where there is relatively low bargaining power for Whole Foods within the supply chain. In fact, Whole Foods acknowledges in its 201 0 annual report that the business maintains many different risks associated with current and future unpredictable supply fluctuations that makes forecasting and procurement difficult to manage (Whole Foods, 2010). The supply chain is significantly impacted by changing laws on organic and health-related products (Whole Foods, 2010) that can create harsher product formulation changes. At the same time, increase in competitive procurement of organic products has the ability to limit supply, thus raising prices within the supply chain against the laws of supply and demand (Boyes & Melvin, 2005). High availability of substitutes and increasing competitive rivalry in marketing, supply and differentiation give consumers considerable buying power in this market which forces Whole Foods to continuously monitor the marketing environment to counter competitive marketing to sustain its current and projected market share expectations with key target markets. Currently, the life cycle of organic products in this market environment is unpredictable, as most of the demand for similar health-conscious and organic products is trends-based driven by lifestyle and consumer attitude. Therefore, the sustainability of certain organic products represents a risk to the business and therefore impacts supply chain, promotions, and even pricing establishment. In many ways, the competitive advantages currently experienced by Whole Foods is strongly influenced by consumer behaviour and lifestyle demands that might not always be sustainable. However, Whole Foods currently maintains high revenues that continue to show growth in organic and health-conscious products (Whole Foods, 2012; MMR, 2012, MMR, 2011). Growth estimates recently provided by Whole Foods illustrate an estimate of 15.6 percent, up from the 2011 projection of 13.5 percent (MMR, 2012). The sales growth improves market availability domestically and internationally, however it is a market where competitive differentiation and m arketing-based positioning drive competitive rivalry. 2. Resource and competitive position of Whole Foods Whole Foods Market maintains a significant cost advantage in advertising over competition. In 2007, the business only devoted 0.5 percent of its total budget to this function, relying instead on word-of-mouth for sustaining market share and satisfying customers (Whole Foods, 2010; Thompson, 2008). Other competitors in this environment spend considerably more on advertising and promotion in order to

Problems With Managing Software Development Essay

Problems With Managing Software Development - Essay Example If all the requirements have been gathered and have been put down in an appropriate manner, the designers and developers can better understand the software and hence produce a better and reliable product. On the other hand if the software has not been defined properly, it is likely that it will not be able to meet the customer’s requirements and will contain a lot of bugs. This is another problem the managers need to consider during development. Technology plays an important role in the process of software development. The development work is highly related to the hardware equipment being used. If, during the development process there are hardware deficiencies, it can be a huge nightmare for the developers. It can affect the quality and reliability of the output. Moreover, malfunctioning of hardware can cause delays in development schedule. It is a standard process that the project deadlines are determined considering the development time it should take. However, in order to win over a project, many estimators put up unrealistic deadlines. This becomes a problem for the development team and it becomes extremely difficult to manage development. What ends up happening is that either the team totally ignores the deadlines and carries development on their own routine, or in order to meet the deadlines, they create panic and end up making a poor quality, unreliable product. Composition of a software team is very important and a crucial factor in the success of a project. The project team needs to have individuals who have the right skills required for the project. If a functional team of vendors, experts, and end users doesn’t exist, the project cannot successfully complete. This is another critical problem faced during development when the team does not have the resources to complete the tasks. User is the key person in the software process. He is the ultimate person who will be using the software

BUSINESS RESEARCH AND CUNSULTANCY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

BUSINESS RESEARCH AND CUNSULTANCY - Essay Example My aim of the study was to suggest the name of the companies, who can act as the potential sponsors of the club. In order to present a reflection of the study, I will make use of Gibb’s (1998) reflective cycle. With the help of reflective cycle, I will develop the structure of my reflective essay. The structure of this reflective essay will be divided into seven broad segments. I will start off with the experiences I gained while making this project. The following segments will include the description of the study, feelings associated with the project and conclusion. Finally, I will be presenting my personal action plans for the future. Moreover, I also believe that this structure and method will help me to express how this project benefitted me and how I can apply the learning’s to the professional filed. The study was undertaken for the principal purpose of finding sponsors for Manchester Giants basketball club. In addition, our aim of the project was also to explore the possibilities of getting the right sponsor for the club. The study was carried out by a group of 6 and I was one of them. At the initial stage, we planned that this study will have three main parts and these parts will collectively satisfy the objective of the study. Accordingly, the objectives of the study were to gain in-depth understanding of the team, identify the existing supporter base of the team, and perform a comparative study of the sponsors of similar clubs. Finally the task of the study was ro suggest the Manchester Giants with the names of the potential sponsoring companies and an appropriate strategy in order to get sponsors. Primarily, we were a little confused about everyone’s role in the study. In simple words, we were finding difficulties in assigning or allocating the tasks among ourselves. However, we solved this issue by a small group discussion. During this session, the task

Tracing Internet Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Tracing Internet Communications - Essay Example long time without logging in to their account, the site requires them to verify their account using a particular code or personalized information required. Once logged in, the second step is tracing. This involves tracing the communication to the first email received from a particular person. Since there is a display of the name of the sender, it is possible to navigate through the inbox through their names to find the messages from that particular sender. To trace this communication, one clicks on â€Å"inbox†, which reveals all the received messages from all people. If there are more messages than the window can display, one has to click â€Å"next† to view other emails in the inbox. After reading the first message, one then has to check on the â€Å"sent† emails in order to read the communication. By repeating this process, it is possible to retrieve all the emails sent or received. This is not an easy process, as one has to navigate through many messages in both the â€Å"inbox† or â€Å"sent† items, which is tedious and cumbersome. However, by searching the name of the sender from the search tab on the email account, it makes it easy to trace the communication, as it simplifies the search to all the messages, either sent or received. It is therefore easy to track down communication this way. Although it is an easy process, it becomes tedious as one has to keep on searching the sender’s name ever now and

Communication Among Project Stakeholders Article

Communication Among Project Stakeholders - Article Example Even though the stakeholder communication plan is not inherently a business plan, yet somehow it helps in achieving an organization’s business goals which is a significant proposition. This stakeholder communication article has discussed why such a plan would be deemed as handy when the talk goes out loud regarding getting the task done and to inform, educate and persuade for an action on the part of the stakeholders. The need is to be crystal clear at every stage and do what is essentially required, in order to satisfy the organizational goals and objectives. This article has also highlighted how a framework for the communications planning regime would be mandatory for outlining such communication mechanisms. This would be a much needed entity as it resolves disputes and takes care of any altercations which may arise at any stage. Hence the article has zeroed in on how a stakeholder communications plan is a pre-requisite for reaching out to the stakeholders and how different organizations are doing their best to make that happen amicably. One of the most beneficial points behind the stakeholder communications plan and its drafting is that it brings each one of the important players on to a single platform that eventually has a residual and long term effect in the overall scheme of

Comparing elements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparing elements - Essay Example "To love him so deeply still; and yet I'm here,"-an excerpt from William Trevor’s â€Å"The Room†, were words uttered by Katherine as a vivid evidence of her will to be free from her smoldering curiosity about the notion of deceit. Her fervor-less affair with an unnamed lover satisfied her curiosity as she finally said, â€Å"So, this is what it felt like for Phair†. Her primary aims were completed, however, she resumed her sexual ventures with her lover and made it as an alibi for her to gain entrance to her lover’s room in which she found a haven that will shield her from her dynamic fears. On the contrary, the entities in â€Å"The Storm† authored by Kate Chopin seemed to take adultery as an archway to cherish freedom. Monsieur Alcee Laballiere  and his wife Clarisse decided to set apart for some time. They esteemed freedom brought about by their provisional separation in different manners. â€Å"Devoted as she was to her husband, their intima te conjugal life was something which she was more than willing to forego for a while† this quote taken from Chopin’s text refers to freedom that served as Clarisse’s respite as she is fervently yearning to have another feel of her lighthearted moments as an unmarried woman.

Environmental Issues Associated with Paints and Varnishes Essay Example for Free

Environmental Issues Associated with Paints and Varnishes Essay The paint and coatings manufacturing industry is one of the major chemical processing industries. The major environmental impacts of paints and varnishes are concerning their content of solvents and other chemicals. There is a need to encourage manufacturers to use less of these substances, and to ensure proper environmental management throughout the manufacturing process. Procurement of paints and varnishes is classified as having a high environmental profile and some risk of developing world supply chains. Summary of Life Cycle Record Raw MaterialUse †¢Raw materials include solvents, pigments, dyes, and other chemicals. In addition, other raw materials are used to thin oil-based paints and stains or to clean up the residues left behind, such as turpentine and mineral spirits. †¢Some paints contain petroleum-based by products of the oil industry†¢The main uses of paints and varnishes are for architectural use (e.g. DIY), industrial use and automotive use. †¢VOCs may be released during use. †¢Some paints can emit noxious gases such as toluene and xylene, which are known carcinogens. ManufactureWaste Management/Disposal †¢The main components of the manufacture process are synthesis in a reactor, filtration, blending with other additives and packagingPaint related waste is often categorised as hazardous (special waste) due to its chemical content. Waste Management/Disposal options include: †¢Recycling †¢Incineration Key Impacts and Priority Mitigation Measures The key impacts in relation to paints and varnishes are: †¢Raw materials are often non-renewable and can be based on oil solvents †¢Solvent release, more specifically releases of VOCs to the atmosphere, which contribute to ground-level ozone, global warming and some have specific health effects. (There are more VOCs in gloss than emulsion) †¢Dyes and other chemicals used can also be harmful to health and the environment. †¢Wastewater and other solutions from washing of brushes and other application devices might contain these pollutants. †¢Energy is used during the processing stages. †¢Packaging materials are likely to contain traces of product / solvent residues, which can lead to direct release to the environment through evaporation. †¢Some paints can emit noxious gases such as toluene and xylene, which are known carcinogens. In 1989 the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer found that professional painters and decorators face a 40% increased chance of contracting cancer. †¢Paint waste at end of life is classed as a hazardous (special) waste. Control Measures – Raw Materials and Manufacture: †¢Implement a structured and independently verified Environmental Management System (EMS) such as ISO 14001 or EMAS. This will help the company use resources efficiently and prevent or minimise pollution. †¢Ensure systems are in place to control loss and wastage of toxic ingredients, in particular solvent management plans. †¢Avoidance of the use of heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, hexavalent chromium, mercury and arsenic; and other substances where possible. †¢Where possible replace toxic and persistent ingredients such as oil, solvents, chemicals and other hazardous substances with less toxic and more degradable ones. Particularly focus on lower solvent alternatives where possible. Control Measures – Procurement Action: †¢Ensure suppliers selected have a high awareness of the potential environmental impacts and are taking the appropriate mitigation measures. †¢Encourage suppliers to develop environmentally â€Å"safer† products and in particular minimise the use of solvents and other chemicals and minimise waste during processing. †¢Avoid oil or solvent based paints where feasible. †¢Be aware that some water thinnable paints contain more chemicals than the oil-based paints they are intended to replace. †¢Select suppliers that can provide more information regarding the specific raw materials they use, and also provide guidance on environmentally safe use and disposal (including packaging). †¢To avoid wasteful use of paints and varnishes ensure the purchase of only the amount required for the job. †¢Where feasible, select a supplier that will allow the return of toxic material packaging for reuse. Control Measures –Use and Waste Management/Disposal: †¢Ensure employees are trained in actions to be taken in relation to waste minimisation, waste management and health and safety †¢Ensure proper labelling and storage of toxic and hazardous materials in secure, bunded areas. †¢Ensure user is trained in instructions for use including wearing of protective equipment such as facemasks, storage conditions (e.g. placing lids on containers when not in use) and cleaning of tools. †¢Ensure adequate ventilation during application. Disclaimer: This document is based on publicly available information and provides details of the environmental impacts associated with paints and varnishes. It contains a description of most commonly used raw materials and the environmental impacts and by-products released. It should be noted that there might be some other commodity types and manufacturing processes not covered within this document.

The Exploration of Womanhood in All About My Mother Essay Example for Free

The Exploration of Womanhood in All About My Mother Essay In his critically acclaimed 1999 character-driven drama film All About My Mother (1999); writer-director Pedro Almodovar cements his reputation as an expert on the complexities and intricacies of womanhood. The film features several complex and multi-layered female characters that are portrayed with great emotional depth. Throughout the course of the film, these characters are forced to struggle with impediments such as loss, betrayal and societal prejudice. Yet, in the end, they triumph over these obstacles and take control of their lives. The protagonist of the film, Manuela, suffers the loss of her son, Esteban, early in the film and is prompted to go on a journey to Barcelona, where she meets other women who are dealing with their own issues in life. Through the events that take place in Manuela’s life and the relationships she forms with these other female characters following Esteban’s sudden and tragic death, the film explores the trials and tribulations women universally face and the various ways in which they cope and deal with these ordeals. The film also pays homage to two of the most influential representations of female characters in cinematic history: All About Eve (1950) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). The plot structure of the film serves to outline the various stages that take place in Manuela’s life at the wake of Esteban’s death, and, by extension, exposes the anatomy of how one in general deals with loss and tragedy. The film follows a linear plot structure that begins right before the death of Esteban and ends a few years later, when Manuela manages to overcome the tragedy. During the exposition, the character of Esteban and his relationship with his mother are introduced and built up. This contributes to the great shock and sympathy the audience feels when he unexpectedly dies in a car accident immediately after. The exposition also addresses the issue of suffering the loss of a loved one through sequences involving the reactions of the family members of recently demised individuals. Manuela’s subsequent journey to Barcelona signifies her immediate reaction to delve into the past and inability to move on in her life. Her goal is to locate Esteban’ s father and inform him of his death. However, upon reaching there, she appears to begin the process of forgetting her sorrows and beginning a new life. When she returns on the same train to Madrid, her priorities shift to her new adopted son, also named Esteban. In the concluding segments of the film, frequent jumps in time are used to display how life begins to move faster once Manuela is no longer holding on to her loss. In the closing sequence, when Manuela visits Barcelona again, all the characters are shown to have overcome the struggles of their past and moved on in life. The structure of the narrative is quite unconventional and serves to explore the intricacies of the characters rather than present much action. Initially, the plot seems to be goal-driven and based on uncovering Manuela’s quest to find Lola – Esteban’s father. From the beginning of the movie, suspense is created about the father, when Esteban repeatedly inquires about him. However, as Manuela reaches Barcelona and her life gets intertwined with other women who are trying to cope with their own problems, the plot loses a sense of purpose a nd no longer has a clear direction. This lack of focus parallels Manuela’s state of mind. Manuela is in a period of self-discovery and does not have a specific goal in life at this point in the narrative. It also allows the film to freely explore the lives of these different women and achieve a level of emotional depth into their characters, and the issues they face. The audience, however, is gradually made aware of Manuela’s past and her relationship with Lola. In addition, she does end up meeting Lola, even though her priorities have changed by this point. Manuela’s past is revealed to be full of betrayal and loss, which puts her struggle to overcome it during the course of the movie into context. It is the struggles and triumphs of the characters in the film, led by the protagonist Manuela, that drive the narrative and keep the audience engaged. The film employs a first-person point of view, as we witness the events of the plot through the eyes of Manuela. This provides an emotional connect between the audience and Manuela while she faces the loss of her son and endeavors to recover from it. During her train journeys between Madrid and Barcelona, Manuela’s inner thoughts are revealed though voice-over narrations. Each time she boards the train, she is at a different stage in her recovery process and her thoughts drastically change over time. The voice-overs help to reveal details from her past to the audience as well as her plans for the future. Although Manuela acts as the protagonist of the narrative, there are several peripheral characters in the film that help to move it forward. Upon reaching Barcelona, Manuela’s life is intertwined with many different female characters that are struggling with their own problems. As Manuela gets progressively more involved in the lives of these characters, she begins to leave her own sorrows behind. These characters also represent the different kinds of problems women face. Manuela, Agrado and Sister Rosa are linked by the fact that the same man, Lola, has adversely affected all three of their lives. Manuela also gets entangled in the lives of Huma and Nina, when she becomes their secretary. The wide variety of problems these women face includes betrayal, neglect, societal prejudice and drug addiction. The ways in which they each deal with these problems also differs. They also end up helping each other in different ways to get over their troubles. These characters represent every woman. They play the roles of mothers, sisters, lovers and friends. They also come from different backgrounds; a prostitute, a nun and an actress. With Manuela at the center, the relationships that develop and grow between these female characters changes the nature of the plot from a search for Esteban’s father to a celebration of womanhood. It also provides hope for the future, through the solidarity of their friendship. At one point, the plot becomes increasingly complex, with Manuela acting as a nurse to Sister Rosa, secretary to Huma and trying to get over her son’s loss all at the same time. Yet, the manner in which these inter-relationships are presented is seamless. The script includes several recurring motifs and cultural allusions that reinstate the challenges faced historically by women and suggest different mechanisms that they have used to cope with these hardships. It is often said that life and art have a reciprocal relationship; while art is usually based on life, life is in turn often influenced by art as well. This idea is highlighted throughout the script of All About My Mother (1999). In particular, two cinematic classics that deal with gender issues; All About Eve (1950) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), are strongly woven into the narrative of the film. In fact, the title of the film is a reference to the title All About Eve (1950). Moreover, Almodovar draws numerous parallels between his narrative and the plots of these two films. Manuela is forced to depend on the â€Å"kindness of strangers† on many occasions, just like Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). In addition, she acts as an understudy for the role of S tella, usually played by Nina, and ends up giving a stellar performance; similar to the way Eve steals the role of her idol Margo in All About Eve (1950). Long sequences with scenes from a television broadcast of All About Eve (1950) and enactments of A Streetcar Named Desire also make their way into the script. These works, through the characters of Eve Harrington, Blanche DuBois and Stella Kowalski, represent three diametrically opposite ways of dealing with the injustices faced by women. While Eve displays a ruthless ambition and drive to overcome the traditional prejudices of the theatre establishment against women actors, Blanche distorts her view of the world as a means of escape and Stella displays a submissive acceptance to the status quo tries to adapt with the harsh realities of traditional gender roles. The female characters of All About My Mother, and especially its protagonist Manuela, adopt all three of these different stances at different periods of time in the film. Sister Rosa, much like Stella, accepts her fate without questioning when when she contracts HIV. In contrast, Agrado shows great Eve-like courage when she attempts to take control of her life through plastic surgery and when she remains unaffected by the physical and psychological violence of her clients. Yet, there is a part of each of these fictional icons and their ideologies in all of these characters, and in every woman in general. Art in various forms, such as theatre and cinema, also acts as a structuring motif in the film. The concept of art and storytelling are touched upon through Esteban’s ambitions of becoming a writer, Manuela’s past as an actor and the productions of A Streetcar Named Desire starring Nina and Huma. The role of art as a source of inspiration for women and its power to influence their lives is encapsulated by Huma’s confession, â€Å"I started smoking because of Bette Davis†. Moreover, the potential of art to be used as a means of escapism is exhibited through Manuela’s repeated viewings of A Streetcar Named Desire after the death of Esteban. The idea of escapism as a means to cope with the harsh realities of life is further exemplified through Nina’s heroin addiction. One of the most important motifs presented by the script is the train that Manuela takes to travel between Madrid and Barcelona. Each time she travels in the train, she enters a new phase of her life. The train symbolizes her ability to leave the past behind and move on. Through All About My Mother (1999), Almodovar pays tribute to the female gender and its cultural icons. The film is a celebration of all that it means to be a woman. It is also reminiscent of the strong and influential female characters in film history. In fact, he expressly conveys these sentiments in the acknowledgments at the closing of the film, â€Å"To Bette Davis, Gena Rowlands, Romy Schneider. To all actresses who have played actresses, to all women who act, to men who act and become women, to all people who want to become mothers. To my mother.† By closely blending a unique plot structure, strong character building and the use of cultural allusions, Almodovar creates a film that is unconventional, yet , simple.

Studying Modern Agriculture In Sri Lanka

Studying Modern Agriculture In Sri Lanka 1. Modern Agricultural sector plays a very important role in contributing to the economy of the country. Agriculture represents 13% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Rice is the main staple food in Sri Lanka. Paddy sector contributes 16.5 % of the GDP of the agriculture sector. Paddy farmers represent considerable percentage of the labor force of the country. Rice is the oldest crop on earth and rice is the main consumer food in Sri Lanka and the main substitute for rice is the wheat flour. Sri Lanka has two major agricultural seasons namely Yala and Maha. About 5.75 lakh hectares were being bought under paddy farming in the Maha season from October to February and another 3.5 lakh hectares under the Yala season from April to August. Sri Lanka is country which Agricultural sector plays a main role in the economy. Paddy is produce in two seasons in a year. Every Government has identified the importance of the Paddy industry and has been a political focus so far. Mahaweli P roject is the one of the most successive project done in the country to increase the land available for the paddy cultivation. However farmers in rural provinces faced many hardships to obtain adequate harvest and revenue from paddy cultivation and vegetable cultivation due to lack of new technology  [1]   2. There are three major economic activities which contribute to the Gross National Product (GNP) in a country, Namely Agriculture sector, Industrial sector and Service sector. Beginning of 1950s Sri Lankan economy was mainly based on agricultural sector and by mid 1950, service sector contribution remarkably increases and maintained the highest contribution to the GNP at present. With the change of political and security situation of the country, it is essential to develop agriculture sector to achieve the self sustainability of the country. In 2008 recorded the highest sectoral growth of 7.5 percent (%) over the growth of 3.4 % recorded in 2007. Output of domestic agriculture products were increased in 2008 mainly due the record increasing of paddy production during the year seasons. 3. Sri Lanka Rice Sector alone contributes 30% to the agricultural GDP which accounts for 16.8% of GDP in year 2007.The present Annual value of the rice production is Rs. 49 billion which is at an increasing trend, although the relative contribution of the rice sector to the GDP is diminishing.  [2]  In 2008 paddy production increased by 24% recorded levels of 2.63 million metric tons of rice. This recorded target was archived through enormous difficulties faced by the farmers in rural provinces. It is essential to implement an effective government policy and an efficient mechanism to the development of the paddy sector in Sri Lankan in each province to increase income of the rural farmers. GENERAL OUTLINE 4. Paddy is widely grown in the all over Sri Lanka and it is a popular food crop among all communities in country. As the labor and other requirements of paddy are high it provides direct employment to a large number of people besides its contribution to indirect employment in input supplies and providing other services associated with the industry. However, there are several constraints that affect the development of paddy crop in Sri Lanka. Among the most important constraints are, high cost of the new technology, low productivity of paddy land, and high disease prevalence in paddy growing areas due to prevailing conductive environment for disease occurrences STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 5. The statement of problem can divided in to two major parts: a. Social Presently at the country most of farmers are using Traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka and it will effect for there personnel income with out using new technology . b. Economic Without using new technology for traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka will not enable to increase of production in agriculture. Mal usage of the modern technology caused low productivity in local agriculture SCOPE OF THE STUDY 6 This research attempts to identify the relationship between the traditional agriculture and modern agriculture in Sri Lanka and the number of farmers who had abandoned the cultivating of paddy. The research will focus only on the paddy farmers in Sri Lanka and the benefits of using new technology in traditional agriculture. JUSTIFICATION 7. As it effects to the national income of the country it is reasonable to do a research on this topic. 8. As it effect to the loosing of jobs in agricultural field it is a responsibility of the government to look in to this problem. 9. As the agriculture is the oldest traditional occupation in Sri Lanka it is very much needed to research on this field and its out come. OBJECTIVES General Objectives 10. The general objective, this research is to study increase production by using new technology for traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka Specific Objectives 11. The following objectives are identified. a. To study what is the traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka. b. To study technology used for traditional agriculture and modern agriculture in Sri Lanka. c. To examine traditional paddy farming cultivation of paddy in Sri Lanka and its increase drastic production. c. Agro biodiversity and related traditional systems. d. Recommendations based on the findings. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 12. Use of new technology will enable drastic increase of the production of traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY 1. This study will be based on a survey. The data will be gathered from primary and secondary sources to analyse the situation and the data obtained from Agriculture department and other relevant source Primary Source 2. A literature survey will be carried out by referring various types of articles, books and World Wide Web to gather information on the field of the paddy cultivation and data gathered by agriculture department and other agriculture research centres ORGANIZATION OF THE PAPER 3. Since the main idea of this study in to analyze that there is specific relationship between the diminishing trend of yield and the trend of abundance of paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka, the paper analyses this relationship and its effect to the paddy farming. The first chapter introduces the subject and other details of the research. In the second chapter contains the History Methodology Organization of the paper Data collection method Limitation. In the fifth chapter all gathered data are analysed and the last chapter contains findings, recommendations and conclusion SAMPLING 4. Selected 10 paddy farmers randomly to represent every part of the country who are currently engaged in the paddy cultivation. DATA COLLECTION METHOD 5. The source of data collections is details gathered from the Government Officials those who are engaging in the cultivation. Further, past statistics were collected from the Hector Kobbekaduwa agriculture Research Centre in Colombo, and the Public Library in Colombo LIMITATIONS 6. a. proceeding with a research the following limitations was identified. b. The time available to carry out this research was only 3 months. c. Commonly most of the farmers were not in the position of giving accurate figures regarding their individual farm management. CHAPTER 3 WHAT IS TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE IN SRI LANKA 1. Rainfall and its variation Sri Lanka is a tropical country, but climate of the country shows variation across the Island due to differences in rainfall, elevation and soil factors. Further, the central hill masses, which act as an orographic barrier and the Indian Ocean, surrounding the Island also influence the climate of Sri Lanka. 2. The rainfall of Sri Lanka shows seasonal fluctuations and is dependent on mostly monsoon, Four precipitation seasons are clear in Sri Lanka, namely southwest monsoon from mid-May to September call Yala season, northeast monsoon from December to February call Maha season and two inter-monsoon periods, the first and second inter-monsoons last from March to mid May and from October to November respectively. Total annual rainfall of the country varies from 750 to 5000 mm two broad climatic regions, namely the dry and wet zones are recognized based on total annual rainfall and distribution of dry months. The rainfall is one of the significant factors for determining agricultural land use as well as use of various genetic resources. The distribution pattern of rainfall throughout the year is further important than the total annual rainfall. The rainfall distribution in the majority areas of Sri Lanka is markedly seasonal. Seasonal distribution of rainfall and distribution of wet and dry months in different climatic zones influence the type of paddy grown by farmers in different seasons. The bi-model pattern of rainfall distribution is characteristic of the wet zone whereas the dry zone exhibits a uni-model rainfall pattern. The rainy season of the wet zone lasts from May to November (7 months) which is much shorter in the dry zone (3-4 months; October to January). In the dry zone, southwest monsoon allows only a small crop (Yala season) whereas the main season (Maha) is effectively the wet season. Cropping patterns, farming practices and genetic resource utilization are markedly different according to this rainfall distribution patterns along with the other factors. 3. Agro ecological zones Agricultural land use and land management necessities at a given location depend on the climatic conditions together with soil properties and conditions. The areas with similar climatic and soil conditions are identified and demarcated as agro ecological regions. Twenty-four agro ecological regions based on rainfall, elevation and soil types are demarcated in Sri Lanka Agro ecological classification is very useful since it provides basic climatic and edaphic differences of the country for various agricultural productions and farming practice. 4. Agro biodiversity and related traditional systems Genetic assets or germplasm are biological resources of animal, plant and microbes that contain the hereditary information required for life and are responsible for their useful property and ability to replicate. Agro biodiversity can be defined as selection and variability of animal plant and microbial organisms on earth that are for main food and agriculture. It is a key subset of genetic resources as it is the basis of food security and an essential feature of farming systems around the world. People have managed genetic resources, selecting crops, harvesting medicinal plants etc. Genetic resources remain the basis for the improvement of agricultural crops, for medicines of about 75% of the world population that relies upon traditional, largely plant-based, treatments for its primary healthcare, and for a myriad of other products such as pharmaceuticals, crop protection products and perfumes. 5. Agriculturally used domestic plants have been basically altered from their wild relatives and they have been reshaped to meet human being needs and wants. Paddy genetic resources and agro biodiversity is the product of thousands of years of evolutionary process. There are two types of selection distinguish crop evolution in Sri Lanka namely natural and artificial. These evolutionary processes continue in order to agriculture systems to remain viable. Paddy evolution has been altered by our enhanced ability to produce, locate and access genetic stuff. Both farmers and scientists have relied on the store of genetic diversity present in paddy plants that has been accumulate by hundreds of generations who have observed, selected, multiplied, store, traded and kept variants of paddy plants. 6. Sri Lanka is well thought out as a valuable repository of crop germplasm and agro biodiversity. These varieties show great adaptability to a large range of climatic and soil conditions and pest and infection problems. They also exhibit difference in grain size and quality some with medicinal property and fragrance and others that are used for cultural and formal procedure reasons and also show differences in maturity period. The existence of genetic and species diversity has special significance for the maintenance and improvement of productivity in agricultural crops in Sri Lanka which is characterized by very varied agro-climaticand diverse growing situation. Such variety provides safekeeping for the farmer against disease, pests, drought and other stresses. The genetic variety also allows farmers to develop the full range of highly various microenvironments in the country, conflicting in characteristics such as soil, water, warmth, elevation, slope and fertility. 7. The occurrence of heterogeneous agro ecological situation with seasonal and inter annual difference, socio-cultural and ethnic differences, application of different traditional paddy farming practices including dry and wet land paddy farming, deliberate and inadvertent selection of variety and a choice of systems of beliefs allow to develop various indigenous and traditional paddy cultivation practices and techniques for selection, maintenance and utilization of planting materials. 8. Furthermore these traditional paddy farmers represent centuries of accumulated experience and skills of peasants who often continuous yields under adverse paddy farming environment using locally available resources. The establishment for such paddy farming is comprised of the traditional landraces. Landraces are crop plant populations that have not been bred as variety but have been modified throughout years of natural and artificial variety to the conditions under which they are paddy cultivated. Maintenance of species and genetic diversity in farmers fields is essential to sustainable agriculture, especially for resource-poor farmers practicing agriculture under low-input conditions in marginal lands. Aboriginal knowledge has been brought down from generation to generation and forms part of the information base for a culture. The indigenous knowledge can be defined as local information that is unique to a given civilization or society. Each society has a variety of type of aware ness systems. Indigenous people have a great knowledge of the ecosystem they live in and ways to guarantee that natural resources are used sustainably. Therefore, indigenous awareness which has been accumulating over hundred years has potential value for sustainable development. It can help other people to learn how to live in the natural world in a sustainable approach as well as to increase agronomic practices for paddy cultivation and utilization of materials. 9. The agricultural landscape of the country consists mainly cultivation of rice (780,000 ha), plantation crops such as tea, rubber, coconut, sugarcane, spices (772,000 ha), vegetables (110,000 ha), other field crops (128,000 ha) and home gardens (98,000 ha). Sri Lankas farming systems, particularly rice, other field crops and home gardening have evolved over thousands of years including a rich array of farming systems and cultivated plants such as grains, vegetables, fruits, spices and livestock. New local cultivars have been developed in the agriculture sector formally and informally. In addition, many farmers have selected local landraces. The long history of cultivation, presence of cultural diversity and wide range of eco-edaphic conditions present in the country have resulted in a wide variety of farming practices in Sri Lanka. The following section describes the traditional farming principles and systems reported in Sri Lanka during the survey. TRADITIONAL AND ORGANIC PADDY FARMING SYSTEMS 10. Lowland paddy farming. The most widely practiced farming system in Sri Lanka is lowland paddy farming. Lowland can be defined as areas, which receive enough water or which can be irrigated. The lowland also called Wel yaya  [3]  and is mainly cultivated with rice. In lowlands, rice is the dominant crop both in terms of land use and dietary importance, and it has been the backbone of Sri Lankas agriculture over 2500 years. Lowland paddy farming is started with deep ploughing to create a hard pan at the onset of rain or with irrigated water. Harrowing and leveling under submerged conditions follow ploughing. Initiation of agricultural operations is begun at an auspicious time with special ceremony and rituals. Sowing, transplanting, weeding, pest and disease control, water management, manuring (with compost, cow dung and green matter from plant bio mass) and harvesting are other main operations involved in rice farming and each component has special traditional methods and perf ormances. 11. Upland (organic) paddy cultivation. Upland can be defined as land above the water sources, which therefore can be cultivated only under rain fed conditions or by providing lift irrigation. Following ploughing, the land up to two inches using buffalo and traditional plough, seed paddy soaked overnight is sown when rain is expected. The soil is mixed using a fork. This method increases the soil nutrients and water retention / absorption capacity of soil. Sometimes, broadcast field is covered with straw as mulch, which enhances weed control, soil moisture and nutrient retention. When grasses and hedges are grown in the field, they are cut and allowed to dry for incorporating in the field. The field is turned using hoe. Two to three weeks after turning, harrowing is done. Then seed is broadcast during mild rain. Intensity of management practices such as chemical weeding, fertilising, chemical pest and disease control are very low in this system. Water management is entirely dependent on rainfall. Usually, only is Maha season cultivated with paddy. CHAPTER 4 WHAT IS THE MORDEN AGRICULTURAL POSSIBILITIES IN SRI LANKA 1. Utilization of modern technology in agriculture and related industries can be categorized in several ways. In this study it is being categorized according to the type of streams of technology used. The main areas of technology which are being using in Sri Lankan Paddy farming can be identified as follows: ELECTRO-MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS 2. Mechanization of agronomic practices: This includes the crop cultural practices from seed sawing to harvesting In paddy farming the first main step is pre planting land preparation and that is been mechanised with tractors including two wheels and four wheels, ploughs, rotervators, harrows etc. In Sri Lanka this step is highly mechanised specially in commercial paddy farming.Seed sawing or crop establishment is the next main step in paddy farming. There are two main methods called direct seeding and transplanting. Sophisticated machines as well as simple machines are available for the both methods. Still Sri Lankan farming community does not use hi-tech methods for this step The next main step which is been mechanised in paddy farming is harvesting and harvest cleaning. Wide range of machines are using for this process. That includes very sophisticated machines like combine harvesters which harvest, thresh and clean the harvest at once in the paddy field itself 3. Mechanization of post harvesting activities Technology is been using in this step for storing, weighing, threshing, boiling, cleaning and polishing rice. 4. Biological improvements New paddy verities Almost all paddy farmers except very few isolated farmers cultivate improved varieties. The paddy verities been improved for high yield, to minimise lodging, to gain resistively for pest and diseases. This improved the per acre yield in the country over the last three decades 5. New breading technologies New breeding technologies like genetic engineering, germplasm transplants, mutations, selective breeding are extensively using for develop new verities 6. Biological pest and diseases control methods Biological pest and disease control methods are promoting extensively among the farming community to minimize the threat for the environment and as effective and sustainable control method. These include usage of plant extracts as repellents and insecticides, introduction of parasitic insects, introduction of insect pathogens, introduction of sterile technologies etc. 7. Chemical improvements a. Fertilizer This became one of the key inputs of farming and the new improved varieties are highly sensitive for fertilizers. Improvement of fertilizers including chemical components, slow releasing fertilisers like chelates, development of new fertilizer ratios, mixing methods can be considered under this. b. Insecticides Development of new environmental friendly verities like Aparathyroid, new types, new chemicals, new application methods, bio-degradable chemical developments comes under this. c. Herbicides Development of new environmental friendly verities, new types like selective weedicides, new chemicals, new application methods, bio-degradable chemical developments comes under this d. Fungicides Fungal attacks can be effectively controlled by application of fungicides. Development of new environmental friendly verities, new types, new chemicals, new application methods, bio-degradable chemical developments comes under this. There are no effective chemical control methods for bacterial and viral diseases CHAPTER 5 FINDING RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION FINDINGS 1. During the survey it was found that the main problem faced by farmers in Sri Lanka was the insufficient average of traditional agricultural yield. Further high cost of technology , lack of high quality seeds, cost of cultivation, Non awareness of technology and low market prices were the another identified problems in this area. Further I found that following strengths and weaknesses while observing the traditional and modern agriculture in Sri Lanka. a. Production possibilities and potentialities are tremendous in the country. b. Increase of local food production is an urgent need. c. It is pre requisites for acceleration of agricultural transformation and economic growth in the country. d. Production directly affects on the increase of farmers income. e. Increase of production will reduce the level of malnutrition. f. Production market is sensitive areas that affect the political and economical background of the country. 2. Weakness observed in the paddy farming System. a. Low production of traditional farming system and modern farming productivity has discouraged the farming system. b. Land and soil degradation are leading factors for the decision of abundance of paddy farming. c. High Cost of Production has discouraged the farmers. e. here is a wide gap between the potential level and farmer yields. f. Inadequate technology transfer at village level farms. CONCLUSION 3. The general tone of the conclusion of this paper identifies that there are many obstacles and problems in paddy cultivation as well as many opportunities and potentialities for improving the high average of yield in modern and traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka. Modern Agricultural sector plays a very important role in contributing to the economy of the country. Agriculture represent 13% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Rice is the main staple food in Sri Lanka. Paddy sector contributes 16.5 % of the GDP of the agriculture sector. Paddy farmers represent considerable percentage of the labor force of the country. Rice is the oldest crop on earth and rice is the main consumer food in Sri Lanka and the main substitute for rice is the wheat flour. Every Government has identified the importance of the Paddy industry in Sri Lanka. Mahaweli Project is the one of the most successive project done in the country to increase the land available for the paddy cultivation. Howeve r farmers in rural provinces faced many hardships to obtain adequate harvest and revenue from paddy cultivation and other crop cultivation due to lack of new technology. 4. Presently at the country most of farmers are using Traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka and it will effect for there personnel income with out using new technology. Also without using new technology for traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka will not enable to increase of production in agriculture. Mal usage of the modern technology caused low productivity in local agriculture 5. Thus hypotheses of this research can be proven. RECOMMENDATION 6. Implementing programme which can be help for the purpose of the training about new agriculture technology with an aim of encouraging the rest of potion of farming population for new method of farming. 7. Introduction a mechanize system through agriculture department and relevant authority for remote farmers to reach new technology writhing short period of time with its proper efficiency. 8. changing of attitudes in remote farmers towards use of new technology a they are in strongly believe that modern technology can harm there traditional system of agriculture and socio-culture values which they have being practicing for long time of period. 9. Arranging possible educational programme to educate many of farmers about positive impact on the harvest where they will not be reaching through traditional method of agriculture. 10. in order to prevent the risk of loosing traditional occupation in the field of agriculture by using new modern mechanization farmer should be encourage to change their box thinking and seek for positive and possible alternative job opportunities regarding and relevant to the field of agriculture as starting of business of chemical, agriculture equipment, machinery repair and ext. 11. Government should involve specially in this problem with the purpose of upgrading the productivity which can strongly correlated to the national economy as follows. a. implementing the infrastructure specially in remote area b. opening buying centre where farmers can obtain stable income through out the year c. government should provide to facilitate technical support relevant to agricultural industry on free or low cost basis BIBILIOGRAPHY 1. Activating All Powers in Sri Lanka Agriculture- G.K. Upawansa and Rukman Wagachchi 2. Handy guide to agriculture by Dr. Thilak T. Ranasinghe 3. Directory of Research Centers in Sri Lanka 4. National Agricultural Information Network 5. A Policy Rule for the Liberalization of Agriculture in Sri Lanka HN Thenuwara 6. Rice production on acid soils of the tropics by EN Ponnamperuma 7. Harti agricultural commodity review 2006 8. Harti agricultural commodity review 2007 9. Harti agricultural commodity review 2008 Web Sites Referred 10. www.seedquest.com/News/releases/2007/may/19217.htm 11. http://www.agridept.gov.lk 12. http://www.statistics.gov.lk 13. www.sttistics.gov.lk ANNEX A QUESTIONNAIRE 1. This Questionnaire to find out to main issues encountered by the paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka and also to find out the possibility to improve the industry with new technology. This is only for the training purposes. 2. All information provided will be treated as a Confidential; please do not provide your name or any other details other than required details. Those details will not be an impact on your cultivation. 3. This Questionnaire will help me to assess the main issues faced by the impact of new technology for tradition agriculture in Sri Lanka. After completion the Questionnaire please return to Major Sarath Dasanayake by hand or post to following address before 1th March 2011. 4. Further any information and clarification you may write to or call

College or University Graduation Speech :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I have chosen as my topic the complex subject of your ancestors. Not, of course, your biological ancestors, about whom I know nothing, but your spiritual ancestors, about whom I know a little. To be specific, I want to tell you about two groups of people who lived many years ago but whose influence is still with us. They were very different from each other, representing opposite values and traditions. I think it is appropriate for you to be reminded of them on this day because, sooner than you know, you must align yourself with the spirit of one or the spirit of the other. The first group lived about 2,500 years ago in the place which we now call Greece, in a city they called Athens. We do not know as much about their origins as we would like. But we do know a great deal about their accomplishments. They were, for example, the first people to develop a complete alphabet, and therefore they became the first truly literate population on earth. They invented the idea of political democracy, which they practiced with a vigor that puts us to shame. They invented what we call philosophy. And they also invented what we call logic and rhetoric. They came very close to inventing what we call science, and one of them-Democritus by name-conceived of the atomic theory of matter 2,300 years before it occurred to any modern scientist. They composed and sang epic poems of unsurpassed beauty and insight. And they wrote and performed plays that, almost three millennia later, still have the power to make audiences laugh and weep. They even invented what, today, we call the Olympics, and among their values none stood higher than that in all things one should strive for excellence. They believed in reason. They believed in beauty. They believed in moderation. And they invented the word and the idea which we know today as ecology. About 2,000 years ago, the vitality of their culture declined and these people began to disappear. But not what they had created. Their imagination, art, politics, literature, and language spread all over the world so that, today, it is hardly possible to speak on any subject without repeating what some Athenian said on the matter 2,500 years ago. The second group of people lived in the place we now call Germany, and flourished about 1,700 years ago. We call them the Visigoths, and you may remember that your sixth or seventh-grade teacher mentioned them.

A Marketing Strategy for Nestles Milo Essay example -- Business Mana

A Marketing Strategy for Nestle's Milo Overview In this brief I am going to discuss the key features of my marketing mix and create my marketing strategy by using the information attained from my SWOT analysis, PEST analysis and a Competitive Audit. I am going to choose an area of the product (Nestle's Milo) that I feel needs improving and improve it. To achieve this I’m going to use the four P’s to meet the objectives of Nestle and the needs of customers. I have chosen to improve the packaging (the product factor of the marketing mix) because I believe that it is inadequate in quality and it is the area that could give Milo that competitive edge. Also if I’m going to promote it in the UK through advertisements and promotional activity it appearance should be at its optimum. The Marketing Mix All businesses need a marketing mix to achieve its marketing objectives. The marketing mix refers to the factors known as the four P’s * Product * Place * Price * Promotion In marketing, product refers to both goods and service. Goods are physical objects, such as sports clothing, home entertainment equipment or food and drink. Services involve a combination of skills, information or entertainment, such as football match, use of a swimming pool or a theatre production. There are three critical factors to consider when developing a product: * Product characteristics * Position of the product within the product life cycle * Brand image of the product Without one of these three factors the product will not sell to its potential. Product characteristics like the brand are very essential when developing a product. Branding is the process that gives a product or service a distinctive identity with the aim of creating a unique image that will make it easily identifiable and separate from its competitors. For example, in blind tests 51 per cent of people prefer Pepsi. However, when customers can see the brand that they are drinking, 65 per cent say that they prefer Coca-Cola. What these 65 per cent of people are in fact saying is that they prefer the brand represented by the Coca-Cola image rather than the product itself. Place involves the location and availability of a product or service and the method by which it is distributed to consumers. If a product or service is not accessible to potential customers, then no matter how well it has been priced and promot... ... be an advantage to Milo because as stated in my SWOT analysis â€Å"Sponsorship through sporting events† shows that Milo has an opportunity to expand. I would (again) like to promote the product Milo in the UK because it is stated in my SWOT analysis that â€Å"Promotion hasn’t been done in the UK† and as a result of this competitors should have a competitive edge over Milo. Also stated in my Competitive Audit â€Å"Currently no promotion in the UK† suggests that product awareness is minimal. The only promotion available to the UK on Milo is websites; â€Å"Websites promotion is available to the UK† as stated in my Competitive Audit. This may not help the sale of Milo as it does not state in my Competitive Audit. This may not help the sales of Milo as it does not state where people may be able to purchase the product. An opportunity that may save money for Milo is by using advertising methods from Australia as Milo have â€Å"Good sponsorship and adverts in Australia† as stated in the Competitive Audit. A disadvantage of this is that the UK population may prefer a different kind of promotion to those of Australia hence; if promotion is not done correctly competitors will gain a competitive edge over Milo.

Literary Analysis of Joseph Hellers Catch 22 Essay -- Heller Joseph C

Literary Analysis of Joseph Heller's Catch 22 Laughing in the face of war and death, literally, is one of the things that make the novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller such an intriguing and original story. It was written in 1961, a time when, due to the fighting of the Second World War, all war novels were written with a dark and dreary tone, while still trying to continue the pre-conceived romantic notions about war. However, Joseph Heller strips away all of the romantic pretense, and pulling heavily on his own Air Force experience during WWII, presents war in its most raw, un-censored version. It takes away thoughts of being the amazing hero, and winning medals, and replaces them with the screwed up, bureaucratic way that we fight wars. It shows the true paradoxes that arise, and shows the violence of war, in its most un-adulterated form. This book came right after WWII, a war that most American citizens saw as a just and needed war, and shocked all who read it with the truth about war. Then, as if to prove the literary genius of the author, the Vietnam War comes along. It then turns out that the novel Catch-22 was almost prophetic about the war. Almost the entire novel is shown through the eyes of the main character, Captain John Yossarian. He is an Assyrian, who is completely paranoid and always trying to convince people that there are other people out there who are doing their best to make sure he doesn’t return from each mission he flies. He then decides to make it his personal mission to return alive from every flight. Throughout the entire story, the main theme or subject is the craziness of war, and how it is not romantic as it has been previously portrayed, but actually hellish and dangerous. One of the most interesti... ...iness of war. In conclusion, the entire book, while being non-sequential and confusing throughout, still conveys its theme very well. This is mainly thanks to the author’s ability to bend the English language to his will, and the timing that it was released. It came out at a time that all war novels were heroic and romantic, yet do to Heller’s own Air Force experience he knew the truth about war, and by writing about it, he brings it to the foreground. The entire novel centers around and contributes to the theme that true war is not how it has been portrayed in the media of the day. It is actually a self-contained hell that is perpetuated by crazy leaders, death, and violence. This makes this novel one that should be required reading for all peoples in the world, so that we can better understand the truth about war, and maybe, just maybe, we will have fewer wars.

Handwashing Study Essay

The hands are the most used body organ and are exposed to pathogens at a higher level than any other part of our body. For humans to maintain a state of good health, we have to reduce the transmission to these pathogens. One proven method to interrupt the transmission is by maintaining hand hygiene. The objective of this integrative review was to examine the relationship between hand washing and incidence of health care associated infections (HCAIs) in healthcare settings and provide evidence based recommendations for the future directions for health care providers to prevent infections. Importance of maintaining hand hygiene Evidence to support the importance of hand hygiene in infection prevention dates back to the early 1800’s with Ignaz Semmelweis. The significance of limiting the spread of infections has been emphasized from the days of Florence Nightingale. HCAIs acquired during hospital stays might affect up to 10% of patients in the USA. The World health Organization (WHO) published national guidelines for hand hygiene in healthcare to increase patient safety and limit the spread/exposure to organisms. Medical personnel frequently skip hand washing between patients either because they were not near a sink or they just didn’t have the time. Compliance for hand hygiene by all healthcare workers on average is 50%. Literature review I reviewed five journals on hand washing. Makie et al. (2013) identifies 4 primary objectives to prevent infection that all need to be used in parallel: (1) hand washing; (2) protective barriers (3) decontamination of the environment, items and equipment used for patients; and (4) antibiotic surveillance. One used with the other three will put your patient at risk for exposure. Despite an extensive amount of research/data and evidence supporting these interventions, healthcare workers’ translation into their daily practice is lacking. The writer promotes compliance and consistency of these objectives to control the spread of infections within their healthcare environment. According to Hiremath et al. (2012), hand washing is one of the most effective means of preventing infections. The author feels â€Å"it’s a personal vaccine†. To foster support of the hand washing initiative on a global level we must raise awareness of its importance. People need to  be educa ted and understand the risk of not washing their hand, when to wash their hand (after toilet use, diaper changes, food handling, or visibly soiled) and how others can become exposed to organisms. They also need to understand the proper technique. Beggs, Sheperd et al. (2008), study used the Ross-Macdonald model to apply hypothetical data to a medical ward. This model simulated the transmission of staphylococcal infection by contact from colonized hands of heath care workers. The aim was to evaluate the impact of imperfect hand hygiene on infection. The study concluded that hand hygiene was an effective control measure, but little benefit was found for high levels of hand washing (>50% norm). 40% compliance was found to be enough to prevent an outbreak. Borges, Rocha et al. (2012), provides recommendations on improving hygiene inside the hospitals by promoting routine observation and feedback to healthcare workers. They promote implementation of a campaign: (1) repeated monitoring of compliance, (2) performance competency, (3) education, (4) visual cues and compliance feedback. These procedures by hospital will have been highly cost effect/justified. Inamulhaq & Haq (2012) obs erved hand washing among medical and paramedical professional in clinics. These authors also felt that hand washing was valued as an intervention to prevent infection but was often skipped. They promote staff education/training and soap dispensing tools/washing station insertion. They also suggested that senior team member set an example for all staff on proper techniques. I feel that the articles by Borges et al. (2012) and Makic et al. (2013) well support hand washing initiatives we’ve found in research to be effective when implemented. As clinicians we find ourselves asking the â€Å"5 W’s† when we are faced with evidence that will drive our daily practice. They pull together the WHAT hand washing it, WHY we do it, WHEN and WHERE it should be done and by WHOM. The other four articles also support the findings but don’t have the complete package with all the elements need to support clinical compliance. The article Borges et al. (2012) had the best research design of all five. It was a quantitative research study with meta-analysis synthesis over a 12 month period. It has well-defined hypotheses that the 2 observers were aware  prior to the start of the data collection period. The method of data collection was observation only. The sample size was large enough (52 sessions and 119 opportunities) to provide statistical significant data for an effective conclusion to be made. As I compare these five articles with the national guidelines review they all have the same element that hand washing is essential to the reduction of infection. The national guideline encouraged cleaning of patient environments, health care education, cueing for compliance, competency monitoring and documentation surrounding staff training. Conclusion Evidence-based nursing practice is essential to the delivery of high-quality care that optimizes patients’ outcomes. Hand hygiene is one self-care practice that can go a long way in keeping many ailments at bay for both the healthcare worker and the patient. Healthcare workers should work relentlessly in promoting the self-care practices, holding their peers accountable if they aren’t compliant and hardwiring this practice into daily operations. This is a simple task that has some many benefits. As me move forward with federal reimbursement, healthcare organizations will see a decline in their reimbursement for care if patient get infections while hospitalized. So it all starts with us as healthcare workers to break the mode and start setting a good example by adhering to these simple hygienic practices of hand washing. References Beggs, C.B, Sheperd, S. Kerr, K (2008). Increasing the frequency of hand washing by healthcare workers does not lead to commensurate reductions in staphylococcal infection in hospital ward. BMC Infectious Diseases; 8(114) Hiremath RN, Kotwal A, Kunte R, Hiremath SV, Venkatesh (2012). Hand Washing with Soap: The Most Effective â€Å"Do-It-Yourself† Vaccine? Natl J Community Med; 3(3):551-4 Lizandra Ferreira de Almeida e Borges, Lilian Alves Rocha, Maria Jose Nunes & Paulo Pino Gontijo Filho. (2012). Low Compliance to Handwashing Program and High Nosocomial Infection in a Brazilian Hospital. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Disease; Article 579781, 5 pages Makic RN, Martin, RN, Burns, RRT, Philbrick, RN & Rauen, RN (2013). Putting Evidence Into Nursing Practice: Four Traditional Practices Not Supported by Evidence. Critical Care Nurse; 33(2):28-43 Mirza Inamulhaq, Azis S.A., Haq S.M. (2012). Role of Hand Washing in Prevention of Communicable Diseases and Practices Adopted in Private Clinics. Canadian Journal of Applied Sciences; 2(1): 196-201

Oil & Gas Price Evolution

What Moves the Oil and Gas Price? Why are oil prices and gas prices so dramatically increased in the last view years? Oil and gas price will maintain the current level or rise in the next years because of the world economy, an increased demand on oil and its production costs, the gas demand, and the investment in developing alternative energy sources. How long will the oil reserves last? It is currently estimated that the oil reserves in the United States will last for 20 to 30 years, but this may or may not be accurate For example, since the first oil price shocks in the seventies, a many actions have been taken in order to reduce the consumption of oil and to reduce energy The reality is, that the world oil demand is forecasted to grow in 2009. â€Å"World oil demand is forecast to grow by 0. 9 Millions of Barrels per Day (mb/d) in 2009, averaging 87. 71 mb/d which is 0. 1 mb/d lower than in the current year. † (OPEC, Monthly oil market report, July 2008 p. ). This report indicates that we expect a slow down in the years after 2009. Assumptions for this oil demand forecasts are; the Worlds Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grow will slow down compared to 2008, we expect normal weather and the energy-price as well as the demand of elasticity will strengthen worldwide. The higher oils and gas prices will reduce this demand by utilization of nuclear power plants, ad ding biofuel and moving towards use of smaller and economical vehicles. The industrial oils usage is balanced with the economic growth. The oil market report stated: Slowing demand for gasoline particularly in the US, combined with an easing in the distillate markets and costly crude have exerted pressure on refining economics across the world. The continuation of these trends may encourage refiners to cut throughputs or begin seasonal maintenance earlier than usual, which would trim crude demand. This could lead to further crude stock-builds in the coming months, putting pressure on crude prices in the latter part of the year. These perceptions may change if supply disruptions occur either in OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exploring Countries) or non-OPEC producers over the next months. The main wild card for the product market in the near future would be possible refinery outages due to a potential active hurricane season in the US Gulf Coast. (OPEC, Monthly oil market report, July 2008 p. 3) In Europe, for example, the oil consumption per unit of gross domestic product since around 30 to 40 percent and this is true both for households as well as for the industry. In the world's largest economy, the U. S. , the savings were far less clear. The remaining oils reserves have to be produced on higher costs and we see also an increase in transportation as well. Therefore the oils and gas prices will maintain or rise in the next years. In addition political turbulences and crisis will have dramatic impacts in the next 3 years (short –term). If we look at the value chain of oils and gas, than we are able to identify additional price rises like tax, transport costs and the focus on fuel deviates combined with research and development costs. But what makes the price of oil and why have the prices rose so dramatically? In the seventies and eighties were often the OPEC and its pricing policy for increases blamed. Meanwhile stress economists and participants in the commodity markets, the finite nature of the geological resources and unequal distribution of deposits: To store in the U. S. , Canada and Mexico together only five percent of total world supply of oil. What is the role of futures markets? Many economists also stress that with increased oil prices also an additional supply in the markets because so far to costly production is at once profitable. So now substitutes such as the oil sand in Canada dismantled what the expiration date for the global resources to move back. For the oil companies to fall with the costly reduction of such occurrences, however, is still very high profit margins. As well as If we factor out the effects of inflation, the current oil prices are still slightly below the peak from the seventies. The scarcity of oil offering but, together with the increased global demand, certainly play their part to the recent price increases on world markets. Only recently climbed the price of a barrel of crude oil to over 100 U. S. dollars, an increase to 120 dollars per barrel no longer seems excluded. The price of oil to the U. S. gas stations since 2004 is even more than double. Semmler W. (2006) Professor of Economics and Research Fellow at the Bernard Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA) of the New School in New York and Professor at the Center for Empirical Macroeconomics (CEM) at the University of Bielefeld stated, that at present, but the effect is another mechanism, with the functioning of modern financial markets has to do, the rise in oil prices: trade with oil derivates in the futures markets has increased in recent years gained importance. In these markets is already the demand of tomorrow traded. For example, traders anticipate what China is the future for oil to pay could be. The prices for derivatives in turn impact on the real prices. Of course you can also offer temporary disruption of the price rise and a lot more than most other products. Cyclones, geopolitical crises, political unrest and strikes, influence the barrel price in the short term often dramatically. Economists say that the elasticity of demand of energy consumption is relatively low and therefore minor changes in the offer price rise. Thus, not only the real shortage of oil, risings demand from growth regions such as China and India for consideration, the price boosted. The financial market bubble in the paper barrels has contributed its part. The total assets in the futures markets to invest are in the years 2000 to 2006 from 40 billion to 140 billion respectively. The trend was exacerbated by the fact that loans due to low interest rates have been cheap. Tilts the economy now? So far, the rising oil prices do not yet have big slump in the economic growth effect. But this might be happen in the next future. The energy consumption is relatively low, therefore only a small increase in terms of offering, but a high increase of price. Equally important is, that the American economic growth is already weakening, in the last quarter annualized; it amounted to only 2. 5 percent. The U. S. central bank chief is out warnings that the interest rate could be increased further. The purchasing power of middle-income people in the United States in recent years barely risen. At the same time increased the debt of the households. Real estate prices are already so shrinks the creditworthiness of many households. Additionally you should have a look at the latest news in order to build your own picture about the upcoming issues with the oil and gas price. The Economic Times reported: SINGAPORE: World oil prices rebounded in Asian trade Wednesday, after the OPEC oil group announced it had agreed to cut real output by 520,000 barrels a day, dealers said. In morning trade, New York's main contract, light sweet crude for October delivery was up 84 cents to 104. 10 dollars a barrel while Brent North Sea crude rose 63 cents to 100. 7 (The Economic Times, Oil prices rebound after OPEC output cut. Sep 10, 2008) The Financial Times reported: In Europe, angry farmers and truck drivers blocked roads and struggling budget airlines grounded their aircraft. In Asia, citizens protested as governments from India to Taiwan cut the generous fuel subsidies they could no longer afford and China's growth engine began to show signs o f needing less oil as the Olympic Games came to a close. In the past two months oil markets have begun to reflect such changes and prices fell to as low as $105 a barrel last week. Hoyos C. , Opec ponders when to cut oil output in effort to boost price. Sep 10, 2008) In summary, if a sharp rise in oil and gas prices and further interest rate increases together it could, given the unstable economic situation in the U. S. in fact an economic crisis initiate. References Hoyos C. (September 8, 2008). Opec ponders when to cut oil output in effort to boost price. Retrieved September 12, 2008, Financial Times, from Web site http://www. ft. com/cms/s/0/c7d09570-7d3c-11dd-8d59-000077b07658. html OPEC. (2008). The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Retrieved August 10, 2008, from http://www. opec. org/aboutus/history/history. htm The Economic Times (September 10, 2008). Oil prices rebound after OPEC output cut. Retrieved September 12, 2008 from Web site http://economictimes. indiatimes. com/%20News/%20International_Business/%20Oil_prices_rebound_after_OPEC_output_cut/articleshow/%203465594. cms Semmler, W. (2006). Asset Prices, Booms and Recessions: Financial Economics from a Dynamic Perspective. Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. Sullivan, B. (June 19, 2008). Real Impact of Gas Prices on Economy. Retrieved August 10, 2008, Fox Business from Web site: http://briansullivan. blogs. foxbusiness. com/2008/06/19/real-impact-of-gas-pric es-on-economy. htm US Energy Information Administration, (2007). World Proved Reserves of Oil and Natural Gas. Retrieved August 10, 2008, from http://www. eia. doe. gov/emeu/international/reserves. html Williams, James L. (May 2008). Crude Oil Prices. Retrieved August 10, 2008, WTRG Economics, from Web site: http://www. wtrg. com/prices. htm

Literature Changes During the Civil War Essay

When the country was still quite young and change was ever-imminent, our great America wasn’t always so great. This budding country lacked its own culture, and every single work produced by its inhabitants was rooted to an earlier version from its mother Britain. Much of our nation was devoid of literary culture and education. We were often looked down upon by other countries flourishing with their own trademark foods, goods, and customs. Very few prominent writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson were able to create a base example of what an American literature might actually look like. Prior to the Civil War, there were almost no published American authors, as the United States was more inclined toward English texts, which were less expensive. Reading and writing had just begun to trickle down to the middle class, making literature much more popular among the common man, as rates of literacy rose tremendously. The multitude of uses for literature once the Civil War began caused an even larger development. During a time of great change and conflict, America began a period of immense literary thirst. Before the Civil War started, literature had only recently become a more regular piece of daily life. At first only the wealthiest could be expected to know how to read and write. However, as the nation approached the time of the Civil War, the lower classes were also expanding their education by becoming literate. The common man started to take more of an interest and a stand in the goings on of the country- for the most part, learning how to read allowed them to keep up with the happenings from around the nation. Literature was also serving a more entertaining purpose. Fiction grew in popularity, but infamy too. â€Å"American statesmen and leaders were fearful of fiction. They accurately understood its subversive power: fiction empowered individuals; it catered to people’s passions, fancies, and whims, which threatened republican ideas of order and rationality,† (Stauffer 237). As this quote explains, many politicians believed that fiction would lead to chaos and revolution. Literature has always had the power to plant a seed in our minds, and this was no different during the time of the Civil War. Still, these opinions did not keep novels from finding a place in most households. Mostly middle- and upper-class women were the audience for this type of reading material. Fiction, spreading rapidly, became one of the most popular types of literature in this era. Literature before the Civil War was mainly centered on functionality. Literacy had just begun to grow, so the people who learned to read had to have a reason for it. The most common reading material of the time included religious reading, instructive reading, newspapers and magazines, and â€Å"reading for escape† (Salisbury). The best method of escaping for bored housewives or even the common man was a novel. As previously stated, these fictional stories had just begun to boom in popularity. Religious reading mostly included bible study, common for the average Christian household. Newspapers and magazines were crucial for spreading news, and when the nation found an efficient way to broadcast information, people snatched them up. During a time when you couldn’t turn on your flat screen television or pull out your iPad for news updates, newspapers were essential to society. Finally, guides were another usual form of reading material. Stay-at-home wives collected cookbooks and mothering manuals by the shelf-full. All these types of reading provided some function to those who read them, which displays how the country used literature in a very confined manner. The Civil War had a big impact on literature, but literature also had a large impact on the Civil War. For example, the movement against slavery was intensified by passionate works of literature such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. These novels helped to spark an interest in the subject for many more people, particularly those of a higher class, who then began to encourage the movement. Literature needed to change in numerous ways. When the war began, letters would be used to keep families in touch with soldiers. News would become more biased and exaggerated depending on its origin (North vs. South). Many children created care packages and wrote letters to soldiers, which gave the men at war some hope and knowledge of the outside world. In 1864, Harper’s Weekly published a story about a young girl named Lula who wished to write a letter to a soldier. That letter wound up in the hands of Daniel P. Fleming- a man who had no family to write to. â€Å"Lula’s letter came when he felt forsaken—desperate—and saved him† (Diffley). Their correspondence created a magnificent bond that carried Fleming throughout the war, and impacted both he and Lula for the remainder of their lives. Literature served a great purpose in the Civil War, and its growth did not stop there. When literature grew in popularity, it had a plethora of effects. It both helped and hurt our country. On one hand, it led to the letters that kept the spirits of our soldiers high. On the other, it produced media that exaggerated truths and spread lies. Since the North and South had greatly varying opinions at the time, their news sources also greatly varied. Each would produce its own version of the truth, and neither would be completely honest. This sensationalism only continued to spread, which became its worst in the 20th century. Not all of the effects of literature’s changes were completely bad, though. Novels allowed people to escape the awful experiences they were going through, if only for a little while. Writers became more successful and American authors had more of a chance as American writing took over the aforementioned British literature. Essays and stories meant to rally the nation during war kept each side unified, even as the country itself split in half. Literature was, perhaps, a great factor in keeping the United States from permanently disbanding. Literature impacts a lot in our lives today: it is a tell-tale sign of the amount of education one receives, it determines a lot of our viewpoints on many issues, and it can even affect the choices you make. This was true during the Civil War era as well, but this took off mostly at the time of the Civil War itself. Before the war, literature had only just begun to spread. It was quite obviously linked to social class as well, as the upper classes were known to have a much higher percentage of literacy than the lower classes. Also, British works became less popular, while American authors prospered. With novels on the rise with the common woman, literature asserted itself as an everyday piece of life. This was reinforced by the use of newspapers, magazines, and books that provided instruction and recipes. Literature took off right before the start of the Civil War, in part causing it. Certain literary works had a strong impact on society, creating controversy and drawing the boundary between the North and the South. Literature also played a huge role in the lives of many soldiers during the war itself. It not only kept the soldiers motivated by giving them something to look forward too, but it also connected them to the outside world and reminded them of all the people they were fighting for. Literature helped to both keep this country together and tear it apart. While the printed media was not always as honest as it should’ve been, and the letters did not always keep the soldiers motivated, it is impossible to argue that literature went through an incredible change during the Civil War. Literature will always be a part of our lives, and this rang especially true during this time of struggle, which unlocked an appetite for literature that our country had never known before.