An Observation on the Necessity of Established Space Lanes

Introduction As humanity has begun to explore his home system through the use of nuclear fission propulsion technology as a method of effective space travel the privatization and proliferation of various space faring vehicles due to the technology reaching its build out completion has created a sudden boom in the number of space faring craft.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on An Observation on the Necessity of Established Space Lanes specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This in effect has created a worrying trend wherein due to the inherent nature of inter-solar objects such as asteroids, meteors, comets and micrometeorites, various private vehicles have in effect been subject to sudden jarring impacts radically altering courses or in the worst possible cases causing a subsequent malfunction in the nuclear energy source causing leakage and the subsequent death of the ship’s passengers. While nuclear fission pr opulsion technology utilizes Uranium 235 as an effective means of creating minor nuclear bursts of energy without having to utilize massive multistage rockets the fact remains that its use is isolated to outer space due to the fact that even minor nuclear explosions on the surface of Earth are considered a danger to the continued health and well-being of people within the immediately area (Reisz and Rodgers, 50). The process starts with a tiny nuclear fuel cube being exposed to an activation matrix composed of neutrinos and electrons in order to â€Å"excite† the atoms within the already unstable piece of nuclear material (Reisz and Rodgers, 50). Once a sufficient level of neutrinos and electron streams has engulfed the cube the process utilizes a multistage explosion utilizing various forms of fissile material in order to trigger a small nuclear explosion at the back of the ship (Fittje and Buehrle, 502 – 504). This explosion is usually several million degrees in temp erature (3.2 million to be exact) and through the use of an electron stream is encouraged to eject its energy outward following the path of the electrons (Fittje et al., 503 – 508). This in effect creates a chain reaction which incites forward motion and propels the ship towards a given destination at speeds previously unheard of for space faring vehicles (Grandin et al., 26 – 30). Composite materials made out of nano-weave (created through the use of nanomachines and high tensile nanofiber) and titanium X22 (titanium support beams combined with artificial diamonds) have enabled radiation to be effectively sealed off from a ship’s passengers (Zweben, 37).Advertising Looking for article on astronomy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The fact remains though that such materials were never meant to take direct impacts from asteroids a few kilometers across. In fact any given time, numerous planetoids composed o f rock, dirt and various minerals proliferate the area between space and planets (Zweben, 37). While some are quite obvious the fact remains that several objects move at varying speeds through space in effect creating obstacles from one point to another. One of the detrimental effects of nuclear fission propulsion technology is that from a rudimentary perspective it is effective in getting an object from one point to so long as the route is in effect a straight line. Course corrections can be made however these take time and with the sheer speed a ship moves at within a given hour (30,000 miles per hour) the ability to effectively create a course correction is inhibited by the fact that an approaching interplanetary object could be moving at a certain velocity as well and due to its sheer size may in effect impact a ship faster than course corrections can be made (Lenard 404 – 408). Within the past 20 years ever since the privatization of space travel has been put into effect there has been a notable rise in the sheer amount of accidents wherein ineffective course corrections have been attempted resulting in the death of passengers and crew. While this paper doesn’t disparage the recent boom in the space travel industry it does criticize the reckless abandon of several space travel agencies that leave at nearly any given time in order to get their passengers from one location to another. Established routes have not been created resulting in an increasing amount of accidents as space travel has grown in popularity. While emergency rescue missions can be mounted the fact remains that upon arrival most ships have either drifted so close to a planet that they are engulfed by a planet’s gravity and burn up in the chromospheres or the impact has jarred the ship in such a way that the occupants are exposed to background radiation in space as well as radiation from the propulsion technology itself resulting in their subsequent deaths. It is due to this that this paper proposes the creation of various signal buoys that can be placed at various areas in order to effectively create interplanetary highways and an advanced early warning system in order to alert ships of incoming objects before they get too close to avoid.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on An Observation on the Necessity of Established Space Lanes specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such a system will utilize traditional solar panel technology within areas close to the sun however will have to utilize nuclear fusion reactors in areas closer to the outer planets due to the lack of solar energy (Theodorakos, 72). It is expected that through the strategic placement of possibly millions of these buoys through the solar system that an effective trajectory system can be created wherein routes can be planned out before execution thus preventing future deaths as a result of reckless course trajectories ( Janssens van der Ha, 778 – 780). Feasibility and Application The use of signal buoys has actually been a technology that has been utilized on Earth for hundreds of years in order to help ships orient themselves near landmasses. In fact the basis of this particular proposal is based off the design utilized in a light house wherein the constantly rotating energy beam helps ships to know when they are close to a particular land mass. While it is infeasible to place signal devices on every single type of moving object in space what is feasible is the creation of a moving method of detection in order to observe when a particular object is close by. While the use of traditional radar systems is ineffective in space what can be used is a projected gamma wave originating from a rotating gamma energy projected on a buoy. What this does is in effect project two separate gamma radiation beams in two directions in order to seek out large masses in space such as asteroids, comets etc (Raz zaque et al., 611 – 615). The reason behind the use of gamma radiation is simple, due to the property of gamma rays wherein the propensity for absorption by a particular object is directly affected by the degree of thickness of the object’s various layers this means that the mass of a particular object can be determined through the level of penetration of the gamma ray beam (Lisitskiy, 103927). A gamma ray buoy can use sensors to determine the degree of penetration of a particular object when a ray encounters it and transmit the information to satellites in order for the information to be relayed to a combined early warning system/course plotter in order to determine a path that avoids certain special masses within a given area (Razzaque et al., 611 – 615).Advertising Looking for article on astronomy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While there are concerns regarding the potential for such satellites inadvertently exposing the passengers of ships to deadly gamma radiation the fact remains that the hulls of all ships are composed of effective lead, titanium and nanofiber shielding that they in effect block all forms of radiation from entering the ship. Solar and Space Weather Phenomenon Affecting Detection Grid The inherent problem with inter-solar (referring to within a solar system) communication is the fact that solar weather and sudden changes in the Sun’s activity can in effect interrupt or delay transmission resulting in possible problems from cropping up in the detection system. Solar wind is a stream of charged particles consisting of protons and electrons originating from the upper atmosphere of the Sun, has been known to cause significant problems for inter-solar communication systems (Lemaire, 20 – 23). The reason behind this is the fact that the charged protons and electrons originating from solar wind in effect creates an ionic discharge from electrical components when the protons and electrons interact within the differently charged electrical equipment usually resulting in up to 1000 volts of static electricity building up as a result of the interaction between the electrical components and the charged particles (Bhardwaj, 526 – 527). As a result of this interaction a significant electrical charge builds up resulting in a subsequent overload of the system as the degree of exposure increases. While such a phenomenon is rare in various communication systems within planetary atmospheres, systems located near the sun have in effect a higher degree of exposure thus a greater likelihood of sudden electrical surges frying the system (Bhardwaj, 526 – 527). Even in cases where the stream of charged particles reaches the outer planets there is still a significant risk of the charged particles negatively affecting equipment which in some cases has been shown to subsequently shut down as a result of an electrical surge due to sudden outburst of high heat from the interaction resulting in 1000 kelvin or more in released temperatures.(Bhardwaj, 526 – 527). While proper shielding can be utilized this is often expensive and limits the number of space buoys that can be released due to the added cost. On the other hand it must be noted that cases of solar wind directly affecting equipment in space are not as high as one may think and as such this could be considered an acceptable margin for equipment error when taking into consideration the number of buoys that can be released. Further examination of other space weather phenomena show that geomagnetic storms which are a result of either solar wind or a coronal mass ejection are capable of creating disturbances in a planet’s magnetosphere resulting in possible fluctuations in the ability of signals to properly transmit (Pandey et al., 366). While this doesn’t affect space buoys located up to 20 to 30 million miles from interplanetary bodies, buoys located near Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and other celestial bodies may be affected if their orbits are close enough to the planet. The true problem with geomagnetic storms lies in their ability to increase the solar ultraviolet emission heat in the upper atmosphere of various planets by up to 1,000 Kelvin or more which in effect causes them to expand. Buoys located near massive planets such as Jupiter and Saturn which already have a significant gravitational pull may cause the buoys to crash into the planets themselves as a result of the upper atmosphere expanding due to the increased heat resulting in the deterioration of the orbits of satellites in orbit around the planetary body (Lago et al., 69). It must be noted that course adjustments can be utilized in order to maintain a proper geosynchronous orbit however this requires constant vigilance and due to the sheer number of satellites involved will require a secondary system in order to ensure that buoys are within their proper orbits. Finally, in regard to buoys located near the inner planets a certain degree of concern must be entailed for the sudden occurrence of solar flares from the sun. Solar flares can be described as an event wherein the plasma located in the sun is heated to tens of millions of Kelvins resulting in a sudden brightening and the release of energy from the sun’s surface (McGregor, 195). Another factor that must be taken into consideration is the fact that most solar flares can reach lengths of several million miles as well as widths of up to 3 million miles or more. The inherent problem with such an event is that it releases electrons, protons, various ions as well as gamma rays into the surrounding environment (Malandraki, 309). For a system that utilizes gamma rays as a method of detection wherein a single beam of high intensity gamma radiation can reach 5 to 6 million miles in total detection area a sol ar flare can in effect blind most systems or cause a sudden malfunction over a long period of time. This sudden blind could enable large objects in space such as comets and asteroids to all of a sudden escape detection systems due to their ability to travel several kilometers within a few seconds. It is due to this that buoys located near the sun need to take into account solar flares as the cause of sudden malfunctions and adjust accordingly. Planetary Characteristics and their Infeasibility as Possible Detection Platforms So far it has been established that outer space has various detrimental effects that hamper the ability to create a detection network capable of finding large free floating objects in space. It must be noted that even though there are various difficulties in establishing such networks in space the fact remains that attempting to create a network utilizing a planetary base such as Earth could prove to be a far more arduous affair. Current methods of detecting obje cts in space from a planet are actually not that far removed from technologies established in the early 21st century since it was only in the mid 21st century that nuclear fission propulsion was invented. As such methods of detecting large free floating bodies in space involve the use of radio signals, planetary and atmosphere based telescopes as well as various forms of laser detection systems. The problem with utilizing such systems is the delay in which the data can be properly created and mapped. Not only that, such methods of detection cannot account for the majority of free floating objects in space and as such is an inefficient method of detection. While it has been proposed in the past that establishing observation sites on various planets and combining the data gathered could be an effective means of â€Å"mapping† the various objects in the solar system there are certain problems with the condition of various worlds that make this proposal high unfeasible. For examp le, establishing an observation platform on the surface of Mercury entails having to deal with the 700 Kelvin temperatures that the surface is regularly subjected to resulting in not only the possibility of damage to the equipment but its close proximity to the sun means that it is in the direct line of sight for a vast majority of solar cosmic rays, solar waves as well as solar proton events which have the possibility of causing electrical malfunctions in even the most well protected equipment (Wang and Ip, 34). Venus is also a terrible choice to place an observation platform due to the fact that it has a dense atmosphere composed of carbon dioxide and clouds containing sulfuric acid (Gasparri, 72). Not only that, its surface is well known for having significant levels of volcanic activity which makes establishing an observation platform on the planet nearly impossible without the danger of subsequent eruptions destroying the equipment installed (Gasparri, 72). While the surface of Mars may seem to be an ideal site for an observation platform due to its relatively thin atmosphere and the absence of volcanic activity the fact remains that accumulated data has shown that Martian dust storms that occur regularly are highly corrosive due to the nature of the Martian soil (Millour, 504). Gathered data shows that the average Martian dust storm can corrode even free standing steel structures over a period of time and as such this shows that Mars would not be an ideal location for an observation platform as well (Millour, 504). Jupiter and Saturn are also out of the question due to the fact that the level of gravitational force evident when entering their respective atmospheres would crush any equipment that could be set up there (Barrow and Matcheva, 609). Conclusion Based on the data presented it can be seen that the best and most feasible method of implementing set space lanes and an early warning system for space faring objects is to establish a buoy system withi n the in-between the distances travelled by ships. While such a system could be vulnerable to the effects of solar weather and other forms of local solar environmental effects that fact remains that its implementation would help to save lives and this can be considered an effect means of promoting safe space travel. Works Cited Alisson Lago, et al. â€Å"Interplanetary Origin of Intense, Superintense and Extreme  Geomagnetic Storms.† Space Science Reviews 158.1 (2011): 69-89. Academic  Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. Barrow, Daniel, and Katia I. Matcheva. â€Å"Impact of atmospheric gravity waves on the  jovian ionosphere.† ICARUS 211.1 (2011): 609-622. Academic Search Premier.EBSCO. Web. Bhardwaj, Anil. â€Å"X-Ray Emission from the Solar System Bodies: Connection with Solar  X-Rays and Solar Wind.† AIP Conference Proceedings 1216.1 (2010): 526-531.  Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. Chen, Shu-cheng S., Joseph P. Veres, and James E. 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Since 1957 when the country gained independence expatriate officers in the Ghana Civil Service opted to retire and many vacancies occurred. This created the opportunity for Ghanaians who were on pension to be re-engaged in the Civil Service on contract. These officers enjoyed their pension in addition to their remuneration as contract officers. However, in 1968, the Government of Ghana ordered the cessation of the payment of the pension package in addition to the salaries attached to the contract appointment. This measure obviously did not go down well with the affected pensioners who considered it a stab at the back and a breach of faith. ( Tachie-Menson, 2003). In Accra, a group of pensioners engaged the services of lawyers to fight their cause for them. They succeeded and thus the emergence of the Ghana Government Pensioners Association for Accra which also assumed a national status. 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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM There is a general perception out there that retirement from active service in Ghana renders one jobless and with nothing to do which often leads to frustration and early death in life if one does not plan life properly. This is attributed to the fact that people on retirement who do not plan well use their benefits to find shelter for themselves after which they end up living on their meager monthly allowance. It is claimed because most workers are not able to put up shelter during their working lives before they go on retirement. This has been the situation over the last decade and more and has rather impoverished retirees. Such claims are not hard to find in the municipality if one visits these retired workers at their homes. Therefore retired workers whose family members are not there to support them are left to their fate or are forced to put up with neighbours. It is also worrying to find frail looking pensioners go to their banks every fortnight to struggle for their allowance s. In some situations those incapacitated to the extent that they cannot make the journey to the bank would not have access to their money unless they prepare an authority note to be endorsed by the Association and countersigned by the Accountant Generals representative for the bank to effect payment, a process quite laborious. Calculation of retirement benefits of Government Pension which was originally based on the pension constant of 1/960th of ones terminal salary multiplied by the number of years served in months was reviewed in 1946 by the Harragin Salary Commission to 1/600th and has since been increased to 1/480th. The amount arrived at is spilt for 25% to be paid as gratuity and the remaining 75% as pension which is spread over 20 years and is payable monthly. On the death of a pensioner what is due him/her from the remaining period out of the twenty years is paid to his/her beneficiaries as commuted pension. (Tachie-Menson, 2003) For beneficiaries of a deceased pensioner to claim the unexpected portion of the twenty years pension there are three approaches towards that end:- (a)The nomination form filed with his Department while a civil servant in which he indicated his beneficiaries is the first to be used as authority for disbursement. However, the nomination forms can be revised at any time that the person wishes. (b)The will is the next authority to be used for disbursement, if it super cedes the nomination form. (c)In the absence of the two above, Letters of Administration prepared jointly by the head of the pensioners family on one side and the wife and children on the other, must be obtained from the Law Courts with which to claim the commuted pension. As the years roll by for inflation to set in adjustments are made to salaries by the grant of allowances in various forms to the basic salaries of Civil Servants. However, when allowances are added to the basic salaries to mitigate the effect of the rising cost of living, it does not reflect in the pension calculation. This prompts the Ghana Government Pensioners Association to enter into serious negotiations with the Government for pension to be increase. When the consolidated salary was introduced pensioners were left in the lurch. The Associations negotiating machinery was put to the test with the bargaining power of the Public Services Workers Union of which the Association is a Division; Government then consented to the grant of 50%. Therefore to address the issue of social support for the retired public sector workers in the municipality, it is important to know that the enormous concern of this essay is focused on the poor adoption of measures on the part of local authorities and community members to provide additional welfare resources and other social interventions to support the retired. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: This research would give an in-depth knowledge of the formal and informal social support systems of retired workers and to know the plight of retired workers so as to come out with remedies to assist these aged citizens. It would also contribute to prepare would- be retirees to adequately plan for their future retirement. Furthermore, before a research of this nature is meaningfully carried out in the municipality of Wa, it is imperative to have some knowledge about what the area under study is made up of. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objectives of the study are as follows: Specific objective: A. To evaluate the adequacy of available formal and informal support and welfare resources to the retired persons at the community level. The investigation will be directed toward the identification of social support systems that would meet the growing and changing needs of the retired. GENERAL OBJECTIVES: 1. To determine, in some Ghanaian communities, social support systems for elderly persons. 2. To study both support providers and the beneficiaries comprehensively in order to understand how poverty and the needs of the retired are distributed, and how they are dealt with in practice. 3. To determine the degree of success of formal interventions of support provision to the elderly. 4. To ascertain the social pattern of relief and support, and to draw the social implications of the existing and changing patterns so that appropriate and adequate social policies may be formulated. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: These specific objectives above will be framed around the following specific and general questions: How adequate are the formal and informal social support and welfare resources of retired public sector workers? GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. What are the general cultural expectations about the retired person in the community and how are these changing? 2. What resources are available to them? 3. To what extent do retired persons avail themselves of the community resources and at what cost? 4. What factors encourage or discourage utilization of such resources? 5. To what extent do the resources available complement one another to meet the needs of the retired and what needs are left unmet? 6. What are the principles of reciprocity involved in these various support arrangements in the family and the community? LITERATURE REVIEW: In reviewing literature, the study will triangulate conceptual and theoretical frame work of the topic understudy. The operational definition of key concepts include the terms formal, informal, social support systems and public sector workers. I am interested in defining formal as the official government situation in the line of events. Informal means private and unofficial initiative. Social support system means social interventions to the vulnerable. My construct of these concepts is similar to other concepts that are in use. However, in the past Social welfare protection, in the form of insurance and assistance programmes, emerged in Europe in the 1800s in order to provide citizens with an economic safety net during periods of illness, economic hardship, and other shocks as discussed (Palacios Sluchynsky, 2006). Today, nearly every country has some form of social protection developed to provide economic support in times of need (International Social Security Association, 2005). Assistance comes in the form of old-age pensions, survivor benefits, family allowances or other supports. In Africa, the author suggests that social welfare programmes were originally developed in the 1950s and 1960s as a safety net for white workers (Dixon, 1987). Employer-based contributory pensions were the dominant model. Still today, these pensions primarily serve the wealthiest workers who live in urban areas and have secure careers in the public sector (Palacios Sluchynsky, 2006). Those who are excluded from these benefits are left to rely upon the traditional safety net of family aid, mutual support, and communal living. For example, in Kenya, the clan system has operated as a labour union world, pooling resources and providing extra support during vulnerable periods (Dixon, 1987). This informal system has eroded. However, as countries have developed and urbanized, sources of livelihoods have diversified, family sizes shrunk, and the population aged. Moreover, throughout sub-Saharan Africa, poverty has further destabilized households, changed demographic patterns and orphaned enormous numbers of children (UNICEF, 2006). Vulnerable populations face a social protection vacuum when both formal programmes and informal practices fail to provide the safety nets that families need to survive, even though social protection is a proven component in fighting poverty and responding to families overwhelmed by disease or other shocks (Barrientos DeJong, 2004; Bourguignon, Ferreira, Leite, 2002; Chronic Poverty Research Centre, 2005; Skoufias di Maro, 2006). Throughout Africa, social protection programmes could well be mechanisms that enable families to economically survive and help children reach their potential. The reality that social welfare schemes in Africa exclude more people than they cover, has been established (Dixon, 1987; Fultz Pieris, 1999; Taylor, 2001) and yet there are important reasons to revisit this topic. He argues that in the last decade, a growing number of countries have expanded or developed new programmes in an effort to reduce poverty as well as to invest in human and economic development. Evidence of the growing momentum around social protection schemes include the Livingstone Call For Action (2006) where thirteen Eastern and Southern African governments pledged to draft costed national social transfer plans within two to three years. In a related situation, the African Union is driving and supporting efforts to promote the development of better social welfare systems; while heads of states throughout the world, have committed to building, where needed, and supporting the social security systems that protects the aged (United Nations General Assembly, 2006). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the characteristics of existing social welfare policies in Ghana and countries throughout Africa. These policies are described and the characteristics of existing social welfare schemes are analyzed in order to facilitate dialogue on how governments, supported by the international community, can improve current welfare schemes and build new systems that are better aligned with the needs of vulnerable populations, in order to provide a meaningful social safety net. METHODOLOGY: In order to examine the characteristics of government and employer provided social support schemes to retired workers, the research must conduct an enquiry aimed at increasing knowledge based on facts. Therefore to achieve this, a systematic method and instruments of collating and collecting data should be used since the appropriateness of these methods and instruments to a large extent determine the validity and reliability of the data. Also the sample used should be a true representation of the population as well as the instrument utilized in the research. STUDY AREA The Wa Municipality is one of the oldest districts in the region, and the biggest of the nine districts. It is the capital town of the region. The estimated population of Wa Municipality for 2008 is 124,476 as against 105,065 in 2000, an increase of about19%. The population density of the area is 38 persons per square kilometers. It has about 32 communities. Because Wa doubles as the Municipal and Regional capital, it has a high population growth rate of 4% per annum with a greater proportion of the total population of the Municipality and the Region concentrated in it. Wa Municipality covers the Southwestern parts of the region. It stretches from longitude 1Ù’Â °40N to 2Â ° 45N and from latitude 9Â ° 32W to 10Â ° 20W. It covers an area of approximately 5899.30 square kilometers, which is about 32% and 2.56%of the region and the nation respectively. To the South, Southwest and Southeast, Wa Municipality shares common boundaries with Wa West/Wa East, Wa West and Wa East Districts respectively. To the north, Wa Municipality is bordered by Nadwoli District. It has more retired civil and public servants and also suitable in terms of providing sufficient sample sizes of retired persons. TARGET POPULATION The target population for this research is the retired civil and public sector workers in the municipality and their families. Retired civil and public sector workers are of two categories. The first category is made up of pensioners under Government Pension scheme and the second category is made up of pensioners under SSNIT Pension scheme. SAMPLE A number of samples will be drawn for the study. Unlike Census, where the entire population is covered by the study, sampling enables a researcher to study a relatively small part of the target population and yet obtain accurate and detailed data that are representative of the whole at a lower cost (Sarantakos, 2005). . The first sample of respondents will be made up of community members who are 60 years and above. The second respondents will be made up of family members, kin relationship and local authorities. SAMPLING PROCEDURE A snowball sampling procedure will be used. By this method a retired public sector worker is identified within the community and interviewed. This first respondent then leads the researcher to the next respondent who also falls with the target group. The process is continued until the required number of respondents is interviewed. CHOICE OF RESEARCH METHOD Considerable interest is shown in the choice of research methods to use in this research proposal. There is the quantitative data and method approach which often is associated with positivism, the prevailing paradigm in recent times. Under this approach scientific methods can more or less readily represent and measure concepts which seek to predict and explain causal relations among key variables. However, some critics are of the view that positivistic methods reduce the contextual meanings in the process of developing quantified measures of phenomena. Though the issue of empirical approach to research has been justified by its success in measuring quantitative research, in more recent years, scientists have been challenged to explain phenomena that defy measurement and their inability to quantitatively measure some phenomena, and the dissatisfaction with which the results of measurement of other phenomena have led to an intense search for other approaches to study human phenomena. A modern approach, which came to be known as post positivism, is a recent evolution of positivism which focus has been on qualitative methods, and is modeled on positivistic methods and experimental designs (Miles and Huberman, 1993). This approach has led to the acceptance of qualitative research approach which does not need empirical data to discover knowledge. However, one cannot help but to stuck by the success of qualitative research methods in the market place of academic ideas (Atkinson, 1995, p. 117). The tradition of using qualitative methods to study human phenomena is grounded in the social sciences. The tradition came about because aspects of human values, culture, and relationships were unable to be described fully using quantitative research methods. More recently, the practice of qualitative research has expanded to clinical settings because empirical approaches have proven to be of limited service in answering some of the challenges and pressing clinical questions, especially where human subjectivity and interpretation are involved (Thorne, 1997, p. 28). However, the use of qualitative research has its own flaws as well. It is unable to study relationships between variables with the degree of accuracy that is required to establish social trends. For the purpose of this proposal a triangulation of qualitative and quantitative methodology would be used to analyse data. However qualitative method has a more flexible approach in pr ocedure to construction of research design in the sampling, data collection and processing and reporting. DATA COLLECTION Data will be collected from a variety of sources within the selected community, from families, kin, neighbours, educationists, legal and health practitioners, from neighbourhood and community associations, religious groups, welfare agencies, specialised groups such as trade unions, from local councils and other organised groups. Further information gathered will come from retired persons themselves, from their families/kin, extra familial networks, neighbourhood, their community and from state agencies. The material gathered from these levels will be in a complementary relationship to one another in order to approximate a high degree of reliability and validity. The principal data that will be gathered include the followings: (a) Community profile: geographic, demographic, historical, political-social and economic conditions of the community, placed within the national context. (b) Prevailing cultural norms and the expectations concerning the retired persons and their care, conceptions about reciprocity and exchange, family and kinship relationship etc. (c) Inventory and detailed descriptions of indigenous informal support systems and of formal support systems available within the community. Another source of data collection will be a historical review of formal and informal support systems available in the community and local levels. At the formal level, data will include the public services and programmes instituted by the government at different levels. At the informal level, data will include information on the traditional supporting roles played by family, kin, patrons and others. Data collection will proceed by means of primary sources of data such as interviews, questionnaire, and focus group discussions. Secondary data through existing literature will be used by the researcher. In terms of priorities, it is expected that questionnaires will be constructed and pretested. INTERVIEWS The interview is a face to face meeting between a questioner and a respondent, or an oral presentation of an opinion or attitude scale (Zikmund, 1994). Structured interview will be used for meeting the respondents. It will however be inter space with unstructured interviews when interacting with non pensioners. QUESTIONNAIRES A questionnaire is a written instrument that contains a series of questions or statements called items that attempts to collect information on a particular topic. It is useful for large scale surveys that involve collection of data from literate respondents. Questionnaire will be administered to pensioners as well. FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION Another source of data collection will be focus group discussions. This third phase about 9-12 pensioners will be grouped for discussions about their personal experience before and after active service. The selection of participant will be balance in terms of sex to give it a fair representation. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION In recording the information or data gathered, I will employ both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Data will be described and in other cases subjected to quantitative analysis regarding trends in each dimension of the topic. Correlations between aspects of the topic and a series of other variables to establish more detailed results will be conducted. Beyond this, the researcher is expected to explain behaviours more extensively and more accurately. Where data needs empirical analysis quantitative model will be used and where it needs description and collection and analysis occur simultaneously, qualitative model will be suitable. INTENDED BENEFITS The Government under the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare is seriously considering the development of a national policy for the aged. Local authorities should compliment government effort by initiating social and community activities to engage the elderly in the community as well as supplement government efforts of finding welfare resources for them. The results of this study should identify and address gaps in existing interventions. My contribution to the study is to draw to attention that every worker dreams of going on retirement one day. Therefore adequate preparations should be made for the aged who have live most of their life working to develop the country so that they dont retire and still wallow in poverty. My motivation stern from the very experience of having to handle my aged parents who were once public servants and are now on retirement and in addition to relations and friends who are affected in one way or another of their aged relatives. The intention of spending time and money on this exercise is to bring about an improvement of the status quo. TIME PLAN PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3 FROM TO FROM TO FROM TO DATA GATHERING METHOD 1 use of questions 2 interviews 3Focus grp Dis. June-July. Pre test Decem.-Jan. Retired workers. June-July Cap 30 Retired Workers Oct. Nov. August-September Commty. profile Feb-Mar. Families Kin. Commty mmb August Sept. SSNIT Retired Workers Octob.- Novem. Prevailng cul. Norm April.-May edu, Leg., Health workrs ANALYSIS METHODS 1 Qualitative Mainly descriptive analysis of data. Often collection and analysis will occur simultaneously. METHODS 2Quantitative Mainly statistical analysis of data. Correlation between aspects of the topic and a series of variables will be established. BUDGET. Activity Quantity/number Frequency Unit Cost Total Cost GHÂ ¢ Internet Browsing Browsing and printing 20.00 Documents acquired 40.00 Travel expenses Fuel for local movement 20.00 Feeding accommodation Rent for two years and food GHÂ ¢ 120.00 240.00 Printing and photo copying questionnaires 15 pages 100 respondents 100.00 Printing 80 pages 8 copies 60GP 384.00 Binding of books 8 copies GHÂ ¢10.00 80.00 Grant Total GHÂ ¢884.00

What it Means to be an American Essay example -- Papers USA Citizenshi

What it Means to be an American What does it mean to be an American? In my eyes to be an American means to have privileges, rights, and freedom. America isn't perfect, but it is one of the only countries that have rights given to people of different diversities and gender. America does not have tremendous poverty. Instead we have choices given to us by the people who fought and died for the American people. Without George Washington and the other patriots who planted the first seed in the ground and help plant the American nation we live in now who knows what America would be like now. One of the most important and well-known facts about America is freedom. We are granted the freedom or choice in our lives and how we live. We are given freedom of speech and press that lets us give our opinions and aspects of the community we live in. also we have the freedom of voting for our leaders and representatives. The American people are also given freedom of clothes, music, and number of kids. This right of freedom in our lives is one of many rights given to us. Equality in America is very important, and people have fought for it for years. In my opinion equality makes people more open minded about other peoples cultures and creates a better nation. There are still people in America and in other countries who do not believe in a community of equality and the respect of other cultures, and that is something that is not perfect about America. With that way of thinking and believing those people create the hysteria of violence and hate in America. All because they do not know about the culture they hate so bad, but we still have the people who do believes that equality is important, and they ... ... The people in America are not surrounded by a majority of starving people. Instead we have one of the most powerful economy in the world. America offers so much to the people who live in the U.S., but America will always be full of criticism, violence, and people who are offended by everything. America still seems to manage to be one of the world's best nations. The first Americans planned America to be as successful as it is, but for America to be more peaceful. America is not one of the most peaceful places, but it is not the most dangerous place to live. Even political parties lie and cheat each other. A lot of the Americans are greedy, because they take advantages of what America offers to their citizens. Even though America is not perfect I am still glad to live in the U.S.

Dr.Seuss Research Paper

Theodor Seuss Geisel Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, was born March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father and grandfather managed the family brewery in town, while his mother told him and his sister, Marnie, rhymes she had remembered being told from childhood. Geisel attended Dartmouth College after graduating from Springfield’s Classical High School. When attending Dartmouth, he joined a fraternity and the college’s humor magazine, the Jack-O-Lantern. He worked hard writing for the magazine, and became the editor-in-chief. Theodor Geisel and some of his friends were caught drinking, which was against the school policy, forcing him to resign from all extracurricular activities. Since he did not want to resign from the magazine, Theodor started to sign his work with the pen name of â€Å"Seuss†. It was not until after college that the â€Å"Dr. † was added to the front of â€Å"Seuss†. Geisel’s father wanted him to be a college professor, so to please him he went to Oxford University in England following his graduation from Dartmouth College. While at Oxford, he became bored with academic studies and made the decision to tour Europe instead of studying. Even though he found Oxford boring, he met his first wife, Helen Palmer, while attending. When Geisel was done with his tour of Europe and returned to the United States, he started his career as a cartoonist. Some of his cartoons were published in The Saturday Evening Post, and he also had more published in other publications. Theodor Geisel also spent more than fifteen years creating advertising campaigns. He started doing weekly political cartoons at the beginning of World War II. To help with the war, he made training movies for the U. S. Army. This was when Geisel was introduced to animation. He began illustrating children’s books when an editor of the Viking Press proposed a contract to him. Theodor Geisel’s first wife committed suicide on October 23, 1967, after struggling with sickness and emotional pain caused by his affair with his female friend, Aubrey Stone. Then on June 21, 1968, Geisel married Aubrey Stone who was his wife up until the day he died. Geisel died of throat cancer on September 24, 1991. When he died, Theodor Geisel had illustrated 44 children’s books, which had been translated into more than 15 languages. He had sold more than 200 million copies of his books that had impacted the lives of people all around the world. Theodore Geisel was an author who had a successful career. Some people called him â€Å"the man who taught me to read† (qtd in Nel), while some called him â€Å"the man who helped me appreciate humor and art†(qtd in Nel). His career consisted of writing cartoons and children’s books, which eventually were turned into movies. Before Geisel started writing children’s books, he wrote cartoons for the PM magazine. The PM magazine was a left leaning daily paper, especially during WWII when Seuss was working for them. PM was labeled by people as â€Å"one newspaper that can and dares to tell the truth† (qtd in Nel). The paper â€Å"did not pause to spare anyone’s feelings, and neither did Seuss† (Nel). Geisel drew many cartoons about the war for PM magazine. Most of his cartoons, people found offensive because of the way he drew the people. One of the most offensive cartoons that Geisel wrote consisted of a cartoon of Senator Nye. The cartoon called the senator â€Å"a horse’s ass†. Before it was published Ralph Ingeroll warned Geisel not to publish it because it could cause the paper a â€Å"million-dollar lawsuit† (qtd in Nel). Instead of the lawsuit, Seuss received a letter politely asking for the original cartoon. Geisel ignored the letter that the senator sent him. Cohen defends Seuss and his cartoons by saying, â€Å"It is hard to look beyond these cartoon depictions to realize that Ted made people of every race and culture look equally ugly. It was just part of the humor. †¦] But others are indefensible, clearly evidencing that Ted sometimes fell prey to the prejudices of the day. †(qtd in Nel) When Geisel looked back on his cartoon career, he remarked, â€Å"I was intemperate, un-humorous in my attacks†¦ and I’d do it again† (qtd. in Nel). Even though Geisel wrote cartoons, his biggest sellers and successes were his children’s books. He enjoyed writing the children’s books; he explains, â€Å"I’d rather write for kids. They are more appreciative. Adults are obsolete children and the hell with them† (qtd in Kibler). It was because of his children books that Seuss was labeled the â€Å"American Icon†. He is best known for his way of writing, and how he can make any child get hooked on his books. â€Å"New generation[sic] of criticism have revealed that Dr. Seuss indeed is a figure of awesome cultural designation within childhood in the American middle class’s ideology†(Nel). Geisel was referred to by Robert Wilson of the New York Times Book Reviews as â€Å"possibly the best-loved and certainly the best-selling children’s book writer of all time†. Geisel has been accused of being sexist towards women in his earlier writing career. Critics have said that his work has a â€Å"conspicuous absence of women† (Zawacki). â€Å"Of the 42 children’s books Theodore Seuss Geisel published before his death, not one had a title who was female† (Zawacki). It was not until 1995 that Geisel published a book titled Daisy-Head Mayzie; it was based on an animated television special. Daisy-Head Mayzie had a strong female character named Mayzie. The story was a big seller and it proved to the critics that he was not sexist. Even though Geisel cartoons during WWII were offensive others agreed with the cartoons and did not find them offensive. He wrote and illustrated children’s books that are still being sold and were made into movies today. Geisel proved those people who accused him of being sexist wrong by writing a book that had a strong female character. Everyone has a different opinion on Dr. Seuss, but most people agree and label him as â€Å"the modern Mother Goose†(Zawacki). Seuss’s writings made a great impact on people in both good and bad ways; yet he still had a very successful career with no regrets Between 1937 and 1991, Theodore Geisel published 42 children’s books which were often characterized by his imaginative characters and rhyme. He has sold over half a billion copies of his books. Some of his books have been made into audiocassettes, videos, animated television specials, and even a major motion picture for children of all ages. Some of his books have even been translated into different languages as well. Geisel proved to the world that it was possible to write children’s books with a limited vocabulary and make the books best sellers. The plots of the Dr. Seuss books are entertaining and often teach a lesson, from the importance of taking responsibility for the earth and one another to learning what is really important. Dr. Seuss’s books are such great sellers, that his books are being taught and read to children all over the world, while his movies are being view around the world as well. Theodore Geisel had won dozens of awards for his work. Some of those awards include the following: the Pulitzer Prize, three Academy Awards, an Emmy Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, three Caldecott Honor Awards, and the Regina Medal. Not only did he earn awards, Geisel also received honors for his work, including a Doctorate of Humane Letters from his alma mater, Dartmouth and six other honorary doctorates. His stories had such an impact that The Universal Studio's Theme Park Islands of Adventure has a part of its park designated for Seuss lovers of all ages called Seuss Landing. Works Cited Flynn, Richard. â€Å"The Cat in the Hat for President. † Literature Online. 2005. Children's Literature. 11 Sept. 2011 . May, Jill P. â€Å"The Seuss, the Whole Seuss and Nothing but the Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel/Dr. Seuss: American Icon. † Literature Online. 2005. Lion and the Unicorn. 11 Sept. 2011 . Nel, Philip. â€Å"Children's Literature Goes to War: Dr. Seuss. † Wiley Online Library. 14 May 2007. The Journal of Popular Culture, 2007, 40, 3, 468-487, Blackwell Publishing Inc. 11 Sept. 2011 . Nel, Philip. â€Å"Dada Knows Best: Growing Up ‘Surreal' with Dr. Seuss. † Literature Online. 1999. Children's Literature. 11 Aug. 2011 . Nel, Philip. â€Å"Said a bird in the midst of a blitz†¦ â€Å": How World War II created Dr. Seuss. † Literature Online. 2001. Mosaic. 11 Sept. 2011 .

Impacts of the market structure on the business behaviour of companies in the Structure Conduct †Airline Industry

Impacts of the market structure on the business behaviour of companies in the Structure Conduct – Airline Industry Introduction Business structure can be viewed as organizational and other attributes of a market. These are the characteristics which have a significant impact on competition and hence the pricing (Tuto2u 2011). The main aspects of the market structure includes the total number of the firms, the extent to which the industry is vertically integrated, the share of the market, costs, structure of buyers, turnover of customers and the product differentiation (degree of differentiation) (Tuto2u 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Impacts of the market structure on the business behaviour of companies in the Structure Conduct – Airline Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The business structure has a significant impact on the business behaviour. There are certain behaviours which characterize each business structure. This is in turn determined by the aspects of a particular business structure. Discussion The re are several market structures under which any organization can fall. These include the perfect competition, monopoly or the oligopoly. Each of these has its unique characteristics. In the perfect competition, there are many firms in a certain industry. A good example of a competitive market is the hotel industry. It is characterized by a large number of firms which compete with each other. In the perfect competition, there are very little barriers to entry. This implies that it is easy to venture into a certain industry. Every participant in the perfect competition is a price taker. This implies that every firm will take the price which is offered at the market. An individual firm in this case does not have any power to influence the market price. Another category of the market structure is the monopoly. This is the business structure where there is only one firm in the market. There is a high barrier to entry into such a market. In this category of the market structure, the firm is the portico maker. This implies that the firm has the power to determine the price. Therefore, there are high chances of customer exploitation in this market structure. This is because there is no competition for customers. This may also discourage the firms from innovation because the firm does not face any threat from competitors. The other form of the market structure is the oligopoly. This form of market structure is characterized by few firms which produces differentiated products. There are high barriers to entry. This is the reason why there are a few firms in an industry. Firms in this form of market structure are the price makers because there are just a few firms in a certain industry.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More From this discussion, it can clearly be seen that the market structure for the airline industry is oligopoly. This is because there are just a small number of companies in the industry. However, there is a higher level of competition in this market structure compared with the monopoly where there is only one seller. In the airline industry, each company has the pricing power. This is because there are just a few firms in the industry. However, it is important to note that these firms do not have the power of setting the prices just to the levels they want. In the airline industry, every organization affects the market. However, an organization is also affected by the decisions made by other organizations in the industry. The set up costs on the airline industry is extremely high. Therefore, although there are high profits to be made, high costs forms a barrier to entry. For instance, setting an airline in the United States of America is extremely expensive. This is the reason why there are just a small number of companies operating in the market. This is unlike the case of a hotel which is easy to start up. In airli ne industry as an oligopoly, there are sometimes price wars. This is where one company cuts its prices and others follow by doing the same. This process may usually continue and leads to unhealthy competition which may significantly affect the profitability of an organization. For instance, the British Airways was faced by price wars in 2009 where it was forced to cut down the price of its tickets by 36 percent (Knapton 2008). This negatively affected its profitability. Airline companies usually engage in price wars with an effort of expanding their individual market shares. Reference List Knapton, S. 2008. Price War As Airlines Fight For Passengers Web. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/2605029/Price-war-as-airlines-fight-for-passengers.htmlAdvertising We will write a custom essay sample on Impacts of the market structure on the business behaviour of companies in the Structure Conduct – Airline Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Tuto2u, 2011. Market Structures – Summary Web. Available at: https://www.tutor2u.net/economics/reference/key-summary-on-market-structures

The History of the Ashikaga Shogunate

The History of the Ashikaga Shogunate Between 1336 and 1573, the Ashikaga Shogunate ruled Japan. However, it was not a strong central governing force, and in fact, the Ashikaga Bakufu witnessed the rise of powerful daimyo all around the country. These regional lords reigned over their domains with very little interference or influence from the shogun in Kyoto.   The Beginning of Ashikaga Rule The first century of Ashikaga rule is distinguished by a flowering of culture and the arts, including Noh drama, as well as the popularization of Zen Buddhism. By the later Ashikaga period, Japan had descended into the chaos of the Sengoku period, with different daimyo battling one another for territory and power in a century-long civil war. The roots of Ashikaga power go back even before the Kamakura period (1185 - 1334), which preceded the Ashikaga shogunate. During the Kamakura era, Japan was ruled by a branch of the ancient Taira clan, which lost the Genpei War (1180 - 1185) to the Minamoto clan, but managed to seize power anyway. The Ashikaga, in turn, was a branch of the Minamoto clan. In 1336, Ashikaga Takauji overthrew the Kamakura shogunate, in effect defeating the Taira once more and returning the Minamoto to power. Ashikaga got his chance in large part thanks to Kublai Khan, the Mongol emperor who founded the Yuan Dynasty in China. Kublai Khans two invasions of Japan, in 1274 and 1281, did not succeed thanks to the miracle of the kamikaze, but they did significantly weaken the Kamakura shogunate. Public dissatisfaction with Kamakura rule gave the Ashikaga clan its chance to overthrow the shogun  and seize power.   In 1336, Ashikaga Takauji established his own shogunate in Kyoto. The Ashikaga Shogunate is also sometimes known as the Muromachi shogunate  because the shoguns palace was in the Muromachi district of Kyoto. From the start, Ashikaga rule was bedeviled by controversy. A disagreement with the Emperor, Go-Daigo, about who would actually have power, led to the emperor being deposed in favor of the Emperor Komyo. Go-Daigo fled south and set up his own rival imperial court. The period between 1336 and 1392 is known as the Northern and Southern Courts era  because Japan had two emperors at the same time. In terms of international relations, the Ashikaga shoguns sent frequent diplomatic and trade missions to Joseon Korea, and also used the daimyo of Tsushima Island as an intermediary. Ashikaga letters were addressed to the king of Korea from the king of Japan, indicating an equal relationship. Japan also carried on an active trade relationship with Ming China, once the Mongol Yuan Dynasty was overthrown in 1368. Chinas Confucian distaste for trade dictated that they disguise the trade as tribute coming from Japan, in exchange for gifts from the Chinese emperor. Both Ashikaga Japan and Joseon Korea established this tributary relationship with Ming China. Japan also traded with Southeast Asia, sending copper, swords, and furs in exchange for exotic woods and spices. The Ashikaga Dynasty Overthrown At home, however, the Ashikaga shoguns were weak.  The clan did not have a large home domain of its own, so it lacked the wealth and power of the Kamakura or the later Tokugawa shoguns. The lasting influence of the Ashikaga era is in the arts and culture of Japan.   During this period, the samurai class enthusiastically embraced Zen Buddhism, which had been imported from China as early as the seventh century. The military elites developed an entire aesthetic based on Zen ideas about beauty, nature, simplicity, and utility. Arts including the tea ceremony, painting, garden design, architecture and interior design, floral arranging, poetry, and Noh theater all developed along Zen lines.   In 1467, the decade-long Onin War broke out. It soon escalated into a nation-wide civil war, with various daimyo fighting for the privilege of naming the next heir to the Ashikaga shogunal throne. Japan erupted into factional fighting; the imperial and shogunal capital of Kyoto burned. The Onin War marked the beginning of the Sengoku, a 100-year period of continual civil war and turmoil. The Ashikaga nominally held onto power until 1573, when warlord Oda Nobunaga overthrew the last shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiaki.  However, Ashikaga power really ended with the start of the Onin War.

Introduction of Thesis Dignity in Elderly Care Essay

Introduction of Thesis Dignity in Elderly Care - Essay Example experienced throughout the past years, as well as failure of will, which once engrained within the mentality and daily attitudes of the elderly, tends to persist till their very death. The media both local and foreign has depicted on diverse occasions, the scrupulous levels of neglect and abuse that the elderly may experience at times within the health care systems (Mark et al., 1998); while often there are also reports of direct killings of the elderly patients perpetuated by their caregivers (Wainwright, 2008). in this context, The World Health Organisation defines the term â€Å"Elder Abuse† act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person† (WHO, 2011). This abuse can take place in three different ways: psychological/ emotional abuse, physical abuse, financial abuse, and sexual abuse. The basic notions of human dignity were first conceived within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR) that states in its preamble â€Å"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world† (UNDHR, 1948). Based on this guiding principle, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union states in its first article, â€Å"human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected and protected,† thus, proclaiming that dignity in an integral part of all human existence, and human dignity must always be upheld. Article 3 of the Charter focuses on physical and mental integrity, whilst article 4 focuses on the protection against inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 25 focuses on â€Å"the right of the elderly to lead a life of dignity and... All forms of undertaken research work consist of a fixed procedure, which is made up of a series of varying enquiries on the selected issue/ problem that are systemic in nature. These systemic enquires enable the research scholar, to imbibe new knowledge on that particular theme. This thesis paper will comprise of both primary and secondary work, though the primary nature of the research work carried out in this paper is secondary research, defined as â€Å"analyzing [the] already collected data within another study† (Sarantakos, 2005, 297). Secondary researches generally involve a detailed study of all the available data, which is perceived as necessary, owing to the fact that often ‘a wealth of data’ that has been collected for various other non-research objectives, can also be used quite effectively to answer one’s questions in a research paper. Secondary research work generally creates a broader perspective for the concerned researcher to study and coll ect a large number of required data from various resources. The research process methodology as followed for this paper is based on the outline given by Graziano & Raulin, in their paper.

Pros of GMO Foods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Pros of GMO Foods - Essay Example pulation, massive 3rd world hunger, and with an estimation that a child dies for every two seconds world wide from starvation; this does not even take into account the number of people who are mal and undernourished, there is a great promise in the use of this technology to benefit not only the farmers, but also societies worldwide† (â€Å"Benefits of GM Food†). Even in the prosperous countries, the demand of food is more than the supply of natural food. This imparts a need to produce GMO foods. GMO foods’ bigger yields helps use the land more efficiently with less use of pesticides and herbicides. GMO foods’ flavor, nutritional value, and texture is better than that of their natural counterparts. GMO foods look larger in size and fuller in appearance and their colors are more vibrant and appealing to the eye compared to natural foods. The way a fruit or vegetable looks has a very important role in its usability in meals. People want to eat foods that look appealing and