Is there a need for reform in Albany Term Paper

Is there a need for reform in Albany - Term Paper Example and corruption matters that occurred in the State legislature in the past two years and the kind of reforms that the Governor and the legislature has put in place to address the matter. The paper then describes the legal and policy structure of the adopted reforms and the public criticism that this has generated. The paper then concludes by giving recommendations to the Governor and to the State Legislature to restore the public trust (Katz). Although there are numerous cases of corruption in Albany, the most pointed cases have been in the legislature. In a recent scandal, the senators from Buffalo state George Maziarz as well as Patrick Gallivan purportedly spent $ 140,000 and $ 80,000 respectively in time they were in office. In this particular case, the problem was not in the spending of the money itself but the fact that they did not find it fit to report their expenditures. Apart from Senators’ George Maziarz and Patrick Gallivan being investigated, the now defunct Moreland Commission was also investigating state Sen. Diane Savino of Staten Island for alleged mismanaging of campaign funds. These two cases are a clear indication of the rot in the state’s Legislature (Frisch). In light of the corruption allegations within the state, Governor Cuomo set up the Moreland Commission (now defunct) to address the allegations. The power to form this commission comes from the Moreland Act, a legislation that gives the Governor the authority to set up a panel to look at waste in the government and to come up with recommendations for reforms. Upon setting up the committee, Attorney General Schneiderman offered to deputize the commission something that bolstered its powers. This was because his presence had accorded the commission a wider legal reach than the current powers that were contained in the Moreland Act (Medina). For Governor Cuomo, there is need to develop a campaign finance system that incorporates the option of public financing. The call for this reform

Qualitative Research Problem and Design-Terence Essay - 1

Qualitative Research Problem and Design-Terence - Essay Example In-setting perceptions, interviews and extensive discussions are some of the methods employed in this type of research (Academy of Management, 2011). Criminal activities in most parts of the world are increasing due to some factors which economists and sociologists believe can be controlled (CICITAS CRIME, 2013). For example, the crime rate in the United States is considered to be low as compared other parts of the world but still high. Regions of Africa and South America are the most affected areas with the increasing rates of criminal activities. It is important to look at the causes of these increasing levels of crimes since lives are lost from such criminal activities. Some of the major factors behind increasing crime rates are lack of job opportunities among the youth and urbanization in general. Looking into the effects of these criminal behaviors in our society is also crucial since it would give the community reasons to fight this ill in the society. Finally, a research on how to fight this problem would be necessary (Clear, 2012). A crime is an activity that a person or a group engages in but the law of the land is against. These activities can be acts that affect other people are those that affect just the doers of the activities. The general perspective of criminal behavior looks at all the parties at stake when such an unlawful action is taken (Federal Bureau of Investigations, 2013). The rate of criminal activities in our countries has been on the increases. The number of unlawful activities that government authorities record every year is today higher than the number recorded back in the early 2000s. The size of data about lives lost in the line of handling criminal activities have also become bigger over years to date. The world is now left alert about these increasing criminal rates as the entire generation from the West to the East is affected by the problem (Uniform Crime

Altruists attract and origins of mating behavior Essay Example for Free

Altruists attract and origins of mating behavior Essay In the experiment study altruists attract researchers concluded that people tend to corporate with the more attractive members of the opposite sex. Besides, as more one member of opposite sex is showing corporation, the more attractive it may seem to other member of the opposite sex. No doubt, altruistic behavior is beneficial in both genders which are in the long-term relationships because they share the same resources or care about their children. Research shows that people who are corporative are viewed by others as more attractive and kind and these are the values which people count for when are looking for mating partners. For example, males tend to give more money to women beggars than to the same sex beggars-males. Second article talked about origins of mating and how people choose partners when it comes to mating. Charles Darwin was the first who proposed the theory of sexual selection, emphasizing that mating behavior can be explained by evolutionary change; preferences for a mate and competition for a mate. Humans never choose mating partners just by coincidence; they tend to use strategies in order to find the most appropriate mate. Also, our ancestors used strategies for mating, they chose to mate with the opposite sex members who were reproductive in order to pass on genes to the next generations. For instance, females choose their mates who are economically independent, who will take care of them and their children, and who would devote their time to family. These both strategies can be both referred to our ancestors and our time scale. Author of this article compare women with weaverbirds which also prefer man with rich and fruitful nests. However, the most difficult decisions for humans in selecting a mate is to distinguish and indentify what kind of relationship are they looking for; short term or long term relationship. Even when it comes to animal mating, the stronger and larger ones are the more chances in finding an appropriate mate. Therefore, the weaker ones ten to fail in finding a mate and they become extinct. No doubt, keeping a mate is another important thing for the people who are seeking a long term relationship. Some people tend to be by nature more jealous than others. Therefore, sexual jealously can elicit either vigilance or cause violence between couples. Finally, it is not in human nature to date just with one person for an entire lifetime. Humans often brake up or split with other member of sex, due to the conflicts such as one may feel unsatisfy being in a particular relationship, cheating or other reasons. All over the world humans are failing for the divorce. It is not only seen in Western world. When people brake up or split they tend to enter again the mating market. But reentering again and starting everything from new can cause other problems. For example, women having children from previous relationship may have difficulty to finding a new mate. Besides, ages plays a big role in finding a mate.

Literature On The Impacts Of Landslides Environmental Sciences Essay

Literature On The Impacts Of Landslides Environmental Sciences Essay Objective of this chapter is to present all the literature available related to landslides and its impact to socio environment. It would include what are natural disasters, priority of occurrence of natural disasters, some thing about Sri Lanka and natural disasters in Sri Lanka; something about landslides, landslides is the one of main natural disasters for Hill country, reasons for landslides in Sri Lanka specially in Ratnapura district, socio impact of natural landslides in Sri Lanka, mitigation of landslides in Sri Lanka. A natural hazard is a threat of an event that will have a negative effect on people or the environment. In recent years, growing population and expansion of settlements and life-lines over hazardous areas have largely increased the impact of natural disasters both in industrialized and developing countries. (Guzzetti.F, et al, Landslide hazard evaluation: a review of current techniques and their application in a multi-scale study, Central Italy). Specially Asia and the Pacific is the worlds most disaster-prone region, accounting for 91 per cent of deaths from natural disasters in the past century and 49 per cent of the resulting economic damage (ASIA PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK). It can be illustrated as follow. (Figure 2.2.1) Figure 2.2.1: Impacts of natural disasters in the period 1900-2005 Source: EM DAT, the OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database, Univercity Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. Each year for the past 15 years, an average of 41,000 people have died in the region from natural disasters, which annually inflicted $29 billion worth of damage. Of the worlds 10 most severe natural disasters in 2004, five occurred in the Asian and Pacific region, causing damage amounting to $55 billion, about 70 per cent of the total damage, estimated at $80 billion. Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific in 2007 presented major natural disaster events in the Asia and Pacific region from1988 to 2007. (Figure 2.2.2) Figure 2.2.2 Major natural disaster events in the Asian and Pacific region, 1988- 2007 Source: ASIA PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK At the meeting of Management of Landslide hazard, Japan Landslide Society (JLS) presented two reasons for that situation occurred in the Asia-Pacific Region. This include countries difficulty to face the high costs of controlling natural hazards through major engineering works, rational land-use planning and different part of landscape had been subjected to wide range of disaster from time to time through out the history. The droughts, landslides, cyclone, wind, storms, soil erosion, Tsunami and coastal erosion are the common natural disasters while terrorism, violence, civil conflicts, explosions, industrial accidents, epidemics, gem mining, sand mining, fires deforestation are the man made disaster that affect the community of the Asia-Pacific. Since 1990 the region has suffered 50 per cent of the worlds major natural disasters when International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction began. The total number of deaths due to natural disasters in the region has exceeded 200,000 and the estimated damage to property over this period has been estimated at US$ 100 billion (ASIA PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK). 2.2.1 Flood A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land, a deluge. Floods are the most common climate-related disaster in the region and include seasonal floods, flash floods, urban floods due to inadequate drainage facilities and floods associated with tidal events induced by typhoons in coastal areas. In Bangladesh, one of the most flood-prone countries in the region, as many as 80 million people are vulnerable to flooding each year (ESCAP, 1995a). In India, where a total of 40 million hectares is at risk from flooding each year, the average annual direct damage has been estimated at US$ 240 million, although this figure can increase to over US$ 1.5 billion with severe flood events.   (ASIA PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK). Flooding is the most common natural hazard in Sri Lanka also. Heavy monsoon rain has affected the South and South West of Sri Lanka, leading to the most serious flooding and landslides in over 50 years. Six districts are affected by the floods. This includes Ratnapura, Galle, Kalutara, Matara, Nuwara Eliya, and Hambantota disricts. Recent records indicate that Sri Lanka experiences large scale flooding every 2 to 3 years on average about 200,000 people are affected every year. The Government of Sri Lanka Disaster Operations Center has provided the following data on the affected areas: (Table 2.2.1.1) Table 01: flooding areas District Affected Families Deaths Houses destroyed Houses partially damaged Hambantota 1,812 22 429 932 Kulatara 21,550 8 7,658 35 Galle 36,703 17 1,273 560 Matara 68,075 80 8,850 17,822 Ratnapura 47,756 137 5,726 6,902 Nuwara Eliya 132 1 286 0 Source: The Government of Sri Lanka Disaster Operations Center There are 103 river basins in the island of which about 20 can be considered major basins of the five main rivers, the Kelani, Kalu, Gin, Nilwala and Mahaweli, which experience annual floods. Floods in Sri Lanka occur mainly due to excessive rainfall during the monsoons, and they normally occur during the Southwest monsoon and during the inter-monsoonal rains, just before and after the Northeast monsoon. Therefore, rivers located on the Western slope of the country become prone to flooding. . (Malalgoda M, et al, ITDG South Asia, 2002) 2.2.2 Earthquake An earthquake is a sudden and sometimes catastrophic movement of a part of the earths surface. Earthquakes result from the dynamic release of elastic strain energy that radiates seismic waves. Earthquakes typically result from the movement of faults, planar zones of deformation within the earths upper crust. (Cecil H, et al, Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography). Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph. At the Earths surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and sometimes displacing the ground. When a large earthquake epicenter is located offshore, the seabed sometimes suffers sufficient displacement to cause a tsunami. The shaking in earthquakes can also trigger landslides and occasionally volcanic activity.(Spence, William; S. A. Sipkin, G. L. Choy (1989). Measuring the Size of an Earthquake, United States Geological Survey, 2006). Earthquakes are short-lived, menacing and the most feared natural hazards because of their sudden impact and devastation in a matter of few seconds inflicting immense losses of life and property. Therefore since we are not in a position to predict an earthquake, we must at least try to find out the scientific causes that can lead to such catastrophic earthquakes. If not disaster due to earthquakes affects all segments of the community including individuals causing significant economic social impacts, severe damage to life human suffering, loss of property material wealth, environmental devastations, devastation of physical facilities (Banerjee R, et al Geomatics in Earthquake Mitigation, ESHD/MWRG-RESA, Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad). 2.2.3 Cyclones Cyclones are huge revolving storms caused by winds blowing around a central area of low atmospheric pressure. In the northern hemisphere, cyclones are called hurricanes or typhoons and their winds blow in an anti-clockwise circle. In the southern hemisphere, these tropical storms are known as cyclones, whose winds blow in a clockwise circle. Cyclones develop over warm seas near the Equator. Air heated by the sun rises very swiftly, which creates areas of very low pressure. As the warm air rises, it becomes loaded with moisture which condenses into massive thunderclouds. Cool air rushes in to fill the void that is left, but because of the constant turning of the Earth on its axis, the air is bent inwards and then spirals upwards with great force. The swirling winds rotate faster and faster, forming a huge circle which can be up to 2,000 km across. (Natural Disasters by Cindy, Lisa and Stacey). The Eastern Coast of Sri Lanka is prone to disastrous cyclones. The cyclone season is from November to December. About 83% of occurrences in the past have been during this period. In the instances where cyclones have hit Sri Lanka the effects have been devastating. The cyclone of 1964 hit the districts of Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Mannar, Batticaloa and Amparai. This cyclone resulted in 75,000 people being affected and 280 deaths. The cyclone of 1978 affected nearly 1 million people and an estimated 100,000 people were made homeless. . (Malalgoda M, et al, ITDG South Asia, 2002) 2.2.4 Droughts Droughts are caused by lack of rain over a long period of time. Most droughts tend to occur during summer, as the weather is hot and water is quickly evaporated. It has been observed that the impact of droughts differs widely between developed and developing countries because of the influence of such factors as water supply and water-use efficiency. The majority of the estimated 500 million rural poor in the Asia-Pacific region are subsistence farmers occupying mainly rain-fed land (ESCAP, 1995a). The drought-prone countries in this region are Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and parts of Bangladesh. The Philippines, Thailand, Australia and the Pacific islands of Fiji, Vanuatu and Samoa also contain drought-prone areas. (ASIA PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK) Dry spells and droughts are a recurrent feature of the natural climate of Sri Lanka. In the extreme northwest Mannar and Kalpitiya areas and in the extreme southwest Yala area the mean annual rainfall drops below 1000mm. Hambantota, Moneragala and Puttlam are the administrative districts where drought is a regular phenomenon. 2.3 Natural disasters in Sri Lanka 2.3.1 About Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean, located in Southern Asia, southeast of India, in a strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes. It has a total area of 65,610 km ², with 64,740 km ² of land and 870 km ² of water. Its coastline is 1,340 km long. Sri Lankas climate includes tropical monsoons: the northeast monsoon (December to March), and the southwest monsoon (June to October). Its terrain is mostly low, flat to rolling plain, with mountains in the south-central interior. The highest point is Pidurutalagala at 2,524.13 m. Natural resources include limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower. Extensive faulting and erosion over time have produced a wide range of topographic features, making Sri Lanka one of the most scenic places in the world. Three zones are distinguishable by elevation: the Central Highlands, the plains, and the coastal belt. Sri Lankas climate can be described as tropical, and quite warm. Its position between 5 and 10 north latitude endows the country with a warm climate, moderated by ocean winds and considerable moisture. The mean temperature ranges from a low of 16 °C in Nuwara Eliya in the Central Highlands (where frost may occur for several days in the winter) to a high of 32 °C in Trincomalee on the northeast coast (where temperatures may reach 38  °C). As a whole the average yearly temperature for the country ranges from 28 to 30  °C. Day and night temperatures may vary by 4 to 7. January is the coolest month, causing people, especially those in the highlands, to wear coats and sweaters. May, the hottest period, precedes the summer monsoon rains. The rainfall pattern is influenced by the monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal and is marked by four seasons. The first is from mid-May to October, when winds originate in the southwest, bringing moisture from the Indian Ocean. When these winds encounter the slopes of the Central Highlands, they unload heavy rains on the mountain slopes and the southwestern sector of the island. Some of the windward slopes receive up to 2500 mm of rain per month, but the leeward slopes in the east and northeast receive little rain. The second season occurs in October and November, inter monsoonal months. During this season, periodic squalls occur and sometimes tropical cyclones bring overcast skies and rains to the southwest, northeast, and eastern parts of the island. During the third season, December to March, monsoon winds come from the northeast, bringing moisture from the Bay of Bengal. The northeastern slopes of the mountains may be inundated with up to 1250 mm of rain during the se months. Another inter monsoonal period occurs from March until mid-May, with light, variable winds and evening thundershowers.(Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain, Geography of Sri Lanka). 2.3.2 Natural disasters in Sri Lanka As a results of geological factors, weather condition, human activities recent records indicate that Sri Lanka is a disaster prone country since historical time. Different part of landscape had been subjected to wide range of disaster from time to time through out the history. But not only natural disasters had been caused to introduce Sri Lanka as a disaster prone country, mane made disasters also subject to this situation. While the droughts, Landslides, Cyclone, Wind, Storms, Soil erosion, Tsunami and costal erosion are the common natural disasters; terrorism, violence, civil conflicts, explosions, industrial accidents, epidemics, gem mining, sand mining, fires deforestation are the man made disasters that affect the community of the country.(Jayaweera S, National Building Research Organization). Those natural disasters had been affected all segments of Sri Lankan community including individuals causing significant economic and social impacts, sever damage to life and human suffering, loss of property and material wealth, environmental devastation of physical facilities such as water supply, power generation and distribution, telecommunication, arterial roads linking the affected areas to other part of the country, township, health and education facilities. (Natural Disaster Risk Management Programme. Community Based Disaster Reduction and Recovery. Through Participation of Communities and Local Self Governments). According to the relief distribution to the victims during past two decades, the most devastating natural hazard has been landslides and floods in terms of deaths and cost. Disaster due to landslides affects all segments of the community including individuals causing significant economic social impacts. During the past few years landslide incidents seem to be increasing in number and severity casing vulnerability of communities. ( Jayaweera S, National Building Research Organizatio) 2.4 Landslides 2.4.1 Something about Landslide A landslide is the down slope movement of sediment and rock. The word landslide also refers to the landforms that result from this action. Landslides are reflecting the many diverse landscapes (Evans, S.G, Landslides; in A Synthesis of Geological Hazards in Canada, G.R. Brooks; Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin, 2001) Landslides and mass movements are common phenomena in the world, from the recent past. Especially landslides spread from the Central hills to neighboring districts predominantly. This can be occurred in different sizes and it can be range form a single boulder that fell off a cliff to a large area encompassing tens of square kilometers and millions of cubic meters of debris. And the speed of movement can range from extremely slow to extremely rapid. The slowest movement, creep, is on the order of a few centimeters to a few tens of centimeters per year. The fastest type of landslide, the rock avalanche, may reach velocities of up to 100 meters per second (360 kilometers per hour), which exceeds the speed of a race car. (Herath H.M.D.R, Department of Sociology  University of Peradeniya)   Landslides move down slope under the influence of gravity; although, if the geological material is particularly weak or sensitive or is saturated with water, gravity is less important. How the slope will fail and how the material will move is dependent on the specific geology and topography of the region. Some landslides move only a short distance, coming to a stop near the base of the slope; others can travel several kilometers from the source. Some landslides will trigger sequential failures retrogress the head scarp back into the slope. (Evans, S.G. (2001),G.R. Brooks; Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Atlanta, presented a specific areas which are more likely to experienced landslides. They are: Areas where wildfires or human modification of the land have destroyed vegetation; Areas where landslides have occurred before; Steep slopes and areas at the bottom of slopes or canyons; Slopes that have been altered for construction of buildings and roads; Channels along a stream or river; Areas where surface runoff is directed. 2.4.2 Types of landslides Figure 2.4.2.1: Rock Slide Diagram by J. Appleby, R. Kilbourne, and T. Spittler after Varnes, 1978 A landslide involving bedrock in which the rock that moves remains largely intact for at least a portion of the movement. Rock slides can range in size from small and thin to very large and thick, and are subject to a wide range of triggering mechanisms. Rock slides commonly occur on relatively steep slopes in competent rocks. Slope gradients are commonly from 35% to as steep as 70%. Figure 2.4.2.2: EARTH FLOW Diagram by J. Appleby, R. Kilbourne, and T. Spittler after Varnes, 1978 Earth flows commonly occur on moderately steep slopes. Slope gradients are commonly from 10% to as steep as 30%, although steeper slopes may be found in head scarp and toe areas. Earth flows typically are initiated by periods of prolonged rainfall and sometimes dont initiate until well after a storm or the rainy season has passed. They are characteristically slow moving, in the millimeters or centimeters per day range, and may continue to move for a period of days to weeks after initiating. Figure 2.4.2.3: DEBRIS SLIDE Source:Diagram by J.Appleby, R. Kilbourne, and T.Spittler after Varnes, 1978 Debris slides typically move initially as shallow intact slabs of soil and vegetation, but break up after a short distance into falls and flows. Movement of the slide mass as a shallow slab leads to a smooth, steep, commonly curved scar. The debris is deposited at the base as a loose hummocky mass, although the deposit may be rapidly removed by erosion. Debris slides commonly occur on very steep slopes, as steep as 60% to 70%, usually in an area where the base of a slope is undercut by erosion. Figure 2.4.2.4: DEBRIS FLOW Diagram by J.Appleby, R. Kilbourne, and T.Spittler after Varnes, 1978 Debris flows are most often triggered by intense rainfall following a period of less intense precipitation, or by rapid snow melt. High pore water pressures cause the soil and weathered rock to rapidly lose strength and flow down slope. Debris flows can move very rapidly, at rates ranging from meters per hour to meters per second and travel relatively long distances, making them a significant threat to life and property. Debris flows commonly begin as a slide of a shallow mass of soil and weathered rock. Their most distinctive landform is the scar left by the original shallow slide. The path of the debris flow may be marked by a small drainage that has been stripped of vegetation. The debris flow may not leave any deposit if it flows directly into a larger creek and is immediately eroded away. Many debris flow deposits are ephemeral, but in some cases successive debris flows may deposit material in the same area thereby forming a debris fan, which resembles a small, steep alluvial fa n. Figure 2.4.2.5: ROCK FALL Diagram by J.Appleby, R. Kilbourne, and T.Spittler after Varnes, 1978 Rock falls occur on steep slopes of hard, fractured rock. The scar left by a rock fall on the slope may be no more apparent than an area of rock that is less weathered than the surrounding rocks. Rock fall deposits are loose piles of rubble that may be easily removed by erosion. Because neither the scar nor the deposit are distinctive, and because the most frequently occurring rock falls are typically small, individual rock falls are usually not shown on regional-scale (1:24,000 and smaller) landslide maps. Though infrequent, moderate- to large-volume rock falls can be extremely dangerous and sometimes fatal. Large slabs of rock impacting a hard ledge after a long drop can rapidly break apart, leading to air entrainment and long run outs, induced air blasts, airborne projectiles (fly rock) and severe dust clouds. (Varnes, D.J., 1978, Slope movement types and processes. In, Special Report, R.L. Schuster and R.J. Krizek, National Research Council, Washington) 2.5 Landslides is one of the main natural disasters in hill country While flooding is most significant for lowland, Landslides are the serious geologic hazard common to hill country. Recent rainfall in several parts of the country caused havoc by way of landslides in the hill country and floods in low lands including Colombo City. Present landslide density in the central highlands and the wet zone of Sri Lanka is estimated to be in the order of 1-2 landslides per sq. km and approximately 20% of the total land area of the country, which supports nearly 30% of the total population, is subject to landslides. Landslide prone areas are located in 7 districts in and adjacent to the central highlands, and 7-9 districts located in the wet zone are prone to landslides. Namely Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Kegalle, Kalutara, Kandy, Matale and recently Matara, Galle and Hambantota are prone to landslides while Ratnapura district is taking important place.(Malalgoda M, et al, ITDG South Asia, 2002) Poorna S. Yahampath, technical officer of disaster preparedness illustrated that Most of areas in Ratnapura district are affected by landslide (Figure 08) Map 2.5.1: Disaster prone district Source:compiled by the author Source: Poorna S. Yahampath; Technical Advisor Disaster Preparedness (2008) Because of above situation in Ratnapura district National Building Research Organization (NBRO) have choose Ratnapura for launch demonstration project (landslides, frequent flooding, erosion, pollution and contamination of water resources, ground subsidence etc. 2.6 Landslides in Ratnapura district Landslides occurred in many areas such as Ratnapura, Pelmadulla, Kalawana, Nivithigala and Kahawatta in Ratnapura district. Twenty Grama Sewa Niladhari (GSN) Divisions were affected due to landslides. According to investigations carried out by NBRO there are 135 high-risk areas, 69 medium risk areas and 67 low risk areas in the whole of Ratnapura District. The hazard analysis carried out by the Ratnapura Disaster Management Steering Committee (RDMSC) in 1999 under the SLUMDMP identified the following hazards in the order of frequency of occurrence shown as percentage on the graph below. This data reveals that Ratnapura is vulnerable to multiple hazards. According to that investigation disasters due to landslide took a 2nd place. Figure 2.6.1: multiple hazards in Ratnapura District Source: Asian Disaster preparedness center Table: 2.6.1 Landslides in Ratnapura district Date DS Division Village Deaths 1979 Kuruwita Akurana 5 2/6/1981 Pelmadulla Handurukanda 8/6/1981 Pelmadulla Pathalpana kanda 9 2/11/1983 Ratnapura Mihitiya 1985 Elapatha Kohomba kanda 2/6/1985 Kuruwita Wetumala 30/5/1989 NI Hettikanda 1 8/10/1993 Ratnapura Helauda kanda 31 28/5/1994 Ehaliyagoda Asgangula 7 21/6/1995 Balangoda Kumaragama 13/10/1999 Kalawana Ayagama 2 5/10/2002 Balangoda Puwakgahawela 6 17/5/2003 Elapatha Palawela 56 18/5/2003 Kalawana Panapola 26 18/5/2003 Ratnapura Muwagama 7 Source: Poorna S Yahampath, UK South Asia scientist and Practitioners (2008) The landslides in Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka in May 2003 again showed the high vulnerability of the community living in the area. On 17th May 2003, Ratnapura had extremely heavy and unusual rainfall of 347.2 mm within 24 hours. Many landslide occurrences have been observed within the Ratnapura district surrounding the municipality area. Sliding of Lawulu Kella, Panapola Kanda, Muwagama Kanda were take priority. This was recorded as the most severe event. These three landslides were the most vulnerable that have ever recorded since historically. (Asian disaster preparedness center: case study on mitigating disasters in Asia and the Pacific) 2.7 Reasons for landslides in Sri Lanka specially in Ratnapura district Landslides commonly occur in connection with other major natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, wildfires, and floods. Landslides occur due to natural phenomena and man made activities also contributes to reactivate old landslide. Hilly area of Sri Lanka are affected or threatened by landslides when rains persist with increased intensity. Observations on rainfall data of land slide affected regions suggest that in the earlier times intensive precipitation of (200m 300m) in 24 hours triggered landslide. However, with increased human intervention the tendency for the occurrence of a landslide was high with a precipitation of 100 mm/ hrs. (Jayaweera S, National Building Research Organizatio) Natural phenomena can be divided in to three categories. They are geological factors, morphological factors and physical factors. Weak materials, sensitive materials, weathered materials, sheared materials, jointed or fissured materials, adversely orientated discontinuities, permeability contrasts, material contrasts are can be identified as a geological factor. slope angle, uplift, rebound, fluvial erosion, wave erosion, glacial erosion, erosion of lateral margins, subterranean erosion, slope loading, vegetation change are categorized as a Morphological causes. Physical factors are the factors that intense rainfall , rapid snow melt, prolonged precipitation, rapid drawdown, earthquake, volcanic eruption, thawing, freeze-thaw, shrink-swell, ground water changes.(Malalgoda M, et al, ITDG South Asia, 2002) Man made factors also directly subject to landslides. The reason for increasing man made factors is population growth in Sri Lanka. According to Annual Report of Central Bank resent years population and density rate in Sri Lanka is higher than 2001. So this is a clear indication of the heavy pressure, particularly on agricultural lands. Environment problems will be created with population growth distribution and density. The human population destroys wildlife habitats in many ways such as due to housing, built roads clearing forests or any kind of development tracts on land. There is a close relation between demographic pressure in hilly areas growing environmental degradation and landslides. The haphazard development and inappropriate resources and land utilization, Civil constructions on hilly terrain without proper geotechnical investigation non-provision of suitable drainage systems or blockage of drainage systems and /or natural watercourses, earthwork which alters the shape of a slope are contributory factors to landslide. 2.8 Socio impact of natural landslides in Sri Lanka Natural disasters have a profound impact on the quality of life through their destruction of food crops and livestock, and forced dislocation of households and communities. Their toll on lives and the instant poverty they cause are among their most devastating impacts. The region accounts for a majority of the total number of deaths caused by natural disasters globally. The number of natural disasters has been increasing around the world, but the trends in lives lost and damage caused have changed in recent years due to effective use of technology, communication and transportation systems. Over the past five decades, the average number of deaths caused annually by natural disasters was (Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2007) about 100,000; in contrast, the average over the last 15 years has been about 41,000. As low-income countries of South Asian countries consider as a more threaten counties by Natural Disasters. The sustained efforts for economic growth of those countries are often interrupted by recurrent natural disasters with considerable impact exacerbating poverty conditions in different parts of the region. Since times of unrecorded history South Asian countries have been facing the onslaught of natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, etc. The low-income countries of South Asia i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka accommodate a large population of over a billion. The sustained efforts for economic growth of these countries are often interrupted by recurrent natural disasters with considerable impact exacerbating poverty conditions in different parts of the region. Among above that Asian Countries Sri Lanka consider as a one of main affected country by Natural disasters. Flood and landslides are most common natural disaster which has occurred in each and every year since 1981 to 2007 along with other natural disasters in Sri Lanka. Brammer, Bangladesh Country Study, 1991). Landslides and mass movements are common phenomena in Sri Lanka, from the recent past. The consequences of landslides cause in terms of casualties and extensive damage to the roads, bridges, dams, buildings, forests, paddy fields farm plots and animals. Once these events occurred in uninhabited area is only of scientific interest and not considered as a disaster. When the such events kill and injure people, hurt communities, destroy homes, make stress, cause economic hardships, make vulnerability of people such events cause disaster.  Landslides hazardous operate on varying scales. In order to decreasing severity, the following threats can be recognized.   Hazard to people      2. Hazards to goods 3. Hazards to environment 4. Hazard to development    Common impact associated with landslides is danger to life, property and infrastructure. Refugee loses their relatives and neighbors, property, houses and lands, employment opportunities, income, education and so on. The temporary accommodation areas have to share common resources a

Linda Pastans Poem Ethics :: Pastan Ethics

Linda Pastan's poem "Ethics" In Linda Pastan's poem "Ethics," the speaker recounts a moral dilemma that her teacher would ask every fall, which has been haunting her for a long time. The question was "if there were a fire in a museum / which would you save, a Rembrandt painting / or an old woman who hadn't many / years left anyhow?" and the speaker tells us through the theme that ethics and moral values can be only learned from the reflection which comes through experience and maturity. In this poem, imagery, diction, and figures of speech contribute to the development of the theme. The speaker in the poem uses images to help to support the theme. For example the statement that "sometimes the woman borrowed my grandmother's face" displays the inability of the children to relate the dilemma to themselves, something that the speaker has learned later on with time and experience. In this poem, the speaker is an old woman, and she places a high emphasis on the burden of years from which she speaks by saying "old woman, / or nearly so, myself." "I know now that woman / and painting and season are almost one / and all beyond saving by children." clearly states that the poem is not written for the amusement of children but somebody that has reached the speaker's age, thus supporting the idea of the theme that children cannot help or understand her or anybody of her age. In addition, when the speakers describes the kids in the classroom as "restless on hard chairs" and "caring little for picture or old age" we can picture them in our minds sit ting, ready to leave the class as soon as possible, unwilling and unable to understand the ethics dilemma or what the speaker is feeling. The choice of words of the author also contributes to the development of the theme. For example, the use of words like "drafty," "half-heartedly," and "half-imagined" give the reader the idea of how faintly the dilemma was perceived and understood by the children, thus adding to the idea that the children cannot understand the burden the speaker has upon herself. In addition, referring to a Rembrandt as just a "picture" and to the woman as "old age," we can see that these two symbols, which are very important to the speaker and to the poem, are considered trivial by the children, thus contributing to the concept that the children cannot feel what the speaker is feeling.

Free Merchant of Venice Essays: Secular and Religious Views :: Merchant Venice Essays

Merchant of Venice - Secular and Religious Views The secular and religious views of both, Antonio and Shylock,   were portrayed very bluntly. The religious opinions of both characters   were that their religion was superior to infidels and also very   stereotypical. In the business world, Antonio owned ships with   valuable goods and was extremely generous. He always relied on their   return to shore and expressed his faith in this book. On the other   hand, Shylock was a greedy man and used the Bible for sources of   interest to collect more money. Relating to religious views Antonio   and Shylock were very parallel, but in means of business the two were   reverses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "I[Shylock] hate [Antonio] for he is a Christian. . . [Antonio]   hates our sacred nation." This phrase said by Shylock, a Jew, is based on the beliefs of other Jews upon other Christians. Shylock is   being very stereotypical because Shylock doesn't really know Antonio,   Shylock heard of Jew-hating Christians, so he thinks that all   Christians hate Jews. Antonio happens to be a great man and Shylock   didn't even give him a chance, he just hates Antonio for being of   different religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "The Hebrew[Shylock] will turn Christian; he grows kind."   Antonio says this, thinking that no Jews are kind, emphasizing naiveness. Then Antonio sees the Hebrew, Shylock, becomes amiable, so   he believes that's impossible. So Antonio interprets the scenario as   Shylock being Christianized, because he is becoming   generous. This   quotation shows how Antonio thinks that his religion, Christianity, is   superior to Judaism. The previous quotation illustrated how Shylock   was stereotypical about Christians. Both characters have similar   beliefs about other religions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Why, fear not, man, I will not for felt it! Within these three   months- that's a month before this bond expires-I do expect, return of thrice three times the value of this bond." This phrase was said by   Antonio assuring Shylock that his ship with all his goods will return   with the interest that Antonio owes Shylock for borrowing money. This   shows Antonio's trust in his ship even though there were strong winds   and high chances that his ship will be overturned. Antonio is very   naive about the real world of business and no matter what happens he   thinks he will be successful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, Shylock is a wise business man, but very   greedy.

Motivational factors on the employee’s commitment Essay

Today’s organizations and companies want their enterprise to be around in the future, successful and sustainable; avoiding the risk of performance or any negative effect. They consist of employees known as personnel that turned into human resources. Some of the major factors shaping the outcome are the quality that you hold: if employees are the right people; how the manager could keep it up; how they can be motivated for good performance. Motivation is a necessary tool for management or leadership providing a reason to employees to perform in a certain way. In addition, the essay will include the academic background of motivation theories as that of Herzberg, Maslow, Adams and Vroom. Setting goals is an essential motivating process and has been the focus of recent research and theory on work motivation (Locke and Latham, 1990). Thus, examples would be provided for further and practical explanation of theories, as the cases of Starbucks, Freese and Nichols (FNI) and Apple†™s iPhone. At the start of the 20th century fundamental theories of motivation are presented, models about what motivates workers and their responses. Several theories of motivation try to analyze and estimate who wants, what and why. This is the reason why the theories of Herzberg, Maslow, Adams and Vroom have implications on the contemporary business. First, the bigger portion of Herzberg is that he developed the motivation –hygiene theory, which believes that there are many factors that workers could be motived. Byhese factors generate satisfaction and dissatisfaction. According to Herzberg (1959) accomplishment, the work itself, responsibility, growth and recognition, and company policies, work  conditions, supervision including relations with peers and management, salary causing respectively the two different distinctions. Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction portrait two different human needs driven by salary to purchase shelter and food and by actions leading to grow and attain (Herzberg, 1987). However, job satisfaction does not imply always-high level of productivity or excellence of motivation response. Practicing in business, the challenge at work is to raise the utility of ability of employee leading to the growth of responsibility levels. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory and Maslow’s are the main theories of motivation. Continuing with Maslow’s model, Maslow classifies the human needs and examines how the classifications are connected to each other. A person starts at the bottom level, where they try to satisfy basic needs (food and house). When the needs have been fulfilled, there are no longer a motiving force and the individual goes to the next stage. Moving on the rest hierarchy; we can recognize safety needs (loss or protection against unemployment), social needs (communication, teamwork), esteem needs (human to be accepted and valued by others, respect from others) and self-actualization (how people think about themselves) (Maslow, 1954). If the management can find which level of need each employee expects, they can then decide corresponding rewards. Besides, one of the most relevant process theories of motivation is Adams’ Equity Theory. According to Adams, the theory argues the comparison of employee’s job input and outcome and also the same with that of other person at the same level (Mowday, 1991). Adam identified inputs as characteristics (age, sex, education, social status) that guide individual to ‘’social exchange’’ for an effort. Outcomes are specified as the benefits, the rewards or privileges (money, work duties, better status, power, authority). The employee is not moved to an action when there is a balance between inputs and outcomes, because they are already satisfied and equality exists. However, if the individual notices that the ratio of outcome/input is less than that of expected, then inequality exists and motivation forces start to build up the lost equity. It should be noted that there are two main different ways to restore the equity. Either the individual might choos e higher outcome based on their lower inputs, or reduce the inputs in relation  to the same outcome (Adams, 1965). The actual purpose is the equality between input and outcome. Therefore, inequality could be when the employee is either over-rewarded or under-rewarded (Fok et al, 2000). It was initially proposed in the early 1960s the Expectancy Theory by Victor Vroom, which premises the significance of motivation. The theory tries to examine why individuals choose specific behavior or action. According to Vroom (1964), there are three central components; Expectancy (effort leading to a particular level of performance); Instrumentality (that performance will lead to outcomes); Valence (the value that the individual places on the outcome). Droar (2006) suggests that for a person to be motivated the key elements must be linked. Otherwise, Porter and Lawler (1971) argue that Expectancy theory needs to be updated, because it includes some flaws. For example, an employer gives a reward, such as a promotion or financial bonus hence the employees will bonus their productivity to gain the reward. However, this only works if the employees believe the reward is favora ble to their actual needs. Apple is a company that can be used to exemplify the theory of Herzberg. Behind Apple and the design of products by employees is the psychology of extrinsic and intrinsic characteristics driven by the question ‘’Will I enjoy using this product myself? ‘’. The extrinsic motivation is based on rewards for executives by giving them 3%-5% bonus of their salary. Next, all Apple employees receive discounts on products or they might receive free iPhone or iPad if they are on the developing team (Issaacson, 2011). This is more efficient than the increase of the salary as long as they see in front of their eyes the results of the effort, but also it is cheaper for Apple. In addition, intrinsic motivation is driven by corporate culture. Employees are weightily committed to their job, as ‘’monotonous encoding’’ that they enjoy it (Issaacson, 2011). The culture of Apple was forced by Steve Job. What motived him to follow his dream and his heart was the passion, creating innovative products based on enjoying using himself rather than to bring profits to Apple. The core principles for this are: Do something direct for your life; Get better and better at something that matters; There is no reason not to follow your instinc ts and your heart, nothing to lose (Awareness of his death) ; Understand that you live only once. Apple is a company that works and thinks outside the box helping people to change the world (Gladwell,2011). Furthermore, Freese and  Nichols (FNI) is a practical example of expectancy theory. FNI is the first engineering/architecture firm to receive this honour. Employees are trained to improve quality in the work and seminars and FNI University training offered by the company. Workers have the authority to work on their own. In 2010 FNI gained the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. In addition, Starbucks Corporation, the most famous chain of coffee shops in the world, attracts customers for its quality and the good value for money while the prices are high. Beyond, the employees are also satisfied. Major motivational principle of king of coffee is the equity, meaning how fair the employees are treated by the employers during their work (Economist.com , 2009). For Starbucks employees are partners, not just employees, giving them valuable knowledge and training and providing them with rewards and benefits. Besides, Starbucks offer a creative and excellent work place, as part of ethics program, where the company treats its ‘’partners’’ with respect and prestige. Motivation theories should be examined in a deeper and macro level. Firms corporate operate and have subsidiaries in different countries, where there are different employees around the world with different cultures and values. It is complicated for an organization to motivate different cultures, for the reason why each has different temperament and the ranking of needs differs among cultures. The motivation to work differs across cultures and this could be illustrated the following example. In countries where there is high risk of economic failure the reward of success is low, like Greece, where there is an enthusiasm for work because the deep recession. Great enthusiasm for work could be found when high uncertainty of outcome combined with positive reward (Triandis,1982). To conclude, according to the background theories, personal goals are contributing to the developing of human behavior. They are used by individuals to monitor, to modify and evaluate their behavior. Generally speaking, motivation can be preferential and selective aspect of particular behavior. It should be understood that motivation is important for the explanation of force toward a particular behavior or action. Vroom’s expectancy theory also places emphasis on the importance of motivation in the explanation of why people choose a particular action or behavior. Managers’ responsibility is to inspire, empower, envision and motivate employees for the fulfillment of their needs based on the different cultural  background. References Adams, J. (1963) Towards an understanding of inequity. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67 p.422-436. Adams, J. (1965) Inequity in social exchange . Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Academic Press. Droar, J. (2006) Expectancy theory of motivation. Economist.com (2009) Woke up, smelled the coffee. [online] Available at: http://www.economist.com/node/14536977 [Accessed: 23rd October 2012 ]. Fok, L. et al. (2000) Human factors affecting the acceptance of total quality management. International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, 17 (7), p.714-729. Freese and Nichols Website (2010) Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Report. [online] Available at: http://www.freese.com/sites/default/files/Malcolm%20Baldrige%20Service%20Sheet.pdf. Gladwell, M. (2011) The Tweaker: The Real Genius of Steve Jobs. New York:. Herzberg, F. (1987) One more time:How do you motivate employees. Harvard Business Review, 65 (5), p.109-120. Herzberg, F. et al. (1959) The Motivation of work. 2nd ed. Barbara B. Snyderman:. Isaacson, W. (2011) Steve Jobs. New York: Simon and Schuster. Locke, E. and Latham, G. (1990) A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance. Prentice Hall: Englewood, NJ. Maslow, A. (1954) Motivation and personality. New York: Harper and Row New York, p.91-93 , 256. Mowday, R. (1991) Motivation and work. New York: McGraw-Hill. Porter, L. and Lawler, E. (1968) Managerial Attitudes and Performance. Homewood: IL:Richard D. Irwin Inc. Triandis, H. (1982) Cross-Cultural Management :Conceptual Analyses. International Studies of Management and Organization, 12 (4). Vroom, V. (1964) Work and Motivation. New York: John Wiley and Sons.