Integration Efforts in Latin America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Integration Efforts in Latin America - Essay Example Considerably, several Latin American countries were successful after the World War and established scientific, industrial and technical infrastructures, in generating organizational and managerial capacities, training workers and in developing multinational industrial structures. The Latin American countries’ economies grew spontaneously and soon they were competing with the strong economies in the world (Balasa et al. 1986, p. 34). Regional integration has had a momentous responsibility in the design of global and prolific policies in Latin American states. Balasa et al (1986, p. 36) notes that the conception of unity and integration among the Latin countries has existed since the wave of independence movements that swept the continent in the early 19th century. Spanish Empire Leader, Simon Bolivar, had dreamt of a united Latin America. Today, notable advances have been made towards regional integration. The success of the European integration prompted the Latin American coun tries to merge to form a regional block. This move was faced with development challenges (Iglesias, 2000, p. 24). The discussion on integration is a deep process delineated by efforts to harmonize policies between countries and yield dominion to a supranational body. Integration is described as an incessant learning and approximation process susceptible to crisis. Capannelli et al (2009, p. 10) notes that integration is typified by more integrated political, economic and social policies. Because of the colonial rule, dependency and underdevelopment, Latin American countries have been economically susceptible. Reliance on the exports of primary export products and the importation of manufactured goods resulted to competition to the domestic industries which prevented their development. The integration efforts made emerged to curtail the impacts of the unequal global economy relationship. In spite of the momentum for integration, diverse objectives among countries, vulnerability to in ternational crisis and lack unity and trust among the member states have inhibited the integration process (Tiefenbrun, 2012). The Latin American Integration emerged after the great depression after the World War. These countries wanted to liberate themselves from the world superpower countries. With industrial subsidies and lofty tariffs, the Latin American countries believed that domestic companies and industries would have an opportunity to develop and reduce the over dependence on manufactured imported items (Hughes & Singh, 1991, p.78). To some extent, Latin American integration succeeded and failed. This paper outlines the failures and successes of the Latin American integration and the factors that caused them. Failures of Latin American Integration and the causes Because of the pressures of the first evolving world, Latin American countries have come up with many sub-regional integration organizations (Balasa et al 1986, p. 34), fundamentally to promote economic integration and trade liberalization. Unfortunately, most of them could not go beyond rhetorical political statements. For this reason, most of the regional integration processes failed. The primary argument is that the different goals and political systems by different Latin American countries brought about economic failure (Fishlow, 1991, p. 36). This is attributed to domestic causes other than international economic forces.

Management of Local Environmental Projects

Management of Local Environmental Projects There are various methods or approaches that can be used to manage local environmental projects through the implementation of environmental management measures with varying degrees of success and effectiveness. The methods and approaches used to manage local environmental projects can vary due to the objectives, active group membership, and the actual geographical location of those environmental projects. The scale and objectives of local environmental projects can vary greatly, ranging from short-term projects with a single objective such as regenerating a polluted area or on longer- term projects with many objectives. These environmental projects will range from those with a few volunteer members to those that could involve hundreds of people and rely on links between pressure groups, volunteers, and local or even national government. Since environmental projects started to emerge from the late 1960s as concern began to grow about the ecological impact of human economic activities methods of environmental project management have evolved. For ecologists the planning and implementation of local environmental projects has always been a major part of their strategy as a means of empowering local communities to improve their quality of life whilst helping the local environment. Local environmental projects had the advantage of not being controlled by government or businesses and could be regarded as an important strand of the social movements that emerged almost simultaneously with the ecology movement. Local environmental projects represented and still represent an alternative economic, social and political outlook upon life and how irresponsible material gain should not be the primary objective of governments and societies (Eatwell Wright, 2003 p. 233). Every environmental project should certainly consider the need for project management, whether on a full time, part time, or consultancy basis to maximise the ecological impact of the project. When it comes to protecting the world’s environment people often assume that national governments have the largest role to play in adopting measures to slow down or even reverse ecological damage. However, everybody has an individual responsibility to do their bit to protect their local environment. Environmental projects in theory and frequently in practice have shown that as individual projects they have a limited impact upon the global environment yet if the affects of all the environmental projects were added together they are far from being insignificant (Eatwell Wright, 2003 p. 234). Modern economic practices tend to emphasise that projects and economic activities at the local level are largely insignificant in comparison to regional, national, and international economic trends or decisions. That is not actually the case as much that has been achieved at protecting the environment has been influenced by or implemented by local environmental projects. Local environmental projects can help to change the widely held belief that only multinational corporations and national governments make a difference to the environment as ‘what cannot be measured is of no importance’ (Porritt, 1984 pp. 43-4). The people that manage local environmental projects have to consider several factors once it has been decided to start their environmental project. Unlike the earliest local environmental projects there are now a variety of government, non-governmental and business funding resources available that means people that are involved in local environmental projects do not have to meet the costs of running or working on their environmental projects. That is an important consideration when many environmental project workers could be unemployed or volunteers, the majority of local environmental projects would not be able to function if their workers and volunteers were forced by financial necessity to work elsewhere. For local and community environmental projects that are intended to have a long term future having a skilled environmental project manager that has the knowledge and the experience to attract funding is without doubt essential. An effective environmental project manager came make all the difference between continuing the project for the benefit of the local community and the environment, or the project closing down through lack of funding or volunteers. Funding can come in the form of grants made by central and local government, grants made by non-governmental organisations such as the National Lottery, or through business sponsorship or endorsements. In certain circumstances local and community environmental projects could be used as contractors or sub-contractors to achieve the policies of local and national government. Businesses may genuinely want to help to protect the local environment or they may just want to gain some positive publicity for themselves. Whatever peoples underlying reasons for supporting local and community environmental projects it is clearly in everybody’s self –interest to assist any projects that can protect their local environment (Jackson, 1996 pp. 181-3). As well as staffing levels and funding local environmental projects and their managers should also consider the resources that they need to operate effectively with and whether they can use sustainable resources or not. Local environmental projects may only be on a small barely detectable scale when the global environment is considered as a whole yet they can prove significant at the local level. If every local community could decrease its consumption levels when added together that could have highly beneficial results (Redcliffe, 1996 p. 91). Local and community environmental projects should be projects that effectively manage their resources so that they can limit environmental damage and help prevent or possibly reverse pollution levels within their respective communities. Local and community environmental projects should be evaluated to judge how their resource requirements could be met through sustainable resources, recycling, and the conservation of energy. Local and community environmental projects for instance should try to keep their use of paper, energy, and water to a minimum so as to reduce pollution (Chokar, Pandya, Raghunathan, 2004 p. 137). Thus all local environmental projects where possible should promote greener forms of energy consumption, and transport to improve the environment in their local area. There have not always been enough reasons for local and community environmental projects to proceed as the scientific proof of environmental decline was not widely or publicly accepted (Redcliffe, 1996 p. 136). If practical projects should attempt to use renewable energy sources either by selecting a renewable energy supplier or finding ways to operate their own power supplies (Chokar, Pandya, Raghunathan, 2004 p. 122). Ironically enough local and community environmental projects can become more effective and numerous as a result of national directives or legislation to protect and in some cases to conserve the environment (Jackson, 1996 p.173). Local authorities can help improve the environment in their local areas by promoting traffic free zones and encouraging greener transport use. They could even consider helping local and community environmental projects by assisting those projects in using cycles and promoting walking (Vaz, 1999 p. 99). Local and community environmental projects should also help to protect the local and community environment by recycling as much as possible. Not only is recycling helping to improve environmental sustainability it could also be an extra source of income for some local and community environmental projects depending upon the volume of material recycled. Recycling has the added benefits of reducing the levels of waste and pollution in local communities. The management of local environmental project needs to evaluate the ease of travel to the site of the environmental project. Consideration has to be made for people to walk, cycle or use public transport to reach the environmental project, either as workers, volunteers, or visitors. Transport issues can be more significant if the local and community environmental project is in a rural area with less public transport and greater distances for people to travel to it. Persuading people to walk or cycle to the environmental project would hel p to reduce the vehicle exhaust emissions that increase pollution and acts as a major cause of health conditions such as asthma. Reduced levels of pollution are good for local communities, less pollution brings public health, and economic benefits to those areas compared to other areas were there has been no environmental projects established and operating at all (Vaz, 1999 p. 158). Environmental project managers can gain funding, volunteers and workers for their projects through various channels. Gaining the support of the local community could be just as important for long-term success and continuation as obtaining direct funding can be. Local and community environmental project managers could attract supporters and volunteers by arranging publicity in the local press and television coverage to make people aware of the environmental project and its objectives for improving the environment in the local area. Public awareness can lead to people donating to the project, working for the project, or it can make them adjust their individual behaviour to help the local environment by themselves (Redcliffe, 1996 p.136). Publicity campaigns if well judged or well timed could make the local environmental project newsworthy and with increased support or influence within the local community it is there to help. As well as press releases and articles in local newspapers lo cal and community environmental project workers have found forging relationships with local schools, colleges, and youth organisations is beneficial. Such relationships can prove useful in raising the profile of their local and community environmental project; managers believe it useful in the gaining of workers or volunteers in the present and the future. Local and community environmental projects can form close links with schools, colleges, and youth groups by organising visits to those places or arranging for these groups to visit the environmental project. Project managers could also consider the option of allowing school children to go on projects as part of their work experience training or placement. Recruiting students at college or university could be another source of workers or volunteer as well as recruiting local people from the community (Vaz, 1999 p. 158). Increasing the number of people that visit local and community environmental projects potentially has legal consequences for the management of such projects to worry about. The local and community environmental projects management have to consider that they are legally responsible for the health and safety of everybody that works for, volunteers for, or simply visits their environmental projects. Managers should establish whether any of the materials, waste products, or working practices carried out as part of the projects are dangerous or detrimental to the health and safety of anybody linked to those projects. Before cleaning up pollution managers should check that all work does not contravene health and safety considerations (Jackson, 1996 p.55). Legal liability in the event of accidents could prove costly and lead to the closure of environmental projects that are inadequately insured. Local and community environmental projects especially if they work closely with local government and central government departments may have contractual arrangements that can only be broken or unfulfilled at the cost of legal action been taken or threatened. With local and community environmental projects often needing public funding or believing they need it, the cost of losing such contracts could be financially hard hitting for environmental projects. Environmental projects could also be victims to changes in political policy decision making which might decide to reduce the funding available for environmental projects (Vaz, 1999 p. 138). A good example of a local and community environmental project that has benefited or could benefit from the use of project managers was the Colchester Local Food Project. The Colchester Local Food Project had two distinct objectives. Firstly the Colchester Local Food Project attempted to increase the profile and sales of organically grown products from the Colchester area. Organic farming has obvious environmental advantages, for instance not using artificial fertilisers and pesticides that cause pollution and health problems if not used properly. The other part of the project was to help keep the local farms in business by establishing a Farmers’ market for the local area. The environmental benefits of conventional farming techniques may not be as obvious as organic farming yet farming would cause less damage to the local environment than building new homes or industrial sites on the land. Environmental project managers could have brought benefits to the scheme by finding fund ing for the organic growers and farmers, as well as advice in producing the local food directories and promoting the Farmer’s market. The actual project ran from June 2003 through to December 2004 with the directories helping to improve awareness and food sales (www.en-form.supanet.com). Bibliography Chokar K B, Pandya M, Raghunathan M, (2004) Understanding Environment, Sage Publications, New Delhi, Thousand Oaks and London Eatwell R Wright A, (2003) Contemporary Political Ideologies 2nd Edition, Continuum, London Jackson T, (1996) Material Concerns – Pollution, Profit and quality of life, Routledge, London and New York Porritt J, (1984) Seeing Green: the politics of ecology explained, Blackwell, Oxford Redcliffe M, (1996) Wasted – Counting the costs of Global Consumption, Earthscan, London Vaz K, (1999) Cities for the future, Hansib Publications Limited, London W.W.-form.supanet.com/projectsenform.htm

Faith in E. M. Forster’s What I Believe Essay -- Forster

Faith in E. M. Forster’s What I Believe E. M. Forster’s â€Å"What I Believe† is interesting in that it reflects a moderated idealism. Throughout the essay, Forster will make a proclamation, such as rationality is good, and subsequently retreat half a step, in this case insisting on the continued necessity of faith. It is an interesting technique and demonstrates much of the complexity of his positions, and arguably those of Bloomsbury insofar as they are a whole. Particularly interesting are his fascination with faith, which forms the bedrock of the argument, and with personal relationships. Forster draws a distinction between â€Å"belief† and â€Å"Belief† in that while he does ascribe to the former, he distrusts the latter. â€Å"They [Christians] have Faith, with a large F. My faith has a very small one, and I only intrude it because these are strenuous and serious days, and one likes to say what one thinks while speech is comparatively free.†1 Forster’s faith, therefore, is not the Faith, or Belief, ascribed to in religion, rather he seems to have faith in things like free spe...

The Fencing Problem - Mathematics :: Math Coursework Mathematics

The Fencing Problem Introduction ============ I have been given 1000 meters of fencing and my aim is to find out the maximum area inside. ====================================================================== Prediction ---------- I would predict that the more sides the shape has, then possibly the bigger the area it will have, although I have nothing to base this on, it will be what I am about to investigate. Shapes: I am going to start with the rectangle, I think this is a good starting block because I am able to vary the widths and lengths to see which has the bigger area. If I discover that the rectangles with equal sides i.e. square bring me the best result, then I will try to direct my investigation into furthering that particular theory. Rectangles ---------- [IMAGE] Area = 40 000 m2 ================ [IMAGE] Area = 60 000 m2 [IMAGE] Area = 62 500 m2 It appears that the square shape has a bigger area, I would possibly say that this is because the square has two bigger numbers, which are multiplied together to give a greater number than when a big number is multiplied with a smaller number. However, I cannot take this for granted and I think using one more shape will be useful in order to back up my theory. [IMAGE] Area = 52 500m This proves my theory regarding squares and I shall now put my results into a graph to show what I have found. Length (m) Width (m) Area (m) 400 100 40 000 300 200 60 000 250 250 62 500 150 350 52 500 I will now further my investigation by looking at shapes of a different nature: [IMAGE] Regular Pentagon ---------------- The regular pentagon has 5 sides, and as we get 1000m of fencing, this means each side will be 200m (1000Â ¸5=200).

The Italian Renaissance Art

The Italian Renaissance was one of the most prolific periods in the history of art, with large numbers of exceptional artists to be found in painting, sculpture, and architecture. These leaders included Masaccio in painting, Brunelleschi in architecture, and Donatello in sculpture. Renaissance Art is divided into two main periods. The first period is known as Early Renaissance which took place in the fifteenth century during the Golden Age of Florence. This time included largess buildings, sculptures, and paintings, all of which questioned the rules of art. The next period is known as the High Renaissance, which was created mostly in the sixteenth century as it essentially built up upon and mastered the artwork created in the previous era. Art of this time period was marked by greater realism and the natural depiction of the human form. Humanism played a major part in Renaissance art as individualism that humanism cultivated led to a greater attention to the power of the individual. The Baptistry in Florence is known as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. During this rebirth of culture, a banking system was invented in Florence, largely thanks to the wealthy Medici family. The Baptistry is an octagonal dome with a Florentine Romanesque style. The Baptistery is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. Michelangelo called the doors on the eastern side, â€Å"The Gates of Paradise. † The Golden Age of Florence is known as The Early Renaissance with considerable artistic achievements. Sculpture was very important during this time, and Donatello’s statues David and Gattamelata. Donatello's bronze statue of David is notable as it is the first unsupported standing work in bronze cast during the Renaissance period. It depicts the young David with an enigmatic smile, posed with his foot on Goliath's severed head just after killing the giant. Most scholars assume the statue was commissioned by the Medici Family around 1440. Gattemelata by Donatello depicts the realism, humanism, and individualism of the Renaissance. Bronze like Donatello’s David, this statue is the first Renaissance equestrian statue and it served as a model for later sculptures honoring military heroes. Renaissance painting began with The Holy Trinity by Masaccio. This painting is also the first to invent perspective, in which a two-dimensional image has the appearance of being three-dimensional with the help of a barrel-vaulted chamber. This piece shows the intimacy of religion during this time as God is descending Jesus from the cross. Madonna and Child, likely the most popular painting in Italy during its time, further shows how religion is a central theme in the Renaissance. The most well known Renaissance painting today, however, is the Birth of Venus by Botticelli. It depicts the goddess Venus, having emerged from the sea as a full grown woman, arriving at the sea-shore. Botticelli rarely gave weight and volume to his figures and rarely used a deep perspective space. In this painting, Venus' body is anatomically questionable, with elongated neck and torso. Venus is an Italian Renaissance ideal as she is blonde, pale-skinned, and voluptuous. High Renaissance Artwork is dominated by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo is famous for mostly paintings, while Michelangelo worked in a wider range of mediums which included sculptures and frescos. Leonardo created Madonna on the Rocks, which shows his interest in geology. One of his better-known paintings is The Last Supper. It represents the scene of The Last Supper from the final days of Jesus as narrated in the Gospel of John 13:21, when Jesus announces that one of his Twelve Apostles would betray him. The Mona Lisa, another one of da Vinci’s masterpieces, encompasses the Italian Renaissance. The painting is a wedding portrait that depicts a seated woman whose facial expression is frequently described as enigmatic. The ambiguity of the woman’s expression, and the subtle modeling of forms and atmospheric illusion were new qualities that make the work fascinating. The image is so widely recognized, caricatured, and sought out by its visitors that it is considered the most famous painting in the world. Donato Bramante also created fine work during the High Renaissance, especially in architecture. In the year 1502 in Rome, Bramante build a church called Tempietto. Originally patronized by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, the Tempietto marks the traditional location of St. Peter's crucifixion where he was crucified upside down. Inside, Michelangelo supplied some of the figure drawings, which further shows his significant role in the Renaissance. Michelangelo, unlike the painter da Vinci, created both paintings and statues. Pardon the pun; he truly was a Renaissance Man as he mastered a bevy of skills. He only piece Michelangelo ever signed was his Pieta. The Pieta, done in 1499, is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture that is housed in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. It is the first of a number of works of the same theme by the artist. This famous marble sculpture depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion. It is an important work as it balances the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty with naturalism. The statue is one of the most highly finished works by Michelangelo, and may be one of his favorites as it is the only one he signed. Another one of Michelangelo’s well-known statues is David. Michelangelo breaks away from the traditional way of representing David. He does not present us with the winner, like with the giant's head at his feet and the powerful sword in his hand. Rather, he portrays the youth as tense as he gathers power immediately preceding the battle. Unlike Donatello’s depiction of the biblical hero David, some say Michelangelo’s version does not say much about the legend. Rather, Michelangelo seems to be proving to the population that he can create and master a Greek Style statue. He seems to perfect the traditional contrapposto knee flexion, as many Greek heroes are represented. We can see further Greek elements, as David is a standing male who is nude. Michelangelo continues the High Renaissance with his Statue of Moses. Moses is depicted with horns, which may strike up a red flag to some viewers. However, before the bible was translated, horns were the symbol for halos. This is a significant theme of the wisdom of the Enlightenment. This marble sculpture was commissioned in 1505 by Pope Julius II for his tomb as Moses is holding the Ten Commandments under his arm. Oil paints were perfected in the Renaissance and allowed much advancement in many mediums, especially in frescos. Michelangelo’s first famous painting was likely his Lybian Sibyl from 1510 located on the Sistine Chapel. In this work, colors start to become much brighter than previously used, which gave the chapel a heavenly feel. His paintings are so detailed and bold that they actually look as if they were statues. The serpentine figure presents itself with a snake-like twist. Michelangelo showed his painting talents in a fresco in the Sistine Chapel known as the Creation of Adam. Michelangelo tries to tell a story on the entire ceiling of the church and does so with marvelous creations. In fact, this ceiling took a total of four years to created, in which Michelangelo worked on it every day. However, it ought to be noted that looking up at a ceiling for an extensive period of time can be very bothersome, so viewers sometimes lay on their backs to attempt to understand and appreciate the beauty of the frescos. This work specifically was the most condemned work of art after the Council of Trent because of all of the nude figures Michelangelo depicted. The Last Judgment by Michelangelo is the altarpiece at The Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo began working on it three decades after having finished the ceiling of the chapel. The work is massive and spans the entire wall behind the altar and it is a depiction of the second coming of Christ and the apocalypse. The souls of humans rise and descend to their fates, as judged by Christ surrounded by his saints. Shortly after the creation of this painting, the Jesuits began to spread. Michelangelo was accused of immorality and intolerable obscenity, having depicted naked figures, with genitals in evidence, inside the most important church of Christianity. The Fig-Leaf Campaign began to protest and give sensors to such art. Michelangelo does a self-portrait depicting himself as St. Bartholomew after he had been skinned alive. This is reflective of the feelings of contempt Michelangelo had for being commissioned to paint The Last Judgment. Michelangelo took his talents to architecture in the final stages of his career. He created the Dome of St.  Peter’s Basilica. This is the highest dome in the world, and is also the third widest. This was created with the intention of looking very classical. One of Michelangelo’s motifs is his double columns along the outside of the dome for decoration. Uniquely, Michelangelo's dome is not a hemisphere, but a parabola: it has a vertical thrust, which is made more emphatic by the bold ribbing that springs from the paired Corinthian columns, which appear to be part of the drum, but which stand away from it like buttresses, to absorb the outward thrust of the dome's weight. It would not do the Italian Renaissance justice to leave out Rafael’s masterpiece The School of Athens, created in 1510. This painting represents the philosophical inquiry of classical times. Ancient Greek architecture and clothing can be seen in the painting It was painted as a part of Raphael's commission to decorate with frescoes the rooms in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, so today it is a nice fresco on the wall of the Pope’s office. The picture has long been seen as Raphael's masterpiece and the perfect embodiment of the classical spirit of the High Renaissance.

Agro-Based Industry

Generally, agro-based industry refers to an industry that adds values to agricultural raw materials through processing in order to produce marketable and usable products that bring forth profits and additional income to the producer. Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010), development of agro-based industry will be focus on increasing utilization of agricultural produce in the production of high value-added products as well as processing activities.Private sector is encouraged to invest in agro-based processing activities such as agriculture related GLCs, subsidiary companies of the agricultural agencies as well as relevant associations and cooperatives. The efforts also will be enhanced to increase participation of individual farmers and fishermen in agro-based processing activities so that the processing of end-products from agricultural industrial commodities will be increase further.However, many of Malaysian food producers are still small enterprises, thus necessary incentive s and expertise will be provided to encourage the agro-food producers to upgrade the quality of their products through practicing Good Manufacturing Practices (GM), Quality Assurances Programme (QAP), Hazard Critical Control Point (HACCP), ISO and other International Quality Standards. Besides, during the Ninth Malaysia Plan period, agro-based industry will be centered on innovation-based product development.Furniture and furniture components manufacturers will be encouraged to focus on innovative product design and quality as well as expand their product range to include high-end niche products while improving existing activities. Measures will be undertaken to aggressively promote exports of high quality products in compliance with ecolabelling requirements to sustain market share as well as diversify into new markets. Issue Related – Food Crisis The food crisis situation seen in 2007 and 2008 with a sharp increase in asic food prices highlights the extreme vulnerability of the current agricultural and food model. The global food crisis is currently concentrated primarily in urban areas, where people in rural areas also suffering from the food crisis. The sharp price increases are beginning to cause widespread hunger as many families are using as much as 75 percent of their income for food. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the food crisis has left after another 925 million people in hungry.The number of people suffering from malnutrition before the rise in the price of food in 2007 was 850 million, and it become 925 million in the same year which increased by 75 million. In fact, the current food crisis is already affecting directly or indirectly half of the population worldwide more than three billion people. There are several factors which causes the sharp increase in global food prices, such as the increased demand for food generally.While production around the world has been increasing, consumption for food, feedstock, biofuels and other commercial uses has been growing at an even faster rate. Besides, there are many natural disasters globally like floods and droughts. Drought in some major producing areas also contributes to the higher food price. Drought is affecting Australia, the Balkans and the former Soviet Union. Other factors such as mold are affecting grain production in South Asia.On the other hand, the increased demand for animal protein also one of the causes for higher food price. More affluent societies use large amounts of grain for conversion into dairy, eggs and meat. Conversion uses far more grain than if people simply ate the grain themselves. There have been tremendous increases in China and India, but also in other countries where standards of living are rising. Implications of the Global Food Crisis Food security is defined as physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet dietary needs.The threes aspects of food security includes foo d availability, access and adequacy, where these three basic aspects must be attained for a country in order to achieve national food security. Due to the global food prices continue to rise and thereby ensuring food security is currently one of the greatest challenges facing by the world community. This challenge is most critical in low-income and food-deficit African countries. The reports from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have revealed that 36 countries are in the crisis globally, whereas 20 of these countries are in the Africa.More to the point, food safety and food security are closely linked with each other. When food is in short supply, individuals are mainly concerned with satisfying hunger and are not compelled to consider food safety or even the quality of food. They will consume fewer fruits and vegetables but more fatty foods and staples that are low in energy and nutrients. This imbalanced diet has implications for the prevalence of obes ity and chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.Besides that, lack of access to food influences food intake will result in impacting the health and nutritional status of households. Among the world’s undernourished children, most of them are come from sub-Saharan Africa. In detail, the food crisis has resulted in about 200 million Africans are hungry and malnourished where 31 million are under the age of five. Malnutrition contributes to poverty because it causes or aggravates illness, lowers cognitive function and thus educational attainment, and reduces productivity.Food access, adequacy and quality are required to ensure that food security ultimately leads to an active healthy life for the individual as food is necessary for growth, resistance to or recovery from disease, and also necessary for physical work. In the long term, this crisis will result in impaired mental development, diminished learning ability, reduced work productivity, and the nu trition-related diseases. Conclusion As a conclusion, there is an immediate need and solutions for food crisis in order to prevent hunger and ensure the populations have access to safe food at the same time.For example, raising the investments in environmentally sustainable agricultural productivity, better risk management tools, less food intensive biofuel technologies, and climate change adaptation measures are all necessary to mitigate the impact of expected food price volatility on the most vulnerable. On the whole, the involvement, cooperation, and collaboration between the health sector and other sectors play the main role to address the challenges associated with food access, adequacy, quality and safety by strengthen the design and implementation of food and nutrition policies.References Driving Agriculture: Making Agro-based A Key Economic Engine. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from http://www.asli.com.my/DOCUMENTS/STRATEGIC%20OUTLOOK/Dato%20Baharom%20Jani.pdf Food Crisis – Causes, consequences and alternatives. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1774 Food Price Watch – February 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from http://www.worldbank.org/foodcrisis/food_price_watch_report_feb2011.html Ninth Malaysia Plan to Strengthen Agriculture and Agro-based industry. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from http://www.mtc.com.my/info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=609: The Causes of the Global Food Crisis. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from http://crs.org/public-policy/food-crisis-causes.cfm The Global Food Crisis: Implications for the Health of People in the African Region. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from http://www.who.int/countries/nga/reports/foodcrisis.pdf

Compare and Contrast parent-child relationships in ‘Follower’, ‘Catrin’ Essay

In the following poems we see various interesting examples of parent-child relationships. Some are easier to relate to than others but most communicate the stages of parenthood and the challenges posed by becoming responsible for another person. The poets each take different lines on how they perceive/d parenthood and the each in which their children reacted. In ‘Catrin’ a metaphor of an umbilical cord is used to symbolise the relationship between mother and daughter. It seems that Gillian Clarke feels that this relationship is one that can be â€Å"neither won nor lost† and a â€Å"struggle†. She goes on to describe their everlasting attachment despite this temporary separation in terms of childbirth. She also says â€Å"from the heart’s pool that old rope, tightening around my life† her she is trying to reinforce her belief that her relationship with her daughter is everlasting as she discusses the implications of childbirth on her life. After evaluating the struggle she experiences she finally questions whether mother hood is right for her at this moment in her life. This compares to ‘On my first Sonne'(OM)where the father experiences extreme grief on account of the broken connection between him and his Son. Ben Jonson describes his son as â€Å"[his] right hand and joy† and is evidently proud of his heir. However the poet makes what he feels is a fundamental realisation that his Son infact belongs to God. He actually feels that it was wrong of him to put â€Å"too much hope in thee[his son].† In this case the connection was in fact temporary and says that the son does not belong to him but God. Jonson struggles with this idea and momentarily accuses God of being unfair. He at one stage feels that he would have preferred to have had no connection/attachment to his son that have it cut short or disrupted. â€Å"O, could I loose all father, now.† In this poem Ben Jonson ends this poem with realisation of his mistake whereby Gillian Clarke ends Catrin in temporary confusion. She takes the parenting if her daughter as her responsibility while Ben Jonson admits that it isn’t his child and so the child’s fate is God’s matter but he insists that he will still do his paternal duty and love his son unconditionally. In Follower and The Affliction of Margaret (AM) the connection between parent and child is slightly different. In AM the parent is lonely, isolated woman who has been left by her son. Like OM the mother feels that perhaps her overbearing nature is the reason for the disaster. We get the general feeling form the mother that she would like to re-establish a connection with her son.†No tiding of an only child† Margaret apologises and is willing to reconcile. She is one of the only parents in the four poems to admit her faults she is however not alone to worry about her son and fear for his development in the outside world. In Follower the son is connected to his father when he is young doing such activities as â€Å"[he]rode me on his back†. It is important to understand that the child is in awe of his father’s strength and the use of various metaphors show the father portrayed as â€Å"globed.†