Computer addiction research paper Essay

Crane is a school teacher and singing master of the neighborhood In the village In which he lives. 3. What accounts for his popularity among the housewives and the village girls? + The schoolmaster was considered igh in authority next to the parson; so, females were naturally drawn to his understanding of modern ways. He also taught voice lessons to many of the women in the area, but he was mostly desired because he played into the women’s fascination with superstition and the supernatural. HIS hobbles also helped him to be accepted by the women. His book, written by Cotton Mathers, was a resource he could draw upon to entertain the womenfolk with new and interesting spooky stories. And since Irving describes the hollow as a place enchanted with superstition, Crane it right in. 4. What are his favorite pastimes? -9 Ichabod Crane likes riding horses and reading. 5. Who is being described in the legend? How did the author describe him? List down the descriptive words and phrases that describe him. -+ Ichabod Crane, the character Is described the way the author chose In order to carry the story line forward to the desired conclusion. -+ â€Å"He was, in fact, an odd mixture of small shrewdness and simple credulity. His appetite for the marvelous, and his powers of igesting it, were equally extraordinary; and both had been increased by his residence in this spell-bound region. † -9†³ He was tall, but exceedingly lanky, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, and flat at top, with huge ears, large, green, glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that looked like a weathercock perched upon his spindle neck to tell which way the wind blew. † ton

Spondylolysis Spondylolisthesis In Athletes Health And Social Care Essay

Spondylolysis is the loss of the structural unity of the vertebral pars interarticularis, whereas spondylolisthesis is associated with a bilateral spondylolysis and describes a comparative anterior interlingual rendition of one vertebral section relation to the following caudal section ( Herman et al. , 2003 ) . This essay will reexamine literature associating to the diagnosing and direction of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis in jocks. To farther understand the diagnosing and direction of these conditions, the prevalence and cause of oncoming will be covered alongside the clinical presentation and imagination, and conservative and surgical direction.PrevalenceThe largest CT survey of the prevalence of lumbar spondylolysis in the grownup population was conducted by Brooks et Al. ( 2010 ) . The 2555 topics, holding been referred for a CT scan including the lumbar spinal column, were indiscriminately selected. The inclusion standard was topics aged over 20 old ages and the ground fo r referral non being low back hurting. The consequences highlighted 8 % of instances of lumbar spondylolysis. There was a ratio of 1.5:1 male to female and no important differences between the ages. The survey, although big, was non ideal. The CT scans were originally taken for different grounds for referral and hence assorted axial piece thicknesses were used and some with and without contrast agents. They were besides interpreted by three different radiographers for this survey. Therefore the survey, although randomised, was non standardised. Rossi and Dragoni ( 2001 ) conducted a big retrospective survey including both genders between ages 15 and 27, referred with back hurting impacting their athletics, to find the incidence of the pars defects, utilizing skiagraphy, in diagnostic elite jocks. Plain radiogram showed that 13.9 % had spondylolysis, with a male to female ratio of 4.5:1, and 81 % of lesions were at L5. These figures are higher than consequences by Micheli and Wood ( 1995 ) , where 100 topics aged 21 old ages and over and 100 topics aged 12 to 18 old ages, who presented with low back hurting, were retrospectively indiscriminately selected. They found 5 % of the grownup population, over 21 old ages, had spondylolysis. This figure along with the consequences from the Rossi and Dragoni ( 2001 ) survey are both much lower than the age group in the Micheli and Wood ( 1995 ) survey where 47 % were diagnosed with spondylolysis. The size of the survey was acceptable but it was a retrospective survey utilizing differe nt imagination, including field radiogram, bone scanning, MRI and individual photon emanation computed imaging ( SPECT ) to diagnos spondylolysis, so was non standardised. Gregg et Al. ( 2009 ) conducted a retrospective survey to place variables including age, gender, injured periodm athletics engagement, oncoming of symptoms and the individual leg hyperextension trial, associated with active spondylolysis. 82 patients who were referred for SPECT with low back hurting were included, 31 % of them had active spondylolysis. The consequences showed that age and gender have a important association with spondylolysis, bespeaking that a male who is less than 20 old ages of age is 3.5 times more likely to hold a positive bone scan. There was no item in the survey as to who assessed the individual leg hyperextension trial or interpreted the SPECT so is non known if the assessors were blinded. The variables were non specific and lacked item, like degree of sport engagement doing it hard to separate between school physical and elect sports. This could be why the survey found no relation between spondylolysis and athletics. The writers suggest that male childs are more susceptible to pars defects as, during adolescence, they have a reduced degree of lumbar spinal column bone mineral denseness in the cortical bone, which is the chief constituent of the pars interarticularis. Besides there were more males take parting in higher speed athleticss with torsional burden, like cricket, than females ( 70-40 % ) . Rossi and Dragoni ( 2001 ) found that the athleticss with the highest figure of spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis were plunging ( 40 % ) , wrestling, weight lifting, path and field, sailing, gymnastic exercises and football ( 16 % ) . These surveies demonstrate that the highest prevalence of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis are in adolescent jocks, particularly male.Clinical PresentationActivity related back hurting has been related to diagnostic spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis in jocks ( Rossi and Dragoni, 2001 ) . El Rassi et Al. ( 2005 ) reported that 40 % of the 57 pediatric association football participants with spondylolysis remembered maximal speed kicking to be a trigger of the back hurting. In jocks low back hurting is the chief symptom, but may radiate into the leg. This can be straight associated with the spondylolysis where an extraosseous hematoma and hydrops occur at the site of the early break, which can compact the traversing nervus root and cause radiculopathy ( Sairyo et al. , 2009 ) . Patients with advanced spondylolisthesis may show with an antalgic pace with a vertically orientated sacrum and perchance a seeable step-off at the lumbosacral junction ( Herman et al. , 2003 ) . Hyperextension of the lumbar spinal column may do hurting ( Hu et al. , 2008 ) . The diagnostic one legged hyperextension trial was studied by Masci et Al. ( 2006 ) . Masci et Al. ( 2006 ) suggested the trial is non sensitive due to the subjective nature and besides because the motion can set emphasis on constructions other than the pars interarticularis, such as the aspect articulations and posterior phonograph record. It is hence priceless in clinical pattern.ImaginationImaging is indispensable to do a true diagnosing of a spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis ( Rossi and Dragoni, 2001 ) and to find the phase of the lesion, from active and acute to chronic and inactive, to be able to urge suited direction ( Brooks et al. , 2010 ) . The survey antecedently mentioned by Rossi and Dragoni ( 2001 ) concluded with a recommendation to execute radiological scrutinies in diagnostic jocks considered high hazard of spondylolysis. This was a surprising decision as although the survey confirmed a high incidence of spondylolysis, they had stated earlier in the paper that the value would most likely addition with add-on of different imaging modes and this survey had no comparing group to be able to do this recommendation. In the big survey mentioned antecedently by Brooks et Al. ( 2010 ) utilizing computed imaging ( CT ) imagination in the grownup population, it was hard to find whether CT scans are the best imagination for spondylolysis due to a deficiency of a comparative group to find whether all defects present were really diagnosed. Gregory et Al. ( 2004 ) assessed the value of uniting SPECT, which assesses metabolic activity of the bone, with rearward gauntry computerised imaging ( rg-CT ) , supplying morphological information, to look into spondylolysis. Patients who presented with low back hurting related to activity and hurting on lumbar extension were investigated by planar bone scintigraphy and SPECT. Reverse gauntry CT scans were so performed in all those with a positive SPECT. One of the writers viewed the images which may do some prejudice, and reported the rg-CT without blinding to the consequence of the SPECT. There were countries of increased scintigraphic activity on SPECT in 67.8 % and spondylolysis was confirmed on rg-CT in 44.9 % . They concluded that SPECT should be the first line probe for spondylolysis. Reverse gauntry CT identified chronic lesions which did non hold scintigraphic activity, but the writers suggest that magnetic resonance imagination ( MRI ) would be a better follow up probe as it has more possible to name pathologies other than spondylolysis. MRI, SPECT and CT consequences of 72 persons of a average age of 16 old ages, with extension back hurting were studied by Campbell et Al. ( 2005 ) . Each patient was screened with CT, SPECT and MRI on the same twenty-four hours. The writers assessed each image mode, but were blinded to the consequences of the other image modes. Pars defects were detected in 23 patients with a sum of 40 defects. When comparing combined CT and SPECT with MRI, the latter right graded 29 of the 40 defects. MRI was able to observe acute complete defects and chronic established defects, but limited in naming stress reaction and uncomplete defects. They conclude that MRI can be used as the first line scrutiny for striplings with back hurting and CT to be used in patients with acute defects or stress reaction, even though it failed to place a figure of patients diagnosed with stress reaction. Conflicting decisions recommend SPECT and CT for naming spondylolysis, where MRI detected 80 % of the lesions found on SPECT, with CT holding the same consequence ( Masci et al. , 2006 ) . From these surveies, either SPECT or MRI is suggested to be the first line of imagination for spondylolysis and spondylolysthesis, with a possible follow up with CT for acute defects or stress reaction. SPECT is highly sensitive for early diagnosing of acute spondylolysis, but non good for chronic lesions. CT is non really good at separating between active and inactive lesions, but utile to observe spondylolytic defects, nevertheless has high radiation. MRI has no ionising radiation and can separate between stress reaction, active and inactive spondylolysis ( Campbell et al. , 2005 ) . Therefore subjective information about the continuance of the status may be utile to make up one's mind which mode would be suited as it is indispensable that early phase emphasis breaks are indentified fleetly so as to pull off to optimize the long term result Masci et al. , 2006 ) .Conservative ManagementThe purpose of direction is to accomplish a bony or hempen brotherhood of the pars interarticular is to assist extinguish motion across the pars defect ( Debnath et al. , 2009 ) . A survey by Iwamoto et Al. ( 2004 ) reviewed 104 athletic topics with low back hurting and diagnosed spondylolysis. The topics were managed with discontinuance of the exacerbating athleticss and application of an antilordotic brace. Individual preparation was initiated harmonizing to each sporting activity, but developing type was non indicated. They reported on the 40 topics that had to halt athletics due to trouble and reported that 35 ( 87.5 % ) returned to their original athletics in an norm of 5.4 months ( and every bit early as 1 month ) and could go on activities despite non brotherhood of the pars defect. It does non advert the other 64 topics who were ab initio included in the survey and it was non clear how the topics were followed up. Similar direction is reported in the article by Sairyo et Al. ( 2009 ) , mentioned antecedently. After halting athletics and utilizing a brace symptoms had disappeared and MRI consequences after 3-6 months showed normal signal strength in all seven topics who had spondylolytic radiculopathy. El Rassi et Al. ( 2005 ) conducted a retrospective survey of 57 kids, average age of 13 old ages, with spondylolysis, diagnosed with radiogram and, if questionable pars defect, SPECT. The inclusion was extended association football engagement, radiographic grounds and two twelvemonth follow up. The imagination were evaluated by the same writer which could take to bias. The intervention was an antilordotic thoracolumbosacral brace worn full clip for three months and surcease of athleticss activities for at least three months. When the patient became symptomless a rehabilitation programme was initiated, including abdominal strengthening, hamstring stretching and pelvic joust exercisings. There was an issue with conformity, likely due to the age of the topics. Out of the 57 topics, 33 had first-class consequences and returned to their original degree of athletics and 20 had good consequences ( minimum hurting with vigorous athletics ) . All 27 patients in the compliant group had first-c lass consequences. Patients who stopped athletics had the best consequences. Radiographic healing was shown in 18 of the 57 but there was no statistical difference between those who stopped athletics and those who continued. Of the 32 who stopped athletics, all returned to the same degree of drama. Of the 25 topics who did non halt athletics, 18 returned to play, but merely 2 at the same degree. A good randomised controlled prospective clinical test by O & A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢Sullivan et Al. ( 1997 ) studied specific bracing exercisings in patients with spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis. This is one of the few surveies in this country to hold a control group and a blinded research worker. Those recruited had low back hurting for longer than three months and spondylolysis or spondylolysthesis, diagnosed with radiogram or CT. Measurements of hurting, map, lumbar spinal column and hip scope of motion and abdominal enlisting forms were taken. Patients had to finish a conformity signifier. The specific exercising group had a standardised protocol following specific guidelines on deep abdominal and multifidus preparation. They progressed to functional keeping places and walking. The control group was non specific at all. They were educated by changing practicians with general exercising, such as swimming, walking, gym work and supervised exercising programmes, but no informa tion about the exercisings advised was given. Some patients in the control group besides received massage, heat and ultrasound intervention. Following 10 hebdomads of intercession, they had postal follow up at 3, 6 and 30 months. The consequences showed a lessening in hurting strength and hurting form tonss and decrease in functional disablement degrees in the specific exercising group. The control group had no important difference. The 30 month follow up found the decrease in hurting was maintained. This survey is utile with instances of spondylolysis and spondylolysthesis one time the symptoms have been there for three months. It would be interesting to compare the specific exercising group with brace in the acute conditions. The retrospective survey by Seitsalo ( 1990 ) compared conservative and surgical direction of spondylolisthesis. The operative group included 77 patients who had undergone merger, utilizing posterior or posterolateral attack, followed by the usage of a girdle for four months. The conservative group had remainder, limitation of activities and bracing exercisings for the spinal and abdominal musculuss. At follow up, 25 % of the conservative group and 13 % of the operative group had occasional mild hurting. Sport was enjoyed by 43 % of the conservative group and 57 % of the operative group, although it does non stipulate what the degree of athletics was. From these surveies, the recommendation for conservative direction would be specific bracing exercisings and surcease of athletics until symptom free. The biggest job with this direction in this patient group is conformity.Surgical ManagementSurgical intervention is normally reserved for jocks with diagnostic spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis who have failed conservative intervention of at least six months or for skeletally immature patients with a faux pas of 50 % or more ( Radcliff et al. , 2009 ) . A survey including 22 immature jocks, average age 20 old ages, was conducted to measure the result and return to feature after surgical fix of spondylolysis ( Debnath et al. , 2003 ) . Bucks merger uses a prison guard to mend the pars defect and was used in 19 of the patients. The follow up used spinal stabilization exercisings started at six hebdomads and a cardiovascular programme at 12 hebdomads. The Scott technique involves puting a wire around the transverse procedure bilaterally and was used in 3 patients. A lumbosacral girdle was worn following this process and an exercising programme commenced at 12 hebdomads. It does non province why each method was used although subsequently in the survey it mentions that the two groups were dissimilar in the degree of the defect. The result demonstrated 94 % of the Bucks fix group returned to active athletics ( professional football, cricket, professional golf and hockey ) within seven months of surgery and none of the Scott technique grou p were able to return to feature. Meaningful decisions were unable to be made though due to the little sample size and the two groups being excessively dissimilar in the degree of the defect. Nozawa et Al. ( 2003 ) assessed the result of 20 jocks treated surgically with segmental wire arrested development, which was similar to the Scott technique. At a average period of 3.5 old ages follow up, cadaverous merger was achieved in all instances and all of the patients returned to feature, but at varying degrees. Diagnostic spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, which surveies demonstrate are more prevailing in the kid and stripling, can be a traumatic diagnosing for an jock ( Brooks et al. , 2010 ) . It is indispensable that the status is diagnosed fleetly with a thorough scrutiny, and referral for SPECT, CT or MRI is indispensable. Conservative direction is ever the first line of intervention, affecting surcease of athletics and specific stabilising exercisings. If the jock does non react to this intervention after six months, surgical direction should be undertaken ( Radcliff et al. , 2009 ) . In both cases it is likely that the jock would be able to return to feature albeit at varying degrees but it is still possible that they can go on at the same degree they participated in anterior to the status. A batch of the surveies were retrospective, non randomised and had no control. Better prospective, randomised, controlled surveies need to be undertaken. Future research would be utile in countr ies of bar and result. Prospective surveies affecting immature athletic groups with bing specific stabilization programmes would be valuable to see if these conditions could be avoided.

Research on Ginger in Meghalaya

Report on the field study of Ginger and Turmeric in Meghalaya PREFACE Meghalaya is a state which is rich in natural resources, be it from flora to fauna to the mineral resources, the state has it in abundance. Agriculture, including crop and animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry and agro processing constitutes the very basis of socio economic lives of India. One of the major activities in the state is cultivation of horticulture crops which includes that of Ginger and Turmeric.Ginger is being predominantly grown in Ri Bhoi District while almost the whole belt of Jaintia Hills, the best quality of Turmeric found in the whole country with the reported cucurmin content up to 7. 6%. However amidst plenty of what we have, there are too many missing links in between for the state to realize the full potential in terms of commercial activities in revenues and most importantly to address the issues of the farmers to increase the income for better livelihoods in the villages.Therefore the mar ket access team from MBDA along with the staffs of Appropriate Technology India (ATI) made a visit to some of the important cultivation belt of ginger and turmeric of Ri Bhoi District and West Jaintia Hills District for assessment of production which includes cultivation practices as well as understanding the organic practices for the potential of organic certification for premium pricing of the products, post harvesting and processing aspects as well as marketing aspects for improving livelihood security in the state.The visit was spanned in six days and within these six days; the program was conducted in the following order: 12th February 2013 On this day the team comprising of three interns from MBDA and five ATI workforce under the supervision of Mr Iai Majaw, the Horticulture Officer with the Government of Meghalaya, left Shillong at around 10 AM and visited the Ginger belt of Ri Bhoi District. Firstly we visited the farm house which is located next to the Highway to Guwahati a t Umsning. There we met and interacted with around twenty five ginger cultivators in and around Umsning.These villages are located within the distance of 1 to 3 kilometers from Umsning. The farmers start sowing ginger from the last week of April throughout the month of May. We came to know that they inherited the ginger cultivation practices from their fore fathers seeing that the climate is conducive for the crop to thrive and that there is a market for all of their produce from year to year. The main area of concern for them is that, the plant is frequently getting infected with root and stem rotting, thus spoiling their effort in time and money.Stem rot is more frequent than root rot and occurs in between the months of June to September. They don’t have any solution to tackle these kind of infections, the only activity that they do is to uproot the whole crop and throw it as far as possible from the cultivation land and sometimes even burning that particular crop but it se ldom help the cause as the infection will start to spread to the whole row and even at times the whole field. They practiced Jhum cultivation with the belief that it softens the soil and helps in the ploughing activity.They also have a fair idea of the reason behind crop rotation and practiced it once in 3 years. They do give manure to the crop once in a while in the form of poultry, pig and cow droppings. They said that they have received training from the horticulture officers but most of the time they apply those methods being taught to them in the beginning phase but revert back to their traditional method of cultivation. They stored the seed in a proper way and have no problem with the occurrence of seed spoilage before the cultivation period.The nearest market for them is the Umsning market which is being held once a week. At the weekly market, traders which are middle men come to purchase their crop at rates of 1,100 – 1,200 rupees per 40 kgs which is a standard unit o f weight being applied in terms of ginger and turmeric in the whole area. However, when they feel that a better price is available at Iewduh market in Shillong or when there is a need to go Shillong for personal work, they carry along the ginger which fetched them a price of around 1,500 – 1,600 per 40 kgs.From there the team moved to Sohpdok village which is approximately 5 kms from Umsning. Here we interacted with the headman of the village and around 15 farmers in the processing unit which is next to the SSA school premises and found out that the ginger cultivation was enlarge by the intervention and help of RRTC, Umran. There are 3 driers, 2 slicers and 1 pulveriser at the processing unit which is not yet functional as they have just received the machines from North Eastern Hill University.The problems and practices regarding the cultivation practices are the same as the ones which have been described above. However, the people said that they rate of ginger that they sell at the village when traders come to collect from the village is around 900 – 1,000 rupees per 40 kgs. The last visit for the day was at Regional Resource Training Centre (RRTC) Umran, which is run by the Catholic Church and presently headed by Father James.The center spans around 400 acres campus and facilitates in imparting training to various livelihood and entrepreneurship program and one of the main activities is the food processing centre which includes turmeric and ginger processing. The ginger after undergoing a series of treatment which includes peeling, trimming, weighing, washing, and processing by boiling with citric acid is then mildly dried and mixed with fine sugar in specific proportions and then properly dried and added with sugar to add as topping. It is then packed and labeled as Ginger Candy.The ginger candy is retailed at an MRP of 35 rupees for 100gms. When asked about the costing, the staff who is taking care of the processing unit said that the whole c ost of labour and various activities from start to finish is around 120 – 150 rupees/kg, while the retail cost is 350 rupees/kg thus making a profit of 200 rupees/kg. The ginger is also converted into powder form firstly dipping the dried ginger in Sodium Carbonate solution to increase the shelf life of the product and then grind to powder and packed.The same goes for turmeric which is simply grind into powder form and retailed at the stores. Their main area of concern is marketing, which they say they have a limited penetration to the market through their retail outlet next to the national highway and some retail shops in and around Shillong. 13th February 2013 The team left for Nongpoh and along with the existing ERPs of MBDA went to Umkon village which is 23 kms away from it. Here we interacted with just around 5 farmers as there is a funeral in the village. Almost each and every ousehold practice ginger cultivation in large scale and turmeric cultivation for their own con sumption on a lower scale. Almost all of the households exceed 500 kgs of ginger production in a year with some of them going up to 3 or 4 tonnes. The main market is at Umden in which the price of the ginger is around 1,000 rupees/40 kgs while the seed is being sold at 35 rupees/kg. The seed is being sold among the farmers from nearby areas and new farmers while the raw ginger is being bought by middlemen and commission agents who then supply either to Guwahati or Kolkata directly.The main areas of concern for the farmers is again the same issue of their inability and lack of knowledge how to tackle diseases such as stem and root rot. However, they shared their success story of how ginger cultivation has improved the general living conditions in and around the area. There is no value added activity for the ginger being produced in the area. Then at around 4 pm we left for Byrnihat to visit the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd (NERAMAC).There is a process ing plant to extract ginger oil from fresh or raw ginger. The plant capacity is around 3 to 5 tonnes per day, yielding 1. 5 liters of oil which retails at 7000 – 9000 rupees/liter. The major problem that they are facing is the availability of raw ginger as most of the ginger which is produced within the region is being sold to middlemen at a higher rate. 14th February 2013 The team left Shillong at around 8 AM for the turmeric belt of West Jaintia Hills District.We stationed at CTC hotel and then under the supervision of Mr Lyngdoh, a horticulture officer with the Govt. of Meghalaya, proceeded to Wahiajer village where we interacted with 2 farmers, one farmer just started the ginger cultivation activity since he saw that there is a market and the soil is very good for ginger to grow, so keeping in mind of the above factors he started cultivating ginger and after harvesting the produce, decided not to sell any of it but to keep it as seed for the next year.When we arrived ther e we interacted with him and asked him to show us the place where the seed is being store and when he dug up some of the seed, even though the ginger quality and size is good, it was found that the whole ginger is moist and wet and infected with fungus, budding has also begun to take place. He said that he has received no training on how to cultivate, harvest and store the ginger so he is not aware of what procedures and process to follow.Then we told him to take out the whole lot of ginger stored there and to dry it in the shade and treat it with organic chemicals which might be available at the horticulture office in the block. Being a starter in the activity he is unaware of the whole system, except the price that he might get if he is to sell the product at the local market. He also practices slash and burn cultivation like the rest of the farmers are doing in the whole area.We then met with another farmer who has been practicing the ginger cultivation activity for quite some ye ars but he confessed that he is quite disheartened with the activity as there is no help from the government side in monetary terms nor in training facilities, so he is contemplating of shifting his cultivation activity from ginger to that of tomato as there is a better market currently prevailing in the whole area. The horticulture department is also neglecting the ginger farmers in the area while promoting that of the tomato.We then proceed to Laskein grinding and processing centre which has a Federation comprising of 9 clusters, 30 villages and around 100 SHGs. The Unit was set up in 2007 with the objective of improving livelihood and income within the area. The processing unit was set up with the help of MRDS which also helps in the training of man power as well as marketing activities. The unit is well equipped with Dryers, Slicers, Pulverisers and for the first time this year an Oil extractor machine is being set up which will be functional from this year onwards, the staffs a lso are yet to get training how to utilize the machine.The steps in the processing of ginger in the unit here are as follows: WASHING BOILING SLICING DRYING GRINDING PACKAGING The production of turmeric powder last year was around 3 tonnes and this year they aimed at a higher quantity. Each and every cluster of villages which falls under the association have a commitment to bring the produce of raw turmeric to the processing centre and the Federation buys it at a rate of 30 rupees/kg, when the turmeric is being sold in powder form at 250 rupees/kg as of last year, 230 rupees is being given back to the farmer and 20 rupees is being kept by the federation.The packaging is done in quantities of 1/4th kg, ? kg and 1 kg for the local market while it is packed in gunny bags of 40 kgs each for the lot which is supposed to be transported to Guwahati. 15th February 2013 The team accompanied by Mr Remi from MRDS went to Umsalait village which falls under Iakitlang cluster, comprising of two v illages, Umsalait and Umsaroo which has 245 and 70 households respectively. There are 6 SHGs in the cluster, out of which 5 groups consist of women and 1 group that of men.The team interacted with around 30 farmers and learnt that they have been practicing the cultivation of turmeric from generation which they inherited from their forefathers but increased the activity to a larger scale as soon as they see that there is a market and it contributes to the generation of income activity. The problems faced by the farmers are almost the same throughout the state in which the major issues are that of diseases and not knowing how to tackle them.They are quite grateful to MRDS which helped them in imparting knowledge and funds even if it’s in small mount, the intervention has helped them to increase their income for a better living conditions. 16th February 2013 The team visited Mr W. Nongspung processing centre situated at Laitkor which is roughly 12 kms from Shillong. Mr Nongspung took advantage of the PMEGP scheme from DIC, Shillong and set up his processing centre there.However, fewer spices products are being processed at his unit since he only supply dry turmeric to a company in Guwahati known as Amalgamated Plantations, located at Christian Basti on a commission basis. His commission stands at 20 rupees/kg. He supplies around 30 tonnes of dry turmeric in a year and the company financed the money entirely in advance. Owing to this, he processed dry turmeric at a very less amount. He then started processing fruit juices such as star fruit, cherry as well as pickling of ginger, radish, chillies and bamboo shoots.His products have Organic tags along with them, while there is no proof of paper work that his products are organic certified. He sources the packaging materials from Industrial estate in Guwahati and get the label locally printed in Shillong. According to him, the major difficulty he is facing is that he doesn’t know how to market his produ cts in a big way and he has no idea about branding at all OBSERVATIONS Below are the few parameters of observation prevailing in the production areas where the team has visited a) AREA AND PRODUCTIONMost of the households in the villages which fall under the area that we have visited do not have a fair idea of the size of their respective plot under ginger and turmeric cultivation. From the conversation that we had we could make out that the minimum area of cultivation per family is around 1 acre up to 4 to 5 hectares. As far as production is concerned, the quantity that each household produces ranges from 750 kg to 5 tonnes. b) LAND USE The land that is used is normally rotational and at times shifting and bun cultivation is a normal practice which is traditional in nature.The area to be cultivated is first covered with the soil on top of the leaves and then slowly burned and often left overnight so as to soften the soil in the ploughing process thus easing the tilling process. Thi s practice also helps in sterilization of the soil. The agricultural land is mostly owned and controlled by individual farmers and some of them have been leased by people who are not engaged in agricultural activities who are mostly traders or government servants or who have migrated from the village on a nominal fee or in exchange for the products the cultivate. ) LAND PREPARATION Ginger and turmeric is normally cultivated in slopes and terrains under the shade of some trees. The land is normally not ploughed but just holed and dug up to 6 to 7 inches for the seed to be buried inside. Very few farmers added manure of animal dung to the crop while the rest just leave it as it is. There are no proper irrigation facilities to retain the water content during the rainy season, thus leaving the crop to absorb as much water as ossible during the rainy season and dried throughout the rest of the months. d) SELECTION OF SEED After the harvest is done, rhizomes which are large, healthy, free from any injury spots and more buds are selected to be stored as seed. The seeds in the case of turmeric are simply stored under the shade above the ground and normally very few infections would occur on turmeric seed, whereas in the case of ginger it is more complicated as the seed is normally infected with fungus and budding usually takes place before the sowing season.The method of storage is traditional in practice as the seed is stored under a pit dug below the ground and simply covered with a thin layer of soil thus attracting moisture and fungus to infect the seed. There are many cases in which farmers have complained that the seed gets spoiled before the sowing season starts. e) PLANTING Planting is usually done in the month of April to May just at the start of the rain. The rhizomes are planted in about 6 inches apart from each other and 6 to 8 inches deep and then covered with soil. During plantation the rhizomes are broken and make sure that they at least have 4 to 6 bud ding sprouts.The turmeric and ginger is normally cultivated along some other vegetables in the field such as beans, maize and pumpkin. f) HARVEST The harvest is done in when the crop attains maturity, the sign given by the death of the stem and leaves. It usually starts from early November and goes till the end of January. The seed is normally left till end of February to attain maximum maturity. Farmers also sometimes look at the market demand and when they know that there is a demand for the product in the market, they normally harvest the crop as and when required. ) MARKETING The marketing of ginger and turmeric usually happens in weekly local markets which are near to the villages and sometimes at Iewduh, in Shillong. Commission agents, middle men and traders purchase the products at a wholesale rate from local markets and then sort out and grade the lot according to the quality and packed them in gunny bags to be transported outside the state. In case of turmeric, trade happen s mostly as a dry material in the form of slices or in powder, whereas in case of ginger trade happens at the raw or fresh ginger state.Thus we can see that the middlemen control the market of ginger and turmeric in the whole state. h) COSTING 1) Cultivation-(umsalait) For 1 hectare land, they need around 10 people for 60 days and labour cost is Rs 200/day. (a) Labour 10 x 60 = 600 (b) Labour Cost 600 x 200 = Rs 1,20,000 (c) Seed Cost Rs 30 x 2000kg = Rs Rs 60,000 ————————————————————————– DIRECT TOTAL COST = Rs 1, 80,000The production from 2000kg seed is around 5 tonnes. And the cost of raw turmeric is Rs 30/kg PRODUCTION OUTPUT= 30 x 5000 = Rs 1, 50,000 Therefore we can see that the expenditure exceeds sale, thus instead of benefitting from the agricultural activity, the farmers are suffering losses, which th ey cannot understand as there is no costing method being followed. 2) Processing-(laskein) Cost of raw turmeric is Rs 30/kg. if 100kg is taken for processing, then cost of procuring raw turmeric will be Rs 3000. kg of raw turmeric when dried will produce only 1kg. Therefore 100kg will produce 17kg of dried turmeric. a) Cost of dried turmeric = 3000 / 17kg = Rs 176/kg b) Other Indirect Cost = Rs 100/kg (sorting, washing, drying, slicing, grinding, packaging, transportation, electricity bills and other miscellaneous fee) ___________________________________________________________ TOTAL COST PER KG = Rs 276SELLING PRICE OF 1kg POWDERED TURMERIC = Rs 250 Thus over here we can also see expenditure exceeds sale which results in a loss for the farmers. From the above analysis, it can be concluded that there is a need to reduce the DIRECT COST and to increase the Seed to Production Output in order to generate higher revenue. Interventions like introduction of power tillers, is not feasible because the cultivated areas are located in far away terrain and slopes, which are not motorable. ORGANIC PRACTICES AND SCOPE OF CERTIFICATIONAs the method of cultivation in the whole state is mostly organic in nature and with the awareness on importance of organic certification that organic products fetches a premium price in the market, there is a need to promote and to create awareness among the farmers to opt for organic certification so as to increase their income from selling their products. While discussing with various farmers, it is found out that organic farming, although practiced, is mostly done using traditional methods which consist mainly of slash and burn and composting.However, the â€Å"slash and burn† method is not considered as organic method because it kills the microbes which fertilize the field. Also, they have no access or awareness about organic pesticides like Trichogramma which is available from the State Biological Control Laboratory in Shillong. And Trichoderma which is use mainly for Ginger and Turmeric is still in the testing stage and will be available shortly. Some of the reasons that the farmers have not under gone organic certifications are mentioned below- 1) No awareness about organic certifications and its potential. ) The farmers have not received any training methods regarding organic farming. 3) They are also not aware of the market and its demand for organic products. 4) The certification process is quite long which takes up to three years. On top of that, the certificate has to be renewed every year. 5) It is also quite expensive. PROBLEMS FACED BY THE FARMERS/ PRODUCERS AT PRODUCTION LEVEL 1) Low yield of the horticultural crops in which the ratio is 1:2. ) Prevalence of bacterial and fungal infections which affect both stem rot as well as root rot 3) Unsuitable farming practices with poor drainage system to retain water 4) Very seldom crop rotation to replenish soil nutrients 5) Jhum cultivation in which the soil microorganisms died in the process 6) No organic manure is being given to the crops 7) There is no treatment of the seed before sowing 8) There is no capacity building measures being taken to tackle infections and other diseases.POST HARVESTING AND PROCESSING ASPECTS 1) 99% of the farmers sell ginger as a raw produce while turmeric is often converted to dry slices or at times into powder form but at a lower scale. 2) The market is being dominated by the middle men 3) There is no system of grading the ginger based on size and quality 4) The seed to be stored is not harvested at the right time so as it is mature enough to resist spoilage and not properly dried to resist fungal infection 5) Lack of knowledge and training how to store the seed ) Lack of knowledge regarding value addition activities which will fetch a premium price 7) Lack of appropriate technology and infrastructure in many aspects of modern storage. SUGGESTIONS FOR TRAINING/MBDA INTERVENTION CULTIVATION LEVEL 1) Treatment of the seed with organic chemicals such as Trichoderma, one day before sowing to control any seed infection later on. 2) Use of organic compost manure to increase the yield and productivity 3) Proper inter-culture activities from month to month ) Digging of horizontal drain-like pit of about ? ft depth perpendicular to the cultivation rows in terrain areas for water and manure retention. 5) Training in capacity building measures to tackle infections and diseases of both root and stem. 6) Practicing rotation cultivation of turmeric and ginger with leguminous plants on a yearly basis to replenish the nitrogen content of the soil 7) The seed which has to be stored needs to be harvested when it has matured. POST HARVESTING ) Grading and segregating the harvest if needed 2) Proper drying of the seed for a week under the shade to avoid moisture content in order to prevent fungus infection during storage. 3) Modern method of storage to maintain the health and freshness of the see d, by digging a hole up to 1 ? ft deep inside the ground and covered with lumps of soil up to 1 ft height and then plaster with a thin layer of wet mud to prevent entry of moisture. 4) Costing method should be taught. 5) Record keeping and internal assessment. ) Awareness of the importance of value addition process post harvesting. 7) Exposure visit. 8) The officers at various levels in District headquarters should play a pro-active role in imparting training and looking at various aspects where there could be an intervention. CONCLUSION In both cases of Turmeric and Ginger, there is hardly any value addition that is being done in the State. Middlemen control the market and influenced the fluctuation in price of both these items.In the case of Ginger alone, except for a meager percentage which gets converted into Ginger Candy at Regional Resource Training Centre (RRTC), Umran and North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd (NERAMAC), Byrnihat, there is no other val ue addition activity being practiced in the State. The whole amount of raw ginger is being packed into sacks of gunny bags of 40kgs and transported directly to Guwahati and Kolkata, thus we are deprived of the real value of what ginger could have fetched if proper knowledge, skills and machineries are being set up for value addition activities within the state.Whereas in terms of Turmeric, people are more aware of the better price which powder turmeric fetches in the market. Beside few turmeric processing units at the village level which were set up by Self Help Groups (SHG) at the cluster or village level, such as one at Laskein Block in West Jaintia Hills and smaller individual Grinding units at Shangpung and Laitkor, there are many small entrepreneurs who take their produce of dry turmeric to grind at any of these grinding units and sell at local markets as well as in the main market, Iewduh in Shillong.Of what we observed, most of the farmers involved in cultivation of turmeric and ginger, are women which comprises of around 70 percent workforce, the men are usually involve during ploughing activity which is more related to strength but as soon as the sowing season started they shifted to other kinds of works or migrated to other villages in search of work. Thus there is a lot desired and to be done in order to improve livelihood security through integration in growth value chains and market linkages in Meghalaya. ______________________________________________________________________

Schistosomes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Schistosomes - Essay Example This article essays the implication of this unique physiological characteristic and its consequences on schistosome life history particularly their faithfulness while choosing a mate. Adult schistosoma lives in the mammalian blood but their life cycle requires a phase of asexual reproduction within a secondary host. The life history of the parasite begins when adult female deposit eggs in the veins surrounding intestine or bladder. The mammal then continues the life cycle by transmitting those eggs through urine or feces. Once in water, the eggs hatch into marcidia, which must find an appropriate snail host. Once inside the snail each marcidium produce several hundreds of carcariea which when released in water seeks the skin of suitable mammals to burrow into. There are many different species of schistosomes of which Schistosoma haematobium, S. mansoni, and S. japonicum clinically important parasites that infect humans. Schistosoma haematobium , commonly called urinary schistosomiasis, dwells in the vesical veins surrounding the urinary tract and therefore mammal host usually excretes its eggs in urine. It is found throughout most of Africa and in parts of Wester n Asia. Two species, S. mansoni and S. japonicum cause intestinal schistosomiasis. S. mansoni usually occupies the mesenteric veins around the large intestine,while S. japonicum usually occupies the mesenteric veins around the small intestine. The mammalian host excretes the eggs in feces and continues the life cycle. Figure 1: Life cycle of Schistosoma (Machen, Rogers n.d.) Gonochorism is a reproductive strategy that describes a sexually reproducing species in which there are two distinct sexes. It is a very unique characteristic exhibited by schistosomes and thus this unusual physiological state managed to raise considerable amount of curiosity amongst parasitologists over the past two decades. Loker (2006) in his most recent study has put forward a hypothesis to address the foundattion of schistosome gonochorism. He says that first, schistosomes were derived from hermaphroditic ancestors; second, the potential for gonochorism appeared in the spirorchiids, most notably with Griphobilharzia; and third, 'true gonochorism' appeared when schistosomes invaded their endothermic hosts (birds and mammals). The evolution of separate genders was supposedly beneficial in providing optimal genetic diversity against the sophisticated immune system of warm-blooded vertebrate hosts. Loker (2006) also suggest that the segregation of two genders was determined by the s pecialization of each gender for a limited set of 'domestic task' and this was further backed by the gender associated gene expression profiling study by (Hoffman et al. 2002). It was concluded that males primarily looks after the transportation while females concentrate on egg production. In such an interaction schistosomes, once paired, the male and the female worms remains in this state for a long time and the mating is assumed to be monogamous (Reed 1990). In most of the Schistosomes, pairing is essential for complete female growth and reproductive morphogenesis (Popiel 1986). Figure 2: A typical schistosoma pairing (Beltran 2008, p.2) Kunz (2001) demonstrated that virgin females (one sex females) are considerably smaller than paired females and it is already established that egg laying female

Planning My Policymaking Visit - Battling Childhood Obesity Essay

Planning My Policymaking Visit - Battling Childhood Obesity - Essay Example Behavior change has the greatest effect but is very difficult to achieve. However, with implementation of policies that encourage healthy dietary choices and increased physical activity in schools, it is easier to attain the goal. There have been efforts to help curb childhood obesity in schools, implemented by various levels of administration. For instance, the government implemented the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program; which were objected at improving the nutrition of children in school. However, studies show that the programs have had very little effect on children’s health especially with regards to childhood obesity. In fact, children in public schools where the lunch and breakfast were offered were at a higher risk of getting obesity than their counterparts in private schools (Li, Ji, & Hooker, 2010). This is important to nursing because academic performance of children is linked to their health which is our responsibility as nurses. There are several policymakers who can make a difference in the current situation of childhood obesity. This includes persons responsible in the Department of Education, the state and the local administration in schools. The target policymakers in this case are the local administration especially the school board. This is because they participate in the lives of the children as compared to the other policymakers, and they are in a position to make the changes more effectively and rapidly. Since most of the interventions recommended are mostly school-based, it is best if the school administration is approached first to seek their opinion before implementing them. The main vision of this visit is to relay the message to the policymakers on childhood obesity and discuss proposed ways of preventing or reducing it. Obesity comes with many challenges to the students, ranging from academic to social. Studies show that most obese students

Interview of three business people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Interview of three business people - Essay Example It has now taken him twenty-three years to build his career in this profession. Among the many organizations he has worked for is Vine Board Education where he held the position of Purchase order Director. His education background started with him joining BMCC where he attained his AAS degree in Business Management. Later on, he joined Glassboro State College for his Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing in the year 1978. His profession requires him to be very responsible in his duties and provide quality service to all students in the college. To be a good accountant, Mr. R emphasizes that good writing skills, coupled with basic bachelor’s level education is necessary. One also has to be very good at math and must possess good communication and computer skills (Kimmel, et al, pg. 302) In order to succeed, patience is one of the key elements in this profession. Accounting requires you to be very keen and this means spending long hours in verifying data and numbers, while contac ting customers and suppliers of various goods and services. Moreover, you should also have very strong convictions in your undertakings. The main advantage in working in an accounting field is that the profession can be applied across different fields of professions. For instance, an accountant can be employed in schools or a business organization where he or she gets to handle work in those respective fields. In order to be valuable to your employers, an accountant should be able to portray skills that no other staff in the organization has. This will make his or her special, therefore, will be treasured. The downside of being an accounting payable department manager is that you can find it very difficult to perform your duties if one does not seek professional skills or stay on top of his game. The profession, however, is very rewarding. An average accountant gets a monthly salary of seven-thousand dollars ($ 7,000) which translates to approximately eighty-thousand dollars a years ($ 80,000). Given the chance to do everything all over again, Mr. R would still go back to accounting since the profession provides him with the satisfaction that he needs and also guarantees his security in leading a comfortable life. His future plan currently, is to retire in the next five years, since he has achieved most of his goals in life right now. His advice to those planning to join this career path is to get a higher degree in this field. Afterwards, he or she should gain some experience by working in the public sector and other government organizations. His advice for the interviewer was that he should prepare his degree, gain more experience in that field, then take the CPA examinations. Miss Y. Miss Y preference for choosing her career path was because she is very good with numbers and a very responsible person. She also hopes that she could assist customers by responding to their questions and solving their problems. Her first job was in a bank where she managed to s ecure the job through an interview. Currently, she has experience in her career spanning close to twenty years. As she earlier mentioned, she started her career in a bank, there after joined a certain high school where she taught accounting. Presently, she is employed in one of the branches of BMCC as a budget director. Miss Y education background is impressive. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management in New York University. Later on, she earned her master’

DNA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DNA - Essay Example Production of gametes through meiosis A basic tenet of embryology is the fusion of a male and a female gamete in the process called fertilization. The gametes are haploid cells that are produced in the testes and ovaries of the father and mother, respectively. They are produced in a cell division process called meiosis. This process is special because each of the resulting daughter cells contains just half of the chromosomes of the parent cell. In effect, a child receives 50% of each of the parent’s genetic material. Briefly, it involves two major processes, Meiosis I and then II, each composed of the usual processes of (1) prophase that prepares for (2) metaphase, in which the chromosomes meet in the middle, (3) anaphase, whereby the chromosomes separate and go to two opposite ends of the dividing cell, and (4) telophase, in which the cell membranes separate to ultimately produce the daughter cells. Initially, the gonium is a diploid cell (chromosome number (n) = 46) with rep licated chromosomes in the form of sister chromatids. After Meiosis I, the daughter cells are already haploid (n = 23), because what is separated during Anaphase I are the pairings of homologous chromosomes. Each chromosome carries genes for specific traits, and each chromosome of a homologous pair thus carries an allele per trait. In contrast, during Anaphase II, the sister chromatids separate, producing haploid cells with unreplicated chromosomes. Ideally, 4 daughter cells are produced per meiosis of a –gonium, and this is what happens in the production of sperm cells. However, in the case of female gamete formation, 2 daughter cells (1 from meiosis I and 1 from meiosis II), only 1 oocyte is produced from a cycle of meiosis (Campbell and Reece, 2002). DNA replication occurs in preparation for cell division How does DNA replicate? A part of the double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) unwinds, allowing DNA polymerase and DNA ligase to get into what is known as the replication bubble. The DNA polymerase adds the complement of each nucleotide in the parent strand, completing the whole length of the strands to produce two semi-conservative dsDNA, each composed of a parent strand and a daughter strand. Eventually, these two identical dsDNA, takes the form of sister chromatids, which are separated during mitosis, the somatic cell replication. The resulting daughter cells thus get identical copies of DNA, which is an exact match to the parent cell (Campbell and Reece, 2002). DNA is the genetic code that directs all cellular function Why is it necessary for each cell to bear DNA? The DNA, housed in the nucleus, is the template to produce messenger RNA (mRNA) through a process called transcription. In this process, a transcription factor recognizes the TATA sequence 25 nucleotides upstream from the transcriptional start point. This initiates the binding of RNA polymerase II to the DNA, and binding of additional transcriptional factors, opening up the double strand to produ ce the pre-RNA strand from 5’ to 3’. The pre-mRNA then peels off from the DNA template, and it complete detaches hundreds of nucleotides after reaching the terminating AAUAAA sequence. This undergoes further

Newton, Leibniz, and the Invention of Calculus Essay

Newton, Leibniz, and the Invention of Calculus - Essay Example The theorem was the start of the Newton’s mathematical innovation (Dunham 6). In 1666, Newton made his first contribution to calculus through the introduction of fluxions. In the late 1665 before his first publication, Newton had made studies on the tangent problems by combining velocity components of the moving points in a proper coordinate system. This was vital for the introduction of fluxions which is a key component in geometric applications (Edwards 191). Newton was capable of exploiting the concepts of antidifferentiation and differentiation by the substitution methods. This is the equivalent of what is called integration and chain rule by substitution. This is essential in the building of calculus of fluxions (Edwards 196). Newton applied the method of successive approximations in his De Analysi to the reversion of series. Newton proceeds further to use the technique of reversion of series in the discovery of sine and cosine series (Edwards

Explain why Listed Companies Produce Financial Statements for Coursework

Explain why Listed Companies Produce Financial Statements for Externals Users and how These are Regulated in the UK - Coursework Example According to Tracy, J. (2009), these users are interested in â€Å"four basic financial aspects of a business†. These four are the â€Å"sales revenue and profit or loss performance†, the â€Å"financial condition...in particular the solvency prospects of the company, the capital issued by the company and â€Å"any other claims that directly or indirectly participate in the profit of the business† and the sources and uses of the company’s cash flows (Tracy, 2009). Financial statements are especially critical for listed or public companies. These are the companies that are in the centre of the capital market of any country. These capital markets are the source of capital resources, which are needed by any company, in particular, and any economy, in general, to efficiently produce goods and services for the consumption of the public. Thus, the capital market should be effective in order to produce sufficient capital resources. In order to be effective; the participants (i.e., investors) of the capital market must be able to arrive at good investment decisions and must be able to obtain â€Å"useful information† from which they can base these good decisions. ... Recognising this, the various regulatory bodies (both in UK and in Europe) had emphasized the importance of issuing complete, timely and accurate financial statements by its listed companies. Various rules and regulations have been established to regulate the preparation of these listed companies’ financial statements. Some of these regulations provide general rules and guidelines in the preparation of the financial statements while others are more concerned with ensuring compliance to these rules and guidelines. One such regulation deals with the accounting principles to be utilised by the listed company in the preparation of its financial statement. The most recent regulation that was established for the required accounting principles was the 2002 regulation issued by the European Union (EU). The EU was established â€Å"to foster economic cooperation† and had â€Å"evolved into an organisation spanning all areas, from development aid to environmental policy† ( EU). It helped established common rules and policies for its country members. As a member of the EU, the UK needs to comply with these rules and policies. One such policy had a direct impact on the financial statement reporting process of listed companies and this is the Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002. In this regulation, the EU specifically stated that it aims to contribute to the â€Å"efficient and cost – effective functioning of the capital market† and to protect the investors and maintain confidence in the financial markets. To retain the competitiveness of EU’s capital market, it recognises the need to converge the accounting standards used in the preparation of

Theoretical Positions of Jung, Adler, and Freud Essay Example for Free

Theoretical Positions of Jung, Adler, and Freud Essay Recently, there has been a debate on the subject of a statutory minimum wage. Different parties have different point of views about it. The unionists believe setting a higher amount can help to reduce the continuously increased wealth gap in Hong Kong, but the businessmen worry that it will increase the operating costs of their businesses. I will discuss the pros and cons of a statutory minimum wage in the following paragraphs. For the advantages, firstly, a minimum wage can force employers to offer reasonable salaries to their employees and give them guidelines on how rational salaries should be set. This can help to protect employees from being exploited. Secondly, the problem of income inequality can be addressed by increasing low-income groups’ salaries so that it can help to promote social justice and greatly improve social harmony and stability. Moreover, the policy can encourage the unemployed citizens to rejoin the work force and thus reduce the burden on the government. Although there are many advantages of setting a minimum wage, there are some drawbacks too. The unemployment rate may rise after implementing the minimum wage law. Due to the increase of operating costs or production costs, some employers may lay off their staff. And it may discourage employees to improve their working attitude and skills as their wages are protected under the statutory minimum wage system, working incentive may thus become low. When we talk about the level of a statutory minimum wage, we have a lot to concerned about, for example, the economic situation, GDP etc. I think the living standard is very high in Hong Kong at present, so the level of a statutory minimum wage should be high enough to meet a family’s daily expenses. At the same time, we should also consider the financial burden on the employers. If not, laying off staff or even closing down the businesses may be the result. The government, therefore, should consider all these issues, think twice and make a wise decision. From http://www. tkp. edu. hk/newsletter/archives/2610 News Point Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung ( ) explained how the members of the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission ( ) came to be agreed on the initial statutory minimum wage rate. According to him, they considered four main criteria: 1. it should not be too low; 2. it would not cause low-paid jobs to disappear in large numbers; 3. it would not inhibit economic development; 4. it would not significantly damage Hong Kongs competitive advantages. To protect labour rights, Hong Kong may need not only minimum wage legislation but also standard working hours legislation ( ). The Legislative Council has adopted a motion to call for the enactment of such a law. To encourage underprivileged citizens and low-income employees living in remote districts to find work or stay in employment, the government launched in 2007 a pilot transport support scheme (). Under the scheme, eligible citizens have been provided with time-limited transport allowances. The Labour Department ( ) is responsible for protecting other labour rights enshrined in various pieces of labour legislation (such as the Employment Ordinance ( )). Minimum wage a issue for people to decide: Hong Kong chief Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Donald Tsang on Friday continued to defend his decision not to legislate on the controversial minimum- wage issue in his latest Policy Address. Speaking on RTHK Friday, two days after presenting his Policy Address, Tsang said he did not want to see the issue dealt with in court as some legislators have said they would press ahead with plans to seek a judicial review after the government decided not to legislate for a minimum wage at the moment. It is a matter for the people to decide, not the courts, Tsang told a call-in radio show Friday morning. I think we should try to solve this matter amicably, in the community. Fundamentally it is not even the legislature and the government. It is a matter for the people, he added, in response to what he called a very strong union and labor voice on minimum wage. In Hong Kong, the arguments on minimum wage between the labor and the employers have lasted for many years but without consensus. The labor has always pressed ahead to legislate on minimum wage among the security and cleaners sectors in particular as soon as possible. But employers said in order to compete in a globalized economy, it is a remaining advantage for Hong Kong not to force employers to accept the deal via legislation. If this matter were pushed through the Legislative Council at the moment, Tsang said, it would be a very, very bloody fight there would be serious arguments over this, the community would be torn apart. In his policy address, Tsang proposed to launch a Wage Protection Movement for workers in the security and cleaning sectors. He promised to legislate on the minimum-wages issues two years later if the movement fails and employers are not paying market rates. ‘Hong Kong lawmakers debate minimum wage CNN 14 Jul 10 Hong Kong lawmakers resumed debate Wednesday on a bill that may result in the regions first statutory minimum wage. The Minimum Wage Bill is a controversial piece of legislation that lawmakers hope will protect the most vulnerable workers in Hong Kong, one of the few places in the world without any sort of minimum wage law. The debate is set to take two to three days. A recent government survey showed that around half a million workers in Hong Kong earn less than $4 an hour. These include low-skilled workers from the catering, retail, and cleaning industries. According to Man Hon Poon, a policy researcher at the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Union, the lack of legal protection for workers has led to serious exploitation. Workers in restaurants have to work for 12 hours or even 14 hours a day to earn a living, he said. They cannot even go to the cinema. Legislator Tommy Cheung, however, claims that the government should not interfere with the free market economy, which he says has served Hong Kong well in the past. A minimum wage could deter investors and lead to increased unemployment, said Cheung, who represents the catering industry. There is one fear within the industry, that they would have to close down, he said. When you see a closure, everyone loses out. The government first proposed the current bill in 2008 following a failed attempt at a voluntary minimum wage. Labor unions, however, have been lobbying for a minimum wage since 1998, following the Asian financial crisis. The rate of the minimum wage has also been under great debate. Trade unions have been demanding a minimum wage of $4 while employer groups have been asking for $3 per hour. If the bill passes this week, the rate of the minimum wage will be set by the Minimum Wage Commission, a consortium of trade union members, employers and scholars, in the coming months. Once the chief executive approves the rate, employers will have six months to implement the law. The Hong Kong government estimates that the earliest the minimum wage law may take effect is May 2011. http://edition. cnn. com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/14/china. hong. kong. minimum. wage/index. html? hpt=T2fbid=cFYYtTV0ap3 The Minimum Wage: An Unfair Advantage for Employers October 1989 †¢ Volume: 39 †¢ Issue: 10 †¢ Print This Post †¢ 1 comment Professor Boudreaux teaches economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Suppose you want to help the sellers of a specific product. One thing you might want to do is try to ensure that a buyers’ market for that good or service isn’t created. A buyers’ market is an economic situation that favors buyers over sellers. For example, everyone hopes that the real-estate market in his hometown will be a sellers’ market when the time comes to sell his house. No one wants to have to sell a house when real estate is in a buyers’ market. Nevertheless, people who advocate mini- mum-wage legislation to improve the lot of unskilled workers in effect support government creation of a buyers’ market as a way to help sellers of unskilled labor. Freely Moving Prices: The Great Equalizer Economics and common sense teach us that, other things being equal, as the price of a product rises, more units will be offered for sale but fewer units will be demanded by consumers. If a price is too low, there will be an excess demand for the good or service in question, and buyers will compete for the limited quantities available by offering higher prices to sellers. If a price is too high, there will be an excess supply, and sellers (who cannot sell all that they wish at the high price) will compete for customers by offering lower prices. So long as there are no government-imposed restrictions on prices, prices will tend to adjust in each market so that the quantities demanded will be equal to the quantities supplied. It is important to realize that prices change only when there are bargaining inequalities between buyers and sellers. Prices rise only when the amount demanded by buyers is greater than the amount supplied by sellers; prices fall only when the amount demanded by buyers is less than the amount supplied by sellers. Put another way, prices rise only when there is a sellers’ market, and prices fall only when there is a buyers’ market. The rise or fall of prices, however, eliminates the inequality of supply and demand and, thus, eliminates the conditions that people describe as sellers’ markets and buyers’ markets. Freedom of price adjustments ensures equality of bargaining power among buyers and sellers. Freely moving prices are the great equalizer. Employers compete for human labor services, like most things of value in a society based on private property in a market in which sellers and buyers engage in voluntary exchanges. Wage rates (in combination with other forms of compensation) are determined in the labor market. If this market isn’t hampered by government, wages will constantly adjust so employers and employees enjoy equal bargaining power. Of course, unskilled workers aren’t as productive as workers with greater skills, and so wage rates for skilled labor tend to be higher than wages for unskilled labor. It is a myth, however, that highly skilled workers enjoy greater bargaining power with employers than do workers with fewer skills. If wage rates are free to adjust to their market-clearing levels, unskilled workers will enjoy as much bargaining power as the most highly skilled workers, because freely moving wage rates adjust so that the amount of each type of labor demanded will tend to equal the amount supplied. Employers can have no bar gaining advantage over even the most unskilled workers if wage rates are free to move to the levels at which the amount of labor services demanded is equal to the amount supplied by workers. Freely moving wage rates are the great equalizer of bargaining positions among employers and employees. The Minimum Wage: The Great Unequalizer Minimum-wage legislation prohibits wages from falling low enough to equate the number of people seeking jobs with the number of jobs being offered. As a result, the supply of unskilled labor permanently exceeds the demand for’ unskilled labor at the government-mandated minimum wage. Minimum-wage legislation thus creates a buyers’ market for unskilled labor. And as in all buyers’ markets, buyers (employers) have an unequal bargaining advantage over sellers (unskilled workers). Consider, for example, a grocer. Suppose he decides that a clean parking lot will attract more customers, and that this will increase his sales by $10 per day. Of course, the grocer will pay no more than $10 a day to have his parking lot cleaned. He then investigates how best to get this done. Suppose there are two options available to him. One way is to hire a fairly skilled worker who can clean the parking lot in one hour, while the second way is to hire two unskilled workers who, working together, will get the job done in the same time. Other things being equal, the grocer will make his decision based upon the relative cost of skilled versus unskilled labor. Let’s assume the skilled worker will charge $6 an hour, while each of the unskilled workers will charge $2. 50 an hour. In a free labor market, the grocer will hire the two unskilled workers be-cause, in total, it costs him $5 per hour for the unskilled workers whereas it would cost $6 for the one skilled worker. But what will the grocer do if a minimum wage of $4 per hour is imposed? To hire the two unskilled workers will now cost him a total of $8 an hour. The skilled worker now becomes the better bargain at $6 an hour. Minimum-wage legislation strips unskilled workers of their one bargaining chip: the willingness to work at a lower wage than that charged by workers with more skills. The result is unemployment of the unskilled workers. Consider another effect of the minimum wage. Because there are more people who want jobs at the minimum wage rate than there are jobs to go around, employers have little incentive to treat unskilled workers with respect. If an employer mistreats an unskilled worker, the employer need not be concerned if the worker quits. After all, there are plenty of unemployed unskilled workers who can be hired to fill positions vacated by workers who quit. In addition, the permanent buyers’ market created by the minimum wage encourages employers to discriminate in their hiring and firing decisions on the basis of sex, race, religion, and so on. Suppose an employer has two minimum-wage jobs available, but there are ten unskilled workers who apply for the jobs. Bemuse the workers are prohibited from competing with each other on the basis of wage rates, other factors must determine which of the workers will be hired. If the employer dislikes blacks, and if there are at least two non-black workers who have applied for employment, no black workers will be hired. With a surplus of unskilled workers, there is no economic incentive to stop this bigoted employer from indulging his prejudices. Conclusion Minimum-wage legislation creates an excess supply of unskilled labor and gives the buyers of unskilled labor an unfair bargaining advantage over the sellers of unskilled labor. It is a fantasy to believe that the welfare of unskilled workers can be improved by such legislation. Unskilled workers shouldn’t be restricted to a permanent buyers’ market. Hong Kong Sets Minimum Wage At HK$28 Per Hour The citys new minimum wage finally has been released. The HK$28/hour base is roughly the cost of two cartons of milk, a fast food meal or four premium beers. Secretary for Labor and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said the new wage, set to come into effect May 1 if it passes the legislature, represented an average wage increase of 16. 9 percent affecting some 314,600 employees. The cost will be roughly HK$3. 3 billion. Tabled for discussion at the Legislative Council Wednesday, the new wage was a milestone in the protection of the rights of low-income workers and a hard-won achievement given the controversy amid the citys laissez faire system, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said. To offset the impact on the labor market, the Labor Department will improve employment services for the young, middle-aged and those with disabilities, he added. By the Minimum Wage Commissions estimates, the new minimum wage amounts to 48 percent of Hong Kongs median hourly wage during the second quarter of 2009. More than half (61. 4 percent) of the more than 314,000 workers expected to benefit from the new minimum wage are women. A quarter of those who will benefit are over the age of 65 and 18 percent work in a part-time capacity, Cheung said. On a sector basis, 35. 5 percent of workers are from security and cleaning companies while 19 percent work in restaurants and 16 percent in retail. Cheung said the impact on employment will be relatively mild, especially when viewed against the improving economic and labor market conditions. Shying away from commenting on concerns that employers would start cutting back on employee benefits to offset increases in costs due to the new wage, Cheung urged employers to communicate closely with their employees, particularly to have frank discussions [and to] work together. Unionist lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan said he was disappointed with the rate saying it will be based on figures two years old before its implementation, adding HK$28 an hour was not enough to provide for a family. He favored the HK$33 an hour rate supported by employee groups. Commission chairwoman Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah said the commission does not think a HK$33 hourly rate was sustainable. She noted, half the burden would eat into company profits while the number of companies falling into the red would go up by 60 percent. She added those companies employed 120,000 workers. Catering lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan said the new wage would be difficult for smaller operators to bear, calling for government relief such as the waiver of licenses fees for one year and subsidies (RTTNews) Hong Kong will implement its first minimum wage rate, set at HK$28 per hour, from next year, the Secretary for Labor and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said Wednesday. The initial statutory minimum wage rate at 3. 61 per hour in U.S dollar terms will come into force on May 1, 2011. The rate was higher than that demanded by business, and less than the HK$33 favored by trade unions. Cheung said that the statutory minimum wage, which is totally new to Hong Kong, is intended to protect grassroots workers and ensure that the pay that they get is commensurate with the hours worked. Regarding the wage rate, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said that it has been a subject of controversy and it is also a milestone in our protection of the rights of low-income workers. The minimum wage ordinance notice 2010 will be published in the Gazette on November 12 and tabled at the Legislative Council on November 17. About 314,600 or 11. 3% of Hong Kongs employees will be effected by the change, with 61. 4% being women staff, 25. 3% employees aged 55 and above, and 18. 8% part-time workers, the governments information service department said. In July, Hong Kongs Legislative Council passed the Minimum Wage Bill without stipulating the actual wage and thereafter formed a committee to set the minimum rate.

Portrayal of Terrorism in Film

Portrayal of Terrorism in Film Luke Costen Terrorism and the mutual influentially of the British film industry, the genre of satire Terrorism is an exceedingly ambivalent topic and one that becomes particularly ambiguous when attempting to define. When trying to comprehend the motivations of a specific terrorist organisation, one must start by considering the context of the acts of terrorism, by exploring ‘the historical, social, economic, ethnic and even psychological factors that have some influence on thought, behaviour and action.’ (Whittaker, 2012: 4) thus the notion of a universal and objective definition is virtually impossible. The dissimilarities between the United Kingdom’s and the USA’s definitions raise controversy over the evidently contextual and subjective nature of what terrorism is. ‘The use or threat, for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause, of action which involves serious violence against any person or property’ (Whittaker, 2012: 3). This definition appropriately legitimises the existence of state terrorism, theoretically defining the USA as a state terrorist, due to the atrocities taking place in the Middle East over the past decade. Whilst the USA’s equivalent contrasts this idea, it states that terrorism must be surreptitious and committed by subnational groups. This essay will explore the notion of political communication, demonstrating the mutual influence between contemporary Terrorist organisations, particularly Jihadism and the satirical genre, within the British film industry. This essay will thus formulate the context of the following case study; an analysis of Four Lions (2010), a black comedy that provocatively satirises Islamic terrorism, humanising the British born anti-protagonist terrorists, exploring indoctrination, islamophobia, and police inadequacy when combating the issue of terrorism. The 7thJuly 2005 London bombings resonate throughout the text, creating a social commentary on the event and the obsession that the conservative western media have with Islamic fundamentalism, that further assist the feeling of estrangement of British born Muslims. The most important aspect in what politicises communication is not the origin of the message, instead it is the subject matter and the intentions of the message. (Denton and Woodward, 1990: 11) This defines political communication as accessible to anyone intending to make a statement about a political issue in society, emphasising that communicating politically is not exclusive to the government and the elites that control global and national politics. This therefore allows the public to convey political messages through any means possible, such as any form of media or even the body itself (the black or homosexual liberation). However this can be contested as acquiring a credible platform may require an already cemented position or political power, those who do, will find it considerably simpler to secure media coverage; hence it is far easier to express their message. (Wolfsfeld, 2011: 2) Film as well as other varying media can be seen as a process that allows an individual to reach a target audience as well as wider audience, in order to convey the intended political message, and can perhaps give some explanation to why bodies are used in extreme forms of political communication. Both acts of terrorism and the film industry can be equally seen as diverse forms of political communication, in an attempt to highlight prevalent issues in society. Respectively terrorism, specifically suicide terrorism is the most radical practice of political communication and one that is almost impossible to entirely understand. In the context of religious suicide, an unfamiliar concept in secular society is still far easier to understand then the secular suicide. The radicalised Muslim; mujahedeen will be profoundly rewarded for partaking in the holy war and, completing God’s will in destroying the infidel forces, his family will be cared for, and receive a payment for their loss a sort of life insurance. (Whittaker, 2011: 26) Although the practise of film-making in its original form is not inherently politically or artistically charged, its malleability and diversity as a creative media allow for artistic and political expression. It is the director or producers of a film text that can therefore express artistic and political visions creating an immersive form of political communication. Hunger (2008) follows Bobby Sands, an imprisoned IRA member who sees the sacrifice of his life as imperative for the gain of political objectives. Hunger seeks to alter views on IRA as in Britain intrinsically evil, viewing the group as freedom fighters searching for independence. Of course the act of terrorism in itself is evil, but issues of context tell a Janus-faced story, ultimately humanising the individuals of a considerably inferior political group.Hunger(2008) demonstrates the political methods Margret Thatcher used against the IRA prisoners, she refused to politicise the IRA members. This would, firstly define t hem as political prisoners, but more importantly humanise the individual people behind the acts of terrorism, thus accepting that their political ideologies were legitimate and subjective value systems, with historical, social and cultural contexts. Ignoring this would further alienate the IRA from the British public, rejecting any potential sense of compassion or empathy, forcing a prolonged, futile and failed attempt to reclaim their independence from the imperialist head of state. The terrorist group sacrifices their life for the progression and development of their cause; they are generally oppressed over an elongated period of time and see the act as the appropriate and imperious motives so that collective institutions are able to prosper. (Whittaker, 2011:25-26) Consequently comparisons can be drawn in the attempts to combat Jihadism and a similar rhetoricis used by the mass-media in order to strip political legitimacy. However Thatcher’s rhetoric of rejecting the political was already in place, as Jihadism, is the collective union ofIslamicbrothers and the ‘holy war against the infidel.’ (Whittaker, 2011: 47) So the context of religion is what takes centre stage, thus comparisons to similar consequences can be drawn. However religion can be politicised particularly in the form of terrorism, as political objectives exist simultaneously with religious ones. Martyrdom is highly regarded for the fundamentalist, and believes they will be rewarded for completing God’s will, whilst the terrorist organisation benefits from political gain. (Noonan, 200: 97) The British mass media seldom politicise Jihadism terrorism, in order tomaintain the public’s lack of comprehension, and detachment of the individual, preventing the public from seeing a rational person with emotions and a conscience. A stereotypical Arabian image of Islam has now become synonymous with the inimical image of world terrorism, due to the Middle Eastern origins of Jihadism. The mass-media has thus created an archetypal enemy with distinguishable ideologies, belief systems, creating the illusion that they oppose our own, and finally an image that can be applied to Asian Muslims. This has produced cultural alienation, a prominent issue in multi-cultural societies, where British born Muslims become estranged from their nationality and society, thus become easily radicalised. Attacks are unforeseeable and committed discreetly by inconspicuous people. (Whittaker, 2011: 71) Essentially the film industries main purpose within a capitalist system is to make a profit, although the British film may have more artistic and political integritythanAmerican cinema, its inherent principles are fundamentally neoliberal. These values rivalIslamicfundamentalists of Islam, and represent USA’s and the UK’s dominating force of culture imperialism within the Middle East. In the wake of the Iraq war, markets previously out of reach of American influences, were placed directly under the control of a small group of American business’ by means of government contracts. (Harvey, 2005: 7) British film can be interpreted as mutually influencing with terrorism, propagating the view that the Western economic and political ideology is culturally superior to that of the East, and the contemptible notion that it is the duty of the western world is to civilize Islam, exploiting the economic gain of neoliberalising newly occupied nations and the continuous turning of the lucrative war machine. Thus western values inhabit underlining themes in film, such as the capitalist dream, the monetisation of practically everything, commonly denouncing religion, and neglecting equal ethnic diversity. The Terrorist Act [2000] considerably increased policing power, and ‘has no such provision,’ (unlike previous counter-terrorist measures) ‘and this is its chief danger’ (McGovern, 2010: 138). Counter-terrorism is a self-explanatory process; acts are put in place increasing the policing powers in order to prevent terrorism in the process. Conversely counter-terrorism acts can be abused placing too much power in the police force, this allows for the potential on infringement on civil liberties, thus placing too much power in the inevitable inherent prejudices that some police officers may have. It is therefore possible that this could cause a detrimental effect on society forcing an insurgence of‘ home-grown’ terrorists to emerge. It is conceivable to assume that the Muslim community can become disillusioned in British society due to ‘neo-conservative counter-terrorism’ in place. (Whittaker, 2011: 77)The way that film and terrorism in fluence one another is not solely negative. Simply the inclusion of thesubject matter of terrorism in British film is a significant discourse continually evolving the views on the existing ideologies around why people commit terrorism. A film with a strong political subject matter can influence the public’s perceptions, educating the inevitable confused and fearful opinion formulated by the mass-media’s outlook. Theoretically this can be viewed as a counter-terrorist measure, in an attempt to reveal contexts of a side of the narrative rarely explored, assisting in eliminating ethnic and religious divides and the sense of estrangement found in British-born Muslims. British Film often represents terrorism contrarily to that of the mass-media, creating thought-provoking representations of theindividuals behind the terrorist acts. Through the exploration ofcultural, political and social factors, British film generallyhumanisesthe terrorist but never legitimises or validates the actual acts. Conversely it understands that for oppressed groups there is usually no alternative course of action, showing that there is always more than one side to a narrative, usually told with a level of bias, in context to one’s own political agenda. ‘the term ‘terrorist’ is value-laden, and may be rejected by groups whose members may prefer to see themselves as ‘freedom fighters’ in ‘national liberation’ or ‘resistance’ movements, (McNair, 2011: 9)The Wind that Shakes the Barley(2006) authenticates the IRA struggle against the imperial empire and following young members of the IRA and the struggles again st British imperialism. Satire is the generic form of artistic and political expression typically used as a form of political communication, expressing itself through the use of humour and wit and critiquing existing social or political issues within the public sphere. The job of the satirist is to scrutinise the ubiquitous corrupt or immoral political issues in society. Satire was patented in the form of literary work but is now seen as ‘the process of attacking by ridicule in any medium’ (Hodgart, 1969: 7). British film often represents the terrorist as the freedom fighter, politically satirising the perception of the differences between the two.Brazil(1985)satirises the bureaucratic political system and the omnipotent authoritarian government. Harry Tuttle is an alleged terrorist; he illegally repairs citizens, thus breaking the rules of the bureaucratic state. In reality Harry Tuttle is a freedom fighter, liberating individuals from the endless administrative process that is required by the government. The terrorist attack on the Danish cartoons and more recently the murders of the CharlieHebdomagazine exposed the limitations of the freedom of expression, and the fine line between political satire and the incitement of hate. ‘It is an expression of free speech, [] Among the several tests by which we measure the extent of individual freedom, the right to ridicule must be included.’ (Freedman, 2009: 164) Forcefully instigating a reaction through the crass depiction of sacred figure will inevitably provoke a response fromIslamicfundamentals. Political satire of the ‘other’ is created in relation to the increasing social tensions regarding numbers of immigration, particularly in France were the rise of the far right-wing party in France; Le Front National, and a history of banning religious signifiers such as the Burka, create an unstable and fluctuating marginalisation of an already isolated Muslim community. When combined with the increasing and hostile isla mophobic rhetoric frequently used in the mass-media, forces the estranged and isolated members of the society to seek collective acceptance and meaning in extreme fundamentalism taking out the anger on the society that rejected them. Political communication is how each politicised text interacts with each other, and practically anything can be politicised. In political communication, it is not the origin of the message that deciphers whether or not something can communicate politically but instead it is the focus and the objective of that message. Through the examples of British film as mutually influential with the actions of terrorist organisations is the idea of humanising the individual member’s image of the terrorist. Underneath the terrorists political agenda is a person with thoughts and emotions, and reading deeper into the social, historical and cultural contexts help give the public or audiences they are attempting to shock a better understanding of the motives and intentions of committing such heinous crimes. Bibliography Denton, R. E., Woodward, G. C. (1990). Political Communication in American. New York, Praeger. Freedman, L. (2009). The Offensive Art. London: Praeger. Harvey, D. (2005).A Brief History of Neoliberalism. Oxford: OUP. Hodgart, J. (1969).Satire. Hampshire: BAS Printers Limited. McGovern, M. (2010). Ignatieff, Ireland and the ‘less evil’: some problems with the lesson. In: Discourses and Practices of Terrorism – Interrogating terror. London and New York: Routledge. McNair, B. (2011). An Introduction to Political Communication. 5th ed. London and New York: Routledge. Noonan, J. (2010) Fundamentalist foundations of terrorist practice – The political logic of self-sacrifice. In: Discourses and Practices of Terrorism – Interrogating terror. London and New York: Routledge. Pollard, A. (1970). Satire: The Critical Idiom. Methuen Co Ltd: London Whittaker, D. (2012).The Terrorism Reader. 4th ed. Oxon: Routledge. Wolfsfeld, G. (2011). Making Sense of Media and Politics: Five Principles in Political Communication. Abingdon: Taylor Francis. Filmography Brazil (1985) Directed by Terry Gillingham [Film]. UK: Embassy International Pictures Four Lions (2010) Directed by Chris Morris [Film]. UK: Film4, Warp Films, Wild Bunch Hunger (2008) Directed by Steve McQueen [Film]. UK/Ireland: Film4 The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) Directed by Ken Loach [Film]. Ireland/UK: Sixteen Films, Matador Pictures, Regent Capital, UK Film Council 1