A Biography of Indian Yellow Essay

Indian Yellow is a raw pigment which, as the name suggests, originated in India in the 17th century and was used until the early 20th century. Its source remained a mystery for many years. In 1786 the amateur painter, Roger Dewhurst recorded in letters to friends, that Indian yellow was an organic substance made from the urine of animals fed on turmeric (Myers, pg 1). Around this time, the English chemist George Field claimed it was made from camel urine. In 1839, J.F.L. Merimee, denied its association with urine in spite of its odor, citing its origin was a shrub called ‘memecylon tinctorium’ in his book ‘The Art of Painting in Oil and Fresco’, In 1886 the Journal of the Society of Arts in London began a systematic inquiry of the pigment, revealing that Indian yellow was manufactured in rural India (in particular in Monghyr, a city in Bengal) from the urine of cattle fed only on mango leaves and water (Finlay, pg 216-217). The collected urine was heated in order to precipitate the yellow matter, then strained, pressed into lumps by hand and dried, producing foul-smelling hard yellow balls of raw pigment, called ‘purree’ (Mukharji, pg 16-17). European importers would then wash and purify the balls, separating greenish and yellow phases. It is the mango not the urine that’s crucial to the color. The colorant is a magnesium salt of an organic acid released by the mango. Chemically it is magnesium euxanthate, the magnesium salt of euxanthic acid. See more: My Writing Process Essay Naturally, the cows that were exploited by this process were extremely undernourished. In part because mango leaves did not supply the cattle with sufficient nutrients along with the fact that these leaves contain the toxin urushiol, also found in poison ivy. In 1908, British law (which applied to colonized India) prohibited the production of Indian yellow, citing the torture of sacred animals. The pigment is believed to have first been used in Europe by Dutch artists in the 17th century (the Dutch having extensive trading links with India by then) and by the end of the 18th century across Europe in watercolor and oil painting. For the first years of its introduction in the European market, this pigment was simply named after its country of origin, ‘Purà ©e of India’(Finlay, pg 209-211). This was further simplified to ‘jaune indien’ (French), ‘giallo indiano’ (Italian), ‘Indischgelb’ (German) or ‘Indian Yellow’ when tr anslated into other languages (Myers, pg 1). Deep, clear and luminescent, it was favored for its great body and depth of tone. It had a peculiar characteristic in its watercolor form of fading in artificial light and in the dark but being fairly stable in direct sunlight. In its oil form, it requires one hundred percent for grinding, dries slowly, and the addition of varnish improves its drying, in fact its lightfastness is also improved when it is isolated between layers of varnish. Dutch and Flemish painters of the 17th and 18th centuries favored it for its translucent qualities often using it to represent sunlight. Beautiful as the color is, the pigment was said to be foul-smelling in its raw form. In the novel ‘Girl With the Pearl Earring’ Vermeer’s patron remarks that Vermeer used â€Å"cow piss† to paint his wife, the pigment referred to was Indian Yellow. By the early twentieth century the pigment was no longer available, although its modern substitutes are still sold under the name â€Å"Indian yellow†. Bibliography 1. Baer, N.S., â€Å"Indian Yellow† in â€Å"Artists’ Pigments, a Handbook of Their History and Characteristics†, Volume 1, R.L. Feller, Editor, Oxford University Press, New York (1986) 2. Finlay, Victoria, â€Å"Color: A NAtural History of the Palette† (2003 edition), Random House 3. Merimee, M.J.F.L., â€Å"The Art of Painting in Oil and Fresco† (2009 edition), Kessinger Publishing 4. Mukharji, T.N., â€Å"Piuri or Indian Yellow†, Journal of the Society of Arts (1883-84) 5. Myers, David, â€Å"Indian Yellow†, The Art Blog of David Myers (February 1, 2011) http://toxicgraphix.blogspot.com/2011/02/indian-yellow.html 6. â€Å"Indian Yellow†, Pigments Through the Ages, webexhibits.org http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/history/indianyellow.html

Brand and Proper Branding

Branding Meaning of Branding: The word â€Å"brand† is derived from the Old Norse â€Å"brandr† meaning â€Å"to burn. † It refers to the practice of producers burning their mark (or brand) onto their products. Branding is the practice of giving a specified name to a product or group of product of one seller. Branding is the process of finding and fixing the means of identification. In other word, naming product, like a naming a baby, is known as branding. Parents have children and manufactures also are eager to know the character and the capacity of their names. Thus branding is management process by which product is name; i. . branding. Proper branding can result in higher sales of not only one product, but on other products associated with that brand. For example, if a customer loves Wai Wai Noodles and trusts the brand, he or she is more likely to try other products offered by the company such as Kwiks Cheese Balls or Kwiks Potato Chips. Definition of Brandin g According to the American marketing Association, â€Å"A brand is name, term, sign, symbol or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competition. According to William j Stanton, â€Å"All trademarks are brands and thus include the word, letter or numbers which may be pronounced; they may also include pictorial designs. † Threes of Cs of Branding 1. Clarity: Strong bonds are clear about what they are & what they are not. They understand their unique promise of value. And this promise of value sets them apart from their competitors. It differentiates them and allows them to attract and built loyalty among a desirable set of consumers. 2.Consistency: In addition to being clear about who they are, strong brands are also consistence. They are always what they say they are. 3. Constancy: It is not enough to be clear and consistent if you are not always visible to your target aud ition. Strong brands are constant, they are always there for their customers and prospects. A brand can convey up to six level of meaning 1. Attributes: Mercedes brings to mind expensive, well built, well engineered, durable, high prestige automobiles. 2.Benefits: The attributes â€Å"Durable† could translate into the functional benefits and the attributes â€Å"Expensive† translates into the emotional benefits. 3. Values: Mercedes stands for high performance, safety and prestige. 4. Culture: Mercedes represents German culture; organized, efficient and high quality. 5. Personality: Mercedes may suggest a no nonsense boss â€Å"person†, reigning lion â€Å"animal† or an austere palace (object). 6. User: Suggest the kind of consumer who buys or uses the product. A top executive behind the wheel of a Mercedes and not a young secretary.Purpose of Branding 1. Brand is a massive asset. 2. Brand is a promotional tool. 3. Brand is a weapon to protect market. 4. B rand is antidote for middle man survival. 5. Brand is a means of identification for customers. Significance/advantage of branding 1. Advantage to producers a. Easy to advertise. b. Easy to identify the products. c. Creation of separate market. d. To get more price. e. Easy to expand the product mix. f. Personal contacts with consumers. 2. Advantage to middle man g. Easy to understand needs and wants of consumers. . Less risks. i. No need of advertisement and sales promotion. j. Increase in sales. k. Increase in profit. 3. Advantage to consumers l. Easy to recognize. m. Availability of quality product. n. Minimum fluctuation in price. o. Mental satisfaction. p. Improve packing. Branding decision Branding of products are mainly done under following criteria: 1. Founder’s names. 2. Blanket family names. 3. Separate family name for all products. 4. Corporate names combined with individual product name.

Global Communications Worksheet Essay

Your supervisor wants to send a brief e-mail message, welcoming employees recently transferred to your department from different regions across the company, which are Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Create a clear and concise welcome message that would be appropriate for these groups of employees. Research the communication style of each of the following countries: Brazil Russia India China Transcribe the following welcome message for the employees from each country: I wanted to welcome you ASAP to our little family here in the States. It’s high time we shook hands in person and not just across the sea. I’m pleased as punch about getting to know you all, and I for one will do my level best to sell you on America. Complete the table below with your transcribed welcome messages. Also indicate whether each of the countries are more individualistic or relationship focused, and whether they are direct or indirect in their communication. Country Transcribe Welcome Message Relationship or Individualistic? Direct or Indirect? Brazil

Breeding Thourghbred Racing Horses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Breeding Thourghbred Racing Horses - Essay Example ing of thoroughbred horses is a highly intricate and technical matter and a breeder’s success is measured by lesser failure rate as compared to others. Only a handful of winning horses can be produced from hundreds of crosses during a lifetime. Although the qualities of both the mare and the stallion may be exceptional, genetic variations result in offsprings which are not necessarily as good as their parents. Traditional breeding art has to be combined with the modern knowledge of population as well as molecular genetics. Some basic genetic philosophies which are pertinent to the development of a good breed include careful inbreeding structuring to obtain a balance between genetic health and performance, coordination of genetic components for a specific stamina ideal and ‘fixing’ of genetic characteristics using appropriate breeding programs (thorughbredgenetics.com). DNA based analyses of databases can determine whether horses will conform to required ideals in terms of racing potential and stamina. However winners don’t necessarily come from champion parents and exceptions have been there where champions have resulted from uncontrolled breeding. Training of the horses is another aspect which is important in making champions out of ordinary thoroughbreds with none too illustrious bloodlines. Although thoroughbreds are judged more by performance rather than looks, attractive horses have additional advantages in terms of aesthetic appeal. Single trait selection is much easier while developing a breed as compared to an endeavor where multiple positive traits are attempted. Bays and Chestnuts are the most common colors in thoroughbreds although there have been concerted efforts to breed pintos and palominos to make the horses have more visual appeal. The Quarter Horse Association is responsible for breeding paints and Appaloosas, which have characteristic spotting and color patterns, which were initially scoffed at by traditional breeders. Quarter and

Assignment 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assignment 7 - Essay Example There are three main components that every person as well as design should observe so that the feelings of the people involved are competently taken care of. The three aspects that need to be taken into account so that feelings of other people are taken seriously especially in design include appearance, behavior and their experiences or expressions. The three aspects need to be appreciated in the interaction with each individual so that they are able to connect with us. First, appearance or the visceral aspect as described by Norman (2004) describes the way we are able to appreciate how individuals react to the outward appearance of the product design. It is even imperative that we understand that appearance is even more important that functionality since most people are likely to perceive attractive things to be more user friendly than unattractive ones regardless of the real facts. The design should also take into account of the likely impact it may have on the pleasure or effectiv eness that will be attained by the potential users. In effect, to be able to seriously take into consideration the people’s feelings, we should be able to provide them with products that are likely to revitalize their fond memories. Lastly, it is important that the products reflect the individual’s rational and intellectual principles and that they are able to associate with it by even giving an explanation of how it functions. Norman (2004) has suggested that computers should therefore take the emotional component through well designed programs that are able to take into account the user’s feelings. It is quite strange but equally hilarious to think that computers can have emotions or at least, have an element of creating emotions. To some extent, I agree with the writer to the extent that computers and other digitech products should have basic elements of emotions so that they are able to be more users friendly. Whereas there is a big challenge of perfectly cr eating programs that will be faultlessly respond to different emotions and handle different personalities, it is important that computers are able to create some aesthetic value apart from the normal usability features. It is important that computers and other technological products are able to identify with historical and memorable events that people are able to connect them and not view them as insensitive tools. The writer is therefore right when he states that there should be a human part in the working of machines. He gives a good example of robots that he believes should do more than just assigned tasks so that they are viewed as more capable. However, in as much as the concerns of the writer may be genuine in addressing this great weakness of computer related design, it is still inconceivable to think that computers will perfectly fit to relay emotions and relate with different personalities. Like every being has different emotional frame and they may vary according to the en vironment or some historical happening among other things, computers may need to have complex systems that will integrate all these aspects in a single program that is likely to take immense efforts and massive resources to achieve. A2. The Philosopher’s Tool Kit Wittkower (2008) has raised an important component in product design by using the example of an iPod and the philosophy behind its much fanatical following. The author raises four pertinent issues that consumers may want

Swot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Swot - Essay Example ariety of freight including sand, drill cuttings, propane, sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, wood products, feed products, and fertilizers (Lehigh Railway LLC , par 1). Moreover, they also boast of a full range of transloading services through their in-house manpower or through their reliable transload service sub-contractor. Railway is also proud of the quality of their highly-skilled employees. LRWY has weaknesses too which they are currently addressing. This includes their problem with the lease contracts with Norfolk Southern. They are also beset with problems of locomotive power shortages. A key opportunity of LRWY is the presence of Marcellus Shale in its location. Marcellus Shale formation is considered by some geologist as a major source of natural gas (Geology.com , par 2). People in the natural gas industry believe that the Marcellus can be a major contributor for the supply of natural gas for the United States. This development presents possible new business opportunities for LRWY. The threats being faced by the company is the presence of other railroad companies in the area. However, the main threat that confronts them is the possible cancellation of their lease contract with Norfolk. As in any infrastructure, they are also aware that their railway may be damaged through Acts of God such as earthquakes, floods or hurricanes. Presently, LRWY’s advantage over its competitors is its location or geography. Its line encompasses a large area from Athens to Laceyville, Mehoopany, Meshopen, Presswood, Rummerfield, Sayer, Skinners Eddy, Towanda, Ulster, Wyalusing, and Wysox (Lehigh Railway LLC , par 1). The strategic issue that will challenge LRWY is the probability of a high growth rate in its business as against their capability to meet the demands of a growing market. The company must be able to gear up for this future growth in its business if it wants to remain competitive. In the next five years, aside from coping with this expansion, the

Video game addiction Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Video game addiction - Research Paper Example They end up devaluing other activities like swimming, football, dancing, reading novels among other hobbies one can do during free time. Research has proved that compulsive use of computer and video games is a present-day psychological disorder that medical experts are treating patients on daily basis. This paper analyzes the characteristics and consequences of video game addiction to a person and the society at large. Most teenagers usually like spending most of their siesta playing computer games, which form their number one hobby. Others end up becoming game addicts just out of innocent recreation. Gaming often starts from boredom and the latter pleasure ends up being the reward. Playing provides an alternate reality in which problems are solved and success and reward is possible. (Lemmens,Valkenburg and Peter 56).A good example of an addictive game that is very popular is The Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) .The gamers of MMORPG forms the group of people that is most susceptible to game addiction. The game is very addictive because it has no ending. Addicts form 9.1% of video game players that play these addictive video games on the internet (Kent 18). The level of addiction varies from one person to another. For instance, kids who easily get bored often develop poor relationships with family members and friend. They also feel out of place while at school, (King and Griffiths 201).201).This is because a void is filled and satisfaction of needs not met elsewhere is achieved. In situations where life becomes stressful gaming actually provides a good avenue of evading from responsibilities and life realities. Video gaming is normally a multi-faceted issue and that is what actually causes the addiction. Especially to the game beginners, the games are usually designed in away to make them addictive. These games are very interesting and this increases the amount of hours people spend playing. Most of them are designed to be very difficult and truly challenging while letting the players to attain minor accomplishments that forces them to continue playing. This design is very similar to that of gambling casinos which permits players to get small ‘wins’ so that they keep playing. Video games have several ‘hooks’ that are in built with the intention to make them more and more addictive. To begin with, The High score is the most recognizable hooks that are found in many games. Struggling to reach the highest mark can have a game player gaming for hours so as to score many points enhancing addiction. Beating the game is a hook that is not found in virtual role-playing games though it is almost all vide games. The drive to win the game is fed as a player moves to the next level or unravels the next hidden clue (Kent 221).This causes the player to make as many trials as possible causing addiction. Role-playing is another hook that allows players to actually craft characters within the game and get on on an exploration that is sole to that particular character. Consequently, there will be a serious emotional attachment to that character, and the whole story, further making it difficult to halt play ing. In addition, discovery tactic is a hook that is often found in the role-playing games. A good example is the World of War craft where a good part of this video game is dedicated towards exploring imaginary worlds (Van Rooij et al. 143).The thrill of innovation of even places that

Turkey military and islamists Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Turkey military and islamists - Research Paper Example retained the leadership for three consecutive terms without being overthrown by the military or being removed through the intervention of a constitutional court since multipartism in 1946. The conflict between political parties and the military have destabilized Turkey’s leadership over a long period. The fight between the constitution and Muslim religion has characterized the politics of Turkey. Turkey is officially a secular state as per the provisions of the constitution and their traditions. The constitution governs the activities of the political parties; it provides that any anti-secular political party can be banned by the constitutional court. An Islamic movement started finding its way in the country’s politics in the 1980s in an effort to fight for the economic inequality in the country. The movement has stood in favour of Islamic democracy based on the Islamic Sharia law and has attempted to bring these aspects in the Turkish politics. The military has intervened severally to bring down the extremism by some of these parties. The current leadership by the Justice and Development party has veered off from the stands that were upheld by the previous regimes. The party has Islamic roots but its ideologies have helped it in retaining leadership in the country that h as seen intensive military confrontation with the Islamic parties. Erdogan has been pro-west and has distanced his party from any religious inclination, an aspect that has helped the party remain in harmony with the constitutional provisions. The history of the rise of Islamic politics and the military engagements dates way back in the early 20th Century. Kemalism is an ideology that has been developed from the founder of the country, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk . In the process of its development, the country made a number of changes including an education system that focussed on the pre-Islamic civilizations of the Turkish people. The reforms that were made did not deter the people from

Should women in the military services be assigned combat duties Research Paper

Should women in the military services be assigned combat duties - Research Paper Example This paper supports women to be in military and fights against the laws kept across to prevent them from combat. People are trying their best to introduce women in combat, by according to the data taken during combat, majority of the death encountered during hostilities are of women. Even though, the paper supports women in combat, they are killed during the war. This paper explains two major factors that resulted to need of women in the forces. During a congress in the military service, they had problems recruiting and retaining a good number of qualified males, turning their attention into training women. The second thing was that there was a movement to have equal rights for women in the 1960s and 1970s. I will use this resource to will avail information in the paper regarding the movement that resulted to equal opportunity in jobs, including national defense and the removal of laws against them. Michele M, and Johnson D. Women in Combat compendium. Washington,DC: Government Print ing Office, 2012.Print. Michele and Douglas are in the U.S army college who conducted research for the army and the department of defense. This book explains the compendium requested by Colonel Putko for the support of a study based on women in combat. Douglas Johnson agreed but had to put a condition to monitor the women’s performance in the field. It is seen that the motion is one of the greatest emotion, and women wish to be part of the military. Research in the U.S army shows that approximately 15 percent are made up of women. This paper still indicates that it is impossible to apply rules that exclude women from combat due to the current battlefield. Enforcing the laws result to the reduction of combat capabilities, putting down the professional development of women and bringing on a serious reduction of readiness during warfare. The two major points supporting the combat of women is that, the combat nature has changed and the rules that were earlier enforced do not fit in the current situation. There is no doubt that women can perform their duties in the combat situation, apply self-defense with great skills, which in essence, is equal to the male comrades. I will use this resource to provide the paper with details on the importance of women on combat duties. Solaro E. Women in the Line of Fire. Emeryville,CA: Seal Press, 2006. Print. This book truly explains the facts of women in combat that was fought in the history of America. Success is shown in women in ground combat after a success in their mission, despite their exclusion. It is inevitable for the U.S to lack tactical and clear frontline women to engage with Iraqi women during the war. The book shows gender discrimination in the military and the government as there is a different in what women are supposed to do and what they are doing. The women capabilities in combat are assumed rather than being assessed. Leadership diversity should be encouraged where women are integrated in all sectors of the military, to make an effective military. Women who have participated in combat services should be recognized, but the bans prevent them from being rewarded materials of combat veterans. Repealing the law put up to prevent women from combat is very necessary for gender equality. Both male and female should be given equal opportunity in combat. In the ranks, distribution women are offered the lowest ranks,

A Narrative and Analysis of Two Stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Narrative and Analysis of Two Stories - Essay Example A Narrative and Analysis of Two Stories Even though both of these stories deal with different subject matter, the fact the matter is that difficulty in seeking to surmount it, form the backbone of both stories. According to this the following analysis will seek to relate these determinants to the reader as a means of comparison as well as greater understanding for the underlying core an ideal that they represent in the means by which humanity integrates with difficulties, reality, and an understanding of goals as well as the impossible. Hyeonseo Lee’s story engages the reader with the cold, harsh realities that exist within North Korea and explains the level of realization that exists within a heroine is a function of time. Where is a maybe difficult for the average individual to understand and appreciate the difficulties of life within an oppressive communist regime, Lee was able to come to such an understanding as a result of the suffering detailed in the letter which was discussed. However, rather than choosing just to run and enjoying her own freedom once she was outside of North Korea, Lee spent a significant amount of her own time as well as all of the money that she it saved in order to rescue the remainder of her surviving family from the clutches of the regime. The tale represents not only extreme sacrifice but extreme loyalty and understanding that can only exist within an individual who is actualized and understands the reality of the given situation. One aspect of this particular story that was no t found in the next story which will be related is the excess repower that an additional and unrequited individual can provide. Whereas Lee had been able to a compass great deal with her own money and her own efforts, she was eventually stymied within Laos prior to being able to fully realize independence and freedom for herself and her family members. However, just as the moment seemed as if all was lost, an unknown and unrequested entity entered and was able to change the situation entirely. Whereas almost the entire story up until this point had been focused upon Lee at her own individual efforts, the introduction of a secondary character willing and able to sacrifice of their own time and money was something that showed a great deal of the human condition. As such it is this very human condition of understanding difficulties in seeking to ameliorate them that provides the true object lesson in parallels that can be found within Lee’s escape and subsequent citizenship that form the backbone of her biographic story. Conversely, Diana Nyad’s stories emphasize a much more internal and personalized approach. Rather than having impacts upon the lives and freedom of other people, as did Lee’s story, Nyad’s struggle was basically one that was internal. This cannot be discounted to mean less than Lee’s. Rather, it is merely different in that Nyad sought to conquer her own weakness as opposed to seeking the comfort of others. On a broader level, Nyad and Lee show the ways in which the human brain and consciousness integrate with extreme difficulty. Whereas it would been much easier for both Nyad and Lee to merely walk away from the dreams that they shared, the much more difficult and nobler aspect was seeking to face them head on and accomplishing the impossible. As Nyad notes, what she was attempting to do, was ultimately never attempted

Introduction to Databases Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Introduction to Databases - Assignment Example This means the DROP operation will be performed not only on the primary key but also on all referencing foreign keys. Secondly, to avoid having null values as primary keys, always specify the primary key to auto increment whenever the database is populated. One foreign key from a table can only refer to a single primary key on another table. Moreover, it is unacceptable for the same foreign key to refer to multiple primary keys. For instance, department_id on the employee table refers to the primary key department_id on the department table and not the department_id on the job_history table. The data type and values of foreign key that are used in the database schema must match with the data types and values of primary key or unique columns for that matter. The data values of country_id on countries table, say 11, should be the same as that of country_id on the locations table. Similarly, the data type should also be same. If region_id in the regions table is an integer, then region_id on the countries table must also be an integer and not a double or

Horror stories Essay Example for Free

Horror stories Essay Horror stories have caught the attention of audiences throughout history, be it in literature or in film, because of its ability to ignite in us one of the most primordial of human emotions fear. As H. P. Lovecraft’s quote above explicitly states, there is no other emotion as old and strong as that of fear, particularly that of the unknown. But what is the horror genre? Arguably, it can be said that horror, as exemplified in films, are fictional stories which aim to stoke feelings of horror, terror, fear from its audience. Simple enough as it may sound, however, it has been found that one of the main problematic of dealing with the horror genre when studying it as a text, would be its overlapping characteristics with other genres, such as science fiction and fantasy. However, although horror may oftentimes be viewed as having no clear-cut boundaries, there are several delineations in it when compared to science fiction and fantasy. For example, according to Paul Wells, †¦[T]he horror genre is predominantly concerned with death and the impacts and effects of the past, while science fiction is future-oriented, engaging with how human social existence could develop and dealing with humankind’s predilection for self-destruction. While science fiction is potentially utopian (although often critically grounded), the horror genre is almost entirely dystopic, and often nihilistic in outlook. Science fiction is more concerned with the external and macrocosmic, while horror is arguably preoccupied with the internal and microcosmic. On the issue of crossing the threshold over to the realm of the fantasy genre, its main difference would be that fantasy â€Å"is based on re-imagining the world in a more playful or utopian guise, while only temporarily moving out of (endorsing) the terms and conditions of the status quo. † Horror, on the other hand, does also contain certain elements, but the status quo, for the most part is left untouched. Having shown how horror is a unique and independent genre despite having overlapping similarities with others, this paper will now go into the individual elements of it in order to further elucidate through the use of Alfred Hitchcock’s â€Å"Psycho† as an example. It is important to take note of a genre’s individual characteristics because â€Å"genre is addressed as a system for organizing production as well as groupings of individual films which have collective and singular significance. † Noel Carroll is of the opinion that what sets the horror genre apart from the others is primarily the reaction of the audience to what is being portrayed to them. He says, In horror fictions, the emotions of the audience are supposed to mirror those of the positive human characters in certain, but not all, respects†¦ Our responses are meant, ideally, to parallel those of characters. Our responses are supposed to converge (but not exactly duplicate) those of the characters; like the characters we assess the monster as a horrifying sort of being (though unlike the characters, we do not believe in its existence). This mirroring-effect moreover, is a key feature of the horror genre. For it is not the case of every genre that the audience response is supposed to repeat certain of the elements of the emotional state of the characters. But apart from that, common elements would also include the depiction of the dark, malevolent side of humanity, the relatability of the audience to the characters – despite their being haunted individuals, the dark, foreboding mood, the violence present, which are usually graphic, and the inclusion of unexpected and frightening twists in the plot. Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film Psycho does contain these elements, and thus is regarded as one of the finest examples of the modern horror genre. The beginning of the story started out plain enough. Marion is a secretary who runs away with the money of his boss’ client in order to be with her lover. However on the long drive to Sam, she is met by several obstacles like the cop that seems to be sniffing her out, bad weather and fatigue. It was because of the last said obstacle that she ended up in the Bates Motel. Here she meets the owner and keeper of the motel, Norman Bates. He seems nice enough, gentlemanly and soft-spoken even, but there already are sure signs that he is not as pleasant as he looks. The parlor in his office is filled with stuffed birds, and when Marion assumes that he knows a lot about birds, he corrects her by saying that he is no expert on birds; he just likes stuffing them. Also, it is in this conversation between the two of them that the audience is first given a glimpse of Norman’s seemingly disturbed mental state, becoming rigid and taking offense when Marion suggests that he place his â€Å"ill† mother in an institution. The way Hitchcock framed the headshots of Norman made him seem like he was about ready to strike, aggressive. Later on, in the famous shower scene, he would prove to be exactly that. But despite those telling signs, in those moments when he is the nice Norman, the audience can relate to the lonely young man who is verbally abused by his mother, but would not leave her because he sincerely believes she needs him to take care of her. It is precisely in this charm and relatability of his character that made the revelation of the plot highly successful later on. As for the mood, the house atop the hill behind the motel is indeed a dark and foreboding one. Always cast in shadows, and the structure itself, being old, looks scary by itself. Of course, the violence aspect of the film is also one of the most pivotal parts of Psycho. Although there is but one shower scene which depicted the killing of Marion with a kitchen knife in the shower, the movie is rife with the element of violence. Arbogast the detective was killed, Norman’s â€Å"mother† was verbally abusing him, and both the dead bodies were later on ditched in the swamp. As for the twist, as mentioned earlier, it is because of Norman’s charm as a character that made the twist even more effective. All throughout the film, the audience – as well as the other characters – were led to believe that Norman’s mother is indeed alive. Later on, the audience finds out that the â€Å"mother† they all thought to be in the story is actually Norman himself who has somehow kept his mother alive, quite literally, in his own mind. What makes this movie the successful horror story that it is then is because it was successful in eliciting from the audience the emotion of fear, be it for Marion who was running away from the cop, or being stabbed in the shower. Because the audience’s attention was focused on the hunt for Marion and the money, the element of surprise clearly was on the side of Norman’s story, him being not a direct figure in the Marion-money-Sam storyline anyway. With this example, we clearly see that the horror genre is not defined by the presence of monsters in the film (although Norman, in a figurative sense, can be considered a monster), but by its ability to evoke the emotion of fear from the audience, mirroring that of the characters they see onscreen. BIBLIOGRAPHY Carroll, Noel, The Philosophy of Horror, Or, Paradoxes of the Heart, Routledge, London, 1990. Deutelbau, Marshall Leiland Poague (eds), A Hithcock Reader, Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa, 1986. Kapis, Robert E. , Hitchcock: The Making of Reputation, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1992. Nelmes, Jill (ed), An Introduction to Film Studies, 3rd Edition, Routledge, London, 2003. Spadoni, Robert, Uncanny Bodies: The Coming of Sound Film and the Origins of the Horror Genre, University of California Press, California, 2007. Wells, Paul, The Horror Genre: From Beelzebub to Blair Witch, Wallflower Press, 2000. , Few thoughts on Horror, http://web. utk. edu/~wrobinso/590_lec_horror. html.

History of Breast Cancer Identification and Treatment

History of Breast Cancer Identification and Treatment A City of Strings In the late 1970s, researchers at Standford and UCSF had invented a technology known as recombinant DNA. They founded a biotech company called Genentech in 1976 to leverage on this technology to develop new drugs. Genentech used Recombinant DNA technology to synthesize human proteins in bacteria cells instead of extracting proteins from animal and human organs. From 1982 to 1985, Genentech had manufactured many important drugs such as human insulin, a clotting factor to treat hemophilia, and a human growth hormone all engineered and produced in bacterial cells. In 1984, a team of researchers led by a German scientist named Axel Ullrich from Genentech discovered the human homolog of the neu gene, an oncogene previously discovered by Weinberg. In the summer of 1986, Ullrich told the story of the isolation of Her-2 at a UCLA seminar. Among the audience was a UCLA oncologist named Dennis Slamon. Slamon had a collection of cancer tissues from patients at UCLA. He proposed a simple collaboration to Ullrich. If Ullrich sent him the Her-2 DNA probes, Slamon could test his collection for cancer cells with hyperactive Her-2 genes. Ullrich agreed. Slamon tested Her-2 with his collection of cancer cells. He discovered that breast cancers could be divided into two types: Her-2 positive and Her-2 negative, depending on whether or not the cancer cells amplify Her-2 by making multiple copies. Her-2 positive tumors are more aggressive, more metastatic, and more likely to kill than Her-2 negative tumors. The association of Her-2 with an aggressive breast cancer prompted Ullrich to look for a drug to shut off the Her-2 function. In 1988, Genentech produced a mouse antibody that could inactivated Her-2 and sent it to Slamon. Slamon tested the antibody with cancer cells in a dish, the cancer cells stopped growing and died. When he injected the antibody into mice with Her-2 positive tumors, the tumors also disappeared. He concluded that the Her-2 inhibition worked in an animal model. Both Slamon and Ullrich expected Genentech to leap at the opportunity. But Genentech got cold feet and wanted to focus on simpler and more profitable drugs. Feeling dejected, Ullrich left Genentech, leaving Slamon alone at UCLA trying to keep the Her-2 project alive at Genentech. Eventually, Slamon and Art Levinson, a molecular biologist at Genentech, convinced a tiny entrepreneurial team to push ahead with the Her-2 project. In the summer of 1990, Genentech produced a human Her-2 antibody ready for clinical trials. They called it Herceptin. Fifteen women enrolled in Slamons trial at UCLA in 1992. The drug was combined with a standard chemotherapy drug, both delivered intravenously. Only five of the original cohort continued the trial to its six-month end point. One of them is Barbara Bradfield. She had told Slamon that she was at the end of the road and had accepted what seemed inevitable, when Slamon tried to enroll her in the trial in the summer of 1991. She survives today. Drugs, Bodies, and Proof By the summer of 1993, news of the Herceptin early phase trial had spread through the community. Her-2 positive breast cancer is one of the most fatal variants of the disease, and patients will try any therapy that could produce a positive response. Cancer activist urged the release of the drug to patients who had failed other therapies. These patients, they argued, could not wait for the drug to undergo the long periods of clinical trial; they wanted a life saving medicine now. For Genentech, Herceptin had not been approved by the FDA. Genentech wanted carefully executed early phase trials. Marti Nelson, a gynecologist in California, had breast cancer when she was 33 in 1987. In 1993, six years after her initial surgery, her cancer had relapsed. She wanted to test the tumor for Her-2 sensitivity, but her HMO insisted that the test was useless because Herceptin was in investigational trials. In the summer of 1993, she contacted the Breast Cancer Action (BCA) project for help. Working through its activist networks, BCA asked several laboratories to test Nelsons tumor. In October 1994, the tumor was found to be Her-2 positive. She would be an ideal candidate for the drug. But the news came too late. She died nine days later. On December 4, 1994, a group of women from the BCA staged a funeral procession for Nelson through the Genentech campus. Unable to silence the activists, Genentech joined them. In 1995, Genentech agreed to provide an expanded access program for Herceptin, allowing oncologist to treat patients outside clinical trials. Trial Results On May 17, 1998, Slamon reported the results of the clinical trial at the 34th meetings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Los Angeles. In the pivotal 648 study, 469 women had received standard chemotherapy and were randomized to receive either Herceptin or a placebo. Women treated with Herceptin had shown a clear a measurable benefit. Response rates had increased by 150 percent, shrinking more tumors, and extending lives by four to five months compared to the control arm. In 2003, two studies were launched to test Herceptin in early stage breast cancer. When the trials were combined, overall survival in women treated with Herceptin was increased by 33 percent. A Four-Minute Mile In 1973, Janet Rowley identified a unique chromosomal aberration in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells. The abnormality, the so-called Philadelphia chromosome, resulted from a translocation in which the head of chromosome 22 and the tail of chromosome 9 had been fused to create a new gene. A team of Dutch researchers isolated the gene on Chromosome 9 in 1982. They called it abl. And in 1984, they isolated abls partner on chromosome 22 a gene called Bcr. In normal cells, Bcr and abl are separate genes living on separate chromosomes. But in CML cells, the fusion of the two genes created a new chimera called Bcr-abl which coded a hyperactive kinase that causes cells to divide without control. In the mid-1980s, a team of chemists at Ciba-Geigy was trying to develop selective kinase inhibitors. Ciba-Geigy was a pharmaceutical company in Basel, Switzerland.ÂÂ   The team was headed by a Swiss physician named Alex Matter, and an English biochemist named Nick Lydon. In 1986, Matter and Lydon discovered a simple skeletal chemical that could bind a kinase and inhibit its function. By the early 1990s. Matter and Lydon had created dozens of new molecules with similar structures. When Lydon tested these molecules on various kinases, he discovered that they were kinase inhibitors with extraordinary specificity. What Matter and Lydon needed now was a disease in which to apply this collection of chemicals. In the late 1980s, Nick Lydon met Brian Druker at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Druker, a young faculty member at the institute, was interested in CML the cancer driven by the Bcr-abl kinase. He proposed an ambitious collaboration effort to test the kinase inhibitors on the patients at the institute. But the project was tabled because the lawyers could not agree to terms. In 1993, Druker reconnected with Lydon after he left Boston to start his own laboratory in Portland at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). Lydon informed Druker that the Ciba-Geigy team had found a molecule called CGP57148 that might inhibit Bcr-abl with high specificity. Revealing little about the potentials of the chemicals, Druker got a collaboration agreement signed between OHSU and Ciba-Geigy. In the summer of 1993, Druker added the drug from Lydon to CML cells in a petri dish. Overnight, the CML cells were dead. He induced CML tumors into mice and then treated the mice with the drug. The tumors regressed in days, leaving behind the normal blood cells. He drew out samples of bone marrow from a few patients with CML and applied the drug to the cells in a petri dish. The leukemia cells in the marrow died immediately, leaving behind the normal blood cells. He had cured leukemia in the dish. Druker expected Ciba-Geigy to be excited about these results. But in Basel, Ciba-Geigy has just merged with its arch rival into a pharmaceutical behemoth called Novartis. The prospect of spending millions on a drug to benefit thousands gave Novartis cold feet. Novartis finally relented in early 1998. They changed the name of the drug to Gleevec. In the initial phase of the study, 53 out of 54 patients receiving the drug showed a complete response within days. The remissions extended into weeks and months as the patients continued the medicine. The initial phase of the trial was a success. The Red Queens Race In the fifth year of their Gleevec trial, Charles Sawyer and Mashe Talpaz found the vast proportion of CML patients maintained deep remissions on the drug. But occasionally, a patients leukemia became Gleevec-resistant and stopped responding to Gleevec. Sawyers discovered that the CML cells become Gleevec-resistant by altering the structure of the molecule. In 2005, Sawyerss team generated another kinase inhibitor, called dasatinib, to target Gleevec-resistant Bcr-abl. The effect of this new drug on Gleevec-resistant patients was remarkable: the leukemia cells disappeared again. Even targeted therapy was a cat-and-mouse game. When the cancer becomes resistant to the drug, we would need a different molecular variant. And when it becomes resistant to the new drug, you would need the next generation drug. Like the Red Queens race, we have to keep running to remain still. In the decade since the discovery of Gleevec, 24 novel cancer-targeted drugs have been introduced and dozens more are in development. The 24 drugs have been effective against lung, breast, and prostate cancers, lymphomas, leukemias and sarcomas. Some inactivate oncogenes, others target oncogene-activated pathways. The Red Queens race applies to cancer screening and cancer prevention. Circles of relationships are powerful predictors of individual behaviors. The tobacco epidemic originated as a form of metastatic social behavior. Successful cancer-prevention strategies can lapse swiftly when social behavior changes. Thirteen Mountains The Human Genome Project was completed in 2003. It will be followed by the Cancer Genome Atlas project a compendium of every gene mutation in the most common form of cancer. Mutations in the cancer genome, Bert Vogelstein believes, come in two forms. Some are passenger mutations that have no impact on the biology of the cancer cell. Others are driver mutations that play a crucial role in the biology of a cancer cell. The mountains in the cancer genome, the most frequent mutations in a particular form of cancer, have another property. They can be organized into between eleven and fifteen key cancer pathways. The dysregulation of these core pathways poses an enormous challenge for cancer therapists. These changes provoke three directions for cancer medicine: Once we have identified the crucial driver mutations in any cancer, we will need to hunt for targeted therapies against these genes. We need to integrate the insights of cancer biology into cancer prevention to preempt the need for a million-person association study. Cancer screening can also be fortified by the molecular understanding of cancer. We need to integrate our understanding of abnormal genes and pathways to explain the behavior of cancer, renewing the circle of knowledge, discovery, and therapeutic intervention. Atossas War Imagine Atossa, the Persian queen who had breast cancer in 500 BC, traveling through time, appearing and reappearing in one age after the next. How would her treatment and prognosis changed in the last four millennia, and what happens to her later in the new millennium? In 2500 BC at Imhoteps clinic in Egypt, Imhotep provides a diagnosis, but there is no treatment, he says. In 500 BC, her Greek slave cuts her tumor out a primitive form of a mastectomy. In 400 BC, in Thrace, Hippocrates identifies her tumor as a karkinos. In AD 168, Claudius Galen says its a systemic overdose of black bile cutting the tumor out would not cure it. Medieval surgeons cut her cancer away with knives and scalpels. Some offer goat dung, lead plates, crab paste, and holy water as treatments. In 1778, at John Hunters clinic in London, her cancer is assigned a stage. If the tumor is local, he recommends surgery. For advanced cancers, he advises: remote sympathy. In 1890, at Halsteds clinic in Baltimore, her breast cancer is treated with radical mastectomy. In the early twentieth century, radiation oncologists try to destroy the tumor using X-rays. By the 1950s, her cancer is treated with a lumpectomy followed by radiation. In the 1970s, her surgery is followed by adjuvant combination chemotherapy to diminish the chance of a relapse. In the 1980s, besides surgery, radiation, and adjuvant chemotherapy, she is treated with hormonal and targeted therapy. In the mid-1990s, Atossas genome was sequenced and found positive for BRCA-1.ÂÂ   She is offered several targeted therapies to treat the illness. In 2050, Atossa will arrive at her oncologists clinic with a thumb drive containing the entire sequence of her cancers genome. The computer would identify the mutations and pathways that are causing the cancer. Therapies will be targeted against these mutations and pathways. She will start with one combination of targeted drugs, expect to switch to a second one when her cancer mutates, and switch again when the cancer mutates again.

The Importance Of Agriculture To Nigeria Environmental Sciences Essay

The Importance Of Agriculture To Nigeria Environmental Sciences Essay Agriculture is the engine that stimulates economic change in a nation development; Agriculture occurs when people begin planting and cultivating crops. It is said to be natures food web and the rechaneling of energy for human planting and animal consumption. To simplify, agriculture involves redirecting natures natural flow of the food web. Nigeria is very blessed with agriculture resources, and if you recall, this is what the green colour symbolizes in our nations flag. Most parts of the country experience rich soil, and good rainfall, not to mention the warm year, round temperature. About 80% of the land is cultivable, and about 13% of the land is forested, and livestock are also maintained by farmers. In the 1960s agriculture was the foundation for the nations economy and Nigeria was self sufficient in terms of food. Before the discovery of oil, our economy was sustained by agriculture. The sector remains the largest contributor to the Nigerian economy, accounting for over 38% of the non-oil foreign exchange earning and employing about 70% of the active labour force of the population. Although, the sector has suffered much neglect since the discovery of petroleum in commercial quantity in 1958 but its importance cannot be over emphasized in the nations economy. Data shows that at independence in 1960 the contribution of agriculture to the GDP was about 60%, which is typical for developing agrarian nations. In 1998, Agriculture was said to have contributed an estimated 32% of Gross Domestic Product (DGP) to Nigerian economy and an estimated 32 percent of labour force was employed. In 2006 contributed 43% to GDP of US $142 billion and employed 70% of the population. The importance of Agriculture is so numerous but to mention a few. People depend on a wide range of Agricultural products in almost all aspects of life. It is a key economic driver. It is central to individual livelihoods and alleviates poverty. Provider of energy fuel-wood and medical plants, it helps in Nations economic growth, e.g. Agriculture contributes between 40 and 60% of the GDP of many African Countries. Agriculture is a key to healthy biosphere, it provide food, which is a key determinant of human health. In general the contribution of Agriculture sector provide food incremental markets for new products manufactured in the industrial sector, it has contributed immensely on the supply of new materials to other sectors, tax revenue to the Government to provide Foreign exchange. Having seen some of the importance of Agriculture, how then do we attain 70% growth in Agriculture sector each year? To achieve growth, bold steps must be taken towards changing our orientation on Agriculture and reversing the trend. For long we have merely been paying lip service to the revival of Agriculture as the main stay of our economy. It is on the drive to bring back the past glories of Agriculture and use it to complement our oil earning: that we came up with the initiative tagged Quest to achieved food sufficiency. CHPTER 2 QUEST TO ACHIEVED FOOD SFFICIENCY Quest to achieved food sufficiency is a way of making sure our food, Fibers, energy and recreational opportunities cheap, sufficient high quality and safe. Quest to achieve food sufficiency is the availability of food or food in excess. This can be accomplished by involving Nigerian youths in farming. That is inculcating the sense of participation in Agricultural sector. Gone are the days where farming is left for retired workers and those in the rural areas. Food is the most essential thing in mans live. According to Abraham Maslow an industrial psychologist, came up with the theory of physiological needs of man and top on the list was the desire for food as the basic need. According to him, after a man has satisfied his need for food, he beings to crave for clothing and then for shelter. Today food which is the basic need of man is readily unavailable all over talk less of man being satisfied with it. This as whole led to world food crisis and no country is unaffected. Particularly years, 2007-2008 saw dramatic rises in world food price, creating a global crisis and causing political and economical instability and social unrest in both poor and developed nations. Although it is almost impossible to pinpoint the exact cause of soaring food price, experts have placed the blame on rising fuel costs, lower agricultural production, weather shocks, more meat consumption, shifts to bio-fuel crops and bad policies. The hike in food price, threaten to increase malnutrition. Malnutrition impairs the ability to lean or to work and reduces resistance to disease. Hunger is a cause of poverty. Last week UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that 963 million people are now hungry, which means another 40 million people have been pushed into hunger. In addition, child mortality (about 3.5 children die yearly) is attributed to malnutrition since childrens health and cognitive development is sensitive to the overall development. Yet, in the face of this poverty and hunger, our work force is not left untouched or unaffected as this poverty and hunger reduces productivity. EFFECT OF THE WORLD FOOD CRISIS ON NIGERIA Nigeria has never had food security. It has as usual been importing rice, beans and other food items. Since the sources of supplied of these importation are in food crisis it has a spill over effect on Nigeria. The most silent area is that food price will be on the high side, and result to low quantity of food to be import thereby, causing instability in the country economic, social and political sector. Many will starve to death, crime rate will be on the high side, and the rate of poverty will be extremely high. To avert possible food crisis in Nigeria serious, practical and effective implementation needs to be taking in agriculture sector. Poverty in Nigeria is predominantly rural. Of all Nigerians who are poor, nearly two-third lives in rural areas. For the near future therefore, reducing poverty in Nigeria will depend largely on stimulating rural growth. The most powerful engine of rural growth is agricultural growth, because agriculture has important forward and backward linkages to the local economy on both the production and the consumption side. This will in turn make Nigeria to be sufficient in food and agricultural production, and join the league of industrialized nations by the year 2020 because, agriculture is and has always been a major player in the game of industrial revolution. MECHANISED FARMING AND MAXIMISING AGRICULTURE OUT PUT IN NIGERIA Mechanization of the agricultural industry is the way out of solving Nigerias problem instead of the tractorization belief by some. Moreover, this can be achieve by matching up human input with mechanization, bringing in machinery and increase the scale of production, so that whatever you produce will match the population growth rate. No doubt, Nigeria soil is rich and the climate good enough to grow nearly all kinds of food crop anybody can think of. What is required is to get an expert that will manage the soil. Some areas might not belief in tractorization but the use of animal plough, the best is to improve on the technique so you can accelerate their production rate. Some areas have zero tillage, you plant and it will germinate, that kind of place does not need tractors but planters. In addition, part of mechanization plan that is proper is to plan for irrigation itself to water the plant where there is no rain. There is need for improvement on subsistent farmers as record has it that 95% of agriculture product is from then. Subsistent farmers cultivate not more than four hectares. To move from the level of subsistent farming to scale farming, mechanization input must be there. The average yield of maize crop in Nigeria is 3.5 tones per hectare, compared to 8.6 tones per hectare in developed countries. This is very low and cannot be equal with the work force. With this low yield, commercial agriculture is hard to come by. From the global experience its suggests that the path ways along which commercial agriculture can develop, is by successful model ranging from highly diversified systems made up of small holders who deeply involved in commercial production to more specialized systems made up of large-scale mechanized farmers who produce exclusively for the market. Mechanized farming is an easy or stress free farming and the yield is far higher than hoe/merchant farming. It goes along way attracting the youths INVOLVING NIGERIAN YOUTH IN MORDEN DAY AGRICULTURE One of the factors that threatened the sustainability of agriculture is the lack of involvement of our youth in it. It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract our youth in agricultural pursuits. The average age of persons involved in domestic agriculture is 50-65 years old and without increased participation from our youth, by the year 2014, the average age range of agriculture producers will be approximately 65-70 years. The contribution of the youth is essentially important in the development of rural areas. The youth are essential human beings in the development of rural areas. Studies have shown that rural areas, especially in developing countries like Nigeria, have high population ratio when compared to the urban centre. Youths in this context has been defined as individuals male or female above ten but below forty-five years. Indeed, the vital source of work force for development is seen within this range. The employment rate in this country is very low. According to United Nations, population found, approximately three million people in Nigeria, mainly youths, move into the labour market annually with just few getting jobs. These young Nigerians can be re-trained in agriculture sector. When we groom our young people in the process of domestic agriculture, it will in turn develop the rural areas, which is the root of economic upliftment for the nation. The YPAD initiated QUEST TO ACHIEVED FOOD SUFFICIENCY in order to involve young people in agriculture sector. This is a yearly program. The program provides the opportunity for development of practical skills in the areas of farm management, production and marketing of crops, livestock, as well as the business administration of a successful farm enterprise. ACTUALIZING MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND 7-POINT AGENDA The MDGs are simply targets and indicators to measure the progress in achieving the eradication of poverty, achieving universal access to primary education, promoting gender parity and women empowerment, reducing child mortality, improve maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, developing a global partnership for development. This project was signed in 2000 about nine years ago, with just six years reach 2015. The impact in agric sector is not visible like in the aspect of HIV/AIDS. The YPAD initiative is concentrating on youths and youths are in the vanguard of change. This program will contribute to the achievement of some of the MDGs goals such as, eradication of poverty by being self-employed, promoting gender parity and empowerment of women by giving equal opportunity to the female youth. Areas such as reducing of child mortality improve maternal health; ensure environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development will feel the impact. This project will be cited in the rural areas, since it has been revealed that the youth constitute the highest percentage of the rural population. The development of rural areas in developing countries is the root of economic upliftment for the nation. 7-POINT AGENDA The Yaradua 7-point agenda is the vehicle designed by the administration to take Nigeria to a state where the necessary infrastructure will be in place for our collective benefit. Its expected, that, the Nigerian economy would become one of the top 20 in the world by 2020 through the agenda. That means we are aiming at a growth rate of 13 percent per year in the next twelve years and must be sustained to remain in the big league. The seven elements of the agenda are Energy/Power, Security/Niger Delta, Wealth Creation, Food Security, Education/Human Capital Development, Transportation/Mass Transit and Land Reforms. This project is designed to improve the general well being of the citizens and taking Nigeria to the biggest 20 economies in the world by the year 2020. To attain growth rate of 13% annually, some sectors that leads to export of its products has to be consider. And one of this sector include agriculture which could earn the country over 60% GPD annually which is one of the objective of YPAD. This program will touch the lives of many Nigerians and see to the contribution towards the success of 7-point agenda. CHAPTER 3 PLAN OF ACTION We have mapped out strategic plans of inculcating unemployed youths into farming sectors. This plan has worked in the entertainment industry and today the entertainment industry is known all over the country. Massive awareness would be created through media, posters, handbill, signpost, billboard, Local government offices etc. whereby some unemployed youths who are willing to go into farming business or who want to be self-employed will be encouraged to come out in mass and register. The registration will take place in any of the banks within the country for the period of two months only. Immediately after registration audition commences, only twenty five persons will be short listed to participate in the program. Land will be allocating to the twenty-five candidates. Since this is our first time, we intend to start with only twenty-five persons, five per group that is forming only five groups. The program is expected to last for only three months. During this period participants will be accommodated and well catered for. At the end of the third month, harvesting will take place. They will be judge base on the quantities of their farm product. The participants are to undergo series of lecture such as farm management, keeping of farm record, pest control, storage and preservation of farm products and entrepreneurship. In order to make the program more attractive, participants will pay visit to farms, organization and some personnel. Area/Location Without land for cultivation, this project cannot be achieved. Acquiring land for cultivation is one of the major challenges most youth encounter. There is no doubt Nigeria is blessed with verse land. From research, it was estimated that 79 million hectares out of Nigerias total land area of about 91million hectares were arable. However, only about 32 million hectares (or 46% of the cultivable area) were being cultivated out of which 90% of agricultural output is accounted for household with less than two hectares under cropping. The remaining land are left uncultivated these lands can be cultivated by Nigerias youth if given the chance and means. Three states are chosen namely FCT, Niger and Nasarawa States. But only one out of the three states wills this event take place and this depends on the availability of land. Consolation Prices: To make the program more interesting and Competitive, there is going to be prize for the best group, as well as other groups. After harvesting the group with the highest yield have be sponsored for next farming season. The idea of introducing prize is to enhance their performance, help to bring out the best in each participant. Harvesting: The farm products belong to the participants. The instructors will teach the participants how to preserve their farm products and expose them to the buyers. CHAPTER 4 CROP Since this is going to be the first event we intended to start with maize and cowpea. Maize is grown virtually in all parts of the country; it is grown more in the middle belt and in the north central. Maize: Maize (zea mays) is an annual plant which belongs to family Gramineae and Genus zea. Zea mays L. have a normal Chromosome complement of ten pairs. It is divided into seven groups. The classification is based largely on the character of the kernels. Maize is a warm weather plant. It grows from sea level to 300 metre altitudes. The most suitable temperature for germination is 21oc and for growth 32oc. Fifty to Sixty centimeters of well distributed rain is conducive to proper growth. Maize is a cereal plant that produces grains that can be cooked, roasted, fried, ground, pounded or crushed to prepare various food items. Apart from direct human consumption maize is also useful as medicines and as raw materials for industries such as breweries, pharmaceutical companies, baby cereals, livestock feeds and other industries. The global production of maize is estimated to about 300 Million tones per year. In Nigeria, its production is quite common in all parts of the country, form the north to the south, with an annual production of about 5.6 Million tones. Until recent years, the bulk of maize grain produced in Nigeria was from the south-west zone. It was reported that western Nigeria generally produced about 50% of Nigeria grain maize, the remaining 50% being split between the north and east. Although large proportion of the grain maize is still produce form the south-western part, there has been a dramatic shift of dry grain production to the savanna, especially the Northern Guinea savanna i.e. the Middle and Northern belt of Nigeria where sunshine is adequate and rainfall is moderate. Under these conditions, storage of grains can be accomplished without much damage from insect pests. In these zones farmers tends to prefer maize cultivation to sorghum. This trend may have been brought about for several reasons including availability of streak resistant varieties for all ecological zones in Nigeria, availability of high yielding hybrid varieties, increase in maize demand coupled with the federal Government imposed ban on importation of rice, maize and wheat. Local production had to be geared up to meet the demand for direct human consumption and industries. The name maize is derived from the South American Indian Arawat Carib word Mahiz. It is also known as Indian corn or corn in America. It was introduced into Nigeria probably in the 6th century by the Portuguese. Today maize crop covers about 1Milion hectare out of a Million hectares it occupied in Africa and it is the second most important cereal crop in Nigeria. The two varieties of maize are Hybrid and composite but for now we are making do with composite maize. LAND CLEARING Land clearing must be carried out with minimal displacement of the topsoil. It requires judicious use of heavy machinery coupled with sound soil conservation measures that will preserve the soil fertility status, which varies under long term fallow vegetation. Minimum tillage is a feasible way of sustaining high soil fertility under intensive maize farming. PLANTING TIME Sowing date is an essential component of crop management. Yields decline with lateness of planting after an optimum time, usually the start of the rains. Response of varieties to other inputs is dependent upon planting time. Optimum planting in each of the major agro ecological zones of Nigeria falls with these following ranges. Forest Zone Mid April 2nd Week in May Forest Savanna Transition 3rd Week in April 3rd Week in May. Northern Guinea Savanna Last Week in May 1st Week in June Sudan Savanna First 2 Weeks in June SOIL Maize is best adapted to well drain Sandy loam to silty loam soils. Water stagnation is extremely harmful to the crop; therefore, proper drainage is a must for the success of the crop especially during Kharif season. Maize will not thrive on heavy clays, especially lowlands. It can be grown successfully in soil whose PH ranges from 5.5 to 6.5 PLANT NUTRIENTS AND FERTILIZER APPLICATIONS For good growth and high yield, the maize plant must be supplied with adequate nutrients particularly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. DISEASE CONTROL Although several diseases have been identified on maize in Nigeria, only few of them significantly reduce maize yields. They are maize streak, downy mildew, maize mottle/chlorotic stunk, curvularia leaf spot, stalk and ear rots. In order to make farming economically feasible, resistant line were bred and made available to farmers. With these efforts, maize streak, smut and rust have been kept under control. Genes for downy mildew resistance has been incorporated into streak resistant varieties. Scientists in Nigeria have developed high yielding disease resistant /tolerant maize varieties. The newly developed varieties of maize have between 90 and 95% resistance to the pathogen without extra fungicide protection. Striga hermonthica is a threat to increased maize production in Nigeria particularly in the high yield potential savanna zone. Scientists have identified some inbreed and hybrids that have consistently demonstrated tolerance to S. hermonthica under heavy infestation also reported that the use of NPK and urea fertilizers as effective means of controlling S. hermonthica in maize field. WEED CONTROL Weeds cause severe yield reduction in maize in Nigeria because they complete with the crop for nutrients. Water and light weed controls is the most expensive operation in traditional maize farming since it is procured manually. Often, the labour is too expensive causing many farmers to abandon weed control thereby resulting in very low yields. INSECT PEST CONTROL There has been a renewed interest in the use of natural plant products in the protection of stored agricultural product against insect pest in storage. The use of plant products in form of powders in the management of stored products coleopteran is the most convenient, the powders are easy to apply, and the commodities remain clean after treatments. Moreover, the moisture contents of plants have been used successfully for the control of different species of stored product pests. POTENTIAL IMPACTS/POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES Maize grain production in Nigeria would have at least double from 7m metric tones in 2004 to 14.0M metric tones by 2007 or 21.0M metric tones by 2010. Public/Private synergy for enhanced production established. Role of Nigeria as a lead player in disaster mitigation strengthened. Income generation, wealth creation, poverty reduction and improved food security through maize farming and related agribusiness improved. COWPEA Cowpea is one of the most ancient crops known to man. Its origin and subsequent domestication is associated with pearl millet and sorghum in Africa. It is now a broadly adapted and highly variable crop, cultivated around the world primarily for seed, but also as a vegetable, a cover crop and for fodder. Cowpea has a number of common names, including crowder pea, black-eyed pea and southern pea. It is known internationally as lubia, niebe, coupe or feijole. However, they are all the species Vigna unguiculata (L) walp, in older references may be identified as vigna sinensis (L). The largest production is in Africa, with Nigeria and Niger predominating. World wide production of cowpeas is approximately 20Million acres. Cowpea is considered more tolerant to drought than Soya beans and better adapted to sandy soils. Many cultivars have a vining growth habit or bush type cultivars. But bush type is better suited for direct combining. PLANT DESCRIPTION All cultivated cowpea varieties are considered warm season and adapted to heat and drought conditions. Cowpeas typically reach a canopy height of 30 to 36 inches, although the more determinate bush types may reach only 24 inches. The seed pods are borne above the leaf axil, making the pods very visible. The seeds pod is typically 3 to 6 inches long and has 6 to 13 seeds per pod. The seed weight per bush is 60 pounds with about 3,000 to 4,000 seeds per pound. UTILIZATION The fresh type referred to as southern peas are shelled green and the peas can be cooked fresh and canned or frozen for later use, but there is also consumption of the whole pea pod as a fresh vegetable. While the dried beans is frequently sold directly to the consumer after cleaning or freezing. Cowpea is consider nutritious with a protein content of about 23%, fat content of 1.3%, fiber content of 1.8%, carbohydrate content of 67% and water content of 8 9%. As in most legumes, the amino acid profile complements cereal grains. PLANTING/GROWING For optimum yield, cowpeas should be planted in early June, although planting dates from late may through mid June are appropriate. The bush types yield better on closer row spacing. The seed should be planted similar to soybeans at 1 to 11/2 inches deep. FERTILITY MANAGEMENT As a legume, cowpea fixes its own nitrogen and does not need nitrogen fertilizer. Infact, some of the vigorous, vining, varieties of cowpeas are excellent nitrogen producers as a cover crop. The soil PH should be 6.0 or higher. DISEASES AND INSECTS The major insect pest is cowpea curculio, and the major disease is root knot, a severe root disease induced by root knot nematodes (melo dogyne spp) but active breeding has taken place for resistant varieties. GROWING Growing cowpea is fairly straight forward, with management practices being similar to soybeans. Proper site selection is important. Cowpea is well adapted to sandy soils, and will perform well on rich, well drained soils, but should not be grown on wet or poorly drained soils. INTERCROPPING AND CROP ROTATION Cowpea has out standing potential for intercropping and crop rotation. In Africa, cowpea has been intercropped for a longtime with various other crops such as maize, groundnuts, millet and other grins. Report shows that 98% of cowpea grown in Africa is intercropped. Cowpea can be intercropped with taller plants, such as maize, particularly in high rainfalls areas, due to their exceptional shade tolerance. They are also outstanding as straight rotational crop because of their susceptibility to root knot nematodes and their beneficial effect on subsequent maize crops, which lasts even for the second succeeding crop. ADVATAGES FOR INTERCROPPING WITH MAIZE Higher total yields then sole crop yields, probably due to less intraspecific competition. Greater yield stability More efficient utilization of environmental resources Better weed control Provision of insurance against crop failure. Improved quality provided by variety Maize as a sole crop requires a larger area to produce the same yield as the maize component in an intercropping system. CHAPTER 5 PROPOSED ESTIMATES FOR QUEST TO ACHIEVEFOOD SUFFICIENCY 2008 LAND About 10,000 hectares located at Yangoji, Dafa, Tungan Galadima, Kwali Area Council all in FCT. The land is lease at N510, 000/hectare for 50years. For 25hectare it will cost N12, 750,000. But there is provision for mortgage finance option whereby the same land is used as collateral. With mortgage finance we are allowed to pay 50% (N6, 625,000.00) and spread the remaining payment within a particular period. The land can be renewed after 50years. No doubt, the mortgage finance scheme is preferred. FURNISHED THREE BEDROOM APARTMENT APPLICANCES QTY UNITY PRICE(N) AMOUNT(N) Accommodation: Three bedroom flat for 25 persons 2 250,000 500,000.00 Carpet for the three rooms 6 room 2,500/room 15,000.00 Rug in the seating room 2room 45,000 90,000.00 Six spring student mattresses 25 4000 100,000.00 Pillows 25 500 12,500.00 21 Flat screen Television 2 50,000 100,000.00 Refrigerator 2 85,000 170,000.00 Stabilizer 2 15000 30,000.00 Ceiling fans 8 3000 24,000.00 Generator of 1.5kv Yamaha 2 50,000 100,000.00 Total 1,141500.00 PUBLICITY Announcement/airing on Electronic Media 4,500,000.00 Newspaper: Full page three times for three weeks 1,134,000.00 Posters 500,000.00 Banners 500,000.00 Hand bill 200,000.00 Bill board 3,000,000.00 TOTAL N9, 334,000.00 FEEDING MEAL FOR TWENTY FIVE PERSONS Three hundred naira per meal, for three square meal per person in a day it is N900 (nine hundred naira) N300/meal/N900/person/day. Three square meal for twenty five persons in a day cost N22, 500 (twenty two thousand five hundred) N22, 500/twenty five persons/three square meal/day. Twenty five persons in ninety days N2, 025,000.00 (two million twenty five thousand naira) N2, 025,000/twenty five persons/ninety days Bottle water N500, 000.00 TOTAL N2, 525,000.00 THE QUANTITY OF SEED NEEDED SEED QTY/Ha QTY/20Ha UNIT PRICE AMOUNT Maize seed (ACR 97) 20kg 500kg 150/kg 75,000.00 Cowpea 20kg 500kg 200/kg 100,000.00 Apron star 55,000.00 Pest Control/weeding 985,000.00 TOTAL 1,215,000.00 Apron star (seed greasing): for slurry seed, treatment, fungicide, insecticide and seed treatment. PLANT NUTRIENTS Plant nutrients involve organic and inorganic nutrients. Nutrients Bags/ha. Bags/20ha. Unit Price/Bag(N) Amount (N) Fertilizer (15:15:15) NPK 6 bags 150 bags 3,000/bag 450,000.00 Urea (20:10:10) 2 bags 50 bags 2,500/bag 125,000.00 Organic nutrients/manure 100,000.00 TOTAL 675,000.00 FARM MACHINERY FARM TOOLS QTY UNIT PRICE(N) AMOUNT(N) Hoes (Galma) 5 1,500 7,500.00 Machetes 5 1,000 5,000.00 Tractor (Hiring for 3days) 2 15,000/day 90,000.00 Planter (plating for 3day) 2 5,000/day 30,000.00 Tot

Tom Robinson is Proved Guilty Before Trial Essays -- Kill Mockingbird

Tom Robinson is Proved Guilty Before Trial In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson, the black man falsely convicted of rape, had absolutely no chance of a fair trial. There is proof of this in the time period in which it occurred as well as evidence from the novel itself. Tom Robinson had an unfair trial because it was his word against the Ewell’s, a white, trashy family. To Kill A Mockingbird took place in the 1930’s, a time that was enormously charged with racial tension. One example of this is the existence of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Even though the KKK was in a time of decline in the 1930’s, it had been very prominent in the 1920’s and had still not completely died out. The KKK had rallies and marches. They even marched in Washington D.C. several times. They burned crosses on the lawns of any white person who would show favor towards blacks in an effort to scare them away from helping black folks. The KKK was an extremely violent group. â€Å"While African-Americans still bore the brunt of much Klan violence, Jews and Catholics topped the enemy’s list, followed by immigrants and those who transgressed Klan’s vision of morality† (â€Å"History†). The KKK showed their violence in several ways. Lynchings occurred very frequently as did raids of people’s homes. Although not all lynchings were caused by the KKK most of them were. Lynchings were held very often in the South during the time when the KKK was prominent. During these lynchings, people were often pulled from their homes at night, beaten within an inch of their lives, and sometimes they were hanged or burned alive. These lynchings occurred most frequently among black people although white people were lynched as well. After t... ...case. The fact that the trial took place in the 1930’s in the South put automatic guilt over Tom Robinson’s head. He did nothing wrong, but that was not enough to convince the jury of his innocence. Works Cited Chalmers, Allan K. They Shall Be Free. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1951. "History of the Ku Klux Klan: The Second Era of the Ku Klux Klan, 1915, 1944." HateWatch.org. 13 Feb. 2001. http://www.hatewatch.co.uk/klan/2nd_era1.html. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Warner Books, 1960. "Scottsboro Case." 1999-2000. Encyclopedia Brittanica. 11 Mar. 2001. http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/printable/2/0,577,68092,00.html. Pansdell, Hollace. "Report on the Scottsboro, Ala. Case ." American Civil Liberties Union 27 May 1931. 11 Mar. 2001 http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_HRrep.html.

The Clinic :: essays research papers

The Clinic The Clinic is one of a series of Alex Delaware novels written by Jonathan Kellerman. Alex Delaware is a psychology doctor who is often employed by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to provide psychological profiles of both victims and killers. The book is 465 pages long. In this novel Dr. Delaware has been asked to provide a psychological profile of the victim of a particularly gruesome murder. The victim is Professor Hope Devane, who was found murdered under a large elm tree in front of her home. She was stabbed three times; once in the heart; once in the groin; and once in the back. The only clue was a bicycle track left at the scene. The murder had occurred three months ago and the case had been turned over to a different detective, Milo Sturgis, due to the lack of progress in solving the case. Milo Sturgis is a personal friend of Dr. Alex Delaware and requested his assistance. Very little was known about Professor Hope Devane and Detective Sturgis asked Dr. Delaware to compile a psychological profile of her. Professor Devane had written a male-bashing book entitled â€Å"Wolves and Sheep.† The book had created quite a controversy and Professor Devane had appeared on numerous talk shows. Dr. Delaware discovered that Professor Devane had set up a committee at the university where she was employed. This committee was established to assist students who claimed to have been sexually harassed by other students. There were only three cases handled by the committee before the head of the university dissolved it. Detective Sturgis and Dr. Delaware decide that it would be a good idea for Dr. Delaware to locate and interview both the members of the committee and the individuals involved in the three cases. There were only three members of the committee. The members were Professor Hope Devane, another professor at the university, and a student named Casey Locking. The professor who served on the committee told Dr. Delaware that she only sat in on two of the cases and then dropped out because she felt the committee was too radical. She also said that Professor Devane exhibited signs of someone who might have been abused herself. Dr. Delaware interviewed the students involved in the three cases, with the exception of one young woman who seemed terrified. This girl claimed to have been raped by a fellow student who was a drama major. The Clinic :: essays research papers The Clinic The Clinic is one of a series of Alex Delaware novels written by Jonathan Kellerman. Alex Delaware is a psychology doctor who is often employed by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to provide psychological profiles of both victims and killers. The book is 465 pages long. In this novel Dr. Delaware has been asked to provide a psychological profile of the victim of a particularly gruesome murder. The victim is Professor Hope Devane, who was found murdered under a large elm tree in front of her home. She was stabbed three times; once in the heart; once in the groin; and once in the back. The only clue was a bicycle track left at the scene. The murder had occurred three months ago and the case had been turned over to a different detective, Milo Sturgis, due to the lack of progress in solving the case. Milo Sturgis is a personal friend of Dr. Alex Delaware and requested his assistance. Very little was known about Professor Hope Devane and Detective Sturgis asked Dr. Delaware to compile a psychological profile of her. Professor Devane had written a male-bashing book entitled â€Å"Wolves and Sheep.† The book had created quite a controversy and Professor Devane had appeared on numerous talk shows. Dr. Delaware discovered that Professor Devane had set up a committee at the university where she was employed. This committee was established to assist students who claimed to have been sexually harassed by other students. There were only three cases handled by the committee before the head of the university dissolved it. Detective Sturgis and Dr. Delaware decide that it would be a good idea for Dr. Delaware to locate and interview both the members of the committee and the individuals involved in the three cases. There were only three members of the committee. The members were Professor Hope Devane, another professor at the university, and a student named Casey Locking. The professor who served on the committee told Dr. Delaware that she only sat in on two of the cases and then dropped out because she felt the committee was too radical. She also said that Professor Devane exhibited signs of someone who might have been abused herself. Dr. Delaware interviewed the students involved in the three cases, with the exception of one young woman who seemed terrified. This girl claimed to have been raped by a fellow student who was a drama major.

Mr S Ndzimba at Uj Essay

â€Å"Redemption Song† Analysis â€Å"Redemption Song,† a magnificently composed song by Bob Marley relates to oppression and deliverance of African slaves, who were brought from Africa to Jamaica. The general theme of this song is the beauty of the redemption of people after oppression. Support of this theme is found in Bob Marley’s connotation and tone. Connotation, the diction of words, is the most significant aspect of this song that supports the theme. Bob Marley’s terminology is responsible for creating a truly entrancing song. Bob initiates the song on a delicate level by describing the obliteration of the African people by slavery; â€Å"Oh pirates yes they rob I; / Sold I to the merchant ships, / Minutes after they took I / From the bottomless pit. (Marley 1-4). These very lines portray the appalling technique used to take Africans from their homeland to toil for others. The next line, â€Å"But my hand was made strong / By the hand of the Almighty. / We forward in this generation/ Triumphantly,† (Marley 5-8) illustrates the authority given to the slaves by God. Through His hand, the present generation has been capable of moving onward and prospering. The most eminent lines of the song, â€Å"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery / None but ourselves can free our minds† sustains thought that it is not the responsibility of the oppressors to free the oppressed; this assignment can only be completed by the oppressed themselves. Through the complete song, Bob Marley maintains an optimistic tone. He appears to believe that through all the pain and agony of slaves his generation will be able to formulate a difference. Evidence of this is found in the lines â€Å"We forward in the generation / Triumphantly† (Marley 3-4). This strictly means that descendents of Africans have been given an opportunity to right and improve the prospects their ancestors never had. Overall, â€Å"Redemption Song† is a incredibly stunning song that relates to not only African slaves but all others that have been oppressed. Bob Marley’s main purpose of this song is that, in the end, it is up to the oppressed to determine their freedom and destiny.

The Air Traffic Controllers Strike of 1981

In this study, I intend to provide an overview of the air traffic controllers' strike that occurred in 1981. This strike came at the peak of increased tension between the air traffic controllers union, PATCO, and the FAA, a federal agency charged with overseeing the management of all civil air flights. The strike occurred on August 3, 1981. On that day, approximately 12,000 air traffic controllers went on strike, effectively crippling the civil air industry. As members of PATCO, these individuals certainly felt they had the right to strike; however, under the terms of certain laws affecting federal employees, the air traffic controllers, in fact, did not have this right. As a result, President Reagan immediately threatened that any air traffic controller not back at work within 48 hours of the start of the strike would lost his or her job. Three days later, the FAA issued 12,000 dismissal notices and the strike officially came to an end (Spector, 1982, p. ). Of particular interest to me is not only the details and particulars of this strike, but also the structural circumstances that precipitated it and why compensation negotiations were ineffectual. Therefore, I will focus the remainder of this overview on several key points: the internal and external environmental forces that led to the strike, specific human resources issues that made air traffic controllers apt to strike, and a review of the negotiation process and the failed proposals on both sides. In the course of this evaluation, I will discuss some of the major players in the strike, analyze some of the fundamental causes of this strike, and even present at least one alternative solution that was proposed at the time and should have probably been implemented without fail. In this, I intend to illustrate the nature of the air traffic controllers' strike of 1981 and the factors that made it all but inevitable. To begin with, let's consider some of the major players who were involved in the air traffic controllers' strike. First, there is the FAA. This is the federal agency that was established in 1958 to manage all civilian air flights in the United States. At the time of the strike, all air traffic controllers in the United States were trained, certified, and employed by the FAA (Spector, 1982, p. 1). In other words, the FAA had a literal stranglehold on the market for air traffic controllers in the United States. To work in the United States as an air traffic controller, thus, meant that one had to work with the FAA and abide by their prescriptions for how air traffic controllers should be employed. Second, we should consider PATCO, or the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization. This group was affiliated with the AFL-CIO and was created in 1968. It was, in short, a union of air traffic controllers. During the 1970s, in particular, PATCO grew at a tremendous rate (Spector, 1982, p. 2). By the time the potential strike rolled around, most of the air traffic controllers in the United States were members of PATCO. Third, we should consider the head of PATCO, the man who lead the organization down the more militant path towards strike and whose ultimate negotiations with the FAA would precipitate the strike in the first place. Robert Poll took the reins at PATCO in 1980, partially in response to attitudes within the organization that felt a more aggressive stance was needed towards the FAA on the part of unionized air traffic controllers (Spector, 1982, p. 2). In this context, we can see that Poll and PATCO were immediately at odds with the FAA, which as an organization naturally wanted to maintain its monopolistic control over the supply of air traffic controllers. The conflict between the two primary players in this strike-the FAA and PATCO-was only exasperated by certain pieces of federal legislation that prohibited federal employees from using strikes, sit-ins, or work slow downs to affect changes in their employment status. Legislation such as the Federal Relations Labor act prevented federal unionized employees to use their union status for anything other than collective bargaining (Spector, 1982, p. 2). This structural component of the issue further tied the figurative hands of PATCO and the air traffic controllers. It may even have precipitated a strike if the air traffic controllers felt cornered and desperate in their dealings with the FAA. If the air traffic controllers did not think there was any possibility of seeing their demands met-and how could they, if they were not permitted to use the threat of a strike? -then it is possible that they would have instigated the strike in desperation. There were a number of other issues that certainly led to a strike-style conflict between the FAA and PATCO. For example, of the 17,275 air traffic controllers employed in July 1981, all had to take part in a seventeen-week training course and then participate in on-the-job training for an additional two to four years. The FAA estimated that the total cost of training an air traffic controller amounted to $175,000 (Spector, 1982, p. 4). From the perspective of the FAA, labor negotiations were unlikely to result in higher pay rates or other forms of compensation. From the federal perspective, a significant amount of money had already been invested in these individuals; more was not a viable option. For the air traffic controllers, however, increased pay was the least of their concerns. As air traffic controllers knew all too well, the job of managing dozens of aircraft from the ground simultaneously was not easy. When PATCO went to the negotiation table with the FAA prior to the strike, they listed a number of concerns and problems that they wanted to see corrected. These included, but were not limited to, the following. One, PATCO was concerned about access. The FAA gave unfettered access to airports at any time, to anyone. The result was extremes of traffic during peak and off hours of the day or week. PATCO also cited poor supervision from individuals who were often paid more than the air traffic controllers to do nothing more than shift paperwork around. Safety responsibility was also a concern-given the demands of the job and the life-or-death nature of it, some air traffic controllers felt that there should be a better system of managing and accepting responsibility. Finally, the air traffic controllers were concerned about their pay scale, especially lost overtime hours according to federal mandate (Spector, 1982, p. 10-11). Salaries for air traffic controllers were reasonable for the period, however some federal regulations placed a cap on the amount that any individual could earn as a federal employee. Additionally, limitations were made regarding the amount of pay that could be awarded during any two week period, regardless of hours worked. This fact, combined with the extremely stressful nature of the job, upset many at PATCO (Spector, 1982, p. 4,6). The fact that the FAA rated as one of the poorest employers of air traffic controllers worldwide in terms of hours worked per week, vacation days, and sick leave only made matters worse (Spector, 1982, p. 5). Thus, when the FAA and PATCO went to the negotiation table in the days and weeks preceding the strike on August 3, there were a number of issues that had to be resolved between them. The air traffic controllers felt overworked, overstressed, and under appreciated in general. The FAA felt that it had the upper hand because the air traffic controllers were unable, by federal law, to go on strike. For this reason, the eventual strike-in hindsight-seems all but inevitable. In fact, the assumption that the FAA had the upper hand in the negotiations may have led directly to their counter offer which was much more conservative than the original PATCO demands. PATCO wanted an increase in salaries, a new maximum salary limit, a reduction in the work week, earlier retirement benefits, and cost of living adjustments to be made twice a year. The FAA negotiator, John Helms, estimated that this package would cost the government around $744 million the first year. He countered with a proposal that would only cost $40 million the first year, but which was a significantly watered down version of PATCO demands (Spector, 1982, p. 10). The union rejected this offer and went back to the negotiation table. When the second counter offer from the FAA was also not to their liking, they voted 95% in favor of going on strike (Spector, 1982, p. 11). The consequent strike on August 3, 1981 cost most of PATCO members their jobs and ended up costing the aviation industry, as well as associated industries such as tourism and hotels, millions of dollars in lost profits. Given these myriad environmental forces, symptoms and causes, and the inherent conflict between the FAA and PATCO, it is little wonder that a strike was the ultimate result between the negotiations between the FAA and PATCO. But what might have been done differently, what other solution might have worked in the past to alleviate the problems that occurred? For an answer I turn to Lane Kirkland of the AFL-CIO who said at the time, â€Å"The air traffic control system is a purely subsidized service the government is providing for the private airline industry. Under the Reagan doctrine of getting the government off people's backs, you'd think they might try to turn the whole thing over to the industry to run instead of using the might and majesty of the government to suppress a strike† (Spector, 1982, p. 4). In fact, this is exactly the solution that I would have suggested at the time and would advocate today as a solution to the mess that the FAA found itself in in 1981. If the FAA had been privatized, the concerns and issues that air traffic controllers were having could have been easily resolved between PATCO and the airline industry, in whose best interest it would have been to resolve the matter to keep planes in the air and profits in the black. Instead, the government used an ineffective law to force almost 12,000 people out of work who were simply trying to use the power of the strike to leverage themselves better working conditions. Especially when we consider the magnitude of the job that air traffic controllers did (and do) and the safety of countless lives that could have been at stake, it is even amazing that the government responded to the legitimate concerns of air traffic controllers in the way that it did.