Persuasive Fishing

General purpose: To Persuade Specific purpose: To persuade the audience to go fishing this summer. Central Idea: Fishing is fun and easy Pattern: Topical Pattern Introduction: I have been fishing for 10+ years and really enjoy it and would love to share this hobby of mine with others. Body: There are so many ways to fish and I would like to share with you some information on my favorite ways to fish. Bow fishing is my favorite way to catch fish and it begins around May when the temperature is constantly warm and last thru ought the summer.Some gear you will have to have is a bow a recurve or a compound it doesn’t matter but if you are not the best with a bow the best bow for you would be the compound because you have sights on the bow. A retriever reel and an arrow with any kind of tip will work. And the way the fish is swimming threw the water you must aim below where you see the fish at, it’s difficult at first but it gets easier. Cat fishing can be done anytime durin g the summer day or night.I prefer night time because there are less people fishing and the fish are more active. But the down side to fishing at night you must then bring a light or build a fire to see the end of your poles. The first thing you will need is a fishing pole with a heavy weight on the end of the fishing line with a treble hook around half a foot up from the weight you do this because cat fish usually stay toward the bottom of the lake or river.What I found works the best and smells the worst is punch bait and you push the treble hook down into the punch bait with a stick because if you get it on your hands they will stink for a while. And another good bait to catch the catfish with is chicken livers and they are a little more difficult to put on the hook. Conclusion: Fishing is a great and relaxing hobby to try out.

Examining the Songs of Slavery In America Essay

For some reason, the last song you hear on the radio always sticks in your head. Later in the day, you catch yourself singing it†¦and you realize that it’s not even a song that you like! Fortunately for you, and unfortunately for all those around you, we can sing that song, no matter who, including yourself, cares to listen to it. No one is going to punish you for the quirkiness that goes with having the guts to actually sing a song that the guy in the cubicle next to yours just busted up the radio for playing. Music is part of our everyday lives. It is something that most of us have never lived without. Something in a song empowers us, saddens us, angers us, and makes us fall in love. So many of us can link a special memory to a song†¦and that 4-minute composition of words written by someone whom you’ve never even, met can take you back to â€Å"that place†, if for only a moment, and make you feel â€Å"that way† again. Songs are a way of life for most of us, and they have been for many years. Today, we listen to songs freely. History, however, reveals that many of us were not born with the same freedom. Can you imagine being punished for enjoying music? For history’s slave community, singing, humming, or listening to music was prohibited (Lang, p. 13). To slave owners, the practice of music portrayed a relaxed state for the slave. Most felt that carrying on with such â€Å"nonsense† would interfere with the slave’s focus, resulting in poor performance. The opposite, however, was the outcome. When they were allowed to sing, the slave found joy in the day Crane/Fleming 2 (Watts, p. 1). Singing was an outlet†¦a way to say how they felt about their owners, the job being done, family, God, and about dreams for themselves. Originating during the Civil War slave days, singing soon caught on all over the South and beyond. It served both hidden and obvious purpose. Not only could a slave could sing a song, and feel relaxed performing assigned duties, a slave could also â€Å"chant† a song to communicate messages to fellow slaves. So much mystery lies behind this aged practice, and uncovering the mystery will leave you appreciating the creativity utilized, whether you are of slave ancestry or not. If you have ever been to a traditional, majority Black church, you would walk out feeling energized. The energy exercised to convey God’s word is pretty unmatched by churches of other ethnicities. It’s as if the Black community has been doing this for years†¦and they have been. In early slave days, slaves were not allowed to read scriptures. Instead, they learned of God through â€Å"white folks’† church (Brown, p. 1). It was at these meetings that they listened to hymns, heard a few bible scriptures, and were told â€Å"mind† their masters. Soon, the slaves took it upon themselves to meet privately and discuss God and what he had planned for them. After the meetings, several would stay behind and â€Å"ring shout†, or chant songs about God and His plan for them. Foot tapping and hand clapping were accompanied by paced singing, and as the song continued, the pace would increase (Watt, p. 1). Men and women slaves became so involved in the chanting that they would collapse in emotion to the ground. Ministers were disturbed by this unusual behavior and soon banned the practice of ring shouts. It was at these early gatherings when the historical slave songs evolved. The very nature in which they are practiced lead back to the days of ring shouts. Soon, the topics of the shouts veered from being only about God, and began to include chants of hopes, prayers, and displays of confidence. Crane/Fleming 3 In the movie, Glory (Zwick, 1989) the men of the â€Å"Fifty-fourth† prepare to fight by performing a ring shout to bear hopes of success against the men they will soon face. These black men, formerly slaves, start slow and humble, and soon roar to a fast paced shout of faith in God, love of family, and belief in each other. Hands clap and legs are slapped for rhythm. This scene in the movie portrays the sole possession these men have to hold on to: each other. With a bit of encouraging, one soldier is assisted by another to not just â€Å"say† his hopes for the battle’s outcome, but to â€Å"demand† them with confidence that his prayers will be answered. Although Hollywood glamorized this scene with embellishments such as a pre-determined beat and a chorus, this type of shouting is how it all began. Knowing how it all began leaves us with the need to know â€Å"why† it all began. Why did â€Å"slave songs† (Ware, Allen, and Garrison, p. I) become such a big part of history? No other group in history utilized song the way that history’s slave did. Not only did singing pass the day, but singing helped the slave to identify with themselves. Bringing God into the lyrics, they created biblical images (Silverman, p. 79) of who they compared themselves to during biblical times. Many compared themselves to Moses, and sang of leading all slaves to freedom, just as Moses led the Israelites from Pharaoh’s captivity. This gave the slaves hope. Soon, this boost of hope led to singing songs about what it would be like when they were free. In Slavery Chain Done Broke at Last (Silverman, p. 83), the slave sings of how freedom is abound. He is sure to thank God, and vows to continue telling God his problems, in hopes of receiving more help when needed. In other songs, such as Oh, Freedom, (Ware, Allen and Garrison, p. 33), slaves give thanks at the end of a long and dangerous journey to freedom. On the other side of serious purpose, slave songs were not always sung just to say â€Å"thanks†. They were also sung as a way to Crane/Fleming 4 entertain, just as today’s music does for us. A good example of this is Now Let Me Fly (Brown, p. 1), where slaves sing of African people who could fly. Songs like these were loved by children, as their imaginations soared with images of flying people. But along with singing about being thankful and creating silly images for children, these songs served another purpose†¦perhaps the most important purpose of all: they served as a form of communication among the slaves (Johnson and Johnson, p. 18). Slaves lived a hard life. Along with being â€Å"owned† by another human being, the slave’s owner employed harsh rules for the slave to live by. One of these rules was that they were owned property, and could not leave on their own accord to be a free person (Watts, p. 1). Discussions of being free were punishable by whipping, beating and starving the slave. The slave was forced to create a way to communicate ploys to escape, warnings of a master’s mood, new slaves joining the old slaves, and many other issues in code. The slave song was the perfect way to convey messages without being discovered. Many of the slave’s work songs were composed out of sheer desperation to warn others of trouble ahead, or to keep an escape attempt from getting botched. Let Us Break Bread Together (Allen, Ware, and Garrison, p. 34) allowed fellow slaves to know about meetings to be held in the early morning hours (before sunrise) to discuss concerns, share prayers, and plan an escape. These meetings were held far earlier than the master’s waking hours. Plans were made, escape routes were decided, and updates on other slave’s escape attempts were provided. Later in the day, in the fields, around the house, or where ever else work was to be done, the slaves sang their songs, inconspicuously passing messages to one another. Other songs, such as No More Auction Block for Me (Johnson and Johnson, p. 20) conveyed a message of weariness of a slave’s hope. This song was often sung under one’s breath, during or Crane/Fleming 5 almost immediately after being beaten. One slave could often recognize the beaten slave’s mouth movements, and gather the support of fellow slaves to encourage new hope if the beating was survived. Happy, sad, useful, or light-hearted, the hidden messages of these songs were understood among all those who sang or listened to them. Although creative in nature, and almost ingenious in creation, these songs were recorded in words for us to read today in the exact format in which they were written. It is interesting to read some of the lyrics of these songs, spelling included, particularly because these songs were written down exactly the way they were spoken. The spoken English of some slaves could be somewhat choppy, and sometimes difficult to understand. Though the message is clear, songs such as Hear from Heaven Today (Allen, Ware and Garrison, p. 2) display a perfect example of how the words of the song were to be pronounced: â€Å"†¦a baby born in Bethlehem, and I yearde De trumpet sourd in the oder bright land My name is called and I mus go De bell is a-ringin’ in de oder bright world My brudder, my brudder Joseph and sista Mary†¦Ã¢â‚¬  -Anonymous Though some are difficult to read, the authenticity of unedited lyrics links us to a part of history not to be misunderstood. While the level of education is evident, what can be proven is that slaves were absolutely not ignorant people. Sometimes the subject matter of a song is simple. An example of this can be found in Git De Chores Done (Brown, p. 1). The slave sings, â€Å"Did you feed my cow? † â€Å"Yes, Maam. † â€Å"Will you tell-a me how? † â€Å"Yes, Maam. † â€Å"Oh, what did you give her? † â€Å"Cawn and hay. † â€Å"Oh, what did you give her? † â€Å"Cawn and hay. † -Anonymous Crane/Fleming 6 The slave was encouraged by something as simple as a brief conversation between him and the slave’s owner to create a song that added motivation to the day’s duty. On the other side of the â€Å"work song† (Watt, p. 1) is a song far more complex. Codes were often sent through songs. In Get Dem Chilen Home (Brown, p. 1), the slave sings of certain obstacles to look out for: â€Å"†¦Take careful when you turn dat co’ner. He waitin’ fo you, waitin’ fo you, always watchin’. Get Dem Chilen Home by way of dem hills, But take careful when you turn dat co’ner. -Stephen Foster In history, no other group of people made full use of song the way the slaves did (Watt, p. 1). Not only did they sing about what they did, they saved lives and led each other to freedom. Their songs changed what we know about history in a colorful way. Love it or not, music and song are here to stay. We have the great fortune to do with it what we will. Some will choose to listen, and others will choose to write. We may never again do with song what the slaves did with it, and that’s o. k. But who knows†¦maybe one day our children’s children will be writing a paper on what people of our time did to change music and song forever.

Legal Issues in the Criminal Justice Administration Research Paper

Legal Issues in the Criminal Justice Administration - Research Paper Example Eventually, they credited her good work in the sexual assault unit and considered as â€Å"one of the boys.† Officer Rowdy uses colorful language when dealing with fellow officers. One day, following a brutal child sexual assault investigation, she joined with fellow officers to the bar and got pretty drunk. The males called Rowdy a â€Å"jap† and laughing about J-date and in returned, Rowdy joked about circumcised versus uncircumcised males. She seemed not offended. Rowdy’s immediate supervisor was with them and he blatantly told her that she can be promoted as a detective provided she will do something sexual for him. Offended, she called him several derogatory names and he left her alone, but not before he called her a â€Å"disgusting Jew.† A week later, a neighbour of the bar where the officers were drinking reported to the Sheriff that her officers were an embarrassment to the town and that there was one female officer who was particularly offensive because she was using foul language and telling sexually explicit jokes with the male officers. The Sheriff called Rowdy’s attention and investigated her about the incident. The Sheriff apparently considered her for the detective division but professed having second thought as complaint was mounted. Rowdy explicated that she endured verbal abuse from her fellows and perceived that she tolerated it so that she will not get fired. She related the supervisor’s offer of a promotion and the offensive Jewish jokes she’s had to put up since starting the job. She does not want to lose her job and don’t want to alienate fellow officers as they might retaliate and shun her again. She asked if this incident happened because of her Jewish religious practic e which has become a subject of amusement for fellow officers. c. If she disciplines Officer Rowdy for her behaviour in the bar to satisfy the citizen complaint, will she have a legitimate claim against the Sheriff? If she is

Analysis of Griffith's Movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of Griffith's Movies - Essay Example This paper is about the movie directed by D.W Griffith and actress included Mary Pickford which was made in 1912. This movie was made in their early movie careers. The story of the movie starts with a Dying Mom’s wish and how this wish affects everybody’s life. In the beginning, it looks like that the movie is not coming up to the standard of the story line of the movie. Pickford is portrayed as a charming young lady. This short movie is a very good example of the human nature and it seems like the director has observed human nature very closely and efficiently. Mary Pickford is shown in the early movie as a girl that belongs to wear a New York hat. Other than its historical importance, this movie proves to be a very good source of entertaining the audience. While watching this movie the Modern audience should keep in mind that â€Å"The New York Hat† was made according to the norms and the general practices that were being observed at the time when it was made. At the beginning of the movie Mary is successful in gaining the sympathies of the audience. Because she is a young girl whose loving mother dies leaving her all alone, all that is left in this world for her is her father who is not only miser but also fails to prove himself as the protector of the girl. When in this situation she receives a hat as a gift from her pastor it means a lot to her and she develops a special place in her heart for that gift. It also shows that she is so lonely that such a small gesture makes her feel important and wanted. This captivates the minds of the audience as the story unfolds. The girl who is already frustrated by the behavior of her selfish father gets further annoyed when the whole town starts talking nonsense about the words that were exchanged between the pastor & the girl. Upon hearing these rumors the father becomes angry and tears the innocent gift given to her by the pastor. At this point of the movie this incident provokes the audience and they are so appalled by her father’s behavior that all they want is the justice for the innocent and badly hurt young girl. The modern audience especially feels that such a selfish father should be brought to justice and punished for this unnecessary and unprovoked act. At this point the steps taken by the pastor to protect the young girl appear to be very naive and appropriate according to the situation. The question is that whether or not the people of the town will understand his friendly behavior towards the young girl as nothing more than an innocent friendship. Despite the fact that the mother, knowing the nature of her husband, has written a letter to the pastor to take care of her young daughter, the town does not approve of this relationship. It must also be kept in mind that the age of the young girl is not clear at this point although at some points she looks like a 16 year old but in some other scenes she appears younger than 16. The general opinion of the people is that girl being so young is supposed to be naive, however, the pastor being the elder party should have been more careful while communicating with the girl. The movie fails to answer the question that whether the pastor was romantically involved in the girl or was he just trying to help her. So the questions raised in the mind of the audience are not satisfied when the movie ends they go back home wondering about the intentions of

No topic needed Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

No topic needed - Coursework Example Doctrine of flux, however, asserts that opposite things are similar while unity of opposites confirms the being of all things. Therefore, Heraclitus should support ‘everything changes’ because society is dynamic. The light of the sun describes good in Plato’s allegory of the cave because it demonstrates man’s enlightenment and knowledge. Getting from imagination to intelligence encompasses four crucial steps that include acknowledgment of ignorance, accumulating knowledge, seeking wisdom, and testing the truth of what is learnt. Socrates raised pertinent matters during his Apology speech where he defended himself against charges of corrupting of youth by question the idea that defines corruption. On the other hand, in making them not believe God, he argued that his philosophy was more fundamental than any divine being (Lampert 121). Pattern of reason in deduction involves the arrival of conclusion based on the premise while induction is a generalization from a few observations. However, in abduction, premises do not necessarily lead to a conclusion. Consequently, deductive conclusions can only be true if premises are made valid. Other reasoning patterns cannot be necessarily true because they do not depend on the

Comic Book Critical Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Comic Book Critical Analysis - Assignment Example On hearing about it, we may take them to be conveying only comic stories, but they also present seriousness- this can vary from sexuality and alienation, to terrorism as well as stories relating to family, love etc. while analyzing the comic books, it is important that we should know from what point of time the graphic novels began to take shape as a distinct medium ,entertaining people, and who brought in innovative steps in this regard (Eisner, Will (1978). In ‘Truth about Graphic Novels: A Format, Not a Genre, The ALAN Review, Winter 2005 by Fletcher-Spear, Kristin, Jenson-Benjamin, Merideth, Copeland, Teresa’, we find this comment, and could be aptly used while mentioning about the graphic novels. â€Å"The shortest definition of graphic novels describes them as "book-length comic books." A definition used by librarians refers to them as book-length narratives told using a combination of words and sequential art, often presented in comic book style. The constant in both definitions is "comic book." (Fletcher-Spear , 2009)Comic books are meant to entertain people. They seem very effective in conveying ideas of an author. Scot Mccoud has been an inspiring figure in this field. Scott Mccloud has been a prominent figure in writing and drawing comics since 1984.his book ‘understanding comics has been a great success. He is one of the American comic artists to assimilate magna influences in to his work. Scott McCloud is considered one of the pre-eminent comics’ theorists on the basis of his Understanding Comics, a seminal work in comics’ theory. Though McCloud has been criticized for his lack of â€Å"theoretical sophistication† by not engaging with more theoretical vocabulary or reference to theory like semiotics, post-structuralism, or narratology, his work is still fundamental to comics theory, especially due to his own practical use of comics language (Groensteen vii). (Chris Hagenah 2000) Scout

What is Epistemology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

What is Epistemology - Essay Example The link of epistemology into ontology and the way epistemology shape social research in general. According to scientists, there is a significant difference between too expressions: â€Å"I know that† and â€Å"I know how†. For instance, it is well-known that 1+1=2, however, here we could think not only about the result, but about the process itself: how there two numbers should be summed up. When we state that we â€Å"know† something, the question arises why we â€Å"believe† that. When we â€Å"believe’ in something we usually think that this â€Å"something† will not make us disappointed, for example we may believe in our national basketball team and its victory. However, epistemology considers â€Å"belief† from another point of view. For example, when we believe that the grass is green that means that we consider the statement that the grass is green to be correct. Every statement is simply a preposition of someone else and it does not mean that everybody must believe it .At the same time, if something represents a real fac t, it is true. The main controversy in this area is concentrated on study of the nature of knowledge and its connection to related concepts: information, conviction, and rationalization. It is connected with the method of knowledge acquisition and uncertainty about various statements. The different arguments of rationalism and empiricism and the controversy that occurs on the base on this difference is connected to different experience of the people in their attempts to obtain knowledge. According to rationalists, there are significant methods to obtain information autonomously of experience at the same time as empiricists consider experience to be very essential in knowledge acquisition (Fodor 1975). The vision of rationalists is usually built in the following way: they state that sometimes our knowledge obtained through intuition is more reliable, than that obtained from experience. Then,

Ceo Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ceo - Research Paper Example business by up to 2300%, it became an online bookstore before quickly diversifying into other ventures like selling VHS tapes and DVDS, video games, clothing, toys, electronics, software, and music CDs. Due to these efforts visible success, the Time Magazine, in 1999 named Bezzos as the 1999 Person of the Year. The earnings per share for Amazon.com as at December 2014 were at $1.14 while the Return on Equity was at 40.2%. Since 2003, the company has had remarkable growth in sales. The total sales in 2003 were $5,743 and have grown to over $500 million in 2014, which also reflects a continuous increase in the net income. The company has a profit margin ratio of 3.2%, which is derived from dividing sales ($14,952) by net income ($487). The asset turnover ratio is at 2.3 reached at by dividing total assets by sales. Through ratio analysis, it is possible to determine whether the company is making progress or not. From the discussion, it is evident that amazon.com has seen gradual improvements in sales and net income as well as earnings per share. Amzon.com has the highest price-earnings ratio as compared to other major companies of common stock. For instance, Amazon.com has a price-earnings ratio of 58 while companies like Cocacola are at 25, Microsoft at 34, and Time Warner Inc. at 30. Amazon has established itself to be a leading e-commerce enterprise by advancing from a typical bookstore to a virtual Wal-Mart of the web. It has also introduced action services alongside the fixed-price format. Big companies like Toys ’R Us and Target outsource technological services from Amazon, Inc. there has been an impressive growth since its inception with revenues growing from $150 million in 1996 to $3.7 billion in 2000 (Laseter et. Al. p. 32). The company enjoys the economies of scale because it has effectively managed to diversify into other fields thus spreading its fixed costs across the market. The company established its brand as bookseller and through its

Reflective Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Reflective Paper - Essay Example Workers were given directives by their bosses and, therefore, creativity was limited. Workers climbed up the seniority ladder with time. If there were layoffs, the seniors were affected less than the juniors since lay- offs were based on the principle of ‘last in, first out. There was no close tie between the pay that one got and their performance, and there were no significant differences among the workers (Michael, 23). In the 1820s, twenty percent of the population worked for wages and salaries but by the year 2000, 90 % worked for organizations, half of them working for big companies. ‘In the 1950s, the relationship between the employees and the companies involved commitment and reciprocity; workers were dedicated to the job in return for wages and promotion, and the company was committed to its workers in return for their hard work and loyalty’ (Michaels,21). Firms invested in their employees by training them, developing their skills and promoting them. This encouraged loyalty by enabling the employees plan on owning their homes and sending their children to schools. For this reason, people stuck with the same company for years. In the case of occasional long working hours, the impact was relatively easy to absorb, since women, not in the workforce assisted them with domestic duties. However, this story changed. There was a stable relationship between companies and the employees. B y regularly promoting their employees, the companies were able to maintain the stability of this relationship (Michaels 27). With time, the state of business changed and the priorities of the companies, as well as the employees, changed. In a global economy, corporations are always competing. Investors are always on the run to get new opportunities that have higher rates of return, to invest their funds. This makes investors keep moving their funds in and out of countries, companies (Michael’s Countries and businesses, therefore, are

Marketing Plan Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Plan - Coursework Example At the same time, one can enjoy the great taste of a carbonated drink with perfect nutritional intake. VegShot is being launched by Unilever. The name ‘Unilever’ is familiar to everyone. The name itself represents reliability and ensures quality. Unilever is a British-Dutch multi-national corporation, established in 1890s, which is operating in nearly 180 countries, possessing more than 400 brands. It has 167000 employees, as of 2010, belonging to 22 different nationalities. It is a global market leader in all Food categories including Savory, Spreads, Dressings, Tea and Ice Cream as well as in Mass Skin Care and Deodorants and has very strong positions in different Home and Personal Care categories. Its portfolio ranges from nutritionally balanced foods to indulgent ice creams, affordable soaps, luxurious shampoos and everyday household care products. The vision of Unilever is based upon the four pillars: To create a better future every day. To help people feel good, lo ok good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. To inspire people to take small everyday actions that can add up to a big difference for the world.

African American Muslims in prison Essay Example for Free

African American Muslims in prison Essay Most African-American Muslims look to mainstream orthodox Muslim organizations such as the Muslim Society of America (Christian Science Monitor, February 14, 2002). This includes believers once affiliated with NOI who eventually parted ways with the group due to its emphasis on Black identity.   In order to assess the potential threat of radicalism in the African-American Muslim community, it is important to distinguish between the myriad of ideologies that influence the outlook of Black Muslims today from the groups and individuals on the extreme fringe implicated in terrorism. This holds especially true when one considers social protest movements that fought for racial equality during the U.S. civil rights struggle that continue to wield influence today, such as the Nation of Islam (NOI). Founded in 1933, in its early years NOI encompassed a mix of Islamic discourse and a worldview that held that Blacks were Gods chosen people. Whites were seen as inferior, oppressors and regularly referred to as devils, in what many observers contend was a reaction to the ideals of white supremacy that prevailed in society [3]. NOI borrowed heavily from the beliefs held by the Moorish Science Temple. Founded in 1913 by Timothy Drew, later known as Noble Drew Ali, the Moorish Science Temple of America (MSTA), as it is referred to today, is regarded as the first major Black identity movement. Islam, Judaism, Christianity and other belief systems shaped MSTA’s worldview. MSTA declared that African-Americans are the descendants of the ancient Moorish Muslim civilization whose culture had been suppressed by the legacy of slavery.   NOI helped inspire the radical Black Power movement of the 1960s that broke with the non-violent approach of activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr., including the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, later known as the Black Panther Party (BPP). BPP did not rely on religious discourse and instead emphasized popular revolutionary struggle in the name of social justice and Black liberation. NOI also influenced Black identity movements across the English-speaking Caribbean, Canada and Great Britain. In many respects, the agendas of NOI and BPP converged in a number of areas. The Nation of Gods and Earths, also known as the Five Percent Nation of Islam or simply as the Five Percenters (FP), represents another side of the Black identity movement that mixes aspects of Islam, Judaism, Christianity and other beliefs (http://www.allahsnation.net). FP, which split from NOI in 1964, is adamant that it is not a religion, but maintains that Islam represents a way of life. Its worldview declares Blacks as the original people of the earth and the founders of civilization. FP sees Black men as Gods, which they refer to as ALLAH (Arm, Leg, Leg, Arm and Head), not to be mistaken with the Arabic word for God. FP ideology also espouses the theory of Supreme Mathematics, which among other things maintains that followers represent the chosen five percent of mankind who lead a virtuous life. FP enjoys a large following among popular Hip Hop artists and African-American activists [4]. It also has a following in the U.S. prison system, where some members have been linked with gang activity and violence [5]. FP made headlines when false allegations surfaced linking convicted Washington DC-area snipers John Allen Muhammed and John Malvo to the group. Muhammed was actually a former member of NOI, but had left the group years before the attacks.   Orthodox Sunni Muslim organizations regard MSTA, NOI and FP as heretical cults. Indias Ansar us-Sunnah Library and Research Center refers to NOI as the Nation of Kufr (unbelievers) for its emphasis on Black nationalism and identity and what it describes as a blend of false Muslim and Christian beliefs. The groups website places NOI alongside Shiites, which they describe as rafidah (rejectors), and other groups they consider heretics such as Sufis, Druze and Amhadis in a section warning Muslims to guard their faith (http://www.allaahuakbar.net). The NOI continues to grapple with the dilemma of reconciling its origins as a Black identity group with orthodox Islam. This has led to major rifts and splits within the movement over the years. Despite the influence of NOI under the charismatic leadership of Louis Farrakhan, the vast majority of Black Muslims today subscribe to orthodox Islam, a trend that has been growing over the years. Homegrown Terrorism The highly publicized Seas of David case was not the first of its kind. The case of the obscure Jamaat al-Fuqra (Community of the Impoverished, JF), a Muslim association with branches in South Asia and North America, once raised concerns about radical trends in the African-American Muslim community. Works Cited 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   African Muslims in Antebellum American by Allen Austin, 1984 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Arab World Published by the Arab-American Press, 1945 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   African Presence in Early America by Ivan Van Serbia, 1987

Internet Gambling Essay Example for Free

Internet Gambling Essay The technoculture related topic that I am going to explore is the phenomenon of Internet gambling. With the emergence and explosion of gambling on television such as the World Series of Poker of ESPN or The World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, online gaming has quickly become a major player in the technoculture of contemporary society. I feel it is important to explore this issue because of American societys fascination and obsession with gambling. Gambling can and has become a very serious and damaging activity to many people in this country. According to CNN. com, studies have shown that people who gamble on the Internet tend to have more serious addictions than people who wager through more traditional venues. Through my research, I hope to further explore why Internet gambling has the potential to be more dangerous than traditional casinos and how younger generations of Americans and the government are responding to this ever-growing phenomenon. Literature Review The research I discovered on Internet gambling is fairly recent and comprehensive. Since online gaming is a reasonably new trend, the material written on the matter was rather current. Furthermore, there was a substantial amount of information within these three sources. It was evident that the three authors conducted high-quality research, and it showed with the use of graphs, charts, and case studies. Also, the three sources had a very similar outlook on the present and future situation of online gaming. With that being said, given that online gaming is at the peak of its existence, it is imperative that further exploration and examination within the subject be carried out. Because of the instant access one has to a gambling venue and the privacy factor of the Internet, online gaming has become a risky undertaking for many. According to David Schwartz (2003), Internet gambling presents new problems for individuals and society (p. 214). Instead of driving to an actual physical casino, problem gamblers can enjoy betting in the comforts of their own home. At home, they are not monitored by other gamblers and/or casino personnel which results in the ability to set their own limit. The Internet also allows the gambler to maintain a level of privacy not found in real casinos. If there are no friends or family around to supervise, then the gambler can engage in irresponsible betting without any time constraints. Finally, unlike real casinos, Internet casinos are readily available at the click of a button. If an online gaming organization will not accept ones money, one can bet that there are thousands of others that will be happy to take ones funds. The demographics of gambling are interesting to investigate within the subject. According to Rachel Volberg (2001), adults ages 18 to 29 are substantially more likely than older adults to have gambled privately (p. 34). Young adults are also more likely to gamble for excitement compared to older adults (Volberg, 2001). This is not a difficult concept to grasp. Normally, young adults have a less appreciative concept of money because they do not have as great of a responsibility as older people in regards to providing for family, paying bills, and spending money on expenses that are traditionally not familiar to a younger person. Furthermore, young people are usually unsupervised, especially in the collegiate demographic. Without the approval from mommy and daddy, young adults all across America are enjoying the financial freedom to do whatever they want with the money they have. In addition, according to Thomas Barker and Marjie Britz (2000), many college students have deep pockets ? Mom and Dads (p. 139). With this new found autonomy and fiscal assistance from parents, college kids are engaging in online gaming for fun and excitement. However, if left untreated and unsupervised, the fun and excitement can soon turn into a dangerous addiction with serious consequences and ramifications. With the possibility of Internet gambling becoming a serious problem, the government has been asked to step in and legislate the situation. According to Volberg (2001), The fact that Internet gambling is conducted in a networked, data-intensive environment offers opportunities for regulation and oversight in several critical areas, including licensure, testing for game integrity and site security, auditing and oversight, taxation, and consumer protection (p 97). Basically, Volberg is supporting a regulatory system that will be able to monitor the activities not only of the individual gambler, but of the gambling website as well. If the government actually does get involved, certain problems can be remedied. For example, every transaction made by a player can be closely followed and tracked. If a player indicates behaviors that suggest irresponsible decision-making, the player can be flagged and possibly suspended from a gambling website. However, all in all, Internet gambling will most likely always have its problems. Just like alcohols are with minors, people will get their hands on something they probably should not be touching. Internet gambling is an intensifying activity in American culture. With all the limitless possibility and endless potential of the Internet, online gaming will continue to be a major player in the world of technoculture and the information society. Nevertheless, what is important within this public sphere is to be able to responsibly deal with the world of Internet casinos. We need to come to a positive middle ground between the two sides of the spectrum; the fun and excitement of gambling and the spiraling addiction. Current Trends Like anything in life, when you create stimulus you are going to yield a response. In regards to online gaming, the stimulus that was created was the buzz generated by the constant bombardment of gambling programs on television. ESPN annually televises The World Series of Poker during the summer in which thousands of people descend upon Las Vegas to gamble in all types of events including poker, blackjack, craps, etc Many times they tell the story of some average Joe who enters a tournament and eventually ends up winning thousands of dollars. This false sense of hope has grabbed millions of Americans into thinking that they too, have the ability to win a substantial amount of money. The response to this stimulus has been the emergence of online casinos. However, instead of people winning money, crime has actually been the fallout of this risky behavior. According to ABCnews. com (2006), a Lehigh University student by the name of Greg Hogan Jr. attempted to rob a local bank in order to pay off his gambling debts. He was eventually caught and pleaded guilty to the offense and now faces up to three years in jail. During his interview with Good Morning America, Mr. Hogan blamed his addiction to online gambling websites for his setback, and cautioned the American public to the dangerous power of Internet gaming. In addition to his story, according to ABCnews. com (2006), 2. 9 million Americans between the ages of fourteen and twenty-two gamble with cards online at least once a week, and fifty percent of male college students and twenty-six percent of female college students gamble on cards at least once a month. To combat this growing epidemic, the House of Representatives took a proactive stance on the matter by passing legislation that would make it illegal to use credit cards on gambling websites and make it significantly more difficult to access these sites. Whether it gets passed by the Senate and the Executive Branch is another matter, however, at least the government is recognizing the problem sooner rather than later. In conjunction with this theory of crime, many Internet scammers have found opportunity within this growing trend. An article on ABCnews.com (2006) describes an elaborate scheme where bookies took sports bets through an Internet gambling site. The insecurity of the website allowed these thieves to launder millions of dollars and corrupt the free enterprise system of the Internet gaming business. Fortunately, these criminals were caught. Nevertheless, it makes you wonder how frequent this sort of thing exists in the online world. Some have argued, nonetheless, that Internet gambling has its benefits. According to Tom W. Bell (1998), the inclusion of the Internet has fostered competition to a business that has long enjoyed the sanctuary of restraining licensing practices. Rather than having to fly out to isolated casinos in Vegas or Atlantic City, you can enjoy the experience of gambling in the comforts of your own home. Bell (1998) also supports the belief that gambling in your home allows an individual to escape the traps found in real, physical casinos. A person does not have to be surrounded in a windowless structure while being harassed by cocktail waitresses carrying a tray of free booze. Because of online gaming, the business world has more free enterprise and has given the individual a sense of security not found in traditional locales. In terms of my own personal experience, I actually signed up to one of these gambling websites to investigate how they attract and seize the public. The website was www. gambling. com and in order to register, all I had to give them was a current e-mail address. I found it sort of comforting to know that they pledged that they would not pass any of my information on to any other company and/or website because I did not want my stagweb to become flooded with junkmail from these websites. Immediately after becoming a member, I was granted 400 Ludos. I had no clue as to what Ludos were, but after some probing, I discovered that they were basically a form of Internet currency. For every twenty five Ludos, I received a dollar. That equals sixteen dollars. But, heres the catch. For me to actually receive the Ludos and use them to gamble, I would have to give them my credit card information and pay a montly fee which was actually just about as expensive as the Ludos themselves. Brilliant. Moreover, the website contained links in which I could learn how to play games by reading tutorials, and then, actually play those games. I conducted a little experiment of my own to see how many times I won during one of the games. Out of twenty-five spins on one of the slot machines, I ended up winning sixteen times. That is a sixty-four percent average of winning. Now, anyone who understands anything about gambling knows that the absolute best percentage of winning is fifty percent. However, most of the games are not even close to that percentage. My suspicion leads me to believe that these websites give a false sense of hope to their members. If they succeed in tempting people to try these games, and these games yield a winning percentage better than fifty percent, more often than not, someone is going to believe that they actually have a great chance of making money. It actually is a genius scheme to lure in the public. Make them believe. Once they have accomplished that, these websites have them right where they want them. Conclusions The effects of online gaming are now becoming more clear and transparent to technoculture and the information society. It is apparent that online gaming has become a microcosm of the digital divide that exists within society. According to one of our readings during the semester written by Oscar H. Gandy, Jr. (2002), the differences that make up the digital divide are more than just social constructions. The actual construction is molded due to the new systems of communication that have surfaced within the last twenty years. In relation to online gaming, Internet gaming websites are now competing to display the flashiest, most hypertextual sites in order to attract customers. Due to this competition, better bandwidth and enhanced software will result, thus highlighting the digital divide. Data mining and this notion of surveillance has also entered the conversation regarding online gaming. Because an individual has to present private information about ones self on a website to facilitate gambling, the possibility of gambling website selling personal information in return for financial gain is a distinct possibility. As aforementioned, the site I visited before pledged that they did not engage in data mining. Yet, this seems to suggest that other sites do exercise this right which effectively gives companies useful information about yourself. Moreover, whenever someone uses the Internet, especially in a situation where one willingly submits personal information such as credit card and phone numbers, the possibility of third party surveillance is always present. It really conveys the authentic risks one undertakes when participating in the latest innovation. Another theory that online gaming illustrates is the constant tension between structure and agency. The government represents structure. As a stable entity, it looks to control the path of Internet gambling by establishing rules and regulations in hopes of creating some order. Internet gambling, on the other hand, is the perfect example of agency. Gambling, in and of itself, is the exact definition of what agency represents: the ability of uncertainty and chaos to influence the parameters through which we live. However, as much as these two concepts seem unrelated, there is an interdependence that spurs the creation of new technologies, not only in the world of online gaming, but throughout the technological landscape. Annotated List of Relevant URLS 1. http://www. playwinningpoker. com/resources/sites2. html : This website is a resource for gamblers.It allows the user to learn new games, find new games, and contact certain people involved with gambling. 2. http://www. gambling. com/best/online-gambling-sites. htm : This website directs users to the best gambling websites on the Internet. It has a list on the left hand side with about sixty different links to other gambling sites. 3. http://www. out-law. com/page-6655 : This website is about illegal activities on the Internet. It contains a few articles on illegal mishaps that have occurred through Internet gambling websites. 4. http://www. becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2006/08/on_internet_gam. html : Blog that contains articles about Internet gambling. Website constructed by Gary Becker and Richard Posner. 5. http://www. cardplayer. com/blog/entry/179 : Blog that is pro-Internet gambling. Players write their feelings on why they think Internet casinos are fun and exciting. 6. http://www. istoppedgambling. com/ : Website founded to help people with gambling problems. Includes personal stories, how-to instructions, and negative articles about gambling. 7. http://www. nomoregambling. com/ : Website founded to help people with Internet gambling problems. Has a hotline and other medias to help combat irresponsible Internet betting. Works Cited Barker, Thomas Britz, Marjie (2000). Jokers Wild: Legalized Gambling in the Twenty-first Century. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Schwartz G. , David (2003). Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis Books, Inc. Volberg A. , Rachel (2001). When the Chips Are Down: Problem Gambling in America. New York, NY: The Century Foundation, Inc. http://www. cato. org/testimony/ct-tb052198. html.

Studying Modern Agriculture In Sri Lanka

Studying Modern Agriculture In Sri Lanka 1. Modern Agricultural sector plays a very important role in contributing to the economy of the country. Agriculture represents 13% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Rice is the main staple food in Sri Lanka. Paddy sector contributes 16.5 % of the GDP of the agriculture sector. Paddy farmers represent considerable percentage of the labor force of the country. Rice is the oldest crop on earth and rice is the main consumer food in Sri Lanka and the main substitute for rice is the wheat flour. Sri Lanka has two major agricultural seasons namely Yala and Maha. About 5.75 lakh hectares were being bought under paddy farming in the Maha season from October to February and another 3.5 lakh hectares under the Yala season from April to August. Sri Lanka is country which Agricultural sector plays a main role in the economy. Paddy is produce in two seasons in a year. Every Government has identified the importance of the Paddy industry and has been a political focus so far. Mahaweli P roject is the one of the most successive project done in the country to increase the land available for the paddy cultivation. However farmers in rural provinces faced many hardships to obtain adequate harvest and revenue from paddy cultivation and vegetable cultivation due to lack of new technology  [1]   2. There are three major economic activities which contribute to the Gross National Product (GNP) in a country, Namely Agriculture sector, Industrial sector and Service sector. Beginning of 1950s Sri Lankan economy was mainly based on agricultural sector and by mid 1950, service sector contribution remarkably increases and maintained the highest contribution to the GNP at present. With the change of political and security situation of the country, it is essential to develop agriculture sector to achieve the self sustainability of the country. In 2008 recorded the highest sectoral growth of 7.5 percent (%) over the growth of 3.4 % recorded in 2007. Output of domestic agriculture products were increased in 2008 mainly due the record increasing of paddy production during the year seasons. 3. Sri Lanka Rice Sector alone contributes 30% to the agricultural GDP which accounts for 16.8% of GDP in year 2007.The present Annual value of the rice production is Rs. 49 billion which is at an increasing trend, although the relative contribution of the rice sector to the GDP is diminishing.  [2]  In 2008 paddy production increased by 24% recorded levels of 2.63 million metric tons of rice. This recorded target was archived through enormous difficulties faced by the farmers in rural provinces. It is essential to implement an effective government policy and an efficient mechanism to the development of the paddy sector in Sri Lankan in each province to increase income of the rural farmers. GENERAL OUTLINE 4. Paddy is widely grown in the all over Sri Lanka and it is a popular food crop among all communities in country. As the labor and other requirements of paddy are high it provides direct employment to a large number of people besides its contribution to indirect employment in input supplies and providing other services associated with the industry. However, there are several constraints that affect the development of paddy crop in Sri Lanka. Among the most important constraints are, high cost of the new technology, low productivity of paddy land, and high disease prevalence in paddy growing areas due to prevailing conductive environment for disease occurrences STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 5. The statement of problem can divided in to two major parts: a. Social Presently at the country most of farmers are using Traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka and it will effect for there personnel income with out using new technology . b. Economic Without using new technology for traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka will not enable to increase of production in agriculture. Mal usage of the modern technology caused low productivity in local agriculture SCOPE OF THE STUDY 6 This research attempts to identify the relationship between the traditional agriculture and modern agriculture in Sri Lanka and the number of farmers who had abandoned the cultivating of paddy. The research will focus only on the paddy farmers in Sri Lanka and the benefits of using new technology in traditional agriculture. JUSTIFICATION 7. As it effects to the national income of the country it is reasonable to do a research on this topic. 8. As it effect to the loosing of jobs in agricultural field it is a responsibility of the government to look in to this problem. 9. As the agriculture is the oldest traditional occupation in Sri Lanka it is very much needed to research on this field and its out come. OBJECTIVES General Objectives 10. The general objective, this research is to study increase production by using new technology for traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka Specific Objectives 11. The following objectives are identified. a. To study what is the traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka. b. To study technology used for traditional agriculture and modern agriculture in Sri Lanka. c. To examine traditional paddy farming cultivation of paddy in Sri Lanka and its increase drastic production. c. Agro biodiversity and related traditional systems. d. Recommendations based on the findings. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 12. Use of new technology will enable drastic increase of the production of traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY 1. This study will be based on a survey. The data will be gathered from primary and secondary sources to analyse the situation and the data obtained from Agriculture department and other relevant source Primary Source 2. A literature survey will be carried out by referring various types of articles, books and World Wide Web to gather information on the field of the paddy cultivation and data gathered by agriculture department and other agriculture research centres ORGANIZATION OF THE PAPER 3. Since the main idea of this study in to analyze that there is specific relationship between the diminishing trend of yield and the trend of abundance of paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka, the paper analyses this relationship and its effect to the paddy farming. The first chapter introduces the subject and other details of the research. In the second chapter contains the History Methodology Organization of the paper Data collection method Limitation. In the fifth chapter all gathered data are analysed and the last chapter contains findings, recommendations and conclusion SAMPLING 4. Selected 10 paddy farmers randomly to represent every part of the country who are currently engaged in the paddy cultivation. DATA COLLECTION METHOD 5. The source of data collections is details gathered from the Government Officials those who are engaging in the cultivation. Further, past statistics were collected from the Hector Kobbekaduwa agriculture Research Centre in Colombo, and the Public Library in Colombo LIMITATIONS 6. a. proceeding with a research the following limitations was identified. b. The time available to carry out this research was only 3 months. c. Commonly most of the farmers were not in the position of giving accurate figures regarding their individual farm management. CHAPTER 3 WHAT IS TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE IN SRI LANKA 1. Rainfall and its variation Sri Lanka is a tropical country, but climate of the country shows variation across the Island due to differences in rainfall, elevation and soil factors. Further, the central hill masses, which act as an orographic barrier and the Indian Ocean, surrounding the Island also influence the climate of Sri Lanka. 2. The rainfall of Sri Lanka shows seasonal fluctuations and is dependent on mostly monsoon, Four precipitation seasons are clear in Sri Lanka, namely southwest monsoon from mid-May to September call Yala season, northeast monsoon from December to February call Maha season and two inter-monsoon periods, the first and second inter-monsoons last from March to mid May and from October to November respectively. Total annual rainfall of the country varies from 750 to 5000 mm two broad climatic regions, namely the dry and wet zones are recognized based on total annual rainfall and distribution of dry months. The rainfall is one of the significant factors for determining agricultural land use as well as use of various genetic resources. The distribution pattern of rainfall throughout the year is further important than the total annual rainfall. The rainfall distribution in the majority areas of Sri Lanka is markedly seasonal. Seasonal distribution of rainfall and distribution of wet and dry months in different climatic zones influence the type of paddy grown by farmers in different seasons. The bi-model pattern of rainfall distribution is characteristic of the wet zone whereas the dry zone exhibits a uni-model rainfall pattern. The rainy season of the wet zone lasts from May to November (7 months) which is much shorter in the dry zone (3-4 months; October to January). In the dry zone, southwest monsoon allows only a small crop (Yala season) whereas the main season (Maha) is effectively the wet season. Cropping patterns, farming practices and genetic resource utilization are markedly different according to this rainfall distribution patterns along with the other factors. 3. Agro ecological zones Agricultural land use and land management necessities at a given location depend on the climatic conditions together with soil properties and conditions. The areas with similar climatic and soil conditions are identified and demarcated as agro ecological regions. Twenty-four agro ecological regions based on rainfall, elevation and soil types are demarcated in Sri Lanka Agro ecological classification is very useful since it provides basic climatic and edaphic differences of the country for various agricultural productions and farming practice. 4. Agro biodiversity and related traditional systems Genetic assets or germplasm are biological resources of animal, plant and microbes that contain the hereditary information required for life and are responsible for their useful property and ability to replicate. Agro biodiversity can be defined as selection and variability of animal plant and microbial organisms on earth that are for main food and agriculture. It is a key subset of genetic resources as it is the basis of food security and an essential feature of farming systems around the world. People have managed genetic resources, selecting crops, harvesting medicinal plants etc. Genetic resources remain the basis for the improvement of agricultural crops, for medicines of about 75% of the world population that relies upon traditional, largely plant-based, treatments for its primary healthcare, and for a myriad of other products such as pharmaceuticals, crop protection products and perfumes. 5. Agriculturally used domestic plants have been basically altered from their wild relatives and they have been reshaped to meet human being needs and wants. Paddy genetic resources and agro biodiversity is the product of thousands of years of evolutionary process. There are two types of selection distinguish crop evolution in Sri Lanka namely natural and artificial. These evolutionary processes continue in order to agriculture systems to remain viable. Paddy evolution has been altered by our enhanced ability to produce, locate and access genetic stuff. Both farmers and scientists have relied on the store of genetic diversity present in paddy plants that has been accumulate by hundreds of generations who have observed, selected, multiplied, store, traded and kept variants of paddy plants. 6. Sri Lanka is well thought out as a valuable repository of crop germplasm and agro biodiversity. These varieties show great adaptability to a large range of climatic and soil conditions and pest and infection problems. They also exhibit difference in grain size and quality some with medicinal property and fragrance and others that are used for cultural and formal procedure reasons and also show differences in maturity period. The existence of genetic and species diversity has special significance for the maintenance and improvement of productivity in agricultural crops in Sri Lanka which is characterized by very varied agro-climaticand diverse growing situation. Such variety provides safekeeping for the farmer against disease, pests, drought and other stresses. The genetic variety also allows farmers to develop the full range of highly various microenvironments in the country, conflicting in characteristics such as soil, water, warmth, elevation, slope and fertility. 7. The occurrence of heterogeneous agro ecological situation with seasonal and inter annual difference, socio-cultural and ethnic differences, application of different traditional paddy farming practices including dry and wet land paddy farming, deliberate and inadvertent selection of variety and a choice of systems of beliefs allow to develop various indigenous and traditional paddy cultivation practices and techniques for selection, maintenance and utilization of planting materials. 8. Furthermore these traditional paddy farmers represent centuries of accumulated experience and skills of peasants who often continuous yields under adverse paddy farming environment using locally available resources. The establishment for such paddy farming is comprised of the traditional landraces. Landraces are crop plant populations that have not been bred as variety but have been modified throughout years of natural and artificial variety to the conditions under which they are paddy cultivated. Maintenance of species and genetic diversity in farmers fields is essential to sustainable agriculture, especially for resource-poor farmers practicing agriculture under low-input conditions in marginal lands. Aboriginal knowledge has been brought down from generation to generation and forms part of the information base for a culture. The indigenous knowledge can be defined as local information that is unique to a given civilization or society. Each society has a variety of type of aware ness systems. Indigenous people have a great knowledge of the ecosystem they live in and ways to guarantee that natural resources are used sustainably. Therefore, indigenous awareness which has been accumulating over hundred years has potential value for sustainable development. It can help other people to learn how to live in the natural world in a sustainable approach as well as to increase agronomic practices for paddy cultivation and utilization of materials. 9. The agricultural landscape of the country consists mainly cultivation of rice (780,000 ha), plantation crops such as tea, rubber, coconut, sugarcane, spices (772,000 ha), vegetables (110,000 ha), other field crops (128,000 ha) and home gardens (98,000 ha). Sri Lankas farming systems, particularly rice, other field crops and home gardening have evolved over thousands of years including a rich array of farming systems and cultivated plants such as grains, vegetables, fruits, spices and livestock. New local cultivars have been developed in the agriculture sector formally and informally. In addition, many farmers have selected local landraces. The long history of cultivation, presence of cultural diversity and wide range of eco-edaphic conditions present in the country have resulted in a wide variety of farming practices in Sri Lanka. The following section describes the traditional farming principles and systems reported in Sri Lanka during the survey. TRADITIONAL AND ORGANIC PADDY FARMING SYSTEMS 10. Lowland paddy farming. The most widely practiced farming system in Sri Lanka is lowland paddy farming. Lowland can be defined as areas, which receive enough water or which can be irrigated. The lowland also called Wel yaya  [3]  and is mainly cultivated with rice. In lowlands, rice is the dominant crop both in terms of land use and dietary importance, and it has been the backbone of Sri Lankas agriculture over 2500 years. Lowland paddy farming is started with deep ploughing to create a hard pan at the onset of rain or with irrigated water. Harrowing and leveling under submerged conditions follow ploughing. Initiation of agricultural operations is begun at an auspicious time with special ceremony and rituals. Sowing, transplanting, weeding, pest and disease control, water management, manuring (with compost, cow dung and green matter from plant bio mass) and harvesting are other main operations involved in rice farming and each component has special traditional methods and perf ormances. 11. Upland (organic) paddy cultivation. Upland can be defined as land above the water sources, which therefore can be cultivated only under rain fed conditions or by providing lift irrigation. Following ploughing, the land up to two inches using buffalo and traditional plough, seed paddy soaked overnight is sown when rain is expected. The soil is mixed using a fork. This method increases the soil nutrients and water retention / absorption capacity of soil. Sometimes, broadcast field is covered with straw as mulch, which enhances weed control, soil moisture and nutrient retention. When grasses and hedges are grown in the field, they are cut and allowed to dry for incorporating in the field. The field is turned using hoe. Two to three weeks after turning, harrowing is done. Then seed is broadcast during mild rain. Intensity of management practices such as chemical weeding, fertilising, chemical pest and disease control are very low in this system. Water management is entirely dependent on rainfall. Usually, only is Maha season cultivated with paddy. CHAPTER 4 WHAT IS THE MORDEN AGRICULTURAL POSSIBILITIES IN SRI LANKA 1. Utilization of modern technology in agriculture and related industries can be categorized in several ways. In this study it is being categorized according to the type of streams of technology used. The main areas of technology which are being using in Sri Lankan Paddy farming can be identified as follows: ELECTRO-MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS 2. Mechanization of agronomic practices: This includes the crop cultural practices from seed sawing to harvesting In paddy farming the first main step is pre planting land preparation and that is been mechanised with tractors including two wheels and four wheels, ploughs, rotervators, harrows etc. In Sri Lanka this step is highly mechanised specially in commercial paddy farming.Seed sawing or crop establishment is the next main step in paddy farming. There are two main methods called direct seeding and transplanting. Sophisticated machines as well as simple machines are available for the both methods. Still Sri Lankan farming community does not use hi-tech methods for this step The next main step which is been mechanised in paddy farming is harvesting and harvest cleaning. Wide range of machines are using for this process. That includes very sophisticated machines like combine harvesters which harvest, thresh and clean the harvest at once in the paddy field itself 3. Mechanization of post harvesting activities Technology is been using in this step for storing, weighing, threshing, boiling, cleaning and polishing rice. 4. Biological improvements New paddy verities Almost all paddy farmers except very few isolated farmers cultivate improved varieties. The paddy verities been improved for high yield, to minimise lodging, to gain resistively for pest and diseases. This improved the per acre yield in the country over the last three decades 5. New breading technologies New breeding technologies like genetic engineering, germplasm transplants, mutations, selective breeding are extensively using for develop new verities 6. Biological pest and diseases control methods Biological pest and disease control methods are promoting extensively among the farming community to minimize the threat for the environment and as effective and sustainable control method. These include usage of plant extracts as repellents and insecticides, introduction of parasitic insects, introduction of insect pathogens, introduction of sterile technologies etc. 7. Chemical improvements a. Fertilizer This became one of the key inputs of farming and the new improved varieties are highly sensitive for fertilizers. Improvement of fertilizers including chemical components, slow releasing fertilisers like chelates, development of new fertilizer ratios, mixing methods can be considered under this. b. Insecticides Development of new environmental friendly verities like Aparathyroid, new types, new chemicals, new application methods, bio-degradable chemical developments comes under this. c. Herbicides Development of new environmental friendly verities, new types like selective weedicides, new chemicals, new application methods, bio-degradable chemical developments comes under this d. Fungicides Fungal attacks can be effectively controlled by application of fungicides. Development of new environmental friendly verities, new types, new chemicals, new application methods, bio-degradable chemical developments comes under this. There are no effective chemical control methods for bacterial and viral diseases CHAPTER 5 FINDING RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION FINDINGS 1. During the survey it was found that the main problem faced by farmers in Sri Lanka was the insufficient average of traditional agricultural yield. Further high cost of technology , lack of high quality seeds, cost of cultivation, Non awareness of technology and low market prices were the another identified problems in this area. Further I found that following strengths and weaknesses while observing the traditional and modern agriculture in Sri Lanka. a. Production possibilities and potentialities are tremendous in the country. b. Increase of local food production is an urgent need. c. It is pre requisites for acceleration of agricultural transformation and economic growth in the country. d. Production directly affects on the increase of farmers income. e. Increase of production will reduce the level of malnutrition. f. Production market is sensitive areas that affect the political and economical background of the country. 2. Weakness observed in the paddy farming System. a. Low production of traditional farming system and modern farming productivity has discouraged the farming system. b. Land and soil degradation are leading factors for the decision of abundance of paddy farming. c. High Cost of Production has discouraged the farmers. e. here is a wide gap between the potential level and farmer yields. f. Inadequate technology transfer at village level farms. CONCLUSION 3. The general tone of the conclusion of this paper identifies that there are many obstacles and problems in paddy cultivation as well as many opportunities and potentialities for improving the high average of yield in modern and traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka. Modern Agricultural sector plays a very important role in contributing to the economy of the country. Agriculture represent 13% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Rice is the main staple food in Sri Lanka. Paddy sector contributes 16.5 % of the GDP of the agriculture sector. Paddy farmers represent considerable percentage of the labor force of the country. Rice is the oldest crop on earth and rice is the main consumer food in Sri Lanka and the main substitute for rice is the wheat flour. Every Government has identified the importance of the Paddy industry in Sri Lanka. Mahaweli Project is the one of the most successive project done in the country to increase the land available for the paddy cultivation. Howeve r farmers in rural provinces faced many hardships to obtain adequate harvest and revenue from paddy cultivation and other crop cultivation due to lack of new technology. 4. Presently at the country most of farmers are using Traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka and it will effect for there personnel income with out using new technology. Also without using new technology for traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka will not enable to increase of production in agriculture. Mal usage of the modern technology caused low productivity in local agriculture 5. Thus hypotheses of this research can be proven. RECOMMENDATION 6. Implementing programme which can be help for the purpose of the training about new agriculture technology with an aim of encouraging the rest of potion of farming population for new method of farming. 7. Introduction a mechanize system through agriculture department and relevant authority for remote farmers to reach new technology writhing short period of time with its proper efficiency. 8. changing of attitudes in remote farmers towards use of new technology a they are in strongly believe that modern technology can harm there traditional system of agriculture and socio-culture values which they have being practicing for long time of period. 9. Arranging possible educational programme to educate many of farmers about positive impact on the harvest where they will not be reaching through traditional method of agriculture. 10. in order to prevent the risk of loosing traditional occupation in the field of agriculture by using new modern mechanization farmer should be encourage to change their box thinking and seek for positive and possible alternative job opportunities regarding and relevant to the field of agriculture as starting of business of chemical, agriculture equipment, machinery repair and ext. 11. Government should involve specially in this problem with the purpose of upgrading the productivity which can strongly correlated to the national economy as follows. a. implementing the infrastructure specially in remote area b. opening buying centre where farmers can obtain stable income through out the year c. government should provide to facilitate technical support relevant to agricultural industry on free or low cost basis BIBILIOGRAPHY 1. Activating All Powers in Sri Lanka Agriculture- G.K. Upawansa and Rukman Wagachchi 2. Handy guide to agriculture by Dr. Thilak T. Ranasinghe 3. Directory of Research Centers in Sri Lanka 4. National Agricultural Information Network 5. A Policy Rule for the Liberalization of Agriculture in Sri Lanka HN Thenuwara 6. Rice production on acid soils of the tropics by EN Ponnamperuma 7. Harti agricultural commodity review 2006 8. Harti agricultural commodity review 2007 9. Harti agricultural commodity review 2008 Web Sites Referred 10. www.seedquest.com/News/releases/2007/may/19217.htm 11. http://www.agridept.gov.lk 12. http://www.statistics.gov.lk 13. www.sttistics.gov.lk ANNEX A QUESTIONNAIRE 1. This Questionnaire to find out to main issues encountered by the paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka and also to find out the possibility to improve the industry with new technology. This is only for the training purposes. 2. All information provided will be treated as a Confidential; please do not provide your name or any other details other than required details. Those details will not be an impact on your cultivation. 3. This Questionnaire will help me to assess the main issues faced by the impact of new technology for tradition agriculture in Sri Lanka. After completion the Questionnaire please return to Major Sarath Dasanayake by hand or post to following address before 1th March 2011. 4. Further any information and clarification you may write to or call

Oedipus The King: Role Of Gods Essay -- Oedipus Rex, Sophocles

â€Å"Gods can be evil sometimes.† In the play â€Å"Oedipus the King†, Sophocles defamed the gods’ reputation, and lowered their status by making them look harmful and evil. It is known that all gods should be perfect and infallible, and should represent justice and equity, but with Oedipus, the gods decided to destroy him and his family for no reason. It might be hard to believe that gods can have humanistic traits, but in fact they do. The gods, especially Apollo, are considered evil by the reader because they destroyed an innocent man’s life and his family. They destroyed Oedipus by controlling his fate, granting people the power of prophecy, telling Oedipus about his fate through the oracle of Apollo, and finally afflicting the people of Thebes with a dreadful plague. Fundamentally, by utilizing fate, prophecies, the oracle of Apollo, and the plague, the gods played a significant role in the destruction of Oedipus and his family. By controlling fate, the gods carry all the responsibility of Oedipus in killing his father and marrying his mother. They are the only ones who can control fate, and thus they are the only ones to blame for what happened to Oedipus. They could have made Oedipus’ life less miserable, but they decided to destroy his and his family’s life by this terrible fate without him committing a sin. â€Å"It was Apollo, friends, Apollo, who brought to fulfillment all my sufferings. But the hand that struck my eyes was mine and mine alone.† Oedipus blames Apollo for his two shameful crimes that caused his sufferings. On the other hand, he admits that the gods had nothing to do with his blindness, and that he’s responsible for that. Also, in the previous quote, Oedipus tries to diminish his shame by convincing his people that it is not his fault, but Apollo’s, for murdering his father and marrying his mother. The moral of this story is that human beings canâ€℠¢t escape their fate, and thus it is not Oedipus’ fault for committing those two crimes. To destroy Oedipus, the gods granted the power of prophecy to oracles that delivered these prophecies to Laius and Jocasta. As a result, they kill their child to get rid of him and his terrible prophecies. Unfortunately, these prophecies came true because Oedipus didn’t know his real parents. If he had known his real parents, he wouldn’t have killed his father and married his mother. â€Å"I would never have be... ...the murderer is in Thebes. â€Å"Here in Thebes, Apollo said. What is searched for can be caught. What is neglected escapes.† Basically, the gods concluded their destruction series in condemning Oedipus to exile or having him executed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, the gods, Apollo in particular, played a major part in the overall circumstances of Oedipus. Oedipus’ destruction influenced his family, and thus the gods demolished an entire family. As a result of this terrible destruction of a man’s life and his family, the reader would consider the gods guilty and evil. The gods followed four steps to destroy Oedipus completely. First, they controlled his fate and led him to murder his father, and marry his mother. They provided people with the power of prophecy to make Laius and Jocasta give away their child. Not only that, but Apollo’s oracle told Oedipus about his terrible fate that involve his parents to make him move to Thebes. Finally, they send a plague to the Thebans for not punishing the murderer of their king, which results in Oedipus’ exile or execution. Oedipus, the wise king, has never been destroyed by an evil man, but he was totally destroyed by what they call merciful, just gods.

Dream Essay -- essays papers

Dream Money and Success: The Myth of Individual Opportunity The American Dream is different for everyone, though it is most commonly associated with success, freedom, and happiness. The concept of the American Dream seems to have dwindled from where it was in the past few generations. It has gone from success, freedom, and happiness to having lots of money and the nicest possessions. In today society we all hope and strive for this dream, but how many actually achieve the American Dream? Is it a reasonable goal that Americans should strive for, or is it a myth that only leads to self-destruction? Having a lot of money, a good job, and expensive possessions are all characteristics of this American Dream. Even though, many Americans seek to achieve all of these material possessions, how many can say that they are truly happy, once they reach this goal? There is no standardized description of being rich. Some people see money as the only way of measuring how prosperous one is, but is money the only way to achieve the American Dream? One can only have so much money. ...

THE CULTURE AND COMMERCE OF THE AMERICAN SHORT STORY :: essays papers

THE CULTURE AND COMMERCE OF THE AMERICAN SHORT STORY "The writer is the Faust of modern society, the only surviving individualist in a mass age."Boris Pasternak "No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money."Samuel Johnson Andrew Levy's book is an immensely enjoyable read, one which presents the reader with an exhaustive historical treatment of that particularly American literary invention, the mass-marketed short story magazine.However, your final reaction to this book is likely to depend on who you agree with, Pasternak or Johnson, and thus whether you see writers as alienated individualists or clubby entrepreneurs. Levy begins at the same place everything about the American short story begins, with Edgar Allan Poe.While it is generally accepted that Poe's review of Hawthorne's Twice-Told Tales (1842) established both a definition of and an attitude toward the American short story, Levy believes that Poe might better be considered the inventor of the American short story magazine.Levy quotes Poe's letters and journals at length, demonstrating that Poe's ultimate aim was to "found a magazine of my own."Poe dreamed of creating a magazine which would offer "high" culture to an expanding middle class, a population drawn to the magazine precisely because it represented their social aspirations rather than their social realities.Levy points out that the truly lasting American magazines have in fact followed Poe's plan, The New Yorker being perhaps the most obvious example. Levy describes his book as primarily a study of the commerce of the short story, of "...what Poe thought about his checkbook, and how his checkbook became the short story."Yet his most interesting assertion has less to do with sales than national character.He argues (in "The Land of Definition") that the American magazine stands in a metonymic relationship to the American story, in that the paradoxical assertion to both disposability and lasting value of the magazine represents perfectly the most persistent criticism and praise made of the short story.One would like to see an entire book devoted to a study of this relationship. Furthermore, if the economic foundations for the short story's development is the heart of his book, then we cannot dismiss what Levy thinks of the modern writing workshop, which has in effect created today's Writing Industry: The most striking aspect of the modern workshop system, for instance, is the extent to which its ensures the continued health of the short story ... The workshop system .

Infosys Case Study

Oracle Customer Case Study Infosys Goes to University to Build Business Worldwide â€Å"The quality of the courses is very good and the materials are extremely well designed. We have also had extremely strong feedback from Infosys staff who have completed courses at Oracle University. † – Dr Subhash Chandra Rastogi, Head, Enterprise Solutions Academy, Infosys Technologies Ltd Infosys Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: INFY) defines, designs, and delivers IT-enabled business solutions. These solutions focus on providing clients with strategic differentiation and operational superiority. Infosys creates these solutions by leveraging its domain and business expertise to offer a complete range of services. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007, Infosys recorded revenues of more than US$3 billion with net income of over US$850 million. Infosys is a NASDAQ 100 company. Infosys uses a global alliance with Oracle to deliver Oracle-based systems and services to clients worldwide. These enable businesses to build a more flexible architecture to support faster deployment of new applications, achieve a consolidated view of their global supply chain, reduce costs by leveraging global sourcing, or employ predictive capabilities to exploit emerging opportunities or avert looming obstacles. To support Infosys’ status as a Global SI Partner—recognized at the Worldwide Certified Advantage Partner level—Oracle has provided extensive training support through its Oracle University educational resource. More than 3,000 Infosys employees globally have benefited through Oracle University-based knowledge, enabling them to deliver Oracle products and services to a high level of expertise. Oracle University courses typically run between five and 15 days, depending on the complexity of the product and associated business process changes. â€Å"The quality of the courses is very good and the materials are extremely well designed,† said Dr Subhash Chandra Rastogi, head of the Enterprise Solutions Academy at Infosys. We have also had extremely strong feedback from Infosys staff who have completed courses at Oracle University. † Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Infosys Technologies Ltd Bangalore, India www. infosys. com Industry: Professional Services Annual Revenue: US$3. 09 billion Employees: 80,500 Orac le Products & Services: Oracle University Key Benefits: Ensured more than 100 staff are certified in Oracle E-Business Suite, qualifying them to deliver the solution to customers worldwide Provided feedback into the beta version of Oracle E-Business Suite Enabled staff around the world to undertake training in their own time via online courses Enabled more than 3,000 employees to take various Oracle University learning programs through a range of delivery modes Oracle Customer Case Study Upskilling Delivers Results Infosys is one of the world’s most rapidly growing consulting and information technology services companies. In 2007, the company’s revenues crossed US$3 billion. Key to the company’s success is its low-risk, high-quality Global Delivery Model, whereby work is broken up into logical components to be completed in the most efficient location. With staff numbers rising sharply, in 2003 Infosys created an Enterprise Solutions Academy (ES Academy) within the company to manage the educational requirements of everyone from new recruits to 20-year veterans. The ES Academy currently has to service an annual intake that reached 1,740 engineers and MBA graduates in 2006. â€Å"This is a very different concept for a systems integrator, but we had to ensure our staff could get the expertise nd certification needed to service our clients to the very highest level,† said Dr Rastogi. While the ES Academy itself provides an extensive portfolio of training and certification courses, the academy has partnered with Oracle University to provide its consultants with training in Oracle products. â€Å"Oracle is constantly growing its portfolio of solu tions, upgrading existing products, and acquiring new product companies,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"Oracle University provides expert, in-depth training across the Oracle suite of products and services. There is no point in us trying to duplicate this effort or invest in something we don’t need to,† he added. Participating in the Oracle University program brings benefits to Infosys other than a more skilled workforce. As a strategic partner to Oracle, Infosys can also contribute knowledge to the development of new Oracle products and services. â€Å"We did contribute to the beta certification of Oracle E-Business Suite, with more than 150 Infosys consultants providing input to Oracle University as to where the product could be improved,† said Dr Rastogi. We now have more than 100 people certified in Oracle E-Business Suite—more than anyone else in the world— and they continue to provide lots of input to Oracle as well as staying appraised of new developments. † Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Oracle Customer Case Study Oracle University Reviews Infosys Curriculum It often becomes viable for the ES Academy to deliver Oracle courses internally based on the level of demand, or for some basic products. For example, 85% of consultants that specialize in relatively ‘vanilla’ products such as Oracle9i Database are trained in-house, with the remaining 15% undertaking courses at Oracle University. â€Å"To ensure quality, we engaged Oracle University to review our curriculum content, materials, and questions for course attendees,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"They give us sound advice that ensures we deliver the best possible internal courses. † These courses do not cover newer products, or products taken on through acquisition of companies such as Hyperion or Demantra. About 95% of consultants that specialize in these new areas take the relevant courses from Oracle University. Overcoming the Tyranny of Distance Infosys’ burgeoning growth within India and worldwide has created a geographically distributed organization that makes delivering face-to-face training, a sometimes costly exercise. â€Å"This has posed a problem for us because people in India are not used to alternatives such as e-learning,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"People prefer to come to a classroom. â€Å"In addition, the firewall we apply across our systems prevents Infosys employees from viewing streaming audio and video. To create more flexibility for staff to access the online courses available through Oracle University, Infosys is establishing e-libraries in offices in Pune, Mangalore, and Hyderabad. These currently include 20 PCs where staff can access streaming audio and video. This number is expected to grow to 100–150 by late 2008 across various locations i n India. Employees working in Europe and the U. S. are already benefiting from streaming audio and video. The availability of online courses through Oracle University means staff will be able to undertake training without disrupting their client work. The benefits of e-learning apply to staff outside India as well. â€Å"Our certification program applies to employees regardless of Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Oracle Customer Case Study country,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"We have 25 to 30 staff who specialize in Oracle E-Business Suite who work in Europe or the U. S. † Helping Ambitious Employees to Get Ahead A certification from Oracle University can provide ambitious employees with an edge in the competitive Infosys culture. Because it’s an external certification, it provides good branding for an employee,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"They become of greater value to Infosys and to our customers. † Infosys Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: INFY) defines, designs, and delivers ITenabled business solutions. For the fiscal year ended Marc h 31, 2007, Infosys recorded revenues of more than US$3 billion with net income of over US$850 million. Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Infosys Case Study Oracle Customer Case Study Infosys Goes to University to Build Business Worldwide â€Å"The quality of the courses is very good and the materials are extremely well designed. We have also had extremely strong feedback from Infosys staff who have completed courses at Oracle University. † – Dr Subhash Chandra Rastogi, Head, Enterprise Solutions Academy, Infosys Technologies Ltd Infosys Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: INFY) defines, designs, and delivers IT-enabled business solutions. These solutions focus on providing clients with strategic differentiation and operational superiority. Infosys creates these solutions by leveraging its domain and business expertise to offer a complete range of services. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007, Infosys recorded revenues of more than US$3 billion with net income of over US$850 million. Infosys is a NASDAQ 100 company. Infosys uses a global alliance with Oracle to deliver Oracle-based systems and services to clients worldwide. These enable businesses to build a more flexible architecture to support faster deployment of new applications, achieve a consolidated view of their global supply chain, reduce costs by leveraging global sourcing, or employ predictive capabilities to exploit emerging opportunities or avert looming obstacles. To support Infosys’ status as a Global SI Partner—recognized at the Worldwide Certified Advantage Partner level—Oracle has provided extensive training support through its Oracle University educational resource. More than 3,000 Infosys employees globally have benefited through Oracle University-based knowledge, enabling them to deliver Oracle products and services to a high level of expertise. Oracle University courses typically run between five and 15 days, depending on the complexity of the product and associated business process changes. â€Å"The quality of the courses is very good and the materials are extremely well designed,† said Dr Subhash Chandra Rastogi, head of the Enterprise Solutions Academy at Infosys. We have also had extremely strong feedback from Infosys staff who have completed courses at Oracle University. † Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Infosys Technologies Ltd Bangalore, India www. infosys. com Industry: Professional Services Annual Revenue: US$3. 09 billion Employees: 80,500 Orac le Products & Services: Oracle University Key Benefits: Ensured more than 100 staff are certified in Oracle E-Business Suite, qualifying them to deliver the solution to customers worldwide Provided feedback into the beta version of Oracle E-Business Suite Enabled staff around the world to undertake training in their own time via online courses Enabled more than 3,000 employees to take various Oracle University learning programs through a range of delivery modes Oracle Customer Case Study Upskilling Delivers Results Infosys is one of the world’s most rapidly growing consulting and information technology services companies. In 2007, the company’s revenues crossed US$3 billion. Key to the company’s success is its low-risk, high-quality Global Delivery Model, whereby work is broken up into logical components to be completed in the most efficient location. With staff numbers rising sharply, in 2003 Infosys created an Enterprise Solutions Academy (ES Academy) within the company to manage the educational requirements of everyone from new recruits to 20-year veterans. The ES Academy currently has to service an annual intake that reached 1,740 engineers and MBA graduates in 2006. â€Å"This is a very different concept for a systems integrator, but we had to ensure our staff could get the expertise nd certification needed to service our clients to the very highest level,† said Dr Rastogi. While the ES Academy itself provides an extensive portfolio of training and certification courses, the academy has partnered with Oracle University to provide its consultants with training in Oracle products. â€Å"Oracle is constantly growing its portfolio of solu tions, upgrading existing products, and acquiring new product companies,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"Oracle University provides expert, in-depth training across the Oracle suite of products and services. There is no point in us trying to duplicate this effort or invest in something we don’t need to,† he added. Participating in the Oracle University program brings benefits to Infosys other than a more skilled workforce. As a strategic partner to Oracle, Infosys can also contribute knowledge to the development of new Oracle products and services. â€Å"We did contribute to the beta certification of Oracle E-Business Suite, with more than 150 Infosys consultants providing input to Oracle University as to where the product could be improved,† said Dr Rastogi. We now have more than 100 people certified in Oracle E-Business Suite—more than anyone else in the world— and they continue to provide lots of input to Oracle as well as staying appraised of new developments. † Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Oracle Customer Case Study Oracle University Reviews Infosys Curriculum It often becomes viable for the ES Academy to deliver Oracle courses internally based on the level of demand, or for some basic products. For example, 85% of consultants that specialize in relatively ‘vanilla’ products such as Oracle9i Database are trained in-house, with the remaining 15% undertaking courses at Oracle University. â€Å"To ensure quality, we engaged Oracle University to review our curriculum content, materials, and questions for course attendees,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"They give us sound advice that ensures we deliver the best possible internal courses. † These courses do not cover newer products, or products taken on through acquisition of companies such as Hyperion or Demantra. About 95% of consultants that specialize in these new areas take the relevant courses from Oracle University. Overcoming the Tyranny of Distance Infosys’ burgeoning growth within India and worldwide has created a geographically distributed organization that makes delivering face-to-face training, a sometimes costly exercise. â€Å"This has posed a problem for us because people in India are not used to alternatives such as e-learning,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"People prefer to come to a classroom. â€Å"In addition, the firewall we apply across our systems prevents Infosys employees from viewing streaming audio and video. To create more flexibility for staff to access the online courses available through Oracle University, Infosys is establishing e-libraries in offices in Pune, Mangalore, and Hyderabad. These currently include 20 PCs where staff can access streaming audio and video. This number is expected to grow to 100–150 by late 2008 across various locations i n India. Employees working in Europe and the U. S. are already benefiting from streaming audio and video. The availability of online courses through Oracle University means staff will be able to undertake training without disrupting their client work. The benefits of e-learning apply to staff outside India as well. â€Å"Our certification program applies to employees regardless of Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Oracle Customer Case Study country,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"We have 25 to 30 staff who specialize in Oracle E-Business Suite who work in Europe or the U. S. † Helping Ambitious Employees to Get Ahead A certification from Oracle University can provide ambitious employees with an edge in the competitive Infosys culture. Because it’s an external certification, it provides good branding for an employee,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"They become of greater value to Infosys and to our customers. † Infosys Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: INFY) defines, designs, and delivers ITenabled business solutions. For the fiscal year ended Marc h 31, 2007, Infosys recorded revenues of more than US$3 billion with net income of over US$850 million. Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008