Saturday, August 31, 2019

Advertising and Pepsi Refresh

COMPANY Case Pepsi: Can a Soda Really Make the World a Better Place? This year, PepsiCo did something that shocked the advertising world. After 23 straight years of running ads for its flagship brand on the Super Bowl, it announced that the number-two soft drink maker would be absent from the Big Game. But in the weeks leading up to Super Bowl XLIV, Pepsi was still the second-most discussed advertiser associated with the event. It wasn’t so much what Pepsi wasn’t doing that created such a stir as much as what it was doing.Rather than continuing with the same old messages of the past, focusing on the youthful nature of the Pepsi Generation, and using the same old mass-media channels, Pepsi is taking a major gamble by breaking new ground with its advertising program. Its latest campaign, called Pepsi Refresh, represents a major departure from its old promotion efforts in two ways: (1) The message centers on a theme of social responsibility, and (2) the message is being de livered with a fat dose of social media. At the center of the campaign is the Pepsi Refresh Project.PepsiCo has committed to award $20 million in grants ranging from $5,000 to $250,000 to organizations and individuals with ideas that will make the world a better place. The refresheverything . com Web site greets visitors with the headline, â€Å"What do you care about? † PepsiCo accepts up to 1,000 proposals each month in each of six different areas: health, arts and culture, food and shelter, the planet, neighborhoods, and education. Then crowdsourcing takes over, as consumers vote for their favorites. Pepsi awards the grants each month.One-third of the way through its one-year run, the company had funded more than 100 projects, giving approximately $5 million back to local communities. The company stated that the project was right on target to award the full $20 million by the end of the yearlong effort. INTEGRATING DIGITAL THROUGHOUT THE PROMOTIONAL MIX The Pepsi Refresh c ampaign has been a groundbreaking effort, in part because of its heavy use of social media. PepsiCo is capitalizing on a growing trend in a way that no other major brand has done so far.The company is quick to point out that Pepsi Refresh is not a social media add-on like almost others, where an ad simply directs people to a Web site for reasons that may or may not be relevant to the message. Nor is it a social media campaign as such, where the entire campaign takes place through social media. Rather, social media are the glue that holds together a truly integrated marketing communications effort. â€Å"It’s not about digital as its own channel anymore,† says Bonin Bough, director of digital and social media for PepsiCo. â€Å"It’s how do we infuse digital across all of our marketing programs? For starters, although PepsiCo bypassed the Super Bowl, it is not ditching broadcast media. To the contrary, Pepsi is running spot ads on the main networks as well as 30 different cable channels. The ads initially informed people about the Pepsi Refresh campaign, directing them to the refresheverything. com site. But shortly after the first grants were awarded, ads began highlighting projects that had been funded. Traditional media efforts extend to 10 print publications as well. And PR plays a role through agreements such as the one with NBC Universal for paid pitches on the â€Å"Today† show.But this campaign underscores a shift in how PepsiCo is spending its advertising dollars. According to CEO Indra Nooyi, the world’s number two soft drink seller is shifting as much as one-third of its marketing budget to interactive and social media. This move involves not only the Pepsi brand but also Mountain Dew, Doritos, Sobe, and PepsiCo’s other brands. Certainly, PepsiCo is not alone in the trend toward digital and social media marketing. But analysts point out that its approach, moving away from high-profile spots in favor of heavy spending on a digitally focused social responsibility campaign, is both compelling and risky. I applaud Pepsi for embracing social media and technology,† said Marc Lucas, an advertising executive. â€Å"On the flip side, I think it’s very bold to not be in a place where you know you’re going to have an audience. † The refresheverything. com Web site is just one component of the brand’s online efforts. PepsiCo is spreading the message through the big networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, and even partnering with them for advertising opportunities. For example, Pepsi Refresh held the lead ad position on Facebook during the Super Bowl.Pepsi has also partnered with Hulu to sponsor its first original series, the reality show If I Can Dream. â€Å"It amplifies an advertising campaign by making it something people talk about, more of a social conversation,† said Jean-Paul Colaco, senior vice president for advertising at Hulu. PepsiCo even partnere d with Spin magazine, music festival South by Southwest, and two Indie bands in a Web-based contest where music lovers could vote for their favorite. Metric beat out Broken Social Scene for a $100,000 grant that it gave to the Women’s Funding Network.As another component of the integrated campaign, the company has not shied away from using celebrity endorsers. Through clever network spot ads that place celebrities inside a life-sized, threedimensional laptop made of tagboard, Kevin Bacon appeals to people to vote for his cause, SixDegrees. org. He is quick to point out that this has nothing to do with the cult trivia game, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Rather, he proposes using a $250,000 grant to hand out â€Å"good cards† that people can use to donate to any of more than a million different charities.But Bacon goes on to explain that the power of SixDegrees comes from the social networks of good card recipients. They buy more good cards and pass them on to others, and as social networking works its magic, that $250,000 grows into millions. Among various other celebrities, Pepsi has also recruited Demi Moore; NFL players Mark Sanchez, DeMarcus Ware, and Drew Brees; and NASCAR veterans Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. , and Jimmie Johnson to apply for grants and act as spokespersons for the project.These celebrities are vying for votes to award grants to such organizations as the Girls Education and Mentoring Service, the American Cancer Society, and the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. PepsiCo is also getting its message out to consumers at the point of purchase. Cans, bottles, and multipacks feature updated graphics that minimize an all lowercase Pepsi logo written vertically and highlights a new Pepsi brand mark: a large circle with swaths of red, white, and blue. That symbol replaces any â€Å"o† in Pepsi’s packaging and promotional materials.Thus, both â€Å"Do Some Good† and â€Å"Doing Good 101† each carry four of the ne w Pepsi circles. To draw people into retailer outlets to see the pointof- purchase (POP) materials and hopefully buy its soft drinks, Pepsi has partnered with Foursquare, the social network that connects people through GPS in real time. Foursquare members are directed to Pepsi retailers and given offers as an incentive for them to visit. DOING WELL BY DOING GOOD Despite the growth of cause-related marketing, PepsiCo’s effort is perhaps the first example of a major brand making social responsibility the main theme of its campaign, rather than an add-on.This does not downplay the efforts of companies like Target, which has given $273 million to local schools since 1997 through its RedCard program. But PepsiCo’s effort is built around a theme that drives the concept of â€Å"doing good† as much as it drives the brand. Coca- Cola’s response to Pepsi Refresh, donating a dollar to Boys and Girls Clubs of America each time a visitor to Coke’s Facebook pag e shares a virtual Coke gift, illustrates how most advertiser’s causerelated marketing efforts are peripheral to other advertising activities. Nooyi brings the centrality of Pepsi’s socially responsible message into perspective.The Pepsi Refresh Project is a platform, but at the end of the day, what we are doing is awarding the grants, we are enabling connections. It’s having a catalytic effect on people who are actually embracing these organizations. So, we’re not only benefiting the person who received the grant, we’re benefiting the people who are the recipients of the outcome of that idea. With schools, for instance, it’s not just one classroom that’s benefited. It’s all the kids who will be able to go to that classroom. And there have been people who have worked so hard to get this money that others have stepped in and matched the money they receive.Projects funded thus far are too numerous to list. But they include more t han high-profile efforts like the celebrity campaigns. Many awards are being given to everyday people just trying to improve their own little corners of the world. Calvin Cannon received $5,000 for Clothe the N. A. K. E. D. Prom Date, his venture to sponsor low-income, upstanding dudes in Shelbyville, Tennessee, by paying for their tuxedo rentals for the prom. Jeanne Acutanza from Kirkland, Washington, got $5,000 for her children’s school so that it could manage a sustainable garden and give the harvest to local food banks.And the Associates of Redlands Bowl received $25,000 to support performing arts in the community of Redlands, California. â€Å"I’m proud of every idea we’re supporting, but it’s the simplicity of [these ideas that is] so innovative,† says Nooyi. â€Å"You would never have thought that one simple thing could bring about a big change in the community. † IN SEARCH OF THE HOLY GRAIL All this cutting edge promotion and the eff ort to change the world are wonderful. But at the end of the day, PepsiCo has to sell soft drinks. After all, it is the fiftieth largest publicly held corporation in the Fortune 500.Pepsi is also the 23rd most valuable brand in the world according to Interbrand. If this experiment fails to support sales of its core brand, PepsiCo will no doubt abandon its innovative promotion efforts and return to its old ways. As one social marketer states, â€Å"This is big, new, getting a lot of attention. It’s impactful; it’s innovative. What the industry is talking about now is, is this a gamble that was worth taking, in terms of a lift in sales? That’s the holy grail. † But PepsiCo remains extremely optimistic. In the first few months of the campaign, the number of Facebook fans doubled.The company formerly got a Twitter tweet every five minutes or so. Now, it receives more tweets per minute than a person can read. But just what is the value of a Facebook or a Twitt er fan? Although many advocates of social networking say questions like that are irrelevant, budget-strapped chief marketing officers want to see return on investment. That’s why Bough and his team have developed a scorecard that ties different elements of the Pepsi Refresh campaign back to the health of the brand. Using standard research methods, PepsiCo will be measuring whether or not this campaign merits the expense.Pass or fail, many observers inside and outside PepsiCo will learn much from this first-of-its-kind social media and social responsibility campaign. Ana Maria Irazabal, director of marketing for PepsiCo, wants this campaign to become the model of the future. â€Å"We want people to be aware that every time you drink a Pepsi you are actually supporting the Pepsi Refresh Project and ideas that are going to move this country forward. We may be the first to do something like this, but hopefully, we’re not the last. † Questions for Discussion 1.Consid er PepsiCo’s advertising throughout its history. (For a list of Pepsi slogans over the years, visit http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Pepsi#Slogans. ) Identify as many commonalities as possible across its various ad campaigns. How is this campaign consistent with PepsiCo’s brand image? 2. List all the promotional mix elements used in the Pepsi Refresh campaign. What grade would you give PepsiCo on integrating these elements into an integration marketing communications campaign? 3. Describe PepsiCo’s target audience. Is the Pepsi Refresh campaign consistent with that audience? . As completely as possible, analyze the campaign according to the steps listed in the chapter for developing effective marketing communication. 5. Will the Pepsi Refresh campaign be successful? Why or why not? Sources: Natalie Zmuda, â€Å"Pass or Fail, Pepsi’s Refresh Will Be Case for Marketing Textbooks,† Advertising Age, February 8, 2010, p. 1; Stuart Elliott, â€Å"Pepsi In vites the Public to Do Good,† New York Times, January 31, 2010, p. B6; Elaine Wong, â€Å"Pepsi Community Effort Finds Fans on Social Nets,† Brandweek, June 8, 2010, accessed at www. brandweek. com.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Study on Infiltration and Soil Texture Under Banana and Maize Land Use Systems in Gatundu Catchment, Kiambu County, Kenya

KENYATTA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY STUDY ON INFILTRATION AND SOIL TEXTURE UNDER BANANA AND MAIZE LAND USE SYSTEMS IN GATUNDU CATCHMENT, KIAMBU COUNTY,KENYA KAKAIRE JOEL I56EA/20023/2012 ICEDUNA MARION I56EA/20021/2012 MWM714: FIELD MAPPING AND LABORATORY TECHQNIUES FIELD REPORT COURSE INSTRUCTOR: DR. MAKOKHA GEORGE TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS PAGES 1. 0 Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1 1. Significance of the study †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 1. 2 Objectives †¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 1. 2. 1 Specific Objectives †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 2. 0 METHODS AND MATERIALS †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 2. INTRODUCTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 2. 2 Study area †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 2. 3 Research design†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 2. 4 Data collection procedures and laboratory analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 2. 4. Soil Texture †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 2. 4. 2 Infiltration †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 3. 0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 3. 1 Soil Infiltration Measurements †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8 4. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13 5. 0 REFERENCES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 APPENDIX †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 17 Appendix 1: Data sheet for Infiltration for Banana and Maize Fields †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 17 ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: I nfiltration Curve of Banana field †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 0 Figure 2: Cumulative Infiltration of Banana Field †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10 Figure 3: Infiltration curve of Maize Field †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 Figure 4: Cumulative infiltration of Maize Field†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Description of infiltration sites †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 Table 2.Summary of the soil texture report from the test sites †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 12 LIST OF PLATES Plate 1: Infiltration in Banana and Maize field respectively †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7 iv v 1. 0 Introduction Water is one of the most important factors limiting the growth of plants in all Agricultural systems. In this respect, good water management is necessary in order to solve water related problems such as irrigation and erosion control. Infiltration is the process by which water arriving at the soil surface enters the soil.This process affects surface runoff, soil erosion, and groundwater recharge (Gregory et al. , 2005). The rate at which it occurs is known as infiltration rate which mainly depends on the characteristics of the soil. ( Saxton, 1986) reported that, the major soil and water characteristics affecting infiltration rates are: the initial moisture content, condition of the surface, hydraulic conductivity of the soil profile, texture, porosity, degree of swelling of soil colloids, organic matter, vegetative cover and duration of irrigation or rainfall and of these, soil texture is predominant.Therefore the measurement of water infiltration into the soil is an important indication in regard to the efficiency of irrigation and drainage, optimizing the availability of water for plants, improving the yield of crops, minimizing erosion and describing the soil permeability. Land use and land cover changes among other factors have also been reported to infuluence the infiltration rate of soil. According to (Suresh, 2008), for a given soil, the land use pattern plays a vital role in determining i ts infiltration characteristics.Different land use practices affect infiltration rates in different ways. (Taylor et al, 2009), observed that intensified land use results primarily in a change in soil structure rather than soil compaction. When land is put to certain uses, there is an accompanying change in the properties of the soil and this alters the hydrological balance of the soil. According to (Osuji, 2010) infiltration rates in tropical forests under bush fallow were found to be high compared to arable crop land. In addition, Majaliwa et al. 2010) explains that the change from natural forest cover to tea and Eucalyptus induces changes in top soil properties like exchangeable Magnesium and Calcium, available Phosphorus, soil organic matter, soil pH, and soil structure of sub soil. Furthermore, Land use/type cover influences soil organic matter evolution which is a vital indicator of soil quality and it has implications on soil properties like aggregate stability/soil structure , infiltration and aeration rates, microbial activity and nutrient release (Boye and 1Albrect, 2001). Additionally a soil’s water retention characteristic, is affected by soil organic matter (SOM) content and porosity, which are significantly influenced by land use type (Zhou et al. , 2008). Gatundu catchment is one of the catchments in Kenya which have experienced soil degradation due to conversion of natural forest to crop land mainly banana, maize and Coffee. This has been fastened by the increasing population in the catchment leaving most of the natural forest cover cleared and replaced by crop land.The result has been massive soil degradation, through loss of plant nutrients and organic matter, soil erosion, river bank degradation; build up of salinity, and damage to soil structure (Bekunda et al. , 2010). Therefore this study aims to determine the degree of relationship between infiltration rates and the land use types in two selected sites under Banana and Maize croppi ng systems in Gatundu sub catchment. 1. 1 Significance of the study The knowledge of water retention capacity and land use effects is important for efficient soil and water management.Upon conversion of natural lands to cultivated fields, water retention capacity is strongly influenced (Schwartz et al. , 2000; Bormann and Klaassen, 2008; Zhou et al. , 2008). Thus, infiltration rate is an important factor in sustainable agriculture, effective watershed management, surface runoff, and retaining water and soil resources. Properly designed and constructed infiltration facilities can be one of the most effective flow control (and water quality treatment) storm water control practices, and should be encouraged where conditions are appropriate (Ecology, 2005) 1. Objectives The objective of the study is to determine the effect of banana and Maize land use practices on water infiltration into the soil in Gatundu catchment 1. 2. 1 Specific Objectives 2 1. 2. Describe how different soil types influence water flow through the soil Compare Water movements through the soil at two different sites (Banana and Maize fields) 3. To find out how soil texture influences water infiltration into the soil 2. 0 METHODS AND MATERIALS 2. INTRODUCTION This section covers the methods and materials used in the study which include description of the study area, experimental design, field data collection procedures for soil samples and data analysis procedures; laboratory and statistical data analysis using Microsoft office package. 2. 2 Study area Gatundu district is one of the districts located in central province of Kenya at 1 ° 1†² 0†³ South, 36 ° 56†² 0†³ East; covering an area of 481. 1 km2 and borders Thika district to the East and North and Kiambu East to the South and West (Figure 5).The population density varies from 370 persons per Km2 in Chania and Mangu divisions to 636 persons per Km2 in Gatundu division on the 2008 population projections. Gatundu divisi on is the most densely populated division with 636 persons per square Km. The population over the plan period is expected to increase marginally thereby increasing demand and competition for the available resources like water and land resources (Gatundu District Development plan, 2008 -2012). 3 ` Figure 5: Map of Gatundu south Topography features of Gatundu district Gatundu district is located about 1520 m ASL at the lowest point and 2280 m ASL at the highest point.There are several permanent rivers and streams that traverse the landscape and these include Ndaruga, Thiririka, and Kahuga. All these rivers flow from the Aberdare ranges to the west and towards the southeast joining River Tana thus forming part of Tana and Athi river 4 drainage system. The train is conducive for gravity system of irrigation (Gatundu District Development plan, 2008 -2012). Terrain Gatundu district is characterized by a ragged terrain, which has had both the negative and positive impacts on the developmen t of the district.The steep slopes and valleys characteristic of the most part of the district, coupled with intensive crop cultivation render most of these areas susceptible to soil erosion making it necessary for farmers to practice terracing which is costly. The conducive environment in the district favour the cultivation of tea and coffee however, other crops like cereals, horticultural crops such as pineapple, mangoes, avocadoes and vegetables plus bananas (Gatundu District Development plan, 2008 -2012). Soils Gatundu district has soils that correspond entirely with typical Aberdare Humic Andosols and Nitosols.These Nitosols have great agricultural potential coupled with the relatively high rainfall regime in the region. Production of tea, coffee, tropical fruits and food crops such as maize, beans and potatoes are the most common sources of income to the households. The hilly terrain of the district has had profound effect on the soils, resulting into low and moderate fertilit y levels (Gatundu District Development plan, 2008 -2012). Climate The rainfall pattern is bi-modal with two distinct rainy seasons, long rains falling in March and May while short rains between October and November.The amount received varies with altitude ranging from 800 mm to 2000 mm with the highest rainfall being experienced in the tea zones. The mean temperature is 200 C with coldest months being June, July and August. The hottest months are February, March and April. Temperatures vary from 80C minimum to 300 C maximum during the year. (Gatundu District Development plan, 2008 -2012) 5 2. 3 Research design A completely randomized block design was used for the study. Two treatments were considered (Banana and Maize land uses) and the blocking was landscape position. For Each land use type, only one experiment was carried out because of time. . 4 Data collection procedures and laboratory analysis 2. 4. 1 Soil Texture Five (5) soil samples from both Banana and Maize land uses at di fferent landscape positions were collected. The sampling was done at depth of 0 -15 cm and were collected using a 50 mm diameter auger using a Random sampling Technique as explained by Haghighi et al. (2010) . The 0-15cm depth was considered because it’s the major agricultural layer and root zone for most of the crops. The five soil samples from each land use were thoroughly mixed to obtain composite soil samples which were taken to Makerere University Laboratory for Analysis.Soil texture was determined using the hydrometer method described by Bouyoucos (1962) and results presented in percentages of mineral proportions. The samples were passed through an electric shaker for 30 minutes and then the sample was treated with sodium hexametaphosphate to complex Ca++, Al3+, Fe3+, and other cations that bind clay and silt particles into aggregates. The density of the soil suspension was determined with a hydrometer which was calibrated to read in grams of solids per liter after the sand settled out and again after the silt settled. Corrections were made for the density and temperature of the dispersing solutions.The percentages of mineral fractions were calculated as below; Percent clay: % clay = corrected hydrometer reading at 6 hrs, 52 min. x 100/ wt. of sample Percent silt: % silt = corrected hydrometer reading at 40 sec. x 100/ wt. of sample – % clay Percent sand: 6 % sand = 100% – % silt – % clay Results were reported as percentages of the mineral fraction, % sand, % silt, and % clay. Soil texture was based on the USDA textural triangle. 2. 4. 2 Infiltration The infiltration rate was determined using double-ring infiltrometer as described by American Society for Testing and Materials (1994).It consists of two concentric metal rings. The rings were driven into the ground and filled with water. The outer ring helped to prevent divergent flow. The drop-in water level or volume in the inner ring was used to calculate the infiltration rate . Clock time was recorded when the test began and noted the water level on the ruler at different time intervals as seen in Appendix 1, recorded the drop in water level in the inner ring on the ruler and kept adding water to bring the level back to approximately the original level.The tests were conducted for a period of one to two hours, until the infiltration rate became constant. The infiltration rate was calculated from the rate of fall of the water level in the inner ring as seen in Appendix 1 in the tenth minutes in both the banana field and maize fields. The data was analyzed by drawing graphs of infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration. In both cases, curves were obtained. Plate 1: Infiltration in Banana and Maize field respectively 7 3. 0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 3. Soil Infiltration Measurements Soil infiltration measurements were made at 2 sites in Gatundu sub catchment (Plate 1 above). The two sites have the same soil characteristics, therefore they have been classif ied by the different land uses and land scape positions coupled by other field observations. Sites were selected based on land use, proximity to water source, site accessibility, and soil type. Table 1: Description of infiltration sites Site Location Banana Site Observed and use and field observations Site with Banana plantations, Has some mounds, some trees adjacent to the field, it’s on a higher elevation Maize Site Site with Maize, The site is close to a trench used for moving water, Its close to the road , It’s on a lower elevation Figure 1(Banana land use) and Figure 3(Maize land use) shows that the water infiltrates at a very high rate at the beginning with 1800 mm/hr and 720mm/hr respectively; because the hydraulic gradient is high and then keeps declining with time until it becomes fairly steady after the soils become saturated, which is termed as basic infiltration rate.This is also emphasized by Horton (1940) where he asserts that infiltration becomes constan t with time as the soil column reaches fully saturated conditions which occurred at 40th and 49th minute time intervals in Banana and Maize Land use Systems as seen in appendix 1. Rubin and Steinhardt (1963) also showed that the final infiltration rate reached under these conditions is equal to the vertical hydraulic conductivity of a saturated soil. 8 The steady state in Maize was attained earlier than in banana land use corresponding to 204mm/hr and 450mm/hr respectively.This can be associated to soil disturbances during ploughing and land preparation season after season for annual crops like maize compared to banana field (Perennial) which have less soil disturbances. The scenario under maize land use may lead to soil compaction as a result of continuous cultivation. This is emphasized by Pitt et al. , 2002 and 2008; Pitt et al. , (1999b) who found substantial reductions in infiltration rates due to soil compaction. The implication is that beyond the steady point (saturation poin t), if more water is applied to the soil, it results into surface water runoff.Infiltration depends upon physical and hydraulic properties of the soil moisture content, previous wetting history, structural changes in the layers and air entrapment. The basic infiltration rate of maize land use is lower than that of Banana land use system as seen in Appendix 1; this can be associated to a number of factors although not conclusive for the attained results; 1. The Initial moisture content; the study was carried out in a rainy season, therefore for saturated soils, the infiltration falls to the aturated hydraulic conductivity almost instantaneously. 2. Considering the type of land use in each of the sites; Soils under Perennials (Banana Land use) are subjected to less interferences in terms of land preparations compared to land under annuals (Maize Land use) which correlates with the obtained results of 450mm/hr and 204mm/hr respectively 3. The surrounding of the site; the Maize field is on a lower elevation and near a trench which collects water, therefore it’s possible that the soils could easily reach saturation 9 Infiltration rate mm/hr 000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Infiltration rate,mm/hr infiltration rate mm/hr Time(minutes) Figure 1: Infiltration Curve of Banana field Cummulative infiltration cummulative infiltration,mm 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Cummulative infiltration Time,hrs Figure 2: Cumulative Infiltration of Banana Field In Banana land use, Infiltration was recorded at time intervals of 1, 5 and 10 minutes and in Maize land use it was at 3, 6 and 10 minutes time intervals (Appendix 1) 10Infiltration rate/hr 800 Infiltration rate mm/hr 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Infiltration rate/hr Time,hrs Figure 3: Infiltration curve of Maize Field Cummulative infiltration Cummulative infiltration,mm 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cummu lative infiltration Time,hrs Figure 4: Cumulative infiltration of Maize Field 11 Table 2 below compares the infiltration rates of two sites, classified according to the texture of the soil profiles in Banana and Maize land use systems.In each set of measurements, the infiltration rate of the Banana field belonging to the sandy clay loam was much higher than Maize field belonging to clay loam because of the variation in the physical properties of the two textural classes. In the banana field, basic infiltration rate was attained at 450mm/hr which is higher than that of maize field, 204mm/hr and this explains the relationship between soil texture, structure and infiltration which was obtained in our results where the Banana field with sandy clay loams having larger pores allowed in more water to infiltrate compared to clay loam with relatively smaller pores.From our results, The banana field reached saturation earlier (40th minute) than the Maize field (49th minute) which deviates fro m the assumption that the field at lower elevation reaches saturation earlier than the other on the higher elevation, and this case the maize field was on a lower elevation. As it is not possible to vary soil texture independently of other characteristics it is not inferred that the infiltration rates are caused by texture.Table 2 Summary of the soil texture report from the test sites Sample Percentage % Sand Banana Field Maize Field 50 40 Silt 26 26 Clay 24 34 Sand clay loam Clay loam Textural Class 12 4. 0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Generally from the findings, the two sites registered high basic infiltration rates with banana and maize land use having 405mm/hr and 204mm/hr respectively. The two sites as well reached saturation easily because of the amount of water that was held within the soil because of the rainy season.Several factors influenced the test; measuring rapidly changing water levels was difficult especially for one minute time intervals and therefore subject to i naccuracy and the local site features, challenges in elevation and the soils being too soft which kept altering the position of the ruler and varying the depth thus may have affected individual test results. Therefore the study required more data collection and time to be able to sample many sites at different time intervals. For this study, tests were conducted during a rainy period in December, 2012, where the water table was expected to be above most soil layers.However, Infiltration is a key parameter in Watershed management therefore Properly designed and constructed infiltration facilities can be one of the most effective flow control (and water quality treatment) , and should be encouraged where conditions are appropriate (Ecology, 2005). Additionally infiltration separates water into two major components surface runoff and subsurface recharge, therefore assessment and Evaluation of runoff risk has assumed an increased importance because of concerns about associated pollution hazards in which pollutants are likely to be transferred from soil to rivers and lakes.The speed of irrigation of fields is based on infiltration tests and data; in surface irrigation, infiltration changes dramatically throughout the irrigation season. The water movements alter the surface structure and geometry which in turn affect infiltration rates; therefore accurate determination of infiltration rates is essential for reliable prediction of surface runoff. As environmental impact assessments are concerned with long-term effects, it is essential that the 13 infiltration data on which they are based should be reasonably stable. For planning purposes it is essential to know the stability of infiltration data. 4 5. 0 REFERENCES American Society for Testing and Materials, 1994, Standard test method for infiltration rate of soils in field using double-ring infiltrometer: ASTM Publication D-3385-94, 7 p. Bouyoucos, G. J. 1962. Hydrometer method improved for making particle size analy sis of soils. Agron. J. 54:464-465. Ecology (2005) Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington; Olympia, WA. Washington State Department of Ecology Water Quality Program. Publication Numbers 05-10-029 through 05-10-033. http://www. ecy. wa. gov/pubs/0510029. pdf Gregory, J. H. , Dukes, M. D. , Miller, G. L. , and Jones P.H. (2005) Analysis of double-ring infiltration techniques and development of a simple automatic water delivery system. Applied Turfgrass Science. Haghighi. F. , & Gorjiz, M. & Shorafa M. (2010). Effects of Land Use Change on Important Soil Properties. Land Degrad. Develop. 21, 496–502. Horton, R. E. , 1940, An approach towards a physical interpretation of infiltration capacity: Soils Science Society of America Proceedings, v. 5, p. 399-417. Osuji, G. E,Okon M. A; Chukwuma and Nwaire (2010): Infiltration characteristics of soils under selected landuse practices in Oweri, Southern Nigeria.World journal of Agricultural Sciences 6(3): 322 – 326 Pit t, R. ; J. Lantrip; R. Harrison; C. Henry, and D. Hue (1999b) Infiltration through Disturbed Urban Soils and Compost-Amended Soil Effects on Runoff Quality and Quantity; EPA 600-R-00-016. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. National Risk Management Research Laboratory. Office of Research and Development. Cincinnati, OH: 231 pp. Pitt, R; Chen, S. -E; Clark, S. E (2002) Compacted Urban Soils Effects on Infiltration and Bioretention Stormwater Control Designs; Proc. , 9th Int. Conf. on Urban Drainage (9ICUD).Portland, Oregon. Pitt, R; Chen, S-E; Clark, S; Swenson, J. , and Ong, C. K (2008) Compaction’s Impacts on Urban Storm-Water Infiltration; J. Irrig. and Drain. Engrg. , 134(5), 652-658. Rubin, J. , and Steinhardt, R. , 1963, Soils water relations during rain infiltration; Part I–Theory: Soils Science Society of America Proceedings, v. 27, p. 246-251 Saxton, K. E. , W. L. Rawls, J. S. Rosenberger and R. I Papendick, 1986. Estimating generalized soil water characteri stics from texture. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. , 50: 1031-1036 15 Schwartz, R. C. , Unger, P. W. Evett S. R. , 2000. â€Å"Land use effects on soil hydraulicproperties. † Suresh, D. (2008). Land and Water Management Principles: New Delhi, Shansi Publishers Taylor, M. , M. Mulholland and D. Thornburrow,2009. Infiltration Characteristics of Soils Under forestry and Agriculture in the Upper Waikato Catchment. Report: TR/18 http:// www. ew. govt. nz/publications/ Technical-Reports/ TR-200918/ Zhou, X. , Lin, H. S. , White, E. A. , 2008. â€Å"Surface soil hydraulic properties in four soil series under different land uses and their temporal changes. † Catena. 73, 180-188. 16APPENDIX Appendix 1: Data sheet for Infiltration for Banana and Maize Fields Banana Field Time Reading clock on difference, Cumulative min time, min Infiltration Water Level, Infiltration, Infiltratio rate cm cm n, mm mm/min Infiltration rate mm/hr Cumulative infiltration, mm 12:32 12:33 12:34 12:35 12:36 1 2:37 12:42 12:47 12:52 12:57 13:02 13:07 1 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 10 1 2 3 4 5 10 15 20 25 30 40 12. 0 13. 5 13. 8 14. 0 14. 3 9. 4 12. 8 11. 0 12. 0 12. 7 9. 8 15. 0 15. 0 15. 0 15. 0 15. 0 15. 0 15. 0 15. 0 17. 0 17. 3 17. 3 17. 5 3. 0 1. 5 1. 2 1. 0 0. 7 5. 6 2. 2 4. 0 5. 0 4. 6 7. 5 17 30 15 12 10 7 56 22 40 50 46 75

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Family Variations and Implications to Children Essay

Family Variations and Implications to Children - Essay Example In contemporary communities such as in the U.K, racial variations, economic factors and family structures portray great influences on behaviors that are adopted by children in different backgrounds, which are also affected by social and economic status of families. Therefore, economic, social, and cultural background of a family has a great impact on the behaviors and the upbringing of a child in the community. Children from single parenting portray different characteristics from children with two parents, with the gender of the child being a factor in determining how the family structure and relationships affects children in particular families. Wright & Chrysalis (2007, 16) argue that the rapidly changing family dynamics result in varying characteristics and behaviors in children, indicating that the structure of a family has a direct impact on the upbringing of a child. Therefore, children adopt behaviors and characteristics that mirror the family cultural and economic backgrounds , and family structures in the society. In this report, the various effects of family structures and their effects on children influenced by the social, economic, and cultural factors will be investigated. Berthoud (2) further notes that in black families, the issue of extended family is more profound, and may include grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, among others. Generally, research in most U.K families portray most traditional family structures are more stable compared to the current marriage structures, which include single parenting and cohabitation forms of marriages (Mooney, Oliver & Smith 2009, 3). Children in stable marriages portray healthy and stable development psychologically, mentally and are in most cases protected from vices experienced by children in the other two forms of marriages (Mooney, Oliver & Smith 2009, 3). Such children are likely to be morally responsible according stable upbringing, or the favorable atmosphere in these families; they have to learn th eir cultural orientations and the expected code of behaviors in the society. These family structures lead to enhanced bonding among the family members that protect children from the effects and influence of cohabitation and single parenting marriages. Hollist & McBroom (2006) in a research study indicated that children from single parent households report poor academic performance, psychological, and social behaviors, which may include early school dropout, risky sexual behaviors, drug abuse, and juvenile delinquency, among others. However, when economic considerations are taken in place, families with two parents and in higher income bracket were found to fair the same with parents with single parenting (Berthoud, 2). This implies that family income in families makes a huge different in portraying variations in children upbringing. However, similar studies on variation of children brought up in different households and their academic performance portrayed no significant difference. Curtis (2007) argues that in U.K, children from low income families are half as likely to attain good grades in their GCSEs, compared to their counterparts in high income families. Curtis further elaborates that these children are more vulnerable in the community, and their probability to leave these schools with better qualifications compared to their counterparts in well off families, with this gap between children in the two social groups widening over time. Curtis further

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Darfur after the war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Darfur after the war - Essay Example The three sides were Cameroon, Port Sudan, and Libya. The humanitarian food supplies needed to be transported in all-terrain vehicles over large land areas upon arrival in Africa. The rainy season made the land routes to the camps of refugees in Sudan and Chad impassable. Even after the passage of so many years since the conflict of Darfur, it is incredible that the refugee camps are still being filled by new Darfurians. â€Å"A decade since the beginning of the Darfur conflict the region’s people are still suffering. Millions have been forced from their homes and 2.7 million people still rely on food aid for survival† (Featherstone cited in Gov.uk, 2013). Physical and sexual assaults on the residents of these camps are reported almost daily. The already meager livelihood of these people is worsened by the lack of security. As a result of these challenges, the effort of helping these refugees is amongst the largest operations of humanitarian relief in the contemporary age. Numerous countries around the world in general and especially the US have heavily donated humanitarian aid to the refugees of Darfur. These operations include but are not limited to providing the refugees with food, clean water, shelter, nutrition, education, healthcare, activities that generate income, and protection from diseases. Besides, the UK is also playing an important role in alleviating the sufferings and pains of the refugees of Darfur by providing them with food, shelter, and healthcare facilities. The UK is also providing its judges and policemen with training to help them make the fragile communities stable. The environment of Darfur is dangerous and very volatile and poses numerous challenges to both the refugees and the external donors of aid. According to the UN, the death toll as a result of the Darfur genocide is over 300,000 whereas this number is estimated to be at least 400,000 by the former UN undersecretary-general

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Contemporary opportunities and problems that confront IBM Company Essay

Contemporary opportunities and problems that confront IBM Company - Essay Example In relation to the study the company which has been selected is the giant company which provides services such as infrastructure hosting as well as consulting services in a wide range of areas including the emerging technologies such as nanotechnology. As a business organization, IBM was founded in 1911 through a merger of three companies and has since then grown to become a market leader in the computing industry. For example, IBM was recently ranked to be the largest U.S firm in terms of its market capitalization and number of employees. The company has however undergone a number of organizational changes since its inception and some of these changes have resulted in new challenges while others have been affected in order to keep pace with the changes in the industry. The growth of IBM as a business organization has been faced with both opportunities and problems in the recent past and even today. The company lacks identity the execution clocks in this successful processor by half reduce the cache size by four or eight times which has made the elimination of l3 cache a problem as well as reduced the problem of reduction of instruction execution width to one. Despite numerous challenges such as increased competition from its market rivals, IBM has continued to refocus its business strategies into taking advantages of the numerous opportunities for growth that have been witnessed in the computing industry. Some the recent key areas of strategic investments for the company include strategic acquisitions, maintaining leadership in technology as well as developing client and industry specific solutions to its growing customer base.

Monday, August 26, 2019

International law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International law - Essay Example The most disputed and highly controversial examples are the Kosovo crisis, Afghanistan invasion, and the Iraq invasion. The Kosovo and Afghan Crisis The first incident that gave the idea of certain nations’ deviating from the international norms came during the Kosovo crisis. On the insistence of America, NATO undertook a bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). The action was undertaken for the claimed purpose of implementing the UN Security Council resolution but without the Security Council’s authorisation. It was claimed to be an attempt to stop human rights violations in Yugoslavia/Serbia. The unrest in Yugoslavia was the result of the Kosovars’ effort to gain independence. However, Serbia has strong emotional attachment with Kosovo as the place of the 14th century defeat by Turks. As a result, there arose reports of mass human rights violations in Kosovo as FRY president forced ethnic Albanians to leave Kosovo. Soon, there was a ne gotiation between FRY and Kosovo Liberation Army. However, the negotiation failed to reach a solution. As a result, the US forced the NATO to start air strike on FRY. Thus, the ‘Operation Allied Force’ by NATO started attack on FRY on 24 March, 1999. Up to this point everything seemed normal. However, the attack was begun without taking the matter to the United Nations Security Council as stipulated under Chapter VII of the UN Chapter (Charter of the United Nations). The strike continued for two and a half months. In the attack, as Charlesworth (2002) reports, 500 civilians were killed, including both Serbians and Kosovars; in addition, there were 6000 casualties. Later on, the attack ended with the agreement reached between FRY, Serbia, and NATO. Thus, the UN Interim Administrative Mission took charge of Kosovo (ibid). However, this aroused significant levels of controversy in the international sphere as there was blatant violation of the norms of the UN Security Counc il stipulation that any regional action only be undertaken with the permission and authorisation of the Security Council. However, this was not the only issue that arose along with the attack. Another question that came up was if it is justifiable to violate UN charter in pursuit of human rights. Also, if the violation is justified, the question arises as to what is the limit of force that can be used. Another considerable doubt casted on the sincerity of US and NATO was that if the intention of NATO was to reinstate human rights in Kosovo instantly, air strike from a height of 20,000 feet was the worst method to adopt as it naturally leads to less accuracy and more civilian deaths. In addition, the campaign could not replace President Milosevic, nor could it control the mass departure of Kosovars. Whatever the reasons of the attack may be, it helped unravel the weaknesses of international law and the institutions that are meant to impose them. One can see innumerous number of works on the Kosovo issue, and the opinions of scholars vary greatly. According to one class of thought, as cited by Charlesworth (2002), the incident calls for a principle of humanitarian intervention. This was the opinion expressed by US President Bill Clinton

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Liberty is the true path to morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Liberty is the true path to morality - Essay Example This in itself can lead to deeper and more profound questions and analyses'. As society's collective morality can be influenced by a variety of factors, some of which could be considered arbitrary and fleeting. Examples of such factors could be the media and those with strong political influence. By allowing the state to enforce morality, a number of questions must be answered. First and foremost, in what manner do these moral laws relate to the Constitution and the right of individual freedom People have free will and the right to choose for themselves, to choose their own morality and ethics and their own way of life, as long as no one is harmed. Another question to address is the reasoning that the morals that are being enforced by law based upon Those writing law can consciously or unconsciously provide their own interpretation of morality in the legal doctrine. Milsted writes, "Democracy represents the people in the middle. The government represents the immoral as well as the moral. Thus, we can expect the government to be more moral than half the population and more immoral that the other half "(Milsted). It also should not be forgotten that law is not magic. Moral norm, which becomes a part of law, needs to be provided into the real life. Practice has shown that perso nal morality laws are general ineffective and can have very unpleasant sequels. "The war on drugs has led to higher crime, broken families, increased poverty, the clogging of the court system, the funding of international terrorism and higher taxes. Furthermore, the laws against prostitution have led to an increase in the abuse of women and the spread of deadly sexually transmitted diseases" (Milsted 2005). Lord Devlin in an essay entitled, Introduction... Practice has shown that personal morality laws are general ineffective and can have very unpleasant sequels.   â€Å"The war on drugs has led to higher crime, broken families, increased poverty, the clogging of the court system, the funding of international terrorism and higher taxes.   Furthermore, the laws against prostitution have led to an increase in the abuse of women and the spread of deadly sexually transmitted diseases† (Milsted 2005).     Lord Devlin in an essay entitled, Introduction to Law and Morality, is quoted as saying that a society requires a public morality.   â€Å"A society is created by a sort of community of ideas, not only political ideas but ideas about the way the members of the society should behave and govern their lives† (2001).   The institution of marriage was used as an example of this, in that a society has to choose whether they will govern themselves by the rules of monogamy or polygamy, as the society can not have both.   Lord Devlin takes this example even further by stating that the institution of marriage would be damaged by morally accepting adultery, but that this is not a crime and should not be, yet the public and government should be compelled to protect itself and its valued institutions, such as marriage.   A look at paternalism allows for a greater analysis of the role that morality should have within the legal system.   Paternalism is the institution of laws that are meant to keep individuals from harming themselves, i.e., the use of drugs, gun laws, euthanasia, etc.  

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Addiction is a Brain Disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Addiction is a Brain Disease - Research Paper Example This means that there are two types of addiction: behavioral addiction and substance dependence. This can be harmful for oneself and for others. Furthermore, it is important to distinguish between a habit and an addiction: a habit is what a person chooses to do, and there is no physical and physiological aspect to it, till you become so used to that substance that you cannot do without it. With addiction you also cannot survive on the same doses every time; you need to increase the dosage every time in order to satisfy yourself and you cannot stop without help. It causes many problems in every aspect of one’s life and needs to be considered. Its causes and treatments need to be laid out for better understanding. (Nordqvist, March) The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain that allows human beings to evaluate situations, make rational decisions and control their emotions and desires. This part of the brain is still developing in adolescence and abusing it will have a very dire effect in the future. (Buljan, 2010) An addict is a person who is addicted. This person will have desires and cravings, in which he will urgently want to indulge, and usually symptoms of withdrawal accompany this feeling if he does not get the substance he craves. There are several reasons for this disease. Genetics are suspected, and so is the environment, but the new explanation that has been discovered is that it is a brain disease. (Maureen C Nash, 2011) The roles of the reward mechanisms in the brain are suspected to be involved with this disease. Dopamine systems stimulate the brain when it receives a reward be it food, or any other thing that the person likes. This is the only centre of the brain that stimulates it, and no additional centre has been found to cause addiction. Taking the substance that you are addicted to changes the wiring of your brain and you require special needs to fulfill your cravings. Dopamine is activated with the use of the substance or aspect th at you are addicted to; and this is not a natural process, but a highly unnatural one as you make your brain accustomed to the aspects that it is usually not used to, but is in fact actually sensitive to. It not only arouses your brain and rewards it but the arousal it leads to is of abnormal nature, leading to changes in the brain’s motor and cognitive abilities. Other researchers believe that what is involved in addiction includes: the medial prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, amygdala and nucleus accumbens. There are other cortical structures involved in the rewarding centre of the brain apart from dopamine. This was shown by Hans Breiter with the help of functional magnetic resonance imaging. In simple terms, drugs such as morphine, or money, or shopping, rewards your brain and satisfies it. But if you don’t acquire them, you will experience withdrawal. This is not just the case with drugs, but also non-drug expectations. A drug will lead to ‘drug rewardsâ⠂¬â„¢ whereas a non drug will lead to a ‘non-drug reward.’ (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2000) Positron emission tomography studies by Nora Volkrow showed that substance abusers had fewer striatal D2 receptors. There was also lower monoamine oxidase B which is important in the reward circuit of the brain in those who were addicted to smoking. This meant that more dosage was needed every time to stimulate the reward centers because addiction was reducing the enzymes needed to stimulate it. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2000) The brain reward system can be further extended beyond the dopamine system. The stimulation has to do with the synaptic actions when dopamine is stimulated which are affected by addiction. Since the brain is not used to such stimulation, it is required to adapt to it, a

Friday, August 23, 2019

Elements of Design in the film 300 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Elements of Design in the film 300 - Essay Example This paper is a literature review of the film is called 300. This is an American fantasy action film that was released in the year 2006. The film is based on a 1998 comic series also named 300 by an author called Frank Miller. The film is revolves around the story of the battle of Thermopyle. There were many artists who were involved in the film’s production. These artists include the director, the production designer and also the art director.The director of the film was Zack Synder. Zack Synder was hired to direct the film especially so because earlier before, he had attempted to produce a film that was based on Miller’s novel. His main role was the planning and directing of the film ensuring that the shooting went smoothly. At some point in the production of the film, he photocopied panels from the original comic book then used this to plan the preceding and succeeding shots. The production designers of the film included; Gianni Nunnari, Frank Miller, Mark Canton and Jeffrey Silver. Their main role in the film was to acquire the film rights of the movie then proceeds to produce it. Frank miller acted as the consultant and the executive producer in the film production since the whole idea of the film revolved around his novel. Hence his output and opinions were highly sorted. Michael Gordon is the one whose task was to write the film script. The art directors of the film were Shaun Smith and Mark Rappaport. Their main task was the designing of the different look of every individual character in the set. They also designed and produced the prosthetics, the props, the weapons and also the dummy bodies needed for the production. The film was shot indoors against a blue screen. The cinematographer was Larry Fong and he devised an efficient and effective method of integrating overhead and key lighting which made it easy to do faster and more efficient shooting. This method made it easy for the perspective to change by simply turning and reversing the lighting. This was made easier because all the lights were pre-mounted hence all one had to do was just to flip a switch. The film producers choose the blue screen over the green screen because the film has a lot of red. The problem with the green screen was that there is bound to be production of a yellow edge when one has saturated red on the green screen. The amount of light bouncing back off the blue screen is different from that of the green screen. More light bounces off the green screen than the blue screen. This results in the production of a screens that are brighter and not suitable for the shooting of the film (Hanson, 2007). The setting of the film is ancient Sparta and the battle site of Thermopylae where the Greeks, the Spartans and their allies were able to hold a large mass of invading Persian army led by their king, Xerxes who was deemed as a god king. The Persians invaded in 480 BC and the 300 Spartans and their allies met the invading Persian armies at the narrow mountain pass of Thermopylae. The pass was wide enough for only one chariot and a few number of warriors at a time, hence the Spartans choose it to hold their ground. The small Spartan army and its allies was led by King Leonidas of Sparta. The Spartan culture was primarily military. the Spartans were completely dedicated to a military life. This was their entire way of life. The Spartans started their training from birth where only the only physically strong babies were allowed to live. The boys were then taught reading and writing which was necessary for their basic needs. Then after that all their time and knowledge was dedicated to training for fighting (Hanson, 2007). The costumes were designed to suit every individual character in the film. The flowing red cape worn by the Spartans was preferred because of ease of movement over the common leather strapped skirts worn by the ancient Spartans. The weapons used were also carefully chosen to fully present the actual weapons used by the ancient Sp

The Chicana feminists movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Chicana feminists movement - Essay Example They were discriminated by the men of their lives including their father, brothers, and husbands. They were stereotyped to perform only the roles of child-bearers and homemakers without any opportunities for educational and professional pursuits. So, Chicana feminism began in 1970s because of the Chicano womens struggle for equality with Chicano men and the need for their prominence in the family setup. Chicana feminist movement was formally initiated in 1971, when about 600 Chicana women met in Houston, Texas for the Mujeres Por La Raza Conference, labeled as first National Chicana Conference. The Comisià ³n Femenil Mexicana Nacional was formed in 1973 and it also played an important catalytic role for Chicana feminism. A number of Chicana feminist groups were formed after the 1971 conference by Chicana women in different parts of the United States. These groups worked for the equality of Chicana women in family, professional, and social life. It also fought for their equal access to education, establishment of childcare centers, reproductive rights, and others However, when viewed from another perspective, the chicana feminist movement was criticized or blamed for tearing certain key values of the Chicana culture, because Chicana feminists were viewed as anti-culture and anti-family. So, the question that arises is: Does the Chicano feminist movement focused more on gender inequalities or cultural

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Effects of Colonial America Essay Example for Free

Effects of Colonial America Essay Despite the fact the regions of New England and the Chesapeake Bay were settled by people of English origin, the two areas evolved into two different societies. The changes in the formation of colonial America occurred because of the motivations for settlement, economic opportunities in the area, and the structure of towns and cities differed among the settlers. The New England colonies’ were established from the motivation of religious freedom and to cleanse the English church, while the Chesapeake region was settled to make a profit in the mother country, England. The New England colonies began with the settlement of the pilgrims likewise known as the Puritans. The Puritans first emerged in England, to escape religious persecution and to cleanse themselves of the corrupt English church the Puritans fled to the New England region The Puritans feared what the future of England held in store, so the majority of them immigrated with their families to New England all around the same time, which is known today as the great migration. This led the New England colonies to be primarily family based. On the other hand, the Chesapeake Bay colonies’ were founded quite differently. The Chesapeake settlers’ motivation in settlement was result of the poor economic conditions in England. Immigrants hoped for a better life and better economic standing in the new world. The majority of these immigrants were single men who came over as indentured servants, and served for five to seven years before being released as a free man. This in turn lead the Chesapeake region to be entirely male dominate. In addition to indentured servants, wealthy men also immigrated to the new world in hopes to find gold, but instead found an item worth far greater, tobacco. This discovery of tobacco in the fertile soils of the Chesapeake caused the complete dividing point in the foundation of the Chesapeake and the New English opportunities in the area. Because of the perfect conditions the area of the Chesapeake posed, tobacco became the largest profit for the mother county, England. Tobacco was known as the gold of Virginia, which was the first Chesapeake colony. England, having realized the importance of tobacco fought for control over these colonies and succeeded, making the Chesapeake apart of royal colonies of the New World. On the very contrast were the New England colonies that didn’t have the right condition to profit from the growing of tobacco, so instead wealthy merchants traded with the Indians to obtain furs and other needed items. This resulted in New England not to become targeted as a resource by England’s crown. Thus New England did not become part of the royal colonies such as the Chesapeake did. This in turn made the New England colonies more suitable for families to settle and establish homes and churches. With the immigration of families into the New England society, the establishment of towns and cities resulted in a stark contrast to the Chesapeake Bay colonies. Returning to the Puritan families, the settlement of groups of families caused towns and cities to be built, with the church creating religious principals. The living conditions made it ideal for families to reside and because of this birth rate and survival were higher in New England. The establishment of towns created a more stable foundation for the New England colonies. Never the less, the lack of families in the Chesapeake region caused a deficiency of towns to be built. This in return caused little social unity and no stable family life. Men outnumbered women in the region and the high death rate in this area caused large numbers of single men, widows, and orphans. Without the establishment of towns, large tobacco plantations became the soul of the Chesapeake. This resulted in very distinct societies of the Chesapeake and New England. All things considered, the contrast of the Chesapeake and New England societies is marked by motivation for settlement, thus shown in the types of immigrants’ beliefs. In addition, the area also gave a startling impact to how the land was settled, which resulted in the making of towns verses the running of large plantations. Even though the setters all came from the same place, these slight differences made a huge impact in the Chesapeake and New England colonies.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Impact Of Smuggling In The Philippines Economics Essay

Impact Of Smuggling In The Philippines Economics Essay Raymond Palatino (2008), reports The extent and impact of smuggling in the Philippines that Smuggling is a serious problem that hurts the country in many ways. It deprives government of revenues from uncollected taxes and customs duties. It affects local industries by distorting prices of commodities. Smuggling causes production slowdown, which leads to mass lay-offs, reduced consumer spending, bankruptcies, and lower tax collection. Smuggling has especially benefited from weak governance and chronic political instability. The author further added that when the government reduced the tariff rates on imported articles, many economists and merchants expected a decline in smuggling activities. They believed the tariff reduction would have discouraged illegal importation of goods since there will be fewer taxes to pay on the part of importers. But even with reduced tariff rates, smuggling persists up to this day. From used clothing to shoes, second-hand and luxury cars, agricultural products, garments, ceramic tiles and jewelries, cheap smuggled contraband are flooding the local market, which wipes out the earnings of small honest traders. The author compared the import-export data; Data show the disparity of import-export figures between the Philippines and its trading partners. In 2000, trading partners reported that they exported $45-billion worth of goods to the Philippines, but government figures registered only $34-billion worth of imports. This means that more than $10-billion worth of goods were unaccounted, undervalued or misdeclared. In 2002, China exported 3.9 million square meters of ceramic tiles to the Philippines, but only 600,000 square meters were recorded in the Bureau of Customs. The following year, 4 million square meters of ceramic tiles were exported to the Philippines, but only 300,000 square meters were recorded in the BOC. From January 2001 to June 2003, authorities confiscated a total of 1,517,387 bags of smuggled rice worth P1.18 billion. Since 2006, a total of 100,000 smuggled vehicles were shipped into Subic Bay Freeport. Last year (2007), 4 billion liters of oil were lost to smuggling. The author concluded that Smuggling clearly destroys the local economy and exacerbates poverty in the country as manifested by the closure of local industries, decline in agricultural production, uncompetitive agricultural products, loss of jobs, unfair competition, loss of government revenues, heightened corruption in the bureaucracy, and risks in consumer welfare. Milton Ayoki (2003), explained in his Paper The hidden costs of doing business in Uganda that the problem of smuggling has been particularly serious for goods like petroleum fuels, cigarettes, sugar and other highly taxed or potential revenue sectors such as steel, leather, wood, textiles, bicycles and chemicals as major deterrents. The author further added that apart from the huge revenue losses involved, smuggling is killing local businesses and causing great inequality and other effect is that illegally imported goods are steadily displacing some locally produced goods in the market place. This is adversely affecting both employment and profit margins in domestic industries. Luk Joossens (2003), written in his article Vietnam: smuggling adds value that Internal British American Tobacco (BAT) documents have been explicit about the knowledge of cigarette smuggling into Vietnam. 555 cigarettes is the major smuggled brand and there is no doubt it has a tremendous image and sales potential in the country. The author added that BAT documents describe in a detailed way the smuggling route for 555: cigarettes were produced in the UK, shipped to Singapore, sold to importers and traders in Cambodia, and then transported illegally across the border to Vietnam. Joossens argued that the industry has always claimed that smuggling is the result of taxes being too high. UNDP (1995) viewed the taxes on opium exports to the mainstay of Taliban income and their war economy. It revealed that Afghanistan-Pakistan drugs exports were earning some 50 billion rupees (US $ 1.35 billion) a year. Alongside the drug trade, the traditional Afghans smuggling trade through Pakistan and now the Gulf States, expanded under the Taliban, creating economic havoc for the neighboring states. This trade was estimated be the largest trade source of official revenue for the Taliban and generated an estimated US $ 3 billion annually for the afghan economy; UNDP disclosed that through the customs officials in Kandahar, Kabul and Herat refused to disclose their daily earnings, but with some 300 trucks a day passing through Jalalabad and Kabul to the north, daily earning were considerable. The illegal trade in consumer goods, food and fuel through Afghanistan crippled industries, reduced state revenues and created periodic food storages in all neighboring countries. The World Bank (1997) report on Afghanistan Pakistan Trade Relations as a part of its watching brief strategy for Afghanistan, accounts for the total trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan at $2.5 billion in which the unofficial re-export from Afghanistan to Pakistan has the loins share. The study assessed that the long and porous border between the two countries, the need for basic goods in Afghanistans warn-torn economy, weak border controls, high import tariffs in Pakistan on goods prone to smuggling and the low cost risks were important reasons behind the large and growing unofficial trade between the two countries. This report further added that there was an evidence of expansion of official and unofficial trade in locally produced goods between the two countries, which was likely to increase substantially if there was peace and post-war reconstruction in Afghanistan. In Pakistan, the imports competing industries have been harmed. The study also estimated that the government of Pakistan had been loosing substantial revenues due to tax evasion and fungibility of routes through which un-official imports enter the country. Rashid (1999) in his book Taliban, recorded that the smuggling trade to and from Afghanistan became the most devastating manifestation of the losses being sustained by the government of Pakistan during the Taliban regime. According to him, this trade, which now extends to central Asia, Iran and Persian Gulf, represented a crippling loss of revenues for all these countries, but particularly Pakistan, where local industry has been decimated by the smuggling of foreign goods. Rashid elaborates further, What is euphemistically called the afghan transit trade (ATT) has become the biggest smuggling racket in the world and has enmeshed the Taliban with Pakistani smugglers, transporters, drug barons, bureaucrats, politicians, police and army officers. This trade became the main source of official income for the Taliban even as it undermined the economies of neighboring states. Rashid also points out that the border post between Chaman, in Balochistan province, and Spin Boldak, in Afghanistan, is a prime location for watching the rackets at work. His estimates accounts for 300 trucks crossing from Afghanistan to Pakistan on a good day. The goods which these trucks carry, have no invoice and cross up to six international frontiers without having route permits, driving license or passports. The consignments on these trucks range from Japanese camcorders to English under-wear and Earl gray tea, China silk to American computer parts, Afghan heroin to Pakistani wheat and sugar, East European Kalashnikovs to Iranian petroleum and nobody pays custom duties or sales tax. Inter press service, a news agency (2001), found Indian drugs to have found ways to Pakistani markets, adding yet another dimension to the cross border illegal trade to and from Afghanistan. The agency named aspirin, Amoxiline, Ampiciline, Corimaxazole, Laxotanill, Cyprafloxine, Renitidine, Fametidine and Cemedtidine to be selling in prominent medicines shops of the province. The agency further disclosed that unlike the settled areas, where the sale of Indian drugs was banned and those found guilty of conduct were liable to severe penalties, the tribal areas were quite immune to such repercussions. Like all other duty free smuggled goods, Indian drugs were evaluated by the agency to be 10 times cheaper than the drugs of the same brand and effect, produced by multinational companies (MNCs) in Pakistan. Citing reasons for this price disparity, the agency added that unlike India, where the MNCs were bound to use raw materials from India, the government of Pakistan allowed them to import raw materials from their parent countries which entailed heavy tariff duties. Similarly, quoting the findings of international regional office for Asia and pacific, the agency counted 26 commonly consumed drugs to have very high prices in Pakistan as compared to India. The agency while discussing the transportation of drugs, revealed that along with other goods, Indian drugs were smuggled into Afghanistan, to Pakistans tribal areas and then finally to Peshawar. The report also disclosed that Afghanistan received thousands of US dollars worth of medicines, each month, from Indian, under a bilateral agreement, but some unscrupulous agencies in Kabul were apparently making huge profits from selling them in tribal areas. The report further discovered that due to the mutual collusion of the MNCs, health department functionaries, and other government officials, the measure of the government to import drugs from china, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Poland and Yugoslavia to counter the smuggled and low priced Indian drugs, has miserably failed. Awan (2001) put the Pakistan bound transit goods to Afghanistan at Rs 14.97 billion during 1998-99. Prominent among these goods were safety razors, worth Rs 120 million, cosmetics Rs 150 million, minerals water, Rs 200 million, electronics worth Rs 300 million and telephone sets worth 160 million. The report pointed out that this trade, which has been conducted for the last 50 years, fetched billions of rupees to the tribal traders, related to the afghan counterparts and as much to the Pakistani customs and other law enforcing agencies, who facilitated this black trade. Awan also disclosed that previously, for decades, these Afghanistan bound transit goods were leaked into Pakistani markets before reaching Afghanistan. Owing to strict regulations imposed on the transit trade, it was very recently that the Afghanistan bound goods, at least, started crossing the border and then re-exported illegally to Pakistan. Awan pointed out that due to the high financial stakes of various interest groups, law, customs and state machinery have lost their efficacy. Keeping the adverse fall out of the abuse of afghan transit trade agreement on the industrial sector of Pakistan, Awan suggested that other neighboring countries with sea-coast should also shoulder the responsibility of transit facilities to Afghanistan. The News, in its march 2, 2002 issue, reported that there has been an unprecedented increase in the smuggling of tea, spices and other utilities, through the afghan transit trade, during the last two years. This rise has been attributed to the massive under-valuation of these items at the countrys dry ports, especially Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Quetta and in other cities, which were basically established for providing facilities to the local traders at their door steps. The report added that these smuggled items are now openly sold at the Jodia bazaar, the traders from various parts of the country have opened their offices, which deal exclusively in smuggled items, mostly tea and spices through Quetta dry port into the city the dry ports established in various parts of the country have become a major source of smuggling, mis-declaration, under-invoicing, tax evasion and theft, detrimental to the government treasury, it alleged. The repot revealed that since 1988, the smugglers switched to smuggling of eatable products as they found this proposition to be highly lucrative. The smuggling of items originates from Dubai, via port Bandar Abbas in Iran, to Afghanistan and ends up into Pakistan. Probing the matter, the report discovered five percent increase in the custom duty during the 2001 budget, plus the total tax increase of 70 percent, to be the main reasons for the rise in smuggling. Daily Aaj, on 16 July, 2009 reported that during the year 2008-09, eight hundred million kg of tea is smuggled into the country, only 4.9 million kg smuggled tea is less then from the total imported tea. This year government losses Rs 5 billion in shape of tax evasion due to smuggling of tea. Through reliable sources, Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) is the main source of tea smuggling in the country. The total import of tea was 10 million kg during the period of July 2007 to June 2008. This was imported in one year from Kenya about 53.9 % while in previous year that was 61% from the same country. Which was 7% dropped in tea imports.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Aluminium Based Metal Matrix Composites

Aluminium Based Metal Matrix Composites 1)  The main factor that influences elastic modulus is the matrix , for example : Composites with a aluminium 6061 matrix have a good strength and higher ductility. The reinforcement content is the main factor in the enhancement of elastic modulus in the aluminium silicon metal matrix composite. The graph below show that aluminium silicon composites with higher strength, because of the increased silicon content, such as 2024/2124 or 7075 Al, had higher strengths but lower ductility. It also shows that the elastic modulus increased with the increase in the silicon content. The matrix type also effects the elastic modulus which typically consists of particulate, nodule or whisker type matrix. (Reference 3) The yield strength is usually effected by the matrix alloy ,type and the arrangement of the reinforcement effect the strengths of composites, in particular for those which have whisker reinforcement and Ductility tends to decrease with the reinforcement content is increased. In fracture toughness tests, an increase in particle quantity reduced the toughness of the composites .The main properties which influence the fracture toughness of MMCs is the type of reinforcement, size, shape, quantity and the distribution within the matrix and the toughness of matrix. The poor fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth rate of MMCs is due to low initiation energy for fracture due to high elastic modulus. The thermal expansion coefficient of aluminium silicon carbide fibres reinforced material is significantly influenced by the thermal stresses between the matrix and fibres and thermal expansion behaviour relies on the thermal expansion of the fibres. For applications subjected to severe loads or extreme thermal  fluctuations such as in automotive components, discontinuously-reinforced metal  matrix composites have been shown to offer near isotropic properties Automotive brake disc and callipers are typically made of cast iron, the use of aluminium silicon MMC, would result in a significant weight reduction of around 50- 60% can be made which helps reduce vehicle fuel consumption and improve overall braking and handling as well as the high thermal conductivity and wear resistance, dimensional stability and excellent cyclic wear properties. Examples of vehicle which have SiC-reinforced aluminium brake disks are vehicles such as the Lotus Elise Volkswagen Lupo. For aluminium composite brake discs to become more common would requires costs to come down and for improved machine ability. Aluminium MMC shows much higher resistance to wear than the matrix material by its self. The wear of MMC is much more linear than the matrix material by self, and therefore makes it possible to predict wear patterns and the amount of use than can be obtain from a component. The reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which provides a useful guide for better control of their wear. (reference 5)MMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wearMMC show s much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wearMMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforce ment particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wear.MMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wear.MMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and r estrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wearMMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wearMMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wear 3) From data gathered with the use of the CES software it gave for of the most suitable manufacturing method for a metal matrix component with slots in the design. The above graph so that these four production methods were Laser powder forming, squeeze casting, powder injection molding and die press sintering. Several criteria were considering during the material selection such has relative cost index , production rates , tool life and economic batch size. looking at the CES data , it showed that the most suitable production method be die cast and sintering. With die casting and sintering a relatively high rate of production can be achieved whilst keeping the relative cost index low. This is important because it helps lower the cost of aluminium MMC brake disc which are still expensive and not used by many manufactures because of this. Pressing and sintering is a powder processing process that falls in the manufacturing process category of forming .The typical cold pressing and sintering process starts with aluminum silicone MMC in powder being poured into a closed mould. Pressure is then applied to the closed mould at a high enough pressure for the powder to bind together. After the disc is taken out of the mould it is then put through the sintering process. The sintering process begins with the brake disc being heated up in order to burn of any lubricant and is then heated up to a even higher sintering temperature in a protective gas surrounding to prevent oxidization. (reference 2) 4) There has been an increased interest in the use of Aluminium based metal matrix composites in brake discs and drums in recent years. The wear characteristics of AMMCs were high speeds and loads the behaviour could be greatly improved beyond that of cast iron discs, with the correct match of disc and pad material. Casting process is very difficult if reinforcement Material is wet and this can results in non-uniform distribution and poor mechanical characteristics for the finished brake disc. To resolve this problem, reinforcements are pre-heated at 500 °C for 40 minutes. Porosity is the major problem in casting which is why moulds are preheated, to 500 °C, which helps in removing the gases which are trapped in the slurry to go into the mould. It also enhances the mechanical properties of the cast AMC.   Sorter fibres in a random orientation are typically not as strong as long fibres in a specific orientation. However the use of sort fibres in random orientation mean s that less human interaction is required in the production and therefore helps brings the cost of production and well as minimising the possibly of something going wrong in the production process my eliminating human error. SiC/Al composites have increased strength with the increase in the silicone content and had higher strengths but lower ductility. The use of longer fibres also means that they generally have to be arranged in a specific order which is time consuming and also requires human interaction and this all reduces the number of units that can be produced a day. An example of this carbon ceramic brake disc where the discs which have longer fibres cost significantly more and will only be used in very exotic cars such as Koenigsegg where as more budget sports cars such as Porsche tend to use discs with sort random fibers which are far more cost effective. Bibliography 1) A. Mazahery, M. O. Shabani . (2012). Mechanical properties of A356 matrix composites reinforced with nano-SiC particles. Available: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11223-012-9423-0. Last accessed 16/12/2016 2) unknown. (2004). Aluminum Matrix Composites with Discontinuous Silicon Carbide Reinforcement. Available: http://www.totalmateria.com/page.aspx?ID=CheckArticlesite=ktnNM=108. Last accessed 16 December 2016 3) Ajit Bhandakkar1*, R. C. Prasad1, Shankar M. L. Sastry2. (2014). Elastic plastic fracture toughness of aluminium. Available: http://www.vbripress.com/aml/uploads/540c820f6cee71410105871_fullabstratct.pdf. Last accessed 16 December 2016. 4) S. Taufik a, à ¢Ã‚ Ã… ½, S. Sulaiman b . (2014). Thermal Expansion Model for Cast Aluminium Silicon Carbide . Available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705813020511. Last accessed 16 December 2016. 5) Parth S. Joshi, Kiran C. Hegade, Apoorv S. Kulkarni . (2016). Manufacturing of Disc Brake Rotor Using. Available: http://www.onlinejournal.in/IJIRV2I6/226.pdf. Last accessed 16/12/2016.The machinability of an Alà ®- ¸5 Mg alloy reinforced with 5 vol% Saffil and 15 vol% SiC was compared with that of Duralcan (A356) reinforced with 15 vol% SiC. In terms of tool wear and metal removal rate with both cemented carbide and polycrystalline diamond (PCD) cutting tools, it was found that the Duralcan/ SiC was significantly easier to machine than the composite with the Al-5 Mg matrix. This is attributed to the effect of the matrix on the mechanisms of abrasion wear. The machinability of an Alà ®- ¸5 Mg alloy reinforced with 5 vol% Saffil and 15 vol% SiC was compared with that of Duralcan (A356) reinforced with 15 vol% SiC. In terms of tool wear and metal removal rate with both cemented carbide and polycrystalline diamond (PCD) cutting tools, it was found that the Duralcan/ SiC was sig nificantly easier to machine than the composite with the Al-5 Mg matrix. This is attributed to the effect of the matrix on the mechanisms of abrasion wear.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Unconditional Love Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

Unconditional Love My mother birthed me in twelve minutes. Mine was the seventh body to pass through her womb in ten years. She said I was born hungry and happy - a chubby smiling baby girl. I am surrounded by faces and touched by hands, cooed at and kissed. I am cradled in the tiny baby holder my dad built so that my mom could cook with me on the counter top. In the afternoons, when my older siblings come home from school, I am passed around; each takes their turn with me, trying to get me to giggle and smile. I oblige them. And evenings, I am taken out, a new wave of smiles and warmth peers in at me as I lie in my stroller. I am never alone. I am in my mother?s arms in a dark room, in a rocking chair. My ear hurts and she is stroking my back. I am crying and she is singing. I fall asleep. My mother is doing the laundry; I crawl in the huge pile of dirty ?whites? and smell my father?s Old Spice. I am shooed away. I find my own way around the big old house. I creep up the steep crooked steps to my oldest brother?s attic bedroom. Only the smell of mothballs is there and I crawl backwards down. In the morning my mom rushes around to get the others ready for school. I am in the bathroom alone, no more diapers for me. I want to be ?grown up.? I use half a roll of toilet paper. I can hear my mom calling my name impatiently ? she has to get the others to school. I emerge smelly but proud and my haggard mom just smiles and laughs to herself as she cleans me up. When I think about my journey I think about this beginning. I think about the gifts of such a baby?s life: love, freedom and trust. These gifts sustain a life ? or I should say, my life ? and balance the darkness and fears that inevitably emerge. A woman I inter... ...ned to the confident playful tomboy? Everything changed ? no football with the boys, no sleepovers at David?s house. I decided I would go away to school. I had learned the rules well enough to earn a scholarship to a boarding school ninety minutes away from home. After a few months away, I wrote to my mom of the shame I felt about my sin, how I felt like a terrible person for doing what I did and for making her cry. In response, she wrote: What you did was neither good nor bad. It only proves that you are part of the human race, struggling and striving ? sometimes falling down. The important thing is to learn from it and let it go. And with these simple words my mother sent me on a seeker?s life. She released me from guilt and allowed me to embrace the journey. What I learned then was the transformational power of unconditional love.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Feminism and Masculinity Essay -- Manhood Hegemonic Masculinity

In contemporary society, hegemonic masculinity is defined by physical strength and boldness, heterosexuality, economic independence, authority over women and other men, and an interest in sexual relationships. While most men do not embody all of these qualities, society supports hegemonic masculinity within all its institutions, including the educational institute, the religious institute and other institutes which form the ideological state apparatus. Standards of masculinity vary from time to time, from culture to culture. However, masculinity always defines itself as superior and different from femininity. For example, gay men and househusbands exemplify "subordinate" masculinities in our culture. They are not considered to be "real men". And yet, many still support hegemonic masculinity, for example, men being the main breadwinner for the family. Easthope (1990) states that, â€Å"masculinity tries to stay invisible by passing itself off as normal and universal† (Easthope, 1990: 1). The notion of masculinity tries to become a norm in society so then its counterpart, femininity is seen as different and deviant. Against this backdrop, femininity is constructed around the adaptation to male power. Its central feature is attractiveness to men, which includes physical appearance, suppression of "power", and nurturance of children, heterosexuality, sexual availability, and sociability. Masculinity and femininity are societal euphemisms for male dominance and female subordinat...