Background Information about The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 :: Russian Japan History Foreign Affairs Essays

Background Information about The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 By 1905, a revolution was immanent, Tsar’s power was to be challenged and the reasons for this are to be laid out here in this essay. Was the Tsar’s non-reformist attitude solely to blame or was the nature of Tsardom destined to destroy itself? We need to look at the foundations of the revolution in order to fully understand this and make an informed response to these questions. The foundations are laid out into five main parts, including short and long-term factors. The two main long-term factors being that the Tsar alienated many of the classes within Russia and his policy of non-reform led to repression. As these factors developed, other incidents became short-term factors. The failure in the Japanese War was a huge blow to Tsardom and undermined their ethos that Tsardom was the right regime for Russia and the political spring that came as the Tsar relaxed censorship brought an avalanche of criticism for Tsardom. Finally, the humiliation at Port Arthur triggered the protest at the Winter Palace, which developed into Bloody Sunday and was the birth of the revolution. Investigating the first of the long-term factors causing the revolution, it seemed necessary to go back to examine the structure of Tsarist Russia pre-1905 to get a fuller picture. This period posed a problem for Nicholas II. The regime itself reinforced any class divisions from the bureaucracy to the peasants and alienated them even further. As, â€Å"the truth is Nicholas was never in touch with the common people. He never knew what it was like to worry where the next meal was coming from. He never had to. † He did not understand the way that Russia worked in practise. He could not, or would not, empathise with the peasants’ hardships of the land and his ideas of Russia’s troubles were laughable. Consequently, by 1905 he had estranged his subjects, including even some of the gentry’ folk that had been so loyal to Tsardom in the past. They were a class in decline and it was partly due to the Tsar’s incompetence. Owing to Russia’s economic ba ckwardness, the landowners found it almost impossible to farm for a profit. The gentry had no market for their produce, as their target market was near penniless and thus could not afford to purchase crops from the landowners. The Tsar did little to rectify the situation and in fact took land off the gentry following the emancipation of the Serfs and issued bonds, which were effectively I.

Prejudice and Discrimination Essay

Traveling had always been something I looked forward to. Seeing other parts of the world, visiting other countries; just the idea of it brought more joy then most things would. Sadly though, that is not the experience that I encountered while travelling to South Africa. Even though it was their native land, the locals in South Africa faced an overwhelming amount of discrimination; it was completely heart breaking to witness. Taking into the history of South Africa, with the concept that â€Å"blacks [are] inferior to whites†, (MALEMA, 2010, para. or in other words; the apartheid, where black people were simply less than white, and that was the acceptable way of life, it is not terribly hard to imagine that some discrimination still lives in South Africa today. With the apartheid not officially in existence at this current time, most people would, and do assume that the discrimination had come to an end and all people of every race and ethnicity live in peace with each other in South Africa, but as it is; old habits are hard to break. White people are still treating black people as though they were not really people and black people are subjected to the upper hand that the white members of society have had for years upon years without having much, if any power to change it. The apartheid does have a National party, people still do believe in it who live in South Africa, and while those who stand up for the truth of the matter protest and stand in opposition to it, the apartheid and the people that support it end up on top; for now. With South Africa going officially and publically to a democratic system and abandoning the incorrect and discriminatory ways of the apartheid, hope reenters the scene for Black Americans. During the time of the apartheid, â€Å"the ruling National Party’s goal was to secure White control and promote racial separation by classifying all South Africans into White, Black, Colored (i. e. , those of mixed race), or Asian ethnic categories† (Kon ZR, 1998, para. ). Within South Africa, while under the apartheid the only race that existed was White Africans. All other Africans, whether Black or Asian, was looked upon as not being a race, they were less than human, there only to serve White Africans. While the ethnicities of at least the locals in South Africa are the same, the race does differ from town to town. The natives born in South Africa all share the same background giving them the same culture in a sense, yet under the apartheid the difference in race between White and everyone else made all of the difference in the world. The new turn to the democratic system is anything but segregation of the races. Much like in my own homeland of North America, more specifically, The United States of America, where democracy is an everyday occurrence, South Africa’s goal of democracy will involve a turning point to some sort of equality between white Americans and all other races in South Africa besides the white community. However, much like in America, South Africa will tumble and stumble for years with this turning point. It already has been years since the South Africa Country has turned democratic, and still today, there lies in the towns much racism and discrimination. To spare the cruelty of how extreme the discrimination in South Africa got, a much calmer example is when I went to the local store that was owned by White Africans who still lived by the ruling of the apartheid. I saw a Black couple walk into the store, shop around, and when it was time to leave, the owner refused to talk to them or serve them. The all the couple needed was milk and diapers for their newborn, but the cashier, who was White, looked right through them. A white woman pushed her way past the Black couple and was waited on promptly by the cashier, and as the Black couple got the hint, they placed the items back, and walked away. The saddest part though, is after they left, I saw the cashier grab some gloves, go over to the items that the couple had touched and discarded them in the trash. Discrimination is a crime, and it sadly still exists in society today; most likely because some White people still believe that all other races were created inferior to them and are solely there to serve as salves, but obviously, that is not the truth, and though South Africa made the correct change to democracy to amend that false assumption, that preconceived notion still lives on today. Sadly, it is found true, not in the papers, studies, statistics, or facts; that the law, no matter how much it might point toward and push to equality falls oh so short so often. The truth of this falling is found on the streets, in the towns, in schools, and between neighbors. It is seen in the grocery store, on the sidewalks, and through the windows. Regardless of the National party South Africa, the local parties South Africa (the locals) do not always agree with the change in place, and still treat everyone that is ot white as though they were not even human. A law does not change a person’s heart. The law may change the actions of a person, for fear of the consequence to the actual law, but the hardness that lives in the hearts of the white communities in South Africa have had years and years to build up and linger. Changing the political system is a start, and indeed, is a help; but it is not the answer. What is the answer? I have some ideas, but surely, there is no cove r all answer that will magically fix discrimination. The first eye glance that I saw while I was in South Africa made me realize that one of the best things to do for them in order to climb the ladder to equality is to point out to them that the hardness in their hearts are still there; that while they might have changed what is written on paper, the things that are engraved on their hearts are still there, and firmer than ever. The second thing that I know all Americans, not just this one person, can do is to be an example. In North America, we have faced racism, discrimination, inequality of men and women; in short, we have faced and overcome the things that South Africa faces today. And while I recognize them as an independent country, as North America is one of the largest and strongest countries, we should also be the best. We, as a country should stand up and stop the discrimination that happens on our streets, in our schools, and at work. We have no right to scold South Africa of their discrimination until or unless we have settled our own issues of discrimination. And even then, a scolding is not what is necessary. What is needed is an understanding, and assistance; we need to set an example. I know that I am just one reporter writing one article, and I am sure readers are wondering why I am speaking so passionately about this subject, or what I expect out of the readers in all honesty. I know that this is not a regular article that the newspaper readers are used to, but I also know that this is a great way to speak, not only of the negativity of discrimination and how bad it is or how bad it is getting. This chance is also a chance to show that some people care more about how to change it from getting bad to getting better. That though one person cannot change the world, one small deed can do great things, and the more people that take that initiative, the more great things will happen. I would sincerely encourage anyone that could, to visit South Africa. Brace yourselves if you do, the discrimination really is horrible, people that are not white still, have little chances of making much of themselves, and the AIDS that are in the country is as common as the America cold, but the truth is within the people. Black Americans in South Africa have the hope, they just need the help. If you cannot make it to visit, send a letter, make a wish, sit back, if only for a moment, and give them a second of your time to think about them; where they are, where they have been, and where they could go. Discrimination not only affects those who are being discriminated against, but also those who miss out on the opportunity to know, work with, and live around all the other races. They all miss out on the unifying truth that everyone is a person; their own individual humanistic self that has so much more to offer than the color of their skin.

Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzalez

The book Harvest of Empire offers many examples of the factors leading to migration, which include economic and political persecution. The book has a direct connection between the hardships Latinos faced economically and military in their perspective countries. By reading this book it is clearly stated that Latinos are on the verge of becoming the largest minority group in America. Juan Gonzalez presents a devastating perspective on U. S. history rarely found in mainstream publishing aimed at a popular audience. Few of those countries were immigrants from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Central Americans.Gonzales develops his thesis by asserting that Latin American immigration and Latino presence in the United States are markedly different from European immigration history to this country in at least three main ways: Latino immigration is closely tied to the growth and needs of the U. S. empire; race and language attitudes in this country have had the effect of moving Lat in Americans not from immigrant to mainstream status, but rather from an immigrant to a racial caste status and how Latin Americans have arrived when the United States is already the dominant world power. Harvest of Empire† mentions how since the 1820’s Mexicans have migrated to the United States. They’re the second largest immigrant nationality in our history. Meixco is the most populous Spanish speaking country in the world. Most of the country’s wealth flows outside of Mexico, meaning the U. S. After the tragedy of World War II , the United States reached an agreement with Mexico to import Mexicans for a certain period of time and after their harvest was done they’ll go back to their country.This was the bracero program, which brought millions of immigrants into the United States only for seasonal work and once they were supposed to leave, they managed to stay illegally in order for them to provide to their families. World War II also made Mexica n Americans active in the U. S armed forces. â€Å"Santos Molina and Manuel Garza were two Canales family member who served in combat, in the same army so many of their ancestors had fought against.Nearly all his men were killed or wounded that day, and while Molina survived unscathed, he was severely wounded by machine gun fire later in Germany†. ( 103) Even after all this tragedy of people being killed Mexican Americans returned home and still faced racial discrimination. Tejano, Texans of Spanish and Mexican descent, formed several organizations in the early 20th century to protect themselves from official and private discrimination, but made only partial progress in addressing the worst forms of official ethnic discrimination.The movement to overturn the many forms of state-sponsored discrimination directed at Hispanic Americans was strongest in Texas during the first fifty years of the 20th century. It was just right after World War II that returning veterans joined the League of United Latin American citizens (LULAC) to end segregation. Their main goal was to have equal rights for Mexicans. â€Å"According to the U. S Census, tejanos comprised 32. 4 percent of the workers in the state and owned 33 percent of its wealth†. (102) Between 1961 and 1986 more than 400,000 people legally immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. More than 300,000 Dominicans lived in New York City by 1990, and the total was expected to reach 700,000 early in the millennium, making Dominican migration one of the largest to this country of the past forty years†. (117) The causes of the Dominican immigration are various and have changed over time. the first significant immigration from the Dominican Republic to the United States was in large part the product of political and social instability at home.Those who opposed or had reason to fear the new regime in 1965 and those who were fleeing violence throughout the 1960s came to the United State s in notable numbers. As time went on, however, and the political situation stabilized, Dominicans continued to emigrate, because of limited employment opportunities and poor economic conditions. Through the 1930s, 40's and 50’s, the Dominican Republic was ruled by the former cattle rustler and now dictator, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, better known in the United States as simply Trujillo. He surrounded himself with murderers who kept the public intimidated.The Dominicans who came at this time were usually more educated and more politically active. â€Å"One 1980 study revealed that 41 percent of New York City’s Dominican immigrants had completed ten years of high school or better, nearly twice the average of city dwellers in the Dominican Republic†. (125)Once they arrived, they started making their own business like owning their own bodegas and supermarkets. Most Dominicans work in nonunionized workplaces for wages that most â€Å"established† Americ ans would refuse. Many Dominicans have encountered race prejudice in the United States also.The mixed Afro-Hispanic heritage of many Dominicans has led them to be categorized as black by white Americans, they have encountered the same racial prejudice that African Americans have experienced for centuries. Despite the accusations by their compatriots that they have been assimilated into American culture, Dominicans have tended to be seen by Americans as especially resistant to assimilation and committed to their country, culture, and language of origin. Dominicans also joined political parties and even manage to start their own organization.Most Dominicans that arrived in the 1960’s began to settled themselves on the Upper West of Manhattan, Washington Heights. Dominican Americans are one of the newer national-cultural communities in the United States. They are still in process of creating a unique place for themselves here. Their relationships to the United States and its cul ture and to the Dominican Republic and Dominican culture are still evolving. However, the Dominican American community will find its own ways of living in the United States, and will make its own unique culture.Puerto Rico has been an unincorporated territory of the United States, they’re the onlyLatin Americans who once they arrived to the U. S they’re already U. S citizens, without the need of a resident card. The massive migration of Puerto Ricans to the United States was largest in the early and late 20th century. Between the 1950s and the 1980s, large numbers of Puerto Ricans migrated to New York, especially to the Bronx, and Spanish Harlem. Juan Gonzalez shares his story and the reason why his family and himself moved to the U.S and settled in â€Å"El Barrio† is due to the fact that jobs over there didn’t provide sufficient money to provide for his big family. â€Å"The 1930’s were the most turbulent in Puerto Rico’s modern history , and Ponce, where my family had settled, was the center of the storm. The Depression turned the island into a social inferno even more wretched than Haiti today†. (84) Meaning that they were facing hard times. There was a lot of violence and crime. By the 1960’s, more than a million Puerto Ricans were living in the United States with jobs like washing dishes in hotels, restaurants, maintenance in apartment buildings, factories or bodegas. 90) â€Å"The Puerto Rican community became dominated during the 1980’s by two different social classes, both highly dependent on government. † â€Å"Massive disinvestment by government in public schools and epidemics of drug and alcohol abuse, all tore up the quality of city life†. (95) They also faced identity and language problems. Juan Gonzalez throughout the whole book has a combination of historical analysis that led to immigration and racial discrimination.He describes in details the experiences of working c lass families from different countries like Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central America and Dominicans and how they have approach to assimilate their new lifestyle once they get to the United States. The author gives out reasons of how immigrants really go through hardships in order to get to America and live â€Å"The American Dream†. Latinos don’t just come here to get on government programs like Section A, welfare, etc. They actually come here for a better prosperity for them and their families even though this may cause them to be far away from them.

What Is the Importance of Public Administration in Ghana

gStructure of the new local government system The new local government system is made up of a regional coordinating council (RCC) and a four-tier metropolitan and three-tier municipal/DAs structure. Composition of structure The RCC consists of the regional minister as chairman and his deputies, the presiding member of each DA and the district chief executive of each district in the region, two chiefs from the regional house of chiefs and the decentralized ministries without voting rights.A DA consists of the district chief executive,   two thirds of the members directly elected by universal adult suffrage, the members of parliament (MPs) representing constituencies within the district, and not less than 30% of the members appointed by the president in consultation with chiefs and interest groups in the district. The district chief executive is nominated by the president, approved by two-thirds of the members of the DA present and voting, and appointed by the president. The assembly has a presiding member who is elected from among its members by two-thirds of all the members of the assembly.The sub-district structures include: †¢ The sub-metropolitan DCs which consist of not less than 25 and not more than 30 members, made up of all elected members of the assembly in that   sub-metropolitan district and such other persons resident in the sub-metropolitan district appointed by the president. †¢ The urban council consists of not less than 25 and not more than 30 members made up of not more than eight persons elected from among the members of the relevant DA, not more than 12 representatives from the unit committees in the area of authority of the urban council and not more than 10 persons ordinarily resident in the urban area. The zonal council consists of not less than 15 and not more than 20 members made up of not more than five persons elected from among the members of the relevant municipal assembly, not more than 10 representatives from the unit committees and not more than five persons ordinarily resident in the zone. †¢ The town/area councils consist of not less than 15 and not more than 20 members made up of not more than five persons elected from among the members of the relevant assembly, not more than 10 representatives from the unit committees and not more than five persons ordinarily resident in the town or area. The unit committee consists of not more than 15 persons made up of 10 elected persons ordinarily resident in the unit and not more than five other persons resident in the unit and nominated by the district chief executive, acting   on behalf of the president. Elections to all local government bodies are on a non-partisan basis; the elections are state-sponsored and conducted by the electoral commission. Regional coordinating councils (RCCs) RCCs are established for each of the 10 regions of Ghana. An RCC is an administrative and coordinating rather than a political and policy-making body. Its functio ns are to: monitor, coordinate and evaluate the performance of the DAs in the region; †¢ monitor the use of all monies allocated to the DAs by any agency of the central government; †¢ review and coordinate public services generally in the region †¢ perform such other functions as may be assigned to it by or under any enactment. Metropolitan/municipal/district assemblies DAs in Ghana are either metropolitan (population over 250 000), municipal (one town assemblies with populations over 95 000) or district (population 75 000 and over. ) There are three metropolitan assemblies, four municipal assemblies and 103 DAs.A metropolitan/municipal/DA is: †¢ created as the pivot of administrative and developmental decision-making in the district and is the basic unit of government administration †¢ assigned with deliberative, legislative as well as executive functions †¢ established as a monolithic structure to which is assigned the responsibility of the totality o f government to bring about integration of political, administrative and development support needed to achieve a more equitable allocation of power, wealth and geographically dispersed development in Ghana constituted as the planning authority for the district. Functions of the assemblies These are deliberative, legislative and executive. Section 10(3) of Act 462 lists them as follows: a) be responsible for the overall development of the district and shall ensure the preparation and submission through the regional coordinating council for approval of the development plan to the commission and budget to minister of finance for the district b) formulate and execute plans, programmes and strategies for the effective mobilization of the resources necessary for the overall development of the district ) promote and support productive activity and social development in the district and remove any obstacles to initiative and developmentd) initiate programmes for the development of basic inf rastructure and provide municipal works and services in the district e) be responsible for the development, improvement and management of human settlements and the environment in the district f) in cooperation with appropriate national and local security agencies, be responsible for the maintenance of security and public safety in the district ) ensure ready access to the courts and public tribunals in the district for the promotion of justice h) initiate, sponsor or carry out such studies as may be necessary for the discharge of any of the functions conferred by this Law or any other enactment perform such other functions as may be provided under any other enactment. Sub-district political/administrative structures These being subordinate bodies of the DAs, they perform functions assigned to them by the instruments setting up by the assemblies or delegated to them by the assemblies.They are constituted by the sub-metropolitan DCs, urban/town/ zonal/area councils, and unit committee s. Sub-metropolitan DCs These structures are immediately below the metropolitan assemblies. There are 13 of these structures established by law. These are shown below: This arrangement has been dictated by the complex and peculiar socio-economic, urbanisation and management problems which confront these three metropolis. Urban councils Urban councils are peculiar to settlements of â€Å"ordinary† DAs.They are created for settlements with populations above 15 000 and which are cosmopolitan in character, with urbanisation and management problems, though not of the scale associated with the metropolis. Thirty-four of these councils are established by law. Zonal councils The zonal councils are in the â€Å"one-town† municipal assemblies of Cape Coast, New Juaben, Tamale and Tema, for which the establishment of town/area councils will raise problems of parallel administrative structures. There are 108 of such zonal councils for the four municipal assemblies.They are based o n the electoral commission’s criteria of: commonality of interest, population of 3000 and identifiable streets, land marks, etc. as boundaries. Sub-Metropolitan District Council under Respective Metropolitan Assemblies Assembly Accra Metropolitan Assembly Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly Ablekuma Asokwa Sekondi Ashiedu Keteke Bantama Takoradi Okaikwei Manhyia Shama Ayawaso Kpeshie Osu Klottey Subin Town/area councils These are found in the metropolitan assemblies and DAs. In the DAs, town councils are established for settlements with populations between 5000 and 1500.Area councils exist for a number of settlements/villages which are grouped together but whose individual settlements have populations of less than 5000. They cover areas with predominantly rural populations and in some cases can be identified with spheres of influence of a particular traditional authority. They are essentially rallying points of local enthusiasm in support of a new local government system. A unit is normally a settlement or a group of settlements with a population of between 500–1000 in the rural areas, and a higher population (1500) for the urban areas.Unit committees being in close touch with the people play the important roles of education, organization of communal labour, revenue-raising and ensuring environmental cleanliness, registration of births and deaths, implementation and monitoring of self-help projects, among others. Committees of District Assemblies In the performance of its functions, the DA works through the executive committee and its subsidiary committees of development planning, social services, works, finance and administration, and justice and security. Executive committeesThe functions of the assembly are performed by the executive committee, which is presided over by the district chief executive and consists of not more than onethird of the total number of members of the assembly excluding the presiding memb er. Heads of departments of the assembly attend the meetings of the relevant sub-committees and advise them on the execution of their functions, but may not vote. A sub-committee can also coopt persons to attend its meetings but also without a vote. The functions performed by the executive committee are to: coordinate plans and programmes of the sub-committees and submit these as comprehensive plans of action to the DA †¢ implement resolutions of the district in collaboration with the office of the DA †¢ oversee the administration of the district in collaboration with the office of the district chief executive †¢ recommend where it considers necessary – in the case of departments outside 364 the supervision of the assembly which are in the district – to the appropriate government ministry/department/agency the appointment and replacement on stated grounds of officers within the area of authority of the assembly adopt measures to develop and execute appro ved plans of the units, areas and towns and sub-metropolitan districts within the area of authority of the assembly †¢ recommend to the DA the coordination, integration and harmonisation of district development plans and policies. Sub-committees of the executive committeeThe sub-committees of the executive committee and the functions they perform are shown below: Development planning sub-committee †¢ takes a comprehensive look at the district †¢ identifies the economic resources/potentials of the district †¢ develops an information base on the resources identifies opportunities and constraints for the exploitation of these resources †¢ prepares exploitation and phasing plans and strategies †¢ consults with other sub-committees and the private sector for the implications that the proposed district plan may have on other sub-committees’ plans †¢ submits the plan to the executive committee for harmonisation with other sub-committee plans. Socia l services sub-committee †¢ takes a comprehensive and long-term look at areas of social development in the district, in particular education, health, social welfare, sports, culture, etc. develops the information base on these areas of social development†¢ prepares a social development plan (long-, medium- and short-term) for the district Sub-Committees of the Executive Committees of the Assembly District Assembly, Executive Committee Development Planning Sub- Committee, Social Services Sub- Committee, Works Sub-committee, Finance Administration, Justice/ Security †¢ identifies the strengths and weaknesses in the social services areas †¢ examines the implications of the social development plan on other sub-sectors of the district economy submits the plans to the executive committee for harmonisation. Works sub-committee The functional areas of the works sub-committee includes roads, electricity, sanitation, water, etc. Within the general framework of Act 462 and the specific functions in the legislative instruments that establish the various assemblies, this sub-committee: †¢ takes a comprehensive look at the infrastructure needs and problems of the district †¢ develops an information base on each of these programme/functional areas †¢ maps out, initiates and phases out programmes for their development and/or provision examines the implications of such actions for the other sub-committee proposals †¢ submits the programmes to the executive committee for harmonisation and action.Finance and administration sub-committee This sub-committee †¢ examines the general financial position of the assembly †¢ examines the revenue mobilisation and expenditure trends of the assembly †¢ maps out strategies to improve revenue mobilisation in the present and sets targets for the future †¢ submits financial plans to the executive committee for harmonisation with other sub-committee plans identifies strategies to ensure judicious utilisation of available resources. Justice and security sub-committee This sub-committee is set up to resolve intra-district and inter-district conflicts and to consider issues that pertain to the enforcement of by-laws of the assembly. To achieve these purposes, the sub-committee: †¢ examines these and other related conflict areas †¢ recommends to the executive committee ways and means to resolve disputes †¢ ensures ready access to the courts and tribunals for the promotion of justice in the district, e. . making sure that premises are available for use by community tribunals and that police logistics are adequate. A DA can form any other sub-committee, depending on the peculiarities of its environment or its area. The committee’s discussed above are, however, mandatory. They can be dissolved and reconstituted but cannot be replaced, for example by a task force. Sub-committees of metropolitan assemblies These and their subject areas are shown in Ap pendix 2. Boards of metropolitan assembliesFor the efficient performance of its functions, a metropolitan assembly has three metropolitan boards: †¢ Metropolitan Planning Board †¢ Board of Metropolitan Works †¢ Board of Administration. The Sub-districts – New Decision-Making points for Poverty Reduction using the Sub-district Development Fund Saboba Introduction At the design stage of DSDA II, an Economic Development Component (Sub-district Development Fund) was suggested as a means to support economic development at the district and sub district levels. An amount of 14. 87 million DKK (US $ 2. 25 million) was earmarked over four years, to support activities of this component. This was designed to reduce poverty through the provision of social infrastructure and improved incomes, while strengthening the institutional and human capacity of the districts and economic stakeholders to manage these resources in an efficient and accountable manner. During the impleme ntation stage a great number of lessons and experiences with regards to the Sub-district Development Fund (SDDF) herein after referred to as the Fund were accumulated and documented.The processes undertaken to reach these are highlighted in this chapter. The Best Practices and Lessons at the Design Stage dentifying and Establishing the Guiding Principles and Objectives Lesson One:Prior to the implementation of the Fund, an exercise was undertaken to establish guiding principles and objectives. The Fund, over the four-year period, operated around a number of principles which comply with the overall framework of Ghana’s decentralisation and poverty reduction programmes and these were: * Broad stakeholder participation in decision making; * Demand-driven;   Need and commitment; *   Viability and ownership; * Equity in resource allocation and targeting; * Decentralised development; and * Local capacity building and sustainability. The objectives which guided the support activ ities and the developed systems were: * To support social and economic development investments that will serve as catalyst for further economic opportunities in ruru mmunities. * To strengthen the existing local government structures and institutions to provide services for decentralised development (financial, training, business development, project management, etc).   To enhance local decision making in project selection and implementation involving relevant stakeholders; * To deepen the sense of community ownership and responsibility for projects, especially post delivery operation and maintenance; and * To promote effective monitoring and evaluation of project implementation, utilisation and management for sustainability. Developing Effective Core Strategies and Approaches Lesson Two: For the SDDF, several strategies were developed through broad stakeholder consultation and validation.These consultations culminated in the formulation of specific strategies for implementation. A model strategy for poverty reduction, focusing on economic and social development was developed to guide implementation. In principle, three-tier strategy model proposed the targeting of economic funds towards projects with the highest potential to serve as catalysts for economic growth. Option 1: Regional economic promotion facility located at the regional level to cater for activities that seek to integrate economic development.Option 2: A district economic development policy and promotion facility, to support D As to establish district-based strategies and policy for economic development; and, Option 3: Community economic development facility categorised into: (a)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Economic Associations targeting those engaged in common economic vocations requiring common facilities and services to enhance their production activities; and (b)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Entire communities: where they require a common asset to broaden economic opportunities for all its residents.Each option was alloc ated a certain percentage of the total funds on the basis of major principles. Stakeholder Consultation and Decisions Lesson Three: Following the formulation of an entry strategy, stakeholders reached agreement on the feasibility of the strategy and made inputs towards owning it. Participating stakeholders included personnel of the Regional Coordinating Council and other regional institutions, personnel of the District Assembly and other district institutions, community level opinion eaders, representatives of women groups and credit/business advisory bodies. These consultations were organised first at the regional level and later at the district level. Involving stakeholders in project conception and inception was found to be critical for purposes of ownership and sustainability. The Best Practices and Lessons at the Implementation Stage At the implementation phase a number of lessons were learnt and some best practices emerged as follows: A Well Defined Implementation Plan and Pro cess Lesson One:The project cycle of the SDDF, was perceived as something beyond a mere list of activities. The processes were defined and shared to ensure their feasibility in relation to anticipated outputs. The instruments to facilitate effective implementation were pre-designed, discussed and modified appropriately. (i) Orientation of beneficiaries on SDDF as an Entry-Strategy: Following stakeholder validation of the economic development model and strategy, detailed orientation sessions in the two regions were organised.

A baseball Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A baseball - Essay Example There's a man in Mobile who keep in mind that Honus Wagner strike a triple in Pittsburgh 46 years ago that's baseball. And so is the scout reporting that a 16-year-old sandlot jug in Cheyenne is the coming Walter Johnson.Baseball is a forceful race of man next to man, reaction against reaction. A game of creep. Each skill is deliberate. Every heroic, every deteriorating is seen and applauds or booed. And then becomes a sign. In baseball, democratic system shines its clearest. The merely race that matters is the race to the bag (Hardly a Baseball Hotbed, 2003).The foremost recorded baseball competition took place a year afterward, in 1846. Cartwright's Knickerbockers misplaced to the New York Baseball Club in a pastime at the Elysian Fields, in Hoboken, New Jersey. These unpaid games turn into additional recurrent and more well-liked. In 1857, a gathering of amateur teams was called to talk about rules and other issues. Twenty five teams from the northeast sent hand over. The subseque nt year, they formed the National Association of Base Ball Players, the primary prepared baseball league. In its foremost year of action, the league supported itself by irregularly charging fans for admittance. The upcoming looked extremely bright.The early 1860s, though were a time of huge chaos in the United States. In those years of the social War, the number of baseball clubs dropped radically.

Should it be a crime to download copyrighted music from the Internet Essay - 1

Should it be a crime to download copyrighted music from the Internet - Essay Example This has prompted the introduction of various laws and regulations in most parts of the world in regard to protection of copyrighted properties such as music and other downloadable files over the internet. In this light, the regulations regarding this protection restricts the general public and any other entity from freely accessing the files and only through seeking permission can an individual get access to them. This has been a source of public outpourings with a majority of the people seeking to stop the restrictions which come with illegality for anyone trying to break the set laws. In regard to my opinion, it is my assertion that personal properties such as music and other downloadable files should be protected and thus it should be illegal to download copyrighted music from the Internet. According to one of the surveys carried out by the popular website Debate.org regarding the issue of whether downloading copyrighted music should be made illegal, a majority of the public (54 percent) held their opinion that they did not really think that was justified (making downloading illegal). To most, downloading the music freely from the internet did affect the music owners or their labels in any big way since most of their money was generated through avenues such as concerts, promotions, brands and cloth lines among others (Debate.Org, 2015). In another study carried out as documented by Stein and Evans (100), downloading the copyrighted music from the Internet has been largely attributed to the young people who are convinced that the CDs that are sold with this music are overpriced and thus will find not guilty when downloading these music from these sources. In this cases, it is evident that most of the public harbour the opinion that they are justified to downloading copyrighted music from the Internet, and thus this practice should not be illegal at all. As seen in the earlier argument about the downloading of copyrighted

Theology (The Bible and Archeology) questions Research Paper

Theology (The Bible and Archeology) questions - Research Paper Example Because of this need, aspects of the political, economic, and commercialized powers had to be held in check in order to create fair trade. Ashlar construction is a method of cutting stone in a rectangular shape with a very even symmetry of cut and using the material instead of brick for building. The stone is usually a smooth finish, although it can be decorated with a scraped in design. The Latin root of the word citadel is the civis, which is also the root of the words city and citizen. A citadel is a part of the means of protecting the city through the use of barriers, most commonly walls, that are surrounding a central fortified structure that is the last means of protection against invaders. This last structure, the citadel, is usually taller than the other buildings, can act as the location of the highest political power, and is built to withstand a great assault. Within the citadel the citizens could wait out a siege with the hope that the invader did not have the strength to breach this last hold. Because the city of Jerusalem is built on a mountain it has a great amount of protection from invaders. However, the availability of water during a siege is greatly hampered by this construction. The Siloam Tunnel, built by Hezekiah in 701 B.C., is beneath the Ophel and can act as a aqueduct to transport water to the city. There is evidence of cro-magnon and Neanderthal remains within the area of Canaan from the Paleolithic era. Neanderthal remains date from the Middle Paleolithic age, while Cro-magnon remains date from around 40,000 - 10,000 B. C. There is also evidence that man settled in the area of Jericho as early as 9000 B.C. within agricultural communities. Earlier civilizations were hunting gathering communities. The two Neolithic phases are defined by the pre-pottery stage and the pottery stage. The pre-pottery phase of the Neolithic phase is distinguished by the emergence of Jericho as