Historical and Cultural Perspectives of Luxury, with example of Luxury Essay

Historical and Cultural Perspectives of Luxury, with example of Luxury phenomenn in Russia - Essay Example The standard meaning of essential necessities will incorporate nourishment, abiding, and apparel. Needs, dissimilar to needs, are goal or widespread. Needs, dissimilar to needs, are deliberate. Uneven longings are voracious. (Friedman.V., 2012) Why an endeavor to look upon luxury from a recorded viewpoint? Firstly, by investigating how distinctive social orders in diverse times of our history managed luxury, we can get closer to what it truly remains for and its associations with different ideas, for example, riches, power, et cetera. Besides, an in-profundity recorded point of view will additionally furnish us with important bits of knowledge into majority rules system, patriotism, social amicability, human qualities, and relationship to God, and different parts of the human social and financial life. Thirdly, such an undertaking will call attention to the way that all around history, very nearly all endeavors to control individuals penchant to luxury neglected to do along these lines, which demonstrates to us obviously that such confinements today are well on the way to fall flat too. All around the historical backdrop of humankind luxury has been a steady component in the lives of people and in the works of savants, writers, legislators, economists. Luxury has been nearly inspected in perspective of providing for it a legitimate definition, discovering its implications and attributes, its roots, reasons and outcomes. Yet none of the numerous endeavors to do so can brag an exhaustive investigation of this matter. In its development in time, luxury has been both commended and censured, there were times when its indications were empowered or despite what might be expected disheartened. A certain vicinity of luxury in the human soul dated as once again as the third thousand years BC. At the same time for such a variety of hundreds of years it has been connected with the idea of riches, both being discerned as

Managing in a Mixed Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managing in a Mixed Economy - Essay Example Washington square which is a Royal institution of the Chattered Surveyors was also established in 2007 and is regarded as the best commercial project in the England region (Byers, 1998). The high quality iron ore that is phosphorus free in Cumbria south of Workington is the main source of income in the region. It is the largest steel production area and therefore attracts a lot construction companies, car assembly and many types of firms engaging in steel works. Examples of these firms are the Disington Engineering company (DEC) and the British Steel Corporation (BSC). Due to the heavy investment in the region, the government must put in some resources to create a peaceful investment field. The government investment is in line with the nature of mixed economy. Mixed economy refers to an economic system whereby the state engages itself to the economic activities in collaboration with the private sector. State functions are always reflected by planning of the economy while the private sector is characterized by market economies. This arises because the private sector works for the sole purpose of accruing profit. On the other hand, the state or public sector is not necessarily concerned by profit but by protecting her citizens by providing a platform for the operation such as infrastructure, security and other unprofitable services. The English government has hugely invested her resources to the town in order to give the investors some specific benefits so that they can continue to invest in the highly resourceful town. One major form of public investment is the establishment of a good security system popularly referred to as the Workington police station. The police station offers security not only to the iron and steel manufacturing companies but also the other subsidiary companies like banks, hotels and even the families and workers. For the police to offer efficient

The Astonishing Hypothesis Essay Example for Free

The Astonishing Hypothesis Essay John Maddox (1995) in â€Å"The Prevalent Distrust of Science† argues that there exists a distrust in the innovations within the field of science as a result of the unreliability of the scientific community regarding the various innovations that it has developed over the past years. Maddox claims that this distrust has led to the creation of a culture of ignorance, the effects of which can be seen in the existence of an anti-science mindset. These views may take the form of passive denial and active denial. Passive denial refers to the â€Å"intentional obfuscation of what science is about† whereas active denial refers to the denial of the validity of scientific claims (Maddox, 1995, p. 436). Maddox further claims that this mindset may be seen as the result of (1) individuals’ inability to hold accountability for their actions since science â€Å"shifts responsibility from nature onto people’s own shoulders† and (2) individual’s inability to easily adapt to change since science â€Å"challenge(s) cherished beliefs† (1995, p. 436-437). In order to test the prevalence of this mindset within society, Maddox proposed the conduction of a public opinion poll in the form of a conceptual experiment. The experiment involves presenting the hypothesis of Francis Crick regarding human development as presented in his book The Astonishing Hypothesis. According to Crick, the human brain begins as a bag of neurons. In addition to this, he claims that the development of the hardwired parts of the human nervous system is genetically determined. The process in which this genetic determination occurs however was not accounted for by Crick. Based on his views regarding the distrust in the development in scientific inquiry, Maddox claims that â€Å"the scientists will not think Crick’s hypothesis all that astonishing† (1995, p. 437). In order to test whether such an anti-science mindset exists, I conducted the poll proposed by Maddox. In the process of doing this, I interviewed ten students, five of which major in science related courses and five of which major in humanities related courses. Their ages range from 19-25 years old. Amongst the ten interviewees, five were male and five were female. In addition to this, six of the interviewees were Caucasians, two were African Americans, and two were Asian Americans. In terms of their religious affiliation, six of them were Protestants and the remaining interviewees were Roman Catholics. All the interviewees were given the same information regarding Crick’s views on human development. After being given the information and asked regarding the validity of Crick’s views, all the interviewees agreed regarding the high probability of Crick’s claim. The difference between the interviewees can be traced to their explanation as to why they consider Crick’s view to be highly probable. The interviewees who major in science related courses gave more precise explanations regarding the probability of Crick’s claim. One them stated that â€Å"embryonic fetal development always begins with the development of the neurological system since the system is necessary to support the other development of the primary organs of the fetus†. Another one stated that this claim is true since studies have shown that the human embryo produces almost a million neurons every minute after the first four weeks of its conception. As opposed to this, the students who major in humanities related subjects tended to provide a less detailed explanation. One of them stated, â€Å"Crick’s hypothesis might be true since his view corresponds with what we discussed in Biology 101†. The reason for the difference of the explanation of these students may be traced to the formers exposure to the scientific language as opposed to the latter. Based on the interviews that I conducted, it seems that Maddox’s claim does not hold. It is possible that the reason for this may traced to the fact that the individuals I interviewed were all college students. Their educational background may have provided them with the recognition of the necessity to recognize the importance of scientific knowledge in the advancement of humanity. As I see, the distrust in scientific innovations stem as a result of individuals’ lack of knowledge regarding the importance of scientific innovation as well as the probabilistic nature of scientific knowledge. Reference Maddox, J. (1995). â€Å"The Prevalent Distrust of Science. † Nature, 378, 435-437.

The Problems With Ship Breaking In Bangladesh Environmental Sciences Essay

The Problems With Ship Breaking In Bangladesh Environmental Sciences Essay Introduction Environmental degradation and depletion of resources are alarmingly increasing in developing countries due to lack effective legislations, non-compliance of international standards in ship breaking process. It is manifested mainly by pollution, deforestation, destruction of wetlands, depletion of soil nutrients, etc. In Bangladesh, both rapid population growth and a degraded environment create serious threats to the economic development. This leads to other serious problems such as poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy. Since the majority of people in Bangladesh derive their livelihoods from the use and extraction of all types of resources, the living condition in Bangladesh, especially of the poor, becomes extremely vulnerable to environmental damage  [1]  .  The instant paper is directed to scan the relevant literatures on the impact of ship breaking in Bangladesh and also to put forward some proposals to be undertaken to this end. Super tankers and giant cargo ships are the backbone of our global consumer society. Hundreds of meters long, ferrying millions of tons of goods across the globe, the perpendicular size of these immense vessels is awe inspiring. Even when these ships are not seaworthy anymore, and repairs are not inexpensively viable, the raw material it is constructed from has a greater value for other purposes. Construction of one such behemoth is a fascinating feat of engineering, however, the destruction and final resting place of these steel giants is even more intriguing. Ship breaking is the process that dismantles an obsolete vessels structure for scrapping or disposal. Conducted at a pier or dry dock or dismantling ship, it includes a wide range of activities, from removing all gears and equipment to cutting down the ships infrastructure (OSHA, 2001)  [2]  . Ship breaking although is demanding but a very risky process indeed. It involves pollution, environmental hazards, and health issues. Ship breaking was recognized as a highly mechanized task until the 1960s in the industrialized countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, but as the costs of upholding environmental health and safety standards increased the activity moved towards the poor Asiatic states from the early 1980s. The industry since then took a different approach where the ship owners to maximise profits sent their vessels to the scrap yards of poor South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh and Pakistan where payment, health and safety requirements are minimal and workers are desperate for work. Ship breaking activities in Bangladesh is concentrated on the port city Chittagong on the Bay of Bengal. Ship breaking activities are being practiced in the coastal areas and have gained importance in the macro and micro-economy of poverty stricken Bangladesh. Rising demand of raw materials for re-rolling mills and other purposes has made ship breaking activity as one of the major character in the industrial revolution of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is dependant on its ship breaking industry for its domestic steel requirements, thus making it as one of the major resources for steel. This is why ship breaking industry is not subject to any environmental laws or health and safety regulations for workers in Bangladesh. Even though there is no such law regarding ship breaking and on top of that no one is even concerned about the environmental hazard which is leading the country to an outrageous environmental exposure. After the vessels end their navigability period, the owners send them to the shipyards in Chittagong to recover their valuable steel where about 95% of a vessel is recycled. However, these ships contain hazardous substances such as asbestos, lead paint and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). During scrapping, by manual and basic methods, these toxic substances are released into the atmosphere. This phenomenon produces a strong and considerable contamination of the surrounding environment and lethal diseases into the workers. These activities exemplify both the potentialities and the dangers of an increasingly globalising economy.  [3]   PROBLEMS DUE TO SHIP BREAKING Ships built before the 1980s, contain many deadly materials. Ship breaking activities in Chittagong, Bangladesh pollute the soil, sea and rivers of the surrounding. Local fishing and agriculture as a livelihood are almost impossible over there due to the discharge of this toxic gases and oil pollution in the sea. This erosion of their traditional livelihoods drives more and more impoverished people to the dangerous shipyards. Samples taken from the yard shows contamination with high levels of mineral oil and toxic substances. Discharge of oil to the sea also results physical damage to the birds, mammals and marine organisms and their natural habitats. Wastes like blasting residue and paint chips contaminate the soil and surface water. Improper storage and disposal of scrap metals and wastes also causes lead contamination. Environmentally hazardous fumes evolve when metal and paint is heated during hot work. The pollution is both severe and long-standing. Unlike in Western countries w here there are stringent regulations on hazardous substances and health and safety measure, in Chittagong yard rules and regulations are rarely applied. Laws on health and safety matters although exists but are hardly enforced and moreover even if the law becomes stringent due to corrupt politics the ship owners apply their powers to withdraw the law and orders.  Following a High Court directive, the commerce ministry of Bangladesh incorporated a condition in its Import Policy Order 2009-2012, which said an exporter of a vessel had to submit a pre-cleaning certificate from the country of origin stating the ship was cleaned before exportation but then again the government amended the law allowing the Chittagong ship breaking industry to no longer require the documentation from the selling nations environmental authorities certifying vessels were free of toxic substances.  [4]  Ã‚  The Basel convention and several other international treaties laid down rules and regulations whic h states that ships that are built with deadly toxic substances shall not be exported for recycling unless they are pre-cleaned and has undergone a cleaning test. But in Chittagong ship breaking yard the owners in violation of the law import those toxic vessels without pre-cleaning. As a result of this violation, terrible poisons and toxic gases are released into the environment playing havoc with the health of the people and all living creature in the ecosystem. The workers in Chittagong yard are permanently exposed to toxic substances. They breathe in these toxic fumes and asbestos dust. Not only on the job, but also in the sleeping quarters nearby they inhale these toxic gases. One out of four workers is expected to contract cancer due to workplace poisons. This makes the Chittagong ship breaking industry the most deadly in the world. ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS DUE TO SHIP BREAKING Aside from the health of the yard workers, in recent years, ship breaking has become an issue of major  environmental concern. In addition to steel and other useful materials, however, ships contain many hazardous substances. Many ship breaking yards in developing nations have no  proper enforceable environmental law, enabling large quantities of highly toxic materials to escape into the environment causing serious health problems amongst the labours in the ship breaking yard, the local population and wildlife.  [5]  The hazards are as follows: Hazardous Substances Asbestos fibres, dusts PCBs PVC (combustion products) Heavy and toxic metals(lead, mercury, cadmium, copper, zinc etc. Welding fumes Organometallic substances (tributylin, etc.) Volatile organic compounds (solvents) Lack of hazard communication (storage, labelling, material safety data sheets) Inhalation in confined and enclosed spaces Batteries, fire-fighting liquids Compressed gas cylinders Physical Hazards Noise Vibration Extreme temperatures Poor illumination Biological Hazards Toxic marine organisms Animal bites Risk of communicable diseases transmitted by pests, vermin, rodents, insects and other animals that may infest the ship others) Infectious diseases (TB, malaria, dengue fever, hepatitis, respiratory infections, others) Ergonomic and Psychological Hazards Repetitive strain injuries, awkward postures, repetitive and monotonous work, excessive workload. Mental stress, strained human relations (aggressive behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse, violence) IMPACTS OF SHIP BREAKING DUE TO DISCHARGED POLLUTANTS Most hazardous materials nowadays are restricted or banned today but a ship built about 30 years ago still contains these materials. It also carries hazardous and flammable chemicals used for painting, repair and maintenance, etc. Cables and electrical and other control systems contain hazardous material and emit hazardous gases, if burned. The paint coat, contaminated air, soil and water when torched or scraped, is hazardous for human and the environment. The protection of health and of the workers handling the hazardous waste is of crucial importance.  [6]   Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) POPs are chemicals that are highly toxic, remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, bio accumulate through the food web, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human population, wildlife and the environment.  [7]  This group of priority pollutants consists of pesticides such as DDT, industrial chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and unintentional by-products of industrial processes such as dioxins, furans and orgaotins. POPs are transported across international boundaries far from their sources no matter wherever they are used, even to regions where they have never been used or produced. Due to its emission the ecosystems particularly becomes risky because of the long-range environmental transportation and bio-magnification of these substances. Consequently, POPs pose a threat to the environm ent and to human health all over the globe. Exposure to POPs may cause acute, medium or long-term impacts. It also gives rise to cancer and other related diseases. Chittagong ship breaking industry is a prospective basis of these fatal chemicals of POPs. Asbestos Asbestos is the name given to a group of six different fibrous minerals (Amosite, Chrysotile, Crocidolite, and the fibrous varieties of Tremolite, Actinolite, and Anthophyllite) that occurs naturally in the environment. All forms of asbestos are hazardous, and inhalation of these fibres can cause severe diseases. On the ship breaking beaches of Chittagong, asbestos fibres and flocks fly around in the open air and the labours over there take out asbestos insulation materials with their bare hands without any safety precautions. Workers who repeatedly breathe in asbestos fibres with lengths greater than or equal to 5ÃŽÂ ¼m may develop a slow build-up of a disease called asbestosis. a scar-like tissue in the lungs and in the membrane that surrounds the lungs. This is a serious disease and can eventually lead to disability or death in people exposed to high amounts of asbestos over a long period. Asbestos workers also have increased chances of getting lung cancer as well. Oil Pollution Oil is a highly volatile compound composed of mainly hydrocarbon, sulphur containing compounds etc. Approximately 75% of the constituents of oil are hydrocarbons. As a result ship breaking, oil residues and the other refuses are being spilled and mixed with soil and water in the beach. In Chittagong yard the beach is black due to oil spills, and fishes have already started to disappear as per the researchers report. In freshwater environments, perhaps the most dangerous problem is contamination of drinking water sources. Food sources, such as fish and crustaceans both marine and fresh water, may be tainted and the consumption of tainted food causes human health problems and also loss for export trade in foreign market. Oil pollution also threatens the livelihoods of fisherman. Impact of ship breaking on the surrounding environment and coastal community Toxic oil and metallic substances through intake of affected fish, causes human health hazards. In ship breaking areas various refuse and disposable materials are discharged and spilled from scraped ships and it often gets mixed with the beach soil .The scrap from the ships is staked haphazardly on the sea shore, leaving behind an accumulation of metal fragments and rust in the soil. These together with extensive human and mechanical activities often go on as routine work for the scrapping of ships in that area as a result the beach soil loses its binding properties and this accelerate the rate and the amount of shore erosion and increase the turbidity of sea water of the surrounding area. Disruption of bio-diversity in the long run may also destroy the suitability of human settlement. During the breaking period accidental death sometimes occurs. Due to lack of proper sanitation and drinking water workers suffer from water borne diseases. As the sound pollution is a regular phenomenon during dismantling, inhabitants of the adjacent areas live in a painful situation .The poor coastal community get a variety of employment opportunities in the industry and it turns into a way of livelihood to them. On the other hand social crime, abuse of drugs and illegal activities increases due to ship breaking activities in that area. As the commercially important species are replaced by low priced species and scarcity of fish, many coastal fishermen are leaving their hereditary profession and moving around everyday as environmental refugees in a state of under employment and poverty to unemployment and grim poverty. SHIP BREAKING AND INTERNATIONAL LAW The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) (1998) PIC is internationally applied to the trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste. The Rotterdam Convention, subjects to the Prior Informed Consent procedure for 30 hazardous pesticides and 11 industrial chemicals such as chlordane, chlordimeform, chlorobenzilate, Asbestos, PBBs, PCBs etc. Most of these hazardous substances are present in ships that were built 20 to 30 years back. Countries lacking adequate infrastructure to monitor the import and use of such hazardous substances were in violence of the law. In terms of ship breaking, owners have to make a declaration of hazardous substances on board, on arrival at the yard for dismantling. However, PIC by itself is not sufficient to stop unsafe scrapping. What is needed is that the country from which the toxic ship arrives needs to notify the importing country. The importing country can then take measures for the adequate treatment of these hazardous substances. But unfortunately in the case of Chittagong ship yard it is often seen that end of life vessels have been exported without the importing authorities being alerted. The Basel Convention Articles 4 and 6 of the Basel Convention impose strict conditions that go further than the PIC convention on the trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes. It imposes an obligation of due diligence, on all ship owners. All parties are required to provide information about a proposed trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes, to the countries concerned. Three elements must be proved for the violation of the Basel Convention to the issue of ship breaking: (i) Proof that the waste will not be properly dealt with by the ship breaking country. (ii) The legal recognition that ships are waste. (iii) An established intention to discardby the owner of the ship.  [8]  This convention is very much applicable to the Chittagong yard but unfortunately they are hardly followed by both importing and exporting parties of the yard.  [9]   United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) UNEP is responsible for the implementation of the Basel Convention. It is currently drafting guidelines on the environmentally sound management for the full and partial dismantling of ships, in order to provide recommendations on procedures and practices to be implemented to attain Environmental Sound Management (ESM) in ship breaking yards. International labour Organization (ILO) The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. The guidelines suggest a national framework defining the general responsibilities and rights for employers, workers and regulatory authorities in ship breaking. In addition, the guidelines also provides recommendations on safe ship breaking operations including the management of hazardous substances, protection and preventative measures for workers against hazards and suggestions for a competency based training program. The ILO approach is to facilitate step-by-step improvements to the practice of dismantling ships on beaches. If these approaches are applied, the Chittagong ship breaking yard will reach a satisfactory quality.  [10]  The ILO guideline suggests the: Ensuring there is an inventory of hazardous materials on board; Decontamination and gas-freeing; Planning for safe demolition; Recycling and; Safe waste management. The International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) MARPOL is a combination of two treaties adopted in 1973 and 1978 respectively and updated by amendments through the years. It is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. In the issue of ship breaking MARPOL would apply to the discharges that occur from ships sent for ship breaking, which take place within the territorial waters of the ship breaking country. Practically this means that once the ship is delivered to a ship breaking yard any discharge, notably of oil or oily mixtures will be prohibited under this convention. Such oily wastes must be retained on board or discharged to reception facilities in port.  [11]   International Maritime Organization (IMO) In December 2003, the IMO issued a document entitled Guidelines on Ship Recycling. The Guideline is urbanized to give advice to all relevant stakeholders in the recycling process. The Guidelines suggest practical measures for all stages of the ship recycling process. They are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ New ship and equipment design, in particular to minimize the use to hazardous substances and waste generation as well as to facilitate recycling and the removal of hazardous materials; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Preparation of a Green Passport for new and existing ships; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Selection of a recycling facility and preparation of a ship for recycling including a ship Recycling Plan and;   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Roles for primary stakeholders including flag, port and recycling states, the Basel Convention, the ILO and the shipping industry. The Guidelines seeks to give confidence to recycling as the best means of ship disposal. In general, the Guidelines take the view that the responsibility for environment and worker protection in ship recycling facilities must respite with the recycling feature itself and with the regulatory authorities of the country in which it operates. Nevertheless, it is noted that ship owners and other stakeholders also have a responsibility to address the issues involved. The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) The aim of ICS is to encourage high standards of operation and the provision of high quality and efficient shipping services. It also strives for a regulatory environment which supports safe shipping operations, protection of the environment and adherence to internationally adopted standards and procedures regarding ship breaking. ICS also promotes properly considered international regulation of shipping and oppose unilateral and regional action by governments. ICS took the initiative to establish an Industry Working Party on Ship Recycling (IWPSR) on the 23rd of February 1999. The IWPSR established an Industry Code of Practice on ship recycling in August 2001. This Code of Practice is the basis for the IMOs own guidelines. It is aimed at the ship owners, and encourages for the present shipping companies to initiate and complete a programme to identify and record, as far as is practicable, on each of their existing ships, any potentially hazardous material, as well as to make every e ffort to minimize the amount of potentially hazardous materials on board of the ship and while recycling of ships. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) The Stockholm Convention (Article 3.2) restricts the import and export of POPs to cases where, for example, the purpose is environmentally sound disposal. It also requires that POPs may not be transported across international boundaries without taking into account relevant international rules, standards and guidelines (Article6.1). The Stockholm Convention requires Parties to take measures to reduce or eliminate releases of POPs from intentional production and use (Article 3), unintentional production (Article 5) and stockpiles and wastes (Article 6). Concepts of Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) are to be further elaborated by the Conference of the Parties. Bangladesh being a signatory government of the convention must take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment in the Chittagong ship breaking yard.  [12]   The Universal Declaration of Human Rights The issue of human rights in ship breaking yards came to the attention of the international community in the 1990s through the concerted actions of different non-governmental organizations, above all Greenpeace, trade unions such as the International Transport Workers Federation and the International Metalworkers Federation, and intergovernmental bodies, such as the International Labour Organization. The awful working conditions and the dangers to the health and safety of the workers, publicized by several investigative media reports, led to a public outcry, which in turn generated an international mobilization on the issue.  [13]   SOLUTIONS FOR A SAFER ENVIRONMENT Abide by the law All the international treaties and the international UN bodies must together act against unacceptable ship breaking practices. The yard owners and the workers must have the appropriate knowledge regarding the law, health and safety issues and they also have to be encouraged to abide by the law as requires. The government must take reasonable steps to make the law obligatory to abide by on the ship breaking yards. Stop dumping toxic ships The shipping industry is responsible for its own vessels. They should take immediate measures to prevent pollution of the environment and protect the workers that dismantle their ships. They can do that by decontaminating and gas-freeing their ship-for-scrap before export to developing countries.  [14]   Gas Free Certificates No ship recycling facility shall undertake any cutting or dismantling activity onboard a vessel until a ship has been tested for flammability and a Gas-Free for hot works certificate granted. This test must take place at the ship recycling facility just prior to any cutting or dismantling taking place. Prevent pollution The shipping industry is responsible for its own vessels. They should take immediate measures to prevent pollution of the environment and protect the workers that dismantle their ships. They can do that by decontaminating and degassing their ship-for-scrap before export to Asia. Governments Role The government of Bangladesh should formulate and implement a national policy and principles for safe and sustainable ship breaking after having consultation with relevant organizations, employers and workers. They should also include this sector under the ministry of industry defined by the Factory Act, 1965 and formulate a policy so that, workers rights and welfare; occupational safety health (OHP) could be ensured and it could be eco-friendly as well. Usage of Technological Renovation Ship-owners should gradually make their vessels cleaner by the usage of better technology machineries during the recycling process. They should provide their workers with more and more safe and precautionary machineries that do not risk the workers life. During maintenance and survey stops, hazardous materials should be replaced with clean alternatives. In addition, ship-owners should, together with shipbuilders and classification societies, commit to the development of clean ships to avoid future disposal problems.  [15]   CONCLUSION Though in Bangladesh, ship breaking is now considered as a formal industry by law but the activities in real are not at all formalized yet. There is no enforcement of the labour laws, no legal binding framework to ensure Bangladesh comply with international human rights and environmental commitments. Above all, there are no consolidated policies or strategies or guidelines in Bangladesh for ship dismantling and there is a serious lack of communication between the responsible Ministries. According to several researchers the whole coastal area in Chittagong is in high risk by pollution generated from the ship breaking activities. Toxic chemicals and hazardous materials are not managed in an environmentally sound way; the beach is black due to oil spills, and fishes have started to disappear. Also the ship breaking activities has impact on the human health, directly to the workers; it has impacts on the food chain, on physiochemical properties of seawater, inter tidal sediments and soil and above all the on the biodiversity . As Bangladesh is one of the largest countries in respect of ship breaking activities, the subsequent impact on the environment and violation of human rights in the ship breaking yards drew the attention of different concerned bodies around the world as well as within Bangladesh in recent years. If the ship breaking industry is to bring development in the country, the same shall also be applied to ensure minimization of pollution effect. A longer stretch along the seashore is in no way justified for continuation of this business. Rather a certain separate zone like a dockyard should be selected by the competent authority to be undertaken at the right time, before it is too late. Considering the vital role of ship breaking in national economy ship breaking can not be stopped. Rather a sustainable approach should be taken to minimize the negative consequences of ship breaking activities in our coastal zone.

Symbolism in Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay -- Alice Walker Everyda

Symbolism in Alice Walker's Everyday Use History in the Making Heritage is something that comes to or belongs to one by reason of birth. This may be the way it is defined in the dictionary, but everyone has their own beliefs and ideas of what shapes their heritage. In the story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, these different views are very evident by the way Dee (Wangero) and Mrs. Johnson (Mama) see the world and the discrepancy of who will inherit the family’s quilts. Symbolism such as certain objects, their front yard, and the different characters, are all used to represent the main theme that heritage is something to always be proud of. The main objects of topic throughout the story are the quilts that symbolize the African American Woman’s history. Susan Farrell, a critic of many short stories, describes the everyday lives of African American Women by saying â€Å"weaving and sewing has often been mandatory labor, women have historically endowed their work with special meanings and significance† and have now embraced this as a part of their culture. The two quilts that Dee wanted â€Å"had been pieced together by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me [Mother] had hung them on the quilt frames on the front porch and quilted them† (par. 55) showing that these quilts were more valuable as memories than they were just blankets. The fabrics in the quilts â€Å"were scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell’s paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece, about the piece of a penny matchbox, that was from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War† (par. 55) putting forth more evidence that these are not just scraps, but have become pieces of family history. The q... ...big yard, and the characters are all symbols that have gotten the theme across that you must always cherish your heritage. Dee will go back to the city and support her more broad perspective of all blacks as Mama will stick to her tighter confines of family history. The one young lady (Maggie) that has yet to be engulfed by others opinions will be the one to press on both histories as one: When Maggie finally smiles ‘a real smile’ at the end of the story as she and her mother watch Dee’s car disappear in a cloud of dust, it is because she knows her ‘mother holy recognition of the scarred daughter’s sacred status as quilter is the best gift if a hard-pressed womankind to the fragmented goddess of the present.’ (Piedmont-Marton) This story full of symbols will carry on generation to generation because as things change so will the people and their outlooks on life.

Original Writing Essay -- Papers

Original Writing A crunch of pebbles as a perfectly crafted square of engineered metal falls to the beach. 5 figures crawl from their vessel onto a dreary beachhead. The rain beat down on a terrible Tuesday night. Silver, a man in his prime of physical fitness, shivered in the cold. Like lambs his men followed him intently, without question. In their minds, however, they were at home. With their wives and girlfriends, away from the war. Too many men have perished on this 2-mile stretch of coastline for man to contemplate, for a war that is yet to be understood. Since the last attempt at taking this beach, which was a major failure, there has been an armistice. Everything has been quiet, apart from the occasional fire drill inside the enemy's frontline campus. "Omaha Squad, state your position" Crackles Silvers radio equipment, breaking the deadly silence abruptly. In code, he makes his reply. Omaha Squad, led by Silver, was ordered to infiltrate the G25s communication tower to gather intelligence. Hi...

CSR of Apple

Apple is making genuine strides in the direction of environmental friendliness by designing for energy efficiency, reducing packaging, and using recycling materials. Its websites also releases an extensively breakdown of company’s annual corporate carbon emissions. Apple says it emits 10. 2 million tons of carbon emissions annually. Meanwhile, HP says it releases 8. 4 million tons annually and it was just named the best S&P companies for the planet by Newsweek. Dell came in second and emits just 471,000 tons annually. Both of those companies only assess what happens during the production process. By contrast, Apple includes what happens once the product is being produced. The biggest source of emissions comes from customers using its product at home. The next biggest source of emissions comes from manufacturing which accounts for 45% of company’s emissions. However, using less material may bring some problems to Apple. Some customers complain that Apple’s products are more fragile than its predecessors. Therefore, the balance between durable product and reducing materials is very important for its product design. Apple publishes a supplier code of conduct and launches supplier audits to ensure that the code of conduct is being followed. More importantly, Apple does not hide bad conducts of its suppliers and releases it to public. In its latest Supplier Responsibility 2011 Progress Report, Apple outlines its specific findings of its own supplier audits. In 2010, its audit of 127 facilities revealed 37 core violations; 18 facilities where workers had paid excessive recruitment fees, which it considers to be involuntary labor; 10 facilities where underage workers had been hired; two instances of workers endangerment; 4 facilities where records were falsified; 1 case of bribery; and 1 case of coaching workers on how to answer auditors’ questions. The transparency of Apple’s report reveals Apple’s concern for its suppliers’ actions. Even if Apple has outsourced its supply chain, it still has a corporate social responsibility to ensure socially and environmentally sound business practices of its subcontractors. Apple may be praised for its openness. However, some customers think Apple is merely trying to get ahead of the ever-pervasive media by releasing this information themselves. The enforceability of supplier code is much more important than making this information available to public. If Apple is determined to enforce its code f suppliers, its business may be disrupted by termination of contracts with suppliers because of its outsourcing of supply chain. Therefore, a back-up plan is needed to prevent disruption of business. Termination with suppliers may contribute to loss of reputation and increasing transaction costs with alternative suppliers. So another issue Apple needs to consider beforehand is supplier selection which is an important part of supplier management. Therefore, Apple should set up more eff icient and relevant performance measures of suppliers and continuously evaluate these measures.