Astronomy - Dark Matter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Astronomy - Dark Matter - Essay Example 23 percent is dark matter, which we cannot observe and is invisible to us and 73 percent is dark energy which is countering the effects of gravity and hence driving the expansion of the universe. The idea of dark matter came after observing the motion of spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way. Motion of the stars in Andromeda Galaxy, which is our nearest, was observed. In case of spiral galaxy, it was expected that the stars at the outer layer or arms of the galaxy would move faster than the ones on the inside to keep up with the shape of the galaxy. The observations, however, were contradicting this notion and readings showed stars at the outside moving with almost the same speed as the inner stars. Since gravity depends on mass of the object, it was calculated that the visible mass of the galaxy was not enough to keep it together. The anomaly in the motion of spiral galaxy suggested that the mass of the galaxy might be more than it seems. We see circular motion all around us in the universe from the motion of our planets around the sun and in a similar way motion of stars around galactic center. Calculations suggested that the visible mass of the galaxy did not have enough gravitational force to overcome the centrifugal force in spiral galaxies and with the mass of visible matter; the galaxies would lose their spiral shape and break away. Since, this is not the case and we see spiral galaxies all around us; there must be invisible matter that seems to have a gravitational effect but does not interact with visible matter. This invisible matter is called dark matter and it has mass which in turn gives it gravitational force. An explanation for this missing mass was given that red dwarfs or remnants of supernovas which are difficult to observe because they are low light sources, could account for this missing mass; but, the idea was soon ruled out because the missing mass discrepancy could not be justified with even dwarf galaxies. Dark matter may not be visible to us, but, there are strong observations pointing towards its existence. Gravitational lensing is an effect which points towards existence of dark matter. As per Einstein’s theory, light bends with the gravitational effect of massive objects. Dark matter does not interact with light, but, because it has mass, light from distant galaxies bend around areas with dark matter. The area of dark matter in between the telescope and the galaxies, act as a giant lens and distorts the image, magnifies some galaxies and even causes circular lines distortions typical with common lenses (Kleingrothaus and Arnowitt 27). It is further observed that galaxies form within clumps of dark matter. Dark matter is thought to be the skeleton aiding in formation of galaxies. It is still not completely understood how the galaxies form, but when computer simulations are run for creation of galaxies with only the visible matter, the result point towards a failed galaxy that could not hold itself togeth er. However, with the inclusion of dark matter or extra mass, the evolution of galaxies as per the computer simulations line up with the images we observe in the universe (Clavin 2). Visible matter joins in the clumps of dark matter and stars initially form because of increased effect of gravity. Over time galaxies evolve from elliptical to circular disks and eventually in their present form that is spiral galaxies. The mystery of dark matter questions

The French Colonization of Tunisia Research Paper

The French Colonization of Tunisia - Research Paper Example This paper will focus on the rationale behind the French colonization of Tunisia in the 19th century. The major question is: why did the French colonize Tunisia and what the French hoping to achieve? Before embarking on the French colonization of Tunisia, it is of essence to highlight the activities and effects of other powerful nations on Tunisia prior to the French. Ancient Tunisia was inhabited by Berbers, who led a nomadic way of life and lived in caves. However, in the 9th century BC, the Phoenicians arrived in Africa through the Mediterranean Sea and colonized Tunisia. The Phoenicians established the city of Carthage in Tunisia and influenced its religion, economy, culture, and politics. Consequently, Carthage became one of the most prosperous cities in the Mediterranean region. This prosperity, nevertheless, did not last long, as Carthage was involved in supremacy battles with Rome. Unfortunately for Carthage, it lost the battles to Rome, thus Tunisia was placed under the Roma n rule. Many roman businessmen settled in Tunisia and exploited its fertile soils, natural minerals, and consumer goods2. Within no time, Tunisia became famous for supplying agricultural products all over Europe. The Romans also established Christianity in Tunisia. The Romans were succeeded by the vandals who enhanced the agricultural and commercial life in Tunisia. However, the vandals did not recognize the native Berbers of Tunisia in their rule and this led to Tunisia being taken over by the Byzantine Empire. Constant battles between the Byzantine Empire and other nations wanting to control Tunisia led to the decline of the Byzantine Empire rule. In the 14th century BC, the Ottoman Turks, particularly the Beys invaded and conquered Tunisia. Under the rule of the Beys, Tunisia achieved economic, social, and political prosperity. For example, education was prioritized and nationalism upheld. At this time, European countries offered to help Tunisia in improving its international tra de. The Bey went on an extravagant mission to increase taxes and erect major buildings in the country. However, Tunisian economy suffered at the hands of European investors, which forced Tunisia to declare bankruptcy and ask for assistance from European powers. This call for help aroused the interests of Britain, Italy and France in colonizing Tunisia. Therefore, in order for France to gain control of Tunisia, the latter had to fight off the challenge posed by Britain and Italy. Particularly, Italy felt that it was more deserving of Tunisia because; one, it had invested more wealth in Tunisia than Britain and France. Secondly, Italy had more of its citizens settled in Tunisia compared to the number of Britons and French people in Tunisia. Nevertheless, Britain agreed to let France have Tunisia, if the latter left Cyprus to the British. In 1881, some men from Tunisia had crossed over to Algeria, a French protectorate and the French used this as a perfect excuse to invade and subdue t he Tunisians3. The Bardo Treaty was signed between Tunisian officials and the French officials that saw French take over the governance of Tunisia. Italy did not wish to fight with France over the control of Tunisia, thus in 1884, Tunisia was formally recognized as a French protectorate. Once France had solidified its control over Tunisia, France paid all of Tunisia’s foreign debt and as a result, Tunisia was completely under French rule. The question, therefore, remains; why did the

Domestic Violence A Recurring Problem In Modern Society Criminology Essay

Domestic Violence A Recurring Problem In Modern Society Criminology Essay Discuss its causes, effects and the legal and other remedies available to deal with the problem. Analyse whether these remedies are sufficient or not and set out how you feel the issue is best dealt with. Domestic violence is undoubtedly a serious problem in modern society. Crime statistics in Ireland indicate that the Gardai record an average of twenty three incidents of domestic violence every day (Watson and Parsons 2005). However, domestic violence is certainly not a modern phenomenon. It has existed throughout the centuries but remained largely hidden and unrecorded. Traditionally, domestic violence has been considered a private matter rather than a criminal offence. Until the 19th century it was legal and socially acceptable for men to beat their wives (Dobash and Dobash 1979). Domestic violence is often associated with physical abuse only. However, research indicates that it can take different forms: physical, sexual and psychological/emotional. In the course of this essay the causes and effects of domestic violence will be explored, drawing on research carried out in Ireland and internationally. The legal and other remedies will also be outlined and evaluated. 2. Many theories have been put forward as to the causes of domestic violence. One theory is idea of circular causality (Pressman 1989). This view implies that a woman is as responsible for her own victimization as the man who assaults her. The violence is seen as something they have both created and are both responsible for modifying. Another view explains violence by reference to the mans personal history. Research shows that men who witness their parents domestic violence are three times more likely to become wife beaters and women who witness violence as children seek out abusive men because they saw their mothers being abused (Pressman 1989). Pressman (1989) suggests witnessing violence against a Mother may make sons more prone to violence themselves as adults, they may be quick to perceive conflict and slow to see non-violent alternatives for dealing with it. However, there are no firm conclusions about childhood experiences of domestic or other abuse as a cause of adult abuse or v ictimization. Pressman (1989) points out that it is not simply a matter of modelling whereby a child witnesses a set of behaviours and proceeds to replicate them: there are powerful mediating factors that can shape a variety of outcomes. She concludes that not all violent families and not all children are the same and the replication of violence from generation to generation is not inevitable (Pressman 1989). Domestic violence is often associated with alcohol consumption, but it is unclear as to whether alcohol is the root cause of this problem. Reporting 3. on a study of married couples, Leonard finds support for a causal relationship between a husbands drinking and physical abuse of wives. However, he cautions that: †¦despite the support that the current research program has provided for a causal role of alcohol on marital aggression, it would be a mistake to overstate this role. Alcohol is neither a necessary nor a sufficient cause of marital aggression. The majority of aggressive episodes occur without alcohol, and men who have behaved aggressively with alcohol have often behaved aggressively without alcohol as well. The role of alcohol†¦appears to be one of a facilitative nature, a contributing cause. (Leonard cited in Watson and Parsons 2005 p.67). In their study of domestic violence in Ireland, Watson and Parsons identify a number of triggers of abusive behaviour. A trigger is an immediate precursor to the behaviour and not necessary the ultimate cause of violence (p. 174). They found that in about two out of five cases the abusive behaviour had no specific trigger or was triggered by minor incidents. In about one third of cases abuse was associated with the consumption of alcohol. The authors conclude that the results are not strongly suggestive of a primary causal link between consumption of alcohol and incidents of domestic violence. In only one quarter of cases was alcohol consumption always involved. Similarly, Margaret Martin, director of Womens Aid, points out that while there is a strong link between alcohol abuse and domestic violence, treating or dealing with the alcoholism does not necessarily stop the violence (Martin 2009). 4. However, she does acknowledge that alcohol greatly increases the risk to a woman and has clear links to increased severity in relation to physical and sexual abuse. Other contributing factors to domestic violence include social exclusion, gender inequality, poverty and having a criminal background. A number of theorists work from the understanding that domestic abuse is caused by social structures, cultural norms and other factors that endorse or do not challenge the use of control and abuse by men against their female partners (Debonnaire et al. 2004). Pressman (1989) suggests that violence against women has persisted in our society precisely because it does not contradict cultural norms in any fundamental way. She suggests that to some degree we have all been acculturated to perceive violence as an acceptable means of exercising control. Wife abuse also reflects power differentials in our society, played out in the family. Pressman (1989) points out that the groups against whom violence is accepted are groups that are socially and economically disadvantaged including women, children, racial minorities, the poor, the mentally ill. In particular she looks at the economic inequalities that affect women and their continuing exclusion from positions of power in very many sectors o f society. According to Pressman (1989) there is an obvious link between this systematic disempowering of women and their continued victimization. Domestic violence simultaneously expresses and reinforces their 5. disempowered state. The basic problem as she sees it, is not just to end violence as a behaviour (although it is obviously important) but more importantly to alter the social arrangements that violence expresses and reinforces. Women cannot be safe when at the same time they are defined as inferior and subordinate to men. The impact of domestic violence is far reaching and complex. Domestic violence is a major cause of injury, disability and death for women worldwide. Between January 1996 and June 2005, one hundred and nine women were murdered in Ireland, seventy two of these in their own homes. In those cases which have been resolved, all were perpetrated by a man and almost half were perpetrated by the womans partner or ex-partner (Debonnaire et al. 2004). Ireland is not alone, domestic violence is one of the greatest causes of death and injury amongst women worldwide (Amnesty International, 2004). The World Health Organisation has estimated that 70 per cent of female murder victims are killed by their male partners. Their recently released World Report on Violence and Health notes that whereas men are much more likely to be attacked by a stranger or an acquaintance than by someone within their close circle of relationships†¦.one of the most common forms of violence against women is that perfor med by a husband or male partner (World Health Organisation 2001). The Council of Europe has stated that violence in the family is the major cause of death and disability for women between the 6. ages of 16 and 44 years. Domestic violence results in more death and ill- health in women than cancer or road traffic accidents (Kerr 2004). Similarly child homicide is often linked to domestic violence, where the male abuser is abusing the women and the child(ren). Children who are not being abused may be physically harmed when they try to protect parents or are caught in the crossfire (Debonnaire et al. 2004). Apart from physical injury, domestic violence is also linked to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems. Both women and men who have been abused report negative emotional consequences (Watson and Parsons 2005). However, women are more likely than men to have been very frightened or distressed by this abuse and to report that the experience had a major impact on their lives (ibid. p25). Watson and Parsons also found that more women than men reported a loss of confidence. In some instances emotional abuse was found to be even more traumatic than physical attacks. Almost half of the severely abused respondents including those who had suffered severe physical or sexual abuse listed an emotional incident as being the worst thing that had happened to them (ibid. p.25). The research also found a clear link between abuse and marital breakdown. Domestic abuse can have an impact on other aspects of the victims life, including work and accommodation. Watson and Parsons found that two 7. in five of those severely abused had to take time off work, while nearly one in eight had to leave a job. In some cases it can lead to homelessness (OHalloran 2009). It is also a major cost to the exchequer in health care for the victims (Debonnaire et al. 2004). Ireland now has a network of womens support services and mens programmes, a civil and criminal justice framework, a specialist policy for the police and other elements of domestic abuse intervention. There has been public debate about effective ways of responding to and preventing domestic abuse (Task Force Report, 1997). The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform of the government of Ireland coordinates a Steering Committee on Violence against Women. Various sub-committees of the steering committee include one focused on work with perpetrators (Debonnaire 2004).. Traditionally attempts to intervene in domestic violence focused on abused women and their children. In recent years, however, there has been a shift to include a focus on the man who has perpetrated the abuse. on the perpetrator of the abuse. New policies have been adopted which focus on pro-active forms of intervention and prosecution. As part of these interventions treatment programmes for men have been introduced. The Dulaith Abuse Intervention Project (Dulaith DAIP) was the worlds first project to place intervention programmes as part of a co-ordinated 8. community response that aimed to hold men to account for their behaviour, enhance womens safety, sanction abusers appropriately and teach men not to abuse (Debonnaire 2004). There are currently fifteen intervention programmes working with domestic abusers in Ireland. Through working with perpetrators, these organisations are trying to increase the safety, and reduce the risks to their partners and children (Debonnaire et al. 2004). Numerous evaluations of intervention programmes have been carried out. Some results appear to show that programmes had limited or no effect on mens behaviour or womens safety. Others show that some programmes can have a positive effect on womens safety and on reducing mens abuse, particularly as part of a co-ordinated community response involving the criminal justice system and womens support services (Dobash et al, 2002; OConnor, 1998 cited in Debonnaire 2004). The legal protection for victims of domestic violence in Ireland includes elements from both the criminal and civil systems. The Domestic Violence Act 1996 enables spouses, cohabitees and parents to apply for orders, with certain property and residency restrictions. It enacted provisions of the Family Law Act 1981, making breach of domestic violence order an arrestable offence and allowing Gardai to arrest an offender for suspected actual bodily harm or grievous bodily 9. harm without witnessing the violence. The Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997 addresses criminal aspects of domestic violence, making most forms of physical violence used by domestic abusers a crime. Victims of domestic violence can apply for three type of civil orders: protection orders (an interim order, which the court can make while a full hearing is pending for one of the other orders), safety orders (which prohibits violence or threats of violence, molesting or watching the place where the applicant or dependant person resides) and barring orders which prohibits the person from entering the place where the applicant resides also prohibits violence, threats of violence, molesting or watching the place where the applicant or dependant person resides). According to Nester (2007) it is clear from a High Court decision in the case of McA -v- McA (1981) that it is not necessary to prove actual or threatened violence in order to avail of a barring order. The wife in the above mentioned case claimed that her health had been adversely effected by her husbands continued lack of communication. Judge Costello granted a barring order on the grounds that the husbands conduct had seri ously affected the welfare of the wife. In cases where the Court believes there is an immediate risk of significant harm to the applicant or dependant child, or that a protection order may not be sufficient to protect the applicant, an interim barring order may be granted. This order has the same effect as a 10. barring order, and lasts until the Court determines the application for the barring order. Safety orders can last up to five years and barring orders for up to three years and can be renewed after that (Nester 2007). According to Margaret Martin (2006) Director of Womens Aid, the 1996 Domestic Violence Act falls short in a number of significant areas, leaving many victims of domestic violence unable to access protection in the civil courts. She states the Act specifies where a cohabitee wishes to apply for a barring order, two key conditions must be satisfied: the applicant must have lived with the respondent for six of the previous nine months in aggregate. They must be able to prove an equal or greater interest in the property. To apply for a safety order, the applicant must have lived with the respondent for six of the previous 12 months in aggregate. Ms Martin (2009) argues that these restrictions have prevented many women from accessing protection. Some may have been living with their partners for too short a period or many may be separated from him too long. Others may not have lived with their abuser at all. Separation she says is often the most dangerous time for a woman with the abuse becoming more frequent, severe and dangerous. Ten per cent of callers to the Womens Aid helpline in 2008 were being abused by former partners who were not married. Ms Martin (2009) also points out that there are no legal provisions for women in dating relationships. She states that the law is powerless to protect women who were never married or have never 11. lived with the abuser. This also applies to women who have children but do not live with the father of the child, they cannot apply for domestic violence orders because they do not fit the cohabitation requirements. This falls short of UN guidelines for domestic violence legislation, which state that legislation should apply at a minimum to individuals who are or who have been in an intimate relationship, including marital, non-marital, same-sex and non-cohabiting relationships (Martin 2009). A number of groups including Womens Aid, the Law Society, the Law Reform Commission, the Government Task Force on Violence against Women and Amnesty Ireland, have called for the 1996 Domestic Violence Act to be amended in order to address these issues. Holland (2009) states that unacceptable delays in the family courts are causing women, intimidated by violent spouses and partners, to drop applications for barring orders. She points out that the first port of call for a woman seeking a barring or protection order against a violent or abusive man is the District Court. Currently women face an eleven week wait between applying for an order and a court hearing. Within that period she says many women come under enormous pressure to withdraw their applications. She argues that the abuser has a lot of time to work on the victim. She said once an application is withdrawn it is unlikely the woman, who would be further demoralised, would re-enter it. A report published by Amnesty Internationa l points out that of 8,452 incidents of 12. domestic violence reported to the Garda in 2003, less than half resulted in barring orders from the courts. It looked at convictions of perpetrators in the courts, figures indicate that successful prosecutions occurred in only 7.7 per cent of these cases. The report also states that there has not been a single conviction for marital rape in this country, despite specific legislation making it a crime since 1990 and its frequent occurrence as reported by victims to organisations such as Womens Aid (Raferty 2005). Womens refuges prov

Exxon Mobil Essay -- Business Analysis

ExxonMobil is the largest publicly traded oil and gas producing company. ExxonMobil does business in 200 countries world-wide (1). Some countries are designated for exploring gas and petroleum, and some are designated for manufacturing chemicals, lubricants, and market fuels (1). ExxonMobil's world-class petroleum portfolio gives access to proven reserves of 21.9 billion oil-equivalent barrels of oil and gas, which is the highest in the industry (1). The company's discovered resources consist of 72 billion oil equivalent barrels of oil and gas. On average, each day, they produce 2.5 million barrels of oil and 10.5 billion cubic feet of gas (4). Their asset base, includes more than 60,000 production wells in 1,800 fields in 25 countries. With activities in some 40 countries, ExxonMobil's oil and gas fields extend from West Texas to West Africa and from Australia to Alaska (1). The company operates in deep seas, arctic ice and deserts in some of the world's most remote regions (1). Ex xonMobil is the world's largest nongovernmental marketer of equity natural gas. The company has access to 56 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves and discovered resources of more than 185 trillion cubic feet. It has gas sales in 25 countries and across five continents (4).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oil is Exxon’s primary means of revenue. In the Oil industry there are competitive forces that function in the industry, but none stronger than the barriers of entry. One of the major barriers to entry is finding a supply of petroleum or gas. The cost of research, discovery, and output of gas and petroleum can easily reach the 100’s of millions of dollars. Another problem a new company would face, is receiving permission to develop oil in a foreign country. Because of the amount of money involved in oil, countries tend to produce oil on their own, rather than share the profits. The large investment in capital and the political connections needs to enter the industry, make it almost impossible to start a new oil company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second force that affects the oil industry is the bargaining power of suppliers. In the industry, suppliers have all the power. There is no international trade commission, so oil can be dispersed at any pace and be sold at what ever price suppliers want. The inelasticity of oil and the constant fear that oil is on the verge of running out, gives suppliers absolute power in the ... ...d. The have more than enough money and resources to work on alternative energy sources. Whether it is hydrogen or electricity, they can reap both the financial and humanity rewards. For Exxon to end with oil would be a tremendous blunder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Exxon is not a company that needs to worry about competition. In the oil industry it is all about raw materials. The more a company has the more control they have. Exxon also has no need to be concerned with competition because gas is gas. No one is going to pay a dollar more for Exxon’s gas than Texaco. Another factor that eliminates competition from the industry is a unwritten theme that gas prices move together. It is rare to see two gas stations on the same block with significance in price. When oil prices go up, gas prices follow. Works Cited 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ExxonMobil’s Official Website 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  TexacoShell’s Official Website 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yahoo Finance ExxonMobil stock information and financial reports. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ExxonMobil’s Official Website Products and Services Subsidiaries and info about. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  TexacoShell’s Official Website 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ExxonMobil stock information and financial reports. Historical Stock Prices   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Shivaji

Chhatrapati Shivaji Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the founder of the Maratha Empire in western India. He is considered to be one of the greatest warriors of his time and even today, stories of his exploits are narrated as a part of the folklore. King Shivaji used the guerrilla tactics to capture a part of, the then, dominant Mughal empire. Read this biography to get more information on the warrior and his life history: Early Life Shivaji was born on 19th February 1630, to Sahaji and his wife, Jijabai, in the Shivneri Fort, situated almost 60 km to the north of Pune.He was named as Shiva, after the local Goddess Shivai, to whom his mother Jijabai had prayed for a son. After being defeated by the combined forces of the Mughals and Adil Shah, Sahaji was offered a jagir near the present-day Bangalore. However, he was allowed to keep his holdings in Pune. So, Sahaji left his son Shivaji to manage the Pune holdings, under the care of his mother Jijabai. With a small council of ministers, Shivaji began managing his estate. His ministers included Shamrao Nilkanth as Peshwa, Balkrishna Pant as Muzumdar, Raghunath Ballal as Sabnis and Sonopant as Dabir.At the same time, Kanhoji Jedhe and Baji Pasalkar were appointed to look after Shivaji's training. In the year 1644, Shivaji undertook full administrative responsibilities of his estate. Thus was started his career as an independent young prince of a small kingdom. His mother, Jijabai, was instrumental in instilling in Shivaji's mind a love for independence and distaste for external political domination. Career The first aggression in the life of Shivaji came at the age of sixteen, when he seized the Torna fort of Bijapur kingdom. By 1647, he had gained control over Kondana and Rajgad forts, with complete power of the Pune region.With time, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj secured the forts in the Western Ghats as well as those along the Konkan coast. Shivaji also fought against the army of Adilshah at Purandhar. In November 1 659, he fought the battle of Pratapgarh and defeated Afzal Khan. Immediately after this success, King Shivaji occupied the area stretching upto the Panhala fort. The battle of Kolhapur took place in December 1659. In the battle, Shivaji crushed the army of Bijapuri general, Rustemjaman. In 1660, Siddi Johar's huge and daunting army attacked him at Panhala fort.Shivaji managed to escape from the fort. However, he soon launched an attack on Siddi Johar. The result was the surrender of Panhala and a truce between Shivaji and Adilshah. After the death of Adilshah, Aurangzeb attacked Golconda and Bijapur. Shivaji used guerilla-style tactics and captured more and more of the Bijapuri and Mughal territories. However, by 1663, he had lost most of his conquests to the Mughal army. In the next few years, Shivaji again started seizing forts belonging to both Mughals as well as those of Bijapur. Aurangzeb sent Jai Singh, his Hindu general, to capture Shivaji.Shivaji surrendered to Jai Singh at Purander in 1665 and agreed becoming a Mughal vassal. In 1666, he managed to escape form his house arrest in Agra and lay low for the next few years. However, in January 1670, Shivaji launched an attack on Mughal garrisons in Maharashtra. Within a period of six months, he won back most of his lost empire. The period of 1670 to 1674 was spent by Shivaji Maharaj in expanding his empire at the cost of the Mughals. In 1670, Shivaji launched an assault, under his General – Tanaji Malusare, to capture Kondana fort on the outskirts of Pune.The battle was won but he lost Tanaji. In the honor of Tanaji, the Kondana fort was renamed as Sinhagad. Shivaji was formally crowned as Chatrapati (meaning the Chief, Head or King of Kshatriyas) in June 1674 at the Raigad fort. He was given the title of Kshatriya Kulavantas Simhasanadheeshwar Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The end of 1676 saw Shivaji commencing attacks in the southern parts of India. Death and Succession Shivaji breathed his last o n 3rd April 1680 in the Raigad fort, the capital for Maratha Empire. He was succeeded by his elder son, Sambhaji.

New Jersey’s Proposals to Cut Health Care Spending

In virtually every corner of the United States, State governments are grappling with the inevitable challenge of deriving a balanced budget given the outstanding deficits in revenues, a scenario largely precipitated by the financial crisis that has hit the nation. New Jersey is no exception. Indeed, state officials have increasingly found themselves faced with the reality of soliciting sufficient revenues to fund the topmost priority issues, unlike in previous budget allocations. In an attempt to draw a balanced and fair budget for the 2010 fiscal year, various proposals have been advanced.One of the efforts that can not escape notice is the idea of cutting funding for the state’ FamilyCare. The proposed strategy in realizing such an objective involves freezing the enrollment of parents between 150 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level and the implementation of co-payments for individuals in Medicaid and the AIDS Drug Distribution Program (ADDP) (NJ for Health Care, 200 9). Indeed, the budget dilemma facing the state is understandable, given the severe economic conditions.Whereas the idea of cutting monetary allocations on some items would suffice in minimizing the critical budget deficits that are essential in facilitating the advancement of the state’s yearly programs, adopting a rational approach based on critical evaluation reveals the utter need to reconsider the said proposals. In an economy where a significant majority is struggling to meet the high costs of living, the proposal to cut back FamilyCare enrollment of parents is evidently a grave issue that can be described as a matter of life and death.The fact that a healthy population is vital in the enhancement of economic prosperity is an indisputable reality that the state authorities embrace. In essence, the provision of Medicaid prescription drug benefits as well as the upgrading of Drug Distribution Programs for AIDS patients is essential in promoting health and wellness among N ew Jersey residents. Amidst the tough economic times, the advocacy of a sound healthcare policy is of critical significance. As such, the proposal to cut back funding on health-related programs like FamilyCare, Medicaid and ADDP should be inevitably reconsidered.The Significance of the Proposed Changes on Health Care The availability of quality and affordable health care services is necessary in the advancement of individual well-being. From a medical perspective, the client (patient) is the most important person. A general look at the proposed cuts and co-pays gives the indication that they will affect the ability of individuals to meet health care costs at a time when the cost of living has reached significantly high levels.In reality, the proposals will have a significant impact on health-seeking behavior, which constitutes a direct concern for the nursing and medical professions. The Impact of the Proposals from Positive and Negative Perspectives Generally speaking, the idea of coming up with a single healthcare policy that is not only budget-friendly, but which adequately addresses the health needs of the American population has remained elusive.At the national as well state level, financial analysts have year in year out grappled with the task of allocating funds to diverse priority issues. The idea of substituting certain financial allocations with others discerned to be of more socioeconomic consequence, often with mixed repercussions, has emerged as one of the most popular trends. Indeed, years of research and analysis has depicted the initiative of cutting health care spending on specific items as a double-edged sword. Positive ConsequencesOne of the healthcare policy issues that have been extensively studied is the effect of Medicaid drug co-payments. Examining the results reveals a significant degree of consistency in as far as the programs’ ability to minimize the overall healthcare expenditure is concerned. A longitudinal survey carried ou t in thirty eight states revealed that co-payments play an important role in barring individuals entitled to Medicaid benefits from filling prescriptions during a particular year, holding all other factors constant (Mason, Leavitt, and Chaffee, 2007).The predominant argument advanced in support of such behavioral trends is that beneficiaries of government-sponsored healthcare programs are inherently motivated to excessively utilize healthcare services funded by the government, which include ADDP and Medicaid, when compared with those with private insurance (National Organization for Women, 2007). By extension therefore, implementing co-pays suffice in instilling an increased sense of responsibility on beneficiaries of such programs, thus minimizing the tendency to seek unnecessary medical care.In essence, the rationale behind the suggestion to implement co-pays is based on their underlying assumption that the move would discourage unnecessary consumption of the Medicaid and ADDP pro grams which have traditionally been sponsored by the New Jersey government. In the long-run, the move is expected to save the state from excessive expenditures, and the arising funds directed to other priority issues. Negative Consequences A closer evaluation depicts the proposed healthcare cutbacks as likely to precipitate numerous unintended consequences in the long-term.For instance, it would expose the residents of New Jersey to increased health risks and dangers. This is particularly so considering the vulnerable population groups such as the poorest of the poor, the physically and mentally challenged, and those suffering from terminal illnesses. According to preliminary projections, the Medicaid proposal will affect an estimated 418,000 of the most vulnerable individuals, while the ADDP one will affect about 7,500 individuals registered under the program (NJ for Health Care, 2009).Indeed, New Jersey’s FamilyCare program acts as the principal health insurance plan for lo w-income families within the state (Castro, 2007). Thus, the decision to close the insurance programs and implement co-payments will have far-reaching consequences on health-seeking behavior amongst these vulnerable groups. The most obvious result would be to deter patients from seeking healthcare at the appropriate times. This would serve to exacerbate their health conditions, and majority would definitely end up requiring specialized hospitalization and emergency attendance.For instance, baring individuals with HIV/AIDS from accessing the AIDS Drug Distribution Program and imposing co-pays implies that a significant majority from low-income households could fail to access the life sustaining drugs as well as the related services necessary for positive living. While the assumption that depicts co-pays as serving to reduce unnecessary expenditures for individuals entitled to state-sponsored medical programs like Medicaid and ADDP could hold under certain circumstances, there is also a strong counterargument that the opposite could be true.Denial of the existing health insurance program (FamilyCare) which is fairly affordable would precipitate avoidable scenarios such as healthcare emergencies as well as serious illnesses (National Organization for Women, 2007). On another front, raising co-payments encourages patients to avoid cost-effective healthcare, and instead, seek medical attendance when their health status has significantly deteriorated. Examining the previous results of implementing co-pays gives provides strong indications that they indeed cause disadvantaged and marginalized groups to forego healthcare services, even those often described as fundamentally essential.In the last financial year for instance, the state of Oregon eliminated co-pays for prescription drugs after it emerged that the state’s Medicaid program co-payments were precipitating significant shifts in treatment patterns (Mason, Leavitt, and Chaffee, 2007). According to an inv estigation carried out in the same year, Medicaid co-pays for low-income individuals not only failed to reduce health costs as envisioned in the initial plan, but also precipitated clients to prefer a waiver of the co-pay as opposed to seeking medical services. The overall result of such tendencies is to inevitably increase the associated healthcare bills.Thus by implementing the FamilyCare, Medicaid and AIDS Drugs Distribution programs, the state of New Jersey would end up incurring more costs. From a practical point of view, this increased burden would be transferred to the ordinary taxpayer who has to pay additional taxes so as to cater for the unplanned healthcare expenditures. According to an analytical survey conducted by the Hispanic Directors Association of New Jersey (HDANJ), the proposed cuts are indeed shortsighted, and will most likely have severe financial implications (NJ for Health Care, 2009).This is not only in reference to the direct costs incurred in curative care , but as well those initiatives deemed to alleviate disease causation and spread. A case in point is when we consider the possible costs of patients who contract infectious diseases like the HIV virus, simply because they lack concise awareness of how the infection is transmitted. Similarly, it would be necessary to embrace a relatively new approach in the institutionalization of mentally sick clients who fail to receive appropriate outpatient counseling (Castro, 2007).In practice, these and other cases would most likely make the state and county governments incur additional and unplanned healthcare costs. Why the Nursing Professional Body Should Oppose the Proposed Cuts and Co-pays Examining the available body of evidence provides sufficient proof that the proposals to freeze the enrollment of parents in FamilyCare and implementation co-payments for individuals in Medicaid and the AIDS Drug Distribution Program are not only unnecessary, but also poses unprecedented health risks and dangers to the residents of New Jersey.It is imperative that nursing professional organizations throughout the state join hands with the rest of the citizenry in ensuring that these proposals are not implemented, considering the pivotal nature of the nursing profession in advocating for sound healthcare policy and promoting individual wellbeing in society. Indeed, the nursing fraternity should fight these cuts by using whichever means possible to influence state authorities to safeguard the health for all residents through the restoration of funding for the State’s FamilyCare, Medicaid and AIDS Drug Distribution Programs.This could be achieved by heeding the recently derived initiative of making phone calls to the state headquarters so as to express dissatisfaction with the proposals. Rationale for the Decision The proposals to cut health care spending on programs like Medicaid and ADDP in the state should not have been advanced at such an inappropriate timing. Indeed, the c urrent financial crisis facing the nation as a whole has not spared New Jersey. Examining the unemployment rates reveals that they have attained record-high proportions.As more and more citizens are laid off thus losing individual and family healthcare insurance, the situation is becoming more and more desperate for many residents, particularly for low-income households. At a time when living costs have attained unprecedented levels, the move to cutback enrollment in the State’s FamilyCare for poor working adults as well as the initiative to implement co-payments for individuals who least can afford them could not be less untimely and misplaced.To further highlight why the proposed cuts and co-pays are unwarranted, it is worthwhile mentioning that New Jersey has indeed received unanticipated federal funding aimed at stimulating the state’s economic growth. Recently, for instance, the state received a windfall of an estimated two billion dollars (for Medicaid) and anoth er one hundred million dollars (for FamilyCare) in additional federal funding, both of which were unexpected (). Despite the fact that these funds were largely utilized to correct the deficits in the state budget, it would have been similarly important to use a certain percentage cushion the health cutbacks.Indeed, this was the actual intention of the Congress. By utilizing the additional funds in appropriate ways, New Jersey would have probably won itself even more federal funding to meet its priority issues. In a nutshell therefore, implementing the said proposals is certainly a misplaced option, considering that it would have been avoided had the sound allocation mechanisms been employed. According to recent projections, an estimated seventy thousand people would be removed from the FamilyCare program, the only major health insurance scheme for low-income households should the stated proposals go through (NJ for Health Care, 2009).Likewise, the proposed move to implement Medicaid co-payments will affect the majority of those it is intended for: the elderly, poor, and children. The increased premiums and co-pays for health care have the implication that these vulnerable groups will be unable to access and afford essential medical services. Indeed, thousands of children in New Jersey could end up losing coverage for essential health care services such as payments for hearing aids, eyeglasses, and speech therapy among other necessary therapies hardly affordable to low-income households.In addition, implementation of co-pays for patients registered in the ADDP means that the less disadvantaged may experience unprecedented challenges in accessing drugs, counseling services, and any other necessary therapies and therapies. Overall, the implementation of the proposed cuts and co-pays make it hard for New Jersey residents to access quality and affordable health care which has often been cited as a necessary prerequisite for economic growth and development. As evide nce from the Oregon case where similar cutbacks were implemented, the overall state expenditure on healthcare is likely to increase, rather than decrease.Though proposal to implement FamilyCare cuts and Medicaid programs co-payments may lead to reduced costs in the short-term, the unintended consequences such as the tendency by patients to seek medical services when their health condition has deteriorated will mean additional in the long-term. Rather than the envisaged intention of lowering costs, the implementation of the proposals will only serve to place extra pressure on the state coffers, which in turn will be redirected to ordinary taxpayers.As New Jersey’s Senator Joseph Vitale recently observed, not only will vulnerable families be affected, but the state economy will also be hurt (NJ for Health Care, 2009). According to state projections, investing a single dollar in FamilyCare generates about four dollars in business activity, which translates to a loss estimated at forty million dollars (The Star-Ledger Editorial Board, 2009). Evidently therefore, the implementation of the proposed cuts and co-pays will have vast, disastrous and multiple consequences on individual families and the state as a whole.Those arguing for the implementation of Medicaid and ADDP co-payments also seem to neglect the essentiality of good health. By making healthcare services less affordable particularly for low-income families, the proposed co-pays will push individuals to the edge where they will continuously face one inevitable dilemma: that of choosing between basic necessities like food and housing on the one hand, and heath care needs on the other. The overall result would be to discourage health-seeking behavior.By implication, the nursing and medical professional fraternities will be faced with the increased task of attending to patients in critical conditions, which puts unwarranted burdens on an already strained health care system. Conclusion Considering the t ough economic conditions that prevail in the state of New Jersey, it is imperative that the proposals to implement cuts for FamilyCare and co-pays for Medicaid and ADDP programs be reconsidered.Particularly for individual families earning low incomes, the implementation of such initiatives presents a situation where one is increasingly faced with the dilemma of choosing between heath care needs and other necessities of life. Considering that the harsh economic conditions may force the State’s residents to opt to satisfy the more pressing needs of food and rent at the expense of health care services, it is necessary to reexamine the proposals.In a nutshell, the New Jersey State authorities should focus on expanding health care insurance coverage for all residents irrespective of their socioeconomic status or race, rather than suggesting cuts and co-pays which will not only harm individual families, but the wellbeing of the state as a whole. References Castro, R. J. (2007). Tim e to Keep the FamilyCare Promise. New Jersey Policy Perspective. http://njcitizenaction. org/hcfallingshort. pdf Coalition for a Moral Budget. (2009). Press release: Medicaid and ADDP co-pays will harm the most vulnerable New Jerseyans call upon legislature to eliminate co-pays from budget.Mason, D. J. , Leavitt, J. K. , and Chaffee, M. W. (2007). Policy & politics in nursing and health care. (5th ed). Edinburgh : Elsevier Mosby. National Organization for Women. (2007). Tax cuts hurt the poor. Opposing Viewpoints: Poverty. Ed. Viqi Wagner. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Apollo Library. Retrieved June 25, 2009 from http://find. galegroup. com/ovrc/infomark. do? &contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010159287&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=apollo&version=1.0 NJ for Health Care (2009). Senator Vitale, Chair NJ Senate Health Committee stands with advocates to oppose cut backs to NJ FamilyCare, Medicaid and the Aids Drug Distribution Program. May 12, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2009 from http://njcitizenaction. org/hcpress20090512a. html The Star-Ledger Editorial Board. (May 26, 2009). N. J. FamilyCare funding: An avoidable budget cut. The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 25, 2009 from http://blog. nj. com/njv_editorial_page/2009/05/nj_familycare_funding_an_avoid. html

interstate commerce act essays

interstate commerce act essays In 1887 the United States was still trying to rebuild and move to the west. The main method of transportation was the railroad. Not only was it quick, it was also expensive. No one had more problems paying for railroad cargo and themselves were the farmers. Congress eventually formed the Interstate Commerce Commission. Its goal was to wage lower rates than the railroad would allow. This was the start of the interstate commerce act of 1887. In this short essay some of the important sections of this act will be discussed and demonstrated by its importance and reasoning. Here is a brief, but accurate summary of the interstate commerce act of 1887. First, farmers could only carry cargo and transport it through the United States. Second, if a passenger asks for cargo or money from another passenger or the committee will punish him. Third, it is unfair to give money or cargo to any other person except for whom its is going to. Fourth, it is the rule that the railroad company is to keep scheduled stops and prices written legibly. The act says Schedules shall be plainly printed in large type... for use of the public.(Section 6,51) The last few sections give rights to the carriers safety. Any person claiming to be damaged may complain to the commission...or draw up a suit which is stated in this act.(Section 9,51) Other rules are the right to inspect cargo and ask the passengers purpose for transporting or having it. It was very important to the people of this time to have a proper-posted schedule, a decent fare, and a cooperative service in the railroad industry. The interstate commerce Act of 1887 not only set up fair state to state shipping and trade but, made it easy for their expansion and settlement. ...

Who Was Columbus essays

Who Was Columbus essays Christopher Columbus may have "Sailed the Ocean Blue in 1492," over 500 years ago, but only in recent years have books been written about the explorer that cover any new territory (pun intended) concerning personal information on this explorer. For the most part, he has remained a remote figure without much depth and understanding. As Carla Phillips and William Phillips said in Christopher Columbus in United States History: Biography as Projection, "His exploits have assumed mythic proportions, but there has been little attempt to probe beyond the myth." In fact, of the hundreds of books written on Columbus, nearly all are positive and many of them rehash the same information that has been in textbooks for decades and decades. In another one of their books, The Worlds of Christopher Columbus, the Phillips historian team adds that it was really not until the fourth centenary that "Columbus's life found its first great American debunker," through the writings of Justin Winsor. Instead of trying to cut down Columbus through religious prejudice, slanted information or character defamation, Winsor based his information on the documentary record and unbiased scholarship. He noted that Columbus was everything from a bad administrator to profiteer hoping to gain from the slave trade. One of the difficulties with a thorough study of Columbus is that much of the information about him comes from his own writings. Because of his strong ego, it comes as no surprise that Columbus only shows his good side in his log. He also probably thought of the important heritage his writings would leave to future generations. As the Phillips say, "Columbus had a strong sense of his own worth, rarely admitting any personal failings and tending to blame any and all misfortunes on the actions of others." In fact, in a flourish of pretentious mysticism, Columbus adopted the name ...

What Does Santa Clauss Resume Look Like [Infographic]

What Does Santa Clauss Resume Look Like [Infographic] Ho Ho Ho!It’s that time of year again! Santa has his professional resume perfected and is looking forward to flying out to his next assignment. Santa is definitely admired by children everywhere, and he is very experienced in his job so he’ll probably skip his interview step.His resume demonstrates that he has a very clear career path and is filled with accomplishments. However, he still needs to take some classes on Excel to help with his list updating. Check out his resume below and see why he is the man for the job! [Source: Kickresume]

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 25

Report - Essay Example Global oil prices significantly fell sharply over the past nine months and this lead to considerable reduction in revenue for many countries exporting the product. The prices have fallen from an all time high of $110 a barrel to a low of $60 a barrel, a significant difference if $50 for a barrel. The trend in the fall of price of oil per barrel is likely to continue as the produced countries have resisted attempts to reduce the production that may increase the price of oil. Economists point to the surge in the United States production and tame economic growth in many countries as the leading causes of the oil price fall. The dynamic nature of oil prices in history has often been linked to stock prices. The ultimate way to validate, the assertion that the stock prices can be the result of changes in oil prices is only through empirical research. Most of the research on the relationship between these two variables are normally in the Western developed countries, and yet oil forms a sig nificant part of the economy of the GCC countries (Alabdulwahab, 2008). The relationship between changes in oil prices and stock markets in GCC countries are important for other significant reasons, other than the one mentioned above. These reasons include the specific characters of their GCC stock markets demands a deep understanding of the underlying oil to equity market relationship (Asia, 2012). The Gulf Cooperation Council, formed in 1981, and it comprises the six countries of UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait (Arouri, Bellalah and Nguyen, 2011). This paper is a report that shall present the manner in which the changes in oil prices affect the performance of stock markets of the GCC countries Markets in the GCC have reacted sharply to the changes in the oil prices from July 214 to January this year. The last time the prices of oil peaked was September, and since that day the price of oil has fallen drastically by more than fifty

Director Moustapha Akkad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Director Moustapha Akkad - Essay Example In the year 1954, with the age of 18years, Akkad arrived at the airport for his departure. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles for 4 years and marked off in 1958. Upon graduation, he interned under the Sam Peckinaph; an American director, while pursuing his Master’s degree at the USC (University of Southern California). The director of Los Angeles; Sam Peckinaph contacted Akkad while looking for an Arab speaking advisor to assist him develop a movie about the revolution of Algeria for independence. Regrettably, the movie was dropped by the end of this revolution by the end of this revolution, but the relation between the two remained. Akkad proceeded and formed the FIP (Falcon International Productions), to completely distribute and finance John Carpenter’s Halloween; humbled budget spine cooler, written and produced by John. Carpenter, a hopeful filmmaker as well as the producer Irwin Yablans decided to make a low budget horror film on the babysitte rs being abducted and killed on Halloween. They went to Moustapha Akkad for the film financing and support. After a long discussion with Carpenter and an understanding of his passions and ideas for the film, Akkad accepted to finance and produced the movie. He definitely understood that to be embraced, the movie would have to adhere to the life of Muhammed without presenting him or showing him his voice. Despite this, the movie generated bones of contention including financing among others, hence, the movie production was transferred from Libya to Morocco. However, the movie went on and became famous. It even surpassed the existing produced movies which were privately produced and distributed (Lancaster, 2011). After the prosperity of Halloween, Moustapha set his eyes on the next epic narrative of resistance. His next movie was the Lion on the Desert; which enabled him reunite with Anthony Quinn in the topic role. Akkad continued producing movies in the Halloween series as well as o thers in the horror type, however, they were evidently meant to be stepping stones to his true passion that was to produce a movie on Islam and heroic Semitic Arab heroes. Former prime minister of Jordan; a friend to Moustapha pointed out that Akkad had a good rationale of what he intended to perform. He further stated that Akkad intended to develop an Arab film production company to produce more films about the Arab history as well as political figures. Generally, it is imperative to take into account this mission whenever an individual reflects upon the present budget and proper demonization Muslims, Islam and Semitic people, an individual is able to understand the way this would not concur with Zionist mechanizations. The defamation and denigration of Arabic peoples have frequently been the primary goal and focal point of post Israel Zionism. An individual only requires examination of the Hollywood film and television production from the aforementioned period to substantiate this preposition. In the present Hollywood, Mustapha’s positive movies on Islam as well as its heroes would never see the reality of the day such as financing, the resources to produce it as well as the associated distribution. The forces of deliberately infiltrated Zionist interests have developed an infrastructure in place which only shows that the media need to advance their agenda. Mustapha Akkad was renown as a very intelligent

Characteristics of Partner Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Characteristics of Partner Violence - Essay Example They are also excessively jealous and will always say that jealousy is a sign of love however jealousy is a sign of possessiveness and lack of trust. They accuse you of flirting with everybody. Abusers exhibit controlling behaviour and this is shown by at the beginning they will claim that they are concerned about your safety. They will be angry when you are late and closely question you about your whereabouts and who you talk to. Later on they will not let you make personal decisions and you end up asking for permission to leave the house (L.Petherbridge 2009). Abusers have unrealistic expectations or demands in which they expect a perfect partner, lover or friend. They expect that you take care of them emotionally, physically and sometimes economically. They use isolation to keep their partners off all resources so that you are centred on them. They will isolate you from your friends by accusing them of causing trouble (L.Petherbridge 2009). Abusers are prone to hypersensitivity as they are easily insulted and may take the slightest setback as a personal attack. They have dual personality as they can be charming and cruel at the same time. This characteristic makes it difficult for the victim to reach out for support from family and friends because they function well around work, friends and family and sometimes only the spouse is aware of the battering (L.Petherbridge 2009). Abusers are victims and his poor choices are everybody’s fault, he is never at fault and uses phrases like â€Å"you make me hit you†. They are critical and no matter how hard you try you will never be able to satisfy this kind of a person. They will degrade and insult you. Abusers are insincerely repentant and will swear never to â€Å"to hit you again† (L.Petherbridge 2009). Domestic violence is a pattern of controlling behaviours that are purposeful and directed at achieving compliance from and over a victim without regards for his or her right (M.C Dunbar 2002). One of the characteristics of an abuser in domestic violence is the person ridicules, criticizes and condemns. They put other people down to feel better about themselves. One should not allow someone to condemn, ridicule or criticize them (D.V Hoeff 2007). An abuser of domestic violence is not able to control their anger and usually anger easily. They are unable to reason through issues and difficulties often resort to abuse to get what they want (D.V Hoeff 2007). Another characteristic of an abuser is they are irresponsible and will use you and will not take responsibility for him. He then blames everyone else for his failures. He will also blame you for his own emotional reaction and bad behaviours (D.V Hoeff 2007). Abusers use forced sex on their partners or pressurise their partner to agree to forceful or violent acts during sex or want to act out fantasies where you are helpless. They are not interest in intimacy and their partner’s filings (D.V Hoeff 2007). Alcohol is t he most common substance of abusive and most people think that it causes domestic violence while in reality many perpetrators of domestic violence do not drink heavily. Substance of abuse does not necessarily cause someone to be violent but it often makes the violence worse. They are popularly used as scapegoats (S. Myers 2001). Alcohol and other drugs are used to

The development of recommendations for best practices in Value-Chain Essay

The development of recommendations for best practices in Value-Chain Integration for UK Financial Services organisations adopting Business Process Outsourcing - Essay Example ater pressures on margins which, in turn, drive the need for improved operational efficiencies; second, the need to refocus on core competencies in order to improve competitiveness and third, growing numbers of easily available and capable specialist providers. Added to this is the fact that technological advances now make it easier for business to be conducted across many locations and partnerships. It should be noted that businesses are constantly re-evaluating their strategic operations and the definition of core and non-core is consequently in a state of flux. What is viewed as core today will not necessarily be viewed as core tomorrow. Certain core activities can be outsourced if there is considerable fluctuation in demand that does not justify full time increase in head count. The decisions on outsourcing are generally strategic. Deming (1982, cited by Odindo et al, 2004) advised companies to reduce the number of suppliers. Fewer suppliers with long term commitments can improve a company’s operation. â€Å"Not having to deal with many companies helps to minimise the complexities and costs that may result from inconsistencies and variety when more than one service provider is used† (Odindo et al, 2004). Sometimes companies outsource to their competitors when the only competency to serve them is found in competitors. Odindo et al (2004) have also pointed out that outsourcing can be used to harness innovation and talent beyond the confines of a company. It is not easy or generally possible for an organisation to have all the talent required for the company to innovate. Using outsourcing providers gives a company access to the provider’s innovative capabilities. The very nature of the financial services business means that companies are suitable candidates for outsourcing and many have become highly sophisticated users of these services. Financial services companies have fewer ties to a particular geographic location than other businesses and only a small

Servant Evangelism Report Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Servant Evangelism Report - Personal Statement Example   The opportunity to assist the victims developed when I heard of the catastrophe that hit the Hurricane victims in some parts of the United States. The catastrophe left many people homeless and hopeless in life. I was able to share the gospel and my testimonies of life tribulation with the hurricane victims. Most of the victims were of the opinion that, God works in various ways, in relation to my testimonies. According to James 2:14-20, there is certainly no act of goodness when a Christian fails to assist an individual physically. Most of the victims ended up accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Consequently, faith without works is as impeachable as dead. The hurricane victims lost a lot, and all they needed was some form of comfort in someone to talk to about their loss.   Physical Assistance   I managed to raise some money and bought a few blankets, clothes and some food that I donated to the victims. I felt the need to express faith in action by comforting the mourners. However, the mourners felt that someone still cared for them even after the worst experience. I explained to them that God worked in the same way, despite what they are going through God is still with them, and is using the experience as a test their faith. I encouraged them never to lose faith in Him and that this was their chance to give their lives to Christ. Most of them were for the idea of accepting Christ as their personal savior, and I consider my evangelism a success.

Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin - Essay Example Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin were ardent believers of totalitarianism.Both were strict adherents of dictatorship who believed that the individual's needs must be subordinated to the State's welfare. However, historically they were strange bedfellows. They distrust and loathe each other. So when both inked a non-agression pact on August 28, 1939, not a few eyebrows were raised. It was no secret that Hitler considered "Bolshevism as the most extreme form of international Jewry".1 Hitler had always considered Russia as Germany's greatest enemy, regarded Russians as inferior Slavs and abhorred its self-imposed title as bulwark of communism. Thus, Operation Barbarossa was conceived to put Russia and Stalin on their knees. Hitler's resolve to decimate Russia in three months time was on the verge of being manic. Behind his back however, Stalin was also cooking a diabolical concoction for Hitler i.e. he was "preparing a preventive strike at Germany".Hitler left no stone unturned in this off ensive. He paraded 3.5 million Wehrmacht troops reinforced with Panzer tanks and hovered protectively by the famed Luftwaffe aircrafts. He then positioned these on a 2,000 mile frontier border from the Black Sea in the Crimea to the White Sea in the Arctic region. Because the Red Army troops were mostly inexperienced, the Germans easily captured most of the western Russian cities. But Hitler's 3-month time frame was stretched. What Hitler failed to foresee was the Red Army's seemingly inexhaustible reserve of manpower, the fortitude of Russian guerillas, the vast distances the Wehrmacht had to advance in

Servant Evangelism Report Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Servant Evangelism Report - Personal Statement Example   The opportunity to assist the victims developed when I heard of the catastrophe that hit the Hurricane victims in some parts of the United States. The catastrophe left many people homeless and hopeless in life. I was able to share the gospel and my testimonies of life tribulation with the hurricane victims. Most of the victims were of the opinion that, God works in various ways, in relation to my testimonies. According to James 2:14-20, there is certainly no act of goodness when a Christian fails to assist an individual physically. Most of the victims ended up accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Consequently, faith without works is as impeachable as dead. The hurricane victims lost a lot, and all they needed was some form of comfort in someone to talk to about their loss.   Physical Assistance   I managed to raise some money and bought a few blankets, clothes and some food that I donated to the victims. I felt the need to express faith in action by comforting the mourners. However, the mourners felt that someone still cared for them even after the worst experience. I explained to them that God worked in the same way, despite what they are going through God is still with them, and is using the experience as a test their faith. I encouraged them never to lose faith in Him and that this was their chance to give their lives to Christ. Most of them were for the idea of accepting Christ as their personal savior, and I consider my evangelism a success.

Aggregate Demand and Supply Models Essay Example for Free

Aggregate Demand and Supply Models Essay As it stands currently the existing effect of the economic factors on aggregate demand and supply are: unemployment, consumer income, and interest rates. In this paper we identify the existing effect of the economic factors on aggregate demand and supply. The American people have little to no income when unemployed, this in turn causes a decrease in demand for the economy. This type of event causes the aggregate demand to curve to the left. One of the main reasons unemployment remains high to this day is the lack of demand. A shortfall in aggregate demand is precisely the type of issue that can be addressed by monetary policy, however, to do so we need continuous monetary stimulus to progress toward maximum employment stability. The crash of the housing market has set tremendous limitation on consumer and their spending. Sternness on behalf of the government to a certain extent has decreased aggregate demand during this recovery period. These actions have directly impacted growth. What this means to us is that lower government spending and higher taxes call for disposable income for consumers, work for government contractors diminishing, and a decrease in government payroll. Another factor that has had great effect and impact are the levels of uncertainty. The events leading to this state have yet to be resolved which in turn have caused a lack of willingness and confidence within consumers. In the beginning the levels of uncertainty reflected the force of influence the recession had on us as consumers . This is something that had not been experienced in several years which made it difficult for us to handle or even find a way to get by in a more successful demeanor. After extensive research and analysis it is safe to say the supply-side considerations explain some of the rise in unemployment, which once again confirm the lack of demand as well as the fact that the economy is suffering first and foremost of a weak demand rather than a shortage of supply. References Williams, J. C. (2013, February 25). The Economy and Fed Policy: Follow the Demand. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Retrieved from http://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/publications/economic-letter/2013/february/economy-fed-policy-follow-demand/ Thoma, M. (2012, March 28). Demand, not supply, is restraining the economy. CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-57405230/demand-not-supply-is-restraining-the-economy/

Gender equality and Islam

Gender equality and Islam CHAPTER I Introduction Introduction Nowadays, in most of the time, whenever we consider about Islam, we immediately visualize suicide bombing, jihad, terrorism, violent protests, repressive regimes and veiled women in the Middle East. That means we, unknowingly, have a sense of negative feelings towards Islam world. Especially when we think about a muslin woman, we almost always think they are the victims who are suffering from gender discrimination, inequality and injustice. However, since my young age, whenever I found and met with muslin female friends, almost all of them are happy, friendly and peaceful and so I came to have doubts about the existence of gender inequality within muslin society. Especially when I started to study the course named Gender, Labor and Human Rights, I begin to have lots of questions on gender inequality issues in Islam world. This makes me to read a lot of books, papers and journals concerning gender problems in muslin countries. Therefore, in this paper, I try to make the analysis of ge nder inequality issues in Islam world. In my opinion, it is very important to know about another religion and culture properly and, otherwise, we can make wrong judgments on another religion and we can even make wrong accusation and improper insults on them. First of all, before we criticize any religion or any culture, we should remember what is written in Article 18 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. (UN 1948) Therefore, we must respect their religion and, at the same time, we have to try to find ways to attain third Millennium Development goal which states Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women. Generally, it is mostly assumed that gender equality has been present in western countries long time ago. However, it is important to note that, until a hundred years ago, Western women had virtually no rights in law or practice. It means gender inequality has been in place for quite a long time not just in Muslim world, but also in a lot of countries around the world. However, when we look into the Quran, it can be seen that Islam gave far-reaching rights and a defined status to women before the first European woman suffragette. Therefore, the general assumption of the presence of gender inequality in Islam cannot be correct and so we do need to find out why gender discrimination came into existence in Muslim world and how we can help and bring gender equality for Islamic women. Therefore, in my paper, I will try to explore and analyze what caused gender discrimination to be present in Muslim world and examine whether is it is possible attain gender equality goal within the framework of Islam religion. Before I mention my analytical framework, I would like to describe seven types of gender inequality which is stated by Amartya Sen. He differentiated and categorized gender inequality into seven different forms such as mortality inequality, natality inequality, Basic facility inequality, special opportunity inequality, professional inequality, ownership inequality and household inequality (Sen 2001). It would be perfect if I can go into details in these seven issues and check whether it is prevalent and how intense it is in Muslim world. However, because of the limitation of time and space here, I will analyze based on four perspectives namely economic, educational, health and political perspectives, using two case studies on Tunisia and Indonesia. Finally, I will try to answer how gender equality could be achieved in Muslim World. Background Information of Islam What is Islam? The very word Islam translates from Arabic as submission or obedience (to the will and laws of Allah as set down in the Quran) and the word Muslim, with the same Arabic root, means that person or thing which obeys Allahs law. (Horrie and Chippindale 2001) One of the key institutions of Islam is the Islamic law (Sharia). The Sharia is derived from the Quran and Hadith the texts that record the sayings and practice of the prophet, which have been compiled over a century after the death of the prophet Mohammad (Starken 2005). In fact, when we look back into the history, it can be found that Islam, Judaism and Christian religions have quite close relations in the past, but, now, they have been quite different in their contents and beliefs. Whatsoever, it is not a deniable fact that those muslin countries in the Middle East did possess a glorious time in the past. Since 622AD (CE) when Islam was founded, this Religion has been spreading all over the world and, now, the number of Islam believers reached 1.5 billion in 2005. It became the second largest religion after Christianity and it is still growing at 19%. Additionally, throughout evolution over time, Islam has been differentiated into several categories. In certain ways, Muslims are the same everywhere, and yet their societies are different everywhere. Confronted by the wide range and diversity of Muslim societies, the present generation of writers suggests their categorization thus: Moroccan Islam, Pakistani Islam, Malay Islam and so on. (Ahmed 2002) Nowadays, at the time of globalization, Islam religion has been questioned by the west whether this religion is against human rights or not. At the same time, gender discrimination issue also becomes a very controversial topic for Islam among international scholars. CHAPTER II Islam and Gender Islam and Gender equality According to the global gender gap index 2009, it can be found that most Middle East and North Africa region countries not only continue to perform far below the global average, but also do not show much improvement over the last year or have deteriorated with the exceptions of Israel, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, each of which has improved as compared with their absolute scores in 2008. (Hausmann et al. 2009). Moreover, out of 134 countries, the countries which got the least overall gender index score are mostly from Muslin countries, with Yemen at the bottom. In addition, we generally perceived that muslin women are denied a number of basic human rights under Islam, which range from the requirement of a guardian to enter a marriage to the obligation of the wife to obey her husband (Starken 2005). Additionally, we are hearing lots of stories about how women were set at a lower standard and bullied by muslin men and so we are nearly blaming Islam religion and Prophet Muhammad. However, when we really want to understand the whole situation as an unbiased analyst, we must be very careful in criticizing another religion. When we look into Quran, we can find that the basic premise of Quran is that women are spiritually and morally equal to men. In one verse, the Quran states: The Believers, men And women, are protectors, One of another: they enjoin What is evil: they observe Regular prayers, practice Regular charity, and obey God and His Apostle. This ethical and religious equality between men and women can be summed up in terms of respect between spouses, obedience to God, and practice of the five pillars of Islam. Their roles are defined as complementary. Other Quranic laws preached several enlightened ideas in favor of women, such as property and educational rights (Halila 1984). Concerning education, the Quran Sura 35 Verse 28 states: Those truly fear Allah, among His Servants, who have knowledge. Moreover, Prophets Hadiths repeatedly emphasizes the acquirement of education and knowledge for every Muslim male and female. For example, one Hadith states that , Seeking knowledge is a duty of every Muslim, man or woman. (Ayisha Lemu 1978:25). Another Hadith states, Seek knowledge from the cradle to grave. (1978: 25). Another Hadith states that, Father, if he educates his daughter well, will enter Paradise. (The World Bank Report July 9, 1993: 25). Yet another Hadith states that, A mother is a school. If she is educated, then a whole people are educated (Shamley 2009). Moreover, there are still a lot of verses in which womens rights are well-stated and so it is sure that gender equality is not something incompatible with Islam religion itself. Factors for Gender Inequality in Muslim World Historical Factors First of all, we cannot forget about the long history of patriarchal dominance throughout the history in which most of the Islamic writings are almost exclusively in the hands of male religious scholars who interpreted in patriarchal way. Additionally, Muslins faced Eurepean colonization almost inevitable. Moreover, we can find lots of misusage of Islamic religion throughout the history by many a king. Hence, in 1981, Iman Khomeini said: Unfortunately, true Islam lasted for only a brief period after its inception. First the Umayyads and then the Abbasids inflicted all kinds of damage on Islam. Later the monarchs ruling Iran continued on the same path; they completely distorted Islam and established something quite different in its place. The process was begun by the Umayyads, who changed the nature of government from divine and spiritual to worldly. Their rule was based on Arabism, the principle of promoting the arabs over all other peoples, which was an aim fundamentally opposed to Islam and its desire to abolish nationality and united all mankind in a single community, under the aegis of a state indifferent to the matter of race and colour. It was the aim of Umayyads to distort Islam completely by reviving the Arabism of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, and the same aim is still pursued by the leaders of certain Arab countries, who declare openly their desire to revive the Arabism of the Umayyads, which is nothing but the Arabism of the Fahiliyya. (Ahmed 2002) Moreover, concerning one of the most well-known issues, head scarf, it is not really according to Islam religion since Quran itself instruct women to cover their hair, breasts and private parts in public and not ask anything more. However, forcing women to cover their entire bodies as in much of Arabia and Iran is again cultural rather than Quranic, as are many other examples of discrimination against, or maltreatment of, women throughout the Muslim world. These include the practice of removing parts of the female genitals, so-called female circumcision or genital mutilation which is widespread in Muslim Arabia and Africa. Whilst the Quran does place restrictions on Muslim women, it also guarantees them the right to own and inherit property, to participate fully in political affairs and to sue for divorce in short a complete, separate legal identity. (Horrie and Chippindale 2001) Even though Prophet Mohammed did not discriminate women, after his death, religious scholars, kings and administrators elaborated and exaggerated the idea of mens role as protectors and very much reshaped Quranic injunctions in ways that suited them (Halila 1984). Colonial Factors Another important causal factor for gender inequality lies in colonialism. The impact of colonialism from the last century onwards affected society externally and internally in the most extreme manner. First and foremost, the already existing sexual divisions and roles of labour were further exaggerated. Colonialism imposed foreign values at the same time as it destroyed or eroded native ones. As a result, society collapsed internally, its destiny unsure, its confidence evaporated. Man retreated into the shell of rigid customs and sterile ritual, finding a form of security there. They also forced their women to hide behind burkhsa (shuttlecock veils) and remain invisible in the courtyards of their homes. In India, Mughal princesses were reduced to becoming prostitutes. The stereotype of Oriental females as chattels and playthings was formed. It was a bad time for Islam, a time of retreat. When the European masters began to leave from the middle of the twentieth century Muslim women were to be glimpsed still in various degrees of deprivation and subjugation. They still have to recover. Too much has been damaged. Deprived of economic and hereditary rights, and everywhere behind men in education, women formed into an inferior class. The actual situation of women, their social status and privileges, is usually far removed from the Islamic idea, whether in the tribe, village or the city. (Ahmed 2002) In fact, the Islamic civilization was virtually wiped out during the era of Colonialism, and thus what is left is a confused jumble of customs, religious ideas, imported governmental structures, political turmoil, and poverty (Emerick 2002). Economic Factors One important point we could miss to take into account is economic impact on gender issues. First, we cannot deny the existence of gender discrimination on labor issue in this world. Before we solve the division of labor and wages problems among men and women, it is very important to introduce women into the labor industry which will keep them out of their confined kitchens where they cannot learn anything and can get no idea to improve their gender role. As long as the women are engaged in Labor force, they can still at least get access to economic opportunities which have lots of impacts on their lives. However, it depends on the type of economy in which the country is introduced for women to get better access to labor markets. In Middle East oil-rich countries, the economic growth due to oil and mineral extraction is found to be a major cause for underrepresentation of women in the workforce. First of all, oil production did shape the country economy. When countries discover oil, their new wealth tends to produce an economic condition called the Dutch Disease, which is characterized by a rise in the real exchange rate, and a transformation of the economy away from the traded sector (agriculture and manufacturing) towards the non-traded sector (construction and services) (Corden and Neary 1982). Hence, in oil-rich Middle East countries, the traded sector cannot flourish and only non-traded sector becomes dominant. In many developing countries, women are largely employed in the traded sector, in low-wage jobs in export-oriented factories and agriculture; and they are excluded from many parts of the non-traded sector, such as construction and retail, since these jobs typically entail heavy labor, or contact w ith men outside the family (Anker 1997). Therefore, oil booming resulted in the inability and failure of women to join the nonagricultural labor force in non-traded sector. In fact, the entry of women to the labor force can boost female political influence since women in the workforce get a chance to form and join informal networks by which they can later attain collective action to lobby, influence and change a nations policy for the betterment of women. In those oil-rich Middle East countries, since the women miss chances to join workforce, they are far from acquiring collective bargaining power and they cannot influence in politics and policy making of the country. Hence, the lack of womens participation in economy has important policy implications. First, it reduced economic opportunities for women. Second, it reduced their political influence. Third, it may foster Islamic fundamentalism (Ross 2008). A recent study of 18 countries found that when Muslim women had fewer economic opportunities, they were more likely to support fundamentalist Islam (Lisa Blaydes and Drew Linzer 2006). Therefore, here, it is very important to accept and admit historical, colonial and economic causes as the real causes for gender inequalities in Islam. CHAPTER III CASE STUDIES Case Study One: Tunisia Background Information of Islam in Tunisia Tunisia was decolonized from French colonial rule in 1956, and Tunisia was led for three decades by Habib Bourguiba, who advanced secular ideas, including emancipation for women, the abolition of polygamy and compulsory free education. Within a few months after independence, the government changed the former family code and accelerated the enrolment of girls in primary and secondary schools and so, by the 1980s, enrolment rates for both girls and boys became very high. In 1987, Ziane El Abidine Ben Ali, who continued with a hard line against Islamic extremists, became president and he is still in power up to now. Tunisia is in the centre of North Africa and it has the population of 10.2 million according to UN in 2009 (BBC 2009). Its human development index (HDI) in 2009 is 0.769, falling in medium development group and it got 98th rank around the world (UNDP 2009). Even though it is a muslin country, womens right in Tunisia is among the most advanced in the Arab world. Gender Equality Movement in Tunisia In Tunisia, womens liberation movement went hand in hand with the efforts to free the country from colonization. The first advocates of womens liberation were the first nationalist leaders. The most prominent nationalist and feminist figure in Tunisia was Abdellaziz Thoalbi, who coauthored a progressive book called The Liberal Spirit of the Koran published in Paris in 1905. In this book some Quranic laws pertaining to women were reinterpreted from a liberal point of view, and education reforms and a progressive unveiling of women were called for (Halila, 1984). In 1930, when the feminist movement gained momentum, Tahar Haddad, a young intellectual, worte a revolutionary book called Our Women in Islamic Law and Society, in which he called for reforms in favor of women. In 1935, another attempt was led by a group of nationalist students, studying in French universities, who published the first feminist journal, Leila, in which the problems involved in the progressive emancipation of Tu nisian women were addressed.their emancipation platform included important points such as access to education and the abolition of the veil. As feminism and nationalism ran parallel in the 1930s, so did effective emancipation and social modernization in the postindependence era (Halila, 1984). Economic Impact on gender role in Tunisia Unlike other Middle East countries, Tunisia has a diverse economy with important agricultural, mining, tourism and manufacturing sectors (Horrie and Chippindale, 2001). Tunisia expanded its textile industry (traded sector) since about 1970 through exports, relying on low-wage female labor, and weathering changes in European trade policies and, now, it has the highest female labor participation together with Morocco in the Middle East. This high rate of womens participation in labor force has contributed to its unusually large and vigorous gender rights movements. Moreover, Tunisia has womens organizations that focus on female labor issues, including the right to maternity leave, raising the minimum work age, sexual harassment, and gaining rights for domestic workers. The womens movement began with an important advantage: shortly after independence, President Bourguiba adopted a national family law that gave women greater equality in marriage, and opened the door to major improvements in female education and employment (Rose 2008). Impacts and Achievements of Womens Rights Movement within Islamic religious Framework Thanks to all-out efforts of feminists along the history, Tunisia achieved lots of success in gender issue. One of the spectacular successes in the history of emancipation was the abolition of polygyny. The third verse of the fourth Surah mentioned as: If ye fear that ye shall not Be able to deal justly With the orphans, Marry women of your choice, Two or three, or four. And the same verse of Surah IV goes on to say: But if ye fear that ye shall not Be able to deal justly (with them), Then only one In a latter verse, it is mentioned Ye are never able To be fair and just As between women, Even if it is Your ardent desire: (Surah IV, Verse 129) Mahmoud Al-Annabi, president of the Court of Appeal, remarked: In order to protect the family, it was decided to take into account the impossibility of treating two or more wives equally. Moreover, President Bouguiba stated in his official speech on 13 August 1976 as: Polygamy is no longer acceptable in the twentieth century and constitutes an insult to the spirit of justice God never ordered that womans dignity should be trampled underfoot nor that she should be made mans victim. Finally, the modern Tunisia simply chose to outlaw polygyny in Article 18: Polygamy is prohibited. Marrying more than one shall incur a punishment of one years imprisonment and a fine of 240,000 francs or either of these. The legislation wanted to prove that, while polygyny was implicitly permitted, it was not an obligation (Halila, 1984). Additionally, lots of reinterpretation of Quran were done and women got more spaces in other issues such as marriage, divorce, dowry, the veil, etc. Later on, the womens movement has been more successful, raising the fraction of female-held parliamentary seats form 6.7% in 1995 to 22.8% in 2002 the highest in the Middle East, and higher than in Western countries like the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada (Rose 2008). Concerning education, the percentage of matriculation of girls in primary and secondary school increased from 34.6% in 1967 to 40.9% in 1980, and from 25.8% in 1964 to 36% in 1980 respectively (Halila, 1984). According to the Gender Gap Index 2009 Report as in the figure 2, Tunisia scored 0.623 and it was ranked as 109th out of 134 countries (Hausmann et al. 2009). In terms of political empowerment, it ranked 77th and it got 97th in terms of educational attainment. Concerning health, its maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births is 100 and maternity benefits are well covered by social security services and so Tunisia got 90 the rank. Concerning employment issue, female adult unemployment rate is 17.33% and male adult unemployment rate is 13.11% and so the gap is not much different. Even though Tunisia is a muslin country, it has been very successful in gender relations and so it means gender inequality issue does not totally depend on the religion. In case of Tunisia, it is very obvious that their gender equality can be promoted thanks to the reinterpretation of the Quran and their way of economic growth depending on traded sector which brings and engages lots of women into the workforce. Nowadays, Tunisia became a unique example of successful reform among Arab and Muslim countries. Therefore, we cannot blame the religion all the time for gender inequality issue and Tunisia is a very remarkable example that gender equality is possible to be achieved within the Islamic religious framework. Case Study: Indonesia Background Information of Islam in Indonesia The Republic of Indonesia is the world fourth most populated country and it got independence on 17 August 1945 after Japans surrender (Database 2008). Its human development index (HDI) in 2009 is 0.734, falling in medium development group and it got 111th rank around the world (UNDP 2009). It has the largest population of Muslims in the world and it is commonly stated that 90% of its over 230 million inhabitants are Muslims (wieringa 2006). Islam came into existence in Indonesia during the 13th century and, since the beginning of 19th century, due to the spread of Dutch colonialism, patriarchal culture was strengthened and institutionalized primarily in the legal system. Accordingly, even though the constitution guaranteed every citizen equality under law and government, Indonesian family law still applied different legal principles to different groups based on religion, customs and gender. This can be primarily attributed to a patriarchal interpretation of Islam (Katjasungkana 2004) . Soon after independence, Islamic groups have been fighting for the establishment of an Islamic state. In the late 1965 and the early 1966, at the time when Sukarno was replaced by Suharto, the two major groups, namely Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and the more rigid Muhammadiyah, grew closer and Suhartos New Order state was built on womens social, political, and sexual subordination, a policy justified by both anti-Communist and Islamic sentiments (wieringa, 2006). Various laws were enacted in which womens subordinate position was entrenched, such as the 1974 marriage law (Katjasungkana and Wieringa, 2003). As a result, the women became more suppressed than ever before. It has been a long way Indonesian feminist scholar, activists and women have struggled for womens rights within Islamic religious framework. Gender Equality Movement in Indonesia A Muslim feminist discourse is built around the reform of Islam along gender-sensitive terms, incorporating womens rights, such as those contained in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) (wieringa, 2006) . In those movements for Womens Rights, non-governmental organizations (NGO) play a major role and so UNIEFM stated and recognized that Indonesia has a strong NGO base, working to end violence against women, fighting for new government policies and providing assistance for women who have experienced violence (UNIFEM 2009). After the destruction of the womens movement in 1965-66, after the fall of Surkano, Yasanti founded in 1982 by some young Muslim activists was the first reappearing feminist organization (Wieringa, 2006). One of the best-known womens rights organizations is the Indonesian Womens Association for Justice (Asosiasi Perempuan Indonesia untuk Keadilan, APIK) which was established in August 1995 to fight for gender justice in Indonesia, using the concept of gender and transformative legal aid. APIK launched legal assistance program, its core program, by which it provided direct legal aid to women who are victims of violence and discrimination. APIK conducted this program in the form of consultations (direct, via email or by telephone) and litigation (representing and accompanying clients, who are referred to as partners so as not to form a patronage relationship inside and outside the court). It was also active in the fields of legal advocacy and training, and conducted research (Research and Policy Study Program) on The history of the Marriage Law The response of religion towards gender stereotyping The impact of gender stereotyping in the Marriage Law on various state policies The attitude of poor communities towards gender stereotyping Discrimination of women in the legal system as observed from CEDAW Articles in the Quran and Hadith that support the principle of gender equality The position of women under Islamic Law in Indonesia Baseline research on VAW Impact of gender stereotyping on the working conditions of low-income women An alternative Report on the implementation of CEDAW in Indonesia Moreover, APIK provide legal information to the public and specific target groups through campaigning and public education. It also strengthened a national network for feminist legal activities, both nationally and internationally (Katjasungkana 2004). APIK claimed that Islam is not only for women but for the whole of humanity, women included. They distinguished between the basic principles of Islam, which are unchangeable, and fiqhi, the thoughts of the ulema (Muslim scholars), who are only human after all and therefore prone to biases. They advocated legal reform in Indonesia in which gender biases introduced by fallible fiqhi are eliminated (Wieringa, 2006). Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, APIKs founder, introduced the concept of gender-sensitive transformative legal aid (Katjasungkana and Wieringa, 2003). Then, a broad range of womens organizations were involved in these debates and struggles. The major groups are APIK, the Womens Research Institute, and the mass-based Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia (KPI; Coalition of Indonesian Women for Justice and Democracy), the secular Womens Human Rights Commission. Even Shinta Nuriyah who is the wife of NU leader and former president Abdulrachman Wahid and Musdah Mulia who is the head of the gen der unit of the otherwise very conservative Ministry of Religion joined the movement (Wieringa, 2006). Impacts and Achievements of Womens Rights Movement within Islamic religious Framework Needless to say, womens organizations fought a very long, hard and tough battle in the midst of suppressive regime, Islamic fundamentalists and extremists. Often, they were violently intervened by arresting, detaining, even kidnapping and murdering female activist (Katjasungkana, 2004). However, because of their relentless efforts, women can move much forward than ever before. On top of their couragous advances, the downfall of the New Order government of Soharto in 1998 offered great opportunities to non-governmental organi