Balance And Stability

A true athlete develops his entire body to compete with the very best in his sport. He trains both his mind and body to reach his goals. His mind should be able to handle the pressure and stress that are involved in his competitive sport. He must be emotionally fit to compete in his sport; otherwise, he’ll lose or fair far below his expectations. His body should also be able to act and react in the right manner. The mental, emotional and physical aspects of his game must all come together as one.Whether an athlete is a catcher in baseball, a center in basketball, or a quick-running lineman in American football, he must perfectly develop all his faculties to achieve an above average level of balance and stability in his sport. Athletes should pay more attention to balance and stability because these factors are extremely critical in the success of their goals. The terms balance and stability may seem to have the same meaning, but they don’t (Carr, 2007, p. 89). These ter ms however, are very much related to each other. Balance and stability don’t always go together.Depending on the sport, an athlete may have more balance and less stability or none at all and vice versa. Both of these factors are necessary in almost all physical sports though because athletes have to constantly move their bodies while staying on the ground. Balance is a person’s ability to get rid of forces that ruin the evenness or equilibrium of things. Almost all people have balance to some degree. Young and old people use balance to stay on their feet while they're walking, running or hopping. Balance is also used in other movements, such as when a person tiptoes or dances a complex routine.Maintaining one's balance gets harder as the person encounters obstacles in his path. For example, a running back maintains excellent balance while he pierces the defense of the opposing team. In basketball, a point guard also displays above average balancing skills as he dribble s the ball around players guarding the basket (Carr, 2007, p. 89). There are many levels of balance. Not all people have the same level of balance. Athletes typically have greater balance than normal people because they arduously train to improve it. The concept of balance has been used in various sports for a very long period of time.As Sprunt (2000) and others noted, the term off-balance is also widely used in different types of sports. Thus, a basketball player may be said to have been caught off-balance if he loses his footing as he scrambles for the ball. Generally, it is not good to lose your balance in any kind of sport (Sprunt, 2000, p. 63). Balance itself is related to another important factor in executing movement: stability. Stability is the ability to maintain a person’s balance while encountering things that ruin that balance. To put it another way, stability is how balanced a person is.Different athletes have different tactics that increase the level of their st ability as they encounter forces that may be going against them. According to Foran, athletes typically face gravity, air resistance and friction when performing in sports (Foran, 2001, p. 119). For this reason, some athletes train hard to raise their stability to the level of being as steady as a rock. Sports shows typically have play by play slow-motions that showcase moving stability by players of different sports. For instance, stability is clearly shown on highlights of football plays.A football player displays excellent balance when he reaches out for the ball whizzing through the air. He jumps high using a single leg and lands gracefully on the same leg. However, that excellent balance may be disrupted by a rampaging opponent that slams into him as he's floating above the ground or standing on one leg. After the dust clears, you'll usually see the other player down on the ground because he traded stability for balance. Compare the previous example of a 300 pound lineman with his body arched and his center of gravity positioned low.This athlete can receive the hammering force of a 400 pound lineman, pushing him to get out of the way. The athlete does not drop to his knees, spread-eagle on the ground because his stability is way off the charts. If the lineman is really stable, he may even have the ability to push back his opponent or ram his way through the defense, sending him crawling on the ground. In this case, his opponent is the one that lacks stability and so he pays dearly for it (Foran, 2001, p. 119). Also, stability may be harder to maintain if forces are coming from many different directions.A lineman may be able to defend against the opponent directly in front of him, but he may not fare as easily if the opponent comes from his left, right or back. It's still possible to hold a great level of stability however, if the athlete's position is correct and if he has the right body to counter massive objects that's coming at him from different direc tions. Almost all kinds of physical sports showcase balance and stability. Sports like baseball and basketball are no different because athletes continuously move their bodies in these sports.As Thompson and Baldwin (2007) observed, athletes in these sports and others must do various drills to improve their balance. They must train their core muscle groups to have the excellent level of balance and stability that their sports require (Thompson and Baldwin, 2007, p. 369). In baseball, balance and stability are shown in the role of the catcher who tries to catch baseballs sent flying by the pitcher. In basketball, balance and stability are exemplified by huge, tall centers or post players that play near the basket.It is important to note that these sports are played very differently but both of them require superb balance and stability nonetheless. First, the baseball catcher has to have great physical attributes such as fast feet and hands, mighty arms and excellent balance and stabi lity. He spends much of his time on the baseball field crouching and anticipating the ball that the pitcher will throw. His weight is distributed on his heels. He bends his knees so that his upper leg is parallel to the ground. You'll also notice that his backside is positioned close to his heels.His back must not curve and shoulder blades must be positioned a little bit backward to give him more stability. To further increase stability, he must hold his head up high and he must hold out his glove. This unique crouching position is supported by the baseball catcher's amazing balance and stability (Thompson and Baldwin, 2007, p. 369). The baseball player in the previous example shows linearity in his balance and stability. Remember that balance is a person's ability to get rid of forces that ruin the evenness or equilibrium of things.Compare this to stability which refers to the level at which a person can maintain his balance while encountering things that may ruin it. Simply put, l inear stability occurs when you are able to resist an object that tries to move you. In the previous example, the catcher's stability is put to the test when tries to stop a ball that's flying toward him at 80 or 90 mph (Thompson and Baldwin, 2007, p. 369). Stability that is based on linear movement is influenced by the mass of the moving object that carries force and the object that tries to stop that force.The moving object here is the ball that flies toward the pitcher and may end up in the catcher's resisting hands. For many catchers, reaching the optimal stability that is based on linear movement is very easy. Baseball is a tough sport because it requires players to have great balance and stability while maintaining focus on the ball that's flying toward them. The catcher in the previous example must train hard to be able to block bad pitches and throw out runners who attempt to steal bases. In some cases, the catcher may have to abandon his crouching position to block a bad pi tch.This move trades stability for balance to catch the ball. The crouching position shows the three most important principles of a stable body (Mull, 2005, p. 174). First, the catcher increases his stability by broadening his base. The resulting position is that the catcher's feet are wide apart and firmly on the ground. Second, the baseball catcher centralizes his line of gravity by straightening his back and holding his head up high. Third, he crouches with his knees bent to lower his center of gravity, further adding to the stability of his whole body.When all of these positions are combined, the catcher comes up with a stable crouching position that allows him to easily move his whole body when catching a flying ball even when it is outside the normal zone. Stability is also based on an athlete’s capability to move his line of gravity forward, anticipating a fast-approaching force. This type of movement may unbalance him for a short duration of time, but the force of the approaching object might restore him to his previous balance. This is not the case though for a baseball catcher who blocks bad pitches.Even though the ball flies fast toward the catcher, its mass is still little compared to other balls. The catcher then puts his line of gravity directly in front of the approaching ball but quickly restores his balance. He also usually drops to his knees to bring down his center of gravity and increase his stability. Balance and stability can also take each other’s place in baseball. For example, balance and stability are reversed when a runner steals a base and is challenged by a catcher. The catcher positions his line of gravity directly in front of the fast-approaching force to throw the runner out.Another skill of a baseball catcher is throwing the ball to the base, which consists of applying force rather than resisting it. The catcher tends to rise to keep his line of gravity in the center and avoid falling down before throwing the ball . His weight is transferred to the back of his foot as he moves his body backward to throw the ball. There are also cases where the player who throws the ball temporarily moves his center of gravity outside the area where support is strongest. As the ball is thrown, the center of gravity moves from the back of the support area to the center and then to the front.The dynamics of balance and stability can also be seen in the sport of basketball. There was a time when post players were players that are massive and tall. This allowed them to block offensive players that run to the basket. Today, however, post players are not that huge anymore and they have better footwork. They are faster and more agile, so they can keep up with quick short players that have many tricks to drive to the basket. While post players of the past and today are different, they both still use the principles of balance and stability when playing their game.A post player or a center receives huge forces when guar ding the basket. This is a prime example of static stability in the face of opposing forces (Moran and McGlynn, 1997, p. 56). Post players from the opposing team constantly push and pull him to get him out of the way. Mass is important in being a post player to have enough balance and stability to withstand those vicious offensive moves. The more massive a player is, the greater is his stability. For example, Shaquille O’Neal or Shaq was extremely successful because of his extraordinary mass. There was a time when basketball experts claimed he weighed around 380 lbs.90 percent of that weight consists of muscle tissue and other nonfat tissue. Because of O’Neal’s great mass, other players find it very difficult to break his defense. Offense under the basket is also easy because his defenders just seem to bounce off him. His level of stability is excellent, which makes him an almost perfect post player. The perfect post player though, is not the perfect basketball player. In fact, a player who has a great mass often finds it difficult to change his direction when moving. In this case, quickness and agility are sacrificed for stability and balance.This is similar to a rampaging sumo wrestler that gets easily thrown out of the ring when his quick opponent steps to one side. Post players though, typically play within a very short distance from the basket, so their weakness in terms of quickness and agility is hard to exploit. New centers or post players like Yao Ming have less mass but are quicker and more agile. They are less stable because of their small base, but they can change direction quickly, which is useful in guarding against fast players that drive to the basket. Tall players however, may have lesser balance than shorter players because their center of gravity is very high.You’ll notice that short players are very balanced even when they are dribbling around a number of defenders because their center of gravity is nearer to the ground. Having a wide base is extremely important in being a post player (Chandler and Brown, 2008, p. 87). For this reason, many post players spend long hours in the gym to build their body and widen their base. If a post player’s base is not wide enough, he’ll find it harder to stop offensive attacks coming directly at him from the opposing team. Blocking a player with a small base is easy if the post player’s base is large.Another important factor in being a good post player is the center of gravity. It’s always best to lower a player’s center of gravity to increase his balance and stability. The reason why post players play with knees bent is that they have to widen their base and lower their center of gravity. It’s not always best to widen the base and lower your center of gravity though, as the post player will be sacrificing his height. This makes him vulnerable to high-jumping players from the opposing team who can always drive to t he basket and jump high against the short post player.A post player may also move his base forward to face the opposing force. Moving the line of gravity forward stabilizes the post player, helping hem to successfully guard the basket. It’s not advisable to move the center of gravity too near the front of his base though, because this might result in the player losing his balance. In conclusion, applying balance and stability when playing different sports is important to athletes for them to achieve their goals. Both athletes and coaches should pay more attention to balance and stability to be more successful in their sports.Various sports skills should be honed and trained so the athlete becomes more effective. The physical, mental, and emotional aspects of his game must all come together and become one. While other attributes such as agility and speed are also important in executing different sports skills, balance and stability are very basic in almost all kinds of sports. Without balance and stability, an athlete has a higher chance of failing in his chosen sport. He must constantly weigh the pros and cons of developing balance and stability over other attributes.He may also review the tradeoffs between balance and stability because each one presents their own advantages in a sport. He’ll be more effective in his chosen sport once he perfects his balance and stability. References Carr, G. (2007). Mechanics of Sport: A Practitioner's Guide. Detroit, MI: Human Kinetics Foran, B. (2001). High-performance Sports Conditioning: Modern Training for Ultimate Athletic Development. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Sprunt, K. , Kerwin, D. , & Fowler, N. (2000). An Introduction to Sports Mechanics: A HomeStudy Pack Providing Sportspeople with an Introduction to the Basic Mechanics of Movement. Coachwise. Thompson, W. , & Baldwin, K. (2007). ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer: Techniques, Complications, and Management. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Moran, G. , & McGlynn, G. (1997). Cross-training for Sports: Programs for 26 Sports. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Chandler, T. J. , & Brown, L. (2008). Conditioning for Strength and Human Performance. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Mull, R. , Bayless, K. , & Jamieson, L. M. (2005). Recreational Sport Management. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Big Spaceship

Big Spaceship feels, as an agency, it should continue to grow while still keeping the boutique culture that brought the company success. There is no clear direction as to how the company should grow. Big Spaceship is unique, so its specific market could soften at any time, which would most likely lead to layoffs. Currently, Big Spaceship is a privately held company. One option would be to open the company up the public to gain capital which would put the company in a good position for sustainable growth.Like other ad agencies that have sold out to holding companies, selling out could help stabilize growth within the ad agency. Big Spaceship could open up a satellite office with key inner circle employees, which would allow for growth, while keeping the small boutique image. Opening Big Spaceship up to the public has a high probability of generating a large amount of capital due to the company's past success. This however, would leave the company open to pleasing shareholders, which c ould move away from Big Spaceship's culture.Selling to a holding company would be beneficial short term. The holding company would provide support and stability during down turns in the ad agency market sector. In the long run, the holding company's ideas may overshadow Big Spaceship's vision. Adding a satellite office with trusted employees at the head, would allow for growth while still keeping the vision aligned with the main office. It would generate autonomy with the satellite office. Big Spaceship tried a satellite office once in Los Angles, but closed shortly due to differentiating cultures.Although it did not work in LA, it could potentially work in another location. The best recommendation would be to find a holding company that fits Big Spaceship's vision well. Although it's not ideal to be under a holding company's control, it provides the best stability for down turns in the market. If the holding company is a good fit, there is great potential for Big Spaceship to keep its vision, boutique culture and continue to be successful.

AVIATION LAW

AVIATION LAW This highly specialized field of law encompasses most facets of air travel, as well as the operation and regulation of business issues relating to air travel, which requires a comprehensive knowledge of FAA regulations, specific laws regarding flight, and an in depth understanding of aviation. It governs the operation of aircraft and the maintenance of aviation facilities. Aviation law pertains to nearly all individuals connected to the operation and maintenance of aircraft. Air traffic regulation polices, in both federal and state government, has created laws and administrative agencies with certain restrictions preventing states from regulating routes, services, or the rates of all air carriers authorized to provide interstate air transportation by the Federal Aviation Acts. Through Laws, aviation industry been organized in terms of their activities and professionalism prohibiting all acts that may endanger airplanes, airports or any facility related to aviation services. The law obligates aviation workers to obtain permit or license from recognized bodies, with penalties and fines to be imposed for violations. The law has been utilized to assess and screen all aviation exercises and aeronautics specialists, and may additionally characterize any demonstrations that constitute hazard on aviation facilities, air operations, aeroplanes, air travellers and air traffic. To cut it short, the law that has to do with aviation is Aviation law and this is the branch of law that governs the legalities and business aspects of flight and air transport, such as air traffic rights, aviation safety and security, economic regulations of airlines, and the operation of airports. 2.1 Aviation Safety A remarkable means of mobility is one of the skeletal make up of a modern society. Every means of transportation connects with each other. They perform a same function at different dimensions. Out of all the means of transportation, air transport is the safest in regards to the ratio between the number of accidents and that of passenger/kilometers. Another issue is that when incidents or accidents occur such as plane crash, with casualties, all ears are aware about it and this gets the attention of the government. It is therefore not new or surprising that every State government priorities and give attention to it more than other means of transportation. One of the key elements to increase the public confidence in air transport is put in place a standard impeccable level of safety in the Aviation Sector through law. Aviation safety is not an agenda of a group or a sect of people; it s a universal concern that needs an international attention and enforcement. It is just simply the very important issues on a world stage. Being able to critically interpret the word safety in the aviation is very important. What does safety means? According to Merriam-Webster definition, safety itself means the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss. This definition, if applied to the aviation world, would totally picture the idea of do not go against the fundamental principle of nature since the law of gravity is universal and machines (which is prone to technical fault) are not human. Another definition made it clear that safety is a mechanical device designed to prevent inadvertent or hazardous operations. This could mean that if we go against the laws of nature, devices with high technological concepts can be used to carry out operations of high risk with the tendencies of circumventing inevitable catastrophes. A source gave another definition of safety as a complete understanding of your work and knowledge of every step that must be taken and the realization that mistakes could be costly to yourself and to the company. This in actual sense could mean that every personnel in the (aviation) industry must be completely learned and adequately trained always towards every operation going on in the industry and not having believe in luck but having the right mind to handle any sudden hitches that may come up briskly. More so, safety could mean remembering the safety rules set up by a company and applying them every minute when on the job. It can be finally concluded, with the understanding of air transportation, according to the definition given by ICAO Air Navigation Commission that aviation safety is a state of freedom from unacceptable risk of injury to persons or damage to aircraft and property . This meaning is very comprehending as it indicates that mistake(s) that lead to fatal accidents would become an intolerable hazard, for lessons must be learnt and since safety is not a rigid concept, it has to be flexibly and exposed to changes in synchronism with technological and innovative advancement. What caused power failure, wire sparks, o r technical problem in last year s crash must not repeat itself in the present year. According to the ICAO definition of aviation safety, everything must be put or set right and there must be a zero or insignificant risk before operations. However, marriage between safety and security cannot be sundered. No matter the highest precautions put in place to ascertain safety in a situation, such situation must be secured. The September 11, 2001 attack on US was not as a result of default in safety, it was the ability of the terrorists to bye-pass the security instruments, which nullified the effective safety mechanisms that was put in place. To make aviation safety at its optimal level, aviation security must be kept and treated as a subset to it. Every airline company has a duty to comply with the rules and regulations of the States Aviation Regulatory Bodies. Likewise, no State Aviation Authority is autonomous, they must be under the international body, which gives and determines rules that all aircrafts and airlines must comply with before flying. The role of aviation safety is but not limited to prevention of accidents but covers all scopes but this study will focus on just the legal dimensional aspect of it. It has been noted that safety is not limited to accident prevention, but should be considered in a broader term as risk management. Keeping the aviation industry safe is just the law, which sets right the right things to put in place to ensure safety. For example, the Federal Aviation Agency which is saddled with the responsibility to regulate airlines in US has embraced safety as its core mission with the statement Our mission is to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world and our mantra is to improve the safety and efficiency of aviation, while being responsive to our customers and accountable to the public . Equally in, the EU, the European Aviation Safety Agency, EASA, which is the centrepiece of the European Union’s strategy for aviation safety has its mission, which states that t o promote the highest common standards of safety and environmental protection in civil aviation. They mainly draft legislation that centres on aviation safety and works hand in hand with the national authorities, which continue to carry out many operational tasks, such as certification of individual aircraft or licensing of pilots. Additionally, in Nigeria, the most populated black nation in the world, has Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, as its highest aviation regulatory body that ensures that all stakeholders in the sector comply with the aviation safety regulations. Where safety rules are breeched, the NCAA takes strong corrective actions to enforce compliance which may include sanctions. As it is conspicuous that every democratic government must have a 3-arm component, which constitute of the executive, legislature and judiciary, it is also not new that they must function as a sovereign entity. They can make laws that would solely affect them and form ties with friendly nations with treaties of economic and political importance. As it is extremely pertinent for states to be free of any form of external aggression, its will be disturbing and dangerous to leave some issues in the hands of States to regulate fully without some international bodies influencing them. In as much that citizens of State A can have the freedom to chose another State of interests to visit for any good reasons, then safety doctrines that is regimented by international bodies would save State B from the possible safety negligence from State A s aviation sector. Since law is a product of drafting of bills, passing the bills and giving assent to it and implementing it, it can be seen that when laws dealing with aviation industry, having in mind that there are rules of international standards which binds all, every legislative arm of a State have the duty to marry the national laws with the international rules such that the world will have a safe air transport system. 2.2 Civil Aviation It is among the most widely controlled sector in the world. Every single technical personnel, equipment and airport must be certified and monitored by competent regulatory agencies known as Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs). Indeed, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other global bodies thus evaluate even the CAAs themselves. The working standards, rules and measures used in civil aviation have Standards And Recommended Practices (SARP) of ICAO and stipulated National laws and regulations as there working template. 2.3 History of Aviation Safety It is very important to always have a fine connection between the past, present and the future. Aviation safety did not just become an issue of concern today. It can be dated back to when humans began to add air to the means of transportation. History of airplane can be traced to the age of the Wright Brothers who went against all odds to air-control an aircraft that was engine-powered for 12 seconds in 1903. However, the ideas of these brothers were tailored to meet the aims of victory that spelt doom to the generations in the World War I (1914 – 1918). This ushered in a new era of flight. There came into existence the invention of flights instruments, airplanes were equipped with radar, the first jet engine was already in production. Technological advancement bringing about improved aerodynamics, high-powered engines and aircraft (fabric) metals enabled these flying machines to go on high cruising altitudes and bringing about transoceanic flights. After the ending of the World War II, jet airliners began. Airline companies such as Pan Am and airplane manufacturers, for example, Boeing are into air transporting meeting the fast mobility need of uncountable number of passengers all over the world. Fear was an element that gripped people in regards to their safety. In course of making sure that public confidence is buffered, aviation safety became the channel by which the establishment of ICAO came into being. Regulations were put in place, which happens to be the earliest form of legislation, to make sure that everyone on the ground not aboard is safe from the aircraft impact on the ground. This however became or was seen as a biased legislation, which did not consider those on-board. Aviation Law that has to do with safety got a new face when in 1819, France enacted a law which required that man-flight balloons be equipped with parachutes which can be seen as to incorporate not only safety on the ground but also safety on board aircraft. In Paris, the year 1889 gave birth to first international aeronautical congress in which Brazil, Mexico, France, United Kingdom and United States were in attendance. In this convention, issues such as aeronauts certificates; liability of aeronauts towards passenger, the public and landowners; salvage; and the use of aircraft in war were discussed. Another conference was held in 1910 in France attended by nineteen states but suffered no adoption of a single convention due to the fact that the participants could not agree on the kind of treatment to be extended to foreign and national aircraft in regards to over flight freedom. This convention happens to be the first international air law conference that displayed the very much eagerness to make provision for a regulatory regime of global standard for civil aviation. However, in 1913, precisely, July 26 1913, France and Germany signed the first bilateral agreement, which allowed for airships from Germany to enter French airspace and remained in France. The first legal instrument to enter into force in the world of aviation was the Paris Convention of 1919, which is enclosed with a recognised comprehensive and exclusive sovereignty of states over the airspace. This convention enjoyed a ratification by 32 nations. Few of the features of this convention was the generally acceptable definition of aircraft; CINA, the Commission Internationale de la Navigation Aerienne , was established in Article 34, which got a far-reaching regulatory powers chiefly directed towards technical matter. ICAN, the International Commission for Air Navigation was established by this Paris Convention, which dealt exclusively with the regulation of international air navigation and in particular public international air law. In law the ICAN was placed, and remained, under the direction of League of Nations, in practice direction was replaced by friendly cooperation. The League never attempted to exercise any authority on the ICAN, and the ICAN never attempted t o break away from the League; cooperation was mostly carried on through the League s Committee on Transit and Communications. This Committee and the ICAN were represented at each other s meetings, when any question of common interest was under discussion. It also provided for innocent passage of the aircraft of other jurisdictions in times of peace and prohibited aircraft from carrying explosives or weapons. The Paris Convention was starved with universal acceptance, which should have been the desired goal that coloured aviation safety. Like it was said above that this Convention got a 32-state-ratification, however, giant states; Russia, Germany, China, United States were absent in this States ratification of the Convention. In Madrid, the Ibero-American Convention on Air Navigation (which is also referred to as Convenio Ibero Americano de Navegaci n AÃÆ' ©rea, or CIANA, also called the Madrid Convention) was formed which seems to succeed the Paris Convention. This Convention came up due to the growth of aviation activity between Spain and South-America and as a result of the failure by the USA and most Central and South American States to adhere to the Paris Convention, Spain decided to initiate a diplomatic counteraction and invited all Latin American and Caribbean States and Portugal to the Ibero-American Conference to be held in Madrid from 25 to 30 October 1926. This Convention suffered neglect because at no point in time was it registered with any international body. It was labelled unsuccessful; reason being that at the time it was being formed, aircraft of the period were not sufficiently developed to tie together Iberia and Latin America. Another factor that made this Convention to lack succe ss was Spain s political environment during the period was very unsettled, deteriorating into Civil War and the change of focus of Latin America energies on North America keeping them distracted away from Iberia. 1927 marked the year when the United States commenced the drafting of an air navigation Convention for the Americas identified as Pan-American Convention. It was not signed until 1928 at Havana. It can be said that the modelling of the Pan-American Convention was after Paris Convention being applicable to not government aircraft but only Private aircraft. Mutual freedom of air passage was orchestrated by this Convention with stone-rules for aerial traffic as the principal structures lacking technical standards of uniformity and Annexes. This Convention however did not help ICAN but weakened it. Unfortunately, after the World War II, it became out-dated due to the mammoth improvement of aerial transport in the period of war. On 7th of December 1944, some 50 states signed the Chicago Convention couple with two agreements annexed to it, which are the International Air Services Transit Agreement, and the International Air Transport Agreement. This Convention was a replacement for the Paris Convention and became an heir to the safety framework set by the Paris Convention, in fact, Chicago Convention would not have been what it claimed to be if not for the residues of previous conventions, conferences and all-important statement of aerospace sovereignty. Even though there is no such Convention that is stable and universally accepted, Chicago Convention seems to be a package of agreements that is use today. It is widely known formally as Convention on International Civil Aviation (CICA). Without mincing words, it created an independent agency known as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which succeeded International Commission for Air Navigation (ICAN). This Convention is pregnant with sub-ag reements listed below: The right to fly across another’s territory without landing; 1. The right to put down passengers and cargo taken on in the territory of the aircraft’s nationality; 2. The right to take passengers and cargo destined for the territory of the aircraft’s nationality; and 3. The right to take on passengers and cargo, and to drop-off passengers and cargo destined for, or coming from the territory of any state signatory to the Chicago Convention The right to land for non-traffic purposes (such as to re-fuel). 2.4 Aviation safety Regulatory agencies With a specific end goal to meet the prerequisites for safe air transport benefits, various organisations and foundations have been set up at worldwide, regional and national levels to create basic guidelines, regulations, benchmarks and methods on safety and administer their execution over all aviation jurisdictions. The administrative system and safety necessities have been developed over decades and are persistently being changed or amended and upgraded to accomplish a perpetually expanding safety execution and to meet future difficulties postured by the usage of new air navigation ideas and the need to guarantee manageable advancement of civil aviation. Before distinguishing the three basic layers of safety regulations, it is important to state that all administrative regulatory agencies perform the functions of making of rules, enforcement of the rules, or adjudication. The rulemaking function is very much like the legislative process performed by the Congress; enforcement is the same sort of process performed by the executive branch of government and adjudication is essentially the function performed by the judiciary. The three basic levels of aviation safety regulations are: 1. International regulatory arrangements and requirements, established and promulgated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), 2. Regional regulatory arrangements and requirements, 3. National regulatory arrangements and requirements, promulgated in national legislations and other normative acts by the designated State authorities. 2.4.1 International Regulatory Arrangements The standard global aviation regulatory organ is the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ICAO is an agency of the United Nations and was set up in 1944 through the Convention on International Civil Aviation, identified as the Chicago Convention. Through the cooperation of complying states, ICAO creates Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) that cover all parts of aviation, incorporating safety. SARPs give the establishment of all safety organizational administrations at a worldwide scale. There are currently over 10,000 SARPs reflected in the 19 Annexes to the Chicago Convention which ICAO oversees, and it is through these provisions † as well as ICAO s complementary policy, auditing and capacity-building efforts † that today s global air transport network is able to operate close to 100,000 daily flights, safely, efficiently and securely in every region of the world. By being a signatory to the Chicago Convention, a state concurs that the entrenched standards will be effected in its own constitutional domains, and if there is any conflict or variance, ICAO must be aware of it. As a matter of fact, ICAO does not concern itself with military aviation, which embodies combatant and non-combatants aircraft and facilities, which are solely operated by member States military force. As of late the aviation service provider organ and aircraft administrators have stretched the ICAO provisions out to necessitate usage of a formal safety management. ICAO directs the advancement of safety regulatory structures by Member States through the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP) that was set up in 1999 to guarantee the uniform use of ICAO standards. These safety regulatory structures are the International Standards and Practices which stands to be of advantage and profit to member States. According to the United Nations Charter Articles 57 and 63, through the United Nations Economic and Social Council, ICAO was declared an autonomous Intergovernmental organisational. Members States who are having membership in ICAO are 191 at present. Based on the institutional structures, ICAO consist of a plenary body, the Assembly; a permanent body responsible to the Assembly, the Council; and the Secretariat headed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Organization, the Secretary General. The Council has 36 member States, which is responsible to the assembly. One of the required functions of the Council in connection to safety is the selection and correction of the Annexes to the Chicago Convention, which contain inter-national standards and recommended practices. The Annexes are continually looked into and corrected to keep pace with new improvement and propelled innovation. At the flip side of the range, ICAO has seen solid regional and national activities to re-uphold the safety administration for civil aviation. 2.4.2 Regional regulatory arrangements Considering the topography, environmental conditions, climatic situations, natural disturbances and other salient factors, there must be needs to be flexible with measures to ensure safety. ICAO as the international body that regulates all aviation industry of all States Aviation Sectors has delegated responsibilities to regions, which allows or gives room for regions to come up with regulations in accordance with ICAO doctrines that would facilitate safety in the air and on the land. These regional regulatory organizations are directly under ICAO and they are: (1) African Civil Aviation Commission This is an ICAO African branch, which was set up by the Constitutive Conference, convened by the ICAO and the Organization of African Unity, OAU, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1969. It was established primarily to handle Civil Aviation matters in Africa in collaboration with ICAO. The OAU itself is a body that embodies African States. They are made up of Head of States/Governments, which occupies the highest decision making component of the organization. It also has Council of Minsters, which constitutes Ministers responsible for Civil Aviation. They predominantly recommend high profile policies for the OAU Summit. They have a commission named African Civil Aviation Commission , (AFCAC) which is a specialized agency of the AU responsible for coordinating aviation activities in Africa and is also the Executing Agency of the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD). The Commission understands that to boost business capacity of Africa, influx of tourists, cultural and social structures of Africa, there must be a need for a save aviation sector. One of the most remarkable objectives of this body has to do with adopting or and promoting the implementation of ICAO Standard and Recommended Practices for safety, security, environmental protection and regularity of aviation sector. They make this happen by marrying and sustaining the harmony between ICAO rules and regulations couple with the States in areas that has to do with safety, security and other areas clustering around the integrity of the aviation sector. They do not give less attention to the balancing of advocacy and defenses of common locus of member States at international levels when the agendum revolves round civil aviation. This body has been known to examine specific challenges that can destabilize the growth and optimal functioning of African Civil Aviation sector with the ever-prompt actions to correct and or prevent any member State going out of the recommended standards. Africa has been known for higher accident rates due to the fact that, upon placing safety as a paramount issue, they still have an oversight mechanism, which is very ineffective for safety. This is one of the biggest problems in Africa s aviation sector. To ensure that aviation industry is coloured with safe operations, AFCAC have come up with cooperative and collaborative mechanisms that will orchestrate safety oversight which is however inline with the vision statement of the African Civil Aviation which states that to foster a safe, secure, efficient, cost effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly civil aviation industry in Africa . It is imperative to state that not only humans need to be the potential victims of ineffective safety in the aviation industry; the natural environment can be affected as well. Environmental degradation takes diverse forms, ranging from pollution and destruction of ecosystems to degraded fresh water supplies and arable land. The Aviation sector has contributed to global warming and depletion of the ozone layer in its own capacity through pollution. The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development adopted Agenda 21 that called States/governments to work together with appropriate UN bodies to solve this environmental problem posed towards the aviation industry. In fact, one of the relevant UN bodies, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCC, gave recognition to ICAO as a primary body responsible for the regulation of aviation-related environmental issues on aircraft engine emission, and which calls upon developed countries to pursue limitation or re duction of greenhouse gases from aviation bunker fuels working through ICAO. In other words, under the guidance of ICAO, all African States have a duty to have contribution to the protection of the environment via a safe aviation industry. It has been clearly stated that all aviation laws, regulations and practices shall be based on the Chicago Convention and its Annexes that make up the bedrock of international air law which regulates the conduct of international civil aviation, coupled with the air law instruments and guidance provided by ICAO. It is however expected that every Member State must ratify her key aviation legislation such that it would empower the civil aviation activities, which involves conducting, and over sighting within the jurisdictions of the State which must not fall outside the provisions of the Chicago Convention. States shall also adopt adequate regulations to address, at a minimum, national requirements emanating from the primary aviation legislation and providing for standardized operational procedures, equipment and infrastructures including safety management and training systems as well as enforcement mechanisms, in accordance with ICAO SARPs (Standards and Recommended Practices). These R egulations in standard terms cover all instructions, rules, edicts, directives, and sets of laws, requirements, policies, and orders. To further enhance safety in Africa, member States are allowed through the legislative system to make aviation safety laws, which must be in consonance with international aviation laws, rule and regulations. These laws must be appraised and modified to accommodate existing ICAO SARPs. When these are done, the Civil Aviation Authorities, CAAs, are authorized by their member States to implement and put to force all the international Conventions, protocols and resolutions. Meanwhile, each CAAs of member States must be autonomous with legitimate power and devoid of interference when carrying out enforcement of safety laws and over sighting over the aviation industry so as to easily realize safe air transportation in all the African regions involved in aviation. The oversight in aviation safety actually means adequately putting in place safety measures via the effective implementation of the safety-related Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) in civil aviation. The CAAs exercise there oversight obligations on aircraft operators, maintenance and repair organisations, Airports/Aerodrome and Air Navigation Service Providers, Aeronautical Meteorology, Aviation Training Organisations, handling companies, aviation fuel suppliers, among others. All licences issued to personnel involved in the aviation sector are under the logistical approach of CAAs in ensuring safety as well. The member States also have the role of conducting training and orientation programmes for all safety inspectors. Such programmes includes ICAO s Train the Trainers courses, seminars, workshop, conferences and so on which help to update aviation stakeholders towards embracing all the safety cultures and practices. The AFCAC under the discretion of OAU allows Member State to create Regional/Sub-Regional Aviation Safety Oversight Organisations (RSOOs), which helps the involved Member States to improve the regulatory, and oversight proficiencies. Examples of the RSOOs include Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) of the East African Community (EAC) and the Banjul Accord Group Aviation Safety Oversight Organisation (BAGASOO). (2) Federal Aviation Administration The F.A.A. (Federal Aviation Administration), is an aviation authority of the United States of America, which was founded in 1958. It concerns itself with the airspace glitches; most of the glitches they are concerned with are on the runways of aerodromes coupled with extra-terrestrial life. Since the year this body was established, regulation of air commerce for the promotion of Aviation safety and development had been a centerpiece of their duty. FAA rules are known as Federal Aviation Regulations ( FAR ), and are published annually in the Code of Federal Regulations ( CFR ). FAA regulations are extensive, comprising many thousands of separate sections, which touches areas of both commercial and general aviation. This includes design of aircraft and certification, airspace design, procedures involved in air traffic control, rules involved in carriers operations, implementation of administrative rules and so on. The agency, established as an independent authority with a civilian administrator, is combined with the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the Airways Modernization Board, and the Civil Aeronautics Board to carry out their functions. It was made a division of the Transportation Department in 1967. One of the responsibilities of FAA which is stated under the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C.A.  § 106) is to regulating air commerce to promote its development and safety and to meet national defense requirements and also in addition to their responsibility is the development and implementation of programs and regulations to control aircraft noise, sonic booms, and other environmental effects of civil aviation. According to the mission, vision and values of FAA, safety seems to be the core key of there existence. Between 2001 and 2007, with the influence of FAA, aviation industry has witnessed one of its safest periods for scheduled air carriers. According to statistics, rate of accidents has dropped drastically. In the world today, FAA has delivered the safest and reliable transport system in this industry. In the civil aviation, not only FAA is involved, there are other federal entities that are worth noting. It includes National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This body has safety programmes that emphasize not only accident reduction, but also a decrease in injuries when accidents do occur. The program has to do with research to reduce human-error-caused accidents and incidents, predict and prevent mechanical and software malfunctions, and eliminate accidents involving hazardous weather and controlled flight into terrain. These programmes additionally will utilize information technology to set a more safe aviation framework to bolster pilots and air traffic controller. Another entity is National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which basically support FAA as regards making provision for research and operations for the forecasting of weather. Also, is Transportation Security Administration in the Department of Homeland Security, which exercise authority over civil a viation security and consequently, the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates aviation accidents and makes safety recommendations to FAA and proposals for additional regulations. In addition, the Transport Security Administration (TSA) is saddled with the responsibility of aviation security. The FAA is additionally actualizing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), a progression of technological and system abilities to propel air carrier operations by improving safety, lessening travel delays, saving fuel and diminishing flight’s ecological effect. The FAA Office of Aviation Safety (AVS) governs compliance with FAA safety regulations and directives. Perhaps a FAR violation is conveyed or noticed, the FAA will conduct an investigation and may introduce prosecution action. In the shape the violation takes, the FAA might enforce civil fine charges or suggest the issue to be prosecuted criminally. The FAA Office of Aviation Safety (AVS) oversees compliance with FAA safety regulations and orders. On the off chance that a FAR infringement is accounted for or found, the FAA may carry out investigation and may lay down enforcement action. Depending on the infringement, the FAA may force a common fine or elude the matter for criminal indictment. The immediate and precise reporting of mishaps and occurrences in the field is a vital part of safety and accident preventive actions. Keeping in mind the end goal to assemble this data, the FAA has initiated the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP), which is a voluntary reporting system of safety issues and occasions that is intended to improve safety and avert accidents. The FAA likewise obliges carriers, owners, operators and others to make available report that has to do with failures, technical malfunctions or anomalies to a Service Difficulty Reporting System. These reports, which are freely accessible through the FAA’s website, are implied to recognize patterns or issues with administration, and alarm the FAA and relevant unit of the aviation sector. FAA has issued new necessities with respect to qualification standards for first officers, for the most part obliging that they meet the same certification minimum training and experience prerequisites as airline captains. FAA is revamping regulations regarding airline-training programs for flight crews and dispatchers, and air carrier safety management systems to provide comprehensive, process-oriented programs for managing safety throughout an airline organization. It additionally plans to put up some adjustments to air carrier training programmes to address mentoring, leadership, and expert improvement of less experienced pilots. (3) European Aviation Safety Agency EASA is an Agency of the European Union. As a Community Agency, EASA is a body governed by European public law; it is distinct from the Community Institutions (Council, Parliament, Commission, and so on.) and has its own legitimate identity. EASA was set up by a Council and Parliament (Regulation (EC) 1592/2002 cancelled by Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 and corrected by Regulation (EC) 1108/2009) and was given particular to ensure a high and uniform level of safety in civil aviation, by the implementation of common safety rules and measures. EASA has assumed control over the obligations of the previous Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) framework, which ended on 30 June 2009. On the other hand, it is not a successor body in lawful terms since it works straightforwardly under EU statute. The primary distinction between EASA and the JAA is that EASA is Regulatory Authority, which uses NAAs to actualize its Regulations while the JAA depended upon the active involvement of NAAs to apply its orchestrated regulations without having any intensity of law at source. Since it is self apparently difficult to make another Regulatory System â€Å"overnight† EASA has needed to acknowledge expansive parts of the JAA framework as its own particular whilst it builds up the new blended framework needed under EU statute. EASA is, in addition, actually responsible to giving of advice to the EU when new laws that concern aviation are drafted. The entire safety rule, which does not exempt inspecting EU member States, are developed, implemented and monitored by the EASA. They are known for Certification of organisations located outside the territory subject to the EC law and responsible for providing ATM/ANS services or ATCO training in the Member States where EC law applies; and the Safety analysis and research, including publication of an Annual Safety Review. EASA is also an agency that helps the Community legislature to design common standards to guarantee the most elevated conceivable levels of safety and protection of the environment. They guarantee that all the standards are complied with in Europe and that any important safety measures are all carried out and it ensures the adoption of these standards around the world. Since the inception and operation of the Basic Regulation, EASA is the equipped and eligible Community Aviation Authority to see into the safety in air transport. Aftereffects or outcome of air incidents and accidents investigation is to be treated and followed up on as an issue of direness, specifically when they have connection with inadequate aircraft design or plan and/or operational matters, keeping in mind the end goal to guarantee public confidence in air transport without ill reference to the Community law; consequently, EASA is the beneficiary of safety suggestions within its remit. Under international and community law, all safety recommendations must be given full acknowledgement by the element to which they are directed to. At whatever point the investigation is carried out in an EU Member State, EASA displays an advisory role to guide the Investigator in control. Outside an EU Member State, EASA also advise the European Accredited Representative delegated by the State where the vital spot of business of the aircraft producer is. 2.4.3 National regulatory arrangements and requirements A national safety regulatory capacity is built up in every state. There is an extensive variety in the execution of the international safety regulations at the national level. This takes into consideration flexibility at all regional levels but it as well amounts to some irregularities. Numerous safety regulatory requirements seem hard to execute, both in states with restricted pre-existing safety regulation and those with well-grounded regulatory systems. Making sure that national regulatory structures are consistently in line with each other is difficult to achieve most times. Despite all this, there is still broad consensus that the matter of safety is global in nature, and that ICAO should remain the world regulatory authority for the safety of civil aviation. It is also noteworthy to say that before there can be in existence an international service airline operation to a destinated State, the State with the airline must enter into treaty with the government of the destinated State. This type of treaty is termed as Bilateral Air Service Agreements. 2.5 Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) This treaty facilitates cooperation between States, standardization of regulations and harmonization of these regulations on matters that has to do with aviation safety. Under the Chicago Convention, it was clearly stated that no scheduled international air service may be operated over or into the territory of a contracting state without their permission. Since the need for movement across borders is just too inevitable, and destination country would want a situation whereby there standards for safety is not compromised, there came up the need for States to enter into agreements with each other which appeared in the form of bilateral air service. Under the Appendix 5 ICAO Template Air Service Agreement (TASA), which is an ICAO guidance material for agreement negotiation with parties entering into agreement, it was stated that each party grants to the other party the right to fly without landing across the territory of the other party and the right to make stops in the territory of the other party for non-traffic purposes. The selected airlines of each party can take on board, in the territory of the other party, passengers, cargo, mail and still go on operating for other reasons within the territory of the party. For safety reasons, each party, according to this Appendix, have the right to, in written, select the appropriate airlines that is worth operating and also the right to withdraw or change the airline if the part designating the airline fails to comply with the safety provisions. Any designated airlines for operation within the territories of each party has the discretionary right to reject or accept this designation.

Anselm's Cosmological Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Anselm's Cosmological Argument - Essay Example The above proof is crucial in that ultimately Anselm has to prove that God is the first cause of all things and of itself. Without the above conclusion, there would be some things that God must not have caused.   If there is more than one cause, then a) all things are the one being through which they all exist, or b) all things exist separately each by virtue of itself or they cause one another to exist. The next part of the proof is where Anselm goes back to each of the three parts of statement #5 and disproves each of the three subparts in order to prove in the end that there is only one being that caused the existence of everything: Using the notion of â€Å"master† and â€Å"slave,† it is impossible for one being to confer existence on the one being that had originally conferred existence on the former. Moreover, all things â€Å"do not at all exist mutually,† which means that it would be impossible that each one would cause one another, and so there must not be more than one being. Based on statement #6, #7, and #8, and employing elimination in #5, Anselm arrives at the conclusion that there must be only one thing that causes the existence of all things including itself. After Anselm has concluded that there must only be one being that caused the existence of all things including itself, his final task, through the last two paragraphs, was to prove that this one cause was the greatest of all beings: Such an ability to cause itself and others is, therefore, the attribute of the greatest being, while all other things cannot cause themselves. The last part of the proof is the part where Anselm tries to prove that this one being which is the greatest of all is God.

Effects of International Trade on Poverty in India Research Paper

Effects of International Trade on Poverty in India - Research Paper Example India has a population of more than 40% who spend less than this amount a day and have one of the lowest per capita incomes when compared to other countries in the region (Almas, Kjelsrud & Somanathan, 2013). Statistics from the national sample survey from 1973-2002 indicate the changing trends of poverty in the country and the population section that have been most affected by poverty in the country. The 1973 census indicated that out of the total population, 54.9% was leaving way below the poverty line. The poverty index increased from this year to 1990s as a resulting of the surging population growth which was not supported by a concurrent economic growth in the country. In the 1990s, the poverty trend worsened with a high percentage of up to 320 million Indians classified as being poor and requiring support from the government. During this era, the significant pace of decline in poverty decreased from an impressive 6% to 2.9%, attributed to the significant increase in population. The financial crisis of 1991 was also blamed for this increase in poverty index in the country (Almas, Kjelsrud & Somanathan, 2013). International trade and poverty With the current surge in globalization and cooperation between countries, international trade has grown significantly between countries including India. International trade is defined as the exchange of goods, services, ideas and technological knowledge between countries geographically separated. The growth in international trade has led to significant growth in demand and supply in different sections of the world, thus spurring growth and elimination of poverty. Through this exposure, countries develop new ways of production, transportation, trading approaches and technological ways of production, which increases its gross domestic product. An increase in the gross domestic income of a country results into increase in the country’s per capita income, which significantly translates to an increase in the living s tandards on the people. International trade also opens up more opportunities for countries to market their products beyond their borders resulting into increased exports and imports (Topalova, 2010). India has advanced significantly in the arena of international trade and today contributes to a significant ratio of the world’s total exports both of goods, services and new technological ideas. The advances in international trade in the country began in 1991 when the country liberalized its market, thus opening up for international imports and exports. This has increased foreign investments in the country and opens it up for new ideas, means of production and techniques (Hasan, Cain & Mitra, 2010). International trade thus have a significant role in reducing poverty in any country as it opens it up and increases its overall trade volume. This increases the gross domestic product of the country which translates into an increased per capita income. A country with a higher per cap ita income has a decreased poverty level for each member of the population contributes in a significant ratio to the overall growth of the country. But how has international trade impacted on the poverty level in India and how has it narrowed the total population that leaves below the poverty line? In this paper, the impact of international trade in reducing the devastating effects of poverty will be evaluated. Through this evaluation, the strengths and

The Insanity Defense of Andrea Yates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Insanity Defense of Andrea Yates - Essay Example June 20, 2001, which had started as a normal day in the Yates family living in the suburban area of Houston, brought some tragic misfortunes to the family. Following her daily routine, Andrea Yates, a suburban housewife, made breakfast for her five children and then the hell broke out in the family when she drowned each of her five children one by one in the family’s guest bathroom. The eldest among the children, Noah, was just 7 years old and the youngest one, Mary, was only of 6 months. Her other three children whom she killed were John, 5 years old, Paul, 3 years old and Luke, 2 years old. Once she found all of them to be dead after drowning them in the bathtub, she spread the bodies of her four children out on her bed, and left Noah, her eldest child, floating in bathtub. After committing this horrifying crime, she called the police as well as her husband for disclosing the crime she had committed. (McLellan; Keram) There is no doubt that no crime could be more heinous than killing one’s own children. However, looking at the nature of crime committed by a mother, questions are bound to arise regarding the mental status of Yates at the time of the crime. It was her psychological disorder which prompted her to commit such crime and considering her psychological problem her defendant demanded insanity defense in the first trial. She was under treatment and was taking drugs even two days before the incident occurred. She claimed of having odd visions and hearing sounds which was not real. She believed that for the good of her children she must kill them. The act was committed when her husband had left her alone with the children despite the doctor’s instructions against it. However, in the first trial, she was accused of committing the crime of killing her own children and sentenced to life. (Keram) She was declared not guilty only in the second trial and released on

Risk management case study analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Risk management case study analysis - Coursework Example To achieve a dynamic good patient result, the medical practitioners must holistically work together with a focus on mitigating, curative and preventing further development of a disease process. It can only be achieved when all health care providers get determined to practice appropriate medicine without any assumptions or negligence in service offering. Continued provision of proper primary medical care is needed for any society, this led to the establishment of family nurse practitioner (FNP) whose function is entitled to practice and provide primary comprehensive healthcare to family individuals from childhood to adulthood. They are mostly prepared to deal with acute illness in curative and preventive levels. This person can notice something peculiar in an infant and makes the first medical move to solve it or refer to the appropriate medical specialist. Other significant others who play a vital role in maintaining the health of family members include; parents, siblings, teachers a nd colleagues of an individual in the workplace, since they can notice some signs that point towards a particular disease (Perez-Terzic, 2012). The family nurse practitioner was the first person to see the child presenting with sign and symptom that suggested a cardiovascular disease or nervous system disorder. In the first visit, the nurse noted that the blood pressure was low with other vital sign parameters within normal range. That is highly suggestive of cardiac insufficiency and, therefore, warranted immediate investigations of cardiac functionality and blood volume monitoring. In the second visit to a paediatrician, there was a critical history provided by the physical education teacher of the child fainting, gripping hands to himself clenched and shaking. Even though on physical examination there was no pathology noted, the child might have been suffering from the nervous system or cardiac disease. An

The primary focus will be on the comprehensiveness of understanding Essay

The primary focus will be on the comprehensiveness of understanding the many components that are necessary to consider when desi - Essay Example The content of what children are taught in preschool and the method of teaching, or the curriculum is what measures the effectiveness and quality of learning in preschools. Programs focusing on serving 3- and 4-year-olds should decide the content of what children learn, as well as the best way to learn, if they are to improve children’s school success by enhancing their early skills and knowledge. The aim of this paper is to offer a framework that those making decisions can make use of when evaluating curriculums that would be suitable for a preschool program. Definition and scope of a preschool Children’s Health Encyclopedia defines a preschool as ‘an early childhood program in which children combine learning with play in a program run by professionally trained adults.’ Common enrolment years are children aged between ages three and five. Kids as young as two can attend preschools. While a daycare is to enable parents to work, preschool emphasis is on lear ning and development. Before the 1960s, education of young children was primarily the role of families within the home. Nowadays, most young children spend a big part of their time away from their parents. This may partly be attributed to an increase in the number of mothers working away from home. Parents also feel the desire to give their children a head start academically. The qualities of a good preschool, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research are: Helping children to expand their knowledge and build on their vocabulary Focus on literacy and language skills, plus and interactive book reading An emphasis on teaching children basic problem solving skills Learning beginning skills involving the alphabet, numerals and spatial awareness Preschools with the above qualities are only possible when the curriculum designed is good enough. That means the curriculum designer or decision-maker has in mind, the child, the parents and the teacher. For instance, when involving parents, the curricula can help make program-family partnerships or set up continuous meaningful communication with families. Curricular decisions should consider children’s ages, learning needs, cultural and linguistic backgrounds and economic status. Prior experience and training for the teacher is also important. Components of a Preschool Curriculum Given the many types of curriculum models available, there is an uncertainty regarding which models are appropriate for young children overall or more understandable to the population of the three and four year olds. Though the fields of early childhood advocates for programs that utilize what are known as Developmentally Appropriate Practices (Bredekampe & Kopple, 1997), it has not much research to endorse any single curriculum model as the best. Additionally, not a single state government or federal body directs use of just one particular curriculum in the publicly funded preschool programs. When the term curriculum is left undefined it may be very difficult to know what should be learned. It is also hard to sketch â€Å"the set of goals which are the aims of education for children† (as cited in Spodek & Saracho, 2003) in their programs, and what supports the â€Å"children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth† (as cited in Bowman et al., 2001). The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Associ

The Role of Innovation in Kodak's Dowfall Research Paper

The Role of Innovation in Kodak's Dowfall - Research Paper Example From digital consumer electronics to household trinkets, everything can be sourced out from one part of the globe no matter how remote it may be. He also emphasized that introduction of different communication devices and platform that has increased the rate of information transfer. However, his comments about sustainability of a business in a globally competitive world is true. While consumers enjoy the benefits such as low prices and more options, local markets can also lose their business. Unemployment rises as downsizing occurs since global companies prefer outsourcing services due to a lower rate. Moreover, workers are not the only affected but big companies as well. Even big name companies like Eastman KODAK was not spared from the ugly head of globalization. Only this year, the Wall Street Journal announced the company’s filing or bankruptcy. It was a shock to the public considering that it has existed for 133 years. Yet, this is a glaring example that competitiveness i s the key to survival in a globalized economy. Hence, this paper will cite the main reasons behind the downfall of KODAK. Innovation is the main element for modern businesses to survive the rigors of globalization. The areas mainly responsible in an organization’s drive towards globalization would be marketing and management. Businesslink has stated in an article the necessity of innovation after creating a product or service. More so, when innovation is applied, it can help increase profitability because the value of products or services have increased. Consumers are always on the lookout for better products that go beyond their expectations. Apple is a market leader due to the ingenuity and creativity of its beloved founder- Steve Jobs. If a company fails to improve itself, it will bite the dust just as Kodak suffered. Management gurus like Peter Drucker is one of the most innovative minds despite his age. He has this uncanny sense of seeing how businesses should market the mselves in an evolving environment. In fact , he said that If an established organization , which in this age necessitates innovation, is not able to innovate, it faces decline and extinction. Drucker (qtd. in Trout, 2006) emphasized that Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two--and only two--basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs. Marketing is the distinguishing, unique function of the business." Such words of truth should be the golden mean by companies today; moreover, Drucker emphasized the need to differentiate one’s products from the rest in order to survive the competition. Unfortunately, many businesses focus more on finances and operations and wonder later where they have failed. Although marketing does involve costs (along with innovation), it will be a constant source of revenue as long as the consumers are happy with the products. Innovation is oft en left behind because many managers are busy crunching numbers rather than developing ideas. Plus, innovation is often viewed by many business owners as costs, not as an investment. Innovation involves many creative processes that includes technology transformation as well as introduction of new strategies administered by the management (Shukla, 2009). Likewise, innovation, by itself, can be the main competitive feature of a company to rise

Research Assignment 2 Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assignment 2 - Research Paper Example As mentioned above, people move from their original homes to a new region either permanently or temporarily. Their decision to either make their new environment home forever or temporary depends on their reasons for fleeing their original inhabitants. For example, those who move to seek refuge due to war may stay for long compared to those who moved in search of a lucrative career opportunity. The war victims are mentally traumatized; hence needs a new environment for a fresh start. Their decision may also be influenced by the level of hospitality of the  new  region. Communities that are less hostile encourage them to stay permanently while opposite hospitality makes them to continue migrating. Their ability to fit in the culture of their new region may also matter since moving to a region with completely different cultural practices can be frustrating. Immigration results to intermarriages across cultures. The resulting generation may have slightly different cultures but mainly adopts both cultures or keep the good cultural practices of each parent culture (Weller & Serow, 2013). Immigration and migration have led to globalization as people adapt to cultures across the globe whenever they travel to a new region. Consequently, cultures have become dynamic; they change with time and currently very few communities practice their primordial culture in pure forms. Religious beliefs are based on supernatural beings and differ across the globe. Religion is a very delicate and sensitive matter such that, any disobedience of religious norms is considered a capital crime and may cost one his or her life. In the past, there have been wars between  Christians and Muslims because of disrespect of religious beliefs. If one party’s religion is mishandled and ridiculed, there is bound to be a war. Everyone tends to protect their religion. Religion has a very significant role in social issues in the society. For example, marital stability is attributed to strong

Comparing and contrasting between two poems Essay Example for Free

Comparing and contrasting between two poems Essay In this essay I am going to look at the differences and similarities between two cultural poems. I will look at the language used by the poets to describe the different cultures and I will also look at the imagery used to portray the cultures in the poems. The two poems I will be looking at is Island man by Grace Nichols and Blessing by Imtiaz Dharker The poem Island Man is about a Caribbean Island man who lives in London and still wakes up to the sound of the sea and the poem Blessing is about a third world country who have hardly any water and cant wait for the water pipe to burst so that they can have some more water for a while. Island Man is broken up into four stanzas with one line at the end on its own. The first stanza is where he is waking up after dreaming about the island and he is slowly coming back from his dream. In this stanza they have used a metaphor wombing, which is actually a made up word, however, this word makes you think that he could have possibly grown up here as the word gives the impression that he feels a sense of safety towards the island and so he could have grown up there. It also uses sibilance with the words Surf, steady and wakes. This creates a calm and gentle mood for the island where Island Man possibly grew up. The second Stanza is also about him waking up from his dream and coming back from the island in his head and also expands on the image created in the first stanza. The first line Wild seabirds gives you the feeling that on this island you are free and you can relax and have fun without being stressed out all the time. There is an adverb defiantly used on the third line to describe the sun Sun surfacing defiantly this is a lexical field, creating the image of independence or refusing to be organized. Also the word emerald has been used to describe the island, this suggests that the island is precious to him and that it has many vivid colours whish are really special to him. Then the last line of the second stanza is stood out from the rest of the poem groggily groggily is used to describe the him coming back from the island to the stress of everyday life, and it emphasises the way that he doesnt want to come back. The third and fourth stanzas are about him waking up from his dream about the island and realises that he is in London and not where he wants to be. Grey metallic soar and Dull, north circular roar are used to describe London as really dull and having a lack of colour, whereas the island appeared to be very colourful, for example Blue surf and sun surfacing defiantly and emerald island. Also in the third stanza the third line stands out from the rest of the poem Surge of wheels, this is describing the sharp sound of London compared to the soft and relaxing sounds of the island. In the fourth stanza, the first and second lines link back to the island muffling, muffling deadens the sharp sounds from earlier in the poem and his crumpled pillow waves, links to the sounds of the island, him thinking his pillow is the waves of the island. And finally the last line in the fourth stanza island man heaves himself which is followed by the last line Another London day, Contrasts with wakes up and shows how much he really is longing to be on that island instead of in London and how he has to pull himself away from his island and begin another London day. The poem Blessing starts with a similie which really emphasises the meaning of the poem the skin cracks like a pod. There is never enough water, onomatopoeia is also used with the word cracks to add emphasis to show how desperate these people are for water. Like Island Man the second stanza expands on the image created within the first two lines. The second line uses onomatopoeia twice, splash and echo. This makes you realise how precious the water is to the people in the poem, especially when it says how they imagine the echo of it in a tin mug on lines 3-6, this really shows there desperation and longing for something everyone else would take for granted. In the third stanza, various metaphors are used to add emphasis to the previous stanza and also create a new image of how they react when they receive more water than they normally have. They describe the water as silver crashing to the ground, this shows how important the water is to the people, especially when the water is described as silver. The people are described as a congregation to again add emphasis and show how much these people want the water and how desperate they are, this is shown again by using another metaphor on the very last line of the third stanza frantic hands, this again shows the desperate people trying to reach for the water. Finally, the fourth stanza describes how fantastic and amazing they find this water by using another metaphor to show how much they treasure the water as the blessing sings over their small bones, also in this final stanza it describes how poor they were and how little they had by saying that the children were naked and their small bones could mean that they are really weak as they dont have much to eat and obviously not enough to drink. Overall the two poems are fairly similar as they are both about people wanting things and longing for something that they dont have. For instance in Island Man he continuously dreams about the island where he possibly grew up and where he wants to be everyday instead of the dull and stressful life that he is currently living in London. Likewise in Blessing the people who live in the poor country have hardly any water and are longing for water. A phrase from each poem could possibly link this to each poem, for example in Island Man on the fourth line it says In his head and in Blessing on the third line it says Imagine. These phrases could indicate to the reader that both poems are about people wanting things that they cant have and are so desperate that they dream about them. However there are differences between the two poems, for instance in the way the poems are written, because Island man has no punctuation apart from a capital letter on the first and last line and also on the first line in the section of poem that starts to describe the city of London. This could be to distinguish between the two different places described in the poem and then the last line of the poem where it shows how he is feeling about waking up for another London day when he really doesnt want to. And also because in Blessing they are longing for something which they need to survive (water), whereas in Island Man he is desperate to go back to the island where he grew up and is precious to him however unlike the people in Blessing, he could actually live without the island, even though he may not want to, although you cant live without water.

Greek Mythology and Nicolas Poussin Essay Example for Free

Greek Mythology and Nicolas Poussin Essay On April 26 2013 I visited the Detroit Art Institute. In there I have seen plenty of interesting art sculptures, artifacts, and paintings. The one that really enjoyed the most is â€Å"Selene and Endymion† by Nicolas Poussin, a French artist. He made this painting back in 1630. Currently, the painting is in the European paintings exhibit section in the DIA. The painting itself uses oil on canvas for its medium, and the dimensions are: 48 x 66 1/2 inches. The painting is about Selene and Endymion. Selene is a Greek goddess who happens to fall in love with farmer named Endymion. Selene knows Endymion will age and pass away eventually due to him being a mortal, so she asked Zeus to make him immortal to prevent her lover from aging and dying. Zeus accepted the request on the condition that he is put in eternal sleep instead. Endymion loved Selene so much that he was willing to do it in order to be with her forever. Thus the couples wish was granted and Endymion was with Selene, in a slumber forever. The art shows forms by using contours and dynamic elements. The contour of the characters and the background shows surfaces giving it some mass. The picture also shows Helios and Eos moving towards the left side and Endymion kneeling towards Selene, these dynamics gives the picture mass and dimensions. The painting uses a great deal of values as well. On the right side of the painting, it uses a darker value compared to the left side of the painting. This is to show and represent day, dawn, and night on the art picture. Another use of values is used to show the distances in the background. As we can see the deities Eos and Helios are in a darker shade compared to Endymion and Selene, this is to show the distances between them. Lastly, the painting use values to show shadows and mass, giving the picture forms and dimensions. Time itself is used as another visual element. The art uses time as a way to capture a moment in time. As mentioned before, we see Helios and Eos moving towards the left side of the picture and Endymion kneeling to Selene. These movements show a moment captured, using time as a concept. The artist shows a good symmetrical balance. It has a good distribution of visual weight. The left side of picture, it shows Endymion, Selene, Eos and Eros and on the right side it shows Helios and three unknown characters. The emphasis of the art is on Endymion and Selene as they are the subject of the art. Both of the subjects have a larger size compared to the other characters; they are also heavily colored in value and in texture compared to the others. Nicolas also put in more details on the subject’s faces and body than the rest of the art subjects. The characters all have parts that are pleasing proportions to each other. They have the same proportions as regular real life humans. The heads, the arms, and legs are in all relation to the rest of their bodies. The picture has a lot of content and meaning. Helios, the sun god is painted has a gold like aura, which seems to represents the sun. Selene, the moon goddess is on the left side which represents the night. Eos, the goddess of dawn is right between them. The movement of these deities also represent the day going forward. As Helios is moving forward, a curtain is following him, showing that night is coming forward. Eros, the god of love is hovering around Selene while she is talking to Endymion. This is to show their affection for one another. Lastly, the unknown sleeping people are representation of what is about to come, Endymion is about to have an eternal slumber to be with Selene. I have always liked Greek mythology ever since I was young boy. After learning how to see art and see its visual elements and organizing principles, it made me appreciate â€Å"Selene and Endymion† by Nicolas Poussin even more. My interest in art and in Greek mythology is combined together in this subject. Citation: â€Å"Selene and Endymion† by Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) Date: c. 1630 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 48 x 66 1/2 in. (121. 9 x 168. 9 cm) with frame: 59 x 77 1/4 x 3 1/2 in. 149. 9 x 196. 2 x 8. 9 cm Department: European Painting.

Islamic Law In Saudi Arabia Sociology Essay

Islamic Law In Saudi Arabia Sociology Essay Islamic law, or Sharia (termed Syariah in Malaysia), refers to the sacred holy laws of the Islamic religion. Sharia mingles with multiple fields addressed by secular law, which may include economics, crime, and politics, as well as personal matters such as  hygiene and sexuality. Sharia mainly derives from two sources, of which the 1st one would be the heavenly revelations in the Quran, and the 2nd being examples and sayings laid down by Prophet Muhammad within the Sunnah. In addition to the above mentioned sources, secondary sources are also adopted. One example of these secondary sources is the ijma of various prominent ulamas in the Islamic world. In regards of the topic at hand, I shall explain how Islamic law is practiced in Saudi Arabia. Before I go into explaning how Sharia is practiced in Saudi Arabia, I would like to point out that this essay will only touch on the developments and the ways in which Sharia is implemented in the Third State of Arabia, also known as the current Saudi Arabia. Sharia was officially enforced in Saudi Arabia by the Basic Law in 1992. The Basic Law of Saudi Arabia is a charter written in Arabic which bears marking resemblance to a constitution. It is divided into nine chapters, and consists of 83 articles. It is based on the Salafi school of understanding of Sharia and it does not bypass the fiqh. In Chapter 1: Article 1 of the said charter, it is expressly written that, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab Islamic state with Islam as its religion; Allahs Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet, Allahs prayers and peace be upon him, are its constitution, Arabic is its language and Riyadh is its capital. In Saudi Arabia, criminal cases are tried under Sharia courts. These courts exercise authority over the entire population. In other words, people who are not of Islamic faith are still subjected to the criminal laws of Saudi Arabia. Cases which involve small penalties are adjudicated in Sharia Summary Courts, whilst more serious crimes are tried in Sharia Courts of Common Pleas. In events where either party finds the decision made was unsatisfactory, the said party can also appeal through the Court of Appeal. For civil cases, it could also be tried in Sharia Courts, but with one exception: Muslim of the Shia denomination may try such cases in their own courts. Other civil proceedings, such as those involving claims against the Saudi Arabia government, and claims on the enforcement of foreign judgements, are held before a special panel in certain specialized administrative tribunals, such as the Board of Grieviences, and Commission for The Settlement of Labor Disputes. In strict adherance to the Saudis sources of law, the system prescribes  corporal penalty or capital penalty, which in the Sharia sense may include  amputations  of limbs for certain crimes such as  homicide,  rape, robbery, drugs trafficking, adultery, and  homosexual/bisexual activities. It is to note that petty theft is also punishable by the means of amputation of the hand, although, it is rare for first-time offenders. For less serious crimes, such as drunkenness, the courts may impose less severe punishments, such as  floggings. Under Saudi law, when someone commits murder, accidental death, and/or bodily harm, the said person is open or subject to punishment from the victims family. Retribution may also be, and are usually, sought through the method of  blood money. It is to note that the blood money being payable for causing a womans accidental death, or, that of a Christian male,  is only half as much as that for a Muslim male. All the others (men or women of different faiths and believes other than Islam) are valued at 1/16th. The main reasoning for this, according to the Sharia, men are expected by right to be providers for their families and thus are expected and assumed to earn more fiscally in their lifetimes. The blood money by a man would be expected to be enough to sustain his family, for at least a short period of time. Honor killings are also not punished as severely as murder. This generally stems from the fact that honor killings are within a family, and done to compensate for some dishonorable act committed.   Saudi Arabia is also the one and only country in the world where women are prohibited to drive on public roads. Women can only drive in off-road conditions and in private housing compounds, some of which extend to many square miles. The ban may be lifted soon, although with certain conditions. The Saudi government regard its construction of Islamic law as its sole source of guidance on human rights, and Sharia has failed to evolve and develop to ensure the rights of women are protected. In addition to prohibition on driving on public roads, women are not allowed to travel around without the permission, written or verbal, of their closest male kin. This resulted in women being restricted from travel by their sons and/or younger brothers. Divorcees are required by law to return to the home of their father, and any form of travel must then be approved the father. In other words, under Saudis law, women of 30 or more years old cannot make independent decisions without the approval of male relatives. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.MORE TO COME. QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE PRACTICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN SAUDI ARABIA Human rights  in  Saudi Arabia  are based on  sharia  laws  under the rule of the  Saudi royal family.  The Saudi Arabian government has also been known and criticized for its lack of regard for the religious political minorities,  homosexuality, and  women. The Human rights of Saudi Arabia are specified in article 26 of the  Basic Law of Saudi Arabia, the constitution of Saudi Arabia, as mentioned earlier. Then, in October 1997, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ratified the  International Convention against Torture according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The first independent human rights organization in Saudi Arabia, the  National Society for Human Rights, was established in 2004.  In 2008, the  Shura Council  ratified the  Arab Charter on Human Rights. It is to note that Saudi Arabia, is one of around thirty countries in the world with that still practices  judicial corporal punishment. For Saudia Arabias judicial corporal punishments may include  amputations  of either limbs  for robbery, and  flogging  for smaller crimes such as drunkenness. The exact number of lashes is vaguely prescribed by the law; it is varied in accordance to the judges discretion, and may range from dozens of lashes to several hundred, which is usually applied over a period of weeks or months. In 2004, the  United Nations  Committee against  Torture  criticized and deplored the Saudi Arabian law over the  amputations  and  floggings  it carries out under  Sharia. The Saudi delegates, responded, unfazed, in the defence of legal  traditions that has been held since the birth of Islam 1,400 years ago, and rejected interference of any kind in its legal framework. For serious law-offenders, Saudi Arabia also engage themselves in  capital punishment, which in Sharia include the likes of public executions by  beheading.  Beheading is the punishment for rapists, armed robberers, drug traffickers and of course, murderers, according to strict interpretation of  Islamic law. In 2005 there were 191 executions, in 2006 there were 38, in 2007 there were 153, and in 2008 there were 102. To illustrate how serious is human rights infringement in Saudi Arabia, I would like to draw a simple reference to a spokesman for Saudi Arabias National Society for Human Rights. He reasoned that numbers of executions are rising because crime rates are rising, that prisoners are treated humanely, and that the  beheadings  deter crime, saying, Allah, our creator, knows best whats good for his peopleShould we just think of and preserve the rights of the murderer and not think of the rights of others? WOMEN RIGHTS/GENDER ISSUES Religion affects all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia, and Saudi women face  discrimination  in many aspects of their lives. The Sunni Muslims in Saudi Arabia, which is about 90% of the population, are governed by strict conservative interpretations of Islam. Saudi Arabia is a patriarchal society in which women are treated and seen as 2nd class citizens only. And because of that, they continue to become victims of discrimination, everyday. They have lesser say than men in family matters; their freedom of movement is very limited; and their economic opportunities and rights are restricted. In addition, womens actions and choices depends on the permission or wishes of their mahram. Saudi Arabia also applies rules of strict gender segregation and unrelated men and women are separated in all public places. Women also, do not enjoy the freedom of dress, but are required to cover themselves completely from head-to-toe. The usual dress-code includes a jet black cloak-like garment (abaya) and a matching face veil (niqba). Women who deliberately choose to not cover or as they say, protect, themselves fully, which r ates is increasing in certain parts of the country, run the risk of being provoked and harassed. Although they make up 70% of those enrolled in universities, for social reasons, women make up just 5% of the workforce in Saudi Arabia, the lowest proportion in the world. These treatments of women has been referred by social scientists as Sex segregation  and gender apartheid. Even implementation of a government resolution supporting the expansion of employment opportunities for women, met strong resistance from within the labour ministry, from the religious police, and from the male citizenry. In most parts of Saudi Arabia, it is thought that a womans place in this world is in the home, tending for her spouse and family. Rooting from tradition, there is also segregation inside their own houses as some rooms have separate entrances for men and women. Before 2008, women were not allowed to enter hotels and furnished apartments without a chaperon or  mahram. With a 2008 Royal Decree, the one and only requirement needed nowadays to enable women to enter hotels are their national ID cards, but the hotel must let the nearest police station know of their length of stay and room reservation. The driving ban for women was unofficial until 1990 when it was introduced as official legislation after 47 Saudi women drove cars through the streets of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Even though illegal, women in rural areas and other areas outside cities do drive cars. It may sound made-up, but according to credible studies, many Saudis believe that allowing women to drive could lead to Western-style openness and an erosion of traditional values. Womens rights calls for reform in Saudi Arabia calls that are testing the Kingdoms political status quo. International, as well as local womens groups are also forcing the government to react, taking advantage of the fact that some rulers are eager to project a more progressive image to the West. WOMEN/FAMILY LAW While the Saudi Arabian law is silent on the legal age of marriage, the practice of forced marriages was prohibited by the countrys religious authority in 2005. Nevertheless, to be fair to the case, the level to which said bride is involved in decision-making in regards of her own marriage varies between families. According to Saudis family law, the marriage contract is between the mahram of the bride and the husband-to-be. An estimated 16 percent of girls between 15 and 19 years of age are currently married, divorced or widowed in Saudi Arabia. Polygamy is allowed under Sharia and a Muslim male could take as many as 4 wives, given that he can give equal support and treatment. The practice is reportedly on the decline, but both for demographic and economic reasons. Women are discriminated against with regards to parental authority as, legally, children belong to their father. If divorced or widowed, a woman is normally granted custody of daughters until they reach the age of nine and sons until they reach the age of seven. Older children are often awarded to the divorced husband or the paternal grandparents. Women cannot confer citizenship to their children (if born to a non-Saudi Arabian father). Female genital mutilation is not a general practice, but reports suggest that there is some occurrence of the practice among Shia Muslims in the Eastern Province, and possibly among some Bedouin groups. Violence against women is common and there are no specific laws addressing the issue, nor any adequate protection for the victims. Incidents of domestic violence are rarely reported or even talked about publicly. For instance, the so-called honour crimes, whereby a woman is put to death or punished by male family members for having put disgrace to the family honour, are also prevalent. The suspicion alone of a womans wrong-doing is often enough for her to be subject to violence in the name of honour. Women, as well as men, may be subject to harassment by the countrys religious police, the mutawwain; torture (although outlawed); and physical punishments, often without having their case presented in court. Islamic law provides for detailed and complex calculations of inheritance shares. A woman may inherit from her father, her mother, her husband, her children, and under certain conditions, from other members of her family, but her share is generally smaller than a mans entitlement. A daughter, for example, inherits half as much as a son. This is commonly justified by the fact that a woman has no financial responsibility towards her husband and children. Women, particularly in rural areas, are often deprived even of their entitled share as they are considered to be supported by their fathers or husbands.