Water Scarcity

Abstract Well, human is facing a serious challenge of water resource which will be delectated. Therefore I collect some reference from Internet. My thesis is that I will use increase water supply as my original solution which transfers the salt sea water into fresh water. (Water solution methods in appendices)The purpose is searching how to reduce water scarcity in my country. Besides, I will talk about three issues the uneven distribution, water pollution and hard water in China, then I am supposed to provide one method which is desalination to dress the scarcity.My method can transport the 97% sea water to the fresh water in order to solve the water scarcity. Introduction Now people have witnessed the rapid development of the world through using a lot of nature resources like oil, coal and water. The environment problem becomes more serious, for example the 20 lakes in China dry up each year. Over the past 50 years country has lost more than 1000 natural water reservoirs. This is a lmost 10000 km2of the water surface. The main reason of this is the active development of industry.China overuses fresh water. Industrial waste water entering the lakes contains chemical compounds came from metallurgy, textile, pharmaceutical, food, pulp and paper industries. (G. T. Frumin, 2011)For the whole world, if people don’t have water, human cannot survive anymore. Absolutely, water is dominative in biosphere as a whole, like the water circulation, climate, agriculture and so forth. Every animal in the earth cannot alive without water; also water is an excellent solvent which can transport the nutrient and waste products.Actually, the water is transparent to visible and ultraviolet light. This means that (pure) water is colorless and allows light to penetrate, thus allowing photosynthesis to take place at considerable depths. That are why water is so important in biosphere. Let’s see the history of the water scarcity. If we trace the origin of the point, I thin k we can say the First Industry Revolution. After Britain open the world and do into a fast-paced development. Myriad resources have been used to invent the technologies, involving water.After that, many countries waste plenty of water in order to become stronger. Some now many countries are depleted the water. Hence, my purpose is searching how to reduce water scarcity in China. The thesis statement is that I will use method that increase water supply as my original method which transfer the salty water into fresh water. Methodology My topic is that discusses the issues and serves a practical method for the problem. In order to make the information convincing, I have found several websites information to embody the topic.I will search for issues, the uneven water distribution, water pollution, and hard water, and find some current action solving the problems. Then, I will suggest some laws and suggests for the water scarcity. Besides, I will use folder and charts to clear my inform ation. The research can me understand the problems and solution. It is because various and accurate information might indicate a significant number of factors about issues meanwhile tremendous detail also might confirm it. Finding Table 1. 0 water issues affecting China today |description |Current plan | |Issue 1 |Water is uneven distribute |transfer the water from south to the north | |Issue 2 |Water pollution |Harness and formulate more laws( organization) | |Issue 3 |Some water can not drink ( salty , hard) | Chemical reaction |As you can see from the table, although China is a big country, it still meets 3 main fresh water issues. Firstly, the amount of fresh water for everyone is very small. Although the China accounted for approximate 6% amount fresh water resource in the world, the average of each Chinese people is lower than the average of world (around 20%). It is because there is a substantial proportion of land in China (thirst in world) meanwhile there is a sizable perce ntage of population in china (about13 billion). China supports 20 percent of the world population with only 7 percent of its water.China has roughly the same amount of water as the United States but five times the population. The shortages are particularly acute in northern China where half the population lives with only 15 percent of China’s water. (Jeffrey Hays 2013) As a consequence, the fresh water resource might distribute unbalanced in difference areas in China. For example, in Beijing, Hangzhou, the big south cities in China, people have lot water, so they always waste the water and don’t build the awareness of saving water. But in some dry places, like Shanxi, the rural people even have no water to drink. It is unfair for people in those areas. Uneven distribution water graph in the appendices) Secondly, water pollution and water stress is reached a primary issue in a massive amount of city in China. Water shortages and water pollution in China are such a probl em that the World Bank warns of â€Å"catastrophic consequences for future generations. † To be more exact that there were total of 600 cities was investigated and around 400 cities witnessed huge water pollution or water stress. Half of China’s population lacks safe drinking water. Nearly two thirds of China’s rural population—more than 500 million people—use water contaminated by human and industrial waste. Jeffrey Hays 2012) Ultimately, another water issue is that there is a considerable quantity of water which cannot be used efficiently by numerous citizen and manufacture. For example, the water is too hard to drink. In my hometown, Zhengzhou, the water is hard, if the water is boiling, there always lefts a lot of water logging which means the water contains many Ca and Mg. In America, since 1972, they have published the law about the water scarcity and safety. But China doesn’t have the completely law to limit the water scarcity. There have three methods to solve all the problems.According to uneven water distribution, China has run a method that transports the water from rich south area to the poor north area. Thus, people who live in north can have more water. Second, here are many solutions are suggested in China. A famous project named South-to-North Water Diversion Project (NSBD. 2008,) is established in 2000s in China which is used to relive the water stress of northern areas like Shanxi; meanwhile a significant number of money is invested to clean the water which had contaminated and project the recent fresh water.Third, the water in many cities cannot eat because it is hard and salty. So, China now uses some chemical to moderate the hard water and spill some wells to help people drink more fresh water. Discussion I prefer to increase water supply as my original solution . People now have invented many ways to address the scarcity of water problems. I have discussed three in my finding. According to the fir st issue which is the uneven water distribution, I think the desalination method is the most useful way, and I believe it can solve the problem of the shortage of the water.Water desalination is the removal of salts and dissolved solids from saline water (brackish or seawater), also known as Desalting or Desalinization. In addition to the removal of minerals, the process removes most biological or organic chemical compounds. Most desalination processes are based either on thermal distillation or membrane separation technologies. (SWP2011) Seawater desalination is an increasingly important solution to the rising water scarcity afflicting many of the world's regions. In the world, the proportion of sea water is 97. 47%, the fresh water is only 2. 3%. So if human can transfer this huge amount sea water to fresh water, human will have more fresh water to drink, and survive. Many countries like mid eat and more than 125 countries have attempted these way, because it is economical and eff icient. More than 70 % people live near the sea in 120 miles. Besides, the water in the earth is 78%. Thus, it is a really large number for the water scarcity. Human can use less money and get more water in the future. The countries have experimented many times and this method has become more perfect. Conclusion and RecommendationIn the statement of findings, I created a new solution of using fresh water effectively, I believe it will be enacted by government, because this solution needs a few investments, but it might a huge advantage of making more fresh water in the future. Through using desalination methods, people can transfer the 97% sea water into fresh water for people. As I said, it is a huge potential area for water scarcity. If these can completely use in China, people in the dry areas will have water to drink and survive. Reference G. T. Frumin (2011) Fresh water lakes in China. [Online]. Available at: http://wenku. baidu. om/view/9d4aa2be65ce050876321339. html [Accessed 9 March 2013] Jeffrey Hays (2013) FACTS AND DETAILS [Online]. Available at: http://factsanddetails. com/china. php? itemid=317 [Accessed 9 March 2013] Jeffrey Hay (2012) FACTS AND DETAILS [Online] Available at: http://factsanddetails. com/china. php? itemid=391 [Accessed 9 March 2013] NSBD (2008) China daily [Online] Available at: http://usa. chinadaily. com. cn/business/2012-12/05/content_15989621. htm [Accessed 9 March 2013] SWP (2011) International decade for action ‘water for life’ 2005-2015 [Online]. Available at: http://www. un. org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity. html [Accessed 9 March 2013] Appendices Chart 2. 0 Water supply in the world [pic] Table 2. 0 Water solution | |Water supply |Water demand | |Increase water supply |increase |same | |Decrease water supply |same |decrease | |both |increase |decrease | Water Scarcity Global Water Scarcity – Problems And Solutions Posted: 23. 12. 2009 author: Tater, Prof. Dr. Sohan Raj Importance of Water Water is a source of life of every living organism. Without water living beings cannot survive their lives. There is 60% water in human gross body. It is a natural resource that sustains our environments and supports livelihood. Water is the blue gold, and that future wars will be fought for water. So, not a single drop of water received from rain should be allowed to escape into the sea without being utilized for human benefit. The vast majority of the Earth’s water resources are salty water, with only 2. % being fresh water. Approximately 70% of fresh water available on planet is in the icecaps of Antarctica and Greenland leaving the remaining 0. 7% of total water resources worldwide available for consumption. However from this 0. 7%, roughly 87% is allocated to agricultural purposes. These statistics are particularly illustrative of the drastic p roblem of water scarcity facing humanity. Water scarcity is defined as per capital supplies less than 1700 M3/year. The comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture revealed that one in three people are already facing water shortage (2007).Around 1. 2 billion people, or almost one-fifth of the world’s population, live in areas of physical scarcity, while another 1. 6 billion people, or almost one quarter of the world’s population, face economic water shortage (where countries lack the necessary infrastructure to take water from rivers and aquifers); nearly all of which are in the developing countries. Agriculture is a significant cause of water scarcity in much of the world since crop production requires upto 70 times more water than is used in drinking and other domestic purposes.The report says that a rule of thumb is that each calorie consumed as food requires about one litre of water to produce. The amount of water in the world is finite. The number of us is growing fast and our water use is growing even faster. A third of world’s population lives in water stressed countries now. By 2025, this is expected to rise to two-third. The UN recommends that people need a minimum of 50 litres of water a day for drinking, washing, cooking and sanitation. In 1990, over a billion people did not have even that. Causes of Global water CrisisThere are four main factors aggravating water scarcity: * Population Growth: In the last century, world population has tripled. It is expected to rise from the present 6. 5 billions to 8. 9 billions by 2050. Water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century, and although there is no global water scarcity as such, an increasing number of regions are chronically short of water. * Increased urbanization will focus on the demand for water among an over more concentrated population. Asian citizen alone are expected to grow by 1 billion people in the next 2 0 years. High level of consumption: As the world becomes more developed, the amount of domestic water that each person used is expected to rise significantly. * Climate change will shrink the resources of fresh water   (a) Pollution and disease Global water consumption rose six fold between 1900 and 1995 more than double the rate of population growth – and goes on growing as farming, industry and domestic demand all increase. As important as quantity is quality – with pollution increasing in some areas, the amount of useable water declines.More than five millions people die from water-borne diseases each year, 10 times the number killed in wars around the globe. Seventy percent of water used world wide is used for agriculture, much more will be needed if we are to feed world’s growing population – predicted to rise from about six billion to 8. 9 billion by 2050. Consumption will star further as more people expect western – style lifestyle and die ts – one kilograms of grain fed beef needs at least 15 cubic meters of water, while a kilo of cereals needs only upto three cubic meters. b) Poverty and Water The poor are the ones who suffer most. Water shortage can mean long walks to fetch water, high price to buy it, food insecurity and disease from drinking dirty water. But the very thing needed to raise funds to tackle water problems in poor countries, economic development – requires yet more water to supply the agriculture and industries which drive it. The UN-backed World commission on water estimated in 2000 that an additional $100 billion a year would be needed to tackle water scarcity would wide.Even if the money can be found, spending it wisely is a further challenge. Dams and other large – scale projects now affect 60% of the world’s largest rivers and provide millions with water. As ground water is exploited, water tables in part of China, India, West Asia, the former Soviet Union and the Wes tern United States are dropping – in India by as much as 3 meters a year in 1999. (c) Melting of Glaciers Global warming is melting glaciers in every region of the world, putting millions of people at risk from floods, draughts and lack of drinking water.Glaciers are ancient rivers of compressed snow that creep through the landscape, shaping the planet’s surface. They are the Earth’s largest fresh water reservoir, collectively covering an area the size of South Antarctica. Glaciers have been retreating worldwide since the end of the little Ice Age (around 1850), but in recent decades glaciers have began melting at rates that cannot be explained by historical trends. One in three people is enduring one form or other of water scarcity, according to a new report from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).The report says that about one- quarter of the world’s population lives in areas where water is physically scare, while about one – six th of humanity over a billion people – live where water is economically scares, or places where â€Å"Water is available in rivers and aquifers, but the infrastructure is lacking to make thick water available to people. † In a world of unprecented wealth, almost two million children die-each year for want of a glass of clean water and adequate sanitation.Millions of women and young girls are forced to spend hours collecting and carrying water, restricting their opportunities and their choices. Water – bone infectious diseases are growing in same of the world’s poorest countries. Human development reports 2006 investigates the underlying causes and consequences of a crisis that leaves 1. 2 billion people without access to safe water and 2. 6 billion without access to sanitation. In 2006 the International Management Institute, reported that water scarcity affected a full third of world population.In 2007 the Intergovernmental panel on climate change predict ed that due to climate change, the number of people facing water scarcity would grow. Other, too, say that there is a global water crisis, the availability of water is dwindling, the world is running out of the water. Solution of water scarcity (a) Water and Climate change Water scarcity is expected to become an even more important problem than it is today. There are several reasons for this: * First the distribution of precipitation in space and time is very uneven, leading to tremendous temporal variability in water resources worldwide (Oki et al. 003). For example, the Atacama Desert in Chile receives imperceptible annual quantities of rainfall where as Mawsynram, Assam, India receives over 450 inches annually. If the fresh water on the planet were divided equally among the global population, there would be 5000 to 6000 M3 of water available for everyone, every year. * Second the rate of evaporation varies a great deal, depending on temperature and relative humidity, which impact the amount of water available to replenish ground water supplies.The combination of shorter duration but more intense rainfall (meaning more run off and less infiltration) combined with increased evapotranspiration (the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration form the earth’s land surface to atmosphere) and increased irrigation is expected to lead to ground water depletion. According to world bank, as many as two billion people lack adequate sanitation facilities to protect them from water – borne disease, while a billion lack access to clean water altogether.According to United States, which has declared 2005-15 the â€Å"Water for life† decade, 95 percent of the world cities still dump water sewage into their water supplies. Thus it should come as no surprise to know that 80 percent of all the health maladies in developing countries can be traced back to unsanitary water. Developed countries are not immune to fresh water problem either. Researcher found a six-fold increase in water use for only a two-fold increase in population size in the United States since 1900.Such a trend reflects the connection between higher living standards and increased water usage and underscores the need for more sustainable management and use of water supplies even in more developed societies. (b) Technical Solution New technology can help, however, especially by cleaning up pollution and so making more water useable, and in agriculture, where water use can be made for more efficient, drought – resistant plants can also help. Drip irrigation drastically cuts the amount of water needed, low-pressure sprinklers are an improvement, and even building simple earth walls to trap rainfall is helpful.Some countries are now treating wastewater so that it can be used – and drunk – several times over. Desalination makes seawater, but takes huge quantities of energy and leaves vast amount of brine. (c) Climate Change In any case, it is not just u s who need water, but every other species that shares the planet with us – as well as the ecosystems on which we, and they, rely. Climate change will also have an impact, some areas will probably benefit from increase rainfall, but other are likely to be loser. We have to rethink how much water we really need if we are to learn how to share the Earth’s supply.While dams and other large-scale schemes play a big role worldwide, there is also a growing recognition of the value of using the water already have more efficiently rather than harvesting ever more from our rivers and aquifers. For millions of people around the world, getting it right is a matter of life and death. (d) The hydrological Cycle The hydrological cycle begins with evaporation from the surface of ocean or land, continues as air carries the water vapour to locations where it forms clouds and eventually precipitates out.It then continues when the precipitation is either absorbed into the ground or runs o ff to the ocean, ready to begin the cycle over again in an endless loop. The amount of time needed for ground water to recharge can vary with the amount of intensity of precipitation. With world population expected to pass nine billion by mid-century, solutions to water scarcity problems are not going to come easy. Some have suggested that technology – such as large-scale salt water desalination plants – could generate more water for the world use.But environmentalists argue that depleting ocean water is no answer and will only create other big problems. In any case, research and development into improving desalination technologies is ongoing, especially in Saudi Arabia, Israel and Japan. Already an estimated 11,000 desalination plants exist in some 120 countries around the world. Water Management When we think about water scarcity, then, we should not be focusing on an absolute shortfall between the total needs of the earth’s population and the available supply , but on where the useable water is and what it costs to bring enough clean water to where people are.Applying market principles to water would facilitate a more efficient distribution of supply everywhere. Analysts at Harvard Middle East Water Project, for example, advocate assigning a monetary value to fresh water, rather than considering it a free natural commodity. They say such a approach could help mitigate the political and security tensions caused by water scarcity. Falling prices in membrane filtering technology (reverse osmosis) and advances in ultraviolet and ozone disinfections have led to a wide array of off – the shelf water technologies.Large companies such as GE, Siemens and Dow developed these technologies for consumer markets in industrial countries, spurred by the exploding market in bottled water, but they offer interesting spin-offs in developing countries. As individuals, we can also reign in our own water use to help conserve what is becoming an ever mo re precious resource. We can hold off on watering our lawns in times of drought. And when it does rain, we can gather gutter water in barrels to feed garden hoses and sprinklers. We can turn off the tapes while we brush our teeth or shave, and take shorter showers.In other world, â€Å"Doing more with less is the first and easiest step along the path toward water scarcity. † As a reliable and affordable technology, desalination has come of age in the last two decades. For Iceland cities such as Singapore, or for a new five star hotel on a Pacific atoll, a desalination plant is now standard technology. The cost of desalination has come down rapidly and now ranges from $ 0. 5 – 1. 00 per cubic meter, depending upon price of energy. This is a reasonable price for drinking water in a developed urban area or hotel where the impact on room prices will be only a few dollars per day.For agricultural purposes, however the value of water ranges from several cents per cubic meter to grow crop such as corn, wheat, rice or sugar cane, to half a dollar for intensive flower or vegetable production. Desalination is clearly not an economical option. Desalination is similarly impractical for poor people who live on less than $ 1 or $ 2 per day. Conclusion Water is a source of life of every living organism. Without water living beings cannot survive their lives. There is 60% water in human gross body. It is a natural source that sustains our environments and supports livelihood.Water is the blue gold, and that future wars will be fought for water. So, not a single drop of water received from rain should be allowed to escape into the sea without being utilized for human benefit. Present global water scarcity is defined as per capita supplies less than 1700 M3/year. Around 1. 2 billion people, or almost one-fifth of the world’s population, live in areas of physical scarcity while another 1. 6 billion, or almost one quarter of the world’s population, fac e economic, water shortage. A third of world’s population lives in water stressed countries now.The report says that a rule of thumb is that each calorie consumed as food requires about one litre of water to produce. Causes of Global water crisis are – population growth, increased urbanization, high level of consumption and climate change which shrink the resources of fresh water, melting of glaciers. More than five millions people die from water-borne diseases each year around the Globe due to drinking polluted water. Underground water table is depleting on an average 3 meters a year as per research conducted in India. One in three people is enduring one form or other of water scarcity around the Globe.Almost two million children die each year for want of a glass of clean water and adequate sanitation. If the fresh water on the planet were divided equally among the global population, there would be 5000 to 6000 M3 of water available for every one, every year. Technica l solutions of water scarcity around Globe are Drip irrigation, recycling of sewage water and to make it usable for agriculture, vegetables and bathroom purposes, scientific work over hydrological cycle formation, desalination of saline water, Increasing R. O. technology.We should advocate assigning a monetary value to fresh drinking water, rather than considering it a free natural commodity. Individually every globe citizen should save water in bathing cooking, gardening i. e. their daily use purposes. References * Goudie, As (2006). Global Warming and Fluvial Geomorphology Volume 79, September 2006, 37th Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium – The human role in changing Fluvial Systems. * Huntington, T. G. (2005) Evidence for Intensification of the global water cycle: Review and Synthesis. Journal of Hydrology, 319. * Konikow, Leonard et al. 2005). Ground water Depletion: A Global Problem. Hydrogeology (13). * Nearing, M. A. et al. (2005). Modeling Response of Soil Erosion and Run off to changes in Precipitation and cover. Catena, 61. * Oki, Taikan et al. (2006). Global hydrological Cycles and World Water Resources, Science; 313. * Vorasmarty, Charles et al. (2000). Global Water Resource: Vulnerability from Climate Change and Population Growth, Science, 289. * World Water Assessment Programme, 2003. Water for people, Water for life: The United Nations world water development report. UNESCO: Paris. Water Scarcity Abstract Well, human is facing a serious challenge of water resource which will be delectated. Therefore I collect some reference from Internet. My thesis is that I will use increase water supply as my original solution which transfers the salt sea water into fresh water. (Water solution methods in appendices)The purpose is searching how to reduce water scarcity in my country. Besides, I will talk about three issues the uneven distribution, water pollution and hard water in China, then I am supposed to provide one method which is desalination to dress the scarcity.My method can transport the 97% sea water to the fresh water in order to solve the water scarcity. Introduction Now people have witnessed the rapid development of the world through using a lot of nature resources like oil, coal and water. The environment problem becomes more serious, for example the 20 lakes in China dry up each year. Over the past 50 years country has lost more than 1000 natural water reservoirs. This is a lmost 10000 km2of the water surface. The main reason of this is the active development of industry.China overuses fresh water. Industrial waste water entering the lakes contains chemical compounds came from metallurgy, textile, pharmaceutical, food, pulp and paper industries. (G. T. Frumin, 2011)For the whole world, if people don’t have water, human cannot survive anymore. Absolutely, water is dominative in biosphere as a whole, like the water circulation, climate, agriculture and so forth. Every animal in the earth cannot alive without water; also water is an excellent solvent which can transport the nutrient and waste products.Actually, the water is transparent to visible and ultraviolet light. This means that (pure) water is colorless and allows light to penetrate, thus allowing photosynthesis to take place at considerable depths. That are why water is so important in biosphere. Let’s see the history of the water scarcity. If we trace the origin of the point, I thin k we can say the First Industry Revolution. After Britain open the world and do into a fast-paced development. Myriad resources have been used to invent the technologies, involving water.After that, many countries waste plenty of water in order to become stronger. Some now many countries are depleted the water. Hence, my purpose is searching how to reduce water scarcity in China. The thesis statement is that I will use method that increase water supply as my original method which transfer the salty water into fresh water. Methodology My topic is that discusses the issues and serves a practical method for the problem. In order to make the information convincing, I have found several websites information to embody the topic.I will search for issues, the uneven water distribution, water pollution, and hard water, and find some current action solving the problems. Then, I will suggest some laws and suggests for the water scarcity. Besides, I will use folder and charts to clear my inform ation. The research can me understand the problems and solution. It is because various and accurate information might indicate a significant number of factors about issues meanwhile tremendous detail also might confirm it. Finding Table 1. 0 water issues affecting China today |description |Current plan | |Issue 1 |Water is uneven distribute |transfer the water from south to the north | |Issue 2 |Water pollution |Harness and formulate more laws( organization) | |Issue 3 |Some water can not drink ( salty , hard) | Chemical reaction |As you can see from the table, although China is a big country, it still meets 3 main fresh water issues. Firstly, the amount of fresh water for everyone is very small. Although the China accounted for approximate 6% amount fresh water resource in the world, the average of each Chinese people is lower than the average of world (around 20%). It is because there is a substantial proportion of land in China (thirst in world) meanwhile there is a sizable perce ntage of population in china (about13 billion). China supports 20 percent of the world population with only 7 percent of its water.China has roughly the same amount of water as the United States but five times the population. The shortages are particularly acute in northern China where half the population lives with only 15 percent of China’s water. (Jeffrey Hays 2013) As a consequence, the fresh water resource might distribute unbalanced in difference areas in China. For example, in Beijing, Hangzhou, the big south cities in China, people have lot water, so they always waste the water and don’t build the awareness of saving water. But in some dry places, like Shanxi, the rural people even have no water to drink. It is unfair for people in those areas. Uneven distribution water graph in the appendices) Secondly, water pollution and water stress is reached a primary issue in a massive amount of city in China. Water shortages and water pollution in China are such a probl em that the World Bank warns of â€Å"catastrophic consequences for future generations. † To be more exact that there were total of 600 cities was investigated and around 400 cities witnessed huge water pollution or water stress. Half of China’s population lacks safe drinking water. Nearly two thirds of China’s rural population—more than 500 million people—use water contaminated by human and industrial waste. Jeffrey Hays 2012) Ultimately, another water issue is that there is a considerable quantity of water which cannot be used efficiently by numerous citizen and manufacture. For example, the water is too hard to drink. In my hometown, Zhengzhou, the water is hard, if the water is boiling, there always lefts a lot of water logging which means the water contains many Ca and Mg. In America, since 1972, they have published the law about the water scarcity and safety. But China doesn’t have the completely law to limit the water scarcity. There have three methods to solve all the problems.According to uneven water distribution, China has run a method that transports the water from rich south area to the poor north area. Thus, people who live in north can have more water. Second, here are many solutions are suggested in China. A famous project named South-to-North Water Diversion Project (NSBD. 2008,) is established in 2000s in China which is used to relive the water stress of northern areas like Shanxi; meanwhile a significant number of money is invested to clean the water which had contaminated and project the recent fresh water.Third, the water in many cities cannot eat because it is hard and salty. So, China now uses some chemical to moderate the hard water and spill some wells to help people drink more fresh water. Discussion I prefer to increase water supply as my original solution . People now have invented many ways to address the scarcity of water problems. I have discussed three in my finding. According to the fir st issue which is the uneven water distribution, I think the desalination method is the most useful way, and I believe it can solve the problem of the shortage of the water.Water desalination is the removal of salts and dissolved solids from saline water (brackish or seawater), also known as Desalting or Desalinization. In addition to the removal of minerals, the process removes most biological or organic chemical compounds. Most desalination processes are based either on thermal distillation or membrane separation technologies. (SWP2011) Seawater desalination is an increasingly important solution to the rising water scarcity afflicting many of the world's regions. In the world, the proportion of sea water is 97. 47%, the fresh water is only 2. 3%. So if human can transfer this huge amount sea water to fresh water, human will have more fresh water to drink, and survive. Many countries like mid eat and more than 125 countries have attempted these way, because it is economical and eff icient. More than 70 % people live near the sea in 120 miles. Besides, the water in the earth is 78%. Thus, it is a really large number for the water scarcity. Human can use less money and get more water in the future. The countries have experimented many times and this method has become more perfect. Conclusion and RecommendationIn the statement of findings, I created a new solution of using fresh water effectively, I believe it will be enacted by government, because this solution needs a few investments, but it might a huge advantage of making more fresh water in the future. Through using desalination methods, people can transfer the 97% sea water into fresh water for people. As I said, it is a huge potential area for water scarcity. If these can completely use in China, people in the dry areas will have water to drink and survive. Reference G. T. Frumin (2011) Fresh water lakes in China. [Online]. Available at: http://wenku. baidu. om/view/9d4aa2be65ce050876321339. html [Accessed 9 March 2013] Jeffrey Hays (2013) FACTS AND DETAILS [Online]. Available at: http://factsanddetails. com/china. php? itemid=317 [Accessed 9 March 2013] Jeffrey Hay (2012) FACTS AND DETAILS [Online] Available at: http://factsanddetails. com/china. php? itemid=391 [Accessed 9 March 2013] NSBD (2008) China daily [Online] Available at: http://usa. chinadaily. com. cn/business/2012-12/05/content_15989621. htm [Accessed 9 March 2013] SWP (2011) International decade for action ‘water for life’ 2005-2015 [Online]. Available at: http://www. un. org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity. html [Accessed 9 March 2013] Appendices Chart 2. 0 Water supply in the world [pic] Table 2. 0 Water solution | |Water supply |Water demand | |Increase water supply |increase |same | |Decrease water supply |same |decrease | |both |increase |decrease |

Competition Bikes Inc. Storyline Essay

Introduction Competition Bikes Inc. is considering an expansion to Canada and is trying to determine whether to merge with or acquire the Canadian Biking Inc. facility. We take a look in this summary at capital structure approaches, Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return and the concerns surrounding that. Competition Bikes working capital is discussed and finally an analysis on if the company should merge or acquire Canadian Biking Inc. Capital Structure Approach A1. This summary provides a report and recommendation of a capital structure that maximizes shareholder return. Capital Structure is how well a company finances its assets, operations and growth using short and long term debt, and common and preferred equities. Overall, more equity and less debt attracts investors. Equity is either common stocks, or preferred stocks. Competition Bikes Inc. is looking to expand to Canada. To expand, the company must have the most appropriate capital structure not only to be able to pay off debts, have an acceptable return on investment, and increase cash flow, but to have the appropriate funding to expand and for future stability and growth. Currently Competition Bikes has working capital, long term notes payable, common and preferred stocks, and retained earnings. We will use Earnings per Share (EPS) from the table below to make a recommendation as to what approach the company should use. This is what investors look into as well. There are five capit al structure approaches Competition Bikes can take to generate the capital required for the expansion. The table below shows the calculated EPS for each structure which is discussed after. 9% Bonds Only. Bonds are risky because they require a fixed interest payment that could negatively affect shareholder earnings if sales projections are not as anticipated. Payments are typically made semi-annually which decreases the company’s income. This is regarded as a debt, not equity which takes more time to realize benefits. This option yields the highest interest and lowers Competition Bikes Income before Tax (EBT). The plus to this option is that bonds are debt financing and therefore tax deductible. In some smaller companies this is less expensive that using equity to finance debts. Competition Bikes does not fall into this category really because it is unknown if profits will increase or dividends will be diluted in future years. Future monies earned will be used to pay off the debts and not be reinvested into the company as new earnings. Using moderate expected earnings before interest and taxes amounts (EBIT), the EPS for stockholders over 5 years with this option is .103. The lower EPS is means less common stock shares outstanding, less equity, and fewer dividends. The risk is higher in this option as highly leveraged companies tend to have difficulties with cash flow. 50% Preferred Stock and 50% Common Stock. In this option the investors fund  the expansion. Competition Bike’s equity is used rather than debts to finance growth into Canada. Investors have more of an invested interest in the company and Competition Bikes has less debt to income ratio. Preferred stockholders will earn dividend payouts on a regular basis while the Board of Directors determines if common stockholders receive dividends. Preferred stockholders also tend to hold on to their stocks longer preventing a declined value in them. There is no interest to pay back in this option therefore, all EBIT are retained. The EPS for this option over 5 years is .203, one of the highest two in this analysis. Investors will see an immediate return on investment beginning in year 9. This option yields the highest net income and preferred stock dividends. On a negative note, this option can be a lengthy process consuming time resources. 20% in 9% Bonds and 80% in Common Stock. The 20/80 option mix of bonds and common stock is a better option that 100% bonds. This option uses both debt and investors to fund the expansion and allows Competition Bikes to give less dividends if it so chooses. The debt to income ratio remains small here and interest low as only 20% is being used as debt. Over 5 years this option yields .197 EPS which is the close to the 50% preferred and common stock. There is more risk here as debts must be paid back on a strict schedule, regardless of income. However, EBT is higher and the total income available for common stock increases. 40% in 9% Bonds and 60% Common Stock. Like the previous option, this option uses both debt and investors to fund the expansion. While having 60% in common stock still keeps the company from forced dividend payouts, it’s not as safe as 20/80 option. The split in bonds and common stocks keeps interest low. Not as low as the 20/80 option, but not as high as the 60/40 option. The same holds true for available income. There is more available for common stock than 100% bonds. The EPS for this option is .182 because of the number of outstanding shares is higher than the 20/80 option. 60% in 9% Bonds and 40% in Common Stock. In this option, there is debt just as there is in the first option. The increase in interest (12%) causes less equity and fewer dividends. The income available for common stock is the low in this option. It’s also important to note that Competition Bikes had declining sales the past two years. It is unknown if they will have enough sales to meet their interest payments on time and continue business as usual. The EPS over 5 years with this option is .16, the second lowest. Recommendation. Capital structure as we can see can be tricky. It is the best balance of debt and equity to maximize returns, EPS. Excluding the 60/40 option, all the options show continued growth through the years. However, 50% common and preferred stock option yields the stronger EPS at .203 and is therefore the recommendation for Competition Bikes. The continued strength and growth in this option will maximize shareholder return, and yield addition dividends to investors with less risk. The increased EBIT will be retained in the company. The goals of this analysis were to ensure the highest EPS keeping shareholders satisfied while building strong net income in the business. The larger equity versus debt in the 50% Common Stock and 50% Preferred Stock accomplishes that. This option is recommended for Competition Bikes to improve the company’s financial position. The alternate capital structure would be the 20/80 option. Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return A2. In this summary we discuss the Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) methods in regards to the proposed investment. These areas determine if the investment is worth moving forward with the merger or acquisition without financially harming the company. The Capital Budget income statements were reviewed to make the following determinations. NPV. This method appraises investments. The calculation for NPV is the investments total net cash flows minus initial costs. If the result is positive then the investment should be accepted. Negative results should be rejected. The NPV indicates the investment’s value, or profitability. IRR. This method is more often used to make investment decisions with companies. The IRR calculation is the discount rate of interest that decreases the asset’s net present value to the cost of the investment, or  back to zero. This is the true economic return earned. The IRR should be equal to or greater than the cost of the capital, or hurdle rate, to accept the investment. Competition Bikes requires a 10% hurdle rate to pursue the investment. Lower results should reject the investment. Growth is considered in this method. The IRR is the efficiency and yield of an investment. Competition Bikes Inc. has provided the following five year projection on NPV and IRR. This is provided in both the low demand and moderate demand scenarios. Concerns for NPV – Low Demand. After investing $600,000 in this scenario, the total present value of $573,260 yield a negative $26,740 NPV. Although this does not mean the company will lost money in this scenario, it does mean they will not meet their self-set 10% hurdle rate. Growth in sales is set at 49,000 or six units yet not enough to increase to a positive NPV in five years. This is an indication the company should not move forward with the expansion as investors will most likely not want for the cost of capital to be realized. The global economy is also at a low point which give Competition an even higher risk of not making its even low demand model sales expectations. Concerns for NPV – Moderate Demand. After investing $600,000 in the moderate scenario, the total present value is $602,243 leaving a NPV of $2,243. While this is a positive number, it is not a high one so the company would have to decide if projections were more accurate in the moderate demand, or low. If Competition Bikes does not meet its projections by any margin, this NPV will move into a negative status. In addition the declined economy, Competition Bikes has been over predicting sales in recent years. If the company follows this same pattern, the numbers in this scenario could be off. Concerns for IRR – Low Demand. The rate of return for this scenario is 8.7%, 1.3% lower than Competition Bikes’ 10% threshold. This indicates the project will not be funded or profitable, steering investors away from investing. Concerns for IRR – Moderate Demand. The rate of return for this scenario is 10.1%. Although it is above Competition Bikes’ set limit for moving forward, it barely meets the minimum. With the market in a down swing, its best to look at the low demand rather than moderate at this point. Having the moderate barely meet the 10% should raise concern for the company. Investors may not want to spend money for a venture that is marginally acceptable. Not recommended. From the summaries above on the NPV and IRR, it is not recommended that Competition Bikes move into the Canadian market at this time. There is a possibility that the expansion would be a success, but the risks are too high. The 10% rate of return is not only rarely met in these scenarios, that threshold may be a little low too. Expansion into another country with additional building planned is much riskier than just an internal investment due to economic and regulatory issues. The cash flows used to create these scenarios are not exact either. Competition Bikes would need to leave itself a little more room for cash flow fluctuation. Although they will be spending more on advertising in the first year, it is unknown if it will increase sales. The expansion is something that could be reconsidered after the economy bounces back. Working Capital for Canadian Expansion A3. (1) Obtain Working Capital. Working capital is Assets minus Liabilities and can be obtained by several avenues. Competition Bikes will have to build working capital to afford the expansion. Below are some of the avenues the company can use to acquire working capital. Debt financing. One time transaction bank loans is debt financing and usually comes with a higher closing cost. Loans can also be obtained through government loans such as the Small Business Administration. These type of loans can be long or short term but general hold high interest rates. SBA loans general have terms less restrictive than those at the bank because they are services through the loan guarantor, not the lender. Avoiding using outside monies to fund a project is optimal assuming a favorable cost/ benefit ratio. Revolving Credit. Credit can be used continuously to fund multiple projects. Lines of credit tend to have lower payments than bank loans. Lines of credit can be used as working capital when appropriate. Interest is paid here and monthly payments cannot be missed or the company’s credit rating is at risk. Liquidating Assets. Companies can sell unnecessary assets such as structures or buildings, land, machinery, etc. Competition Bikes can sell its excess parts. Equity Financing. Offering preferred and common stock is a way to obtain working capital without going further into debt. Maximizing shareholder returns will raise funds for the company. Stocks will dilute ownership in the company but make the expansion possible without the threat of debt. Increase Sales. Managing already existing finances such as paying off debts, increasing sales and capacity, investing in marketing and advertising, lowering production costs and growing the business can increase working capital. Retained earnings can be reinvested as working capital as well. Lending. Working capital can be obtained from selling accounts receivable or increasing their accounts receivable collections system. Loaning more money with longer terms or reducing fixed and variable costs can also increase working capital. A3. (2) Manage Working Capital. Managing or preserving working capital is  done by budgeting, reinvestments, managing accounts payable and receivable, and inventory and asset management. There are other ways to manage or preserve working capital but these are discussed here. Budgeting. Competition Bikes can maintain its working capital by budgeting properly. Controlling costs and managing debt and assets will maintain cash flow. The balance sheets showed errors and ambiguous spending. Good record keeping is essential to know where money is going and where it’s coming from. The company can improve their debt management to know where costs can be cut. Paying debts on time will decrease interest paid and worthy record keeping can help know when the debts are due. Reinvesting. The company can reinvest working capital to preserve it. The 50% common stock and 50% preferred stock structure mentioned earlier will help the company manage working capital. This option yields the highest earnings per share building capital. Increase Accounts Receivable Interest and Discounts. Competition Bikes currently invoices at net/30 days. This should be reviewed and shortened to less than 20 days. Discounts should not be offered in excess and should be careful managed. Smart cost control maximizes cash flow. Accounts payable credit terms can be negotiated with suppliers as well. This may decrease interest and help maintain working capital. Inventory/ Asset Management. In addition to an acceptable record keeping system, inventory control can help the company in knowing what’s on hand, what’s incoming and outgoing. This can help determine what assets can be liquidated and used as working capital. A3. (3) Lease vs. Buy. Deciding whether to lease or buy is a way to manage or preserve working capital. Competition Bikes needs to know which the better option to preserve their working capital is. The assessment below discusses the options. Lease. The lease for Competition Bikes would be a 5 year lease with fixed  monthly payments. There is a $50,000 buyout option at the end of the lease and no tax deductions are offered. There is a 6% interest rate on leasing the facility. The company would not be locked into keeping the building after the 5 years. Leasing would yield a lower NPV than purchasing the facility and sustains working capital. Buy. If Competition Bikes chooses to purchase the Canadian facility, it would increase debt and still have fixed monthly payments. However, they would be able to take advantage of tax deductions. There is also a 6% interest rate in this option. Some considerations in purchasing are the depreciation of the facility, the down payment, and the maintenance upkeep. Purchasing the facility requires a $50,000 down payment which results in lower monthly payments than leasing. Recommendation. Leasing seems to make the most financial sense for Competition Bikes in this scenario. Investing the $50,000 into the company to build revenue and manage working capital is a smarter decision than spending it on a down payment. This option will produce less debt and less risk of bad credit. Given that future growth is unknown, it is better to lease for five years and determine at that time how to expand based on how the market is doing at that time. There is lower inherent risk in leasing and better chance of increased returns. The overall lease payments will be less than purchasing so the company should lease, reassess after 5 years, and look into the option to buy at that time. Merger or Acquisition A4. Competition Bikes must consider to merge with or acquire Canadian Bikes Inc. If the company does nothing, it could be faced with market competition that slides the company under. Below we look into the options, the consequences, positives and negatives of each. A final recommendation is made for Competition Bikes based on all information thus far. Merger. In a merger, the two companies would combine. Competition Bikes is a larger company with 975,000 shares of common stock versus Canadian Biking’s  200,000. Currently the earnings per share for Competition Bikes is .032 and Canadian Biking is at .121. If the companies merge, their earnings per share would increase to .053, an increase for Competition Bikes. In a merger, the acquiring company uses its own securities in exchange for the merged company’s so it will dilute shareholder equity. However, since the exchange would be 3:1 basis, this would result in 65% increase for Competition Bikes, holding as a positive for the company. Both companies have expected continued growth over the next five years becoming a stronger competitor. A Merger would mean increased technology, customer base, and pre-established business departments. The merge will also come with more employees and possible duplication of duties making layoffs inevitable. Acquisition. In an acquisition, one company (in this case Competition Bikes) will take ownership of the target company (Canadian Biking). Canadian Biking Inc. will no longer exist and stocks for Competition Bikes Inc. will continue, expecting a return on investment. Competition Bikes is offering shares at 1.43, 30% premium over their current stock of 1.10. The projected cash flow does not meet the 10% hurdle rate Competition Bikes requires for investments. With an offer price of $286,000 and present value of $212,138, that would leave a negative NPV of $73,862. This will not leave the company with a return on investment. Since Competition Bikes has had decreased sales in the past few years, acquisition is riskier than a merger. In an acquisition Competition Bikes would acquire all of the patents and copyrights from Canadian Biking. Conclusion Competition Bikes Inc. is considering a Canadian expansion and is faced with the determination whether to merge with or acquire the Canadian Biking Inc. facility. We have analyzed the source and management of working capital to help the company in the decision to merge with Canadian Biking, Inc. or to acquire the company. After consideration of the items discussed, it is recommended that Competition Bikes merge with Canadian Biking Inc. The monies required to merge with Canadian Biking Inc. should come from 50% preferred and 50% common stock. The growth of the merged company yields more  projected cash flow over five years than if Competition Bikes simply acquires Canadian Biking Inc.

Kropotkin

Russian main proponent of anarchist communism, Kropotkin (1842–1921)  believed that Darwin’s theory of evolution, properly applied, showed that human beings are social creatures who flourish best in small communities cemented together by mutual aid and voluntary associations. A guiding spirit of the international anarchist movement, Kropotkin was also a distinguished geographer, a scientist and a positivist. He was a geographer who carried out explorations of Siberia, Finland, and Manchuria before devoting his life to political activities. Kropotkin was a Russian aristocrat by birth but he renounced his title 1872 and henceforth devoted himself to the cause of social revolution, spending most of his later life in Western Europe and Britain. Memoirs of a Revolutionist is the work in which Kropotkin summarized his ideas. This entertaining and candid autobiography of the great anarchist is highly impressive. There are fantastic characters – the millionaire gourmet prince who ate away a fortune; thrilling adventures – escape from the Peter and Paul prison, Petersburg’s Bastille; amusing ironies on the run, as when he gets a job in London on Nature under an assumed name and is asked to review his own books. Lenin thought Kropotkin a worthy bore. Kropotkin regarded Lenin as an honorable tyrant. The main issue touched upon by the memoirs is the analysis of correlation between Darwinism and â€Å"the progressive evolution† of human society[1]. Memoirs of a Revolutionist helps track the life journey made by Kropotkin before his formulated his ideas. Born into an aristocratic Moscow family close to the Russian Imperial throne, Kropotkin was educated at an exclusive military academy, but at 20, filled with the desire to be useful, he renounced a brilliant career to serve for five years as a military administrator in Eastern Siberia. His hopes for liberal reform by Alexander II, the tsar who had abolished serfdom, were soon disappointed. He also lost any faith in the virtues of state discipline in society and began to move slowly towards an anarchist position. He now turned to scientific exploration of the nature, and his observations laid the foundations of his theory of â€Å"mutual aid†[2] among animal species. Anarchism, as advanced by Peter Kropotkin, was equally prepared to recognize the profound influence of Darwinism on modern thought. Darwin, Kropotkin argued, made biology an advanced science by giving it an evolutionary principle of universal magnitude. Darwin’s theory, in his opinion, provided a key for reconstructing â€Å"the progressive evolution† not only of plants and animals but also of human society as a scientific challenge. Kropotkin did not deny the role of the struggle for existence in the evolutionary process, but he bitterly opposed Darwin’s designation of that struggle as the primary motor of biological transformation. Kropotkin gave credit to The Descent of Man, one of Darwin’s major works, for demonstrating the biological origins of morality, the foundation of â€Å"mutual aid†. Kropotkin’s ideas have clear positivist coat. He saw the development of anarchism as one aspect of the whole movement of modern science towards an integrated philosophy. He believed that the dominant phenomenon in nature was harmony, arrived at by a continuous process of adjustment between contending forces. In human, as in animal societies, the dominant phenomenon was mutual aid: thus once metaphysics, law and state authority had been shaken off, harmony could be realized. Developing his idea of â€Å"mutual aid† Kropotkin comes to a fair, as he believes, society, that is anarchist communism. It is a society without government, where harmony would be obtained not by submission to law, or by obedience to any authority, but by free agreements between the various groups, territorial and professional, instituted for the sake of production and consumption as also for the satisfaction of the infinite variety of needs and aspirations of a civilized society. In such a society, as in organic life, Kropotkin believed harmony would result from â€Å"an ever-changing adjustment and readjustment of equilibrium between a multitude of forces and influences†[3]. The individual would not be limited in the free expression of his powers in production by a capitalist monopoly, or by obedience, which only led to the sapping of initiative. On the contrary, he would be able to obtain the complete development of all his faculties: the fullest individuation. Works Cited Kropotkin, P.   Memoirs of a Revolutionist. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962 Shatz, Marshall S. Essential Works of Anarchism. New York: Quadrangle Books, 1972 [1] P. Kropotkin,   Memoirs of a Revolutionist. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962), 498. [2] P. Kropotkin,   Memoirs of a Revolutionist. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962), 499. [3] Marshall S. Shatz, Essential Works of Anarchism. (New York: Quadrangle Books, 1972), 269.   

Managerial leadership (movie Forest Gump) Assignment

Managerial leadership (movie Forest Gump) - Assignment Example In theory, an authentic leader is the one who understands his purpose, passion and these powerful drive force results from an ongoing self-reflection (Marquis & Huston, 2009), in other words, being true to one’s self (Pless & Maak, 2011). Gump exuberates authentic leadership skills. He is relentless in his struggle to achieve his goals, be it getting better at ping pong, opening a shrimp catching Ship Company or saving his fellow soldiers in Vietnam War. He is a natural leader who hasn’t read any books on leadership. He simply assesses a situation, makes a decision and is simply unstoppable when he’s at it. Such skills are mandatory in an authentic leader, be it corporate, politics or even a baseball team. Without a follower, there is no leader. Authentic leadership skills develop relational process with the followers (Nichols, 2008). Dan Taylor, the Second Lieutenant, is probably the best example how an authentic leader, Gump, develops a relation with the Ã¢â‚¬Ë œfollower’, who in fact was Gump’s leader. Gump’s leadership traits are not of a one-dimensional leader, despite being authentic, he is a transformational leader; a hybrid category, including a proportionate combination of traits, situational and behavioural awareness (Gittens, 2009). There is a distinction between an authentic and pseudo leader, Gump belonged to the former category. For instance Hitler was a charismatic leader but how was he able to convince ordinary soldiers to commit heinous crimes? That’s where the difference lies; Hitler was a pseudo transformational leader, who was successful in committing crimes against humanity through his army (Schminke, 2010), while Gump’s character exhibits authentic transformational leadership skills. ... That’s where the difference lies; Hitler was a pseudo transformational leader, who was successful in committing crimes against humanity through his army (Schminke, 2010), while Gump’s character exhibits authentic transformational leadership skills. The greatest dilemma he faces in the movie is when he makes the decision to save his commander at the battle ground in Vietnam. His commander gets severely injured and is almost bleeding to death on ground. Gump works like a powerful robot saving his fellow soldiers by carrying the injured on his back and shifting them to safe ground. When it comes to saving Lieutenant Taylor, the captain refuses as he considers it honourable to die in the battlefield than to go home and face the shame for losing so many men. He orders Gump to leave him there and join his battalion, Gump refuses. Transformational leadership is associated with bringing change in organization and groups (Bass & Riggio, 2012). What Gump does at the battleground is the change, he defies order, changes the pattern of hierarchy to do what he deems right; this is transformational leadership. The other thing is the fact that when they reach home, his commander loses his legs and is dependent on a wheel chair. He hates Hump for saving his life, but Gump doesn’t leave him, the heart of good leadership is sacrificing (Maxwell, 2007). The sacrificial aspect of leadership is now considered ancient; it is a common thing to read in newspapers or on TV that the CEOs scapegoat their own employees whenever problems arise (Grint, 2010). Plus leaders usually demand sacrifice from employees but never take their share of hardship and sacrifice (Ruprecht, 2010). What Forrest Gump practices is

Country Comparisons Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Country Comparisons - Assignment Example Japan has been experiencing declining birth rates together with low immigration rates over the last few years which have greatly contributed to the low population growth rate. Japan’s population is estimated to decline over the next coming years by about one million people each year (Connelly, 2008). United States has the best performing economy in the world with an annual average Gross Domestic Product of US$ 5337.70 billion. According to CIA World Fact book, United States GDP for the year ended 2011 was estimated at 17720 billion US dollars. This GDP has an annual average estimate growth rate of 3.25% with a 1.6% growth recorded in the year 2011 over 2010. Japan on the other side, has an annual Gross Domestic Product of US$ 2266.10 billion with an annual average growth of 2.15%. According to the CIA World Fact book, Japan’s 2011 GDP was reported to be US$ 5855billion with a growth of 0.6 percent over 2010. This shows that both countries have a high GDP as well as high growth rates (survey 2003), (CIA). Japan was reported to have a high per capita income of $39310 in December 2010. The average per capita income over the last few years has been $26593.62. United States on the other hand has an average per capita income of $25892.70 with $37,527 recorded for 2010 which is slightly below the Japan’s (Greenaway, 2012). United States has had an average inflation rate of 3.38% while Japan has had inflation rate of 2.97%. Japan recorded 0.3% inflation in February 2012 whereas United States recorded a 2.7% in March 2012 (CIA). Due to the adoption of China’s one-child policy, the population is reported to have a low population growth rate of 0.47 percent. This policy is the reason why the population consists majorly the aged. China is the most populous country in the world 1,226,718,015 people. This consists 20% of the world’s population.

Personal Leadership Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Personal Leadership Development Plan - Essay Example My desire is to be a successful leader, where I would sincerely attempt to focus on the need to understand myself and my followers in an appropriate manner. Moreover, as a leader my desire would be to lead an organization which has decentralized working procedure where employees participation is strong towards the decision making. There should be a mutual understanding between employees as well as hierarchies regarding any taken decision and also there must be a shared discussion among the employees (Forsberg, 2008). In relation to my career tracks, I hope to pursue a career where I am able to fulfill my potentialities in a comprehensive way and I am able to carry out my roles and responsibilities efficiently, which in turn would enable me to be regarded as an inspiration to others to follow. I aim to focus on being a successful leader in a decentralized organization where I would like to lead by example and guide my followers to attain the desired goals of the organization. In my ca reer path, I would attempt to follow a motivational and participative leadership style to motivate and bring out the best in others. One year after my graduation, I expect to hold a lower managerial level position where I may lead a small group of people. This job might be as a sales executive manager in an organization where I would be able to advise my team members regarding sales and marketing activities. Five years after my graduation, I expect to be employed at a middle level managerial position.... In my career path, I would attempt to follow a motivational and participative leadership style to motivate and bring out the best in others. One year after my graduation, I expect to hold a lower managerial level position where I may lead a small group of people. This job might be as a sales executive manager in an organization where I would be able to advise my team members regarding sales and marketing activities. Five years after my graduation, I expect to be employed at a middle level managerial position where I would play a significant role in the decision making aspect in the organization. Furthermore, ten years of graduation, I expect to attain a high level managerial position where I would be able to take managerial decisions for the betterment of the organization and to take the organization to greater heights. At this level, I also expect to lead and support my followers as a charismatic leader. Step 2: Assessment of Leadership Qualities Honesty and integrity are the crucia l components in my leadership style. In order to make people follow my direction voluntarily, it is necessary to make my followers to completely trust in my honesty. Moreover, I also make them believe upon my commitment, dedication and my unshakable ethics. My leadership style is based on the attributes such as openness, truthfulness and consistency by which I can inspire my team effectively. My leadership traits believe in taking responsibilities in every kind of situations. Moreover, my leadership qualities strongly depend on self-confidence and self-assurance by which I can take risks in any type of competitive situations. In order to inspire my followers to take up my guided path, my leadership style comprises genuine keenness, optimism, pragmatic viewpoints and enthusiasm

The Sustainability of Seafood Farms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Sustainability of Seafood Farms - Essay Example Sustainability pertains to the â€Å"long-term viability of a community, set of social institutions, or societal practice† (Meadowcroft, 2012, p.944). It aims to align the needs and concerns of present and future generations. Sustainability is a framework that asks companies to consider a triple bottom line when planning and executing business strategies and plans. A triple bottom line integrates the effects of business on profits, people, and planet. The concept of sustainability influenced the triple bottom line of seafood farming by compelling the state, people, and firms to safeguard the ocean from unsustainable aquaculture practices that pollute oceans and negatively affect its biodiversity, as well as harm the livelihoods of small fishermen (Weeks, 2007). This essay first discusses the processes of production, distribution, and consumption in fish farms. Production refers to the â€Å"growing† of seafood for mass consumption. It consists of using ocean pens or net s to culture seafood at faster rates than when these sea creatures are in the wild. In the early 1950s, fish farms produced less than 1 million tons of seas foods every year; in 2004, they are raising 60 million tons of finfish, shell fish, and aquatic plants (Weeks, 2007, p.627). Distribution pertains to the movement of seafood goods among producers, sellers, and consumers. At present, the U.S. cannot meet its seafood demand, so it imports seafood from China, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines (Weeks, 2007, p.628). This means that seafood production generally comes from developing countries and distributed for consumption to developed countries. It also supplements its seafood demand through aquaculture, although its output is not enough for American seafood consumers. Consumption is the using up of seafood resources. Because of increasing health concerns, more and more Americans consume fish. From 1998 to 2005, American per capital consumption of fish increased by 30% (Weeks, 2007, p.628). This essay will now explore the advantages and disadvantages seafood farms. The environmental impact of global fish farming on the world’s oceans and aquatic life are largely destructive. Protecting the Oceans is a video that shows widespread abuse of the oceans by jam-packing fishes and other sea creatures into limited fish farm areas. Weeks (2007) described the process of eutrophication in seafood farms. Wastes from seafood farms are discharged to the nearby environment. Algae and plankton feed on these wastes and since wastes are plenty, they exponentially multiply. High populations of algae and plankton dissolve oxygen from water, making it less capable of supporting life (Weeks, 2007, p.631). Eutrophication also damages coral reefs and sea grass beds and diminishes biodiversity (Weeks, 2007, p.631). In addition, even at a local scale, fish farms significantly pollute the waters: â€Å"An average-size salmon farm with 200,000 fish produces as much fecal mat ter as 65,000 people† (Weeks, 2007, p.631). The 2007 report of the Woods Hole Marine Aquaculture Task Force stressed that fish farms produced lesser pollution than other sources, but they could not determine if the ocean can easily absorb its wastes (Weeks, 2007, p.631). The U.S. also lacks guidelines for monitoring and measuring ocean water quality, so it is hard to monitor aquaculture pollution (Weeks, 2007, p.632). In addition, aquaculture can also produce

Influence of human surroundings on buildings Essay

Influence of human surroundings on buildings - Essay Example In older styles, such as Gothic, Romanesque or Renaissance, these are more evident of times gone by, periods of architecture which are no longer built. Yet some of these influences are reflected in the current-day buildings and consequently, are considered vernacular. Therefore, it is easy to claim that vernacular is a combination of styles, without the influence of any one particular architect or stylist (Arboleda 2006). Vernacular architecture is considered to be crafted by the builder, according to the desires of the owner who may also be the builder too. Over time, buildings such as these, when created through trial and error in first processes, become perfected and then reflect the style of the society or environment within which it resides. Rather than pursuing the aesthetic quality or some egotistical vision of a particular artist/architect, vernacular building is more about accomplishing the factors of function and ecological assimilation and also providing comfort of living at the same time (Ladd 2003). Local materials are used as well as local workers and this also provides a sense of the place having grown from the ‘roots’ of the local social environment. Vernacular building can also be representative of local observances such as a church and its flock of worshipers and provide remembrance of the religion through how it is built, according to the belief structure of those who will use it. The local populace in older times, were craftsmen who utilized functional skills in preparing materials and in the creation of infrastructure which was to provide a functional, well-built building, created to withstand much of nature’s harsh storms and other events, commiserate with that local population and environment (Ladd 2003). In America, log cabins are considered to be the early American style, consistent with the early settlers who built their homes using the trees around them. Today’s pre-packaged version in whatever wood choice y ou want, represents that stereo-typed tradition of the early days without the hassle of having to cut it down yourself. Of course, you could do it that way if you own the land you plan to build on and have the physical energy to do so. While vernacular building was representative of times gone by, including historical references, today’s version is more about sustainability, technological advances in building processes, and referencing the social and natural environment around the location (Arboleda 2006). The vernacular building is created to provide the necessities of life such as shelter, warmth and a place to cook and eat food. It is created to suit the owner and to also meld within the local social infrastructure. Apartment buildings are a type of vernacular building in that they are built, not necessarily with a particular style, but to suit the basic needs of anyone renting an apartment there. The basics include a main room, bedroom(s), bathroom(s) and the kitchen. In some cases, specifically-intentioned dining rooms are also included in those costing a little more. This is

Borrowed Theories guiding practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Borrowed Theories guiding practice - Essay Example Knowles further theorizes adults need to be aware of why they need to learn something. Adults exhibit self-directed concept when learning. Adults have a plethora of experience, which can be conducive to learning new things. Adults want to learn things that may help them solve real-life problems. For adults, learning is problem-centered. Adults are motivated to learn to solve immediate/practical problems (McEwen & Wills, 2014). The theory of adult learning focuses â€Å"on the immediate value to the needs of the learner† (Gatti-Petito et al, 2013, p. 273) and problem-solving (Gatti-Petito et al, 2013). When performing patient education, the APN can employ Knowles concepts and assumptions to creating a successful educational outcome. This will leave the APN satisfied in knowing aspects of the teaching were absorbed. This will also leave the patient self-confident in conquering health issues and being an active, integral participant in their own healthcare. Gatti-Petito, J., Lakatos, B. E., Bradley, H. B., Cook, L., Haight, I. E., & Karl, C. A. (2013). Clinical Scholarship and adult learning theory: a role for the DNP in nursing education. Nursing Education Perspectives, 34(4), pp.

Effects of inflation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Effects of inflation - Term Paper Example The reduction in investments level will lead to a reduction in economic growth levels which depend on the level of investments. Inflation makes it hard for firms to plan for the amount of output to produce since the firms cannot forecast the demand for their product at the higher prices they will have to charge to cover costs. High inflation causes speculation on prices and interest rates which in turn increases the risk among potential trade partners, discouraging trade. Inflation reduces the value of depositor’s savings and as well reduces the value of bank loans. In the long run, the company’s revenue and earnings should increase at the same pace as inflation. But it could also reduce the confidence of investors by reducing confidence in investments that take a long time to mature. When there is a high rate of inflation a firm may look as if it is doing well when inflation is the reason behind the growth (Wildermuth, 2012).The effect of inflation on investment occurs directly and indirectly. People are not ready to enter into contracts when inflation cannot be predicted making relative prices uncertain. This reluctance to enter into contracts will affect economic growth. High inflation leads to financial repression as governments take action to protect certain sectors of the economy.Inflation is particularly detrimental to retirees whose pensions and financial investments have to be adjusted for inflation. Pension payments are now indexed to inflation in order to reduce the effects of inflation... When there is a high rate of inflation a firm may look as if it is doing well when inflation is the reason behind the growth (Wildermuth, 2012). The effect of inflation on investment occurs directly and indirectly. People are not ready to enter into contracts when inflation cannot be predicted making relative prices uncertain. This reluctance to enter into contracts will affect economic growth. High inflation leads to financial repression as governments take action to protect certain sectors of the economy. Inflation is particularly detrimental to retirees whose pensions and financial investments have to be adjusted for inflation. Pension payments are now indexed to inflation in order to reduce the effects of inflation Inflation can lead to a poor performance in the stock markets. In times of high inflation, if the firms cannot pass on the extra cost to the consumers they will most likely end up making losses. This will reduce the viability of their stocks and lead to the investors w ho had invested in the firms' stocks will suffer financial setback as the company makes losses. It leads to the changes in the preferred assets held by the wealthy individuals in a country. In the initial stages the three would be a preference for intangible assets so as to make a killing from the interest rates but as inflation increases there is capital flight from the stock markets by foreign and domestic investors and who instead invest their wealth in tangible assets whose value is not likely to be eroded swiftly by the inflationary tendencies. Inflation leads to a reduction in the balance of payments. When the domestic price level rises faster than it is rising

To what extent will GM(genitic modification) agriculture help feed a Essay

To what extent will GM(genitic modification) agriculture help feed a growing global population - Essay Example the increase in population levels, but also the fact that these increases in population to a large extent are expected to happen in the emerging economies. These countries are experienced an upturn in economic fortunes giving rise to increased income generation. The result of the increased income generation will be reflected in demand for more food from these economies. This is the challenge that the world faces in this early period of the twenty-first century. It is in the addressing of these challenges that the role of biotechnology and genetically modified foods needs to be examined under the microscope. (Pinstrup-Anderson, Pandya-Lorch & Rosegrant. 1999). This essay aims to examine genetically modified agriculture and the possibility of it offering a solution for the vexing problem of increased food production to meet the needs of the anticipated growth in population. For this purpose a literature review is proposed to establish evidence on genetically engineered agriculture. The review will cover literature in favour of the use of genetically modified agriculture as well as literature that is against the se of genetic engineering as means to provide a solution to the issue of feeding the expected increase in population. Genetically engineered food crops have been grown in many parts of the world and it is expected that there is ample literature available on these experiences. In addition there has been scientific testing on the effects of genetically engineered food products and it is expected that there is enough literature to provide evidence on the effect of genetically engineered food in humans and animals. The literature review shows that support for the use of genetic modification in agricultural crops comes from biotechnology scientists, the business enterprises that have invested in the technology, financial institutes like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, and countries of the developed world in particular the United States of

Fan Violence in International Soccer Essay Example for Free

Fan Violence in International Soccer Essay Fan violence in international soccer is a very serious form of aggression and it must be given a lot of attention by the games’ stake holders. Fan violence in international soccer involves actions that are taken by the football supporters and fights between the supporters of rival teams may sometimes take place after the football matches. The fights could also be prearranged in locations that are away from the stadiums so that the fans can avoid the police interventions. Fan violence can be at times be prompted by violent actions which involve the players themselves or any other form of event that could be taking place during a game or even disturbances and riots that are sport related and often they occur for other reasons. Fan violence in international soccer has been on the increase as it is known as the existence of an essentially unstable and an abnormal temperament in some individuals who happen for some reason to have taken soccer as an arena in which they act out their instabilities. (Smith, 1983) It has become very difficult to deal with the offenders in the football matches and the international football federation has had difficulties punishing the spectators who misbehave themselves . The international football federation has also had to deal with issues that prompt fans violence in soccer matches such as providing seats in place of standing accommodation, initiating maximum cooperation between the police and the football clubs and also ensuring that there is an absolute acceptance of the referees decisions by everybody in the football arena. The key stakeholders of the soccer game are the international football federation who ensure that the punishment that is given to the offenders and to those who participate in football hooliganism should match the seriousness of the offence. It is notably very true that the consumption of alcohol is a very important factor in crowd misbehavior especially in places where the football matches are taking place. (Smith, 1987) The football fans are mainly controlled by the activities and the popularize of different clubs . This makes it a contest as they embark on slogans chants and even songs so that they can demonstrate their support to the teams they support. The violence that exists between the sets of fans is seen as a part of their participation in the game. Violent fans and those who mainly participate in violent actions in the international soccer are basically those people who are young and unemployed. It also involves also those who are members of fanatic clubs and they are poorly educated since they attribute most of their behavior to the external factors rather than the internal ones. In most case there are usually two matches going on in a football stadium and whereas one match concerns the football teams that are on the pitch and the second match usually involves the fanatic fans whose interests are not in the game as such but on the opportunities which are offered by the football such as meeting the club mates and giving vents to their emotions and energies in the battles with others. (Smith, 1983) It is at times very complex to handle fan violence in soccer ethically since the game requires intense physical contact which may cause harm of injury. When the stake holders access the moral status of an action, they examine the issue of consent by the person on whom the action has been performed. Actions by the fans which are outside the rules of the federation of international soccer are considered to be morally unacceptabl. Reference: Smith, M. (1983): Violence and Sport, Toronto, Ontario: Butterworth’s. Smith, M. (1987): Violence in Canadian Amateur Sport, a Review of the Literature, Ottawa, Ontario, Commission for Fair Play, Government of Canada.

Translation and its role in multilingual country

Translation and its role in multilingual country Questions such as, what is translation, wherein lies its complexity? have been asked ever since literature stopped being restricted to one target readership and moved beyond the boundaries of language. The term translation technically connotes the art of recomposing a work in another language without losing its original flavour, or of finding an analogous substitute. Its complexity lies in it being like the transfer of perfume from one bottle to another. As careful as you are, some fragrance is lost but the challenge remains to capture the essence. All things in nature are subject to change and so is all cultural matter. Translation is always a shift, not between two languages but between the two types of cultural matter. India is a linguistic galaxy of unparalleled richness. Few contexts could be better suited than the Indian for a discussion of the processes of translation within a spectacular stellar setting. How does one common idea of India make itself available to a Bengali, Tamil or a Marathi in any way save that of translation? Translation provides a cognitive map of Indias linguistic world in all its interrelatedness as well as estrangement. All texts and all readers are both monolingual and multilingual. A text, obviously written literally in one language in a given manifestation faces a multi lingual reader and thus reaches out to a much larger base, unifying experiences and opinions as it expands. English has to be admitted as a vast reservoir of translation in contemporary India. It may no longer be a colonial language, but it is increasingly a conduit language. This filter language, as Khubchandani terms it, has today a certain inescapable presence. More English translating have been published in India in recent times than ever before, but our awareness of the need to ensure quality in translation has not heightened the same extent. Who should judge a translation somebody who can read the original or somebody who cannot? A person who was able to read the language, and enjoyed the original may find no translation satisfactory, whereas someone who cannot is likely to regard readability in English is the prime requisite. It seems unarguable that the only way in which the ideology of unity can be explored in a multilingual society like ours is by accepting both the need for, and the problems of, translation. The Sanskritised term we currently use for translation in many Indian languages is anuvada which literally means after speech so it seems wrong in the first place to discuss it in an Introduction. It also stands in contrast to anukaran, which implies aping or slavish imitation, but there ought to be a more to the word than just the suggestion that it could involve creative license of a kind? Any discussion of translation leads automatically to the question: who is an ideal translator? The writer himself, or someone who has not been involved in the primary creative art? The task of the translator is to unfreeze the shapes that thought took in one language and refreeze them into another. A translator must take into account rules that are not strictly linguistic but cultural. Translators, even when trying to give us the flavor of the language, are in fact modernizing the source. As far as translators in India are concerned, most Indians who grow up in urban conditions and go to school and college tackle shifts from one language to another so often and so comfortably that translation seems second nature to them. TRANSLATION STUDIES The Pedagogy of Translation by Vanamala Viswanatha Translation Studies is a young discipline still in the process of mapping its territory. Attempts have been made to define its boundaries and develop its terrain by scholars working in disciplines as varied as Anthropology, Comparative Literature, Culture Studies, Linguistics and Literary Theory. Viewing translation as a transaction between two languages, the dominant linguistic paradigm has treated it merely as a matter of transfer from the Source Language to the Target Language. There can be two ways of translating: Transliteration and Transcreation. Transliteration or literal translation is word-to-word, phrase-to-phrase or sentence-to-sentence carrying over from the Source Text into the Target Text. This means that the words and terminologies would either require exact equivalents in the Target Language or would have to be put as it is into the Target Text. It may be ideal for texts falling under technical registers. But they would prove extremely difficult when done on cultural texts. The aim of the translation is to reproduce meanings of the Source Text and the immediate effect it produces on the native audience for the readers and audience of another culture in whose language the text is to be translated. But, say, every Hindi word cannot have a counterpart in English because of its vast language and cultural differences in certain connotations and structures. Hence, the literal translation of cultural/literary works would be like forsaking the duty of a translator. On the other hand, transcreation or cultural translation means a partial or complete freedom to the translator in dealing with the Source Text. The translator has to render the Source Text in a recreated form in the Target Language. It involves reading every word and sentence carefully, but it is not only or simply a literal rendering. Another step in translation is termed as Transfer. It is the stage in which the analysed material is transferred in the mind of the translator from the Source Text to the Target Text. The final stage is restructuring the transferred material. The basic structural elements have to be transferred to the Target Language. It has to be ensured in the process of transformation that the same effect the Source Text had should be achieved for the Target Text for its readers. When the translation produces the same effect as on the original audience then the translation can be considered equivalent to the Source Text. PROBLEMS OF TRANSLATION The translator has to deal with the problem of finding equivalent words and expressions in the Target Language, which though cannot be substitutes for the expressions in the Source Language, but can come close to it, can raise similar feelings and attitudes in the readers and audiences of the Target Text. Literary and cultural texts suggest rather than describe meanings. Cultural meanings are very specific and their connotations vary with words in other languages. Therefore, it is really difficult to expect equivalence between the texts of two languages separated by two different cultures. The translator has to interpret and analyse the connotative and suggestive of the Source Text and on the basis of his knowledge of the culture of the Target Text; he has to recreate the meanings in the new language. Figures of speech, extended metaphors, idioms, proverbs and allegories pose a great challenge to the translator. Even translating dialogues, forms of dressing, different kinds of food can be difficult when it has strong cultural roots. For example, words like saree, churidar, pan, pallu cannot have an English counterpart. In India, there is a specific word for every familial relationship. For instance, chacha, mama, phupha, tauji are all called uncle in English, similarly nana-nani and dada-dadi are simply grandparents. Also, the suggested meanings of these relationships can never be translated into any other language. To show how the differences in cultural facts can cause difficulties in the translation of metaphors we may look at the symbolic meanings of certain words in different cultures. Owl in English is the symbol of wisdom whereas it symbolizes ill-fortune in Persian and is associated to superstitious beliefs in India. Also, pig, hog and swine are different words for the same animal but these small variations can create big differences in metaphorical meanings: Sam is a pig. Sam is a hog. Sam is a swine. The languages which do not have separate words for these different categories would fail to represent the difference between the discoursal value of the above metaphors. Thus, a literal translation may lead to Target Language metaphors with different and sometimes completely opposite discoursal values. TRANSLATED WRITERS We are now going to talk about a few writers who have brought out very vividly the different cultures of India through their writing in vernacular languages. The languages we are going to focus upon are Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Tamil and Kannada. It is the voice of this marginalized section writing in vernacular languages, especially of the women regional writers, which needs to be heard. This is possible only through translation, which gives them recognition all over the world. RABINDRANATH TAGORE Tagore was the first Indian Nobel Laureate. He won the Nobel Prize in 1930 for his translation of the Gitanjali. His best known works are Gora and Ghare Baire. His works verse, short stories and novels are acclaimed for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism and contemplation. Of Tagores prose, his short stories are perhaps most highly regarded indeed he is credited with originating the Bengali language version of the genre. His short stories mostly borrow from the deceptively simple subject matter: common people. The translation of his works into various languages has given people across cultures a glimpse of the world of the Bengali common man. Given below is Robi Duttas translation of his poem Urvashi: No mother thou, no daughter thou Thou art no bride, O maiden fair and free O inhabitant of Nandan Urvasi! GULZAR Sampooran Singh Kalra better known as Gulzar is an Indian poet, lyricist and director. Gulzar primarily works in Hindi-Urdu and also works in Punjabi, several dialects of Hindi like braj bhasha, khadi boli, Haryanvi and Marwari. Gulzar has received many awards including the Padma Bhushan and the Academy Award for his song Jai Ho. He has been widely translated into English and other languages. During the Jaipur Literary Festival, Pawan Varma, an eminent IFS officer who has translated Gulzars poetry, said that he faced a difficulty translating phrases like tip tip and tap tap and Gulzar replied abhi to humne kabutar ki gutar goon shuru bhi nahi ki hai. Sunjoy Shekhar, who has also translated Gulzar calls himself a smuggler trying to surreptitiously smuggle the feelings evoked by Gulzars lyrics across an impermissible, alien wordscape. To give a flavor of the translation of his poetry, given below is a song of his along with its translation: basa cand kraoD,aoM saalaaoM maoM saUrja kI Aaga bauJaogaI jaba AaOr rak, ]D,ogaI saUrja sao jaba kao[- caaMd na DUbaogaa AaOr kao[- ja,maIM na ]BarogaI tba zMDa bauJaa [k kaoyalaa saa TukD,a yao ja,maIM ka GaUmaogaa BaTka BaTka mawma Kiksa~I raoSanaI maoM maOM saaocata hUM ]sa [emailprotected] Aga,r kaga,ja, po ilaKI hu[- naj,ma khIM ]D,to ]D,to saUrja maoM igaro tao saUrja ifr saoo jalanao lagao In a billion years when The suns fire dwindles And ash blows across its surface Then the moon will no longer wane And the land not rise When like a cold, burnt out piece of coal This earth revolves Lost in its gyre Trailing a dying, sepia glow I think then If a poem written on a piece of paper was to waft along And perchance land on the sun The sun would ignite again. AMBAI C. S. Lakshmi was born in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu in 1944. Some of her works A Purple Sea and In A Forest, A Deer (2006) have been translated English by Lakshmi Holmstrà ¶m. In 2006, she (along with Lakshmi Holmstrà ¶m) won the Vodafone-Crossword prize. For her contributions to Tamil literature, she received the 2008 Iyal Virudhu. Her work is characterized by her feminism, an eye for detail, and a sense of irony. Exploration of space, silence, coming to terms with ones body or sexuality, and the importance of communication are some of the recurring themes in her works. VIJAYDAN DETHA Vijaydan Detha also known as Bijji is a noted writer from Rajasthan and a recipient of Padma Shri award(2007). He has also received several other awards such as Sahitya Akademi Award and Sahitya Chudamani Award. He has more than 800 short stories to his credit, which are translated into English and other languages. He is co-founder of Rupayan Sansthan with late Komal Kothari, an institute that documents Rajasthani folk-lore, arts and music. His literary works include Bataan ri Phulwari (garden of tales), a fourteen volume collection of stories that draws on folk-lore and spoken dialects of Rajasthan. His stories and novels have been adapted for many plays and movies including Habib Tanvirs Charandas Chor and Amol Palekars Paheli. He once said If you do not want to be a mediocre writer, you should return to your village and write in Rajasthani. 5. SALMA Born in 1968 in Tamil Nadu, Salmas first poetry collection shocked conservative society where women are supposed to remain silent. In 2003, Salma along with three other Tamil women poets faced obscenity charges and violent threats. Salma is now head of the panchayat (local level government body) of Thuvarankurichi, near Trichi in Tamil Nadu. The government of Tamil Nadu has appointed her Chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Board. Her novel, translated as Midnight Tales focuses on the inner world of Muslim women in the conservative society of Tamil Nadu in south India. It gives us an insight into what actually goes on in the households of this section of the society and brings it out very effectively. The novel was also long-listed for the Man Asian Prize of 2007. Translating these texts into more widely spoken languages like Hindi and English has taken their voice to a much wider range of readers.