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FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS. What role do the social enterprises play in our society and what are the challenges faced by the social organizations as they strive to achieve their goals, vision, aims and objectives.

This research was done with an aim of addressing certain issues and challages pertaining the running of social enterprices. Throughout the study, the main question of the study have been: What role do the social enterprises play in our society and what are the challenges faced by the social organizations as they strive to achieve their goals, vision, aims and objectives? In order to answer this question, the research started by trying to first know more about the social enterprises through doing a literature review. During the literature review process the main objectives of the study was to identify the roles of the social enterprises, the problems and challenges the social enterprises face while trying to achieve their set mission or objectives as well as establishing the impacts of the environment and government policies on the performance of the social enterprises.

In order to be able to get a good insight on the roles, challenges and imp-acts of government and the environment on the social enterprises, a qualitative analysis was employed and five main questions were sent to the participating organizations. We also used both the exploratory and confirmatory research designs. During the exploratory research stage, various information concerning the roles, challages and impact of government and the environment was gotten. The study then went on to use the qualitative analysis to get the confirmatory findings. During the discussion section, the study will focus on linking the findings from the various organizations that took part in the study with the information that had been gotten earlier in the exploratory stage or during the literature review.

Over the years, the development of social enterprises have been on the rise globally. Most of the social enterprises are aimed at benefiting various minority or vulnerable persons within the community. During the literature review, it was found that most organizations are involved in promoting social services such as housing, women rights, education, group rights eg women rights and youth rights and promoting activities such as cultural activities. In a broader aspect, most social enterprises were seen to be promoting community development (Nyssens, Johnson & Adam, 2006). During the interviews, the study sort to first establish the beneficiaries of the four organisations as well the area of work and the objectives of the organisations was being investigated. The first question though broad and with four subsections were aimed at establishing the roles, the scope, and the beneficiaries of social enterprises interviewed. The four enterprises that were interviewed had results corresponding to the literature review finding. All the four organisations had a role to play in helping the vulnerable and less fortunate groups within the society. The targeted groups were children and the young (by organisation A, B and D) and the homeless by organisation B C and D. The only organisation not to have exclusively targeted the vulnerable and the less fortunate in the society was organisation A. Besides targeting the youths, the organisation also targeted Scitish creative talent. Their main aim was to provide marketing services and blostering marketing channels for the organisations. The organisation just like the other three organisation targeted community development. While the three other organisation were in one way or the other involved in providing housing, organisation A was not in any way concerned with housing. It was involved in creation of employment to the young people and also creating marketing channels for makers of Scottish creative arts. Organisation B was also involved in education the young children as well as providing clothing for the children. Answers to the first question and the subsequent questions related to these main questions shows that all the four organisations were in one way involved in community development. These findings are common with the findings of Prince (2009) which indicates that most organisations were set up with the objectives being community development. Others like organisation a have been set up to conserve national heritage and culture (Nyssens, Johnson & Adam, 2006).

The second question sought to establish the challenges faced by the social enterprises. This question was general and was seeking to identify all the main challenges related to the specific social organisations. During the literature review, it was noted that some of the challages that social enterprises faced included too much paperwork, funding challages, strict regulatory and legal framework, economic changes within the environment. According to a survey by NatWest Small Business Research Trust, it was also shown that funding posed the biggest challange for the social enterprises(Ridley-Duff, 2011). This exploratory findings created a hypothesis that most organisations faced funding challenge . findings from the four organisations seem to form a confirmatory base for these hypothesis as all the organisations apart from organisation A cited funding as a main challenge faced by the organisation. From the research, it is clear that funding posed a big challenge . Though marketing was not anticipated to be a major challenge, the finding however shows that marketing was major a challenge. Marketing resources was a challange for organisation A while marketing and distribution was a challenge for organisation B. Staffing resources was not a challenge for any other organisation apart from organisation A. Communication was a key challenge for organisation B. This could have been a unique challenge to the organisation in that it operated in two countries making communication a bit hard as compared to the other three organisations. Organisation C cited change of economy and environment as a key challenge. This can also be attributed to the uniqueness of the organisation in that it pursues to change people’s environment and attitude . The environment does also have a direct link with their services as it affects their productions directly. In the farm, any economic or environmental change is a challenge as it affects production. Just like anticipated, paper work was also a challenge as organisation D cited paper work as a key challange.

Question 3

The third question asked was designed to explore the sources of funding and relate them to the ntwo theories of funding that were established during the literature review. Bricolage is the ability of an organisation to fund itself through enterprising activities. This according to Sunley and Pich (2012) is done by evolutionarizing their enterprises in order to plough back the profits their get from their activities. The four organisations taking part in our study were all involved in an entrepreneurial activity that was aimed at providing income and re-investing it. All the four organisation mostly relied on the self generated funds as the main source of income. These shows that the four organisations embraced bricolage as a means and theory of funding their activities. Another theory of funding a social enterprise is through “resource dependence or resource seeking theory”. These theory suggests that a social enterprise should be mobilise funds from its immediate environment. According to Sunley and Pich (2012), bricolage is only sufficient during the start-up period of a social enterprise. This is because development and growth of any enterprise depends on the income received and it is hard for a social enterprise to compete with business enterprises whose main objective is to make profit while the social enterprise main objective is community development through provision of social services. It is therefore feasible for the organisations to seek extra funding from the communities and governments near them. As seen all the organisation apart from organisation A and organisation B have been relying on both the internal funding (bricolage) and also through external sources resource dependence). Organisation A which has been operating through bricolage is also considering wants to fund its operations in the future by making the store self-reliant. The organisation is seeking to make do with the available funds from their operation by making innovative ideas as suggested by Surley and Pinch (2012). The organisation is planning to employ innovative means of marketing and selling points that will ensure more products are sold. Organisation b which has also been relying on private funds also wants to make its activities more sustainable. Organisation A however seeks to get more funding from the government and other organisations such as the flexible support fund.

Organisation C had many financial challenges even though it employed both bricolage and resource dependence theories. The organisation received funds from the local government, the Edinburgh council and other external funding like the European fund. Grants were therefore a major source of funding for organisation C. this is also the case for organisation D that also relies on Grants and loans even though it faces a challenge of high interest’s rates and diminishing opportunities for grants due to the increase in the number of social enterprises seeking for the funds.

Acts of Violence

Name:

Institutional Affiliation:

Acts of Violence

Violent acts have been on the rise across the world. They range from acts of terrorism to government sponsored acts. There are different factors behind these events with some being similar while others vary depending on whether it is an act of terrorism or government sponsored initiative. Variance in the causal factors may also be attributed to situational factors or disposition towards certain forms of violent acts. These factors also revolve around religion and politics. Both forms are common and threaten the peace and stability of nations. To fully understand the nature of these forms of violence, one needs to look at their real causes, their similarities, and factors that promote them.There are several similarities between terrorist acts and government sponsored violence in terms of the contributing factors. One of these is seeking dominance. A minority group may want to gain power and a have significant say on matters relating to the governance of a country or a religion to be made the state religion (Stout, 304). Such violent acts result from a feeling of marginalization, oppression or discrimination. For instance, some of the terrorist activities conducted by the members of the Islamic faith are usually meant to scare some of the nations that are mainly made up of Christians. An example of this is in the terrorist attacks carried out in Germany against innocent people to demand constitutional recognition of the hijab (a veil wrapped around an Islamic lady’s head to hide their identity) as part of the school uniform for Muslim lady students. On the other hand, the violence propagated against Islamists in Egypt by the secular government was seen as an attempt by the state to suppress the influence of the Islam religion in the country.There are also differences with regard to the contributing factors when it comes to terrorism and state sponsored violence. Terrorism is mainly a result of a motivation to undermine the control of the state. One can use this motivation to explain the United States’ independence war. Assassination of high profile and symbolic persons is usually intended to incite the state into counter-terrorism to polarize a country’s population. An example of this is the 1963 and 1994 assassination of the American and Rwandan presidents respectively (Ahram, 6-9). They are also meant to attract the attention of the international community to struggles that would otherwise remain unreported. On the other hand, state sponsored violence is mainly caused by fear of losing power. It is usually intended to create fear in a population that in most cases forms the majority of the country’s population. Violence instigated by the Egyptian government against the Islamists also provides an example of violence conducted for of fear of losing power.Situational factors play a significant role in promoting violent acts. For example, the attack on Iraq by the U.S based on claims that were not validated, which resulted to retaliatory attacks by terrorists on U.S soil. Dispositional factors also play a role in motivating terrorist activities. A good example is the tendency by die hard Jihadists to prioritize violent courses of action in promoting their agenda (Schmid, Alex and Crelinsten 103-117).It is clear that state sponsored violence and terrorism have both similarities and differences with respect to their contributing factors and that understanding their nature calls for looking at their real causes, their similarities, and factors that promote them. Religion and politics come out as the main roots of most of these forms of violence. However, it is difficult to address this problem. Therefore, there is a need for more research into it if it is to be solved conclusively.

References

Ahram, al-Dīn A. J. Terrorism and Political Violence: An Egyptian Perspective. Chicago: Office of International Criminal Justice, the University of Illinois at Chicago, 1987. Print

Schmid, Alex P, and Ronald D. Crelinsten. Western Responses to Terrorism. London: F. Cass, 1993. Print

Stout, Chris E. The Psychology of Terrorism. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002. Print.

Addressing the Issues of poverty

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

One of the challenges that has confronted humankind (especially residents of Eldamaravine Division) in its history is addressing the problems of poverty that can be solved through the use, improvement and transformation of natural resources to provide goods and services [S.A. Butt: 1996]. At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development at Rio de Janeiro in 1992, poverty and industrialisation were agreed upon as two factors amongst others that cause environment damage. It was also noted that the world’s limited reserves of natural resources are getting depleted. What is more, it was acknowledged that despite economic growth world wide poverty and resource depletion is increasing, both in absolute and relative terms.

A solution to the above problems calls for a sustainable form of development which seeks to achieve a balance between the needs of men and women, nature and technology, so that future generations can also have the chance to thrive in a supportive environment. Human welfare and quality of life will therefore in many ways continue to depend directly or indirectly on the availability of natural resources like water, trees, mountains, minerals, land, animals, air, etc. [R.S. de Groot: 1994].

Kenya is a country with extra-ordinary natural resources and the survival of its people will largely continue to depend on natural resources available at their disposal. Yet activities such as tourism if not practised in a sustainable manner can threaten the natural resources upon which people’s livelihoods depend [African Wildlife Foundation: 1996]. Specifically, Baringo is a county well endowed with natural resources. One of these resources that is playing a crucial role in the ecological and socio-economic development of the country, is forests. As other national statistics indicates that forest products accounted for 1.9% of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), so are the Koibatek County Council financial reports (The Republic of Kenya: background to the Budget 2009/10].

1.1 Background of the Study

Over the last ten years or so Kenya recorded a robust economic growth of 3% annually attributed to many factors including the availability of natural resources. Although rich in natural resources and recording a robust economic growth, the majority of the population in Baringo County still lives in absolute poverty (KBS, Cesus 2009). According to the census report (2009) households have been struggling to survive on an annual income of less than 150 US dollars. Poverty is affecting over 50% of the population [KBS; 2009]. Yet as part of its development agenda government has to harness both its natural and human resources so as to confront and resolve the problems of poverty, inequality, marginalisation and social exclusion [Pascal Mihyo: 1996]. The paradox of poverty amidst economic growth is a challenge that needs to be addressed by government, the population and other development partners [Human Development Report: 1996]. High economic growth alone is insufficient without a pattern of growth that allows for increased production, expanded employment opportunities for the poor and better access to social services [World Bank: 1996]. Besides, the exclusion of gender roles in addressing environmental and resource degradation pose a great threat to sustainable poverty elevation. 1.2 Statement of the Problem

Forest reserves and other protected areas such as national parks have a long history of protection policies. The Protectionist Policy is an exclusive management approach de-linking the socio-economic interests of local communities from forest reserves and other protected areas [IUCN: 1997].

In Eldamaravine Division forest policies have their geneses with colonialism (J.R Kamugisha: 1993) are formulated to express the official perception of government on forest and other resources and describe how best the state intends to protect and utilise them for the benefits of its citizens. Kenya’s present policy framework on forest resources and other national resources is contained in the 2010 Constitution, Clause XIII on natural resources, which states “that the state shall protect important natural resources including land, water, wetlands, minerals, oil, fauna and flora”. In addition to the constitutional framework, a number of sectoral policies and by-laws have been formulated to guide in the conservation, use and management of natural resources and some of these are: Forest Policy, Fisheries Policy, Wetlands Policy, Land Policy and Wildlife Policy

The sectoral policies are legislatively formulated and translated into laws, Acts and Statutes that are implemented by relevant local institutions such as local assembly of Eldamaravine. In Kenya, forest and natural resources policies are implemented by government agencies such as the Ministries of Natural Resources, Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and institutions such the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Other bodies include District Administrators and Local governments.

Although the protection policy on forest resources and other natural resources has generally been successful in preserving biological diversity, providing catchment area for rain, maintaining scenic beauty, providing economic support to government through the sale of timber and tourism, preventing wide scale timber exploitation by private developers, etc., the policy de-couples the socio-economic interests of local communities that live adjacent to the forest. The policing approach has been less successful in overcoming rural poverty as it is inadequate, exclusive, top down, sometimes outmoded, and unsustainable gender responsibilities. The policy implications on local communities (Eldamaravine in particular) are enormous but in the context of this proposed study, they can be summarised at three levels; increasing poverty, encouraging inequality of income distribution, unsustainability and environmental degradation. The policy on environmental conservation delinks with the gender roles, duties and responsibilities in relation to resources depletion and environmental degradation. Varied ordination of responsibilities as culturally defined between men and women serves as a barricade to environmental conservation, hence the concern. Yet for sustanainable development to be accomplished, a national policy framework that involving key stakeholders draw all sexes should be involved developed. Besides, income disparity and uneven income distribution between men and women results into policy-poverty-environment hypothesis that compromises national resource conservation measures.

The above problems are further illustrated by the following quotation:

“rights over forests have been eroded historically, just as rights over land. For forest dwellers in pre-colonial times, the use of forests whether to hunt or gather forest products or to bring forest land under cultivation was unhindered right, and did not involve any payment or permission of a superior. This has since changed radically. As the state (colonial and post-colonial) imposed absolute control and ownership rights over forest land whether inhabited or not, traditional rights where denied and turned into a privilege” [I.L.O: 1998].

1.3 Research ObjectivesThe general objective of this proposed study will be to investigate, examine, demonstrate and evaluate the extent to which gender roles, duties and responsibilities and the Protectionist Policy is de-coupling the socio-economic interests of local communities of Eldamaravine Division in protecting and conserving natural resources. In this proposed study, an attempt will be made to show how the policy is increasing environmental degradation, because local communities continue to get only “subsistence benefits” from being near the forest yet in order to improve their welfare and get out of the poverty trap, they should get more “than subsistence benefits” from forest resources.

The specific objectives of the study will be to:

Find out the socio-economic functions of the forest/natural resources and the extent to which it is directly or indirectly contributing to the welfare of local communities around Eldamaravine Division.

Find out the extent to which women subordination and restricted access/control over natural resources and exiting limited power in decision making contributes to environmental degradation.

Find out the degree to which ethnical origin and cultural system, participation powers of men and women leads to environmental problems and challenges.

Find out income levels and patterns amongst local communities accruing from exploitation and depletion of natural resource endowment in Eldamaravine.

Find out gender dimension in forest and natural resource use.

1.4 Research Questions

Given the above research objectives, some basic questions emerged:

Are the conservation and the Protectionist Policy of any socio-economic benefit to the local communities of Eldamaravine in respect with resource endowment?

Are subordination, limited management and restricted access of resources by women playing a significant role in increasing environmental degradation in Eldamaravine?

Are culture, tradition, ethical systems and gender conservativeness of the local residences of Eldamaravine contributing to the depletion of local resources?

Is the exploitation and depletion of environmental resources in Eldamaravine profitable and generating substantial revenue to the local communities within the surrounding?

Are there gender dimensions in the use of the forest resources? And if yes, what are the reasons for environmental degradation?

The above questions constituted the key issues which will be explored in the study.

1.5 Justification and Significance of the study

This proposed research will server be significant both to the local authority, communities and the central government in the following ways;

It recognises that behaviours at all levels affect natural resource conservation and use— from rural communities, forest rangers, park wardens, policy makers, presidents, etc;

It recognises that behaviours are decisions, actions and practices that affect the eco-system. In this study, the behaviour is Protectionist Policy on government side and communities’ behaviours (gender ordination) is reflected in their quest to obtain forest resources so as to alleviate poverty.

The recommendations and outcome of this research will be very useful to the Ministry of National Resources and Heritage in developing policy frameworks which would regulate/minimize over-exploitation of natural resources

This research project will advance sustainable policies which will be fundamental in protecting our environment and conserving the limited resources at the disposal of local communities of Eldamaravine. In return, such a move will pose a great socio-economic prospect through income generation activities such as tourism and lumbering.

Justification of the study

In this research’s perspective, the strength in the behavioural model need to be explored so that additional responses can be designed and where there are competing claims, equitable solutions be found. For example, it is recognised in Kenya’s policy documents that the exclusion of women from certain natural resource uses such as land ownership and management, including training and extension has partially contributed to lack of behavioural change with regard to environment degradation [NEMA:1997].

In this respect, this research will abide by the Kenyan Constitution and the by-laws enacted by the local Authority of Baringo. In addition, this proposed research will seek the views of the local community and leaders in relation to environmental degradation and resource conservationism. Other environmental oversight commissions such as NEMA will involve in the entire research process. An adherence to the codes of professionalism and ethical standards are mandatory.

1.6 Scope and limitation of the study

The proposed study will cover local communities, sub-locations, parishes surrounding Eldamaravine Division, Baringo County. The researcher undertakes the survey in the area, which will serve as a framework for obtaining narratives from participants concerning their views on how gender aspects contribute to environmental depletion. The participants will be both male and female from late teen to 65 years of age. The study use direct interviews and questionnaires as some participants might be in a position to read making the sole use of questionnaire bias.

Limitations of the Study

The sample size of this study is relatively small and represented a whole

Spectrum of ages ranging from late teens to over sixty-five. In addition, they will be all residences of the same Eldamaravine Division, Baringo County. The outcome of the study will highly depend on the reliability of the information provided by the respondents. It is possible the participants might not answer the questions truthfully, or that environmental and cultural factors may influence their responses. There are also financial and time constraints that might compromise the quality of the outcome of the study.

1.7 Definition of terms

Gender- this is the cultural and traditional ordination of roles and responsibilities accorded to men and women in the society

Resource depletion- this is the continuous reduction in the economic value and quality of natural resources.

Conservatism- this is the culture of constraining and conserving the limited resources coupled with traditional conservativeness.

Eco-feminism- the existence of fundamental relationship between the eco-system and women

Resource endowment- is how a given region is gifted with natural resources (uneven distribution of resources on the surface of the earth)

Environment- the surrounding in atmosphere which is determined by culture, tradition, natural resources, and nature

Degradation- is the decline in the amount and quality of the resources which an area is endowed with

Poverty- Poverty is a multi-dimensional concept with no universal definition. It has been defined in various perspectives as illustrated below:

A state of being poor; that is, having little money and a few possessions [Cambridge University Dictionary: 1997].

Absolute poverty, defined in terms of access to minimum standards of food requirements and sometimes to basic services, Relative poverty, when it refers to the position of a household or an individual in relation to the distribution of average income or consumption in a particular country or region, Temporary poverty is a phenomenon caused by conditions such as loss of formal employment, old age, disease, natural disasters and civil strife and Permanent poverty is caused by natural and structural factors that are transmitted from generation to generation [I.L.O: 1995].

Poverty as an attitudinal problem is that poverty that is not the lack of money or materials, but an attitude problem, i.e. it gravitates on the feelings, values and beliefs of people, those who say they are poor lack confidence and lack awareness of hidden resources— yet no community is lacking in resources. So long as there are humans living in an environment, there is energy, creativity, life and with good internalisation and synergies, these factors can be translated into goods and services that can off-set poverty conditions [Bartle and Karuhiira: 1996].

Poverty line approach is the minimum income needed for the necessities of life. In the context of this study, the researcher took the 1999 World Bank rate of US$1 per day as the poverty line and as such those who are below the poverty line are considered to be poor.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0. Introduction

This chapter will mainly focus on the relationship between gender and the environment. Literature on issues pertinent to forest resources and other natural resources use, conservation and management in many parts of Africa and elsewhere is extensive [Bruce A. Byers: 1996]. Academic researchers, universities, government agencies, individual scholars have studied and tested a number of approaches in this regard. This literature review seeks to re-examine the debate on gender and its role in the environmental degradation perspectives and the lessons to be learned from the experiences.

2.1. Gender and environment

Over recent decades, deepening concern about the environment has had a widespread effect on social behaviour and thinking. There are ever-increasing demands from people generally, and from young people in particular, for a higher quality environment. Also apparent is a growing awareness around the world of the close relationship between environmental problems and those of an economic, demographic and social nature, and of the need to take an integrated approach to solving them (ECLAC, 1991; 1992 and 1997a). This combines with a perception that, as the century draws to an end, global society is witnessing the exhaustion of a development style that is unsustainable in the medium and long term, one which has been characterized by its harmfulness as regards natural systems and its unfairness as regards people, and which is the outcome of major structural inadequacies in the growth strategies adopted (ECLAC, 1991; 1992 and 1997a). As knowledge about the ways in which different groups of women participate in development has increased, so the connection between gender, the environment and sustainability has grown in importance. Likewise, this knowledge has led to the conviction that a systematic effort is required if environmental issues linked with social and gender equity are to be incorporated into the development process. This is because environmental problems unquestionably reveal flaws in the socio-political and economic system, and the consequences for the environment of the way in which humanity uses the planet’s resources are conditioned by the types of relationship that exist between individuals and the different segments of society. These reflections lead on to the consideration that the human and environmental dimensions of development are inseparable, and that this link is a result both of the aggregate effect of social relationships and actions as they influence the natural ecology, and of the impact of environmental changes on society (Gallopín, 1986).

2.2. Sustainability

The idea of sustainability was originally developed within a biological and physical framework, in response to the realization that natural resources were finite. From the postwar period to the beginning of the 1970s, world concern was centered on economic growth and the accumulation of physical and financial capital, with technological progress providing the symbol for this process. But in adopting this development style, the importance of other crucial aspects such as human resources and natural, institutional and cultural systems was underestimated (ECLAC, 1991). The idea is now being applied in a wider context, and this has often led to confusion in the way it is used, as the policy implications that derive from it in the form in which it was originally employed (physical stocks regarded in isolation) do not give the right signals when they are applied in a different context. As a result, there has been a gradual move towards a more inclusive and comprehensive approach in which social, political and economic aspects are considered alongside natural resources issues, all of these being integrated into a common objective: sustainable development (Brundtland Commission, 1987). This broadened approach is beginning to take shape in the international debate which was initiated with the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm in 1972. This meeting tackled the problems of poverty and the welfare of the world’s population, dealing with aspects such as housing, water, health, hygiene and nutrition.

The stress, however, was placed on the technical aspects of contamination caused by industrialization, population growth and urbanization, with emphasis being laid on the undesirable consequences of these processes. The approach taken to the environmental crisis was thus a markedly first world one (Brundtland Commission, 1987). Certain authors maintain that one of the problems is the lack of consensus over how to measure welfare in social terms. For this reason, more complex definitions have been put forward. For example, Robert Ayres notes that “sustainability is conceived of as a process of change in which the use of resources, the management of investments, the direction of technological development and institutional change are in harmony with and enhance our current and future potential to satisfy human needs and aspirations” (cited in Arizpe, Paz and Velásquez and others, 1993). Another reading, to some extent complementary, is the one put forward by Arizpe, Paz and Velázquez (1993), when they suggest that the concept of sustainability is like that of democracy: difficult and elusive, but indispensable to provide a point on the future horizon at which to aim. Again in common with democracy, it is a way of approaching the world that has to be built upon the realities of everyday life, alongside implementation of public policies designed to carry forward both processes. To this should be added the interconnection between them: sustainable development needs a democratic political culture within which people can improve their quality of life in an equitable way and cooperate in addressing the problems raised by the resources issue.

2.3. Sustainable development, the environment and gender

In international policy, the linkage between the interests of women and of the environment in conjunction with development is a recent one. For example, in the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm, 1972), women are not even mentioned and the term “man” is constantly used in its general sense of “human being”. Likewise, the first World Conservation Strategy (IUCN/UNEP/WWF, 1980) did not touch on social issues to any great extent, and women were only mentioned on a few occasions and then in relation to issues traditionally associated with them such as illiteracy and population growth. Only in 1984 did the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) set up a women’s advisory group (Senior Women’s Advisory Group on Sustainable Development), which began to study and advise on the Programme in terms of the connection that exists between the problems of exclusion as this affects women, the roles they fulfill and the damage done to the environment in the course of development, and the ways to deal with both situations.

In the Report of the Brundtland Commission (1987) mention was made of the crucial roles played by women as regards population and food safety, but no conclusions were put forward on the gender-environment relationship, nor were any specific recommendations made. Nonetheless, this document defined and delineated sustainable development, and was the first step towards debating the subject from this standpoint. It also led to the original view of women as victims of environmental damage being replaced by a conception of women as possessors of knowledge and skills that would enable them to act as effective administrators of the environment.

Nonetheless, when the first meeting to prepare for the Earth Summit was held in 1990, there was no mention in the official programme of the role of women in preserving the environment and the different ways in which they participate in development processes. The subsequent incorporation of women into the programme was to be largely a result of meetings held, under the auspices of the UNEP, in the four regions of the developing world: Africa (Harare, Zimbabwe, 1989), the Arab countries (Tunis, 1990), Asia (Bangkok, 1991) and Latin America and the Caribbean (Quito, 1991), where participants submitted the information then available on the main environmental problems of each region and their effects on the female population, while at the same time submitting proposals to be included in the debate undertaken at the Conference.

The work carried out culminated, before Rio, in two meetings held in Miami in 1991: the Global Assembly on Women and the Environment: Partners in Life and the World Congress of Women for a Healthy Planet. At these events the situation was analyzed in detail and recommendations for the United Nations Conference were decided on. Together with the proposals there were questions about the current development paradigm and a call to introduce changes that would ensure sustainability and a development style focused on the needs and rights of people. The consensus arrived at was presented in the document Agenda 21 for Women’s Action, which is an ideological framework providing a springboard for action, and in which participative democracy, universal access to information, ethical positions and full participation by women on an equal footing with men are put forward as the bases for change.

Lobbying carried out by the different women’s groups and networks, combined with growing international awareness of the problems of gender and the environment, resulted in principle 20 of the Rio Declaration, which says: “Women play a leading role in environmental management and in development. For that reason it is indispensable for them to participate fully if sustainable development is to be achieved” (United Nations, 1992). In Programme 21, which sets out the priorities for action to achieve sustainable development into the next century, although women are referred to throughout the 40 sections dealing with particular sectors and inter-sectoral links, it is section 24 that is devoted specifically to dealing with them. In this section, the focus is on the crucial role they play in bringing about changes to the current model of consumption and production, and it is emphasized that the active involvement of women in political and economic decision-making is necessary if all the Summit resolutions are to be successfully.

By the time of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, held in Beijing, and of the NGO Forum, held in parallel, the linkage between gender, the environment and sustainable development had come to prominence. In point K of the Platform for Action, specific reference was made to the environment, and measures and strategic objectives were decided on, the central themes addressed by these being: the situation of poverty that affects many women, the need for them to participate actively in decision-making on matters relating to the environment at every level, and incorporation of gender issues into policies and programs for sustainable development (United Nations, 1995b). In the first six months of 1997, with the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development concluding its fifth year of existence, there were a substantial number of meetings to monitor fulfillment of the commitments accepted at Rio and implementation of Programme 21, and in June the Earth Summit + 5 was held in New York. In general terms, this evaluation revealed that although some progress has been made in terms of environmental protection, there are serious deficiencies in the process of orchestrating activities, and that changes in economic and political structures have not led to significant progress in overcoming poverty and achieving equity. Again, another of the subjects still to be dealt with is that of financial and technological aid from industrialized countries to developing ones to enable them to implement activities and processes that lead to sustainable development.

In this same process, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women once again highlighted the need for a gender-based approach to be incorporated into the mainstream of development, as well as into the design and implementation of environmental programs and policies, including those measures that came out of Programme 21 and the Beijing Platform for Action, both nationally and locally (United Nations, 1997a). Complementary to this is the contention, in the Report of the High-level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development for the 1997 inquiry into the Rio commitments, that one of the prerequisites for securing positive changes to bring about sustainable development is action to secure greater independence for and involvement by women (United Nations, 1997b, p.8).

Caren Levy points out (1992), despite all these recommendations there is a curious resemblance between the fate of gender issues and that of environmental issues: both rose to prominence thanks to the activities and agitation of particular movements, the feminist and environmental movements, and departments, projects, and specific programs were brought into being for each, with the result that they were left outside the development mainstream, with few human and material resources being allocated to them. Likewise, it is often seen that “women’s” and “environmental” initiatives compete with one another for the few resources available, rather than being complementary (IDB, 1996).

In the face of this, there is often a tendency to emphasize the institutional nature of the problem, i.e., to bring about coordination of strategies and efforts between those responsible for environmental projects and those dealing with the subject of gender (Vega, 1996). However, the systemic vision that arises out of the notion of sustainable development goes beyond this. It requires a change of approach and mentality so that awareness of the environment can be informed by an understanding of the implications of social equity, and so that those who set themselves to achieve social and gender equity, equality and justice can forge new kinds of relationships with nature. Given the difficulty of the task, with both subjects cutting across all sectors of planning and development as well as being interrelated between themselves, the challenge is to identify both those areas where the two sets of issues are complementary and those where they are in conflict, if progress is to be made in terms of public policy proposals.

2.4. Ecofeminism

The ecofeminist approach takes a number of forms, but two can be distinguished in general terms: social ecofeminism and cultural ecofeminism (Plumwood, 1992, p. 10). What will be given at this stage, however, are the points that both forms have in common, and the main tenets of the latter, as it has had an important influence on the work of activists promoting the subject of women and the environment inside both the feminist and the ecology movements.

The distinguishing feature of ecofeminism is the way it conceptualizes the relationship of women with nature, maintaining that there is a strong link between the two, and defending a return to a “femininity principle” involving harmony, sustainability and diversity (Shiva, 1989). This position leads, on the one hand, to the affirmation that all women have a special relationship with nature, and “woman” is considered as a unitary concept and reality, centered on the role of women as mothers and nurturers of life, without acknowledging the differences that exist within this category due to ethnic background, social class and age, among other factors. Again, it is maintained that the experiences of women, be they biological, as determined by the female body and its functions (pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, menstruat

Actions Of Rosa Parks And How They Influence The Equal Rights Organizations

Early efforts and actions of Rosa Parks have significant implications to the equal rights organizations of today. This paper looks at the actions of Rosa Parks and how they influence the equal rights organizations of today. Rosa Parks was born in 1913 and was raised during era characterized by segregation and black suppression. Black suppression and segregation were considered normal way of life. Her life started from a humble background to a great position such that she could help in fighting for human rights in various ways. Her legacy has contributed much to people’s improvement especially in terms of rights and the lives of African-Americans in the United States. Many organizations have found it worth to keep the legacy of Rosa Parks alive by empowering and educating African Americans. Her urge to fight for the rights of the African-American community as well as empowering them could have been facilitated by her previous experiences and social life. She once worked as a seamstress for white residents in Montgomery. These residents were great supporters of African-Americans and their struggle for equal rights and freedom.

Rosa Parks mainly became an active in the work of civil rights during the 1930’s. She was among the first women to have ever joined the Montgomery National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (Roosa, 2013). She contributed much especially when she joined this association. During that time black people were highly discriminated. African Americans could hardly sit wherever they wanted especially when travelling in a bus. It was required that African Americans sat in the black section of a bus specifically the back section. It was also required that when the front section was filled up, some black people would have to give room for the white people who would have just boarded the bus. Sometimes it was very traumatizing to see the bus driver taking off even before a black person from the white section had entered the back section via the back door (Wiley, 1961).

Rosa was caught up in the situation when she was asked by the bus driver together with three black men to shift so as to give more room for white people within the white section. Rosa refused to move but the three men gave way to white people. She was arrested and taken to jail. She was however bailed out that same evening. She had hardly planned for this incidence but she was ready to stand for her rights. Her drive was the attempt to terminate the feeling of being humiliated. This incidence aroused the feeling that her community was unfairly treated. Rosa was hardly the first person to resist giving room for the whites but she had the power to influence other leaders of civil rights in championing their cause. People hardly found fault with her character and therefore she could generate influence to many activists of civil rights (Wiley, 1961). A boycott was organized in which African Americans refused riding the buses until the aspect of facing segregation ended. This happened for more than one year by choosing to walk to work, carpool, or ride in cabs. This incidence marked one of her early influences.

Rosa was influenced by Martin Luther King Jr. as well as other people such as her grandparents, her mother, as well as the society youth. The society was however her greatest influence since she worked hard to better the society. Her influence to the society was facilitated by her great education and much experience in the hardship experienced by other African Americans. He fight for civil right was not through a call for hatred against the whites of even acts of violence. She was ready to initiate a belief that all people are equal and deserve equal treatment despite their perceived differences. She was not the only black American receiving unfair treatment but most other people could hardly stand against unfair treatments. This could be due to their lack of being members to any active groups or associations calling for civil rights and equal rights to all people. Rosa was involved in a group, which had strict goal of achieving equality among all people irrespective of their skin colors. This involvement contributed further to her strength, which is also reflected in equal rights organizations of today (Racial Influence, 2013).

The legacy of black Americans, now African Americans, is today felt through the efforts Rosa Parks among other equal rights activists such as Martin Luther King. Her efforts have contributed to great improvements in the lives of African Americans in the United States today. Due to her struggle and sacrifices to generate a better future for the African Americans in the US, a number of charitable organizations have been influenced in a significant way. Such organizations are today making education and the effort of empowering African American people their key focus. Some of the most involved equal rights organization that empower the black people include the Institute for Black Charities (IBC), the National Black United Federation of Charities (NBUFC), and the United African American Relief Foundation (UAARF) among other organizations (Racial Influence, 2013). These organizations are committed to empower the block people and enhance their civil rights in relation to their economic and social positions as well as their political interests. The IBC is a non-profit organization that provides various services to African Americans who live within poor or underdeveloped communities. Some services provided include generation of funds to support community programs, emergency relief, and more importantly public awareness campaigns. The public awareness involves campaigns directed to inform people about their civil rights and that they have equal rights and opportunities just like their fellow white people (Racial Influence, 2013).

Rosa Parks inspired important message that continues to live as seem in the way equal rights organizations are spreading the same legacy. Her message is today spread through films and books, which also keeps on empowering the blacks and strengthening the idea of equal rights. Books such as “Rosa Parks: My Story,” depicts a Park’s life story. Such a book among other documentations acts as reminders that the freedom enjoyed by African Americans today was achieved through hardships and great sacrifices (Contemporary Black Biography, 2006 ). Her contribution is still promoted in various ways apart from the equal rights organizations of today. People can still learn about her efforts and gain courage to extent the same spirit through many ways. The media industry has been among the leading organization spreading Rosa Park’s efforts and spirit. The Montgomery, Alabama bus incidence is one of the most remarkable incidents, which made Rosa Parks a legend in the fight for civil rights. She had not planned for the incidence but her courage just changed the lives of African Americans (Contemporary Black Biography, 2006 ). Equal rights organizations of today still incorporate such her attitude and motives to call for equal rights. Mostly, such organizations keep her legacy live by empowering African American communities, especially the most disadvantaged in the American society.

References

Contemporary Black Biography. ( 2006 ). Rosa Louise Parks. Retrieved from encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Rosa_Louise_Parks.aspx

Racial Influence. (2013). Rediscovering Black Heritage and Racial History: Charitable Organizations Dedicated to Advancing Black People. Retrieved from blackmayors.org: http://www.blackmayors.org/tag/rosa-parks

Roosa, J. K. (2013). Rosa Parks. Retrieved from CollegeTermPapers.com: http://www.collegetermpapers.com/TermPapers/American_History/Rosa_Parks.html

Wiley, M. (1961). NC Civic Education Consortium: The Freedom Rides of 1961. North Carolina: University of North Carolina.

Activia Case Study Analysis

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Activia Case Study Analysis

One of the most important factors that influence the success of an organization’s marketing processes is understanding the behaviors of consumers and devising effective strategies to woe them. Activia, an organization that deals with yogurt, has used varying strategies to woe consumers in different international markets, depending on the expected behaviors of the consumers. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the content of Activia’s website with regard to its assumptions about the behaviors of the consumers in different countries and the key target group of the company’s products.

Discussion

Activia’s main website site has various elements that help to discern the company’s assumptions about the behaviors of targeted consumers. The home page displays a big image of Shakira, a singer who is well known worldwide. Next to her is a message indicating that Activia is working with the World Food Programme and Shakira to enhance the awareness of individuals about the significance of good nutrition and to donate meals to school children (Activa, 2014). Also, the page displays the video of the song that Shakira composed for the soccer World Cup that was held in Brazil in June and July, 2014 (Activa, 2014). There are also images of people watching soccer and the products sold by the company. The content of the home page indicates that Activia assumes that the consumers of its product value good nutrition, attach higher value to products and services that are endorsed by celebrities with good reputation, and value activities that enhance health, such as playing soccer. Also, the content indicates that Activia assumes that the consumers of its products value organizations that are involved in constructive social activities within the communities where they operate.

Each of Activa’s local websites for the different countries has unique features. While the site for the US is written in American English, the site for Italy is written in Roman. The site for the US displays only one young lady holding a yogurt, while the site for Italy displays many images that are meant to encourage good nutrition and healthy lifestyle (Activa, 2014). Both the main and the local sites for Activa portray healthy middle-aged persons and middle-aged persons who are engaging in lifestyles that enhance good health. Overall, content of the website indicates that the company targets middle-aged persons between 25 and 55 years. Activa reaches this target effectively through clearly describing the health benefits of its products, and through pricing and packaging that appeal to middle aged persons.

One of the key areas that Activa should consider changing is market segmentation. Currently, the company seems to target the middle-aged persons only. Apart from the middle-aged persons, Activa should also portray young people and older persons in advertisements and explain the benefits that its products have on them. The company should also modify its packaging and prices to make them appealing to the younger and elderly persons. On top of targeting the middle-aged, young and elderly persons, Activa should also target low-, middle- and high-income earners. The company can achieve this through product differentiation (Pride & Ferrell, 2010).

Conclusion

Activa assumes that the consumers of its products value good health, like products endorsed by celebrities and value organizations that are socially responsible. The company’s local websites have different features that are designed to suit the unique needs of consumers in the different target markets. Activa targets middle aged persons. The company should change its advertisement strategy and focus on more groups. On top of the middle-aged persons, Activa should target additional consumer segments such as young persons, elderly people and low-, middle- and high-income earners.

References

Activa (2014). Available from, http://www.activia.com/en-us/

Pride, W. M. & Ferrell, O. C., (2010). Foundations of Marketing. New York, NY: Cengage Learning

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The Watergate scandal

The Watergate scandal was a major milestone in shaping the current politics and democracy of the United States government. The scandal was discovered when five burglars were caught breaking into the Watergate complex which housed the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to steal documents and bug telephones. The burglars were later found out to be connected to President Richard Nixon who had just been re-elected to office. The scandal was investigated by the Senate Congress after a massive outcry by the public pressuring the president to resign for infringement on the constitution and abuse of office. The investigation led to the discovery of the illegal activities which had been undertaken by the Nixon’s administration some which heavily infringed on the rights of others especially the competitors who were running for the presidency against the incumbent. The scandal had many benefits to the American people but most specifically showed the independence of the three arms especially the legislature’s role of maintaining oversight over government.

The scandal began when huge amounts of cash and spying devices used by the burglars were discovered raising suspicion among the citizens. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was called in to investigate the break in only to discover that it was no ordinary burglary since the thieves were connected to President Nixon re-election campaign. The presidency took very aggressive measures to try and cover up on the issue but in August 1974, Nixon resigned after discovering that the House of Representatives and Senate had drafted impeachment motions against him for abuse of office and violation of the constitution (Genovese and Morgan 1-28). During the period of the presidential election in 1972, America was facing a lot of challenge due to the Vietnam War which had left the country sharply divided. A ruthless and aggressive presidential campaign was thus needed to ensure that the incumbent president remained in power so as to finish his agendas. Some of this aggressive tactics adopted by the committee were unconstitutional and extreme.

In November 1972, Nixon was re-elected to office despite the looming allegations against him in a landslide victory. This was after the speech he gave on August 1972 absorbing the White House of any involvement in the break in. It was later discovered that upon assumption of office, President Nixon tried to use state resources such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to cover his tracks and impede justice (Wittekind 50-63). On 1st March, 1974 that things took a new twist when a special prosecutor was appointed by a grand jury to investigate the Nixon administration especially the aides close to The President. This investigation led to the prosecution and sentencing to some of these aides after they took an early plea to avoid the complicated court process.

The discovery of the Watergate scandal had many benefits to the American people and has been instrumental in the shaping of current United States politics. The scandal set a benchmark for future leaders by ensuring that values such as integrity, transparency and honesty became the main requirements for any office holder. The United States still lives in the Watergate scandal era since voters are becoming more and more involved in critiquing the government on some of the development agendas that they are adopting. This distrust in government originated during that period when voters came to discover that government always engaged in suspicious activities without their knowledge (Fremon 62-74). The government must therefore be cautious when it comes to spending the taxpayers’ money since they know that the emergence of another scandal could have negative effects on the office bearers and their reputations.

The Watergate scandal majorly portrayed the independence the judiciary and its ability to execute its mandate without coercion or influence from the executive. President Nixon made frantic efforts to cover up the scandal including the sacking of prosecutor Archibald Cox for demanding for the tapes containing evidence incriminating him (Shepard 214-224). This move led to many Justice Department officials tendering their resignations in protest. The judiciary and the legislature demonstrated their independence by ensuring that public interest always prevailed. The legislature took a step of courage by ensuring that the scandal was effectively resolved to ensure that the constitution that they swore to uphold was not violated (Stevens 64-73).

The ghosts of the Watergate scandal continue to haunt current leaders and office holders reminding them that accountability and integrity are a must and not privileges since they are just custodians of the public interest. It also serves to remind leaders that they are only one scandal away from ruining their reputations. Current leaders continue to struggle with the distrust and constant critique from voters which was created by the Watergate scandal. However, for any government to run effectively, a certain level of trust has to exist between the policy makers and the voters so as to ensure success of development agendas. It is therefore crucial for leaders to uphold the constitution and to always make decisions that safeguard the public interest rather than their own selfish needs.

Works Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY Fremon, David K. The Watergate Scandal in United States History. 1st. New York: Enslow Publishers, 2014.

Genovese, M. and Iwan W. Morgan. Watergate Remembered: The Legacy for American Politics. edited. New York: Springer, 2012.

Shepard, Geoff. The Real Watergate Scandal: Collusion, Conspiracy, and the Plot That Brought Nixon Down. 1st. Washington: Regnery Publishing, 2015.

Stevens, Dakota. The Watergate Scandal Including the Break-in, Tapes, Investigation, the Pardon, and More. 1st. Charleston: BiblioBazaar, 2011.

Wittekind, Erika. The United States v. Nixon: The Watergate Scandal and Limits to US Presidential Power: The Watergate Scandal and Limits to US Presidential. 1st. Minnesota: ABDO, 2012.

The ways we lie

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Stephanie Ericsson was born and raised in san Francisco. She was a famous screenwriter and a copywriter. In this paper, the focus will on “the ways we lie”. Ericsson uses clear cut examples to explain the various ways humans lie. Ericsson writes that lying has great consequences yet no one can escape from lying but she also asks that people should minimize lies as the effects are detrimental to the society at large (Ericsson, 2004).

A lie is dishonest statement or action made deliberately with the intending to cheat. People begin lying from an early age for various reasons. There are various ways in which people lie. It is impossible to live a lie-free life. When push comes to shove people give reasons for lying such as to avoid confrontation, sparing other people’s feelings and to keep secrets. Ericsson even eludes to the fact that both telling the truth and lying have grave consequences and benefits at the same time. For example, in the introduction Ericsson describes her four lies. For each of the four lies, Ericsson believes she has a just reason to do so (Ericsson, 2004). All choices have consequences. The message is quite clear at the conclusion that people should strive to build a just and trustful society with honesty. The world of lies has created a deluded society that we cannot escape yet most people still dignify themselves as honest.

Personally, the omission lie type has encircled my life. One time I was working on my research project for end of year module and as I was busy working tripled and pushed my laptop over into a bucket of water. The laptop was spoilt in the process. When I called home I explained that the laptop was spoilt because its motherboard crushed. I omitted the fact that I was the one responsible. Two weeks later, I got a new laptop and life moved on. There was this time I was having fun with my friends in an illegal place when the police suddenly showed up. During the skirmish, two of my friends and brother were arrested. When I got home, my mum asked me about the location of my brother and I thought of lying that we were not had not gone out together since I feared the wrath of my mum as she had repeatedly warned us of avoiding the place. It occurred to me that if I lied I would not be a big brother to my brother and told the truth and the issue was resolved. The society has been lying that the black people are intrinsically violent when it is known that the social segregation is the main cause. The concept has promoted racism in America. Lying has consequences to the individual and the one lied to.

Reference

Ericsson, S. (2004). The Ways We Lie. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology.

Reply 1: Acid Rain

It is evident that acid rain causes many problems and thus it needs to be controlled in the most efficient way. There is now hope of controlling the acid rain as a result of new technologies and improved regulations. It is a known fact the electricity, which people use is obtained from power plants. At the same time, this power plants produce extremely high volumes of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. In the United States, more people are involved in ensuring that Congress updates and improves its Acid Rain Program. Therefore, it will mean that power plants can only emit certain amounts of the poisonous gases. Power plants that do not follow the established rules will face the law because the activities they are engaging in are harming many natural elements on earth.

Scientists continue to make more advancements that will ensure that they completely get rid of acid rain. For example, they advice those concerned that power plants should use coal that does not have a lot of sulfur. In case, it has high amounts of sulfur it should be washed immediately. Also, scrubbers should be installed in power plants so that only harmless gases are produced when fossils and coal are being burnt. Lastly, people should ensure that they drive cars that do not pollute the environment. It is a known fact that one of the highest contributors of acid rain is from trucks and cars that pollute the environment. Currently, catalytic converters are being used to reduce the nitrogen oxide emitted by cars. The equipment has proven that it can efficiently be used to produce natural gases which are pure and clean. I have personally never experienced acid rain, but people who do need to be protected from it. Indeed, acid rain causes many problems and thus it has to be stopped before it causes further problems.

References

Likens, G. & Driscoll, C. & Buso, D. &Mitchell, M. et al. (2002). HYPERLINK “http://www.esf.edu/efb/mitchell/Class%20Readings/BioGeo60.235.316.pdf” “The biogeochemistry of sulfur at Hubbard Brook”. Biogeochemistry 60, 3, 235.

Van DeVeer, D. & Pierce, C. (2002). The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book: Philosophy, Ecology, Economics. New York: Cengage Learning.

Weathers, K. & Likens, G. (2006). Acid rain. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven Publishing.

Reply 2: Tissue Engineering and Cloning

There is a need to ensure that the ethics of cloning exists, especially in biotechnology. An ethical stance concerning tissue engineering and cloning needs to be effectively established. I accept the fact that most of the views concerning human cloning originates from religion. There are also some secular perspectives concerning this issue as well. It is through legislation that the government will be able to address the issue of cloning as advancements are being made quite frequently.

Biotechnology advancements have ensured that there is a need to understand the various ethical and scientific principles as well as their implications on medicine. Currently, the latest form of cloning is referred to as therapeutic cloning that assists in regenerative medicine. This process helps in curing genetic disorders through circumventing immunorejection. This form of therapy will most likely produce the treatment for Parkinson’s disease and organogenesis. Based on this information, religions that are against cloning and tissue engineering should not continue having the same negative views.

The only objection that is not religious concerning human cloning is that people who are cloned tend to be damaged biologically. This is as a result of the clone’s origin being unreliable as well as inherent. It is even the reason why non-human primates have not been reliably and safely been cloned. I often hear many debates concerning this issue and in my opinion, cloning should be done so long as it follows the established ethical rules. There are still a number of questions that have not been addressed concerning tissue engineering and cloning. An example is when will there be a human clone that will never die, and I am sure many people would love to see such a clone. This issue is quite controversial and interesting as well in many aspects.

References

Appel, Jacob.(2005). HYPERLINK “http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9901EEDD1331F932A25751C1A9639C8B63″ What Would a Clone Say?” Retrieved from New York Times Magazine.

Hall, J. & Stojkovic P. & Stojkovic M. (2006). Using therapeutic cloning to fight human disease: a conundrum or reality? Stem Cells.24, 7, 1628–1637.

Snustad, Simmons . (2003). Principles of Genetics. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

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Acinar Cell Carcinoma of the Pancreas

Acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas, also acinar cell carcinoma, is a rare malignant exocrine tumor of the pancreas. It represents 5% of all exocrine tumors of the pancreas, making it the second most common type of pancreatic cancer. It is abbreviated ACC. Acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas is a rare neoplasm, comprising 1-2 % of exocrine pancreatic tumors (Solcia 7). The tumor most commonly occurs in middle-aged or elderly Caucasian men.

Patients may present with vague abdominal pain, or the mass may be found incidentally. Patients (up to 15%) can also present with widespread subcutaneous fat necrosis, polyarthritis, and eosinophilia (Schmidt’s triad) due to increased circulating lipase secreted by the tumor (Solcia, Ashley and Lauwers 22). Acinar cell carcinomas can involve the head or tail of the pancreas. They are usually well circumscribed, partly encapsulated, pink to tan, homogeneous fleshy mass, averaging 11 cm in greatest diameter, occasionally demonstrating extensive hemorrhage and necrosis (Klimstra DS 92). Microscopically, most tumors are highly cellular with minimal stroma and lack the stromal desmoplasia commonly seen with ductal adenocarcinomas. Four patterns of growth have been described (Klimstra DS.)

The disease is more common in men than women are and the average age at diagnosis is about 60. Symptoms are often non- specific and include weight loss. A classic presentation, found in around 15% of cases includes subcutaneous nodules (due to fat necrosis) and arthralgias, caused by release of lipase. The change in exocrine mass is an important parameter to follow in experimental models of pancreatic injury and regeneration. However, at present, the quantitative assessment of exocrine content by histology is tedious and operator-dependent, requiring manual assessment of acinar area on serial pancreatic sections. In this study, we utilized a novel computer-generated learning algorithm to construct an accurate and rapid method of quantifying Acinar content.

The algorithm works by learning differences in pixel characteristics from input examples provided by human experts. HE-stained pancreatic sections were obtained in mice recovering from a 2-day, hourly caerulein hyperstimulation model of experimental pancreatitis. For training data, a pathologist carefully outlined discrete regions of Acinar and non-Acinar tissue in 21 sections at various stages of pancreatic injury and recovery termed the “ground truth”. After the expert defined the ground truth, the computer was able to develop a prediction rule that was then applied to a unique set of high- resolution images in order to validate the process. For baseline, non- injured pancreatic sections, the software demonstrated close agreement with the ground truth in identifying baseline Acinar tissue area with only a difference of 1%±0.05% (p = 0.21

The Acinar pattern is present in most tumors, often admixed with trabecular and glandular patterns; the solid pattern is also often seen. The tumor cells resemble normal pancreatic acinar cells. The nuclei are round to oval, with only mild pleomorphism and single prominent nucleoli. The cytoplasm tends to be abundant, eosinophilic, and granular due to zymogen granules, which are PAS-positive and diastase-resistant, but in the solid tumors, PAS positivity may be scant. Mitotic activity is variable, form rare mitoses to >50 per 10 HPF. In the present case, the differential diagnosis, based on morphology, included an acinar cell carcinoma and a pancreatic endocrine tumor because the pattern of growth was mostly solid with rare areas of acinar type structures. However, the lack of classic “salt and pepper” chromatin distribution and the presence of prominent single nucleoli are unusual for endocrine neoplasms.

Since normal pancreatic acinar cells secrete pancreatic enzymes, the most useful histochemical and/or immunohistochemical stains for acinar cell carcinoma are for the pancreatic enzymes, such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, amylase, elastase, and lipase. When the neoplastic cells exhibit nuclear polarity, these stains usually demonstrate positivity in the apical portions of the cells, while the stains are more focal and usually restricted to single cells in tumors with solid patterns. Tumor cells that are positive for synaptophysin and chromogranin A can be found in 30-50% of cases (Notohara 20).

Usually they occur in tumors with a solid pattern, where they are scattered throughout the tissue. Although only a small number of cases with synaptophysin immunohistochemistry have been reported, the diffuse positive staining for synaptophysin in our case appears to be uncommon for Acinar cell carcinoma and is a potential pitfall, thus emphasizing the need to perform the stains to demonstrate positivity for at least one pancreatic enzyme.

Ultra structural studies of Acinar cell carcinomas have demonstrated a resemblance to normal pancreatic Acinar cells with well-developed endoplasmic reticulum and zymogen granules (mean diameter 400-500nm), which are commonly oriented toward the luminal space. An interesting finding in Acinar cell carcinomas is the presence of membrane- bound filamentous inclusions, which are thought to be within the spectrum of zymogen granules (Tucker JA et al., 1994, Chong JM et al., 1996, and Ordonez NG et al., 2000). Similar inclusions have only rarely been identified in endocrine tumors (Ordonez NG et al., 2001), therefore, these inclusions may serve as an ultra-structural marker in the diagnosis of Acinar cell carcinomas.

Acinar cell carcinomas are aggressive tumors and most patients die from their cancer within a mean of 18 months after diagnosis and a 5 year survival of 5.9%; however, the overall survival is better than pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (Klimstra 12). Younger patients (less than 60 years old) and patients with tumors less than 10 cm tend to have longer survival than patients over 60 years do or with larger tumors. Patients who present with symptoms of elevated lipase do much worse.

Resection is the treatment of choice, with or without chemo radiation therapy, and metastases may be present at the time of diagnosis. In summary, we presented a case of pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma with an almost exclusively solid growth pattern. While the tumor showed, some immunophenotypic evidence of endocrine cell differentiation, clinical, histologic, and electron microscopic features, along with the positive immunostaining for trypsin, was all consistent with acinar cell carcinoma.

In conclusion, although the most common cells in the pancreas are the acinar cells, malignant transformation of these cells is very rare. Pancreatic adenocarcinomas, derived from epithelial cells lining the pancreatic ducts are the most common pancreatic malignancy followed by neuroendocrine tumors; with Acinar cell carcinomas (ACC) of the pancreas representing less than 1% of all pancreatic tumors. Patients with ACC are more likely to present at a younger age and with earlier stage tumors as compared to patients with the more common and deadlier pancreatic adenocarcinomas. ACC affects males more commonly than females.

There are also significant differences in the clinical presentation of ACC as compared to pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Contrary to pancreatic adenocarcinoma cases, patients with early stage ACC frequently present with abdominal pain and bloating as the dominant symptoms. Occasionally, ACC tumors produce excessive lipase causing systemic fat necrosis 9 -16. Clinical manifestations of this syndrome of fat necrosis can include panniculitis, discrete skin lesions and subcutaneous nodules. Pathologic fractures related to intraosseus necrosis have been described as well. Laboratory abnormalities include elevated serum lipase levels, eosinophilia, and occasionally elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein levels.

Because of the rarity of this malignancy, studies have primarily consisted of retrospective chart reviews and case reports. Very limited data are available about effective systemic treatments for patients with recurrent, unresectable or metastatic disease. The rarity of the disease has thus far precluded systematic approach to treatment through clinical trials, and only a handful of retrospective reviews and case reports describing empiric treatments have been published.

Works cited

Ashley SW, Lauwers GY. Case Records of The Massachusetts General Hospital. Weekly Clinic Pathological Exercises. Case 37-2002. A 69-Year-Old Man with Painful Cutaneous Nodules, Elevated Lipase Levels, And Abnormal Results On Abdominal Scanning. N Engl J Med. 2002 Nov 28; 347(22): 1783-91.

Chong JM, Fukayama M, Shiozawa Y, Hayashi Y, Funata N, Takizawa T, Koike M. Fibrillary Inclusions In Neoplastic And Fetal Acinar Cells Of The Pancreas. Virchows Arch. 1996 Jul; 428(4-5): 261-6.

Hoorens A, Lemoine NR, Mclellan E, Morohoshi T, Kamisawa T, Heitz PU, Stamm B, Ruschoff J, Wiedenmann B, Kloppel G. Pancreatic Acinar Cell Carcinoma. An Analysis Of Cell Lineage Markers, P53 Expression, And Ki-Ras Mutation. Am J Pathol. 1993 Sep; 143(3): 685-98.

Eisses JF, Davis AW, Tosun AB, Dionise ZR, Chen C, Et Al.(2014) A Computer-Based Automated Algorithm For Assessing Acinar Cell Loss After Experimental Pancreatitis. Plos ONE 9(10)

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The Weary Blues

The weary blues is a poem by Langston Hughes. It portrays the difficult times experienced by the black Americans and their inability to find joy and satisfaction within American society. Therefore, for this artist, the best way to express their emotions and what they feel is through music. It was a performance of blues music in Lenox avenue in Harlem. The poem uses free verse and mimics the tone of the blues music as well as its form. It is dated 1925 when the Harlem renaissance was in place. This was when black American and African American music was gaining popularity and acceptance in the United States to a great extent. Therefore this paper discusses this pome from an analytical point of view.

In its first line, the author states that the music is syncopated and drowsy. This means that the accents, the beat, and the poem’s rhyme do not follow each other intentionally. The lazy sway to and fro from his rickety stool creates a disturbing image for the reader because it displays and how disturbed the player was and how he wanted to express himself through the music. The first few lines establish a single speaker. The speaker is likely a member of the audience at this point. The pome also mentions the geographical location of the setting of the pome, which is a known haven for jazz music and blues. This means, therefore, the performer is in the right place, and he not only performs because it is blues but also performs to express his central theme in the poem, which is the fact that he is a black man and his worries and problems are very many (Davis, 279).

‘He did a lazy sway,’ this is a line which the author repeats twice, and it means that the performer was in performance at this particular point. Not just performance, the performer might have been overwhelmed by his black nature and how society was unfair to him. Therefore, instead of continuing with the music, he finds himself unable to sing as his mind is fixed on one thing only.’ In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone, this verse is used to portray the beauty of the music as the performer makes the piano moan in musical beats backing up his performance to a great deal. Therefore, the beauty of the piece is used to express the deep secrets and feelings of the performer as he states that he got nobody to tell his troubles. This, therefore, means that it is still the issue of segregation in society and that black Americans are not that much valued.

He clearly states that he puts his troubles on the shelf and saves his energy from telling people who do not care. He says that he only got himself, and he has got no one to share his problems and be a part of. This is very sad, and it shows how black Americans are treated and how society had become cruel by not listening to its own but at the same time listening to the musical performance and enjoying it.

‘Thump, thump, thump’ portrays how his performance goes along with his many vocals and instruments as he fits them together in the music perfectly and brings out a rhythm. This last part of the poem still stresses the person’s issue is not accepted and not even accepting himself due to the lack of appreciation by the rest of the world. Therefore the poem ends with bitterness and darkness. He states that he got nobody except the weary blues, and even with the weary blues, he cannot be satisfied. He even wishes he was dead, and in this, the reader realizes the depression which has been with the person represented in the poem.

The poem ends with the disappearance of the moon and the stars. The stars are the first to get lost while the moon follows. This, therefore this means that darkness is the whole story of this person. He is in the dark, whereby society does not understand him and has not accepted him as part of it. With the darkness and lack of vision as portrayed, the performer gets tired not only physically but also in his soul’s spirit and has to rest. The sleeping may signify death, as he mentioned earlier that he wishes to die. Therefore with society not accepting him and darkness roaming around him, he might stop singing and have a rest as he dies. However, this can also mean that it is a night of normal sound sleep.

Works Cited

Davis, Arthur P. “The Harlem of Langston Hughes’ Poetry.” Phylon (1940-1956) 13.4 (1952): 276-283.

Hughes, Langston. The weary blues. Knopf, 2015.