The Rise of a Successful Turkish National Movement Essay

The Rise of a Successful Turkish National Movement - Essay Example According to Shaw, during that period, the Empire gained first control over one of its conquered land known as the Anatolian peninsula. The Ottoman Empire was recognized as one of the successful and powerful states in the world due to a chain of reasons including military tactic and the collapse of the Byzantium Empire. Nevertheless, during the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire succumbed to war. This strong nation was overpowered and reduced to be the land of Turkey. The Empire signed Armistice of Mudros on October 30, 1918, to call off the war, due to the fear of losing everything. Their decision had repercussions since the empire lost control over its Middle Eastern territories to France and Britain under the Sevres treaty. After the downfall of the empire, the Turks began the Turkish national movement, led by Mustafa Kemal since other countries came up with their new territories. This was a result of the occupations of Izmir and Istanbul along with the invading Greek, French, and British. They declined to acknowledge the government in Istanbul and the invading forces. The movement also came up with a people’s army, defending the empire from intruders like the Greeks, French, and Italian. Atatà ¼rk led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence. He tactically defeated the forces sent by the allies since he had established a strong provisional government in Ankara, which was loyal to him. His planned military campaigns liberated his country to emerge as an independent state. As an aficionado of the age of Enlightenment, he transformed the former Ottoman Empire into a democratic, modern, and secular state. The principles of Ataturk’s reforms that led to the establishment of Turkey are known as Kemalism.  

Final Film Critique Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Final Film Critique - Research Paper Example They, however, manage to escape from the camp eventually and are separated in the process. The incident influences their lives forever. Stephen loses his legs in the ordeal and Nick disappears through his indulgence in Russian roulette parlors living recklessly after the ordeal. Mike, however, returns home changed. This is evident in the scene where he refuses the killing of a deer during a hunt. He becomes reacquainted with Nick’s former lover Linda and finds solace in their association (Athitakis, 2004). The movie is a gripping tale of triumph over misfortune with life lessons interwoven in the plot that depicts the power of the human spirit. Storytelling The movie is based on the events during the Vietnam, and the storytelling revolves around the lives of three friends during this period. The storytelling has mixed effects, which are caused mainly by conflicting styles. This is evident in the film where the first fifteen minutes of the film, the scenes depicted for the audi ence involve a jovial atmosphere of the wedding party of Stephen where people are seen exchanging pleasantries and joking while drinking beers. None of the shots during the scene is done in close up, and no character is focused. The movie gives the impression that the audience is eavesdropping on the conversation of the characters that mainly centers on how their lives will change with their participation in the war. This scene appears to be formal and documentary like. It is, however, interrupted by an irrelevant exposition by Steve’s mother to the priest, who laments her son’s marriage and the decision to participate in the war. Though this scene lasts less than a minute, it lingers longer than the screen time due to its inappropriateness. The movie, however, overshadows this glitch mainly due to the fact it is well written. The metaphors used in the film are also complex and can easily lose the audience. Though the story telling is exceptional, it faces the problem of conflicting styles that make scripting of the movie obvious. Acting The movie producing team was able to obtain the services of a number of leading acting celebrities in Hollywood. Through the casting of Robert de Nero, Meryl Streep and John Cazales among others, the expectations for the acting in the film were high. The cast did not disappoint either with audiences who enjoyed top acting from the cast. Robert de Nero plays the part of the protagonist who is a war hero during the war brilliantly, which was a significant episode in American history. The actor is especially commended for his part where he is reunited with the character Michael in the climax of the film. The other supporting actors were also commendable in their respective roles that enabled the coming together of the film. Their roles supported the protagonist brilliantly creating emotion that characterizes the genre of war films. The cast clearly brings out the scenario that was experienced during the Vietnam War even though some of the information portrayed did not happen (Athitakis, 2004). They facilitated the reenacting of what soldiers underwent actors elicit emotions from the audience with their moving performances in the film. Cinematography Shooting of the pictures occurred in actual locations in different regions, as opposed to round stages that are commonly employed in some Hollywood films. Shooting of the film took a period of 6

Effect of Prefabrication Methods on Housing in the UK

Effect of Prefabrication Methods on Housing in the UK Would the Increasing Use of Prefabrication Methods in the Construction Industry Significantly Reduce the Housing Shortage Within the UK? Chapter 1 Problem Specification There is a widespread belief that a housing shortage exists in the UK. Although all regions are expected to see growth in household numbers, the greatest pressure will continue to be felt in Southern England (i.e. London, the South East, South West, and Eastern regions.) For example, the population of the South East region alone is expected to increase by 50,000 a year – about 1 million extra homes in the next twenty years or so. While 70% of population growth is in London and the south of England only about 50% of house building takes place there. The housing industry has in recent years been under severe pressure to meet the increasing population. For this reason the UK is presently suffering from a high housing shortage, which is likely to rise over the next 15 years, due to the high volumes of migrant workers from the EU and the increase in population. The total number of people living in the UK grows whenever there are more inward migrants than people leaving the country. International inward migration is a significant contributor to population growth. Recently the Government Actuary’s Department increased its figures for net inward migration to the United Kingdom from 95,000 to 135,000 people per year for the period to 2021. It is therefore necessary for the construction industry to dramatically increase production in house building in order to reduce the effect this shortage will have on the UK such as consequent impacts on house prices, conditions, overcrowding and homelessness. Despite the strong economy, housing production by both private developers and social housing providers has been falling. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the number of homes built during each of the past five years has remained static at 154,000. It is for this reason that house prices continue to soar. It is clear that the construction industry must build faster and more efficiently to meet the increasing needs of the UK housing market. The UK construction industry has been known for its lengths and costs in completing construction projects therefore leading to slower completion of developments. This is a wide spread problem that needs to be addressed for the housing demands to be met. Household projections, based on 1998 figures from the Government Actuary’s Department and past trends in household formation, suggest that between 1996 and 2021, England will need to accommodate an extra 4.3 million households. Estimates suggest that the backlog in 1996 was approximately 650,000 households. It seems likely that the figure has increased over the last five years because supply has not matched demand. There are difficulties within the UK construction industry to which attention has been drawn by the Latham and Egan reports. Structural, technical and cultural change in the years ahead may lead to a sector better able to respond to the demands upon it. With the use of better management techniques and the implementation of new technologies in new housing markets, projects lengths (i.e. Construction time) and costs could be significantly reduced. There are many ways of rapidly reducing completion time of construction. In this day and age these approaches are known as Modern Methods of Construction, such as prefabrication. A radical approach for cutting project time by using different techniques, such as off-site construction and factory conditions. Pre-fabricated homes – One area highlighted to improve the current situation by the Government and others within the industry, is that of off-site construction. Prefabrication was used to provide quick and cheap homes after the Second World War where nearly 160,000 homes were prefabricated, and is being proposed again as a solution for providing affordable homes. Off-site construction has made huge advances since the Second World War and even more over the last couple of decades, offering methods which have been proved to be quicker and cheaper than traditional house building methods. One of the major issues associated with prefabricated homes is the stigma attached to them, with many people seeing them as a poor alternative to traditional construction. A MORI poll in 2002 indicated that 90% of people would prefer to live in a traditional home rather than a prefabricated home, showing that the UK population along with the construction industry is still slightly reluctant to pl ace their faith in prefabricated homes. The benefits of prefabrication are well known, with off-site construction offering a controlled environment where building elements can be produced quicker than traditional methods, and at a supposedly lower cost. At its best, prefabrication can see some 40-week building programmes being reduced to 16 weeks, which if used on a wide scale could see rapid growth in the UK’s housing stock. There is also an advantage held within the factory environment, offering greater safety for workers than on-site and also the controlled environment makes it possible for a consistent, high quality finish to be achieved. With skills shortages on-site, the opportunity to produce standardised building elements in factories could also further improve standards and quality. Built in clean, efficient, factory conditions not in the often chaotic circumstances of construction sites, in unpredictable and inclement British weather – may make for higher standards, faster construction as well as a safer industry. Better procurement methods may mean less friction between clients, professionals and builders. Shortages of sufficiently skilled labour may also be remedied, to some extent, by factory. Therefore this method of construction could be seen as a potential solution to the housing shortage in the UK. Currently prefabrication is not a common approach for most contractors to use. The main reason for this is because off-site manufacture (OSM) of house building components currently has the capacity to produce around 40,000 homes a year, far short of the figure needed to meet official housing projections. As such, the Government is promoting pre-fabrication and off-site manufacturing techniques, looking to methods such as steel and timber frame to help solve the housing shortfall, particularly in relation to quality and site skills shortages. Even with prefabricated homes having been produced for the past 100 years, they are still relatively untested in the UK on a large scale, and therefore the verdict is still out on whether they are suited to the UK and its construction industry. There are already companies in the UK trying to build affordable housing by using off-site construction methods, such as BoKlok, Ikeas biggest idea yet. Having seized the market for affordable home furnish ings in the past decade, the Swedish retail giant is now planning to provide the homes themselves. Planning permission was approved for the first British BoKlok development: 36 flats in St James Village, Gateshead, due for completion within a year. More will follow many more, probably, since BoKlok is quick to build, energy efficient and aimed at households earning between  £15,000 and  £30,000 a year. Currently they tend to use more traditional methods, and therefore this issue has to be tackled to bring prefabricated construction further into the lime light of construction. The affordable housing sector represents a prime area of growth for the prefabricated buildings market. The benefits of rapid build times and the cost efficiencies resulting from the volume production of cellular units incorporated in the overall structure tend to result in affordable rents and value for money for the public housing sectors. A wide range of house builders such as Bellway, Westbury, Bovis, Lovell, Willmott Dixon etc, are using prefabricated buildings in affordable housing projects and their use has increased substantially during 2003-05. If every household is to have the opportunity of a decent home, some fundamental changes will be needed not just to the mechanisms we use to deliver new homes – with reforms to the effectiveness of our planning system and our house-building industry. In conclusion, the issue of housing shortage within the UK may become one of the most significant social and economical problems being faced over the next twenty years. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation is to explore whether the implementation and use of Prefabricated Construction on a wide spread scale could have a significant positive impact on the housing Shortage currently being seen in the UK. There is a concern that in a number of critical areas, the emerging policy framework is based on unrealistic assumptions. It is questionable whether it will in practice deliver the necessary supply of houses to meet the UK’s economic and social requirements over the next twenty years. Literature Review â€Å"Britain is heading for a property shortage of more than a million homes by 2022 unless the current rate of house building is dramatically increased, according to reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).† The UK has been known for its shortage on housing over the past 10-15 years, and therefore there are many sources of literature relevant to the study. Such sources are Government Policies, reports, articles, books, surveys and case studies that outline the scale of the problem and give statistics, such as the number of homes that need to be built in order to relinquish this status in the UK. The shortage of housing is making house prices soar from year to year, making it much harder not only for general house buyers but especially for first time buyers. This issue does not seem to be focused on in any literature as there doesn’t seem to be any long term solutions for it, making this topic an ever growing problem. Government Report The Barker Report (2003) Review sets out a series of policy recommendations to address the lack of supply and responsiveness of housing in the UK. The report further goes on to outline a number of key factors which are to blame for the housing shortage, including the lack of houses being built as well as the extra provision of land by local authorities to make it viable for developers to achieve the build targets to decrease the housing shortage. The report argues that a UK housing Shortage is having widespread economic and social consequences. The government estimates that by 2016 there will be 3 million new UK households. It recently published the Sustainable Communities plan outlining a major new house building program to help meet the growth. The government is said to be encouraging Modern Methods of Construction, which it says can achieve â€Å"a step change in the construction industry to produce the quantity and quality of housing we need.† Housing completions are expected to steadily increase in the longer term in line with proposals and initiatives to address the general housing shortage, particularly the provision of more ‘affordable’ housing in key urban areas. However, a significant increase in completions is largely dependent on the overall economic environment, consumer confidence levels etc, in addition to land availability and the planning approvals process, which remains a key barrier to growth at present. While this was focused on in the Barker Review in 2004, house builders are reporting few improvements to date in the planning process and the availability of land for development is a key long term issue. On her follow up to the 2003 report, Barker 2004 states that planning authorities and processing of applications need to be improved, whilst also the availability of land is becoming increasingly harder. She pinpoints reforms to the planning system; incentives for local authorities to support development, and a higher turn around from the construction industry, including completing site developments as quick as possible. These issues need to be focused on as they are key elements that could be contributing to the current shortage in the housing market. Barker (2004) encouraged the government to change its planning policies to allow more houses to be built on Greenfield’s, as she claims at present there is not enough land available for the housing demand to be met. Barker also called for a substantial increase in productivity from the construction industry. She states in her review that to reduce the current rate of housing inflation from 2.4% to the EU average of 1.1%, an extr a 120,000 houses will need to be built per annum on top of the current output. The overall message from both Barker reports (2003/2004) is the clear need for more houses to be built in the UK, especially the large problem areas such as the South-East and London in order to become any closer to achieving larger number of homes available in the UK. However there are no recommendations on how it might be possible to reduce programme lengths and costs. This is a key area that needs to be identified within the dissertation. Mathiason (2003), already claimed that as long as inflation continues to rise, house builders will be under no obligation to build as they will be profiting from the land that they already own, as the price is ever increasing due to shortage. Perhaps the use of MMC and faster construction times would drive the developers to building on these lands, but they will never be fully implemented unless planning policies are also reviewed. Prior to the Barker review the Government drew up a Sustainable Communities Plan (OPDM, 2003) to tackle several issues, including the urgent requirement for affordable homes. The plan aims to set out a long term programme of action for delivering sustainable communities to both urban and rural areas. One of the vehicles highlighted for delivering these sustainable communities is off-site construction, with modern methods of construction earmarked for additional investment. It also suggests heavy investment in public transport and rail links in particular, to help with the decentralisation of London, which will combat the lack of available land and high demand for housing in the South east. The Sustainable Communities Plan (OPDM, 2003) also provides the Housing Corporation with an extra  £100m for its  £200m Challenge Fund for encouraging modern methods of construction. The Challenge Fund, run by the Housing Corporation offers incentives to developers using innovative methods for building communities. It is however, one of the only initiatives running to encourage the use of modern methods of construction. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2002a) predicted that Britain was heading for a housing shortage of more than a million homes by the year 2022. As well as launching Land for Housing, the report from a JRF Inquiry, the conference is debating Britain’s housing in 2022, the first in a series of working papers examining the long-term measures needed to tackle social disadvantage. Both warn that the impending housing crisis will hit hardest in London and the South. Although these regions contribute 70 per cent of the rising demand for new homes, only 50 per cent of new homes are currently being built there. By contrast, in the Midlands and the North, there are growing problems of low demand in some areas, and of empty and abandoned property. Lord Best, Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and author of the working paper, said: â€Å"We estimate that the difference between housing demand and supply will have widened into a yawning gap of 1.1 million homes in England alone by 2022: most of it in London and the South East. This genuinely shocking statistic shows why the time has come for policy makers to recognise that a plentiful supply of new and affordable homes is of the greatest importance the nation’s future health and prosperity.† AMA Research has published the Fifth Edition of the â€Å"House building Market UK 2006†. Recent changes in the overall housing market and corporate activity amongst house builders have renewed interest in the house building market. The fifth edition of this report focuses on the recent developments in this specific sector along with the characteristics and corporate activity of the leading suppliers to the sector. The report provides information on national and regional suppliers within the house building market and provides a comprehensive review of the major aspects of the new house building sector. Off-site construction has a reputation of producing drab, uncharacteristic boxes for homes within the UK population. However, the face of prefabricated homes has changed for the better with Dyckhoff (2003) commenting that they have been transformed into the speedy, affordable loft-style saviour of Britain’s housing market. What the literature above demonstrates is that there is a clearly growing problem with the housing market. Shortage of housing is increasing and still nothing has been pinpointed as the route cause, this seems to be an ever growing problem and a clear solution has not been found. Certain claims made by authors in previous articles and reports will need to be looked into for there validity, so that a clearer understanding can be brought across as to the route cause. In conclusion to the above, this dissertation will therefore be focusing on the following Research question: Methodology It is necessary to begin the dissertation by looking into the theoretical ideas behind the emergence of the shortage in the housing market. It is important to ensure that key information and research is collected using different methods of gathering data. Collecting relevant data will continue to develop my understanding of the housing Shortage in the UK and will overall develop the strength and success of the dissertation. The data collected will also suggest whether any previous attempts have been made to tackle this problem, and if so, are there any solutions that have already been put forward. The opening chapter will focus on the time where non-traditional constructions methods were called for. Special attention is given to how the Government and Local Authorities acted at the time. This will help in developing an understanding of when Modern Methods where first used and the reasons why they came about, which will follow on into the next chapter. Acknowledging the reasons for there use, and developing a detailed background on the housing sector, Chapter 3 analyses the state of the current housing market and the scale of shortage being experienced. Taking into account the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and its perceptions for the next twenty years, I will look into how many new homes are required to be built over the next coming years so as to rectify the current issue. This section will be implemented with the use of surveys, and data collected over the years that show the current yearly house building rate, and the prospective increase needed. I will also be taking into account the population increase due to migrant influx, higher number of divorce rate, higher life expectancy, and the birth rate. This information can be compared with the projected number of houses being built so that I can get an idea of possible key issues that are contributing to housing shortage. In conclusion this dissertation will focus on comparing the findings between traditional and modern methods of construction, which in whole will then be applied to the housing Shortage and possible methods of rectifying the problem. As well as comparing these methods of construction, it is also necessary to ascertain whether or not house builders today are building at their optimum rate. Once this is identified, the potential advantages of the scheme can then be applied to the rate at which they could be working. This will identify the possible gains from using MMC, and whether or not a significant reduction in house shortage can be adapted from this approach to construction. Chapter 2 Background Research Two features dominate the history of housing in Britain in the 20th century: state intervention in the mass production of housing for the working class, and the prolific suburban expansion of towns and cities. To some extent, the two overlap, but both emerged from a situation at the beginning of the century, when housing provision and quality of life had failed to keep up with the frantic pace of Victorian industrial development. Before the 1890s, the dire state of working-class housing had been improved by trusts and societies, who produced grim but safe and sanitary tenements, and there was little direct state intervention. The 1890 Housing Act empowered local authorities to purchase and demolish slum dwellings, and re-house their inhabitants. At the end of the First World War, there was an acute housing shortage. Beginning with Lloyd Georges Homes Fit for Heroes policy, four million new homes were built during the interwar period, 1.5 million of them directly by local councils or with the aid of state subsidy. During the war construction projects came to a halt, progressively worsening the housing shortage that had already existed before the war. The government already set plans to reconstruct and renovate sub-standard housing that where out dated, this and many other projects where all affected. 1919 brought in the â€Å"Town and Country Planning Act† which imposed obligation on local authorities to plan housing provision for their local towns. During the same period, given the situation of materials and skilled labour shortage, the local government board appointed a standardisation and new methods of construction committees to consider the question of standardisation in regard to materials, structural fitting and methods of construction (BRE, 1987). Bye-laws were also modified to allow the wider use of non traditional methods and materials (Ley, 2000). As well as this many other institutes, including British Research Satiation which has now become British Research Establishments, were also founded under the governments initiative to look for and trial new alternative materials and methods (Davenport, 1990). Between the First World War and Second World War various types of housing systems (prefab) were approved by the committees. At first, pressure applied to local authorities to provide houses in such a short space of time, with no direct incentive to economies, would encourage the use of those new methods regardless of their costs. However, detailed arrangements of subsidies changed several times after 1921 (Cornish and Clark, 1989) and local authorities could no longer disregard cost factor when considering new developments. In addition, the materials and skilled labour for the traditional construction methods came back on stream sooner than the government initially expected. As a result, construction of houses using new methods had virtually ceased by 1928 (Yates, 2001). The main contribution of the attempt was, therefore, providing a small number of additional houses, probably less than 250,000, compared to the total 4,500,000 buildings erected between 1919 and 1938 (Ross, 2002). The economic depression of the 1930s slowed the pace of house building, but the Second World War caused much greater damage: by 1945 nearly half a million homes had been destroyed, a quarter of a million were seriously damaged, and another three million suffered lesser damage. The immediate crisis was partly met by the rapid construction of 125,000 cheap pre-fabricated homes, but it was followed by a housing boom that equalled and exceeded that of the 1920s. As previously discussed in Chapter 1, after the world wars had ended in the UK and between the early 1950’s and late 60’s the construction industry experienced an extreme shortage within the housing sector which led to a great need of re-building. Due to the extremities the war created, traditional build was not an efficient enough method, leading to the introduction and use of Mass Production Methods. Following the Second World War there was an even greater demand for the rapid construction of dwellings. In 1942, well before the war had ceased, the government had appointed the Burt Committee which brought together people from different parts of the building industry, government departments and building research station (Bullock, 2001). The aim of the committee was to seek alternative materials and methods of construction suitable for the building of houses and flats, having regard to efficiency, economy and build ability, to be able to make recommendations for the post -war program. Post-War, the government planned new construction projects for the redevelopment of the housing sector, one of which was the development of 500,000 new dwellings with a completion time of 2 years (Davenport 1990). In the twelve years after the war, two and a half million new dwellings were constructed, three-quarters of them by local authorities. However, the construction of new housing was outpaced by the decay of existing housing stock. By 1963, 3 million people were still living in substandard housing, and official housing policy moved once again towards slum clearance and redevelopment. Prefabricated housing has been used in the UK during periods of high demand, such as after the World Wars and during the slum clearances of the 1960s. In total about 1 million prefabricated homes were built during the 20th century, many of which were designed to be temporary. However, problems arose over the quality of building materials and poor workmanship, leading to negative public attitudes towards prefabrication. Nevertheless it has continued to be used in the UK for hospitals, hotels and schools, as well as for housing in other countries. Although this is the case, prefabrication must be used in greater quantities widely, merely to see if it can make a difference to the housing shortage currently being experienced within the UK. MMC is a new term intended to reflect technical improvements in prefabrication, encompassing a range of on and off-site construction methods. The 20th century saw an enormous improvement in everyday housing conditions. Even in the early 21st century, local authorities are demolishing remaining high-rise blocks to make way for low-rise, high-density housing. During the early 60’s the Government set up the national building agency in order to urge local authorities to take up industrial system building (Rovetz, 2001). Local Governments and the Ministry of Housing also held a series of conferences to encourage and support industrial prefabricated system building in the mid 60’s (Jones, 2000). Additionally under the Housing Subsidy Act 1956, the arrangement of subsidies was changed in order that local authorities could receive more subsidies per flat if they built higher blocks of flats. The arrangement of this progressive height subsidy was abolished in the 1969 Housing Act. By the end of the 60’s, both high-rise and industrialised system building lost ground in the construction industry. Chapter 3 The Housing Shortage at Present â€Å"Britain is heading for a property shortage of more than a million homes by 2022 unless the current rate of house building is dramatically increased† according to reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). There are a series of short and long-term factors playing their part. The government wants to steady the UKs runaway housing market, and end its boom and break housing cycles. House prices in the UK have almost doubled since 1995 and many people are now unable to get a footing onto the housing ladder. There is also a lack of affordable or social housing. This problem of high house prices is compounded by the shortage of houses being built. In 2001 house building fell to its lowest level since 1924 excluding the war years and its immediate aftermath. New housing accounts for less than 10% of residential property transactions in England and Wales compared to 40% in 1965. The circumstances are likely to get worse before they get better. According to estimates, there are between 220,000 and 230,000 new households being formed annually (OPDM). Yet, only 165,000 homes were built in the year of 2002. If this was the case 5-6 years ago, then how is the housing shortage coping now? The population is increasing, while the average size of households is declining. This is caused by a range of demographic factors, such as increasing life expectancy, and more divorces. All in all, it adds more pressure to housing supply. The report lays much of the blame at door of the UKs planning authorities. Many who have tried and failed to obtain planning permission in recent years may echo the reports findings that the system is complex and takes an unacceptably long time. All in all, the report calculated that refusals for planning permissions in major housing developments increased from just 15% in 1996-1999 to 25% in 2002. The report also points out that if house building was to take-off in the UK skills shortages are likely to come into play. At present more than eight out of ten construction firms report skill shortages even modest growth would require 70,000 new workers the report concludes. As a result thousands of badly needed homes are not being built. However, at this stage the report makes no recommendations as to how the planning process can be quickened up. Housing shortages are set to become one of the most significant social issues of the next 20 years. Unless we act now, shortages will lead to overcrowding and homelessness. But they will also have knock-on effects for the whole of society, driving up house prices in areas of high demand, inhibiting economic growth and making it harder for good quality public services to be delivered. Property insiders, politicians and young people looking for homes in Britains thriving cities are united on one point: the country is in the grip of a serious housing shortage. But opinions are widely divided when it comes to placing the blame for a situation where, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the number of homes built during each of the past five years has remained static at 154,000, with the number of low-cost â€Å"social† houses being built falling from 16,999 in 2000-2001 to 13,601 in 2002-2003. As the buck is passed between housing professionals, planners, builders and the government, first-time buyers are left desperately trying get on the property ladder. â€Å"Slow planning is stifling. The government says councils should decide on most planning applications for 10 or more new houses within a maximum of eight weeks. But only 16% of decisions come in that time,† (House Builders Federation, HBF), which accuses councils in the north of England of deliberately preventing new homes from being built. The councils say that they already have enough new homes under construction, but the HBF disagrees. The Barker Review of Housing Supply was commissioned by the chancellor, Gordon Brown, to discover why Britain, the world’s fourth wealthiest economy, has a housing shortage with property prices beyond the reach of many. House building is at its lowest level since 1924; the gap between supply and demand widens by 60,000 annually — an average of 219,000 new households is created each year through longer lifespan, more solo-living from choice and an increasing divorce rate — and will exceed 1.1m in England by 2020; and the number of low-cost homes being built for housing association tenants is lower than at any time since 1995. Meanwhile, the government targets for about 225,000 new homes each year until 2016. The HBF says there is excessive public consultation and claims councils want ever-higher cash payments to improve the infrastructure in return for planning permission. It also says planners want so much social housing that it threatens the economi

Harmful Effects of the Ornish Diet Essay -- Health Nutrition Diet Exer

Harmful Effects of the Ornish Diet The Ornish diet, a meal plan that emphasizes the consumption of carbohydrates over fats, is an unsafe plan despite its claims to being a safe and effective way to prevent heart disease1 – a claim only a balanced diet can make. Because the Ornish diet cuts out a large number of foods from a person’s meal, many beneficial nutrients are missing that would normally be in a balanced diet. In addition, recent studies have found that diets containing a larger than recommended amount of carbohydrates may actually increase a person’s chances of developing intestinal and breast cancers2. These findings show that despite any benefits the Ornish diet may provide to the heart, the complications of maintaining a high carbohydrate diet make it not nearly as safe as a balanced diet. Because the Ornish diet restricts participants to a strictly vegetarian meal plan, people who follow the diet often become deficient in beneficial nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids1. Vitamin B12 and iron are nutrients often found in animal products such as meat, while omega-3 fatty acids are most common fish – the foods present in a balanced diet, but absent in the Ornish diet. Deficiencies of these chemicals can often lead to conditions such as anemia, or prevent beneficial effects that are imparted by omega-3 fatty acids such as mood stabilization and improved cardiovascular health. Because the body needs iron to produce hemoglobin – a vital part in a red blood cell’s ability to transport oxygen to other cells, a lack of the substance would cause a large decrease in the effectiveness and number of red blood cells. In addition, due to vitamin B12’s regulation of blood cell production, a decreas... ...s incorrect. People on this diet often do not obtain enough of the essential vitamins and minerals that they need in order to maintain healthy bodies. Because of this, they run the risk of developing serious illnesses such as anemia. People on the Ornish diet also will not enjoy the possible benefits other nutrients such as the omega-3 fatty acids. Dieters who take in such large amounts of carbohydrates also increase their risk of developing cancers due to the elevated insulin responses their bodies put up to digest the food that they eat. In the end, a balanced diet is much safer than, and just as effective – if followed correctly – In maintaining a healthy body as the Ornish diet is. Sources 1. http://www.moscowfoodcoop.com/archive/ornish.html 2. http://www.scienceblog.com/community/article3530.html 3. http://www.bipolarchild.com/newsletters/0501.html

Ebay, A Company Analysis Essay

In August 2 ,1990, after Saddam Hussein’s military forces invaded and occupied Kuwait , there was large Iraqi military build up close the Saudi Arabia’s border. President Sr Bush perceived that Iraqi’s aggression and military build up was a serious threat not only to the security and independence of Saudi Arabia but also vital to US national interest in the Persian Gulf region. The main intention of Saddam Hussein was to control half of the world’s supply of Petroleum from Gulf region .Sr Bush initiated â€Å" Operation Desert Shield â€Å" and dispatched US military to Saudi Arabia to defend that country against a possible Iraqi attack. President Bush took bold decision and dispatched US troops to Saudi Arabia even without obtaining prior approval from US Congress. Later when reporting to Congress and Nation, Bush informed that he has acted in deference to Saudi Arabia’s specific request for American assistance in bolstering Saudi defenses and deterring possible Iraqi attack. To free the Kuwait from Iraqi occupation , President Bush ( Sr) rallied the support of United Nations by getting the U.N Security Council approval on November ,29,1990 to pass U.N. Resolution No 678 which authorized U.N members to use â€Å" all necessary means† to coerce Iraqi invaders from Kuwait , and to take military action if Iraq failed to withdraw from Kuwait by January 15,1991. OPERATION DESERT STORM: On January ,12,1991 , President Bush succeeded in getting Congress approval for the President use of â€Å" all necessary means â€Å" to carry out the UN Resolution 678. Now the President Bush had all the authority and support to persuade Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. On January16, after the Iraqi Government failed to withdraw its military forces from Kuwait by the deadline ,President ordered â€Å" Operation Desert Storm â€Å" and Iraqi forces were defeated and Kuwait was liberated. After Iraqi Government agreed to observe and comply with all U.N.Resolution , a ceasefire was ordered .Operation Desert Storm helped to destroy greater part of Iraq’s military machinery and Iraq’s claim to Kuwait. During June 1993, President Clinton ordered U.S. air strikes at Iraqi intelligence service headquarters at Iraq which had instigated and fostered a conspiracy to assassinate former U.S.President George Bush during his to Kuwait during April 14-16,1993. After the Persian Gulf War in 1991, the USA continued to engage economic as well as military conflict with Iraq. The main aim of the USA was to put an end to Saddam Hussein’s military regime in Iraq and to prevent Iraq becoming threat to international peace and U.S National interest in Middle East and to deny Saddam Hussein the opportunity to utilize Iraqi military to extinguish his political opponents among the Kurdish inhabitants of northern Iraq and among the Shi’ite Muslim marsh Arabs of Southern Iraq. The other main aim of US is to compel the Iraqi Government to honor its International obligations, including those relating to (1) The ban on the further development, productions and stockpiling of nuclear, biological, chemical and other weapons of mass destructions. (2) To call for the destruction of existing stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. (3)Recognition of and respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of Kuwait, (4) Compliance with the terms of the ceasefire agreement ending the Persian Gulf War. The main objective of the continuing military presence and activity of the USA and its allies in the Middle East –the Southwest Asia / Northeast Africa / Persian Gulf region is to prevent the Iraq regime and military forces from jeopardizing international peace and US National interest in the region. The other main aim was to prevent Iraq from threatening the security and independence of neighboring countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and from endangering US access and that of the other industrialized nations to the oil of the Middle East, the region which has over 70% of the Globe’s known petroleum reserves. During early October , 1994, US decided to drawdown its troops in the middle east in a phased manner , Saddam Hussein ordered the movement of his troops towards southward and headed in the direction of Kuwait. As a result, there was a significant Iraqi military build up along the Kuwait border. Saddam Hussein action clearly demonstrated his capacity to threaten neighboring countries and imperil the industrialized West’s access to Middle Eastern petroleum. Saddam Hussein action also revealed about lack of trustworthiness and his determination to violate the terms of the ceasefire agreement ending the Persian Gulf War. Again, UN Security Council had passed a resolution on October, 15, 1994 condemning the Iraq Government for the deployment of troops along the Kuwait Border. Bill Clinton, who was then the President of USA, deployed US Reinforcements on the Kuwait border to Iraq to counter the Hussein’s troops. Because of the strong and determined US response, Saddam Hussein backed down and withdrew all the troops from Kuwait border. Because of the defused environment, US also ordered the withdrawal of its troops from Kuwait. OPERATION DESERT STRIKE. In early 1996, Saddam Hussein began to initiate military actions which demonstrated that his predisposition toward making mischief in the Middle East had not really abated. The Iraqi despot dispatched his military forces into the Kurdish region of Iraq, seeking to regain political control over Iraqi territory .Saddam Hussein military invaded the region of north of the 36th parallel ,captured Irbil and pursued and attacked Kurdish refugees . Bill Clinton responded to Iraqi aggression by initiating Operation Desert Strike. However Operation Desert Strike was not as vigorous as it might have been because US response was to take action affecting Iraqi military positions and matters far from the battlefield in Northern Iraq. In short , US abandoned the Kurds and failed to live up to the obligation to protect and defend against Iraqi aggression over the region north of the 36th parallel , where thousands of members of groups opposed to Hussein’s rein were operating and functioning under the guidance of the US Central Intelligence Agency. The reason for the not taking stringent action during Iraq’s aggression against Kurds in 1996 by Clinton was mainly due to forth coming Federal elections which due during November, 1996. US ELECTION -1996 President Clinton however managed to keep the Iraq issue out of the 1996 elections to enhance his reelection chances. However, Saddam took it as US weakness and started to continue his endeavor to circumvent, erode the strength of USA. Saddam soon began a series of challenges to the system of UN Sanctions and inspection imposed on his regime to prevent if from developing, producing and stock piling weapons of mass destruction .Saddam’s continuous resistance to the UN WMD Program and its implementation came to a peak in January, 1998 when he expelled the US members of UNSCOM, the UN Weapons Inspection team. OPERATION DESERT FOX: From 1997 onwards, Saddam tried to obstruct the UN weapons inspection program in Iraq. He frequently protracted military confrontation with the USA and its allies. At one stage, he expelled the most of the US members of the weapons inspection team and because of this action, UN Security Council threatened to reinstate economic sanction against Iraq and Saddam never took serious of the warning issued by UN Security Council. In protest, the United Nations recalled the other inspection team members. The non cooperation from Saddam resulted in American –British military build –up in the Persian Gulf. This had effect of attitude of Saddam and it induced him to back down short while and he readmitted the weapons inspectors, including those from the USA. In November, 1997, Iraqi regime gave notice that it would not permit the U.N inspectors to enter and inspect sites at designated â€Å"palaces and designated residences â€Å" ECONOMIC SANCTION: In January, 1998, Saddam Hussein again expelled the U.S. members of the U.N weapons inspection team. The UN again protested by withdrawing the other inspectors and due to this a standoff continued and tensions were heightened. The UN Security Council imposed economic sanctions on Iraq. Again, a US military build up in the Persian Gulf commenced. In February, 1998, U.N Secretary General –General Kofi Annan negotiated an agreement whereby the Iraqi regime allowed readmission of U.N inspectors and resumption of the weapons inspection program. In return for this concession, the Iraqi government was given assurance that the Security Council would consider lifting the economic sanctions. The UN Weapons inspectors team did not receive full support from Iraqi regime during this period as Iraq claimed that the Security Council had shown no signs of taking steps for the removal of sanctions imposed .On October ,1998 Saddam again terminated the work of the UN Inspection team at Iraq. This has resulted again in building up of military presence by American –British in the Persian Gulf. On November 5, 1998, United Nations recalled UN Inspection team assigned to Iraq. Again Saddam yielded and allowed the UN inspection team in Iraq. But this was short lived .Again on December .1998, the UN team once again left Iraq.UN report dated 15th December .1998 charged the Iraqi Government for non cooperation and denial of access to records and inspection sites and through clandestine movement of equipment and records from site to site. OPERATION DESERT FOX : Based on the UN report. President Clinton decided to take military action against Iraq. The operation was named as Operation Desert Fox, a massive campaign of air strikes against key military and security targets in Iraq .Several targets were attacked in this operation including head quarters of Saddam Baath Party, barracks of the sad dam’s elite security guards, republic guard barracks and his daughter’s palace at Tikirt. The main goals of the Operation Desert Fox were (1) to degrade Saddam ability to make and use of weapons of mass destruction .(2) to diminish Saddam ability to wage war against his neighbors and (3) to demonstrate the consequences of flouting International obligations. President Clinton terminated Operation Desert Fox after three days as it had inflicted significant damage on Saddam WMD programs and his military and security infrastructure. and Iraq’s missile programme had been set back by at least 12 months and its military might had been substantially damaged. President Clinton ordered at the end of December ,1998 to draw down the U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf .But it is to be noted Operation Desert Box though successful but could not compel the Iraqi regime to accept and cooperate with the U.N.Weapons inspection program. GAME OF CHICKEN: This encouraged Saddam Hussein to play the dangerous â€Å" game of Chicken â€Å" with USA and its allies. Saddam Hussein continued to play hide and seek game with U.S.A , its Allies and with UN by defying the west and jeopardize its interests in the Middle East. He yielded temporarily when threatened with or subjected to western military attack. He reneged on the International commitments which he made in order to avoid or end a western military assault against his political regime and military / security forces. After the end of the operation Desert Fox , the U.S.A and its allies have engaged in a low level war with Iraq. The main aim of US to give protection to the Kurdish and Shi’ite minorities in Iraq from suppression and genocide from Saddam. The other aim is to replace Saddam region by another leader or group of leaders favorably disposed to US. In waging war with the Iraq , President Clinton has been acting in compliance with the reporting requirements of section 4 of the War powers Act of U.S.A. The President has been periodically reporting to Congress on the Status of U.S hostilities with the Iraqi regime and on other matters relating to the hostilities. Bill Clinton pursued a policy of belligerence towards Iraq , imposing crippling economic sanctions , undertaking the most sustained bombing campaign after Vietnam war and making â€Å" regime change† in Iraq as official US Policy. US POLICIES UNDER BUSH REGIME: A secret blue print for US global domination reveals that President Bush and his cabinet were planning a premeditated attach on Iraq to secure â€Å" regime change â€Å" even before he took power in January 2001. A plan called â€Å"Global Pax Americana â€Å"was drawn mainly to take control of the Persian Gulf region sans Saddam Hussein region while civil government was reestablished. It is to be noted that war was initiated on the main ground that Iraq was non cooperative in allowing inspection of weapons of mass destruction. However, in the aftermath of war, it became apparent that Saddam had no such weapons programme. Many Americans including prominent members of the Congress, claim Bush and his administration lied or misled the country based on doctored intelligence reports. The Bush Administration also linked the invasion of Iraq to the war on Terrorism, claiming that Hussein was giving safe heaven to and supporting terrorist groups. There were also accusation that Saddam was indirectly supported the September 11, 2001 attacks on America. It is to be noted that although the Bush administration strongly suggested ties at some level between Hussein and Al-Qaeda, it did not accuse Saddam of complicity in the specific events of 9/11 events. POST INVASION OF IRAQ: Military occupation was established and run by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Which later appointed and granted limited powers to an Iraq interim Governing Council. Coalition and allied Iraqi forces have been fighting a stronger –than –expected militant Iraqi insurgency and hence ,the reconstruction of Iraq has been slow . In mid -2004, the end of the occupation was brought about and a new sovereign and independent Interim Government of Iraq assumed the full responsibility and authority of the State. The CPA and the Governing Council were disbanded on June 28, 2004 and a new transitional constitution came into effect. Sovereignty was transferred to a Governing Council Iraqi interim Government led by Iyad Allawi as Iraq’s first post-Saddam Prime Minister. But this Government can make laws only with the approval of CPA. The Iraqi interim Government was replaced as a result of elections which took place in January, 2005. A period of negotiations by the elected Iraqi National Assembly was followed which culminated on April 6,2005 with the selection of the leaders who currently head Iraq among them Prime Minister Ibrahim al –Jaafari and President Jalal Talabani. The multinational forces still exercise considerable power in the Country and with the New Iraqi Army, conduct military operations against the Iraqi insurgency .The role of Iraqi government forces in providing security is increasing. CONTINUING INSURGENCY: Even though, the Ba’ath Party organization was disintegrated, elements of the Secret police and Saddam army began forming guerilla units and focused attacks around Mosul, Tikrit, Fallujah .These elements who called themselves freedom fighters began using ambush tactics, suicide bombings and improvised explosive devices, targeting coalition forces and check points. Suicide bombers believed to be mainly disheartened Iraqi Sunnis, Syrians and Saudis tore through Iraq. Their targets were often Shia gatherings or civilian concentrations mainly of Shias, OPERATION METADOR: During early May, 2005, the U.S launched Operation Matador, an .assault in the ungoverned region of western Iraq. Its goal was the closing of suspected insurgent supply routes of volunteers and material from Syria .The US allies succeeded in recapturing the whole area and even fighting the insurgents all the way to the Syrian border , where they were blocked . PARTICIPATING NATIONS IN THE MULTI NATIONAL ARMY IN IRAQ: As of September, 2005, there were 26 countries with military forces stationed in Iraq. These were Albania, Armenia, Australia , Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria ,Czech Republic , Denmark ,El Salvador , Estonia , Georgia , Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania , Macedonia ,Mongolia , Netherlands ,Norway, Poland ,Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, United Kingdom , United States, Fiji and Ukraine. Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, Bulgaria and Ukraine have announced plans to withdraw. CONCLUSION: The Kerry campaign in Presidential election against George Bush charged that US is acting as neo-colonial power and claimed that US bungled the war due to incompetence , mismanagement and arrogance .Designed to advance US commercial and corporate interest abroad , military force was often used to break open markets that resisted diplomatic and economic pressures. â€Å" The Carter Doctrine† as it become known , made it clear the United States would use military power in the Gulf to secure and maintain the oil resources needed to turn of the wheels of the Empire. This policy explains the US sale of heavy weaponry to Saddam Hussein in the early 1980’s when war broke out between Iraq and Iran. US took many efforts to normalize relationship with Iraq then .Despite Saddam’s use of Chemical against Iran and Kurdish population in northern Iraq, the United States continued to back Iraq .Emboldened by these signs of support for his regime, Saddam invaded Kuwait in 1990.The first Bush administration however quickly came to view the invasion as a threat to US supremacy in the region and launched the first Gulf War. Sanctions were imposed by the UN at the behest of US in order to secure US control over Iraq’s Oil. The United States did not care about the â€Å"fact† that the sanctions have apparently killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi’s by withholding necessary food supplies and medical supplies. Madeline Albright ,the US ambassador to UN ,when asked that more than 500,000 children had died because of a lack of adequate nutrition and medical care, replied â€Å" I think this is a very hard choice ,but the price-we think-the price. The American’s gross ignorance of conditions in Iraq was shown by their miscalculation in relation to the Shiites in the South. They thought that the latter would rise up against Saddam Hussein and welcome the invaders with open arms. But none of this happened Napoleon knew a lot about bayonets and found many uses for them, but there is one thing they can not be used for , as he pointed out: You can not sit on bayonets. The Americans and British do not have a real base of support in Iraq. A long term guerrilla war waged with low-tech methods like sniping, ambushes and suicide bombings can have a devastating effect over a long period if it has the backing of the people –and it will . Though the US is a super power, it is to be remembered that it was defeated by barefoot army in Vietnam. The Great Britain was once the land of rising sun has to vacate their colonies in all most all countries due to upsurge of the subjects of that nation. After Iraq , US is now concentrating how to destabilize Syria on the pretext of extending military aid to Baghdad and harboring escaping Ba’athist leaders ,but also of possessing weapons of mass destructions. Again US is also try to destabilize the Iran by accusing that it is under the way to add nuclear arsenals which is going to be great threat to world peace. The number of causalities in the Iraq’s war is alarming .US alone lost 2105 innocent Americans (soldiers) and Allies lost 201 and innocent Iraqis killed was around 30,420 . Who is going to be father or brother or care taker of the innocent family which lost their life in the war . To prove its mightiness, innocent lives have been lost and do the US or its allies are going to answer the cries and hues of foresaid the families who have lost their dear and near for the nation. Let alone history has to tell us what is Iraq’s fate and political independence in the near future. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1.Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy- by Ole R.Holsti. 2.The Dynamics of Coercion – American Foreign Policy and the limits of the Military Might-by Daniel Byman , Matthew C.Waxman. 3.The Iraq war and its consequences :Thoughts of Nobel Peace Laureates and Eminent scholars.- edited by Irwin Abrams, Wang -Gung –Wu. 4. Wars on Terrorism and Iraq :by Mary Robinson. 5.Today ,Iraq – Tomorrow –The World ? –by Gill Hinshaw

Fertilizer Industry Pakistan

The enhanced productivity in agriculture sector can be achieved by improved and efficient crop husbandry. Applying fertilizers in required quantity and quality at appropriate times with the using of other inputs can improve yield per healthcare of agriculture crops. In the article, the production of fertilizers, factors that affect on it and other relevant aspects have been analyzed. Introduction The fertilizer industry has played a significant and responsible role in the development of both the agriculture and industrial sectors of economy. Fertilizer Industry is in turmoil due to 70% rise in gas prices in the year 1999. Agriculture sector occupies the dominant position but failed to give due attention to Economic Development. The yield per hectare is low in our country due to various reasons. Using Fertilizer in required quantity and quality at appropriate time is best hope to improve per hectare yield if irrigation water and certified seeds are provided according to requirement and weather conditions are favorable, because fertilizer provides essential nutrients which are required for the smooth growth of a plant. At the time of independence of Pakistan, there was no any fertilizer factory but at present eleven fertilizer units work both in private and public sectors. The Government imports fertilizers by investing huge foreign exchange every year in order to meet the requirement of farmers which results in balance of payment crisis and shortage of food. In England in 1842 Sir John Lawes treated bones with sulphuric acid and began producing a product he called superphosphate. In 1685, or the first time, potassium was Detected in the rock salt mined at stassfurt, Germany. This discovery led to the foundation of the potash industry. In Pakistan, Fertilizer is produced since 1957, at present five types of fertilizer i. e. N, CAN, AS, NP, and SSP are produced and marketed besides imported Fertilizers, by both Public and Private Sector.