Green Roofs Advantages and Disadvantages

Green Roofs Advantages and Disadvantages Introduction A Green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with live vegetation. The vegetation is usually planted over a waterproof material. The green roof does not refer to the rooftops that are merely colored green. Green roofs may also include additional layers of root barriers and irrigation systems. In the case where plants are grown in pots and then placed in roof tops, these are not considered to be true green roofs. Roof top ponds are another form of green roof and are used to treat grey water (Little, par. 1). Grey water is any water that has been used in the home for the purposes of washing except water from toilets. Water from laundry, sinks and showers is all referred to as grey water. This water usually goes to waste but it may be reused for other purposes, especially irrigation. Grey water may therefore be run to roof gardens. Green roofs are also referred to as roof gardens and eco-roofs. Little says that roof gardens serve several purposes for a bu ilding such as absorbing rainwater, providing insulation for the building, creating habitat for wildlife, and also lowering urban temperatures thus lowering the heat island effect (Little, par. 1). There are two types of green roofs: intensive green roofs and extensive green roofs. Intensive green roofs are thicker and can support a wider variety of plants. They are heavier and require a lot of maintenance. They are made in such a way that they are accessible. The other type of green roofs is called extensive green roofs. These types of green roofs are covered by lighter vegetation and are easier to maintain than the intensive green roofs. They are mainly developed for aesthetic purposes, but also have various advantages to the environment. Green roofs can also be used to refer to the types of roofs that can use some form of green technology such as cool roof with photovoltaic modules. Photovoltaic modules are interconnected assembly of solar cells. The main purpose of the solar panel is to convert the solar energy into electricity. Environmental advantages of green roofs Population growth in the world today is happening at a very rapid rate. Many cities in the world are rapidly becoming highly urbanized with the construction of buildings and structures in close contact with each other. Increased construction of concrete buildings has led to the loss of green cover thereby creating a lot of environmental issues such as urban heat island effect. This has generated a substantial increase in air temperature in urban areas. The energy consumption has increased as an outcome of the heat island effect. Plants and vegetations play a very vital role in trapping dirt and dust particles in the air. Plants also utilize carbon dioxide in the process of photosynthesis and generate oxygen and glucose molecules during the day. This helps in reduction of carbon dioxide in the air as well as increasing the amount of oxygen in the air. In the process of urban development, trees are cut down at a very high rate. This leads to lowering of the air quality as levels of car bon dioxide will increase and oxygen levels decrease. According to Dowdey (para 3), places where there are no rooftop gardens, rainwater flows very fast from the buildings roofs into the sewer and in cases where the sewer cannot cope with the amount of water flowing from the roof tops, floods occur .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main cause of island heat effect in the urban areas is the absorption and retention of solar heat in buildings and other concrete structures resulting in the air temperature in such areas becoming warmer than in the rural areas. Increase in temperature means that the air conditioning load of these buildings will have to be increased. This means that more energy will be needed by the conditioners which will in return release more warm exhaust air into the outdoor thus aggravating the urban heat island effect. Roof gardens have been shown to lower the surface temperature and the air temperature greatly. Little states that the main reason why green roofs lower these temperatures is because, they cover the heat absorbing surfaces of the roof tops as well as the evapotranspiration cooling effects of the plants. Improving Air quality Roof vegetation improves the air quality by acting as a filter to trap air borne dust particles. A roof that has got a high temperature tends to create a thermal draft attracting dust particles from the streets. The green roofs have been found to moderate the thermal draft thus reducing the temperature difference between the roof tops and the streets. Green roofs also help to reduce the formation of smog. Smog is very sensitive to high temperatures and the fact is the higher the temperature, the higher the concentration of smog. According to Dowdey, plants through the process of photosynthesis absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere thus improving the air quality (Dowdey, par. 4). Improving water quality The green roof helps to filter out most of the heavy metals and nutrients present in rainwater. This is very beneficial in urban areas where precipitation is collected for domestic usage. Reduction of storm water Roof gardens retain most of rainwater on the roof through the various layers and significantly reduce the peak discharge flow rate into the storm water drainage system. This helps to reduce the risk of flash flooding. Energy conservation When surfaces absorb a lot of solar heat, urban heat island is the resulting effect. This in turn causes a substantial increase in the atmospheric temperature within the urban centers. This will in turn lead to a lot of energy consumption for cooling loads. Roof gardens help to absorb a lot of solar heat that would otherwise increase the atmospheric temperature. Cooling loads will therefore not be required to such a great extent and hence reduction in energy consumption will be the beneficial outcome. Green roofs also help in reducing heat loss and energy consumption in winter conditions (Kuhn, p 5). The green space Green spaces are very beneficial to people living and working in the urban centers. These spaces help in supporting biodiversity, softening the buildings environment, and aiding peoples mental and physical health. Green roofs improve the value of the green space by providing accessible green space. Green roofs are very appealing to those who look at them. Some green roofs can be designed for people to enjoy (Dowdey, par. 7). Cost benefit If 50% of the roofs in Tokyo were covered with roof gardens, a study showed that air temperature could be reduced from between 0.11 °c to 0.84 °c. Translation of these figures into real dollar value estimated that about $1.6 million per day in electricity bill could be achieved as energy savings. Kuhn (p 6) states that about 15% of annual energy saving can be achieved with roof gardens. Cooling loads can be drastically reduced up to 80% resulting in downsizing of air conditioning systems which would greatly improve savings in capital investments. A reduction of peak roof thermal transfer value of up to 80% make the roof tops a viable substitute for thermal insulation. Extension of roof life According to Dowdey, roof gardens protect the water proofing membrane as well as the roof top surfaces from the harmful effects of the ultra violet rays. Most of the water which would normally reach the roofing material causing dampness and rust is either taken by the plants or retained by the water proof membrane (para 8). Protection of the water proofing membrane and the roofing material extends their life to about four times their average life. The water proof material and the roofing material itself will not be tampered with in the process of regular replacement. This greatly improves the life expectancy of the roofing materials. Green roofs also play a very important role in protecting roofs from human traffic, heavy debris and dust particles. This means that the roofs are safe from being tampered with by people (Dowdey, par. 9). Disadvantages Proper planning for the installation of a green roof greatly reduces the disadvantages that may be accompanied with it. However, some types of green roofs do have more demanding structural standards than others. Some existing buildings cannot be retrofitted with certain kinds of green roofs because of the weight load of the substrates and the vegetation which exceed the permitted static loading, also referred to as the external force applied to a fixed position for a specific period of time. Depending on the type of the green roof, the cost of maintenance could be high. Some types of green roofs especially the intensive green roof require a very strong water proofing material to prevent water and roots from penetrating the water proof membrane. Installation of adequate water proofing materials and root barriers requires a considerable amount of money. The vegetation on the gardens requires special fertilizers which can sometimes be very costly (Kuhn, p 7). Conclusion Green roof are therefore very beneficial to human not only in terms of environmental protection but also in terms of economy. Their advantages are very many as compared to their disadvantages. The roles played by green gardens have a very great impact in our lives. Modification of the environment through lowering the island heat, managing storm water, reducing air and water pollution and creating a wildlife habitat are some of the green gardens environmental benefits. Green roofs have also been shown to increase the roof life as well as reduce energy costs. Bearing in mind the benefits of the roof gardens, the cost factor may be looked at the least in order for roof gardens to be widely adopted. Reference: Dowdey, Sarah. What is a Green Roof? , 2009. Retrieved on November 27, 2009 from http://science.howstuffworks.com/green-rooftop.htm Kuhn, Monica. Roof Gardening, 1996. Retrieved on November 27, 2009 from http://www.nea.gov.sg/cms/sei/PSS23slides.pdf Little, John. Green roof training, 2009. Retrieved on November 27, 2009 from http://www.livingroofs.org/livingpages/greenroofintro.html

Valuing a Website Before You Sell :: Sell Websites Buy Websites

Valuing a Website Before You Sell Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com There is probably no part of the buying process that worries a potential buyer more than overpaying for a website. While this is understandable (who wants to pay more than something is worth), it has more to do with misinformation and one's total approach to buying a website than it does to being an expert at appraisals. The truth is, value is completely subjective. After all, what one website may be worth to you is entirely different from what it is worth to the next person. While there are cases where people may not negotiate the best price possible for a good website you must know that no price is cheap enough if you buy the wrong website. In time, a good website will always justify the purchase price whereas a bad one may not ever allow you to recover financially. What is Value? In a nutshell, value must be measured by what you are getting in return for your money. You have to equate the purchase price against the benefits you will derive over the term in which you can realistically expect to own the website. As an example, you cannot simply measure the purchase price against the income that you will derive from a specific website. What about the daily enjoyments you will get from being your own boss? Or, the sense of accomplishment you will feel from building something? Maybe, it's the gratification that you will get from contributing to the lives of others (i.e. employees). Perhaps it will come from knowing that from the toils of your labor you have been able to provide certain things for your family that you could never even consider if you were working for somebody else. A good website will provide abundant rewards for you so in order for you to truly measure a website’s value you have to consider all of the benefits that you stand to gain. Also, you must factor in what you could never have achieved if you don't go into business for yourself. Think of it this way: the average person takes 30 years to payoff a mortgage and 4 years to pay off a car. Neither one of these will pay you a salary. While they both have their benefits, neither one comes close to what you can derive from a good website as far as overall benefits are concerned.

Robert J. Graves, MD and Graves Disease Essay -- Disease, Disorders

Graves’ disease was named after Robert J. Graves, MD, around the 1830’s. It is an autoimmune disease indicated by hyperthyroidism due to circulating autoantibodies, which is an antibody that attacks the person’s own body. The immune system attacks the thyroid gland, which causes it to produce too much thyroxine. Thyroxine is a hormone that helps control growth and also regulates metabolism in the body. While the thyroxine levels are high the patient’s metabolic rate increases, which can have an effect on their physical appearance as well as their frame of mind. Graves’ disease is the number one cause of hyperthyroidism in the U.S. There are many signs and symptoms of Graves’ disease. Symptoms of Graves’ disease include anxiety, irritability, insomnia, tiredness, irregular or accelerated heart rate, and sensitivity to heat. Sign of Graves’ disease are tremors in the hands and fingers, weight loss, brittle hair, goiter, menstrual cycle changes, and more frequent bowel movements. People with Graves’ disease also report having symptoms of Graves’ opthalmopathy, also known as thyroid eye disease. This can include bulging of the eyes, itchy eyes, red eyes, sensitivity to light, and swelling around the eyelids. More severe cases of opthalmopathy include corneal ulcers, double vision, blurred vision, and restricted eye movements. According to a journal published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, â€Å"Smoking greatly increases the risk for Graves’ opthalmopathy. Among patients with Graves’ opthalmopathy, smokers had more severe eye disease than nonsm okers. Smoking also appears to be one of the multiple factors inducing Graves’ disease in genetically predisposed individuals.† One more sign of Graves’ disease, though it is no... ...t it is not known what causes Graves’ disease to occur, the fact that there are so many treatment options is astonishing. Works Cited Christian Nordqvist. â€Å"What Is Graves’ Disease? What Causes Graves’ Disease?† Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Int., 6 Nov. 2009. Web 10 Mar. 2012. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170005.php Sai-Ching Jim Yeung, MD, PhD, FACP. â€Å"Graves’ Disease† emedicine.medscape. 30 Sep. 2011. Web 10 Mar. 2012 http://www.emedicine.medscape.com/article/120619-overview#showall Dr. Asha Thomas. â€Å"Treatment of Graves’ Disease† Baltimore Sun. 19 Oct. 2009 10 Mar. 2012. http://www.baltimoresun.com/2009-10-19/news/0910180070_1_graves-disease-underactive-thyroid-thyroid-disease Mark F. Prummel, Wilmar M. Wiersinga. â€Å"Smoking and Risk of Graves’ Disease† The Journal of the American Medical Association. 1993 10 Mar. 2012

Myth vs. Reality

The Holy Bible has been dubbed as the all-time bestseller and most widely read book, with 2 billion printed copies around the world. It is composed of a collection of ancient manuscripts that served as basis for some of the world’s religions. The Old Testament (OT) of the Bible has twenty-four books written in Hebrew (except for a few passages in Aramaic) and is often called the Masoretic text. At the time of Reformation, the Hebrew books were rearranged and some were divided and so became thirty-nine in all. Roman Catholics, like Protestants, divide the Bible into an Old and a New Testament.The Roman Catholic Old Testament (OT) contains 46 books (most of them from the Hebrew Bible). Some are called canonical or authoritative; others deuterocanonical, secondary, but nonetheless authoritative. Protestants term the deuterocanonical books â€Å"The Apocrypha† and consider them to be outside the Canon of Scripture. For its Old Testament, Catholics follow the list of books i ncluded in the Septuagint, a Greek version that was the source of the Latin Vulgate translation. The following chart lists the agreements and differences between the order and content of the books of the Hebrew Scripture among Jews, Catholics, and Protestants.Some Eastern Orthodox communities include 1 Esdras, the Prayer of Manasseh, Psalm 151, and 3 Maccabees as part of their Old Testament canon. Catholics and Protestants are in virtual agreement on the 27 books of the New Testament (Flinn, 2007). No doubt, the Holy Bible is the foundation many religious doctrines. In fact, the Bible is constantly studied to provide clerics not just with the basis of his doctrine but also with an infinite repertoire of examples which served to illustrate their positions. Since the Bible contains both historical and literary texts, many people have their own interpretation of what they read in the Bible.Not to mention, the Bible has been translated many times from Hebrew and Aramaic to Latin to pres ent-day languages. In view of the discrepancies in interpretation and translation, the veracity of what has been written is constantly debated by many religious pundits. Are words written in the Bible truth or is just a collection of ancient myths? How can people detect truth in the Bible? In this paper, we will try to delve deep into the veracity and authority of the Bible as a factual source of historical and religious events. Baring the Truth in the BibleIn an article, Bob George (2005) proclaimed that the Bible is the â€Å"only source of truth about Jesus Christ and God†. He argued that Christianity is rooted in historical truth because the Bible presents objective, concrete facts—not fanciful tales or mythical legends. George (2005) proved that persons, places, and times has factual basis. For example, he said that when Caesar Augustus â€Å"was governor of Syria† (Luke 2:2) he ordered a census of the empire, â€Å"so Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem† (Luke 2:4).John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, began his ministry â€Å"in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar† (Luke 3:1). All these events can be traced back with historical data available. Trembath (1987) agreed by citing theologian John Warwick Montgomery as he presented a â€Å"deductivist historiography according to which the truth of the Bible can be inferred from the historical accuracy of the gospel authors in recording the life of Jesus†. Another theologian Edward John Carnell understood that the inspiration of Bible is what accounts for its â€Å"systematic consistency† of the Bible.For Carnell, the truth of the Bible rests on the fact that it is God's rendition of both logic and history (Trembath 1987, p. 9). The Bible is a miscellany of genres: story, history, law, prophecy, song, poetry, and letters, making up a sacred ‘encyclopedia’ which has for centuries been a prime source of reading throughout the world. The different genres of the Bible tended to make it into a historical, human document whose truths might be relative rather than absolute. This is why some enlightened scholars began to interpret biblical language as symbol or allegory.They assumed that although the literal meaning of biblical stories might be rooted in historical context, these stories nevertheless conveyed deeper universal truths. However, biblical inspiration has sometimes been misunderstood as simply synonymous with ‘inerrancy’ or immunity from error—a view that creates impossible difficulties for those who cherish the Bible. One should prefer to discuss truth rather than immunity from error and, even more importantly, appreciate that truth is a result or consequence of inspiration.Despite a mechanical view of inspiration that highlighted the role of the Holy Spirit as â€Å"principal author† and hardly allowed for the sacred writers being genuine human authors. This is why, Pope Leo XIII in his 1893 encyclical Providentissimus Deus clarified the distinction between biblical inspiration and truth: the Bible is inspired, and therefore it is true (O’Collins & Farrugia 2005, p. 111). Defending Inconsistencies It cannot be denied that errors and inconsistencies can be found in the Bible. Like for instance, the account of the world’s creation being completed in a week (Gen.1: 1-2; 3) looks incompatible with the findings of cosmology and the theory of evolution. The Psalms and other OT books reflect in places the view that the earth is a flat disc and the sky above is a solid vault supported by columns at the ends of the earth. Add too the fact the Bible gives us conflicting accounts of the same episode. How did the Israelites elude their Egyptian pursuers? In describing the escape through the Red Sea, Exodus 14-15 offers three versions. Moses stretched out his hand and — as in the Cecil B. de Mille mo vie depicted — the waters piled up like walls to let the Israelites pass through.Then the waters flooded back over the Egyptians (Exod. 14: 16, 21, 22, 27, 28). In a second version, an east wind proved decisive. It dried up the sea for the Israelites, while the Egyptian chariots got stuck. Then God stopped the Egyptians with a glance and threw them into the sea (Exod. 14: 21, 25-6). Finally, an angel of the Lord and the column of cloud no longer went in front of the Israelites, but behind them. As a result the pursuing Egyptians could no longer see their quarry, who thus happily escaped (Exod. 14: 19-20). Then who killed Goliath—David or Elhanan (1 Sam.17; 2 Sam. 21: 19)? Did the site of the Jerusalem Temple cost David 50 shekels of silver or 600 shekels of gold (2 Sam. 24: 24; 1 Chr. 21: 25)? In short, factual inconsistencies and errors of a historical, geographical, and scientific nature turn up frequently in the scriptures. Faced with such evident factual, moral, an d religious errors, O’Collins and Farrugia (2005) explained the biblical truth in recalling three interconnected points: the intentions of the sacred authors, their presuppositions, and their modes of expression.Thus, the authors of the opening chapters of Genesis could be defended. They intended to teach a number of religious truths about the power and goodness of the Creator God, about the sinfulness of human beings, and so forth; they did not intend to teach some doctrine of cosmogony and cosmology. They simply did not aim to describe coherently and in â€Å"scientific† detail the origins of the universe, our earth, and the human race. In recalling the second coming of Jesus, Paul did not intend to communicate a timetable of its arrival but to encourage a full and urgent commitment to Christian life.In sum, it is unfair to accuse biblical or any other writers of falling into error by ignoring the difference between the points they really wished to communicate and th ose that lay outside any such intentions. Second, O’Collins and Farrugia (2005) justified that some biblical authors show that they shared with their contemporaries certain false notions about cosmology and astronomy. But, their acceptance of a flat earth, for instance, remained at the level of their presuppositions; it was not the theme of their direct teaching.The Bible was not artificially protected against geographical, cosmological, and astronomical errors to be found in the presuppositions of the sacred authors. Similarly the view that genuine human life ends at death formed a presupposition for the drama of Job and not the direct teaching of that book. At a time when death was believed to end all, how could an innocent person interpret and cope with massive suffering? Job did not debate with his friends whether or not there is life after death, but whether undeserved suffering can be reconciled with the existence of an all-good and all-powerful God.Third, O’Coll ins and Farrugia (2005) cited Pope Pius XII’s1943 encyclical letter that pointed out how alleged errors are often simply no more than legitimate modes of expression used by biblical writers: In many cases in which the sacred authors are accused of some historical inaccuracy or some inexact recording of certain events, on examination it turns out to be nothing else than those customary forms of expression or narrative style which were current among people of that time, and were in fact quite legitimately and commonly used (O’Collins and Farrugia 2005, p.113). Conclusion Bishop J. W. Colenso wrote that â€Å"he did not see any conflict between divine revelation and human reason, and the Bible had to be approached scientifically and logically†. Colenso assumed that â€Å"scientific reasoning is privileged, not in opposition to God’s revelation but as itself a gift of God†. Thus, it depends on the â€Å"reader of the Bible is encouraged to employ what ever resources are available — mathematical skills, history, philosophy and comparative religious texts, in the firm belief that truth is one and belongs to God† (Sugirtharajah 2001, p.144). In detecting the truth in the Bible, we should take into consideration context in which biblical language had been spoken. It was recognized that the meaning of words or stories might depend on the broader cultural environment in which a given text had been produced. Furthermore, it was supposed that meanings might have been lost or blurred in the course of history as cultures changed to make them less apparent. Finally, we should all remember that truth is subjective.When semantic, systemic, logical or empirical truths come into conflict, theorists urge that we believe that truth as such has no cognitive value—that we literally should not care whether our beliefs are true or false, but only whether they enable us to achieve more substantive goals such as happiness and well-b eing. Thus, we should believe that the Bible speaks the truth because it can serve as our moral and spiritual guide to attain a spiritually sound and happy life. References Flinn, F. K. (2007). The Bible. Encyclopedia of Catholicism, Encyclopedia of World Religions. New York: Facts On File, Inc.George, B. (2005). Conservative Christianity Is a Biblical Relationship with God. In M. E. Williams (Ed. ), Opposing Viewpoints: Constructing a Life Philosophy. San Diego: Greenhaven Press. O’Collins, G. & Farrugia, M. (2003). Catholicism – The Story of Catholic Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sugirtharajah, R. S. (2001). Bible in the Third World : Precolonial, Colonial, Postcolonial Encounters. Port Chester, NY: Cambridge University Press. Trembath, K. R. (1987). Evangelical Theories of Biblical Inspiration : A Review and Proposal. Cary, NC: Oxford University Press, Inc.

Using Case Study Examples Discuss the Rationale

Tourism is one of the biggest and fastest growing global industries. In the 20th Century, the tourism industry experienced universal expansion that has obvious economic, social and political benefits. The benefits of tourism have been enormous especially for developing poor countries that have limited sources of foreign currency; it has an important source of income and employment. On the other hand however, the growth of that sector has been accompanied by negative impacts as well. As tourism market is remarkably dynamic, there is an impact for local economies, environment and society.Examples of Malta and Gambia will help us to understand how tourism planning is developed in those countries through sustainability as well as the approaches of tourism planning for the better future of those countries. Firstly, it is important to understand the definition of sustainability. Brundtland as cited in C. Michael Hall defined sustainable development as ‘development that meets the need s of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.Trying to meet those needs is a primary political, economic and environmental issue as it puts demand on the new ways of thinking about the nature and purpose of development and growth. For instance, looking at Malta the centre of Mediterranean, that is seen as a sun-and- see travel destination. Tourism development in Malta begun in late 1950’s, attracting especially mass tourists during the summer time. However, after decent beginning and rapid growth the development went into stagnation.It is closely illustrated as the classic model of a tourism development cycle (Butler, 1980). Maltese Islands have a large number and wide variety of tourism attractions that give a strong potential for tourism development. To reach the goal of a successful sustainable tourism development, country needs to careful planning, systematic implementation of the plans and continuous and effectiv e management. Planning itself is not only a decision-making but as much important as policy-making. Friedmann(1973) as cited in C.Michael Hall identify two different types of planning ‘which lay at opposite ends of an autonomy-dependency continuum depending on where the planner or the planning agency lay within the planning system’; developmental and adaptive planning. With no expectations the planning is always related to policy making. Therefore, as stated by Cullingsworth(1997:5) ‘planning is the purposive process in which goals are set and policies elaborated to implement them’. Policy making is notably involved with government actions. Furthermore, governments are machinery of tourism which can help or not regarding to the tourism industry.For instance, Malta’s Tourism Authority (MTA) has a huge impact on the regional tourism development. In 1999 the MTA took over the charge of NTOM, the Hotel and Catering Establishments Board (HCEB) as well as become committed in human resources. The key changes in new tourism administration were stated as: ‘visibility of the Malta brand in source markets; product upgrading; development of core service skills; the establishments of standards and regulation of the industry; the provision of relevant information to enable critical decision-making by the MTA itself, by the government and by the industry ( MTA, 2000a)’.As a result, the new approach that was mainly directed not only to the main stakeholders in Malta but overseas operators and visitors as well. The strategic was directed into three principal areas; ’product development, re-imaging of the Islands and redefined marketing campaign. ’ In this perspective of those main areas Malta has started to develop their very fragmented product. Moreover, it was mostly concentrated on a dissimilar perception that was giving a wrong image of Maltese Islands.In addition, different overseas MTA representative offices hav e shown varied advertising campaigns that gave a mixed image of Malta. Malta is seen as a destination of different activities for tourists from different countries. For instance, Malta is seen as a beach destination and a destination for elderly people for English tourists. However for French and Italian visitors it is a place witch a cultural treasures. Therefore, MTA has designed brand new image and logo of the Islands to create a more understandable vision of Malta for international visitors.The new logo was trying to encourage the visitors to see more than they are aiming to experience. MTA has concentrated on the quality of product that was focused on the accommodation, activities and events as well as on beach development and country walks. The new way of marketing and promotion was a great economic approach. Therefore, the projects leading to upgrading the cultural heritage and the tourism infrastructure of Malta were funded; The Ministry for Tourism and Culture as well as MT A accessed founds that interference tourism.However, the new approach for the changing the images of the Maltese Islands do not concentrate on local people. Undertaken actions conceal the actual picture of Malta that is most populated place in Europe as well as most of the tourists are young couples. The new image can easily direct to extremely negative effects; visitors realise that Malta is heavily build up with very busy life of local people. On the other hand there are a lot of beneficial impacts of tourism development in Malta. Tourism is Malta is giving a lot of employment as well as development of the island is highly seen.Although there is a lot of aspects to improve; the real product as well as image has to be identified, more of the local stakeholders have to project instead of outside tour operators. The approach of governments has to be more affective in tourism development. It has to be identified that not only the rich culture, history and climate are the higher valued products of Malta but the most important and the more valuable are local people. Tourism in Gambia has an extremely important impact for country development and economy. Tourism is not only the source of income and government revenues but as well it gives opportunities of employment.Gambia, the smallest country on the African continent that was known as a travel destination since 1965 went from steady growth through boosted development to lack of further development over last years. Limited financial and human resources as much as poor infrastructure at local stage are restricting tourism development in country. Number of visitors arriving Gambia was increasing until 1994 when military coup was held. However, after 1995 the tourism sector started to collapse and in addition Gambia lost market share and reminded static. The country economy did not develop at any stage since that time.It could be necessary to note that problems Gambia is facing are strongly related to socio- economic and political issues inside the country. Important fact to point out is that agriculture is accounting approximately 75% of employment but merely 35% of GDP, where tourism accounts of 12% of employment with as much as 23% of GDP for the country( according to WTTC data). With regard to tourism planning and development there is a need to recognise two different phases of development. The first phase that happened between 1972- 1994 was significant in rapid increase of arrivals into the country.Moreover, Gambia became dependent on a tourist markets especially from UK and Scandinavia. On the other hand tourism became highly seasonal; known as a winter-sun destination where over 80% of arrivals occurred between November to April. In this situation, the number of accommodation supply has increased. Furthermore, the government took a huge part of the tourism development by providing a wide variety of incentives for and controls on hotel development. The government created specific bodies responsible for policy development and implementation.However public sector was very limited by lack of funding for tourism development and promotion therefore was mainly driven by the overseas private sector. Another example of critical changes in tourism development is second phase of the economy in Gambia. ‘Phase 2’ was held between 1995 and 2005. After the year of coup the tourism sector was still growing with record of 96,000 tourists in 1999. However, following the extremely growth in visitors the arrivals have tragically collapsed. Although it can be noticed that there was an increase of accommodation supply however most of the hotels remain under foreign ownerships.On the other side the infrastructural development funded by an African Development Bank loan have included a $10 million beach recovery project, a $150,000 street lightning system as well as a new road bypassing Serrekunda that improved the access to the tourist areas. Moreover, the new terminal build ing was launched in the international airport. Meanwhile, during the period of ‘Phase 2’ large number of international operators have decreased. On the other hand the lack of data is a continuing problem regarding to economic value of tourism to the country.Nowadays, few organizations (Responsible Tourism Partnership and Association of Small Scale Enterprises in Tourism) have been created to work ‘towards developing a more responsible approach to tourism development’. Their main goal is to help small- scale businesses in participation and benefiting from tourism industry. It can be said that the Gambia’s tourism policy for 1995-2000 have created ambitious targets such as increasing the arrivals numbers to 150,000, accommodation supply growth to 10,000bed spaces and the aim to change the direction from mass charter tourism to more individual and special interest groups tourism.Furthermore, the new ‘Master Plan’ from 2005 that has been con centrated on developing tourism industry sets out the new route for tourism development until 2020. Moreover, it is already recognising lack of progress and can be said that Gambia’s development project has already entered the ‘lost decade’. It is clear from the above that Gambia both as a country and a tourist destination has a limited market that is restricted by climate, lack of facilities as well as health requirements. Furthermore, Gambia is not rich either in natural or cultural attractions that could appeal to tourist’s interest.Also Gambia could be taken as an expensive destination where tourists are entitled to pay arrival taxes. On the other hand, it could not be said that many efforts have been taken to develop tourism in the Gambia. Consequently, GTA (Gambia Tourism Authority) provides motivation to prospective developers as tax breaks and ‘free’ land subjected to future development and a 50-year lease on that land. In conclusion, without expectation that approaches to tourism planning are extremely important aspects for tourism development in each country.It has been identified that five certain mechanism by which long-term approach to tourism development can be achieved; cooperative and integrated control systems, development of industry coordination mechanisms, raising customer awareness, raising producer awareness and strategic tourism planning to supersede conventional approaches (Dutton and Hall; 1989). Tourism requires certain approaches as well as appropriate managements to operate at higher levels to sustain tourism development process in both of the counties.Malta as well as Gambia need to look forward the future and ask themselves what do they want gain for the new tourism planning and future development. It is not an exception that it is going to be an easy task for both of those countries, especially for Gambia who is one of poorest countries in the world. Each of those countries has to find new strategies of tourism planning as well as new, better direction for tourism development where local people and local investors are involved in the complete project of gaining benefits from tourism planning. Bibliography Hall, C.Michael (2000) Tourism Planning: Policies, Processes and Relationships Gunn, Clare A. (3rd edition) Tourism Planning: Basics, Concepts, Cases Keyser, Heidi (2002) Tourism Development Hall, C. Michael and Page, Stephen J. (1999) 2nd edition; The Geography of Tourism and Recreation: Environment, Place and Space References Hall, D. , Smith, M. , Marciszewska, B. (2006) Tourism in the New Europe: Challenges and Opportunities of EU Enlargements; Chapter 17; Theuma, Nadia (2006) Malta: Re-imaging the Mediterranean Destination Sharpley, Richard; Developments in Tourism Research; Chapter 4; Tourism in The Gambia- Ten Years On

The definition of the genre of the Bible

JohnThe genre of this book is gospel. The key theme of John is Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and he is the one who gives everlasting life. Key characters in this book are Jesus, John the Baptist, Lazarus, and Mary Magdalene. The first part of John tells of Jesus’ ministry and teachings. John tells of how Jesus performed miracles such as healing the lame and blind and bringing Lazarus back from death.The story of the feeding of the five thousand is also mentioned in John. In chapters 13-17 John tells of Jesus’ time just before his death and resurrection. Here, Jesus prays for His disciples and for Himself. The last part of the book tells of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here, He is crucified on the cross after being trialed and convicted illegally. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene after arising from His tomb. He also appears to His disciples.ActsThe genre of this book is narrative. The key theme of Acts is showing the reader how believers in Jesus were empowered by the Holy Ghost to spread His Word throughout the world. Key characters are Paul, Peter, John, Stephen, Timothy, and James. The author of Acts is Luke. The beginning chapters tell of the Church starting from infancy. Peter delivers a wonderful sermon to the Jews. As a result, three thousand people accepted Christ as their Savior.The apostles start spreading the Word to different areas. Luke tells of how Stephen is falsely accused and stoned to death. The Apostle Paul (originally named Saul) has a life altering experience while traveling to Damascus. Before being convicted by the Holy Spirit, Paul oppressed early Christians. The last parts of Acts tell of the gospel being spread to the Gentiles. Paul travels to Macedonia with Silas to spread the gospel. Paul then travels to Jerusalem and gets arrested and is imprisoned.HebrewsThe genre of this book is epistle. The purpose of Hebrews was to show Christians that Jesus Christ was perfect and greater than anything Judai sm had to offer. The author wrote Hebrews to a group of Christians that were debating returning back to Judaism and reverting back to their old ways. Unlike other books in the New Testament, Hebrews brings focus on the Old Testament. In early chapters of Hebrews, the author presents to the reader the power of the Word. He also tells that,† faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen†(11:1) The author gives us great examples of the faithful people from the Old Testament and tells of having faith in Jesus is the basis of our salvation. The author conveys to the recipients of Hebrews that straying away from faith will have consequences and that they not turn away from the Truth.JamesThe genre of this book is epistle. The purpose of James was to encourage Jewish believers to live great Christian lives and to continue growing in faith. The key characters in James are himself and Jewish Christians. James teaches the relationship between faith and works and how faith should be put into action. He states that we should not only listen to the Word but be doers of the Word and that good works are not the cause of salvation. Good works are the result of salvation. He tells the believers that everyone is a sinner and if even one of the Ten Commandments is broken, then all are broken. James then instructs that we should submit to God and serve Him and to turn away from evil. He ends the letter telling us to be patient in suffering and to pray for one another. He also expresses to us the importance of living in faith.RevelationThe genre of this book is apocalyptic. The purpose of Revelation is to give hope to all of us and to continue to watch for the return of the King. It also gives of warning of the Final Judgment and what nonbelievers will have to endure. The author of Revelation is John. He explains how an angel comes to him in a vision instructing him to send letters to seven churches about his revelation. The book tells o f how the final days will be on earth and how there will be an Anti-Christ that will rule until God throws him into the Lake of Fire. John tells of plagues that will be cast onto the world and he speaks of the final resting place of the non-believer. They will show the wrath of God’s judgment on the wicked. Lastly, John describes  the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem. There will be no tears, crying, or death!

Why We Need The Exclusionary Rule Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Why We Need The Exclusionary Rule - Term Paper Example It is widely agreed that evidence needs to be credible for it to be accepted by the courts. Undoubtedly, the credibility of the evidence is greatly influenced by the modes of its collection. In this regard, it cannot be disputed that police procedures play a significant role in determining the credibility of the given evidence. One of the procedural factors that have raised controversies in the recent past pertains to the role of the exclusionary rule in collection of evidence. This paper provides an in depth analysis of whether we need the exclusionary rule or not. In order to enhance justice by ensuring that evidence employed in courts from the police is credible, we do need the exclusionary rule. Thesis Statement In order to enhance justice by ensuring that evidence employed in courts from the police is credible, we do need the exclusionary rule. Background Information The exclusionary rule is anchored on the provisions of the Fifth Amendment. Basically, it postulates that objects used by the courts as evidence are not credible if they are obtained without a legitimate search warrant or illegally. The constitutional roots of this rule date back to the Gouled vs United States case of 1921. In this case, the Supreme Court maintained that although the government had a legal right to seize contraband; it did not have a right to seize property for the sole purpose of using the same as evidence (Josephson, 2009). Of course, there are certain instances where the evidence obtained from warrantless police searches is acceptable or admissible in the courts of law. Specific instances in this regard include searches conducted in airports, in cases where something is considered as a plain view, when police officers are effecting a lawful arrest or when the officers lack sufficient time to obtain a warrant of arrest. In the later, delays in effecting the arrest can have adverse impacts on the evidence. Issues relating to Exclusionary Rule The exclusionary rule plays an im portant role of preventing the police from violating the fundamental rights as well liberties of the members of the public. Warrants are official documents that are issued by judges whenever they deem it necessary to search the premises in a bid to recover or obtain important evidence. Certainly, they are issued when the respective judges believe that evidence can be found within the indicated premises. Besides enabling the police to recover critical evidence, the rule ensures that the holistic well-being of the Americans is safeguarded as it was proved in the case of Langdon v. People, 133 Illinois 382 [1890]. In this case, the court held that it was not in order for â€Å"seizure pursuant to search warrant of official state documents was unlawful within appellant’s possession†. Nonetheless, it should be appreciated that the rule is limiting in various scenarios. This is compounded by the increasing complexity of the crimes. Current trends indicate that the frequency and complexity of crimes has increased significantly therefore, requiring the police to have a search warrant in all scenarios can limit effective recovery of critical evidence. Moreover, failing to use reasonable and necessary force in certain instance can inhibit evidence recovery efforts by the police. In light of the preceding limitations, the exclusionary rule is not necessary. According to Lynch (2000), the legality of the exclusionary rule is uncertain. This is because it is neither underscored in the national constitution nor evaluated at length in the Framers’ writings. At this point, it should be appreciated that the above-mentioned documents are the founding documents of the American legal sphere. Generally,