Structure of NTFS :: essays research papers

Structure of NTFS The NTFS file system is used in all critical Microsoft Windows systems. It is an advanced file system that makes it different from the UNIX file systems that the original TCT was designed for. This document gives a quick overview of NTFS and how it was implemented. The biggest difference is the use of Alternate Data Streams (ADS) when specifying a meta data structure. MFT The Master File Table (MFT) contains entries that describe all system files, user files, and directories. The MFT even contains an entry (#0) that describes the MFT itself, which is how we determine its current size. Other system files in the MFT include the Root Directory (#5), the cluster allocation map, Security Descriptors, and the journal. MFT ENTRIES Each MFT entry is given a number (similar to Inode numbers in UNIX). The user files and directories start at MFT #25. The MFT entry contains a list of attributes. Example attributes include "Standard Information" which stores data such as MAC times, "File Name" which stores the file or directories name(s), $DATA which stores the actual file content, or "Index Alloc" and "Index Root" which contain directory contents stored in a B-Tree. Each type of attribute is given a numerical value and more than one instance of a type can exist for a file. The "id" value for each attribute allows one to specify an instance. A given file can have more than one "$Data" attribute, which is a method that can be used to hide data from an investigator. To get a mapping of attribute type values to name, use the 'fsstat' command. It displays the contents of the $AttrDef system file. Each attribute has a header and a value and an attribute is either resident or non-resident. A resident attribute has both the header and the content value stored in the MFT entry. This only works for attributes with a small value (the file name for example). For larger attributes, the header is stored in the MFT entry and the content value is stored in Clusters in the data area. A Cluster in NTFS is the same as FAT, it is a consecutive group of sectors. If a file has too many different attributes, an "Attribute List" is used that stores the other attribute headers in additional MFT entries. FILES Files in NTFS typically have the following attributes: S.N. Attribute Description 1. $STANDARD_INFORMATION Contains MAC times, security ID, Owners ID, permissions in DOS format, and quota data.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Essay

Known as Netaji (leader), Mr. Bose was a fierce and popular leader in the political scene in pre-independence India . He was the president of the Indian National Congress in 1937 and 1939, and founded a nationalist force called the Indian National Army. He was acclaimed as a semigod, akin to the many mythological heroes like Rama or Krishna, and continues as a legend in Indian mind. Subhas Chandra was born on January 23rd 1897 in Cuttack (in present day Orissa) as the ninth child among fourteen, of Janakinath Bose, an advocate, and Prabhavatidevi, a pious and God-fearing lady. A brilliant student, he topped the matriculation examination of Calcutta province and passed his B. A. in Philosophy from the Presidency College in Calcutta. He was strongly influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings and was known for his patriotic zeal as a student. His parents’ wishes kept him away from the Indian freedom struggle and led him into studies for the Indian Civil Service in England. Although he finished those examinations also at the top of his class (4th), he could not complete his aprecentship and returned to India, being deeply disturbed by the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre. He came under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi and joined the Indian National Congress (a. k. a. Congress). Gandhiji directed him to work with Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, the Bengali leader whom Bose acknowledged as his political guru. Bose was outspoken in his anti-British stance and was jailed 11 (eleven) times between 1920 and 1941 for periods varying between six months and three years. He was the leader of the youth wing of the Congress Party, in the forefront of the trade union movement in India and organized Service League, another wing of Congress. He was admired for his great skills in organization development . The Influence of Bose Bose advocated complete freedom for India at the earliest, whereas the Congress Committee wanted it in phases, through a Dominion status. Other younger leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru supported Bose and finally at the historic Lahore Congress convention, the Congress had to adopt Poorna Swaraj (complete freedom) as its motto. Bhagat Singh’s martyrdom and the inability of the Congress leaders to save his life infuriated Bose and he started a movement opposing the Gandhi-Irvin Peace Pact. He was imprisoned and expelled from India. But defying the ban, he came back to India and was imprisoned again! Clouds of World War II were gathering fast and Bose warned the Indian people and the British against dragging India into the war and the material losses she could incur. He was elected president of the Indian National Congress twice in 1937 and in 1939, the second time defeating Gandhiji’s nominee. He brought a resolution to give the British six months to hand India over to the Indians, failing which there would be a revolt. There was much opposition to his rigid stand, and he resigned from the post of president and formed a progressive group known as the Forward Block (1939). The second World War broke out in September of 1939, and just as predicted by Bose, India was declared as a warring state (on behalf of the British) by the Governor General, without consulting Indian leaders. The Congress party was in power in seven major states and all state governments resigned in protest. Subhas Chandra Bose now started a mass movement against utilizing Indian resources and men for the great war. To him, it made no sense to further bleed poor Indians for the sake of colonial and imperial nations. There was a tremendous response to his call and the British promptly imprisoned him . He took to a hunger-strike, and after his health deteriorated on the 11th day of fasting, he was freed and was placed under house arrest. The British were afraid of violent reactions in India, should something happen to Bose in prison. The Mystery Begins†¦ Bose suddenly disappeared in the beginning of 1941 and it was not until many days that authorities realized Bose was not inside the house they were guarding! He traveled by foot, car and train and resurfaced in Kabul (now in Afghanistan), only to disappear once again. In November 1941, his broadcast from German radio sent shock waves among the British and electrified the Indian masses who realized that their leader was working on a master plan to free their motherland. It also gave fresh confidence to the revolutionaries in India who were challenging the British in many ways. The Axis powers (mainly Germany) assured Bose military and other help to fight the British. Japan by this time had grown into another strong world power, occupying key colonies of Dutch, French, and British colonies in Asia. Bose had struck alliance with Germany and Japan. He rightly felt that his presence in the East would help his countrymen in freedom struggle and second phase of his saga began. It is told that he was last seen on land near Keil canal in Germany, in the beginning of 1943. A most hazardous journey was undertaken by him under water, covering thousands of miles, crossing enemy territories. He was in the Atlantic, the Middle East, Madagascar and the Indian ocean. Battles were being fought over land, in the air and there were mines in the sea. At one stage he traveled 400 miles in a rubber dinghy to reach a Japanese submarine, which took him to Tokyo. He was warmly received in Japan and was declared the head of the Indian army, which consisted of about 40,000 soldiers from Singapore and other eastern regions. Bose called it the Indian National Army (INA) and a government by the name â€Å"Azad Hind Government† was declared on the 21st of October 1943. INA freed the Andaman and Nicobar islands from the British, and were renamed as Swaraj and Shaheed islands. The Government started functioning. Leader of Masses and the Military  Bose in INA Uniform 1943 Early Success and Tragic End Bose wanted to free India from the Eastern front. He had taken care that Japanese interference was not present from any angle. Army leadership, administration and communications were managed only by Indians. Subhash Brigade, Azad Brigade and Gandhi Brigade were formed. INA marched through Burma and occupied Coxtown on the Indian Border. A touching scene ensued when the solders entered their ‘free’ motherland. Some lay down and kissed, some placed pieces of mother earth on their heads, others wept. They were now inside of India and were determined to drive out the British! Delhi Chalo (Let’s march to Delhi) was the war cry. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed the history of mankind. Japan had to surrender. Bose was in Singapore at that time and decided to go to Tokyo for his next course of action. Unfortunately, the plane he boarded crashed near Taipei and he died in the hospital of severe burns. He was just 48. The Indian people were so much enamored of Bose’s oratory and leadership qualities, fealressness and mysterious adventures, that he had become a legend. They refused to believe that he died in the plane crash. The famous Red Fort trial wherein Bose’s generals and the INA officers were tried, became landmark events. Initially, the British Government thought of a court-martial, but there was a countrywide protest against any kind of punishment. For common Indians, Axis and Allied powers hardly mattered, but they could not tolerate punishment of fellow countrymen who were fighting for freedom. The British Government was in no position to face open rebellion or mutiny and a general amnesty for INA soldiers was declared. While Bose’s approach to Indian freedom continues to generate heated debate in the Indian society today, there is no denying of his burning patriotism, his tireless efforts to free India from inside and outside and his reckless adventures in trying to reach his goals. His exploits later became a legend due to the many stories carried by the disbanded INA soldiers who came from every nook and corner of our great country. Had he lived, Subhas Chandra Bose could have given a new turn to Independent India’s political history. But he lives on eternally in the Indian mind, more famous after his death.

How to Succeed in College Essay

Hints on How to Succeed in College Classes The Key to Success: Study Time The single most important key to success in any college course is to spend enough time studying. A rule of thumb is that you should expect to study about 2 to 3 hours per week outside of class for each unit of credit. For example, a student taking 15 credit hours should expect to spend 30 to 45 hours each week studying outside of class. Combined with time in class, this works out to a total of 45 to 60 hours spent on academic work†not much more than the time a typical Job requires, and you get to hoose your own hours. Of course, if you are working while you attend school, you will need to budget your time carefully. As a rough guideline, your study time might be divided as shown in the table below. If you find that you are spending fewer hours than these guidelines suggest, you can probably improve your grade by studying longer. If you are spending more hours than these guidelines suggest, you may be studying inefficiently; in that case, you should talk to your instructor about how to study more effectively. If Your Course Is: Time for Reading the Assigned Text (per week) Time for Homework Assignments (per week) Time for Review and Test Preparation (average per week) Total Study Time (per 3 credits 2 to 4 hours 2 to 3 hours 2 hours 6 to 9 hours 4 credits 3 hours 8 to 12 hours 5 credits 3 to 5 hours 3 to 6 hours 4 hours 10 to 15 hours General Strategies for Studying 0 Budget your time effectively. Studying 1 or 2 hours each day is more effective, and far less painful, than studying all night before homework is due or before exams. 0 Engage your brain. Learning is an active process, not a passive experience. Whether you are reading, listening to a lecture, or working on assignments, always make sure hat your mind is actively engaged. If you find your mind drifting or falling asleep, make a conscious effort to revive yourself, or take a break if necessary. 0 Don’t miss class, and come prepared. Listening to lectures and participating in class activities and discussions is much more effective than reading someone else’s notes or watching a video later. Active participation will help you retain what you are learning. Also, be sure to complete any assigned reading before the class in which it will be discussed. This is crucial, since class sessions are designed to help reinforce key deas from the reading. 0 Use your textbook effectively. For a science book, for example: Begin by identifying the learning goals of an assigned chapter, and get an overview of key concepts by studying the illustrations and reading their captions. Next, read the chapter twice: On the first pass, read only the narrative, skipping any optional or boxed features; on the second pass, include the boxed features, and make notes on the pages to remind yourself of ideas you may want to review later. After you complete the reading, check your understanding by trying some of the end- f-chapter problems or any on-line quizzes or tutorials that may be available. 0 Start your homework early. The more time you allow yourself, the easier it is to get help if you need it. If a concept gives you trouble, first try additional reading or studying beyond what has been assigned. If you still having trouble, ask for help: You surely can find friends, peers, or teachers who will be glad to help you learn. 0 Working together with friends can be valuable in helping you understand difficult concepts. However, be sure that you learn with your friends and do not become dependent on 0 Don’t try to multitask. A large body of research shows that human beings simply are not good at multitasking: When we attempt it, we do more poorly at all of the individual tasks. And in case you think you are an exception, the same research found that those people who believed they were best at multitasking were actually the worst! So when it is time to study, turn off your electronic devices, find a quiet spot, and give your work a focused effort of concentration. 02013, Jeffrey Bennett (www. effreybennett. com). Permission granted to photocopy as a two-sided handout for college classes. How to Succeed in College Classes, Page 2 Preparing for Exams 0 Rework problems and other assignments; try additional questions to be sure you understand the concepts. Study your performance on assignments, quizzes, or exams from earlier in the term. 0 Study your notes from classes, and reread relevant section s in your textbook. Pay attention to what your instructor expects you to know for an exam. 0 Study individually before Joining a study group with friends. Study groups are effective only if every individual comes prepared to contribute. 0 Don’t stay up too late before an exam. Don’t eat a big meal within an hour of the xam (thinking is more difficult when blood is being diverted to the digestive system). 0 Try to relax before and during the exam. If you have studied effectively, you are capable of doing well. Staying relaxed will help you think clearly. Presenting Homework and Writing Assignments All work that you turn in should be of collegiate quality: neat and easy to read, well organized, and demonstrating mastery of the subject matter. Future employers and teachers will expect this quality of work. Moreover, although submitting homework of collegiate quality requires â€Å"extra† effort, it serves two important purposes directly related to learning: 1. . The effort you expend in clearly explaining your work solidifies your learning. In particular, research has shown that writing and speaking trigger different areas of your brain. By writing something down†even when you think you already understand it†your learning is reinforced by involving other areas of your brain. By making your work clear and self-contained (that is, making it a document that you can read without referring to the questions in the text), you will have a much more useful study guide when you review for a quiz or exam. The following guidelines will help ensure that your assignments meet the standards f collegiate quality: 0 Always use proper grammar, proper sentence and paragraph writing should be fully self-contained. A good test is to imagine that a friend is reading your work and to ask yourself whether the friend would understand exactly what you are trying to say.

Poverty in the Philippines Essay

This article needs more links to other articles to help integrate it into the encyclopedia. Please help improve this article by adding links that are relevant to the context within the existing text. (April 2013) This article’s factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2012) The estimates of poverty incidence in the Philippines per province as of 2012. The national average is 22.3%, virtually unchanged from 2006’s 23.4%. Poverty remains a critical social problem that needs to be addressed. Philippines’ poverty line marks a per capita income of 16,841 pesos a year.[1] According to the data from the National Statistical Coordination Board, more than one-quarter (27.9%) of the population fell below the poverty line the first semester of 2012, an approximate 1 per cent increase since 2009.[2] This figure is a much lower figure as compared to the 33.1% in 1991.[3] The decline in poverty has been slow and uneven, much slower than neighboring countries who experienced broadly similar numbers in the 1980s,[4] such as People’s Republic of China (PRC), Thailand, Indonesia (where the poverty level lies at 8.5%) or Vietnam (13.5%). This shows that the incidence of poverty has remained significantly high as compared to other countries for almost a decade. The unevenness of the decline has been attributed to a large range of income brackets across regions and sectors, and unmanaged population growth. The Philippines poverty rate is roughly the same level as Haiti.[4] The government planned to eradicate poverty as stated in the Philippines Development Plan 2011-2016 (PDP). The PDP for those six years are an annual economic growth of 7-8% and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Under the MDGs, Philippines  committed itself to having extreme poverty from a 33.1% in 1991 to 16.6% by 2015. This article’s factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2012) Rapid population growth[edit] Given that the population of the Philippines is increasing at a rapid rate of 2.36% per year, this can be translated as an increase of more than 5,000 people daily in a country that already has an increase of more than four million poor people since 1985.[5] In 1985, the absolute number of people living in poverty was 26.5 million. This increased to 30.4 million in 2000 and from 2006 to 2009, increased by almost 970,000 Filipinos from 22.2 million to 23.1 million.[4] As the Philippines has financially limited resources and a high poverty rate, the rapid increase in population has become a problem because there is insufficient resources to support the population, which leaves much fewer resources to improve the economy. From 2003 to 2006, even though the Philippines experienced above-average economic growth, the poverty incidence increased as a result of its population growth rate.[6] Unemployment[edit] Poverty reduction has not kept up with GDP growth rates, largely due to the high unemployment rate, high inflation rate and wide income inequality. The official rate of unemployment for 2012 in the Philippines was 6.8 per cent.[7] This was an increase of joblessness even though in 2012, the GDP grew at 6.6 percent. From 2000 to 2009, the economy of Philippines grew by 3.2% on average annually, which was on par with the economic performance of  its neighbors.[8] However, this recent growth did not translate into more jobs. Unemployment in the Philippines has been high in comparison to its neighbors, at around 7.5% to 8.0% since 2006.[9] The Philippines has faced difficulty in job creation due to its inability to attract more foreign, direct investments. Diwa Guinigundo, who is the Central Bank Deputy Governor, mentioned that while capital flows are turning to the emerging markets,[10] foreign, direct investments to the Philippines remain relatively low due to the weak investment climate. The Philippines has hefty business procedures, poor tax and customs administration, weak protection against expropriation and high-energy cost. Therefore, the poverty rate remains constant over the years. ≠¥ REFERENCE: WIKIPEDIA Philippines: A Strategy to Fight Poverty Poverty Profile The Philippines has achieved only modest reductions in poverty at a national level since the economic and political collapse of the mid-1980s. In addition, severe regional disparities remain. The proportion of households living below the official poverty line has declined slowly and unevenly from 59 percent in 1961 to below 39 percent in 1991 and around 36 percent in 1994. Urban poverty stood at around 23 percent in 1991 and rural poverty at 53 percent (by World Bank staff calculations). Food poverty (or those living below subsistence) was around 20 percent of households in 1991, but 32 percent of rural households while only 12 percent of urban households. Two-thirds of the poor are engaged in the agriculture, fishery, and forestry sectors and have an elementary school education or less. However, the depth of poverty is relatively small (with the poverty gap index only 17 percent in 1991, having fallen by 40 percent since 1961), and income disparities among the poor have declined noticeably. Since 1971, the urban poor have become a rising share of the total poor population, but still two-thirds of the poor live in rural areas. The depth of poverty is nearly 2 1/2 times larger in rural areas than in urban areas. The urban poor are concentrated in Luzon, while the rural poor live predominantly in Mindanao and the Visayas. Poor households in the  Philippines tend to combine into extended families to conserve household assets. Thus, larger households are observed as having greater poverty than smaller households: households of 8 or more members represent nearly a third of all the poor. The incidence and severity of poverty is significantly lower among elderly and female headed households in the Philippines, in striking contrast to the evidence from other developing countries, again because these households tend to be absorbed into others. It also reflects women’s strong position in the labor market in terms of relative pay and attachment compared with many other Asian countries and even relative to many OECD countries. Incentive and Regulatory Framework Philippine performance on poverty reduction has been disappointing compared with the rest of East Asia, but the Philippines has not been able to sustain growth long enough to reduce its incidence of poverty to the levels attained by its neighbors. GDP growth averaged only 1.1 percent per annum in the 1980s. Further, the pattern of growth in the past tended to accentuate rather than reduce income disparities. Slow growth of higher productivity sectors resulted in absorption of labor in low productivity employment in the 1970s and 1980s. The industrial sector shrank over this period, and agricultural growth slowed dramatically. More importantly, poverty declines were modest even when the economy was growing rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s because of the distorted structure of the economy. Policies discriminated against labor, subsidized capital-intensive methods of production, and gave low priority to agriculture and exports. This resulted in growth that was narrowly based and inequitable, trapping many people in marginal, low paying occupations such as upland agriculture, rural wage labor, and informal employment in cities. Infrastructure was highly concentrated in Metro Manila. Government interventions, especially in the 1970s and early 1980s, tended to diminish the role of market mechanisms in favor of regulation by parastatals and promoted oligopolisitic control in important sectors of the economy. This inward-looking strategy was inherently unstable, and so the economy lurched from balance of payments crisis to crisis. In the wake of across-the board structural reforms of the financial sector, agricultural pricing and marketing, the tax system, the foreign trade and investment regimes, and government corporations, the experience of the Philippines in  the late 1980s showed that accelerated growth in a more liberalized economy has a positive impact on incomes of the poor and that poverty declines during periods of rapid growth. Between 1985 and 1988, when GDP growth averaged 4.8 percent, the poverty headcount fell by 1.3 percentage points each year, an achievement equivalent to Thailand’s long-term rate of poverty reduction. Analysis of the economic growth of 1985 to 1988 concludes that deregulation in agriculture and greater control over inflation were likely the key factors that improved the lot of the poor. Labor market performance has also shown signs of improvement. Public Expenditures Public expenditures on education in 1994 were less than 3 percent of GDP compared with 4 percent in Indonesia or 7 percent in Malaysia, despite inching upwards since the late 1980s, after over almost two decades of limited investment through the 1970s and early 1980s. Public primary education remains relatively under-financed, and funding is based on pupil headcount without any compensatory mechanisms to assist the most â€Å"at-risk† areas, schools, or ethnic groups. Thus, in the Philippines, poor youth are much more likely to drop out of school or get a poor quality education. The Philippines spends comparatively less of its resources on health than several other East Asian nations, both publicly and privately (spending 0.6 percent on GDP on health publicly and 2.4 percent of GDP on health overall). In addition, public health gains are not as great as they should be because of the poor distribution of health facilities and personnel over the country. The poor would benefit from more emphasis on primary care and the reduction of environmental risk factors (which induce disease disproportionately among the poor). In many cases, the improvement of other infrastructure such as rural roads will allow existing health facilities to be used more intensively. As a result of the fiscal decentralization enacted in 1991, most traditional poverty alleviation programs except education have become the responsibility of local governments, limiting the ability of the central authorities to implement programs of national priority. At the same time, the current revenue sharing arrangements with local governments (set by a legal formula) do not redistribute resources towards poorer provinces. Also, by devolving functions and whole institutions to local government, expertise and efficiency in many areas has been (at least temporarily) lost  and likely is weakest in poorer provinces. The variation in capacity and resources calls for continued attention by central authorities–for technical assistance, capacity building, and incentives to raise revenues locally. Safety Net The Philippine Government has implemented a number of safety net programs, ranging from cash and in-kind income transfers (such as food subsidies and nutrition interventions) to wage employment programs and livelihood creation programs. In response to natural disasters, the National Food Authority distributes assistance to affected areas in the form of subsidized rice. In addition, the private sector, NGOs, and foreign donors have been actively assisting in the planning, financing and execution of many of these programs. However, the government’s set of programs do not constitute an efficient and equitable social safety net: (i) they are fragmented and not a consistent or adequate response to the problem; (ii) they have generally failed to mobilize communities to help themselves; and (iii) recent changes of institutions and strategies are creating problems of transition that tend to obscure priorities in the government’s delivery of social services or make additional de mands on an ill-equipped bureaucracy and cadre of field workers. Poverty Strategy Policymakers must not waver in keeping the economy outward-oriented and geared towards competition, because an East Asian-style economy is far more likely to be able to sustain the rapid and smooth rate of growth that is fundamental to improving the welfare of the poor. To reach the government’s target of reducing the number of families living below the poverty line from 39 percent in 1991 (by official measures) to 30 percent by 1998, it is estimated that GNP will need to grow by about 6.5 percent annually for 1996 to 1998. Many of the urban poor will be helped directly by growth, as employment opportunities respond to increased demand. Even a good number of the rural poor will find their incomes rising, as demand for agriculture-based products, especially exports, expands. However, significant reduction of rural poverty will require improvements in health and education and infrastructure (especially roads, markets, and agricultural extension). Access to the means of production by the rural poor  is crucial. It is time to revisit how to accomplish the goals of rural land reform so that the intended beneficiaries–the poorest of farmers and landless agricultural workers–can benefit. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, which has accomplished a number of its original goals, is getting too expensive and complicated. Tenancy should be allowed once again, as a useful interim state between landless labor and owner-cultivator status. A market-assisted land reform program should be studied to explore options for reducing costs. Investments with the greatest impact on the poor, e.g., rural infrastructure, should be a priority for use of scarce public funds In urban areas, the scarcity of affordable housing (a problem aggravated by skyrocketing land prices) and threats to environmental health must be addressed. It is now urban, rather than rural, land reform that should be a priority for government action. Tax and regulations on land ownership and development need to be revised. A commission should consider options to balance the rights of dwellers in irregular settlements with the legal owners of urban properties. Water and sanitation services must be extended to poor urban areas. The government should hesitate to spend more money on housing since little of it helps the truly poor. Investment in human capital must be increased by improving the quantity and the quality of primary education and access to primary education in rural areas. Primary health services must be strengthened, especially immunization and prevention of water-borne and respiratory diseases. The social safety net must be consolidated and targeted. General food price subsidies should be stopped, in favor of targeted income subsidies or food stamps and supplementary feeding programs. The National Government should redirect resources formerly used for government livelihood programs towards creating an enabling environment for private institutions to provide credit to the poor successfully. To foster the growth of a healthy microfinance sector, government financial institutions should focus on wholesale lending, ensuring adequate capital is available to reach the poor. Statistical System The key survey for poverty data in the Philippines is the Family Income and Expenditure Survey, conducted every three years. The survey questionnaire is of standard form, more or less comparable to an LSMS format. An important limitation on the relevance of these data for policy purposes has been the  long delays for processing, e.g., the 1991 results became available only in early 1995. Also, the household survey sample is not large enough to allow provincial indicators to be calculated for the smaller provinces. This basic dataset is not integrated with the social sector and other data (surveys on health, demographics., labor force and occasional censuses of population and housing) or with government expenditure information. Monitoring of poverty and the relative performance of the provinces and cities is an important continuing role for the National Government, even after fiscal decentralization. The report recommends that the government expand the household survey and integrate and improve existing statistics and program information so as to provide crucial assistance to the provinces in setting priorities and in raising awareness down to the community level of how well the government is meeting the minimum basic needs of the people. The World Bank has provided technical assistance and grant funding for training and equipment for the government agencies involved (as well as generating interest by other donors) and will continue to do so. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/EXTPA/0,,contentMDK:20204974~menuPK:435735~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:430367~isCURL:Y~isCURL:Y,00.html Poverty in the Philippines: Causes, Constraints and Opportunities Description New ADB Report: â€Å"Taking the Right Road to Inclusive Growth† Poverty and inequality in the Philippines remains a challenge. In the past four decades, the proportion of households living below the official poverty line has declined slowly and unevenly and poverty reduction has been much slower than in neighboring countries such as the People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Economic growth has gone through boom and bust cycles, and recent episodes of moderate economic expansion have had limited impact on the poor. Great inequality across income brackets, regions, and sectors, as well as unmanaged population growth, are considered some of the key factors constraining poverty reduction efforts. Causes of Poverty The main causes of poverty in the country include the following: low to moderate economic growth for the past 40 years; low growth elasticity of poverty reduction; weakness in employment generation and the quality of jobs generated; failure to fully develop the agriculture sector; high inflation during crisis periods; high levels of population growth; high and persistent levels of inequality (incomes and assets), which dampen the positive impacts of economic expansion; and recurrent shocks and exposure to risks such as economic crisis, conflicts, natural disasters,and â€Å"environmental poverty.† Key Findings The report’s key findings include the following: Economic growth did not translate into poverty reduction in recent years; Poverty levels vary greatly by regions; Poverty remains a mainly rural phenomenon though urban poverty is on the rise; Poverty levels are strongly linked to educational attainment; The poor have large families, with six or more members; Many Filipino households remain vulnerable to shocks and risks; Governance and institutional constraints remain in the poverty response; There is weak local government capacity for implementing poverty reduction programs; Deficient targeting in various poverty programs; There are serious resource gaps for poverty reduction and the attainment of the MDGs by 2015; Multidimensional responses to poverty reduction are needed; and Further research on chronic poverty is needed. The report comprehensively analyzes the causes of poverty and recommends ways to accelerate poverty reduction and achieve more inclusive growth. In the immediate and short term there is a need to enhance government’s poverty reduction strategy and involve key sectors for a collective and coordinated response to the problem. In the medium and long term the government should continue to pursue key economic reforms for sustained and inclusive growth. Oct2013 Poorest Country in the World: Democratic Republic of Congo You might be surprised to find that the United States isn’t the richest country in the world. Actually, that crown goes to Qatar who has recently jumped ranks to take first place. But what about the other side of the spectrum, the parts of the world struggling with devastating poverty? Well, on that end the Democratic Republic of Congo comes in first – or last, to be more accurate – with the lowest GDP per capita than any other country. Determining a country’s rank in wealth isn’t the easiest of tasks when you sit down and think about the data and economics involved. However, a good indicator of a nation’s standard of living is the assessment of its GDP (gross domestic product) per capita, which is defined as the total value of all domestic goods and services that country produces annually, times its PPP or purchasing power parity. GDP per capita (PPP) isn’t a perfect shot because its purpose isn’t to calculate that kind of econ omic rank but it’s measured frequently, widely and consistently, allowing trends to become visible. In 2010, GNI (gross national income) per capita replaced GDP in the calculation, but the list is the same between the two. Qatar was still first with about $100,000 GDP per capita (PPP) in 2012 just as it was on the GNI list and the Democratic Republic of Congo came in last at around $370 GDP per capita (PPP). The gap is massive. Of the 40 poorest countries in the world, a solid 33 are in Sub-Saharan Africa. They include Zimbabwe, Burundi, Liberia, and Niger. Other parts of the world notoriously infamous for high poverty rates include Afghanistan, Haiti, and Nepal. But none of these places takes it quite as harshly as the Democratic Republic of Congo (not to be confused with the Republic of Congo) whose turbulent past and bloody wars have eclipsed the nation’s potential to thrive. Since its independence in 1960 and once the most industrialized country in Africa, Congo has bled onto the ground because of its lack of infrastructure and the brutal impact of civil war. Disputes between Congo’s prominent rival groups, the Hutu and Tutsi, erupted after the Rwandan Genocide in which 500,000 people, mostly Tutsi, were victims of mass slaughter by the Hulus in the East African state of Rwanda. The result was an exodus of over 2 million Rwandans fleeing to neighboring countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, known in that  time as Zaire. Most of the refugees were Hulus attempting to escape the Tutsi who had climbed to dominance at the end of the genocide. The Hulu refugee camps in Zaire, however, became politicized and militarized and when Tutsi rebels invaded Zaire to repatriate the refugees, the conflict escalated into the First Congo War in 1996. The situation only grew worse and by 1998, the Second Congo War, which was sometimes called the â€Å"African world war† because it involved a total of nine African countries and twenty armed groups, devastated Zaire and laid waste to her population and economy. The political turmoil continues today despite intervention and peace attempts and is one of the world’s deadliest conflicts with a death toll of 5.4 million people. More than almost 90 percent of the conflict’s victims, however, died due a lack of access to shelter, water, food and medicine – all severely aggravated by displaced and overcrowded populations living in unsanitary conditions. Not to mention, 47 percent of deaths were children under 5 and some 45,000 children continue to die each month. The nation also faces the problem of human rights and the countless crimes against humanity because while many have returned home, an estimated 1.5 million are still displaced. DR Congo is also infamous and heavily criticized for its treatment of women. The east of the country has been described as the â€Å"rape capital of the world† and rates of sexual violence has been described as the worst in the world. It doesn’t help that DR Congo is consistently poisoned by corruption and greed. While mining growth has somewhat boosted the country’s economy, the elite are said to syphon off revenue for their own personal gain due to the nation’s lack of strong central government. Conflicts over basic resources, access and control over rich minerals and oil, and political agendas are some of the many complex causes behind the Democratic Republic of Congo’s inability to rise among the ranks and take the title of the poorest country in the world.

Can be any aspect of Urban Geology (Why geology is relevant in urban Term Paper

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Mass extinction Events - the 6th one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mass extinction Events - the 6th one - Essay Example appened in the planet’s history, mass extinction is an occasion that mankind cannot penetrate, delay or stop especially if they are the primary ones responsible for the planet’s destruction. One is as responsible as the other towards the maintenance of the planet that mankind is living in. There is no reason for finger pointing at this point as to why things are being experienced worldwide (Hallam & Wignall, 1-5). Mass extinctions already happened more than once in the existence of planet Earth. The first mass extinction was said to have happened approximately 500 million years ago and it was the temperature in the planet’s surface that have changed drastically. This event incurred the massive extinctions of species, plants and animals alike. This brought about changes, mostly physical, to those who survive the extinctions. Others would point out these changes as evolution in the species. They needed to evolve and be able to adapt to the surroundings enabling them to survive. Approximately 250 million years ago, another mass extinction occurred and devastated the planet. It was said that during this second mass extinction, it took a while before the surviving species was able to recover. While others failed to adapt therefore becoming extinct (Frankel, 5-10). During the third mass extinction, it was the aquatic species that was confounded. It was after the fourth mass extinction that r eptiles and dinosaurs were said to have evolved. Then around 65 million years ago, the fifth mass extinction occurred. This is the extinction that the generation of today is more aware (Wicander & Monroe, 242; Hoffman, 176). There are scholars who do believe that mankind and the planet is in the middle of the sixth mass extinction as the planet’s composition has been disturbed massively especially in recent centuries or even decades. As mankind is perceived to become more intelligent, the more it aided the events that may cause the mass extinction and even end the human

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Federalism - Term Paper Example Federalism in the US has evolved in the course of the nation’s history from Dual Federalism between 1789 and 1945 after WWII, to Cooperative Federalism between 1945 and 1969 and finally New Federalism from 1969 to present (Robertson, 2012). However, there were also some changes to federalism between Dual Federalism and Cooperative Federalism, especially those occasioned by the 1861-1868 Civil War followed by the Fourteenth Amendment. Then industrialization and globalization that set in between 1865 and 1945, which culminated in the federal government taking over power from state governments when Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency made efforts to revive the economy after the Great Depression. The nation’s first 150 years were described by Dual Federalism, where the Constitution provided for state and national governments. The national government presided over national defense, fostering commerce and foreign policy. On the other hand, state governments dealt with crim inal law, economic regulation and local issues. Each having a distinct area of jurisdiction, the two governments rarely overlapped. Cooperative Federalism marked the intertwining of state and federal authority, where it became difficult to demarcate the beginning and end of the authority of each type of government because they both administered numerous federal programs simultaneously. However, in order to finance their own programs and initiatives, states heavily relied on the federal government for funds.