Archives November 2012

Introduction many economists have said that the growth experienced by Southeastern Asian countries during the 1980s and early 1990s was a miracle. Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia and other countries in the region experienced annual growth rates of over 7 percent. Along with this rapid growth, these countries also saw very little unemployment and an almost invisible wealth gap between the different social and economic classes of citizens. Circumstances have dramatically changed, however. In the summer of 1997, Southeast Asia experienced a time of great financial and economic turmoil. At first, the economic crisis was isolated in Thailand's financial sector, but it quickly spread to Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea as well. The Prosperous Times It seems that Southeast Asia has always been able to turn bad times around and recover to end up as some of the strongest economies in the world. South Korea, for instance, was very weak more...

Stress is a psychological and physiological response to events ' that upset our personal balance in some way. When faced with a threat-, whether to our physical safety or emotional equilibrium, the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid,   automatic process known as the "fight-or-flight" response. We all know what this stress response feels like: heart pounding in the chest, muscles tensing up, breathe coming faster, every sense on red alert. The biological stress response is meant to protect and support us. It's what helped our stony age ancestors survive I the life-or-death situations they commonly faced. But in the modern world, most of the stress we feel is in response to psychological rather than physical threats. Caring for a ' chronically-ill child or getting audited by the IPS qualify as stressful situations, but neither calls for cither fight or flight, unfortunately, our bodies don't make this distinction. more...

The television has become one item of a family's existence to such an extent that, now it cannot be brushed aside at this stage. It is a part of every home whether it is in an urban locality or the rural. This mechanism has done a lot of service to man in every sphere of life. It helps educate young people, it provides entertainment sitting in the comfort of the home, and, above all, it tells all about things happening in and out of the country, throughout the world. All this is wonderful and a great service to man but, at the same time, it also has a negative side to it, a negative impact on the society of the times. People have got so very engrossed in this TV and its wide variety of programmes that, no one, yes no one has any time to spare for even his more...

Hormones are organic substances that are secreted by plants and animals and that function in the regulation of physiological activities and in maintaining homeostasis. They carry out their function', by evoking responses from specific organs or tissues that are adapted to react to minute quantities of them. The classical view of hormones is that they are transmitted to their targets in the bloodstream after discharge from the glands that secrete them- This mode of discharge (directly into the bloodstream) is called endocrine secretion. The meaning of the term hormone has been extended beyond the original definition of a blood-borne secretion, however, to include similar regulatory substances that are distributed by diffusion across cell membranes instead of by a blood system. Among animals, the hormones of the vertebrates- particularly those of humans and other mammals- are the best known. Most vertebrate hormones originate in specialized tissues, called endocrine tissues and are more...

The nature of work is changing at whirlwind speeds. Perhaps now, more than ever before, job stress poses a threat to the health of workers. Stress has long been associated with the onset of significant physical and mental health problems. Stress began to be implicated in areas beyond the bounds of physical and mental health as far back as the 1980s. In the organizational environment, stress has been implicated in the deterioration of performance efficiency by both managers and subordinates. When performance efficiency suffers, the quality of the overall organizational environment and productivity deteriorates. A deterioration of the organizational environment is accompanied   by   deterioration in organizational communication. The primary sources of occupational stress within an organization originate from four areas. These areas include task demands, physical demands, role demands and interpersonal, demands. Any demand, either of a physical nature or psychological nature, encountered in the course of living is known more...

AIDS is a life and death issue. To have the AIDS disease is at present a sentence of slow but inevitable death- According to a study, in U.S. one man in 10 may already be carrying the AIDS virus. There currently is neither a cure, nor even an effective treatment and no vaccine either. But there are things that have been 'proven' immensely effective in slowing the spread of this hideously lethal disease. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Disease. It. is caused by a virus, the disease originated somewhere in Africa about 20 years ago. There it first appeared as a mysterious ailment afflicting primarily heterosexuals of both sexes. It probably was spread especially fast by primarily female prostitutes there. AIDS has already become a crisis of 'staggering' proportions in parts of Africa. In Zaire, it is estimated that over twenty per cent or the adults currently carry the more...

What are the function and problems within the globalization process? Globalization creates new challenges and opportunities for those people who are of greatest concern to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement - that is, the Disadvantaged. The humanitarian players - that is, the UN system and its organizations, the Red Cross Red Crescent, NGOs - have several roles to play in relation to globalization. We should monitor the impact of globalization and help governments to strengthen safety nets and provide basic social Services. We must reinforce our efforts to address the needs of vulnerable people and we must adapt our methods of assistance and do all we can to prevent additional, or new, groups from becoming vulnerable. We need a stronger commitment to co-operation and co-ordination among ourselves, with governments and local civil society. We must also contribute to the global policy agenda to ensure that globalization moves in more...

The science of Ayurveda is a unique holistic system, based on the interaction of body, mind and spirit- In Ayurveda, the origin of all aspects or existence is pure intellect or consciousness. Energy and matter are one. Energy is manifested in five elements-ether, air, fire, water and earth- which together form the basis of alt matter. The treatment or Ayurveda is based on Indian herbs, which has a healing energy. Herbs are green in color and are tender. They have a unique flavor and intoxicating aroma. Ayurveda has focused on the various aspects of herbs and their practice in our day- to-day life. Specific emphasis is given on the preparation and storage of herbs followed since ancient time. Each Indian herb has a distinct quality and each of them is used for different purposes. There are mainly three different categories of herbs: mild, strong and toxic, Herbalists mainly use mild more...

What is the first thing that comes to mind when the word bravery is said? For most people a war hero or a superhero comes into their minds. Probably every language has a word for bravery, but there is only one true meaning. The word bravery is "showing a brave spirit or courage" when tough times are thrust upon or happen to them. Bravery is not only what people do, but also how they do it. The concept is also "showiness, splendour, and magnificence". Bravery may be shown in different ways: a person may jump from a plane or walk on fire to show that he/she is truly brave. Then again, sometimes bravery is something that a person has inside him or her and is never shown as an action at all. For thousands of years, people have used words that describe the concept of bravery. The history, or etymology, more...

Nationalism in modern history, movement in which the nation- state is regarded as paramount for the realization of social, economic, and cultural aspirations of a people. Nationalism is characterized principally by a feeling of community among a people, based on common descent, language, and religion. Before the 18th century, when nationalism emerged as a distinctive movement, states usually were based on religious or dynastic ties; citizens owed loyalty to their Church or ruling family. Concerned with clan, tribe, village, or province, people rarely extended their interests nationwide. Nationalism is not to be confused with patriotism. Both words are normally used in so vague a way that any definition is liable to be challenged, but one must draw a distinction between them, since two different and even opposing ideas are involved. Patriotism I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the more...