In addition to offering annual talks for professors, legal minded individuals and other academics interested in the various aspects of criminology, the law and sociological effects as a result of crime, the American Society of Criminology is also geared towards helping these people.  There are employment opportunities at the meetings as well, and on their website the American Society of Criminology actively updates their position and employment posting boards.  As a result, individuals that are going to be graduating from college with a Criminology degree can find on their website a wealth of information pertaining not only to available jobs and markets, but also a resource in the form of networking with likeminded individuals.

Members of the American Society of Criminology are able to enjoy different criminology journals and a newsletter.  The reading materials are helpful for all interested parties because they transmit the information that is changing and being expanded on in the legal and criminology arenas, and will often feature segments on various countries around the world.  There are some specialized regiments within the Society, and members sometimes interact with each other on these specialized levels.  This is again helpful for students looking to break into a specific niche after graduating and those who are particularly interested in specific areas of criminology.  One of the main functions of the Society is to educate people and investigate the many ways in which crime, the criminal element and society are related and dependent upon one another in various manners.  They are open to all willing individuals and encourage interested parties to join or investigate their organization at any point in time.

Within the Society there is an Executive Board.  This is made up of the President, the President Elect, the Immediate past President, as well as the Vice President and the Vice President Elect.  Those positions are elected.  There are also appointed officers, and these positions are made up of the executive secretary, as well as the treasurer and the editor for one of the Criminology Journals, known as Criminology: An Interdisciplinary Journal.  Six Executive Counselors are also added to the board.  These are the individuals that run the society on the whole; those who form policies, determine the specifics of the Annual Meeting, and ratify the Society’s budget.

In archaeological excavations, historic tattooing tools have been found within the town of Gurob inside northern Egypt. These tools were utilized around 1450 BC. The actual tools had been made of bronze. Initially, the archaeologists assumed which the just women of dubious character had been tattooed inside ancient Egypt. Unfortunately, the particular girl mummies alongside tattoos in ancient Egypt were found at Deir el-Bahari, the particular internet site in which royals not to mention some other important individuals were buried. As well as, associated with the girl mummies was diagnosed because Amunet based found on the inscriptions and also she was a significant priestess throughout ancient Egypt.

For an extended time, individuals thought that throughout the ancient times really prostitutes happened to be tattooed, however, this certainly not true. According to be able to Smithsonian magazine, females with regard to ancient Egypt happened to be tattooed, and so they might have a permanent amulet which would definitely protect them in the course of their being pregnant plus subsequent beginning. These tattoos had been found around the actual belly, found on the upper components of the thighs, and additionally on the breasts. They had been within the shape of dots, distributed within a net-like manner. The actual fact that the particular mummies happened to be found with figures of Bes, the actual household deity during ancient Egypt, persuaded the archaeologists which this ended up being a girl custom in the course of all those instances.

Even though there is not any created evidence about whom created the particular tattoos inside ancient Egypt, it is very believed that the elder ladies from the community happened to be responsible for tattooing the young women, similar to exactly how it was performed inside Egypt during the 19th century. The particular tattoos had been produced applying tools that had sharp points alongside hardwood handles. 1 such tool ended up being discovered in Abydos and also Gurob by a great archaeologist named W.M.F. Petrie and even he dated the actual tool in return to be able to 3000 BC. The tool was created from bronze as well as looked pretty similar in order to a flat as well as wide needle. The majority of probably a bunch associated with the needles happened to be chosen to do several dots found on the human body.

It might be interesting to be able to note which these historic tools utilized for tattooing happened to be really similar within appearance in order to the actual tattoo tools found in Egypt for the duration of the 19th century. An English author called William Lane described the actual means tattooing had been completed within ancient Egypt. He claimed which about 7 needles happened to be tied together for pricking your skin. Black wood or perhaps oil smoke had been mixed with all the woman’s breast dairy right after which rubbed into the particular patterns which were pricked. The particular gypsy girls had been responsible for tattooing plus the girls between your ages of 5 and in addition 6 happened to be tattooed. The particular patterns were diamond shaped or simply lines earned up of dots.

Can you imagine being part of a team knocking down an old house, only to be treated to a golden shower as your crow-bar bites into the ceiling of the room you are in? A French champagne producer literally did hit gold in this way, when workers making repairs on his property, to an old building, brought a shower of US coins that had been carefully hidden away in the rafters of the room.

Head of the Alexandre Bonnet champagne-producing firm Francois Lange described the treasure trove consisting of 497 $20 face-value gold coins minted between 1851 and 1928 and worth about $1million today. Half of the find will go the workers, half to the owner in what has to be the luckiest of finds, the treasure building a former grape-drying facility belonging to somebody trading in the 1930s with the USA.

In another twist on questionable toy releases, Mattel have announced the William and Kate wedding Barbies, the royal pair shown with Kate wearing that Alexander McQueen designed lace white dress and William wearing his red Irish Guards uniform, of course.

Aimed at adult collectors, this royal pair will be on sale from April to coincide with the  first anniversary of the couple,  and can be pre-ordered now on Amazon for £99.99, or around $150.

Going back to being lucky, 36 year-old Ludovic Masciave was driving through his car through the French Alps – the Arly Gorge in fact -when he found the roof of his car caving in of him as a TWENTY ton rock crashed down on it.

This unfortunate man, astonishingly, survived the impact, taken to the local hospital to recover. He recalls driving slowly at 40 – 50 km per hour when a sudden, terrible shock brought the vehicle to a jarring halt upon which he immediately lost consciousness. How he escaped from the vehicle alive, the entire vehicle crushed beneath that rock, beggars belief, the car so damaged that rescue workers couldn’t even tell what kind of car it was, his injuries including flattened lungs and several broken ribs.

Another odd claim is that of a British excavation, saying they struck gold by discovering a site that may solve the mystery of where the legendary, biblical Queen of Sheba got her fabled treasure some three millennia ago. Sheba of those times spanned what today is Ethiopia and Yemen, giving vast quantities of gold to King Solomon.

The team have unearthed an huge ancient goldmine, the ruins of a temple and the site of a battlefield in what was this ancient land, headed by Louise Schofield, archaeologist and former British Museum curator.

They found a 20ft stone slab, carved with a Sheba-style sun and crescent moon, beneath the stone an inscription in Sabaean, the language of the Queen of Sheba. Nearby found parts of a buried temple apparently dedicated to main Sheba deity moon god, was found.

Sheba, a thousand year-long 8th century BC civilisation that prospered, their queen immortalised in both bible and Qur’an, her image standing for divine wisdom in Turkish and Persian paintings, as well in medieval Christian mystical works.

A full excavation will soon be underway, but initial tests by the gold prospector who first brought her attention to the mine show that it is extremely large, and very possibly might turn out to be in reality the King Solomon’s Mine of legend.

Who is the best? 

Before Christ Jericho left WWE, he told everyone that he is “the best in the world at everything he does.” CM Punk on the other hand is telling everybody that he is “the best in the world.” Now that the Sexybeast is back, just who is the best?

Last Monday, CM Punk and Chris Jericho finally confronted each other – words and fists. They are both participants in the Elimination Chamber that will take place later this month. And im hoping that they will go one-on-one at Wrestlemania.

Who is the best? It’s still Christ Jericho for me. I’m a certified Jerichoholic.

I don’t know if it is going to be like this in a near future when people will speak in short and strange words and the fashion of talking or writing long and well said sentences will have passed away. It may be so, but I won’t most probably be here by then.

I admit that texting up may be done briefly, because space is short. If we’re going to write up a long sentence, it may require a couple of texts and I know it’s pricey. It’s understable enough. I do also try to abbreviate or synthesise, especially if what I want to tell the other person is a small text to get in touch such as “I’ll meet you at 7.00 p.m.” Or, “How was was your interview?” These short sentences won’t take a lot of space and they’re nicer to the eye as well as to understand them. I could give loads of examples of abbreviations that could have easily been avoided. Texting up the way many people do doesn’t help much to understand what the other person wants to tell us and, in the end, it’s the language to suffer from our laziness to write up a brief, but a clear sentence that won’t cost us a fortune. I’ve already seen that people who are doing it like this on cell phone texts, they also doing it when they write an email, a letter or a small note. It is a shame because, inso doing, they will lose one of our precious treausures such as our language.

How are you? doesn’t take much space, but it looks a lot better than Hw r u?

Another point is the over use of initials when it comes to write something -even as a  small text. I understand that certain names such as makes have to be written as initials -a company’s name for instance or a political party. It is normal to write IBM for International Business Machines or TWA for Trans World Airliner, because these are brand names. They are their names. But I find it ridiculous to use initials for statements, policies or projects drawn by a governmental department no matter in what country. If say a specific institutional department draws a plan for whatever issue, it will soon become sort of brand or proper name. Say, an institution creates a plan to tackle the problem of the jobless and homeless. It may come up like this Jobless and Homeless Solution Project (JHSP) One may say that its initials are used for short when referring to it. But it isn’t a brand name as it isn’t a company or a political party. 

When overusing initials when they could well write a full sentence, they are , in my opinion, trying to confuse us whether there is an intention or not.

One may pick up a newspaper to read a certain article of one’s interest, but it may be dizzying to spot loads of name initials that could have easily avoided. Some people may know what many of these initials mean, but a vast majority of the population in every country don’t. They may be used once in a while if we aren’t to repeat the whole phrase over and over again.

I may be an old-fashioned one if I say that I still like a well written sentence to tell me news or things. Or, it may be the new global language they are introducing us and I haven’t realized about it.

Image via Wikipedia

For more than 4,000 years, the Phyramids of Giza have been regarded as one of the wonders of the world. Perhaps the greatest wonders of all is how the builders managed to erect them with only the simpliest tools-  not even the wheel which  came into use in Egypt several of hundreds  years  after the Pyramids of Giza were finished.

Image via Wikipedia

There are three major Phyramids of Giza, near Cairo, and they were built as the tombs of the three Egyptian Pharoahs, who had the statue of gods on earth. The first and largest, was the monument of Pharaoh Khufu, also known as the great Phyramid, who reigned from about 2,590 B.C to 2,567 B.C.  The Phyramid is 480 feet tall. It’s base covers over 13 acres and is 750 feet square. The Phyramid is built of about 2,300,000  blocks of stones, weighing an average of  of more than 2-1/2 tons each. Some weight more than 15 tons and the granite roof slabs of Khufu’s burial chamber weigh 50 tons.

Image via Wikipedia

The Phyramids are built on the slight hill on foundations of solid rocks. A nearby outcrop of rocks form the lower part of the Great Sphinx. Today, the outskirts of the city of Cairo reach virtually to the foot of the phyramids, but when the phyramids were built, the site was out in the dessert.

Image via Wikipedia

It is also the ancient Egyptian temples that the visual arts – painting, sculpture, and achitectue – found fullest expression. The temples shared the  massive quality of Hatshepsut and the temple at Abu Sembel. Others, such as those of Lukor and Kamak were of the pylon type.    

Image via Wikipedia

  Fo those Brilliant minds. Discover yourself how good you are in History. Answer the 10 Questions below.

TRUE or FALSE.

1.———–The art of Egypt exemplified by the phyramid used as tomb of the Pharaoh

2————Woksmanship in Egypt was highly developed, particularly in the royal workshops

3————The Kings of ancient Egypt were known as Pharaohs

4.———–The religion of Egypt monotheistic in theory but polytheistic in practice

5————Phyramids of Kalakh have been regarded as one of the wonders of the world.

Image via Wikipedia

6.———–The first and largest was the monument of Pharaoh Ikhnaton, also known as the Great Pyramid, who reigned from about 2,590 B.C to 2,567 B.CC

7.———–For thousands of years, the phyramids have remindes us that a great ancient society once flourised in the Nile River Valley

8.———–The Egyptian achitecture developed the use of the post and lintel system.

9.———–The Egyptian art is pimarily religious in nature.

Good luck

Image via Wikipedia

Introduction

Body languages are nonverbal cues which you give, whether to one person, to a group of people, and even when you think no one is watching.  Being mindful of the unspoken messages you may be sending can be just as important as what you are saying.  We should be sure to learn more about this subject as many situations in our lives can be affected.  I’m not just talking about our personal relationships, but professional relationships, too.  When you are interviewing trying to get a job, there are certain ways you can behave to help you in getting that job.   If you are presenting, you should learn the best behaviors to use in getting your message across.  Be sure, though, to pay attention to the group you speaking to and adjust your behaviors accordingly.   

The Idea in a Nutshell

Charles Darwin was the first to conduct a scientific study of nonverbal communication. His argument was that all mammals show their emotion on their faces.  The study on human emotions was done seventy years later.  Body movement analysis was later studied.  However, Anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell pioneered the original study of nonverbal communication—what he called ‘kinesics.’   (“Nonverbal Communication:  History”)

The 10 Things You Need to Know About What Your Body Language Says

1.    Body language speaks volumes when your mouth does not.  Author Ajit Kulkarni wrote an article for Hpathy Ezine (also known as Homeopathy) in May 2008 entitled “The Unspoken Language.”  In his article, he quoted Past Maclean who said, “Emotional feelings, instead of finding expression and discharge in the symbolic use of words and appropriate behavior must be conceived as being translated into a kind of “organ language” (“The Unspoken Language”).   

2.    Your posture, the way you sit, the way you stand, the way you walk, the way you move, all reveal to other people the way you view yourself.  Whether you are self confident or nervous, can be expressed with the way your body moves.  Being aware of your movements can express to others confidence when in fact you can be nervous (“The Unspoken Language”).

3.    The Power of Body Language by Joe Navarro.  When Joe Navarro was 23 years old and working as a police officer, he was approached by the FBI to work with them.  Not many people are approached by the FBI, but he was.  He accepted their offer and became one of the youngest agents to work for the FBI.  He was there for 25 years working as an agent and supervisor.  He trained agents and the intelligence community and has vast knowledge in reading body language.  He retired in 2003 and now dedicates his time to speaking and consulting with major corporations worldwide.  He is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on reading non-verbal communications (“The Nonverbal Expert”).

     Here is a clip on Joe Navarro on body language.

4.      Other types of body language include hand signals.  For example, the American-style ‘OK’ sign made with your hand is actually a rude gesture in some cultures, notably Latin America, Germany and the Middle East.  In Arab countries the thumbs up gesture is considered rude (“Body Language in Different Cultures”).  Remember to take other cultures into consideration and learn about them if you are in a situation where you will be before a group from another country.

5.    When on a job interview, do not sit with your arms crossed in front of you.  It sends the signal that you are guarding yourself and not open.  Sitting with your hands on your lap and slightly leaning forward shows that you are interested.  This suggests that you are involved in the conversation and positive.

6.    Mimicking the person you are having a conversation with is also a means of unspoken language.  When that person leans forward, you can lean forward, too.  When that person leans back, you can lean back.  Take care though to not do this in a copycat manner, but in an engaging manner.  If you do it in a copycat manner, it could be perceived as insulting.

7.    The eyes also send many signals; including the eye brows.  We know that furrowing the eyebrows can mean that we don’t understand and need additional information.  A wink could mean, “I like you,” or as a signal that what you said was in jest, and it could also mean “I’ve got your back.”

8.    This brings us to eye contact.  Avoiding making eye contact could be interpreted as though you have something to hide.   In these types of situations, presenting before a group of people, making eye contact with individuals in the room can help win the trust of people to whom you are speaking and they feel acknowledged (“Learn Some Important Basics on Body Language”).

9.    Body language for men and women is viewed differently.   There was a case study involving business school students wherein a man and a woman were posing as venture capitalists and used the same body language during their presentation.  The students they presented to viewed them differently.  They viewed the woman as being less genuine, less humble, less kind, and more power hungry.   This is because our own culture views women differently.  We prefer women at behave in nurturing, warm ways as opposed to dominant ways.  So, if we want to be liked when presenting, we need to keep this in mind (“For Women Leaders, Body Language Matters”).  

10.    Of course, it’s not only in business where the unspoken language is important; in matters of love and relationships, being able to read someone’s body language is very important.  This is how we communicate an interest in each other.  This can also be how we express annoyance with our loved ones.  Today is Valentine’s Day.  Did you guys get a card for your sweethearts?  Just a piece of ‘nurturing’ advice, don’t ever let a Valentine’s Day pass without at the very least getting a card for the woman in your life.   Not acknowledging that she is important could get you some unspoken language of the unwanted kind.

My Take

    This is certainly a concept which should be taken seriously if we expect to advance in our careers, or in any other aspect of our lives.  This is very relevant in business today considering that many companies function on a global basis.  We need to learn about different cultures so as not to offend anyone we want to do business with.  If we are working in Human Resources, we need to have the skills needed to be able to read behaviors of the people we are interviewing.

References

Abedi, Abbas, “Learn Some Important Basics Of Body Language” 2/11/12

“Body Language in Different Cultures” 2/11/12

Cooper, Marianne, “For Women Leaders, Body Language Matters,” 11/15/10,

http://www.Stanford.edu/group/gender/cgi-bin/wordpressblog/2010/11/for-women-leaders-body-language-matters/

Kulkari, Ajit  “The Unspoken Language” 2/11/12  

papers/the-unspoken-language/>

Navarro, Joe, “The Nonverbal Expert” 2/11/12
“Nonverbal Communication:  History”, 2/11/12
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Contact Information

To contact the author of “The Top Ten Management Primer on What Your Body Language Says,” please email Gwyndolen Mendez at Gwyndolen.Mendez@selu.edu and gwynmendez@yahoo.com.

About the Publisher  

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Management, can be viewed at http://wyldaboutmanagement.blogspot.com/. He also serves as the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.com/), a hub of research and news in the expanding world of competitive bidding. Dr. Wyld also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding:

• management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/)
• book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and
• international foods  (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/)                                         

The rise of computer technology also promoted the metaphor of mental function as information processing. This, combined with a scientific approach to studying the mind, as well as a belief in internal mental states, led to the rise of cognitivism as the dominant model of the mind.

Links between brain and nervous system function were also becoming common, partly due to the experimental work of people like Charles Sherrington and Donald Hebb, and partly due to studies of people with brain injury (see cognitive neuropsychology). With the development of technologies for accurately measuring brain function, neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience have become some of the most active areas in contemporary psychology.

With the increasing involvement of other disciplines (such as philosophy, computer science, and neuroscience) in the quest to understand the mind, the umbrella discipline of cognitive science has been created as a means of focusing such efforts in a constructive way.

Janaagraha, which translates into moral force of the people, says that the
term ‘quality of life’ “has two distinct and inter-related aspects. The
first is ‘quality of urban infrastructure and services’ – the quality of
urban amenities, i.e., roads, drains, traffic, transport, water supply,
etc. The second aspect is the ‘quality of citizenship’ – the role that urban
residents play by participating in civic issues.”

The organization, which has attracted US$3 million in funding over three
years from United States-based global philanthropic investment firm Omidyar
Network — an investment firm established by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and
his wife Pam — says that “Reed is an acronym for four defining aspects of
urban governance”:

Regional perspective to urban issues

Empowered citizens and local governments

Enabled citizens and local governments with

Direct accountability of the government to the people

                               Regional perspective to urban issues

Janaagraha says that “no problem can be looked at in isolation and this is
true of urbanization as well. Any city is always a part of a larger region
with many interconnections. The rural hinterland surrounding most Indian
cities is an important part of the city landscape as well as its economy. It
becomes essential to take a regional perspective into account while planning
for a city. For example, when we plan for our city’s transportation we must
keep in mind the developments in the sub-urban and regional areas around our
city.”

Incidentally, a regional perspective to urban planning and governance was
first adopted by the Planning Commission of India as early as its Third
Five-Year Plan (1961-66), in which it said: “Concerted efforts will be made
to prepare master plans and regional development plans of metropolitan and
industrial cities and resource regions.” (See:
Chapter 33.5 “Housing and urban and rural planning”
http://bit.ly/ziiQCM )

Under point 30, titled “Preparation of master plans”, it said:  ”In
redeveloping existing cities and building up new towns, it is of the utmost
importance that the regional approach should be followed.”

More than a decade later, the Fourth Five-Year Plan (1969-74) intensified
its approach to urban planning with a regional perspective.  Under point
19.5, Chapter 19, titled “Regional development, housing and water supply”,
the plan stated: “Reference may be made here to some important problem
relating to future development of Indian cities. In most of the rapidly
growing cities, the limits of corporations or municipalities do not coincide
with the appropriate planning areas. It is necessary to create larger
planning regions and to provide by law that such plans formulated by the
regional authority are implemented by the local authority or authorities.
(See:  http://bit.ly/yXfwrH )

The Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012), with quicker, inclusive and
holistic growth as its main objective, finally looked at urban challenges in
the global context. “The regional development plans at the State level need
to be formulated as a broad policy and vision document for the development
of urban and rural growth centres in an integrated manner,” the Plan said.

We are already more than a month into 2012, the final year of the Eleventh
Five-Year plan and have progressed imperfectly, considering the goals
outlined in successive Plans. The situation has prompted experts to say that
we need implementation of a well-made master plan.
(See: “Planning networked infrastructure” http://bit.ly/n2in6C )

However, initiatives, such as, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal
Mission (JNNURM), Urban Transport including Metro Projects, Swarna Jayanti
Shahri Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY), and Interest Subsidy Scheme for Housing the
Urban Poor (ISSHU) have been implemented in phases, providing some solace to
the urban chaos that we are living in currently.

The Eleventh Five-year plan has even outlined the vision and strategy of the
policy makers.

According to the vision statement “Indian cities will be the locus and
engine of economic growth over the next two decades, and the realization of
an ambitious goal of 9 – 10 percent growth in GDP depends fundamentally on
making Indian cities much more livable, inclusive, bankable, and
competitive.”

The strategy:

. Strengthening urban local bodies through capacity building and better
financial management.

. Increasing the efficiency and productivity of cities by deregulation and
development of land.

. Dismantling public sector monopoly over urban infrastructure and creating
conducive atmosphere for the private sector to invest.

. Establishing autonomous regulatory framework to oversee the functioning of
the public and private sector.

. Reducing incidence of poverty.

. Using technology and innovation in a big way

Going by media reports, the first big stride toward such an approach seem to
have been taken by Gujarat. The Economic Times reported that the Gujarat
International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), being constructed over an area of
886 acre and at a cost of Rs 72,740-crore, “will have a financial
services-based multi-services SEZ, a centre for domestic financial sector,
corporate offices, regional offices of companies, a trade centre, housing
colonies, social infrastructure and other amenities. The project
is expected to create 10 lakh new jobs in 10 years.”

An editorial has exhorted other states to follow or emulate the GIFT
strategy even for bigger, existing cities. (See: “Building a future”:
http://bit.ly/wfIgPQ ).

What is not known is whether the project conforms to the inclusive and
holistic growth vision of the policy makers and whether it has been planned
in an integrated manner, involving affordable housing for both the urban and
rural poor and has instead not displaced them.

                                Empowered citizens and local governments

Janaagraha says “the roots of democracy in urban India need to be deepened
by giving a formal voice to urban citizens in local decision making. A
formal platform for citizen participation, called Area Sabha, at a polling
booth level is not just desirable but essential for effective urban
governance.

Local government bodies should be nurtured to carry out those functions
which are currently being done by the State. This can be done through the
processes of decentralisation and devolution of State functions as guided by
the 74th Amendment of the Constitution. This will empower local bodies to
solve problems arising out of their own jurisdiction.”

The term “Empowered citizens” today has evolved from the pressure groups
that are so common in India. The roots of democracy in urban India can only
be deepened by encouraging citizens to participate in local decision making,
such as helping Urban Local Bodies formulate authentic, transparent and
holistic plans for development of the region, act as mediators between the
civil society , the ULBs and the policy makers at the state and central
levels, act as the society’s watchdogs  in curbing corruption and wrongdoing
by the ULBs.

The Right to Information Act has already empowered citizens, especially the
tax payers, to seek information on the proper utilisation of public funds. A
recent court ruling allowing citizens to seek sanction for prosecuting
erring public servants has added to their empowerment. (See:
http://bit.ly/zoKI48 ).

                              Enabled citizens and local governments

“Empowering the local governments with necessary functions is necessary but
not enough. In order for the municipalities to perform their functions
effectively, they need to be enabled with the right kind of resources -
suitably qualified and skilled human resources, sufficient financial
resources and management support systems like modern technology tools,” says
Janaagraha.

“As with local governments, citizens also need to be enabled with platforms,
skills and tools to participate effectively. Citizens need tools that help
them objectively assess the performance of their local governments and their
elected representatives in order to take collective action,” it says.

The Planning Commission of India’s Eleventh Five-Year Plan has discussed the
matter of enabled citizens and local government extensively.

The plan has quoted the 74th Constitution Amendment Act, the CAA, saying
“The CAA has empowered elected representatives and community leaders with
decision-making powers through institutional frameworks such as Ward
Committees, MPCs, and District Planning Committees. Now from a ‘top-down’
approach, the emphasis has thus shifted to the ‘bottom-up’ approach” and the
need for an “independent regulatory institution with professional urban
managers at the State level to ensure that the ULBs operate with autonomy
but within the framework decided by the independent regulatory institution.
It can decide parameters such as framing minimum and maximum limits for
various types of local taxes, fees, user charges, administrative
expenditure, etc. Setting up the regulatory institution can go a long way in
improving the performance of local bodies in delivery of civic services to
people.”

The Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-2007) has an elaborate feature on the status
of Urban Local Bodies. It has delved into matters such as, preparation of
plans for economic development and social justice, the need to improve the
financial position of municipal bodies as well as “integrated and
coordinated planning for urban and rural areas by various agencies involved
in providing civic, transport, economic and social services.” (See:
http://bit.ly/yjnjwZ ) .

The Eleventh Five-Year Plan added an important element: Municipal Bond
Markets. It said: “The advantages of using municipal bonds to finance urban
infrastructure are increasingly evident in India. The Indian Bond Market is
becoming vibrant. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation issued a first historical
Municipal Bond in Asia to raise Rs 100 crore from the capital market for
part financing a water supply project.”

The nurturing of local governments to carry out functions in a technically
and financially equipped manner has been suggested by the Plan as a
strategic goal, involving: Strengthening urban local bodies through capacity
building and better financial management; increasing the efficiency and
productivity of cities by deregulation and development of land; dismantling
public sector monopoly over urban infrastructure and creating conducive
atmosphere for the private sector to invest; establishing autonomous
regulatory framework to oversee the functioning of the public and private
sector; Reducing incidence of poverty; and using technology and innovation
in a big way.

With a futuristic goal in mind, what more requires to be done is equip all
police stations, municipal bodies and other agencies with computer networks
that can be of help to any citizen of India using Aadhaar, the unique
identification card developed by the Unique Identification Authority of
India (UIDAI).

                       Direct accountability of the government to the people

Direct accountability, according to Janaagraha, “can be achieved through
certain institutionalised mechanisms:  first, by having inclusive and formal
platforms of citizen participation such as Area Sabhas, which are essential
for citizens to engage with their local governments on an on-going basis and
demand accountability; and second, through the Public Disclosure law of the
JNNURM which requires Urban Local Bodies to release their financial
statements on a quarterly basis. Here, participatory budgeting is a good
tool for prioritisation of issues by city stakeholders based on local
needs.”

The Tenth Five-Year Plan, although recognizing the fact that direct
accountability can be achieved through certain institutionalised mechanisms,
lamented that “Participatory management is still a relatively novel concept
as bureaucratic approaches insulate public functionaries from public
scrutiny or accountability.”

The Eleventh Five-Year Plan improved upon the lament by emphasizing that
“E-governance encompasses the strategic and systematic use of modern ICT by
the government to improve the efficiency, transparency, and accountability
in its functioning and interface with citizens.”

The policy makers also need to further look into development strategies
advised by experts to be at the right side of accountability. (See:
http://bit.ly/A82YVe ).

                              Role of Civil Society and Quality of Life

Janaagraha feels that “Civil society institutions effectively link people
and they help in bridging gaps between the felt needs of citizens and
delivery of government services.  Civil society institutions do not replace
the rightful role that democratic institutions play; but support in enabling
transparency and better governance by playing the role of advisors,
watchdogs,  and catalysts in promoting equitable, sustainable & inclusive
development.”
Civil Society institutions have increasingly responsible and challenging
roles to play in a diverse democracy as India. With 1.20 billion of citizens
segregated by 22 official languages and 35 States, these institutions are
the important link between the citizens and delivery of government services
as they are committed to democracy and its offshoots such as, equal
opportunity to all, freedom of expression and now ensuring transparency and
better governance.

Janaagraha says that “aspects that define the quality of life are access to
drinking water, availability of sanitation and sewerage systems, public
transport, toilets, roads, healthcare, education, reduction of poverty,
public spaces like parks, land & housing among others. All of these are not
provided to any level of acceptability for the average citizen.  Solutions
to urban problems require systems based approach to take a holistic view
which allows:
Specific interventions both from government and civil society to improve
specific aspect of urban governance: Assessment of the quality of urban
governance in a city/ region; Systemic approach for provision of
infrastructure and services; The Eleventh Five-year Plan has focused on
three important factors: drinking water, the urban poor and affordable
housing.

On drinking water, the Plan has said that an “Accelerated Urban Water Supply
Programme (AUWSP) was launched in March 1994 to provide safe and adequate
water supply to towns having population less than 20000 (as per 1991
Census), to improve environment and quality of life, and to bring about
better socio-economic conditions to sustain the economy.”

On the urban poor: “A large number of workers engaged in the urban economy
as self-employed in the informal sector, regular low wage/salaried workers,
and casual workers fall in the category of the urban poor. They play a role
in wealth creation, development of infrastructure, and providing a quality
of life to the urbanites. However, they have themselves been denied shelter, basic urban amenities,
healthy urban environment, and a dignified life.”

On affordable housing: In order to improve the quality of life in urban
areas, it is of critical significance that the housing stock is improved
through urban renewal, in situ slum improvement, and development of new
housing stock in existing cities as well as new townships.

The Mid-Term Appraisal of the Plan, has however, raised positive hopes for a
better future and quality of life for citizens. It has identified the
objectives of the JNNURM and along with it, formed programmes such as the
Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG); Basic Services to the Urban Poor
(BSUP); Urban Infrastructure and Development Scheme for Small and Medium
Towns (UIDSSMT); and the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme
(IHSDP).

It is also encouraging to note that the mid-term plan has committed to
mandatory reforms, at the state and the ULB levels, apart from a few
optional ones.  (See: http://bit.ly/wcDT6N )

Good storytelling begins with a solid idea, along with excellent organization and convincing examples and exposition.  Juicy verbs and nouns paint the picture told by the story help to sustain the reader’s attention. Figurative and evaluative language adds colorful flourishes to the story, turning what may be a good story into a piece of writing that keeps readers hooked, inviting them back for more of the writer’s words.  

Figurative and Evaluative Language Defined

Figurative language a word or phrase with another word or phrase. It uses words in ways that redefines them, changes their meaning, provides a definition that’s unlike their actual explanation. The word blue, for example, changes from a color to meaning sad or depressed and the phrase “like a greased pig on oil” means something slippery, or something slips by quickly, with no friction to slow it and nothing to stop it. evaluative language allows writers to offer up their opinions on a topic, in other words, editorializing. This opining may be intentional or it may be inadvertent. This evaluative language is considered sound reasoning when the writer’s opinions are based on fact and firm arguments rather than on suppositions. The writer has evaluated the words used by other writers and is giving his or her own interpretation of their meaning.

Figurative Devices

Figurative language has at its disposal, a multitude of  strategies to elucidate a writer’s ideas and stir the reader’s imagination. These figures of speech are used in figurative language:  similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, idioms, and symbolism.

• Similes use the words “like” or “as” to compare one set of words with another, one idea with another. Example: Jennifer’s mom always  moved through her day, busy as a bee.
• Metaphors compares two or more things share nothing in common, without using the words like or as, as with similes. Example, Jack can eat anything he wants because he’s a string bean.
• Personification gives human qualities to animals or inanimate objects. Example: When the summer rains finally began, the drops danced on the roofs and kicked up steam on the street outside her house.
• Hyperbole humorously exaggerates in order to make appoint. Example: He gave the policeman the slip, escaping faster than a greased pig on oil.
• Onomatopoeia describes an action by replicating the sound they make. Examples: the rain pinged against the window; the bacon sizzled in the pan; the wind rustled through the leaves.
• Idiomsare expressions people use, that  are generally used only in specific regions. Example: People living in Texas say “ya’ll” when referring to 2 or more people.
• Symbolism uses specific nouns to stand for something else entirely. Example: The American flag represents patriotism, freedom, and love of country.

Evaluative Devices

Evaluative language is used to write book reports as well as book, movie, or theater reviews. Writers use evaluative language to describe what they read or saw without giving away the whole story. Writers let their readers know how they felt about what they experienced while reading the book or watching the movie or play so as to convince their readers that the book, movie or play was or was not worth their time.

Figurative and evaluative language improves writing by making it more colorful. Figurative language invites readers to expand their imagination and see things in wilder, grander, more vibrant ways,  rather than taking things literally. Evaluative language encourages readers to consider the writer’s viewpoint about something and make the assumption that the writer is actually an expert about the topic he or she is writing about. On the other hand, the readers can take the writer’s opinion with a grain of salt and go out and investigate the topic, book, play or movie for themselves and make up their own mind. Either way, they’ve gotten just enough of a taste of what the writer is discussing to decide one way or the other, whether they want to investigate further or not. Both of these writing techniques have their place. Both can make an author’s writing better.

Bibliography

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http://languagearts.mrdonn.org/figurative.html

Fallacy Files. Loaded Words.  Downloaded 2/14/2012.

http://www.fallacyfiles.org/loadword.html

Word IQ.  Literal and Figurative Language – Definition.  Downloaded 2/14/2012. http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Literal_and_figurative_language  

Kids Konnect. Figurative Language. Downloaded 2/14/2012.

http://www.kidskonnect.com/subject-index/20-language-arts/343-figurative-language.html

O’Regan, David. University of Kansas. Useful Phrases for use in Evaluative Writing. Downloaded 2/14/2012.

http://home.ku.edu.tr/~doregan/Writing/evallangpanova.htm

Your Dictionary. Figurative Language. Downloaded 2/14/2012.

http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/Figurative-Language.html

The Australian Curriculum. Evaluative Language. Downloaded 2/14/2012.

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Glossary?a=E&t=evaluative+language

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Downloaded 2/14/2012.

http://literacyworks.com.au/teaching-ideas/persuasive-texts-for-naplan-evaluative-language/